Fingers Crossed

In the 2005-2006 Off Season it was Barry Zito and how much the Athletics were asking the Mets for in exchange of one year of service from the Ace Lefty. In the 2006-2007 Off Season it was Dan Haren and Rich Harden and this deal was supposed to be a lock to happen for one of these pitchers with the Mets.

The problem in those two Off Seasons, was that the Mets, particularly Omar Minaya, was reluctant to give up the two players that Billy Beane was hard pressed to obtain from the Mets (Aaron Heilman and Lastings Milledge), but this is not the case this time around.

Omar has been quoted on numerous occasions that he would have no problem trading some of his best prospects in return for a front of the rotation starter.

So the question you have to ask yourself now is,” Is Omar ready to pull the trigger or is he just flirting with other teams again”?

I for one, believe that this time Omar is fully committed to moving some precious prospects in order to meet his goal, because of the way the Mets ended the season and what better suitor than Oakland?

There is no doubt in my mind that if Omar were to press Beane hard enough, he would gladly give up Dan Haren to the Mets in return for a stable of young players, such as Aaron Heilman, Lastings Milledge, Kevin Mulvey and a lesser prospect.

The only question is how far will Omar go to achieve his goals? That’s the question that’s been resting at the back of my mind and I’m sure that all of the fans are thinking of the exact same thing.

I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what he does in the Winter Meetings and keep our fingers crossed that Omar Minaya comes out smelling like a rose.

Are The Mets Rushing Gomez?

From Ed Ryan at Mets Fever (Networ Member):

John Sickel at Minor League Ball takes a look at the Mets handling of Carlos Gomez and the long term implications. He refers to the Mets talking about using Gomez in the everyday line-up this season, I'm not sure if he means us fans or the actual organization. This would indicate that if Milledge left in a trade Gomez would be the right fielder, I had always assumed that if Milledge was traded either Johnson or a free agent would play right. I would agree that putting Gomez in the everyday lineup in "08" would be rushing him, Sickel is looking for comments on the subject for anyone who is a member of his site.....

I don't like the way the Mets have handled their prospects lately. Carlos Gomez was badly, BADLY rushed, and they have pushed Fernando Martinez and Deolis Guerra much too quickly in my opinion. Carlos Gomez had no business in the majors last year. He's a remarkable athlete with plus speed, a great glove, and offensive potential. But his bat is unrefined. His plate discipline is poor, his power is undeveloped, and he needs regular playing time get his swing in gear and work these issues out. Regular playing time in Double-A and Triple-A, not in the majors. Sticking him in the regular lineup in '08, like the Mets are talking about, is a huge risk for his long-term development, and an unnecessary one. The Mets are hardly strapped for resources, and putting this guy in the lineup seems pointless to me. Surely then can find a decent stopgap veteran, or even someone trapped in Triple A with another team. Normally I'm all in favor of playing the kids, but I want to play kids who are ready. Gomez isn't ready. Maybe I'm wrong, and if he has a great year I'll gladly admit it. But right now he's a .240 hitter, with no power and a weak on-base percentage. The only things he does well right now are field and steal bases, and you can find guys who do that. Why risk Gomez's career? And why bust his service time? It makes no sense to me at all. Grade B because of his long-term potential.

What Would It Take?: Take Two

As I alluded to yesterday, I would love to have Erik Bedard and Ramon Hernandez on the Mets and with yesterday’s magician act by Omar Minaya to obtain Johnny Estrada from the Brewers for Guillermo Mota, of all people, it further enhances the capability of such a trade getting pushed through.

From yesterday’s post:

Erik Bedard is the acting Ace of the Orioles staff and isn’t arbitrational eligible until after the 2008 season. He finished the 2007 season with a 13-5 record, 3.16 ERA and 221 strike outs. The biggest question for the Mets is how to fill the void of innings pitched, when Tom Glavine left, and if you’re thinking that Bedard is the answer, you are mistaken. He had pitched only 182 innings last season. So the Mets are still going to have to spend money on a Livan Hernandez or Carlos Silva type of pitcher.

Ramon Hernandez is only 31 and under contract for the next two seasons when he will be 33. A favorite in the Mets pursuit of the off-season after the 2005 season, Hernandez waited too long to reply to Omar’s offer (Like Bengie Molina) and settled with the Orioles. Molina is a career .263 hitter, so his 2007 batting average of .258 was a tad under par. But his 9 home runs were way under his normal production. In 2006 he rang up 23 long balls (’05 – 12 & ’04 – 18) and after an injury year, the Mets should be able to swing him away from the Orioles with minimal damage to their farm system.

David Rubin and I were discussing the possible trade ideas and he came up with a gem of one. This deal appears to be well beyond the capability of getting completed. Here you go:

So the new deal would include Carlos Gomez, Aaron Heilman, Philip Humber and Johnny Estrada for Erik Bedard and Ramon Hernandez.

To view yesterday’s post use this link (What Would it Take?).

What Would It Take?

The burning question running through Metsville is where they are going to get top pitching, a good starting catcher and how much is it going to cost the Farm System.

The latest rumor is that the Orioles are prepared to shop Ramon Hernandez and Erik Bedard, but at what cost.

Erik Bedard is the acting Ace of the Orioles staff and isn’t arbitrational eligible until after the 2008 season. He finished the 2007 season with a 13-5 record, 3.16 ERA and 221 strike outs. The biggest question for the Mets is how to fill the void of innings pitched, when Tom Glavine left, and if you’re thinking that Bedard is the answer, you are mistaken. He had pitched only 182 innings last season. So the Mets are still going to have to spend money on a Livan Hernandez or Carlos Silva type of pitcher.

Ramon Hernandez is only 31 and under contract for the next two seasons when he will be 33. A favorite in the Mets pursuit of the off-season after the 2005 season, Hernandez waited too long to reply to Omar’s offer (Like Bengie Molina) and settled with the Orioles. Molina is a career .263 hitter, so his 2007 batting average of .258 was a tad under par. But his 9 home runs were way under his normal production. In 2006 he rang up 23 long balls (’05 – 12 & ’04 – 18) and after an injury year, the Mets should be able to swing him away from the Orioles with minimal damage to their farm system.

So, if a deal were to go down with these two teams, I feel it would resemble something to this effect:

Orioles give: Erik Bedard & Ramon Hernandez
Mets give: Aaron Heilman, Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber, Joe Smith, Ruben Gotay and Lastings Milledge (or Carlos Gomez)

That’s an awful lot, but that’s what it’s going to have to be in order to pull off a deal of this magnitude.

Bedard and Hernandez?

(Brought to you by Mets Prospects)

The Mets need two things right now; starting pitching and a catcher. In order to accomplish both I have feel the best possible option is via trade. The trade would be as followed: the Orioles would give the New York Mets Ramon Hernandez and Erik Bedard. The Mets would have to part with Lastings Milledge, Carlos Gomez, Fernando Martinez, Mike Pelfrey, Kevin Mulvey and or Phillip Humber, Mike Carp and (maybe Ruben Gotay). If this trade works the Mets have an ace in Bedard who is under contract until 2009 and a catcher in Ramon Hernandez who pitching Coach Rick Peterson already knows can get the job done. This trade could be the thing to turn the Mets in World Series Champions and maybe even a dynasty.

To find out read my full reason why this will be a good trade and check up on the Mets prospects vist Mets Prospects.

A Closer Look At Matt Garza

At the beginning of the 2007 season, Matt Garza was hailed as the Minnesota Twins best pitching prospect. This was by far an amazing achievement, because in 2006 he was only considered their seventh best in 2006 and that was out of the depth of pitching prospects that the Twins have.

This, however, didn’t help him any when it came time to fill a roster spot in Spring Training, because Matt wasn’t given the fifth starter job. Instead the Twins went through Kevin Slowey and Scott Baker before giving him a shot. This wasn’t a decision of the better pitcher, but rather because of a dispute over his pitch selection.

On June 28th, Matt Garza made his second debut in the Majors and didn’t disappoint the Twins fans at all. He recorded a 5-7 record in 15 games. Some might say that this wasn’t an achievement, but he posted a 3.69 ERA, 67 Strike Outs and 32 Bases on Balls. This was a great leap forward compared to his 2006 numbers of 3-6, 5.76 ERA, 38 Strike Outs and 23 Bases on Balls.

Garza would be a great addition to the Mets future, even if it costs them Carlos Gomez. Like a lot of people like to say, “It’s harder to find a good pitcher, than it is to find a good outfielder”.

From Scouts.com:

Repertoire: Fastball, Slider, Curveball, Changeup

Fastball. Garza showed an electric fastball during the 2006 season, as he continued to hit high digits even after an entire season of college baseball. His heater sits in the low to mid 90s, and it has been clocked as high as 96 miles per hour. As is not the case with his other pitches, Garza relies on his fastball, and has confidence in it when he throws it. It is one of the better fastballs in the organization, and it will once again cause hitters fits in 2007.

Other Pitches.Garza has a nice assortment of breaking stuff, but his main problem is a reluctance to rely on them in crucial situations. Due to this, he relies on his fastball too much, and than will get him into trouble as he goes higher and higher through the system. Still, his slider is a good one, being clocked in the mid 80s, and his changeup is showing the potential to be a solid pitch in his arsenal. Add those pitches to a high 70s curveball, and you have the makings of a pretty lethal repertoire.

Please No Silva

From Kyle at Mets Prospects (Network Member):

The Mets need to get better in pitching this offseason and one name that has been thrown out is free agent Carlos Silva, formerly on the Minnesota Twins. Silva is the considered by most the best young pitcher on the market and is looking at a deal like Gil Meche’s for 4 years and roughly 40 to 60 million.

The Venezuelan born Silva has yet to pitch well in the majors. 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.

I do not want the Mets to sign Carlos Silva. He is and will continue to be and end of the rotation pitcher and will just take up the spot of a blooming Mike Pelfrey or Phillip Humber. The Mets don’t need him and it will look like the Mets got cheated when Silva is making 12 million a year and he is a number 5 pitcher or worse, a long reliever in the bullpen. If the Mets really want to be better and improve their pitching staff picking up some overpriced, end of the rotation, crappy pitcher is not the way to go.

Mets Should Go After Slowey

So the Minnesota Twins are now apparently ready to open up the gates to their untouchable pitching prospects and the want Carlos Gomez.

Now there are a couple of reasons to make a trade for pitching using Gomez as the chip, but on the other hand the Mets would be losing the only player in baseball who is faster than Jose Reyes. What to do?

Omar should definitely go ahead and give this potential trade the best shot he’s got. There isn’t one specific pitcher in the Twins Farm System who can match Gomez and his raw skills, but that doesn’t mean a deal can’t be done because with pitchers in demand, sometimes a team has to bite the bullet and hope they get back what they gave up.

The one pitcher who I love in the Twins Farm System is Kevin Slowey. He made his Major League Debut on June 1, 2007 against the Oakland Athletics in a no decision while only giving up one run in six innings.
His pitching repertoire includes a low 90 mile per hour fastball, a slider, and a changeup. He is known for his control and deception and is often compared to Brad Radke, due to his excellent control.
For the Mets this should almost be a no brainer for a pitcher who is only 23 and could join the Mets rotaion to be the cornerstone of the staff along with John Maine and Oliver Perez for years to come.

Hello Shea Nation!

Hello Mets fans and Shea Nation. This is Rob Milelli and I'm writing my first blog for Shea Nation. I have been an avid mets fan for years and wanted to share my opinion with people in the blog. So let's get started:

Johan Santana: An amazing pitcher, best in the game by far. I would definitely love to acquire him in a trade. Here's the deal, the rumors of Reyes going along with one of the outfield prospects are hopefully false. Nor would I want to give up Reyes. As awful as he was in the stretch of the season when we needed him, when we were winning, Reyes was hitting, stealing, and scoring. He is the spark plug on the Mets. Santana will most likely stay a Twin, unfortunately, and will be a free agent after the year. Unless the Twins do dismal up to the trading deadline, I see him staying a Twin the whole year.

Alex Rodriguez: Alex Rodriguez is definitely the best player in baseball; he is the most consistent as well as the best run producer. I love this guy...but I would not move David Wright to adapt Rodriguez to the Mets. I also don't think Rodriguez or Wright would do well in any other position than third, even at SS for Rodriguez. He hasn't played it for years and his body is too big for a short stop now. His stipulations are way to steep for the Mets to acquire him. I would rather save the money, sign bullpen, and wait for Santana if he becomes available in a year.

Top Prospects: The Mets are loaded with prospects in their organization. Lastings Milledge, Phillip Humber, Carlos Gomez, Mike Pelfrey, and Fernando Martinez. All of these players should make the top 100 prospects list, and deserve to be there. Milledge, although he has fallen since his once number 1 status, he still is an outfielder that can play ball, and he proved that when the season was in its whims. He may not be the best ever again, but he can obviously play, if his attitude stays the same. Carlos Gomez is fast, real fast. He also can't be judged after his first major league season. He is going to be a great player, Reyes status. Once the kid learns to hit for average at the big leagues you will see him again, and probably will not be sent back down. Although, I think it is rightfully said he is not developed yet and will need more time in the minors. Fernando Martinez is suppose to be the next big thing. How people can tell when a kid is 18, I don't know, but hitting in AA at age 18 is a phenomenal thing. He is suppose to be better than all of them. Now you can make a case to trade all of these players, but I would be upset to see them go. At most, trade one, but it better be for a promising prospect or an established young veteran. Now on to the pitchers. Mike Pelfrey showed he can pitch 4 wonderful innings. He has not learned to go much farther than that, but that's ok. He showed great stuff, and mind you he was drafted 2 years ago. He will get better and might even be on the rotation next year. His trade value might not be huge like the rest of them, which is a value for us. We will be able to keep him and he will help us in the immediate future. Phillip Humber has shown me wonders. The guy has an outstanding curve ball. All he needs to do it work on his other pitches and establish them. I can see him being on the big league roster by next year's end. Pitching is obviously what the Mets need, and to trade these two would be a mistake. I think Humber will be great and you won't get Pelfrey's value in return.

Well that's my opinion on some of the Mets talk thats up in the year. Of course everyone feels they can be the best GM for their team, me included, but thats not always the case. LET'S GO METS!!

Mets Should Push For Garland

As Ed pointed out the day, the White Sox are getting ready to get going with an almost Fire Sale off season to bring in the young talent they so desperately need. If the Mets are going to be biting on the bait, then there are only a few pitchers I could see them going after.

One of those players would have to be right handed pitcher Jon Garland.

Garland is only 28 and has a reasonably middle of the rotation EAR (4.23 in 2007 and a 4.41 lifetime). Garland does, however has 36 wins for the 2005 and 2006 seasons, which is tied for the most wins in that time. Having an off year might bring his trade value down and might make the White Sox susceptible to asking for only one prospect in return.

The Off Season Has Arrived

Baseball has now come to a close for the 2007, the Mets can now focus on next season and hopefully (fingers crossed) put this horrible collapse behind them and focus on the future. We all know what is going to be coming the Mets way as the 2008 season nears, so don’t be surprised when we start to read articles and watch on Sports Center on how Jimmy Rollins is still proclaiming that the Phillies are the team to beat.

With all that said, we can now start to focus on the Free Agents and trades that Omar must go through with in order to redeem the Mets for the fans and hopefully he knows this.

In about a week, we fans are going to bear, once again, to one of the most exciting part of being a baseball fan. Now we all know that there are always going to be those outlandish five team deals where the Mets are going to land the Mega Star that we’re craving, but let’s be realistic. Let’s just try to stay focused on what the Mets really need and once that objective has been met, then we can start to speculate about the trade that will bring players like Miguel Cabrera or Orlando Hudson over to Flushing.

Pitching has got to be the only thing on Omar’s mind right now and he can’t spare any expense to bring in some young, high ceiling, Major League proven starters to the Mets. He has got to be obsessed with such players like Joe Blanton, Tom Grozellany and C.C. Sabathia. There should be no reason why we shouldn’t be waving goodbye to one or more of our top prospects this Off Season, so don’t go and step toward the ledge when you hear that Lastings Milledge or Fernando Martinez are now in some other team’s Top Ten Prospect list or on the field.

So when you think about the days of waiving good bye to Scott Kazmir and Jason Bay, remember that those particular General Managers aren’t at the helm anymore and also remember that you have to break a couple eggs to make an omelet.

Some Bullpen Suggestions

The number one place where the Mets need to make some major improvements is their Bullpen. In order to accomplish this feat and return it to it’s 2006 for there is really only a couple of moves that are going to be required, in my opinion anyway.

1. First of all the Mets have to figure out what they are going to do with Guillermo Mota and his 5.76 earned run average. After he spent the first 50 games on suspension, Mota showed us Met fans why baseball players go on the juice in the first place. He had the knack of making every in game situation considerably worse and cost the Mets some vital games as we can all tell. The Mets can try and move him in a trade and add some cash, or simply eat his contract and send him down to Triple-A to figure himself out.

2. The next move would have to be to sign a legitimate set up pitcher and one such a pitcher will be available.

Scott Linebrink was traded to the Brewers last season and will become a free agent at the end of the World Series. The Mets would become a considerably better team with his veteran presence in the pen. I would say they should sign him to a one year deal, worth $1.75MM. If there is another team willing to go beyond this bid, then the Mets should double up on the deal. They have no other option for a proven veteran set up man and must bring someone of Linebrink’s credentials in to help turn around the mess.

3. Duaner Sanchez has to do anything and everything to make sure that he will remain healthy for the 2008 season. After getting hit by the drunk driver in Miami in 2006, he has missed a year and a half to rotator cuff surgery and a hairline fracture. With Sanchez back in the pen, the Mets will have the option of pitching Sanchez or Linebrink in the eight inning role on any given night and the other, possibly pitching the seventh.

4. Joe Smith, the youngest member of the Mets bullpen, must do everything in his power during the off season to make sure that he doesn’t get dead arm syndrome in the middle of the season next year and let’s not forget to remind Willie Randolph not to over use the youngster and let him get his rest in between appearances.

5. Orlando Hernandez has shown that he doesn’t have the endurance to go the stretch in the starting pitcher’s slot. So the logical move would be to the pen, where he can act as a two headed long inning monster with Jorge Sosa and make the inning or two appearance if the Mets know that they don’t need to get those kinds of innings out of him and his Bugs Bunny pitch.

With all of the above mentioned moves made the bullpen would shape up to look as follows:

Joe Smith
Pedro Feliciano
Jorge Sosa
Orlando Hernandez
Scott Linebrink
Duaner Sanchez
Billy Wagner

This will surly be a far cry, in the good way, from the 2007 bullpen and if you were wondering about Scott Schoeneweis, I would have to try and include him in a deal for a starting pitcher from the Athletics or the Pirates (my personal preference).

Iguchi Won't Resign With Phillies

From Ed Ryan at Mets Fever (network member):

The free agent market for second baseman is very thin. Easley and Valentin, if healthy are more role players at best and can't be considered everyday players. Kaz isn't returning and Giles, if the Pads don't pickup his option can't hit(.229) anymore. Loretta would be interesting due to his bat (.287) and his versatility, played all four infield positions this year, but his age might be a deterrent.

I still think Luis Castillo is the best option, but I can understand his balky knees being a consideration. David Eckstein is also being considered, since it doesn't appear negotiations are going well with St Louis and he has said he would move back to second.

The person I've heard the least about maybe one of the best candidates for the position. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, 33 y/o second baseman Tadahito Iguchi has told the Phils that he will not be returning, so that he can pursue a full time second baseman's job with another team. In three full seasons he has played in at least 135 gms, with a BA of .276, OBP .347 and a FA .985. Another thing to take into consideration is if the team does acquire player/s from Japan, Iguchi could help them with the transition.

Sources say the Phillies reached out to Tadahito Iguchi about re-signing toplay third base. Iguchi told the team he preferred to sign elsewhere as a secondbaseman

Phillies Not Pursuing Rowand

So according to Sports Illustrated, the Phillies aren’t going to be pursuing Aaron Rowand in the Off Season.

Before I start my rant, if you would like to catch up on Rowand, I have an article I wrote a little while ago that showcases him and gives you a little background on his career (The Mets Need Aaron Rowand).

The deal with the Phillies and Rowand is a simple economic problem and solution. Rowand wants a substantial contract. Somewhere in the range of five to six years, worth roughly $70MM to $85MM. In retrospect, the Phillies have a younger and more importantly a cheaper option in Shane Victorino.

If this is truly the only reason that the Phillies aren’t going to pursue Aaron Rowand, then the Mets should pounce on him with such a deal (5 years $70MM).

Who Would You Trade?

No one is untradeable. Ok, Derek Jeter and David Wright are untradeable. But then again the Mets traded Tom Seaver who was the face of this franchise in those horrid early years.

This offseason I am confident the trade rumors will be buzzing like an angry wasps' nest. Names will be dropped like your Dick Vitale at the Final Four. But of all the Mets I believe three names will be mentioned the most this offseason: Carlos Gomez, Fernando Martinez, and Lasting Milledge.

Why? Two words: "youth" & "upside." At this point none of them have really proven what kind of big league talent they will become. Martinez is the equivalent of an 8th grader scouting college basketball scholarships. If he turns out to be good, you got him for a prayer. If he doesn't no sleep lost. Gomez has shown signs of brilliance amidst a streak of immaturity. And Milledge? Well, is he a young Gary Sheffield or a future Bernard Gilkey?

No one has a crystal ball so the real question is who are you willing to trade at this point?

My first inkling is to trade Martinez. The kid's got talent for sure, but he's a good 2-3 years away from even being a regular at the major league level. If a team is willing to give up good, young talent that is already big league tested for a potential wonder boy, that's fine with me. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

That brings me to Carlos Gomez, whom I am enamored with. The way he tracks down fly balls reminds me of Andruw Jones when he feels like playing. The question is if he's just a pinch runner and hired glove, or will he be able to consistently hit some day. Again he's very young, but I don't think we can judge Gomez accurately just yet. He was thrown into the lineup this year straight from Double A last year. His build shows he has the potential for some pop and that kind of speed and glove are a wonderful thing to have in your back pocket.

And then there was Milledge. The often coveted blue chip prospect has now shown baseball what he can do at least for half a season. The kid was our best hitter with runners in scoring position for 3 months and seemed to get on base at just the right time. And I don't know about you but I was surprised at how well he played in the field this year. Milledge made some impressive plays at clutch moments. The kid has potential and unless there's a package for a top pitching prospect like Johann Santana or Josh Beckett, I'd hold onto Milledge.

So there you have it. This novice wants to hold on Milledge & Gomez, and gamble with Martinez. Although none of these guys are untradeable. Starting pitching is a luxury in this league. Just ask Tom Glavine.

Could Hudson Be Had?

Ed Ryan over at Mets Fever (Network Member) writes about the possibility of the Mets obtaining Orlando Hudson from the Diamondbacks in the Off Season due to their incredible depth of Infield talent.

Hudson is famous for his excellent fielding. Making those diving catches at smokers and ground balls have won him two Gold Gloves (one with the Blue Jays and one with the Diamondbacks). Receiving the Gold Glove in the American and National leagues earned him a spot with only five other Major Leaguers to do so.

As Ed states in his article, Hudson is a career .278 hitter. However, don’t let this fool you, because ever since 2003, his average has been on a steady increase as his hitting ability catches up with his fielding (’03 - .268, ’04 - .270, ’05 - .271, ’06 - .287; ’07 - .294).

Hudson is everything that Manager Willie Randolph stands for in his Second Basemen and would be a great addition if they decide not to bring Luis Castillo back for next season.

The only potential problem would be where would he bat? For the Diamondbacks, Orlando Hudson has been their leadoff hitter and as we all know, the Mets already have such a player. The only potential place to put him, would be in Castillo’s spot.

Sometimes The Nation Nails It

Apparently, some reporters and beat writers (ESPN, MLB Trade Rumors and Fox Sports) are starting to sense that a deal for Joe Blanton could be made between the Mets and Athletics, as I said about a week ago (Blanton Would Be A Good Fit).

In my article I wrote the following:

Blanton pitched two hundred and thirty innings this past season and held a 14-10 record with a 3.95 ERA. Switching from the American to the National League should lower his ERA to somewhere in the 3.50 range and would match up well with the Mets other young guns (John Maine and Oliver Perez) in making a young core of pitchers that the Mets can hold onto for years to come.

Although Blanton’s future is a middle of the rotation kind of pitcher, he could have a promising career with the Mets and their pitcher friendly Shea Stadium and soon Citifield.

This is almost exactly what they have provided to you, the reader, to mull over and contemplate as the Off Season nears.

I still do feel like such a deal could be made. However, The Mets have stated in the past that they are only interested in Rich Harden and Danny Haren. Although they did say this, with the departure of their only 200 plus innings pitcher, I think that those statements will be retracted and they will pursue the Athletics’ durable right handed pitcher.

Bye Bye John, Hello Glavine?

Braves' long-time GM, John Schuerholz, stepped down this morning from his duties, moving up, ironically, to become President of the team. As you may remember, one of the reasons Tom Glavine did not resign with the Braves' before last season was do to the publication, in Schuerholz's book, of the details of Glavine's unsuccessful contract negotiations with the Braves prior to Glavine joining the Mets. Assistant GM Frank Wren moves up to take Schuerholz's place, and this might mean that they will target both Glavine and their own free agent, Andruw Jones, both of whom would not have been in a Braves uni if Schuerholz still ran the show. Although he is president, Wren will be responsible for all player signings and transactions, with input from Schuerholz, of course. However, with Schuerholz stepping into a new position, might Bobby Cox be a year away from doing the same? Will they remain interested in signing Texiera when his contract runs out after this season? Whatever happens, an entire new wrinkle was just introduced into this off-season. Who needs a television drama to follow when we have the off-season?

Wallace Matthews Should Be Ashamed

Joe D. at Mets Merized, brought o my attention a Newsday article by Wallace Matthews that Joe titled “A Very Rude Awakening”.

Thanks for the article Wallace. I mean that, really I do.

I mean to think that Yankee fans, most any way, want to pass their short comings onto the Mets to try and take the attention off of them is beyond me. All of the attention brought to them is made possible by them. The Joe Torre issue, the Alex Rodriguez issue and their free agents to be makes for one heck of a Yankee off season show.

It isn’t Mets faults that the general consensus agrees that there are more people in New York that are interested in what is going on with the Yankees, then the Mets. It’s not our faults that Sports Center and ESPN deem it necessary to focus on one team in baseball, rather than the Mets or Padres for that matter.

Here are a couple of my favorite excerpts from this heaving article:

In the past three days, the Yankees have been characterized as bullies. They have been called cowards, gutless, unable to take a punch.

I would have to agree with every one of those sentiments. If you apply them to the Mets, that is.

And you want to talk about money? At least the Yankees' hired gun, Roger Clemens, gave them seven outs in his final appearance. Tom Glavine - a cut-rate mercenary compared to Clemens but a mercenary just the same - got what he wanted out of the Mets, his 300th win, but when it came time to give something back, he couldn't get out of the first inning. Didn't seem to be too broken up about it afterward, either.

Throw the paychecks out and it is obvious that the "rich" kids showed character. The poor souls in Flushing, those $115-million working-class heroes, did not. To say the Yankees should have done better because of their payroll but absolve the Mets despite theirs is not only lazy but fraudulent, not to mention hypocritical.

For years, we have listened to the Mets and their fans whine about always being overshadowed by the Yankees. We're not hearing too much of that right now, are we?

Hiding behind the Yankees is working out quite nicely for the Mets these days.

Prorated Green Costs 5.5M So Why Not Keep Him

From Ed Ryan at Mets Fever (Network Member):

Jeff Sackman at Hardball Times makes a case for the Brewers to pickup the option on Geoff Jenkins. Jenkins is in a very similar situation to Shawn Green, both players are very similar and the same argument can apply to Green. Jenkins is two years younger and a much better defender but Green hits almost fifty points better.

Green has a 10m club option for this year with a 2m buy out, making the contract worth 8m to pickup. When the Mets acquired Green they received 6m in cash considerations from the Diamondbacks, with that split between the two 1/2 years ( 1m 1/2yr "06"- 2.5m "07"-2.5m "08") Green would only cost 5.5m. Contract info Cots contracts.

So the Mets for 5.5m could have a 35 y/o lefthanded hitting above average first baseman and a limited range outfielder. I agree that Green has limited range in the outfield but he is a smart player knowing how to properly position for certain hitters and not taking risks that result in extra bases. Additionally Green is insurance at first and can play there when a groundball pitcher is on the mound. Green hit .291 (.326 against righties/.406 in Sept.), 10 HRs, 46 RBIs and 11 SBs. I like Green's professionalism he never complained about losing his job to Milledge or switching between the outfield/firstbase and is a very low injury risk.

It will be hard to find anyone with comparative numbers that wont cost more. Adam Dunn will definitely cost 8-10m per year, he's 7yrs younger hit 30 more homers and 60 more RBIs but also strikeouts significantly more often (last year 165 to 62), batting average is almost 40 points lower ( .264- .291) and his fielding percentage is lower ( .974-.988). Dunn has a 13m club option, so if they decline he'll be looking for at least the difference from the 1/2 m buyout (12.5m).

Assuming that the Mets don't trade anyone their loaded with right handed outfielders ( Alou, Milledge, Beltran (sw), Gomez, Johnson) so anyone acquired would more then likely be lefthanded. Aside from Dunn that leaves Brad Wilkerson, Milton Bradley (switch), Corey Patterson, Trott Nixon, Fukudome and Kenny Lofton as the available free agent lefties. None of which seem like better options and at Green's pro-rated cost they would probably cost more along with getting longer contracts.

The question becomes will Shawn Green win two -three games for the Mets this year or subsequently cost them that many games for his poor outfielding when playing against righties.

I agreed 10m was just too expensive for a bench player or at best a platoon situation, but in reality we're paying at least 2m for the buyout and received 2.5 from Arizona for this year, so who will we get at a better price for 5.5m.

Since Jenkins reached plate appearance incentives, the buyout on his option—initially $500,000—is up to $1 million. Thus, it costs only $8 million to exercise the option. Based on last year's free agent market, some rough comps are MoisesAlou ($8.5 million) and Luis Gonzalez ($7.35 million), both of whom were considerably older (and greater injury risks) than Jenkins will be in 2008.Using the simple rule of thumb that each marginal win costs about $3 million on the free agent market, we should start with the question of whether Jenkins is likely to be worth three wins to the Crew.