Hot Stove League

[smg58]

$11M per year for a guy with a career 4.65 ERA. $10M per year for Ted Lilly and his 4.60 career ERA. And these are the "bargains"?

[metirish]

smg58 wrote: $11M per year for a guy with a career 4.65 ERA. $10M per year for Ted Lilly and his 4.60 career ERA. And these are the "bargains"?

The life of mediocre pitchers,seeing some of the other deals makes me wish I was a washed up baseball player..

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

Mets Press Release wrote: The New York Mets announced today that they have signed righthanded pitcher Guillermo Mota to a two-year, $5 million contract. Mota, 33, went 3-0 with a 1.00 ERA in 18 games with the Mets after he was acquired along with cash considerations from the Cleveland Indians in exchange for a player to be named later on August 20th. In 18.0 innings, he allowed 10 hits, two runs, earned, with five walks and 19 strikeouts. Since 2002, the 6-6, 210-pounder ranks fourth among major league relievers with 384.0 innings. Only Scot Shields, Mike Timlin and David Weathers have pitched more. "I feel that the bullpen was one of the keys to our success last year," said Mets General Manager Omar Minaya. "Adding Guillermo Mota strengthens our bullpen with another quality arm."

[metirish]

So how do the people that think McGwire should not be in the HOF feel about the Mets giving Mota a two year contract?..I mean Omar gave a cheat a contract..it doesn't bother me one bit...

[nymr83]

5 million for getting busted with roids? i'd have offered him league minimum for 2007 with a $3mil club option for '08.

[smg58]

Convince me that McGwire was HOF-worthy without steroids, and he'd get my vote. (Although I'd still like to see Roger Maris get in first.)

Convince me that Mota's late-season resurgence after being traded had nothing to do with cheating, and I'm OK bringing him back.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

That only makes sense, smg.

If Mota performed well only because he was cheating, then bringing him back is a bad move, because he (presumably) won't be able to get away with cheating again.

[Guest Edgy DC]

I don't like it. But, "Omar gave a cheat a contract" isn't really a complete framing.

Omar gave a cheat a contract that starts after he serves his sentence for cheating.

It probably would be better if his suspension included being suspended from negotiating a contract until after his sentence.

[metirish]

From the Post

] December 9, 2006 -- With Andy Pettitte joining fellow ground-ball specialist Chien-Ming Wang, the Yankees have shown an interest in slick-fielding first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz. Even though Mientkiewicz is a left-handed hitter and the Yankees are seeking a right-handed bat at first, he isn't an automatic out against lefties (.274 last year). Hideki Matsui and Jason Giambi handle left-handers well, and Mientkiewicz is considered a defensive upgrade at first over right-handed hitting Shea Hillenbrand, who has talked with the Yankees. "He catches the ball, that's a lock," a scout said of 32-year-old Mientkiewicz, who batted .283 with four homers and 43 RBIs for the Royals last season. Mientkiewicz, however, was limited to 91 games due to a back problem that resulted in postseason surgery to correct a chipped piece of bone pressing against a nerve, but he has completely recovered and will be ready for spring training.

[Guest cleonjones11]

From G Mota-----"Crime does Pay!"

[Guest attgig]

if he's suspended for 50 games, and we have a 2.5 mil contract, do the mets still have to pay that portion of the contract when he's suspended?

[A Boy Named Seo]

The Ft. Worth Star Telegram says Eric Gagne had handful of suitors, but is leaning towards either the Rangers or Indians for around 1 year/$6 mil. He wasn't throwing hard at all last year before he went on the shelf again, but he he's never walked anybody and still has a killer change-up. I don't see why he couldn't be as effective as Trevor Hoffman. Could be a very nice pickup for someone.

Jay Satan close to a deal with the O's sez the Washington Post.

[Guest sharpie]

Jose Vidro traded to the Mariners for 2 prospects pending physicals.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Allegedly contacted by the Mets about a minor-league contract and a spring training invite: Ruben Sierra.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

They're just going to keep inviting him every year aren't they?

He's 41 years old now. Maybe they can park him in New Orleans for four or five years and then bring him up when Julio Franco retires.

[Sandgnat]

On ESPN Insider right now, Buster Olney has an article up "Identifying contenders' top needs" and he leads off with the Mets.

Anyone got a subscription and want to summarize for us?

[Vic Sage]

Do you really need somebody to pay for Olney to tell us we need an ace and a 2bman?

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

If he's arguing that the Mets need a second baseman then I'd like to pay Omar Minaya to read the article.

[Vic Sage]

the ace is a need, the 2bman a luxury.

I'm sure if Omar could've found a significantly better 2bman, he'd have pursued him. But the guys available (other than Soriano, who he didn't want to pay for, and Durham, who is also old and as likely to break down as Valentin) were really not signifcant upgrades.

I'd still like him to take a shot at Giles. But more important now is a frontline starter.

[Guest sharpie]

I'm with Vic. Between Valentin and Easley we can probably get adequate production out of second base. If not, I'm sure Omar will go out and find us somebody else.

[Farmer Ted]

BoSox give up a former Mets farmhand in this deal.


ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The Los Angeles Angels traded former All-Star reliever Brendan Donnelly to the Boston Red Sox on Friday for rookie left-hander Phil Seibel.

The 35-year-old Donnelly became expendable when the Angels and reliever Justin Speier agreed to an $18 million, four-year contract.

Donnelly was 6-0 with a 3.94 ERA in 62 games last season. He had a 5-0 record and a 3.52 ERA in 29 games after the All-Star break, and held the opposition scoreless in 19 of his last 21 appearances.

Donnelly was 23-8 with a 2.87 ERA and four saves in 276 appearances with the Angels. He signed with them in as a minor league free agent in January 2001, and made his big league debut in 2002 after 10 minor league seasons with nine different organizations.

His best year was in 2003, when he allowed only two earned runs in his first 50 innings. Donnelly's 0.38 ERA was the lowest by a regular big league reliever at the All-Star break, and he was the winning pitcher in the AL's 7-6 victory over the NL in the All-Star game. He finished the season with a 1.58 ERA and a career-high three saves.

Donnelly set career highs with nine wins and 65 appearances in 2005. He was limited to 40 games in 2004 after missing the Angels' first 64 games due to a broken nose.

The 27-year-old Seibel spent the last three seasons in the Boston organization after being claimed on waivers from the New York Mets in November 2003. He pitched 3 2-3 scoreless innings in two games with the Red Sox in 2004.

Seibel went 6-3 with a 1.24 ERA for three Boston farm clubs last season. He didn't pitch in 2005 after undergoing reconstructive surgery on his pitching elbow following the 2004 season.

Before turning professional, Seibel pitched three seasons for the University of Texas.

[Frayed Knot]

Wonder if the Sox will try to use Donnely as their closer since they intend to move Papelbon into the rotation and I'm not sure that their draft pick from L.I. & St. John's is up to the job yet.



In other news, Toronto and Vernon Wells apparently close to a deal for right around Beltran money. Wells would have been a FA after next season.

[nymr83]

Wells just turned 28, he has a 112 OPS+ for his 8 year career (3 of which were partial seasons, 1 of those was only a couple of games.)
When the Mets signed Beltran he was also 28, he has a 114 OPS+ now, which i assume was a few points lower when he signed (96 and 153 since) after 7 (1 partial) seasons.
Beltran is certainly the better baserunner and imo the far better defender (though Wells is good enough in CF.) considering the present market i can't knock them for giving him "Beltran money"

[DocTee]

Jeff Conine-- a career .300 hitter against lefties --goes from Philadelphia to Cincinnati. Will platoon at 1B and spell Ryan Freel in the OF. At $2 million for 2007, the Reds found him worth two prospects.

[DocTee]

Texas lands ChiSox' Brandon McCarthy in 5- player deal.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2707317

[metirish]

The Pittsburgh Pirates, filling their need for a left-handed power bat, acquired first baseman Adam LaRoche from the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday for lefty reliever Mike Gonzalez.


The Beaver (Pa.) County Times is reporting that the Braves will also receive minor league shortstop Brent Lillibridge in the deal, while minor league outfielder Jamie Romak will be going to Pittsburgh along with LaRoche.

[Guest iramets]

metirish wrote: The Pittsburgh Pirates, filling their need for a left-handed power bat, acquired first baseman Adam LaRoche from the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday for lefty reliever Mike Gonzalez. The Beaver (Pa.) County Times is reporting that the Braves will also receive minor league shortstop Brent Lillibridge in the deal, while minor league outfielder Jamie Romak will be going to Pittsburgh along with LaRoche.

Supposedly (WFAN tonight) this deal puts the kibosh on Bernie Williams' Yankee career, in that the Yankees were looking to deal Melky Cabrera for Gonzales. Now Melky is likely to stay, so Bernie's out of a job. The question was: Does he retire a Yankee or play elsewhere? Personaly I don't think he has to do either. If he stays in shape, maybe becomes outfield coach or some dumb thing, and sticks around, it's a matter of weeks before some Yankee OFer pulls a groin muscle (maybe even his own--rimshot!) and Bernie goes on to play a few more years. That's how I'm betting anyway.

Oh, it wasn;t WFAN--it was Michael Kay.

[Guest cleonjones11]

Nice trade for Pirates....LaRoche seems to have more of a ceiling.

Bernie can make classical guitar instructional videos with Esteban...no.not Loizia..

[smg58]

cleonjones11 wrote: Nice trade for Pirates....LaRoche seems to have more of a ceiling.

The Braves are doing 90 in the wrong direction. They might not beat out the Nationals this year. Neither LaRoche nor Giles is making that much, but they were evidently too expensive to keep even in this market. I'm surprised Schuerholz and Cox are sticking around. A few more years of this and they'll be the Devil Rays minus the good prospects.

[smg58]

After looking at Lillibridge's numbers, he does have excellent potential as a leadoff hitter down the road. This makes the deal more palatable for Atlanta, but he's still two years away. So maybe they'll be the D-Rays with a couple of good prospects.