New York Mets 2009-10 Winter report

[sonny10305]

SEATTLE MARINERS

What about em??

 

[Sausy]

All the Mets fans want for Christmas is an organization with a clue!

Can we hire Brian Cashman somehow?

Omar better tell Jason Bay fucking make up your mind already cause we're moving on!Same goes to the slower than Heinz ketchup backstop,Bengie Molina....Bengie,you're good but not a Gold Glover anymore!

Maybe go boldly for Matt Holliday....maybe he'll play better in CitiField making a few adjusatments than the current thinking supposes.He's always been the kind of player to work hard at every part of his game.He's a gap to gap guy,true....but would be a great RBI man and get 50 doubles in this park!A little better defensively than Jason Bay,strikes out some but not nearly as much and is a beter hitter for average.He's a risk but so is Bay especially defensively.Swallow your pride(as if anyone in this organization has anything to have pride about)and make a reasonable offer to Scott Boras.When you have no chips to bargain with(at least cannot afford to trade the few prize players your farm clubs have,specifically Ike Davis,Jennri Mejia)well you are in NO position to be picky.

Carlos Delgado looks kaput and Omar Minaya promised the fans a better club going into spring training,if the fans would just be patient.Well it's looking bad as Jason Bay looks like he'll wait it out as long as he can to avoid choosing the Mets for whatever reason he is showing disinterest in the organization.Can it be he has no faith in it....what does it mean for the players that the best available want to avoid this organization like the plague?Better start movin',Omar....and Jeff Wilpon,if Omar can't get it going anymore,it's incumbent on you for the sake of the long suffering fans to push him out,turn the page and get this club moving forward again.


If the Seattle Mariners want Omar Minaya,they can have him!

 

[sonny10305]

Yup saucy Brian Cashman is beginning to look good to me as well
WTF is Wilpon thinking?

As for Bay, word is coming out he really wants to get with the Red Sox and is holding out for that. He maybe concerned about Citi fields reputation for being a tough pitchers park and may not want to play there. he is showing little interest in signing with the Mets.

The Mets have no plan and never did, they really think that when all the guys come back healthy they can compete.I always said I was not looking for much cause I think with Reyes, Beltran et all back, and if they are healthy, all we need is a second starter, a catcher and a left fielder. I am in a minority here I know that but it's how I feel.

Headin to the parents for Christmas, hope everyone has a great one.

 

[Sausy]

Yup saucy Brian Cashman is beginning to look good to me as well
WTF is Wilpon thinking?

As for Bay, word is coming out he really wants to get with the Red Sox and is holding out for that. He maybe concerned about Citi fields reputation for being a tough pitchers park and may not want to play there. he is showing little interest in signing with the Mets.

The Mets have no plan and never did, they really think that when all the guys come back healthy they can compete.I always said I was not looking for much cause I think with Reyes, Beltran et all back, and if they are healthy, all we need is a second starter, a catcher and a left fielder. I am in a minority here I know that but it's how I feel.

Headin to the parents for Christmas, hope everyone has a great one.

The only thing we're still missing is that second starter,catcher and left fielder and we'll be good to gobut if their names are ultimately Johnny Gomes,Joel Pineiro,and Rod Barajas won't be quite what we hoped.And the Phillies won't be very impressed,LOL

This organization can't afford to settle....if you don't want to be a Met,man up and tell us instead of trying just to drive up your price or hope to wait it out long enough for a gullible baseball Prince Charming to come to your rescue.There are too many questions regarding the psyche of too many players on this club to be anywhere close to comfortable heading into spring training.It's what you get when there is no direction or leadership at the top,no confidence in moving forward.Omar Minaya platitudes just won't cut it anymore.


Enjoy your Christmas,sonny!

 

[sonny10305]

Oh saucy, so good to here you agree about the Mets needs. In 2010. I am so tired of the Stunods coming up to me and saying the Mets need a complete overhaul. What BS that is, shows how little they know about our team. Last years Mets where NOT the Mets team but a group of players filling in for more than half the team out injured. Why don’t some guys get that? All we need is a second starter, a catcher and left fielder and as you wrote we will be good to go. Of course I am counting on the guys who were injured to come back healthy, including of course Santana; otherwise we will be in trouble again. But from all accounts it appears everyone is healthy and ready to rock.

As for the pitching, about all I have heard, now that most of the good pitchers are gone, is Pineiro who was 15–12 with a 3.49 ERA in 32 starts last season. From what I have seen of him he seems to have good control/command and an interesting curve ball but to be honest I am not that excited about him. He is no second starter.
Then there is Ben Sheets, but he is recovering from major elbow surgery, which kept him out of all or most of 2009. But if he is healthy he would absolutely fit in nicely in that second spot.He is supposed to start auditioning for teams next week So lets se how he looks.
Jon Garland is another name we hear but I would rather have Sheets Garland might fit in the back end of the rotation but not as the second starter.
I can not get excited about the Kelvim Escobar signing. Escobar missed all of the 2008 season due to shoulder surgery, and those problems lingered last season as he was only able to make one start for the Los Angeles Angels. Escobar has never pitched in the National League; he has spent his entire career with the Angels and Toronto Blue Jays. Soooooo we will see. The plan is for him to be set up for Rodriguez. I can only hope he performs better than Putz did,

We have to ask ourselves what about the rest of the starting pitchers. If Pelfrey could loose those demons in his head that prohibited him from pitching with men on he just might break out this year. John Maine showed good stuff after his surgery last year and we did not get to see much of him after his surgery but we did se was very good.
Then there is Perez, look we are stuck with him so we gotta think positive here, Last year he began to have trouble with his knee with got worse over time, of course we did not know it at the time but that was a big factor in his poor outings. He was pitching in a lot of pain. In the off-season, Ollie has been training in Arizona at the Athletes Performance Institute, which is a high-tech fitness boot camp for professional athletes, with a focus on nutrition, metabolic testing, cardiovascular work, drills and media training. I loved hearing that. Unfortunately not much word has come out of how he is doing but I am encouraged. The Meta will be heading over to see how he is doing soon and perhaps we will learn more on how he is doing. He very much wants to report to Spring Training in February
I hate to remind you guys of this but Perez was just 3–4 with a 6.82 ERA in 14 sporadic starts in 2009.

 

[syam24]

Hope you all had a great Christmas, the Mets probably got coal in their collective stockings, there hasn't been much else from them. I have no clue if or what their plan may be, it's like listening for contacts from outer space....nothing heard, cue the cricket sounds....

 

[Sausy]

Thanks syam,had a nice Christmas....hope you,sonny and everyone enjoyed theirs.Couldn't agree with you more.Now San Francisco signed Mark de Rosa,who could have been very helpful.I'm hopeful but really down this organization has as of yet not demonstrated to its fans it intends to change the way things have gone the past few years and get down to business of competing and winning.No more bluster and excuses...and so far,unfotunately its so quiet you can hear a pin drop.

sonny,I am so with you on the Mets needs.We don't need to blow up the team and start over to effectively compete.We just need to add the right pieces....most necessarily for the Mets now a strong RBI bat in left,an effective higher end type starter(Ben Sheets if healthy would be terrific as a third or fourth starter,I'm pushing him as well!)and a solid catcher to become a tutor for Josh Thole.We think alike on him,too.....improve his defense this year,and his bat is already going to be a plus,have him take over in 2011.One big reason why Bengie Molina's three year demand is ridiculous....we only need him as a one year stopgap.Not to take over valuable payroll space an extra year or two.They've got to build depth in their organization,major league and especially minor league level as well...so that they don't need to rely sloely on the health of their primary core but can develop key components from within.Healthy organizations don't need to make panic moves,don't find themselves against the wall as the Mets are currently.They've got to build up the organization,not start over.David Wright,Carlos Beltran,Jose Reyes,Jeff Francouer,Johann Santana,Frankie Rodriguez if healthy are more than good enough to build around.

But Mike Pelfrey HAS to get tougher.Guy really is talented,great stuff but he cannot continue to regress after the exciting promise he showed in 2008,when he seemed to make a major breakthrough.John Maine HAS to show he can bounce back and recover his form after three rough years.His mental state is more than strong enough but can his shoulder hold up?Oliver Perez hitting the MLB equivalent of boot camp as you described HAS to help this time,because if he isn't any better he is useless to them.Either he grows up and fulfills at least some of the ability he has or the Mets should cut their losses and release him.Hoping Jonathan Niese and Fernando Nieve return healthy and continue their development....they are promising dark horses who may yet become valuable contributors to a resurgent Mets.No need with all their resources as an organization,especially their beautiful new ballpark CitiField,for the Mets to go into rebuilding mode.Just add a few critical parts we talked about and deepening the talent depth of the organization.They owe their fans competitiveness and a product that plays the game the right way,that's the key thing.

 

[Sausy]

The Kelvim Escobar signing is good if he continues to show a good fastball and has movement on it.Those who've seen him working out say he's got the good low to mid 90's velocity and the set up man role will keep him from overtaxing his repaired shoulder.We got little from the injured JJ Putz last year so he might be a successful if risky alternative.They don't have anyone else who was better doing that in Putz' place....Bobby Parnell showed flashes but nowhere near the consistency the role requires.

 

[Sausy]

Several sources are reporting that Jason Bay and the Mets have agreed to a four year deal with a vesting option in 2014 after one of the more frustrating courtships in modern memory.Around the 65 mil over four years the Mets originally offered him,since they also added the option it probably was sufficient that since there seemed to be no other better offers coming around Bay finally said what the hell,let's go Mets!

Like the deal a lot....I think it will look even better next year when powerful Ike Davis comes aboard from AAA to provide very good power/average numbers from first base where he is also a top notch defender.Jason's a decent runner,not really fast but aggressive,smart and good instincts.An average arm and shaky defensive instincts may hurt in the field,though Carlos Beltran,Jeff Francouer and Angel Pagan are all good defensive outfielders and hopefully with work(Jason has a good reputation as a hard worker)he'll be adequate.Tends to pull more to left/left center so his power numbers shouldn't be affected by the less homer friendly CitiField where right/right center is more cavernous and difficult to jack em out of.Strikes out a lot but gets a ton of walks and should hit higher than the .267 from last year(had career highs in homers with 36 and RBI with 119)as his typical year averages between .285-.300 with 30 + homers,100+RBI.Very good clutch hitter which is most essential.

Overall,I give this deal an A-.Good offense especially power,smart and aggressive baserunning and strong effort and great character will help the Mets a great deal.Defense and strikeouts biggest concern.But I just don't think they wanted to deal with overpaying Matt Holliday with bigger average salary over longer years.

Now Omar,go get a catcher,another starter,and just a bit more depth as I had alluded to in my earlier post today,and sonny,syam,all us Mets lovers here at JUB...we'll be good to go!

 

[syam24]

Glad the "Bay watch" appears to be coming to an end with good news. Not sure this is exactly the guy we would pick if we had our druthers, but he is probably the best option at this point in time. I like his character a lot, and his instincts will perhaps rub off on the likes of Reyes and Pagan, who sometimes pull some real boners on the basepaths. Now, as you stated it should be on to pitching and catching help. Let's go METS!

 

[Sausy]

Glad the "Bay watch" appears to be coming to an end with good news. Not sure this is exactly the guy we would pick if we had our druthers, but he is probably the best option at this point in time. I like his character a lot, and his instincts will perhaps rub off on the likes of Reyes and Pagan, who sometimes pull some real boners on the basepaths. Now, as you stated it should be on to pitching and catching help. Let's go METS!

Yep syam,Jason Bay may be imperfect but he's still going to be a big plus offensively and character wise,at least which is a good start.....and now only 50 days before pitchers and catchers report!can't wait to see what perspectives sonny has on this!

 

[sonny10305]

So here’s the thing, I love the Jason Bay acquisition. But I wonder how much he wants to be a Met.

So let’s break it down, we need Bays power bat and offense prowess in Left. Sheffield is gone and Pagan could not have been our regular left field guy, not yet. I love Angel he has a lot of heart, did a decent job at left made some outstanding plays and was pretty good with his bat as well. But he needs work on fundamentals and his base running is, well, just plain goofy.
So what took Jason so long to come around, well I think he worries about his power numbers going down at Citi, he is leaving a hitters ball park in Fenway for a pitchers park at Citi and in another league.
I also wonder if he just gave in thinking no one else is breaking down doors for him and his agent could not get that 6thyear, so maybe he decided he should take the Mets offer. Bay really wanted to play in Boston.
But lets put that aside, look at this way, maybe he will break down that thinking that Citi is a total pitchers park where home runs are hard to come by and send a ton of em “outta here”. He might even get DWright to hit a few more in ’10. Jason will be very good for David who has got to adjust his swing and start pulling the ball again. Bay hit 36 homers in Boston last year he also hit a lot of em in Pittsburg, I also love the way he pulls the ball. He will fit very nice in the middle of the order but he can move up as well. Another important thing, at least for me, is I think he will be an excellent influence in the clubhouse. Just as Francoeur was when he came to the Mets, he is a likable guy and will fit in nicely. I also figure he is good for at least 25-30 HRs in 2010, along with like 100 RBIs. Although his average has gone down and he is no longer a threat to steal anymore, he’s dependable good for 140+ games and I think he’s worth 16 mill for ’10. My one worry is his strikeouts, the kid strikes out A LOT.
Is he gonna thrust the Mets into the NL east championship? Well if Wright, Francoeur and the rest of the boys come alive again and with everyone healthy sure, why not.
One other thing, there is supposedly some concern that he won’t pass the physical that would finalize the deal. Supposedly The Red Sox didn’t want to sign a long-term contract with Bay because of some health concerns about Bay's shoulders holding up. So the Mets are being very careful here. Don’t expect any big announcement from the Mets until Bay gets checked out by the docs. I’m just sayin.

Next up is Molina, this dude is buggin me cause he wants three years. Dude, no one is gonna give you that, so take the one-year deal, with a vesting option for 2011. I don’t wanna be trying to get rid of this guy after one year cause we got stuck with him for two years. After that or even sooner we will have our next superstar, after Murphy, Josh Thole. So get the deal done already Look, he will be great for us in a one year deal, he and Blanco will prolly work wonders with Pelf and even Ollie, get the deal done already
Something will prolly happen in a day or two and it could be/probably will be two years but I am hoping for one. Hey I wrote about Molina in another post, dude, look over your shoulder, check it out, there is no one there chasing after you. Take the Mets offer.

Lastly and most importantly we have to sign a second starter, like Saucy said, after that we will be good to go. But one thing in Saucy’s outstanding post regarding the pitching he forgot to mention and that was Santana. We still have not seen him pitch after the surgery, I have good feeling about it though, I saw him in Venezuela last week throwing the ball around and he said he felt great, no pain or discomfort at all. So we can only hope he comes back healthy and strong

So am I ready to give Omar a big ole hug for landing Bay? Well….not yet, maybe after he fixes the pitching.

 

[Sausy]

Congrats on the Bay acquisition!

Thanks,Brad!Jason did a lot of good things in his relatively brief time in Boston
but I'm certain he leaves without the bad feeling that Manny Ramirez reaped
when he and Scott Boras coooked up the plan to force a trade.

Damn sonny,overlooked the elbow surgery on Johann Santana though I am
glad things seem to be going well in his recovery.Can't take him for granted.

Certainly see where sonny is coming from with the mixed feelings on Bay.And agree 100% without an upgrade in the pitching department(Jose Pineiro,Aaron Harang,Bronson Arroyo won't cut it)the Mets still are looking at a rotation that can get by only on a wing and a prayer.If our starting staff can't hold opponents down,Bay won't be nearly enough to make a real difference in the standings.

 

[sonny10305]

WHILE WE WAIT FOR THE METS TO SIGN A CATCHER AND SECOND STARTING PITCHER WE CAN CELEBRATE BASEBALL SEASON IS GETTIN CLOSE. HERE ARE A FEW IMPORTANT DATES

FEB. 18
First date injured players, pitchers and catchers may report to Spring Training.
FEB. 23
First date all players may report to Spring Training
MARCH 2
Mandatory Spring Training reporting date for all players.
March 2nd
First spring training game against Atlanta
Monday April 5th
Opening day.

Can ya feel it? Can ya tase it. You bet your ass we can

 

[sonny10305]

Carlos Delgado finnally started playing in Puerto Rico yesterday.
He played DH batted cleanup and went 1-for-4 with a single. It was the first time he saw live pitching since May. He said he felt “better than expected” He is thinking the Mets will offer him an incentive-laden deal, but supposidly the Orioles are interested in him. I was disappointed that he played the DH instead of first. Maybe that’s all he is good for now .Everyday I get closer and closer to wanting Murphy in that spot, at least until Ike Davis comes up taps Daniel on the shoulder and says “sup?” My Cyclone buddy got a call from Davis over New Years, I was sorry I was not with him when the call came in, I would have loved to have spoken with him again.Ike is feelin good and getting hungry to play.

Big day for Jason Bay and the Mets today cause he will have his physical and if he passes could be a Met today. There is some concern on the Mets' part about Bay's knees and shoulders, which will be a point of emphasis during today's examination. Which is why The Mets have not made any official announcement about Jason yet. Can you guys imagine if he fails that physical? Good grief. Soooo fingers and toes crossed. Bring us some good news Jason

Omar still trying to close the deal with Molina, this can’t go on much longer. Then Omar needs to get to work on a pitcher looking at guys like Ben Sheets, Joel Pineiro and Jon Garland.

 

[sonny10305]

My post above ^^ was made before the news which just broke
Jason Bay passed his physical Monday morning and will be introduced by the Mets at 11 a.m.
Tuesday at Citi Field.
So where does he go in the lineup?
My first guess would be 5th, with David Wright hitting 3rd and Carlos Beltran hitting 4th.
Bay will give David Wright some protection in the lineup. .
David should stay in the 3rd spot for at least to reasons, his speed and 27 stolen bases(led the Mets last season) and his on base percentage Our boy is perfect for both set up and run-producer. in lineup.

OK Omar, now go get a pitcher oh, and sign Molina, jezz enough of that.

 

[syam24]

Yay for Bay!!...and the Mets!! Finally, a start to offseason work. On Delgado, perhaps he's still rounding into shape before playing in the field.

 

[sonny10305]

I sure hope all of you Mets fans had a fun and safe New Years
So, what’s going on in Met land. Well we are still talking with Molina and a second starter should be on board soon. Lots of other rumors comcurning Castillo and Hudson but I’m not goin here.
DWright has returned to Florida to work on his swing working hard and determined to return to form, he was psyched to hear about Bay. Just think about our proposed lineup. Reyes, Castillo, Beltran, Wright, Bay, Francour,Murphy and hopefully Molina. If everyone is healthy, although Cora has already experienced some back pain, (not good) we have a lot to hope for this year with an impressive line up from top to bottom.
We are gonna be the comeback kids in 2010. Just look at this video and tell me it doesn’t make you smile I know it made my day seeing it.
Saucy, this is especially for you.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdiGFDkVEhg[/ame]

 

[Sausy]

I sure hope all of you Mets fans had a fun and safe New Years
So, what’s going on in Met land. Well we are still talking with Molina and a second starter should be on board soon. Lots of other rumors comcurning Castillo and Hudson but I’m not goin here.
DWright has returned to Florida to work on his swing working hard and determined to return to form, he was psyched to hear about Bay. Just think about our proposed lineup. Reyes, Castillo, Beltran, Wright, Bay, Francour,Murphy and hopefully Molina. If everyone is healthy, although Cora has already experienced some back pain, (not good) we have a lot to hope for this year with an impressive line up from top to bottom.
We are gonna be the comeback kids in 2010. Just look at this video and tell me it doesn’t make you smile I know it made my day seeing it.
Saucy, this is especially for you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdiGFDkVEhg

I loved the video,sonny...thanks!There may be a lot of doubters but you can never count these guys out.Hopefully they have a sense of being on a mission....sure looks like that's the case!The updated version of "ya gotta believe"...guys just give the Mets fans reason to,and you'll have them going all out in support!

Jason Bay has a cute story about his brief time in the Mets minor league system in 2002 I read in the paper.He was essentially Jose Reyes' ride to and back from the ballpark back in AA ball.Jose didn't speak any English and Jason was similarly non fluent in Spanish.Basically,the only words between them were Jason asking Jose if he was ready...now they are again teammates,this time at a major league level...Jose is by nature an outgoing guy,and I bet if Jason ever picked him up again he'll talk his head off in English and Spanish!Just a cute odd couple type story....it's good to see Jason finally getting his chance to play here in New York after being in the system only four months before getting traded to San Diego.(Omar Minaya had actually traded him to the Mets from Montreal in early 2002 in a trade of minor leaguers).

He doesn't give the Mets a World Series berth just by his presence....gotta get the pitching and catching help.But the Mets lineup healthy will be a very competitive one.Imagine if Jeff Francouer builds on his positive performance after being traded to the Mets last August,even after he injured his finger(should be totally healthy to start spring training)as well and some of the pitchers can step up.The Mets will be in a pretty good place indeed...and with around just 40 days left before pitchers and catchers and the first signs of spring and baseball,thoughts of Citi Field rocking and the Mets surprising the NL East are a wonderful image indeed to envision for us Mets fans!

 

[sonny10305]

DWright has spoken about what he expects from himself in 2010, David said he firmly believes he will produce to his expectations in 2010, admitted he has "some things to prove" and maintained that launching homers at Citi Field is simply a matter of his adjusting to the ballpark. David returned from a short stint in Florida to his family home in Virginia and continues to prepare for the new season. He expects he will put up big numbers in 2010, the type of run production Mets fans have come to expect from him. He also said "It's what I'm accustomed to, I have all the confidence in the world that with the lineup that we're putting out there next year.
David admitted to have been "out of whack" at times mechanically. And that he felt very uncomfortable in the batter's box. It was obvious to many including myself who wrote about that here many times. David went on to say"I think one of my greatest strengths as a hitter is going the opposite field and hitting with power to the opposite field. Obviously Citi Field is going to take a lot of that away because it is spacious out there, "You've got to really get into one to homer opposite field. That's not a knock on Citi Field. You have to adapt to the park that you're playing in." Wright said he is offering no excuses for his struggles last season. "I'm not using Citi Field as an excuse. I'm not using the lineup as an excuse," he said. "It's up to me to go out there and do what I'm capable of and I think there were times last year that I did not do that." Wright, who has worked with Johnson this offseason on his mechanics, said he can go deep at Citi Field. "You just have to adapt to the ballpark," he said. "Whether it's learning to pull the ball a little bit more, getting stronger, doing things that will help you hit the ball out of the ballpark." "I'm ready to go," David said. "I'm excited. We have a lot to prove.
I have some things to prove.One thing that stood out for me in what David said, he never used the absences of Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado, which some have said leaf him without much in front of or behind him. That is typical David.

Omar will be in Puerto Rico this weekend to evaluate Carlos Delgado.
Carlos has been doing beeter day by day and he did hit his first home run in the Puerto Rican Winter League on Thursday to help the team advance to the post season. He seems to be feeling healthy although he has yet to play first. Still the Mets have apparently taken notice and are "very interested" in re-signing Delgado all be it to an incentive-laden deal.
Where will that leave Murphy? Well he will have to make the team and end up on the bench pinch hitting waiting for Delgado to fall down. With Carlos in the picture there simply is no place for Murph on the team