Trade Rumor: Kaz for Fonzie

[patchyfogg]

Administrator's note: This topic was born in the "Rico Brogna" thread and split off to make it's own thread.

If the Fonzie for Kaz rumor comes to fruition, does it go here?

[Guest Edgy DC]

First I heard of it.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

Which Kaz? Matsui? Ishii? Scott?

I haven't heard this rumor.

[MFS62]

It was on NYFO earlier today.

Then there was a report that Gammons said that SF may deal their ace starter (?) because he's hurt and they may go into salary dump mode and not want to risk paying around next year.

You can imagine the replies.

Later

[patchyfogg]

Again, I used the word "rumor" but here's the link:

http://www.gothambaseball.com/forums/showthread.php?t=361

[Guest cooby]

Wow, it'd be great to have Fonzie back.

[MFS62]

To answer your question, I think the rumor would go in the Trade Speculation Thread.

Later

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

Here's that rumor:

Multiple baseball sources are telling Gotham Baseball that the Mets are having active discussions with the San Francisco Giants about bringing back fan favorite Edgardo Alfonzo � in a deal for Kaz Matsui � as the teams would swap free-agent infielders who have been disappointments since their signings.

While the Matsui/Alfonzo salaries are about washes, the Giants would need some young pitching to come back to them, especially in light of the recent trade for LaTroy Hawkins, which cost them both Jerome Williams and David Aardsma. While they�re still in the talking stages, some of the names expected to be thrown out include Jae Seo and Yusmiero Petit � as the Giants are looking to restock on young pitching.

And while Matsui�s numbers have been a disappointment for the Mets, and he has fallen out of favor with both manager Willie Randolph and General Manager Omar Minaya, he�s two years younger than Alfonzo and thought to have better range at second, and would open the door for Pedro Feliz to play 3B.

The concerns for the Mets: Alfonzo�s back is still a worry and his range at 2B has dropped off greatly in the last two years, and his power has been all but eliminated by age and injury. The plusses: Alfonzo is said to really want to return to New York and the Mets, the organization he grew up in, and for which his brother works as a roving instructor and his nephew pitches. Alfonzo would also give the Mets the no. 2 hitter they need badly, a low-strikeout, high on-base percentage professional hitter.

As of now, the Giants are not on Matsui�s trade list � but it is thought that the large Japanese population in the Bay Area, as well as the fact that San Francisco is five hours closer to home (Osaka) than New York, plus the thought that Matsui remains uncomfortable in New York and unhappy sitting the bench for Willie Randolph � that he might agree to waive his no-trade.

If trade talks drag out closer to the trading deadline in July, the Giants may be willing to expand the deal to include pitcher Jason Schmidt � another move to trim salary � in exchange for more young and major league pitching.

When they say "free agent infielder" they mean that that's how Fonzie and Kaz were acquired by their current teams. (I assume!) When I first read that I thought it meant that they were both in their walk year. If that was the intent, it's wrong. I don't know about Edgardo's contract, but Kaz is signed by the Mets through 2006.

I'd like to have Alfonzo back, too. He's one of the few ex-Mets I still root for.

[Elster88]

]he has fallen out of favor with both manager Willie Randolph and General Manager Omar Minaya,

I didn't get this impression when Willie was on the radio. He was more than willing to talk about moving Diaz to first, but he kept saying it was Kaz's position and that he feels like Kaz will heat up.

[Guest Rotblatt]

I'm a big Fonzie fan, but Matsui+Seo for him is a bad deal. Matsui+Petit for him is a downright horrible deal. I could live with Matsui for Fonzie straight up, but if we throw anything else in, we're crazy.

Fonzie's not the same hitter he was with us. He's got zero power, and if his range is shot, how is he an upgrade over Cairo?

And I still think Kaz can be a decent offensive 2B. We just need to have a little patience . . .

on edit: oh, and he's slow too.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Let's take it to the trade rumor thread.

[Guest Giant Squidlike Creature]

The admin powers on this board are badass. Don't know how to integrate this into the Trade Speculation thread though.

[nymr83]

can Alfonzo play 1B?

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Maybe we can start an "all purpose things the Internet Fanboi Scoop Press Association makes up to attract attention to their new website" thread.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Not Your Finest Outlet

[Elster88]

I love Fonzie for the memories, but Matsui for him straight up is a bad deal for the Mets. Throwing in another player, too? Lunacy.

[metirish]

Last I saw of Fonzie he couldn't hit for shit, no way on this deal, the Fonz is a player that got old it seems overnight.

[soupcan]

Matsui/Seo for Fonzie/Schmidt?

Schmidt's got a club option for next year for something like $11 mil and If Seo turns out to have actually turned the corner we'd be bumming.

At best that deal's a wash all the way around - why do it?

[Frayed Knot]

I wonder if this is the same source - the one he claimed "never steered him wrong" - who got him the scoop over this past winter that the Mets had signed {note: not might sign; are thinking of signing; are on track to sign, but [u:e02418aa24]had signed[/u:e02418aa24]} Moises Alou to a 2-year deal?



Anyway ... I remember seeing Fonz play 2nd at some point last year when the Giants had some injury problems there - and he was embarrassingly awful. Zero range and bad agility. He's actually hitting OK these days - as long as we ignore the fact that his power numbers have been in free-fall for the last 5 years.
And did anyone see enough out of Schmidt last week to say; "hey, that'll be a good use of an $11million option next year"? He's either injured or done - neither one of which makes him a good get right now.

[nymr83]

]Last I saw of Fonzie he couldn't hit for shit

so he matches up well with Matsui.

[Guest Edgy DC]

The guy has hit .312 and reached at .378.

That isn't what he used to be, but we sure would be a better team if he's been doing it for us. Not for nothing, but he's also been a healthy player since he left New York, something that Matsui hasn't been since he came here.

[smg58]

Fonzie can get timely hits and draw walks, which would benefit the club. Plus it would undo some bad karma from the 2002 offseason, when he was deemed expendable but the Mets believed they could still win with Alomar/Vaughn/Cedeno/Burnitz. The intriguing part is Jason Schmidt. He's an ace if he's healthy. What's his contract status? And would ten minutes with Rick be enough?

[Guest Spacemans Bong]

Edgy DC wrote: The guy has hit .312 and reached at .378. That isn't what he used to be, but we sure would be a better team if he's been doing it for us. Not for nothing, but he's also been a healthy player since he left New York, something that Matsui hasn't been since he came here.

It's entirely the product of a hot April, though.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Seems to me the right cirumstances to get Fonz would be if we needed Veteran Presence and a dangerous RH hitter to add to a team.

I think Kazoo + is a high price at this point, especially as time marches on and Fonzie's contract becomes heavier and heavier for SF.

Anyway, seems to me the fat guy in the avatar made the whole thing up.

[Theoldmole]

So Edgar is still in the Mets organization, and there's a nephew coming up too?

[Guest Iubitul]

Johnny Dickshot wrote: Anyway, seems to me the fat guy in the avatar made the whole thing up.

It seems like he makes up a whole lot of stuff.

LOL - I just went back there to quote something that I read yesterday, and his column is gone - LOL.

[Guest Iubitul]

Johnny Dickshot wrote: Maybe we can start an "all purpose things the Internet Fanboi Scoop Press Association makes up to attract attention to their new website" thread.

I have to go clean my monitor now...

[Frayed Knot]

btw, that site was boasting yesterday that "sources were telling them" that a possible refurbishing and/or replacing Shea in conjunction w/a revised Olympic stadium plan were in the works.

Of course that story had already been printed in the NY Times the day before.
So I guess we can narrow the list of their secret sources down to the sub-set of people who can both read and have access to at least 75-cents.

[Guest sharpie]

Now Alfonzo is on the DL. Guess we won't be making that move anytime soon.

[Frayed Knot]

Which, of course, gives the 'IFSPA' ammo to claim; "hey, the trade was about to go down when the injury happened and you can't prove it wasn't ... and therefore we were right again!!"