Gather the wood. . .time to fire up the Stove!!

[Guest sharpie]

This from Sporting News' Ken Rosenthal:

The Padres' Brian Giles could be the Cardinals' next right fielder. Giles, a potential free agent, wants to stay in San Diego, but if no deal can be worked out, the Cardinals likely will be his No. 1 choice. . . .

[smg58]

After the reports that Beltran and Pedro were using us for leverage and had no interest in coming here, I take no reports about a player's wishes seriously. We'll have competition for anybody we pursue; that's not news. I still think Giles has the most value (dollar for dollar) of anybody in the market, and even Shea will look like a hitters park after two years in Petco. We'd need to make room for him first, though.

[Guest Edgy DC]

They didn't make room for Beltran first.

[Guest sharpie]

Yeah, if they really want Giles or whomever it makes sense to go get him and figure out where you'll put people later.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Reports this morning have Manny Ramirez's agent saying that Manuel Aristides does not want to go to the Mets.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Negotiating ploy that I hope we don;t fall for.

[Frayed Knot]

"Manny Ramirez's agent saying that Manuel Aristides does not want to go to the Mets."

a) Good!

Never put too much stock in what Manny (or agent) say today because tomorrow may bring a totally different slant

c) see b

[Guest Edgy DC]

Well, yeah, dude, I know, but I'm just playing the messenger.

You think I like bumping up this crappy thread?

[metirish]

]Ramirez is owed $57 million through 2008

no thanks..

[MFS62]

There have been pages and pages of posts about this on other Met boards.

There are as many for as there are against getting him. I guess the ones who were dreaming of Manny in the Met lineup can now go back to typing with both hands.

Later

[Guest sharpie]

Angels prolly a better fit anyway. With so much middle infield help they can address a lot of Boston problems. No chance he goes to Cleveland with their budget.

[Guest Rotblatt]

I would argue that Boston needs pitching more than anything else, but if this whole "Manny doesn't want to move to the Mets" thing is real, I'm really glad we found out about it so early.

Nothing worse then spending all offseason trying unsuccesfully to trade for Manny while guys like Konerko and Giles get gobbled up by other teams.

I really, really hope this doesn't mean we go hard after Soriano.

[nymr83]

regarding the discussion about peterson earlier in this thread someone DID conduct research similiar to what i proposed for Peterson (only waaaaaay more complicated) for Leo Mazzone. their conclusions were that Mazzone improved his pitcher's ERA (adjusted for park, league, and other factors) by half a run, yikes.
i'm going to get in touch with him about helping me do the same for peterson, having already laid the groundwork for this type of study i'm sure he can get me started quicker than i could have myself
http://bradbury.sewanee.edu/wordpress/index.php/2004/12/how-good-is-leo-mazzone

[metirish]

Klapisch was on MSG tonight saying that Omar will go hard for a Beltran for Manny trade, when asked how that would make sense given that Beltran had just one year here and is the face of the Mets and so on Klap said in his opinion Beltran would never become a great player in NY and is better suited to Boston, oh and we're getting Molina and now that Duke is in Baltimore the first thing he will do is bring Piazza......ahhhh

[nymr83]

i don't buy any "beltran can't play in new york" crap, give him more than a year, with his track record he deserves it.
however, if they think manny is a better fit i can't really argue, theres already a gold glove caliver CFer waiting to replace him.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Klapisch playing the Gammons role.

If things don't go down as he says, we should remind him every day, I think.

[smg58]

Klapisch is allowed to speculate, just like everybody else.

Presumably, if the Red Sox were the ones doing the pushing in July, Omar wouldn't need to push (assuming Klapisch is right and he wants to make this deal).

I could see Piazza in Baltimore. I could also see Molina coming here, although I'd still look at younger options in deals first.

[metirish]

Billy Wagners agent said Wags will test the free-agent waters...

[MFS62]

Rotoworld.com:

Quote:
The Phillies were informed yesterday that Billy Wagner will test the free-agent market rather than accept the team's latest offer.

While the Philadelphia Daily News reported last week the Phillies' most recent offer to Wagner was worth $24 million over three years and included a no-trade clause, the Inquirer believes it was a two-year deal with an option for 2008 that could have brought the total package for $27 million. The Inquirer also believes that the Phillies didn't offer the no-trade clause that Wagner desires. It looks like the Mets will get to make the left-handed an offer. They will be among the strongest suitors in a group that could also include the Red Sox, Orioles, Braves and Mariners. Oct. 25 - 3:33 am et
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer


Hmmmm, I'd guess that the Orioles will be showing up more and more in stories/ rumors like this now that Leo Mazzone is there.

Later

[Mex17]

If Manny-to-the-Mets is really a dead issue on account of him not wanting to come here (and I would NOT trade Beltran for him BTW. . .we need to add to what we have, not subtract-to-add), I would start talking to Texas again about Soriano if I were Omar.

I would NOT, however, give Texas as much as I would have given Boston for Manny. Soriano gives us the righthanded slugger we desparately need and he gives us the bonus of 30+ stolen bases per year on top of that (a top four of Reyes-Beltran-Wright-Soriano would be amazing from a speed standpoint) but he has significant negatives when compared to Manny. Namely, a .320 career OBP as opposed to Manny's .409 (strikeouts are about the same according to seasonal averages. . . 137 for Soriano compared to 130 for Manny) along with defensive liability at a more sensitive spot (second base as opposed to corner outfield).

The meat of my offer to Texas would consist of:

-One out of Cameron, Diaz, or Milledge (they would probably not take Cameron. . .the key is to keep at least one of Diaz or Milledge)

-Seo or Zambrano

-Anderson Hernandez or Keppinger

-Maybe a minor league pither (NOT Petit or Pelfrey. . .maybe Gabby Hernandez, Bannister, or Lindstrom).

[Guest Edgy DC]

I don't think we desperately need a righthanded slugger.

The Mets need more offense, but that doesn't strike me as necesarily the particular brand the Mets need. I'd be equally happy with a slappy lefthanded hitter with a good eye.

[Mex17]

I think that Edgy's implication is that we cannot attempt to be a "sit back and wait for the Three-Run Homer" type of team. I agree with him.

That being said, I disagree with the notion that it is not absolutely essential that we get some more pop from the righthanded side of the plate.

IMO, it as clear as the summer sun that this team needs a righthanded slugger to wedge in the cleanup spot between Beltran and Floyd.

[Guest Edgy DC]

One, why there?

Two, what's David Wright? Crushed ice. I clear-as-summer prefer him as a hitter over Alfonso Soriano.

[Guest Rotblatt]

I think Soriano would be a far greater liability in the field than Manny and his bat's not even comparable once you look at his H/A splits over the past two years.

2005
.224 AVG/.265 OBP/.374 SLG/.639 OPS

2004
.244 AVG/.291 OBP/.444 SLG/.735 OPS

The guy rakes at Arlington but for the last two years, that's all he's done. And he turns 30 in January, so he's not likely to improve much.

In short, he's overrated. Pass.

As for right-handed power, for the moment, we've got Wright & Cameron (.477 SLG in 2005, .479 in 2004--not so different from Soriano's Arlington-inflated .512 & .484).

I would argue that we need people who get on base, not necessarily people who hit home runs.

[Guest sharpie]

I'm with Edgy -- slappy lefty who can bat second.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Well, I'm not necessarily there either. I just don't want to limit our options.

Two years ago, Bob Klapisch was on a Soriano jones, and he wouldn't stop carrying on about how the Mets were short one righthanded hitter. At the time, their lineup included

c: Piazza, righthanded
1b: Phillips, righthanded
2b: Reyes, switch
ss: Matsui, switch
3b: Wigginton, righthanded
lf: Floyd, lefthanded
cf: Cameron, righthanded
rf: Spencer/Garcia, switch platoon.

The bench had Zeile and McEwing and Wilson guaranteed, so the Mets found room for Eric Valent. The young stud they were waiting to bring up was righthanded hitter David Wright.

Today, Floyd is still our only exclusive lefthand batter guaranteed to make the squad. Mientkiewicz will be severed within a week, so we'll see what they do with Jacobs. If Jacobs opens the season at first and their catcher is presumed to be a righty, the ratio of batsmen will be:

Lefties: 2
Switchies: 3
Righties: 3, at least two of which will have 25-homer-plus power

I don't see a particlar need for righthanded slugger, just for a good hitter.

And, as usual, I'm more than happy to stand pat and search from within.

[metirish]

Furcal to use Mets.....whohoo

]Agent: Furcal could play 2nd for Mets BY ADAM RUBIN DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER Rafael Furcal plans to consider the Mets. And the team won't have to move Jose Reyes to lure him. Furcal, a rifle-armed shortstop who filed for free agency yesterday, would be willing to play second base in Flushing, his agent, Paul Kinze, said yesterday. The Atlanta-based Kinzer said Furcal's preference is to remain a shortstop, but said about the Mets: "I think they'll be a player. ... He would be willing to explore it." The Mets are expected to pursue Furcal and other second-base options, despite Kaz Matsui having one year and $8 million remaining on his contract and rookie Anderson Hernandez going 11-for-24 with seven RBI so far in winter ball. Unlike Matsui, a natural shortstop who joined the Mets with little experience elsewhere in the infield, Furcal is comfortable at second base. Kinzer estimated Furcal has played the position at least five years in winter ball in order to allow mentor Neifi Perez - another free agent this winter - to play shortstop with the Dominican club Escogido. Furcal's brother and extended family live in the Bronx. And Kinzer said the Mets' Hispanic-friendly clubhouse, which includes fellow Dominicans Pedro Martinez and Reyes, is alluring. "It'll help the comfort level," Kinzer said. "And he has a lot of family there." Furcal could team with Reyes atop the Mets' order to provide stellar speed in addition to a dynamic double-play combination. After a slow start with Atlanta this year, Furcal finished with a .284 average, 12 homers, 58 RBI and 46 steals. He batted .338 over the Braves' final 78 games. "He's as good a fielding shortstop as there is in baseball right now for me," Braves manager Bobby Cox said during the playoffs. "He's got tremendous range, a great arm. Right now he's one of the better leadoff hitters. ... We're hoping to keep him." Braves officials are expected to meet with Kinzer and Furcal tomorrow, but the 27-year-old's talent may have priced him out of their range. The Cubs, looking for a replacement for Nomar Garciaparra at shortstop, are expected to be serious bidders. Furcal made $5.6 million in 2005 and could be looking for a deal comparable to Edgar Renteria's four-year, $40 million contract with Boston last winter.

He has family in the Bronx,of course he wants to play for the Mets..

[Guest sharpie]

Cubs will throw more money at him and let him be their shortstop. I don't think he ends up here.

[Elster88]

Who is the better SS between Reyes and Furcal?

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

I hope he "uses" the Mets the same way Pedro and Beltran did.