Frayed Knot

And at the same time, Jon Heyman is writing in today's Newsday that: "while the Mets have concerns about Benjie Molina & Ramon Hernandez, they don't love Pual Lo Duca either. The D-Backs may be more likely for Lo Duca" (he also added that the Mets were too concerned about Luis Castillo's hip to take a shot at him) I'm not particularly thrilled with Lo Duca but he wouldn't be a bad option as a part-time catcher ... merely an overpaid one. It would leave us with a tandem where one is better offensively (Lo Duca) and the other defensively, and depending on how each plays the split could be anywhere from 30/70 to 70/30. A trade would also save the draft pick - a 2nd pick since we've already lost one via Wagner - which would almost certainly be lost by signing either Molina or Hernandez.

Valent was plucked from the Phillies during a minor league version of the Rule 5 draft. There are AAA & AA versions I believe. The mini versions work in a similar way to the main one but the eligibility and keeper rules differ slightly.

MFS62 wrote: Knot, how do those numbers look if you use Valasquez' last two National League years and forget his Yankee/AL year? Some of his Montreal years were better for sure -- I just used the stats from '04 & '05 because I figured the most recent were the most relevant. Also, Benson was a college selection so he started later and then missed several years to injury. Vazquez came out of High School and, no question, was the better young player but the comparisons for those early years simply don't match up and I'm not so sure they tell us a whole lot about now. I also don't see much point in "taking out" Vazquez's NYY year. Yeah it may have been his worst but those normalized ERA figures (92 & 99 in his case; 100 = league avg) adjust for league, year, and park factors and show that he was giving up runs at a higher rate than Benson even when those differences are accounted for.

Casey Daigle, rhp, Diamondbacks -- Solid year at Double-A, got a ton of ground balls in the AFL and led the league in saves Better known to some as Mr. Jennie Finch. Let's pick him in the draft and get her as a 2-fer. It'll certainly spruce up our wifey thread (it won't be hard to find a shot) plus she can lock horns with Anna in the competition for most media-friendly wife.

IPHERHRBBKERAWHiPBENSON375373176391102294.231.29VAZQUEZ414418214681063424.661.27 . Those are their stats for the last 2 seasons. Vazquez has the better K/BB numbers, but that's not merely more HRs it's nearly double the amount in only 10% more IPs. Yeah it's NYY stadium and Phoenix vs Pitts & Shea but even League & Park adjusted ERAs show Benson at 97 & 101 (essentially average) and Vazquez somewhat lower at 92 & 99 Both are signed for the next 2 years, but considering that money-wise Vaz is going for nearly 50% more I wouldn't think it's really an even swap unless contract relief or extra player considerations are thrown in. It's not a trade I'd do just for the sake of doing something but wouldn't be adverse to it with a bit more creativity, particularly since the Snakes "have to" move their guy while we don't. Some Met fans are going to play up the "he's proven he can't play in NYC" angle but that crap doesn't scare me. He had a decent 1st half w/the Yanx and a rotten 2nd half which proves ... not a whole lot. Vazquez is a year and a half younger. (29.5 vs 31) His name will also net you a helluva lot more points in SCRABBLE although you'll need to burn one of the blanks.

Benson is owed $14+ over the next 2 years. Trachsel - because he hardly pitched at all in '05 - didn't make any of his contract incentives and so was renewed at a very low club option of $2.5mil for '06. I think there are incentives that could boost that higher but, if money saving is a goal, Benson is clearly the more attractive to dump right now. And, yeah, Trax has full veto power over any potential move. Vazquez is owed around $10mil or so for each of the next 2 seasons. Now the Yanx did pick up some of that when they dealt him to Arizona but I'm not sure if there's a specific schedule to how much they're paying ($xmil per year for instance) or whether they just cut the D'Backs a big fat lump sum check at the time of the trade. If it's the latter, whoever gets Vazquez would have to work out a new agreement with the Snakes if they want any kind of payroll relief. on edit: Since I just became Shane Spencer I think I'm going to start drinking now despite it being only 9:30 in the morning.

No wonder why Ralph still gets damp whenever Ebbets Field is mentioned.

"It's entirely likely that if a team is going to give up what will be required to get Manny, it will want to extend his contract, change the structure or both," Genske said. "We're open to talking about it." Of course YOU are! And besides, while 'Team Manny' may agree to restructure this deal, that rarely means to restructure it downward. Remember the Player's Assoc is adverse to even allowing players to restructure if the new amount means a lesser total value compared to present day money: see; Rodriguez, Alex. Usually what happens is that the player will take less money in the near term for more later on. ex. If Manny has 3 yrs remaining @ $19/per he is gauranteed $57mil. But he also has a couple of option years so he could agree to lessen the upfront in exchange for having one or more option years picked up thus increasing the total amount earned. He could also defer money for the same purpose (see; Vaughn, Mo) but again, in each case, the PA would want to know that too much wasn't deferred for too long which would reduce the overall value. Would committing to more than $57mil (or whatever Boston doesn't pick up) but lengthening the deal by a year or more make Manny more attractive? I'm not so sure it would. I'm always more afraid of the length of these deals than I am of the per/year amounts.

Well you've just inked his replacement, as word comes down just now that Farnsworth is officially in the Yanqui camp for 3yrs @ $17mil - having apparently turned down 4/$21 from Texas.

Well, Castillo is now a Minnesota Twinkie, dealt for a pair of minor leaguers (didn't hear which ones). So it's on to Plan B for you Castillo fans.

and on the radio side: "WFAN and the Mets have offered Roosevelt Island native Jon Sciambi the Mets' radio play-by-play position, NYP TV Sports has learned. Sciambi, 35, is contemplating whether he wants to call Met games on radio with Howie Rose or continue with ESPN, where he calls major-league baseball and college basketball and hosts a local sports radio talk show in Miami." says today's NY Post * If I've ever seen/heard this guy I don't remember anything about him * There are actually Roosevelt Island "natives"? * Phillies announcer and former Rutgers play-by-play man Tom McCarthy is apparently the backup plan * Eddie Coleman likely to remain in his current "swing role" -- iow, pre-games & general reporting plus fill-in announcing

They also devliver their 1st round draft pick to the MFYs for the 2nd consect year (Jon Leiber last year). Of course they're getting ours instead so they actually make out a bit in the long run draft-wise.

Discuss what, that some of the stuff being talked about may actually occur while other stuff won't? hmmm ... I agree!

]Hearing Kiner butcher Grudzy's name makes it worthwhile. Keith butchers that one all the time. ]Is Ralph going to be back to gargle his way through another season on the Mets' new network? Haven't heard. I just kinda assume at this point that Ralph can pretty much write his own (limited) ticket for as long as he wants.

Also, Grudzeyechart is coming off a coupla pretty good seasons and will shirley see enough offers to where he wouldn't take one that wouldn't peg him as the likely starter. I can't see him coming here to be a bench/platoon player. If we do go after him it seems to me that it would be instead of Matsui (to be dealt away seperately with mucho greenback swallowing) rather than in addition to him.

]not that it means a whole lot but Benson seems to like being a Mets a lot. Fans probably put too much stock in this sort of thing but I do believe it's got to hurt a team in the long run if they develop a trend where they romance and sign players to long-term contracts only to reverse their thinking just a year into the deal. Seems to me that word will get around the player grapevine that these people (front office) aren't to be taken at their word. FWIW; Buster Olney - on FAN at lunchtime - doesn't put much stock in this rumor.

]I think Omar an Co. feel Benson is not worth his contract, and will always be an average pitcher. ... The bottom line is he is overpaid. Compared to what? Have you checked out what Estaban Loaizia just got? 7-ish per year is the going rate for decent/not great pitchers these days. Dickshot tracked "The Benson Bunch" all season. 'TBB' were the group of FA pitchers who signed contracts last year that were similar in length & dollars to what we inked Benson for [Lowe, Leiber, Ortiz, etc]. Krissy held up very well at or near the top of that group all year - even as he faded a bit at the end. If he were banished it would likely take about the same amount of money to replace his production. Zito is making similar money to Benson now only because he's on the last year of a deal signed when he was a young player w/no leverage. Plus, once you add in the "price" in players it would take to pry him out of Beane grasp, he's not going to be cheaper than Benson at all - and he'd only be here for a single season before he'd be sure to make considerably more. "Dumping" Benson for the $$ savings would make more sense if he were out of position (Cameron) or woefully under-earning his price (Matsui) but I'd argue he isn't either. And the $3-$4 mil savings over each of the next 2 years (the diff between Benson & Julio) isn't going to make that big a dent in paying for a FA like Burnett which could reach $12/per x 5 years.

For all the talk about MPH readings (something fans get way too hung up over) Julio, over the last 3 years, doesn't have particularly good: - K-rates: 58 in 72 IPs, 70 in 69 IPs, 52 in 62 IPs - WHiP figures: 1.40, 1.42, 1.52 - or ERAs: 5.90, 4.57, 4.38 His best year seems to have been his first full one in '02 when he was ERA = 1.99, WHiP = 1.20 (I think this is when Francesa fell in love with him, he's been touting Julio ever since IIRC). This year coming up looks to be his 5th season meaning that he's arb eligible for his salary and would be under club control for the next 2 seasons. Between this one (if true) and the Cameron deal, Omar has yet to impress me with his ability to get much return for a couple of very usable spare parts.

]With the improvement of Aaron Heilman, the Mets have a surplus of starting pitchers No they don't. No one gets through a season with only 5 starters and with Petit gone the most likely mid-season/injury replacement is gone. And if Heilman is now a starter (?) this doesn't really cover a hole so much as it just shuffles the deck chairs a bit.

]The Phillies acquisition of Abreu (for Kevin Stocker, via the D-Rays, who'd just expansion-drafted him from the Astros) is one of the greatest heists in recent baseball history, but might not have happened had the Astros (and presumably, the D-Rays, tho whether they knew anything was debateable) not had big questions about Abreu's attitude. The Astros chose to protect fellow Venezuelan Richard Hidalgo in the expansion draft at the expense of Abreu, a decision helped along, according to some sources, by Abreu's perceived attitude (not bad ... more like a bit lackadasical). Abreu's not quite the hitter Manny is, but he's a considerably better defender & runner. It's just that he always seems that he should be a better defender & runner. He's got the talent, just seems to take too many plays off. The answer to the "underrated" question is, of course, Francis X.

FWIW; - Cashman claimed the Yanx were never looking at Giles as a CFer (thinking of trading Sheffield perhaps?) - Both he and Torre deny that that they were ever contemplating moving one of their SSs to CF ... of course some reporter claims he quoted Torre as saying just that. I can't see it happening though. Rarely do guys become CFers once hitting 30 (OK, Yount did) plus they'd then have to find a 3rd baseman.

It's not the money that bothers me per se -- I don't particularly care what they pay these guys. Except to the extent where it handcuffs you for future moves, especially if/when said aging player starts to break down. Piazza & Sosa for instance, were two of numerous ballplayers who go from 'this guy's worth every penny', to, 'how much would we have to eat in order to get rid of him' in a fairly short period. Manny's contract - being one of those from the dot-com era 'boom years' - already overpays him (IMO) and that situation isn't likely to improve over the next 3. Then throw in my previously voiced complaints about his defense, baserunning, "dumpth", lack of a DH option, etc. and there's too much downside to make it a worthwhile risk. There's also the 'too many eggs' angle. I don't have a problem with the concept of dealing prospects for established major leaguers -- at least as long as the particulars make sense -- but whether you're a 'build from within' guy, or the type who likes to grab onto to the nearest 'TITTS' and hang on for dear life, there's a definite danger in going too far in either direction. Dealing what's left of the top dogs in our system after so much recent shedding and/or promoting -- [Kazmir, Huber, Petit, Jacobs, Bladergroen, Reyes, Wright - plus the injury to Humber, the visa problems of Soler, and the non-signing to date of Pelfrey] -- and we'd be leaving ourselves with nothing to promote which then throws you into a cycle where you have no choice but to chase FAs at top dollar every year (and lose future picks in the process) just to replace the current parts as they age. Mix all that in with the strides that Milledge made this season and he's one I'd like to hang onto.

A side benefit to all this is that the Angels were the main competition for Kornenko and losing out on this one right-handed slugger could give them extra incentive to go hard after St. Manny of Ramirez. Anaheim is supposedly Manny's preferred landing spot [insert Goofy joke here] and one of the few other teams who could afford him. Personally, I'd just as soon see this temptation removed from Omar's view entirely before we ever get a chance to find out whether this "obsession" of his actually exists or is merely a figment of the media's collective imagination.

According to one report I read (forget where) former Met player, coach & manager (and Charlottesville, VA native) Mike Cubbage knows Wagner from the area and was involved in the conversation also. Good to have those ex-Mets scattered about the country shooting down those stories about big bad NYC.

]The Mets have played more games against the Phillies than any other team (I'm pretty certain) I never thought about it before but I guess this is true. NL East teams would obviously have the numerical edge over NL West & Central teams and only Philly has been both in the East the entire time plus dates back to 1962. - Atlanta was West until '94 - Wash/Montreal had no games before '69 - Florida, no history prior to '93 - Cards, Pirates & Cubs left the East and are now down to 6 games/year Giants v Eagles and Rangers v Flyers have always been hotter rivalries than Mets/Phils (or Knicks/Sixers). Part of the problem is that baseball often takes a back seat in Philly to football and even hockey. I was listening to FAN one Saturday morning this past September right after the Phils had pulled out 2 consecutive last minute wins to pull even with Houston for the WC lead, and all morning the station was getting flooded with calls from Philadelphia & South Jersey Phils phans who complained that they were forced to call the NYC station to talk baseball because their own sports talk radio refused to take anything other than Eagle calls (during that all-important NFL Week 2). And if you're not going to take baseball calls while your team's in the middle of a pennant race ...