smg58

The deal was one of Minaya's worst, if not the worst. That being said, Bell was pretty ordinary last year after pitching more than 90 innings the year before. He'll need to bounce back to be a successful closer, and I'm not sure he will. As for Peterson, we already knew he and Bell butted heads, but trades (good and bad) are ultimately the responsibility of the GM. We should get a good read on Warthen this year, which should tells us if changing pitching coaches was good, bad, or a wash.

So how many picks will we be making this time around?

Omir Santos had one homer in 297 AB's at Norfolk (he was in the Orioles' organization) last year. He has two homers in 15 spring training at bats so far. Probably not a meaningful stat, but definitely an odd one.

So we all knew that Piazza has been suspected of using steroids by a bunch of people, and Pearlman's big revelation essentially boils down to Piazza being suspected of using steroids by a bunch of people. Until a reporter with a name says Piazza told him something, this doesn't really add anything. If back acne is really a common symptom of steroids use, then the reporters who keep bringing it up about Piazza should mention who else they saw with this condition. They can't pretend it was just him. I see no value in singling out the good players. If 103 players tested positive in 2003, either leak all of them or none of them. There's plenty of evidence that steroids made good players out of average ones, great players out of good ones, and in the case of Bonds and A-Rod, supermen out of players who likely would have had Hall of Fame careers regardless. There's no evidence that steroids could make a superstar out of a minor leaguer. And here we have yet another writer implying that Piazza doesn't even smell the majors without the juice. Piazza may well be guilty, but that isn't fair.

I don't think there's anything secret about this weapon anymore.

Could somebody explain to me why you're more likely to get hurt in a WBC game than in a spring training game?

He delivered in too many big games to not get in.

Reed is part of the Opening Day 25 for sure. I'd like to see Kielty or Evans take that last spot away from Marlon, though. We need another guy on the bench who can hit lefties.

Hill's frequently recurring health issues should relegate him to a minor-league deal at this point, but for that price I'd have no problem giving him a look.

Garcia's 6th inning didn't exactly narrow the gap with Livan.

Did the Mets need to open a spot on the 40? If not, why haggle over dollars with somebody slated to make roughly 0.1% of your payroll?

Maybe the Mets are thinking that they could have found a way to keep Steven Register last year if they gave themselves more time to work something out with Colorado (not that it appears to have been consequential), and they don't want to decide they like Cherry or O'Day only to lose them in a similar fashion. But I wouldn't think that either has pitched themselves out of consideration for a spot in the show just yet.

bmfc1 wrote: Maine got his last 9 hitters so maybe he figured something out. Connor Robertson has pitched well, though he has no chance of making the team. It's encouraging that Maine finished a lot better than he started. I'd like to see a good start all the way through next time before I decide I'm not concerned. I wouldn't assume Robertson can't make the team, given that two spots are up for grabs. A bad outing or an injury by one of the guys ahead of him in the pecking order could put him in the mix. I do like the idea of having multiple relievers in Buffalo who won't kill you if you promote them, though.

from Rotoworld: The Mets have shut down Tim Redding indefinitely due to a lack of shoulder strength. That should take him out of the running for the club's fifth rotation spot. Mets GM Omar Minaya said Redding isn't injured, but simply needs to build up more strength. He's posted a dreadful 40.50 ERA in two starts this spring. While I have to hope that's not $2M straight out the window, Redding is not going to be on the Opening Day 25. So one starting spot and two bullpen spots are very wide open at this point.

="MFS62":1249j1la]I think fman99 nailed it. I think Omar has always liked Sanchez. And although he still had time to make the financial decision, Omar wanted to give him time to catch on with another team before the other teams had finalized their rosters.[/quote:1249j1la] That seems right to me too. The arbitration rules gave the Mets the option of auditioning Sanchez without committing to the full price, so it made sense to give him the shot but not to keep him around if things weren't working out. I think it guarantees a spot for Redding even if he's not the fifth starter. Stokes also looks safe to me right now, which leaves one spot wide open and another dependent on Redding's ultimate role. Also keep in mind that Joe Beimel and Will Ohman are still available and would happily take the money the Mets won't be paying Sanchez. Edgy DC Mar 10 2009 08:28 AM But Redding has failed at every turn. Frayed Knot Mar 10 2009 08:35 AM ="Edgy DC":1fno8q78]But Redding has failed at every turn.[/quote:1fno8q78] Hasn't he only made one turn so far? Redding had a real good first half last year. Whether his poor second half was due to wearing out or related to whatever foot/toe problem he got corrected over the winter I'm not sure, but I suspect he's going to get a decent amount of rope this Spring. Edgy DC Mar 10 2009 08:39 AM Redding has had two outings. The first was an intrasquaddie and the second was against a college team, so neither is on his "official" spring training record. Gwreck Mar 10 2009 08:53 AM ="John Cougar Lunchbucket"]Duaner was awful last year and he's been awful this year, and they certainly gave him all the rope he needed and more following his accident, even as he showed up in camp out-of-shape last year. That was two years ago that he showed up out of shape. Hard to believe it was so long ago that he was a dominant set-up man. Duaner earned a lot of good will from me for that amazing start to the '06 season and I still believe that had he not been hurt things might have turned out differently, if not in '06 than certainly in '07. Relive the pain of the taxi accident here. John Cougar Lunchbucket Mar 10 2009 09:10 AM Yes, right. But the point was, they'd been through that with him and still didn't release him. Gave him every chance even then. Some good Cranepooling in the car crash thread. attgig Mar 10 2009 09:23 AM not only does it give duaner time to latch onto another team, it gives us more time to audition more guys. now, where do we spend that 1.6 mil? LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Mar 10 2009 12:36 PM ="attgig":1hmlwfzr]not only does it give duaner time to latch onto another team, it gives us more time to audition more guys. now, where do we spend that 1.6 mil?[/quote:1hmlwfzr] Ohman, presumably. Failing that, any way we can get a Manny timeshare, last-week-of-Septemberish? TheOldMole Mar 10 2009 02:47 PM Thanks for the good times, Duaner, and damn that taxi. John Cougar Lunchbucket Mar 15 2009 01:36 PM ] Padres pick up reliever Sanchez GM Towers says former Mets pitcher will compete for 'pen role By Corey Brock / MLB.com PEORIA, Ariz. -- In their quest to solidify their bullpen, the Padres signed 29-year-old right-hander Duaner Sanchez to a Minor League contract, general manager Kevin Towers confirmed on Sunday. Sanchez was released by the New York Mets on March 10. The general consensus was the Mets were concerned about his velocity and doubted that he could reclaim the form that he had in 2006 as a rookie. Sanchez has a career record of 18-10 with a 3.91 ERA in 276 games since breaking into the Major Leagues in 2002 with Arizona. He spent the last two years with the Mets and went 5-1 with a 2.60 ERA in 49 games in 2006. It was after the 2006 season when Sanchez was injured in a taxicab accident that would necessitate two subsequent shoulder operations. He missed all of 2007 and part of '08 as well. The Mets saved about five-sixths of Sanchez's $1.6875 million salary by releasing him before March 18. Towers said Sanchez's velocity ran about 87 mph and that he has complimentary pitches that could make him the late-inning reliever the team is looking for, possibly the eighth-inning specialist to set up former Mets teammate Heath Bell. "I know I have it," Sanchez told The New York Times on Monday of his velocity. "I've got no problem with that. I just don't want to come out of the chute throwing hard. That's not me. I want to make sure that when I reach back, I know I have it there." OlerudOwned Mar 15 2009 02:03 PM Duaner wasn't a rookie in 2006, Corey Brock. Wasn't paragraph you wrote immediately after saying so evidence enough? Benjamin Grimm Mar 16 2009 05:06 AM Duaner signs a minor league contract with San Diego. SteveJRogers Mar 16 2009 10:10 AM ="OlerudOwned":2urk8egz]Duaner wasn't a rookie in 2006, Corey Brock. Wasn't paragraph you wrote immediately after saying so evidence enough?[/quote:2urk8egz] Not to mention the accident occured during the season, not after it. Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy!

The Mets are as blame-ridden as every other team. The difference with the Yankees is that the Yankees have had several very high-profile current players (along with a certain former player who would have been a HOF lock otherwise) linked to steroids and HGH, while the Mets have not, and they have been subjected to more media scrutiny as a result. I don't think metsguy's assessment of Chass' motivations is necessarily off. I'm also bugged by Sherman dwelling on Piazza's draft position. He's implying that not only wouldn't Piazza have had a HOF career without steroids, he wouldn't have had ANY career.

Zimmermann has the look of a rookie to watch.

Magadan seems to be the best match of that group, although if he turns into Yaz or Keith I certainly wouldn't mind.

Bowden had demonstrated enough incompetence to be fired before the story about the prospect who lied about his age broke. The unfortunate thing for the Nationals is that they could have had somebody better in place before the offseason started, and now the successor has to deal with a ridiculous glut of outfielders and first baseman and inadequacy nearly every place else.

Don't panic. Yet.

According to mlb.com, Hudson is getting one year and $3.4M, with up to $4.6M in incentives. If bringing in Ollie at 3 and 36 made it impossible to offer Hudson even that little, then the Mets should have settled for Garland at half the annual salary, or even Looper for less than that. Somebody else signing Ollie would have also gotten us two better draft picks than the one Hudson would have cost. Or perhaps Minaya is not yet willing to own up to the blunder he made in giving Castillo four years. Either way, I'm unhappy.

What bugs me about the fallout from not signing A-Rod way back when is that when Phillips claims that Scott Boras made an unreasonable list of demands -- which is perfectly consistent with what we know about Boras -- all the beat writers assume he is full of it, but when Cashman suggests that Boras offered Beltran to the Yankees at a discount -- which is completely inconsistent with what we know about Boras -- these same writers take him at his word. Following up on what FK said, I think there's a good chance we would have had to do what Texas ultimately did, only it would have been particularly humiliating to us. That being said, I have to vote for Zito as the best free agent non-signing. A-Rod rubbed me wrong then as much as he does now, but at least his on-field performance would have approached what we paid him to do.

="metsmarathon":26wkpoho]i'm waiting for the question to be asked "why do you think baseball is alone among major american sports in facing such heightened public scrutiny in the face of steroids allegations?"[/quote:26wkpoho] I think the answer to that is because with baseball, steroids had a more noticeable effect on the way the game was played. In the NFL, for example, if you have juiced up linemen on both sides of the ball, there's not going to be a significant effect on the stats that players put up. Plus, the players at the skill positions in football might not want to sacrifice agility for muscle. A deserving gold glove shortstop might morph rather quickly into an average defensive third baseman and not care as long as the home runs (and dollars) keep coming, but a wide receiver isn't going to switch to tight end. With basketball, the agility/muscle tradeoff might be less one-sided as well. Sure, your heavy-duty rebounders might benefit, but steroids won't improve your jump shot or make you a better ball-handler. Edgy DC Feb 17 2009 08:39 AM I think the answer is because baseball represents something purer to America, part of the national fabric. A lot of that is hooey, of course, but the press like to write like it is. But footballers and basketballers and wrestlers are all so culturally disposeable that it's heartbreaking. Few are more disposeable than football linemen. Centerfield Feb 17 2009 09:09 AM On a somewhat related note, Bud Selig continues to throw the players, such as A-Rod, under the bus while refusing to take any of the blame for the so-called steroid era. themetfairy Feb 17 2009 09:16 AM Playing Devil's Advocate. Not that I have any love of Selig. But I'm personally quicker to blame the Players Union for the steroid problem than the owners. The union actively opposed testing even when it was apparent that there was a significant steroid problem in baseball. Fman99 Feb 17 2009 09:19 AM Rusty Griswold: Hey, ya' got Pac Man? Cousin Dale: No. Rusty Griswold: Ya' got Space Invaders? Cousin Dale: Nope. Rusty Griswold: Ya' got Asteroids? Cousin Dale: Naw, but my dad does. Can't even sit on the toilet some days. SteveJRogers Feb 17 2009 10:08 AM ="Edgy DC":23rudtqg]I'd rather they asked that at football camps.[/quote:23rudtqg] They are tested all the time and much, much stringent than baseball. And they have been suspending players. End of issue. Edgy DC Feb 17 2009 10:17 AM The NFL is clean? metirish Feb 17 2009 10:21 AM Steve Rogers Goodell

You can never have too much depth. And the more lottery tickets you purchase, the better your chances of cashing one in. I'm not expecting much, but I'd settle for him keeping us in a game or two in an emergency.

I'm going with Redding and a lefty free agent to be determined (either Beimel or Ohman).