Elster88

Oh. Well I thought they were the same thing. Maybe I should be the one apologizing. Ahhh, I won't get involved. You all decide.

Not to pile on, but I thought you had agreed to keep all your links in one thread. That went away pretty quickly too.

Little League has Rolaids Relief Awards? They didn't even let us keep score when I was playing. So much for diffusing competitiveness and playing for the fun of the game.

Speaking of Castillo, et al, I'm guessing that the NL wildcard comes out of the east this year.

A mid-level prospect does not make the deal much tastier, IMHO.

Not even just the FAN. It's staggering what's out there. You haven't noticed it while perusing the web?

I can't open a web page or watch a sports show on TV without tripping over 5 segments crying that Omar is a reckless free spender and that the Mets are made of money. But between Piazza and Cameron leaving the Mets budget can't be much higher than it was last year. To be fair to the media assclowns, I started this thread wondering if the Mets were becoming the new Yankees. They, and this thread, will have a better case if Manny or Soriano do show up. But for now they should STFU because this is beyond beating a dead horse.

RMPL

3 years of Tom Gordon and Kyle Farnsworth: $35 million dollars 3 years of Carlos Delgado: $42.8 million dollars (including tax) Being a Met fan in 2006 and extending a cyber middle finger to bandwagon jumpers: priceless

Batting eighth, the second baseman, Kazuo Mat-SU-ee.

Gotta love those minor league and winter ball stats. So Hernandez hits over .300 in those places, and that means he is preferable to a 30 year-old career .293 hitter (.303 since 2003)? ]Hernandez is fast, real good glove, versatile, switch hits So is Castillo ]I say, dump Matsui How is this to be done? ]platoon Kepp and Hernandez The idea that two minor leaguers will be successful as a platoon on the ML level because they have good minor league numbers is incredibly shaky at best, stupid at worst. But I'm not all that surprised that you are advocating this considering your reaction over the loss of Mike Jacobs, future hall of famer. I think there is an overwhelming tendency to overrate the ability of minor leaguers because they have played well for the B-Mets or Norfolk Mets. D-Wright and Reyes are the exception, not the rule. ]Hernandez and Kepp, (but more so Hernandez) are ahead of Matsui defensively anyhow. What are you basing this on? My guess is gut feelings and anecdotal evidence. Even leaving Matsui's shaky defense aside for a moment, how many balls have you seen Hernandez and Keppinger field? Hernandez played 6 games in his major league career yet his defense is somehow obviously ahead of Matsui's (more so than Keppinger's) You must catch a lot of minor league games to know this. ]If I see Matsui botch a routine DP ball this year I will puke. Like that one against the Yanks at Shea. Deplorable at best. *sigh* MATSUI SUCKS!!!!!

]Since the New York state tax rate is 7.7 percent, the Mets could wind up owing as much as another $1.8 million. (Hold those calculators. Remember that he owes that N.Y. tax only on home games I wish I didn't have to pay state taxes on the money I earned while my company had sent me to work in another state. Does he have to pay state taxes on the game checks from playing in the Bronx?

I had thought Castillo was declining, but he has his best year ever in OPB last year at .391 and second best year ever in OPS (only .726).

I'm still missing something. Why is there a big push to trade Benson?

Nymr83 wrote: apples and oranged with the position players, but this makes the Wagner deal look good and even the BJ Ryan deal look pretty sane. It's not apples and oranges at all. At the end of the day, there is a budget and a roster. My team spent 13 million a year on Delgado and yours spent 6 million a year on Tom Gordon. Who did better? Would you trade Delgado for two Tom Gordons? The Phillies' new contract says they have the same value.

It's amazing how much better the deals for Wagner, Delgado, and, dare I say it, Beltran are looking every day. But the Mets' ownership is completely brainless, as we all know, so there must be something I'm missing.

]Those close to Minaya say he's furious that for ther second time in the last six months, the Red Sox are "playing games." Sources say Minaya is convinced the Angels are not the slightest bit interested in Ramirez, that Boston knows this, and a trade of Ramirez to the Mets is inevitable. Others sources are saying the Phillies -- via the Abreu-Ramirez "trade talks" -- were more than happy to take part in what some Mets insiders are calling a "game of chicken". "(Minaya's) not buying", and his apparent refusal to counter-offer the Phillies' "offer" for Ramirez today may have worked. We'll know in a few days. GB is also hearing that the Benson-Julio deal is far from being completed, and maybe, just maybe, Minaya playing a little game of three-card monty of his own .... That's why, apparently, they are refusing to give the Mets the money that would seal the deal. Minaya knows this, but baseball sources say "(Omar's) holding all the cards". GB has learned that Minaya doesn't really want to deal Milledge to Boston, because he wants to have his most significant chip to get the player he desires almost as much as Ramirez. I'm going to have trouble taking your righteous indignation seriously when I bring up how the "anonymous source" may just be a way for columnists to put attention-grabbing rumors into their columns. What's the record for most anonymous sources quoted in an 800 word column? ]As for Ramirez, putting the 2004 World Series MVP in a lineup with Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltran and David Wright in the middle of it, "makes a good offense a great offense." Every GM in baseball agrees. You think so, doctor?

I think everyone here agrees with you, Nymr.

Is Ralph going to be back to gargle his way through another season on the Mets' new network?

Mike Piazza has drawn interest from seven teams, says his agent. Come back Mike!

I guess I'm still assuming Matsui is better than his numbers, and at least a 95 OPS+ guy. I gotta stop assuming. _____________________________ This post had the designation 111) Alejandro Pena

If Grudzadjoainalek isn't obviously head and shoulders above Matsui, why bother with him? Another average middle infielder clogging up the roster?

An excellent point from Buster: ]And while Benson is 31 years old, Pedro Martinez is 34, Steve Trachsel is 35, and Tom Glavine is 39. I'd keep Benson. He's never reached the potential that others saw in him, but when healthy, he's decent.

If Buster's right, then you gotta love the paper saying it's close to being done. Damn, those reporters are seriously terrified about losing their careers and reputations. I seriously doubt Omar is that dumb to consider such a trade. We'll see.

Minaya's elation with Heilman, now that Wagner is here, may be "Great, we have Wagner to close, so Heilman can go back to the rotation." Of course, the line directly preceding that makes it seem like Omar thinks Heilman will be a setup guy. I've been clamoring for a response from Healey for a while but I think he hasn't been around recently, but this is just another example of how a writer can be pulling ideas out of a certain orifice without risking his career, his reputation, or death and dismemberment. He is taking Omar's words and making it seem like Omar is saying Heilman will be a setup guy, when in fact his elation over having Heilman AND Wagner may have nothing to do with the setup role.