Benjamin Grimm

I'm with Chuck on this one. When my time comes, I'd much rather die like the Mets did in 2006; very quickly. The 2007 death was a slow lingering death. Although, as I've said a number of times here, I don't take Mets losses as badly as others here, that whole month had me jittery. (Much more so than in 2008; I think by then I was numb, and the "collapse" that year wasn't really what I'd call a collapse. It was just a lost pennant race.)

Easily 2009. One gut punch after another. April and May went very well, but June through September was misery upon misery. And... not that it has anything to do with the Mets, but the postseason couldn't have gone worse. I kept rooting for the Phillies to lose, but they didn't lose until after I had started rooting for them to win. Sheesh! And don't get me started on "Black Monday!"* *Kidding

The 2006 team had a 1986 kind of feel to it and was a lot of fun. They ultimately fell short, of course, but it was still a fun ride. The 2000 team got further than the 1999 team, but wasn't as good. The season itself had less giddiness than the 2006 team, but did feature, arguably, the best post-season series that the Mets have played in the last 22 years. (I'm referring to the NLDS against the Giants. Three very memorable wins, and one easily forgettable loss.) I voted 2006.

I'm surprised to see Jim Duquette get a vote. His reign was the second half (roughly) of 2003 and then 2004. All I can think of offhand that happened during those years was the promotion of David Wright, the Kris Benson and Victor Zambrano trades, and the firing of Art Howe.

I think he'll be traded.

Steve Phillips would get my vote for the 90's, for putting together the 1999 team. (And the 2000 team, but I wouldn't have known about that one yet ten years ago this week.) So 2006 causes my vote to go to Omar.

The Mets don't have a chance at signing Frank Viola, unless they throw Johan Santana money at him.

This is just so over the top it's ridiculous:

My hunch, now that Lackey is gone, is that the Mets will do what it takes to get Bay. My prediction: Five years, $81 million. And he'll be signed within a week. (That means on or before December 21.)

Wow, everything seems to be happening suddenly.

Wow. As I (and others) have stated above, as a Mets fan, I don't see too much cause for concern here. The Phillies adding Holliday and subtracting Lee probably doesn't make a whole lot of difference. But if the Red Sox are spending on Lackey, and the Mariners (perhaps) on Lee, does that mean less competition for the Mets for Jason Bay's services? I guess we'll see.

So the Phillies would gain Holliday and lose Lee. The Blue Jays would be giving up a pitcher in his walk year and getting another pitcher in his walk year. I've read reports that say Lee is going to look to get $23 million per year. If so, how does this help the Blue Jays? Is it better to lose Lee as a free agent than to lose Holliday? And is Holliday that much better than Lee, that this appreciably helps the Phillies? I guess we'd have to factor in whichever prospects get shuffled around, but this deal, as reported, seems like a low-impact blockbuster to me. Is there something I'm missing?

Sources: Jays, Phils talk Halladay-Lee blockbuster by Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi, FOXSports.com Roy Halladay is in Philadelphia and may be a Phillie soon, according to major-league sources. A three-team blockbuster that would send Halladay to the Phillies and Phillies left-hander Cliff Lee to another club is under discussion, sources say. A straight trade between the Phillies and Jays also is possible. Either way, there are strong indications that the Halladay talks are approaching a critical juncture. The only reasons for the Blue Jays right-hander to be in Philly would be to negotiate a contract extension, take a physical or both. The identity of the team that would acquire Lee is not known, but the possibilities would include the Angels, who could be on the verge of losing free-agent right-hander John Lackey to the Red Sox, and the Mariners. Halladay likely would agree to a contract extension with the Phillies to waive his no-trade clause. The Phillies would acquire prospects for Lee to help satisfy the Blue Jays' demands for Halladay, and also send prospects of their own to the Jays. Lee, signed for one more year at $9 million, will be a free agent after next season. The Phillies are uncertain of whether they can sign him, but by acquiring Halladay � and locking him up with an extension � they would secure an ace long-term. The trade is highly complex, sources say, with the Phillies receiving money from the Jays to help pay Halladay's salary next season. Halladay is owed $15.75 million, but that number could be negotiated down as part of a new contract agreement. One source with knowledge of the Mariners' plans said Jack Zduriencik is looking for two starting pitchers � not just one � and that the team has contemplated dealing for Lee in recent days. Seattle officials would prefer to have Felix Hernandez as their No. 1 starter, followed by the two new pitchers, then Ryan Rowland-Smith at No. 4 and Ian Snell at No. 5. Brandon Morrow, who has value in the rotation or bullpen, could be the No. 3 starter if he is not traded.

This was mentioned by Ashie in a few other threads, but here it is in all its glory:

He really sucked? 1 ER in 4 innings over 3 games. That's not so bad. (Although he did give up 4 walks and 4 hits in those 4 innings. That's not so good.)

I voted for Reyes and Matsui. A huge gap between the two.

I know these aren't the only possibilities, but what the hell. I suppose the real question is, if the Mets can only sign one "big guy" would we rather have that be a pitcher or an outfielder?

And so it begins...

I strongly got the sense that he was a part that Jerry Manuel really didn't want to use, for whatever reason. I can't imagine they'll bring him back.

Bay rejects Boston's latest offer ESPNBoston.com Jason Bay has turned down the Red Sox latest contract offer. In a story that was first reported on Foxsports.com, Bay's agent Joe Urbon said Bay was prepared to "move on" from the Red Sox after rejecting the offer. "We don't agree with their evaluation of the player," Urbon said. "Frankly, we have other offers on the table that are of greater interest to Jason." The New York Mets made Bay an offer Thursday. ESPN's Buster Olney reported the Mets offer was for four years and between $60 million and $65 million, according to sources close to negotiations. The Red Sox were not taken by surprise by the Mets' interest in Bay, a baseball source told ESPNBoston.com's Gordon Edes. They had heard New York was going to make a big push at some point. The Red Sox's last known offer to Bay was reportedly for four years and $60 million. If the Red Sox lose Bay they could turn their attention to free agent left fielder Matt Holliday. Information from ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney and ESPNBoston.com's Gordon Edes was used in this report.

Maybe the guy's name was Schmuck or something, so wearing PUTZ on his back didn't see all that bad.

Yeah, I'm thinking more and more that Martinez's future is probably elsewhere. I get the sense that the Mets don't want to trade Ike Davis, and maybe not Thole either. But perhaps Mejia and Martinez might be part of a trade package and some point. (It may be more accurate to swap Mejia and Thole's names in the above; I guess it's just as likely that way.)

Another possibility is that, given Boras' history, the Holliday signing may not happen for quite a while, and maybe the Mets want to lock up Bay and then focus on their pitching. If they wait for Holliday, Bay, and Lackey, and Piniero, and others may have signed elsewhere.