On Valentin, Split from Quotes Thread

[Guest Edgy DC]

Valentin --- not looking like he's long for this team.

[DocTee]

wrong thread, dude.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Stupit mi.

[MFS62]

Edgy DC wrote: Valentin --- not looking like he's long for this team.

Didn't he sign a two year contract?
Or was that Franco?

Later

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

Franco has two, Valentin has one, and it was guaranteed before spring training.

[Guest abogdan]

Franco has 2 years. Valentin has 1-year at $912K.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Y'know, giving Valentin a start at 2B might not be a bad idea. Dude has power, or used to.

[Guest Edgy DC]

This is funny that this thread-within-a-thread had legs, being that it started because I was IGTing in the wrong thread.

Getting Valentin a start a second makes a whole lot of sense. He needs the reps.

[Guest Bret Sabermetric]

And don't forget Franco broke in as a ss in the Paleolithic era.

[Guest sharpie]

Valentin is probably the Mets' third option at second, third option at short and maybe second at third. Reyes and Wright play every day and Woodward, a better defender, would be the most likely fill-in second baseman until Matsui gets back. He was hurt much of last season and probably needs playing time in order to get his stroke back but I can't see how that is going to happen unless he accepts a minor league assignment, which he almost surely won't.

[MFS62]

Bret Sabermetric wrote: And don't forget Franco broke in as a ss in the Paleolithic era.

He was Honus Wagner's boyhood idol.

Later

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

sharpie wrote: Valentin is probably the Mets' third option at second, third option at short and maybe second at third. Reyes and Wright play every day and Woodward, a better defender, would be the most likely fill-in second baseman until Matsui gets back. He was hurt much of last season and probably needs playing time in order to get his stroke back but I can't see how that is going to happen unless he accepts a minor league assignment, which he almost surely won't.

Yeah well, I don't see any harm in giving your third option a start every now and then. Leave your first option to fill in on D late and your second to PH or cover SS or 3rd in the event of an emergency. It's only one game and it's April.

[metirish]

Yesterday I wrote this and FK responded...

] Yeah I agree with Nymr83, maybe Wags needed the work, I have no idea but I'm guessing they didn't htink he would throw that many pirches, ans can we release Valentin, no way he is the first option of the bench, he sucks donkey balls.

Frayed Knot...

] Valentin is 0-fer-4. Do we really want to be throwing guys to the wolves based just on that? And, if so, who's your choice for lefty off the bench to put a bit a fear into the opposing manager?

[Guest abogdan]

I don't think that Valentin is striking fear in anyone. That being said, the Mets really don't have any great LH PH options in the system. I'd be all for giving Todd Self a shot at the role, but not based on four at bats from Valentin.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

Maybe they can give Rusty Staub a two-year contract.

[Guest Edgy DC]

I think the two-year thing has run its course. I'd like to enjoy 2006 without regular worry that the Mets are overextended for 2007 --- especially when they aren't.

[Frayed Knot]

abogdan wrote: I don't think that Valentin is striking fear in anyone. That being said, the Mets really don't have any great LH PH options in the system. I'd be all for giving Todd Self a shot at the role, but not based on four at bats from Valentin.

He certainly isn't scaring anyone at the moment but does possess the power to do so, something the only other LH off the bench - Endy Chavez - does not. The problem w/Self is that he doesn't give you the defensive versatility that Valentin does and instead would just be another 1st baseman that doesn't play. I realize that we've had almost zero variation from the standard lineup so far but that certainly won't last forever and, while Valentin isn't going to win a gold glove anywhere, he can play 4 or 5 different spots in a pinch. He also switch-hits.

[smg58]

How about replacing Valentin with Chase Lambin?

Valentin just might accept a demotion if he thinks he needs the AB's. I can't see another major league team biting on him right now.

[seawolf17]

Problem with Lambin is that he's not on the 40, so you'd have to make a move to add him. (Of course, you could dump Valentin, obviously.) I'd think they'd rather Lambin get regular ABs in AAA than rot on the major league bench.

[Guest Edgy DC]

]How about replacing Valentin with Chase Lambin?

If the alleged problem is that Valentin is rotting on the bench, why?

OE: Or as Seawolf said more explicitly...

[Gwreck]

I hate to be the one to suggest this, but isn't it possible that Valentin is merely holding Kaz Matsui's spot on the roster until he comes back from the DL?

Matsui can also bat LH, can also play 2B, and has some pop in his bat too...

[Guest Rotblatt]

Good thought, GWreck.

Someone's got to go down whenever we call up Matsui, and he probably does make Valentin redundant.

[seawolf17]

Who is this Matsui character? Is he some sort of savior from a foreign land? I've never heard of him.

[Frayed Knot]

Might all depend on when KazMat comes back (assuming he doesn't sprain his toe-nail or sumthin during rehab).

- If it's sooner rather than later it could either be Valentin or Chavez
I think trying to dump Valentin would mean we'd lose him, not sure if he'd accept a demotion unless it comes with a semi-promise of it being only temporary. Chavez, I assume, could be sent down with little problem. Diaz might be a candidate just to get him steady work but I think he'll get enough up here eventually.

- If it's later rather than sooner and AndyHandy is still hitting a buck-&-change it could be him being sent down.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

And let's not forget that Woodward has seen very little action. He's probably safe because he seems to be a Willie favorite, but the fact remains, he hasn't been playing.

[Guest Bret Sabermetric]

It says here that Hernandez, like Igby, goes down --if only to save some face for Matsui, hand him the job right back, NQA, while Andy plays every day, and Matsui plays himself out of a job. I don't see the Mets paying Valentin a season's pay for a handful of appearances. Team policy states "We pay for our gross errors of judgment in the standings, not the bank account."

[Frayed Knot]

It's a small sample so far, but AndyHandy is hitting .100+ with zero power and zero walks. Assuming that that continues for a while, what would constitute Matsui "playing his way out of a job" that isn't worse than what's already going on?

[Guest Bret Sabermetric]

Hernandez has not yet demonstrated that's he's never going to be able to hit well enough to hold down an MLB job. He's been terrible so far, but he could improve (almost certainly will improve off the execrable start of his MLB career).

Matsui OTOH has demonstrated to all but the most hardcore Metsaholics that he's not a MLB player. Even if he does qualify, in Metsoholic eyes, as a marginal MLB talent, it's for a shitload less than he's being paid, so it's not as though the games invested in 2006 in his sorry oft-injured ass will pay any dividends beyond this year, but Hernandez just might.

OE: fixed spelling of big word. Astonished no one has busted chops over misspelled big word. Flobgarstid.

[Elster88]

Bret Sabermetric wrote: Hernandez has not yet demonstrated that's he's never going to be able to hit well enough to hold down an MLB job. He's been terrible so far, but he could improve (almost certainly will improve off the exercrable start of his MLB career).

That's nice. Unfortunately, we're trying to win this year. Let Andy learn how to hit in the minors if we have someone who would be an improvement.

Sadly, Kaz may not be much of an improvement.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

I think it's funny that Bret here thinks he's carrying on an argument with Willie when they're basically in agreement.