Will the Mets Land a Big Fish?
At MetsFansForever, Will Sommer asks several bloggers which “big” free agent will be signed by the Mets
Andrew Vazzano unearths a slice of good news from the winter meetings – that David Wright and Daniel Murphy were working out with Howard Johnson, and Jeff Francoeur may be with HoJo later in the winter.
Ted Berg wrote an uncharacteristically long post poo-poohing the concept of a #2 starter and arguing that the Mets should pass on John Lackey.
Bob Klapisch says the Mets are pretenders
We’re only a day and a half into the winter meetings, but Brooklyn Met Fan is already tired of the rumors.
Kerel Cooper responds to yesterday’s question, “Would You Want Pat Burrell?” :
2009 Analysis: Jeff Francoeur
When Jeff Francoeur was acquired from the Braves in return for Ryan Church, the immediate reaction was mixed. On the one hand, the Mets were getting a 25-year-old, high-energy outfielder who regressed for two and a half years after being considered a cornerstone player and future All-Star. On the other hand, they were giving up a right fielder who — as the statheads will confirm — was a better all-around player at the time of the trade. In other words, the Mets were giving away a known, steady quantity in return for a possible flash-in-the-pan — and at that, one that might be sitting on a cold stove.
It was a moderate-risk, high-reward gamble on Read more
Jeff Francoeur to Return
According to a tweet by Bart Hubbach of the NY Post, the Mets plan to bring Jeff Francoeur back in 2010 — and may even negotiate a contract extension with him.
I know the statheads like to point out his poor OBP, lack of walks, and some other deficiencies in his game (and they’re correct in their analysis), but the bottom line for me is that as a fan I like Jeff Francoeur — I enjoy watching his hard-nosed, old-school style of play, I like his hustle, and i like the fact the he looks like he’s enjoying himself on the field. And since I’m not expecting success from the 2010 Mets, I’m looking for other things to cheer for — i.e., a reason to turn on the TV every night at 7pm. Jeff Francoeur could be one of those reasons.
Much of the criticism for Francoeur came about because Read more
Will Holliday or Bay Affect Francoeur?
The Matt Holliday / Jason Bay buzz is heating up, with the latest news that the Red Sox will not attempt to re-sign Bay but may go after Adrian Gonzalez instead. Further, word from San Francisco is that the Giants don’t have the ducats to pursue either of the free-agent outfielders — which if true narrows the market. Add in the fact that Jon Heyman tweeted that the Mets will pursue a “big-ticket LF” and it would seem that Omar Minaya and co. will be part of the bidding for one or both of Jason Bay and Matt Holliday.
But how will such pursuit affect Jeff Francoeur? Read more
Mets Game 156: Win Over Marlins
Mets 4 Marlins 0
Payback’s a beach …
It wasn’t quite as dramatic as the Marlins’ extinguishing of the Mets’ playoff chances at the end of the 2007 and 2008 seasons, but this game more or less put the kibosh on Florida’s shot at the Wild Card.
Patrick Misch used magic, voodoo, smoke, and mirrors to get through the first five frames, in which he allowed 11 baserunners — yet not one scored. After that, though, he set the Fish down in order, finishing his second MLB win, first shutout, and first complete game.
Meanwhile, the Mets scored four despite the absence of the cavalry — David Wright and Carlos Beltran both had the day off, and well, Carlos Delgado and Jose Reyes still aren’t back. So Jeff Francoeur picked up the slack, blasting his 14th homerun of the season (9th as a Met), and Anderson Hernandez of all people hitting a solo shot. Those two dingers and a sac fly by Josh Thole accounted for the day’s scoring.
Notes
Francoeur also reached over the rightfield wall to snare a fly ball off the bat of Chris Coghlan to prevent a homerun and preserve the shutout.
Wilson Valdez had three hits and played fine defense at shortstop.
Ronny Paulino drives me nuts; he might be one of the most athletic and skilled catchers in the National League, but his lapses in focus and bouts of laziness make him an enigma. He reminds me of Javier Lopez in a non-contract year.
The Marlins have so much good young pitching, but those youngsters can’t seem to put it together. I wonder if they would benefit from a veteran backstop like Pudge Rodriguez, or a different pitching coach / manager. There seems to be a lot of untapped potential on the Miami mound.
Next Mets Game
The Mets move on to Washington, DC to face the Nationals on Monday night. Nelson Figueroa faces Ross Detwiler in a 7:05 PM start.
Francoeur Confused About Marquis?
According to Jeff Francoeur, Colorado pitcher Jason Marquis would “love to” play for the Mets.
Per Frenchy, in the New York Post:
“He’d be a great fit. He’s from Staten Island. He’s a New York type of guy. He’ll probably be coming off the best season he’s ever had.”
Jeff is only half-right. Yes, Jason Marquis would “love” to play in New York — for the Yankees, the team that he grew up rooting for as a Staten Island youngster. But not only because he was a big fan of the Bronx Bombers — but also because the Yankees will PAY.
I strained my oblique muscle from laughter when I read this later sentence typed by Mike Puma in the same article:
Marquis’ easiest path to the Mets would be to accept a hometown discount.
Not likely.
When Jason Marquis was coming off his WORST season as a big leaguer — one in which he lost 16 games, had an ERA over 6, and was left off the Cardinals’ postseason roster as they marched to their improbable championship — he hit the jackpot with a 3-year, $21M deal.
Now, it’s understood that the financial climate in the winter of 2006 was much different than it is now. But considering that Marquis is finishing up the BEST season of his career, I doubt very highly he’s interested in a pay cut.
There aren’t many starting pitchers out there who are a virtual lock to give a team 190+ innings — which Marquis has done five out of the last six years. That on its own, even in a tough market, is worth at least $7-8M per annum (see: Jon Garland). Garland’s price was that low because his ERA was near five and teams felt he was helped by a superior supporting cast. I’d guess that Marquis is looking at a deal in the neighborhood of 3 years / $36M — or what Oliver Perez received last winter. He might get even more, particularly if a New York team enters the bidding. Most likely, the Mets won’t be that New York team — not when they’re looking to cut payroll, rather than add to it.
One more little issue with Jeff Francoeur’s campaign for Marquis — Francoeur himself is not guaranteed to be in New York next year. Personally, I’d be happy to see both Francoeur and Marquis in Mets uniforms next season, but there’s still the matter of arbitration for Frenchy. Rumors abound that the Mets are considering a 3-year extension — in essence to buy out his arbitration years — but as of this moment Francoeur does not have a contract for 2010.
Time will tell. If anything, it shold be an interesting offseason.
Was Sean Green Worth All That?
A sickening feeling came over me after again looking at this December, 2008 trade:
Mets trade Aaron Heilman, Joe Smith, Endy Chavez, Jason Vargas, Mike Carp, Ezequiel Carrera, and Maikel Cleto in return for J.J. Putz, Jeremy Reed, and Sean Green.
Here’s part one of the analysis: Read more
Jeff Francoeur Has Torn Thumb
Although the x-rays proved negative for breaks, an MRI has shown that Jeff Francoeur has torn ligaments in his thumb, the result of a sliding catch made over the weekend.
However, he is not expected to miss significant time. Alex Cora played with similarly torn ligaments in his thumbs, and Francoeur is just as tough — even if his nickname is “Frenchy”.
Ricco On the Rise – and Recommended Francoeur Deal
According to Adam Rubin, Mets insiders believe that John Ricco will eventually replace Omar Minaya as the Mets GM. Certainly, Ricco’s sudden plunge into the role of public speaker for the team is a supporting clue.
Also in Rubin’s report: Omar Minaya credits John Ricco for the Jeff Francoeur trade. (And here we thought it was Rubin who lobbied Minaya to acquire Francoeur … wait, I may be confusing something.)
This is an intriguing claim, considering that Read more
Mets Game 98: Win Over Rockies
Mets 7 Rockies 3
And for a followup routine, the Mets played a baseball game …
The excitement in Flushing began with the firing of Tony Bernazard, an event that closed with a squabble between Omar Minaya and Adam Rubin. For an encore, the Mets held another press conference to speak about the first (but unfortunately, did not announce a steel cage match between Minaya and Rubin). But the crowd at Citi Field clamored for more, so nine men were dressed up and sent out on the field to engage the Colorado Rockies in a battle royale.
The encore for the evening began as a much more benign affair compared to the day’s earlier activities, but finished with a bang. With the score tied 3-3 in the bottom of the eighth, Rockies reliever Juan Rincon couldn’t find the plate and walked the first two batters he faced, and after a Dan Murphy sac bunt, Jeff Francoeur was intentionally walked to load the bases. With LH hitter Cory Sullivan coming to the plate, Colorado Rockies manager Jim Tracy called for LOOGY Franklin Morales, and Jerry Manuel countered with Fernando Tatis. Tatis fell behind 0-2, then laced a low changeup into the seats to give the Mets their first lead of the ballgame.
Pedro Feliciano was credited with the victory and K-Rod pitched a perfect ninth in a non-save situation.
Notes
Oliver Perez allowed three runs on four walks and five hits in five innings of work. Remarkably, most people associated with the Mets will look at it as a “positive step”. The rest of us will refer to it for what it is: garbage.
Not to be lost in the excitement was Brian Stokes’ two perfect innings in relief of Ollie to keep the Mets in the ballgame.
Nice to see Tatis tie into one and deliver such a dramatic victory. We know he’s not the guy who hit like Roy Hobbs last July, and his DPs have been maddening, but his approach to the game makes him someone who is easy to root for. After making contact on the grand slam swing, Tatis was sprinting out of the box, taking nothing for granted. Nice to see.
Dan Murphy hit fourth again and went 1-for-3 with an RBI and a sacrifice bunt. How many MLB cleanup hitters are called on to bunt?
Luis Castillo and David Wright combined to go 4-for-4 with 2 walks and 4 runs scored. The red-hot Castillo is now hitting .305.
Jeff Francoeur blasted his third homerun as a Met, a solo shot in the fourth. In seven games, Francoeur has three homeruns; the rest of the Mets combined have seven taters in the entire month (three of them by Tatis).
This win marks the Mets’ third in a row — their longest winning streak since 1986.
Next Mets Game
The rising Mets take on the Rockies again at 7:10 PM on Tuesday night. Mike Pelfrey goes to the mound against Tottenville HS graduate Jason Marquis.
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