Mets-Citi-Blog

Santana opening day or all season?

There has been a lot of banter this week regarding Johan Santana's elbow and where his season is headed.  Although I do not have access to his medical information nor do I speak to team doctors or front office, I will offer my opinion.  Opening Day 2009 is not important for Johan Santana to pitch.  Why?  Am I just being cautious for the rest of the season?  No.  I am concerned about his full contract/career.  The Mets have a lot invested in Santana and he is only going to turn 30 next Friday, March 13th.  However, he has already thrown over 1500 innings.  He has five straight years of 219 innings or more, plus playoffs. 

Give me a break if I seem a little more worried about the future years as opposed to Opening Day 2009.  I am thinking about 2010, 2011, 2012, etc.  Santana can be the face of this pitching staff for several years if handled correctly. 

Here are two better options in my opinion:

Option 1-  Have Santana make his season debut starting the April 10th game in Florida.  A nice warm first start in the same atmosphere as spring training, he could even stay in Florida and not travel to Cincy for the opening series.  Warm weather, loose muscles.  Plus it is those annoying Marlins.

Option 2-  How about Santana starts the home opener at Citi Field?  Right now, if he opens the season, he is not the Citi Field opening day pitcher.  How cool would that be to start off the new home with Santana pitching?  Talk about an intense atmosphere.  Otherwise, who starts that game?  The way the schedule looks, probably Perez.  So, if he does, do you get a 2 hit shutout or a 2 inning blowup to open Citi Field?  At least with Santana, you can assume he will rise to the occasion.

Anyway it shakes out, Santana is not important for opening day, he is important for his career.  Let's remember that.

Mets spring training pics 2009

I found this album of great spring training pics from this season.  They are not my photos, just directing you to them because of the quality and variety.  It sure makes me want to be there and makes me think baseball at Citi Field is getting closer.  The photos belong to metsblogflickr.  Here is a sample of the pictures you will see.  Enjoy!

Mets spring training is in full effect!

Today is the first spring training game of the 2009 season.  The Mets play the Orioles at 1:10pm.  Less important is the game than what it means.  Spring training is here.  Drills, talks, meetings for the most part now give way to the games and soon the World Baseball Classic.  Here are some of the highlights to look for and watch progress as the next few weeks develop:

1.  Fifth starter?  Who will it be?  Although several veterans were brought in to compete (Freddy Garcia, Livan Hernandez, Tim Redding) with Jonathan Niese, all three have early issues.  Reportedly, Hernandez is not ready (probably cause he is fat and out of shape, Redding has some early tightness in his back and shoulder, and Garcia still seems to be recovering from surgery and has a fastball that is more flat that your author's.  Niese on the other hand, is an early bright spot.  He has come in focused and has shown good stuff in early bullpens and his intrasquad innings.

2.  Luis Castillo is getting a lot of cheers from blogs, teammates, coaches, etc.  He is thinner, not limping and seems to be ready as compared to last years spring training.  How will that translate into his performance is still TBD.  One thing is sure, the Mets need him to resurface as at least a decent player, anything less will hurt their lineup a great deal.

3.  The corner outfielders.  Apparently, 130 at bats guarantees you a starting job in left field.  Apparently, 4 years of solid, above average play does not.  At least this is what is coming from Jerry Manuel in regards to Daniel Murphy being the starter in left and Ryan Church now needing to prove himself in order to stay out of a platoon situation in right field.  I am a big fan of Murphy, but Church is solid plays the game the way the Mets need him to, fiercly. 

4.  How will the Mets bullpen shake out?  There are a lot of arms down there.  Who stays and who doesn't?  The only guarantees at this point are Putz, Rodriguez, Feliciano, Green, and probably Stokes.  Duaner Sanchez had better show something or he could be dropped before the start of the season without costing the Mets but about $422K.  Thanks to mlbtraderumors for the info.

As the games progress, players will take themselves out of the running for spots with poor performances, or throw themselves into the mix with strong showings.  Angel Pagan ate up the spring training league last year and I hope he does it again.  More to come in the near future.

Manny turns down Dodger offer, Mets monitoring?

According to the LA Times, Manny Ramirez turned down the one year offer from the Dodgers worth reportedly $25 million.  In the article, Dylan Hernandez indicates that the Giants, METS, & Nationals are monitoring the situation.  This is the first I have heard that the Mets were even thinking about thinking about Ramirez.  I do not know what source Hernandez is basing this on, but it could be a source named Scott Boras.  He has been known to leak his own information to drum up interest. 

It's been said here, there, everywhere.  Manny fits the Mets if it is a short term deal.  New Stadium, SNY, a major need for a right-handed LF, what else?  Let's monitor the situation.

Is this the 2008 Mets or 2009 Mets?

Well, the Mets have signed Perez to a three year deal worth $36 million.  No fourth year vesting option.  Perez will be a free agent again at 30 years old.  So, let's take a look at the team make up for 2009.

Potential Lineup:

1. Jose Reyes         
2. Luis Castillo       
3. David Wright      
4. Carlos Beltran    
5. Carlos Delgado   
6. Ryan Church       
7. Tatis/Murphy      
8. Brian Schneider  

Starting Rotation:

1. Johan Santana
2. John Maine
3. Oliver Perez
4. Mike Pelfrey
5. Redding/Garcia/Niese

With the exception of Tim Redding and Freddy Garcia, is it me or is this the same team that didn't make the playoffs last year?  Forgive me for not listing the bullpen as a lot of it has not shaken out yet.  Yes, we have K-Rod and Putz.  Yes, we sent Heilman, Schoeneweis, Ayala out of here.  However, this team has not acquired a strong bat and I am not sold on Tatis/Murphy.  I am still confused about how this team cannot get into this buyer's market to solidify its lineup.  If it isn't Manny, we need another right handed bat in that lineup.  This team is not better than it was last year. 

Also, the Braves have made a strong couple of moves.  The Phillies were the World Champs and chase Utley looks like he will be back from surgery a lot earlier than originally expected.  Schneider, Castillo, and LF are questions and it is not plausible to think all three will go the right way.  In fact, if two of the three are strong, I consider them lucky.  Fact is, Schneider has never been a hitter, Castillo is always banged up, Tatis is a shell of his former self, and Murphy is unproven. 

Several sources, including Joel Sherman, speculate that the Mets are looking for a cheap bat or two for the bench and maybe a lefty reliever.  Wow, hold me back.  The Yankees spend $500 million this off season, the Mets spend around $95 million.  Maybe someday we won't be the little brother.

Rosenthal reporting Perez signing may be coming soon for Mets

Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Mets are cautiously optimistic that they are getting closer to signing Oliver Perez to a new contract.  Thoughts are, that so far they are sticking to the three year deal although a fourth year vesting option is clearly possible. 

The Mets appear to be alone in the pursuit of Perez.  No other team has really come out and acknowledged interest.  I expect, based on some sources, that a deal will hopefully be reached by the end of the business week.  If it drags into the weekend or past, look for the Mets to at least show some interest in moving towards Randy Wolf and/or Ben Sheets.  Minaya is patient, but with only a couple weeks before pitchers & catchers report, he cannot be left without anyone to fill the fianl spot in the rotation.

If signed, Perez most likely completes the pitcher acqusitions and barring something unforseen, finishes the off-season for the Mets.  This 2009 team looks a lot like the 2008 team that missed the playoffs doesn't it?

Say it with me, "Manny, Manny, Manny!"

Hold your breath for the World Baseball Classic, starting March 5th

It is coming, whether you like it or not.  The World Baseball Classic starts on March 5th, 2009.  The four pools of round one will take place in the following venues: Japan, Mexico, Canada, & Puerto Rico.  Round two will be in San Diego & Miami with the Finals set to take place in Los Angeles.

As a baseball fan I think the idea is cool, but the timing sucks.  Also, it feels like the whole Mets' team is playing for one country or another.  The law of averages says that it is impossible for the event to take place without at least one major injury.  I just pray to god that it isn't anyone on the Mets.  Not that I wish injury on anyone, just especially not the Mets.  Why don't they do this in December in some warm country as make it like an off-season vacation/Pro Bowl thing?

Stay healthy 2009 Mets.  I cannot wait until its over.

Time for the Mets to take advantage of the market

The Yankees are done.  The Red Sox appear done.  The cubs have traded for Aaron Heilman today and barring a Jake Peavy trade are done.  The Angels appear done except for maybe Manny.  The Dodgers are focused on spending and bidding against themselves on Manny.  Where does that leave us?  It leaves us with the Mets in a great position to grab some bargains now that all the big markets appear set to open spring training.  Manny is not coming to New York.  We know that.  However, there are several players available only three weeks from pitchers and catchers reporting that could significantly help the roster.  Let's take a look at the top names available that would help the Mets:

1. Oliver Perez- odds are he ends up back with the Mets.  No one seems to be in on him except for the Mets.  Young, healthy, and sometimes spectacular, Perez needs to mature &and add consistency to join the top tier of pitchers in the league.
2. Ben Sheets- When healthy, he is simply an ace.  Coming off a strong year, with an injury at the wrong time, the end of the season.  Sheets has had his share of injuries, however none seem chronic as he has had a variety.  Also worth noting, Sheets has had more 30 start years that AJ Burnett (just got an $80 million contract).
3. Bobby Abreu- the veteran is nothing special on defense, but pencil him in for 100 RBI, 100 runs, 60-80 extra base hits, and a strong obp (.405 career).
4. Adam Dunn- think of Dunn as a younger, more powerful version of Abreu.  Solid for 40 homers, 100 RBI, 100 Runs, 100ish BB's, and he is only 29 years old.
5. Chad Cordero- coming back from arm injury, this former elite closer was a former prodigy of Omar Minaya's in Montreal.  On the cheap, he could end up a valuable setup guy if healthy.

There are a number of others available as well that could help any team.  Randy Wolf and Orlando Hudson are two of those possibilities, however, I do not like them for their fit with the Mets right now.  Hudson is likely to command a decent salary and we have no place to put him.  Wolf has never showed me much and I am not impressed.  We already have Tim Redding and Freddy Garcia thanks. 

With the exception of Perez, any of those guys can be had for less than $10 million and should not require even a second year let alone a third (Sheets is the exception and I don't mind a second year with a third year option for him).  I say sign Perez for three and and option, total contract worth around $40 million for the four years.  Give Sheets a two year deal as I suggested in an earlier post for $18-20 million and a third year option if healthy with a good bump in salary.  If he does well, do you think the Mets have a problem with that?  Sign Abreu or Dunn if, and only if, you can get one of them for $6-8 million for next year to bridge to Fernando Martinez.  Finally, Minaya should sweet talk Cordero into a minor league deal or a one year deal with incentives to join the bullpen when healthy. 

I know this is all hypotheical, but as we get closer to spring training and less teams are shopping, a couple strong moves could net you some solid bargains.  The key, sign Perez sooner than later because a lot of the guys are probably waiting to see what the Mets do after that.  Let's go Omar, step up to the plate.

Diamondbacks sign Garland to one year deal

According to Nick Piecoro, the Diamondbacks have come to terms with right hander Jon Garland on a one year deal worth between $6-8 million.  Garland becomes another player that rejected arbitration from his former team only to have it bite him in the butt.  Due a raise from his $12 million salary from 2008 in arbitration, Garland rejected the offer and chose to hit the open market in hopes of a multi-year deal worth big money.  He was not expecting the economy to hit him this hard. 

This is a great signing for the D-Backs.  After Brandon Webb and Dan Haren, Garland will be a great innings eater in the three slot and should definately improve upon his AL numbers (bye bye DH).  Arizona will most likely be able to keep the bullpen fresh with that trio at the top and as Piecoro points out, this will allow Arizona to move top prospect Max Scherzer along slower. 

In my opinion, the chips will begin to fall this week ahead as we start to see these other guys forced to accept similar deal (Wolf, Abreu, Dunn, Sheets).  Also, the Oliver Perez market seems nowhere to be found except at Citi Field.  A report surfaced the other day saying that the Rangers and Brewers were believed to be interested in Perez.  However, Brewers GM Bob Melvin quickly nipped that in the bud and the Rangers seem to have no major push to sign anyone, unless Ben Sheets can be had on their terms.  It smells like a Scott Boras move to drum up hype. 

This week, look for the Mets to lock up Perez for three years and an option.  I feel they will then take a look at Ben Sheets for a year maybe with an option.  They will then turn their attention to trying to snag one of the bats (Dunn, Abreu, Hudson, etc.) on the cheap side for a year until Fernando Martinez is ready.  Hudson is the least likely of that trio.  I am not a big Abreu fan at all, but a year of him for $6 million, I say do it.  It would be more productive than the Tatis/Murphy platoon.

Sheets running out of suitors, Mets around?

Now that the Yankees have re-signed Andy Pettitte to a one year deal worth $5.5 million plus incentives, Ben Sheets is in a bad spot.  He just lost the last big money team that had any interest in him that could spend big without hesitation.  Sheets is coming off a good season that ended with an injury.  The injury cost him tens of millions of dollars.  Fact is, Sheets has been more solid, productive, and healthy than A.J. Burnett.  However, Burnett ended strong and scored a contract over $80 million dollars.  Sheets's injury is the first thought on ever owner and manager's mind.  Consequently, he is viewed in a negative light. 

I have talked about my affininty for Oliver Perez.  Also, I have thrown it out there that I would love to see Perez and Sheets both signed.  With no known suitors for Sheets except for a leary Texas Ranger team, now is the time to swoop in and grab them both.  Sources seem to believe that no one wants to give Sheets a guaranteed second year.  I say go for it.  Give him a second year and even an incentive based third year.  $18-20 million over two years and an option worth an additional year at $12 million with a buyout for $2 million.  Affordable by today's market for an ace, and short if it goes bad due to injury. 

Combine the offer for Sheets at $20 million with an offer to Perez for roughly $33 million (which the revised offer is reportedly close to) and you have Perez and Sheets for a total of about $53 million.  That's about $30 million cheaper than Burnett's deal and about $108 million cheaper than C.C. Sabathia's.  I love those numbers as a Mets fan, as well as the two arms.  If healthy, Sheets is a 1-2 starter and Perez is a strong 3.  It just makes sense for them and is not far-fetched.

In fact, I would go so far as to sign Sheets first and put some pressure on Oliver Perez.  With a short list of suitors himself, Perez might be quicker to sign a strong, fair three year deal before he ends up with one year offers like Garland, Wolf, and some others are being offered.