Edgy MD

July 28, 2011 New York Mets traded Carlos Beltran to the San Francisco Giants for =#0000FF]Zack Wheeler. Beltran played typically well for the Giants and was typically underappreciated as the San Franciscos failed to prosper around him. The Mets supposedly ate $4 million in the deal which is a lot of spinach. The Giants only paid him $2 millions and got 0.4 WPA and/or 1.0 WAR for their trouble. Split the difference and that's 0.7 which comes to about $3 million per win. That's not the best bargain in the world, but it works. The Mets havent yet seen what Wheeler can do against big league pitching. Almost all reports are positive, but I'm just hoping he gives them more than his brother Dan did. Current Leader: Giants Projected Leader: Mets, but a whole lot can still go wrong. Big League Consequence: None yet for the Mets, which is why they trail this one. December 6, 2011 New York Mets traded Angel Pagan to the San Francisco Giants for =#0000FF]Ramon Ramirez and =#0000FF]Andr�s Torres. Torres and Rodriguez have had injuries but their real problem is that they never really got untracked and/or on a roll for the Mets. Angel Pagan has had the sort of comeback year he didn't seem to have in him when he last wore Met colors, putting up .782 OPS, which is real impressive when you play half the time in Phone Company Park. Pagan and Ramirez look to achieve enough service time this year to qualify for free agency at the end of the season. So the Mets tendering an offer to Torres and him having a near-All-Star quality year is probably what it'll take to swing this back. Current Leader: Giants Projected Leader: Giants Big League Consequence: All of it, and it stings. August 14, 2012 New York Mets traded Pedro Beato to the Boston Red Sox for =#0000FF]Kelly Shoppach. Shoppach has provided modest value to the Mets since he has arrived, appearing to be an improvement on Rob Johnson and Mike Nickeas, if nothing else. Beato has pitched three scoreless innings for Pawtucket. The methodology I'm using here --- just trying to measure the players' bottom line in wins during his current contract --- won't really show the value the Mets were trying to get out the deal: a chance to try on Shoppach and see if the shoe fits. Oh well. Current Leader: Mets Projected Leader: Red Sox, but it may be a few years before Beato achieves this, if he does. Big League Consequence: None for the Sox. Little for the Mets. That's my assessment. But I think the real story is not the trading at all, but the paper transactions --- signings, non-signings, waiver claims and losses.

Vic Sage wrote: THE LAST CHASE (1981) � bad sci fi but on the nose, theme-wise. Your brief review totally disappoints (but hardly surprised) me. I had been on the lookout for this. Lee Majors? Chris Makepeace? Burgess Meredith? Dream cast!

Dickey 3.80 Turner 1.98 Francisco 0.92 Bay 0.71 Hairston 0.64 Cedeno 0.60 Davis 0.45 Valdespin 0.39 Rauch 0.25 Edgin 0.25

Good point. The Dodgers would get to carry on the their post-2004 tradition as serving as a rehabilitation spot for former Red Sox. Full stop.

I think it was overkill. POW!!

December 7, 2010 New York Mets traded Mike Antonini to the Los Angeles Dodgers for =#0000FF]Chin-lung Hu. Hu gave the Mets -0.4 WPA and the Mets paid $420,000 for the honor. Antonini, after a decent year for Buffalo in 2010, was demoted back to AA when he joined the Dodger system and had a good year. Back at AAA, he's gone 2-7 and 5.71 at 26. I guess there's negative value in that, but unless he pitches well enough to join the Dodgers and lay as big an egg for them as Hu did for the Mets, we won't measure it. Current Leader: Dodgers. Projected Winner: Dodgers. Big-League Consequence: Little, but It Counts. March 29, 2011 New York Mets traded Eddie Kunz to the San Diego Padres for =#0000FF]Allan Dykstra. Neither one of these guys has sniffed the big leagues, but Kunz has clearly been outplayed by Dykstra, even though Dykstra's injury cost him the middle of this season. It's a mystery why he wasn't promoted to AAA after the season he had lin 2011. Current Leader: Mets. Projected Winner: Mets. Big-League Consequence: None. July 12, 2011 New York Mets traded Francisco Rodriguez to the Milwaukee Brewers for =#0000FF]Danny Herrera and =#0000FF]Adrian Rosario. Did the Mets send money to Milwaukee in this deal? Rodriguez gave the Brewers a 2.17 ERA over 29 innings for about $3.8 million plus the $3.5 million buyout for 2012. The Mets sent money, right? If not, his good pitching amounted to 0.9 WPA for the Brewers for $7.3 million. Ceetar would call that a loss for the Mets, but it sure looks like a heckuva successful salary dump. Too bad they didn't get value for the team when they reinvested it. (I'm not bringing the vest money in here. I don't think that was going to happen under any circumstances.) Herrera looked like he might give the Mets some utility, but got Tommyjohnned. He so far has given them -0.1 WPA for maybe $150,000. Adrian Rosario failed in Bingo this year, but sent back to St. Lucie, he's torn through the Florida State League. Current Leader: It's a philosophical matter. I think the salary dump makes the Mets the winner in the trade. Where they lose is the subsequent failure to spend the money successfully, but that's a further matter. If they sent, say, $2.5-3 million to Milwaukee, I call it a draw. Any more, and the Mets lose. Projected Winner: Same. The Rodriguez contract is done. Herrera and Rosario can still potentially appear for the Mets and add or subtract marginal value, but little is likely to change. Big-League Consequence: Could have been a meaningful amount, but the Mets squandered the money saved on bad off-season investments, most notably Frank Francisco.

bmfc1 wrote: Edgy DC wrote: He hasn't made too many --- a big part of my post. And the jury certainly isn't done on those. Yes, you said that and it's true. He could have made more but didn't like the return (e.g. the Red Sox wanted Capuano the last week of '11 for one start and he wouldn't do it, thinking that it would be easier to resign a player on the team; as we know, he didn't resign Capuano). The jury is in the F. Rodriguez trade and the verdict is "FAIL" as the Mets got back shit. The jury is still out on the Pagan trade but what do you think right about now? Gee, would you look at me? I'm on the stand.

Yeah, that's pretty much the long and short of it.

The Dodgers would get to carry on the their post-2004 tradition as serving as a rehabilitation spot for former Red Sox heroes. That's worth... something.

He hasn't made too many --- a big part of my post. And the jury certainly isn't done on those.

Well, I'd say outfield is more about athleticism and less about sport-specific skills. It's just that his experience there is limited. I'd guess he has more of a future there, to the extent that he has a particular future at any position. I think he's done a lot more damage-per-inning in the infield historically, but we haven't seen it.

Baldface pandering to the fans, here. Reactivated From Paternity List Demoted To BuffaloRetroactively Placed on Disabled List (Demotion Voided)Starting PitchersStarting Pitchers =#0000FF]53 =#FF8000]Jeremy Hefner DoB: 3/11/1981 =#0000FF]36 =#FF8000]Collin McHugh DoB: 6/19/1987 =#0000FF]16 Rob Johnson DoB: 7/22/1982 2012 Mets (Orange Indicates Players Have Options) Starting Pitchers =#0000FF]43 R.A. Dickey DoB: 10/29/1974 =#0000FF]33 =#FF8000]Matt Harvey DoB: 3/27/1989 =#0000FF]53 =#FF8000]Jeremy Hefner DoB: 3/11/1981 =#0000FF]49 Jonathon Niese DoB: 10/27/1986 =#0000FF]55 Chris Young DoB: 5/25/1979Relief Pitchers =#0000FF]46 Manny Acosta DoB: 5/1/1981 =#0000FF]73 =#FF8000]Robert Carson DoB: 1/23/1989 =#0000FF]66 =#FF8000]Josh Edgin DoB: 12/17/1986 =#0000FF]48 Frank Francisco DoB: 9/11/1979 =#0000FF]39 Bobby Parnell DoB: 9/8/1984Relief Pitchers Catchers Infielders =#0000FF]52 Ram�n Ram�rez DoB:8/31/1981 =#0000FF]60 John Rauch DoB:9/27/1978 =#0000FF]6 Kelly Shoppach DoB: 4/29/1980 =#0000FF]30 Josh Thole DoB: 4/28/1986 =#0000FF]13 Ronny Cede�o DoB: 2/2/1983Infielders =#0000FF]29 =#FF8000]Ike Davis DoB: 3/22/1987 =#0000FF]28 Daniel Murphy DoB: 4/1/1985 =#0000FF]11 Ruben Tejada DoB: 10/27/1989 =#0000FF]2 Justin Turner DoB: 11/23/1984 =#0000FF]5 David Wright DoB: 12/20/1982Outfielders =#0000FF]23 =#FF8000]Mike Baxter DoB: 12/7/1984 =#0000FF]44 Jason Bay DoB: 9/20/1978 =#0000FF]12 Scott Hairston DoB: 5/25/1980 =#0000FF]56 Andr�s Torres DoB:1/26/1978 =#0000FF]1 =#FF8000]Jordany Valdespin DoB: 12/23/1987 Also on 40-Man Roster Starting Pitchers =#0000FF]75 =#FF8000]Jeurys Familia DoB: 10/10/1989 =#008000]In Buffalo =#0000FF]35 =#FF8000]Dillon Gee DoB: 4/28/1986 =#FF0000]On 60-Day DL =#0000FF]36 =#FF8000]Collin McHugh DoB: 6/19/1987 =#008000]In Buffalo =#0000FF]32 =#FF8000]Jennry Mejia DoB: 10/11/1989 =#008000]In St. Lucie =#0000FF]34 Mike Pelfrey DoB: 1/14/1984 =#FF0000]On 60-Day DLStarting PitchersRelief Pitchers Catchers =#0000FF]57 Johan Santana DoB: 3/13/1979 =#FF0000]On 15-Day DL =#0000FF]40 Tim Byrdak DoB: 10/31/1973 =#FF0000]On 15-Day DL =#0000FF]62 =#FF8000]Elvin Ramirez DoB: 10/10/1987 =#008000]In Buffalo =#0000FF]16 Rob Johnson DoB: 7/22/1982 =#FF0000]On 15-Day DL =#0000FF]4 =#FF8000]Mike Nickeas DoB: 2/13/1983 =#008000]In BuffaloInfieldersOutfielders =#0000FF]71 =#FF8000]Wilmer Flores DoB: 8/6/1991 =#008000]In Binghamton =#0000FF]74 =#FF8000]Reese Havens DoB: 10/20/1986 =#008000]In Binghamton =#0000FF]65 =#FF8000]Zach Lutz DoB: 6/3/1986 =#008000]In St. Lucie =#0000FF]21 =#FF8000]Lucas Duda DoB: 2/3/1986 =#008000]In St. Buffalo =#0000FF]76 =#FF8000]Juan Lagares DoB: 3/17/1989 =#008000]In BinghamtonOutfielders =#0000FF]9 =#FF8000]Kirk Nieuwenhuis DoB: 8/7/1987 =#008000]In Buffalo =#0000FF]67 =#FF8000]Cesar Puello DoB: 4/1/1991 =#008000]In St. Lucie Coaching Staff ManagerBench CoachBatting CoachPitching CoachThird Base CoachFirst Base Coach =#0000FF]10 Terry Collins DoB: 5/27/1949 =#0000FF]7 Bob Geren DoB: 9/22/1959 =#0000FF]51 Dave Hudgens DoB: 12/5/1956 =#0000FF]59 Dan Warthan DoB: 12/1/1952 =#0000FF]18 Tim Teufel DoB: 7/7/1958 =#0000FF]26 Tom Goodwin DoB: 8/27/1968Bullpen CoachBullpen CatchersBullpen CatchersHead TrainerAssistant Trainer Mascot =#0000FF]25 Ricky Bones DoB: 4/7/1969 =#0000FF]78 Eric Langill DoB: 4/9/1979 =#0000FF]79 Dave Racaniello DoB: 10/15/1981 =#BF8080].=#0000FF] Ray Ramirez =#BF8080]. =#BF8080].=#0000FF] Brian Chicklo =#BF8080]. =#BF8080].=#0000FF] Mr. Met =#BF8080]. .

Takes a lot of baseball instincts to play 2b, also.

Listen, folks. It's my fault. I've been selling McHugh as Marichal for two years now. I was wrong. Great debut, but I've got to honestly admit that I've oversold him. But you know what? Nimmo is gonna make DiMaggio look silly. Tris Speaker? Willy Mays? Clowns.

As the placid burgs of New York have become rattled by the eruption of Mt. Francesa, I pause to note just how bloodless Sandy Alderson's reign has been so far. Since his tenure began, no coaches have been axed in the middle of their contract, but rather a few peripheral figures have been gently not renewed at the end of the season, or re-assigned. Very few major league players have been dealt --- Rodriguez and Beltran went at the deadline in 2011, but those were both end-of-term deals that would be hard to characterize as heartless. Pagan is the only other more-than-nominal big leaguer dealt, and he went in the offseason. (Beato could certainly become more than nominal down the road, but I doubt Eddie Kunz will.) Similarly, he's shown himself to have a mercifully slow hand on releases. He waited until well into March of last year to release Castillo and Perez --- until there was no conceivable way left to even imagine carrying them on a roster. D.J. Carrasco was a rare in-season release for him, and he wasn't even an Omar holdover, but actually the very first player acquired on Sandy's watch back in December 2010. You can attribute it to professional prudence or a soft sentimentality or whatever, but his clinical detachment really stands out as screaming radio hosts and grown men talking to hand puppets may suggest to other leaders to shake things up if only for the sake of the shaking --- to give the actors a new perspective on the stage and re-assure the paying viewers that there is actually a life hand on the tiller. I'm as in favor prudence as anyone, but I would not have Sandy tagged with a Nero-like label, and I wonder if they're maybe about to come after him hard.

So here's a question: Going back 30 years or so, maybe to the time Bruce Sutter become a Cardinal, how often has a team gone big on buying a free agent closer and walked away, saying, "Yup, we got every penny out of that deal." I can't imagine it's over maybe 25%. I'd guess it's closer to 20.

Any objection if I repost the fanpic?

I like how worried Mr. Met looks.

So, we traded Myrick and Mike Bruhert for Doc Ellis, neither of them pitch another inning in the majors, and we still lost the trade as Doc gave us -1.2 (coke-fueled and possibly acid-drenched) wins above replacement.

Wow. And man, if that doesn't tie the whole thing together, I don't know what does.

I'm going to go with the three-headed guy. Our bullpen usage is an outrage.

Do I mean Bayless? Do I mean Chass? I mean one of these reporters. Any of them. They missed steroids last time. They're missing HGH this time. Like so much of latter-day reporting, it's opinion-rich and fact-poor. Anybody sit through 11 seconds of a UFC bout? It's hard not to imagine that these guys aren't on just about everything. Can somebody please inquire?

Can one of these reporters actually dig for facts rather than just speculate? Lord knows, there are enough of them. Leave the idle and baseless speculations to the rest of us.

That's a big start.