Mex17

="smg58"]The same exact rumor came up last year and Beane said Haren wasn't going anywhere. Not sure why he would change his mind now. From Rotoworld: A's GM Billy Beane is contemplating whether to go into 2008 with his current core or begin rebuiding. He expects to decide by the winter meetings. If the A's opt to blow it up, Joe Blanton, Alan Embree, Mark Kotsay, Dan Johnson and Kiko Calero would be marked for trade and Dan Haren, Rich Harden, Eric Chavez, Mark Ellis and Bobby Crosby could also become available. Beane would like to know more about the health of players like Harden, Chavez, Kotsay and Justin Duchscherer before deciding. "That's why we're at a fork in the road," Beane said. "We're either going forward and going for it or cutting it down and rebuilding. There is no middle ground in our market. When we hit the bottom, small market teams like us don't bounce."

"A-Rod at SS, move Reyes to 2B" is still an option.

Jokes about he name aside, I really like the idea of signing this guy. I think that it is always a gamble when you sign a guy out of Japan, but the gambles are worth taking sometimes. We have gotten stuck with the Kaz Matsui's, Shinjo's, and Komiyama's, but other teams have come away with Hideki Matsui's and Ichiro's!! 15-20 HR's, 30-40 2B's, .280-.290 AVG., .380-.400 OBP., Lefty Bat, Good Speed, Defense and an Arm in RF. . .that is (hopefully) the upside. Not to mention his presence would make it easier to package Milledge in a trade for a top notch starter. A multi-year contract to him would also buy time for Fernando Martinez to develop.

Instead of throwing out names that the Mets might want to trade for and then trying to figure out what it would take to get that player, let's start a thread the other way around. If the Mets were willing to put together a package of. . . Milledge or Gomez AND Pelfrey or Humber AND Mulvey or Guerra Whay type of player do you think that they could bring back?

Johnny Dickshot wrote: I always felt like after they got Piazza, it was all about managing the guys Phillips provided for him. I think Valentine might excel in a bygone era where field mansagers could also be general managers. Who says this needs to be "bygone". I am NOT rooting for Omar to be gone after 2008 but if he is, I would consider Valentine as the third candidate (along with Bernazard and Jocketty) to get the keys next.

This is the big question so far it seems.

Wright was fine in September, but you can surely make a case that Reyes was gassed.

If he sits out a year, he would certainly seen to be candidate #1 to replace Omar if things go south again in 2008 (I'm basis this on the fact that The Post has reported that he would be on the hot seat along with Randolph if the same thing or worse happens next year).

I DO NOT think that Willie should be fired. Like Omar said, you have to take into account the past three years of work and not just the last year or the last two weeks (I think that they should be watching him a little closer over the next year or two while also keeping an eye from afar on Acta as a possible replacement in 2009 or 2010, but that is a matter for another time). That said, I do think that changes need to be made on his staff. . .changes that need to be made by Omar with or without Willies input or stamp of approval. Let's begin. BENCH COACH: Jerry Manuel is probably a good baseball man and he can still probably help out as an advance scout, but I think that Willie, in spite of what he thinks, needs a guy in there with more of an NL mindset who can suggest when to put a little "small ball" (hit and runs, squeeze plays) into the equation. Perhaps this coach needs also to have a more exuberant personality to counteract Willie's more stoic nature. Am I nuts or does this profile describe Gary Carter? BULLPEN COACH: Billy Wagner exposed something. There needs to be some sort of better communication between the bullpen and Willie/Peterson. I think that Peterson is too valuable to replace (Wagner even said in his interview with New York magazine that he is great with mechanics). I think that there needs to be perhaps a player's advocate as bullpen coach, a guy who has done the job who can relate to the pitchers on their level and can effectively serve as a conduit between them and the manager/pitching coach. I think that it's time to bring John Franco out of exile. 1ST BASE COACH: As we all know there are "two" Ricky Henderson's. There is Ricky the first-ballot Hall of Famer/best leadoff hitter of all time and there is Ricky the self-absorbed clubhouse cancer. Which one of these two arrived mid-season? More importantly, which one of these two is whispering in the ear of Jose Reyes? Omar needs to find out.

I Am A Baseball Fan!!! I'm also a secondary Red Sox fan (I lived in Nashua for a spell when I was young). That said, I will also be paying attention to the Rangers and Islanders a month earlier than I expected to.

seawolf17 wrote: Mex! Long time no post! Everybody's coming out of the woodwork today. I am always more of a "Hot Stove" poster than anything else. Unfortunately, we are firing it up earlier than expected.

Is it possible that Ricky was more than a hinderance than a help with regards to him??

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/story/375429p-319060c.html "Omar Minaya, who indicated he may add to the bullpen solely through signing veterans to minor-league contracts, has started to follow through on that prediction." The guy is great at making the big exspensive splashes but it it starting to become clearer to me that he is not quite as adept at the finer details of contructing a good team. For example, the $2 million that was pissed away on Valentin and Franco should have been spent on Roberto Hernandez instead. Now it appears that he is going to compond that error by even the likes of Seaez, Tavarez and others for the friggin Darren Olivers of the world. How many leads will be blown before the ball can be put into Wagner's left hand in 2006? I am beginng to fear that the answer to that question will cost this team dearly.

Don't look now, but the Mets have a problem in the bullpen. IMO, retaining Robo would have put a cap on a nice offseason. The way I see it now, however, they are gonna have a tough time getting the ball to Wagner some nights unless Omar can figure something out.

Predictable. . . http://www.nydailynews.com/news/gossip/story/371732p-316263c.html

Elster88 wrote: ="Mex17"]44 doubles 29 home runs 105 RBI's 41 stolen bases .307 batting average .389 on-base percentage These are all numbers that he has achieved in the past, albiet not all in the same season. Is it within him to finally put it ALL together?? Are you taking the best individual totals he's gotten and combining them for one year? Not asking much, are we? There are 119 milion reasons for asking for PRECISELY that.

44 doubles 29 home runs 105 RBI's 41 stolen bases .307 batting average .389 on-base percentage These are all numbers that he has achieved in the past, albiet not all in the same season. Is it within him to finally put it ALL together??

Right now, it shapes up to be a good competition in spring training between two realtively young players who both have upside. The loser makes for a really good back up who can spell Floyd against lefties. Hopefully each will bring out the best in the other.

When dealing with potenally blatant unchecked hypocricy, all caps and exclamation points are necessary. How do you continue to punish one of the greatest hitters in the history of the sport because of his gambling habits and then proceed to to jump in bed with the city that has encouraged those same destructive habits for millions of people for decades?? Hypocracy. Selig is basically acting like the French cop in Cassablanca, IMO.

Let me say this loud and clear: If MLB puts a team in Vegas than they should PUT PETE ROSE IN THE HALL OF FAME IMMEDIATELY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nymr83 wrote: NOT trading for Manny if the opportunity presents itself would be stupid. f* his fielding, f* his contract, f* his "diva" personality...he is one of the best hitters in thegame and that is exactly what the Mets need. What he said.

According ro Francesa, Omar was quoted as stating that his priorities in order are: 1) closer 2) CLEANUP HITTER 3) catcher

I'd like to gauge people's thoughts on this. There is general speculation that this is where Garciaparra is going to end up (to the outfield from shortstop) in order to keep him healthy. Who here would entertain the thought of singing Garciaparra to be the other corner outfielder along with Floyd? Nomar would certainly fill the need of the big righthanded bat that, IMO, the Mets need to acquire this winter.

Good call, but I think that you have to add to the equation that Sheffield will demand a contract renegotiation in order to come over and (more importantly) not be a colossal pain in the ass.

Just announced on WFAN: The Braves new pitching coach is ROGER MCDOWELL.