Considering Adam LaRoche
Early in the offseason, there was some mild buzz that the Mets might be interested in free agent first baseman Adam LaRoche. However, there’s been absolutely nothing to suggest he is on Omar Minaya’s radar since at least early December (possibly earlier) — most likely because he was looking for too much money over too many years.
But, things have changed for the lefty slugger.
LaRoche’s top suitor, the San Francisco Giants, grew tired of his contract demands and chose instead to sign Aubrey Huff to a one-year deal. Huff joins fellow free agent pickup Mark DeRosa and incumbents Pablo Sandoval and Juan Uribe to provide the Giants with four solid possibilities for the infield corners — and effectively eliminating the acquisition of LaRoche. And with that, the market for LaRoche has suddenly shrunken — considerably. Read more
Mets Game 145: Loss to Braves
Braves 6 Mets 0
The Mets couldn’t lose this game fast enough.
Tommy “Gun” Hanson handcuffed the Mets hitters through seven frames, allowing them only three hits and three walks en route to his tenth victory of the season.
Pat Misch accomplished a typical fifth-starter job — 4 runs allowed on 8 hits and a walk in 5 innings. Nothing spectacular, nothing terrible, either.
Braves first baseman Adam LaRoche was a one-man wrecking crew, going 4-for-4 with two homeruns, 4 runs scored, and 3 RBI. That “strong finisher” theory that moved Atlanta to acquire him from Boston continues to ring true.
Notes
The Mets were shut out for the 11th time this season.
Atlanta leadoff batter Nate McLouth was 2-for-5 with 3 RBI.
Hanson has one of the best overhand curveballs in baseball today. It has excellent, tight, 12-6 to 1-7 rotation, consistently drops it at the bottom of the strike zone, and throws it at two speeds — around 85 MPH and around 76 MPH. He mostly kept it toward the middle of the strike zone, with a “yellow hammer” vertical drop of 3-5 feet, and if he ever learns to spot it on the corners, he’ll be a regular no-hit threat.
I bumped my head after falling off the chair with laughter when Bobby Ojeda and tried to compare Bobby Parnell to Hanson. Forget mentioning them in the same sentence — Parnell doesn’t belong in the same PARAGRAPH as Hanson. I like Parnell, am rooting for him, but that’s like comparing apples to ribeye steaks.
The Mets had four hits on the night, two by Dan Murphy, who is making a case to be penciled in as the 2010 first baseman.
Braves did a nice job of picking up lefty reliever Eric O’Flaherty for nothing at the beginning of the season; he has a 3.14 ERA and 1.25 WHIP through 69 games. Kind of like how the Mets were smart to take Darren O’Day in the Rule 5 Draft (though, not smart enough to hang on to him).
Today’s Baseball Lesson
The first two pitches of the ninth inning resulted in outs. Dan Murphy and Jeff Francoeur should be ashamed of themselves — that’s selfish and unintelligent baseball. I don’t care if you’re down by six in a meaningless game — you still play the game right. For you youngsters, the “right” way to play the game is to TAKE A STRIKE when your team is losing by two or more in the late innings and there is no one on base. Why? Because you can’t hit a three-run homer with no one on. In the cases of Murphy and Francoeur, they couldn’t hit a 6-run homer to tie the game. Their best chance of winning was to try to build a rally, and walks are almost always a part of building rallies (often a big part). Let the other team make mistakes, make them execute and beat you — don’t make it easy for them. See more baseball playing and coaching tips at OnBaseball.com.
Next Mets Game
The Mets and Braves do it again at 7:00 PM on Wednesday night. Bobby Parnell faces Derek Lowe.
Who Should Really Be Auditioning at 1B
After 65 games at first base, Dan Murphy has shown he can be defensively adequate at the position. Other than a few brain farts and errors due to inexperience, Murphy is, right now, better than Mike Piazza ever was at the position.
If the Mets are serious about going into 2010 with Murphy penciled in as the starting first baseman — or even if they’re not — there is another player who should be getting reps at first base: Read more
Deadline Deals
The clock has struck four and the apple in Citi Field may as well be a pumpkin.
No trades for the Mets, but a flurry were made by others. Since the 2 PM update, the following occurred.
Red Sox get Victor Martinez
The Bosox were expected to do “something”, and they did, moving Adam LaRoche (see below) and adding Casey Kotchman and Victor Martinez to their lineup. Martinez can catch, play 1B, and DH; his presence along with Kotchman’s likely means “Big Fraudi” Ortiz will have more time to “research” his PEDs usage. The Red Sox gave up three pitchers — Justin Masterson, Nick Hagadone and Bryan Price. Nice haul for the rebuilding Indians, and a deal that helps both clubs going in opposite directions.
White Sox acquire Jake Peavy (again)
This time Peavy OK’d the deal, according to various sources. What changed since the last time? More importantly, Peavy is currently on the disabled list. Isn’t there an MLB rule stating that a player on the DL cannot be traded? The Padres get a foursome of prospects: Clayton Richard, Adam Russell, Aaron Poreda and Dexter Carter.
Nationals trade Nick Johnson to the Marlins
Stunning to see an in-division deal, but the Nationals are so far down in the standings they’re listed in the Central. The Fish gave up minor-league LHP Aaron Thompson, a 2005 first-round pick who compares to Tom Glavine — meaning, a soft-tosser (89-91 MPH fastball) who relies on control and guile. The 22-year-old has struggled with injuries and has been something of a disappointment. I’m not sure who he would compare to in the Mets’ system … maybe Michael Antonini? (Though, Antonini is two years older.) But stop thinking about it … where would you put Johnson with Dan Murphy entrenched at 1B?
Nationals trade Joe Beimel to the Rockies
Lucky for the Mets, they just missed seeing the LOOGY face their slugging LH hitters in key situations (had there been any such situations, or if the Mets had any dangerous LH hitters). They also missed out on adding him to their own bullpen. The Rockies gave up two undisclosed minor leaguers.
Blue Jays trade Scott Rolen to the Reds for Edwin Encarnacion
This deal had been rumored for several weeks, with the Jays supposedly uninterested in the free-swinging Encarnacion. But they came to their senses when they realized that free swinger was only 26 years old and is as good a fielder at the hot corner as Rolen used to be. Being 13 games out tends to knock sense into teams.
Braves acquire Adam LaRoche from Red Sox for Casey Kotchman
Whoa! Where did this one come from? Theo Epstein’s saberbrain loves Kotchman’s OBP, youth, and contract status. We thought the Braves didn’t like LaRoche’s passive attitude, but I guess they’ll look the other way and focus on his homerun bat. Instant upgrade for the Bravos.
Trades and DFAs
Omar Minaya says the Mets are “buyers” right now, rather than “sellers”. We’ll see whether that rings true over the next 8 days, but in the meantime, a few deals have gone down.
Rockies acquire Rafael Betancourt from Indians
I liked Betancourt around this time last year — while he was in the midst of a poor season — and he’s rebounded well, jacking up his value in the process. The Rockies made a smart move, I think, in obtaining Betancourt. First of all, they gave up a non-prospect — a 24-year-old pitcher stuck in A-ball. Secondly, they get a veteran reliever with still-good stuff who will be a mystery to most NL hitters. He could give Colorado the same “shot in the arm” that Guillermo Mota gave the Mets in 2006 (pardon the pun).
Red Sox trade Julio Lugo to Cardinals for Chris Duncan
So much for the Mets signing Lugo after his official release. The Bosox, remarkably, found a taker — and got a young slugger in return! The Cardinals have been desperate for a shortstop since May, when Khalil Greene was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. This deal could work out better than people expect, considering that St. Louis has been running the hard-playing but punchless Brendan Ryan out to shortstop every day. Lugo has been a disappointment in Boston but still has good speed, a decent bat, and the ability to get on base. Meanwhile, the Red Sox get Duncan, who hit a combined 43 HRs in limited duty in 2006 and 2007 but has been trending downward since. After a hot start, Duncan’s averaged dropped to below .230 and was being optioned to AAA only hours before the trade. It’s a low-risk, high-reward roll of the dice for Theo Epstein — though, the Bosox are still on the hook for all of Lugo’s salary.
Red Sox acquire Adam LaRoche from the Pirates
With Big Papi continuing to struggle, finding a new DH was imminent for Boston. The LH-hitting LaRoche is not afraid to hit to the opposite field, so the Green Monster could turn him into, well, a monster. If nothing else, moving from the depressing Pirates to the contending Red Sox should wake him up out of his month-long slump. (I find it funny that LaRoche has been criticized for lack of fire or passion while in Pittsburgh– has that organization given ANYONE a reason to be excited?) Perfect timing for LaRoche, who is a free agent at the end of the season.
Blue Jays DFA David Dellucci
The Mets did not get LaRoche, did not get Lugo, will not get either of Halladay / Holliday, but Dellucci looks like a perfect fit. The veteran outfielder has played a good 3-4 years past his expiration date, but still gets chances around the bigs. He’s hitting .185 this year, he hit .238 last year, and .230 the year before. But, he once hit as many as 29 HRs in a season (for Texas), he’s a very good fielder, and the Mets are suddenly righty-heavy. I’m not advocating his acquisition, but I can see it coming, can’t you?
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