The Knicks have been playing great as of late; making it back to .500, finally, and with Jeremy Lin setting the world on fire. However, with Lin and Harrelson and Smith and Davis all in the fold, the Knicks are a deep, deep team, which is both an opportunity and a problem. Without much time for a core rotation of 8 or 9 players to gel before the playoffs, it is important that the first team and first guys off the bench get some good reps together, in order to be ready for the playoffs. However, this season being what it is, that depth and getting star players (especially those that look tired, flat and without hop in their step like Amare) rest is important for making it through the regular season and getting a high enough seed to avoid Chicago and Miami in the first round.
So, we look to the Knicks' rotation last night, one of their first full games with everyone at their disposal. The stats may be a little off since Harrelson was just back and the game was a little bit of a blowout in the second half, but it is the most recent and best example we have. Here are the playing time figures from last night, in descending order:
Anthony 34
Lin 33
Chandler 31
Stoudemire 28
Shumpert 22
Fields 20
Smith 20
Jeffries 20
Novak 17
Davis 15
Bibby 0
Douglas 0
Harrleson 0
There are 240 minutes available to play in any game. For simplicities sake, we'll break them up into the five traditional positions, which mean less and less in today's game, and even less than that in D'Antoni's offense.
Center
Chandler has been our defensive anchor, and hidden some of the glaring problems we have defending at almost every other position. He has also run the pick and roll very well, cleaned up the glass, and in general, been everything we could have asked for. He also is older, has had toe issues before that scuttled trades, has been prone to foul trouble in the past (though not this year) and wasn't resigned by the defending NBA champions. Our investment in him could start to look foolish in years two and three if he gets worn out in this crazy season. 32 minutes is probable just the right amount for him to be playing in the regular season. Give Harrelson or James, if he ever gets called up, 2 or 3 minutes for foul trouble and/or breathers or blowouts, and there are 13 minutes left at the 5 every night. In his first season here, and in Phoenix, Amare did extremely well as a 5. Not on defense, of course, but on offense. Our defense does poorly when Chandler leaves the game anyway, so playing Amare at the 5 for 10 minutes a game could be something that sparks him. The remaining 3 or 4 minutes should go to Jeffries, simply for his defensive prowess and long arms.
Power Forward
Amare is the starter here, and should stay so. He has been mostly down this year after being mostly up last year, but he is still one of the better big men in the league. However, his knees are fragile, and has shown throughout his career that he is better when he is fresh. 32 minutes should probably be his max as well. Now, if he is playing 10 minutes a night at the 5, that leave him 22 minutes a night at the 4, which leaves 26 minutes left to divvy up amongst other players. Novak, Jeffries and even Fields have all played the 4 for the Knicks, and well. However, some of that playing time should be given to Anthony. While in Denver, and occasionally while in New York, while at the 4, Melo has killed defending 4s with his quickness and range. Since it is very limiting defensively, he should be limited to 10 minutes here. That leaves 16 minutes for Jeffries and Novak. Jaffries provides defensive prowess and Novak has been shooting the ball out of his mind. I say Novak gets 10 minutes here and Jeffries gets the additional 6.
Small Forward
Anthony continues to start here, and being younger and healthier than the other two starters on the front line, should be able to play 38 minutes a night. With 10 at the 4, that leaves 28 at the 3, which leaves 20 minutes for other to divvy up. 10 should go to Fields and 10 to Smith, depending on the matchups that night.
Shooting Guard
Fields or Smith can start, it matters not. They will each play some 3 and each play some 2. 24 minutes here gets divided amongst the two of them, leaving 24 minutes at the 2. Shumpert has been streaky offensively and great defensively. He deserves at least 16 minutes a night. That leaves 8 minutes for Davis to play off the ball when Lin and he are on the court together.
Point Guard
Lin has been nothing short of a superstar for a month now. As he goes, so will this Knicks team go. He has been playing too many minutes, and as a younger player whose speed is a huge part of his game, should be limited to 32 minutes a game. That leaves 16 minutes here. 12 go to Davis, and 4 go to Douglas for fouling/defensive purposes, or maybe Bibby if everyone else has a heart attack.
So, this plan shakes out like this:
Anthony 38
Stoudemire 32
Chandler 32
Lin 32
Fields 20
Smith 20
Davis 20
Shumpert 16
Novak 10
Jeffries 10
Douglas 4
Harrleson 3
Now, on most nights Harrleson and Douglas won't play at all, but that still leaves a rotation of 10 players. In this crazy season, and for the good of the future of the franchise, it's probably best to keep running out ten guys every night. But come playoffs, a rotation has to be tightened. Who loses playing time? Novak, who can't miss? Jeffries, our second best defensive player? Shumpert, our best perimeter defender?
There is, in all likelihood, too much depth on the Knicks roster right now, even before Bill Walker or Jerome James are called up. it's a great problem to have, but a problem nonetheless. In another post, I'll go over some trades the Knicks should look to make, both large and small.
In Defense of Josh Thole
Mark Tiexeira.
Robinson Cano.
What do these players all have in common? If you said they are all overpaid, you'd be right. If you said they are all overvalued, you'd be right. If you said they all have an on-base percentage lower than Josh Thole, you'd be...right?
Thole currently sits at a .355 OBP.
His defense is disappointing. Whereas last year, he was exactly average defensively, with 0 runs created or lost, this season so far he has cost the Mets 4 runs with his sub-par defense (non-scientific observation: he is lazy on balls in the dirt and needs to work on his transfer speed on throws to 2nd). He has a lot of work to do if he wants to stick in the majors as a Catcher, as teams tend to favor defense behind the plate (and with the Mets, he has no future at first, or even platooning there, with lefty hitting Ike Davis, Daniel Murphy and Lucas Duda all impressing).
But he has given the Mets exactly what they need as part of an organizational change of philosophy: a good eye and some patience at the plate. Among Catchers with at least 250 PAs, he sits at 6th in the majors in BB%, 7th in K%, 11th in AVG, 8th in OBP and is just about a league average hitter by the wRC+ metric, all while playing his home games in an extreme pitcher's park.
It may turn out that Josh Thole goes the way of Vance Wilson and Jason Phillips before him. But if he can improve his defense, or at least stop his defensive decline, a league average hitter at the Catcher position will have tremendous value to the Mets going forward.
Overpaying for Prince
This off-season, Prince Fielder will be a free agent. He will get paid a lot of money by a Major League baseball team. It will not be for his physique (Google suggested search: "Prince Fielder Fat"), but for his prodigious power production (Career Slugging %: 538). With that comes big HR and RBI totals, and a big pay day. He rejected a 5 year/$100 million offer from the Brewers before this season, so he is either planning on getting more money or more years than that, and he has done nothing to make us think he will not. He currently sits third in the NL in homers, first in RBIs, fourth in BB%, third in ISO, second in OBP, fourth in slugging and fifth in wOBA. He is really, really good with the bat. Really good.
He is also, ironically, a really, bad fielder. Really bad.
The value of his bad defense is hard to quantify, but that is not the exercise we are looking to take on here.
A more abstract thought crossed my mind as I watched Mr. Fielder's Brewers destroy the Mets this weekend: Prince Fielder will be overpaid this off-season.
I know, ground breaking stuff you say. Free agents are always overpaid, you say. RBIs are overvalued in free agency you say. Offense is overvalued in free agency you say. Yes, yes, yes I say. But I believe he will be overpaid for another reason:
His Prince-ness.
His father was a major leaguer. He is a vegan. He is fat. His father named him Prince when he lived in Minnesota in the 80's. He has an awesome beard. All account are that he is a good guy. He is working on a mini-afro. He is really, really fat. He hits the ball really, really far. He is one of the few African-American stars of the game.
All of these facts bring him into the public consciousness more often, and, I would argue, into the subconsciousness of owners and GMs in the game. This will in turn make him more money than he deserves as purely Prince Fielder, ball player. I would argue that all of those facts will make Prince Fielder get paid more than if he was named or looked like Ryan Braun.
What K-Rod's Games Finished Option Means
As every Met fan knows, Omar Minaya is the gift that keeps on giving. Still paying the likes of Gary Matthews Jr, Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez, the Mets have big money still due to Johan Santana (a relatively defensible contract) and Jason Bay, both of whom are unlikely to even be average players for the Mets. However, the biggest poison pill of them all for the immediate future is the $17.5 million option for K-Rod. $17.5 million. For a closer. A good, not great closer.
But, the point is not to continue piling on Omar Minaya. That is just too easy. The point is to analyze the option, and the pace K-Rod is on. Right now, with 25 games finished, K-Rod is on pace for 63 games finished, 8 over the 55 games finished threshold that would trigger maybe the worst one-year option...ever? I don't know, did Eric Byrnes have an option? Was Moises Alou's contract an option year?
There is only one question to be asked: HOW IS HE ANYWHERE CLOSE TO THAT FIGURE???
This option being triggered would be a colossal mistake, would set us back years, could prevent us from signing Reyes, or force a trade of Wright. He only has 18 saves, and 1 blown save. That means that 6 times Terry Collins brought him in with no save opportunity. Tie game, blowouts, getting some work in, Collins has had no hesitation about using K-Rod in every possible situation.
I am not blaming Terry Collins. He is the team's day-to-day manager. Unless he gets told otherwise by his employers, his job is to win as many games as possible. And he has done a bang up job recently, keeping a pretty bad Mets team close to .500. Kudos to him.
No, this is squarely on the shoulders of the Wilpons and Sandy Alderson. Any class organization would go to the manager and tell him in no uncertain terms that the option can NOT vest, and if he has a problem with that, they will find someone who will make sure it doesn't happen. If Collins had only brought K-Rod in in save situations, he would be on pace for 48 games finished, and K-Rod's (genius) agent would have no grievances.
This just further demonstrates the deficiency of the Mets organization as a whole, and it will be a shame if K-Rod is in a Met uniform next year instead of Jose Reyes or David Wright.
But, the point is not to continue piling on Omar Minaya. That is just too easy. The point is to analyze the option, and the pace K-Rod is on. Right now, with 25 games finished, K-Rod is on pace for 63 games finished, 8 over the 55 games finished threshold that would trigger maybe the worst one-year option...ever? I don't know, did Eric Byrnes have an option? Was Moises Alou's contract an option year?
There is only one question to be asked: HOW IS HE ANYWHERE CLOSE TO THAT FIGURE???
This option being triggered would be a colossal mistake, would set us back years, could prevent us from signing Reyes, or force a trade of Wright. He only has 18 saves, and 1 blown save. That means that 6 times Terry Collins brought him in with no save opportunity. Tie game, blowouts, getting some work in, Collins has had no hesitation about using K-Rod in every possible situation.
I am not blaming Terry Collins. He is the team's day-to-day manager. Unless he gets told otherwise by his employers, his job is to win as many games as possible. And he has done a bang up job recently, keeping a pretty bad Mets team close to .500. Kudos to him.
No, this is squarely on the shoulders of the Wilpons and Sandy Alderson. Any class organization would go to the manager and tell him in no uncertain terms that the option can NOT vest, and if he has a problem with that, they will find someone who will make sure it doesn't happen. If Collins had only brought K-Rod in in save situations, he would be on pace for 48 games finished, and K-Rod's (genius) agent would have no grievances.
This just further demonstrates the deficiency of the Mets organization as a whole, and it will be a shame if K-Rod is in a Met uniform next year instead of Jose Reyes or David Wright.
Why the Melo Trade Was Good
Despite being swept by the Celtics, having few draft picks, and possibly minimal cap room, depending on where it get set, the Knicks are in a vastly better position than they were before the Melo trade. Yes, we need depth, a center, a point guard who isn't a member of AARP and some three-point shooting, but the presence of two super stars (yes, super stars) at the forward spots puts us in a position to be among the NBA's elite. According to John Hollinger's PER ranking, the following are the pairs of teammates to rank in the top 20 in the NBA:
Melo/Amare - Knicks
Wade/James - Heat
Durant/Westbrook - Thunder
Bryant/Gasol - Lakers
Duncan/Ginobli - Spurs
Expand it to the top 30, and the only other team with more than one is the Celtics, with Pierce and Garnett.
What do those teams have in common?
The one, two and three seeds in the Eastern and Western Conference playoffs. The only exception is Chicago, with the league's MVP at #9 and Carlos Boozer at #40.
They are all also still alive in the playoffs, except for the Spurs.
Our super stars have many issues (Amare doesn't rebound and neither play any defense), but their pairing is a start towards greatness. Maybe Gallo turns into Dirk 2.0 or Chandler into Melo 2.0, but we have the original now, and the Knicks future is only looking better for it.
Wade/James - Heat
Durant/Westbrook - Thunder
Bryant/Gasol - Lakers
Duncan/Ginobli - Spurs
Expand it to the top 30, and the only other team with more than one is the Celtics, with Pierce and Garnett.
What do those teams have in common?
The one, two and three seeds in the Eastern and Western Conference playoffs. The only exception is Chicago, with the league's MVP at #9 and Carlos Boozer at #40.
They are all also still alive in the playoffs, except for the Spurs.
Our super stars have many issues (Amare doesn't rebound and neither play any defense), but their pairing is a start towards greatness. Maybe Gallo turns into Dirk 2.0 or Chandler into Melo 2.0, but we have the original now, and the Knicks future is only looking better for it.
Looking Back at the 2011 Mets Roster Construction
In September, 2010, I theorized as to what a (sort of) contending New York Mets roster might look like. A lot has happened since then. Johan's recovery from surgery has taken a LONG time. Omar was (sort of) let go. Sandy came on, as did an army of front office executives (an under appreciated Mets weakness these past few years). From day one, Sandy basically admitted that 2011 would NOT be a contending Mets team, and the start to their season would do nothing to make us think anything different.
My theoretical roster, from September:
"C - Thole/Ramirez
1B - Davis/Ramirez/Evans
2B - Tejada/Murphy/Arias
SS - Reyes/Arias
3B - Wright/Murphy/Arias
LF - Bay/Carter/Evans
CF - Pagan/Beltran
RF - Beltran/Carter/Evans
SP - Santana
SP - Zambrano
SP - Niese
SP - Pelfrey
SP - Dickey
CL - Rodriguez
RP - Parnell
RP - Beimel
RP - Green
RP - Acosta
RP - Takahashi
RP - Igarashi"
Some hits, some misses. Obviously Santana is hurt and without contending, there was no point in trading for Carlos Zambrano (although his start so far is encouraging). Niese, Pelfrey and Dickey are the top three Mets starters, unfortunately. Chris Young could be trade bait if he stays healthy and should be gone about the same time Santana is due to come back. Capuano is much the same, and will probably be replaced with Gee when he is ready/when Capuano is traded. Lets call that 4/5ths of the starting rotation.
The bullpen, as with all bullpens was hard to call. Who saw Jason Isringhausen coming out of retirement and the Mets selecting Pedro Beato in the Rule 5 draft and him being lights out? Byrdak is the situational lefty that Biemel could have been. 4/7 in the pen.
Thole is the starting catcher, and is looking pretty good. Davis is entrenched at 1st. Murphy is in a platoon with someone (currently Justin Turner, but, come on) at 2nd. Reyes and Wright hold down the left side. The backup infielder is Hu, not Arias, but same difference. My big whiff was in the backup outfield, where I wanted the Mets to give power and patience some run (and it's odd, cause it would go along with Sandy's philosophy, but oh well) with Carter and Evans, but instead the Mets have gone with defense and scrappiness with Hairston and Harris. So, let's say 9/13.
Thats a total of 17/25. Not bad.
"C - Thole/Ramirez
1B - Davis/Ramirez/Evans
2B - Tejada/Murphy/Arias
SS - Reyes/Arias
3B - Wright/Murphy/Arias
LF - Bay/Carter/Evans
CF - Pagan/Beltran
RF - Beltran/Carter/Evans
SP - Santana
SP - Zambrano
SP - Niese
SP - Pelfrey
SP - Dickey
CL - Rodriguez
RP - Parnell
RP - Beimel
RP - Green
RP - Acosta
RP - Takahashi
RP - Igarashi"
Some hits, some misses. Obviously Santana is hurt and without contending, there was no point in trading for Carlos Zambrano (although his start so far is encouraging). Niese, Pelfrey and Dickey are the top three Mets starters, unfortunately. Chris Young could be trade bait if he stays healthy and should be gone about the same time Santana is due to come back. Capuano is much the same, and will probably be replaced with Gee when he is ready/when Capuano is traded. Lets call that 4/5ths of the starting rotation.
The bullpen, as with all bullpens was hard to call. Who saw Jason Isringhausen coming out of retirement and the Mets selecting Pedro Beato in the Rule 5 draft and him being lights out? Byrdak is the situational lefty that Biemel could have been. 4/7 in the pen.
Thole is the starting catcher, and is looking pretty good. Davis is entrenched at 1st. Murphy is in a platoon with someone (currently Justin Turner, but, come on) at 2nd. Reyes and Wright hold down the left side. The backup infielder is Hu, not Arias, but same difference. My big whiff was in the backup outfield, where I wanted the Mets to give power and patience some run (and it's odd, cause it would go along with Sandy's philosophy, but oh well) with Carter and Evans, but instead the Mets have gone with defense and scrappiness with Hairston and Harris. So, let's say 9/13.
Thats a total of 17/25. Not bad.
Yankees Abuse the DL?
Last year, Phil Hughes finally made good on the hype that had been built up by the Yankees and Peter Gammons. He had an xFIP of just over 4 in over 175 innings as a 24 year old. He was penciled in as the Yankees' #2 starter this season, and everyone assumed that he would take another step forward, especially since his peripherals matched his performance.
photo © 2008 Keith Allison | more info (via: Wylio)
Well, this season he has sucked. An ERA of almost 14 over 10 innings (3 starts!) led the Yankees to question what was wrong with him. Almost immediately, they put him on the DL with a "dead arm". Today it was reported that he had a significant setback while throwing a bullpen session, although he reported no pain. ESPN's Stephania Bell reported:
"As ESPN New York reported, however, Yankees pitching coach Larry Rothschild indicated this may not be a true dead-arm scenario because Hughes never demonstrated velocity on the ball since reporting to spring training.
On the one hand, the fact there is no overt structural issue is a positive. On the other hand, it can make trying to tackle an invisible enemy all the more frustrating."
Now, one might ask what the issue with this is? Two words. Oliver Perez.
The Mets searched for two seasons for a solution to Perez' "dead arm" (Yes, I am aware that a dead arm is an actual injury. I only quotate the term because it seems that Hughes does not have a dead arm, but rather just sucks, and hence, him being on the DL is fishy at best). They openly campaigned for him to be on the DL. They begged him to go to the minors to work on his "issues" (read: suckiness).
But rather than stash him on the DL or have him agree to the minor league batters that were more on his level, a saga got played out in the press, with Ollie basically stating that since he was being paid $12 million, he saw no need to be in the minors. Only after he began openly limping did he agree that his knee was an issue, and went on the DL, only to come off as soon as eligible, creating more roster issues for the Mets.
It pains me to say this, but the Mets should look to how the Yankees handled their crappy pitcher issue for how to properly handle roster decisions. If they came correct in most instances, they wouldn't have crappy pitchers holding them hostage, but rather looking to help out the organization.
photo © 2008 Keith Allison | more info (via: Wylio)
Well, this season he has sucked. An ERA of almost 14 over 10 innings (3 starts!) led the Yankees to question what was wrong with him. Almost immediately, they put him on the DL with a "dead arm". Today it was reported that he had a significant setback while throwing a bullpen session, although he reported no pain. ESPN's Stephania Bell reported:"As ESPN New York reported, however, Yankees pitching coach Larry Rothschild indicated this may not be a true dead-arm scenario because Hughes never demonstrated velocity on the ball since reporting to spring training.
On the one hand, the fact there is no overt structural issue is a positive. On the other hand, it can make trying to tackle an invisible enemy all the more frustrating."
Now, one might ask what the issue with this is? Two words. Oliver Perez.
The Mets searched for two seasons for a solution to Perez' "dead arm" (Yes, I am aware that a dead arm is an actual injury. I only quotate the term because it seems that Hughes does not have a dead arm, but rather just sucks, and hence, him being on the DL is fishy at best). They openly campaigned for him to be on the DL. They begged him to go to the minors to work on his "issues" (read: suckiness).
But rather than stash him on the DL or have him agree to the minor league batters that were more on his level, a saga got played out in the press, with Ollie basically stating that since he was being paid $12 million, he saw no need to be in the minors. Only after he began openly limping did he agree that his knee was an issue, and went on the DL, only to come off as soon as eligible, creating more roster issues for the Mets.
It pains me to say this, but the Mets should look to how the Yankees handled their crappy pitcher issue for how to properly handle roster decisions. If they came correct in most instances, they wouldn't have crappy pitchers holding them hostage, but rather looking to help out the organization.
Knicks Looking (Small) Forward?
Remember Allan Houston? Latrell Sprewell? The Knicks once had two All-Star shooting guards, who they played at the same time (Sprewell usually played small forward, although he played point for a little bit as well) because they were so good, they needed them both on the court at the same time. So it is odd to look at Mike D'Antoni's system and not see the Knicks with ANY shooting guards on the roster, especially given how well shooting guards have done in his systems. (Anyone else think Allan Houston would have thrived in this system?)
Joe Johnson, Casey Jacobsen, Raja Bell, Quentin Richardson, Leandro Barbosa (really a combo guard), Eric Piatkowski. All shooting guards who played much better than their previous or post-D'Antoni careers (yes, Joe Johnson got a max contract, but, come on). In the Carmelo Anthony three-way trade, the Knicks got Corey Brewer, a talented, if erratic, shooting guard, from Minnesota. He was the only true shooting guard on the Knicks roster, with a good outside shot, and some effort on defense. What did Walsh/D'Antoni do? Buy him out.
Huh???
So now we are left with Bill Walker, Shawne Williams, Carmelo Anthony, Landry Fields, Renaldo Balkman, Derrick Brown, Jared Jeffries. That is 7 out of the 15 players on the Knick roster who are small forwards. Andy Rautins is basically PNG, so fully HALF of the Knicks players are small forwards.
Now, in D'Antoni's system, positions are a bit amorphous, but Shawne Williams at Center? Landry Fields as the starting shooting guard? The Knicks recent moves expose some serious roster construction flaws, not the least of which is the lack of a shoot guard OR center.
This system is built on making opponents pay for leaving shooters open, and Donnie and D'Antoni have managed to construct a roster with as little shooting as possible. How are Derrick Brown and Jared Jeffries a better fit for this roster than Corey Brewer, who, by the way, can also play small forward if needed?
Joe Johnson, Casey Jacobsen, Raja Bell, Quentin Richardson, Leandro Barbosa (really a combo guard), Eric Piatkowski. All shooting guards who played much better than their previous or post-D'Antoni careers (yes, Joe Johnson got a max contract, but, come on). In the Carmelo Anthony three-way trade, the Knicks got Corey Brewer, a talented, if erratic, shooting guard, from Minnesota. He was the only true shooting guard on the Knicks roster, with a good outside shot, and some effort on defense. What did Walsh/D'Antoni do? Buy him out.
Huh???
So now we are left with Bill Walker, Shawne Williams, Carmelo Anthony, Landry Fields, Renaldo Balkman, Derrick Brown, Jared Jeffries. That is 7 out of the 15 players on the Knick roster who are small forwards. Andy Rautins is basically PNG, so fully HALF of the Knicks players are small forwards.
Now, in D'Antoni's system, positions are a bit amorphous, but Shawne Williams at Center? Landry Fields as the starting shooting guard? The Knicks recent moves expose some serious roster construction flaws, not the least of which is the lack of a shoot guard OR center.
This system is built on making opponents pay for leaving shooters open, and Donnie and D'Antoni have managed to construct a roster with as little shooting as possible. How are Derrick Brown and Jared Jeffries a better fit for this roster than Corey Brewer, who, by the way, can also play small forward if needed?
Cliff Lee to the Phillies - Is This a Cosmic Joke on the Mets?
So, apparently the Phillies have signed Cliff Lee, convincing him to leave $30,000,000 of the Steinbrenners' money on the table for the chance to team with Roy Halladay to form the best one-two, righty-lefty punch in MLB since Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling. Oh, and the Phillies' rotation also includes Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt.
As a Met fan, what are my gripes about this? Is it the fact that Cole Hamels is now a #3 starter in our division? Is it the fact that this offseason, the Phillies have gotten not only the best pitcher and free agent at a discount, but they avoided overpaying their own free agent? No, it is the Phillies fortunes, for no real reason.
The Phllies traded for Cliff Lee mid-season, he was amazing for them, and then traded him away months later for an inferior package. Why did they do this? The superficial reason is that they needed to restock their farm system from the Roy Halladay trade, but the real reason was that they needed to save money. This, despite the fact that Cliff Lee made a (relatively) paltry $9.5 million last year. What did they need this money for? To overpay Joe Blanton, Raul Ibanez and Placido Polanco, apparently.
So, less that a year after Philadelphia traded away one of the three best pitchers in baseball, he then resigns with them, AT A DISCOUNT. After Roy Halladay had ALREADY signed at a discount for some reason, leaving probably $50,000,000 on the table (although, technically an extension).
What I don't understand is that the Phillies are not an intelligent organization. They have made just as many missteps as the Mets. Just in recent memory, they have overpaid for Blanton, Ibanez and Polanco, traded away Lee, taken away at-bats from Dominic Brown in favor of Ibanez, given Ryan Howard one of the five worst contracts in baseball THAT HASN'T EVEN STARTED YET, and kept a pitcher with an ERA on the wrong side of 6 in the closer's roll.
And their reward for this is that two of the best pitchers in baseball sign there at a discount.
Contrast this with the Mets fortunes.
When they traded for Santana, he gave them no discount at all. When Beltran was a free agent, his agent Scott Boras was calling other teams, offering them a discount so he wouldn't have to play for the Mets. Pedro came because Omar gave him more years than he deserved, and if not for Jayson Werth, Jason Bay might be the most overpaid corner outfielder in the NL East. Where are people sacrificing money to play in Queens?
Now, the Mets have made plenty of organizational mistakes, but no more than the Phillies. Oliver Perez has been SO useless, his contract, although nowhere near the size and length of Howard's, might be worse. Jeff Francouer was probably about as bad as Ibanez is (but was paid less, and ultimately exiled), and Luis Castillo is our albatross underperforming infielder to match Polanco. We even have our own talented rookie, to match Brown, whose growth was stunted last year by overrated and underperforming veterans in Ike Davis!
So why does Philadelphia get the honor of watching Halladay and Lee pitch together for the next five years, at a rate FAR below what they could have commanded? It is obviously not the congenial nature of the fans, nor the competence of the front office. And why don't the Mets ever get similar treatment?
What ever could it be?
As a Met fan, what are my gripes about this? Is it the fact that Cole Hamels is now a #3 starter in our division? Is it the fact that this offseason, the Phillies have gotten not only the best pitcher and free agent at a discount, but they avoided overpaying their own free agent? No, it is the Phillies fortunes, for no real reason.
The Phllies traded for Cliff Lee mid-season, he was amazing for them, and then traded him away months later for an inferior package. Why did they do this? The superficial reason is that they needed to restock their farm system from the Roy Halladay trade, but the real reason was that they needed to save money. This, despite the fact that Cliff Lee made a (relatively) paltry $9.5 million last year. What did they need this money for? To overpay Joe Blanton, Raul Ibanez and Placido Polanco, apparently.
So, less that a year after Philadelphia traded away one of the three best pitchers in baseball, he then resigns with them, AT A DISCOUNT. After Roy Halladay had ALREADY signed at a discount for some reason, leaving probably $50,000,000 on the table (although, technically an extension).
What I don't understand is that the Phillies are not an intelligent organization. They have made just as many missteps as the Mets. Just in recent memory, they have overpaid for Blanton, Ibanez and Polanco, traded away Lee, taken away at-bats from Dominic Brown in favor of Ibanez, given Ryan Howard one of the five worst contracts in baseball THAT HASN'T EVEN STARTED YET, and kept a pitcher with an ERA on the wrong side of 6 in the closer's roll.
And their reward for this is that two of the best pitchers in baseball sign there at a discount.
Contrast this with the Mets fortunes.
When they traded for Santana, he gave them no discount at all. When Beltran was a free agent, his agent Scott Boras was calling other teams, offering them a discount so he wouldn't have to play for the Mets. Pedro came because Omar gave him more years than he deserved, and if not for Jayson Werth, Jason Bay might be the most overpaid corner outfielder in the NL East. Where are people sacrificing money to play in Queens?
Now, the Mets have made plenty of organizational mistakes, but no more than the Phillies. Oliver Perez has been SO useless, his contract, although nowhere near the size and length of Howard's, might be worse. Jeff Francouer was probably about as bad as Ibanez is (but was paid less, and ultimately exiled), and Luis Castillo is our albatross underperforming infielder to match Polanco. We even have our own talented rookie, to match Brown, whose growth was stunted last year by overrated and underperforming veterans in Ike Davis!
So why does Philadelphia get the honor of watching Halladay and Lee pitch together for the next five years, at a rate FAR below what they could have commanded? It is obviously not the congenial nature of the fans, nor the competence of the front office. And why don't the Mets ever get similar treatment?
What ever could it be?
The New York Mets 2011 Roster
Since the trading deadline is effectively over, let's take a look at our current roster, along with who will be back next year, and then see what holes there might be to fill.
Let us assume that in addition to the starting 8 position players, we want a backup C, MI, CI and 2 backup OFs. Let's assume that carrying three catchers is NOT going to happen next year, at least on opening day. The pitching staff should ideally consist of 5 SPs, a swingman, a closer, two lefties (one being a LOOGY) and three righties, one who can ideally get us some ground ball outs.
In addition, we must be VERY cost conscious in creating this roster, because as anyone who has attended a game at CitiField (or not) can tell you, the Wilpons will be very cost conscious this off-season. A general goal should also be to have a deeper, more flexible bench, get younger and more athletic, and get some pitchers who don't walk the world.
No doubt about it, jobs are safe:
David Wright (3B)
Jose Reyes (SS)
Ruben Tejada (2B/SS)
Ike Davis (1B)
Jason Bay (LF)
Angel Pagan (CF)
Josh Thole (C)
Johan Santana (SP)
Mike Pelfrey (SP)
RA Dickey (SP)
Jon Neise (SP)
Bobby Parnell (RP)
12 of the 25 Spots filled.
Borderline (Should be on the team)
Carlos Beltran (CF) - Only included in this section because of recent chatter of the Mets attempting to trade him. I believe that would be a giant mistake at this point. When healthy and motivated, he is one of the best players in baseball. A full year removed from mysterious knee surgery, brace free, and in a Scott Boras contract drive, he should have a monster year a la his last year in Kansas City/Houston. A move to right field is in order, but we'll worry about that later.
Chris Carter (1B/LF/RF) - Looking up and down the offense of this team, there is a serious lack of left-handed power aside from Davis and possibly Beltran. Throw in the fact that he can actually take a walk and he is sorely needed on this team. I realize the Mets have reservations about his defense, but they lived with Luis Castillo for the better part of three year and Daniel Murphy for one in LF. He should be on this team, as part of a platoon in the OF or a corner OF sub or pinch-hitter extraordinaire.
Daniel Murphy (3B/2B/1B/LF) - So he's not going to hit over .300 and be our left fielder of the future. I can live with that. What he can be is a left-handed Mark DeRosa, or, to use an example closer to home, a left-handed Joe McEwing (non-SS version). He is working out at 2B, the position the Mets should have used him in, and he can platoon with, or backup Ruben Tejada, in an offense/defense, left/right platoon at 2B.
Ryota Igarashi (RP) - Ehh. He's under contract, and can probably be mildly more effective than he has been lately; his xFIP is over two runs lower than his ERA.
Sean Green (RP) - Ground ball machine (Career: 62% GB%!!!) who is working is way back. Pretty much all that is left from the disastrous Putz/Chavez deal. These last few weeks will go a long way towards determining his role on the 2011 Mets, if any, but he deserves a chance.
Manny Acosta (RP) - Like many Met pitchers, he needs to stop walking the world (career minor league walks per 9 innings pitched: Over FIVE), but this season he has performed reasonably well, is cheap, and seems to have a little fight in him
Nick Evans (LF/RF/1B) - He's slugged over .450 in each of his last two minor league seasons and is young and cheap (see a pattern here?). More importantly, we need to see what he can do to understand if he is going to be a part of the next generation of Mets winners.
Francisco Rodriguez (RP) - I think the $11 million+ that K-Rod is due next year could be put to MUCH better use, but I doubt that the team will be able to void his contract. At least this latest dust up means that he will not be able to easily achieve is disgusting $17.5 million option for 2012.
Joaquin Arias (SS/2B/1B/3B) - Basically, a faster, younger, cheaper version of Alex Cora, but one who actually has some room to improve, rather than only possibly going down in performance. Also, can play a decent SS. Traded for A-Rod.
21 of 25 Spots filled.
Borderline (Should NOT be on the team)
Jenrry Mejia (SP) - Not that we don't all love the kid, but look at what Tampa Bay has done with their young pitchers. They are trained in the minors, stretched out until they are ready to come up and dominate. If he is going to be on the team next year, it should be as a call-up, a #7 SP, once he has proven himself in the minors.
Jeff Francouer (RF) - Ha. Thank you Omar.
Fernando Martinez (RF/CF/LF) - He has not shown us enough while up here to warrant a spot, and he has not shown an ability to stay healthy in the minor leagues. A la Mejia, keep him in AA or AAA and let him rake before we call him up and unleash him on the unsuspecting NL East.
Fernando Tatis (3B/1B/2B/SS/RF/LF) - Ha ha.
Spots left to fill
Backup C, 2 LHP RP, 1 (good) SP
As Thole is young and you can never have too many backup catchers seems to be Omar's motto,
the Backup C should hit from the right side of the plate, and probably be capable of giving Davis a day off here or there against a tough lefty (although his splits aren't bad at all). The SP should be someone who strikes people out, something the Mets have been missing for far too long (Al Leiter? Mike Hampton? Doc Gooden?).
Targets in Trades
Max Ramirez, Taylor Teagarden (Cs - Texas) - Both are slugging right handed catchers in the Texas Rangers system. Teagarden has been playing more than Ramirez lately, backing up Bengie Molina (hey, Mets fans, glad we didn't sign him?) and slugging over .400. Ramirez is known to be a little defensively challenged, which is probably why the contending Rangers have gone with Teagarden as their primary backup. Either would make a fine platoon partner with Thole, with 5 or 10 starts at first thrown in there. The main obstacle to acquiring either of these guys is not that they are both young, inexpensive and under team control next year, but that the Rangers are not a silly organization, like the Reds, Cubs, Royals or Mets, willing to give away younger talent for nothing. Acquiring one of them will take a Familia or a Martinez, and it might be time for the Mets to sell high on one of them. Teagarden is a LITTLE closer to free agency, so the Rangers might be a little more willing to deal him.
Mike Napoli (C - Los Angeles (AL)) -A long shot, perhaps, but remember that earlier in the year Napoli sat over half the time in favor of Jeff Mathis. Let me repeat that. Jeff Mathis. This, with a manager who used to be a catcher? It is obvious that Anaheim undervalues Napoli a bit, and he has even played some 1B this year with Kendry Morales' ankle injury. With Morales coming back next year, Mathis healed, a young catcher coming up and the DH spot possibly being filled with Bobby Abreu, Napoli could once again be relegated to backup duty or long stretches on the bench, despite seeing another season of over 20 HRs in limited duty.
Ryan Doumit (C/RF/1B - Pittsburgh) - A switch-hitting catcher whose slugging % has never been below .400, and has topped .500 as recently as two years ago. Not an ideal solution, but is flexible enough to fidn some at-bats elsewhere in the lineup. Let's not forget that they just traded for Chris Snyder, who makes more money than Doumit, and have Tony (Dirty) Sanchez, a recent first round pick whose main attribute was being close to major-league ready.
Carlos Zambrano (SP - Chicago (NL)) - The main problem with Zambrano (aside from being, well, crazy and owning a declining strikeout rate) is his contract. He makes $18 million next year and in 2012 (his vesting player option is based on finishing in the top 4 of Cy Young voting....making it not likely to take effect). Coincidentally, the Mets have two pariahs of their own, Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo, who combine to make $18 million next year and who should not be a part of the team. Zambrano has given no indication that he will accept a trade, but then again, he has said some crazy stuff in the past. For someone with Zambrano's ability to strike people out and the low mileage on his arm these past two years, he is well worth the gamble. Get him on Slim-Fast and he might bring something to the table aside from his gut. As for the Cubs, they will be saying goodbye to Sweet Lou this off-season, they could use a 2B (having traded away Derek Lee and thinking about switching Aramis Ramirez to 1B, they could make Blake DeWitt back into a 3B), especially one who hits from the left side. As for Perez, well, lets hope that they're crazy? Maybe some money gets thrown in to compensate for the fact that Perez is maybe the worst player in baseball, but there is something there.
James Shields (SP - Tampa Bay) - Everyone knows that the Rays will be going through a transition next year, with their owner announcing a major slash to their already minor payroll. Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena are as good as gone, but the Rays have major-league ready replacements in Desmond Jennings and possible Matt Joyce and Willy Aybar at 1B. What they also have is a kid by the name of Jeremy Hellickson, who is knocking on the door and will break through this off-season, as he is currently on the David Price postseason reliever program. He makes $4.25 million next year, which would make him the highest paid Ray, depending on what they did in arbitration with Jason Bartlett and BJ Upton and what they do with Dan Wheeler's option. Matt Garza could also get more through arbitration. If the Rays are looking to slash payroll even more, they could look to trade Shields, who is no better than their #3 starter. Imagine him if he wasn't facing the Yankees and Red Sox?
Targets in Free Agency
Let's just get rid of great names like Carl Crawford and Cliff Lee right now. Not only are they too rich for the Wilpon's blood, but they are not native Spanish speakers, so Omar can't do his thing that offended Carlos Delgado so much. Victor Martinez will get too much money from the Red Sox to stay, or from the Angels to replace Napoli or from the Mariners to replace whatever cadaver they currently have playing C. Some realistic targets might include:
Jeremy Bonderman (SP) -Sadly, probably still too rich for the Wilpon's blood, and has been making noise about retiring if he doesn't go back to Detroit.
Brandon Webb (SP) - His option is too rich for rebuilding Arizona's blood. Maybe on an incentive-laden deal he make sense?
Dennys Reyes (RP) - Reliable National league reliever, who might fly under the radar.
Joe Beimel (RP) - Mets should have signed him this offseason. Now they get a second bite at the (home run) apple.
Hisanoria Takashi (RP/SP) - Would fill the role of swingman well. I am concerned that his delivery will be figured out and that he will not be as effective his second year in the majors, but he does strike people out and has performed well.
Conclusion
Without too much trouble, and very little extra money spent by Omar this winter, the 2011 Mets roster could easily look like this:
C - Thole/Ramirez
1B - Davis/Ramirez/Evans
2B - Tejada/Murphy/Arias
SS - Reyes/Arias
3B - Wright/Murphy/Arias
LF - Bay/Carter/Evans
CF - Pagan/Beltran
RF - Beltran/Carter/Evans
SP - Santana
SP - Zambrano
SP - Niese
SP - Pelfrey
SP - Dickey
CL - Rodriguez
RP - Parnell
RP - Beimel
RP - Green
RP - Acosta
RP - Takahashi
RP - Igarashi
Is that team winning the NL East next year? Absolutely not. But there are some young players with upside, the bench has depth, versatility and power, along with a long-missing defensive prowess. The starting staff leaves a lot to be desired, and the only real hopes for 2012 in the bullpen are Parnell and Green. I would love to come up with a way for the Mets to trade for James Shields, or sign Bonderman outright, but sadly, Shields probably makes too much money for the Mets and Zambrano's salary slot is just replacing dead weight.
Perhaps more importantly, as a Mets fan, this team is younger, crazier and has some hope for the future. It sets the stage for 2012 when huge money from Beltran, K-Rod and (currently) Perez and Castillo come off the books and hopefully the next wave of minor league talent is ready.
Let us assume that in addition to the starting 8 position players, we want a backup C, MI, CI and 2 backup OFs. Let's assume that carrying three catchers is NOT going to happen next year, at least on opening day. The pitching staff should ideally consist of 5 SPs, a swingman, a closer, two lefties (one being a LOOGY) and three righties, one who can ideally get us some ground ball outs.In addition, we must be VERY cost conscious in creating this roster, because as anyone who has attended a game at CitiField (or not) can tell you, the Wilpons will be very cost conscious this off-season. A general goal should also be to have a deeper, more flexible bench, get younger and more athletic, and get some pitchers who don't walk the world.
No doubt about it, jobs are safe:
David Wright (3B)
Jose Reyes (SS)
Ruben Tejada (2B/SS)
Ike Davis (1B)
Jason Bay (LF)
Angel Pagan (CF)
Josh Thole (C)
Johan Santana (SP)
Mike Pelfrey (SP)
RA Dickey (SP)
Jon Neise (SP)
Bobby Parnell (RP)
12 of the 25 Spots filled.
Borderline (Should be on the team)
Carlos Beltran (CF) - Only included in this section because of recent chatter of the Mets attempting to trade him. I believe that would be a giant mistake at this point. When healthy and motivated, he is one of the best players in baseball. A full year removed from mysterious knee surgery, brace free, and in a Scott Boras contract drive, he should have a monster year a la his last year in Kansas City/Houston. A move to right field is in order, but we'll worry about that later.
Chris Carter (1B/LF/RF) - Looking up and down the offense of this team, there is a serious lack of left-handed power aside from Davis and possibly Beltran. Throw in the fact that he can actually take a walk and he is sorely needed on this team. I realize the Mets have reservations about his defense, but they lived with Luis Castillo for the better part of three year and Daniel Murphy for one in LF. He should be on this team, as part of a platoon in the OF or a corner OF sub or pinch-hitter extraordinaire.
Daniel Murphy (3B/2B/1B/LF) - So he's not going to hit over .300 and be our left fielder of the future. I can live with that. What he can be is a left-handed Mark DeRosa, or, to use an example closer to home, a left-handed Joe McEwing (non-SS version). He is working out at 2B, the position the Mets should have used him in, and he can platoon with, or backup Ruben Tejada, in an offense/defense, left/right platoon at 2B.
Ryota Igarashi (RP) - Ehh. He's under contract, and can probably be mildly more effective than he has been lately; his xFIP is over two runs lower than his ERA.
Sean Green (RP) - Ground ball machine (Career: 62% GB%!!!) who is working is way back. Pretty much all that is left from the disastrous Putz/Chavez deal. These last few weeks will go a long way towards determining his role on the 2011 Mets, if any, but he deserves a chance.
Manny Acosta (RP) - Like many Met pitchers, he needs to stop walking the world (career minor league walks per 9 innings pitched: Over FIVE), but this season he has performed reasonably well, is cheap, and seems to have a little fight in him
Nick Evans (LF/RF/1B) - He's slugged over .450 in each of his last two minor league seasons and is young and cheap (see a pattern here?). More importantly, we need to see what he can do to understand if he is going to be a part of the next generation of Mets winners.
Francisco Rodriguez (RP) - I think the $11 million+ that K-Rod is due next year could be put to MUCH better use, but I doubt that the team will be able to void his contract. At least this latest dust up means that he will not be able to easily achieve is disgusting $17.5 million option for 2012.
Joaquin Arias (SS/2B/1B/3B) - Basically, a faster, younger, cheaper version of Alex Cora, but one who actually has some room to improve, rather than only possibly going down in performance. Also, can play a decent SS. Traded for A-Rod.
21 of 25 Spots filled.
Borderline (Should NOT be on the team)
Jenrry Mejia (SP) - Not that we don't all love the kid, but look at what Tampa Bay has done with their young pitchers. They are trained in the minors, stretched out until they are ready to come up and dominate. If he is going to be on the team next year, it should be as a call-up, a #7 SP, once he has proven himself in the minors.
Jeff Francouer (RF) - Ha. Thank you Omar.
Fernando Martinez (RF/CF/LF) - He has not shown us enough while up here to warrant a spot, and he has not shown an ability to stay healthy in the minor leagues. A la Mejia, keep him in AA or AAA and let him rake before we call him up and unleash him on the unsuspecting NL East.
Fernando Tatis (3B/1B/2B/SS/RF/LF) - Ha ha.
Spots left to fill
Backup C, 2 LHP RP, 1 (good) SP
As Thole is young and you can never have too many backup catchers seems to be Omar's motto,
the Backup C should hit from the right side of the plate, and probably be capable of giving Davis a day off here or there against a tough lefty (although his splits aren't bad at all). The SP should be someone who strikes people out, something the Mets have been missing for far too long (Al Leiter? Mike Hampton? Doc Gooden?).
Targets in Trades
Max Ramirez, Taylor Teagarden (Cs - Texas) - Both are slugging right handed catchers in the Texas Rangers system. Teagarden has been playing more than Ramirez lately, backing up Bengie Molina (hey, Mets fans, glad we didn't sign him?) and slugging over .400. Ramirez is known to be a little defensively challenged, which is probably why the contending Rangers have gone with Teagarden as their primary backup. Either would make a fine platoon partner with Thole, with 5 or 10 starts at first thrown in there. The main obstacle to acquiring either of these guys is not that they are both young, inexpensive and under team control next year, but that the Rangers are not a silly organization, like the Reds, Cubs, Royals or Mets, willing to give away younger talent for nothing. Acquiring one of them will take a Familia or a Martinez, and it might be time for the Mets to sell high on one of them. Teagarden is a LITTLE closer to free agency, so the Rangers might be a little more willing to deal him.
Mike Napoli (C - Los Angeles (AL)) -A long shot, perhaps, but remember that earlier in the year Napoli sat over half the time in favor of Jeff Mathis. Let me repeat that. Jeff Mathis. This, with a manager who used to be a catcher? It is obvious that Anaheim undervalues Napoli a bit, and he has even played some 1B this year with Kendry Morales' ankle injury. With Morales coming back next year, Mathis healed, a young catcher coming up and the DH spot possibly being filled with Bobby Abreu, Napoli could once again be relegated to backup duty or long stretches on the bench, despite seeing another season of over 20 HRs in limited duty.
Ryan Doumit (C/RF/1B - Pittsburgh) - A switch-hitting catcher whose slugging % has never been below .400, and has topped .500 as recently as two years ago. Not an ideal solution, but is flexible enough to fidn some at-bats elsewhere in the lineup. Let's not forget that they just traded for Chris Snyder, who makes more money than Doumit, and have Tony (Dirty) Sanchez, a recent first round pick whose main attribute was being close to major-league ready.Carlos Zambrano (SP - Chicago (NL)) - The main problem with Zambrano (aside from being, well, crazy and owning a declining strikeout rate) is his contract. He makes $18 million next year and in 2012 (his vesting player option is based on finishing in the top 4 of Cy Young voting....making it not likely to take effect). Coincidentally, the Mets have two pariahs of their own, Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo, who combine to make $18 million next year and who should not be a part of the team. Zambrano has given no indication that he will accept a trade, but then again, he has said some crazy stuff in the past. For someone with Zambrano's ability to strike people out and the low mileage on his arm these past two years, he is well worth the gamble. Get him on Slim-Fast and he might bring something to the table aside from his gut. As for the Cubs, they will be saying goodbye to Sweet Lou this off-season, they could use a 2B (having traded away Derek Lee and thinking about switching Aramis Ramirez to 1B, they could make Blake DeWitt back into a 3B), especially one who hits from the left side. As for Perez, well, lets hope that they're crazy? Maybe some money gets thrown in to compensate for the fact that Perez is maybe the worst player in baseball, but there is something there.
James Shields (SP - Tampa Bay) - Everyone knows that the Rays will be going through a transition next year, with their owner announcing a major slash to their already minor payroll. Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena are as good as gone, but the Rays have major-league ready replacements in Desmond Jennings and possible Matt Joyce and Willy Aybar at 1B. What they also have is a kid by the name of Jeremy Hellickson, who is knocking on the door and will break through this off-season, as he is currently on the David Price postseason reliever program. He makes $4.25 million next year, which would make him the highest paid Ray, depending on what they did in arbitration with Jason Bartlett and BJ Upton and what they do with Dan Wheeler's option. Matt Garza could also get more through arbitration. If the Rays are looking to slash payroll even more, they could look to trade Shields, who is no better than their #3 starter. Imagine him if he wasn't facing the Yankees and Red Sox?
Targets in Free Agency
Let's just get rid of great names like Carl Crawford and Cliff Lee right now. Not only are they too rich for the Wilpon's blood, but they are not native Spanish speakers, so Omar can't do his thing that offended Carlos Delgado so much. Victor Martinez will get too much money from the Red Sox to stay, or from the Angels to replace Napoli or from the Mariners to replace whatever cadaver they currently have playing C. Some realistic targets might include:
Jeremy Bonderman (SP) -Sadly, probably still too rich for the Wilpon's blood, and has been making noise about retiring if he doesn't go back to Detroit.
Brandon Webb (SP) - His option is too rich for rebuilding Arizona's blood. Maybe on an incentive-laden deal he make sense?
Dennys Reyes (RP) - Reliable National league reliever, who might fly under the radar.
Joe Beimel (RP) - Mets should have signed him this offseason. Now they get a second bite at the (home run) apple.
Hisanoria Takashi (RP/SP) - Would fill the role of swingman well. I am concerned that his delivery will be figured out and that he will not be as effective his second year in the majors, but he does strike people out and has performed well.
Conclusion
Without too much trouble, and very little extra money spent by Omar this winter, the 2011 Mets roster could easily look like this:
C - Thole/Ramirez
1B - Davis/Ramirez/Evans
2B - Tejada/Murphy/Arias
SS - Reyes/Arias
3B - Wright/Murphy/Arias
LF - Bay/Carter/Evans
CF - Pagan/Beltran
RF - Beltran/Carter/Evans
SP - Santana
SP - Zambrano
SP - Niese
SP - Pelfrey
SP - Dickey
CL - Rodriguez
RP - Parnell
RP - Beimel
RP - Green
RP - Acosta
RP - Takahashi
RP - Igarashi
Is that team winning the NL East next year? Absolutely not. But there are some young players with upside, the bench has depth, versatility and power, along with a long-missing defensive prowess. The starting staff leaves a lot to be desired, and the only real hopes for 2012 in the bullpen are Parnell and Green. I would love to come up with a way for the Mets to trade for James Shields, or sign Bonderman outright, but sadly, Shields probably makes too much money for the Mets and Zambrano's salary slot is just replacing dead weight.
Perhaps more importantly, as a Mets fan, this team is younger, crazier and has some hope for the future. It sets the stage for 2012 when huge money from Beltran, K-Rod and (currently) Perez and Castillo come off the books and hopefully the next wave of minor league talent is ready.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)