smg58

Well, Willie Collazo may have already blown whatever chance he had of making the Opening Day roster.

I agree that he finished the season better than he started, but a 3.38 ERA in August and a 4.66 ERA in September are impressive only in a very relative sense. I wouldn't be against Schoeneweis holding on to his spot in the pen if he earns it this spring, but I think his overall performance last year entitles him to no advantage in a competition for a spot against the other likely competitors.

The Mets needed far too many innings from the pen last year, so pitching Schoeneweis against righthanded betters was unavoidable to a large degree. And if only Santana goes above 200 IP, and 85 quality innings from Duaner Sanchez turns out to be too much to ask for, we'll be in the same situation this year too. I'm not disputing that Schoenweis can get lefties out, but I think it's a fair question to ask if the Mets can afford to carry somebody who cannot be counted on to face a righthanded batter in a meaningful situation. And I also think it's likely that at least one of the other pitchers in camp hoping to get a spot is better.

metirish wrote: In a perfect world we'd love to have Jose hit ground ball singles every time up, I think that HoJo was exaggerating there to make a point....Reyes needs to not swing for the fences and try and hit the ball on the ground. Well Reyes needs to drive the ball, at least. It's been discussed here that he popped the ball up too many times, and yes that's how a guy with his speed who doesn't strike out much fails to do better than .280. So if Jose stops with the uppercut, he should have no problems getting back to .300.

Are the Mets depending on him a bit much? I'm worried that they are. The most significant outside addition to a terrible pen has been Matt Wise, so Minaya obviously didn't feel that upgrading the bullpen beyond Sanchez returning was a priority. That's a lot to ask from a guy who hasn't pitched in a year and a half.

Brian Schneider Eric Gagne Dontrelle Willis Dan Haren probably won't suck, but I'm betting on him taking a step backwards. Mariano Rivera Mark Kotsay Mike Hampton, if he actually takes the mound Shane Victorino Scott Linebrink

I still like Pagan more as the 26th man than the 25th. He fills basically the same role that Chavez does, but he will likely spend a lot of time up with the Mets regardless. The Mets wore out their pen with seven relievers last year, so there is no way in hell they are going with six this time. Sanchez appears healthy enough to be safely penciled in as the fifth guy. Contract or no, Shoeneweis did nothing last year that should assure him of anything, but I guess he's a front-runner for a remaining spot unless one of Lugo/Smith/Padilla/Muniz/Collazo/Register clearly outperforms him. Matt Wise likewise has a major-league deal and is a front-runner for a spot, but I think it's possible that somebody could push him out of the way too. Anderson and Easley can do what Gotay can do, so I definitely think an effort should have been made to move Gotay and add a righty bat with some pop. One guy who intrigues me is Justin Huber, who is out of options with the Royals. Sosa is still a free agent option, but I'd need a reason to think his past won't become a distraction before I'd bite.

Fonzie parlayed a year with the Ducks into a camp invite in Texas this year, so it's not the worst situation if you think you can still play. Shannon Stewart just got a deal with the Blue Jays. Lohse is still holding out for a long-term deal, under the assumption that somebody will decide they need a pitcher badly enough before the season starts. I know there are several teams who don't have better short-term options in centerfield than Patterson or Lofton, so I'm really surprised they're still available.

I don't see Register getting to New Orleans; if he's not good enough to make the team, he gets offered back to Colorado. Although I'm not sure what happens at that point. Would the Rockies have to put him on the 40, or pass him through waivers, to keep him? If the answer to one of those questions is yes, then it's possible that he could stay in our system. Guys like Stokes and Ruddy Lugo would have to survive the waiver period. Stokes, I think, is safe, as his track record is not so good. Lugo still has upside, though. Matt Wise and (especially) Schoeneweis would actually be safer bets to clear waivers, on account of their contracts. So Lugo has to be given serious consideration if he pitches well this spiring.

The West Side New Dealers are my friend Andrew. His fantasy teams usually have FDR-related names, like the Roosevelt Brain Trust.

My guess is Johnson gets traded before the spring is out if he's ready to play, because the Nats gave Dmitri Young a hefty extension and have too many outfielders to justify rolling the dice with his glove in left. I bet Johnson winds up back in pinstripes. I think an .880 OPS (i.e., his road splits) is a realistic expectation for Dunn if he came here. That's certainly not bad, but for somebody who's a defensive liability in left and presumably would be at first (the Reds have had the opportunities to move him to first if they wanted to), it's not overwhelming. Teixeira's played in a friendly park too, but his road OPS is .915 over the last three years, he handled Atlanta just fine, and he's a big asset with the glove.

Teams are getting smarter about paying through the roof for veteran mediocrity, for one thing. But there are teams with needs and guys out there who can fill them, so it's not that simple. For example, there are a lot of teams that could use a CF for a year (the Marlins, Reds, and Twins off the top of my head, plus does anybody really think that Melky Cabrera is that good?), so I'm guessing Corey Patterson is still holding out for a multi-year deal and people must really have doubts about Kenny Lofton's defense. There must be SOMEBODY out there who could benefit from Mike Piazza or Shannon Stewart, right? Sammy Sosa has tons of baggage, but he's a rightfielder who still mashes left-handed pitching. And then there's Barry Bonds...

If Tex knocks out 40 this year, he could probably command Santana money. As it is, he'll turn 28 this April and is one of the top two or three hitters and fielders at his position. As for Ollie, given how up and down he's been, his value might depend more on this year than it would for most of the other potential free agents. At this point, how big of a commitment would you make to him?

metsmarathon wrote: we just need to pick up that nice fellow down in atlanta... he hasn't signed long term with them yet has he? No. I don't see Boras (yes, he's the agent) agreeing to an extension unless Teixeira really thinks Atlanta's the coolest place on earth. Nobody has to tell Boras that the Braves have been cutting corners lately, and that both New York teams will likely be in the market for a first baseman next year. (On the plus side, I think it's safe to say that Boras has a better working relationship with the Mets than he does with the Yankees at this point.)

mario25 wrote: I would sign him as insurance for later this year and 2009 Right. Maybe this year at something close to the minimum, plus a team option for next year at something like $4M or a $1M buyout. Risk a little bit up front in the hope that you get a bargain if he's 100% by next year, while possibly getting something from him by the end of this year too.

top 5 concerns 1. can we get enough innings from our starters 2. do we have enough depth in the pen, especially if the answer to 1 is no 3. how many quality starts does Pedro have left 4. can Schneider give us anything on offense, or enough quality on defense or calling the games to make up for it 5. is our bench too lefthanded and lacking in power I think Delgado will be better this year. Maybe not as good as 2006, but I expect improvement. I'll worry about next year next year. It would be hard to pick up his option while an opportunity to pick up Teixeira still exists, even if Delgado plays well.

I have a friend who was asking about fantasy leagues. When is it OK to extend him an invite?

It's a no-risk move. It's hard to like his chances given the last two seasons, but he's not costing us anything. Is it me, or do you get the feeling that if Martinez starts the year in Binghamton, our AAA club is going to be really old?

Patchy! How goes it?

48.

I'd be more comfortable putting El Duque in the pen than Pelfrey. I'm all for giving Pelfrey a spot in the rotation if he earns it, but I think he'd be better off starting in AAA than relieving up here. Regarding the pen: Wagner and Heilman are definitely coming north. Sosa and Feliciano are almost definitely coming north. Sanchez, Schoeneweis, and Matt Wise are front-runners for the remaining three spots. Plus we still have Joe Smith, Juan Padilla, Carlos Muniz, Ruddy Lugo, Willie Collazo, and the rule V guy whose name escapes me. That's a whole lot of guys who would have to really not cut it before I would think it in the team's best interests to use Pelfrey as a reliever up here.

metirish wrote: Tony Armas Jr is looking for a # after signing a minor league deal Monday with Los Mets. With luck, we won't need him. But I guess somebody has to pitch in AAA this year.

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I'm also thinking that the Mets probably won't lose both Martinez and Perez. (They may even retain both of them.) Agreed, and Pelfrey will replace El Duque. The question I can't answer is how much money do the Mets still have to spend. After not committing significant money to anybody in 07 and letting Glavine go this year, I don't think Santana breaks their bank.

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I think that's probably true. Finding a (relatively) low-cost replacement for Delgado will probably be the toughest task. I suspect that first base is going to be the Mets' main focus after the 2008 season. (I'd like to see the Mets steal Teixeira from the Braves.) Keeping him from returning to the Braves will be the easy part. Outbidding the Yankees...

Right now Gotay's the twenty-fifth man, but he's a reserve second baseman with essentially a lefty bat off the bench. So's Marlon Anderson, and we also have Valentin with a minor-league deal. I like Gotay, but I think if we don't trade him now he's a waiver claim waiting to happen. Perhaps if the O's move Brian Roberts they might give us Chad Bradford for him. But I'd still like a righty outfield bat, and who's out there besides (gulp) Sosa? Bobby Kielty, Victor Diaz, and Craig Wilson all got minor-league deals we could have topped if we'd wanted to.