Daily Archives: December 14, 2009
Last year, Francisco Rodriguez was 3–6, with 35 saves and a 3.71 ERA, in 70 appearances during his first season with the Mets.
However, he had four blown saves and a 6.75 ERA in 29 appearances during the second half.
…like i wrote a few weeks ago, his 2009 season worried me a bit… i mean, had he had that second-half and the team was good, look out… people would be slamming him right now… but, it was a lost season, and so he kind of got lost in the wreckage… as someone in the comment section pointed out recently, K-Rod’s 2009 season was on par with Armando Benitez’s worst season with the Mets…
In a post to Amazin Avenue, Eric Simon relays four charts that show Rodriguez has been striking out less people, while walking more, and letting more runners reach base.
…i want to believe he’ll be fine, but, he’s clearly been on the decline… i recall wondering last winter if it was a red flag that the Angels were not fighting to bring him back… instead, making just a small offer, then letting walk to the Mets, who ended up signing him for significantly less than he was asking… at the same time, there are people who feel his 2009 season never allowed him to be consistent, and get in a groove, because he was used so sporadically, thanks to the team’s poor play… and, had he been able to get in to a rhythm, like he had been to start the season, he’d have been fine… i guess will find out soon enough…
Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus believes the Red Sox offered a $15.5 million, major-league contract to Cuban free-agent RHP Aroldis Chapman.
Original Post at 12:10 pm:
Chapman is expected to throw a side session for interested teams in Houston tomorrow.
Free-agent 1B Adam LaRoche is seeking a three-year, $31.5 million deal, according to Giants reporter Andrew Baggerly of the Mercury News.
LaRoche, 29, hit .277 with a .355 OBP, 25 home runs, 83 RBI and 38 doubles for the Pirates and Braves this season.
In each of the last four seasons, LaRoche has hit below .250 in the first-half of the season, and above .300 in the second half.
In early December, on SNY’s Mets Hot Stove, SI.com’s Jon Heyman said the Mets believe Ike Davis can be a starting first baseman in 2011, and so they are not likely to pursue LaRoche.
Instead, Heyman believes the Mets will bring in a platoon-type first baseman.
…i still feel the Mets intend to look at free-agent 1B Carlos Delgado in the same was they considered Pedro Martinez last off season… but, there are lots of people connected to the Mets who believe their interest is genuine, and that delgado may actually be the preferred option…
Speaking of random free agents…
The Yankees and Reds are among teams who are willing to give a contract to 38–year-old free-agent OF Brian Giles, says Buster Olney of ESPN.com, though he is not sure if it would be a major-league or minor-league deal.
He hit .306 with 56 extra base hits, a .398 OBP and 63 RBI in 147 games in 2008 for the Padres.
However, he missed roughly 100 games last season due to a knee contusion.
In a must-read report for the New York Times, Charlie Devereux followed Johan Santana to Tovar, Venezuela, Santana’s home town, where he visited with his parents, and handed out Christmas presents to local children, while organizing soccer and baseball tournaments.
According to Devereux, “Traffic essentially came to a standstill as people from neighboring towns crowded in to welcome Santana home. At the town’s soccer stadium, hundreds of children were lined up around the block, each receiving gifts — action figures for the boys, dolls and makeup sets for the girls.”
In September, Santana had season-ending surgery to remove bone chips from his left elbow.
He told Devereux he is ‘100 percent recovered,’ and looking to forward to Spring Training.
…he is without question my favorite player on the team, and becoming one of my favorite players of all time… i will always be a big fan of players who work hard, who are intense, and who not only out-perform, but tend to out-will the opposition… it just so happens, it seems, that he is a leader and role-model to so many people, not just in the clubhouse, but off field as well…
…i never know how i feel about this sorts of stories, though… on one hand, i want to not care, because i want my appreciation for the player to be about on field work only… i don’t want to know they are nice or bad people, because i do not want that to influence how i view the game and their on-field results… this is one of the big reasons, despite having access, that i avoid the clubhouse and talking with players… i don’t want to like a particular person, or be friends with them, because i don’t want it to cloud my desire to yell at me television when he drops a pop up… that said, i am happy to hear people like johan, and so many others in professional sports, use their money and influence to do things to give back to the community… that’s important, and has nothing to do with baseball…
To read more about Santana’s trip, including an outstanding series of photographs, go here.
Yesterday, FoxSports.com said the Braves might wait for free-agent John Lackey to sign a new contract before trying to trade Derek Lowe.
According to Jayson Stark of ESPN.com, the Braves have told teams they are willing to pay a portion of Lowe’s $45 million salary, which is due to him over the next three seasons.
…it’s an expensive deal, but, considering what Randy Wolf signed for, and what lackey is asking for, i bet, if he was a free agent today, lowe could sign for a three-year, $45 million deal…
…the thing is, from what i recall, the Braves are looking to acquire a hitter, in return for either lowe or Javier Vazquez… i don’t think it’s a straight salary-dump… and so, it stands to reason they might pay more on lowe’s contract to a team in need of a pitcher if it meant getting a better hitter in return… in terms of the Mets, a) i can’t see them and the Braves hooking up for a trade of this magntitude, and b), if they did, i don’t see a hitter on the Mets who the Braves would want in such a deal…
Instead, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution believes the Angels could have interest in Lowe, if they’re unable to trade for RHP Roy Halladay or re-sign Lackey, as might the Red Sox, Yankees or Mariners.
Last season, the 36–year-old Lowe went 15-10 with a 4.67 ERA in 194 innings. He was won at least 12 games each of the last eight seasons.
Speaking of pitchers…
Ken Davidoff of Newsday says six teams – three from each league – are interested in free-agent RHP Chien-Ming Wang, who was non-tendered by the Yankees last Friday.
According to the Daily News, Wang is looking for a guarenteed, major-league deal.
Lastly, the Padres non-tendered RHP Kevin Correia, then re-signed him to a one-year deal, worth roughly $3.6 million, according to Corey Brock of MLB.com.
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