Hot Stove 2009-2010

[Guest Edgy DC]

WINN TO YANKEES
LOSS TO METS

[smg58]

Something had to have bothered Winn swinging righthanded last year. (I'm not sure what's more bizarre -- that he had a .384 OPS in 120 ABs righthanded last year after even platoon splits for his whole career, or that he was allowed to have 120 ABs righthanded under the circumstances.) If he's over that, then he's a great value at $2M for the Yankees, unfortunately.

On the other hand, the Yankees now have two starting outfielders whose OPS against lefties last year failed to break .500. That's a potential weakness teams are going to try to exploit.

[smg58]

metirish wrote: If at any point in the season I'm missing Redding then I fear things are worse than I suspect.

That would most likely mean that somebody from this forum is on the mound for the Mets, so it wouldn't be all bad.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

smg58 wrote: Something had to have bothered Winn swinging righthanded last year. (I'm not sure what's more bizarre -- that he had a .384 OPS in 120 ABs righthanded last year after even platoon splits for his whole career, or that he was allowed to have 120 ABs righthanded under the circumstances.) If he's over that, then he's a great value at $2M for the Yankees, unfortunately. On the other hand, the Yankees now have two starting outfielders whose OPS against lefties last year failed to break .500. That's a potential weakness teams are going to try to exploit.

They've also got a couple of guys at the corners, there, who don't mind lefties one bit.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Seriously, though, this is as big a "fuck you for your trouble" to Johnny Damon as Damon was to Bernie Williams.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Johnny Damon deserves a good fucking. One-handed swinging phony poseur.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Johnny Damon deserves a good fucking. One-handed swinging phony poseur.

Does anyone else not mind having him as a CF/OF backup option for 6M?

Just me? Never mind.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I'd mind. I want him on the Red Sox again, torturing the MFYs purely for my entertainment. Or back where he started with the Royals.

[Fman99]

Ronnie Belliard to the Dodgers for one year, 825k.

According to MLB TV there's a weight clause, the contract is void if he reports to camp at 210 lbs or more. Or, as I call it, the "Gwynn clause."

[Valadius]

Fman99 wrote: Ronnie Belliard to the Dodgers for one year, 825k. According to MLB TV there's a weight clause, the contract is void if he reports to camp at 210 lbs or more. Or, as I call it, the "Gwynn clause."

Not the "Castro clause?"

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Johnny Damon deserves a good fucking. One-handed swinging phony poseur. Does anyone else not mind having him as a CF/OF backup option for 6M? Just me? Never mind.

Did the Matthews trade not end that possibility?

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

This Matthews guy, he's pretty good, then?

SC: Off the muthafuckin' charts

[nymr83]

smg58 wrote: metirish wrote: If at any point in the season I'm missing Redding then I fear things are worse than I suspect. That would most likely mean that somebody from this forum is on the mound for the Mets, so it wouldn't be all bad.

I think I could walk less people than Oliver Perez and appear in more games than Ben Sheets.

[duan]

smg58 wrote: Something had to have bothered Winn swinging righthanded last year. (I'm not sure what's more bizarre -- that he had a .384 OPS in 120 ABs righthanded last year after even platoon splits for his whole career, or that he was allowed to have 120 ABs righthanded under the circumstances.) If he's over that, then he's a great value at $2M for the Yankees, unfortunately. On the other hand, the Yankees now have two starting outfielders whose OPS against lefties last year failed to break .500. That's a potential weakness teams are going to try to exploit.

so what does Gary Matthews have to do - be better then Randy Winn for it to be considered a victory for Omar?

I don't know, I actually think people are underestimating how many things went wrong for the Mets last season. If Beltran, Wright, Reyes & Santana are all going to be fucked (wright just power wise) this season too, there's no amount of talent that you could have imported to make the team a legitimate contender.
But before the season starts the talent from the core that we've lost is Carlos Delgado and I think replacing him Jason Bay is an ok if slightly expensive swap.
Beltran's loss for a month - 6 week - who knows? is the imponderable but difficult to plan for. My instinct is that Angel Pagan is going to be ok, but they found him fragile last season which is why they've agreed to pay Matthews 2 million for 2 years. Someone who (rightly or wrongly) they believe can play league average CF and get towards hitting 350obp/400slg.
This to my mind is a commitment to leaving Fernando Martinez at a level and hoping he gets his reps there and can develop.

The biggest imponderable is what we get out of Maine/Perez/Pelfrey - but none of the FA options were without their knocks too. I bet the Ollie contract is the one thing that Omar regrets most though.

[TransMonk]

Jim Edmonds will look to compete with/backup Carlos Gomez in Milwaukee.

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/82957147.html

[MFS62]

Rotoworld is reporting the Mets have signed Frank Catalonato to a minor league contract.
Good hitter and plays many positions.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/catalfr01.shtml

Good pickup.
Later

[bmfc1]

(Moved)

Edited January 30, 2010 by Guest

[TransMonk]

It would have been a better pickup in 2006.

Still, I like Frank.

[nymr83]

good pickup.

[MFS62]

According to Rotoworld, the Nats have signed Orlando Hudson to a $3 million plus incentives contract for one year.
I guess Mets fans who had hoped they would sign him will now call him No-lando Hudson.

Later

[Benjamin Grimm]

A one-year contract? That means we'll probably be having this same discussion next year.

[nymr83]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: A one-year contract? That means we'll probably be having this same discussion next year.

just like we did last year. fine with me that another useful plyer will again be available next year, more options are good.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Reese Havens and Ruben Tejada will be available.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

We're at the point in the offseason where teams can acquire a player that will immediately improve a starting slot both offensively AND defensively for the price of a bargain-basement SP or high-priced bench piece... and not a one of them appears to be holding out for multi-year deals.

Yeah, why would you want a bite at that?

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

It seems Hudson's not quite a Nat yet.

According to Buster Olney and MLB.com's Bill Ladson, some other teams are in on O, including the Indians, Rockies and another AL team (possibly the Twins).

OE: The Rockies are out-- on both Hudson and Lopez. Which means any bidding team would essentially be competing for either with the Nationals, Indians and a team that just leveraged itself for 120 million over the next 7 years, with another 200 million contract or so looming in a year and a half. Do the Mets have some sort of organizational policy against striving for bargains?

Edited February 1, 2010 by Guest

[smg58]

Willy Tavares and Adam Rosales to the A's, Aaron Miles and a PTBNL to Cincy.

Ryan Garko is a Mariner for $550k plus incentives.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

The Mets are done "spending money for now" (meaning until camp breaks), tweets Buster Olney from beneath the Minayas' living room floorboards (since Ed Price already had the above-board space exclusive).

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

The S-Trib's Joe Christensen says a basic framework is in place... but WCCO jumps all in and affirms that Joe Mauer's going to be a Twin until he's eligible for the presidency.

Yes, but can we still trade for him?

[Farmer Ted]

The Rockies and Melvin Mora looking at a one year, $1.3 million deal.

[Guest Edgy DC]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Do the Mets have some sort of organizational policy against striving for bargains?

I've read in plenty of places that was the only kind of shopping Freddy Coupons ever does.

Anyhow, Kelvim Escobar is the bargain of the offseason, baby.