Mex17

For those who believe that we DESPERATELY need a new righthanded slugger to bat cleanup (as I do. . .the debate for that is, of course, valid and can be discussed on the board, albiet preferably in a thread isolated from this one), I am posting this poll to discuss who the best option ought to be. I am including Glaus based on the fact that I heard on 1050 ESPN radio that he will be made available be Arizona. It has been said that Glaus can play first base, so if we acquire him (or Konerko), Jacobs can stay behind the plate and hit lower in the order. I am also hoping that, in any trade we make, we will be able to keep at least Diaz or Milledge (preferably Milledge with Cameron holding the fort down until he is ready)..

I think that Edgy's implication is that we cannot attempt to be a "sit back and wait for the Three-Run Homer" type of team. I agree with him. That being said, I disagree with the notion that it is not absolutely essential that we get some more pop from the righthanded side of the plate. IMO, it as clear as the summer sun that this team needs a righthanded slugger to wedge in the cleanup spot between Beltran and Floyd.

If Manny-to-the-Mets is really a dead issue on account of him not wanting to come here (and I would NOT trade Beltran for him BTW. . .we need to add to what we have, not subtract-to-add), I would start talking to Texas again about Soriano if I were Omar. I would NOT, however, give Texas as much as I would have given Boston for Manny. Soriano gives us the righthanded slugger we desparately need and he gives us the bonus of 30+ stolen bases per year on top of that (a top four of Reyes-Beltran-Wright-Soriano would be amazing from a speed standpoint) but he has significant negatives when compared to Manny. Namely, a .320 career OBP as opposed to Manny's .409 (strikeouts are about the same according to seasonal averages. . . 137 for Soriano compared to 130 for Manny) along with defensive liability at a more sensitive spot (second base as opposed to corner outfield). The meat of my offer to Texas would consist of: -One out of Cameron, Diaz, or Milledge (they would probably not take Cameron. . .the key is to keep at least one of Diaz or Milledge) -Seo or Zambrano -Anderson Hernandez or Keppinger -Maybe a minor league pither (NOT Petit or Pelfrey. . .maybe Gabby Hernandez, Bannister, or Lindstrom).

STICK TIRED OF GEORGE'S SCHTICK By GEORGE KING October 14, 2005 -- How bad is it in the Yankees' dysfunctional universe? Gene Michael wants out of his contract. Michael, who many credit for leading the Yankees out of the wilderness in the early 1990s when he was the GM, is in negotiations with the Yankees for a buyout of the remaining four years of his contract that pays him $600,000 per. Michael, who is listed in the media guide as a VP/special advisor, was annoyed when he wasn't part of the Yankees' postseason scouting coverage, a project he was in charge of for years. "That's what's wrong with the Yankees," former bench coach Don Zimmer said. "You get a guy like Gene Michael and he knows more baseball than anybody around (George) Steinbrenner. (Michael) knows more about baseball than all those guys put together. He was the fair-hair boy. Now it's like he doesn't exist." There are few executives more accessible than Brian Cashman. Yet, for the second straight day, the GM didn't address a group of media. With his contract running out Oct. 31, Cashman's future is a hot topic. Many believe he will leave as quickly as possible since the Phillies want to talk to him after the contract expires. There are openings in Baltimore and Tampa Bay and likely to be jobs available in Washington and Seattle. However, there are a few employees who believe Cashman, who has never worked for another organization, will remain as the GM, a position Steinbrenner wants Cashman to stay in. If The Boss really wants Cashman to return he will give him more control over personnel and do away with the second-guessers in Tampa. And of course a raise from the $1.15 million Cashman made this season. Cashman was in his office working on trade possibilities and free agents the club will be interested in. The question is will Cashman be the point man on the trades or signings? And if it's not him, who takes over? The favorite is Damon Oppenheimer, a VP who works out of Tampa. While Steinbrenner hasn't summoned his Bronx executives - Cashman, Randy Levine and Lonn Trost - to a meeting in Tampa, he is huddling with Oppenheimer, Billy Connors and Bill Emslie.

http://www.nypost.com/sports/yankees/29534.htm I do believe that the oriinal plan was for there to be three "superscouts". Right now we have only two. I'd like to see Omar extend an offer here.

MFS62 wrote: Gordon has the kind of stuff (95MPH heater if you believe the tv radar guns, big breaking curve) that makes scouts drool and gets GMs fired. Pass Later AT BEST he is the third option behind Wagner and Ryan.

This would take a bit if financial commitment from a notoriously cheapskate organization in order to really work, but if Stienbrenner is stupid enough to fire Torre, and with Stottlemyre definately leaving and Cashman most likely leaving, how about all three of them going to the Devil Rays together?? Zimmer is already there. . . There is already somewhat of a rivalry. . . The Tampa thing is perfect with the "2nd front office" for the Yankees (and the one that seemingly is more in Stienbrenner's favor) there. . . You have the "big spenders" vs "frugal upstarts" thing going (although, once again, The Devil Rays cannot be quite as obscenely cheap as they have been). . . That, from a dramatic standpoint, is soooo juicy that Selig should even get involved as much as he can in order to make it happen IMO.

I have actually thought about this in the past. Serioulsy, if Billy Crystal can make a movie about the '61 Yankees, why can;t someone like Tim Robbins make one about the '69 Mets?? A movie about that team with the Seaver-Hodges relationship as a subplot could work. What do you think about Josh Hartnett as a young Seaver?

Edgy DC wrote: That article clearly gives Duquette a pass and makes Wilpon and Goldis the scapegoats for the deal. It certainly does, and I have to think that Duquette, as it states in the article, could not have possibly changed philosophies so quickly. Wilpon, on the other hand, was the one who was chirping about "Meaningful Games in September" and making statements on the radio that spring like "We're not rebuilding. . .we've rebuilt." But Duquette was the one who fell on his sword after the fallout because Wilpon has the power to make a guy like Duquette fall on said sword. So the article, assuming that it is accurate, paints Wilpon/Goldis as the culprits but Wilpon pins it on Duquette (who, if you believe Healy, opposed the whole thing) after the fact. An EXTREMELY raw deal if true.

Edgy DC wrote: I don't think he was made the scapegoat for those deals. http://mets.scout.com/2/278781.html

Phillies: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2186589 Orioles: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2186744 He deserves a second chance after being made to be the scapegoat for Wilpon's wrongheaded thinking (which was enabled by Goldis) at the 2004 trade deadline.

I just saw that the Brewers have a 2006 club option on Lee, so that whole thing might be moot.

Two free agents come to mind as alternative sources of the additional righthanded slugger we sorely need in this lineup. . . 1) Paul Konerko http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?statsId=5908 Advantages -You can keep Cameron around to play RF and mantain the defensive advantage that Minaya envisioned for 2005. -You do not have to roll the dice on Jacobs as a rookie playing first base. -The .375 OBP this year looks nice. Disadvange -You do not know how he is going to adjust to the NL in general and Shea in particular. ------------------------------------------------ Reyes-ss Beltran-CF Wright-3b Konerko-1b Floyd-LF Cameron/Diaz-RF R. Hernandez Molina [OR] Castro/Jacobs-c A. Hernandez/Keppinger-2b pitcher -------------------------------------------------- 2) Carlos Lee http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?statsId=6161 Advantages -He already has a year in the NL under his belt. -41 doubles tell me that his swing is more condusive to Shea. -You can use Cameron as trade bait to shore up the bullpen. -Jacobs (assuming that he works out at first) represents an additional lefthanded bat in the lineup. Disadvantages -Who plays rightfield?? Floyd and Lee are both primarily leftfielders. -The .265 average is not the best. -You have to commit to Jacobs at firstbase (I still recommend signing Olerud as insurance). -------------------------------------------------------------- Reyes-ss Beltran-CF Wright-3b Lee-RF/LF Floyd-LF/RF R. Hernandez Molina-c Jacobs-1b A. Hernandez/Keppinger-2b pitcher ------------------------------------------------------------

"I think most operate with some variation on the reasonable expectation that Floyd probably won't have as much to bring next year." Why is this?? If he stays healthy I expect him to hit.

It's hard for me to believe that all those deadline rumours were all completely made up, and those did not have Beltran or Floyd going to Boston. Clearing the money off of Boston's payroll, it would appear, has a value of it's own in Epstien's mind. If he wants, he can get two major league outfielders (Cameron and Diaz, though I don't see why they need Cameron if Damon re-signs), another starter (Seo or Zambrano), and at least one or maybe two top prospects (Petit and/or Milledge) while having lots of $$$ to play with to shore up his bullpen. If that deal is still attractive to him (if it ever was) is anybody's guess at this point. But that is the deal that I would be comfortable with from a Mets perspective (though I would attempt to keep one out of Petit or Milledge if I could).

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2184079

I would not trade Beltran or even Floyd to get Manny. We need to add an ADDITIONAL power bat, not replace one with another (even if that other one is better than the one we are trading). We also have to keep in mind that Beltran and Floyd swing lefthanded and that is additionally valuble. I would trade Milledge and/or Petit (hopefully not both) for Manny. If we are not going to go for it with Pedro on the team we might as well trade Pedro for prospects that will be ready at around the same time that Petit/Milledge will be ready.

What's the status on Moreno. Isn't he on the 60 day as well??

For anyone who cares or wishes to get the Hot Stove going immediately, here are my out-of-the-gate thoughts on what the Mets ought to do this winter. . . Listed in order of importance. . . 1) Trade for Manny Ramirez -I am going on the asumption that this deal was very close to happening at the deadline, would have took place if the Devil Rays didn't back out, but could not have been rekindled in time or in enough of a way for the Red Sox to save face and get enough back for them to stay in the 2005 race. It certainly appears as if Esptien has been trying for awhile to get rid of that contract so he can spread that money around to other areas of the team. You have to expect that Omar is not going to simply forget about this. . .especially when the need for a big righthanded slugger in the middle of the lineup is so obvious and he has the salary space created by the depature of Piazza to work with. I expect Omar to agressively pursue this. Names that might go back to Boston include: Cameron/Diaz/Seo/Zambrano/Petit/Milledge. 2) Sign B.J. Ryan or Billy Wagner -Obvious? Yes. The Mets are fortunate to have two of what they need to choose from in free agency. Ryan is significantly younger than Wagner, but Wanger had a slightly better season in 2005. Either one will do nicely. 3) Sign Ramon Hernandez or Bengie Molina -Any sentimental rambling about how Piazza, at this point, is a better fit then either of these two is just that. Just like the Ryan/Wagner situation, the Mets are fortunate to have two of what they need to choose from in free agency, and, similarly, either one will do nicely. Castro will continue to be a good backup. 4) Sign Jarrod Washburn -I'm certain that not many people are thinking about this, but I sure am and I hope that Omar is also. Steve Trachsel is nice. If they want to pick up his option so that we can have some rotation depth going into Spring Training and/or trade bait to further enhance the bullpen or add depth to the minor leagues, so be it. But we need another reliable lefty to put in this rotation along with Glavine. Washburn had a good season this year, appears to be eligible for free agency (7 years of experience as per espn.com and not signed for 2006 as per http://mlbcontracts.blogspot.com/) and should translate well to the NL and Shea (especially with Peterson around). 5) Sign John Olerud -The perfect guy to get as insurance to Jacobs at first base. The defense alone is worth it, and he actually had a nice little comeback with the bat this year. They never really recovered from losing him to homesickness after 1999. Let's bring him back now to fill a role on the bench. 6) Re-up Roberto Hernandez -The bullpen was obviously a weak spot this year. We cannot strengthen it while losing a key bright spot to it at the same time. 7) Excise Kazuo Matsui and make sure Marlon Anderson and Chris Woodward come back. -Hopefully we can find a smaller market team to take Matsui for somewhere around 50 cents on the dollar and see if he is a little better without the eyes of NYC on him (and hopefully Matsui himself will see that this is best for him and allow it to happen). Anderson and Woodward are needed as veteran insurance at second base. In a perfect world, either Anderson Hernandez or (assuming he is healthy) Jeff Keppinger will take the bull by the horns and earn a starting gig at second. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- LINEUP 1) Reyes-ss 2) Beltran-CF 3) Wright-3b 4) Ramirez-RF/LF 5) Floyd-LF/RF 6) Ra. Hernandez Molina-C 7) Jacobs-1b 8) A. Hernandez Keppinger-2b 9) pitcher ROTATION Martinez Glavine Benson Washburn Seo Zambrano Trachsel Heilman BULLPEN Ryan Wagner Ro. Hernandez Heilman (if not starting) Ring Hamulack McGinley Graves Padilla Bell Fortunado Moreno Yates {anyone else you can think of to fight for a spot in Spring Training} BENCH Castro Olerud Diaz (if not traded) Anderson Woodward

Does anyone know his health status going into 2006?? A healthy Keppinger, competing with Anderson Hernandez (with veterans Marlon Anderson and Woodward around as insurance) would be the way I would like to go regarding second base.