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October 10, 2007 07-08 Offseason Joe Janish

Minor Options

As noted on MetsBlog and unofficially reported by Baseball America, the Mets have assigned some prospects to the fall leagues and released Lino Urdaneta, Jon Adkins, and Ricky Ledee.

If you read the Baseball America report, there were some other notable actions:

  • Jae Seo granted free-agency
  • Lew Ford outrighted off 40-man roster
  • Brad Sullivan granted free-agency
  • J.R. House outrighted off 40-man roster

Also, not noted at BA was that the Nats outright another former Mets pitcher, Mike Bacsik. He’s no great shakes, but no worse than, say, Brian Lawrence. I wouldn’t mind seeing him as a filler option in AAA.

Seo has been abysmal since leaving Rick Peterson and the Mets. Would he be worth a flyer to compete for the fifth spot in the rotation? Why the heck not? At worst he’d be decent depth in AAA.

Ford is probably not worth picking up, but he has been a regular / semi-regular outfielder in a Major League lineup for a few years, showing some pop in 2004-2005. He could be a good righthanded bat off the bench.

Sullivan was once a #1 pick, he’s a 25-year-old pitcher not far removed from leading the NCAA in strikeouts two years in a row and pitching for Team USA. He was overworked in college, though, and has battled health issues as a pro. Scouts like his wicked slider, composure, and bulldog demeanor. Who knows, he could be worth a gamble.

The J.R. House thing I don’t get, as I was of the assumption that he was part of the Orioles future behind the dish — perhaps he’s not moved fast enough, as he’s already 27. However, he has hit at every level, with some power. His main issue has been his arm, but he has enough bat to be used as a backup catcher / first baseman / outfielder. If the Mets don’t re-sign Ramon Castro, he could be considered.

Take a look at that Baseball America article and let me know if I missed anyone of note.

Joe Janish began MetsToday in 2005 to provide the unique perspective of a high-level player and coach -- he earned NCAA D-1 All-American honors as a catcher and coached several players who went on to play pro ball. As a result his posts often include mechanical evaluations, scout-like analysis, and opinions that go beyond the numbers. Follow Joe's baseball tips on Twitter at @onbaseball and at the On Baseball Google Plus page.
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  1. isuzudude October 10, 2007 at 5:58 pm
    Another note from Wednesday is that the Cardinals re-signed Russ Springer. Although I’m not willing to hand Jason Jennings $4-mil, it looks like one of my targets this offseason has already been crossed off the board. Springer was never a great option of leaving St Louis anyway, as his autistic kid goes to a good school in St Louie and Springer didn’t want to leave him behind.
  2. joe October 10, 2007 at 7:41 pm
    Thanks a bunch. You got me wasting all this time and effort looking into Springer, you had me believing that he’d help the Mets’ pen, and now he’s a distant memory. Haven’t I suffered enough since the end of September?

    🙂

    Thanks for the note. Cross him off!