Ceetar

Caught the Terry Collins interview on WFAN. They asked if he wants to see Wheeler get a shot this season in September and he said he doesn't expect that to happen, and he's already thrown a lot of innings.

metsguyinmichigan wrote: Metsblog reporting that Rosenthal reporting that the Mets and Fish were working on a deal that would have sent Bay to Miami for Heath Bell and Buck. I'd pull the trigger on that. not in a million years. Money is equal next year, but both of their guys signed for a year beyond that. And both..suck. So we'd have a sucky 'closer' or reliever, or whatever (And a vesting option! GAmes finished!) and a mostly worthless backup catcher. The alternative is having to pay 15 million for Bay to play for someone else when we release him.

That Piazza in the rough prospect could just as well be a guy the Mets already have. Especially the level we're talking about, as they're guys Alderson probably had the opportunity to draft on his own if he thinks they had that upside. And I think that's part of it. Sandy's been here long enough now, two drafts and two offseasons, that he's pretty comfortable with who he's selected to fill the minors at the lower levels. And there will be more opportunities for trades so it's not like this is nothing. Maybe Alderson's swapping a Valdespin for an outfielder next season and says "Hey, throw in that A level prospect you were offering for Hairston, just to even things out a bit." Since he knows the guy is not that highly valued, and the opposing GM certainly isn't going to feel fleeced out of him since Alderson doesn't even think he's worth Hairston. It's just filler, but he could get another lottery ticket.

I think he's athletic enough to play CF, with some reps and practice. I'm still scared of him on the infield after that disaster game where he was booting everything.

Vic Sage wrote: Valdespin reminds me of a poor man's Alfonso Soriano -- a bit smaller, a few less HRs and SBs, similar lack of glove with an excess of athleticism and a questionable attitude. Ultimately, if his bat justifies it, he might get a shot as a LFer. I'm not sold on even that, yet. He might end up a utility guy or end up cutting cane back in the DR. The guy's going to have to stop swinging at wild pitches and pitches that almost hit him. Ultimately it may be a good comp, if he can have the coverage to hit the balls, which I guess he has shown some ability to do, but he's gotta be better at recognizing pitches, and it's not something he's done on any level.

metsmarathon wrote: newey looks llike hte leader in the clubhouse, provided he gets back on track after some more AAA. i don't think torres will necessarily be back, and valdespin is only a centerfielder in the absence of a centerfielder. Did you see Valdespin actually got to a THREE ball count last night?

We could use more power as a team, particularly if Tejada and Thole are likely to stick (and they probably are) as welll as Murphy. CF typically isn't that, but Kirk does provide some if he can re-adjust to major league pitching.

Torres. he's sorta started to hit, plays good D, and is under team control. The Mets don't have much sure fire outfielders, so there is no way they're dumping a cheaper controllable player if he's producing anything. I expect Kirk to get plenty of time there as well, but the 'starter' will be Torres. I expect the Mets to acquire a power-hitting RFer as well and hopefully Duda shakes off his slump and is the LFer.

Looks like Ike could use a day too.

It's 12:04. The two girls that moved into the apartment one over a couple of months ago have chosen tonight to apparently hang something in the stairwell adjacent and are hammering on the wall. geeze.

Frayed Knot wrote: Valdespin = not a real CF That's two bad routes today. Neither was an error, both were catchable. I might've kept Valdy in the corners where he's had a wee bit more experience and generally you get a better read on the ball. Let Baxter who's marginally more experienced play center.

Edgy DC wrote: That 11-5 win by Baltimore over the Yanks looks sweet. they clinched last week, but the AL East lead down to 5.5 now.

Frayed Knot wrote: Frayed Knot wrote: Swan Swan H wrote: Murphy makes the play, and Tejada doesn't. Feck. yeah. Tejada always seems to make mistakes when he's rushing it. A lot of this team does. Maybe it's a "they're young" thing? Except that there was no reason to rush that one. I'm on the verge of being convinced that they plan to fuck up DPs at the exact moment when they'll do the most damage. Prior to that the Mets were at 8% of DP turned when the MLB league average is 11%. Stats can't begin to tell the story of how much damage our failed DPs have done this season. I'm convinced every one of them has led to at least two runs and often more. Last year too. That gets back to the young team/rushing thing. Rushing in pressure situations. I actually looked this up last year and the Mets did in fact have a higher unearned run to error ratio than most teams. but yeah, I was just citing the stat as an example of our eyes not lying to us.

Frayed Knot wrote: Ceetar wrote: Swan Swan H wrote: Murphy makes the play, and Tejada doesn't. Feck. yeah. Tejada always seems to make mistakes when he's rushing it. A lot of this team does. Maybe it's a "they're young" thing? Except that there was no reason to rush that one. I'm on the verge of being convinced that they plan to fuck up DPs at the exact moment when they'll do the most damage. Prior to that the Mets were at 8% of DP turned when the MLB league average is 11%.

Swan Swan H wrote: Murphy makes the play, and Tejada doesn't. Feck. yeah. Tejada always seems to make mistakes when he's rushing it. A lot of this team does. Maybe it's a "they're young" thing?

Swan Swan H wrote: Ceetar wrote: so like 6 total OF for the two teams tonight right? with Bay, Torres, Scherholz and Pence not available? Prolly. The Giants guys are definitely unavailable, the Mets may be able to swing a bat. Meanwhile, Harvey in a jam, bases loaded, none out. one out now. bay can Swing, Torres is in NY isn't he?

Swan Swan H wrote: Aaaaaaaaand, A.J. Burnett is three outs from a no-hitter. Does he have 9 billion walks this time?

so like 6 total OF for the two teams tonight right? with Bay, Torres, Scherholz and Pence not available?

Edgy DC wrote: Also adding --- having a 2.2% chance to make the playoffs ain't good, but it ain't nothing. That's 11 times what the Phillies were showing today. If you give up when things look dire, you'll never have any miracles. I think it's easy to look back at the last couple of years, particularly 2006-2008, and realize that there were plenty of times when we could've used the solid contributing averageish player, where what we ended up with were Jeremy Reeds and David Newhans and Ben Johnsons. Having Hairston instead of those guys makes a lot of difference. Next year we're going to want one of those guys, and the odds that the Johnson we pick up being the known quantity we have in Hairston?

Gwreck wrote: Ceetar wrote: The attendance is not going to be markedly increased by keeping Scott Hairston, but whether it's Scott or someone else, the Mets are going to need a righty pinch-hitting outfielder next year. The percentages favor Hairston being better in that role, and the marginal increase in money from being 'competitive' the rest of this year is probably enough to pay for Hairston. Exactly what "percentages" favor Hairston being "better" in the role of "right-handed bat off the bench?" Pick a right handed bat off the bench that's going to be reasonable to acquire for an equal price? What's the chances he's better than Hairston? My money's on Hairston being the quickest/most effective use of the Mets time and money to acquire and produce.

so Alderson agrees with me. (And Edgy) Every dollar 'milked' out of the fanbase is not going into Wilpons pockets. It's another dollar they save, surely, on the red ledger for this season. But every dollar less they lose in 2012 is another less dollar they think they need to budget to save in 2013. Every dollar via season tickets or whatnot put towards 2013 is also going to push up the theoretical payroll another dollar, which means value. The attendance is not going to be markedly increased by keeping Scott Hairston, but whether it's Scott or someone else, the Mets are going to need a righty pinch-hitting outfielder next year. The percentages favor Hairston being better in that role, and the marginal increase in money from being 'competitive' the rest of this year is probably enough to pay for Hairston. Even if that's only incidental from people coming to see Harvey or Dickey while the team is winning. And Dickey's chase for 20 wins will at least be interesting, and that doesn't happen without the offense. And it's not just Dickey. Maybe Wright's MVP race (which he will pick up strongly after this day off) has a legit chance if the Mets finish above .500. Probably not unless the Pirates miss, but you never know. It's similar to why Spring Training means nothing. because it doesn't count. Teams playing out the schedule are much the same. (remember hte Figueroa and Batista CGs at the end of the seasons) but teams playing competitive, if not playoff bound, baseball gives you more evaluation points towards these guys that Alderson has to make a decision on soon. Additionally, this team is much like last year. fun, 'spunky' but ultimately flawed. The Mets finished under .500 last year despite all that and you heard roughly NONE of those positive things during the offseason when everyone picked them to finish last. another sub-.500 will be more of the same, which means less renewals (And ad money and all the incidentals) and less interest. Less people thinking "Hey, the Mets are fun, let's get a 6-pack." The economy may be picking up a little, and if it does people will be getting jobs. particularly people out of college. new revenue for Mets fans and maybe the Mets looking interesting is all it takes for them to drop a couple bucks on a 15 game 'weekend' pack. There is almost no value in a getting a low-tier prospect. The chances of that guy doing more

Gwreck wrote: Edgy DC wrote: I can think of at least a half dozen reasons. I think that's generous. 1. Might sign player to extension during balance of season/exclusive negotiating window. I'm not so clear on 2-6. 2. Player's family may already live in said city, particularly if it's been two years. NYC is a pretty fucking cool place. Especially when compared to say Kansas City. 3. People, even baseball players, generally dislike change. They like money more, but it's not like anyone's going to offer Hairston millions upon millions more than the Mets. 4. Perceived playing time. Players like to play. Hairston has got a lot of playing time this year and the Mets have a lot of lefty bats in Kirk, den Dekker, Duda, etc.

Plus, he doesn't have to move, or move his family.

Frayed Knot wrote: G-Fafif wrote: They are getting Casey McGehee for Chad Qualls. I'll just go ahead and say I hate Casey McGehee after not having thought of him since the last time we played Milwaukee. Pittsburgh actually. McGehee fills in at 1B & 3B/platoons with Eric Chavez Gee Golly McGehee just homered for the Yanks!

Mets Farm Report ‏@MetsFarmReport Bust out the umbrellas! What a Rainy July! Rainy Lara finished the month of July w/ 40K & 3BB in 29 IP