There I was, sitting in front of the TV this weekend watching the games I promised myself I was going to avoid. The baseball season was over for Mets fans, after all … why put myself through more agony by viewing the Phillies, the Dodgers, Cubs, and a bunch of teams that play an altered version of baseball fight their way toward the World Series?

But I couldn’t avoid it (I hate football and there’s nothing else on). And this is among what I witnessed:

Manny Ramirez put the Dodgers on his back, and carry them through the NLDS (with a little support from Casey Blake) …

Jason Bay supplying the power for the Boston Red Sox …

Chad Bradford coming in to the late innings to help seal the deal for the Rays …

Mark Kotsay and Junior Griffey go a combined 4-for-12 for their respective clubs …

Mark Teixeira hitting like a man possessed …

Joe Blanton making a quality start …

Scott Eyre getting roughed up …

Greg Maddux hurling a scoreless inning for the Dodgers … (who knew he was on LA?)

I’m watching all these men in the postseason and thinking, the Mets could’ve used this guy, and that guy, and that other guy …. and I know none of them were with their current team at the start of the season. No, they were all acquired in trades made in July and August — the same time the Mets were desperate to acquire one or two final pieces to the playoff puzzle. Back then, I’d heard some buzz that the Mets had a shot at Bay and Ramirez, but even if those claims were false, I was hoping they’d pick up a reliever like Bradford for their toasted bullpen. Why, again, didn’t Omar Minaya make any moves at the deadline? Oh, that’s right … he said he “couldn’t find a match”.

Well, it’s a few months late, but I found one!

Maybe Omar can use this to pull off a deal at the winter meetings …

Some sources have reported that the Mets picked up their option on Carlos Delgado. However, the generally reliable Associated Press is not among those sources, and there has been no official word from the Mets. What we have is this quote from Brand Manager Omar Minaya:

“I’ve spoken with his agent and just let him know that we are probably looking at having Carlos Delgado, we’re picking up the option,” Minaya said on a conference call. “We have made contact with his agent and notified him that we are going towards picking up his option.”

Of course, the Mets would be silly not to pick up the option — one look at the potential free agent market for first basemen tells you that one year of Delgado at $12M is a bargain. This winter, Mark Teixeira will presumably command an insanely overpriced contract that could reach 7-year, $100M+ proportions. After Teixeira, the next-best first sackers on the market are Jason Giambi, Rich Aurilia, Kevin Millar, Eric Hinske, and Sean Casey. Further, there aren’t too many slugging first basemen expected to be available via trade this winter. Which brings up an interesting idea …

Do the Mets sign Delgado, and then flip him to fill another need?

It all depends on whether the Mets think Delgado has another banner year in him, and whether they think Nick Evans, Dan Murphy, Mike Carp, or a combination of them, can take over the position in 2009.

But then, it’s also possible that a Delgado trade, or another deal, can both address a hole AND net a potential first baseman. I’m thinking along the lines of a Chad Tracy or Garrett Atkins.

Why consider trading Delgado at all? Because his value may be higher now than it will ever be again, and it might be high enough to bring back a sorely needed young starting pitcher or reliever / potential closer. There are a few teams out there who desperately need a slugger for 2009 — the Diamondbacks, for example. Possibly the Giants, the Mariners, or the Blue Jays. Perhaps a team that loses the bidding for Teixeira — i.e., the Angels.

I was of the opinion that Delgado was the main key to the Mets’ success in 2008, and I stand by that — he WAS the single biggest reason the Mets finished as high as second place. But I’m wary of counting on him to carry the team again in 2009. It might be more intelligent to use him as a chip to bring back reinforcements, and find another way to replace his offensive production.

What do you think?

Perhaps Jerry Manuel is smarter than we think … or could he be making a grand mistake?

Reports from Flushing say that Manuel has yet to accept a two-year, $2M contract offer from the New York Mets. Maybe he simply hasn’t checked his mail in a while … or perhaps the mailman put the offer in his neighbor’s box by mistake.

Or maybe Jerry knows he has the Mets in a difficult negotiating position.

After all, it was the Wilpon-owned SNY broadcast booth that gushed over every one of Manuel’s moves, aligning millions of fans with the idea that Jerry was some kind of tactical genius. If you listened enough to Keith Hernandez, you might have thought Manuel invented the hit and run. I think Gary Cohen once applauded Manuel’s grace in handing over the lineup card prior to the first pitch of a game.

Manuel’s “magic” pervaded in the media as well, as writers hung on every sound bite from him, and crafted stories about this managerial messiah. Despite the Mets’ second late-season collapse in as many years, the media absolved Manuel of any responsibility. Remarkable, to be in such a position of getting all the credit when things are going well, but none of the blame when things go bad. Yet Jerry Manuel pulled it off.

In fact, one journalist was so impressed with Manuel’s ability she wrote this:

Having Manuel in charge for a full season is one area in which the Mets could expect to improve their won-lost record without making the enormous financial outlay it could cost to fill their other pressing needs.

And to top it off, the article is titled “Mets Can’t Afford Not to Bring Back Manuel”

Now if you’re Jerry Manuel reading articles like this in the tabloids, and seeing the results of fan polls supporting you on MetsBlog, and hearing Mets stars such as Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, and David Wright sing your praises, would you be quick to accept the Mets’ first offer? Heck no … make ’em sweat a bit. Tell them you want DOUBLE that.

Funny how the tables turn.

The Mets’ front office have created quite a situation for themselves. They patted Jerry on the back all season, encouraged the idea that he saved the franchise, and now have to put their money where their mouth is. (Or where Jerry’s mouth is, you be the judge.) The Mets — who are extremely conscious of their public image and often make decisions based more on popularity than logic — would be facing a mutiny if they did anything other than cave in to Jerry’s demands, and make sure he’s locked up for the opening of Citi Field.

And what if Jerry makes the Mets wait until after the results of the voting for Manager of the Year are published? And what if he wins, as so many NY writers have suggested? What kind of leverage do the Mets have then? They’d look really foolish if they didn’t have the “smarts” to bring back the Manager of the Year … and the Mets don’t like to look foolish.

On the other hand, does Manuel have any place else to go? Does anyone outside of New York truly believe that Jerry Manuel can manage his way out of a paper bag? Or does it even matter? The Mets are in a situation where it doesn’t matter whether there’s someone else bidding for Jerry’s services — if they’re concerned about public opinion, they’ll have to bid against themselves.

This situation will be fun to watch play out.

The Mets are going into a new stadium in 2009, coming off two consecutive late-season collapses, just rewarded a three-year extension to GM Omar Minaya, and have a number of potential holes to fill up and down the roster. Is the time ripe to go into full-fledged rebuilding mode, or should they continue to patch up the team with aging veterans, to ensure the Mets will play “meaningful games in September”? Continue reading →

After this season, it seems everybody hates Aaron Heilman, and anyone watching, rooting for, or writing about the Mets, would recommend that the Mets find a way to cut ties with the tall righthander.

But that notion makes no sense at all.

First of all, consider that Continue reading →