Mets Free Agents: Who Would You Keep?

In case you missed it, the following 2012 Mets are now free agents: Scott Hairston, Jon Rauch, Ramon Ramirez, Ronny Cedeno, Kelly Shoppach, Tim Byrdak and Chris Young. Which of these seven wonders would you bring back in 2013, if you were GM? Let’s take a look at each … Continue reading

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What If Pedro Martinez Didn’t Sign with the Mets?

So, last night I was watching Bob Costas’ “Studio 42” interview with Pedro Martinez. One of the discussion points was Pedro’s leaving Boston for the Mets, and Martinez made very clear that he wanted very much to stay in Boston, and would have passed on Omar Minaya’s 4-year offer for a 3-year deal from the Red Sox, had Larry Lucchino not “waited till the last minute” / presented the contract so late in the process (according to Pedro, it was within 15 minutes before the deadline).

I vaguely remembered this turn of events, but hearing it again — and now with the benefit of hindsight — I really have to wonder: what if Lucchino had made that 3-year offer earlier, and Pedro re-signed with the Bosox? How might that have changed the course of history for the New York Mets? Continue reading

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2012 Analysis: Jeremy Hefner

Once July came around, there wasn’t much for baseball fans in Queens to root for. Outsiders would likely chuckle at the idea that Mets fans found it thrilling when a journeyman minor leaguer such as Jeremy Hefner made a start. Yet, if you lived it, you know that things regressed that badly. Continue reading

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Deconstructing the Restructured Giants

During World Series week we discussed the complete overhaul of the San Francisco Giants starting lineup from 2010 to 2012. I suggested that theirs was a strategy of “doing it wrong quickly” and after looking more deeply into the matter, I’m standing by that theory. Further, it seems to be a strategy that the Giants have employed for a while, and it’s worth investigating the construction of their 2010 squad as well. Let’s start with the 2010-2012 turnover first, however, honing in on the World Series starters at each position. Continue reading

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The Mets: An Off-Season Primer

The confetti hasn’t been entirely swept up in San Francisco and already, stories about potential Met moves this off-season have stretched into the realm of the absurd. Don’t take my word for it; check out yesterday’s Post story about Cody Ross. Mike Puma writes about “sources” and uses phrases like “could target, ” while not supplying a single attributed quote to a Met official. Mike might just as well write that his dog told him this rumor. Right on cue however, the story gets posted on Metsblog!

The Mets aren’t getting Continue reading

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2012 Evaluation: Matt Harvey

Hope died quickly for Mets fans after the 2012 All-Star Break, turning into despair. The season seemed all but lost, and in many ways, another step backward for the organization. That is, until Matt Harvey arrived. Continue reading

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2012 Evaluation: Dillon Gee

After a breakout 2011 season that saw him win 13 games, the future looked bright for over-achiever Dillon Gee. And, Gee built on that promise with even better performance in the first half of 2012, but unfortunately, the season ended with more questions than answers. Continue reading

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2012 Analysis: Frank Francisco

After tearing up the AL East with a 17-save campaign for the Toronto Blue Jays as a 31-year-old in 2011, Frank Francisco was the Mets’ biggest free-agent signing last winter – they hooked this big fish for two years, $12M to solidify the all-important ninth inning closer role. That’s right, folks: we have another year of watching Frank-Frank try to close the door on potential Mets victories. Continue reading

Posted in 12-13 Offseason, 2012 Mets Evaluations | Tagged | 4 Comments