Friday, July 31, 2009

Did anyone else catch Omar's "apology" to Rubin?

It was a fiasco almost on par with the original press conference. It was like a bad Rickey Henderson imitation. "That's not Omar Minaya." "You guys know Omar Minaya."

This guy's personal credibility is completely blown up. Once the trading deadline passes, would it be that much of a surprise to see him canned in August or Sept.?

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

WTF?

If this rumor is true, and we passed on opportunity for Kazmir as well as possibly Crawford, then I just don't get how Wilpons' keep Omar.

The Rays have shopped Kazmir around a bit, even calling the Mets, who expressed initial interest but nothing more. Tampa is trying to see if they could trade Kazmir, Carlos Pena and in the right blockbuster even Carl Crawford to free up dollars to make a bigger trade. The Rays are most focused on seeing if they can add Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez in one trade, though they continue to call on Halladay, as well.

That's about right

This headline says it all.

Minaya Calls Out Daily News Reporter; Mets' Season Descends Further Into Farce

It's time for the Minaya era to come to an end. The guy is unable to assemble and maintain a winning management team. His handling of the Randolph firing was atrocious; his behavior at the Bernazard firing press conference was bizarre at best; and his lack of explanation as to the poor medical/strength conditioning staff is unacceptable.

The Mets continue to be nothing more than the punchline to a bad joke. It is time for a new direction.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Hey Fredo,

Looks like some fans agree with you that change in ownership is not impossible. A protest on Wilpon's lawn is apparently scheduled this week according to Post.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Stay classy, tony b

Beetz beat me to the post..

What a d-bag tony B is. So much for player development. Why doesn't tony b challenge himself to actually doing something useful for a change?

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

OK, I think I'm onto something big here

We all know the Mets farm system is pretty dry. Binghamton and Buffalo seem to get blitzed by the opposition every day. Blue chip prospects are few and far between.

And our major leaguers aren't exactly tearing it up either. If we want to be "sellers" at the trade deadline, there's not much talent to be moved, at least not talent that is likely to spend more time on the diamond than in the trainer's room.

But the Mets do have one asset that should be marketable:

Former players.

Why not trade the rights to our former greats' careers for the current players we're so dearly lacking?

Now I know what you're thinking: "why would the Rockies want to trade good young talent for Tom Seaver? The guy's a senior citizen and probably couldn't have maintained an ERA under 3.00 at Coors Field, even in his playing days. After all, there's no GRAVITY in that park."

But that's not the point.

Rockies fans have no history. They've been a franchise since the '90s. That's embarrasing. They should just be embarrased. People born around the same time as their franchise think that Miley Ray Cyrus is a vocal phenomenon. Most people born in the '90s are still tring to pretend they're drinking age (or else just realize no one would buy it). That's no baseball franchise. Maybe it could pass for respectable in the Arena Football League.

These people need to buy some baseball cred. They keep their baseballs in a humidor, for Pete's sake.

That's where we come in. Now, I don't suppose they'll send us Helton in this deal, but why not Jeff Francis? I mean, Colorado's in the hunt for the Wild Card, and Francis hasn't pitched all season. They don't NEED him.

But look behind curtain #2, Colorado. 311 wins. 3,640 Ks. 3 NL Cy Youngs. Yeah, like you'll EVER have a pitcher come close to any of those numbers in your lunar colisseum.

This is a win-win for everybody. The Mets get a good young pitcher to help us next year, when we might have a chance. All we have to do is peel that ole #41 jersey off the wall, box it and ship it. The Rox get a legitimate pitching star. Decades of baseball history. A piece of a World Series championship. And some really intimidating stats for their franchise records.

And maybe if the Rox front office is feeling generous, they'll let us keep his name in the back of the yearbook somewhere.

Think about it, Rockies, just think about it.

What an Ass-Clown!

Just when you think you've heard it all...

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/9834420/Houshmandzadeh:-'I'm-not-playing-Madden-no-more'?GT1=39002

Hard to believe he actually makes Ocho Cinco look like a mature adult.

LIARS!!!

Apparently the rumored Halladay trade was a hoax.

And it is believed that Omar would have pulled the trigger if the deal was offered.

Jays' officials are saying that the Ments are not serious contenders for Halladay.

So, Plan B, then?

Shed payroll. Sign Bedard as FA. Trade for Crawford.

???

Monday, July 20, 2009

Would'ja?

http://twitter.com/SI_JonHeyman/status/2747001347

Personally, I'm kinda torn...

But leaning toward no. The slim pickings in this year's FA class is really making me ponder the possibility though.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

A reply to SHK

So, the fork now comes out clean. But what do we do next? The postseason is totally out of the question for this year. But I personally think that the Mets have a small window of opportunity to turn this franchise around quickly, meaning we could get back in the hunt in 1-3 years. It requires several things to happen in short order:

1. Clean house in upper mgt. Yes, it's clearly come to this. Take advantage of the current situation to get rid of not only of Omar, but his deputies as well. Here's looking at you, Tony B.

2. Fire Jerry. Pretty much speaks for itself. I was amazed listening to FAN today. Almost every caller was like, "why is this guy such a clown?" "How can you start your press conference laughing and chuckling when you lose 11-0?" "What's with all the exaggerated pauses when he talks? Can he not think, or does he think it makes him look pensive?"

Couldn't have seen that one coming.

Anyway, getting rid of the manager who throws his players, particularly the vulnerable ones, into the line of fire to preserve his own rep, will be essential if we want to succeed at the next point:

3. Rebuild our key marketable players. Getting Beltran and Delgado on track would actually help our W/L ratio. Alas, that ship has sailed. Ain't gonna happen. So let's focus on the next most importnat thing: building up the value of the players who are most important to our future (and, as a corollary, have the most trade value b/c they are under organization control, relatively cheap, and potentially have several good years in front of them). So what does this mean?

-Get Pelfrey on track. Great stuff. Flashes of excellence. Clearly still gets rattled. Pelf is a guy who needs a manager that he knows is in his corner. A LaRussa/Duncan type of coaching combination would be so great for Pelf.

-Rebuild Murphy's value. This kid is clearly capable of so much more than he's doing. Part of it, of course, is the player's doing. He's got to adjust to the pitchers who have adjusted to him by busting him inside off the plate. But part of it is clearly the way the organization has misued him. Forced him out of position. Started sitting him when he was hitting nearly .300. When he gets hot and his a 3 hit day, bank on Jerry sitting him the next game. Expect the manager to talk the press, and not the player, about what his expectations are for the player. Well, at this point, Murphy needs to be playing every day until he makes his adjustments. He eventually will. This kid will put together a .330 month at some point this season, or at worst, the first half of next year, and his trade value as a cheap, young stick, who's finally found a position, will be largely restored. And hopefully we keep him, because I love the kid. But I'd rather be faced with the dilemma of keeping a rising young star or trading a valuable chip than where we are with Murph right now.

-Get Reyes healthy and productive. This is an obvious no-brainer. If Reyes comes back in early to mid August and hits over .300 the rest of the way, stealing bases, you'll have a guy that can bring back a good price in the offseason. If he doesn't get back till mid Sept., or is scuffling and running gingerly, we'll be going into 2010 with Reyes at SS and our collective breaths held.

-Get a good look at that AA catching prospect in Sept.

-Get Maine healthy and pitching.

-As a total bonus, I would hope we can get Beltran going. I personally think he's going to be a chronic injury problem for the rest of his career, whether that's one year or five. But if he were to come back and get healthy, maybe we could unload him in the offseason for something of value. It hurts me to say it, b/c Beltran is truly a unique player in MLB. Not saying he's a top 5 player like he's paid, but he's a unique combination of abilities that will be difficult to replicate

4. Clear the deck of dead payroll

-Unload Perez at the deadline to some sucker who will eat his $12M thinking it will get them across the finish line this year. After all, as Omar can remind other GMs, Perez defied his previous performance with a solid posteason in '06. He rises to the occasion, right?

-Unload Castillo is anyone will take him. Two more years of this? No thank you. But he is hitting decently this year, so maybe someone in the hunt with an injury 'll take a flyer on him.

-Let Delgado walk at the end of the year.

If we can get all these things done, we might be in a position to sign some FAs in the offseason, and make some trades to change the character of the team, as well as address some needs.

Friday, July 17, 2009

Put a fork in 'em

Looks like F-mart and b-tran are going to be useless for most of this season if not all of it. F-mart requires surgery and will be out for minimum 6 weeks, and beltran has shown no signs of progress in his knee and might also require surgery.

Omar, this season is over. Unfortunately, our chances to get any useful value for Beltran, Delgado and Reyes are quite possibly also over. I really don't know what moves you make now. By not breaking up the core during the offseason, when their trade value was high (especially red-hot Delgado), you have really painted this team into a corner. Our trade options are now limited at best, unless some team is willing to roll the dice on the upside of Beltran, Reyes or Delgado after they return. This team is now not only in a very bad position for '09, but also 2010 IMO.

Any deals we make are now going to be from a position of weakness, and we will almost certainly give up too much. Our best case is to dump salary and pick up FAs.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Wagner on his Mets return

Here's the article Beetz was referring to (I think), from Mark Hale at the Post.

Many curious quotes in this article. He's basically saying that he's willing to do anything the Mets ask b/c Wilpon's writing his checks, but that he (1) doesn't think the Mets will ask him to do much, b/c he won't be that durable; and (2) he doesn't really want to play for this team other than the fact that he feels he owes it to the owner.

Point 2 is what really interests me. It begs the question. Did he not care for his teammates? His manager? His GM? The fans?

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Do the Wright Thing

D. Wright continues to show his commitment to the Mets by claiming he'd love to be a Met for life. For F's sake Omar, get the man some on-field help that won't be riding the injured list all the time.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

F-Mart

Apparently F-Mart's trip to the DL is unfortunately anything but rare:

One thing Martinez has to prove, however, is that he can stay healthy. He has been on the disabled list in each of his four pro seasons, hurting his development and the chance to evaluate his skills.

Friday, July 10, 2009

Let the Trading Begin!

Ryan Church for Jeff Francour.

I'd say we got the better end of the deal here but by no means is this a landslide. Frenchie has an amazing arm, excellent glove and is considered to have plus power. The guy never walks though but at this point I would like to see someone swing a bat.

I was a Church fan from the day we got him and I wish him the best in Atlanta (except when they play us). The guy got a raw deal here and was never allowed to get comfortable.

Wednesday, July 08, 2009

Hey Omar,

Let's ride this baby into the ground. All the way to last place. Yes we can!

Tuesday, July 07, 2009

Halladay on the Block?

Possibly, according to Jays' GM.

Which begs the question, what would you consider to be a fair trade for him from the Mets? He's 32, and is enjoying yet another dominant year. Would you give up Beltran for him, straight up? How about Beltran + Parnell?

Alternatively, if we were to trade Beltran (or Reyes or Delgado), would you rather get 2 good players in return instead of 1 great player? Part of me thinks the smarter play might be to pull a Belichick and use our trading chips to round out our team with a lot of good players, instead of continuing to just focus on individual superstars.

I would obviously do Delgado + a weaker player for Halladay (jays wouldn't, of course), and I would do Reyes for Halladay straight up. I don't think I'd do Beltran for Halladay, I'd rather use him to get 2 very good players instead of one great one.

Monday, July 06, 2009

C prospect: Josh Thole

This 22 year old kid has been promoted each year after his second, and the numbers have improved at each new level. He's currently ripping up AA pitching, hitting .346 with a scad of doubles but not much HR power. His K's are nice and low, too. Looks like the cupboard's not totally bare.

Go Pack!

Now I don't know if this is a recipe for championships or not, but I just love the structure of the Packers franchise:

The Packers, however, represent working-class America like no other NFL team. They are a citizen-owned small business and a true civic property, one that requires not only accountability but substantive interaction with fans. Founded as a non-profit corporation by a newspaper publisher, the Packers are now owned by 112,120 shareholders who possess about 4.75 million shares of stock. A seven-member executive committee, elected by the board of directors and comprised mostly of local residents, operates the team.

Every summer, team officials make a full report to shareholders at Lambeau Field. Unlike any other team, the Packers' football executives must explain their approach and answer questions. Shareholders do not have voting rights, so fans can't influence football decisions. But no fan base can claim a more significant connection to its team.


The quote, BTW, comes from an ESPN article where four authors argue over which franchise deserves the title, "America's Team". The Steelers, Patriots, and Cowboys are the other three options.

Hey Omar

Good luck with that plan to simply hold out until our "star" players return. By then we should only be 8 games back, in sole possession of 4th place.

Sunday, July 05, 2009

Well, it's July 4th weekend, and this is a baseball blog,

so this video is clearly in order. It's a tradition that never gets old.

Lucky Us

Ollie's coming back.

"Well, you know Ollie," Manuel said. "Ollie is not a command guy, so to speak. He's a guy that has control, but not necessarily command. I think what I'm hoping for is knowing Ollie -- being somewhat of a performer -- likes the stage, likes the big games, so to speak.

Hmmm, so what you're saying, Jerry, is the Mets are screwed, so to speak.

Saturday, July 04, 2009

Our Pleasure

From Post: Moyer only had one strikeout and several outs were hit hard. He lowered his ERA to 5.72.

You're welcome Jamie. You always know you and your 46 year old body and 5.5+ ERA can count on the Metties to make you look like a young Greg Maddux.

Omar on Fan Pressure to Make a Trade

But Minaya said the Mets' expectation that Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado will return by early August is limiting their interest in a big trade.

"It's fair to say that, if we're looking for reinforcements right now, some of our DL guys are probably going to be the reinforcements," Minaya said. "If we can get all our guys back healthy, our healthy guys, its going to be hard to make trades that are going to be better than Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado."


Two comments. First, I highly doubt you are getting Delgado back in early August, and certainly not a useful Delgado.

Second, if Reyes, Beltran and Delgado (i.e., Sep. meltdown in '08, Sep. meltdown in '07 of historic proportions, and Oct. meltdown in '06) are the best we can do, I feel bad for the future of this team.

On the positive side, Minaya said he has been given permission by management to add to the club's NL-high $143 million budget. That said, we've been allowed to have the highest payroll in NL for years now and clearly that money has not been well spent.

Friday, July 03, 2009

Re: Should the Mets be Sellers?

Presuming the Mets don't look completely shut off and get swept by Philthies, I'm going to answer the question with a "no." If Beltran and Reyes were healthy and the team was playing as poorly as it has, I'd think differently. But with the two of them presumably coming back in July (I'll believe it when I see it), the Mets very much in the NL East due to the mediocrity of the division, and most importantly, the fact that neither is going to be very tradeable until they show GMs around the league that they are healthy, I don't think you're really getting anywhere by adding prospects.

Unfortunately, since the cupboard is almost completely bare (with F Mart, Evans, Murphy, and Parnell all on the parent club, Niese is the only near-major-league-ready talent I can think of with any trade value in the whole Mets farm system), I can't see Omar having the chips to improve the team much, either. And by the way, in my mind, Omar takes a bigger hit for what's going on in the minors this year than anything he's done with the big league club. Go straight down the line, and all you see are once highly regarded prospects that have been rushed through the system. Guys like Ruben Tejada and Brad Holt have been rushed from level to level. Tejada was promoted after an abysmal run at A+, and yet has been OK at AA so far. Holt looked like the best Mets pitching prospect at the system at A ball and high A, and yet was up at AA after just over one season in the system. Through his first two starts there he's getting rocked. When you realize these promotions are being made out of necessity more than a plan, Omar's failure to care for the system comes more fully into view. Often times, when you're comparing two similar major leaguers, it's crap shoot which will perform better (which is why I don't get too crazy about things like the Milledge for Church/Schneider trade--I'd have preferred keeping Lastings depsite his d-baggery, but it's a 50/50 question which side is getting the better deal). But when you're dealing with prospects, it's usually pretty well known which your blue chippers are, and the failure to staff the minors appropriately so that these guys don't have to be rushed, it is simply a failure of planning.

Speaking of chips, anyone have an update on how Humber, Mulvey, Gomez, Carp, and Milledge are doing these days?