Frayed Knot

[u:3f8tjyqi]Potential Type A Free Agents[/u:3f8tjyqi] Catchers: Bengie Molina (SF). First Basemen: None. Second Basemen: Orlando Hudson (LAD), Placido Polanco (Det). Third Basemen: Chone Figgins (LAA). Shortstops: Marco Scutaro (Tor), Miguel Tejada (Hou), Orlando Cabrera (Min). Outfielders: Matt Holliday (StL), Jason Bay (Bos), Johnny Damon (NYY), Jermaine Dye (CWS). Starting Pitchers: John Lackey (LAA), Randy Wolf (LAD). Relief Pitchers: Jose Valverde (Hou), Mike Gonzalez (Atl), Rafael Soriano (Atl), Billy Wagner (Bos), LaTroy Hawkins (Hou), Rafael Betancourt (Col), Darren Oliver (LAA), Kevin Gregg (ChC), John Grabow (ChC), Octavio Dotel (CWS) [u:3f8tjyqi]Potential Type B Free Agents[/u:3f8tjyqi] Catchers: Ramon Hernandez (Cin), Jason Varitek (Bos), Ivan Rodriguez (Tex), Jason Kendall (Mil), Rod Barajas (Tor), Yorvit Torrealba (Col), Miguel Olivo (KC), Gregg Zaun (TB). First Basemen: Fernando Tatis (NYM), Carlos Delgado (NYM), Adam LaRoche (Atl), Nick Johnson (Fla). Second Basemen: Felipe Lopez (Mil), Ronnie Belliard (LAD). Third Basemen: Melvin Mora (Bal), Mark DeRosa (StL), Adrian Beltre (Sea), Troy Glaus (StL). Shortstops: None. Outfielders: Marlon Byrd (Tex), Vladimir Guerrero (LAA), Xavier Nady (NYY), Brian Giles (SD), Garret Anderson (Atl), Randy Winn (SF), Mike Cameron (Mil). Starting Pitchers: Rich Harden (ChC), Andy Pettitte (NYY), Vicente Padilla (LAD), Erik Bedard (Sea), Joel Pineiro (StL), Braden Looper (Mil), Jon Garland (LAD), Doug Davis (Ari), Randy Johnson (SF), Jason Marquis (Col), Justin Duchscherer (Oak), Carl Pavano (Min). Relief Pitchers: Scott Eyre (Phi), Brandon Lyon (Det), Kiko Calero (Fla), Guillermo Mota (LAD), Chan Ho Park (Phi), Bob Howry (SF), Joe Beimel (Col), Will Ohman (LAD), Doug Brocail (Hou), David Weathers (Mil), Russ Springer (TB), Fernando Rodney (Det), Brian Shouse (TB). As always, not all of the above will become FAs nor will all of them net compensation as it depends on their current clubs offering them arbitration. From the Type A list, Molina, Figgins, Hudson, Lackey, Holliday, Bay, Wolf are the names we've heard mentioned for the Orange & Blue. The Met 1st round pick (#7 overall) is protected so signing a Type A guy would cost us a 2nd round pick - probably a choice somewhere in the 50s Type Bs don't really matter as far as players coming in because you don't lose anything. Only if you lose a Type B player do you gain a supplemental pick and again that's subject to arb. I can't see us offering to Delgado based on his recent salary history; either he accepts a significantly lower offer or he walks. Tatis is possible as it doesn't have a lot of down-side. If he accepts it's not a lot of money for a useful bench player; if he doesn't then it's a potential 30s-40s pick.

Not that I'm suggesting it as a solution here but the BoSox declined the option they held on Jason Varitek for 2010, a catcher whose defense has not only gone downhill in recent years but is a total liability at this point. They did pick up they have on Victor Martinez. He's not much of a catcher either, but at least he can still hit enough to play 1B or DH.

Not all that excited about Overbay -- 33 before next season starts; LH stick; .350-ish OBA with 41 HRs [u:393yy8po]Total[/u:393yy8po] over the last three seasons Hell, we can get that out of Muffy It essentially closes no holes and - despite what we may think of Castillo - opens up one.

Various Met fans and other self-appointed minor league experts discuss the merits and drawbacks of BA's NYM list: http://www.minorleagueball.com/2009/11/6/1119169/ba-mets-top-10

The other thing Sandy Eggo might be doing is thinking it's the best time to sell high on Gonzalez. Always a good prospect - he was the #1 overall pick by Florida in 2000 - it still took him a couple years and 3 organizations before he broke through. In 2009, probably on account of being more or less naked in the SD lineup, his walks took a ridiculous jump from 65-75/yr to a whopping 119 and his OBA a like-wise leap from .350-ish to .407. At the same time his slugging also went up by ~ 50 points while his Ks plummeted. Now he was 27 and hopefully in his prime although jumps like those are not always repeated. As cheap as he is locked in over the next few years, it seems silly to me NOT to keep him as someone to go along with the young'uns you got for Peavy and the others - but, if they think they can exact a huge price for him, maybe they'll deal him and hope that the incoming booty matures along with last year's #2 overall pick (Dustin Ackley - CF from UNC) to anchor a competitive team in 2-3 years.

Actually, I was going for a satire of their ad campaign. Since they're a frozen, nuke-it-at-home deal they have a slogan that states: "It's not de-livery - it's Di-Gorno's" So I was figuring that even it they did create some sort of super ball-player he probably still wouldn't deliver [ba-dum-ching] -- (another one of my - if you have to explain it it probably wasn't all that good in the first place jokes). To my knowledge I've never eaten their product so I have no opinion as to whether or not it's any good.

The pizza company that knew what you could never figure out... that Armando Benitez was a superhero. [easy joke]Yes, but like DiGorno, he didn't deliver[/easy joke]

The MFY's have changed forever From what to what? And what is Hal doing to get the credit but not Hank? And which George Steinbrenner are we talking about anyway? - in the mid-'70s George was seen as the force behind their ascendancy. - but by the '80s his continued meddling was often cited as the reason for their NOT winning - or is he the bad guy again when his forced absence in the early '90s reputedly freed up others to re-build the team - then, of course, he was back on the white horse by the later '90s as his over-riding presence took them to a string of championships - but in the 2000s he was just buying players and seemed to forget the proper way to build a team - and then as he was fading away in the later 2000s it became almost reflex among Yanqui fans to say that if only George were still actively running things they'd be on top again - and now, at least in your theory, it's his absence and the opposite approach of one of his sons (but not the other) that brought them this latest victory In other words, you're not only waiting for the results first before praising the method but arguing the ends both justify the means and also somehow prove the means to be noble. This reminds me of Met fans who decided that the 1996 "drought breaking" MFY winning team was likable bunch too. Those who did either permanently jumped on that bandwagon or wound up getting run over by it.

I could see him getting 2 x $4 at least, and probably more. But he's not worth $9 even as a closer and here he's not going to close.

If you weren't in the dugout you've got no fucking business being on a float. The celebrity hangers-on and jock-sniffers roaming the sidelines of an NFL game is disgraceful enough. MLB is at least wise enough to keep same out of their dugouts. What, you think it's going to fool us into thinking you actually contributed?

Was Jay-Z really on the float? Who's Greg Kelly's father? (or, for that matter, who's Greg Kelly - although I guess the rant implies he's some guy on a morning show)

No big surprise there. $9+ mil is a helluva lot for a good set-up man much less an injured one.

No law exists saying that the only way to change/improve a team is by buying them through free agency

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/rankings/organization-top-10-prospects/2010/269121.html 1. Jenrry Mejia, rhp 2. Wilmer Flores, ss 3. Fernando Martinez, of 4. Ike Davis, 1b 5. Brad Holt, rhp 6. Jon Niese, lhp 7. Reese Havens, 2b/ss 8. Josh Thole, c 9. Ruben Tejada, 2b/ss 10. Juan Urbina, lhp Further explanations, lists, scouting reports, and an on-line Q&A available via the link although mostly to subscribers only

Not quite sure how easy it would be to "go big" at catcher. Met fans got a bit spoiled having the likes of Stearns - Carter - Hundley - Piazza occupy that spot for about two decades, but there are usually very few true offensive catchers around and the few that do exist are rarely available. NL catchers in 2009 = .255 / .325 / .385 NYM catchers '09 = .254 / .305 / .380 Iannetta takes his walks (.120 point career OBA-BA difference) as much as Santos doesn't which would help with the one area where we were truly deficient.

Lincecum a pot-head? No way dude!

Teahen's too good to be a bench player who you'd have to pay his team starting player prices to get - and will probably make in the $5-7 mil range this coming season. Nor would that prevent you from needing either Cora - or a Cora type of player - seeing as how Teahen can't play SS.

Y'all can go kick Spike's ass, I'll be too busy burying a 4-iron in Trump's skull ... providing, of course, that I can get through whatever the fuck that is on his head.

"He just needs a triple for the cycle" has got to be one of the dumbest things that can be said by an announcer, especially so when talking about slow-footed DH-types. ... and saying it seven times in the space of five minutes doesn't make it more meaningful, Joe, it just makes it dumber.