..that the Mets either have the worst medical staff, or management purposely lies and misdirects. I have never seen a team that so consistently has "player setbacks" during rehab, such that it is a 100% guarantee that no one gets off the DL early, but instead always has an extended stay beyond the original estimated return date. The latest of course is Maine, but it could just as well be Reyes, Delgado, Putz, etc.
Either Omar or the Wilpons apparently want to take a "head in the sand" approach, and believe that they can will away bad news. Omar's latest is saying that rather than trade he wants to wait for reinforcements to return. You mean the same reinforcements who are likely to get injured again? That's not a long-term strategy.
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saw on mlb trade rumors that the Indians are saying lee and Martinez are not on the block.
With Peavy hurt, I'm not sure if there's a game-changing starting pitcher available right now. And even if there was, we'd probably have to move Pelf to get him, which is two step forwards and one step back.
In terms of bats, mlb trade rumors had unnamed sources saying that landing Dunn would require an exorbinant price, or something to that affect. Huff and DeRosa are available. I heard it mentioned that DeRosa might be a good pick up b/c he could play 1st base of LF, and could still be useful after Delgado returns.
But Francesa made an equally good point on DeRosa-- his best HR year was in the low 20's, and in Citi field most of those are fly balls. Dunn's HR's are immune to the park, which, for purposes of landing a power bat, make Dunn much more valuable.
And we could've had Dunn for peanuts.
I seem to remember saying that Dunn would have been a better fit because he could've been our 1B all season and we save money over picking up Delgado's option.
Dunn is a great player--yes, I said great. In today's day and age, if you can get a pure slugger who can crush balls out of any park imaginable, put up a .450+ OBA, and see 6-7 pitches almost every at bat, you get him.
All the talk about sub-par defense and K's is BS. There are plenty of guys who are making a ton of money that K as much as Dunn w/o the BB's to go with it, hit way fewer HR's, and need to be told which hand their glove goes on (cough, Soriano, cough).
And we could've had him for a few mil...now it's gonna cost the provebial arm (Niese?) and a leg (or legs--F-Mart?).
Thanks again, Omar...
If DeRosa comes cheaply, I say grab him. He could be a Mike Lowell-type addition. Not an all-star, but a solid dependable player that is exactly the type of "Tier 2" guy we sorely lack. The Post has repeatably (and I think correctly) made the point that this team has a handful of stars and then a steep fall-off to garbage. We need more DeRosa-like players to round out the team.
Of course, beyond that we still need either a big power guy with Delgado out, and/or a legit #2 pitcher.
The important point is that Dunn could have been had cheap, and it clearly would've been more valuable than Delgado to this point in the season.
To say he's "great" is kind've tough: a career .248 hitter averaging 175 K's a year, with no speed and average-at-best fielding. That's a one-tool player, even if that one tool is pretty darn good, it's still only one.
On the upside, Dunn's averaging 39 HRs and 95 ribeyes for his career, in some pretty bad lineups. And an OPS of .902 is extremely good, and speaks to his good eye, as D.C. referenced.
I'd dispute "great player", but would take him on this Mets team, especially in light of the injuries and the fact that Murphy was an abject failure as an outfielder. As a 5 hitter, Dunn would be great protection for Beltran and Wright and drive in a lot of runs in his own right.
I'd move Niese to get him--Niese has not shown me that much. Who is the last pitcher you can think of that used a curve as his primary pitch, and had a lot of success?
BTW, SHK is pretty clear that he only wants "five tool" guys--like Alex Ochoa--on the Mets from here on out.
Or Ryan Thompson
Or Alex Escobar.
Or Gregg Jeffries.
And this list could go on and on...
My point about Dunn's greatness is when you look at his career production, how many guys in this era can you find that have more HRs, RBIs, and a better OBA over the time he's been around. I'd say very few not named Albert Pujols.
As an OF, Dunn is below-average but so would a lot of guys if you threw them out there. Dunn should be a 1B and I give him credit for busting his ass out there and giving it his all (he poor guy really does try) while his contemporaries guard 30' of turf. Dunn's glove is fine and he would be a perfect addition to the club. Plus, from what I've heard he's a team first guy who also has a great attitude.
Plus, how do you not love a guy named "the Big Donkey?"
Like I said, great.
Dunn should be a 1B and I give him credit for busting his ass out there and giving it his all
Fair enough, you convinced me.
In addition to picking up Dunn (the best bat available by far--sorry DeRosa), I'd make a bold move and sign Ben Sheets right now.
Throw him some bucks and lock him up before these other teams start taking a good, hard look. After all, it's not like we've been risk-averse in the past with guys so let's gamble here.
The payoff would be immense...
Lowell's best seasons were substantially better than DeRosa's best.
Where is Joe Orsulak when you need him?
If you're willing to go after a high risk for injury player, how about Nick Johnson? The guy's got like a career .400 OBP, can hit lefties great, and plays a sick first base.
I'm all for going after Sheets. As long as you can get him relatively cheap.
From what I understand, there is absolutely zero prognosis on whether he'll be able to pitch this year. Have you heard anything different?
Not yet but why not take a chance?
Worst case scenario, he doesn't pitch this year and we've got him for next season.
The problem I've got with Johnson is he's made of glass, can only play 1B, and makes Mark Grace seem like he was Mark McGwire (seriously, the guy's got 0 power). As goofy as it can be sometimes, Dunn is also able to play OF and he's durable (as big doofy guys tend to be...).
Not yet but why not take a chance?
The problem with this approach is Omar. Whereas most GMs would assume that by picking up Sheets they are taking a big risk on his health and plan accordingly, Omar will instead assume the guy will be available for 32 starts. When he's not, we'll have no backup as usual and fall apart.
You're overlooking the best 5-tool player of all time in our organization. Jay Payton.
Personally I think this team needs more than just additions - it also needs addition by subtraction. Adding players is fine, but I think some of the group of Reyes - Delgado - Castillo must go. I'd even be fine parting with Beltran assuming we got fair trade value and a massive return. This team is damaged goods, much like Jets after Marino fake spike, and it's time to break them up.
As for Mets prospects, it's pretty apparent they've been overhyping their farm players for at least the last 20 years. I can think of at least 10-20 "2nd coming of Seaver or Strawberry" who never panned out. My guess is most of these guys who are supposed to be great will turn out to be mediocre at best. With the rough season F-Mart's been having at AAA and MLB level, and his sloppy baserunning in his 2nd game for the Mets, I'm not convinced he's the real deal either. From the few games I've seen his arm strength and accuracy don't blow me away either, although to be fair I've only caught a few games with him.
F Mart is still at the age/stage where, despite the fact that he's sucked so far, you just don't know what he'll be in 2 or 3 years.
He could be what he is now, or he could be great.
Hopefully, the Mets scouting staff has a good read on what he'll become, and whether is stock is being over- or under-valued.
I have to believe that the Mets think he's the real deal, and isn't just part of the "hype machine" used to create chips for trading. If they didn't think he was going to pan out, there would have been zero reason to call him up this early and get exposed as not ready for prime time.
If Murph (6 hits last 2 games) keeps it rolling, and gets that lineup north of .285, he might become part of the bait for Dunn (lets say, Niese & Murph for him). While I'd hate to do that deal b/c I still think Murph is the real deal, there's no question it makes this year's lineup more formidable once Reyes and Delgado return:
Reyes SS
Castillo 2B
Beltran CF
Wright 3B
Dunn LF
Sheffield RF
Delgado 1B
Santos C
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