New York Mets 2010-11 Winter report

[sonny10305]

Daniel Murphy moved over to second base in winter ball yesterday where he belongs and had a good day there although he did not get any difficult plays to execute. His bats continued to be soft batting third and going 0-4. He was 0-5 on Friday so he is 0-9 for the two days. God, it is so good to see him playing again.
I believe that in April Luis Castillo will not be playing second base, he is on borrowed time despite his hefty contract and his days as a Mets player are running out. Castillo should be traded; his glory days are over, his knees can no longer allow him to play more than 100 games per season at the most.
We will have to see if the Mets are willing to trade him, they will have to absorb a Hugh part of the last portion of his $12 million contract. Other than Murphy there has been talk of bringing either Dan Uggla or Orlando Hudson to the Mets, We will have to see what the new GM wants to do. Murphy will have to work hard and win the approval of Mets management along with Reuben Tejada; both could be given chances to audition for the second base position if there is no free agent acquisition or trade for them.Tejada is a threat to get the job, he did have a certain amount of success filling in, and it will depend on who Daniel or Rubin has the best winter and development. Murphy has the edge with his bat and it’s no secret he has my vote. Of course the new GM could have a whole other idea for second so we will just have to wait and see what happens.

I wrote about Brad Holt the other day and he has really found his comfort zone in the Arizona Fall League. Brad tossed three more scoreless innings Saturday wining the game a 7-2. In his three starts Holt allowed one hit while striking out five to maintain a perfect ERA. Brad said he pretty much has everything working except his changeup. He believes that everything has continued to improve since he got to Arizona, he is especially happy with the way his fastball command has improved. He is keeping it down in the zone, low and at the knees, and throwing everything else for strikes, the curveball is also very much improved, I wondered about his cutter, he said it has helped him out and it made his breaking ball work that much better. The fact that he can command more than two pitches is Hugh for Brad, it makes it that much easier to get ahead of hitters, throw first-pitch strikes and get ahead in the count. Now that he is doing that I am convinced he is on his way to becoming one of the greats. I have always had a feeling about him becoming a superstar, I just know he is gonna be big. I mentioned his cutter because he had only started throwing that at the end of last year, I knew he wanted to improve and master that and now it is getting more consistent and more tight and it's starting to really look like a cutter, staying hard with what he describes as a sharp bite to it. Brad wants to stay consistent and cut down on the walks and command his pitches. He is going to be great he just needs to keep working and his focus, keeping everything down in the zone.

The Mets have seven days to sign Hisanori Takahashi to a new contract, or else they cannot sign him until May 15, 2011. There is a Major League rule which was made so teams couldn’t cut players and sign them for less money, thing is Takahashi has a clause in his contract stating the Mets must release him on October 31, Takahashi could become a free agent sooner than later which could mean he will not return to the Mets next season. I have to think the new GM will understand the need for us to keep Takahashi and will pound out a new contract him. I would be surprised and irate if the Mets didn’t work out a new deal for him soon, we don’t want him on an opposing team thank you very much. I think we saw in the playoffs that the Phillies need a flexible left handed pitcher like him on their staff. Just as a reminder of what he did, Takahashi went 10-6 with a 3.61 ERA in 53 games and 12 starts in 2010 in relief. He was also 4-4 as a starter.

Kevin Burhardt writes to say with baseball done till Wednesday he is off to Lambeau Field today to see his Packers. Kevin will be gearing up soon for the return of his SNY show Mets Hot Stove which starts Nov 11th

 

[sonny10305]

Daniel Murphy fans will be happy to know that after a slow start Murphy’s bat got hot last night and he went 3-for-4 with three doubles, a walk and two RBIs for the Aguilas winter league.
Well, I knew it was just a matter of time.

SNYs Kevin Burkhardt enjoyed watching Favre throw 3 intercepts and the Packs beating the Vikings.
I mean three ints....with the Vikings.....Can you say salt on the wound

 

[syam24]

Thanks for the updates on the "wintering" Mets, good to see Murph's bat get going, and the Holt is pitchng well. Will certainly be interesting to see what the Mets do about Takahashi, he is well worth resigning now for next season. Just reading the tea leaves and nothing more, with Alderson's interview on Tues, after Byrnes, I'm thinking that he is the front runner, and unless Josh overwhelms the Wilpon's, that Alderson will be the GM. He also has Selig's blessing, which can't hurt his cause.

 

[sonny10305]

Thanks for the updates on the "wintering" Mets, good to see Murph's bat get going, and the Holt is pitchng well. Will certainly be interesting to see what the Mets do about Takahashi, he is well worth resigning now for next season. Just reading the tea leaves and nothing more, with Alderson's interview on Tues, after Byrnes, I'm thinking that he is the front runner, and unless Josh overwhelms the Wilpon's, that Alderson will be the GM. He also has Selig's blessing, which can't hurt his cause.

I will be very surprised if Sandy does not get the job.
The more I look into him the more I want him to get it.

As for Murphy, I would be willing to say I doubt anyone is working harder in winter ball. The Mets are hoping he adapts well to the second base position and some scouts who are watching him play in have said he has looked good and has made all the routine plays. Another said, he has been working hard in practice and it seems to be paying off. I will be talking to Murph again on Saturday, I am trying to make the trip down there to see him but I can't leave work yet hoping I can soon even if just for a few days. It's not the best place to visit now because The Dominican Republic’s authorities have put the country on alert following the outbreak of cholera in Haiti You have to be really careful what you eat and drink.
I'm hoping to get more info from Daniel when I speak with him.
Yikes, the things I do for baseball and my buddies.

 

[sonny10305]

So if I can’t stop smiling today it’s because last night Daniel Murphy, who I told you yesterday had three doubles in Sundays game, earned team Player of the Week in the Dominican, and Brad Holt was the Arizona Fall League Pitcher of the Week. Brad has not allowed a run over 9.0 innings.

Other guys I am watching are Wilmer Flores who went 3-9 and was batting .333. The Mets are evaluating his calf injury in St Lucie he will rehab there.
Manny Alvarez had a good week going two two-inning scoreless relief outings including four strikeouts
Kirk Nieuwenhuis is batting .278 but has not played much yet
Henry Blanco, Manny Acosta, Fernando Nieve, Mike Hessman, Luis Hernandez, Raul Valdes and Joaquin Arias are down there but has not played yet
Chris Carter will be playing soon, he is getting married
Josh Thole, who is also getting married, is working at his new Arizona home with a trainer and will not play winter ball.
Nick Evans has also decided not to play in winter ball this year.
Ike Davis will also work out from home and skip winter ball.

Sad news from Kevin B this morning Bill Shannon, a baseball historian, author and an official scorer at New York Yankees and Mets games for decades, died this morning in an early morning house fire.

 

[sonny10305]

Shhhhhhh ..It’s still secret but the Mets have decided to hire Sandy Alderson as General Manager.
Expect the formal announcement on Friday.

 

[syam24]

Nice to see Murph and Holt get recognized for their exploits. Hope it leads to success at the major league level soon. I'll keep the GM thing under my hat. I'm ready for the Series to start, will be cheering on the SF Giants, although a Texas win will not bother me at all. Glad for Nolan Ryan, he's put in a lot of hard work to get things squared away in that organization. He's going old school with the starting pitchers, wanting them to go deep into ball games, not just 5 or 6 innings.

 

[sonny10305]

Syam I,m Glad you mentioned Nolan Ryan I had forgotten about that.

I want to continue my post from yesterday about the goings on with our boys in winter ball
Fernando Martinez is expected to be ready to play in the Dominican Winter League in about two weeks. You may recall Martinez suffered a season-ending injury to his right knee in August, but did not require surgery.

Rubin Tejada will not play in winter ball The Mets want him rested up in anticipation of playing a bigger role at second base next season as a possible platoon situation with Murphy.
Murphy is a lefty and Rubin is a righty so it’s a perfect situation.
Rubin is going home to Panama and spend the winter with a trainer.

Yup Syam, mums the word on Sandy, but it may have leaked cause there was white smoke comin from Citi field this morning

 

[syam24]

They're probably burning the evidence of the past two seasons....

 

[sonny10305]

They're probably burning the evidence of the past two seasons....

You could be on to something Syam my boy, I just thought it was like when the Vatican picks a new pope they send up white smoke so why not the Mets when they pick a GM

It should be noted that the choice of Alderson is good for Ricco as well, he is well liked a dude an ego-free soldier for the organization who has become deeply involved in baseball operations. Most believe that he had some influence with the choice the Wilpons made he was there thru all the interviews. It is no secret he wants to be GM some day. Now, he remains well-positioned within the organization, even though he did not become GM this time. A lot of baseball people think very highly of him and feel he is a smart and creative guy, with lots of energy with a positive attitude. He is just not quite ready to be GM. And so, here with Alderson, he’ll hopefully get an excellent and meaningful mentor and debrief him of everything Omar ever said to him.

Hisanori Takahashi has switched agents which most believe doesn't bode well for his returning next season, as he is likely to test the open market. The Mets agreed to make him a free agent if he wasn't re-signed by October 31. He wouldn't be allowed to pitch in the big leagues until May 15 if signed by the Mets after that deadline. So basically the Mets have four days to sign him or he's gone.
I wanted him to stay; maybe Sandy Alderson can make something happen

This morning I heard Leo Mazzone on the radio say that he would be interested in being a pitching coach for the Mets. Can you say inappropriate? Warthen is still the pitching coach for the Mets, how about showing a little class and wait for the new GM to make a decision on him before you go after Dan’s job.

 

[sonny10305]

So it’s Friday and the Mets will announce Sandy Alderson as the new GM. You can watch ot live at 2pm on SNY. Kevin Burkhardt will be there along with Chris Carlin and Bobby O. Sandy has agreed to a four year contract.
I am going to watching with a great deal of interest what his first moves will be. Obviously #1 has to be a manager. Kevin likes the idea of Backman but he also said the other day he would also be happy with Clip Hale. For me of course it should be Wally but Kevin pointed out a few things that make me wonder of Sandy will pick him. Thing is I trust Alderson to make the right choice whomever that turns out to be will get my full support.

I think the next move will have to be pitching and a second starter followed by dealing with Perez and that roster spot he is wasting. Perez is pitching in winter ball and I would not care if his ERA dropped to one I would not trust to bring him back. Sandy will also have to decide what to do about John Maine who is eligible for arbitration, which means Alderson will have to decide whether or not to tender him a contract. With Johnny I worry about that shoulder injury that keeps coming back to haunt him, I worry abut he will pitch now that he had that surgery. Plus even if he can pitch will he return to when he pitched well or just his old self from ’08-09. I still think about all those walks he produced which increased steadily every year. His strike out rate has been just ok not great and I can’t overlook how his velocity dropped off substantially the past two seasons, his fastball had nothing on it. Then there is something you guys saw me write over and over again the last two years and that is the difference between his fastball and changeup which went from about almost 8 mph to just about 6. That drop in speed and the difference between these two pitches, is not going to fool many batters. It’s a big problem. Now we come to Santana who I do not believe for a second will be ready opening day, he will need more time to recover from that surgery I do not expect him back till at least May possibly June so we need pitching badly

Meantime I wrote yesterday about Takahshi and that 10/31 deadline for the Mets to re-sign him. But John Ricco was able to get it pushed back about a week giving Sandy time to get in there and see what he can do. Nice going John.

 

[sonny10305]

I very much loved the Sandy Alderson intro yesterday.
He said a lot of great things, he was funny, articulate and pretty much gave me goose bumps listening to his enthusiasm.
He said he is focused on 2011 primarily and not things that are historical in nature and that he likes a positive work environment he also said he is Friendly but professional and likes to be collaborative no matter what level. He is analytical but innovative, which I like cause what that means to me is that he likes information. He is not looking beyond 2011, he fells his job is to put the best possible team on the field in 2011 and is very optimistic about 2011.

I defiantly got the idea however that we can forget any big spending on free agents this year when he said it is unlikely that he will be in the market aggressively this year We know there is a Hugh payroll already so I sorta guessed that would be the case. So forget Cliff Lee or any talent even close to his. Now I am very interested in how under those circumstances he will deal with our starting lineup.

Of course number one has to be hiring a manager and to that Sandy said it is the first priority in the next two to three weeks. He feels there is a misconception on his view of the ideal manager. He doesn’t view him as being an extension of himself. New York has to be taken into account when selecting a manager and the best thing he said that made me jump up was he would love a mgr who will “kick ass and take names” and go toe-to-toe with an umpire. Some one fiery. Well kids if you were to look that definition up in the dictionary you would find a picture of Wally Backman.
As Kevin Burhardt pointed out to me there are positives and negatives to Backman that Sandy will have to mull over and he is interviewing several guys I will, be the one who most blows him a way that gets the job. Like I wrote yesterday I want Wally but will be ready to accept whomever Sandy decides on cause I have faith in him and after yesterdays conference I am even more convinced he will pick the right man. I mean I really believe Backman would do a hell-of-a job but if Sandy picks someone else, so be it.
I spoke with a ton of ball payers about Alderson last night and every one of them was feeling really good about Sandy, there is a lot of excitement growing in Mets land lemme tell ya.

Of course Kevin B. as usual did an awesome job interviewing Sandy after the conference ended. See it here.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLBT1VMauM4&feature=player_embedded[/ame]

 

[syam24]

Nice job on the Alderson press conference update, I was out of town all weekend, so missed it, and the internet stories. I did see where Takahashi's deadline has been moved to Nov 5. Glad to see both sides acting like adults on this issue, seems like it means Takahashi may want to return to the Mets, depending on the offer and possible role on the staff, I should think. I guess the next shoe to drop will be a MGR. Will be an interesting couple of weeks.

 

[sonny10305]

Got to spend a few minutes on the phone yesterday with Daniel Murphy just after the game ended. his spirits are still excellent although he is not satisfied with his offense even thou yesterday he went 3-4 with a home run lifting his batting average to .250 in nine games. That kid is just too hard on himself he is never satisfied, it’s just all, I must get better I must do better. He likes the progress he is making at second and that of course is very important, he’s played all but one game at second.

Meanwhile Raul Valdes tossed 5.1 shutout innings the other day, giving up just two hits and a walk while striking out eight.
Kirk Nieuwenhuis who is in Arizona has now played all three outfield positions and hitting well in four of six games. He has gotten his average up to .297 in 11 games including three extra-base hits. I love how well he is doing in all three outfield positions.
Brad Holt is having a mixed performance some really good and others really bad, control problems plaque him.

Yes Syam, as I mentioned the other day the Mets are still trying to work out a deal with Takahashi who still insists he wants a two or three year contract and has turned down an offer of a one year deal that is packed with incentives. But now that Alderson is getting involved perhaps the Mets will now sweeten the deal. As you wrote, the two sides now have until November 5 to agree on something. Thing is, once that date passes he will officially be open to all clubs, the Mets would not be able to re-sign Takahashi to a major league contract until after May 15th.

I wrote how everyone I have spoken with is very happy and excited about Alderson as GM. I do not know D Wright (met him briefly once) but he recently said that everyone he has talked to has had great things to say about Sandy and that he has heard he believes him to be an extremely bright man and that his baseball track record speaks for itself.
The face of the franchise has spoken.

 

[sonny10305]

The Hot Stove Season has officially started, and about 140 players filed for free agency last night. Teams get from now through midnight Saturday to negotiate with their own free agents, after which any player can negotiate with any team. With the end of the World Series yesterday that new rule with the players association kicks in. Starting this year, free agents no longer need to file, they automatically get that right immediately after the World Series. In case you did not read about the new rule it means The Clubs may start bidding on free agents at midnight of the fifth day after the World Series which this year would be Saturday night. I should remind you that Sandy Alderson has said the Mets likely won't be players on big-ticket items. Players on the Mets affected by this are, Henry Blanco, Elmer Dessens, Kelvin Escobar, Pedro Feliciano and Fernanado Tatis. Dessens has said he will only pitch in 2011 if he gets a major league deal somewhere and not his customary minor league deal that would include an invitation to spring training. If not Elmer is going to retire.

Mike Pelfrey, John Maine, Angel Pagan and Sean Green are eligible for salary arbitration. Teams have until Nov. 23 to offer salary arbitration, the player has seven days to accept or decline.

Next month a whole new class of non tenders will hit the free agent market. Mets players who were non-tendered from 2007-09 are Cory Sullivan, Tim Redding, Jeremy Reed, Lance Broadway, Johnny Estrada, Ben Johnson, and Juan Padilla. I should mention that this list of guys doesn't have much in the way of predictive value, that’s because some teams like the Mets now have new GMs and others have simply had bigger arbitration classes than others. It just makes the whole process interesting and kinda fun.

Sandy Alderson is wrapping up all of his personal business and report to work in his new office at Citi field this week. The Mets will begin there regular organizational meetings next week, followed by the GM Meetings will begin in Orlando on November 18.

I asked yesterday and was told that as of now there are no interviews set up as yet for the manager’s job.
The Mets do however expect to a new manager *cough* Backman named by the end of November.

 

[sonny10305]

Sandy Alderson spent his first full day in his Citi Field office yesterday and of course the big news was the hiring of J.P. Ricciardi. as his special assistant. That is a good move cause JP is a close friend of Sandy’s and will be very helpful in the transition, someone he can trust. what I know of JP is that his strong points are going in player related activities like pro scouting, player development, trades, free agency etc. Actually Ricciardi has a background in player development and scouting which are his strengths in addition to his ability to evaluate.
Alderson also began the process of scheduling managerial interviews. He is not talking when it comes to who will get the call but a little birdie told me that Wally Backman and Chip Hale will be the first two to be interviewed either Thursday or Friday. Alderson also said that he has spoken to nearly all of the major league coaches, and once again asked most to wait despite the fact that their contracts expired Nov. 1. What we know for sure is that first base coach Razor Shines will not return. Pitching Coach Dan Warthen is probably going to stay and hitting Coach Howard Johnson will likely be reassigned within the organization. No indications of what will happen to Bench coach Dave Jauss. It seems clear that no decisions on coaches will be made until a manager is chosen.
It will be interesting to se what happens to John Ricco who I think will be valuable for his knowledge of MLB rules and procedures, as well as his relationships with some of the other many other MLB exes.

 

[sonny10305]

I was happy to hear last night that Sandy Alderson has already started making good moves, the New York Mets have just picked up Jose Reyes' $11 million option for 2011. Seriously, we needed to get that out of the way and fast cause Reyes is our table setter and he is arguably one of the most explosive players in the game and is an absolutely crucial part to the Mets. I should point out that in 2012 Reyes will be a free agent and so the Mets should now work to move towards signing him to a long term deal. I understand that his injuries were an issue last season but in 563 at bats he hit .282 with 11 homers, 54 RBIs and 30 steals and was a National League All-Star selection for the third time. Reyes and Wright are the homegrown faces of the franchise.

In another moves yesterday the Mets added right-hander Manny Alvarez to the 40-man roster. Manny went a combined 6-4 with a 2.17 ERA in 78 2-3 innings for Class-A St. Lucie, Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Buffalo. He also won 17 of 21 save chances.

Alderson had said last week that he would reach out to players this offseason, and true to his word he has already reached out to Carlos Beltran who has been invited to New York to meet with Alderson.You may recall Beltran said recently that he would like to remain in New York beyond 2011, after his seven-year contract expires. I am interested in seeing how that meet goes I know that Alderson is looking to free up some money by getting rid of guy like Perez and Castillo and I had wondered if that would include Beltran

Two more candidates have been added to the list of managers being called in for interviews. We know that Backman and Hale will meet with the Mets this week and know it looks like Bob Melvin and Dave Jauss will also get interviews probably this week.

As you guys who read my stuff know I follow winter ball religiously and if you want to see something fun watch the MLB network Saturday at 9 pm for the Arizona Fall League’s Rising Stars showcase. You will see some of the boys like Brad Holt and Jordanny Valdespin.
Valdespin is hitting .362 with doubles, triples and home runs. He has had just 10 strikeouts in 60 plate appearances, makes lots of contact. He is also 7-for-7 stealing bases.
Holt’s ERA is now 2.92 ERA. His fastball has been mostly in the 90-92 range and has thrown 93-94 a few times. Brad has three off speed pitches over three velocity ranges, a curveball at 77-79 mph, slider at 88 mph, and a change up 80-83. My oh my oh my.

Good news coming out of Venezuela, Wilmer Flores does plan to resume playing winter ball. You may recall I told you guys he has been out of action since mid Oct. because of an injury. But his hitting program is going well and so he and plans to return to play this winter. Before getting hurt Wilmer was hitting .289 His RBIs were second among all Mets minor leaguers.

The Mets also added right-hander Manny Alvarez to the 40-man roster yesterday.

Expect more moves this week and net cause the deadline for adding players to the 40-man roster to protect them from the Rule 5 draft is Nov. 19.

 

[syam24]

Saw where the Mets outrighted several players to minor league teams, Jesus Feliciano, Omir Santos, Eddie Kunz, among them, and lost Joaquin Arias to the Royals on a waiver claim. Glad to see the Mets pick up Reyes option, with plans to work on an extension into the future. To me, that was a no-brainer, but let's see what happens with Takahashi today. I know you're all psyched to see Backman get the manager job, but for some reason, I think it won't be him. As long as it isn't Joe Torre, and I don't think it will be, I'll probably be satisfied.

 

[sonny10305]

Yup syam as I wrote yesterday we can expect more changes quickly as Alderson hits the ground running and begins making changes. Those players you mentioned who had been on the Mets' 40-man roster have been removed and have been outrighted to Buffalo after clearing waivers. In addition there is the waiver claim of Joaquin Arias by the Kansas City Royals, so the Mets' roster now has 34 players.
That leaves nothing to show for the Jeff Francoeur deal, with Arias already added to the Royals 4o-man roster.
I was irrated by the Francoeur deal and had no use for Arias.
The change in the roster will shave 6.5 million off the Mets payroll and while it may not seem like much it’s a start to free up money for 2011.
That move of outrighted to the minors is an important step for those players cause a player may be outrighted once in his career without a choice. After the first time, the player may choose to accept the assignment and report or refuse the assignment and opt for free agency. After the assignment is made, the player has 72 hours to make a decision about his status. Players who are outrighted to the minors may return to the major-leagues by having their contract purchased or being signed to a major-league contract with another team as a free agent.

I was saddend by the news that Charlie Samuels, the Mets’ longtime clubhouse manager, has been suspended after the team learned he was tied to a federal investigation into illegal gambling, Samuels has been the team's equipment manager for almost 30 years. Apparently Samuels is linked to a federal investigation involving alleged illegal gambling, likely on football. The investigation is looking into whether Samuels provided inside information to friends and relatives about the status of Mets players, among other things. It’s also investigating claims that Samuels used Mets bank accounts to float himself loans, skimmed money on hotel rooms he ordered for players as the team’s traveling secretary and stole and/or sold hundreds of bats, balls and jerseys from the Mets clubhouse. It’s just so sad that with all the good feelings going around right now that this has to come up.

You are correct Syam, Backman is my choice for manager he will have his interview on Saturday. Chip Hale will also be interviewed this weekend. Bob Melvin and Dave Jauss. will have their interviews today. Kevin Burkhardt agrees with you Syam and does not believe Wally will get the job. I am of course hoping you are both wrong.

 

[sonny10305]

By bye Taki..The Mets have passed on signing Hisanori Takahashi. Late last night the Mets asked for waivers for Takahashi’s with the intention of giving him his release after they could not come to terms on a new deal. Takahashi is looking for a 3-4 year deal between $4-5 million per year while the Mets were only willing to give him a one-year deal with an option for another year at best. It is clear that Takahashi wanted to test the free agent market.
What that means for Takahashi is he will now be able to sign with any team that shows interest and the Mets will not be able to resume talks with him until May 15if he is still available that is.
I wanted to keep him I think he was a valuable addition to out pitching staff especially when you consider the fact that we do not know if Johan Santana will be ready for the start of 2011 following shoulder surgery, Takahashi's versatility could have been valuable. This also makes resigning Feliciano very important we really need that lefty in the pen.
But I have faith in Alderson and I believe he thinks that this was best decision for the Mets. Takahahsi was asking too much for too long and he is not getting any younger so as long as Sandy has a backup plan, as I am sure he does, I am cautiously ok with this

Beginning tomorrow, Sunday at 4 p.m. NY1 Noticias channel 95 on Time Warner cable will start a series of six baseball games live from the Dominican Republic. I am sooo there