The Rottino Role

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

This team could use a power infusion... specifically, a righty power infusion. Even more specifically, a righty/plays something other than MI power infusion. Someone like Vinny Rottino. Hey! He's doing pretty well at Buffalo, isn't he? Isn't h-- oh, wait.

So... what else we got? Let's say you Quantum Leap into Sandy's shoes for a half-hour, and can make one very specific sort of roster move... who is it? An aging prospect like Satin or Lutz? Who is the starboard-side-swinging fella to-- whoopsie!-- accidentally replace Turner or Cedeno in the clown-car of middle-infield retreads that is the major-league roster and slip Terry the hot beef injection this lineup so sorely needs (and that he seems to see in Justin F*cking Turner)?

[bmfc1]

Great thread. You don't like a bench with: .188 back-up catcher; Turner; Q; Murphy/Cedeno; and, Hairston/Nieuwenhuis?

While looking for bullpen help, Sandy needs to get a better hitting back-up catcher and remove one of Turner/Q/Cedeno in favor of someone with pop, as you suggest. As admirably as Q has played (and he did catch the final out of the lone win over the MFYs), he would be likely candidate.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

As said before, they really fucked up by not sending Turner down. He's a shitty first baseman, his other defensive skills are redundant, and for all his clutchiness, he's not a very good hitter either.

I'd have to peruse the stats but Lutz or Satin is probably the guy I want: A corner OF/corner IF right handed hitter who can hit one out is what we need.

Quintanilla looks like he's going to get wasted on the bench, but they might lose him too: Maybe they should trade him for what we need.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Slutz is on the DL.

Scales was released in May?

Satin is more of a singles hitter than I thought.

Corey Wimberley!? Not the power or defensive piece you want necessarily, but not bad.

Lucas May is not hitting up there.

Brad Emaus is looking Turnery.

I think we have to trade.

[Gwreck]

I wonder if we're on Carlos Lee's no-trade list.

[MFS62]

Satin has 7 Buffalo homers this year. But I'm not sure if/how well he plays the outfield.

I'd look into trade possibilities.

Later

[Edgy MD]

Bobby Scales went to Japan. I imagine the Mets received modest compensation.

He'd have been exposed also before being farmed out, so there's that, so the logjam really begged to be cleared up with a trade --- or, barring that, exposing one of the middle infielders, indeed like Turner.

Turner, meanwhile, has appeared in eight games this season as a firstbaseman, going .160 / .192 /.160 // .352 in 26 plate appearances. What really grinds my bones about it all, as I tried to say in the other thread, is that he's getting the call for psychological reasons, and not strategic ones.

Meanwhile, he's fielding .975 at the allegedly easiest position on the diamond. The only players with more than two games at first who have done worse are Jim Thome (Phi) at .974 over four games and Laynce Nix (also Phi) at .974 over 10 games.) He had no experience at first at the big-league level before this and only one game in the minors, but fucking managers always believe their middle infield reserves can play anywhere, and that any fool can play first. Ask Jerry Manuel how Jeremy Reed played first.

What's more is my completely speculative belief that sticking crappy choices into your lineup is demoralizing to the less crappy choices, and gets them to feel crappy and play crappy.

I ever tell you about Maria O'Sullivan's wedding? Lemme tell you about Maria O'Sullivan's wedding. Maria was a beauty. Her dad was a tough-assed Irish cop --- the toughest-assed, really. My dad had about 60 pounds and half a foot on him, but even though they both boxed, my dad refused to spar with him. And my Dad was tough. Her mom was a Cuban beauty queen about five inches taller than him, as funny as she was pretty. Is now a seniors tennis champion.

Maria was lovely and sunny and open-hearted and free-spirited and her friends were lovely and sunny and open-hearted and free spirited. The sort of women that sun dresses were made to adorn. When Maria got married, what a wedding it was going to be. At the reception, most of my family ended up at the same table. Lacking room to fit us all, they bumped my brother and I to the next table. Handsome and rugged young bachelors in our mid-twenties that we were, we were cool to be separated from the social anchor that our family represented --- until our table companions began joining us ---- all 12-16 year-olds. Motherfuck it, but Maria had put us at the kids' table. That's what she thought of us. And you know, picking through my beet salad, I began to think a little less of myself as well. I did not dance much that evening lovely and sunny and open-hearted and free spirited women in sun dresses, but I played a lot of Mad-Libs. And not particularly well.

What I'm saying is that last night's performance by the Mets was the baseball equivalent of a poorly executed round of Mad-Libs from a buncha ballplayers who found themselves at the lineup equivalent of the children's table..

Oh, and I voted for Pascucci, although I think he's been through a lot of demoralizing shit in his career, too. His whole life has been at the children's table, hasn't it?

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

(Clap-clap-clap-clap, clap-clap-clap-clap, clap-clap-clap-clap-clap-clap) DE! FAULT OPTION!

Or, failing that... Derrek Lee, mebbe? (Before the Doyers do?)

[seawolf17]

MLB leaders in PH:

1. Reed Johnson (CHC) 10-20
2. Mike Baxter (NYM) 8-18 plus 5 walks
3. Travis Buck (HOU) 7-13, Justin Turner (NYM) 7-19, Eric Young (COL) 7-33, Jesus Guzman (SD) 7-22

Notable:
Carlos Gomez (MIL) 6-11
Todd Frazier (CIN) 6-8 (whoa)
Justin Maxwell (HOU) 6-23 with 3 HR (but he's on the DL)

I'd like to think that we could get Reed Johnson cheaply.

[Guest Swan Swan H]

Ty Wigginton would fill a couple of holes (RH pinch hitter, 1B on the odd Ike day off). He can do everything Turner does, and better, with the exception of playing shortstop, but there are already three shortstops on the roster. He's got a $4 million salary, but Colorado is paying half of it (per Baseball Reference). He's due $4 million for next year, but there is a $500K buyout.

[TransMonk]

I like the Wiggy idea. I wonder what Philly would ask for to trade him within the divison.

[Ceetar]

TransMonk wrote: I like the Wiggy idea. I wonder what Philly would ask for to trade him within the divison.

Justin Turner.

[TransMonk]

I could give that a bit of thought.

[bmfc1]

Nieuwenhuis avoids the DL, Valdespin returns (another MI for the bench), Hampson DFA'd.

[batmagadanleadoff]

I take the following to be a no-vote of confidence in Jason Bay. And if I'm right, I'm all with 'em. What? Bay's teammates don't have their own working eyeballs?

Mets players would prefer a RH bat, not bullpen help

Andy Martino of the Daily News surveyed Mets players and concluded they would prefer Sandy Alderson acquire an every-day, right-handed bat for the lineup instead of bullpen help. �We can�t hit lefties,� a prominent player told Martino, who says the player was voicing a desire felt elsewhere in the clubhouse.

http://www.metsblog.com/2012/07/05/mets-players-would-prefer-a-rh-bat-not-bullpen-help/

[Guest Swan Swan H]

Keith notes that Wiggy would be a great fit on the Mets. I may have to reconsider.