smg58

This is the danger of carrying around too many relievers, and not giving a fair chance to the guys in your system who are ready to pitch at this level. I'm worried that Heath Bell will similarly hit his stride for someone else after either a waiver claim or a trade for basically nothing.

I think most people value Petit more highly than that, but I'd settle for a solid #3 in a good rotation. Bannister snuck up on people this year, but it's still not clear where he fits in. I could see him making the Opening Day roster as a middle reliever, but I can also think of a few teams he could start for and might be willing to deal for him.The comments on Keppinger were interesting. I hadn't realized he had played other positions besides second and done well.I'm not sure at all where Scobie fits in. I could see him as an emergency call-up starter, but I suppose he could also compete for a bullpen spot

A year ago, Pedro and Beltran were just using the Mets for bargaining leverage. The year before that, Vlad didn't want to go to a big market, and he certainly didn't want to switch leagues. I don't know Beltran personally, and even if I did I wouldn't venture a guess on how he'd feel about being dealt. As for Manny... the choices appear to be a) a deal involving Beltran, Cameron or Floyd plus Milledge, with a lot of haggling over cash, or c) looking elsewhere. I'm solidly against option b; the Mets have major league talent they can deal without creating holes in the roster (especially at starting pitcher), and dealing Milledge or Petit when suitable players can be obtained otherwise is a bad, bad strategy. I also think we can ask for more than just Manny if Beltran is on the table and the Sox want Manny out that badly. If we threw in Matsui, we basically break even financially, and if they're absolutely committed to moving Manny I think we'd still be in a position to demand another good player. I see no point in making this easy for them, and if they say no I could live with it. But if they say yes, would that still be better than option c? That depends on whatever deals are out there, which we won't know for at least two months.

They were the best team in baseball by far for four months, then kind of went on cruise control the rest of the way. Good pitching beats good hitting, no upset there. Sure I'm surprised by the sweep, but there's no reason to think that the better team didn't win. As far as rooting for them goes, well of course if they play the Yankees, but they do have Carl Everett. And will they let Timo run the bases if they make the WS?

Now let's see if the Angels can finish the job.

When did Doc get a third pitch? I always thought that the lack of a decent third pitch made it inevitable that hitters would adjust to him. The Furcal rumor is interesting. I wouldn't put it beyond him to try to use the Mets as leverage with the Braves, but the Braves have Wilson Betemit and limited resources so I'll wager they're willing to let him go. I wouldn't oppose bringing him here. I'd like to see the Mets bring in one or two .400 OBP guys, but I don't think you'll find too many second basemen who fit that description, and to say that he'd be an upgrade at second would be a major understatement. The Mets have enough resources at the major league level that they shouldn't give up major prospects to bring anybody in, or need to get everything through free agency. It's too early to figure out most of the players that will be on the block, so I wouldn't be too quick to narrow a wish list to a few specific players.

The only time I'd root for the Braves is if they play the Yankees. Although i won't complain if they spank Clemens.

Gotta go with the underdog, and I'm fairly certain that would be the Padres in this case.

Valadius wrote: We don't need any more guys in the way of Heilman, Petit and the rest of our young pitchers. He's done a great job here, but we honestly don't need him. There is a logjam at starting pitcher without factoring Bannister and Petit into the picture. I don't see the point of keeping an excess at one position when there are other areas that need improvement. Plus, the Mets have plenty of guys who adequately fill the 3, 4, and 5 holes in the rotation, but right now I don't see a #2 starter. Trachsel doesn't have to be dealt, but at least one guy, and possibly two or even three, have to go. I'm guessing that Trachsel's incentives would be easily met if he stays healthy all year, but that might be a big if. Since he would be 10 and 5, I'd make sure I know which teams would want him, and which teams he'd accept a trade to, before I picked up the option.

I wouldn't dismiss bringing Mike back out of hand, but I'd lean toward youth at that position. And hope he gets three HR this weekend. As for Glavine, let's see how next year goes. I wouldn't re-sign him if that blocks Petit in 07. Ultimately, I'm more concerned about what's best for the Mets than where certain players reach their milestones.

MFS62 wrote: He hasn't pitched since Mike Schmitt was still playing, then he's put in there against a good hitting team that's pissed off. Yes, and it's tough to come in and pitch well when you haven't pitched in a while, or when you'd been getting a batter a week like Hamulack. But they have to make good on the opportunities they get if they want to get more. I'm worried that this one game will set them way back in Randolph's eyes.

After all the offense the Indians have generated the past couple of weeks, they lose 1-0 to a guy who came into the game with a 7.11 ERA. Baseball can be a funny sport sometimes.

Well hey, if we're getting Delgado and Cabrera, why don't we ask for D-Train as well? Let's see, we'll give them Cairo, Graves... OK seriously. It wouldn't hurt to ask about Cabrera, but my jaw would drop to the floor if the Mets didn't get a very emphatic "NO!" in response. Cabrera may have maturity issues, but is it really a good idea to go to the media with you grievances with him? You get the feeling that Cabrera and Burnett aren't the only angry players down there, and that nobody respects McKeon's authority. Everybody is pointing fingers after a disappointing season, and instead of team officials doing everything they can to restore order, they complain about Cabrera, who played to expectations unlike most of the team, to the press. Better them than us.

And poor Hamulack gets to go into the offseason with a rather ugly ERA permanently attached to his stat sheet. I'd get him back out there tomorrow. That's one you don't want to dwell on for six months.

The Phillies are in a bind. They shouldn't trade Howard, and their frequently recurring nightmare is that they dump Thome, eat half his salary, and watch him hit 45 HR for somebody else. If Thome is healthy, I'd ask him if he remembers how to play third base. Risky? Hell yes, but if he can play, dealing him at a discount is no less risky. And the Phillies have a history of not returning the Mets phone calls when they put a major player on the block, so it won't happen unless the Mets overpay big time. Like JD, I'm not against moving some of our quantity of starting pitchers and bringing in a legit #2. I have serious reservations over whether Burnett is that guy, though, especially if he comes with a hefty price tag.

I haven't heard anything about Keppinger either, and I'm just as curious as you are. His status would definitely influence how the Mets go about the offseason.The Mets gave Vaughn, Leiter, and Rich Hidalgo buyouts of $2M apiece this offseason, plus paid $4.5M of Cedeno's salary, so that's over $10M in dead money they'll be freeing up this year.

I've always had the impression that Burnett's overrated, and that somebody will pay too much for him. The Braves don't have the money to make him that kind of offer. Don't forget Bannister when you talk about potential starting pitchers under the Mets' control.

If there weren't very legitimate reasons to be concerned about Pedro's health, the Astros would have a right to complain. But I think this is at least as much the management clearly acting in the team's best long-term interests as it is Pedro, and the Mad Dog knows less about New York baseball than most of his listeners do if he doesn't see that.

I'm willing to give Willie the opportunity to learn from his mistakes. Besides, it's not at all clear that the D-Rays have benefited any from Lou's presence. And given Young and Upton, Lou woulld be dumb to leave now.

Neither do I. Because that would mean the Yankees making it.

But he signed with the Sox last year, so his tenure as a Met fan is irrelevant. While I do have some family in Boston, the school system here is just too good.

He may not be, but is he a major liability or simply not impressive? That difference matters if he's a better hitter than any catcher we could sign or deal for, but not a better hitter than an available first baseman. Yes, I know, you'd have to speculate about how good a hitter Jacobs really is, but we'd be speculating just as much about somebody like Shoppach. And while Ramon Hernandez has hit better since he came off the DL, he's missed significant parts of the last two seasons, and that makes signing him a big risk. I've got no problem with examining the in-house options.

Elster88 wrote: It definitely is a TITTS trade. I don't see where Milledge is going to play. We have this guy playing center for another six years (gulp). This is a big reason why the Manny for Beltran talk got started in the first place.

]Its almost frustrating watching that franchise knowing that if they'd just make a couple of moves for actual big leauge talent, whether it be FA or a trade, they could actually look like a team. Cantu, Lugo, Gomes, Kazmir (argh!), Baez, Crawford, with Delmon Young destroying the minors. How can you NOT try to add a few vets to that and let them play. Its inexplicably cheap. They have enough talent that filling their big holes with even serviceable players would make them very competitive over the next couple of years. I don't think it was dumb holding onto guys they still have control over for next year unless somebody gives up their best prospect (hell, the strategy worked once before). Huff is perfectly capable of bouncing back, and Baez is a solid closer. Getting a couple of adequate starting pitchers could make them .500 next year, and that shouldn't be too hard to do.

Well Burroughs hits like a pitcher, so why not? So the Pads are back to .500, with a 20-1 loss on their resum�. What are the odds of them beating St. Louis in a 5-game series?