While the Mets and their fans sit around waiting for Jason Bay and Bengie Molina to make up their minds, there is still the little matter of the pitching staff.
For those unaware, injuries were not the reason the Mets had their worst season since 2003. Neither was it the lack of power. Sure, those obvious issues had something to do with it, but the #1 reason the Mets never had a snowball’s chance in Hades of making the postseason was because Continue reading
While going through some posts from last offseason, I came across this one in particular titled Lineup Comparison: Phillies. It was written in mid-January, and the gist of it was that the Mets were at least one big bat short of posting an everyday lineup that had offensive potential comparable to the Phillies’ projected lineup.
This conclusion was based on the the premise that the teams would receive similar production from batters 1 through 4 and batters 8 and 9, and therefore: Continue reading
Per Marty Noble’s article on MLB.com, Carlos Delgado’s comeback has been delayed.
Minaya said on Monday that Delgado had not resumed playing and probably wouldn’t until January. Another person reiterated that on Tuesday and added that the delay — and the reason for it — might diminish the Mets’ interest in re-signing the 37-year-old veteran of 15-plus seasons.
Here is why:
No specific reason was given for the delay, but one of the people aware of the change said on Tuesday night that Delgado probably isn’t yet physically ready to play.
I’m not sure whether the Mets were ever truly serious about considering Delgado for 2010 — it smelled similar to Omar Minaya’s “interest” in Pedro Martinez this time last year — but this setback more or less cements the end of Delgado’s career as a Met.
Good thing or bad thing? Or neutral thing? You decide — post your comments.
I know I’m a day late on this one, but it’s taken this much time for me to process the trade.
For those living under a rock, the New York Yankee$ traded Melky Cabrera, Michael Dunn, and Arodys Vizcaino to the Braves for Javier Vazquez and Boone Logan.
You don’t need me to point out that the Braves were supposedly shopping Derek Lowe for a big bat, but wound up dealing the man who finished fourth in the NL Cy Young voting for a defensive-minded fourth outfielder. This one is a head-scratcher from the perspective of both teams.
First, why would the Yankees want Vazquez to return to the Bronx, after proving he wasn’t fit for New York? Though, they gave up next to nothing for a formidable innings-eater (quick, who is the only pitcher to hurl more innings than Vazquez in the 21st century? Answer is below), so you can’t blame them too much. What’s bothersome is this: if Vazquez were acquired by the Mets, he’d arrive as their #2 starter. On the Yankees, he’s a #4 — possibly a #5 if Phil Hughes or Joba Chamberlain reaches his potential.
Also bothersome: the Yankees nearly picked up Carlos Zambrano to be their #4. Again, a pitcher that would slot in as #2 for the Mets. If this isn’t a wake-up call as to where the Mets stand in relation to serious postseason contenders then I don’t know what is.
On the other side of the mystery is the Braves, who gave away an excellent pitcher for Melky Cabrera and prospects. Is Michael Dunn that good? Is Melky’s defense in center that outstanding? Or was this a salary dump to put the Braves in a better position to acquire a high-priced bat? Something’s fishy here and I don’t like it one bit.
Most troublesome is that this deal effectively adds two more teams to the market for a power-hitting left fielder and/or first baseman. I had this nightmare where the Yankees signed Matt Holliday and the Braves signed Jason Bay.
Meanwhile, did I mention the Mets are in very serious talks with R.A. Dickey? My apologies if I did, but I didn’t want you to miss that news.
(Trivia answer: Livan Hernandez has thrown more innings than anyone else in the 21st century)
In case you hadn’t heard, Garrett Atkins signed a one-year, $4M contract with the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles also inked lefthanded reliever Mike Gonzalez to a two-year, $12M deal to be their closer. Too bad they play in the AL East or these signings might matter.
In other news, the Washington Nationals added veteran pitcher-cum-mentor Jason Marquis to a two-year, $15M contract that I’m happy to say was not offered by the Mets. The Nats are also on the verge of signing lefty reliever Eddie Guardado and are in talks with Matt Capps, Jon Garland, and Orlando Hudson. Suddenly, I’m starting to worry a little about those annoying Nats.
Back to the AL, Darren Oliver returned to the Texas Rangers, the Blue Jays and Mariners traded Brandons (Morrow for League), and the Angels are in “serious talks” with Fernando Rodney.
Meanwhile, the Mets are close to signing knuckleballer R.A. Dickey. Yee ha.
A blizzard has come and gone, and still Jason keeps the Mets at Bay (bad, I know, but couldn’t resist).
But for Jason Bay, time is running out — quickly. He managed to alienate the team he should be signing with, the Red Sox, and they have moved on by signing Mike Cameron. Four more years in Fenway Park would’ve been ideal for padding his stats for a rare second free agency jackpot at age 35 — because he IS going to be worth $16M+ when he’s 35, isn’t he?
Ah, and that’s why I say “no news is good news”: because we know Continue reading
While we wait for Jason Bay to make up his mind about playing in Flushing, we may as well consider other alternatives.
During a “hot stove huddle” a few days ago, a rabid and intelligent Mets fan named “Kevin K” proposed that Omar Minaya make a deal for Miguel Cabrera. The more I think about it, the more it makes a lot of sense.
While many eschew him for his weight issues, sloth-like movements in the field, and questionable effort, there’s one thing about Miguel Cabrera that cannot be dismissed: Continue reading
We may have to start a Ryota Igarashi series to chronicle all the plans, activities, and goals developed by the Mets’ newest free agent signee.
Check out this tidbit that was posted earlier this month on our new favorite Japanese blog, YakyuBaka.com:
Ryota Igarashi still doesn’t have an MLB home, but that hasn’t stopped him from thinking about singing “God Bless America” during his press conference (whenever and with whomever it might be with).
“I’m going to sing a song. God Bless America would be nice. Everyone in the US knows it and it’s a really famous song. I think it’ll show people how much I love the US,” said Igarashi.
I’m posting this item today because “God Bless America” seems to be a hot topic. Thomas Boswell recently suggested 10 ways to speed up baseball, which included removal of the playing of the song at games. Boswell’s list was subsequently analyzed by Rob Neyer, and Neyer agreed with Boswell’s recommendation regarding “God Bless America”. And as the world wide web turns, Ted Berg also supports the idea.
Whatever happens with “God Bless America” during ballgames is up to Bud Selig, but I’ll go on a limb and guess that Igarashi’s rendition won’t be heard after his press conference — if it’s heard at all.