The Return Of E-Mail Bag: Stockpiling

Now I know that you haven’t done the E-mail bag in a couple of months. I’m not sure if it’s the lack of E-mails or just that there is too much going on with the site or personal reasons, but I would be greatly appreciative if you could find the time to answer my question, as I have asked Matthew Cerrone and am still to get a response. I’m asking you now because your two sites seem to keep up with the trends as much as possible.

A lot of sites including Shea Nation and Mets Blog are speculating that the Mets are simply stockpiling position players so that the team won’t be in such a hurt locker. Now I find out that they’re close to signing another infield/outfield utility man in our former second baseman Joe Valentin. There just seems to be no other reason for all of these signings than a full force pursuit of Johan Santana. Am I just getting my hopes up or is my franticness justified?

Mark T.
Long Island

Well, Mark thanks for remembering that Shea Nation does the E-mail bag as well. The fact of the matter is that I will get an E-mail and realize that I had already answered the question that day. I would reply back to the person with the link and that would be the end of it. No reason to put up two posts on the same topic now, but your question has been speculated on a lot of sites as you have said. I’ll do my best to answer it to fullest of my knowledge.

In my perspective, I wouldn’t put it out of the question for the Mets to be stockpiling players to anticipate the pain that their Minor League is going to take if the pursuit of Santana actually lands the lefty.

With the additions of Pagan, Wise, Register, Sanchez, eight Minor Leaguers (including Juan Padilla) and the possible signing of Valentin, the Mets are definitely looking like they are getting ready to brace themselves for a significant blow.

If the recent additions are a sign of what may come, it seems like a reliever, middle infielder, starting pitchers and an outfielder is on the block.

Does this mean that the Mets are going to make a strong push for Johan Santana? I’m not sure.

I have a strong feeling though, that the Mets are in the process of making a pretty strong case for a starting pitcher, whether it be Santana, Blanton, Sabathia or some other player that we didn’t even know the Mets were interested in, is still yet to be seen.

The one thing that is certain is that we should be ready for something to explode in the next month and when it does, we, the fans, should be pleasantly surprised.

*****Note From David***************

Mark, thanks for sending in your email, and it brings up some valid points, which John addressed, and to which I'd like to throw in my 3 cents (up from 2, as everything is now inflated).

There is no doubt in my mind that the Mets' have good reason to stockpile players. First, it is a normal thing to do as pitchers and catchers report in a mere 6 weeks (man, I love the sound of that) and spring training and minor league rosters have to be filled out. There were only 2 surprises for me, the first being the re-acquisiton of Pagan, the second being the soon-to-be-finalized re-signing of infielder Jose Valentin to a minor league/make-good contract. That's not to say that there aren't other reasons for this stockpiling, which brings me to the- Second point, which is this- it wouldn't surprise me if the Mets now included Endy Chavez and Ruben Gotay in either a trade for a starter, or seperately or together to acquire additional, quality young players to turn around in a deal for a starter, as has been speculated. I can't see how even the Twins could turn down a deal that included Chavez, Gomez, Gotay, Mulvey, Heilman and another minor league pitcher for Santana, as in quality AND quantity, that would be the deal to beat! Finally, perhaps the Mets are putting together a package for another reliever, to fortify the bullpen, and it also wouldnt' surprise me if one of their targets, even with Billy Wagner already on board, was Joe Nathan, like Santana, a Twin, and like Santana, a free agent at the end of the 2008 season.

Remember- this is still the off-season, and anything CAN and WILL happen!

E-Mail Bag: Is Lo Duca Making A Return?

With the latest struggles of the Mets these past two weeks, Paul LoDuca looks to be one of the only players on the roster that is playing with any kind of passion or fire. I know that he is hitting well over .400 since the Mets went on the last road trip and seems to be a little agitated with some of the players.

I guess what I’m trying to get at is, do you think that Omar will bring back LoDuca for next year or is he just going to be let walk?

Joe via E-mail

Well, Joe, about two weeks ago I wrote a piece on Lo Duca (The Easiest Decision Not Made) in which I went on to say that Omar would have to be a fool to let Lo Duca walk.

He is without a doubt the fire, heart and soul of this team.

Do I think that they will re-sign him?

Absolutely. There is no way that they can let a player of Paul Lo Duca’s caliber walk away and look for a younger, less qualified catcher to replace him.

If you look at the future free agent catchers for this upcoming off season (Link) you can plainly see that there are few options that one would consider as a replacement for Paul. Besides the obvious choices of Posada and Pudge, there isn’t anyone that can match up to Lo Duca, but would one really want Posada on the Mets?

So to answer your question in an easier format, yes they will re-sign him to at least a one year contract.

E-Mail Bag: Brett Harper

Isn’t Brett Harper a career minor leaguer? I had always thought as much but was never sure and then with your post on him getting the player of the month award in the Minors it brought him back into my train of thought. Please let me know so I can put this question to rest.

Jessica via E-mail

Well Jessica, you must be getting Harper mixed up with Andy Tracy for some reason because Harper has been in the Mets system since, only, 2001. It looks like Harper is surly going to be the Mets first baseman of the future and with each passing day it looks more apparent that he is ready for the promotion, but with Delgado sitting on first until 2009, it looks like Harper is just going to have to wait his turn.

I hope that answers your question.

E-Mail Bag: Pittsburgh, Mets At Home And Pedro

Hey John,

I live near Pittsburgh, PA and was in couple of the games at PNC Park last week. The team looked little shaky especially on Thursday night after blowing the enormous lead. I just don't really feel comfortable with Mota now...he's been a disaster since coming back from suspension...good thing the team was able to pull off a lot of wins during the road trip. Now, with the padres and dodgers, and having young, Peavey, and Penny to face during the week, do you think the team can live up to their expectations playing at home? I was talking to my fiancé and we all agree that there is an emotional block or anxiety in the team that unable them to perform well at Shea. It just frustrates me sometimes. I get all bumped up when they are at home, and they just play horrible for the most part. This is a huge week for the Mets...this week can certainly give us some nice cushion before they head to Philly and Atlanta. By the way, do you think Pedro will be back to the rotation next week? He did pretty good last night and I believe he might be schedule to pitch again this weekend...finally, just want to let you know how enjoyable your website is...it keeps me updated with what's going on with the team since I moved out of the tri-state area. Good job! Let's all pray this is the time for a trip to the WS!

Let's go Metropolitans!

Fernando via E-mail

Expectations:
Well the Mets haven’t done well at Shea this year at all. For the season they are only 32-27. I know this doesn’t look all that bad but they were 50-31 last season and going against the best pitching team in the National League (Padres) doesn’t seem to sit in the Mets favor. Actually we’ll be lucky to see a game tonight with all the rain. So in short, my expectation is that the Mets will outlast Young and Peavey and attack the bullpen like they do every game as of late and take 2 of 3, that only if Maine can pitch a good outing for us. That guy has really got to snap out of it.

I don’t see an emotional block or anxiety with them. Look at it this way, if you had to work at your job for a half a year with the occasional day of, travel to a different town every week and hear it from anyone who didn’t like you, you would get a little out of focus now and then. I know I sure would. We just have to sit back and wait for their second wind to hit them.

Pedro:
There is no way that Pedro will be back in the rotation next week. The Mets are saying that he has at least two more rehab starts to pitch and that would put him in the first week or two of September. So my guess is that we’ll see him in the second week. They can’t afford to rush him along and then he gets hurt again. Remember that Pedro is fragile now and he has to be babied in his rehabilitation or the Mets will suffer the consequences.

E-Mail Bag: Where Is Juan Padilla?

What ever happened to Juan Padilla? I thought he was supposed to come back to the team sometime this season. Did he get re injured or what?

Dave via E-mail

Juan Padilla is most likely to miss the entire season due to a partial tear to his right elbow. The last report on him was March 27th. That injury coupled with his Tommy John surgery doesn’t look at all good and I’m a Padilla fan.

Hopefully he can get healthy and make a return to the Mets pen next season. Although I see him spending at least some portion of the beginning of the season in Triple-A.

E-Mail Bag: Carp For First Base?

I saw a lot of Mike Carp in spring training and liked what I saw. He can hit and isn’t too bad of a fielder. Do you think that Carp could be the every day first baseman next year because I think the Delgado’s contract runs out at the end of the season?

Tony via E-mail

If you were to run over to MLB4U.com, you would see that Delgado’s contract runs through the 2008 season and so, at this time, Mike Carp doesn’t have a chance of becoming the Mets every day First Baseman.

However that doesn’t mean that he couldn’t be brought up sometime during next season if Carlos gets injured or if he’s simply tearing the cover off the ball and would be used as a bat off the bench.

Right now Carp is only hitting .251 and has 6 home runs, 31 RBI’s and 2 stolen bases for the Suns. He isn’t exactly turning heads right now, but you never know what could happen next year.

E-Mail Bag: Sele The Odd Man Out?

With Sosa going to the bullpen, does it mean that Aaron Sele is going to be packing for New Orleans any time soon?

Gary via E-mail

I don’t think Willie is going to put Sele out just because Sosa has found his way back to a familiar role. If Willie had the intent of putting Sosa in the pen just to option Sele to Triple-A, he would have done it already. He probably would have done it when Brian Lawrence came up, but as we all know he chose to option Mike Di Felice and kept Sele around.

If anything, I think Willie did this just to strengthen the bullpen and have a possibility of two long inning relief options instead of only Aaron Sele.

E-Mail Bag: Has Gotay Lost His Job?

With Castillo getting traded to the Mets makes a problem for Rubin Gotay. Do you see Gotay keeping the 2 base job for the time being or will he turn into the utility infielder?

Seth via E-mail

What I gather out of this trade is that Gotay will keep the second base job for the time being, but when his bat starts to slow down he will be transitioned to the bench. But I could always be wrong and Castillo could walk onto the field as the second baseman and hit behind Reyes.

Remember that him and Juan Pierre had a great one two punch when they were with the Marlins and maybe Willie might want to relive that with Reyes and Castillo.

E-Mail Bag: Gotay And The Batting Title

With Gotay smoking the since his call up, what is the qualifications for the batting title because if Gotay were to qualify for it and win it, Willie would have to give him the 2nd base job. If you could give me that information it would be great.

Thanks,
Neil

Neil via E-mail

About the only qualification a player needs to meet to be in the hunt for the batting title is that he needs 3.10 plate appearances per game the team plays. This means that sac flies, sac bunts, hit by pitchers and walks also count.

So the Mets have played 99 games and Gotay has had 118 plate appearances this season. That comes out to 1.19 plate appearances per game, so it’s going to take a little more time for him to qualify for the batting title, but if he keeps starting for the Mets I don’t see why he can’t reach that plateau. The only thing he would have to do is maintain and he has shown no signs of letting up so far.

E-Mail Bag: Second Base

Do you think it’s at all possible for the Mets to get a second baseman of Loretta’s caliber? If it was up to me, I’d go for O-Hud or Loretta in an instant.

Joe via E-mail

A deal could definitely be done for a second baseman of Loretta’s talent. Everyone is looking at the two above mentioned second baseman and forgetting one that over the season I’ve taken a shine to, Aaron Hill.

Hill is hitting .276 to go along with 11 home runs, 56 runs batted in and 3 stolen bases. Also he has a .984 fielding percentage.

Could the Mets pry him away from the Blue Jays? Who’s to say they couldn’t?

I say forget about Orlando Hernandez and Mark Loretta and focus on the young Aaron Hill. If the Mets were forced to give up young prospects for him, fine. At least we’d be getting a young player (25) back in return that they would know can play at the Major League level.

E-Mail Bag: Are The Mets Going After Sosa?

I saw on SNY that Ted Berg was saying that it was a possibility that Omar will go and try and get Sammy Sosa!?! Why Sosa? Why can’t the Mets go after someone who isn’t…well Sammy Sosa? I will lose my mind if this happens. Besides that, who are they going to give up? Maybe you could spread some light on the situation.

Tom via E-mail

First off here is the Ted Berg Post on Sammy Sosa

Tom, it doesn’t state that the Mets are looking into acquiring Sosa from the Rangers. It merely states that David Lennon at Newsday wrote that the Mets should try and get Sosa. Also on sports radio, the callers are saying that Omar should get him.

This in no way says that the Mets are trying to obtain Sosa. I would have a heart attack if they did acquire him (not the good kind).

The morale of the story is that you can’t believe everything that you hear or read. Especially as we get so close to the Trade Deadline.

E-Mail Bag: Behind The Plate

Since Castro is hitting the ball every time he starts, would it be possible to use him as the every day catcher? Maybe use Lo Duca as the day game catcher for a little while.

Ryan via E-mail

I don’t think that will happen. Lo Duca is making too much and I don’t think Castro has the stamina to keep producing at the rate he has been while playing all those games.

However, Willie could use them in more of a platoon role. Each of them getting a good amount of playing time could enhance both of their production and would keep the wear and tear of being a catcher to a minimum.

Of course, Lo Duca, wouldn’t like this, but it might be the best thing for his slumping bat.

E-Mail Bag: Franco's Departure

I just found out from your site that Julio Franco is going to be designated or let go. I can’t believe it took this long! Julio may have not been a good player this year, he was a good player coach. Do you see any set backs with the Mets from this?

Neil via E-mail

Not a one Neil. I think it would have caused an enormous amount of friction between him and Rickey if Julio was here. After all, Julio is only a couple of months older than Rickey and we all know that Rickey still wants to play.

This is the absolute right move the Mets had to make and as I’m sorry it had to end like this for Julio, I’m glad it has finally ended.

E-Mail Bag: Beltran's Entrance Music

I would like to know the name of the walkup song that Carlos Beltran uses?

Vin via E-mail

Carlos Beltran’s music is El Esta Aqui, by David Y Abraham.

Hope that helps.

E-Mail Bag: Why Haven't The Mets Made A Trade Yet?

Why won’t Omar pull the trigger on a deal to bring in some talent to help the Mets out? I just don’t get it.

Mark via E-mail

It’s not that Omar doesn’t want to make a trade for someone to help the Mets. It’s just that teams are now just figuring out if they aren’t going to be contenders for the playoffs and the market is just opening.

The other reason is very simple. Take Mark Buehrle for example, Omar wants him but the White Sox are asking way too much for a player who is going to be a free agent at the end of the season.

I hope that cleared the way for you and remember to have faith in Omar. He’s gotten us to this point.

E-Mail Bag: The Rotation

What are the Mets going to do about their pitching staff? Two are out and the rest looks like they are were they were during the atrocious June.

Bill via E-mail

My guess is they’re going to try and ride this out until the All-Star break when their pitchers can get a little bit of a rest. Oliver Perez is probably going to come back after the break, so that won’t be an issue and Pedro looks like he’ll be ready near the end of the month.

I’m just as worried as anyone that our pitching isn’t going to hold much weight as the season goes on and if we make it to the Playoffs, that the Mets won’t make it very far, but you just have to have faith that Omar is going to right the ship that has some how gone so wrong.

E-Mail Bag: Time To Panic?

With the latest injuries to the mets hitting their rotation do you think that there is reason to panic?

Joe vie E-mail

There’s no reason to panic just yet. Sosa’s injury did remind me a lot of how Endy Chavez got hurt, but the Mets did say that his injury isn’t severe and Oliver Perez went on the Disabled List, with the All-Star break just around the corner, as a precaution.

Both pitchers are eligible to come off of the Disabled List right after the All-Star break and I see no reason why at least one of them (Oliver Perez) wont.

Also remember that Pedro’s return gets closer each day and by now he is at the most a little over a month away.

Keep the faith Joe, Mets fans have seen a lot worse.

E-Mail Bag: What About Feliciano?

I personally think that Feliciano deserved to go to the all star game more than Wagner or even Maine. Do you think that Feliciano got overlooked or that something else?

Dane via E-mail

Well, Dane, there are so many fans of any team that feel that their position player or pitcher got hosed in the All-Star game. There are only so many spots, but I do agree with you on Feliciano. How many relievers do you know that have a sub two earned run average? Not too many if you were to take a good look.

I think that this year’s All-Star game was based too much on reputation than what they’ve accomplished in the first half of this year’s season.

It all comes down to the fact that we have no one to blame but us Mets fans for obviously not voting enough and for the player’s vote for going for big names instead of big seasons.

If I had it my way, one of Feliciano or Maine would have made the All-Star game and Cole Hamels would have been on vacation. Both are without a doubt a better pitcher, right now, and would be more effective this year.

I hope that answered your question.

E-Mail Bag: Will Newhan Make A Return?

Dave Newhan is starting to hit the ball well with the Zephyrs. Do you think there would be any kind of chance that the Mets would reactivate him and send own someone who isn’t hitting the ball too well?

Mark via E-mail

For those of you who don’t know, here’s Newhan’s numbers in Triple-A:

54AB, .315BA, 8Doubles, 2HR, 1SB

That’s one good Triple-A player.

I do think that at some point during the season, Newhan is going to be reactivated, but there is no way in my mind that he could take anybody’s place other than Ricky Ledee. If Ledee starts to go downhill for a while, you could see the drunken batter back in a Mets uniform with hast.

I would love to see this happen, because for some reason I don’t like Ledee and think that he brings the team down a little bit. Maybe it’s the fact that he came up as a Yankee. I guess that’s the only logical answer.

Back on the Newhan question. Yes, Newhan will be back and yes, it will have to be due to a dreadful bench bat. I think you hit the nail on the head Mark.

Note:

To all the readers,

Keep the questions coming, I love to hear your thoughts, questions and love answering them for you.

E-Mail Bag: Milledge And Gomez

Do you think that the Mets will opt to bring up Milledge when he comes off the DL and send Gomez back to AAA? I don’t think it’d be a good move but I wanted to see what you thought of the situation.

James via E-mail

The way that Gomez is playing right now, the Mets would be mentally insane to send him back to the Zephyrs to just bring up Milledge. Granted, Milledge would have been the one to come up when Alou went on the Disabled List, but the pendulum swung in Gomez’s favor.

The big question is if Gomez keeps hitting like he is, what’s going to happen when Alou does come off the Disabled List? I’m wondering about that more than Milledge.