Should They Pay Or Just Say No?
This time last year rumors of the Mets’ losses due to Bernie Madoff were cited as a possible reason why the team didn’t make a run for any big-time free agents other than K-Rod. After all, they had more issues other than finding a closer, but watched players such as Manny Ramirez, C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Orlando Hudson, Bobby Abreu, Raul Ibanez, and Derek Lowe sign with other clubs.
This year, Jeff Wilpon promised that the Mets would be aggressive players in the free-agent market, and that Omar Minaya had no specific budget constraints.
Wilpon has plenty of time to make good on that promise, but the early signs suggest that there is indeed a budget, and the top-tier free agent targets likely will go untouched by the Mets.
Bill Madden of the Daily News says the Mets have only $20M to spend this winter, so they’ll focus on “second-tier” free agents. Adam Rubin reports that the Mets are looking at Jose Guillen as a bargain basement alternative to Matt Holliday or Jason Bay (wow, that’s some drop off!). Recent rumblings are that the Mets will look past the high-priced John Lackey and toward less expensive (and less reliable) options such as Joel Pineiro and Randy Wolf. Further, there suddenly is talk that they are considering bringing back Carlos Delgado on an inexpensive, incentive-laden deal.
This could be posturing by the Mets, in order to keep their leverage in negotiations. After all, it wouldn’t make much sense if they publicly announced “hey, the wallet is open, and we’re spending freely this winter!”. Except, that’s basically what Jeff Wilpon said in October.
In the end, I might agree (gasp!) with Wallace Matthews, who believes the “Wilpons should be honest and look toward 2011“. The Mets have several holes to fill this winter, and have almost no trading chips they can afford to let go. That said, the free agent market is the quickest and easiest way to rebuild the roster, and the Mets have the added bonus of having their #1 draft pick protected (if they sign a “Type A” free agent). But Matthews is right on when he says:
The problem is, this year he will be spending thoroughbred money on a crop of dogs.
This year’s free agent class has two top players (Matt Holliday and Jason Bay), one top pitcher (John Lackey), and then everyone else is a few rungs below. Further, it can be argued that Lackey isn’t an “ace”, and is a question mark due to health concerns.
Holliday and Bay would probably get top dollar in any free agent year, though not Teixeira-type money. Lackey likely would not get top dollar if he were a free agent last year; my guess is he’d get something along the lines of a Derek Lowe deal (which is still pretty decent). But the rest of the class is sketchy, and they’ll all benefit from the trickle-down effect of these three “top dogs”.
What do you think? Should the Mets continue their habit of overpaying for talent — even if it’s the only way to build a contender — or is it time to tighten the budget, at the cost of possibly being also-rans in 2010?
If the Mets can get Lackey for Lowe type money then they must do it. Otherwise take your pick.
Mets should sign a Jo-el type 2nd SP as insurance
Holliday should be attainable, leaving affordable Daniel Murphy at 1st and saving Delgado’s salary.
Trade the farm for Adrian Gonzalez if possible
Pass on trading the farm for the privledge of overpaying Halladay
Catcher – take your pick
2nd Base – leave Castillo alone!
If only it could be so gary s.!!
Although I’d pull the trigger on a trade for AGonz (but no more than Ike, Murphy, Holt and Familia), I would sit on our prospects and fill in next season’s roaster with lower level FA signings.
Unfortunately, Omar’s butt is on the line. And a desperate GM will do whatever it takes to save his job, whip up the media and placate the fan base. All at the expense of the team’s future.
How many of us see that coming?
I wish i was Omar. I think Omar could and would get another job. AND If Omar were fired he walks with Millions…I think 9M right now. Wouldn’t you like $9M with no job to go to? $9M in a sleepy Mexican beach town.
Catchdog: Are u reading this site? Several regulars, I-dude AND myself are clearly saying no to the trades. Exorcise that Steve Phillips spirit. In fact maybe there is a plan. It just seems that Jeff Wilpon is interfering in THE PLAN. The list above that Dude cites represents the future….and a 4 for 1 deal for Adrian , Hallady for whomever is a no-no. Fact is Ike could be better than Adrian before Adrian works thru his next contract. Plug the holes sure…but let the FA market do that.
I read this site, along with about 15 others a day. If you believe Jeffy and Omar has a plan, please go right ahead and enlighten us. After the last three seasons, I’m not going to hang MY hat on “maybe there is a plan”.
There are pros and cons to AGonz. Isuzudude pointed out his splits. However, the fact that the 27 year old gold glove caliber first baseman is owed a fragmental 4.75 in 2010 and a scant 5.5 million in 2011, I find it extremely difficult to plug another player into the lineup next season who could have more impact to the club. A line of .281/.362/.506 with an OPS of .958, with 40 homers (playing half of his games in Petco Park no less), would protect both Wright and Beltran and provide the Mets with a pure clean up hitter for the next 7 or 8 seasons. Unless of course, you prefer to pay 80 plus million for Bay or Holliday. Did I mention that AGonz is 27 ??
I’m not interested in wiping out the farm. In fact, I would only give up the players (or similar) that I previously mentioned. Although Ike looks like the real deal, he still has NEVER swung a bat in the Show. Not to mention, only two of the nine players that ‘dude listed are in my proposed trade. My point is that I would not overpay.
Perhaps you should join me on a few other sites. It may just broaden your baseball knowledge as well give you perspective on why a player like AGonz should be at least considered.
Lastly I would sign a miguel olivo or rod barajas type player someone with a good glove and arm to help our awesome pitchers keep runners from stealing hitting is a plus but not needed. We dont need to give Bengie Molina money he doesnt deserve. He hit 20 hrs so what im not over payin a catcher because he hit 20hrs..molina is a good defender but not awesome like his brothers..plus he is 35 and really really slow he will definetly clog up the base paths..
In conclusion the mets jus need to trade for Halladay sign Marquis resign Delgado to a lower contract with incetives and get Mark Derosa to be the all around guy who can come in incase of injury…i would over pay for derosa because of that reason..get halladay marquis and derosa and we are automatic contenders in 2010 and beyond. Remember this is a now team and our stars reyes wright santana beltran arent gettin any younger we cant wait and hope that our prospects will be superstars 3 4 years from now..plus most of these moves dont involve alot of money except for halladay who is worth it..or alot of prospects..we keep neise, ike davis the only 2 players who I think have potential to be great players. So met fans stop looking at Holliday and Bay WE DONT NEED THEM. We dont need Orlando Hudson either no one is takin the over paid castillo’s contract and he had a solid year and is a decent defender at least he gave us a solid year for the money the mets paid..plus he is a second baseman he does wha second baseman’s not named utley cano bradley or jeff kent need to do thas be a scrappy tough out switch hitter who gets on base. Leave castillo alone no one is goin to take the contract!!! Lets worry about Pitching Pitchin and more Pitching.
Anyway, to address IveMetfan:
You want to trade for Halladay, and give him his $100M extension, as well as sign Marquis, sign Putz or Beimel, sign Delgado, “overpay” for DeRosa, and sign Olivo or Barajas. Yet, you say your moves “don’t involve a lot of money.” In reality, your moves would push the Mets’ payroll to $200 million, which is not happening. You don’t know Marquis will take a “hometown discount” to pitch for the Mets. When was the last time ANYONE took a hometown discount to play for anybody? Fans always talk about hometown discounts but they never happen. Marquis is coming off a “career year,” which suggests he’s going to look to cash in while his value is highest, not sell himself low so he can play for a team that plays close to where he grew up. Get real. Also, there is no guarentee you can get Halladay for the package you’re offering; it’s highly doubtful DeRosa will sign with the Mets to be a supersub (and play where exactly?); and your team will once again be built on loose sand by bringing in so many 30+ veterans who are prone to injury and/or talent erosion.
I admire your willingness to “get crazy” and be very active in trying to fix the franchise. But I don’t think you’re being entirely realistic with some of your proposals. Maybe Halladay can fall into the Mets’ laps like Johan did, but it’s no sure thing. And what if a Pelfrey/Murphy/Parnell/Tejada package needs to be upgraded to Pelfrey/Davis/Parnell/FMart? Do you do it then? Is obtaining a 33 year old Halladay really worth giving up any 4 players in addition to giving a $100M extension to? That’s a big commitment to a player getting very close to his days of decline. Remember, you’re not trading for a player’s past, you’re trading for his future. Halladay very well may be the best pitcher in the AL, but for how much longer can he keep it going? Is the gamble worth 4 prospects + $100M? I’m not so sure.
Again, to me, the wisest thing to do this offseason is to keep your sanity and not overpay for anybody looking to exploit the Mets vulnerable state. Players know the Mets have money, and they know they are coming off a horrible year and have lots of issues to address, so there’s no reason to think players like Marquis and DeRosa aren’t going to try to rake Omar and company over the coals for every penny the Mets have. And throwing money at mediocre talent is not the way to fix things, nor is it a viable option considering the Mets are not going to spend like the Yankees, regardless of what Jeff Wilpon may say. Be smart and be shrewd and hold on dearly to whatever young & cheap players you have control over because they are the foundation of the future of this team. It will probably hurt in the short term, but it will pay off if you have patience and you are responisble enough to consider the well-being of the team 4 years down the road instead of just the next season.
You want to trade for Halladay, and give him his $100M extension, as well as sign Marquis, sign Putz or Beimel, sign Delgado, “overpay” for DeRosa, and sign Olivo or Barajas. Yet, you say your moves “don’t involve a lot of money.” In reality, your moves would push the Mets’ payroll to $200 million, which is not happening. You don’t know Marquis will take a “hometown discount” to pitch for the Mets. When was the last time ANYONE took a hometown discount to play for anybody? Fans always talk about hometown discounts but they never happen. Marquis is coming off a “career year,” which suggests he’s going to look to cash in while his value is highest, not sell himself low so he can play for a team that plays close to where he grew up. Get real. Also, there is no guarentee you can get Halladay for the package you’re offering; it’s highly doubtful DeRosa will sign with the Mets to be a supersub (and play where exactly?); and your team will once again be built on loose sand by bringing in so many 30+ veterans who are prone to injury and/or talent erosion.
I admire your willingness to “get crazy” and be very active in trying to fix the franchise. But I don’t think you’re being entirely realistic with some of your proposals. Maybe Halladay can fall into the Mets’ laps like Johan did, but it’s no sure thing. And what if a Pelfrey/Murphy/Parnell/Tejada package needs to be upgraded to Pelfrey/Davis/Parnell/FMart? Do you do it then? Is obtaining a 33 year old Halladay really worth giving up any 4 players in addition to giving a $100M extension to? That’s a big commitment to a player getting very close to his days of decline. Remember, you’re not trading for a player’s past, you’re trading for his future. Halladay very well may be the best pitcher in the AL, but for how much longer can he keep it going? Is the gamble worth 4 prospects + $100M? I’m not so sure.
Again, to me, the wisest thing to do this offseason is to keep your sanity and not overpay for anybody looking to exploit the Mets vulnerable state. Players know the Mets have money, and they know they are coming off a horrible year and have lots of issues to address, so there’s no reason to think players like Marquis and DeRosa aren’t going to try to rake Omar and company over the coals for every penny the Mets have. And throwing money at mediocre talent is not the way to fix things, nor is it a viable option considering the Mets are not going to spend like the Yankees, regardless of what Jeff Wilpon may say. Be smart and be shrewd and hold on dearly to whatever young & cheap players you have control over because they are the foundation of the future of this team. It will probably hurt in the short term, but it will pay off if you have patience and you are responisble enough to consider the well-being of the team 4 years down the road instead of just the next season.
2. I agree that the Mets should not overspend for Holliday or Bay in LF. Instead, I’d like to see them devote 2010 to Pagan/Evans/Carter, or acquire a low cost alternative while FMart matures in AAA.
3. I also agree with rolling the dice on Carlos Delgado, but only if Murphy can be moved this offseason. Otherwise, Murphy’s development gets stunted on the bench and his stock plummets, while Delgado is likely to be gone in 2011, regardless if he resurges or collapses in 2010.
4. Putz can’t stay healthy, and Beimel is a wreck who can’t get righties out. What about those two are so desirable to insert as the 2010 setup man, regardless if they cost $2-3M or $8-9M? There have to be alternate options who will be more reliable than them.
5. Bet your @$$ Marquis is going to command close to a $10M per year contract. Starting pitching is at such a premium that someone is going to overpay him (see: Derek Lowe, Jeff Suppan, Oliver Perez, and soon to be Joel Piniero) and it’s highly doubtful he’ll opt to come to the Mets for less just because he’s a New Yorker. It’s also extremely doubtful DeRosa goes anywhere where he’s not a starter. Why would he do that to himself? Unless you make him the everyday LF, but I don’t think he could handle those duties. He’s going to take a job to be an everyday player, either in the OF or at 3B or 2B, and there will be plenty of opportunities for him to get one of those positions this winter. If you are banking on Marquis and DeRosa to bring the Mets back to life again in 2010, you need to wake up. Not happening.
It’s a tough pill to swallow admitting that the problems facing the Mets are going to take time to remedy, and can’t be fixed by throwing money at players who aren’t worth as much as they’re asking for. I agree that the Mets are not far off from being a playoff contender again, but I think it may be too hasty to say that year can be 2010. There are just too many holes and not enough available talent that can REALISTICALLY be acquired to mend things. The Wright/Reyes/Francoeur/Pelfrey/Johan/Krod core will still be in their prime for another 3-5 years, which is ample time for the likes of FMart/Parnell/Thole/Davis/Tejada/Holt/Mejia/Havens to develop to the point of successfully contributing. When that time comes, then I say the Mets should open up the pocketbook and start looking for the veterans to fill in the gaps and complete the puzzle. But now is not that time, and it would be wise to hold on to whatever draft picks and prospects that would be needed to acquire Halladay, DeRosa, or Marquis, because those picks and prospects are past of the long term solution, not some kneejerk reaction, short term bandaid.
F Mart is the Next Alex Ochoa, Escobar,Scott Gomez and Lastings Milledge. Jus cause he is 20 doesnt mean a thing. Pujols came up young and look at what he did in his rookie year. Doc gooden came up at 19 and look what he did. Players are who they are and FMart showed who he was this year.
The only prospects im giving up are Tejada(mister who knows) and FMart(Mister Overrated Non Hustler). The Jays are getting ML ready players they could use who are cheap that we DONT NEED. Players like Murphy(Mister DH)we have Ike Davis coming up.Pelfrey we need but you got to give something to get something and we need a stud #2 starter not Pelfrey as a #2. Signing a rich harden or ben sheets LOW COST highrisk high reward guy will negate this trade if Marquis asks for to much money. And they will get Bobby Parnell a guy who looks uncomfortable in the spotlight of NY. He would fit the Jays nicely cause they arent in NY and can have patients with him either as a starter or a bullpen arm I mean he throws 98-100mph and is young and cheap whats not to like about him. That deal to me gets it done we get rid of players we dont really need and we get in return one of the best pitchers in baseball and a Santana Halladay 1 2 punch. As for halladay he has proven to be durable, sure he was injured previously but so was santana he will be great for at least 2 seasons and he will at least good after 35. I put him in the class of a Randy Johnson Roger Clemens Tom Glavine class pitchers who were getting it done past age 40. Halladay is not a Fastball pitcher he throws everything and uses his movement to get guys out. If he loses a little velocity it wont hurt him as much as it would say a Josh Beckett Type guy.
If the Mets have money to Pay for Matt Holliday then they have money to give Roy Halladay.
Halladay is very obtainable…and you can’t tell me if we do get halladay you won’t be excited. Or that you would be upset we gave up murphy/pelfrey/fmart/tejada/parnell….Like I said those are quality players but to me only Pelfrey and Parnell wouldve have helped us now or in the future. All of the other players are not worth taking a shot on.
As far as Derosa i would try and convince him he will be an intrugal part of a championship team only if we get Roy Halladay. If we don’t get him then we still have jeremy reed and nick evans coming off the bench. Not that we would be banking on him to bring us a championship it would jus be a security blanket to have a capable guy who can give alot of guys rest comin off the bench. It maybe unrealistic but he would be a very important piece to have. because he can keep our important players strong.
Marquis isnt as important as Halladay but id still spend the 10 mil to get him or like i said get a rich harden or ben sheets on the cheap. Pitching wins championships and Marquis as a 3rd starter who can pitch 200 innings and win 14-15 games is important to have. Id spend the money.
5 Mil on Delgado for 1 year w option until Ike Davis.
10 Mil on Marquis
15 Mil on Halladay for 2010 contract he will get his extension 5 years 100 Mil but thas for 2011.
2-3 Mil on JJ Putz or another reliever
Thats 33 Mil on some good key guys that WE NEED! and thas less than the money that came off the books this off season which was 40 mil.
LF and the catcher position are not priority. Omir Santos is an average catcher who can get the job done. Who else besides the twins has a superstar catcher. Omir Santos was also named to the Tops Rookie team so someone sees that he is at least decent. I wouldnt pay more 2-3 mil for a backup catcher for Omir.
OH YEAH AND I HAVENT EVEN MENTIONED JOSH THOLE WHO I THINK IS GOING TO BE ANOTHER SOLID PLAYER FOR THE METS. ANOTHER GOOD PROSPECT WHO NEEDS JUST 1 MORE YEAR IN THE MINORS TO TUNE HIS DEFENSE JUS LIKE IKE DAVIS NEEDS 1 MORE YEAR IN THE MINORS.
So 2011 we will not need much via free agency we are getting Thole and Ike Davis. So money we spent on Halladay and Marquis not going to hurt us in the long run. If Delgado has a monster year we can also move Ike Davis to LF he is said to be a capable LF. 2010 to me is connected to 2011 if we are smart this year we will be good for many years with halladay and santana and marquis leading the way.
Remember we will have at least Niese who I think is going to be a good solid starter potential to be a #2 in like 2 years but of course with this rotation at most he will be a 3rd or 4th starter.
Prospects we have alot. But not all of them are what we Need.
1B Ike Davis
C Josh Thole
BC Omir Santos
SS Jose Reyes
3B David Wright
Outfield
LF Pagan 28,
CF Beltran 30,
RF Jeff Franceour 25
Not a bad group of young guys
Pitching
Maine 27
Perez 28
Niese 21
So we do have some good young guys who are in there prime on our team alot from the farm. We cant have everyguy come up and be superstars from our farm. Trades are a must but have to be done only if it is A SURE THING to help the club win NOW.
I will disagree with a few things, though.
1. It really is a pipedream to think you can get Marquis for $10M per year or less. Oliver Perez is making $12M per year. There is no way Marquis would sign with a team that has Perez and be paid less than him. You’re looking at AT LEAST giving Marquis $13M per year, though perhaps I can understand pro rating the contract so he makes $10M in 2010 and then $16-18M in the final years of the deal. Still, if you sign Marquis for 3 years at $13M per year, that’s $39M. That’s a lot for a guy who’s never had an ERA under 4.00, who had a lousy second half of ’09, and only projects as the #3 starter at best. I think the Mets can get much better value.
2. With your additions, minus the signing of Mark DeRosa, the Mets 2010 payroll would roughly be about $153M (If you want to see how I got there let me know and I’ll post the projected salaries of the team you want to field). However, you are right; the acquisitions of Halladay, Marquis, Putz, Delgado, etc would not put the Mets at or over $200M. However, the Mets 2009 payroll was approx $140M. From all indications, the Mets are not looking to add payroll, they are looking to subtract. So even though your suggestions don’t have the Mets entering Yankee-like spending, it’s still a far-fetched plan considering you’re adding payroll to a team pretty intent on lowering costs.
3. Like I’ve said before, in the case of Fernando Martinez, it is impossible to label someone a bust at just 20 years old. I love how you use Albert Pujols as the example, as if every prospect is supposed to live up to his standards. This is why I say fans are so fickle and impatient these days, ready to throw a highly touted prospect away after just 91 MLB at bats. Because you are expecting the world from this kid the moment he arrives to the big leagues. Those are unrealistic standards. May I point you in the direction of Andruw Jones, who made is MLB debut at 19. His first 2 seasons at the MLB level he hit .217 and .231, but you see what he developed into. Vladimir Guerrero came up as a 21 year old and hit .185 in his first season, and then showed very little power with 11 home runs in his second season. But he became a pretty good hitter, no? BJ Upton came up as a 19 year old with Tampa in 2004, hit .258 with 4 homers in 159 AB, then was sent back to AAA for a full season in 2005 before coming back up in ’06 and still only hit .246 with 1 homer in 145 AB. But in 2007 he came into his own and hit 24 dingers with a .300 average. The problem with Met fans is that we’ve been burnt by Alex Escobar and Alex Ochoa and now we think every young OF prospect is going to be a bust. NOT THE CASE. Just because Martinez didn’t start hitting like a hall of famer upon his MLB debut does not mean he’s garbage. Stop with the madness and give the KID some time to get healthy and come into his own. If by the age of 23 he’s still struggling to find himself then we can entertain the thought of FMart being a bust, but as of right now it is WAY to early to say that.
Pitching wins Championships and its not like we got a bunch of Studs in the rotation or in the Farm for that matter to have patients for a guy like FMART. We dont have ANY STUD PITCHERS that we are banking on to be ACE like either so there goes the plan of letting all of the Minor leaguers play.
We have to be smart about our moves it is gonna take a perfect balance of getting the RIGHT players and also as in anything in life its gonna take a little RISK.
I dont see us needing a player in 2011 freeagent draft so moves have to be done now.
I hate to give away Mike Pelfrey but he is no number 2 starter. Neise is probably our best young pitcher from the farm and we dont need to include him in any deal. With the aquition of Roy Halladay and the signing of a Marquis TYPE pitcher innings eater kinda guy who doesnt get hurt then we can let Perez Maine and Neise battle out for the final 2 spots in the rotation. I would rather see Neise as a 5th starter because then there will be no pressure on him and he can develop. But Perez’s contract is to HUGE to sit so unless he somehow is unbearable as a 5th starter we have to let Neise develop a little more in the minors.
I dont understand why you think Marquis is going to get 13 Mil a year. And you always say there are better aquitions out there but you never say who. If Marquis is to much money for us and we sign Halladay id take a chance on a Ben Sheets or a Rich Harden. But Id give the 13 mil to Marquis a Solid number 3 innings eater. But I doubt any team is going to bid more than 10 mil. There arent alot of teams out there with money to burn. Maybe the yanks or sox..but i think they are going to go the John Smoltz Billy Wagner route. Thats to say High Risk high reward kinda guys to fill out there rotations. They have pitchin they can do that.. The Mets dont…The Mets need SURE things. Marquis coming home is also another factor he will be more motivated to win and he seems to want the NY spot light.
As far as cutting payroll I dont think they will do that..Yankees jus won the damn thing and they are going to cut payroll. Omar Minayas job is on the line.. He is going to do everything possible to win now…He has the pieces he jus needs to add some good SOLID PITCHING.. Halladay Marquis gets it done…
How does Halladay and Marquis Break the Bank?..
Like I said if we have money to give to Matt Holliday (another mister overrated) and bengie molina contracts then we have money to get halladay and marquis. And Delgado a measley 5 mil.
With solid pitching we can leave pagan in the outfield (saves money) and Omir Santos behind the plate (saves money)
To me it seems that you think all of these prospects are going to be Great or even good.. That is the biggest IF of them all… If we are lucky maybe 1 or 2 of them are good. And those 1 or 2 are most likely Niese and Ike Davis and they arent included in the deal.The Mets have to act now while quality pitching is still on the market. Guys like Halladay are few are far between. We will get at least 2 Great years from him and alot of good ones. With marquis we will get alot of injury free good starts which is what we need.
Last but not least BANKING ON FMART TO BE THE NEXT VLADIMIR GUERRO is a BIG IF. IF only we could see into the future…We cant but we can use the past as a means of predicting the future and it doesnt look good for FMART. BUT it it does look good for Roy Halladay and Marquis.
Why am I even argueing with someone that spells patience “patients?” Are you 12 or something?
“We don’t have any stud pitchers?” May I introduce you to Johan Santana?
“We have to be smart about our moves.” I’ve said this over and over again, but I’ll say it again because obviously your comprehension ability is subpar. Giving a soon-to-be 33 year old in Halladay a $100M contract extension that will take him into his upper 30s is not smart, in my opinion. Again we’ll have to agree to disagree, and I guess only fast forwarding to the year 2015 will tell us who is right.
“Marquis coming home is also another factor he will be more motivated to win and he seems to want the NY spot light.” So does that mean if Marquis signs with anyone but NY he won’t be motivated to win? Does that mean if the Mets sign all NY citizens they will win the world series? Your logic is clearly assinine. Sports do not work that way. By assembling a team full of hometown boys does not give you any extra chance of winning. Show me the proof to the contrary. And it’s also debatable if Marquis really wants the NY spotlight. I tend to think he prefers the NY cash the Mets are sure to be desperate to give him because of their horrendous 2009 campaign. You need to be able to read between the lines, Ivan.
Why do you not understand why I think Marquis will get $13M per year? I thought I explained this pretty clearly. Oliver Perez is making $12M per year. Why in tarnation would Marquis sell himself short and take less money than Perez when he knows he’s better than him?
“As far as cutting payroll I dont think they will do that.” Well, your argument trumps me there. As long as YOU don’t think it will happen then surely it must be fact that the Mets are going to go against the grain and go against the economy by spending more than they did in 2009.
I also never said Halladay and/or Marquis will break the bank. But their additions will undoubtedly give the Mets a higher payroll than they had in ’09. And I’m not seeing that as something the Mets are going to do.
I also never said FMart is the next Vlad Guererro. I simply used Guerrero as an example that not all OF prospects who struggle in their MLB debut at 21 or younger turn out to be busts. Again, you need to work on your comprehension ability.
I have you pegged as a fan who thinks the Mets have the edge on every other team in baseball by being able to land the big fish via trade or free agency, and when that big fish turns out to be too expensive, or not available, or not interested in playing for the Mets, instead of realizing the situation you instead blame the Mets for not caring enough about fixing the team and bash them for not heeding your advice. But, when looked upon objectively, your advice is unrealistic and irresponsible. You’re just too wrapped up in your own ideas to accept your own faults, and are never willing to admit that your plan held no weight from the very beginning. I’m a mainstay on this blog, and if I’m wrong about anything I’ve stated on this thread then you are more than welcome to call me on it and give me every derogatory title in the book. But I hope, if I’m right, that you don’t turn tail and run for the hills because you’re afraid to face the music.
Again this is a NOW TEAM. Hoping for FMART to become Pujols or Vladmir or Reyes is Hoping or even close is asking for alot. This town doesnt have PATIENCE for that. Not with the yankees in town. You act like its your money that you wouldnt give one of the best if not the best pitcher in the game 100 Million. We need the headlines we need the pitching not jus any pitcher we need a 1A starter not Pelfrey.
Like I also said if we have money for Holliday which i know we do. Over 3 Million fans attended citifield this year so the money is there. And Im not saying spend money jus cause I want it to happen…I came straight from the owners Mouth on Mike Francesa…He said WHATEVER omar needs to make this team better we will do it.. I think you are stuck in your little Fantasy land of rebuilding with young players.. Hey I got any idea why dont we jus bring up every Young player who has a decent year in the minors and let them start and WAIT for them to be good in 4-5 years.
To win you Need good PROVEN PITCHING..AKA ROY HALLADAY so what he is 33 he still has at least 2 Great years and some good years ahead of him..He’s a Horse…Like I also said he is in the ranks of Tom Glavine Roger Clemens and Randy Johnson all older all still pitching good.
When you add up the fact that he will give you 2 Great years and some good ones with the fact that you get the headlines and you have one of the greatest 1-2 punches in the NL and you keep him away from the Yankees and Phillies then Id say that 100 Mill for those reasons is worth it.
When i said we dont have a stud pitcher I meant in the minors… The Mets have Santana and a bunch of question marks…How are you suppose to win like that…Seems to me you are more concern with the Wilpons not spending money.. What are you part of the Wilpon’s family? Is he takin it out of your allowance if they spend?
Its not that I am to wrapped up in my own ideas its that my ideas are what needs to happen for us to win.. You need a good mix of Great Pitching Young Talent and Older servicable veterans to have a winning team…..If you want to see a Team of young stars at every roster spot I suggest you become a Marlins, Rays, Royals or Pirates fan.. You plan is to risky and most likely wont work out the way you want it….The core players we have now will be older, and there is no guarantee those young guys will perform. You have to have a balance…Besides you act like Im trading Ike Davis or Neise I understand the importance of young players but only if you have the right team to bring them into…Otherwise we will jus be the Kansas City Royals with a Zack Greinke. Awesome young developed pitcher with no team around him.
The Mets are fortunate not to be the Royals because we have the Market the revenue and the fan base to SPEND. But we have to be SMART about it. STOP BEING CHEAP ITS NOT YOUR MONEY, I HAVE YET TO HEARD THEY ARE CUTTING PAYROLL ANYWHERE. IM SURE IF THE RIGHT DEAL PRESENCE ITSELF AND WILL HELP THE TEAM OMAR WILL PULL THE TRIGGER.
Last but not least…you cant compare Oliver Perez’s contract to what Marquis is going to get. Because Olivers contract happened in a different Market and in a different year. Only the market and the time you are a free agent decides how much money a freeagent will receive. Just cause Oliver get 12 million doesnt mean Marquis is going to get 13 million. Bobby Abreu got less money than he deserved last year because of the Market and the time we live in. From what I hear the Market is going to be worse this year because its always worse the year after a recession. That came from Jeff Wilpon himself…Just listen to Mike Francesas interview and you will be enlightened.
I know or have a good feeling Omar will probably go the STUPID ROUTE and fill our vacant spots with washed up overpaid free agents. Players like Overbay,Coste,Jose Guillen,Piniero as a number2,nick johnson,Orlando Hudson,Bengie Molina etc. Do you think any of the players are difference makers? I don’t. We don’t need those type of players. We need to start somewhere and since we are getting our core back, I think pitching should be priority. And don’t give me the John Lackey crap. He is the most overrated pitcher ever!! Who gives a pitcher who was injured more than a quarter of the season with only 11 wins a 80 million dollars? Probably the Mets. Deals like this are why we are overshadowed by the Yankees all the time. They have the resources and money to make alot of mistakes we can only afford a few mistakes. Alah, Jeremy Burnitz, Mo Vaugh, Roberto Alomar, Victor Zambrano/Chris Benson.
If we sign Matt Holliday, which seems to be what Omar wants to do for some reason. He will be the next Jeremy Burnitz. Citifield will not favor his bat and his fielding is subpar in the spacious outfield. But, again WE ARE THE METS this is the type of deal we do. To me we are the most frustrating team EVER. The reason being that we make great deals like getting Pedro, Beltran, Delgado mixed with young talent like Wright and Reyes. We make an unbelievable deal for Santana as well as sign K Rod. Those deals say that we are a WIN NOW TEAM. We are not. If, we don’t go the extra mile to get that player that will make the whole thing work.
Yankees are perfect example,they had their homegrown guys and realized that they needed to fill a few holes on the team. They did just that. However, they went for the best. We can’t seem to do that. Roy Halladay right now is the best out there. But of course us being the Mets can’t handle the thought of 60 million dollars worth of pitchers on our roster.
Perez hurts us even more now that I think about it. That 12 million could have went to Marquis (a real pitcher). I would sign him anyway and get Halladay if I were Omar. His job is on the line if I were him I would go for it. It’s better than going the cheap but also kind of expensive second tier free agent route. That route will most likely result in an 80 win season. That is not what Omar needs. My way will get a buzz going around the Mets and will increase revenue as well as put a productive team on the field. A team who can put out a solid pitcher every single game.