Bengie Molina Signs with Giants
It turns out that Bengie Molina was not prepared to leave his heart in San Francisco. Further, it turns out that the ship that sailed from the bay could in fact return to shore.
This is a good thing, from the perspective that — for once — the Mets did not grossly overpay a free agent. On the other hand, it’s a little sad knowing that the Mets outbid the Giants, yet still lost out on him.
In other words, at least one thing has not changed since Omar Minaya took over as Mets GM: free agents still have little desire to play in Flushing unless they are over-compensated.
Mo’ money is the only reason Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran signed with the Mets in the 2004-2005 offseason — just like it was the only reason Tom Glavine signed two years prior. Just like it was the only reason Billy Wagner, Francisco Rodriguez, and most recently, Jason Bay, chose the “other” team in NYC.
But still, it is a good thing. The only way Bengie Molina was signing with the Mets was if they gave him at least two, possibly three, guaranteed years. The Mets held firm, believing he had no other options (I believed the same). Molina called their bluff. That’s OK — sometimes the best moves you make are the ones you don’t.
Molina counted on getting a contract similar to, or better than, the one Pudge Rodriguez received from the Nationals. What he didn’t count on was the fact that few teams other than the Nats and Mets were desperately seeking a backstop. The Mets counted on Molina caving in to their one-year offer, because they also counted on Brian Sabean sticking to his sailed-ship quote. I have to admit, it seemed to me to be an inevitable conclusion that Molina would wind up a Met this winter — color me pleasantly surprised.
DeRosa, Guardado Off the Table
According to several reports, superutilityman Mark DeRosa has agreed to a two-year, $12M contract with the San Francisco Giants. Seems like a lot for a 35-year-old coming off wrist surgery, doesn’t it?
Additionally, those pesty Washington Nationals have made another acquisition, signing veteran lefty reliever Eddie Guardado to a one-year, minor-league contract. “Steady” Eddie appeared in 48 games for the Rangers last season, posting a 4.46 ERA and 1.41 WHIP. The 39-year-old has spent most of his career in the AL. No word on the terms, only that it is a minor league, non-guaranteed deal. That said, a good move by the Nats to add a possible LOOGY without much risk.
The suddenly shrewd Nats also signed former Phillies utilityman Eric Bruntlett to a minor league contract. Again, not a bad deal, in that they get a versatile bench man on a non-guaranteed deal. He’s no Alex Cora but he’s not nearly as expensive, either.
Out on the Left Coast, the Mariners have signed catcher Josh Bard and reliever Chad Cordero to minor league contracts. I’ve always liked Bard for his switch-hitting ability, good discipline at the plate, occasional pop, excellent defense, and good reputation for handling pitchers. But, he’s not friendly with Johan Santana so Henry Blanco was a better choice on a guaranteed deal. Cordero is still recovering from shoulder surgery on his labrum — he hasn’t pitched in MLB since 2008, and threw only 14 minor-league innings last season. Ironically, the Mets latest signee Kelvim Escobar is coming back from similar surgery, and threw 15 minor-league innings last season (as well as another 5 in MLB before being shut down for the year).
A healthy reliever — Bob Howry — has been signed to a one-year deal by the Arizona Diamondbacks. Terms were not disclosed, but most are guessing it is in the $2M – $3M range. Howry appeared in 63 games, posting a 3.34 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. Luckily the Mets aren’t in need of relief help, having already filled the ‘pen with Escobar and Ryota Igarashi.
Putz and Kendall Sign
J.J. Putz agreed to terms with the White Sox on a one-year, $3M contract plus incentives. Heck, at that price I would’ve liked to have seen him return to the Mets, who paid for his surgery and rehab. Oh well.
But hey, the Mets won’t miss the 7 players they sent to Seattle and Cleveland for the pleasure of 29 innings thrown by Putz and 161 at-bats by Jeremy Reed. And hey, there’s a good chance Sean Green returns to the Mets bullpen in 2010, so the deal wasn’t a complete loss. Meh.
In other news, Jason Kendall signed a two-year, $6M deal with the Kansas City Royals. I realize Kendall wasn’t the “sexy” choice among the free-agent backstops, but he wasn’t the worst either. The price and the two-year commitment seems steep for a 36-year-old catcher who makes Luis Castillo seem like a power hitter.
You could argue that the relatively expensive cost Kendall gives Bengie Molina leverage, but I believe just the opposite. Signing Kendall takes the Royals off the board in regard to the tiny and ever-shrinking demand for starting catchers. The only teams left who are definitely in the market for a veteran everyday receiver are the Giants (who publicly stated “that ship has sailed”), Astros, and Mets. The Rangers might be in play as well — despite having youngster Taylor Teagarden and Jarrod Saltalamacchia — but we haven’t heard any buzz about them going after Molina. So really it comes down to the Mets and the Astros, with Molina, Miguel Olivo, Rod Barajas, and Yorvit Torrealba all available — though, most believe that Torrealba will re-sign with the Rockies to platoon with Chris Iannetta.
Not to be ignored is the fact that Dioner Navarro — among others — may be non-tendered soon, swelling the pool of available catchers a bit more.
That said, you have to hope that the contract offer tendered by the Mets to Molina this past week was for one guaranteed year and an easily digestible salary. Anything else is bad business, since the supply exceeds the demand.
Where’s the Market for Bengie Molina?
It’s no secret that the plodding Bengie Molina is the #1 choice of Omar Minaya to be the Mets’ starting catcher in 2010. However, talks appear at a standstill as Molina is looking for a three-year deal — something the Mets are intelligently refusing. So far.
Does it make sense for the Mets to stick to their guns, and play hardball with Bengie Molina?
First of all, we need to get past the argument of whether Read more
Matt Cain and the Hat Tip
Normally I wouldn’t re-hash something that’s three days old, but this issue is something that needs to be cleared up — there are too many ignorant people blinded by emotion, and holding an unnecessary anger against an opposing ballplayer.
On Saturday afternoon, as you know, Matt Cain drilled David Wright in the head, knocking him out and sending him to the hospital. It was an ugly, frightening incident. It was also an accident and unintentional.
Several innings later, when Cain was removed from the game, the Flushing faithful booed him with a thunderous passion. That’s fine — it’s what happens when one dusts the hometown hero, accidentally or not.
Just prior to stepping into the Giants dugout, Cain tipped his cap — a brief moment that was captured by the FOX cameras and replayed after the commercial break to ensure that no one missed it. The genius in the broadcast booth — Mark Grace — commented that the gesture was not good idea. Since then, there has been a frenzy of fans and who have thrown vile epithets toward Cain on various talk radio shows, Mets blogs, forums and Twitter, describing it as “tasteless”, “classless”, “disgusting”, “evil”, and at least a dozen other descriptors that are not family friendly.
For fans who don’t know any better, the reaction is typical and not surprising — and understood. After all, they saw the hat tipping and connected it directly to the beanball — never mind that there were four innings of baseball in between. David Wright going down was the ONLY thing that happened that day, as far as many people were concerned. Further, many of the angered fans received their information second-hand from someone else who was riled up about the incident and didn’t see the REAL reason Cain tipped his cap.
But when “journalists” feed the frenzy with more misinformation, I have to call them out. After all, we bloggers get lambasted for being “unprofessional” every time we report something that isn’t true. I may not get paid to write this blog, but I do know that a basic tenet of journalism is to get the facts straight.
So here is the factual information about the moment before Matt Cain tipped his cap: behind the visitors’ dugout were somewhere between 300 and 500 diehard GIANTS FANS. Many people who were AT THE GAME and SITTING IN THAT SECTION have corraborated this. In fact, if you watch the replay of Cain tipping his cap — the camera is at his back — you can see very clearly there are dozens of people in San Francisco Giants jerseys directly behind the dugout, standing up and clapping.
Now, while 95% of the people at Kiddie Field were fixated on the beanball, for those Giants fans sitting behind the visitors’ dugout, the moment had passed. They were cheering for “their” player, and Cain acknowledged it with a simple tip of the cap. Nothing flashy, no measured pause and flamboyant bow — just a quick tip.
Maybe Cain should’ve known better than to tip his cap. Somehow, though, I doubt he considered that he’d be ticking off five million New Yorkers with his act. For most players, it’s a reaction — crowd cheers for you, you acknowledge it. It’s good manners. Except in New York, an hour after you’ve sent the favorite son to the hospital.
It’s up to you, the fan, to decide. But please make your decision based on the facts of the situation, rather than relying on hearsay thrown around by irresponsible journalists.
Mets Game 118: Loss to Giants
Giants 10 Mets 1
Just when you thought things couldn’t possibly get worse …
It wasn’t enough that David Wright was put on the DL with post-concussion syndrome– the last of the “core” to switch from the dugout to the infirmary. And it wasn’t enough that the team lost yet another player for the season — Alex Cora, who had surgery on BOTH of his thumbs. And it wasn’t enough that despite winning three out of their last four, the Mets were moving closer to the cellar-dwelling Nationals than the NL-East leading Phillies.
No, that couldn’t be the end of the gloominess. In addition to all the bad news, the Mets also were spanked by San Francisco, losing a laugher in front of the hometown crowd. It was another ugly outing by Livan Hernandez — one that makes you wonder who will be taking the ball five days from now. So not only are many Mets inactive, but some that were previously reliable are becoming increasingly incompetent. It’s suddenly clear that the last 44 games of this season will be a depressing, hopeless struggle we haven’t seen in Flushing since the Art Howe years — and it could be even worse.
Livan allowed 6 runs on 11 hits and a walk in 5 1/3. The line didn’t look that bad (though not good) until the sixth, when the Giants scored three runs to put the game away. They scored another trio in the eighth off Tim Redding to make it embarrassing, and added another off Nelson Figueroa in the ninth for good measure.
Notes
Dan Murphy had two hits and is 4-for-10 since MetsToday decided he didn’t hit enough to play 1B. No homeruns in that time, though.
Cory Sullivan also had two hits and a walk from the leadoff spot. People are getting really excited about his recent production, which says a lot about where the Mets stand right now. Not to take anything away from Sullivan — it’s great to see — but it also needs to be put in perspective. Let’s not forget how great Angel Pagan was looking over a longer period of time, before falling back to Earth. But right now, Sully is a bright spot on an otherwise dark time of the year.
I suppose Livan Hernandez will get another start. What else are the Mets to do? Give Nelson Figueroa another shot? As much as I’d like to see Figgy get a few starts in a row, how well would he have to do for the Mets consider the 35-year-old as part of their plans for 2010? No one in the minors is ready for an audition, and the Mets probably don’t want to start the arbitration clock nor burn an option on anyone who they may use in 2010/2011, such as Brad Holt or Tobi Stoner.
Next Mets Game
The Mets begin a three-game series against the Braves in Flushing at 7:10 PM on Tuesday night. In a fitting episode of “As the Knife Turns”, Oliver Perez faces Derek Lowe in a matchup of last winter’s top two free agents on the Mets’ shopping list.
Mets Game 117: Win Over Giants
Mets 3 Giants 2
A Sunday afternoon crowd-pleaser for the Flushing faithful.
Dan Murphy said “I spit on MetsToday!” and drove in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth to deliver an exhilirating walkoff win over the San Francisco Giants.
After falling behind 1-0 in the fifth, the Mets grabbed the lead on a 420+ foot two-run homer off the bat of slugging second baseman Luis Castillo. Mike Pelfrey held it up before running out of gas in the eighth, when he allowed back-to-back doubles to tie the score two-all. The Mets bullpen, however, put out the fire and preserved the tie until the ninth, when Jeff Francoeur led off with an infield single and was sacrificed to second before Murphy’s game-winning blow.
Pelfrey went 7 1/3, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits and a walk, but did not figure in the decision. Frankie Fantastic struck out the side to earn his third win of the year.
Notes
Francoeur was the only Met with more than one hit; the team collected six all day.
Other than Castillo’s blast and the bottom of the ninth, it was a pretty lazy game — not surprising considering the 95+ degree heat.
Next Mets Game
The final game of the series occurs on Monday night at 7:10 PM. Livan Hernandez faces Joe Martinez.
Mets Game 116: Loss to Giants
Giants 5 Mets 4
A suprisingly eventful game for what began as a lazy Saturday afternoon.
With all the injuries happening around him, it seemed only a matter of time before David Wright was struck by physical harm — but who would’ve guessed he’d actually be STRUCK?
Wright was plunked by a Matt Cain fastball that knocked him out of the game in the fourth inning — it was a frightening episode that shook up Cain himself as well as everyone else in the stadium. Cain seemed to lose focus, feeding Gary Sheffield one fastball after another over the middle of the plate before Sheff flied out to send Luis Castillo to third; a few pitches later Dan Murphy hit another fly to score Castillo with the first run of the game.
However, Cain regrouped and proceeded to set down — rather than knock down — the Mets bats through the 8th, when he finally allowed the Mets a rally and yielded to the bullpen. However, the Mets feasted on the Giant relievers for three runs to tie up the game.
Prior to that, Johan Santana allowed 4 runs on 9 hits and a walk through 6 2/3 innings. His outing ended when he lost his cool and threw at Pablo Sandoval, allowed a monster homer to Sandoval, and then threw at Bengie Molina. Jerry Manuel removed him before the umps could toss him.
The game remained tied at 4-4 until the top of the 10th, when Bengie Molina blasted a homer into the leftfield seats off Frankie Fantastic.
Notes
The Wright HBP: Matt Cain threw three fastballs past Wright on the outside part of the plate. With the count 0-2, Bengie Molina called for an inside fastball. This is a routine strategy — bait the hitter with outside pitches until he starts looking outside, then strike him out / get a popup by jamming him inside. (BTW, this is the scouting report on Wright — feed him outside, and he becomes vulnerable in.)Unfortunately, Cain missed too in and too high, and Wright — who was looking outside and leaning a bit into the plate — was hit hard on the helmet. Cain showed immediate remorse and definitely did not intend to hit him.
Now, fast-forward to the 7th: Johan Santana, with two outs and no one on base, throws behind the back of Pablo Sandoval. There was no question that it was a “purpose pitch”. Personally, I disagreed with the act, because the Wright HBP was clearly unintentional. I am “old school” and do believe in retaliation — when it is warranted. In this case, I did not see what “message” Santana was sending. Is it that opposing pitchers aren’t allowed to make mistakes? That they’re not allowed to throw inside? In many cases in the past, I’ve been frustrated by the refusal of Mets pitchers to throw inside and make batters “move their feet”. However, this situation did not, to me, fit the rules of engagement.
Later, when Cain was removed from the game, the Citi Field crowd showered him with boos. Just before stepping into the dugout, Cain tipped his cap. Many fans likely saw this as classless. I, on the other hand, saw it as Cain telling the fans, “screw you, it wasn’t on purpose, and you’re ignorant to think so”. Or maybe he just didn’t know how to react, and tipped his cap out of nervousness.
To further exacerbate the situation, the numnut, neanderthal FOX announcers 1) agreed that it was OK for Santana to throw at a Giant hitter; and 2) made a point to highlight the tip-capping by Cain. I don’t care if Mark Grace played MLB — if he thinks “eye for an eye” fits EVERY situation, he’s an idiot. With that kind of logic, I would have the right to punch him in the nose if he accidentally tapped my bumper in a traffic jam.
I don’t care one way or another for Matt Cain, but as a Mets fan I am embarrassed at the situation. Wright getting hit was unfortunate, and scary — but it doesn’t give Santana the right to throw at someone else, and it doesn’t mean I’m going to hate Matt Cain. Interestingly, Bobby Ojeda would not fully take one side or the other on the situation. His stance was more, “I’m not on the field with them; if they think something needs to be done, then the guys on the field take care of business”. Though he did agree with retaliating if the situation warranted it, he did not make clear that this was one such situation.
Also in the postgame, Santana said “I have to protect my teammates”. That’s fine, if, again, Cain threw at Wright intentionally. But if he didn’t, the “protection” line is bs — it’s false bravado, and the wrong way to “show his teammates” that he’ll “protect” them.
What’s most mind-boggling is that Santana truly believes what he says — that retaliation is “part of the game” and is “the right way to play the game”. Yes — IF it’s warranted. Sorry, I don’t care how long Santana has been playing this game, it’s NOT the way you play it, and whomever taught him that it is, they’re wrong too.
There was a time when pitchers threw inside more often, and hit people on purpose more often — but those days were a good 25 years ago. Back then, retaliation was a form of checks and balances, of the players policing themselves. Ever since Bud Selig eliminated the inside pitch with the asinine “umpire warnings”, however, the concept of retaliation no longer applies — you intentionally throw at a hitter, you get thrown out of the game. These players today who think that you retaliate after an unintentional HBP are delusional, and grasping to an edict that has been obsolete since the 1980s.
Again, I am an “old school” guy. I have been on a mound and intentionally hit people. I have also been on the receiving end of pitches (including 90+MPH fastballs to my head), both intentional and unintentional. So I understand “the code”. This retaliation, to me, was a weak and inexcusable way for Johan Santana to show his teammates that he’ll protect them, or that he’s some kind of tough guy. His actions and words on this evening tell me he’s more ignorant and confused than protective.
Notes
The Mets play the Giants at 1:10 PM. Mike Pelfrey pitches against Jonathan Sanchez.
Mets Game 115: Win Over Giants
Mets 3 Giants 0
Admiral Farragut once said, “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!”
Bobby Parnell produced six stellar innings of 3-hit, shutout baseball, and the bullpen held up their end of the bargain to lead the Mets to their second straight victory.
Angel Pagan redeemed himself with a leadoff homerun in the first frame to give the Mets the only run they’d need. Though, the offense was in a particularly giving mood, providing two extra scores via the legs of Luis Castillo.
On-fire Frankie Fantastic earned his second save in as many games.
Notes
Parnell pitched very well, there’s no denying it. But you know I have to find something wrong with his outing, and it’s the pitch count. I am completely amazed that not one member of the media has made a peep about the Mets’ decision to push Parnell from an average of 15 pitches a game to an 85-pitch “limit” over the course of two weeks. Is this not the same New York media that was up in arms when the Yankees transitioned Joba Chamberlain from bullpen to rotation in a similar fashion?
The difference is that Chamberlain had been used very judiciously out of the bullpen for the first two months of the season — pitching on back-to-back days only twice. In contrast, Parnell has been used as a relief pitcher through the first 100 games of the season, in 53 appearances. His usage includes back-to-back days as well as three consecutive days — something he’d never done before in his life.
I will keep harping on this subject until someone takes notice. Bobby Parnell may be one of the few shining stars in the Mets’ future, but only if he is healthy.
Next Mets Game
The Mets host the Giants again at 4:10 PM on Saturday afternoon. Johan Santana faces Matt Cain.
A Whirlwind of Deals
While the Mets remained status quo over the past 48 hours, a number of trades were made among postseason-contending teams. Let’s break them down.
Phillies obtain Cliff Lee and Ben Francisco for prospects Jason Knapp, Carlos Carrasco, Jason Donald and Lou Marson
Wow. The Phillies get a Cy Young winner and a very capable (and relatively young) fourth outfielder in return for three minor leaguers. Granted, those prospects are top-notch, but they are still prospects — not proven MLBers. Further, the Phils did not give up any of Kyle Drabek, JA Happ, Dominic Brown, nor Michael Taylor, their four most coveted youngsters.
Lee steps right in to give the Phillies the best one-two lefty starting combo in MLB. Francisco is a talented offensive force who runs the bases well and has gap / doubles power that could evolve into homerun power at Citizens Bank Park. He is, however, a notorious streak hitter who runs scalding hot and ice cold — not unlike current Phillie Pedro Feliz. This trade more or less locks up the NL East for the Phillies.
Mariners trade Jeff Clement, Ronny Cedeno, Aaron Pribanic, Brett Lorin and Nathan Adcock to the Pirates for Ian Snell and Jack Wilson.
Finally, the Bucs find a taker for Jack Wilson, a hard-nosed, good-fielding, light-hitting, overpaid shortstop. Snell was an eternal enigma who requested a demotion to AAA to get his head straight. Both will do well in Seattle, and the Pirates will be happy with the players they received. Cedeno steps right in to Wilson’s position at shortstop, and Clement is essentially a lefthanded-hitting version of Ryan Doumit — an offensive-minded catcher with some holes behind the plate, and who may eventually find a home at 1B.
White Sox trade Brian Anderson to Red Sox for Mark Kotsay
The Red Sox had DFA’d Kotsay to make room on the roster for Adam LaRoche, so the fact they received anything for him in return is gravy. They get Anderson, who is essentially a hyped-up version of Jeremy Reed, and can stock him in AAA. The White Sox get a veteran bat who will be used immediately in return for a player who was unlikely to ever meet previous expectations. Good move for both clubs.
Giants acquire Ryan Garko from Indians for minor leaguer Scott Barnes.
This was the deal the Mets needed to make — obtain a slugging, under-30, inexpensive first baseman / outfielder who can fill in at 1B and the outfield corners and be a candidate for regular duty in 2010. Unfortunately, the Mets don’t have ANY minor league pitching prospects at the AA level who are coveted by other teams, so such a deal can’t happen — at least, not without the Mets overpaying (as usual). After being drafted out of St. John’s last year, Barnes rocketed through the Giants’ system, and despite being in the minors, could be ahead of where Jon Niese is right now. But since the Giants have tons of young pitching at the MLB level and throughout their system, he was expendable. This is what is defined as “depth”.
Giants acquire Freddy Sanchez for minor league pitcher Tim Alderson
In a matter of 24 hours, the Giants replaced one-half of their infield, adding much-needed offense to their feeble-hitting lineup. In Sanchez they get a solid singles hitter who will step right in to play second base, which has been something of a black hole for San Francisco this year. They did, however, give up a solid pitching prospect in Alderson — a 20-year-old who was ranked the #4 prospect in the Giants’ organization, and the 26th-best prospect in all of baseball. But again, the Giants are loaded with young arms, so it’s not a big deal for them. Maybe they overpaid, but, you have to give up something to get something — especially at the trade deadline. The Bucs, who are going nowhere, did well with this deal.
Final Thoughts
The Phillies deal, obviously, is the one that on the surface most affects the Mets. But the Giants also made moves that should significantly improve their club, and since they’re unlikely to oust the Dodgers in the NL West, they are a major obstacle in terms of the Wild Card.
The Mets likely won’t make a deal — partially because they don’t have the parts to spare, and mainly because they look at players returning from the DL as their “acquisitions”. The problem with that thinking is, you don’t know when those players will return, nor if they’ll return at 100% right away. For example, Jose Reyes might be back by mid-August — but will he be able to run at full speed? Similarly, when / if Carlos Delgado returns, how long will it take him to get his timing back? And will his hip allow him to swing with the same force he had before? Will either Billy Wagner and J.J. Putz be able to crack 90 MPH when they come off the DL? Lots of hopes and wishes — which has been the Mets’ strategy for three years running.
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