It's good to know that Omar is reading METSamporphasis. Did you know that The Mets have made an offer to LHRP Joe Beimel? The same Joe Beimel who on 11/5/09 I suggested that Mets should've signed before 2009 and should sign again in 2010? Don't believe me? See for yourself.
Don't feel like clicking the link? Here's what I wrote:
The Mets passed on established LHRPs like Joe Beimel and Will Ohman in the [2008] off-season because “Sean Green was such an effective cross-over reliever" ... Beimel (1-6, 35 Ks, 3.58 ERA, 55.1 IP) will be a free agent in 2010. Ignore his 2009 record, because he’s very good and there's no rule that says you can't have two LHRPs in the same bullpen.
A guy like Joe Beimel will be an excellent compliment to Pedro Feliciano, who happens to be the only proven commodity in the Mets bullpen this year. I can't add K-Rod to the "proven" category just yet... he needs to succeed in New York for 162 games (not 81 like he did in 2009).
Incidentally, the other reliable bullpen arm was traded for Gary Matthews, Jr. not long ago. Brian Stokes will play for the Angels - which also happens to be the team that acquired Darren Oliver after we mistakenly let him go after 2006. I really liked Stokes and I thought he would be a good hand in the 'pen for the Mets (not the Angels).
And what's worse, is that it's rumored that Matthews is likely to be traded for... you guessed it, bullpen help! Follow the logic in this one, if you will.
Plan A: Retain Brian Stokes, who has proven that he can succeed in New York.
Plan B: Trade Brian Stokes for an overrated and overpaid CF, and then trade said CF for a relief pitcher who has most likely never succeeded in New York.
If anybody chooses Plan B, please Google "I need to see a shrink because I'm out of my mind."
Earlier this week, I optimistically talked about the 2010 Mets taking shape as a group of hard-nosed underdogs getting ready to upset things in the National League. And that means taking aim at the reigning kings of the NL -- our old pals the Philthies.
Since 2007, the Phillies have been the class of the National League, making two consecutive World Series appearances and winning one of them. It was painful to experience as a Mets fan, but it's motivated me to cheer harder and hope the Phillies can start to experience some of the things we've experienced over the past half decade.
The heartache of the 2006 NLCS... the Tom Glavine disaster of 2007... the horror of the 2008 collapse and the tearful closing of Shea Stadium... the injury-plagued 2009 campaign... All the while things were bad for us, they got better for the Phillies. It's about time fortunes are reversed.
After being almost totally healthy for 3 straight years, perhaps it's time for the Phillies (aka the Phuckins) to get bit by the injury bug? How much mileage is on Roy Halladay's arm? How are Raul Ibañez's 37-year old legs? How will Jimmy Rollins fare when a fly gets stuck between the gap in his two front teeth?
All kidding aside, if things start going south for the Phillies, it's the Mets who can benefit. If the Mets can stay healthy, they have a legitimate shot to stay on the Phillies' heels in 2010. I'm not saying the Mets are going to win the NL East in 2010. I still believe the Phillies will win the division this year. But we can pressure them all year long by winning the Wild Card.
What's more, the Phillies have some very difficult decisions to make in the next 2 years. Jayson Werth, who may be the most talented player on the Phillies, will be a free agent in 2011. He'll command a very big contract, and because Ryan Howard will be a free agent in 2012, it's going to be next to impossible for them to lock him up. Werth's absence will create a huge hole in the Phuckins' offense. It's likely Werth will end up in a big market team that's going to be able to spend. (I'm guessing he'll end up a Dodger after Manny's contract expires. Werth can provide the same offense as Manny and he's a better defender.)
Werth leaving next year will make the Phillies much weaker. The Mets core will be intact (I expect Beltran to resign and end his career with the Mets), and they'll have money to spend like they always do. The Mets are going to get better. The Phillies are not.
Here's to hoping the Mets start to really take aim at their NL East rivals in 2010, and then carry that into 2011 and beyond to reclaim the division and the National League once again.
Spring Training is officially underway, and it seems like the 2010 Mets are in Port St. Lucie in full force. Everybody seems to be motivated less by the failures of 2007 and 2008 and more by the disaster that was 2009. Early reports suggest that most of the returning players are in better physical shape than ever before - David Wright is said to look much stronger, and Ollie Perez and Mike Pelfrey have both shed significant poundage.
It seems that everybody has something to prove in 2010. Whether it's guys returning from injury (Santana, Ollie, Reyes, Maine) or from down years (Wright, K-Rod) or just starting out with the team (Bay, Rod Barajas, Kelvim Escobar), everybody's got a chip on his shoulder. And I couldn't be happier.
Let's get back in the chase and start to dig in right behind The Phillies. Let's give those confidence-oozing scumbags something to fear. Nothing would thrill me more than to see that dirty Hawaiian Shane Victorino peering over his squirrely shoulder, wondering when The Mets will come barrelling over him. (NOTE: It felt really good to write that down. I'm talking really really good.)
Earlier this off-season, I advocated against bringing in Bengie Molina on an expensive 2+ year deal. My advice was to instead sign Rod Barajas. And look where we stand now... Rod Barajas will be the Opening Day catcher for the 2010 New York Mets.
Barajas comes from Toronto, where he has a good deal of experience working with an ace (Roy Halladay) and four guys who need some guidance. Sounds a lot like the Mets situation, doesn't it?
The Mets have in Barajas what they thought they had in Brian Schneider - a backstop with above-average defense who can call a good game. Schneider provided neither, and spent most of his time in New York either on the bench with nagging injuries or flat out on on the DL. Unlike Schneider, Barajas has been relatively healthy for his career and has quite a bit more pop.
With Henry Blanco behind Barajas, some have argued that the Mets may have the best defensive catching tandem in the National League. Blanco is in many ways like Barajas, coming from San Diego and working with an ace (Jake Peavy) and creating an ace (Chris Young). I think Barajas and Blanco can get more out of Pelfrey, Maine and Perez than we've seen to date. And that means good things for The Amazins.
One more note on Blanco... I didn't realize until a few days ago that Blanco was a former teammate of Santana's, and that Johan credits him for his Cy Young season in 2004. Blanco was Minnesota's catcher then. What's even more ironic is that Santana had the same surgery after the 2003 season that he had this past fall. Perhaps the stars are aligned for Johan and the Mets in 2010.
My next blog will be entitled "Taking Aim," and it'll look a lot like the anti-Philly paragraph above.
Finally the Mets can walk away from Bengie Molina. Yesterday, he signed a 1-year, $4.5 million contract to return to San Francisco. I'm so relieved.
I made no secret about the fact that I didn't think Molina was a good fit for the Mets, especially considering that my mantra in going forward is to be "speed and defense." Ask anybody who's watched a Molina play for the Giants and they'll tell you that he hits into rally-killing double plays more often than he hits RBI doubles.
What we really lose out on here is his ability to handle a pitching staff and make mediocre guys look good. Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the Mets bring in Henry Blanco to do that very thing? Blanco is a terrific defensive catcher, and he has a history of working well with pitchers. When he was in Chicago, Carlos Zambrano put up some of his best numbers. It looks like Blanco will be our catcher in 2010.
Now I'm not saying that the situation is ideal. Blanco, 39, is a career .228 hitter. The most HRs he's hit in a season is 10, and that was in 2004. Blanco will be in there for his defense, no doubt, and he'll bat 8th. Molina would've given more flexibility in the lineup, but not enough to warrant paying his asking price.
I'm glad Omar passed on Bengie. This lets Blanco and Omir Santos (and possibly Chris Coste) fill in as the backstop for the immediate future, while allowing time to let Josh Thole to either develop or fade.
Now the Mets can focus on obtaining a solid starting pitcher. I've read this morning that they made a 2-year offer to Joel Piñeiro. I'm not sure of the value of the contract, but I've also read that the Mets do not intend to offer more than 2 years. I'm pleased about this, too. The 2010-2011 free agent crop boasts a great many quality SPs. If the Mets don't acquire Piñeiro, they can do better next year.
Now that Jason Bay is in the fold and we've got our lineup pretty well in order, it's finally time to turn our attention to the rotation and starting catcher position.
Focusing on the latter first, I've come to grips with the idea that Bengie Molina will be a Met in 2010. I'm okay with that, as long as it doesn't mean he'll be a Met in 2011 and 2012 by default. Molina is looking for 3-years, $20 million. Other than the Mets, nobody else has even made him an offer. Omar deserves some more credit for playing this one smartly. There's no market for Molina outside of New York. Basically, Omar is saying: "Bengie, when you realize that we're all you've got, please accept our offer of 1-year, $6 million with a year 2 option."
I made some misinformed statements a few weeks ago about Molina and the impact he might have on a pitching staff. After doing some research and reading about him, it appears that Molina has a track record of making mediocre pitchers good, making good pitchers great and making great pitchers even greater. Nothing screams mediocrity like #s 2-3-4 in the Mets rotation. If Molina can harness the talent that Big Pelf, Maine and Ollie possess, perhaps I can overlook that his weight = his OBP.
There's still the missing piece... a 5th starter. I'm of the opinion that the Mets really need a dynamite #2-type pitcher. The only "safe" free agent being Joel Piñeiro (where safe = hasn't been hurt in a while), but the deal he wants (3-years, $30 million) is something to give to a true #2... not a guy coming off a career year.
There's Ben Sheets, who when right, is one of the top 5 pitchers in baseball. When he's not right, it's because he's injured. It's tempting to think about a 1-2 punch of Johan and Sheets, but when he's not available -- and he will be -- we'll be back to where we started.
I think the Mets are going to end up signing Jon Garland to a 1-year deal. Garland is a good anchor in that you know what you're going to get from him -- quality starts, good control and the ability to manage a game. He's thrown 200+ innings in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009 (and only missed by 3 in 2008). His career ERA is 4.42. He's not an ace by any means, but he's a solid guy who can help and he won't cost a fortune.
With Garland in the fold, the rotation will look as follows:
1 - Johan Santana
2 - Mike Pelfrey
3 - Jon Garland
4 - Oliver Perez
5 - John Maine
Is it ideal? Not really. But it's better than the alternative of having Jon Niese or Fernando Nieve as the #5 (and that's not a knock on Niese or Nieve).
Pending his physical, Jason Bay will officially be announced as a Met this week. Our offensive woes, it may seem, are cured. Bay is almost a lock to hit .265-.270, hit 25-30 HRs and have 110+ RBIs. His bat will also increase the number of runs scored by Reyes, Castillo and Beltran, assuming they bat 1-2-3 in the order.
Kudos to Omar Minaya. That's right, I said it. Kudos, Omar. He signed Jason Bay to the contract that he was originally offered. Omar didn't take the "mystery team" bait. He offered 4 years. Bay signed for 4 years, with an option for year 5.
I hope Omar continues to take the same approach with Bengie Molina. Although the fat man wants 3 years, Omar is sticking with his 1-year + option offer of $6 million per season. For what it's worth, I'm actually starting to come around to having Molina as a Met. Looking at what Molina did in San Francisco with a young pitching staff, he just might be what Ollie and Big Pelf need to help them harness their abilities. (In fact, I read somewhere that with Molina behind the dish, Ollie and Pelf could be the 2010 version of Jonathan Sanchez and Matt Cain.)
Once Molina is signed, I hope Omar doesn't decide to call it quits. Better backstop or not, the Mets still need a legitimate #2 starter. The answer just might be in Chicago, in the form of the volatile Carlos Zambrano. Not to be confused with Victor, "Big Z" is a legit #2 who has John Lackey's attitude and Lou Pinella's temper. Plus he's Latino, which is always a selling point for Omar.
I've heard that The Cubs aren't going to trade him, but I've also heard that they're trying to cut salary. The Mets could offer a package of a Major League ready arm, Luis Castillo and perhaps a few other prospects for Zambrano. Once Luis is out of the way, Orlando Hudson could be had for $3 million.
Keep your eyes peeled, folks. Lots of good stuff will happen in the next 10 days for The Metsies.
The Braves sign Billy Wagner and Takashi Saito. The Phillies sign Placido Polanco and trade for Roy Halladay. The Yankees sign Curtis Granderson. The Red Sox sign John Lackey and Mike Cameron, and are making an effort to trade for Adrian Gonzalez.
How do The Mets respond? By signing 30-year old Japanese relief pitcher Ryota Igarashi, that's how.
Omar expects to hear from Jason Bay today, and I've heard the Mets are searching through the all-you-can-eat buffets in Bengie Molina's native Puerto Rico to find him and get an answer from him.
All kidding aside, I've reached a point where I think it's okay if Omar doesn't sign either guy. It'd be a shame, but with the pitching staff in its current state, I honestly don't think either acquisition will be enough of difference maker.
For Bay, although I like him a lot, committing that kind of money to a marginal defensive player a year before Carl Crawford will be a free agent is a huge mistake. As I've evidenced several times before, Crawford is a perfect fit for The Mets.
For Molina, he's now asking for a 3-year, $20MM contract. Laughable, I say!! I'm wondering which other teams are involved in signing Molina, and which ones are offering more than the Mets original 2-year, $10MM contract? I don't want Molina at all, and it'll only make me more upset if he gets a 3-year deal!
Anyway, my point is that the 2010-2011 free agent class features a much better group of pitchers and outfielders. Brian Cashman had the right idea when he passed on Johan in 2007-2008, because he signed CC, AJ and Tex in 2008-2009 and the rest is history. Unfortunately for Omar, if the Mets have a bad showing in 2010, he may not have the chance to pull a Cashman and redeem himself.
And this is why I'm seriously concerned. Omar, in a effort to retain his job, might make a deal for the sake of making a deal (bidding against himself for Bay and/or Molina). I just hope whatever he does this year doesn't affect what the team can do next year, because let's face it... the 2010 Mets are not a "Win Now" team.
