smg58

After being at Citi on Monday night and hearing the less-than-warm reception that Figueroa got, I hope he got cheered loudly today.

Edgy DC wrote: I'm putting it on Jerry. This mix'n'match bullpen shit is just too much to watch. If anything, Stokes should have been held for DeRosa and Pujols. Why does he get one batter while Green gets the critical situation?

Sizemore hasn't had a higher OPS than Beltran since 05, and he's not as good a fielder. He's also currently hitting .229. Yes he's younger, and maybe in 2011 that will be meaningful, but he has not been a better player.

It's never easy to evaluate managers. The team was so nondescript in Green's tenure that it's tough to remember if there was anything he could have done differently. Valentine had the right personality for handling the public aspects of the job, which none of the others can come close to saying, but I don't know if that translated into more wins or if he benefited from a lineup that would have been great regardless of the manager. I won't say Howe was good, but he was put into a situation where success was impossible, and he really took more flak than he deserved. Randolph was both the beneficiary and victim of Minaya's personnel decisions, but he can't avoid answering for the team's apparent lack of motivation in September 07 or the first half of last year. The team played better for Manuel than for Randolph; maybe that's a fluke, but the difference in results was large. And other than overworking Putz early on, you can't blame Manuel for the ridiculous string of injuries. So I guess I have to go with Randolph.

I'm impressed that he's drawing so many walks, given that he's not much of a threat to hit anything more damaging than a single. I'd have figured by now that pitchers would just throw him strikes. They seem to have done that with Cora, whose walk on July 31 was his first of the month (he already has as many walks in August as he did in July).

Minaya could very easily have been told not to take on more payroll for this season, so I wouldn't point the finger too quickly. I actually think the fact that Halladay is still a Jay is a good thing -- assuming you can wait until the offseason to obtain him. Peavy is guaranteed $52M over the next 3 seasons and is now an established injury risk who'll fail to reach 175 IP for the second straight year. I'm perfectly OK with passing on him. I wouldn't have minded V-Mart, though.

="DocTee":ijqu6ckw]Buccos continue bullimic purge, sending Grabow and Gorzelanny to Cubbies. Also, Dodgers land Orioles closer George Sherill to bolster bullpen.[/quote:ijqu6ckw] If the Cubs are stocking up on lefties, that might mean Sean Marshall is available. He'd be a good sleeper pickup assuming the Cubs aren't valuing him highly. Edgy DC Jul 30 2009 08:05 PM I count Capps, Doumit, Dukes, LaRouche, and Maholm still standing. One more day. Valadius Jul 30 2009 08:41 PM Rumor flying around: Mets talking trade with Cleveland and Tampa that might result in the prodigal son returning home. Yes, that's right - Scott Kazmir. [url:1g57httn]http://www.amazinavenue.com/2009/7/30/970076/rumor-mets-talking-3-way-deal-with?ref=yahoo[/url:1g57httn] John Cougar Lunchbucket Jul 30 2009 08:54 PM Do not want. Edgy DC Jul 30 2009 09:12 PM Not on a bus. Not with a guy named Gus. Valadius Jul 30 2009 09:21 PM I would much rather have Victor Martinez come our way in that deal instead of to Tampa. Frayed Knot Jul 30 2009 09:28 PM Not to mention that it sounds like that "talk" essentially consists of one web site quoting another. IOW, the Fan-Boy Internet Press Scoop Association (FBIPSA) is in full trade-deadline mode. seawolf17 Jul 31 2009 07:31 AM I'd take Kazmir back. Frayed Knot Jul 31 2009 07:51 AM Pirates lineup on June 11, 2008: Nate McLouth CF Freddy Sanchez 2B Jason Bay LF Ryan Doumit C Xavier Nady RF Adam LaRoche 1B Jose Bautista 3B Jack Wilson SS Ian Snell P That's about 400 days - or only 200 baseball days - ago and yet only Ryan Doumit remains ... and that might only be because it's not 4 o'clock yet. The other thing about this process is that, with the exception of Andy LaRoche and a few back-end pitchers, I don't think any of the guys they dealt [u:1idne2hb]for[/u:1idne2hb] are on the major league roster yet. This whole experiment is going to be a huge wait-and-see project. Nymr83 Jul 31 2009 08:59 AM i like pittsburgh's approach though. the team just isnt very good as constituted and with the exception of Bay i don't consider any of those players to be of the irreplaceable variety. they took the necessary steps to rebuild, i hope ownership is patient enough with the manager and GM to see if it works rather than firing them in two years and letting the next guy reap the benefits of the trades. I think they did a very good job of selling high on a few of these guys, particularly McLouth and Sanchez. Edgy DC Jul 31 2009 09:20 AM They'll survive the season. It's a raw team but no rawer than what the Mets have sent out the last two months. PosGuyBAOBPSLGOPScRyan Doumit.255.324.398.7221bSteve Pearce.184.279.289.5682bDelwyn Young.316.381.427.8083bAndy LaRoche.256.330.372.702ssRonny Cedeno.167.213.290.503lfBrandon Moss.250.310.385.695cfAndrew McCutcheon.275.332.430.762rfGarret Jones.323.375.7291.104 John Cougar Lunchbucket Jul 31 2009 09:53 AM Tigers trade for Jerrod Washburn, rumored for some time to be bound for the MFYs. Lefty pitchers Luke French and Mauricio Robles going to Seattle. Frayed Knot Jul 31 2009 11:08 AM ="Edgy DC":yh9lywsb]They'll survive the season. It's a raw team but no rawer than what the Mets have sent out the last two months. PosGuyBAOBPSLGOPScRyan Doumit.255.324.398.7221bSteve Pearce.184.279.289.5682bDelwyn Young.316.381.427.8083bAndy LaRoche.256.330.372.702ssRonny Cedeno.167.213.290.503lfBrandon Moss.250.310.385.695cfAndrew McCutcheon.275.332.430.762rfGarret Jones.323.375.7291.104[/quote:yh9lywsb] Of course the best of those raw guys are McCutcheon and Jones who were coming anyway. My objection isn't that they're going about it the wrong way but that they seem intent on trading everyone whether they get a good return or not. A lot of Can-Miss guys in that haul. Farmer Ted Jul 31 2009 11:46 AM Minny lands Orlando Cabrera from the A's. I never understood the Orlando attraction. metirish Jul 31 2009 11:49 AM Claudio Vargas back to the Brewers from LA for a minor league catcher.....Vinny Rottino MFS62 Jul 31 2009 11:51 AM ="Farmer Ted":1md20mfn]Minny lands Orlando Cabrera from the A's. I never understood the Orlando attraction.[/quote:1md20mfn] What was confusing about EPCOT? The trade was for a kid shortstop named Ladendorf (sp?). No link yet. Later Valadius Jul 31 2009 01:25 PM Joe Beimel traded to Rockies. Nymr83 Jul 31 2009 01:27 PM Victor Martinez to Boston, Adam LaRoche to the Braves in two seperate but related deals. Nymr83 Jul 31 2009 01:28 PM Jerry Hairston jr. to the Evil Empire Fman99 Jul 31 2009 01:29 PM Aw we're just sitting on our dongs doing nothing! C'mon, Omar. When you're done offending white people get on the stick, get us another arm/bat. Edgy DC Jul 31 2009 01:30 PM No news = good news. Nymr83 Jul 31 2009 01:30 PM What did I miss? when was Omar "offending white people"? Valadius Jul 31 2009 01:30 PM Okay - Boston still has an overload of corner infielders. Now they have Youkilis, Mike Lowell, V-Mart, and Casey Kotchman. One of them can be had. Valadius Jul 31 2009 01:32 PM Heath Bell may be headed to the Dodgers. John Cougar Lunchbucket Jul 31 2009 01:34 PM Apparently a deal that would send Bell to the Marlins fell though. Another deal discussing Bell & Adrian Gonzo to the Dodgers for Loney + Fman99 Jul 31 2009 01:39 PM ="Nymr83":mq4iuo9l]What did I miss? when was Omar "offending white people"?[/quote:mq4iuo9l] Just Rubin. Valadius Jul 31 2009 01:39 PM Rolen to the Reds. metirish Jul 31 2009 01:40 PM SI_JonHeyman: rolen has been traded to the reds. he just has to waive his no trade clause. indy boy cant turn down cincy, can he? John Cougar Lunchbucket Jul 31 2009 01:40 PM Scott Rolen to the Reds. "Mets aren;t doing anything" Heyman adds bmfc1 Jul 31 2009 01:42 PM ="Edgy DC":f3ne8dnq]No news = good news.[/quote:f3ne8dnq] Why? Are the Mets are such a powerhouse that they can't be improved or a trade would be a mistake, a la Zambrano/Kazmir, given their place in the standings, or you don't trust Omar to make a deal that's good for the Mets. Omar should do something to show the team that management believes they can still make the playoffs. It maybe symbolic but it's a vote of confidence. metirish Jul 31 2009 01:45 PM ="bmfc1":12wu0gbu]="Edgy DC":12wu0gbu]No news = good news.[/quote:12wu0gbu] Why? Are the Mets are such a powerhouse that they can't be improved or a trade would be a mistake, a la Zambrano/Kazmir, given their place in the standings, or you don't trust Omar to make a deal that's good for the Mets. Omar should do something to show the team that management believes they can still make the playoffs. It maybe symbolic but it's a vote of confidence.[/quote:12wu0gbu] I'd like some action too but this team is more than one impact player away ,don't you think? Nymr83 Jul 31 2009 01:46 PM The Reds have reportedly traded for Scott Roleb, subject to Rolen's approval(NT Clause) Valadius Jul 31 2009 01:48 PM Sean Smith to the Jays. Fman99 Jul 31 2009 01:49 PM Nationals deal Joe Biemel to Colorado for two minor leaguers. Edgy DC Jul 31 2009 01:49 PM ="bmfc1"]="Edgy DC"]No news = good news. Why? Are the Mets are such a powerhouse that they can't be improved or a trade would be a mistake, a la Zambrano/Kazmir, given their place in the standings, or you don't trust Omar to make a deal that's good for the Mets. Omar should do something to show the team that management believes they can still make the playoffs. It maybe symbolic but it's a vote of confidence. I think many trades can do more harm than good. I don't think that trading at the deadline shows belief that a team can make the playoffs. I think it shows belief that it can't without mystical craftiness. And mystical craftiness too often turns out to be hokum. Valadius Jul 31 2009 01:50 PM Hairston deal apparently sends the vaunted Austin Jackson to Cincy. bmfc1 Jul 31 2009 01:50 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jul 31 2009 01:51 PM ="metirish":3c3fy6qu]I'd like some action too but this team is more than one impact player away ,don't you think?[/quote:3c3fy6qu] Unless the one player is Babe Ruth, yes I agree but I'd be happy with something minor, such as Aubrey Huff. The Mets were supposed to be after a lefty RP but Joe Beimel went to Colorado for 2 minor leaguers. Edgy DC Jul 31 2009 01:50 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jul 31 2009 01:51 PM I'm hoping that the Mets acquire Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, John Maine, Jose Reyes and Billy Wagner and give up nothing. Not too many teams have a chance to do that. metirish Jul 31 2009 01:51 PM MFY's apparently sent Austin Jackson to Cincy in that deal , is he a highly touted prospect? bmfc1 Jul 31 2009 01:52 PM lenno212 No #Mets lineup yet. Hmm. Last time this happened, Church was sent to Atlanta. Nymr83 Jul 31 2009 01:52 PM ="metirish":1kmxpyuu]MFY's apparently sent Austin Jackson to Cincy in that deal , is he a highly touted prospect?[/quote:1kmxpyuu] yes. kinda suprised hairston was worth that much. metirish Jul 31 2009 01:53 PM the buzz around Citi Field continues to suggest the Mets will not be making any major deals today� �in fact, as reporters file in to the ballpark, they�ll encounter team officials, media reps, etc., and if something was going down we�d probably have known about it by now� �in the end, i believe the Mets had options, but they chose to hang on to their top prospects, knowing a) players will be available on the waiver wire, and getting Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltran and Billy Wagner is better than any one trade they could have possibly made� metsblog metirish Jul 31 2009 01:55 PM ="Nymr83":2llmme19]="metirish":2llmme19]MFY's apparently sent Austin Jackson to Cincy in that deal , is he a highly touted prospect?[/quote:2llmme19] yes. kinda suprised hairston was worth that much.[/quote:2llmme19] not true now apparently.......I was wary of this becasue this guy gets mentioned in every big deal that's talked about for them.....close to untouchable bmfc1 Jul 31 2009 02:03 PM Edgy's happy but I'm not. Omar confirms my opinion that he is an awful in-season GM. He can wine, dine, schmooze, and attract big name FAs but for the second year in a row, he failed to make a deadline deal to help the team. metirish Jul 31 2009 02:04 PM ck Johnson to the Marlins per fox sports Edgy DC Jul 31 2009 02:08 PM ="bmfc1"]Edgy's happy but I'm not. Omar confirms my opinion that he is an awful in-season GM. He can wine, dine, schmooze, and attract big name FAs but for the second year in a row, he failed to make a deadline deal to help the team. Awful GMs make deals that hurt teams. "You've gotta know when to hold." --- K. Rogers Nymr83 Jul 31 2009 02:09 PM Johnson to the Marlins for AA-lefty Aaron Thompson. never heard of him. bmfc1 Jul 31 2009 02:10 PM Does that mean that Omar is an awful GM? Good GMs get creative to help their teams. Omar certainly isn't a good GM. Is someone going to start an IGT with a clever name. The lineup is in. Edgy DC Jul 31 2009 02:13 PM ="bmfc1"]Does that mean that Omar is an awful GM? Does what mean that? ]Good GMs get creative to help their teams. Trades aren't the only way to help a team. Often, perhaps half the time or more, not trading has helped a team more. Nymr83 Jul 31 2009 02:13 PM ="Nymr83":28x0vm8e]Johnson to the Marlins for AA-lefty Aaron Thompson. never heard of him.[/quote:28x0vm8e] and the Nats are paying the salary. wow, are the marlins the cheapest franchise on earth or what? metirish Jul 31 2009 02:14 PM I'd rather do nothing than trade for a Huff or Scott Downs for the bullpen...... Valadius Jul 31 2009 02:14 PM I started the IGT already. bmfc1 Jul 31 2009 02:14 PM Do you think that Omar is incapable of making a good trade so any trade would be bad? Frayed Knot Jul 31 2009 02:15 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jul 31 2009 02:18 PM ="Valadius":nlpyoup8]Hairston deal apparently sends the vaunted Austin Jackson to Cincy.[/quote:nlpyoup8] Wow! Not a sure-fire future star but is potentially one and he's a guy they spent a decent signing bonus on in order to wrest him away from a hoops scholarship (Arizona I think) --- sounds like a lot to spend for essentially a good utility man. Essentially this is the price paid for Brent Gardener breaking his hand (finger?) last week. Ceetar Jul 31 2009 02:16 PM metsblog mentioned it earlier, and I noticed it last night, but apparently the Yankees are having money concerns? Supposedly they balked at the idea of paying Bannister's 650k salary. Edgy DC Jul 31 2009 02:16 PM ="bmfc1":1ihptp6l]Do you think that Omar is incapable of making a good trade so any trade would be bad?[/quote:1ihptp6l] No. I don't think he or anybody is incapable of making a good trade. I'm still trying to figure out the last question. Nymr83 Jul 31 2009 02:17 PM Scott Rolen has reportedly waived his no trade clause and escaped hockey loving Canada to play baseball in Cincinatti. metirish Jul 31 2009 02:18 PM ="Frayed Knot":11hlah5p]="Valadius":11hlah5p]Hairston deal apparently sends the vaunted Austin Jackson to Cincy.[/quote:11hlah5p] Wow![/quote:11hlah5p] That was posted and then I posted it here but apparently it's not true. bmfc1 Jul 31 2009 02:19 PM And I'm trying to figure out why the GM of a team under .500 with hopes of making the playoffs couldn't make a trade. Edgy--I'm not going to continue this but congrats to you that nothing was done. If they make the playoffs, I'll eat crow and buy you a drink. Nymr83 Jul 31 2009 02:24 PM ="bmfc1":pmjfgign]And I'm trying to figure out why the GM of a team under .500 with hopes of making the playoffs couldn't make a trade. Edgy--I'm not going to continue this but congrats to you that nothing was done. If they make the playoffs, I'll eat crow and buy you a drink.[/quote:pmjfgign] even if they don't make the playoffs they've done fine not making a trade unless they miss the playoffs by a number of games that the potentially traded-for player would have won them. trading for Nick Johnson and missing the playoffs by 2 games instead of missing it by 4 without him only hurts the team's farm system. I look at net games back and i don't see a team that should trade even a small part of the future for help in 2009. if the guy you were acquiring would still be under contract for 2010 thats another issue, but this shouldnt be treated as a 'win now' team Nymr83 Jul 31 2009 02:26 PM Heyman is reporting that Peavy has been dealt to the White Sox again, no word on if he has agreed to it this time. Frayed Knot Jul 31 2009 02:27 PM I propose we trade Sullivan and/or Reed, plus Berroa and Cancel for Reyes, Beltran & Delgado sometime in the next few weeks. That'll improve the team. Edgy DC Jul 31 2009 02:28 PM ="bmfc1":488nciud]And I'm trying to figure out why the GM of a team under .500 with hopes of making the playoffs couldn't make a trade.[/quote:488nciud] Because, in theory, the only available trades may have hurt them in the long term more than helped them in the short term. Or hurt them flat out. John Cougar Lunchbucket Jul 31 2009 02:33 PM Jake PV to the White Sox: This time it's for real. Edgy DC Jul 31 2009 02:33 PM Fo nucking way! metirish Jul 31 2009 02:34 PM Big guns that didn't go Halladay and Gonzalez duan Jul 31 2009 02:37 PM as everyone else has rightly pointed out, the pieces that this team needs are the ones that are on the DL, if heaven forbid, we're back IN a race over the next two weeks, there's plenty of time then to get an Aubrey Huff type power bat who'll float through waivers cause of salary. I don't see anyone out there who got traded that I think would have helped a healthy mets team bar Victor Martinez, Jake Peavy & Cliff Lee.I don't think we were really in the race to get them and they all have plenty of limitations. Frayed Knot Jul 31 2009 03:05 PM ="metirish"]="Frayed Knot"]="Valadius"]Hairston deal apparently sends the vaunted Austin Jackson to Cincy. Wow! That was posted and then I posted it here but apparently it's not true. Well then never mind my above rant. The truth apparently: The Reds received minor league catcher Chase Weems in the deal. The 20-year-old Weems was batting .260 with a homer and 14 RBIs in 55 games with Class-A Charleston this season. He was picked in the sixth round of the 2007 draft. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jul 31 2009 03:11 PM ="Edgy DC"]="bmfc1"]Edgy's happy but I'm not. Omar confirms my opinion that he is an awful in-season GM. He can wine, dine, schmooze, and attract big name FAs but for the second year in a row, he failed to make a deadline deal to help the team. Awful GMs make deals that hurt teams. "You've gotta know when to hold." --- K. Rogers Hear, hear. I'm in Edge's corner on this. They moved the Peavy? Those crazy bastards! (A LOT of good young arms on the Pods now.) Nymr83 Jul 31 2009 03:22 PM Peavy was a good young arm, and under contract a few more years, I don't know who they got yet but its hard to believe its worth it for a guy you're not about to lose. Farmer Ted Jul 31 2009 03:55 PM Which of the three...Washburn, Peavy, or Halladay...will be with the Mets next year? MFS62 Jul 31 2009 04:13 PM Omar's like the ugly girl - all alone by the telephone - waiting for a call inviting her to the dance. Later smg58 Jul 31 2009 05:01 PM Minaya could very easily have been told not to take on more payroll for this season, so I wouldn't point the finger too quickly. I actually think the fact that Halladay is still a Jay is a good thing -- assuming you can wait until the offseason to obtain him. Peavy is guaranteed $52M over the next 3 seasons and is now an established injury risk who'll fail to reach 175 IP for the second straight year. I'm perfectly OK with passing on him. I wouldn't have minded V-Mart, though. metirish Jul 31 2009 05:51 PM I just don't get the Minaya bashing today , if he had traded for Francouer today would the people who are unhappy be happy with that? I read in one of the rags the other day.....Madden I think it was proclaiming that Minaya NEEDED to get Halladay to change the subject around the team. Could you blame the guy if he did that , make a splash trade for the sake of it? , I'd love to have a Halladay or a Peavey but would have preferred V Martinez. At what cost though would they have come for? I'm not upset that we didn't get middle of the road players and never expected top tier players so i am not disappointed. MFS62 Jul 31 2009 06:14 PM Not bashing. Just saying. Add me to the group who didn't want to see a deal that drained the farm of key prospects. As Edgy said, no news = good news. Later seawolf17 Jul 31 2009 06:19 PM I actually would have liked to see them move some guys, like Livan or Schneider, even if just for middling prospects. But I'm okay with inaction too. Let's get healthy, fellas! Nymr83 Aug 01 2009 12:53 AM ESPN had the Pirates deals put together for convenience ]IN: RHP Nathan Adcock, RHP Tim Alderson, RHP Jose Ascanio, SS Ronny Cedeno, 1B Jeff Clement, SS Argenis Diaz, RHP Joel Hanrahan, RHP Kevin Hart, OF Gorkys Hernandez, RHP Jeff Locke, RHP Brett Lorin, OF Lastings Milledge, RHP Charlie Morton, RHP Aaron Pribanic, RHP Hunter Strickland OUT: RHP Sean Burnett, LHP Tom Gorzelanny, LHP John Grabow, OF Eric Hinske, 1B Adam LaRoche, OF Nate McLouth, OF Nyjer Morgan, INF Freddy Sanchez, RHP Ian Snell, SS Jack Wilson dgwphotography Aug 01 2009 05:17 AM Personally, I'm glad Omar didn't make any deals. This team is too many players away from contending right now, and I just didn't want him to do any more damage.... As FK said, trading Sullivan, Reed, plus Berroa and Cancel for Reyes, Beltran & Delgado sometime in the next few weeks would be the best trade possible... metirish Aug 01 2009 07:52 AM Minaya ] �As a general manager, I�ve been six games out before, and it�s kind of hard to go out and make a trade,� Minaya said. �And you guys know our situation. The situation is not one player. Our situation is a couple players.� In the clubhouse, no one seemed concerned that he might be traded � or, for that matter, that anyone else would be. Only a few players lounged on couches watching updates on the MLB Network, as many more bolted outside to fly a remote-controlled helicopter Wright ] �I don�t think the reason for our record being what it is is that we needed one more piece,� David Wright said. �It�s that we played poorly at times and we�re pretty banged up. We�re not one piece away that�s going to put us over the top at the trade deadline. It�s not like we�re not going to get more than that when we get these guys healthy.� Rockin' Doc Aug 01 2009 09:04 AM No one player was going to suddenly put this team over the top. Injuries have been the story of this season. All teams get hit with injuries and must work to overcome them, the Mets have unfortunately been with a rash of long term injuries to a multitiude of their key players. I'm more disappointed at the lost opportunity to see how good this team could have been this season had they not been decimated with injuries, than I am over the absence of any desperate trades in hopes of miraculously putting this team into contention. Vince Coleman Firecracker Aug 01 2009 10:41 AM I'm with Seawolf. Would have liked to see Omar sell off a few players. Valadius Aug 01 2009 11:25 AM I would have liked to see another lefty for the bullpen, at least. Edgy DC Aug 01 2009 11:51 AM We have Misch, and we're getting Wagner, and I'm uncertain anybody else will have made a difference worth giving somebody up for, except that maybe Manuel may trust an import more than he does Misch. Valadius Aug 01 2009 12:33 PM Honestly, I don't think Misch knows how to get Jerry to trust him enough to get him in a meaningful game. Edgy DC Aug 01 2009 01:44 PM And if our issue is that it takes a trade for Manuel to give somebody a chance who may or may not be better than a pitcher he's got rotting in the back of the bullpen, its' not a trade we should be clamoring for. metirish Aug 01 2009 04:33 PM ="Valadius":oqm0lk9w]Honestly, I don't think Misch knows how to get Jerry to trust him enough to get him in a meaningful game.[/quote:oqm0lk9w] What is this " Days of our Lives"? Frayed Knot Aug 01 2009 08:37 PM Back to the Pirates for a sec; 3 HRs for McCutcheon today (and power is supposed to be his weakest suit). Would have been nice to see him in an OF [u:3uw4r55j]WITH[/u:3uw4r55j] McLouth and a few of the others. btw, they brought up Milledge as one of the guys tying to fill all these newly created spots. Fman99 Aug 01 2009 09:15 PM ="Frayed Knot":qeskhzrl]Back to the Pirates for a sec; 3 HRs for McCutcheon today (and power is supposed to be his weakest suit). Would have been nice to see him in an OF [u:qeskhzrl]WITH[/u:qeskhzrl] McLouth and a few of the others. btw, they brought up Milledge as one of the guys tying to fill all these newly created spots.[/quote:qeskhzrl] Good, I am still rooting for LMillz and his gangsta ass. Valadius Aug 02 2009 07:55 AM My most lasting memory of Lastings: Nymr83 Aug 02 2009 08:07 AM ="Valadius":narzpqw5]My most lasting memory of Lastings[/quote:narzpqw5] first drink my ass. Valadius Aug 02 2009 08:23 AM ="Nymr83":1zjqc8zc]="Valadius":1zjqc8zc]My most lasting memory of Lastings[/quote:1zjqc8zc] first drink my ass.[/quote:1zjqc8zc] Exactly.

Leak every name from that 2003 list or no name. One or two names at a time is just bullshit.

They traded their centerfielder to the Braves six weeks ago, too. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Doumit gets moved as well.

I had Fowler on my fantasy team earlier in the year as well. He's got plenty of speed and the Rockies like his glove. For a guy who played last year in AA, he's holding his own. I think he, Stewart, and Gonzalez will only get better over the next few years, which would make the Rockies a very dangerous team.

Good point. Jhoulys Chacin was starting at AA not so long ago, and the Rockies are hoping he can help the pen as much as anybody they could trade for at this point.

The Colorado Rockies 54-44, .546 2nd place in NL West, 8 games behind the Dodgers leading the wildcard race by two games over the Giants -- more to the point, they're 7.5 games ahead of the Mets most interesting stat: Before Jim Tracy took over for Clint Hurdle, they were 18-28. Under Tracy, they're now 36-16. I don't know if it was fair to fire somebody who had piloted the team to the World Series in 2007, especially given the number of young players and the absence of Matt Holliday, but it's hard to argue with the results. probable lineup: ....................................AB HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG Dexter Fowler............CF 302 4 27 23 .252 .359 .381 Clint Barmes.............2B 342 12 48 9 .263 .307 .456 Todd Helton..............1B 334 11 60 0 .320 .404 .518 Brad Hawpe..............RF 314 15 62 1 .322 .404 .573 Troy Tulowitzki..........SS 317 18 46 13 .256 .344 .495 Ian Stewart..............3B 263 17 48 6 .232 .325 .498 Seth Smith, or...........LF 181 8 28 4 .293 .398 .486 Ryan Spilborghs.............230 6 35 8 .257 .329 .435 Chris Ianetta..............C 202 11 38 0 .228 .335 .450 Fowler is a rookie who skipped AAA. Barmes and Stewart started the year platooning at second base, but Garrett Atkins hit his way out of the lineup. Todd Helton, in case you were wondering, is owed $16.6M this year and next, $19.1M in 2011, and $23M or a $4.6M buyout in 2012, when his seemingly endless contract finally runs out. At least he's producing this year. Troy Tulowitzki has been sort of like Delgado was last year; he came off a really bad season and then struggled again until the manager changed. Hawpe has very quietly filled in the void left by Matt Holliday. There's a lot of youth here, and I think this lineup will get steadily more dangerous over the next couple of years. bench: ..................................AB HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG Yorvit Torrealba..........C 79 2 10 0 .241 .311 .354 Garrett Atkins......3B/1B 250 6 30 0 .228 .304 .336 Omar Quintanilla......INF 33 0 0 0 .182 .289 .212 Carlos Gonzalez........OF 102 1 5 7 .225 .288 .373 You still might see Atkins in the lineup against a lefty. You may also see him traded before the series ends. Gonzalez was the centerpiece when Oakland traded Dan Haren to the Diamondbacks, and again when the Rockies traded Holliday to Oakland. He has nothing left to prove in the minors, but he's struggled up here and lately Seth Smith has gotten most of his at-bats. the rotation: ......................................IP W L ERA K WHIP SV tonight vs. Ollie: Ubaldo Jimenez R..........128.2 7 9 3.85 116 1.30 0 Tuesday vs. Pelfrey: Jason Marquis R............131.1 12 6 3.49 61 1.26 0 Wednesday vs. Johan: Jason Hammel R...........101.0 5 5 4.28 70 1.45 0 Thursday vs. Niese: Jorge de la Rosa L.........111.0 8 7 4.78 112 1.37 0 we'll miss: Aaron Cook R...............128.0 10 3 3.87 69 1.41 0 the pen: Huston Street R.............42.1 3 1 2.55 48 0.92 25 Rafael Betancourt R........32.1 1 2 3.34 33 1.24 1 Matt Daley R..................27.0 0 1 3.67 25 1.11 0 Juan Rincon R................22.1 3 1 5.24 23 1.48 0 Franklin Morales L...........15.1 1 0 1.76 15 1.04 0 Jhoulys Chacin R..............1.0 0 0 0.00 2 1.00 0 Josh Fogg R...................20.1 0 1 1.77 9 0.79 0 Jimenez has very quietly had a solid season. The Cubs and Mets were rumored to be considering a deal involving Jason Marquis and Scot Schoeneweis over the winter, but Marquis wound up in Colorado instead. I was mostly indifferent at the time, but in hindsight... De la Rosa has a bit of an Ollie streak in him, sometimes looking brilliant and sometimes getting clobbered. The Rockies couldn't ask for more from Street than they've gotten. They just got Rafael Betancourt from the Indians last week, to replace the injured Manny Corpas. Betancourt was the best set-up guy in baseball in 2007 and just terrible last year; this year he's been decent when healthy. X-factors: None on their end, unless Torrealba counts. Glendon Rusch was part of their opening day roster, but a 6.75 ERA and a 2.04 WHIP bought him a one way ticket out of town. At this point, we're more likely to see Rusch pitch for the Ducks than another major-league team. Livan pitched for the Rockies last year and didn't help them any. And until last week, the only major league team Cory Sullivan had played for was the Rockies. Park differences: ....................W L ERA OPS oppOPS home:..........27 21 4.79 .831 .771 away:...........27 23 3.63 .734 .691 As usual, the Rockies' offensive numbers are skewed, and as usual that also means their pitchers are much better than they look at face value. Not that the Mets have a right to underestimate any team's pitching staff, but the Rockies' arms are the real reason they currently look like a playoff team.

="John Cougar Lunchbucket":3ame3h29]Nice. Buerhle was like a 40th round draft pick or something.[/quote:3ame3h29] And as we know from what certain reporters have said concerning Mike Piazza, people drafted that late can't possibly succeed without cheating. Seriously though, congrats to Mr. Buehrle. He doesn't come across as a likely guy to throw no-hitters (he pitches to contact), but now he has two. Chalk another one up for finesse pitchers. Frayed Knot Jul 23 2009 06:39 PM ="John Cougar Lunchbucket":1ljtutc3]Nice. Buerhle was like a 40th round draft pick or something.[/quote:1ljtutc3] Wow, 38th to be specific, in 1998 out of Jefferson College in Missouri. Then he didn't sign until just before the following year's draft (so it must have been a 2-year college) but made it to the majors just over a year after that and was a full-timer (and 16 game winner) by his second season at age 22. That's some nice progress out of a late-round pick. Meanwhile he pitches 200+ innings and 30+ starts every single year for 8 seasons - has a 133 - 90 record plus a sub-4.00 career ERA (3.78) in the AL, in this era, and in a hitters' park - looks like he had only 1 off year (in 2006 - the year after the Sox WS win) when he recorded his only ERA over 4.1 (4.99) and his only losing season - and 4 AS teams and a top-5 CY year and just turned 30 Nice and even slightly under-the-radar pitcher that probably get over-looked by some of us NL fans. And maybe the best thing about him is the guy almost always pitches quick-ass games. Obviously today's game is special but it clocked in at a tidy 2:03 and a lot of his aren't much longer. metirish Jul 23 2009 07:56 PM I just watched some of the videos on the MLB app , wow , what a catch by Wise. Not sure if it was the home team announcers that had the call on the final out , but I think it was. "yes , yes , yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees , yeeeeeeeeeeees...." I guess these guys have no idea what they are going to say until the "moment". I know Howie Rose immediately after his Matteau , Matteau , Matteau call he questioned himself right away and in fact thought he had ruined the call, felt embarrassed he said until he started hearing all the positive feedback. Edgy DC Jul 24 2009 07:32 AM Yeah, how about that when defensive replacements hold up their end of the bargain? Amazing. Nymr83 Jul 24 2009 07:44 AM ="Frayed Knot":1zpxpp3f] Meanwhile he pitches 200+ innings and 30+ starts every single year for 8 seasons - has a 133 - 90 record plus a sub-4.00 career ERA (3.78) in the AL, in this era, and in a hitters' park - looks like he had only 1 off year (in 2006 - the year after the Sox WS win) when he recorded his only ERA over 4.1 (4.99) and his only losing season - and 4 AS teams and a top-5 CY year and just turned 30 Nice and even slightly under-the-radar pitcher that probably get over-looked by some of us NL fans. And maybe the best thing about him is the guy almost always pitches quick-ass games. Obviously today's game is special but it clocked in at a tidy 2:03 and a lot of his aren't much longer.[/quote:1zpxpp3f] he's remarkably consistent and very good, he really needs to run off a GREAT season or two to start getting some HOF attention, or he'll fall into the Blyleven-trap of being very good but not attracting the dinosaurs writers who get to vote. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jul 24 2009 09:42 AM ="Nymr83":2qot5tn4]="Frayed Knot":2qot5tn4] Meanwhile he pitches 200+ innings and 30+ starts every single year for 8 seasons - has a 133 - 90 record plus a sub-4.00 career ERA (3.78) in the AL, in this era, and in a hitters' park - looks like he had only 1 off year (in 2006 - the year after the Sox WS win) when he recorded his only ERA over 4.1 (4.99) and his only losing season - and 4 AS teams and a top-5 CY year and just turned 30 Nice and even slightly under-the-radar pitcher that probably get over-looked by some of us NL fans. And maybe the best thing about him is the guy almost always pitches quick-ass games. Obviously today's game is special but it clocked in at a tidy 2:03 and a lot of his aren't much longer.[/quote:2qot5tn4] he's remarkably consistent and very good, he really needs to run off a GREAT season or two to start getting some HOF attention, or he'll fall into the Blyleven-trap of being very good but not attracting the dinosaurs writers who get to vote.[/quote:2qot5tn4] Buerhle's a solid pitcher, quite capable of amazing things. Bert Blyleven was a much, MUCH better pitcher than Mark Buerhle. Nymr83 Jul 24 2009 10:59 AM Totally off on a tangent here, one of Buehrle's "comparables" on B-R is our old friend Frank Viola, he had a nice career and a pretty good year for the Mets, where he finished 3rd in the CY Young voting behind Drabek and Ramon Martinez, can anyone explain how the hell Drabek cobbered Martinez in the voting that year? Martinez looks like he had the better year. [url:3ek53wb5]http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1990.shtml[/url:3ek53wb5]

I won't get the Rockies post up before Monday, but I should have it up by this time Monday afternoon.

Wilson's a mediocre hitter but consistently one of the best defensive shortstops in baseball. That alone would have made him an upgrade. But there's really no point now. Cora was signed to be a backup, and if he were playing only as much as the Mets originally expected him to play nobody would be complaining that harshly. Plus, he might have been given more time off to heal properly if the Mets weren't utterly desperate, and his numbers might actually look better.

In hindsight, Jack Wilson would have been an excellent pickup for the Mets about six weeks ago. Especially if taking on his full contract would have meant no significant players getting dealt. In a bit of a surprise, Julio Lugo is a Cardinal; Chris Duncan heads to Pawtucket.

The Pirates' booty in the LaRoche deal consists of Argenis Diaz (a younger version of our Argenis, with almost as good a bat) and Hunter Strickland (finesse righty showing excellent control for a 20-year-old at AA, although homers are a concern).

The catch with K-Rod is that money is a big issue for most teams, and it's not clear that K-Rod was in anybody else's price range when it wouldn't have taken players to get him this past offseason. Now if somebody offered a similarly good but perhaps overpaid major leaguer you might have a match, but deals like that tend to happen in the offseason. There's also the glass-is-half-full way to look at his numbers: he's been very effective for us in a down year by his standards.

What if the team that just missed out was the Phillies?

="LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr":lq51jb1x]Playing the what-if game, though... assuming the trade were to happen, we're looking at this team locked in as a poor man's 2001 D-Backs-- with Santana and Halladay's paychecks, and Reyes due to make open-market rates after 2011, there's no money to sign anything but replacement-level or steeply discounted (due to injury history, or "correctable" mechanical flaws) talent for C, 1B, and corner OF over the next several years. The offense would end up being even more top-heavy than we're used to-- Wright, Reyes and what's left of Beltran, surrounded by Castillo, Murphy, Evans, Ike Davis (maybe?), and a REALLY ugly bench-- wouldn't it?[/quote:lq51jb1x] The contracts for Beltran, Castillo and Perez run out after 2011 as well, so it's not like there's already zero payroll flexibility that far ahead. In the meantime, we're freeing up the money spent on Delgado, Wagner, and Schneider, plus Putz in all likelihood. It will also take more than one home run to justify tendering a contract to Francoeur. That's a quarter of the team's current payroll right there. I've got no problem with building a more balanced team, but I don't think a deal for Halladay necessarily rules that out. Edgy DC Jul 21 2009 12:14 PM This has surely morphed. If the Mets weren't going after the top two targets in the starting pitcher market, certainly Teixera wasn't in the cards under any circumstances, Omar or no Omar. Nymr83 Jul 21 2009 03:16 PM ]Was pursuing Texiera really explicitly rejected because the team needs to focus on the bullpen? they had to make a decision on Delgado' option before they could talk to Texiera, if Delgado had become a free agent they could have gotten outbid on Texiera anyway amd then had to give Delgado more years (which would have sucked imo), so i think they made the right move there. Centerfield Jul 21 2009 04:16 PM I didn't mean to re-hash the Delgado/Texiera arguments again. I realize the degree of difficulty was high on that one. I just wish we had a GM that was willing to explore it and not be constrained by "We are set at first"-type thinking. Similarly, I don't want the Mets to not pull the trigger on a Halladay deal (if one is, in fact, available to them) because of the mindset that "we need bats". We do need bats. But if we can get an ace, we should look to get that ace, then get bats with the money freed up when Wagner, Putz, Delgado, Schneider and Franceour come off the books. Edgy DC Jul 21 2009 04:44 PM Understood. To be fair, though, the extension that Halladay would require would eat up a fair chunk of that money.

The Blue Jays GM said last week that he was listening to offers, not making them.

Felipe Lopez just got traded to the Brewers. If we were a few games closer I'd be mad. Now I'm not sure I care.

Before his last two starts, Livan had some trade value. A good outing or two before the deadline might restore some of that value, and even a borderline prospect would probably be worth waiting till the end of the month to see Niese. Of course, if Livan blows up again in his next start, it's a moot point.

Why can't Frankie go four outs? His next save op might not be till next year.

Shef is the most dealable commodity. The Giants need right-handed power desperately. They might even be interested in Tatis. Somebody like Sergio Romo would help us a lot next year without necessarily killing our chances for this year. I'm not sure who's shopping for a catcher, but dealing Schneider wouldn't necessarily hurt us the next two months either. Given Castillo's age and contract I'd be surprised if we get offers, but given his age and contract I'd listen if somebody asks. Feliciano still has a year before free agency I think, so I see no good reason to consider shopping him.