How to fix the Mets

At his column for Newsday Kevin Davidoff explains what the Mets needs are for the upcoming 2008 season and what the Mets have already done during the offseason.

He writes in his list of already executed aquisitions...

"1. Retained manager Willie Randolph and all of his coaches, aside from Rickey Henderson. Thumbs up. Randolph deserves a chance at redemption"

This is interesting because many people did not like Willie after the 2007 collapse. I agree with Davidoff because Willie is truly a great person and could be a great manager. People forget that he is still new to the game of managing and just carries himself like he has managed all his life. I say give him a chance next year and he will show us all the real Willie Randolph and how could he can really be.

The next point Davidoff makes many Mets fans agree with...

"4. Re-signed Luis Castillo. Thumbs down. He's a nice player, but four years? "

I agree with this statement and so do many other Mets fans. Luis Castillo is a great secondbasemen. He has speed, hitting, he can field, the only thing that gets people nervous about 4 years is his age and his knees. Towards the end of last season Castillo played secondbase with both his knees ailing him. At the end of the season he had surgery on both his knees. It good that his knees are better, but no one knows if he will be the same Luis Castillo as he was prior to the knee problems. If he isnt the same Castillo then we are stuck with an over aged second baseman who will not be able to play. If this surgery does rejuvanate Castillo then we have a all-star second basemen that can hit after Jose Reyes and can play like a golden glover at second.

another point that Davidoff makes concerning what the Mets should do with their pitching staff is...

" 1. Trade Aaron Heilman, Lastings Milledge, Kevin Mulvey and a lower-level prospect to the A's for Dan Haren."

I would rather get Danny Haren then Johan Santana. I know you're thinking i'm crazy, but Johan will cost the Mets an abundance of young pitchers and position players who the Mets are not willing to part with. Johan is also a free agent after this season. Its not gaurantteed that Johan will even resign after this season. If we acquired Haren we would be giving up Aaron Heilman, who is a good pitcher out of the pen but hasnt lived up to his potential, and Milledge and Mulvey. I do not want to part with either Milledge or Mulvey until they both play to their full potential and we truly give them a chance to play. Milledge has enourmous potential to become a great player but does not have the drive for becoming a great player. Mulvey however pitched great in the minors last year and surprised many people in the Mets organization. But imagine the Mets starting rotation with Haren.

1. Danny Haren
2. Pedro Martinez
3. John Maine
4. Oliver Perez
5. Orlando Hernandez/ Mike Pelfrey

with this rotation i think the Mets could qualify for the Playoffs in April.

He then writes his last point which i dont really think is realistic.

"2. Trade pitcher Carlos Muniz and a lower-level prospect to the White Sox for Jose Contreras and $5 million."

I have no idea how this trade could even be considered by the White Sox. Carlos Muniz is the lower level prospect that you would need to trade the White Sox. Muniz is in no way proven at the major league level. I do believe that he will be a good reliever but you cant trade him now, he does not have value. Havinf Contreras in the Mets rotation would be a good idea because he would be reunited with Orlando Hernandez, who played with him in Cuba and on the Yankees.

I would suggest reading this article over at Newsday.com. It was a very interesting article with many new ideas that could really help the Mets next year.

Yabuta and Royals close to finalizing

According to MLB.com, the Kansas City Royals are close to signing Japenese reliever, Yasuhiko Yabuta. The deal is not finalized yet but is reportedly a multiyear contract. The only thing holding this deal back from being finalized is Yabuta passing his physical. Royals general manager Dayton Moore refused to comment on the situation and would only say "We are working hard to improve our bullpen." In the last 4 years as a reliever for the Chiba Lotte Marines, Yabuta, had a 2.80 ERA. Recently the Royals announced the installment of their new manager, Trey Hillman, a former manager in Japan.

Cordero signs with the Reds

According to MLB.com, the Reds have signed all star closer Francisco Cordero to a 4 year 46 million dollar contract. The Reds had the worst bullpen in the National League last year. This contract would be the largest contract ever given to a reliever in baseballs history. The Brewers were reported to have offered Cordero 42 million over 4 years but this offer was declined. Cordero, who is 32, was 0-4 with a 2.98 ERA and 44 saves in 51 chances. He is a two-time All-Star. The Houston Astros were also looking to acquire Cordero this off-season. The Reds closer last season, David Weathers, will most likely move back to his former role as a setup man.

I do not think that the Mets ever thought about signing Cordero. The Mets also would not have wanted to offer that much money to a reliever. Personally, I would love to have Francisco Cordero in the Mets bullpen, who wouldnt. This definitely strengthens the Reds bullpen next year because they have a great pitcher in David Weathers setting up one of the greatest closers of our era.

Joe Kennedy dies at the age of 28

Ken Rosenthal at Fox Sports reported that former Oakland A's pitcher Joe Kennedy died early friday morning at the age of 28 years old. The cause of his death is unknown according to his agent and other major league sources. Kennedy spent seven seasons in the majors pitching for the Blue Jays, A's and Diamondbacks. Kennedey was 43-61 with a 4.79 ERA lifetime and He reached the postseason once, as a reliever with the A's in 2006.

Johan declines Twins offer

It has been reported by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, that Johan Santana has declined a rejected a five-year, $93 million offer from the Twins and instead is asking for $126 million.

Currently, i do not think that the Mets have a reasonable chance in acquiring Johan Santana from the Twins. The Twins would be looking to ship Johan off, only if they recieve players of great caliber in return. For the Mets to recieve Santana they would have to give up many of their young prospects such as, Lastings Milledge, Fernando Martinez and Carlos Gomez, and also some pitching ( Aaron Heilman, Mike Pelfrey ect.) The Mets are unwilling to trade away that many prospects for a pitcher that is a free agent after the next season, but I could see the Mets going for a younger pitcher in Matt Garza. To acquire Garza the Mets would have to give up much less, considering that he is an unproven starting pitcher in the majors. The Mets could propose Carlos Gomez, to fill their gap in center field. Gomez would be a great fit in Minnesota but i would not like to part ways with Carlos considering how much potential he has.

Davey Johnson on HOF committee

At MLB.com Marty Noble writes about Davey Johnson, who can be considered to be the most successful Met manager ever. He writes that he averaged 96 victories over a six year span, one of those years the Mets won the World Series. Recently Johnson was elected to the veterans committee elections with many other prestigous names such as Whitey Herzog, Dick Williams and Billy Martin. It is a great accomplishment for Davey and the entire Mets organization for him to be elected onto this committee. Davey spent 14 seasons in total in the Mets organization from 1984-90, 1993-97, 1999-2000. He managed thirteen seasons with at least 115 games managed and his clubs won five division flags, also finishing second six times, third once and fifth once.

Rumor Central: Fukudome Drawing Interest

The rumor going around baseball is that the free agent outfielder, Kosuke Fukudome, is looking for a deal for three-years worth around 30 million dollar. ESPN lists the Giants, Padres, Rangers, and Cubs as having interest in the outfielder. Though it says the Cubs have the most interest and will make a strong push for him. Fukudome can play either center field or right field which means he would be a great fit in right field for the Mets. Personally, I do not see him drawing much interest from the Mets right now because Lastings Milledge currently occupies right field. In Japan, he was put in the middle of the lineup as a power hitter. He can also hit number two in the order because he is a contact hitter. He is supposed to have a decent year in the MLB with around 20-30 homers and 80 RBI's but only having a .265 batting average. Fukudome will probably end up receiving more than he is asking price since teams think that he could bring a lot of power to their lineups

News: Kendall to Brewers

The Brewers have signed free-agent C Jason Kendall to a one-year contract, with a option. Right now, we are uncertain how much money this deal is but it is probably worth 3 to 4 million dollars.

...I guess the Brewers had this deal in tact the whole time and that is why the sent Estrada to the Mets. I have no idea why the Brewers would want Mota, he is a below par pitcher and if he does go more then 1 inning then he gives up 20 runs the next. I like this trade for us, but what were the Brewers thinking?

News: Linebrink to White Sox

The newest buzz in the MLB is that the White Sox and RHP Scott Linebrink have agreed to a four-year, $19 million deal.

...Lately it is hard to come by a good quality reliever and Scott Linebrink is that. He is a great addition to that bullpen but giving a reliever four years is a little much. I guess they had to give it to him or he would not sign. He is a great reliever who could really boost a bullpen. I do not think the White Sox are done signing and want to get a big name. Linebrink would have been a good fit with the Mets but seeing the way Scott Schoeneweis panned out, Omar is not going to shell out another four years on a reliever...

News: Hunter to Angels

The Los Angeles Angels have signed center fielder Torii Hunter to a monster deal. The deal is for five-years and worth roughly 80 million dollars plus bonuses.

...This is unexpected because for the past few weeks Hunter has been rumored to be going to either the Rangers or the White Sox. I guess Hunter could not pass up a deal like this considering he would make 16 million a year plus bonuses. The Angles have been looking to unload a huge amount of money on a star and now they have done so. Now the Angels are rumored to be close to a deal for Miguel Cabrera. If that deal were to go through they could have a scary lineup...

Breaking News: Estrada to Mets

The Brewers and Mets have reached an agreement and will send Johnny Estrada to the Mets in exchange for Guillermo Mota. Johnny Estrada has hit over .300 three times in his career and hopefully will this year. He has been an All Star before and is a average hitting catcher. He has one major problem which is that it is very hard for him to throw runners out. He had the worst percentage of throwing of runners which was 7.6 of runners attempting to steal. Estrada just underwent surgery and will be ready for spring training. Hopefully he will hit over .300 this season and also throw more runners out.

Omar Minaya, on the acquisition of Estrada…

“Johnny adds depth to our catching situation. He’s a former All-Star who switch-hits and has hit over .300 three times in his career.”

...This is a good move for the Mets but as of now no one knows if he will even be the starting catcher. It was a great deal for the Mets considering Mota's horrific past season. First off, Mota was suspended 50 games for steroid use. After those 50 games, he came back and the first game he played, he had already given up a few runs. Since it is hard to come by great relievers, Omar will have a tough job considering the fact he just gave up one mediocre reliever...

News: Indians Near Deal with Kobayashi

According to Espn.com, The Cleveland Indians are the first to team to actually reach an agreement with the the free agent closer, Masahide Kobayashi on a three-year agreement. The deal they have agreed to is a three-year deal and an option for 2010. The deal is supposed to be worth roughly 6.25 million dollars. Kobayashi, a 33 year old closer has spent his past 9 years on the Chiba Lotte Marines and some of those years he has played for Bobby Valentine. Masahide Kobayashi has recorded at least 20 saves in each of the past seven seasons. The closer is in a exclusive Japanese baseball club with over 200 saves.

...Personally, I do not know him but I have heard speculation that he is a great closer and obviously is a record breaker in Japan. Hopefully these pitchers will pan out to be stars but we will see later in the season...

Buzz: Matsui Headed Astros

The buzz around the MLB is that Kaz Matsui is reportedly close to a deal with the Houston Astros.

...The Astros currently do not have a second basemen worthy of a starting postition. This would be a profitable move for the Astros because they would get a second basemen who is fast but can not hit for power. If they ended up signing Matsui, they could send Chris Burke and Luke Scott for pitching help to bolster their rotation...

News: Maddux Signs With Padres

According to Espn.com, the Padres and Greg Maddux finalized a one-year 10 million dollar deal. The right-handed All Star, has 347 wins, has won the Cy Young four times now, and has won 17 gold glove awards. Last year, Maddux was a number 3 starter and went 14-11 posting a 4.14 ERA. He had a option early but did not think there was enough time to decide whether he would play or not so he declined it. Though the option was worth a little less than the 10 million he is getting now.

...I think this is a great move for the Padres for a few reasons. First off the pitching market right now is not packed with great pitchers. The Padres needed a number three starter to go along with there ace, Jake Peavy, and there number two pitcher, Chris Young. This move brings a veteran pitcher to there starting rotation and help those younger guys out. He had a decent year last year and considering the fact there are not many great pitchers out there, it is a smart move. Maddux still has that 'fire' in him and will continue to field very well and pitch great games...

Glavine Signs with his former team

According to MLB.com, the Atlanta Braves have agreed to a 8 million dollars for 1 year of service. This signing reunites Glavine with his former but now current teammate John Smoltz (Mets arch nemisis). Glavine spent his entire career with the Braves until signing with the Mets in 2003. In early October Glavine declined his player option worth 13 million dollars and it was obvious that he would sign with the Atlanta Braves.

...I never liked Tom Glavine. How could the Mets even think about signing Tom Glavine in 2003. He played for the Braves! I was furious when they signed him. I'm very glad that he was not brought back after how he broke down in the last and most crucial game of the season. He couldnt even get 3 outs before blowing the game! Good Luck Atlanta with Glavine, you will need it...

Mets Necessities for Off-season

Although the Mets have improved many problems in their organization, they still havent addressed key parts to the Mets downfall last season. The main reason for the Mets collapse last season was starting pitching and their bullpen struggled. The Mets need to bolster their starting rotation by acquiring a young number one spot or number two spot pitcher. These pitchers include Dontrelle Willis, Johan Santana and Scott Kazmir. If the Mets acquired one of these starting pitchers their rotation would look as follows:

1-Pedro Martinez
2- Dontrelle Willis/ Johan Santana/ Scott Kazmir/ Jake Westbrook
3-John Maine
4-Oliver Perez
5-Mike Pelfrey or Orlando Hernandez

The Mets bullpen is also an issue that Omar Minaya has not addressed. The Mets need to acquire a long relief man and someone to replace Guillermo Mota. Next year the Mets bullpen should look as follows.

-Billy Wagner
-Aaron Heilman
-Dauner Sanchez
-Pedro Feliciano
-Joe Smith
- Scott Schoenweis
- Jeremy Affeldt
-Scott Linebrink (probably not going to happen but would be a great addition)

If the Mets made these trades and signings throughout the off-season the team would be much improved and the bullpen would not break down-down the stretch.

Castillo Re-signs

The New York Mets have re-signed Luis Castillo to a 4 year deal worth 25 million dollars. Castillo was one of the only highlights of the second half of last year and the Mets were eager to bring him back to play second base. However the Mets encountered obstacles because many teams were searching to fill their secondbase vacancy.

...I was a supporter of getting Luis Castillo during the trade deadline and re-signing him during the off-season. We already know he plays very well with Jose Reyes and can hit very well as a number two hitter in the lineup. The only scary thing about this signing is that Castillo has very bad knees. Throughout the entire second half of the season last year he was playing with his bad knees which might not have been the best thing for him. Although he has bad knees he recently underwent knee surgery to repair his left and right knees. Hopefully they are back to new because he could definetly be a major asset to the team this coming season. The only other downside to signing Castillo to a long term contract is the Ruben Gotay will not be able to prove that he can play and he wont be able to blossom into the type of player he can become...

News: Lowell Agrees to Deal with Sox

According to The Boston Herald, the Red Sox and Mike Lowell have a reached an agreement on a three-year contract worth roughly 37 million dollars. The deal is supposed to be finalized in the next few days but this is basically the parameter of the deal. Lowell was looking for a four-year deal but the Red Sox would not budge and said told him the best they can give him is three years.

...I feel that this is great move for the Red Sox. They dangled around the idea about acquiring a star like Alex Rodriguez but that did not work. Ultimately they only had to give him a three year deal after having a all-star worthy season. I think Mike Lowell has always been a great fit with the Sox and is a great fielding third baseman. Mike Lowell, whom the Red Sox supposedly got as a throw in the Josh Beckett deal, actually became a very beneficial part to the Red Sox Nation. I believe Theo Epstein did a great job in that deal but had to give up his star prospect, Hanley Ramirez, who is doing a great job as the Florida Marlins' Shortstop. Keep the work up Theo...

News: Alex Rodriguez MVP

Alex Rodriguez has been named AL MVP by a landslide.

...It is easy to make a case on why A-rod won the MVP because he has put up unbelievable numbers. He had 54 homers, 156 rbi's, 143 runs scored and almost 30 stolen bases. Those are career numbers and ultimately will help him break the home-run record set by Barry Bonds. In the contract that the Yankees and Alex have been working on, there is bonus money if he breaks the record while on the Yankees. Good luck A-rod...

...Hopefully the next MVP winner will be David Wright...

Garland to the Angels for Cabrera

The Anaheim Angels have traded Orlando Cabrera and cash considerations for Jon Garland


Last off-season the Mets were looking to trade for Jon Garland to bolster their starting rotation with younger pitchers of the same caliber. The reason that the Mets did not go through with this transaction was because they would have to trade their top prospects for him and decided that the trade was not worth it. Personally i would love to have Garland now considering how terrible our starting rotation became down the stretch last season.

Buzz: Castillo Close to Deal with Mets

According to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com, the Mets and 2B Luis Castillo are inching closer to agreeing on a four-year, $25 million contract.

...Castillo just got surgery on his knees which he has had pain in over the past few years. But, four years with those knees will be a struggle. The Mets were rumored to really want David Eckstein and I do think that would be the best possible option for them. Though, Castillo can lay down a great bunt and move Reyes into scoring position which is deadly to the opposition. The Mets just felt that Ruben Gotay can not handle the 2b job and that David Eckstein wanted the same kind of deal. They also did not want to trade for a Orlando Hudson, who is the second-basemen on the Arizona Diamondbacks, for a Aaron Heilman. Obviously, the Mets felt this is the best situation and they should capitalize on it. Lets just see what happens....

Glavine signs with Braves

Earlier, I said that it was possible that Glavine could sign as early as yesterday or today. Today, he signed a one-year, 8 million dollar deal with the Atlanta Braves. Glavine has already taken a physical and there will be an official announcement later today.


...Now Glavine can screw up in Atlanta and never make the playoffs. They won't be making the playoffs for a long time anyways because the Mets are going all the way this year. Anyways, good luck Glavine, I hope the next time you give 7 runs up in the first inning will be against the Mets.....

Scutaro to the Jays

The buzz around the MLB is that Marco Scutaro, formally an Oakland Athletic, was traded to the Blue Jays for Graham Godfrey and Kristian Bell. Godfrey and Bell are two highly touted pitching prospects. Scutaro hit 260 with seven home runs and 41 RBIs in 104 games last season with Oakland, as a backup infielder and outfielder for the A's.

The Blue Jays will most likely use Scutaro as a utility bench player. Scutaro formally was a backup outfielder for the New York Mets from 2002-2003. On a team like the Blue Jays with shakey infielders a utility infielder is much needed. I'm sure that Scutaro will be a great resource for the Jays throughout the coming season.

News: Santana Offered Big Contract

The Twins offered the Left-handed All-Star Johan Santana, a Barry Zito, Carlos Zambrano type contract today. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune, says that the contract is five-years and roughly 93 million dollars. Santana has been looking for a huge contract for the 2009 season because his current contract with the Twins ends after this season. The Twins would like to see if he will accept this contract by the winter meetings. If he does not accept the offer, they do not want to give him more money and will try to trade him. The Mets are looking for a ace and Santana would be a perfect fit but the price it would cost is way to high for the Mets. It would take a package of Lastings Milledge, Fernando Martinez, Phil Humber, and Mike Pelfrey to obtain a star like Santana. I do not think that Omar Minaya is ready to give up a package of that type quite yet. Santana wants to win a championship and believes he does not have that chance with the Twins. Unless the Twins come up with an Alex Rodriguez type deal, I do not think they have much of a chance to sign him. Also, it will be a challenge for the Twins General Manager, Bill Smith, to shop Santana because his price tag is way too high and teams certainly do not want to give up many high ranked prospects.

Torrealba a No-Go for Mets

According to the New York Times, The Mets deal with Yorvit Torrealba has fizzled and the Mets are back in the market for a starting catcher. The Mets agreed on a deal with Torrealba that was three-years worth roughly 14.4 million dollars. All that needed to happen was the physical. As of now, there is little discussion on why the deal collapsed but it is believed that he did not pass his physical. Torrealba had problems last year with his right shoulder which is his throwing arm. Torrealba's has not had much success in throwing men out and this might be the reason why. The Mets now need a new catcher who can start in front of Ramon Castro. Right now the Mets look to be interested in Texas Rangers’ Gerald Laird, who did not get much playing time once the Rangers got Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Laird might come cheap and that is why the Mets are looking at him. Also, another possibility for the Mets is Baltimore Orioles' Ramón Hernández, but he would have a high cost and the Mets would have to give up some of their important prospects.

Buzz: Glavine to Atlanta Braves

The buzz is that Tom Glavine is looking to finalize a one-year deal, worth roughly $8 million dollars with the Atlanta Braves. The deal could be done by today. Since the Mets did not pick up his option, they had to give him 3 million dollars. He would now earn 11 million and thats about what he would have gotten if the Mets picked up his option. Glavine gets the advantage here because he is able to pitch for his former team, be with his friends (John Smoltz...etc...), be with his family, and get around the same money he would have gotten in New York.

...Goodbye Tommy...

Mariano Rivera to Yankees

The new buzz around the MLB is that Mariano Rivera is finally going to accept the three-year, 45 million dollar contract that the Yankees offered him. Rivera was looking for a fourth-year from the Yankees but the Yankees refused to give it to him.

Intrest In Eckstein

According to Mets.com the Mets have expressed interest in David Eckstein.

Eckstein is a 32 year old shortstop that previously played with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the St. Louis Cardinals. If the Mets were to sign Eckstein he would be asked to

switch from shortstop to second base. Eckstein has played second base 14 times in his career all in 2001 while on the Angels.

Torrealba changes his mind as deal collapses

According to Newsday talks between the Mets and Torrealba collapsed which means that he will not be playing for the Mets this coming season.



This means that either he failed his physical
or there were problems finializing the deal.

I think that Mets fans were split on this signing
because his numbers in Colorodo and that he does
not have a great arm. I personally am sort of disappointed
that this deal did not go through because he is a good
option to share time behind the plate with Ramon Castro.
When reached on saturday Torrealba's agent responded with
no comment on the issue. The Mets and Torrealba supposedly were close to finalizing a 3 year deal worth around 14.4 million dollars.

Welcome

Welcome to Mets Youth.... On this blog you will be reading about Mets news throughout the course of the year. Things like player movement, updates on Citi Field's production and lots more. Stay tuned for more posts.

...Shout out to Naomi Podair...