Possible Moves for Omar

From Network Member:Tyler Florence at Mets 4 Lfe:


We have reached the slowest part of the off-season and well, there is simply nothing to write about unless the signing of Matt Clement and Josh Towers.. but that has no effect on the Mets... but I've been thinking, what smart moves could Omar make? Well, here is a few suggestions from me...

Trade for Johan Santana...

I love our prospects but we need to get an edge. I would perfer that Omar waits until he becomes a free-agent next off-season but if we can pull a trade off that doesn't include Fernando Martinez, then I'm fine with it. Although most fans would haunt Omar Minaya for years if one of those prospects backfired in our faces, just like Scott Kazmir.


Sign Freddy Garcia to an incentive-laden contract with an option for 09'...

Freddy Garcia won't be ready until near the All-Star break but we need options. Gracia seems interested and there just simply aren't any better options. Unless you count Bartolo Colon, but he isn't even touching 90 MPH in the winter leagues. If Garcia would come back to form, the fans would love Omar Minaya again.



Sign Octavio Dotel to a 1-year contract with a vesting option for 09'...

Dotel is a very good reliable reliever out of the pen, when he is healthy. The thing is, he can't stay healthy.. but when he is, he can be a Duaner Sanchez type of pitcher. We need depth in our bullpen and that is what we lacked last season. Adding Octavio to the mix would definitely help solve that problem.



Sign Kevin Mench to a 1-year deal...

The recently acquired RF Ryan Church, is a very light hitting outfielder against left-handed pitchers.. so we need a platoon partner that can absolutely mash left-handers. Kevin Mench is our man. Last season, in 156 at-bats against Left-handers, Mench hit .314 with 8 homers and 26 RBI's. Combine that with Ryan Church vs right-handers, and we have a two headed monster in RF for 2008.

Sign Jason Jennings to a 1-2 year deal...

I know most of you are totally against him but in 2006 he was very good for the Rockies... and in the first half of 2007 he was decent with a 1-4 record and 4.07 ERA in 10 games started. The reason his record is so bad is because the Houston Astros offense was anemic all of last season... but he did blow up in the second half of the season, but thats the risk that your going to have to take.


I think all of these moves would be smart, but some would be risky. Either way I still believe that Mike Pelfrey should start for a full season in Flushing. If one of these starters were to be signed, we would just simply put Orlando Hernandez in the bullpen and keep Pelfrey as our #5. In my opinion, Kevin Mench would be a very smart signing for the Mets, and we should wait for Santana to be a free-agent at the end of the season... but if Omar pulls the trigger, I'll be fine with that too, just as long as we still have Fernando Martinez.

Does Torrealba help land Jennings?

From Ed Ryan at Mets Fever (Network Member):

Although Carlos Silva is considered the best free agent pitcher this year, that has more to do with consistency then it does potential. Jason Jennings may have the most potential and best stuff of the entire group. The former ace of the Colorado Rockies is coming off the worse year of his career, in which he was riddled with injuries. He only made 19 starts, going 2-9 with a 6.45 ERA. But the year before was considered a break out year for Jennings, he compiled a record of 9-13 with an ERA of 3.78 and walked 85 while striking out 142. Keeping in mind that he was pitching his home games in Colorado and the Rockies weren't very good that year, the numbers aside from the record are pretty good. Jennings made 32 starts in 2006, in which he pitched 212 innings and his catcher was Torrealba. A pitcher coming off injuries might want to play in a situation where he's comfortable by working with a catcher he's familiar with. I'm sure it would be appealing for him to work with Peterson who might help him find his mechanical flaws and avoid additional injuries. Not only is Shea a pitchers park but Jennings being a contact pitcher would have a solid defense behind him. Teams might not be willing to take a risk on him, but I think he might be the steal of the market.......