Give Pelfrey a Chance

From Tyler Florence at Mets 4 Life...

There have been many people that think RHP Mike Pelfrey should be moved to the bullpen. I have even touched on this subject... but I have changed my mind about Pelfrey. As of right now, I think that he should have the #5 spot in MLB or AAA starting rotation. Some people may say "he sucked last year or he was 3-7!".. I look past that.. He showed what he is really capable of at the end of last season (3-0 in September). Putting Mike Pelfrey in the bullpen is probably the worst thing you can do right now. The thing he needs to do is develop his secondary pitches. Putting him in the pen would be encouraging him to throw nothing but fastballs, and he wouldn't be developing his slider/changeup combination which in the end will make him a much better pitcher. Lets take a look at Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux's first and second full seasons..

Maddux 1st full season: 6-14 with a 5.61 ERA
Maddux 2nd full season: 18-8 with a 3.18 ERA

Glavine 1st full season: 7-17 with a 4.56 ERA
Glavine 2nd full season: 14-8 with a 3.68 ERA

Convincing? Lets say last year counts as a 1/2 of a season for Pelfrey... Give him the chance to pitch every five days for us against major league hitters. Even if he has a mediocre season, we have four reliable starters in Pedro, Maine, Perez, and Hernandez.. the key to the 2008 Rotation is that they all need to stay healthy. Give Pelfrey a shot for atleast two more years, if he fails, put him in the pen.. He can get hitters out and will be a productive major league player. Hopefully in the Mets rotation. Look for him to breakout during the 2009 season.. but only if he gets the chance to start for a FULL season. I say that there are two options for Mike Pelfrey in 2008...

#1) Give him the #5 slot in the rotation.
#2) Keep him in New Orleans for ALL of next season.

Either way he needs to develop his secondary pitches and he need to do so on a consistent schedule.

Great Read: Heilman As A Starter

Eric over at Blastings! Thrillage writes an elaborate piece on Aaron Heilman and why he should, indeed, be a part of the Mets 2008 starting rotation. He takes a great in depth look as him as a pitcher and breaks down the myth of why people don't think he should be a starter:

It's become fashionable to poke fun at Heilman for his "whining" about wanting to be a starter (which has been overblown, an occupational hazard of playing in New York), but can you blame him? He'd been a starter (and a good one) his entire career before the Mets moved him to the bullpen in May of 2005. They were scared by his 6.36 ERA and 73/54 K/BB rate in his first 93 major league innings (which may or may not have been largely the result of a change in his mechanics that the Mets forced him to make). Denying his strong minor league track record (as with Milledge and now Pelfrey), the Mets panicked and moved him to the bullpen after only seven starts in 2005. It wasn't an indefensible move: the Mets' rotation that year was very strong, but their bullpen was weak, and Heilman solidified the relief corps.

In 2006, though, the Mets really screwed him over. Despite a phenomenal showing in spring training (17 innings, 1.59 ERA, 14/1 K/BB), he was passed over for the fifth starter's spot in favor of Brian Bannister, and even after Bannister and Victor Zambrano went down with season-ending injuries early in the year, the Mets refused to move Heilman back to the rotation. You may remember that the Mets ended up using 13 starters that season, including disastrous stints by Geremi Gonzalez and Jose Lima, and entered into the 2006 playoffs with about two and a half starting pitchers. Just like with fellow BT favorites Ramon Castro and Lastings Milledge (may his memory be eternal), the Mets had already made up their mind about what Heilman was and wasn't, and refused to see past their own prejudices.

In reality, Heilman was and could still be a decent-to-good starting pitcher. He had a 3.68 ERA and a 2.3 K/BB ratio in 430 minor league innings. He was plagued by an unusual amount of home runs and an uncharacteristically high walk rate in his few starts in '03 and '04, but when the Mets finally allowed him to resume using his natural pitching motion in 2005, it looked like he'd turned a corner. In his seven starts at the beginning of that season, he posted a 4.71 ERA, but there were encouraging signs: he pitched two gems and only two really bad games, his K/BB rate was an excellent 34/13, and his WHIP was just 1.17.

Lieber Not

(Brought to you by Mets Prospects)
The Mets have recently been linked to Pitcher John Lieber. The only question I ask is why. Lieber is 37 years old but looks 50. Last season he only started 12 games due to injury and went 3-6 with a solid 4.73 era. In 2006 he was even worse; 9-11 with a 4.83 era but at least he started 27 games. So why would the Mets want him. I guess they want "experience" or "veteran leadership", but this ex-phillie is no better than humber, pelfrey, and probably even mulvey. So give one of these kids a chance and hopefully the Mets do not waste their time and money on the John Lieber.

Are The Twins Holding Out For Both Outfield Prospects?

At Rotoworld they write about the Twins and them holding out on the Mets to get both Carlos Gomez and Fernando Martinez:

ESPN's Jayson Stark says the Twins are telling teams that they're willing to hold on to Johan Santana into spring training as they attempt to get the package of players they want.

No one really has any new info on the Santana talks, but that's not going to stop them from posting stories. Stark mentions the Mariners as still being in contact with the Twins, but he doesn't think they're a serious suitor because of Santana's desire to play on the East Coast. Similar to what others have reported, he believes the Mets offered Carlos Gomez, two of their top young pitchers and a fourth prospect for Santana. However, the Twins are holding out for getting both Gomez and Fernando Martinez in the same package.

Too much excitement for Mulvey

(Brought to you by Mets Prospects)
I have said it many times but I am not very high on Kevin Mulvey. He is projected to be either a 3 or 4 starter. He started off last season pitching pretty poorly. Scouts were saying he had many flaws and he often had very flat pitches. All I am saying is do not get to excited about Mulvey just yet. He has pitched pretty well in the Minors but things happen and he could end up just dissapointing us and becoming a long reliver. So keep an eye out for Mulvey but dont get overly excited about him.

Now Livan Would Love To Pitch For The Marlins

At Rotoworld they write about Livan Hernandez and how he would love to pitch for the Marlins:

Free agent Livan Hernandez said he'd love to pitch for the Marlins, but "they don't have any money."

Except they do have plenty of money, and they'll almost surely be one of baseball's most profitable teams next year. They just don't want to spend it on players. The Hernandez front has been quiet for weeks now. The Mets seem to be pursuing Kyle Lohse over him, and there hasn't been anyone else that he's known to have talked to lately.

Mulvey On Trade Rumors and More

Don Burke at The Star Ledger writes about Kevin Mulvey, the recent trade rumors, him working out at his old college and making it in the Majors:

"You know there's nothing you can do about it," Mulvey said of the trade rumors. "It's not up to you what happens. You can't pack your bags, get on a bus and go to Shea and say, 'I'm in the big leagues now.' It's up to somebody else to call you up and give you your opportunity and, in the off-season, seeing your name mentioned in trade talks, I wouldn't say it's a bad thing because it means other teams want you. There's nothing you can do about that. If you get traded, you get traded. I just go about my day working out and trying to get better."

Mulvey throws all four of his pitches fastball, slider, curve, changeup -- for strikes, as evidenced by his strikeout-to-walk ratio (110-43) in 151 2/3 innings of work last season with Binghamton. Mulvey allowed just four home runs last season.

Olivo Signs With Royals

Over at The Kansas City Royals Official Press Release they write about the one year signing of Miguel Olivo:

The Kansas City Royals have signed catcher Miguel Olivo to a one-year contract for 2008. The Royals and Olivo each hold options for the 2009 season. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"Miguel is a talented catcher with a power bat and a very strong throwing arm," Royals General Manager Dayton Moore said. "With him and John Buck, they form one of the most powerful catching duos in baseball."

Mets Are Still Option For Santana

I didn't want to post any new Johan Santana rumors until after the new year, but The Star Tribune wouldn't make that possible. This is starting to get to the Level of the Barry Zito nuisance that plagued us last off-season. At any rate they point out that the Mets still remain a viable option for the Twins and that they like the Mets prospects more than we had originally thought:

The Twins checked in with the Red Sox, Yankees and Mets just before everyone split for the holidays but nothing major appears to be heating up.Yes, you just read the word Mets. Indications are that the Mets remain a viable destination for ace Johan Santana, and that the Twins like enough of their players that a deal could be worked out without shortstop Jose Reyes being part of the package.

Outfield prospects Carlos Gomez and Fernando Martinez have been mentioned in other reports as possible targets. Pitchers Mike Pelfrey, Kevin Mulvey and Phil Humber are considered good prospects but it’s unclear how much the Twins like them. And, it’s unknown if there are any established players the Mets are willing to part with (Reyes and David Wright seem untouchable).

This is pure speculation, but you have to wonder if the Twins would prefer to deal Santana to a National League team. Santana, a career .258 hitter, would get the chance to swing the bat. And, except for interleague play, the Twins wouldn’t have to face him during the regular season.

2008 Hall Of Fame Predictions

D.J. Rielly at Mets 4 Life (Network member) breaks down the 2008 H.O.F. hopefulls and gives his predictions on it:

The 2008 Hall of Fame ballot has 11 new names added, this brings the total to 25 former players for the upcoming round of voting which writers must have posted marked by December 31, 2007. Voters are instructed to cast votes for up to 10 candidates; any candidate who receives votes on at least 75% of the ballots will be honored with induction to the Hall. Results of the 2008 candidates will be announced on January 8, 2008. Those candidates who receive less than 5% of the vote will not appear on future ballots, but may eventually be considered by the Veterans Committee. Also as long as you receive 5% of the vote you have 15 years to be voted into the Hall of Fame. Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) will distribute 575 ballots.The BBWAA is responsible for voting on MVP, ROY, Cy Young, Manager of the Year, and the Hall of Fame.

David Justice OF: Career Stats: BA =.279; HR = 305; RBIs =1017 Career Highlights: Justice played 14 season and is a 3-time All-Star. NL Rookie of the Year in 1990. AL Comeback Player of the Year in 1997. ALCS MVP in 2000. 2-time World Series champion, 1995 and 2000. Won two Silver Slugger Awards in 1993 (NL) and 1997 (AL). Three seasons with a batting average better than .300. Three
season had 100 plus RBIs. Played in 6 World Series. In March 2007 inducted into the Atlanta Braves Hall of Fame. DOES HE MAKE THE HOF = Has an outside shot but most likely No. Suspected of using performance enhancing substances.

Chuck Knoblauch 2B: Career Stats: BA =.289; Hits = 1839; Stolen Bases =407 Career Highlights: Knoblauch played 12 season and is a 4-time All-Star. Won Rookie of the Year in 1991. 4-time World Series champion 1991, 1998-2000. Holds the Twins single season record for runs with 140 in 1996. Holds Twins all-time record for most stolen bases with 276. Won a Gold Glove Award in 1997. Won 2 Silver Slugger Awards in 1995 and 1997. Led AL in doubles in 1994 with 45. Led AL in triples in 1996 with 14. Six seasons with at least 100-runs scored. Three seasons of hitting .300 or better. DOES HE MAKE THE HOF = Yes, but not this year.

To see all of the candidates, visit Mets 4 Life.

Mets Are Best Bet For Colon

Gerry Fraley at The Sporting Newswrites about Bartolo Colon and where he will likely end up next season:

Colon won the Cy Young in 2005, when he went 21-8 with the Los Angeles Angels and pitched more than 200 innings for the eighth time in nine years. He worked during that season with personal trainer Nao Presinal, whose involvement with an equipment bag full of steroids and syringes seized by Canadian customs agents in 2001 is detailed in the Mitchell report.

Colon emerged from that season with a partially torn rotator cuff and has not been the same since, pitching only 155-2/3 innings in the last two seasons. Colon's performance with Aguilas of the Dominican Republic winter league will help determine what kind of deal he gets.

Best bet: the New York Mets. General manager Omar Minaya took a bigger gamble in 2002, when, as Montreal GM, he obtained Colon from Cleveland.

Prior Signs With Padres

Joe At Mets Today writes about Mark Prior signing with the Padres:

As many had expected, Mark Prior signed with the San Diego Padres.

We don’t yet know the details, but it’s likely a one-year deal.

It makes a lot of sense from Prior’s point of view. First, he’ll be pitching in a decidedly pitcher’s park; second, he’ll be in a nice warm climate; third, he won’t be counted on to be an ace; fourth, he’ll have a fairly good bullpen behind him; and finally, he was born and raised in San Diego and continues to make his home there.

The Mets Year In Review

Marty Noble at Mets.com writes about the Mets year in 2007 and all the ups and downs:

Perhaps hindsight isn't all it's cracked up to be. Not 20-20 certainly, maybe it's 27-27. When the Mets looked back at the All-Star break, that's what they saw. They had played 87 games, produced a 21-12 record in the first 33 and split the subsequent 54. For the equivalent of one-third of a big league season, the Mets had played .500 ball. And when they paused at the traditional midpoint of the season, they didn't recognize that 27-27 run for what it was -- a warning.

The Mets looked back and saw their first 33 games and sensed 2007 was merely an extension of the 2006 regular season, a set of 162 they had dominated. Their vision must have been impaired when they glimpsed the 54 games that directly preceded the break; that or they thought 54 games of mediocrity were the aberration and 33 games were the true indication.

To view the entire month by month review, visit Mets.com.

Will the Brewers Trade A Starter?

From Ed Ryan at Mets Fever (Network member):

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel takes a look at the pitching dilemma Doug Melvin the GM of the Brewers is facing. The Brewers have too many starters, usually you can never have enough pitching but Melvin has roster and financial consideration, thanks to his glut of starters. The Brewers have two young pitchers (Gallardo, Villanueva) that they expect in the rotation for the entire year behind Ace Ben Sheets and veteran Jeff Suppan. That leaves one spots for four pitchers, Parra can return to the minors but all three of the others were tendered this off-season meaning that they will receive salary increases to possibly take a demotion to the pen. The Brewers may not even have a spot in the pen after they spent the entire off-season rebuilding theirs. Barring an injury it almost seems like a foregone conclusion that they will move one of Capuano, Bush or Vargas. The first two are very appealing to me, but I wouldn't give much up for Vargas.

At some point, Melvin probably will have to move a starting pitcher, if for no other reason than to clear the clutter. If Sheets, Gallardo, Villanueva and Jeff Suppan have spots secured, that leaves one job open for Chris Capuano, David Bush, Claudio Vargas and Manny Parra.Parra can be returned to the minors for more seasoning but is there room in the bullpen for two of the other three? And is that the best use of their talents? source JSonline

Mets Will Lose The 2008 World Series

Duncan Stewart at The Daily News Journal gives his predictions for 2008:

The Detroit Tigers will pull off a mild surprise and beat out the Red Sox and Yankees for the American League's berth in the World Series. Then they will defeat the New York Mets in a thriller.

Good Move

(Brought to you by Mets Prospects)
The best thing the Mets have done this season so far is not signing Carlos Silva. Sliva ended up signing a $48 million, four-year contract with the Seattle Mariners. In 259 games, 125 starts, Silva is 55-46 with a 4.31 era, 395 strikeouts, 171 walks, and has allowed 117 home runs. He gave up 20 homeruns in 33 starts in 2007, 38 homeruns in 31 starts in 2006, and 25 homeruns in 27 starts in 2005. Silva is also a much better pitcher at home than on the road, 3.42 at home and 5.03 on the road. He gives up a ton of home runs and even if the Mets do not do anything at least they will not be in contract with a bum pitcher for the next four years.

Mets In Front For Garcia

At Rotoworld they write about the Mets and them being in the lead to get recovering Freddy Garcia:

The Rangers have reportedly dropped out of the bidding for Freddy Garcia after getting a look at his medical records.

Texas is still considering Jason Jennings and Bartolo Colon. The Mets appear to be the favorites for Garcia, though he's still considering waiting until he finishes rehabbing his shoulder and then signing with a team during the season. He hopes to be ready in May or June.

Reyes Immortalized In Plastic: Bedard Not Going Anywhere - For Now- News & Notes on Slow Sunday

Happy holidays, loyal readers and fellow Mets' fans!!! We all hope that this coming year, 2008, brings everyone their fondest wishes and the best year yet- wrapped up in a Mets' World Series Victory, of course!!!!

2 news stories today- first, on XM Radio's MLB 24 hr network, during the 90-Second Wrap-Up, they reported that Orioles President, Andy McPhail, announced that the Orioles are not trading ace pitcher, Erik Bedard- for now. They are taking him off the market, in spite of what McPhail labelled the "experts" who thought that they should trade him this off-season, as his value was at its apex. He may (read "will") revisit possible trades later in the season. It's down to Santana, folks, and if we're ever going to get that frontline starter, he's the one we've longed for, anyway...

Finally, Jose Reyes will have his chance to join toymaster (and Spawn createor) Todd McFarlane's line-up of MLB all-stars, as his figure will be released in July 0f 2008. We have a first look for you here, and, if you look around the internet, you can always find one of the limited-edition Reyes 3" figurines he released last year (which was only onsale at the Mets' store at Shea and online via the Brooklyn Cyclones website). Last season, you'll remember that David Wright's turn in plastic came, and he had an MVP-caliber season. Let's hope it will Reyes' turn this season...

Source: Yankees Out of Santana Race

from Network Member Tommy Marcus at The Mets Bullpen

According to a source at Newsday.com, the Yankees chances have gone down a lot of getting Johan Santana.

Johan Santana is not expected to be the Yankees’ big Christmas present, a source with knowledge of the situation said Friday.

“I don’t see it happening with us,” the source said. “We pulled out in Nashville, and we haven’t put an offer back on the table.”

Well, this is great for the Mets- it just marks that the Mets and Red Sox are getting a much better chance in getting Johan, which is great. Maybe the reason for the ticket prices going up 20% is because Wilpon thinks that the Mets chances of getting Johan Santana is increasing- which I think Mets fans would now agree with the raise.

I still think that we should give away 4 or 5 prospects for Johan, cause I really think that he is worth that.

Add Padilla to the Mix

After waiting two years for the dominant middle reliever that they had in 2005 the Mets decided to non-tender Juan Padilla just under two weeks ago. Reports from Adam Rubin's blog indicated that Padilla was slow to recover and wouldn't be ready for spring training.......

Padilla came into the league in 2004 splitting time between the Yankees and Reds. In 2005 he had a break out season with Mets as a middle reliever, in 24 gms (36.1 innings) he had a record of 3-1 with an ERA of 1.49. Padilla went down with an elbow injury and under went TJ surgery losing the entire 2006 season. He reported to spring training in 2007 ready to reclaim his spot in the pen but almost immediately went down with a tendon problem in his forearm losing another season......

Today the Mets signed him to a minor league contract with an invite to spring training. Padilla is reporting that he's healthy, will be ready for spring training and sounds very confident......

"I want to get back on that mound," Padilla said. "I won't be a question mark anymore. I'll be the Juan Padilla from 2005. No one will have to ask me, 'How are you doing?'

"There'll be competition, but I know if I'm healthy, I'll be a tough decision. I won't make it easy for them (to send him to the minors)." source Daily News

Josh Hamilton Traded to Texas

From Tyler Florence at Mets 4 Life...


Josh Hamilton, the former Tampa Bay Ray and Rule 5 Draft pick, was traded earlier today to the Texas Rangers. The Reds acquired RHP Edinson Volquez and LHP Danny Herrera. Last season with the Cincinnati Reds, Josh Hamilton hit .292 with 19 home runs and 47 RBIs in 90 games. Hamilton was once touted as one of the best prospects in the game when he was drafted by the Rays. He lost that title when he struggled with alcohol and drug addiction and was out of baseball for a few years, until last year when he was selected in the Rule 5 Draft.

Josh Hamilton should be a productive player in the middle of the Rangers lineup for as long as he is there. Look for him to hit more homers in Arlington. I'll make a prediction right now...

Josh Hamilton in 2008 will hit: 287 with 34 home runs and 96 RBI...

Any thoughts?

Pelfrey Could Be The Set Up Man If Heilman Gets Traded

Ted Berg at SNY hits on a topic that I've hit on before (Pelfrey Could Be The Next Great Closer) with the Mike Pelfrey should move to the Pen:

I've long argued that hard-throwing youngster Mike Pelfrey should be moved into a relief role, and there's plenty of evidence to back me up. Not only does Pelfrey's limited arsenal profile better for a bullpen candidate, but fellow prospects like Bobby Jenks, Adam Wainwright and the stellar Jonathan Papelbon have all had big-league success in relief after working principally as starters in the Minors. I'm not saying Pelfrey will mimic those successes, I'm just saying it can't hurt to try.

It's way too soon to write off Pelfrey as a starter, even if he fared poorly in that role in 2007. Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine both struggled when they entered the Majors, but their teams could afford to stick with them during rebuilding phases. Since the Mets intend to compete in 2008, they don't have that luxury, and I don't know many Mets fans who'd be thrilled to have Pelfrey in the back of the rotation come Opening Day. A move to the bullpen will allow Pelfrey time to develop, and if the Mets still feel he can be the ace they once predicted him to become, they can transition him into the rotation when it becomes clear he has nothing more to prove in the bullpen.

The Cost Of Blanton?

At MLB Trade Rumors they write about the mets and what it might take for them to get Joe Blanton in a trade with the A's:

Buster Olney heard that the Mets could acquire starter Joe Blanton from the A's if they'd agree to surrender Carlos Gomez, Aaron Heilman, and Kevin Mulvey. I wonder if Oakland would try Heilman in the rotation.

The A's would probably go with an outfield nucleus of Travis Buck in left, Gomez in center, and Carlos Gonzalez in right. That could make Nick Swisher - signed for five years through 2012 - expendable.

Mets Are Front Runners For Lohse

George King at The New York Post writes about Kyle Lohse and the Phillies backing out:

The Mets' primary competition for free-agent pitcher Kyle Lohse has dropped out of the bidding.

According to Phillies assistant GM Ruben Amaro, Philadelphia's refusal to go beyond three years for the right-hander ended their pursuit of Lohse, who finished last season in Philly.

It's believed the Mets have made an offer to the 29-year-old for four years, but it's not known if it is for the $10 million Per he is seeking.

M's Give 4 Year Deal To Carlos Silva

From: Mets 4 Life...

According to Jim Street, The Seattle Mariners and free-agent SP Carlos Silva have agreed on terms to a 4-year $44 million dollar deal. Just last year, the Twins were skeptical to give Silva a 1-year deal for $4 million. In his career, Silva has had sucess against the AL West, posting an overall 16-8 record with a 3.48 ERA. Silva is an innings eater.. thats it. He strikes out very few and had a 'career' year in '07. I think that the Mariners will end up regretting this deal within the next few years. I'm glad Omar stayed far away from Silva. Paying $11 million per year for an 'innings eater' would not have been a smart move by Mr. Minaya. Meanwhile, there has been a few more signings today...

• According to Dejan Kovacevic of the Post-Gazelle, the Phillies have agreed on terms with former Detroit Tiger, SP Chad Durbin. Last year, Durbin went 8-7 with a 4.32 ERA. No big deal really.


• Ken Rosenthal of Foxsports, is reporting that the Royals have signed free-agent reliever, Ron Mahay. The Braves will receive a compensatory pick for the signing. Mahay turned down three-year deals from other clubs to accept a higher average salary from the Royals, sources said. He split last season with the Rangers and Braves, going a combined 3-0 with a save and 2.55 ERA in 67 innings.

Mets Sign Matt Wise

Matt Popper at Amazin' Stories write about the signing of bullpen arm Matt Wise:

The New York Mets today signed free agent righthanded pitcher Matt Wiseto a one-year contract.

Wise, 32, went 3-2 with one save and a 4.19 ERA in a career-high 56games last year for Milwaukee. In 53.2 innings, the 6-4, 200-pounderallowed 61 hits, 30 runs, 25 earned, with 17 walks and 43 strikeouts.

"Matt has had success in a variety of roles," said Mets General ManagerOmar Minaya. "He adds a versatile arm to the bullpen.

"Matt had six outings last season where he pitched 2.0 or more innings.Since 2005, Wise has posted a 3.27 ERA (12 earned runs/33.0 innings)against National League East opponents.

Wise went 5-6 with a 3.60 ERA in 40 games with the Brewers in 2006.

Mets Kick The Benson Tires

Barry M. Bloom at MLB.com writes about the teams who went to see Kris Benson throw 60 pitches in Arizona on Monday. Among the many teams were the Mets:

It was 60 degrees and sunny on Monday in Phoenix as scouts gathered to watch Benson take his surgically repaired arm out of mothballs. Among the group were members of the Yankees, Mets, Astros, Nationals and Phillies, all looking for pitching help.

Reports were good, as Benson showed little wear and tear after missing the 2007 season in Baltimore because of surgery to repair a torn labrum. Benson felt no pain, said his agent, Greg Clifton.

Royals Offer Silva Contract

Over at Twin Cities.com they write about the Royals offering Carlos Silva a contract:

The Kansas City Royals have offered Twins free-agent starter Carlos Silva $30 million for three years.

Houston offers Deal To Prior

From Tyler Florence at Mets 4 Life (network Member):

Here's the latest entry from Tyler at Mets 4 Life to give you a taste of what his writing style is like. Hope You enjoy.

According to ESPN News and MLB.com, the Houston Astros have offered a deal to SP Mark Prior. The right-hander was not tendered a contract from the Cubs earlier this month and he has garnered interest from approximately 10 teams, maybe even more. The Astros offer is rumored to be a 1-year deal with incentives. Prior will not be ready to pitch until late May, maybe even later. The Mets have expressed preliminary interest in Prior earlier this week. As I have said before, this is a low risk, high reward type of move. The Astros are definitely in the market for pitching.. they really have no one behind RHSP Roy Oswalt in their rotation. If Mark Prior could return to form, the Astros would have a very good 1-2 punch at the top of their rotation. Omar should really consider Prior because of the low risk, high reward factor. Just imagine a rotation of...

Pedro Martinez

Mark Prior

John Maine

Oliver Perez

Mike Pelfrey

To have a guy go 15-10 with an 3.56 ERA in your #3 or #4 spot would be very good for the Mets. Not to mention that Mike Pelfrey is still only 24 years old and has time to mature into a star.

Did you know that Oliver Perez is listed as the Mets #1 starter on their depth chart? The depth chart on Mets.com is as follows:

Oliver Perez
Orlando Hernandez
John Maine
Pedro Martinez
Mike Pelfrey

That is very interesting.

New Network Site - Mets 4 Life

Shea Nation is proud to announce the addition of a new site to the Network.

Mets 4 Life is run by Tyler Florence, running for three months; Tyler has already placed himself as a reliable source of Mets news and opinions.

If you have the time and would like to find a new source for Mets information, you should head on over to Tyler’s Mets 4 life. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Loaiza? why not, we tried Lima and Lawrence

From Ed Ryan at Mets Fever (Network Member):

Last year in August the Dodgers brought in veteran starter Esteban Loaiza after they claimed him off waivers. Loaiza started the year with a neck and wrist injury while in Oakland, just as he recovered from those injuries he went down with a knee injury. When he finally came back in August he had two very good starts in Oakland, in those two starts; 1-0 record with a 1.84 ERA. In Los Angeles he made five starts going 1-5 with a 8.34 ERA. Here are comments from Dodger GM Ned Colletti at the time of the acquisition...

"At this time of the year, we're looking for any way to improve the team, and Esteban is a talented veteran who we hope can contribute down the stretch and next season," said general manager Ned Colletti. He has a history of winning games and right now that's what's most important to our team." source MLB.com

Now that the Dodgers have signed Kuroda, Loaiza is the odd man out. He is scheduled to earn 7mm this year which is relatively cheap for a starter but awfully expensive for a reliever, especially for the Dodgers. Loaiza is a 36 y/o right handed veteran who is a two time All-star with a record of 125-112 and an ERA of 4.64. He has appeared in the playoffs three times (Yankees-Rangers-A's) as a starter for two teams and reliever for the Yanks (record 0-4- ERA 4.44). He pitched in the NL East for the Nats in 2005 going 12-10 with a 3.77 ERA. In 2003 he had an All-star season with the White Sox under then Mgr. Jerry Manuel (current Mets bench coach) going 21-9 with a 2.90 ERA in 34 starts (229 innings). If were going to sign one of these free agents and they want a multi-year deal Loaiza would be cheaper and is only signed for a year, opening the door for Pelfrey/Humber in "08" or he could fill the long reliever roll until El Duque goes down......

Dodgers signed RHP Hiroki Kuroda to a three-year, $35.3 million contract.Kuroda gets a $7.3 million signing bonus, $5 million in 2008, $10 million in 2009 and $13 million in 2010. He had a chance to get a four-year deal from the Dodgers or another team, but he decided three years was best for him. In Los Angeles, he'll be the third or fourth starter in a rotation that will also include Brad Penny, Derek Lowe and Chad Billingsley. Jason Schmidt figures to be the fifth starter if healthy. Esteban Loaiza could go to the bullpen if the team is unable to dump his contract. source Rotoworld

Mets Made Offer To lohse

Tim Brown at Yahoo Sports writes about Kyle Lohse and him mulling over offers from the Phillies and Mets:

That still leaves the likes of Kyle Lohse, Carlos Silva, Livan Hernandez and Jason Jennings, considered the best of the free agents. Lohse is considering offers from the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies, both of which could go to four years.

Blanton Destined For NL?

John Hickey at Seattlepi.com writes about Joe Blanton and where he will likely be traded to :

And then there is A's starter Joe Blanton. He was a 14-game winner last season and is available in a trade. But, as was the case with Haren, count on A's general manager Billy Beane to trade Blanton out of the division, if not out of the league.

Santana Is Still Up In The Air for NY

from Tommy Marcus at Metsbullpen.com

George Steinbrenner was quoted earlier saying:

“It’s up to Minnesota what they want to do and I assume they’re still thinking about trading him. As far as what I’m going to do, I don’t know…The door’s not closed. I’m still thinking about it.”

As far as I can tell, I think the Mets stopped trying so hard to work out a deal for him, and maybe were negotiating with the A's the past few days, that is, until yesterday's trade.

Mike Francesa said yesterday on WFAN:

“I ran in to a few people…I did learn one bit of information…There has not been a conversation yet between the Mets and Twins, and they are on going, where the Twins have made an offer to the Mets or a counter offer that has not included Jose Reyes. So, reports are not true. Reyes has been a deal breaker, from Minnesota’s stand point. The Mets are hoping, by January, that that will not be the case. The Mets are hopeful, they think they will be serious players for Santana. Reyes has been a hang up. They have not come off of Reyes yet…And that’s from the horse’s mouth. All I know is this, the Twins have never ever asked for anything less than Reyes.”

I know that the Mets will not trade Reyes, so with that information, it makes me feel a lot better on the situation we have in trying to get Santana. I think that the Twins really want to get rid of him, and move into a rebuilding process, so sooner or later they are going to accept one of these deals that may be a tiny bit below the expectations that they brought into the Winter Meetings.

Mets, Yankees Interested in Prior

from Shea Nation network member, Tommy Marcus, at www.metsbullpen.com

When I was watching SNY a few minutes ago, they said that both the Mets and Yankees have expressed interest in the former star and now injury-prone free agent, Mark Prior.

I really wouldn’t have a problem with them signing him, cause taking a chance sometimes pays off.

If they can get him for a cheap price, which I am sure they can (most likely nobody will give him the big bucks because of fear of injury, and he is definitely not as good as he used to be, he is really not too good anymore), so if they go ahead and get him, fine.

Floyd Signs With Rays

Over at SI.com they write about Clif Floyd signing a one year deal with the Rays:

Cliff Floyd agreed Friday to a $3 million, one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Rays, who were searching for a left-handed hitter and someone to help replace Delmon Young in right field.

With the Rays, Floyd likely will be a designated hitter and platoon with Jonny Gomes and Rocco Baldelli in right field. That spot opened last month when Young was traded to Minnesota in a six-player deal that brought starting pitcher Matt Garza and shortstop Jason Bartlett to Tampa Bay.

The 140 Million Dollar Man

At Rotoworld they write about Johan Santana and what he will want in an extension:

According to Sid Hartman of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Johan Santana will want a contract extension totaling at least $140 million if he's traded.

He also speculates that the Twins are holding out for both Jacoby Ellsbury and Clay Buchholz from the Red Sox in exchange for Santana, which if true would make the chances of a deal very slim. Of course, Hartman is a bit of a joke locally, so take the report with a Sidney Ponson-sized grain of salt.

Delcos Now Sees Clemens As He Sees Bonds

Over at the Lo Hud blog, John Delcos saysthat he now has to view Roger Clemens as he sees Barry Bonds:

All those years covering Roger Clemens and much was made about his work ethic and long and hard training programs. Yes, I saw him work, but I didn’t know how he was fueled. Clemens attributed his success to how hard he worked, and now it is known why he was able to work so hard.

It’s a shame, really. For me, I have to look at Clemens with the same skepticism as I do Barry Bonds.

Alfonzo Signs With Rangers

Over at Mets Heads they write about Edgardo Alfonzo signing with the Texas Rangers:

Former Mets IF Edgardo Alfonzo has signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers.

It would pay him $650,000, plus incentives, if he makes the major league roster.

Paul Lo Duca is in the Mitchell Report

from MetsLifer.com
Former Met Paul Lo Duca has just been revealed as using steroids based on findings from the Mitchell Report released by Major League Baseball today.

Perhaps that's why a little love was lost between the Mets management and Lo Duca. Maybe someone found out something and decided they didn't want that tied to the ballclub.

I liked Paul Lo Duca and it's unfortunate that he's being implicated in this. Although it does make me feel a little better about our current catching situation.

More details to come.

Mitchell Report = Unhappy Holidays for Us All!!!

Late last night, I received an email from someone who has been pretty reliable when it comes to baseball "scoop", and in the email, I was told that at least 4 current Yankees', some with HOF potential, 1 current Met, at least 2 former Mets and a handful of real "superstars" would be included in Mitchell's report. I have been reluctant to even discuss this, and WON'T reveal any of the names I was told, because we won't deal in speculation with such a tough and sensitive subject. I will only say, if the names I heard are, indeed, true, then a.) I will be pretty heart-broken because one of my favorite, all-time players is included, and b.) if one of the Yankee's named is true, this site will have been the first to have speculated about it a long time ago, which you can read by clicking here. There is nothing good about this report, if it doesn't at least shame baseball into being more dilligent about their testing and utilize an outside party for their testing. Otherwise, it simply becomes another witch-hunt, with government blessing, embarassing the game we love. If people are going to the trouble to "clean up" the game, there better be more than just a report...

Giants Sign Rowand

Over at the Giants Official Press Release, they write about the signing of Aaron Rowand:

In strengthening both their lineup and defense, the San Francisco Giants have signed Gold Glove center fielder Aaron Rowand to a five-year contract, club Senior Vice President and General Manager Brian Sabean announced. Per club policy, financial terms were not disclosed.

The 30-year-old outfielder is coming off his finest big league campaign, when he earned his first Gold Glove and All-Star accolades while helping the Philadelphia Phillies to the National League East championship. Rowand hit .309 while establishing career standards with hits (189), runs (105), doubles (45), RBI (89), total bases (315), walks (47) and games (161). He also led National League center fielders with a .995 fielding percentage and 11 assists, while ranking second with an .885 zone rating.

Tommy Marcus's Mets Bullpen

Tommy Marcus of the former “Bleed Orange and Blue” has started up his latest blog “Mets Bullpen". If you get the chance, you should head on over to his new site and keep in mind that it is just taking off, so it may look a little rough around the edges. He’s hard at work to renovate it to Mets glory.

So again, take a look at it. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Marquis For Endy?

Over at Fake Teams they talk about the possibility of trading Endy Chavez for Jason Marquis:

The Mets could address their starting pitching by trading for the Cubs' Jason Marquis, who bring a penny-wise/pound-foolish alternative to filling their rotation holes. And the Daily News says all the team would have to deal was Endy Chavez. Of course, the writer opines that'd be too much. Right, a 4th OF for a veteran pitcher is too steep a price to pay.

All the local NY papers are running articles relating from Mets' management that the team's current ensemble of pitchers is good enough to win without adding Santana. Seems to be as much public relations as truth. Good luck with that.

Tejada To Astros

Jeff Zrebiec at The Baltimore Sun writes about Miguel Tejada being traded to the Houston Astros:

Two years after he first suggested that he'd benefit from a change of scenery, Orioles shortstop Miguel Tejada finally got his wish as he was traded to the Houston Astros today in president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail's boldest move to date.

In return for the four-time All-Star, the Orioles will get outfielder Luke Scott, pitchers Matt Albers, Troy Patton and Dennis Sarfate, and third baseman Michael Costanzo.

Estrada Wil Likely Be Non-Tentered

At Rotoworld they write about JohnnyEstrada and hime most likely being non-tendered by the Mets today:

The Mets are likely to non-tender Johnny Estrada, according to the New York Daily News.

New York acquired Estrada last month, but then made him expendable with the trade for Brian Schneider. With Washington out of the picture after signing Paul Lo Duca, Estrada's chances to land another starting gig are drying up.

Mitchell Report To Be Released Tomorrowe

Larry DiTore and Dan Bollerman at Bloomberg write about the Mitchell Report and it being released tomorrow:

Major League Baseball will discover tomorrow what a former U.S. senator and federal prosecutor found out about drug use in the sport.

According to reports in the New York Times and other media, at least 50 current and former players will be identified as cheating with steroids, stimulants and human growth hormone.

Former Senator George Mitchell will hold a 2 p.m. press conference in New York to announce results of his probe, according to a statement released by his law firm, DLA Piper LLP.

Baseball officials reviewed the report compiled by Mitchell as part of a 20-month investigation into the use of performance- enhancing drugs in the sport and found it ``harsh,'' the Times said, citing a person familiar with the document that it didn't identify.

Nady Back With Pirates

Over at the Pittsburgh Tribune they write about the Pirates and them Tendering all five players:

Pirates general manager Neal Huntington today said the team will tender contracts to all five of its arbitration-eligible players.

Freddy Sanchez, Adam LaRoche, Xavier Nady and John Grabow each are in their second year of arbitration eligibility. Jose Bautista is eligible for the first time.

Mets Relying On Maine And Perez More Than Ever

Over at the Herald Tribune, they write about the Mets and their reliance on John Maine and Oliver Perez:

I think sometimes we lose sight of what those guys did," the GM said. "Wait a minute, let's reflect, we do have some young guys who have done it, who are proven. Sometimes you get caught up — we need pitching. Well, we do have pitching."

If they can't fortify the rotation with a new arm, the Mets will count even more on Maine and Perez in 2008.

"If we don't get another pitcher they're going to really need to step up," Randolph said. "These guys came off nice years. ... They're going to get better, hopefully."

Breaking News: Cubs Sign Fukudome

from network member, Mets Bullpen:

Dave Kaplan of WGN Radio reports that the Cubs have signed Kosuke Fukudome to a four-year deal. Kaplan says it's for about $50MM, maybe a hair more. Fukudome will be a free agent after the fourth year; there will be no arbitration.

...well, we knew that the Mets weren't gonna go near him, but I'm happy a team like the Braves or Phillies didn't get him, as I am pretty sure they were interested...

I am excited to see Fukudome play as a major leaguer, because a lot of hype has been going around about him lately.

High risk, high reward?

Anthony DiComo, sports writer for MLB.com, says the Mets might stick with what they got.

With every calendar flip comes the sinking realization that last season's Mets starting rotation, Tom Glavine excluded, will march into Shea next April all but unchanged.

It's become general manager Omar Minaya's job to convince anyone within earshot -- his own team included -- that such a fate might not be so bad. And it's about to become John Maine and Oliver Perez's job to prove him right.

The Mets rotation, as all of you avid Mets fans know, is in need of some revamping. Or does it really? As of now, it looks like Pedro, Maine, Perez, Hernandez, and either Pelfrey or Humber. Pedro looked great in the end of last season when he came back and showed he can take the place of losing Glavine's arm. Of course it would be nicer to have both but since Glavine turned down our option, he showed he did not want to be a Met anymore. Perez and Maine were amazing in the first half of the year, Maine almost started the all-star game. Both need modest era's which they had last year with out ability to produce runs, and they will win games. Both can pitch into the 7th regularly and they is huge with out weak bullpen. Hernandez is still amazing, showing at times to be our best pitcher. Obviously, Hernandez and Pedro are huge injury risks and Perez and Maine are risky for a whole years worth of quality work. For the fifth and final spot, we need one of the two Humber or Pelfrey to step up. Both show signs of very good stuff but both also show some things needed to work on. All five starters in our rotation, even the 6th replacement started, are all risky, but all 6 of them are capable of double digit plus wins with era's lower than 4. That will win us the division easily with our hitters. If necessary, Jorge Sosa can even pitch a couple games, he was great in the beginning. So all of these guys to me show high risk, but high reward. I look at Carlos Silva and Livan Hernandez and just see inning eaters. They will get us to the 8th, but we will be losing by 3, what is that going to do for us. Quantity is not greater than quality. Silva has shown to be nothing spectacular and Hernadez's era is up near 5 over the past two years. Also, his innings have dropped significantly over the past three years, yet sitll above 200. I wish I had 51% say in the Mets, I'd say keep what we got since there aren't any answers in the free agent market. Do I think Omar will do this? I'm not too sure, but I'd stick with high risk high reward than lower risk, lower reward. To close out this argument...why aren't we addressing bullpen. I know there isn't much out there either, but I would take some of the relievers that have been signed.
P.S. not only do we have one guy gunning for us for 19 games in Milledge, now we got someone to support him there in LoDuca. I do not want to see them take games from us instead of win them for us.

A Quick Note (and Link) to an Important Barry Bonds/Steroids Story

Over the weekend, I was at a holiday party and had a chance to speak with my son-in-law's stepfather. We were discussing how the media and the baseball "powers" have treated Barry Bonds as opposed to Mark McGwire and other steroid-cheaters, and before I had a chance to turn our conversation into an article, Howard Bryant over at ESPN.com beat me to the punch. The reality of the situation is, whether or not you think there is a race component to this situation or not, the bottom line is that McGwire was always a "media darling" and Bonds' has been known to be surly with just about everyone he comes into contact with. However, that alone is not enough of an argument- otherwise, why did Eddie Murray get elected into the hall-of-fame, as he stopped speaking to all media shortly after his career began? Anyway, make the conclusion for yourself, but please read Bryant's excellent article. Click this link and it will take you right to the article- and let us know what you think.

Noble Answers Questions at Mets.com

In the latest mailbag at the Mets website, reporter Marty Noble answers a few fans' questions. Particularly notable was his response regarding whether starting pitching or relievers should be the Mets' priority this offseason.

From Noble:

I'm reminded of one of the reasons then-general manager Steve Phillips cited in the summer of 1997 when he included starter Mark Clark in a package that imported relievers Turk Wendell and Mel Rojas. Phillips pointed out that relievers can help win two or three games a week, and the best starter has direct influence over one game every five days.

and

That said, it would be wise to acquire some quality relief pitching. But there's none of that available, either.

Noble also addresses readers' questions on the potential acquisition of Carlos Silva, Ben Sheets, Chris Capuano, potential future performers at catcher and first base, and more on the Bedard/Santana/Haren triangle. As always, a great read! Click here to read Noble's article.

PLD a Nat? The Washington Mets?

It seems official - the Blue Jays and Paul Lo Duca couldn't put a contract together, so PLD has now signed a one-year deal with the Washington Nationals. Once this contract is signed, that means that both Nats' catchers were once Mets property, as holdover Jesus Flores was lost in the Rule V draft to the Nats in 2006, much to our chagrin. We are happy for PLD, whom we hoped would be with us this season, and GM Jim Bowden makes yet another surprising move in a career laden with them. Manny Acta, Lastings Milledge, Jesus Flores and Paul Lo Duca vs. Brian Schneider, Ryan Church, Moises Alou (Expo), Orlando Hernandez (Expo) and Endy Chavez - a decent battle royale between ex-Mets and ex-Nats/Expos...

We wish you luck, PLD, except when playing the Mets!!!!

The Mets Are Still Relevant....So Stop Worrying So Much!

Throughout the year, we will run various contests with the winner(s) having a chance to write about their thoughts on our beloved Mets', to be posted on our site. We ran our first one this off-season, regarding A-Rod, and one of our winners, Daren Many, wrote the following article. Before reading it, we'd like to offer the following to Daren:

Daren: We wanted this on the site for everyone to read- we would like to officially welcome you into the Shea Nation family, and John will contact you shortly to set up your ability to write posts on our blog. Your article was excellent, (only 4 corrections!) and heartfelt, and we know that things will continue to get better for you as it will for our Mets, too. Welcome aboard and enjoy seeing your article posted- we enjoyed reading it, and am sure our readers will, too!!! (And I agree about Carlos Silva, if every other option has failed...)

Without further ado...

The Mets Are Still Relevant…So Stop Worrying So Much
By Daren Many (Contest Winner)

I have had some issues lately. We all have issues, but hear me out. The end of September I got laid off from my job. I’m a seasonal employee so it’s not that bad. I have time to read about the Mets all day and wonder if I should have gotten better grades in school. This is just the start. In the last couple of weeks I have broken up with my girlfriend of a year and a half. It was mutual but it’s still tough. I was rejected from graduate school (that’s were the better grades come in) and the house that I’m renting was just sold this month so I need to find a new place to live. So let’s revisit. No job, no girl, no shelter and sometimes I think no future. I feel like a Yankees fan. But all is well because I still have my Mets. This may not seem like much since we haven’t won a championship since I was six and I had to watch Roberto Alomar on my team in the 90’s but the real fans understand. No matter what happens we believe. Then I heard Omar traded Milledge for some guys from the Montreal Nationals and I wallowed back to the depths of my depression.

It’s ok though. Things aren’t as bad as they seem. Given time things will always turn around. We have a very promising team as it stands now. I’ve been reading a lot of negative things about how this off-season is shaking out. How our management has passed up opportunity after opportunity to bring in a legitimate number one starter. Let’s put it into perspective. Let’s say we don’t land that ace everyone wants. We still have a lot to be excited about and as a lifelong Mets fan that in itself is nice.

Infield: David Wright; Jose Reyes; Luis Castillo; Carlos Delgado. Looks good to me. My only real concern here is that Delgado may have reached old man status. My gut tells me that he will be close to normal this season but every player reaches a point of diminishing returns at some point in there career. Castillo still has the bothersome knees but I think we are all happy to have him back. He hits, he turns double plays and he wants to be in New York. Last year as we were in the middle of our historic collapse and I was wondering how God ended up being a Phillies fan I noticed in all the camera shots into our dugout Castillo seemed to be one of the only guys who was really pissed off. I knew then that I wanted him back. David Wright is awesome. He is the only guy that I would want to steal my girlfriend so I could maybe hang out with him. Jose had a really bad second half. Wow, it was hard to watch. He has so much talent though and he didn’t just lose it overnight. He will be fine and there will be more MVP talk next year.


Outfield: Moises Alou; Carlos Beltran; Ryan Church. I’m all right with it. When we first traded Milledge I like a lot of you was perplexed. He was so young and had so much upside. I’m still not completely sold on this move but I like Ryan Church. I have the same feeling about him as I had about Xavier Nady. I was sad to see Nady go but it ended up being one of Omar’s better moves so far. I think Church is going to give us solid defense, he is going to hit a bunch of doubles, he has some power and his hat will probably stay on. Carlos Beltran has just won another gold glove. That’s what you ultimately want from your center fielder. You want great defense first. I hate when I hear Yankees fan spout off about A-rod not being a “real” Yankee. Give me a break. But sometimes I get the feeling that Met fan doesn’t think of Beltran as a “real” Met. It’s a weird feeling that I can’t put my finger on but I personally love him. He made some tough catches down the stretch last year and he put up another solid offensive season. There isn’t another center fielder in baseball that I would rather have. I was very happy when Alou decided he wanted to come back. We already know he is probably going to miss about 50 games because he strains something the medical community didn’t even know existed but I wanted him back. There were stretches of the season last year where he was our undisputable MVP. I never really paid attention to him when he was in San Francisco but this guy can hit anything. He played a better defense than I thought and once again he wanted to come back to New York. This cant be understated. When guys want to come back and play for your team it makes the clubhouse strong. It makes guys want to play for each other and it leads to wins.

Catchers: Brian Schneider; Ramon Castro; Johnny Estrada. I have never heard so much complaining and whining as I have heard from people about our catching situation. We have three catchers right now. Big deal. We will be dumping Estrada and we will move on. It was a great move to get out from under Mota’s contract. I know why a lot of people are upset. It’s natural to want offense and we are just not going to get it with Schneider. We have been spoiled with all those great offensive years from Piazza. As fans we hate to look and see a hole in our lineup when we think someone like Estrada could put up better numbers. I understand this. I feel some of your pain. From what I have read Schneider calls a great game, he can throw out base stealers and pitchers like to work with him. This is way more important than the average fan understands. We all know how Reyes stealing bases upsets the rhythm of a pitcher. We saw it a lot the first half of last year. If you have a catcher who can limit this damage such as Schneider you can manage the game and put yourself into a better position to win. The only way a catcher justifies his worth on offensive merit over defense is if your name is Mike Piazza or Jorge Posada. Catcher is a defensive position and Schneider is a defensive catcher. Now stop complaining so much.

Bench: Damion Easley; Ruben Gotay; Marlon Anderson; Endy Chavez. I like this bench. All of these guys have produced and I expect more of the same for the upcoming season. I expect Omar is still looking around but I don’t see much movement here and I don’t think we need to over analyze a pretty good bench.

Bullpen: Billy Wagner; Aaron Heilman; Pedro Feliciano; Scott Schoenweis; Jorge Sosa; Duaner Sanchez; Joe Smith. Tom Verducci wrote a great article for Sports Illustrated (11/13/07) looking at Padre’s general manager Kevin Towers and his formula for building a cheap yet effective bullpen. San Diego does not hand out long term contracts to guys who happened to have a good season the year before. We need to think along the same lines. I was in favor of giving Billy Wagner a long term deal because he was a proven closer. A bullpen is a year to year project and should be pieced together accordingly. This doesn’t mean two year deals for guys like Mota and Schoenweis. What do we know about our bullpen right now? We know that when healthy Billy Wagner is still a very good closer. Aaron Heilman has proven to be reliable and durable. After that we aren’t really sure what were going to get. All of our relievers have shown flashes at times and moments of heartbreak on others. Willie Randolph stated last year on numerous occasions that he wanted to play the hot hand and use guys when he felt it was necessary. Billy Wagner has come out publicly and declared that the bullpen assignments need to be more defined. I have to agree with Billy on some level. Again, the more comfortable guys are the better they will perform. Nobody knew exactly what situation they would be in last year and I think that was part of the problem. It’s not a magical band aid though. We have some help coming in Sanchez and possibly Padilla but once again it’s such a role of the dice. It will be something the team will have to monitor all season long and make adjustments as necessary if guys aren’t pulling their weight. It’s the same way for most teams unless you get lucky. This is where Minaya is going to earn his paycheck.

Starting Pitchers: Pedro Martinez; Oliver Perez; John Maine; Orlando Hernandez; Mike Pelfrey. I don’t know what to think anymore. I’m exhausted by this whole subject. The winter meetings rumors and conjecture is an absolute joke. I love the off-season excitement and the hope of a new season on the horizon but to hear non stop talk of Dan Haren, Erik Bedard and Johan Santana has at times turned me off completely. There is still time for Omar to pull off a trade for one of these guys and I will be happy if he does. I’m just happy the winter meetings are over. I can’t stop thinking of the Red Sox and how they absolutely dominated starting pitching in the playoffs last year. It was amazing to watch. If you can get into the playoffs then anything can happen but my gut tells me we wont win a World Series anytime soon without an actual #1. I still think we have a nice rotation. Omar has been saying we can go into next season with the team we have now and we will be all right. Isn’t that what he said last year? Perez and Maine are great middle rotation guys. I think they learned a lot last season and I expect them to duplicate last year but I’m not ready to say there going to be number one type pitchers. Orlando Hernandez looks really good at times but like Alou you know he is going to be hurt. Pedro is very intriguing this season. He looked great the end of last year. Could he be our number one next year? It’s possible. He is Pedro so I wouldn’t put it past him. I can’t even comment on Pelfrey because I have no idea what were going to get with him or Philip Humber. Kevin Mulvey is also an intriguing option but a big unknown. A lot of you are going to disagree with me but I like Carlos Silva as far as free agents go. If we can’t bring in a top guy then I would like to see us go after Silva. He is only 28 and still has some upside. In four years with Minnesota he has pitched 180 innings or more twice and eclipsed the 200 inning mark twice including last year. His ERA has been middle of the road (career 4.31) but that would certainly drop in the National League. I just think he could be another Maine or Perez type guy on our staff. He would have an ERA around 4 and win around 15 games. He still isn’t the number one were looking for though but he could help. Unfortunately he will ask for way more than he is worth and he will probably get it.

So that’s our team right now whether you like it or not. There will be an attitude change next season and I think Willie learned a few things about being a manager. It will be interesting to see how the pitching shakes out the rest of the winter. I still think Omar has some tricks up his sleeve and may get us a number one starting pitcher yet. If not, we have a pretty good team and we’ll see what happens.

Since I started writing this my life has gotten a lot better (it takes me a while to write something). These things usually work out. I think the hard times in your life really help you in the long run. I think the Mets will do the same this season. We had to go through some hard times last year but they will be better off for it this season.