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For the sake of BBTF Mets fans' sanity, let us hope that was an extrapolation by the writer.
We call it the "White People Treatment"!
I'd be more concerned with eckstein staying healthy than I would be with anything else (though you could say the same about castillo). also, in a perfect world I think the mets would try out gotay as a lefty in a platoon with somebody.
GEORGE: (clears his throat) I’m, uh, I’m an architect.
VANESSA: Really. What do you design?
GEORGE: Uh, railroads, uh...
VANESSA: I thought engineers do that.
GEORGE: They can...
And if they don't really intend to make all that many changes this offseason, it might be a good PR move, because they can spin it as "we concentrated on our real problem, which wasn't the players -- it was HEART." Fans and media will eat that one up.
Enjoy the ~.300 SLG, guys.
David Eckstein's career SLG: .362
David Eckstein's career low SLG: .325 (2003)
David Eckstein's SLG, 2007: .382
Luis Castillo's career SLG: .358
Luis Castillo's career low SLG: .341 (2001)
Luis Castillo's SLG, 2007: .359
I think we pretty much have the idea of the slugging that comes with David Eckstein. Same with OBP. He pretty much IS Luis Castillo. The Mets probably have a pretty good idea whether they want Castillo back after 50 games last year, and if their call is they'd rather go with his statistical clone, I really have no basis for second-guessing that.
I don't want to go with a Gotay/Easley platoon, mostly because I suspect they are going to need Easley for other things more often than that and I'm pretty skeptical that Gotay's 2007 was a big-time fluke. But if they go with either Castillo or Eckstein, you can bet that Gotay or Easley is going to get significant playing time anyway, so don't fret about them being buried.
And Easley's, for that matter.
Castillo has had the better career up to now, and is 8 months younger. Castillo:
1)won 3 gold gloves to 0 for Eckstein.
2)has OBP .017 higher and slg about the same (-.04) as Eck
3)stole 3 times as many bases, in 440 more games
4)played in higher quality division in ballparks that suppress scoring to a higher degree
Yeah, but the big problem with Eckstein is that he walks such a tightrope that if his skills erode any further, you've got a crappy-fielding middle infielder with a .280 SLG and god-knows-how-bad OBP.
The Mets are an interesting team right now. Barring any earth-shattering moves, their 2008 season may come down to how healthy Alou is and how much Delgado has lost.
University of Florida. Shortstop was Mark Ellis, oddly enough.
Or he's just playing a PR game given the Mets clubhouse shenanigans last season that probably had a little to do with last season's collapse.
Regardless, #16 is on tbe money. I doubt Eck has the arm for the pivot or the ability to switch middle infield position at this stage of his career.
We shall see.
Funny that the Mets were all talk about ARod and may end up with Eckstein instead.
But if he really wants a four-year deal? If the Mets give him that, I have to wonder. This could be one of those situations where the Mets would be happy to sign whichever of the two of them first says yes to a three-year contract.
And can the Braves just sign Tom Glavine already so we can get their first round pick?
Did he not actually watch Glavine pitch last year? Glavine would be the fifth best starter on the Mets and looks to be the third best starter on the Braves.
Look, I agree with you offensively. But do we have a sense of what Eckstein would be defensively? Not sure that we do. I'd just as soon go with Castillo- and I can't imagine wanting either on a four-year deal. I'd sooner take Lugo at his monwy. They do need someone to play 2B, however.
This raises a larger point- when all the alternatives aren't great, FA-wise, this seems like the time to be patient, and they appear to be taking the exact opposite approach. While I don't think there were good enough trading options at catcher, it will be very disappointing if they sign Castillo or Eckstein early, then Baltimore/Arizona's demands come down for Roberts/Hudson, and the Mets miss out.
That said, it still isn't clear to me why Arizona would trade Hudson.
You are guaranteed that pick. Even if negotiations are long drawn, just offer arb. Glavine is coming to ATL (grrrrrr). And as for last year, you guys remember the last 2 starts too vividly. he carried you through July/Aug and early Sept.
Just like Braves fans remember his last 2 starts in a Braves uniform vividly and with disgust.
I may be off, but I am pretty sure that is Websters definition of a Met.
I may be off, but I am pretty sure that is Websters definition of a Met.
Have you looked at the 2008 Yankees? You might want to revise that definition.
Just like Braves fans remember his last 2 starts in a Braves uniform vividly and with disgust.
I'm not convinced the Mets shouldn't bring Glavine back. The point is that I think they don't have any opportunity to bring him back if Atlanta makes him an offer beyond, say, a dozen eggs.
The question then becomes, would the Mets seriously not offer arb and cost themselves a pick? Is there some gentleman's agreement that the Mets won't stand in the way of Glavine returning to their division rivals, allowing Atlanta to strengthen the rotation while not forfeiting a draft pick? I won't be happy about that at all, and it has nothing to do with Glavine's late-September starts.
Did he not actually watch Glavine pitch last year? Glavine would be the fifth best starter on the Mets and looks to be the third best starter on the Braves.
Is this hyperbole? Mets fans, are there actually four starters who you would comfortably predict to be better than Glavine in 2008?
Look, I agree with you offensively. But do we have a sense of what Eckstein would be defensively? Not sure that we do. I'd just as soon go with Castillo- and I can't imagine wanting either on a four-year deal.
Wise guy.
As I said, I don't think there's a dime's worth of difference between the two of 'em. Eckstein has plenty of minor league experience at 2B, and I think he'd be fine. His range and arm were shaky for SS, but would be more than adequate for 2B. I suspect that if the Mets prefer Eckstein (not sure they do -- this could be just covering themselves and giving leverage in Castillo negotiations; who knows?), it is because of their judgment about clubhouse or health issues. And if that's it, it's based on superior knowledge, and I don't have enough of a basis in what I DO know about the two to say they are making a mistake. Again, that's if the Mets prefer Eckstein.
Is this hyperbole? Mets fans, are there actually four starters who you would comfortably predict to be better than Glavine in 2008?
Absolutely. Pedro, Main, Perez, El Duque. They will all be better than Glavine. More reliable? No. But qualitatively better -- certainly.
Put it this way: going into 2008, I would want Glavine in my rotation on a second-tier basis, but only after Pedro and Maine.
And Eckstein is white enough to fill three rosters.
Frankly, I don't care that much. Given that quality difference, I'd rather have every one of the other four than Glavine, even knowing that Glavine is very nearly certain to give you the 180-200 innings he signs on for. I am very, very confident that they are ALL better pitchers than he is, and I think the Mets need to move forward (and get younger) from 40-somethings who are only going to keep getting worse. If that means I'm rolling the dice on a rotation that might break down, so be it.
David Wright needs a friend.
Laugh now, but just try hitting a ground ball past those guys.
Well, he's got a point. Lugo sucks, and he's getting $36m. Why shouldn't X get the same amount?
As a lefty, I'd obviously just hit to the opposite field.
Also, Sam, we're back to agreeing on everything. I second your 2B ideas, and your Glavine ideas.
I would also be happy with a stopgap followed by Hudson after 2008, but I'm still not convinced Arizona won't just re-sign him. Can anyone make the case for why they wouldn't?
The same was true of Joe McEwing (that he was Wright's bff on the team). Welcome to the big leagues, kid.
Hard to believe Joe McEwing reads Ebony and Jet.
1. Hudson really wants to play closer to him home, which means somewhere on the East Coast, and has said he doesn't see himself signing a long term deal with AZ (unless the team overpays him). He has resisted AZ's attempts to sign him to an extension, both last offseason and this offseason, and has basically made it clear he wants to become a free agent, arguably to sign with an East coast team.
2. Hudson has hinted he'd want something along the lines of what Renteria/Lugo got from BOS, which is about 10m/year for 4 years at least. That's way too much money for the Dbacks to spend. There have been no indications that Hudson would give the Dbacks any sort of a discount either, so the Dbacks are just going to keep him through 08, collect 2 draft picks, and move on with either Callaspo or Bonifacio, who should both be ready to duke it out for the 2b job in 2009.
3. Hudson is a 2Bman on the wrong side of 30, as he will turn 31 during the 2008-2009 offseason. If there's one thing that Thomas Hobbes has taught us, it's that the collapse of 2b men in their thirties is "nasty, brutish, and short".
When a player is only a year away from free agency, they usually test the open market and the Mets are more likely to have the biggest offer for Hudson than the Diamondbacks. In addition to Hudson, Ellis is a free agent as well.
Edit: Or what Levski said.
[EDIT] For what it's worth, Hudson has gotten a huge bump in OPS from playing half of his games at Chase. Home/road splits in OPS, last 2 years
2006: Home, .886 OPS; Away, .734 OPS; Diff = .152
2007: Home, .893 OPS; Away, .738 OPS; Diff = .155
I never put too much stock into splits like those. The same thing happened with Soriano in Texas. It's just not a big enough sample.
Just for kicks, after his first 150 PAs or so (including 2006 and 2007 stats), Pedroia had an OPS of .561 in 2006 (89 AB) and OPS of .544 in April of 2007 (55 AB). And Pedroia was playing full time. As I remarked a while back, it had gotten so bad with Pedroia, kevin was interested in women.
Callaspo will be OK with enough playing time; his 2006 MLE was .280/.337/.395 when he posted .882 OPS in AAA; in 2007, he has .912 OPS over 222 AB in AAA. minorleaguesplits.com doesn't have his 2007 MLE, but I'd guess something like .282/.340/.400, which is fine for a very good defensive second baseman... and he's always been known for being very good with the glove at 2b.
FWIW, Pedroia's 2006 MLE was .273/.338/.367.
I never said you had to put any stock into it, I was just commenting that he was getting a big boost from playing half of his games at Chase field. He's still a very good hitter for a 2bman.
I don't think park factors have ever applied much to Castillo, unless there are ballparks with significant park effects for infield ground balls. I would imagine that 4 years in the AL West (Back when it was good) and 3 years in the NL Central rates out to pretty even with someone who has almost exclusively played in the NL East.
Eckstein's a useful player if the lack of range he showed last year was due to injury, and his range looked to the naked eye about the same as always early in the year before the injuries started. He's Luis Castillo with built-in appeal to the fans who like Caucasian midgets as middle infielders.
Cried on each other's shoulders when Piazza left.
Shyly smiles and raises hand with a "pick me" look . . . .
Current? Not even close.
Ever? This guy. Note the sponsorship. Wright still has a way to go to catch him.
So why aren't the Mets after Kazuo Matsui?
1) Even last season, his best overall year in the ML, he still only posted an 87 OPS+ and was a mediocre player overall.
2) There is a risk that he simply can't cut it in NY and that risk is greater in magnitude than his upside.
3) He probably wouldn't want to come to NY anyway as he isn't well-liked by the fans.
If indeed Torrealba isn't a Met, I am happy. I think the Mets can do better. Heck, Castro might be better himself.
10) So how DOES Bill Clinton feel about Ken Starr?
9) How many kids born in New Orleans have been named Katrina since August 29, 2005?
8) How long before that Milli Vanilli reunion tour plays sold-out stadiums?
7) "Can we interest you in Ishtar II, Mr. Hoffman?"
6) "So when you say never, Hank, you really mean you'll never negotiate with A-Rod, right?"
5) No way Rock Hudson was really gay, was he?
4) So tell me -- why did they cast Jessica Alba as Sue Storm in the Fantastic Four movies?
3) Is George W. Bush the smartest man ever to hold the Presidency, or what???
2) Does Scott Boras concern himself with mere crass financial matters?
And the # 1 Question That Answers Itself . . . .
1) So why aren't the Mets after Kazuo Matsui?
So, I take it that as payback for signing draft picks for slot money, Bud Selig called the Wilpons and told them that Torrealba's name shows up in the Mitchell report?
... or am I jumping to conclusions?
I wonder if that means the Mets have something else about to break in the catching department? You have to think so, don't you?
Could be. Perhaps the Mets began to suspect their "agreement" was being shopped back to the Rockies or some other team, and they got mad. Whatever; I was fine with Torrealba, but I certainly don't think he was so essential or awesome that if they go in another direction I'll be disappointed.
Honestly, I was less than fine with Torrealba. I'd rather they wait to see if Hernandez's price drops or take a flyer on Michael Barrett if the Padres don't offer him arbitration.
Tom Glavine
What, do they give extra points for the same first name?
I don't worry about rumored deals any longer. Omar meets and talks with everyone.
Actually, why have Jessica Alba if she's gonna spend all that time being invisible?
Don't even get me started on Kate Beckinsale in Underworld. Possibly the hottest thing on screen since Emma Peel ... and what, no smoldering scenes at all?
That was close. Seriously. That guy had Schoenweis written all over him.
LoDuca on a one year deal is much better than that guy.
Looking JR House's minor league numbers it sure looks like he can hit, how's his defense? He might be a good guy to pick up on a minor league deal.
After editing.
Just askin'...
I wasn't thrilled with Yorvit either. I want a lefty to platoon with Castro. Schneider would be the ideal pickup.
And Eckstein? We'll all disdain him here, but guaranteed he'll be a fan favorite. The ticket buyers love those kind of guys. Gotay, backed by Easley and perhaps A. Hernandez would be my pick. Ruben was killing the ball until getting Castillo slammed him to the bench, where even his pinch hitting suffered. I hope Castillo goes away. He's always hurt, and had the opposite effect on Reyes that I think they hoped for. Would giving a MLI to Junior Spivey be totally insane?
I am almost positive Minaya meeting with Eckstein is just postering by both of them. They just want to show others that they have options.
No.
Same question of Javy Lopez.
How many second basemen on earth would you say are "actually good offensively"? Ten? You can't have everything.
If you don't like Castillo, there's Tadahito Iguchi, he can at least slug over .400.
Hey Mets, we'll trade you Pedroia for that David Wright guy. Then you can sign A-Rod! Oh, that's off the table? Damn.
You should have watched Underworld II. Or whatever it was called. The sequel.
Another objection I don't get is that Eckstein will be inadequate defensively at 2B. He is a decent SS whose major defensive weakness is a weak throwing arm. He has extensive experience playing 2B. How is this a problem?
However, if one's objection to Eckstein is that you'd rather go with Gotay/Easley, then I agree... and if one's objection is that one doesn't want to give Eckstein Julio Lugo money, then yes, that's a total non-starter.
If Orlando Hudson is available, then the Mets IMO need to get right on that. Otherwise, if Eckstein wants Lugo money and Castillo also wants big bucks, then either pick up Iguchi, or commit to Gotay/Easley. C'mon, Omar... you like to solve problems quickly ;-)
I love this. All subsequent arguments from this witness will be disregarded on the grounds of this suggestion.
UNDERWORLD was awful, truly truly awful. And I've watched the damn thing about 10 times. Kate Beckinsale's in every shot, and I always leave the film thinking "There really wasn't enough Kat Beckinsale". She looks UNBELIEVABLE. Jaw-droppingly so.
And, some idiot decided to make the third one without her in it. That's not going to turn out well.
When the Maddux sponsorship expires in March, I have half a mind to use it to mock your outrageous claim.
I think Hollywood's figured this one out.
I don't really know how anyone can say that. The NL went 52/57 against him in stolen base attempts in the 52 games he played with the Cubs.
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