Rico Forever: The Afterlife of Mets, 2011

[G-Fafif]

Sandy Alomar the younger and Mike Maddux on Cubs' short list.

[Guest themetfairy]

G-Fafif wrote: Shawn Green may be bringing his washed-up mojo to Team Israel.

Very cool!

[G-Fafif]

themetfairy wrote: G-Fafif wrote: Shawn Green may be bringing his washed-up mojo to Team Israel. Very cool!

Probably a lot of overlap there on the favorite clubhouse snack.

[Edgy MD]

Wall Street Journal looks at the wrap story.

(Fixed!)

[Fman99]

Wall Street Journal looks at the [url-http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204012004577072890725228440.html?mod=googlenews_wsj]wrap story.

Aw you suck at this!

[Edgy MD]

New Padres development staff announced, and it's sick with Mets: Managing the AA San Antonio Missions: Managing the High A Lake Elsinore Storm is Shawn Wooten, who spent his last professional playing days as New Orleans Zeph in the Mets system, but I can't find a card. His hitting coach with the High A Lake Elsinore Storm: (The current price on that card is "$0.01" at E-Bay.) Managing the Low-A Ft. Wayne TinCaps: And his pitching coach with the Low-A Ft. Wayne TinCaps: Coaching for rookie-ball Peoria: Pitching coach for the DSL Padres:

Also joining the Pads.

[Fman99]

Watch Omar now, working in the SD front office, he loves the Latino players so much, he'll probably change the team name to some Spanish word or something.

[Edgy MD]

Adam Rubin tweets: "Whatever salary Omar Minaya gets from the #Padres will be deducted from the roughly $1.1 million #Mets owe ex-GM in 2012."

Is he serious? That's wonderful!

[Met Hunter]

Two other exMet transactions. Both scouting related.

The Orioles named Gary Rajsich their Director of Amateur Scouting.

The Mets named Kevin Roberson their scout in the Arizona-New Mexico-Colorado-Nevada region.

[Edgy MD]

George Altman looks back.

[MFS62]

Edgy DC wrote: George Altman looks back.

I didn't know all of that, but I did name a disease after him. It attacks relative young all-star or high ceiling caliber players who come to the Mets and regress. I named it "George Altman Syndrome" because he was the first.

Later

[G-Fafif]

Tim Bogar, whom Bobby Valentine had on his bench at the tail end of 1996, will be Bobby Valentine's bench coach in 2012.

[Edgy MD]

Tim Bogar, reportedly set to become Bobby Valentine's bench coach in Boston.

OE: Tripp F. Keister is the new manager of the Gulf Coast Nats.

The new manager of the Gulf Coast Mets is, of course, nobody.

[G-Fafif]

That's what she said.

[Met Hunter]

Word is the Red Sox will name Bob McClure their pitching coach. Bobby V., Bogar, Magadan, McClure. Nice staff.

Gary Thurman was named first base coach of the Miami Marlins as well.

[Edgy MD]

That's 20 years worth of Mets there.

[Fman99]

Cardinals rewarding Carlos Beltran with two years and $26 million, as well as a full no trade clause, sez the ESPN.

Good for him. Seems like a lot of bread for a guy who couldn't stay on the field in 2009-2010.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

To be fair, that's less overall money than Cuddyer or Willingham are getting, and he's not just a better bat than those two, but a significant defensive upgrade for the Cards in right.

[G-Fafif]

Kickback Stadium opens on April 4 with the Beltrans at the Reyeses. Winners get whoever comes out of the '78 Reds-'91 Dodgers bracket.

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

I always liked Beltran and feel he was never fully appreciated by the Mets fan base. If he can remain healthy, he is likely to be more productive than anyone patrolling the outfield in a Mets uniform next season.

I wish him well in St. Louis, except when playing against the Mets.

[TransMonk]

I'll miss Beltran more than I'll miss Reyes.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

No beat writer could resist taking the Wainwright angle this morning. Pathetic.

[metirish]

Rockin' Doc wrote: I always liked Beltran and feel he was never fully appreciated by the Mets fan base. If he can remain healthy, he is likely to be more productive than anyone patrolling the outfield in a Mets uniform next season. I wish him well in St. Louis, except when playing against the Mets.

never fully appreciated , unappreciated , unloved , you see all those things mentioned about Beltran, but I wonder how true it all is?, he got a tough going over in his first year and more as a Met like a lot of players. Is too much made of all that?

Plus , is he really on a "HOF path"?

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Closing in on 400 home runs, and toting 162-game averages of .283/.361/.496, 28 HR/27 steals/100+ RBI and runs... which merely marks him as one of the more productive-- say, top 20-- offensive players of the last 15 or so years, maybe.


Except none of the others played center field at all, much less at an elite, game-changing level (Griffey isn't at this level during the last decade-plus, since his all-world prime preceded the period we're talking about; besides, he's a surefire HOFer).

Besides that, he's put up 293 steals and counting... as the most efficient basestealer in history.

Put it this way, he's got a better case than Bernie Fucking Williams (and probably Andre Dawson and Jim Rice), and only a slightly worse case than Tim Raines.

[Frayed Knot]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: No beat writer could resist taking the Wainwright angle this morning. Pathetic.

Woke up in the middle of the night last night so I flicked on the radio to tide me over only to hear FAN's 3AM-ish update leading with that angle of the Beltran signing as if saying that it has become his 'Buckner' moment, one that will wash out everything else in his career both before and after that point.
Hell, it isn't even his most notable post-season vs St Louis highlight! I think Cardinal fans just might remember his near single-handed destruction of them in the 2004 playoffs instead, a mere 10 hits including 4 HRs and 12 runs scored in 24 ABs

[seawolf17]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Closing in on 400 home runs, and toting 162-game averages of .283/.361/.496, 28 HR/27 steals/100+ RBI and runs... which merely marks him as one of the more productive-- say, top 20-- offensive players of the last 15 or so years, maybe. Except none of the others played center field at all, much less at an elite, game-changing level (Griffey isn't at this level during the last decade-plus, since his all-world prime preceded the period we're talking about; besides, he's a surefire HOFer). Besides that, he's put up 293 steals and counting... as the most efficient basestealer in history. Put it this way, he's got a better case than Bernie Fucking Williams (and probably Andre Dawson and Jim Rice), and only a slightly worse case than Tim Raines.

I've never thought of him as HOF material, but it's not a stretch. Certainly a better case than Bernie already, even with a few years left, and Dawson is his B-R closest comparison through age 34.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Beltran is in, the 05 series plus the round numbers will get him there, and he deserves it.

[batmagadanleadoff]

So what do you think is the better deal from the team's perspective:

Beltran 2 yrs at $13M a season*
or
Reyes 6 yrs at $17.67M a season*


*average season per entire contract

[Edgy MD]

In general, for team X, the Beltran deal.

Personally, for my team, Reyes. I guess.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

I mean, it's six years.