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Baseball Primer Newsblog— The Best News Links from the Baseball Newsstand
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
“I’m having as much fun as I’ve had in a long time, and that’s a big factor for me,’’ Glavine told The Post on Sunday night. “It’s a fun team to come to the ballpark with every day. All the factors are there [to coming back].’‘
It’s likely Glavine will decline his option with the Mets and sign a new contract with the club for 2008 in the $12 million range. There’s always the chance the Braves, who were beaten 3-2 by the Mets last night at Shea, could go after Glavine again, but Atlanta has not come up with the money in the past, and that is not expected to change. Glavine’s offseason home is in Georgia, but Glavine has found a new home in New York, and next year would be his sixth season with the Mets.
Glavine seems like he wants to stay with the Mets rather than sign with Atlanta, which was clearly his preference last year. The Mets could potentially have a logjam next season when it comes to starting pitchers with Pedro, Duque, Glavine, Perez, Duque, Pelfrey and Humber.
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Honestly, this does create an issue for the Mets. I don't think Humber is an issue, because he could use another year in AAA. But Pelfrey, to me, is ready and should take a spot.
But what do you do? If you want to be hard-edged about it, the difference between Glavine and Pelfrey is not worth $12M, and the $12M could be better spent elsewhere. But I guarantee you the Mets won't think that way. They'll think they have a question mark in Pedro, and somewhat of a question mark in El Duque because of his age and fragility. So you want the most rock-solid guy you could ever want . . . and that's Tom Glavine. Not Mike Pelfrey.
So the top of the rotation will be yet another year older . . . ancient, even. I don't love it, let's just say that.
Two Duques? Is Adrian Hernandez making a comeback?
Remember the Maine!!!
As for Glavine, two years ago I would have said that he'd be looking for a way back to Atlanta, but NY obviously gives him a better chance to be on a winning ballclub. Moreover, given how frustrated Smoltz and Chipper have seemed this year (with each other and at the general situation in Atlanta), Leo being gone, and all the rest, Glavine is no doubt smart enough to realize that you can't go home again.
Absolutely. And that's smart, too. Any team that will be riding Pedro's surgically repaired shoulder and El Duque's fragile body into the season sure as hell better have some spare pitchers lying around.
The downside of it is that it begins to look to the young ones like there just isn't an opportunity in this organization . . . .
$12mm for one year? It won't make or break the 2008 Mets either way, I think.
I'd worry about this if I were running a tech company, but the Mets have these guys locked up for a while. If Glavine and El Duque are still around clogging roster spots when the young ones become eligible for free agency, well, then the Mets have bigger problems than anyone realizes.
Remember when the Jays loaded up on every available cheap free agent starter? At the beginning of the year, they had Halliday, Burnett, Chacin, Towers, McGowan, Marcum, Janssen, Litsch, Zambrano, Okha, and Thompson, and they've needed pretty much all of them to put together a solid starting rotation.
Simply put, if the Mets only have seven guys that can fill out a rotation next year, they're likely to run into trouble at some point. It is true that you can never have too many starting pitchers.
Pitching coaches make that kind of money?
Yeah, well, young ones like Maine and Perez got their opportunities. And it isn't as if Duque is going to have 200 IP. Or that Pedro is an innings eater with no injury concerns.
If all it would take is $12 M / 1 for Glavine, that seems like a no brainer to me.
In addition to the seven mentioned above, the Mets have Jorge Sosa who did a decent enough job as a 5th starter this year and Jason Vargas, who has been pretty bad the last two seasons, but who had a taste of major league success in 2005. Kevin Mulvey might be able to help sometime during the 2008 season. That's already 10 guys the Mets have who could fill out the rotation.
Omar is probably going to look to trade some pitching for a catcher. He almost has to.
Is ~200 innings of above (NL) average pitching with, I don't know, a 30% chance of total collapse worth $12 million? To the Mets, maybe it is.
I'm not even sure it's going to be easy to find something to spend money on this offseason. We were talking about this in chatter yesterday.
My original comment wasn't intended to be a criticism of the Mets. Rather, it was just intended as an observation of the volatility of pitching in general, and starting pitching in particular, and the danger of relying too much on the frontline guys without considering depth..
This seems like a no-brainer. If the older pitchers break down, you have Pelfrey and Humber. If they don't, who cares how old they are, plus you can reevaluate after 2008.
One thing to keep in mind if I'm a young Met pitching prospect is the fact that Pedro, Glavine, Duque, and Perez could all be gone after 2008. Obviously, Minaya has to keep that in mind.
At the same time, Pedro, Duque, & Glavine probably means the need for a long man in the pen, might Humber or Pelfrey be that for a year? If Perez and Maine are on the team, they have to start. Might Maine be a sell/trade high option?
Wow, it's going to be an interesting off season for the Mets.
The Mets don't ever seem to do that.
I wouldn't rush to trade Maine and I think he's more of 100 ERA+ guy than what he's shown this season. Again, the Mets might have a logjam in 2008 but they could be lacking depth as soon as 2009. Maine won't even be arbitration eligible until 2010. Unless I get a young stud second baseman or catcher, I don't move Maine.
That was the first thing I thought of, when I saw the headline. ;-).
If a guy can still pitch well enough to hold down a spot in a major league rotation, it is very, very hard to walk away.
As to the price tag: In thinking about what Glavine will be worth, do not limit it to what this year's pitchers are making; think about what the cost will be next year, when there may not be a lot of pitching on the market.
The Mets now have the luxury of surplus. I expect Omar to make a deal of some kind.
Of course, if he stays with the Mets, I hope Maine continues to realize the promise he shown this year.
There's also the possibility that if Pelfrey does emerge next year, the Mets can then use Maine as the centerpiece to acquire another major piece.
Depending on the division and the home ballpark, I think Maine would do quite well in the AL. He did post a 3.72 ERA against the AL this season. Don't underrate the offenses in the NL East. Atlanta, Philly, and the Marlins all have very good offenses. It's not easy to pitch to these lineups.
John Maine for Richie Weeks.
I'm with the others who think the Mets would absolutely have to keep Glavine. The two best available pitchers for the offseason signed extensions (Zambrano, Buerhle).
Do you like anyone on this list for a long term deal?
I'm not even sure it's going to be easy to find something to spend money on this offseason. We were talking about this in chatter yesterday.
This is a terrible offseason for the Mets; the best players likely to be available are OFs. I think the Mets re-sign Castillo, keep Alou, and I have no clue what they do for catcher.
John Maine for Richie Weeks.
That's an idea. Not a good idea, but an idea.
I'm not overly excited about a long-term deal for Castillo, given his injury issues. But you're right- there's no match between FA and what the Mets will need.
It didn't quite work out that way. It's quite funny actually, the Jays have a nice rotation right now because they were forced into it. Burnett, Chacin, Zambrano, got hurt, Halladay got sick, Towers and Okha got rocked. With the "experience" all on the shelf, they had to look to the promising kids. It was the first time they knew they would get regular work and not lose a job after a bad start. They got a chance to settle in and *BOOM*.
I honestly think that if the team had of been healthy the Jays would have a rotation of Halladay, Burnett, Chacin, Zambrano, and Towers and trying to avoid a 100-loss season. Quite frankly, all the injuries might have saved J.P. Ricciardi and John Gibbons' jobs. Now they got an extremely solid front four. I'm not sold on Litsch; his ERA masks the fact that he's given up a lot of unearned runs, his raw stuff isn't overwhelming, he gives up 10 hits/9 IP, and surrendered 12 HR in 87.2 IP. His control is good 2.8 BB/9 IP. What I see is a slightly better version of Josh Towers. I suppose 180 innings of league average work for a fifth starter is O.K. however I think that's about all than can be reasonably expected.
Of course the injuries to B.J. Ryan and Brandon League have allowed Casey Janssen and Jeremy Accardo to emerge (the last two games shenanigans notwithstanding). I hope Janssen gets a chance to try for the No. 5 starter job next spring rather than handing it to Litsch.
Amazing. The Jays have a shot at the best pitching in baseball in 2008 and they owe it all to injuries.
Best Regards
John
That's an idea. Not a good idea, but an idea.
Not a terrible trade either. But Weeks hasn't shown me that he's solid enough with the glove or exceptional enough with the bat to be worth Maine.
My stance on Castillo hasn't changed. A good player who in the long term should be a backup plan for 2B in case Gotay or IPOR can't improve enough to be the answer. Maybe the Mets can afford to have an expensive insurance plan, but I'm not sure Slappy would be happy on the bench.
He's 25 this week. His defense is terrible. He's at .232/.369/.400 this year, .249/.354/.398 career. You think he's close to enough of an upgrade over Ruben Gotay (three months younger, .314/.470/.448 this year, .262/.318/.381 career) that he's worth a young pre-arb starter with 120 and 111 ERA+ seasons in 06-07?
I hope to God this doesn't come to pass.
Perhaps, but if you dangle $12M out there, someone with a contract he doesn't like and bad judgment is going to be willing to deal a player he really ought to hold on to. Someone Omar will be smart enough to take off a sucker's . . . I mean, colleague's . . . hands.
If the Brewers are willing to give the Mets Rickie Weeks for John Maine, I run -- don't walk, RUN -- to make that trade. Are you kidding me??? That is a massive rearranging of our talent base into a more useful shape for 2008. And I love John Maine. But a pitcher who doesn't consistently throw strikes? That's a pitcher you can afford to part with if you have a surplus and a big-time need elsewhere.
Surplus pitching is wonderful. But having a guy ready to come into his own and be a bona fide major league starting pitcher wasting his time in the PCL is also a waste of an asset, for all that time he spends down there. If you don't share my view of Mike Pelfrey's readiness, then fine -- it's not an issue for you. But I just chafe at the idea that half his season next year will be spent tossing innings onto the scrap heap in New Orleans, even if he manages to get half a year in with the big club stepping in for various members of the rotation when they need him to.
Sam, I'm not 100% with you on Pelfrey's readiness, though I like him much more since June, when he began throwing 95-96 again. But where we part is over how good Rickie Weeks is, apparently. Not to say I've given up on Weeks. But for a pitcher of Maine's caliber, entering his age-27 season, not to mention with this full season under his belt (increasing the likelihood he won't tire next season late in the year), I don't want a subpar defensive 2B with a .752 career OPS that he is only marginally besting this year.
Trade Maine for a top-flight 2B? Sure. Trade for Rickie Weeks? You bet. Trade Maine for Weeks? No freakin' way!
If Gotay can get on base at a .470 clip, we would be putting him in the Reyes/Wright cornerstone status.
And I love John Maine. But a pitcher who doesn't consistently throw strikes? That's a pitcher you can afford to part with if you have a surplus and a big-time need elsewhere.
Maine is still a fairly young pitcher, and most young pitchers can't consistently throw strikes. If he could, we would be talking about Roy Oswalt here. BTW, this criticism of Maine applies 2-fold towards Pelfrey.
Maine still has room to grow. I wouldn't part with him easily. I also don't see 2B as a big-time need.
Maine *and* a good OF prospect? Man, are we getting a little giddy now that Littlefield is no longer the GM?
Can always move Reyes back to 2B, so what SS can we trade for. I'm kidding of course.
if it's A-Rod, I'd consider it.
That pretty much sums up my stance as well. I'd offer Humber or Mulvey for Weeks (and yes, I know Harvey will slam the door in my face).
The guy I'd love to get on the cheap from the Brew would be Capuano. He seems like the type of guy that Peterson might be able to fix.
KazMat may be available this offseason.
Thats what every team has to do.
I'm still pretty high on Humber. His velocity is down a little bit from last season but if he can get back to 92-93 MPH he's got ace potential. He's got command of his fastball and his curve is nasty. If the velocity dip is just temporary, maybe because he is tired after throwing just 150 IP over 2005-2006), he'll be fine.
Humber's curve is a much better secondary pitch than anything Maine features.
Hah. A guy with a career high OPS+ of 117, entering his 30s, and you're going to get a quality starting pitcher AND an elite prospect for him? Give me a break.
Maine is still a fairly young pitcher, and most young pitchers can't consistently throw strikes. If he could, we would be talking about Roy Oswalt here. BTW, this criticism of Maine applies 2-fold towards Pelfrey.
Yes, it does. And I'd trade Pelfrey for Rickie Weeks, too. Believe me. I think you guys are seriously underrating Weeks' value here. He is young, cheap, and with upside to burn. If you could get him for one starting pitcher, straight up, you have to do it. No doubt, he's had a year to forget -- at least most of it. But even at that, Weeks has put up a .369 OBP -- higher than Mr. Ideal # 2 Hitter Luis Castillo. Think about how expensive Castillo is going to be, and for how long you'd have to sign him, and how fragile he is. Weeks isn't going anywhere, I'm pretty sure. But if we could get him, I'd want him.
Hey, I like Weeks too, but he's not a sure bet at this point. He's also not young enough to the point where we're not sure that "what we're seeing is what we're going to be getting." I.e, a guy who can get on base, has decent pop, but struggle to hit for a high average. Of greater concern is what his ceiling is as a defensive 2Bman, is he at best an average 2Bman? Finally, keep in mind that he gets hurt frequently and plays a position which punishes the fragile body.
He's like Gotay (+ extra) to me, someone who I like a lot, but have my reservations due to the glove. I'm surprised that you're so high on Weeks given your definitive negativity towards Gotay.
Here is the latest on Mr. Weeks: Since returning from his stint in Tripl A on August 10th Rickie's hit .312 with a .495 on-base percentage, and Rickie's averaging 4.63 pitches per plate appearance, which is first on the team. Since Aug. 10, Rickie's got the highest on-base percentage in the NL and the second-highest in baseball behind Alex Rodriguez.
That information courtesy of the Brewers page.
Weeks was among the league leaders in runs scored in the NL in early June of 2006 before hurting his wrist and then sitting out hte last two months. He came back too quick, was dreadful for two months this season, but is now healthy and ripping the bejeesus out of the ball including a 2 homer game against Cincy on Sunday.
Weeks is one of the best basestealers on the team bested only by Corey Hart. Weeks has altered his approach at the plate to reduce the number of hits batsmen so as to avoid further injury.
Weeks was the number one pick from the draft a few years back, the club has invested a LOT of time and effort in making his defense at second base BETTER and there is NO WAY ON GOD'S GREEN EARTH that Doug Melvin is going to give up NOW. Not when it looks like the lad has finally turned the corner.
So while in the abstract a trade might look feasible, it's not. I don't know much but I know enough about the stubbornness of Doug Melvin to know that he ain't letting this kid get away when he's 25 and looking to explode on the league. Weeks has stunk this season and still scored 69 runs on 81 base hits. That's Rickey territory.
The Brewer pitching in 2008? It's Sheets, Suppan, Gallardo and Parra with a catfight for the fifth spot among Villanueva, Capuano, and Bush. My money is on Carlos.
Just my two cents........................
EDIT:
My error. It's 65 runs on 79 base hits. I apologize for any confusion........
I agree with you about Weeks' upside, and I'd do Humber / Mulvey + stuff for him without thinking twice. Even at his current level, a 100 OPS+, with high OBP at 2b is good. But for a cheap above average pitcher like Maine, Weeks' defense is a serious concern.
I believe the first Duque is El Duque's brother Livan...
Agreed. I love Humber too, but we ain't finding our 2Bman of the future in the trade market by offering Bobby Parnell.
Mmmm, I'd love to see either in a Mets uniform. But there's this old proverb about a 2Bman on the roster being worth more than two in the bush ...
That's a fair comment, so let me address it. Given Gotay's track record, I am far from convinced his year with the bat is a genuine indication of what you can expect from him going forward. And even at that, look at his OBP: his perhaps flukish year, with a .314 BA, has produced "only" a .370 OBP. If I'm unconvinced he can sustain that, or anything close to that, then you have to believe I'm not going to be willing to tolerate a lead glove and poor range. Well, I don't think he can sustain it. I think he's more realistically a .260 hitter, with a corresponding .310 OBP. So the glove is intolerable.
Weeks, OTOH, even at his worst, when he's hitting .260-.270, STILL puts up a .370 OBP. For a guy who can do that, and whom I believe can and will do better as he puts injuries behind him and completes his development, the sky is the limit. For a guy like that, I tolerate the defensive issues. Not happily, mind you . . . but I tolerate them.
The problem is that Doug Melvin is not Dave Littlefield. He's not going to go through all the growing pains, a la Ollie Perez, and then give up the player just as he's ready to put all the pieces together and become the productive, perhaps star, player he had the potential to be all along. But IF . . . if he were willing to, the Mets should be all over the opportunity.
The only thing that creates even the sliver of a chance it could happen is how desperate the Brewers are for quality starting pitching. But you can't steal a Weeks from Melvin for nothing the way we stole Perez for Nady. While Maine would have to be awfully tempting to them -- certainly enough that they'd make a counter-offer of some sort -- Weeks ain't gonna happen. I hope you nay-sayers are happy. You killed a great deal. ;-)
Actually, Weeks OBP is .369 with a batting average of .232.
And it's "Doug" Melvin.............
1) When the Mets first signed Glavine, did anybody think that we would even be arguing if it was wise for the Mets to sign him for a sixth season at $12 mil?
2) I know the Mets don't do this, but why not use Pelfrey and Humber in the bullpen for a season? They throw hard, and I imagine their stuff would be pretty intimidating for one inning. Pelfrey especially has shown a bit of butterflies in the majors. I think a year in the pen might be the ideal way to break him in.
3) I'm not trading John Maine. The guy has a very, very good fastball. I think he has the type of fastball that could make him a true ace. He strikes guys out. His walk rate isn't alarmingly high. His secondary pitches and control need work, but he's only 26 and has already shown that he can be effective with what he has. I think there is real upside with Maine, no downside and he's cheap.
4) I'm not feeling Rickie Weeks. I'll ride with Ruben Gotay.
Makes my point even more powerful. That is a player to grow with.
There is nothing -- nothing -- better than to have patience with a young player and then watch the pay-off. I am pretty darned sure the Brewers are going to have that pleasure with Mr. Weeks. Big time.
And it's "Doug" Melvin.............
That's what I wrote. Might want to check those lenses, HW.
(Man, I love that edit feature!)
Bill Hall.
I kid you not. For various reasons too long to recount Hall has been relegated to a semi-platoon role with Gabe Gross and isn't happy about it. Corey Hart has filled in at center and done well. My guess is that if someone came along with some arms and maybe a backup catcher Melvin wouldn't blink.
Hall is signed to an inexpensive contract, he could play second base (pretty well I might add) and freed from Ned Yost's bullsh*t would come back with a .280/.350/.510 season in Shea. Yost and Hall are at odds and it's one of the unspoken elements that has made this team so schizoid. And trust me, it ain't Billy.
Think about it...............
Agreed. And I've seen that slider Maine throws - at times, that's a hell of slider - starts off towards the middle and breaks just off the plate. If he harnesses that pitch (10-20% chance?), that's two plus pitches in the arsenal.
When I say using Maine as a centerpiece, I mean using Maine to get someone of high impact. Someone more than Rickie Weeks, which is substantial since I like Weeks almost as much as Sam and agree with most of his points regarding Week's abilities.
Now in left he makes Dunn look agile. But the boy can flat out HIT....................
I kid you not. . . . My guess is that if someone came along with some arms and maybe a backup catcher Melvin wouldn't blink.
The Mets don't have a catcher (back up or otherwise) to offer, if that's what it would take.
I like Hall a lot, but not for John Maine. Then too, we'll have to wait and see if the source of the conflict isn't removed if Yost is sent packing sometime in October.
I kid you not. For various reasons too long to recount Hall has been relegated to a semi-platoon role with Gabe Gross and isn't happy about it. Corey Hart has filled in at center and done well. My guess is that if someone came along with some arms and maybe a backup catcher Melvin wouldn't blink.
Hall is signed to an inexpensive contract, he could play second base (pretty well I might add) and freed from Ned Yost's bullsh*t would come back with a .280/.350/.510 season in Shea. Yost and Hall are at odds and it's one of the unspoken elements that has made this team so schizoid. And trust me, it ain't Billy.
Think about it...............
Funny, Harvey, Hall was the player I was thinking about before we broke off into this Weeks love/hatefest. My only concern would be whether he can relearn 2B after spending a year in the OF. But his upside is worth giving an extended look and his value should be down after a poor season.
Why do people keep equating Mulvey and Humber? They're not similar tiers in my eyes.
BTW, this kid Dylan Owen has looked good down in Brooklyn.
Well, I wrote maybe a catcher. That would be helpful with Damian Miller having turned 50 and now shooting everything to right field when at bat. Miller's a great guy and pretty much the mirror opposite of Estrada (who is a poor defensive catcher, something of a jerk, a decent hitter) but Milwaukee needs an alternative.
Hall really hasn't had a bad year except after two really good ones everyone expected more at age 27. But he agreed to move to center, fussed nonstop over his defense and by his own admission got away from his hitting routines, got hot in June, got hurt, came back too soon to try and help, didn't hit, got benched, b*tched about it in public, p*ssed of Ned, got benched AGAIN in San Fran, b*tched AGAIN, and has since been in that timeshare with Gross who got hot after returning from Nashville.
Basically, it's been one big "F*CK YOU" year to Bill courtesy of the baseball gods. WIth a helping hand from a petty little twerp looking to show everyone who is boss.
If I were Melvin, the best way to recoup Hall's value is the simplest and most direct: fire Yost. Of course, that still leaves him needing a starting pitcher and a reliever or five.
I don't think that they're equivalent either. I added Humber because Mulvey for Hall sounds too lopsided.
They signed Bill to a 4 year deal this past offseason. I am sure you can find the total somewhere.
The only free agent is Jenkins who is almost certainly going to be allowed to find another home.
Sheets is in his walk year in 2008.
Also, Maine for Brandon Phillips - fair deal or no? (Not that Phillips is available or anything.)
As a follow up and what no Brewer fan wants to talk about is that by attacking Hall Yost has almost certainly alienated the other African-American players on the team. You know, guys like Weeks and FIELDER. Fielder was already hot when they demoted Weeks for poor performance while guys like Capuano stayed in the rotation. Then the Hall thing. Publicly criticizing Bill Hall for poor play is akin to p*ssing on Fielder's cleats. Do you REALLY want to go there??
If the Brewers pull this thing out it will be because they played the 1940 Cleveland Indians with Yost as Vitt.
I'd MUCH rather have Rickie Weeks than Brandon Phillips. Give me a guy who has the essential baseball skill of getting his ass on base and its corresponding blessing: not making outs. Brandon Phillips makes outs like Keebler elves make cookies: by the thousands. I don't want a second baseman with a .330 OBP in his best year. Pass.
But Phillips is an astounding defensive player. Should be playing shortstop.
But he's a local hero in Cincy. There is NO CHANCE he gets traded.
Second baseman worth a look:
Esteban German has been in the majors for about 700 at bats and has a .370 OBP and decent defense.
Martin Prado is 23 years old, has a career .352 minor league OBP and hit .316 at Richmond. Kelly JOhnson at second. Maybe the Braves do something?
Brandon Phillips doesn't slug .500 in Shea Stadium, I'll tell you that. Of course, there's only one more season to play in the ol' ball yard anyway. Who knows about Citifield?
Sam, you'd rather have Bill Hall than Brandon Phillips?
I'd rather pay the price it would take to acquire Hall than Phillips, yes. But as HW points out, Phillips is going nowhere anyway so it's a moot point anyway.
Raskal:
Actually, what isn't understood is that Capuano has been BAD since July 2006. He's won all of six games (6!) since the All-Star Break of 2006 and with an ERA almost 6. Guys like Silver, Gassko, etc. want to put the blame on the defense. And while the defense hasn't been good it ain't generating no 7.00 plus ERA since May which is what Capuano has done. Why is it a guy like Gallardo and Sheets can get guys out but Capuano can't?
Everybody looks at his strikeout rate and think, "Oh, Braun has killed this team with his defense." But I will tell you that when Capuano is pitching who is playing behind him almost doesn't matter. He isn't giving up bloops. He is giving up ROCKETS. As to "why", he simply cannot change speeds sufficiently well to offset the loss of movement on his pitches. WAY too many 89 mph fastballs thigh high or change ups not dropping enough on their way to the plate. Everything is between 79-89 with little wiggle. It's a recipe for disaster. And that is what we have.
What has baffled Brewer fans is "Where is Mike Maddux?". But Maddux has gone MIA the past four months. You don't even read his name in the paper. It's Yost, Yost, Yost all the time.
Another thing that has me concerned........................
I'm sure more knowledgable people than me have already poured scorn on it, but is there no possibility that A-Rod could play second? That would nicely solve the problem.
It was actually mentioned today in another thread. But A-rod is 32 and 6'4". That's about as odd a combination as you will find at second.
The biggest call I can recall, not that my memory is perfect, is Bobby Grich at 6'2". And Grich's career got short-circuited due to back problems which weren't helped by the twisting required by a second baseman.
But if anyone could pull it off it's the lad in New York. Not that anyone would say thank you or anything..................
What if he's a .280/.330 hitter? Gotay has a pretty high BABIP but that's not all luck. His LD% is 25.5. The guy has hit the ball hard as a Met. I have little doubt that Gotay can hit enough to be a regular. The guy has an idea of the strike zone and I think he'll walk enough.
Not quite worth it. But almost.
Yup. Pedro, El Duque, and Glavine. Those kid pitchers. You can see them melting down out there when Weeks (or Gotay) botches a tailor-made 4-6-3 DP ball . . . . ;-)
Seriously, though, the two Mets' starters MOST likely to benefit from having solid defense also happen to be the ones least likely to throw grounders: Maine and Perez. Both are strong fly ball/strike out pitchers.
A-Rod would fill the 1B hole for the next 5-10 years. Only thing is, A-Rod would be a fool to hurt his legacy by moving rightward on the defensive spectrum prematurely (pipe down, Nomar).
Yeah, except he's becoming available a year too early. Delgado is making about 40 gazillion dollars to play 1B in 2008, and is essentially untradeable. So what are you going to do? And like you say, A-Rod isn't going to move to 1B anytime soon since he doesn't have to do so, having lots of other choices.
But it remains absolutely delicious to contemplate signing him away from the guys in the Bronx. I have to assume that even the potential the Mets might get into it would lead the Yankees to pay virtually anything to prevent it. Chortle, chortle.
Sunk costs. And he's not *completely* untradeable, the Mets would likely have to eat a nice portion of the contract. Sluggers with big names are sometimes moveable, see: Sheffield, Gary. Everyone is looking for a "proven" run producer.
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