Catcher 2010

[Benjamin Grimm]

I assure you that I don't subscribe to Jon Heyman's "tweets" (or anyone else's for that matter) but I found the following while clicking around Google News results:

big, rare break for #mets that #giants didnt offer bengie molina arbitration. they're heavy fave to sign him now[/quote:o0tzo823]

I get the sense that the consensus here is that we don't want Molina, but if the Mets could get him on a one-year deal, would that be so bad? (I have no idea how big an "if" that is. But if no other teams are offering two years, then the Mets shouldn't have to either.)

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

I assure you that I don't subscribe to Jon Heyman's "tweets" (or anyone else's for that matter) but I found the following while clicking around Google News results:

big' date=' rare break for #mets that #giants didnt offer bengie molina arbitration. they're heavy fave to sign him now[/quote:371hygx3']

I get the sense that the consensus here is that we don't want Molina, but if the Mets could get him on a one-year deal, would that be so bad? (I have no idea how big an "if" that is. But if no other teams are offering two years, then the Mets shouldn't have to either.)[/quote:371hygx3]

For all the non-walking (Sub-.300 OBP? I mean, Jebus), he's a decent (2 WAR) bat.

The problem is, the defense and running-- in addition to being slow, he is a PUTRID baserunner-- and likely age regression almost make up the difference he'll make with the stick. Is 1 WAR worth $6M a year? (Consider that Zaun's a little better, and will likely come at 1/3 the price; consider, too, that guys like Omir-- around 0.5 WAR last year-- cost about the league min.)

[Benjamin Grimm]

Coste's signing doesn't preclude the club pursuing another player to do the majority of the catching. The field is Kent Tekulve-thin. Molina has 35 years of squatting in his 55-year-old legs. But he can hit. Rod Barajas has more power but less appeal to the Mets. And Yorvit Torrealba isn't likely. One person in the Mets' hierarchy said trading for a catcher is more likely than signing any of the three free agents.[/quote:3il2ynxz]

[metirish]

Molina has 35 years of squatting in his 55-year-old legs.

Great description from Noble......

[Frayed Knot]

Molina has 35 years of squatting in his 55-year-old legs.

Great description from Noble......

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

One person in the Mets' hierarchy said trading for a catcher is more likely than signing any of the three free agents.

That's a good sign IMO.

[ashie62]

Molina has 35 years of squatting in his 55-year-old legs.

Great description from Noble......

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Henry Blanco en route to NYC for a physical, according to teh Internets.

[G-Fafif]

Henry Blanco en route to NYC for a physical, according to teh Internets.[/quote:37kfkv6e]

He's in the waiting room while Yorvit Torrealba's getting checked out.

[ashie62]

Omir Santos, Chris Coste Henry "Benny from the Bronx" Blanco and potentially Bengie Molina

One short of a flush of mediocrity..

Paul Loduca says he want's to return to baseball. What are the "odds" baseball wants him

[Guest Edgy DC]

Spring training invite from the Yankees all but assured.

[MFS62]

Omir Santos, Chris Coste, Henry "Benny from the Bronx" Blanco and potentially Bengie Molina

[/quote:3i1ht67g]
Reminds me of the Munificent Seven catchers on the 1962 team. Some could catch, some could throw, none could hit particularly well.

Later

[ashie62]

From Breslin in SI 8/13/1962 on Stengel

"Do you know who my player of the year is? My player of the year is Choo Choo Coleman and I have him for only two days. He runs very good"

[metirish]

From Breslin in SI 8/13/1962 on Stengel

"Do you know who my player of the year is? My player of the year is Choo Choo Coleman and I have him for only two days. He runs very good"[/quote:50juvn9g]


That's brilliant , says a lot about the rest of them.

[smg58]

Omir Santos, Chris Coste Henry "Benny from the Bronx" Blanco and potentially Bengie Molina

One short of a flush of mediocrity..[/quote:9ktst9xs]

Given that we'd probably be better off calling up Thole before Coste or Blanco should our starting catcher go down, that might be a bit too much redundancy. How would you split the playing time in Buffalo? Or are we sending one of them to Binghamton?

[smg58]

Blanco is officially in for $1.5M. So if we do get another catcher, I guess Santos is sent down?

[MFS62]

Blanco is officially in for $1.5M. So if we do get another catcher, I guess Santos is sent down?[/quote:1p8dt2gq]
If so, too bad.
IMO he was one of the few Mets players who exceeded expectations last year.

Later

[Guest Edgy DC]

Santos won't go down. They'd sooner move him while that little cup on his baseball card gives him value.

[Benjamin Grimm]

That's what I'm thinking too.

I predict that the Mets will go north with two catchers: Bengie Molina and whoever wins a spring competition between Coste and Blanco.

The loser goes to Buffalo and mentors Thole.

And Santos gets dealt.

Unless the rules have changed, a signed free agent can't be traded until June 1, so the Mets would be prohibited from trading Coste or Blanco before that date. Is that rule still in effect?

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure this town ain't big enough for Coste and Santos and Thole. I think now would be an excellent time to roll Santos out of here while he still has some value. Easy come, easy go.

Interesting side-note to the Coste situation -- if nothing else he's being counted on to make Buffalo a competitive AAA team next year, since there have been rumblings that the shitty showing of the Bison last season has greased the skids for the Blue Jays to make a play for their neighboring city to house its AAA team.

That'd be two cities the Mets have burned as a result of lousy organizational strength in 4 years (Norfolk was the other of course). I know it doesn't matter all that much in the strictest sense, but overall it's kind of embarrassing and contributes to the growing perception that the Mets at heart the kind of organization that's sloppy and cuts corners.

[MFS62]

Ben, I haven't read that the restriction has been changed.

One of the "Mets Notes " blurbs in one of the papers earlier in the week (the Daily News?) said that Coste likes to "help out/teach" guys. (Can anyone say "Crash Davis?) If so, seems to me he would be the guy to mentor Thole at AAA.

Later

[ashie62]

I guess Molina & Blanco go north, while Coste does the Crash Davis thing on Thole.

Heck, Thole could be ready by summer.

Santos..to be moved..his value? hard to gauge...

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

I mean, if he's better suited for showing Thole how to maintain shower shoes and breathe through his eyelids, then bully for Coste. That said... it's early yet, granted, but it seems a little odd to be going for surplus in this area while there's other pressing stuff yet on the docket.

It reminds me a bit of how Omar did pitching last year, getting Redding and taking on a whole lot of payroll-- via the Mariners trade and Frankie-- in the bullpen before taking serious aim at the frontline SPs*.

*I realize that Boras may have had something to do with this order.

[ashie62]

If you have Thole, Santos, Coste, Blanco

why bother to sign Bengie Molina at all?

[Frayed Knot]

Bart Hubbach - NYPost:

Manuel and especially Warthen were not happy with the ability of Omir Santos and, to a lesser extent, Brian Schneider to call a game and handle the Mets' pitching staff last season.
That helps explain Minaya's decision this week to sign veteran backup catchers Henry Blanco and Chris Coste and continue his pursuit of a veteran starter -- most likely ex-Giant Bengie Molina -- at the Winter Meetings ... coupled with the presence of catcher-in-waiting Josh Thole at the Triple-A level leave Santos the odd man out despite earning a spot on the prestigious Topps Rookie All-Star Team.
Santos, 28, always was unlikely to return as the Mets' starting catcher, but the unhappiness within the coaching staff at his defensive abilities now appears to have [him] ticketed back to the minors, or perhaps even out of the organization completely.

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/mets/mets_still_looking_for_catching_nhTRlskBAFcDoHmT6jfnfL






The "prestigious" Topps Rookie award? How many rookie catchers are there in a given year?

[batmagadanleadoff]

Oh, enough already with that Topps Rookie Cup. Omir Santos sucks.

[Guest Edgy DC]

I think Hubbach was reading the Pool yesterday.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

The "prestigious" Topps Rookie award? How many rookie catchers are there in a given year?[/quote:2trjjlc2]

4 ROTY-eligible types over 200 PAs last year. The famous Mr. Matt Wieters, heralded Ranger Taylor Teagarden, and Reds backup Ryan Hanigan.

Even as he didn't live up to lofty expectations, Wieters was significantly better with the bat (.330 wOBA, .288 BA/.340 OBP, .412 SLG, walked 7.5% of the time) than Santos (.298 wOBA, .260 BA, .296 OBP, .391 SLG, walked 5.1% of the time). He's also-- as per rep-- a defensive beast.

But hey-- Santos is still in the 75th percentile of 2009 rookie catchers. Bully!

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

From today's Hubbuch article:

Asked by The Post late in the year how he felt about the catchers' defense and handling of the pitchers, Warthen pursed his lips and said: "Next question."

Perhaps this is why you clean house after a season like last year's. EVERYONE left over is in survival mode, and we're months away from pitchers-n'-catchers.

[metirish]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure this town ain't big enough for Coste and Santos and Thole. I think now would be an excellent time to roll Santos out of here while he still has some value. Easy come, easy go.

Interesting side-note to the Coste situation -- if nothing else he's being counted on to make Buffalo a competitive AAA team next year, since there have been rumblings that the shitty showing of the Bison last season has greased the skids for the Blue Jays to make a play for their neighboring city to house its AAA team.

That'd be two cities the Mets have burned as a result of lousy organizational strength in 4 years (Norfolk was the other of course). I know it doesn't matter all that much in the strictest sense, but overall it's kind of embarrassing and contributes to the growing perception that the Mets at heart the kind of organization that's sloppy and cuts corners.[/quote:344dm0v7]


Totally agree.....