Braves Trade Vazquez to Yankees
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)
Braves Sign Takashi Saito
In a matter of 48 hours, the Braves have rebuilt their bullpen.
A day after signing Billy Wagner to be their closer, Atlanta wasted no time in locking up a setup man — Takashi Saito.
Saito was signed to a one-year, $3.2M contract. And just like that, the 8th and 9th innings are solved for the Braves.
I know what you’re thinking: a 39-year-old closer and a 40-year-old setup man sounds like a formula for trouble — particularly when both oldsters have suffered elbow issues in the past two years. But Wagner has a new elbow, and Saito cruised through 56 appearances last year — pitching in the AL East, no less.
All told, the Braves spent a total of $10.2M and a one-year commitment to shore up the back of their bullpen with two standout veterans. Compare and contrast that to the Mets’ strategy last winter of tying up K-Rod for 4 years and spending a total of $60M for him and J.J. Putz to finish up games in 2009. Now, which bullpen makeover made better sense?
So, to conclude the activity for the day: the Phillies added a Gold Glover to their infield, the Braves completed the overhaul of their bullpen, and the Mets signed two backup catchers.
The offseason is still young.
Billy Wagner Signs with Braves
According to multiple sources (originally Ken Rosenthal), former Mets closer Billy Wagner has signed a one-year, $7M contract with the Atlanta Braves.
Yee ha. Can’t wait to see Wags 18 times a year.
Hat tip to MetsToday reader “Walnutz15″, who is quite perturbed. Says Walnutz:
So, as we figured from the start — the Mets made their typical salary dump trade at the deadline…..acquiring Chris Carter; who could be a clone of a handful of players they currently have (some promise with the stick; no defensive position).
Meanwhile, the Red Sox take a “risk”; offer him the arbitration after the season — knowing he’d have no chance to close in Boston — and now receive the Braves’ 1st round pick and a sandwich pick in the next season’s draft.
Chris Carter and Eddie Lora + $3 or so million to waste away on Alex Cora?
Just defines this mess of a franchise……….they’d rather overpay old, banged-up scrap-heap friends of the program – than invest in the MLB Draft.
Have to say I’m with Walnutz on this one. Though Carter arrived as the most polished hitter in the Mets’ farm system, there are doubts he has enough ability to rise above his status as a “AAAA” hitter. Lora is highly projectable. Do Carter and Lora equal two first round picks? More to the point, is the Mets’ system more desperate for players like Carter and Lora or two picks? That one is arguable, depending upon your perspective. I’m in the camp that believes the Mets need to build more for 2015 than 2010, so I’d lean toward the picks. But, you never know — Chris Carter could turn out to be the next Travis Hafner, and/or Lora may develop into something better than the Mets can draft in June 2010.
But, I’m also reacting with more emotion than logic. It is annoying that Wagner stayed in the NL East, and we’ll constantly be reminded of the trade if Carter doesn’t pan out. I might feel differently if Wags went to the AL — after all, the Mets may not have been smart enough to make the most of those draft picks anyway.
Braves Release Brian Barton
According to Baseball America, the Braves have released former phenom outfielder Brian Barton.
Barton was considered a great athlete but went undrafted after a strong career at U Miami, as clubs believed he’d make use of his aerospace engineering degree rather than pursue baseball. However, he signed a $100,000 bonus (plus another $100K for schooling) with the Indians, and has been a prodigal nomad ever since.
The Beaneheads like Barton’s plate discipline and ability to Read more
Listen To a Pro Baseball Scout
What exactly does a pro baseball scout look for when evaluating a ballplayer? What kinds of things does a scout consider, in addition to raw baseball skills? How can an amateur ballplayer attract the interest of a pro scout?
Find out by listenting to an interview I did with Tyrone Brooks, a professional baseball scout for the Cleveland Indians and formerly the Director of Baseball Operations and Baseball Administration with the Atlanta Braves (he was part of those 14 straight division championships).
One of the interesting topics he discusses is how and why Ryan Howard slipped to the fifth round of the 2001 draft.
I know, it’s not a Mets-specific topic, but it should be intriguing to hear from someone who came from the Braves organization and evaluates players for a living. It’s particularly enlightening for amateur ballplayers and their parents.
Follow this link to hear it:
What Do Pro Baseball Scout Look For When Evaluating Players
Mets Game 153: Loss to Braves
Braves 5 Mets 2
Hope springs eternal. Except in Flushing, in September, 2009. Unless you’re a Braves fan.
The Mets helped keep the Braves impossible Wild Card hopes alive by rolling over early.
I have to admit hope drained from my spirit immediately after Atlanta scored their fourth run, in the third frame. Yet I continued to stare at the TV screen, for the same reasons I’ve watched bad movies in the wee hours, despite knowing full well how it would end and that the story wasn’t going to get better.
Technically, Mike Pelfrey threw a “quality start” — allowing 3 earned runs in 6 innings pitched. In reality, he was ordinary.
Tim Hudson also threw a quality start, expending 18 less pitches in the same number of innings. However, Hudson’s was of slightly higher quality, and in the end he earned his second win of the year.
More happened, but, eh … the notes are more interesting.
Notes
The Mets put their leadoff hitter on base in six consecutive innings, but only scored two runs in that span. They were 2-for-17 with RISP, and left 10 on base.
Nice to see Mike Pelfrey using his curveball a little more than usual in this outing. I would have also liked to have seen more (any?) changeups, but hey, you can’t have it all.
Pelf’s sinker wasn’t sinking consistently — it was often just “running”, meaning, it was moving horizontally and not vertically. Ron Darling noted this often occurred with runners on base and suggested that it could be due to Mike holding the ball a little tighter — a function of stress. That’s plausible. Also possible is a different grip on the ball. I would check the location of his thumb, as it could be a little too far “up” or on the side of the ball, rather than more underneath it. The higher the thumb is on the side, the more it will run and the less it will sink. Also, there could be an issue with the way he’s finishing the pitch (which could be related to the grip). If he is holding the ball more tightly, he may not be allowing his fingers and wrist to pronate through the release. Full pronation with the fingers on top of the ball and the thumb finishing pointed toward 5 o’clock is ideal for good sink.
Strange to see Tim Hudson unsharp — which is expected considering this was only his fifth start of the year. Even without his legendary command, he was able to get out of a number of tough situations thanks to double plays.
That was the key difference between Pelfrey and Hudson in this game. Both pitchers struggled at times, and both had their defense fail behind them to put runners on base and/or extend rallies. But Hudson stayed cool, got tough, and wiggled out of those spots, while Big Pelf tightened up, talked to himself, and let runners cross the plate.
If you didn’t have a scorecard and relied on Keith Hernandez, you might have thought Matt Diaz was playing both right and left field for the Braves. Yeah, I’m nitpicking, but c’mon, Keith.
The trivia answer was Bert Blyleven (the only HOF-eligible pitcher with 3000 Ks not in the HOF), and Gary Cohen noted that Blyleven completed 242 games in his 22-year career. How incredible is that? Consider that the Mets AS A TEAM have amassed only 214 complete games over the last 22 years. Yowza, things have changed. But hey, let’s keep going with those inane pitch counts, OK?
Once again we were treated to the one-two combo of Ken Takahashi and Elmer Dessens out of the ‘pen. We’re really get a good long look at both pitchers this September. Why?
Perpetual Pedro Feliciano also made an appearance — his 83rd of the season — with the Mets down by three in the eighth. Again, why? Is Jerry Manuel trying to rip Pedro’s elbow to pieces?
Mike Gonzalez kind of reminds me of Oliver Perez, the way he’s all off balance, can’t repeat his mechanics, can miss his target by several feet, but throws 93+ MPH with a nasty slider that is unhittable for LH batters.
I noticed that David Wright was keeping his bat on his back shoulder until the pitcher started his motion. This is new, right? It’s a technique that Don Mattingly advocates, to put your hands and the bat into the ideal launching position. I guess he’s using it partly for timing and partly to, um, get his hands in a good position. Perhaps HoJo believes Wright’s hands were a bit too high, creating a long, loopy swing.
Bobby Cox announced that 2010 would be his final season as a manager. He’ll stay on with the Braves in a consulting role after that.
Next Mets Game
The Mets get a day off (funny, seemed like they took the last three days off) on Thursday, and will travel to Miami to face the Marlins for a three-game weekend series. Game one begins at 7:10 PM on Friday night and pits Tim Redding against Ricky Nolasco.
Mets Game 152: Loss to Braves
Braves 3 Mets 1
The Mets were down by only a run for most of this game — in fact they were winning for a few minutes — but there was never a point where I felt, “hey, they have a chance to win”. I simply sat in front of the TV and waited for them to lose. Sad.
Nelson Figueroa was very good, but not good enough to earn a win. He allowed two runs on two hits and three walks in a seven-inning, 126-pitch effort.
Unfortunately for Figgy, Atlanta’s Jair Jurrjens was just a little bit better, allowing only one run on five hits and three walks through seven-innings and 94 pitches.
The Braves added an insurance run against Frankie Fantastik, who may have thrown a scoreless inning if Carlos Beltran had been playing a deeper centerfield on Yunel Escobar’s double — or if Angel Pagan had been playing more shallow in left on Adam LaRoche’s single that scored Escobar. Or maybe if Omir Santos could have caught the ball before it was hit. Certainly, it wasn’t Frankie’s fault.
Notes
Figgy has had his rough outings, but he’s also proven he can hold his own as a starting pitcher at the MLB level. I would like to see him return in 2010 as a swing man / spot starter. He may not wow the sabermetricians with his stats but he gets the most out of ability and finds a way to compete. That is inspiring, can rub off on teammates, and is a value that can’t be measured with a calculator.
Last night I noticed Brian Stokes with a little extra rotation. Tonight my eyes saw Sean Green going just a little more underhand. To me it seemed Green was closer to 6 o’clock / 5:30 as opposed to his more 3:30 / 4 o’clock angle. Are my eyes deceiving me lately, or am I seeing actual mechanical changes?
If Green IS in fact going more “down under”, I would think that’s a good thing. The closer he gets to Chad Bradford-like underhand, the less stress there is on the arm — which in turn would allow him to pitch more frequently without a loss in effectiveness. Assuming, of course, that he can pitch as effectively at such an angle.
Brooks Conrad made a pinch-hitting appearance for the Braves. His name makes me think of a 1950s character actor.
Gary Cohen reported that Alex Cora had successful surgery on his other thumb, then further suggested that the Mets “need to see more of him next year”. Huh? Even if he returns — which in itself is a longshot — I don’t believe we want to see any MORE of Alex Cora in 2010. He’s a bench player, which means if we see more of him, it also means one (or more than one) of the starters is on the DL for a significant period of time. I get Cohen’s point — that Cora is supposedly a great clubhouse guy and a veteran leader — but we don’t want to see any more of him than we saw in 2009. Less, preferably.
Next Mets Game
The final game of the series occurs at 7:10 PM on Wednesday night. Mike Pelfrey faces Tim Hudson, who will be making his fifth MLB start since returning from Tommy John surgery.
Mets Game 151: Loss to Braves
Braves 11 Mets 3
Thank goodness this game was played on the same night as the premiere of House MD. And thanks to Patrick Misch for allowing the score to get out of hand with minutes to spare before the 8 PM start time for House.
Unfortunately, the first episode of House MD was nearly as bad as the game. So it was a tough night all around. The good news for Dr. Gregory House is, he’s out of the mental hospital. The bad news for the Mets is, there are still 11 games to play in 2009.
Misch was blasted in his 1 1/3 innings. Three of the first dozen batters he faced hit homeruns. I won’t get into the gory details.
Meanwhile Derek Lowe and Kenshin Kawakami combined to allow three runs on seven hits in nine innings, walking none and striking out eight. It took the Mets six pitchers to give the Braves eleven runs.
Notes
Even my wife wanted to know why it took so many Mets pitchers to finish this laugher. No one could play the role of sacrificial lamb? The only surprise was that we saw neither Sean Green nor Pedro Feliciano.
It’s games like this when I wonder, “where the heck is Adam Bostick, and if he’s not here now, why is he taking up a spot on the 40-man roster?”
The one bright spot of the ballgame was Daniel Murphy, who is on fire. He hit another double — his 36th — and another homer (11th). He is now the Mets’ most ferocious slugger and maybe all those nasty bloggers need to pipe down about his perceived lack of power. Oh wait, that includes me, doesn’t it?
Though Murphy jacked one, no other Mets did. Hmm … every other team can hit balls over the fence at Citi Field …
I feel like every time Bobby Parnell takes the mound, Ron Darling can’t prevent himself from saying “the kid’s got GREAT stuff”. Ron, please elaborate. I see a “live arm”, meaning, he can throw the ball in excess of 95 MPH. Otherwise, I’m not seeing much at all in the way of “stuff”. No sharp breaking ball, no hellacious change-up, no outstanding movement (nor command) on the fastball — nothing that I would define as “great stuff”. Great arm, yes. Great stuff, no.
Brian Stokes is doing this strange extra-rotation thing when he lifts his leg, which I’ve never noticed before. I guess he’s trying to get a little extra on the ball, since he’s no longer hitting 97-98. Or maybe it’s been a while since I’ve seen him on the mound. He’s thrown 62 pitches in the last two days — which is like a K-Rod four-out save attempt.
The Mets have now lost 14 of their 20 games in September. That’s exactly 70% of their ballgames. But here’s one way to look at it: they’re failing as often as the best hitters in the game.
Next Mets Game
The Mets and Braves do it again at 7:10 PM on Tuesday night. Nelson Figueroa faces Jair Jurrjens.
Mets Game 147: Loss to Braves
Braves 7 Mets 3
You can’t pin this one on Danny Boy.
Daniel Murphy went 3-for-4 with a double, two runs scored, and his 10th homerun of the season, but it wasn’t enough to carry the team to victory.
Since there was no postgame interview with Frankie Rodriguez, I’m not sure who’s to blame for this one. Instead I’ll move right on to the notes …
Notes
Nelson Figueroa had a rough night, allowing 6 runs on 9 hits and a walk in 5 innings — an average of 2 baserunners an inning. Not a good formula for success. He may have felt the game was falling apart from the opening pitch, since Murphy was starting at first base. Though, he didn’t admit that publicly.
On the bright side, Tobi Stoner looked good. Not good by MLB standards, but good compared to what we’ve seen of him thus far. He allowed a run on 4 hits and a walk. You know it’s a bad season when a reliever allows 5 baserunners in 3 innings and it’s called a “good” outing.
Angel Pagan hit another triple – his 10th of the season, and the second-best total in the NL.
Other than Pagan, Murphy, and two hits by Wilson Valdez of all people, the Mets didn’t do much against Jair Jurrjens, who hurled seven stellar frames and allowed one earned run.
The Mets were swept for the second time this September, and have lost five in a row. They’re making a strong run for the #4 pick overall in next June’s draft. Pray for a hot run by the Orioles.
The Braves, meanwhile, are on a seven-game win streak, and narrowed the gap between them and the Wild Card-leading Rockies to 4 1/2.
Next Mets Game
The Mets return to New York for a three-game series with the Nationals — before seeing the Braves follow them to Flushing on Monday. Friday night’s opener vs. Washington pits J.D. Martin vs. Mike Pelfrey.
Mets Game 146: Loss To Braves
Braves 6 Mets 5
Shades of ‘62 re-emerge.
Once again, the Mets find a creative way to lose.
The Mets jumped ahead 3-0 in the second inning, but that lead was quickly squandered by Bobby Parnell, who allowed 4 runs (3 earned) on 7 hits and 3 walks in 3 1/3 innings.
Remarkably, the Mets fought back to tie the game and then went ahead 5-4 on a pinch-hit homerun by Omiracle Santos (nickname hat tip to TheRopolitans).
Then, it was up to the bullpen to hold the fort. Brian Stokes got two outs before walking Nate McLouth, which led to Jerry Manuel’s inexplicable decision to bring in Frankie Rodriguez to convert a four-out save. Ask Mike Scioscia how many times he called on K-Rod to get more than three outs in the last three years — and his team was ALWAYS playing “meaningful games” in September.
Anyway, as expected, Frankie Fantastik failed to clean up. He got that last out in the eighth but quickly faltered in the ninth, allowing a leadoff double to Garret Anderson down the right field line (that might have been stopped by a better-fielding first baseman — or not) and hitting Brian McCann to put the tying and winning runs on base. Frankie then misplayed a sac bunt by Yunel Escobar that nearly loaded the bases with none out, but K-Rod recovered in time to get the first out of the inning by a hair. The next batter hit a deep sac fly to score the tying run, and then Ryan Church hit a two-out bouncer to first base that Dan Murphy mishandled three times in Throneberryesque fashion to allow the winning run to score.
Notes
In an incredulous lack of class, K-Rod was quoted by Kevin Burkhardt as saying about Murphy’s error (or possibly the double down the line), “That ball has to be stopped”.
Nice. Seems there’s only one driving school in Venezuela — and the vehicle is a teflon-coated bus.
Hmm … I didn’t see Murphy on the mound when Anderson hit the double, McCann was hit with the pitch, or Gorecki hit the deep fly … but yeah, let’s blame him for the loss. Makes plenty of sense. Not.
This is the sixth blown save of the season for Frankie Fantastik, out of 37 tries. Billy Wagner blew 7 of 34 last year, so K-Rod’s still doing better. But not by much. So much for the “improved bullpen”.
And for all his questionable quotes and public dress-downs of his teammates, I don’t recall Wags ever blaming someone else for a loss. Stay classy, K-Rod.
On the bright side, Parnell lasted longer than Derek Lowe, who left after 2 innings and allowing 3 runs. Both Jeff Francoeur and David Wright went 3-for-5, and Josh Thole went 2-for-4 in the two hole.
The Mets pounded 16 hits, and still couldn’t win — they left 14 on base.
Next Mets Game
The series finale begins at 7:00 PM on Thursday night. Nelson Figueroa faces Jair Jurrjens. If nothing else the Mets will have a standup, respectful guy on the mound, who will take responsibility for his actions. So there’s that.
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