Mets, Livan "Close"

[Guest AG/DC]

"Mmmm, Innnings..."

http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080125&content_id=2355342&vkey=news_nym&fext=.jsp&c_id=nym

[Guest AG/DC]

Livan's a Type B, which i think means the D'Backs would get a sandwich pick but the Mets wouldn't lose any picks.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Not buying it.

[Guest AG/DC]

I was wondering if they were leaking this to send a tacit message to Minnesota that their Santana offer wasn't getting any higher.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

And they chose the Rocky Mountain News to deliver that message?

[Guest AG/DC]

Well, the RMN is the paper that covers Hernandez's team. They may be in earnest negotiation as public alternative, but ready to pull out if they land Santana.

Just a guess. What's your theory?

[stevejrogers]

When did Phoenix become part of the Rocky Mountains?

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I just think the Mets are a likely suspect for any free-agent pitcher left out there and there are a few. And while I could definitely see them get Livan Hernandez, I don;t know also that they'd have a whole overthrow Pelfrey plan at th ready and other clear speculation from the linked article.

Also, I don't want to believe it, and that matters.

[Guest AG/DC]

SteveJRogers wrote: When did Phoenix become part of the Rocky Mountains?

Point taken. Bed awaits. Must walk dog.

Bed. Dog. Bed. Dog. Livan.

Dog.

[nymr83]

i do NOT want livan.

[seawolf17]

He shall be a good man.

[Guest vtmet]

seawolf17 wrote: He shall be a good man.

Livian, livian likes his money
He makes a lot they say
Spend his days counting
In a garage by the motorway

He was born a pauper to a pawn on a christmas day
When the new york times said God is dead
And the wars begun
Alvin tostig has a son today

And he shall be livian
And he shall be a good man
And he shall be livian
In tradition with the family plan
And he shall be livian
And he shall be a good man
He shall be livian

[Guest vtmet]

We have Pedro/Perez/Maine/El'Duque...and we also have Pelfrey/Humber that are getting up there in age/experience losing their "prospect" tags...Pelfrey has been out of college since '05, and has almost 300 innings under his belt SINCE college...Humber has been out of college since '04, and has almost 300 innings under his belt since colege...what is the point in making your 1st round draft pick a 3 year college pitcher, if you are going to keep them in the minors for years? Either find out that they are at least #5 starters or trade them, staying in the minors isn't helping them mature...(I didn't get the Mets philosophy of drafting college pitchers, and their use of Heilman/Pelfrey/Humber makes me question it even more...Yanks drafted Hughes at 18, and he's MLB ready by 21...Other teams that have drafted college pitchers in the first round have these pitchers pitching in the majors less than 300 innings later)...I'd rather give these guys a shot than to waste money/roster space on Livian or Lohse or another piece of junk veteran with little future...

We have Pedro/Perez/Main/El'Duque...and if we acquire Santana, that is already 5 starters that are better than Levon...I can understand keeping kids in AAA with the pickup of Santana...but not for Livian or his equivalence...

[MFS62]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: And they chose the Rocky Mountain News to deliver that message?

Tracy Ringolsbe(sp?) is an esteemed baseball writer. I've read his stuff for years in TSN. He covers the national baseball scene for that paper, and I heard he is the one who wrote the report. He is the mountain time zone equivalent of Peter Gammons.

Later

[metsmarathon]

i dunno. i like livan as an insurance policy which can readily be brushed to the side if and when both of pelfrey and humber prove capable of doing so.

and the latest rumor i saw for santana had pelfrey in it. which makes me like livan a little more, if that is to go down.

i mean, i don't love it.... but i don't hate it either...

[RealityChuck]

Even if Livian is signed, Pelfrey and Humber will get innings this year. El Duque and Pedro are unlikely to stay off the DL all season.

And if they trade both Pelfrey and Humber to get Santana, Livian is a good addition.

[Willets Point]

The Mets have been big on "innings eaters". It would be nice to acquire pitchers who get outs and win games.

[smg58]

Well, we hardly got enough innings out of the rotation last year, which combined with a pen that wasn't adequate even before it got overworked. Livan's ERA+ was better than Glavine's last year, for what it's worth, and the likely difference in innings pitched alone might actually make him an upgrade over his brother. As long as a) you don't commit multiple years, and you don't deny Pelfrey the opportunity to earn a spot in the rotation out of spring training, Livan could be a net plus. He's not my first choice, but he might be the best option that doesn't require a significant overpayment.

[Guest vtmet]

Willets Point wrote: The Mets have been big on "innings eaters". It would be nice to acquire pitchers who get outs and win games.

they are also big on guys that like to use up their 100 pitches by the 5th inning...I've never seen a staff that likes to get ahead in a count 0-2 or 1-2 and then work the count full again, like the Mets have done...They did it most of the time in the Piazza era, and they did it most of the time in the LoDUca era...Hopefully in the Schneider era, they'll focus a little more on getting quick outs and taking advantage of batters vulnerabilities when behind in the count, instead of letting batters off the hook and using up the starters pitches...That is what I like about guys like Pedro and dare I say, Greg Maddux; when they would get ahead in the count, they wouldn't waste a lot of pitches...

[Guest AG/DC]

I don't think the Mets have been big on innings eaters. Only Glavine cleared 200 innings in 2007 and that was only just, averaging 5.89 innings per start.

[metirish]

I think Minaya talks alot about innings eaters, but probabaly GM does.

So where is this deal at?