smg58

I think somebody did something before we signed Beltran suggesting that we could expect an OPS in the neighborhood of .880. Below what he did in KC and Houston, but at this point we would all be very grateful if he gave us something close to .880 next year. What's the skinny on Jacobs as a catcher? Is his glove that bad? How much has he played the position this year? If he can play it at all, I think we can afford to go with him and Castro at catcher and use our money/bargaining chips elsewhere. Given that our park plays to lefties, I think we'd be better served with a lefty 1B than a righty one. Of course, if Konerko turns out to be the easiest guy to get, I'll change my mind. The ideal fit offensively, I think, would be a lefty bat capable of a .300 BA/.400 OBP/.500 SLG. Brian Giles can do that, but that would mean making room for him in the outfield somewhere. I agree that getting a closer like Wagner or BJ Ryan here is a high priority. Preferably Ryan, because he's younger. I also don't think we have a good #2 starter, and trading some of our quantity for quality makes sense.

sharpie wrote: How bout those seriously, I just used a racist word when I really meant "Guardians" winning every day. I'd love to see Cleveland beat the Yankees out of a playoff spot. Once again though, we're reduced to taking solace in the Yankees' misfortune.

I don't want to think about what would have happened if the Mets did something like that in Shea Stadium. Is Ensberg coming back for Houston? He's critical to the Astros' chances.

The only one of the 2B's who might have been ready when it was clear that what they had there wasn't cutting it was Keppinger, but he got hurt. Hernandez and Lambin are in a better position now than they were then. It's important to know when to give and when not to give the young guys a chace, but Willie's gives the impression of disproportionately favoring experienced players, even when they're Mets because their previous teams figured out that these were guys you can't win with. It was one thing in April, when Randolph and Minaya were less sure of the younger relievers so they threw a bunch of guys on the wall and only Hernandez stuck. It's another thing to pick up guys who've been dumped for pitching lousy and have them jump ahead of guys who pitched well enough in Norfolk to deserve the chance. The only way guys like Heilman or Padilla or Heath Bell are going to get the experience that Randolph wants is if he gives them the ball.

So Seo can again pitch well when it counts but find himself in Norfolk in April. Great. Minaya needs to deal his excess of pitchers this offseason so that he has a solid lineup and, at most, two starters competing for spot #5. And I don't see why, at this point, Seo has to be one of the two competing.

OWOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Edgy DC wrote: But I'm still hung on the (1) whether there's any indication statistically, not anecdotally, that a second season is a good barometer (2) whether the interruptions of both Matsui's seasons can really allow us to define him as having had two seasons (3) that (1), if true, can really be applied to hitters joining the big leagues in the middle of their careers I have no idea what the statistics are. I imagine somebody whose done more sabermetrics than I have might have seen something. I figure at the very least, somebody's looked at the so-called "sophomore jinx" and how players who took a step backwards their second year did or didn't recover from it. This is just an impression I've gotten over the past few years, and it could be right or wrong. You could argue that Matsui still hasn't seen enough action yet. I certainly wouldn't have counted last year for Reyes. I would think it has as much to do with a new player adjusting to major league pitiching (and vice versa) than physical development, if not more so. Power numbers might be affected by a player heading into his mid-twenties, but Soriano was already 25 his rookie year. So I don't see why it wouldn't apply to both Matsuis.

So if the Norfolk season is over, why isn't Valent up here? Did he get taken off the 40?

I mean that at a hitter's second season is generally a clearer indication of the kind of player he's going to be than his rookie season. Guys like Hank Blalock, Hideki Matsui and Alfonso Soriano moved significantly forward their second year, and it's been a good barometer of how they've continued to perform. (And I think it's an extremely good sign for David Wright.) By contrast, Jason Phillips' second year suggested that his rookie year was too good to be true, and he's done nothing for the Dodgers this year to indicate otherwise. With Kaz, his recent stretch has brought him closer to last year's numbers, but he's still solidly below them. I just don't see much upside with him. Now it's possible that the Mets might not have a better option, and JD's third question is a valid one, which would turn the debate to whether Anderson Hernandez has more or less upside and is a greater or lesser risk. Something tells me we're divided on that one.

There's something about his output this season that seems a little too good to be true. Or maybe I'm just automatically suspicious of anybody who hits more than 30 these days.

Maybe Bret and Lauren Grodstein are the same person? Has anybody ever seen the two of them in the same room at the same time?

He's got a .700 OPS over two seasons, and it will take a lot more than two good weeks to make me think there's more to him than that. You can start to make firm conclusions about a hitter in his second year, and his overall performance still suggests mediocrity.

Super stud is definitely unreasonable, but Hernandez wouldn't have to be that good to be an upgrade over what we've had all year at second base. He seems to have turned a corner with his batting average, even if he doesn't appear to have much power and his walk ratio still needs some work. A .700 OPS with good speed and a solid glove might be optimistic, but not out of the question.Of course, the only way to get any sense of what the Mets have in Hernandez is to see the guy play, which is ultimately why I want him to get the call. Granted you can only learn so much in a handful of games, but I don't see why a quick look is too much to ask for.

The Mets will likely miss Huber, but the Pirates have basically nothing to show for that deal.

Let's rock!

What is the status of Keppinger? Is it likely that he'll be healthy in February?

The Mets aren't the only team who would bid on Delgado, especially if Konerko stays in Chicago; we'd be competing with the Red Sox, for example, and possibly the Yankees. Plus, if teams in worse shape than the Marlins (like the Devil Rays) can refrain from a fire sale, I can't see the Marlins just giving players away again, especially to a division rival. There's a "sweepstakes" for Ramon Hernandez? I had suggested here in August that the only way the Mets could deal for Manny without the money transfer turning into a logistical nightmare was to offer Beltran. It would have been too disruptive midseason but afterwards... I've been hoping that Beltran would give me a reason to think this wouldn't be a good idea, but he hasn't yet.

Opinion: The Mets front office was clearly thinking two years ahead with that deal. Fact: Cliff Floyd's .355 OBP puts him comfortably in second place on the team, among anybody with more than 100 AB.

OK, now that we've established his limits, be more careful with him next year. As far as shutting him down goes, I don't think that's proper until the Mets are mathematically out of it, unless you have evidence that it's more than just fatigue.

I like Diaz more as the strong fourth outfielder than as the regular in right. I'd love to make room for Brian Giles, if he'd come to New York. Even Shea would look like Coors Field after two years in Petco, and a lefty bat you could count on for a .400+ OBP and a .900+ OPS is exactly the kind of hitter the Mets need. His age is a mild concern, but it might also lower his price.

Carpenter is pitching better right now, and if their ERA's wind up within .2 or .3 of each other then he would have to get it. Still, you can't blame Clemens for the spectacularly awful run support he's gotten.

Valadius wrote: Doug Mientkiewicz has a team option, so he'll likely be let go. Steve Trachsel also has a team option. Tom Glavine has a mutual option. Felix Heredia and Danny Graves have team options. Braden Looper has a team option. Marlon Anderson and Chris Woodward are non-tender candidates, but they'll likely stick around. Edit: DiFelice is also a free agent. Doug is gone. Heredia and Graves are certainly gone, and Looper should be a certainty at this point as well. They have Trachsel, Zambrano, and even Bannister and Heilman competing for one spot in the rotation, which makes things interesting. Trachsel's option (from what I'm gathering, which could be wrong, $2.5M plus incentives based on IP) is too easy not to pick up. If they decide to go with somebody else in that spot he could be easily dealt, provided he's willing to go (he'll be 10/5 once the season ends). Woodward is too useful not to keep, but I can't help thinking Chase Lambin could do what Anderson does, with more power and as a switch hitter. Yes, let's play some baseball still.

I'm not sure that Castro and Jacobs couldn't work as a platoon, but there are a few rookie catchers who could possibly be had (Shoppach, Dioner Navarro, Ryan Garko in the Indians system), plus you'd have to consider Pudge if the Tigers just give him away, the bizarrely bad walk ratio notwithstanding. Let's see who's available for what price. Good: Wright is a star. Reyes showed what he can do when he's healthy enough to run. Pedro. Most of the pitching in general. Jae Seo. Cliff Floyd. Roberto Hernandez. Bad: Reyes still doesn't get on enough to make his speed the devastating weapon it could be. The lack of timely hits, again. Looper. Shingo Takatsu. Willie's fondness for Shingo Takatsu. Cairo and Matsui. Too little from first base. Beltran was practically irrelevant. Danny Graves and Mike De Jean.

The option won't be picked up; he's not worth $5M as a closer, much less a setup guy. As for bringing him back cheaper as a setup guy, 1) you could bring Bert back for less, if you have one setup spot to fill, and 2) I'm not blocking any young guys for Looper.

The two spectacular blowups against Atlanta killed the 2001 season, and Benitez was never going to be forgiven for them. Yankee fans have forgiven Rivera because nobody has matched his consistency, and it's not like you could easily find somebody whose postseason record has been better. I don't know if it would be impossible to succeed as a closer in Queens, but you'd certainly have to be more effective than Looper, and you might want to avoid blowing a big lead at exactly the wrong time.