Daily Archives: December 20, 2009
Jerry Crasnick of ESPN says pitcher Darren Oliver is close to a one year, $3.5 million deal with the Texas Rangers.
…i would have loved to have seen Oliver come back to the Mets…i think he would’ve been a great fit in middle relief for them, much like he was back in 2006…
According to Crasnick, the deal has a vesting option for 2011 which could push the total value of the contract to $6.25 million.
The 39 year old Oliver went 4-1 with a 3.44 ERA with the Mets in 2006, and has spent the last three seasons with the Angels, going 15-3 with a 3.10 ERA in 177 relief appearances over that time.
Today is David Wright‘s 27th birthday, as he was born on this day in 1982 in Norfolk, Virginia.
…happy birthday, David…lets hope his birthday wish is for the commissioners trophy in 2010…
Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald believes the Marlins have made a five year offer of around $13 million to Cuban Defector Aroldis Chapman.
Earlier this week, Jorge Arangure of ESPN said Chapman threw approximately 50 pitches in front of 15 different teams, including the Mets, which you can read about here.
…earlier in the off-season, i believed the Mets should look at more stable solutions to their void in the rotation, but as the off-season has gone on and free agent starters have come off the board, Chapman has looked more and more appealing to me…i mean, whats not to like about a young kid who can throw in the mid to upper 90s with his fastball…i would think, at the very least, the Mets or any team for that matter would be interested in him as part of their future…
Jackson also says the Red Sox have made a multi-year offer to Chapman worth around $15.5 million.
For more on Chapman plus other Marlins news, check out the Miami Herald here.
Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe says Mark DeRosa‘s asking price has come down, and it’s possible the Mets could now acquire him to play first base.
…i like DeRosa in a platoon situation with Daniel Murphy, and i also can envision him in a part time role in the outfield…i would not look for him to be an everyday solution right now, but his versatility is something i feel the Mets could use, especially with all of the health issues that has plagued this team in recent years…
…it’s hard to say how Murphy will evolve as a hitter, and whether or not he will improve his performance against left handed pitchers, but i’d say a platoon will only help him right now as it will help protect a weakness in his game, which of course would benefit the team in key situations…
Cafardo says DeRosa’s asking price was in the $10 million range, and he could also be a good fit for the Red Sox.
Ken Davidoff, in a report for Newsday wonders if the Mets are struggling to attract free agents to sign with their team considering the dimensions of Citi Field and the poor performance in 2009.
…ok, Citi Field plays more like a pitchers park, but Davidoff even points out the fact that the Mets hit more home runs at home than they did on the road, so the problem simply lies with the fact that the Mets didn’t hit that many home runs last season…i watched guys like Chase Utley, Adam Dunn, and B.J. Upton hit long home runs with ease at Citi Field so i can’t believe the deep dimensions would be the whole reason why a player wouldn’t choose to join the Mets…
With regards to overpaying Jason Bay to establish credibility, Davidoff asks “Do the Mets still need to resort to that as Minaya enters his sixth year?”
…i really think the Mets are at a point where they could go one of two ways…they can simply say 2009 was a fluke given all the injuries, and 2010 will be a great year with the additions they make combined with a healthy roster, or they can start selling off their parts and start over…but i don’t think they are at the point where they need to overpay to bring in players, although i think there are always exceptions when the team should stretch for particular players as they did with Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran because i believe those are players that can totally transform the franchise…i think a guy like Matt Holliday can have a similar impact, so i believe they should do whatever it takes to acquire him, but not necessarily for someone like Bay…
…i definitely think this team is more than one player away from becoming contenders again, but i think they are in a fortunate position where they can sign or trade for players while respecting their long term goals of sustained success, simply because they have the financial resources to do so…of course, putting their money in the right places is the key, and i think for a couple of years now the team has not directed their monies properly towards free agents and their minor leagues and 2009 was partially a result of that…
For more, check out Davidoff’s article here.
Ken Davidoff of Newsday thinks Johnny Damon could be a good alternative to Jason Bay, should Bay not choose to sign with the Mets.
Davidoff believes the Mets could use Damon’s left handed bat, as well as his durability and positive energy.
…i think his durability and positive energy are the things the Mets would benefit the most from with Damon, but at this point in his career, i think his numbers are a little bit skewed considering his home ballpark as well as the people that surrounded him in that Yankees lineup…it’s not to say he wouldn’t be better than what they have now, and i suppose a short term commitment wouldn’t be the end of the world, but for all the critics against Jason Bay and Matt Holliday for their defense, i think Damon is that much worse as he simply has no arm…
Last season for the Yankees, Damon hit .282 with 24 home runs and 82 RBI in 143 games, and he hit .279 with 17 home runs and 42 RBI at Yankee Stadium.
Added to by Matthew Cerrone:
…like i said a few days ago, from what i can gather, a whole lot of things will need to go wrong for the Mets to pursue damon… that said, bringing in damon would be a HUGE mistake for the Mets… if for no other reason that they’d get absolutely roasted by every fan and every reporter in New York for a) obviously failing to acquire bay or Matt Holliday, and b) turning to a former Yankee, who they didn’t even fight hard to bring back… not to mention he’d probably get lost playing defense in left field, his arm would be comical and he’ll no longer have that short right-field wall to dump home runs in to…
...if the goal is to acquire a power-bat, damon will be a colossal failure… i’d rather Angel Pagan…
