Hot Stove League

[nymr83]

="Edgy DC"]Sage's Plan C Group: Player / Age / Career OPS+/2004/2005/2006 Durham / 35 / 106 115, 107, 127 Loretta / 35 / 101 136, 96, 82 Valentin / 37 / 96 88, 62, 112 Sage's Plan D Group: Player / Age / Career OPS+/2004/2005/2006 Aurilia / 35 / 104 80, 99, 112 Kennedy / 31 / 92 98, 97, 90 DeRosa / 32 / 90 59, 98, 106 Lugo / 31 / 92 94, 105, 94 I can see buping Aurilia up and/or dropping Valentin down, but I see no reason to recommend a Lugo upgrade.

i amended Edgy's list to include 2004, 2005, and 2006, i don't care what these guys did years ago

if i had to order them i'd go: Durham, Aurilia, Loretta, DeRosa, Lugo, Valentin, Kennedy but thats irrespective of defense, age, and contract demands.
if i factor in my own opinions of their defense, their ages, and i assume that they all want 2 years i'd go Durham, Loretta, Aurilia, Lugo, DeRosa, Kennedy, Valentin.

Valentin was great for the Mets in 2006, but if he wanted 2 years i'd have to pass, he's the oldest man on the list and is responsible for 2 of the 5 worst seasons put up by these 7 guys in the last 3 years (21 seasons total)

I've talked about liking Loretta in the past, but with the year he had in '06 I'd hesitate to give him more than a year with a team option as well.

I've gotten the impression that DeRosa isn't very good defensively, but if i were told htat he's as good as the other guys on this list he'd be someone i'd take a gamble on along with Aurilia or Lugo.

I'd give Durham 2 years but i have a feeling he wants 3 as he's the guy with the best name recognition here and its his last big payday.

[nymr83]

]Beyond Soriano, I just don't see anybody worth committing mutliple years to. I wonder if a Valentin/Aurillia platoon would be cost-effective.

a platoon in general may be more cost-effective, and just as productive, as signing a Ray Durham and a guy like Woodward to be the 2B/UT, whoever isnt playing that day is the UT, i havent looked into the lefty/righty splits for these guys to see who would be the best targets (theres also the question of who would be willing)

[smg58]

Durham is clearly the best hitter of the bunch. His issues are his glove and staying healthy. You'd need a contingency plan to go with him.

Loretta still has a solid glove, but his power has vanished the past two years. The nosediving OPS looks like a red flag to me.

Kennedy doesn't look good enough.

I just get a bad feeling about Lugo, I can't place it. His speed could make up some for his OPS. I don't know how well he plays second, either.

DeRosa has basically had one good year. I'd be worried about overcommitting to somebody like that, but he could repeat what he did last year.

Valentin did reinvent himself a bit last year, abandoning the all-or-nothing swing that had stopped working for him and cutting down his strikeouts without a big effect on his power. I can't see him as more than a platoon player, though, so you'd still need to find a righty bat.

I like the way Aurilia hits lefties; the Mets could use somebody like that to balance the line-up. And he can play all four infield spots. 500+ AB might be beyond him at this point, though.

I think the best options are Durham or a Valentin/Aurilia platoon, depending on who wants what for how many years.

[DocTee]

Aurilia had a bad spell in Seattle before returning to the NL...FWIW, he's a native New Yorker (Brooklyn) so may be gotten cheaper

[Farmer Ted]

Delagado doesn't request a trade, which he is entitled to. First base is locked up.

[Guest Edgy DC]

So we're agreed. Valentin plus a righthanded option at second. Call Miguel Cairo.

[Farmer Ted]

I don't agree. I want Soriano's 40-40 in that lineup.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Well, um, yeah, there's that.

[Farmer Ted]

Devil's advocate. It's election day, you know.

[DocTee]

Josh Barfield to Cleveland--

[Guest OlerudOwned]

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=Aj91hW3PTyAbpx3aVJEUUmARvLYF?slug=ap-dodgers-drew&prov=ap&type=lgns

J.D. Drew has opted out of the final three years of his big LA contract, and is now an unrestricted free agent.

31 years old, oft injured, big money guy.

Is the potential .305/.436/.569 31 HR from '04 or 20 HR/100 RBI of this season worth the risk that he'll struggle to play in 100 games? Those numbers would like mighty purdy in left.

[metirish]

Does this team need another leftie hitter though?

[Guest OlerudOwned]

In my scenario, we get Drew to take Floyd's spot, and put the switch-hitting Ray Durham (who is better when facing lefties) in at second base. Milledge can give either Drew or Green an off-day with a LHP on the mound. (And Milledge will also, like, hit better).

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

He's got to be an option now.

[TransMonk]

If Drew can stay healthy, he's proven that he can put up decent offensive numbers. He has to be an option.

He has played 33 games in left in his career, although none since 2003.

He was scheduled to make 11 mil per year for the final 3 on his contract...that's pretty steep for someone injured as often as he is.

On edit: And his agent is Boras.

[Frayed Knot]

Interesting tactic by Drew.

He's a terrific talent but there's always the injury bug. And it's not just a string of bad luck which could turn around at some point; he's got a lingering knee problem that limits his OF play and keeps him out of the lineup.
There's also ... well, just something missing from his game. He's so frustratingly unagressive at times to the point where you wonder how much he cares. I don't like to throw around that charge but he's one of the few where it think it fits.

[DocTee]

Biggio re-ups with Houston: 1 year $5 million

[Guest Edgy DC]

Here's hoping his helmet gets unconditionally released.

[seawolf17]

Good for Biggio. One of my favorite players ever.

[TransMonk]

I agree. It's hard not to like a player who's played his entire 20 year career with one team.

It'll be nice to see him get to 3000 with the Stros.

[smg58]

Maybe Chris Burke is available, since the Astros seem determined not to make room for him.

[Vic Sage]

oh, hell, i'd take him in a heartbeat.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

From the New York Times:

="Murray Chass"] November 8, 2006 On Baseball Mets Mull Prospects for Pitching By MURRAY CHASS When Carlos Delgado signed with Florida as a free agent two years ago, he said he chose the Marlins over the Mets because he felt they had a better chance of getting to the World Series. Delgado is a top-notch run producer, but a top-notch prognosticator he is not. But no harm. A year later Delgado wound up with the Mets, and he helped them get close to the World Series. Now they are ready to take the next step. In the two winters Omar Minaya has been their general manager, the Mets have done well, adding, among other players, Carlos Beltr�n, Pedro Mart�nez, Delgado, Paul Lo Duca and Billy Wagner. The Mets, in fact, have spoiled their fans, who have come to expect sparkling additions. Who could those additions be this off-season? Begin with the starting pitching because the Mets� No. 1 priority is a No. 1 starter. Tom Glavine will very likely return for a fifth season with the Mets, and Orlando Hern�ndez may be back, too. Manager Willie Randolph also has a group of younger pitchers to consider for the rotation: Oliver P�rez, John Maine, Brian Bannister, Mike Pelfrey and Dave Williams. But with Mart�nez unavailable for the first half of next season after shoulder surgery, the Mets need a No. 1. They could sign a free agent (Barry Zito?), they could win the Japanese lottery (Daisuke Matsuzaka) or they could make a trade (Dontrelle Willis?). Minaya wouldn�t snub a top-flight free agent, but based on previous comments he has made, he likes the idea of trading for a player over signing him. Willis, then, would most likely be his No. 1 choice. He tried to persuade the Marlins to trade him last season, and they resisted. He will certainly try again. Jake Peavy of San Diego could be another target. Peavy, a 25-year-old right-hander, had a losing record (11-14) with a division champion, but he can be a dominant pitcher. In his last 10 starts, he had a 6-3 record and a 2.86 earned run average, which lowered his season E.R.A. to 4.09 from 4.69. �When Minaya talked to the Marlins about Willis last summer, he was not necessarily prepared to trade some of the Mets� young prospects. His position, however, has most likely changed. Lastings Milledge, for example, lost some of his luster in his visits to New York during the season, and the Mets would very likely be willing to include him in a package for Willis. They would also likely be willing to trade Philip Humber, the third player selected in the 2004 June draft, or another pitcher, like Bannister or Pelfrey. Timing could be a problem in their effort to get Willis. The Mets will learn in the next day or two if they are the winning bidder for Matsuzaka, and if so, they would then have 30 days to sign him. Minaya might be able to determine in that time if he had a chance to trade for Willis, but maybe not. If the Mets found they could get Willis, would they abandon their attempt to sign Matsuzaka? If they did that, would they violate the rules or the spirit of the posting system? No, they would not. Nothing in the posting rules provides for penalties if a club, for any reason, fails to sign the player. The club would simply lose its right to negotiate with him. But what if the Mets were to sign Matsuzaka first? Would Minaya still try to get Willis? Given that Willis can�t be a free agent for three more years, why not? Failing to get Matsuzaka or Willis, the Mets would most likely pursue Zito, although his price tag would very likely be higher than his status warranted. By most assessments, Zito is a No. 2 or No. 3 starter, but in this market, with so many teams desperate for pitching, he is viewed as a No. 1. In addition, his agent, Scott Boras, will market him as a No. 1 and have a book full of statistics to show to skeptical clubs. The Mets are not guaranteed any pitcher through any means, but Minaya has established a good track record for getting what he goes after, Delgado excepted, and would have to be given a strong chance to get one of the pitchers he wants. �Aside from pitching, the Mets need to address second base and left field. With the 50-game suspension for Guillermo Mota, a free agent the Mets had planned to re-sign, they will have to look at their bullpen, too. But they have Duaner S�nchez coming back from his shoulder injury, they still have Aaron Heilman and they could re-sign Chad Bradford. For second base, the Mets could re-sign Jos� Valent�n, although they could not expect him to duplicate the performance he gave the Mets for much of last season. They will also consider the free agents Julio Lugo, Ron Belliard and Mark Loretta. The best hitters available for left field in the free-agent market are Alfonso Soriano and Carlos Lee. Each will cost more than the Mets will want to spend if they sign an expensive pitcher. They signed Beltr�n and Mart�nez two years ago, and last year they signed Wagner and took on Delgado�s expensive contract. But they won�t commit to those expenditures every year. With their offense, though, they don�t need to spend lavishly to get a hitter of the magnitude of Soriano and Lee. They started last season with a payroll a few dollars under $100 million and wound up at $111 million. They will probably start around the same level and save some money in order to acquire a player at the July 31 trading deadline.

[DocTee]

Cubs re-up with Aramis Ramirez (5 years, $73 million) and Kerry Wood (1 year, $1.5 million).

[Guest Edgy DC]

Wood would seem worth more than that.

[Frayed Knot]

Not lately

[Elster88]

Shit, I woulda taken him at 1 year, 3 mil.

[metirish]

Wood must not have the same agent as Ramirez.....he's made out good with the Cubs..

[stevejrogers]

Elster88 wrote: Shit, I woulda taken him at 1 year, 3 mil.

Eh, not sure if the reward would have been greater than the risk.

Oh sure he could turn everything around and actually be Ryan/Clemens-esque, but the way things have been around here lately, do we need the probable headache when it turns out to be a disaster? We aren't the MFY who can absorb mistakes you know

[metirish]

] We aren't the MFY who can absorb mistakes you know

Sure the Mets can and have ,Howe,Cedano ,Bonilla...the list goes on, the Mets are not the Royals Steve...