Daily Archives: January 24, 2010
Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register spoke with Angels manager Mike Scioscia about Gary Matthews Jr. and he told Plunkett Matthews was a good teammate with the Angels and was always prepared and that he was portrayed as being a disruptive presence was “180 degrees” from the truth.
In addition, Scioscia told Plunkett:
“Any disagreements he had on playing time or his role were taken to me or Tony face to face and we came to an understanding…There was absolutely nothing but professionalism in what Gary did and he expressed his frustration to us on wanting to play every day. We obviously had a different look to the club we were going for. He understood that although he didn’t agree with it. But he was as professional as any player I’ve been around in dealing with that.”
…as puzzling as this trade is, the only thing we, as Mets fans can hope for with Matthews at this point is the change of scenery helps him contribute in whatever role he is in, whether he is starting in place of Carlos Beltran, or he appears as a pinch hitter…winning tends to cure most negativity and whether or not he was a problem in the clubhouse in LA, i feel if Matthews understands his role from the get go and does his part to help the Mets win within that role, his attitude, as well as everyone elses attitude, will be positive…
…hat tip to Daryl Onidi for the link…
According to Jayson Stark of ESPN, a scout who has been watching Carlos Delgado play in the Puerto Rican Winter League are recommending he seek a DH job, as “he actually limps out there.”
In addition the same scout had the following to say about Delgado right now:
“He’s got no range at first — none…He can’t play first on a day-to-day basis. I think he can still DH, because he’s still got power. But to play first for a team like the Mets? Can’t see it.”
…part of me wants Delgado back because i feel they need his bat, especially with Carlos Beltran down for the first part of the year…but the other part of me wants to move on from him, and not take the risk at him going down yet again early in the year, because that would leave the Mets in the same position as they were in last year at first base…
Yesterday, Mike Puma of the New York Post suggested the Mets could turn to Fernando Tatis at first base in a platoon with Daniel Murphy, which you can read about here.
…i think a name that COULD work, provided he is healthy, is Xavier Nady in a platoon…he has played 75 games there in his career and in a part time role, he could do well there…he is incredibly streaky, and he basically missed all of 2009 after elbow surgery, but he is a career .308 hitter against lefties, and he is familiar with New York and many of the current Mets…
Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe says while the Red Sox were in attendance for Ben Sheets audition this past Tuesday, it’s unlikely they will be in the bidding for him.
Cafardo also says Sheets might prefer a situation where he could be in the back end of the rotation until he is up to full health.
…if that’s the case, i have to wonder where Sheets is at this point…i’m not totally alarmed by that, but if he isn’t at full strength just yet, and if the Mets were to sign him, i think they would have to be even more cautious with him during Spring Training…
On Tuesday, Trenni Kusnierek from the MLB Network said at the audition in Louisiana, Sheets topped his fastball out at 91 mph and mixed in his breaking pitches as well, which you can read about here.
In addition, Cafardo says the Rays could trade both Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena by the trade deadline if the team’s financial situation doesn’t improve.
In November, the Mets showed interest in Crawford, which you can see here.
…as of right now, while i think Crawford is the ultimate fit for this team in the outfield, i think the only way the Mets could possibly bring him into the mix now is if a) the Mets could find a new home for Jeff Francoeur and b) Crawford would be willing to play right field…i don’t see Jason Bay moving to right field, especially at Citi Field and it’s complicated walls out there…
…Pena is an interesting possibility if they cannot find a solution at first base during the year, although he strikes out a ton and doesn’t hit much other than home runs, but he hits a ton of those and his stroke would be ideal for Citi Field…
Brian Costa in today’s Star Ledger summarizes last night’s Baseball Writer’s Association Awards Dinner, including several highlights involving the Mets.
- Carlos Beltran received the “Joan Payson Award” for community service, but was unable to attend as he is rehabbing from his knee surgery in Colorado, but GM Omar Minaya accepted the award for him.
- Jeff Francoeur received the “Ben Epstein/Dan Castellano Good Guy Award”, and he told Costa he is rehabbing well from off-season thumb surgery, and also said he was visited by hitting coach Howard Johnson in Atlanta for a hitting session this winter.
- Ron Darling received the “Casey Stengel ‘You Could Look it Up’ Award” for finishing the Mets 19 inning 16-13 win in Atlanta on July 4, 1985, and also presented the 2009 NL Cy Young Award to Tim Lincecum, who he compared to Dwight Gooden and David Cone.
For more on last night’s dinner, including one of the funnier moments of the evening, check out Costa’s article here.
