Winter Meetings: Day 2 Review

Posted on December 9, 2009 by Joe Janish

There was one blockbuster trade and a lot of non-news, backed by plenty of rumors, half-truths, and speculation. Click to the right for the full blow-by-blow Continue reading →

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Mets NOT Interested in Catcher

Posted on December 8, 2009 by Joe Janish

doumitRemarkably, there is a catcher on the market that does not draw the interest of the New York Mets.

According to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates are shopping catcher Ryan Doumit, and fielding offers from several teams, most notably the Blue Jays.

To Kovacevic’s knowledge, however, the Mets are NOT one of those teams.

Doumit battled wrist and back injuries in 2009, appearing in only 75 games. He is a switch-hitting, offensive-minded catcher with some pop and a hard-nosed approach to the game but below-average skills behind the plate. He can play 1B and the outfield, but at those positions his offensive prowess is not as impressive — in that way he reminds me a bit of Robert Fick: not enough bat to play a corner, not enough glove to be a regular backstop. Still, he’s a nice guy to have on the bench and mix in at all three positions — but the Mets are already set with a backup catcher, and that’s where he adds the most value.

In related news, Troy Renck believes the Mets may be pursuing Yorvit Torrealba, who reportedly has moved beyond the grievance filed against the team in 2007.

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Talk Is Cheap

Posted on December 8, 2009 by Joe Janish

manuel-ghandi-smI had hoped to shelve the “Manuel Being Manuel” category until at least spring training. Unfortunately, everyone’s favorite zen master couldn’t contain himself through the winter months.

Jerry Manuel spoke with reporters in Indianapolis today, and Brian Costa provides the “highlights” of the conversation.

Among them:

– Manuel claims Continue reading →

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Yankees Get Granderson

Posted on December 8, 2009 by Joe Janish

Realizing that they had no All-Star outfielders under contract, the Yankees rectified the matter by acquiring Curtis Granderson from the Detroit Tigers in a three-team deal that also included the Arizona Diamondbacks.

In the trade, the Yankees sent prospect Austin Jackson and lefty reliever Phil Coke to the Tigers and pitcher Ian Kennedy to the D-Backs. Arizona also received Edwin Jackson from Detroit in return for Max Scherzer and reliever Daniel Schlereth.

There was no talk of the Mets having interest in Granderson. If they did, I imagine it would have cost them something along the likes of Fernando Martinez, Jon Niese, and Bobby Parnell.

As far as this trade affecting the Mets, the Diamondbacks now have Edwin Jackson penciled into their rotation, behind Dan Haren and Brandon Webb (if Webb proves healthy). That’s a pretty nasty 1-2-3 to deal with in a three-game series. The 26-year-old Coke should slot in as a middle reliever / LOOGY, though he has extensive experience as a starter in the minor leagues.

In other news, the Yankees traded Suzyn Waldman to ESPN for Peter Gammons. Just kidding — though it’s true that Gammons is leaving ESPN to pursue other interests.

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Mets Sign Corner Outfielder

Posted on December 8, 2009 by Joe Janish

While the Yankees continue to find a way to wrangle Curtis Granderson away from the Tigers, the Mets have made a move to acquire an outfielder.

According to Adam Rubin and Troy Renck, the Mets have signed veteran Continue reading →

Posted in 09-10 Offseason | 3 Comments

Mets Hire Bob Melvin

Posted on December 8, 2009 by Joe Janish

Who says the Mets aren’t active at the winter meetings? They just acquired another replacement for Jerry Manuel.

According to Joel Sherman and confirmed by David Lennon, the Mets have signed 2007 NL Manager of the Year Bob Melvin to be a Major League scout.

Interesting that both Melvin and Wally Backman are now employed by the same organization. Further interesting that Jerry Manuel has so many managerial candidates around him.

Is J.P. Ricciardi also on the Mets’ wish list, to help Wayne Krivsky keep Omar Minaya on his toes?

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Will the Mets Land a Big Fish?

Posted on December 8, 2009 by Joe Janish

At MetsFansForever, Will Sommer asks several bloggers which “big” free agent will be signed by the Mets

Andrew Vazzano unearths a slice of good news from the winter meetings – that David Wright and Daniel Murphy were working out with Howard Johnson, and Jeff Francoeur may be with HoJo later in the winter.

Ted Berg wrote an uncharacteristically long post poo-poohing the concept of a #2 starter and arguing that the Mets should pass on John Lackey.

Bob Klapisch says the Mets are pretenders

We’re only a day and a half into the winter meetings, but Brooklyn Met Fan is already tired of the rumors.

Kerel Cooper responds to yesterday’s question, “Would You Want Pat Burrell?” :

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Rumor: John Maine for Corey Hart

Posted on December 8, 2009 by Joe Janish

richard_kielThe big rumor out of Indianapolis early this morning was a trade of John Maine to the Brewers for Corey Hart.

As of 9:30 am, however, the deal was either dead or on the back burner, as Milwaukee is focusing on bullpen help.

But what the heck, let’s discuss it — at least until a more salacious rumor comes out of Indy.

Personally, I prefer Continue reading →

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