Braves Deal Yunel Escobar for Alex Gonzalez

Posted on July 14, 2010 by loge mezzanine

Interesting deal… The Braves seem to be gearing up for the pennant race, dealing the frustrating waste of talent that is Yunel Escobar for the veteran presence of Alex Gonzalez.

Here’s the breakdown from the always highly recommended ROTOWORLD:

Blue Jays acquired SS Yunel Escobar and LHP Jo-Jo Reyes from the Braves for SS Alex Gonzalez, LHP Tim Collins and INF Tyler Pastronicky.

BLUE JAYS RECEIVE:

Yunel Escobar
Escobar is an incredibly frustrating talent, but we can’t help but think that the Braves sold incredibly low here. It was only months ago that he was regarded as one of the top young shortstops in the game. The 27-year-old batted just .238/.334/.284 with zero homers and 19 RBI during the first half, but this is a worthwhile gamble for Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos. Under team control through 2013, the Jays have plenty of time to see if he can match his potential.

Jo-Jo Reyes
Reyes has a 5.70 ERA in 12 games (10 starts) with Triple-A Gwinnett this season, though he has averaged 9.5 K/9. The 25-year-old left-hander made one appearance this season with the Braves on April 12, giving up nine runs over 3 1/3 innings. The AL East probably isn’t the best place for him, but there’s still No. 4 starter upside here.

BRAVES RECEIVE:

Alex Gonzalez
In a bold move, Gonzalez will replace Yunel Escobar as the Braves’ starting shortstop. The 33-year-old batted .259/.296/.497 with 17 homers and 50 RBI during the first half, though we’d be shocked if he can maintain this pace in the National League. The Braves are going to sell this trade on Gonzalez’s veteran presence and steady glove, but that won’t change the fact that he has only walked in 4.9 percent of his at-bats this season and has a .294 career on-base percentage. Gonzalez will make roughly $1.2 million for the rest of this season. His contract includes a 2.5 million club option for 2011, but this sounds more like the move of a club who is gearing up for short-term stability over long-term potential.

Tim Collins
Collins has a 2.40 ERA in parts of four seasons in the minor leagues. Working in relief with Double-A New Hampshire this season, the 20-year-old southpaw has a 2.51 ERA in 35 appearances, averaging an eye-popping 15.3 K/9 over 43 innings. Checking in at 5-foot-7 and 155 pounds, Collins was ranked as the Blue Jays’ No. 19 prospect by Baseball America over the winter.

Tyler Pastronicky
Pastronicky, a former fifth-round pick in 2008, has a .264/.340/.355 batting line over parts of three seasons in the minor leagues. A right-handed hitter, the 20-year-old has batted .258/.348/.376 with six homers, 35 RBI and seven stolen bases for High-A Dunedin this season, splitting time between shortstop and second base. He’s not going to hit for much power, but with his speed, he could make for a useful utility infielder someday. Pastronicky was ranked as the Jays’ No. 17 prospect by Baseball America before the season.

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Quote of the Day: Greg Pomes on Prevention and Recovery

Posted on July 14, 2010 by loge mezzanine

I know some laughed at the Mets with the slogan of prevention and recovery but it made sense.  I don’t understand why Manuel would rush Reyes’ recovery.  If the Mets are going to be contenders they need Jose Reyes in the lineup.  It amazes me how this team continues to make these kind of mistakes.  They did not prevent Reyes from aggravating this injury, hopefully the won’t ruin his recovery this time.

(Greg Pomes of Mets Merized Online – “Whatever Happened to Prevention and Recovery“)
Posted in Mets Injuries | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Video: Dr. David Wright at the All-Star Game

Posted on July 14, 2010 by loge mezzanine

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Site News: No Link Dumps Until Real Baseball Returns

Posted on July 13, 2010 by loge mezzanine

That is all. Carry on…

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Dr. David Wright Hopes the Mets Have a Plan for Reyes

Posted on July 13, 2010 by loge mezzanine

Dr. David Wright was asked about Jose Reyes’ decision to take swings from the left side the day after being pulled from a game because he re-aggravated an oblique injury. This was the same oblique injury that prevented Reyes from swinging from the left side for most of the week.

Before we go any further, here is the recap:

  1. Reyes injures oblique
  2. Reyes returns to lineup too early, but can only hit from the right side
  3. Reyes re-injures his oblique on Saturday, only David Wright notices
  4. Reyes is pulled from Saturday’s game
  5. Reyes takes BP from the left side on Sunday

Pretty sweet, huh? So anyway, what does Dr. David Wright think of all this? Let’s find out, via ESPN New York:

Had Wright not intervened, would anyone else have? Wright indicated over the weekend he didn’t know the answer. It’s certainly debatable.

Even Wright used the word “surprising” when describing his reaction to learning the switch-hitting Reyes was allowed to swing a bat from his troublesome left side on Sunday, the day after being pulled from the game by manager Jerry Manuel once Wright spoke up. The Mets consistently have suggested Reyes can do no additional harm to the oblique area with baseball activity. But with the team idle until Thursday, perhaps giving Reyes some idle time would give the muscle a better chance to heal than allowing relatively uninterrupted swinging.

“I’m not even claiming to be a doctor, or anything of a doctor,” Wright said. “It’s obviously a little surprising. But, again, I don’t know what he’s feeling. And I don’t know what the pain threshold is like. And I don’t know exactly what is wrong with him, or if it can get any worse. Hopefully there’s a plan in place, and hopefully they’re following the plan. But the bottom line is I want to see him healthy in the second half.”

Wright better watch out or Jeff Wilpon might throw him under the bus, just like he blamed Reyes’ calf/hamstring/whatever injury on the Dodgers medical staff last year.

Posted in Player Notes | Tagged , | 11 Comments

Quote of the Day: Klapisch on Dr. David Wright

Posted on July 12, 2010 by loge mezzanine

It turns out Wright was smarter than any of the Mets’ doctors, certainly smarter than his manager, who thought it was safe to send the injured Reyes into action against the Braves this weekend.

Bob Klapisch on Dr. David Wright’s diagnosis of Jose Reyes (NorthJersey.com)
Posted in Mets 2010 Games | Tagged | 5 Comments

Cliff Lee and The Great Pretenders

Posted on July 12, 2010 by loge mezzanine

Now that Cliff Lee is wearing a Texas Rangers uniform, it is becoming clear that the Mets were never a serious contender in the Cliff Lee sweepstakes:

The Mets were never seriously involved in trade discussions for Cliff Lee, a person familiar with the situation said Friday, and the primary reason was the Mariners’ request that they include Ike Davis in any package for the former Cy Young Award winner. (David Lennon, Newsday)

We’ve been saying the same thing all along. Everyone we spoke to that had any knowledge of the situation felt that the Mets were never going to land Cliff Lee because Davis and Niese were considered off-limits since they are already major contributors to the big league club. Beyond that – and despite their insistence to the contrary – the Mets didn’t have the prospects or the cash. They weren’t even close and they knew it all along.

The Great Pretenders

So why did the Mets pretend they had a shot? There really is no tactical advantage to be gained from faking it when every other MLB team knows you are not a serious contender for a trade target. Do you think the Cubs were going to drop their asking price for Ted Lilly because they were worried the Mets would land Cliff Lee instead? Yeah, right… The Cubs knew the Mets had no shot at Lee.

Yet, the fanbase believed the Mets had a shot all along. Throughout the Lee saga, the Mets were happy to be considered ‘in the hunt’ for the prized southpaw because it kept fans believing that there was a chance they would wake up one morning and find out their team was a serious World Series contender. So the Mets milked the misperception of the situation by their fans for everything it was worth.
Continue reading →

Posted in Mets 2010 Games | Tagged , | 28 Comments

Note to Insiders Only

Posted on July 12, 2010 by Joe Janish

If you are a loyal reader of MetsToday, please read on. Otherwise, please skip to the Game 88 recap. Continue reading →

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