METS HOT STOVE NEWS

Well, it didn't take long for the Mets to make some news today. They picked up Alou's option for 2008 at $7.5 Million and resigned Easley for 1 year and $950,000. Alou' will be in Left field and Easley will be a utility player. Hopefully Alou' will stay healthier this year, and Easley can recover from his nasty ankle injury.

The Mets are still interested in signing Castillo to play 2nd. That doesn't mean they wouldn't be interested in signing Valentin again. They also want Gotay on the team.

I was surprised to hear that Omar has been in contact with Lo Duca's agent. Hopefully Omar will seriously consider bringing Paul back. I think he'd be a better fit than Posada. Posada is 37 and looking for $13-14 million a year for 3-4 years. Paul is younger, better behind the plate, and would cost half as much as Posada.

As I understand it, the Mets are also interested in talking to Shawn Green. I think Green would be a valuable player who can platoon at 1st and in Right Field.

Unfortunately, Omar also said he's still hoping for Glavine. Sometimes I really wonder what Omar sees in Glavine. I'd rather have Schilling then Glavine. Schilling made $13 Million last year. That's the same amount that Glavine got last year. I think it's better to pay $13 million to a hard throwing pitcher with an attitude than the soft throwing coward who can't win when the season is on the line. I'd really rather have Santana than any other pitcher, but Schilling would bring a headhunter mentality to the Mets.

I also hear that the Mets have told David Wright to keep quite on the A-Rod issue. Omar has also said he's talked to David's agent, and also wants to talk to David too. Could this mean the Mets are seriously considering signing A-Rod? I can only hope so. A-Rod at 3rd, Reyes at SS, Wright at 2nd [?], and Delgadud at 1st. The only fault in that line-up is at 1st base. But we're stuck with the disrespecting dud at 1st for another year.

Here's hoping for some more good news in the days to come.

The Future is now Ripe for the Picking

There is quite a stir going on in the baseball world now that A-Rod has left the Yankees. And with Hank Steinbrenner really p.o.'d, I doubt there is any chance of A-Rod going back to the Yankees. Which leaves the door of NY City ready to be kicked in by the Mets. Here's why.

A-Rod is the biggest offensive player the game has seen in 50 years. Not even Bonds will be in his league when A-Rod retires. He'll hit over 800 home runs and set just about every record worth noting when he's done playing. I don't care if it cost $35+ million dollars to sign him, the Mets can afford it. They're getting $20 Million a year for the naming rights to the new stadium. Delgado [$16+ Million], Duque' [$6.5 Million], Mota [$3.2 Million], and Pedro [ $11 million] are off the books after next year. Of the 4, only Pedro figures to be back. That leaves plenty of money to pay A-Rod.

A-Rod is the biggest name in baseball, and the Mets would own the city if they signed him. Overnight, it would be the Mets on the back pages of the city papers, not the Yankees. Citi-Field would be the hardest ticket to get in all of baseball. You have to think of the big picture when thinking of A-Rod. He'll break the home run record in CITI-FIELD. What Pedro did was bring respect to the Mets. What A-Rod would bring is multiple years of playoff baseball to the Blue and Orange, and multiple Rings too. A-Rod's Post-season record not withstanding, The Mets will get to the playoffs on a yearly basis. You can't win Championships without getting to the playoffs . And getting to the playoffs on a regular basis is one of the Mets problems. A-Rod's signing would also send a signal to the rest of the league that the Mets are not screwing around anymore. And none of this has any bearing on signing a top notch pitcher. If anything, A-Rod's presence would help bring people like Santana or Peavy to the Mets.

If A-Rod was to sign with the Mets they'd have a few different options as far as fielders go. If A-Rod would move to 2nd base, then Castillo can go somewhere else. If not, Move Wright to 1st, and send Delgado to the Twins in a multiple player deal for Santana. Once Delgado leaves, A-Rod would be at 3rd, Reyes at SS, Gotay or Castillo at 2nd, and David at 1st base. David has already said he'd play anywhere the Mets wanted him to play if it meant getting A-Rod in Shea Stadium. Omar and the Wilpon's can't allow this chance to rule NYC to escape them. A-Rod has said he likes NY, and the Yankees are no longer an option for him. Sounds like the Mets could make a deal for his services, and bring a smile to all their fans faces.

Signing A-Rod and Santana would probably make the Mets the best team in baseball since the '29 Yankees. If only we could to see that day come true, we'd stop dreaming of Rings, because the Mets would be wearing the Rings.

Random thoughts on the off season chatter

First off, Congratulations to David Wright for being named to the Sporting News All-Star team. He was the only Met selected and deserves high praise for his season this year. David lead the team in Average [.325], slugging % [.546], OBP [.416], hits [196], walks [94], and TB [330]. He had a stolen base % that Reyes should strive for [34-39] and he played in 160 games. If more people on the Mets played like David, the Mets would be in the series now, not the Rockies.

He's also a finalist in the MLB players choice awards for the Outstanding Player of the Year. He's going against Matt Holliday and Prince Fielder for this honor. Players Choice Awards annually recognize the top pitcher, player, rookie and comeback player in each league, while the Player of the Year and Man of the Year awards bestow top honors without regard to league. I think David is well deserving of this consideration.

Glavine is also up for an award. The Marvin Miller award. The Marvin Miller Man of the Year award honors the player whose on-field and off-the-field performance most inspires others to higher levels of achievement. Now I would argue the point of his "On Field" performance, but it's probably more about his past reputation than his 2007 year on the mound.

There seems to be a lot of discussion about trading Jose Reyes for Santana. I'd do it on one condition. And it wouldn't have anything to do with Jose's failure this year. That condition being that Santana signs a 5 year extension before the trade, and it's a one for one deal. Reyes is only signed for 4 more years, and there is no guarantee he'll resign. If Santana signs for 5 more years, that means he'll be in NY until 2013. Jose' could be gone in 2012. And I don't want to hear about trading a 24 year old everyday player for a 29 year old every 5th day player. Santana can and will win 20+ games in NY for many years. Will Reyes win 20 games a year for the Mets? I don't think so. He's only one piece of the puzzle, and he can't have the effect of a Stud Ace on the mound. The Mets need someone they can count on to stop the bleeding, and to right the ship when things are going bad. The Mets need a Beckett type pitcher. Look at what he's done this post-season and during the season. The RedSox know that when he takes the mound, they'll win the game even with only a few runs. And like Beckett, Santana throws hard [95+ mph] and then can throw a 75 mph pitch. I know Jose' has cost the Mets at least 10 games this year. His lack of focus at the plate, in the field, and on the bases was disturbing to say the least. I think we can all see how valuable Valentin was to Reyes. He kept Jose' focused and under control. And when he got hurt, Reyes started his slide. Castillo didn't keep Reyes focused, and Rickey wasn't any help either. Shortstops are easier to find than game changing ACE pitchers. Heck, even Gotay could cover the SS position until someone like Hanley Rameriz becomes available.

Just remember, with great risk comes great rewards. The Reyes for Santana trade has more rewards than risks.

Why is there talk of a new hitting coach?

The Mets never cease to amaze me. The latest talk I hear is that the Mets are interested in the hitting coach from the Rangers. His name is Jaramillo. Does anyone out there wonder why Omar is looking to hire this guy?

HoJo did a good job while he was hitting coach. For the 1st time in his career, David Wright's production increased in the 2nd half, Green was smoking the ball, and Lo Duca had the best September of his career. The only one who failed to hit the second half was Josie Reyes and Delgado. Delgado crashed and burned this season, and I don't hold out much hope for him returning to his past production. I guess having a child was so much of a strain on his home life, that he carried that to the batter's box. Josie Reyes is lost. I don't know if it was Henderson's influence of just coincidence, but Reyes went into a skid as soon as Ricky stood at 1st base. I hope Reyes isn't turning into a little punk, or worse, like so many younger players today. The last time I saw someone on the Mets crash and burn like Josie was when Gooden and Strawberry were keeping the Colombian economy humming along by way of their noses. Let's hope he's not going down that road to destruction.

Omar should be worried about getting rid of Mota, and finding some pitching help for the pen. He should also be burning up the frequent flier miles working on Santana or Peavy. Pitching should be his focus, not on hiring another one of his buddies. Willie and Omar have a habit of playing and hiring their friends, instead of putting the team first. That's one of the problems the Mets had this year. They were more worried about hurting players feelings, and "trusting their boys" instead of winning games. They certainly didn't put the best players on the field everyday. I just hope that the rumor I heard about Witless Willie's and Omar's future being tied together is true. As I heard it, the Wilpon's told Omar that if Willie fails to get the team to the post season next year, they are both gone.

Glavine's Pitching by the numbers

Hello everyone. I'm sorry I haven't posted in a few days but news is slow, and I've been busy. In true Mountain Man fashion, I've been putting away the bounty from my garden harvest and getting ready for the coming hunting season. I still have thoughts to share and hope for your replies and input.

There has been some discussion about Glavine taking the $3 million dollar buyout, and what the future holds for him. I don't want him back, but I worry about Omar's and Jeff Wilpon's love for him. If you figure the $12 Million Glavine got paid , and the $3 million buyout, the Mets payed Glavine $1,153,846.15 per victory. And you all thought Clemens was overpaid! What a waste of money. When you consider that Maine and Perez were each paid around $380,000 for the season and won 15 games each, what's the better bargain? Maine also had 191.0 innings pitched, compared to Glavine's 200.1, and he pitched 2 fewer games than Glavine. Maine had only pitched 90 innings as a season high before this year, so why couldn't someone like Pelfrey or Humber pitch 180-200 innings next year? That's all that's needed from a 4th or 5th spot in the rotation. Perez and Maine should both get over 200 innings next year without any problems at all. If the Mets can get Santana and his 240+ innings in the rotation that would solve alot of problems with the pen. With Pedro healthy for the 1st time in many years, I figure he'll get 200-220 innings also. I wish the Mets would just come out with a statement and say that they are not interested in resigning Glavine for the 2008 season. If the team was willing to spend 5 years and $100 Million on Zito, that shouldn't be an issue for Santana. Zito's a soft tossing pitcher on the down slide, and Johan is still steaming along with his nasty change-up and 95 MPH fastball. His innings and attitude would go a long way to fixing many issues on this club concerning the bullpen. Glavine's presence would only continue to weaken the pen and empty the Wilpon's checkbook.

So what do you say? Should the Mets issue a statement saying goodbye to Glavine? Or should they wait around for 3 months while Tom figures out what he wants to do? Let's hear from you.

I told you so

Since the Mets are sitting home instead of playing baseball, I thought I'd share some more e-mails I sent during the Summer of 07. These were sent to the local sports talk radio program. If someone like me, how has never played organized baseball can see the problems, why couldn't Witless Willie and management? This one is from 6/14/07 Andrew, I wonder how long before Willie decides to make major changes to the lineup. Delgado continue to kill any scoring chances, and Beltran is hopeless. He's turned into nothing but a 18 million dollar wimp. I wonder if he'll be missing any time because he bumped into the wall last night? I've never seen such a big cry baby in professional sports. Unless he's 100% healthy, he can't hit his way onto a little league team. Lo Duca needs to get back into the 2 hole. He makes contact with the ball and doesn't strikeout. He's the perfect guy to move Reyes around the bases. Wright, Green, Lo Duca, and Valentine are the only people hitting the ball lately. They need to be put in the lineup where they can drive in runs and move people into scoring position. Beltran, Delgado, Leday are just getting in the way of wins. Until Delgado starts hitting on a consistent basis, he shouldn't hit any higher than 6th in the order. He needs to have a few weeks of multi hit games before he's moved up in the order. Delgado is constantly killing rallies, and doesn't show any signs of getting better. Beltran needs to stop complaining about his knee and legs and be a man. He's paid a lot of money to play and drive in runs. The only driving he's doing the last month is to the bank, because he certainly isn't driving any baseballs into the stands. And this one is from 6/15/07. It's kind of fitting that I saw the "mental Issues" the Mets had, 3 months before Witless Willie. Rodger, Morning to you and Kenny. I can't say it's a good morning, because the Mets season hangs in the balance. I dread the start of tonight's game because of the situation Willie continues to ignore. This weekend will prove where Willie's allegiance is in the baseball world. If he continues to trot out the same old batting order that has Lo Duca in the bottom 3rd and Delgado batting 4th or 5th, he's working against the Mets. If he moves Lo Duca up and Delgado down, the Mets may make a show of the weekend series. Betran needs to play like a man that's getting 18 million a year, not some bush league hack. Heilman needs to disappear for the weekend, and Wright and Reyes need to get hits. If these things happen, maybe the Mets can win a game or two this weekend. If Not, the season is lost and the Mets will be sitting home this October. They can't beat the Braves, and now the Phillies are in their heads too. Not a good thing if the Mets plan on a post season this year. So, do you think I'd make a better manager than Witless Willie? I do.

Will they never learn

Well, for better or for worse we as fans are stuck with Witless Willie for another year. I can only take heart in the fact that the Wilpon's told Omar that his continued employment with the Mets will be determined by Willie's success or failure. So, maybe Omar will go out and get Santana and someone like Andrew Jones. It's a little disturbing to hear Willie say there isn't much he can do about the young players, or about instilling a winning attitude in the players as a whole. I thought that's what Managers are paid to do. It's troubling when I saw the issues and problems with this team months before Witless Willie.

A summer lost

I just started writing for this blog in August, but I've been writing into a local sports talk radio program all year. The Host reads my comments on a daily basis. I said way back in June that this team needed a kick in the a-s. I thought I might share a e-mail or 2 with all of you. This one is from 6/6/07 Well, once again the Mets have blown a good pitching performance by a starting pitcher. The Mets offense is so pathetic now, I doubt they will have a winning record for the month of June. It's to the point now, that their starting pitchers are going to have to throw complete game shutouts in order to get wins. It's ridiculous. Willie seems to be following Torre's style of managing. Ignore the problems, be every players best friend, and wait for someone to wave a magic wand to make everything better. Someone needs to start kicking some butts in that locker room. If the players don't preform, they should sit on the bench. When you do stupid things like getting picked off 2nd base, fine them. When they swing for the fences when a single is needed, park them. When they jog to 1st base, or stand at the plate watching hits instead of running all out, sit them. Enough is enough. Here's one from 6/7/07 I see the Mets have hired the Yankee conditioning coach and are picking up all the Yankee bad habits. Underachieving and ignoring the problems. I guess that's what happens when the Mets decide to hire a Joe Torre disciple. I wonder if Willie is finally going to start making hard decisions. The first thing that needs to happen is sending Heilman somewhere. He doesn't want to be a reliever, and all he does this year is give up homeruns. Send him somewhere via trade and get his cancerous attitude out of the locker room. When someone continually blows leads and games, and then isn't upset about it, he needs to go. The players in that locker room need to start getting on the loafers, and calling people out when they do boneheaded things. Willie certainly won't or can't bring himself to get in peoples faces. Keith Hernandez pointed out a glaring issue with this team Tuesday night. They're playing country club baseball. Tuesday night, Delgado and or David Wright should have leveled the catcher who was standing on home plate without the ball. Instead Delgado does a pirouette around him, and Wright does a needless standup slide. The Mets are just going thru the motions. They act like they're owed a World Series ring. It's time for them to start playing with some bad boy attitude, not a candy a_s attitude. Looks like I knew more than Witless Willie.