Kelly Shoppach Traded to Rays
In the past week, Ed at MetsFever, DJ Short, and Ted Berg all discussed Indians catcher Kelly Shoppach, who would become available if he were non-tendered.
Before I could weigh in on the subject, however, the Indians traded Shoppach to the Tampa Bay Rays.
As a free agent, I liked the idea of 29-year-old Kelly Shoppach — much more than I like the thought of Bengie Molina. But that ship has now sailed, so forget it.
However, whenever one door closes, another opens, right? And with the acquisition of Shoppach, the Rays have to do something with incumbent catcher Dioner Navarro. A-ha !
Navarro hits from both sides of the plate, has a strong arm, and was an All-Star in 2008. Oh, did I mention he’s only 25 years old?
The downside to Navarro is he had an awful year at the plate in 2009, hitting only .218. However, his impressive 2008 season suggests that he has offensive skills — maybe all he needs is a change in scenery to see them return. Again, he’s only 25, so there’s plenty of time to make a comeback. After his awful ‘09, there’s a good chance that the Rays non-tender Navarro. If so, he’ll become a free agent, in which case, I’d hope the Mets would at least make an inquiry. After all, switch-hitting All-Star catchers in their mid-20s don’t grow on trees.
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
Dangers of the Trading Deadline
Maybe it wasn’t so bad that the Mets remained status quo through the July 31 trading deadline.
After all, imagine how the organization would be lambasted if, for example, they traded someone the day before that player’s bobblehead day?
As you many know, the Cleveland Indians dealt All-Star catcher / first baseman Victor Martinez to the Red Sox yesterday. What they did not factor into the trade was the fact that tonight, in Cleveland, is “Victor Martinez Bobblehead Day”. The Indians have confirmed that they do indeed plan to go forward with the promotion.
But that’s not all … on Thursday of next week, the Indians are also going forward with a Victor Martinez chest protector backpack promotion!
Really, they don’t have much of a choice but to go on with both promos. First of all, part of the reason thousands of people purchased tickets to these evenings was to get the items. Secondly, the items have already been manufactured — it’s not like there’s time to rip off the heads from the figurines and replace them with Kelly Shoppach. And finally, there are the promotional partners, who spent their money many moons ago to ensure these evenings would occur and have their brand associated with them.
So for once, congratulate the Mets — by not trading their closer, Frankie Rodriguez bobblehead night can go off without a hitch on September 6th.
Over at Yahoo, “‘duk” has a number of suggestions to make tonight a bit less awkward for the Indians and their fans; among them:
“Combine a little imagination with some sandpaper and it’s actually a Sandy Alomar, Jr. bobblehead!”
“The bad news? We’ve traded Victor to Boston. The good news? You don’t have to go Christmas shopping for your jerk nephew who lives in Columbus but claims to be a lifelong Red Sox fan.”
“It’s still less fragile than Kerry Wood.”
“You think you’re angry now? Wait until the LeBron James t-shirts in 2011.”
C.C. Sabathia vs. the Mets
Tonight, the Yankees send C.C. Sabathia to the mound at Citi Field against the Mets. It’s been a long time since Sabathia started against the Mets, and the last time didn’t go so well for our hometown favorites.
On June 16, 2004, Sabathia threw 8 solid innings of six-hit, one-run ball, as the Indians molested the Mets 9-1 at Shea Stadium in front of a paltry crowd of 29,512.
How long ago was that game? The Mets’ starter was Matt Ginter, Gerald “Ice” Williams was the leadoff hitter, Mike Piazza was the first baseman, Jason Phillips was behind the plate, and Art Howe was the manager.
Here is the entire Mets starting lineup on that ugly night:
Gerald Williams CF
Kaz Matsui SS
Mike Piazza 1B
Cliff Floyd LF
Todd Zeile 3B
Ty Wigginton 2B
Jason Phillips C
Mike Cameron CF
Matt Ginter P
Makes one wonder: how much different will tonight’s lineup look five years from now?
Mets Trade Heilman, Chavez, Smith
According to several sources, the Mets are part of a three-team deal, acquiring J.J. Putz, Jeremy Reed, and Sean Green in return for Aaron Heilman, Joe Smith, Endy Chavez, and Mike Carp.
In the convoluted deal that brings memories of Willie Montanez, Jon Matlack, and John Milner, Heilman, Chavez, and Carp go to Seattle, and Smith goes to Cleveland.
For those unaware, it’s a different Sean Green — this one is a middle reliever — and Jeremy Reed is a lefthanded-hitting outfielder with average speed, no power, and a poor ability to get on base.
It’s a good deal for the Mets in that they get Putz to handle the eighth inning — something he’s done successfully in the past. In addition, Green is a lanky sinkerballer with a deceptive delivery who fits the role of ROOGY.
On the one hand, it does appear to be a good deal for the Mets, assuming that Putz is healthy after struggling through an injury-prone 2008. On the other hand, Heilman, Chavez, and Smith were three of my favorite Mets. Sucks for me. Though, I do hope Aaron finally gets his chance to start in Seattle — though no word yet on whether the Mariners plan to use him as a starter or reliever.
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