Met Notes 11/15

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

MLB: The Mets will act on the contracts of Kaz Ishii and Felix Heredia, buying out both. They have an option on Ishii's contract for 2006 for $3.25 million. It can be bought out, at the Mets' discretion, for $2.2 million, though the Dodgers are responsible for $1.3 million. Ishii still would be under the Mets' control and eligible for free agency. Heredia, who already has filed for free agency, will receive $200,000, not the $2.5 million he was in position to earn if the option in his contract were exercised.

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The Mets almost certainly will offer arbitration to Piazza and Looper, and be confident that neither would accept it and force them to the arbitration table.

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Mets say: Wagner> Ryan; Molina > Hernandez

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Wagner to visit NY Monday; Jojima to visit later this week (News) or next week (Post).

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Daily News: Padres like Cameron and offering Otsuka

Matt Lindstrom has a stress fracture

Javy Vasquez would dig being a Met

[duan]

If I was Mike Piazza I'd accept arbitration in heartbeat. He'd be guaranteed 70% of his existing salary.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

I think offering to Looper would be risky, too.

I doubt that the Mets will offer arbitration to either of those guys.

[Guest Edgy DC]

If the Mets have some handshake agreement with Mike Piazza for him to reject arbitration, they better look deeply deeply into his eyes as they shake his hand. That's several million dollars he's entitled to that he'd be willing to turn down just because he's a gentleman.

[Elster88]

duan wrote: If I was Mike Piazza I'd accept arbitration in heartbeat. He'd be guaranteed 70% of his existing salary.

Wow. Dangerous to play this game with Mike, no matter how nice a guy he is. I'd take the money, sit the bench and laugh my way to the bank, too.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Having MP back with the understanding he needn't be in there every day and won't be counted on to carry the offense but will waggle the bat in the on-deck circle every time we're down by 1 and have a man on base in the 8th inning might be worth $10 million fish.

[Elster88]

Johnny Dickshot wrote: Having MP back with the understanding he needn't be in there every day and won't be counted on to carry the offense but will waggle the bat in the on-deck circle every time we're down by 1 and have a man on base in the 8th inning might be worth $10 million fish.

I love it. I've been pushing for this all along. Actually I've been pushing for starting him and batting him seventh or eighth. I don't understand the love affair with the Molinas and Ramon Hernandezes.

[smg58]

I don't see the logic in paying $10M to a backup catcher. I'm guessing the writer didn't know the arbitration rules.

[Elster88]

smg58 wrote: I don't see the logic in paying $10M to a backup catcher. I'm guessing the writer didn't know the arbitration rules.

Yeah a good point.

But I have a man-crush on Piazza.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Marty Noble knows what he's talking about; he's been covering the Mets for like 30 years.

And, not to bring this up again, it's implicit it wasn't his opinion but relaying what sources said.

[MFS62]

More on the Lindstrom injury. The Daily News article says he had been topping out at 100MPH in the AFL, and that the stress fracture of the arm will only require two months of rest to heal. It was not his elbow or shoulder, and he will be ready for spring training.

Why the sudden interest in Otsuka? His ERA was mid 3's, and he only had a handful of saves. Do they see something in his stuff that makes him interesting/ projectable as a setup man or closer? I would think the Mets could get more for Cameron than that. Anyone know more about him?

Later

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

It was written as if to say Otsuka was Sandyeggo's idea of an offer.

He's the guy with that bizzare stopaction delivery the Mets complained was a balk -- which is weird because I can't recall them ever having reached base against him.

Great numbers in 03.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Where was that Otsuka cartoon?

[Frayed Knot]

- Certainly is risky re: Piazza, although maybe there's an understanding already. Would net us a draft pick if he does leave though.

- No so big a risk w/Loopy. It was the '06 option year that mandated a big raise and they're already out from under that one. An arb hearing - even if it came down to that - wouldn't be crippling. Assuming that the injury was part of his ineffectiveness this past year I have no problem if he's back on the staff for next year in a less crucial role.

- I still think Ishii can fill a role.
Whether our piece of the buyout plus the salary for next year will make it worth keeping him around is up for grabs.
Goodbye Felix.

- "Mets say: Wagner> Ryan; Molina > Hernandez"
I tend to think just the opposite but that's splitting hairs

- "Jojima to visit later this week (News) or next week (Post)"
Sounds like that news piece out of Tacoma the other day - the one saying he had all but signed w/the Mariners - really jumped the gun ...
(so you want to be a sportswriter?)

- "Javy Vasquez would dig being a Met"
Vazquez could be interesting. He might be the one guy who would follow through on the trade-demand threat (it's never been done to this point). He's overpaid (although the Yanx are paying part) but is reasonably young and is signed for the next 3 seasons.
Depending on the price (players) a trade might worth pursuing.
A better bargain might be had via FA-gency, except the problem with that route is that it wouldn't occur until March. Most rosters are pretty much set by then which is one of the reasons this never happens.

[Guest Edgy DC]

I was looking for the cartoon, and I came across this Padre blog.

One of the funniest blog entries ever:

Gaslamp Exclusive: Meeting Tommy Lasorda By jbox Posted on Wed Nov 02, 2005 at 12:15:25 PM EST So I'm at the Coliseum in LA and who walks out of the Port-a-Potty? Tommy Lasorda. One of my friends yells: "Hey Tommy! One or two???" I almost yelled "Do you poo Dodger blue?" But I thought that might be too crass to say to a legend of the game. You never think that a Baseball Hall of Famer is going to walk out of a Port-a-Potty right in front of you. Did he have to wait in the long line? Did people give him cuts? This was LA after all. Doesn't he have box seats somewhere with a private bathroom? Anyway I went over and shook his hand. It wasn't until later that I realized that it was impossible for the man to wash his hands after coming out of the port-a-potty. Gross! Blech! Is it a coincidence that several hours later I got sick and I've been sick ever since? I think not! How many Hall of Famers did you shake hands with on Saturday? That was my question to everyone. They would all say three, just to give me hell. But they didn't meet three.

[Frayed Knot]

Probably too soon to make wild generalizations, but Osutka's two seasons on this side of the Pacific have "funky delivery figured out" written all over them.
Not so effective the second go 'round.

.......... '04 ..... '05
W/L . 7-2 ... 2 - 8
WHiP . 1.06 .. 1.42
ERA . 1.75 ... 3.59
K/9 ... 10.1 ... 8.6