Carlos Delgado has signed with the Florida Marlins for $1 million more than the Mets offered. (Actually, it's been reported that all told the Mets offer would have been worth about $38,000 more but let's not nitpick.) Delgado's agent, David Sloan, appears to have used the Mets as a ploy to get more money out of the Marlins. Based on some of Sloan's actions (like telling the press that the Mets were out of the running before telling Omar Minaya) it didn't look like the agent had any interest at all in putting his only star client in New York.
As mentioned yesterday I had mixed feelings about the prospect of acquiring Delgado so I don't really view it as a great loss. We'll just watch him in Florida and see if he lives up to my Murray/Vaughn theory. (Of course the Murray/Vaughn theory doesn't apply as much in Florida since the pressures are different in New York and definitely contributed to their downfalls.)
Be that as it may, the Mets immediately went to plan B and traded single A 1B Ian Bladergroen to the Red Sox for Doug Mientkiewicz. An official announcement will come later today. Mientkiewicz's defensive prowess will help with the relatively inexperienced and out of position players in the rest of the infield and his bat, while not as great as Delgado's, is not a tremendous liability. He's got a .363 career OBP. We'll see if he can continue such production in the NL.
In the final analysis, adding Mientkiewicz is an upgrade. It's just not the upgrade that the Mets and most of the fans had in mind.
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1/26/2005
1/25/2005
Goodbye, Johnny B Good
John Franco signed with Houston the other day finalizing his detachment from the Mets. I'd like to thank Franco for 14 years of loyal service. His best days are clearly behind him (even he realizes that) but I have to say that I've enjoyed his presence on this club and appreciate what he gave it. Good luck, Johnny Be Good.
Delgado: To Sign or Not To Sign (or History May Teach Us Something)
I haven't weighed in on the idea of signing Carlos Delgado yet because I'm really not sure about it. On the one hand there are definite pluses to signing another bat to make the lineup more potent. On the other hand, with a young left side of the infield (David Wright at 3B & Jose Reyes at SS) and a second baseman playing the position for the first time (Kaz Matsui) someone with more sound defensive skills to anchor the infield may be a better fit (perhaps someone in the John Olerud mold). It's really a toss up but I like the way the Mets have handled the situation thus far. Though they reopened talks after their deadline for a deal was not met they have now put a final offer on the table for Delgado to take or leave. If he takes it then they have their new bat. If not then it's time to explore other options (Doug Mientkiewicz and Travis Lee are a couple of the other possibilities as well as Andres Galarraga).
The two things that stick in my mind about signing Delgado are this:
I know it sounds weird but Murray and Vaughn are two relatively recent examples of a problem that we could see happen to Delgado as well. All three players were career American Leaguers when they signed with the Mets. Both Murray and Vaughn ended their careers with the Mets (due to slumps, injuries, etc.). While it's true that Murray and Vaughn were clearly on the downside of their careers when they came to the Mets it's not certain if Delgado is at that point in his career. However, history is wrought with stories of guys changing leagues late in their careers and not being able to make the adjustment. This is why I won't shed a tear if the Mets lose out on Delgado and why I'm indifferent about acquiring him.
The two things that stick in my mind about signing Delgado are this:
- Eddie Murray
- Mo Vaughn
I know it sounds weird but Murray and Vaughn are two relatively recent examples of a problem that we could see happen to Delgado as well. All three players were career American Leaguers when they signed with the Mets. Both Murray and Vaughn ended their careers with the Mets (due to slumps, injuries, etc.). While it's true that Murray and Vaughn were clearly on the downside of their careers when they came to the Mets it's not certain if Delgado is at that point in his career. However, history is wrought with stories of guys changing leagues late in their careers and not being able to make the adjustment. This is why I won't shed a tear if the Mets lose out on Delgado and why I'm indifferent about acquiring him.
1/19/2005
Goodbye, Paul Hackett
Jets offensive coordinator Paul Hackett resigned today. Good riddance.
I'm glad a change is being made but I'm not one of those who have gotten on the "Hackett Must Go" bangwagon as a result of Sundays overtime loss to Pittsburgh. I've been unhappy with his offensive scheemes for a couple of years now. I felt they should have fired him after last season but I guess they didn't feel like working with 2 new coordinators this year after firing former defensive coordinator Ted Cotrell.
Why am I happy to see a change? Several reasons:
There are other reasons too but I can't think of them right now.
Hackett seems like a good man and he knows his business very well. I just don't think he's the right fit for this team and hasn't been for quite some time. This week's game may have been the nail in the coffin but this change was inevitable for a while. I wish coach Hackett well in his future endeavors and look forward to ctriticizing the next guy.
I'm glad a change is being made but I'm not one of those who have gotten on the "Hackett Must Go" bangwagon as a result of Sundays overtime loss to Pittsburgh. I've been unhappy with his offensive scheemes for a couple of years now. I felt they should have fired him after last season but I guess they didn't feel like working with 2 new coordinators this year after firing former defensive coordinator Ted Cotrell.
Why am I happy to see a change? Several reasons:
- I've seen Hackett's offense get far too conservative when playing with a lead late in games. Most often this gives the opposition reason to believe they can win the game and puts far too much pressure on the defense. This leads to the inevitable loss or game that ends far too close for comfort. When you have an opportunity to put the game away you need to take it.
- On third and long you're supposed to call a play that's get you past the first down marker. You're not supposed to call a screen pass that falls 2 yards short. You're not supposed to hand it off to your star running back who can't get the long yardage on every play.
- You're allowed to pass to your tight ends.
- You call that a West Coast offense? Where's the vertical game. Don't tell me Chad Pannington doesn't have the right arm for it. The few times I've seen some aggressive play calling (such as the third quarter of the playoff game against Pittsburgh) Pennington acquitted himself quite well.
There are other reasons too but I can't think of them right now.
Hackett seems like a good man and he knows his business very well. I just don't think he's the right fit for this team and hasn't been for quite some time. This week's game may have been the nail in the coffin but this change was inevitable for a while. I wish coach Hackett well in his future endeavors and look forward to ctriticizing the next guy.
Cameron Accepts Right Field
On their way to the Dominican Republic a group of Mets officials stopped in Atlanta to meet with Mike Cameron. After the meeting all sides were saying the right thing. The basic gist is that Cameron will play right field because it's for the best of the team.
While it's good news that Cameron's fallen in line and accepted to make the move that he himself had offered to make I'm still a little wary of the situation and am not as convinced as others are that this calls off the possibility of trading him. I know Cameron's a professional but it's obvious that this isn't the position he wants to play. Comments like "Imagine somebody coming in and telling you to do something different than you've always done" and "I'll always view myself as a center fielder" don't show a healthy attitude toward the move and are signs that this isn't the end of the discussion here.
I stand by what I've said previously. A man playing a position he doesn't really want to play and whose role has been degraded in the offense (especially if the Mets end up signing Carlos Delgado) could lead to bad things.
A quick note on the Delgado front: Mets brass will meet with Delgado on Thursday in Puerto Rico. Don't expect him to sign anywhere before the weekend.
While it's good news that Cameron's fallen in line and accepted to make the move that he himself had offered to make I'm still a little wary of the situation and am not as convinced as others are that this calls off the possibility of trading him. I know Cameron's a professional but it's obvious that this isn't the position he wants to play. Comments like "Imagine somebody coming in and telling you to do something different than you've always done" and "I'll always view myself as a center fielder" don't show a healthy attitude toward the move and are signs that this isn't the end of the discussion here.
I stand by what I've said previously. A man playing a position he doesn't really want to play and whose role has been degraded in the offense (especially if the Mets end up signing Carlos Delgado) could lead to bad things.
A quick note on the Delgado front: Mets brass will meet with Delgado on Thursday in Puerto Rico. Don't expect him to sign anywhere before the weekend.
1/18/2005
Big Whoop!
Several media outlets are reporting that Carlos Delgado has narrowed his choices down to 4 teams: the Mets, Marlins, Orioles and Rangers. The source for this information is Delgado's agent, David Sloane. It's nice that the Mets are among his choices but I'm trying to figure out how this is news. The same reporters who spit back this information have been reporting for weeks that these were the only teams interested in signing him. I can understand Sloane making information like this public in an effort to start a bidding war between the teams involved but why is it being reported? There's nothing new there. Find something real to report on and get back to us later.
In other news, the Mike Cameron saga continues. The last time I wrote about Cameron I was criticizing him for waiting so long to get surgery on his ailing left wrist which was injured in the second to last game of the season. I was quite vehement about it because I hate it when injuries don't get treated properly as early in the off season as possible because that leads to unnecessary missed games early in the following season. Then last week Cameron reportedly reneged on his offer to move from centerfield to right field after Carlos Beltran was signed. This development has sparked rumors of a trade to Oakland in exchange for Eric Byrnes. Byrnes had been a rumored acquisition to fill in for Cameron in center while the surgery kept Cameron out for the first month or so of the season but has since become the central figure in an exchange for Cameron.
There's been a lot of discussion in the media and on the blogs about whether or not the Mets should make such a deal. Most people (especially bloggers) would go into a long drawn out statistical analysis to support their opinions but you know that I don't depend on obscure stats, just basic numbers together with my own knowledge and instincts. These tools tell me that now's the right time to trade Cameron.
With Beltran aboard, David Wright coming in at the start of the season and a healthy Jose Reyes, Cameron's role in the offense will be minimized (especially if Delgado ends up signing). He'll be dropped down in the order and will not be happy about it. The last thing you want on your team when you're trying to get things going in the right direction is a guy pouting because he's not playing the position he wants and he's not batting in the right spot in the order.
At age 32 and coming off a career high 30 HR year Cameron's got nowhere to go but down. His value is as high as it will ever be so you may as well get as much as you can for him before it's too late. If Oakland wants him then you do your best to work out a deal.
Don't get me wrong as far as Cameron goes. Despite my recent knocks on him I think he's a great ballplayer. I just think the time is right for a move.
In other news, the Mike Cameron saga continues. The last time I wrote about Cameron I was criticizing him for waiting so long to get surgery on his ailing left wrist which was injured in the second to last game of the season. I was quite vehement about it because I hate it when injuries don't get treated properly as early in the off season as possible because that leads to unnecessary missed games early in the following season. Then last week Cameron reportedly reneged on his offer to move from centerfield to right field after Carlos Beltran was signed. This development has sparked rumors of a trade to Oakland in exchange for Eric Byrnes. Byrnes had been a rumored acquisition to fill in for Cameron in center while the surgery kept Cameron out for the first month or so of the season but has since become the central figure in an exchange for Cameron.
There's been a lot of discussion in the media and on the blogs about whether or not the Mets should make such a deal. Most people (especially bloggers) would go into a long drawn out statistical analysis to support their opinions but you know that I don't depend on obscure stats, just basic numbers together with my own knowledge and instincts. These tools tell me that now's the right time to trade Cameron.
With Beltran aboard, David Wright coming in at the start of the season and a healthy Jose Reyes, Cameron's role in the offense will be minimized (especially if Delgado ends up signing). He'll be dropped down in the order and will not be happy about it. The last thing you want on your team when you're trying to get things going in the right direction is a guy pouting because he's not playing the position he wants and he's not batting in the right spot in the order.
At age 32 and coming off a career high 30 HR year Cameron's got nowhere to go but down. His value is as high as it will ever be so you may as well get as much as you can for him before it's too late. If Oakland wants him then you do your best to work out a deal.
Don't get me wrong as far as Cameron goes. Despite my recent knocks on him I think he's a great ballplayer. I just think the time is right for a move.
1/10/2005
Beltran Takes The '7' Train (sorry, that's the best I can do)
The Mets have come to contract terms with Carlos Beltran. Beltran will take a physical today and is expected to be intorduced at a press conference tomorrow (Tuesday). This is fantastic news and finally shows a commitment on the part of the Wilpons.
The developments that led to the signing were interesting. Beltran turned down the Astros offer based strictly on the fact that they would not give him a no trade clause. Aparently he felt that if Houston gave Andy Pettitte a no trade clause last year when Pettitte signed with an iffy elbow then he (Beltran) should certainly get one. Rumor has it that Beltran then went to the Yankees and offered his services at a "discount" of just under $100 million for 7 years. George Steinbrenner turned him down citing the luxury tax on that would ammount to $40 million over the life of the contract. I guess the Boss does have limits. Anyway, the Mets were the next stop and they were willing to give $119 million and a no trade clause.
The addition of Beltran gives the Mets a solid bat on the way up in his career. This is a great thing but this is also the company line. I'm always one who looks back while looking forward and I see something that alarms me. If you compare Beltran's stats from last year to those of Bobby Bonilla the year before he joined the Mets you'll see some similarities. Does that mean that he'll go south like Bonilla did after joining the Mets? No. It's just something to keep in mind.
The other thing that bothers me is that the last few years the Mets have turned away Alex Rodriguez and Vladimir Guerrero. Regardless of money ARod and Vlad were sure things where, as good as Beltran is, I can't help but that those guys were much better equiped and even more talented than Beltran hence making them more ideal players to help bring the franchise to back to respectability. The Wilpon's clearly should have opened up to them the way they opened up to Beltran. Beltran's got a great agent and PR machine around him. I just hope he lives up to the hype and can take the heat in New York when he hits his first slump.
Anyway, Omar Minaya has said that the signing of Beltran does not preclude the possibility of signing Carlos Delgado as well. How deep the Wilpons pockets really are this winter will determine what happens there.
The developments that led to the signing were interesting. Beltran turned down the Astros offer based strictly on the fact that they would not give him a no trade clause. Aparently he felt that if Houston gave Andy Pettitte a no trade clause last year when Pettitte signed with an iffy elbow then he (Beltran) should certainly get one. Rumor has it that Beltran then went to the Yankees and offered his services at a "discount" of just under $100 million for 7 years. George Steinbrenner turned him down citing the luxury tax on that would ammount to $40 million over the life of the contract. I guess the Boss does have limits. Anyway, the Mets were the next stop and they were willing to give $119 million and a no trade clause.
The addition of Beltran gives the Mets a solid bat on the way up in his career. This is a great thing but this is also the company line. I'm always one who looks back while looking forward and I see something that alarms me. If you compare Beltran's stats from last year to those of Bobby Bonilla the year before he joined the Mets you'll see some similarities. Does that mean that he'll go south like Bonilla did after joining the Mets? No. It's just something to keep in mind.
The other thing that bothers me is that the last few years the Mets have turned away Alex Rodriguez and Vladimir Guerrero. Regardless of money ARod and Vlad were sure things where, as good as Beltran is, I can't help but that those guys were much better equiped and even more talented than Beltran hence making them more ideal players to help bring the franchise to back to respectability. The Wilpon's clearly should have opened up to them the way they opened up to Beltran. Beltran's got a great agent and PR machine around him. I just hope he lives up to the hype and can take the heat in New York when he hits his first slump.
Anyway, Omar Minaya has said that the signing of Beltran does not preclude the possibility of signing Carlos Delgado as well. How deep the Wilpons pockets really are this winter will determine what happens there.
1/07/2005
Goodbye Vance Wilson
I didn't get a chance to post yesterday after I heard the news that Vance Wilson was traded to the Tigers for minor league shortstop Anderson Hernandez. Considering Hernandez is not major league ready yet this deal confirms the Mets intentions of using Mike Piazza as the regular catcher with Jason Phillips as his backup. Add the recent signing of Andres Galarraga to the mix and it's obvious that they don't plan on playing either Piazza or Phillips at first base regularly.
No news on the Carlos Beltran front today. A decision is expected in the next 48 hours.
No news on the Carlos Beltran front today. A decision is expected in the next 48 hours.
1/06/2005
New Webhost
I finally got myself a new webhost. As such I will be moving the blog as soon as I can finish up some development on the new site. Stay tuned for more information.
On Time
It looks like my warning about not celebrating the Carlos Beltran signing before it's a done deal came at the right time. Various media outlets are reporting that Beltran's agent, Scott Boras, is claiming that 5 teams have put in offers that meet his opening criteria. Is Boras bluffing? Probably. But if he's saying 5 then there's probably 3. And if he's saying they all made $110 million offers then probably only one of them have done that and the others have come in within the ballpark of that figure. By all accounts the Mets seem to be the frontrunner right now as far as contract goes. But this deal is not done yet.
In other new, there was a story out yesterday that said Pedro Martinez plans on reporting to camp when it opens. Maybe it's just me but isn't that what he's paid to do? Why exactly is a story like that newsworthy? If you have an explanation please leave a comment.
In other new, there was a story out yesterday that said Pedro Martinez plans on reporting to camp when it opens. Maybe it's just me but isn't that what he's paid to do? Why exactly is a story like that newsworthy? If you have an explanation please leave a comment.
1/05/2005
Perez Signs With Dodgers
For all those who were wishing the Mets would sign Odalis Perez it's time to stop wishing. The AP is reporting that Perez signed with the Dodgers.
It Aint' Over 'Til It's Over
Everyone is making a big deal over the Mets offer to Carlos Beltran. While I agree that it's very encouraging to see the Wilpons take such an aggressive step I believe it's way too early to celebrate (as many fans are doing already). Even if the offer is as good as people say and makes the Mets the highest bidder you can't get too happy until his signature is on the contract.
Houston has until midnight Saturday to negotiate with Beltran and you know that Astros owner Drayton McLane will use every minute of negotiating time he has. McLane is a businessman and knows how to negotiate. You make an offer or two to your free agent. The free agent shops around and sees what else he can get from other teams. If the free agent likes your team then he'll bring those offers back to you and give you a chance to beat them before making a final decision. This is the script and it is being followed to the T in this scenario. McLane, Beltran and Beltran's agent, Scott Boras, will have many conversations over the next few days and you can bet that Houston's offer will get better. Will it be good enough to make Beltran turn down the Mets' offer? We won't know until Saturday night.
Houston has until midnight Saturday to negotiate with Beltran and you know that Astros owner Drayton McLane will use every minute of negotiating time he has. McLane is a businessman and knows how to negotiate. You make an offer or two to your free agent. The free agent shops around and sees what else he can get from other teams. If the free agent likes your team then he'll bring those offers back to you and give you a chance to beat them before making a final decision. This is the script and it is being followed to the T in this scenario. McLane, Beltran and Beltran's agent, Scott Boras, will have many conversations over the next few days and you can bet that Houston's offer will get better. Will it be good enough to make Beltran turn down the Mets' offer? We won't know until Saturday night.
1/04/2005
Good News for Mets Fans!
Various sources are reporting that the Yankees have pulled out of the Carlos Beltran sweepstakes. Apparently the acquisition of Randy Johnson (reportedly approved by Bud Selig last night) has tapped out boss Steinbrenner. That leaves the Mets and Houston as the current contenders. With the Yankees out of the picture I expect other possible suitors to appear but this still helps the Mets chances. As for Carlos Delgado, don't expect any news until after Beltran is signed. Once Beltran goes Delgado becomes the premier available free agent and his asking price can be adjusted accordingly.
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