Mets-Citi-Blog

State of the Mets-2010, Part 3 -Delgado, Adam Laroche, or Adrian Gonzalez?

The Mets infield next year could be great or it could be a major problem.  Health, age, and experience will all play a factor from first base all the way around the diamond to third base.  Let's start at position number 3 in your score book. 

The aging Carlos Delgado is a shell of his former self.  He has filed for free agency and indications have not shown a concrete thought by Omar Minaya as to whether he is looking to resign the lefty. This is what we know.  He will be 38 years old this coming season.  Major injury limited him to 26 games this past season.  He has shown an ability to carry the team when hot, or totally end a rally consistently when cold.  So what do you do?  Cut him loose?  Incentive-laden one year deal?  I will say that barring a trade, he is one of our best options on the free agent market. A guy like Adam LaRoche is intriguing as he is young and had a couple of very solid seasons.  He could potentially lock up the position for years, but that would block the future of Ike Davis.  I personally am not big on saving positions for a possible star that is still in the minors.  What if he doesn't pan out?  What if he gets hurt?  Signing a guy like LaRoche, while not breaking the bank necessarily, locks you up with a solid performer.  I will just throw out the name Adrian Gonzalez as well.  I know the Mets don't have the stones to make a play, nor do I think he is available at this point, but wow is that guy a stud.  He is healthy, young, and awesome.  I would trade for him as a priority if he were available.  

My sense is that the Mets still see Daniel Murphy as a viable first baseman.  Horrible.  They may try and pair him with a right handed hitter as a platoon to try and get through the year hoping Davis can contribute soon.  I would gather this would happen especially if the break the bank on Holliday as they are not known for actually spending a lot on multiple players in the same off season. 

NY Post reporting Mets & Yanks in on Aroldis Chapman

According to the NY Post, the agent for Aroldis Chapman is stating that both the Mets and the Yankees have had discussions with them.  Chapman's agency is based in the city and he has spent some time there.

Basically, this 21 year old lefty supposedly throws in upwards of 100 mph.  He was apparently told two weeks ago by the Mets that they would not be pursuing him do to the estimated $60 million he was rumored to be looking for.

Mets fans, don't get excited.  This smells a lot like an agent doing everything he can to include as many large market teams as possible.  Would I be interested in him if Chapman were to come at a price tag in the $30 million range?  Sure.  However, he is raw and untested so to give him $60 million sounds a little Kaz Matsui-ish to me if you get my drift. 

I am hoping that the GM meeting next week give us an idea of the Mets plan going forth.  Certainly there will not be any major moves, but an inkling or a rumor or two and we could see some direction.  For example, do we hear Lackey's name come up a lot?  How about Randy Wolf's name coming up?  We should know sooner than later at least a preliminary plan.

Royals release Olivo, best of the bad options for the Mets?

According to Tim Dierkes at MLBTR, the Royals have released Miguel Olivo and others.  Olivo is possibly the best of the worst.  He is almost decent from a horrible crop of available catchers.  He hit .249 this past year and struck out 129 times in 390 ABs.  On the plus side, he did hit 23 home runs and drove in 65 runs in 114 games.  He is 31 years old.

I am clearly not thrilled by him.  But I guess he is serviceable until a solid catcher comes up (Thole) or becomes available on the market.  The key is, don't spend any significant amount of money on such a weak position.  Really, why spend millions more or give extra years to get a .250 hitter instead of a .240 hitter.  All the catchers avaiable this off season are below average.  

We will hear his name, I am just not sure what direction the Mets are leaning.  Schneider seems like history.  Torrealba does not seem possible given the bad blood in the past, and everyone else is old, horrible, or both.  We will see how this plays out.

Hot Stove Season for Major League Baseball and the Mets

The following calendar is taken from The Sporting News and takes us from today and the beginning of the free agent signing period, right through the off season until the opening day of the season and the setting of the active rosters.  A notable event is the GM meeting coming up this week.  In the past, this event has been traditionally about league business and day to day operations of the league and what not (sure to be on the agenda this year is instant reply).  However, in recent times, there has been more and more chatter and ground work laid between GMs regarding trades, transactions, and signings.  You can look for that trend to continue this year I think.  Check it out:

November - Free agent filing period, first 15 days after World Series ends.

Nov. 9-11 - General managers meetings, Chicago.

Nov. 30-Dec. 4 - Major League Baseball Players Association executive board meeting, Scottsdale, Ariz.

Dec. 1 - Last day for teams to offer salary arbitration to their former players who became free agents.

Dec. 7 - Last day for free agents offered salary arbitration to accept the offers.

Dec. 7-10 - Winter meetings, Indianapolis.

Dec. 12 - Last day for teams to offer 2010 contracts to unsigned players.

Jan 5-15 - Salary arbitration filing.

Jan. 6 - Hall of Fame BBWAA voting announced.

Jan. 19 - Exchange of salary arbitration figures.

Feb. 1-21 - Salary arbitration hearings, St. Petersburg, Fla.

Feb. 18 - Voluntary reporting date for pitchers, catchers and injured players.

Feb. 23 - Voluntary reporting date for other players.

March 2 - Mandatory reporting date.

March 2-11 - Teams may renew contracts of unsigned players.

March 17- Last day to place a player on unconditional release waivers and pay 30 days termination pay instead of 45 days.

March 31 - Last day to request unconditional release waivers on a player without having to pay his full 2008 salary.

April 4 - Opening day, active rosters reduced to 25 players.

Mets decline option on J.J. Putz

According to MLBTradeRumors, the Mets have informed J.J. Putz that they will buy out his option rather than picking it up.  This was really a no-brainer as the option was for over $9 million.  Putz was injured a lot last year and was never really a factor, positive one anyway, in the Mets season.  I am sure Putz will look to go somewhere as a closer again, although he may need to prove he is healthy first.

I will admit my excitement last winter when I heard about the trade and I envisioned the door slamming on teams once the game got to the eighth inning with the Mets in front.  Wow, could things have worked out any differently.

State of the Mets--2010, Part 2

Now that the Yankees have won the World Series, let us turn the attention back to our team.  As I started off my State of the Mets series, the Mets need Reyes healthy.  Now let's take a look at the rest of the team and its strengths and weaknesses.  I am going to go in order of positional numbers so we will start with, the pitchers & catchers.

We have three pitchers on our team, Santana, Feliciano, and Rodriguez.  In my opinion, all the rest are mental cases, medical cases, and chuckers.  That is not to say that there aren't a couple arms on the team that have their moments or that could develop into pitchers.  Maine and Perez will be around in 2010.  I just don't think the Mets are willing to let Maine go yet.  He has the ability, if healthy, to be a strong number 3 I think.  Perez is lost.  I think his mind is on vacation with that big fat contract of his.  He showed up out of shape last year and never got it together.  I am tired of talking about how good he can be sometimes and if he could just focus, blah, blah, blah.  My only thought about him is if the Mets can ship him to Toronto and pick up the horrible contract of Vernon Wells (scary, I know, but I think Wells has some left in the tank).  If Holliday goes elsewhere, that could be an option that would not cost a lot of talent, just dollars.  Otherwise, four of your starters are set.  I left Pelfrey for last because I could see the Mets sending him and his mouth guard outta here this winter in a package.  If I never see him lick his whole hand 300 times in a game again, it will be too soon.  Another Perez, Pelfrey needs to figure it out already.  One hit this team, lit up by this team.  Holds base runners o.k., balks his a@# off.  Maybe the team needs to hire a sport psychologist for those two. 

As far as the relief core, this is a serious spot of issues.  Feliciano was awesome last year.  Guess what that means?  Next year he won't be.  Ask Brad Lidge.  Parnell started off well, then dove underground.  Stokes is decent but always seems to fall on bad luck (broken bat bloops, an untimely error).  I do not know what to make of Sean Green.  He is horrible, then lights out, then horrible, then great for a stretch.  I do know that he is our best bet, I think, for a successful crossover reliever.  Someone that can actually get both right-handed and left-handed batters out.  Otherwise, you are using 6 pitchers every time Santana doesn't pitch. Rodriguez is great, he will be nasty next year.  I really think he is a guy that needs pressure of success to succeed.  What I mean is, a save for a 4th place team doesn't really mean that much.  However, a save for a first place team or a team in a penant race, that is adrenaline, dominance.  Everyone else is miserable at best.  It is time to import so arms, especially lefties before Pedro's arm falls off.

Now to the catchers.  I am sorry, do we have catchers?  I didn't know that.  The Mets like nearly every team in the league has garbage behind the plate.  Omir, big hits here and there, is a backup at best.  Josh Thole is a year away, at best.  I look at the options out there, they all stink.  I say get the best defensive guy you can and hope he throws guys out and blocks balls.  Everything batting-wise is a bonus.  Choices are Rod Barajas, Yorvit Torrealba, and Miguel Olivo.  Wow, they suck.  There are other guys, but none that are realistic and actually figure to possibly go to the Mets.  I say, patch something together and spend big in other spots.

Part 3 to follow, Infield

Follow up to Matt Holliday & the Mets Rumors

In a related article that is similar to my earliner post, Ed Ryan of Mets Fever (great site) talks about the early market for Matt Holliday.  Although Ed sees the Yankees as a possible suitor unlike myself, he essentially sees the Mets in a prime situation to secure Holliday if everything shakes out.  It is worth noting, as Ed, does that with Scott Boras involved, anything could happen

Mets need to step up, sign John Lackey, Matt Holliday

It is time for the off season to roll in and for the Mets to step out from behind the other NY baseball team.   Time to discard talk of free agents like Jose Lima, Tim Redding, Freddy Garcia, Noah Lowry, and other old/injured has beens.  Let's talk about creating a position of strength on the team.  Starting pitching consisting of Johan Santana, John Lackey, John Main, Oliver Perez, and Mike Pelfrey is a position of strength in the division.  John Maine pitching against other teams threes and Perez/Pelfrey going against fours/fives sounds good to me.   Lackey is 31, testy and with a career era in the AL of 3.81, he sounds like a good fit for this Mets team.  Add in the fact that he doesn't walk a lot of guys and has 5 seasons with 198 inning or more and I am sold.  The Yankees are not going to be in on him.  The Red Sox don't need him.  The Dodgers are a possibility and the Rangers as well.  However, I don't see the Rangers dropping that kind of money with their history of bad contracts (Chan Ho Park 5 years $65 million).  I really feel the Mets could be major players in a good situation with Lackey, i.e. not a lot of powerful competition.  It all should shake out at around A.J. Burnett type money I believe (5 years at $82.5 million).  Over at SI.com, Jon Heyman thinks Lackey could touch $100 million.  However, I don't see it since the Yankees and Red Sox  don't appear involved.  Let's make a statement.

There has been a lot of talk leading up in recent weeks that the Mets may be players in the Matt Holliday sweepstakes or to a lesser extent Jason Bay.  I would prefer to see Holliday first as he is younger and more solid on defense.  However, if it does not work out with the former Cardinal, I am totally behind snapping up Bay.  Going back to what I was saying about Lackey, picking up Holliday would create a position of strength.  An outfield of Holliday, Beltran, and Francoeur is strong.  I think it is safe to assume that the Murphy/Tatis experiment has shown us that this team needs another elite hitter, especially in the outfield. 

Two additions and the Mets are primed to make themselves a name again.  Look at how this might shake out in a lineup/rotation.

1. Reyes
2. Beltran (huge fan of him in the 2 slot)
3. Wright
4. Delgado
5. Holliday
6. Francoeur
7. Santos or ???
8. Castillo

           Rotation:    Santana, Lackey, Maine, Perez, Pelfrey

Sign me up.  This is solid in any sense of the word.  We will see if the Wilpon comments about having the money to invest really comes true.  We need to address positions with front line guys like other teams that are perennially in the playoffs.

The State of the Mets & Jose Reyes --2010, Part 1

I like heading into this off season with a current state of the team and a projection of what I think the game plan should be.  Why did I include Jose Reyes in the title?  It isn't for the SEO, trust me.  I feel that the status of the Mets is, has, and will be directly linked to Reyes as long as he is on the Mets.  More than any other player on the team, I feel this way for a couple reasons.

First, he runs the offense, or doesn't.  He is unquestionably the gas pedal to the Mets lineup and will be when healthy.  The electricity in his triples, the fear of him turning a single into a triple in a couple of pitches, and his occasional pop all go a long way to starting off the first inning with a lead.  When right, we have seen the Mets go large stretches of games getting one, two, three, or four runs in the first and starting the game on their terms.  The problem is, we didn't see that last year.  No electricity, no Jose.

Second, his infectious attitude, and not only on his teammates.  Sure, we know that he lights a fire on the field.  He helps bring confidence to his teammates when he plays well, and he takes a little pressure off of them as well.  However, how many of you have have sat back while attending a game and felt the vibe of the stadium.  I attend games every year.  I will say this.  There is a totally different feeling when Jose Reyes is in the lineup.  The chants, the cheering, the feeling when he gets up to the plate leads to anticipation and energy in the stands.  Teams fuel off that energy.  Have you seen the energy at Citizens Bank Park?  That is the energy I feel when Jose Reyes gets up to bat.  That is the energy this team needs to feel.  It isn't a sense of urgency to win (which I feel plagues them sometimes), it is a belief that they will win.

Finally, he has guts.  My biggest problem with the Mets is not new.  I can sum it up in one example.  This post season I have seen A-Rod try to run the catcher over.  I have seen Ryan Howard do the same.  I regularly see players do this every season.  Jose Reyes is about the only player (Daniel Murphy probably too) on the Mets that I feel might do this if needed.  I have also seen David Wright many times avoid this at all cost.  It infuriates me.  Suck it up and play to win.  I can read it on his face, he wants so badly to win.  Although immature at points, I feel he has the hunger, desire, and heart I have talked about, to be a winner.

We have heard that Jose will be healthy next season.  According to ESPN, Jose underwent successful surgery to clean up some scar tissue and he will rehab then begin baseball activity after the new year.  The question is, how will the injury and its psychological effect on Jose, effect his play next spring?  Anything less that 100% for the type of player he is, will not do.  Speed is his weapon of choice, it has to be.

World Series of pain for this Mets fan

Forgive me for trying to move past the World Series.  I am watching the games and although it's good baseball, I throw up in my mouth every time the lead changes.  I thought I was rooting for the Yankees because I cannot support those damn Phillies from the NL East.  However, every time someone fails in a big spot, I cheer (A-Rod several times, Nick Swisher, Ryan Howard just about every at bat, etc.).  Chase Utley hits a home run and I think, "Yes!", wait, "NO!".  Joba gives up a bomb and I smile.  Pedro Feliz was clutch, damn!  Then Johnny Damon steals his way to third and I am cursing the tv.  I have no idea what to do.

I went into the series thinking I could deal with the Yankee fans, just not the media fallout from Philadelphia and the swollen heads of Rollins, Hamels, and Victorino.  Turns out I cannot handle any of it.  I am already tired of the dark blue shirts at school, the old school yankee coats on the senior citizens today at the voting booths, and all the 27th ring this and that.  No one better tell me that Joe Girardi is a good manager either or I may go off the deep end.

What I do know is this.  It is another off season of pain for the Mets and their fan base.  I realize this is a business and I probably care more than most of those in the game, but I want to know what Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, David Wright, Johan Santana, and the rest of the Mets are thinking right now.  I know they would probably all say the right things and talk about working hard to get to the World Series themselves and going into next season ready to go.  However, I want the truth.  I want the Keith Hernandez reaction if he were playing now.  The 1986 Mets reaction if this happened to them.  At least that's what I would hope for.  So if I have one request for this winter and team acquisitions to come, it is heart.  You can have all the talent in the world, without a little heart, you will fall short.

I hope this settles in for all of you fellow Mets fans.  What I do know is this.  In a couple of short months, next season will be here.  The Mets will go into it with some new players & coaches, some of the same players & coaches, and a mindset that 2010 is a new year.  But, will it be the their year?  We shall see.