September Monday, Part IV
Your updated playoff seedings:
AL
Angels (1) vs. Boston (4)
Tampa Bay (2) vs. Minnesota (3)
NL (final)
Cubs (1) vs. Dodgers (3)
Philadelphia (2) vs. Milwaukee (4)
Well, we have a game today, and not even a play-in game, which is unusual. The White Sox have to play a makeup against Detroit in Chicago. If the White Sox win, then it's a play-in game tomorrow night against the Twins in Chicago. If the Chisox lose, then the Twins win the AL Central, and our dreams of an all-Chicago World Series are spoiled.
So let's break down today's Tigers-White Sox tilt, position by position.
Catcher: Brandon Inge vs. A.J. Pierzynski. Gotta give the edge to Bridgehampton native Pierzynski and his 3.3 Wins Above Replacement Player (WARP). Although, say this for the Mike Francesa-loved Inge and his BABIP...
Nah, I'm just kidding with that. Let's talk Mets!
In honor of yesterday's game becoming the eighth memorably heartbreaking defeat in the team's history, here are eight thoughts on the Mets:
1. Here is my column from the game. I now think that, given what transpired over the last month, the Mets should just suck it up and sign K-Rod. They can't be doing the cutesy "closer audition" next spring, not after a horrible bullpen caused The Second Collapse, and not when there are ultra-expensive tickets waiting to be sold at Citi Field.
2. As I wrote in the column, and as I mentioned here last week, it would be foolhardy to trade Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes or David Wright, IMHO. And I don't think they will. Yes, it's true, the lineup didn't produce enough over the last week. I think they were just exhausted after fighting back so often. This offense did score 799 runs, second-most in the National League.
Besides, the whole choke/clutch/SOFT stuff is such a slippery slope. In the eighth inning yesterday, with two outs, Jose Reyes hit a ground-rule double _ Marlins centerfielder Cameron Maybin helped by taking a bizarre route to the ball - and Carlos Beltran walked. Florida manager Fredi Gonzalez went to his lefty specialist, 2,000-year-old man Arthur Rhodes, and Delgado hit a ball right on the screws, right to Josh Willingham on the warning track. So the Mets choked, right? But if Delgado had broken his bat and hit a bloop single to left, then they would've been clutch?
They can't sign Manny Ramirez. They have to get younger. I suggested signing Juan Rivera in my column today, and you'd bet on a Fernando Tatis return, too. If Daniel Murphy can actually play second base, the Mets would have an improved lineup.
3. Omar. You don't like him. I understand. He botched the bullpen, big-time, two years in a row. How painful was it to see Matt Lindstrom, whom the Mets gave up for essentially nothing, finishing them off with the fastball the Mets could use so badly?
It's a second straight emotional finish, but if the Mets are to straighten this out, they have to take a step back and look at their situation at least somewhat intellectually. 89 wins and a collapse is horrifying, but it's not horrible. Signing Minaya through 2013 seemed a bit excessive. But firing him would have been far more excessive, especially considering the success of youngsters like Murphy and Mike Pelfrey.
What really killed the Mets' bullpen was the downfalls of Aaron Heilman and Duaner Sanchez, who were supposed to be the safety nets for a Billy Wagner injury. So if they actually sign K-Rod, the Mets should back up their new closer with as many young, power arms as they can find. No more three-year deals for poor Scott Schoeneweis, who looked about as despondent as I've ever seen an athlete, and his breed of mediocrity.
4. Jerry Manuel. What struck me, having been in the Mets' clubhouse after Game 162 both this season and last, was how much more upbeat team officials were yesterday than last year. That reflects how much they like Manuel and how much they disliked Randolph. Remember, last year, they made Randolph sweat out his return for nearly 48 hours, but yesterday, Fred Wilpon and everyone beneath him made it clear that Manuel will get the full-time gig.
Remember, Randolph didn't get fired because of the '07 collapse. He lost his job because he failed to move the team beyond The Collapse. I think Manuel will be more up to such a challenge, given his better people skills.
5. Starting pitching. They're going to need to sign at least one veteran, and preferably two. Pedro Martinez has to go; the Mets can no longer employ part-time players like Pedro, as likeable as he is.
They should engage in negotiations with Oliver Perez, and who knows? Maybe this dreadful economy will actually keep Ollie's price on the reasonable side. He sure looked like a different pitcher for the better part of Dan Warthen's reign as pitching coach. Otherwise, the Mets should stay away from the big catches (CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Ben Sheets) and look at Derek Lowe, who can handle the pressure, and Jon Garland, who eats innings in the American League and should be even more proficient in the National League.
6. Luis Castillo. He's just a symbol of The Second Collapse now. If the Mets are feeling very bold, they should eat $4 million a year for the next three years and shop him to a club as a three-year, $6-million player. If Murphy can play second base, they'd have a minimum-wage player there, which would dull the pain a tad.
7. Mets fans. Why the Mets planned yesterday's Shea farewell AFTER the game , I'll never understand. But when I was walking from the press box to the Mets' clubhouse after the game, I saw very few fans departing, and I thought that was great.
You Mets fans are a hearty lot, weathering repeated heartbreaks. You deserved to say goodbye to your loveable hellhole, and to acknowledge the contributions of players ranging from Willie Mays and Tom Seaver to Dwight Gooden and Mike Piazza. I missed the ceremony, as I was interviewing people in the clubhouse, but it sounded like a much better show than the Yankees' goodbye to the Stadium last week.
8. And in accordance with that, one final image: After finishing my work in the clubhouse, I happened to ride the elevator back upstairs to the press box with Keith Hernandez, who was still wearing his old Mets jersey from the ceremony.Everyone who crossed Keith's path smiled, shook his hand and thanked him. Hernandez smiled and said, "We'll get 'em next year."
That's the essence of sports right there, isn't it? Connecting with your favorite players. Sticking with your favorite team, no matter how difficult they make it to do so.
Meanwhile, up in Boston... Congrats to Mike Mussina, and from reading his quotes, I really think he'll retire.
I recalled a conversation a handful of reporters had with Mussina at Shea Stadium, during a regular season Subway Series. It had to be either 2002 or 2003, because those were the two seasons Mussina and David Wells were Yankees teammates.
Mussina said something like, "You don't want to hang around too long. You don't want to have the decision made for you. I think most players feel that way."
"But some players will hang around until there's no more money left, don't you think?" I countered. "Don't you think that Boomer will keep going until no one wants him?"
Mussina flashed his trademark, "I went to Stanford, and I'm smarter than everyone else in here" smile.
"Absolutely," he said.
And finally, Brian Cashman will decide on his future as soon as today. I'm sticking with the 55-45 chance that he stays. That kind of covers me either way, but seriously, from speaking to friends of the Yankees' GM, it sounds like he is seriously conflicted over what to do.
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Comments (54)
Good morning, Ken.
I agree with most of your Mets-related points above. Regarding the starting pitching staff, however: before dumping Heilman when his value will be at an all-time low, why not finally give him the chance to fight for a spot in the starting rotation? Meanwhile, offer Kyle Lohse a two-year deal to pitch at the new ballpark, assuming that the bidding war for Derek Lowe spirals out of control. (If I am not mistaken, Lohse has a better track record than Garland.) As for Oliver Perez, I suspect that his year/salary demands will be excessive, considering that he doesn't usually pitch deep enough into games.
I like the Lohse suggestion, JE. As for Heilman, I think that ties back into the Mets' overreliance on their fans' opinions. I don't think Heilman will ever wear a Mets uniform again.
First of all, Happy New Year.
I agree with pretty much everything you said - the only thing I'd need to research is Juan Rivera, as I don't know too much about him. But I've been on record for a while regarding the need for legitimate outfielders (as opposed to converted infielders - Endy's catch yesterday further emphasized that point).
I'm also on board with the Lowe pursuit and I don't think I'd be heartbroken if Ollie left - to paraphrase Ron Darling, he can throw but he still hasn't learned how to pitch.
If you think about it, they played a good part of the season without corner outfielders, a second baseman, their closer and one of their starters. And still, if the bullpen blew a fraction of their total number, they would have clinched last week.
And I'll tell you what, for a franchise with a history of bungling things big and small - that was a really nice ceremony yesterday and I'm glad I recorded it. Perhaps at a later date, we can discuss some notable absences, but it was very classy and pretty emotional.
PS - Oh, and thanks for resurrecting once again my most painful Mets moments thread - can't get enough of that.
If you're right about the Mets and Heilman, and I suspect you are, then that's sad. Very sad.
An Israeli diplomat and big Mets fan e-mailed me last night and reasoned: "One good thing about being a tribe member is that the old year ends at sunset tonight."
Speaking of which, to Ken and everyone else here who observes the holiday, have a sweet and peaceful 5769.
I read in the St.Louis Post-Dispatch today that Lohse and the Cardinals are close to signing a 4-year contract. So looks like Lohse is staying with the Cardinals.
Evan Roberts on WFAN today said the Mets rotation should be Santana, Pelfrey, Maine, either Perez or a free agent pitcher and a young pitcher aka Jon Niese as the 5th starter. I think that should be the Mets rotation. And Heilman has to go. Heilman needs to go somewhere to a team that gives him a chance to be a starting pitcher.
Picking up on what Dennis just typed, here is a Tim Dierkes analysis of the potential signing:
According to Derrick Goold and Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Cardinals plan to finalize a four-year extension for starter Kyle Lohse this morning. Sources tell Goold and Strauss the deal will be similar to Carlos Silva's four-year, $48MM contract.
It may be tempting to call this a loss for Scott Boras, since his client chose not to test the open market. Lohse settled for $4.5MM in March this year after turning down a three-year, $21MM offer from the Phillies. However, Boras still comes out a winner as the Cardinals are not getting any kind of discount. Plus, taking the Phillies' offer would've been a mistake.
I'm with Viva El Birdos on this one - there's no upside to signing Lohse at this price. What are the odds this deal looks solid even halfway through?
Goold and Strauss say the Cardinals earmarked about $15-16MM for the rotation this winter. That means Lohse is the big signing and the other pitcher will be a bargain buy. The Cards will use another $15MM or so to fill other needs. Brian Fuentes and Orlando Hudson could be considerations.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2008/09/kyle-lohse-exte.html
Ken I was looking forward to your breakdown of Tigers-White Sox!!!! The mere mention of WARP in a Newsday blog brings a smile to my face.
I was at the Mets game yesterday and I have to disagree with you about the number of fans leaving the game. There was a steady stream of thousands of fans heading for the parking lot and the trains as soon as the game ended.
By the way, let the potential Lohse signing serve as a serious caveat emptor for teams considering free agent pitching help this offseason. If the Redbirds really do sign Lohse for 4/48 BEFORE he hits the open market, then one would have to believe that the price tags for Perez, Lowe, Garland, etc. just went skyward.
I really don't think it's necessary for the Mets to pay top dollar for the closer. The major problem is middle-relief, Wagner was adequate. If they can get someone equal to the mediocre Wagner like a Fuentes or Street or a Putz and really do a job on the middle guys they would be OK. They need a second baseman and a fourth starter. Guys like that should be plentiful without spending a lot.
As for the Yankees "bad" season: They had the same record as the Mets. They had a better record than 2 of the division champions. They almost won 90 games, they would have been the wild-card if not for the Rays surprise. They lost their ace for most of the year, they has injuries to major players all season long, they had a new manager and coaching staff for the most part. Maybe a bit more luck and we aren't saying this was a bad season.
Go Rays! Especially for one series--GO ANGELS!!
What a brutal brutal loss. Ken you're right, the Mets need to take a step back before making decisions. And that ties into your MVP vote.
You wrote two interesting things on Delgado this month.
1) You didn't discount the notion that he dogged it under Willie.
2) You asked is he really the MVP? (thankfully that answer has been made)
I think Delgado definitely dogged it. I know people slump and get better, but this was the most radical change I've ever seen in sports. Operation Shutdown seemed to be in full effect.
And I want Mets fans to remember that today. I want them to remember April/May/June. In the end, those games do count. His final #'s are great. But how great would they have been had he magically gotten hot earlier??
As for fixing the Mets. Getting rid of Beltran/Wright/Reyes would be pretty dumb, unless you get equal value back. And since Wright/Reyes are originals, they better not go anywhere. And its hard to blame Beltran for choking considering he had two very very very clutch hits this last week. I think win or lose the Mets needed K-Rod. Sometimes winning is worse because it hides your weaknesses. So its almost better the Mets lost bc had they won but gotten swept by the Cubs, they may not have made a play for him.
I also think they need a veteran with rings who can loosen the mood and is super clutch. I wouldn't sign THAT guy either, but he's exactly what the Mets need. Had they traded for him, they would undoubtedly be in the playoffs right now.
Sandy, Putz sucked this year, but he was awesome the last two. I doubt the Mariners would trade Putz.
I agree Ken, looks like it'll have to be K-Rod now! The Mets can't go into that ballpark having decided to 'find' a closer. So unless a trade for somebody solid or better arises, I think K-Rod is coming to Queens. Hopefully another bullpen piece, or two, or three...is also coming. Does Billy Beane still love Heilman?
Castillo is gone, the only question is how much money the Mets eat. Hopefully Murphy will prove adequate at 2B (can't be worse that what we ran out there this year) and the lineup gets a huge lift. But it will be anybody but Luis out there. As for the starters, we'll need a mid-rotation innings eater, and some veteran insurance. If Lohse is getting that kind of cash, that market is going to be interesting. I'd be interested to know how some of these pitching contracts are insured before I'd say yes or no on signing some of these guys. But, I do like Lowe, Dempster, and dare I say, Braden Looper. Though I doubt the Mets would ever sign him.
Ken, you must run into a lot of irrational people IMO. Trade any of the big 3? That's crazy talk. One of baseball's best cores. They go nowhere. Glad Jerry is coming back.
Keith is right.
The Mets also have to realistic about a few things. Tatis/Delgado/Murphy will all probably take major steps back next year. If the Mets give Delgado a conract extension, THEY'D BE CRAZY!! I think you're going to see a .260 23/84 season out of him, if he doesn't get injured.
And though I think Tatis will not be the same player he was this year, few people are talking about how losing him coincided with this years collapse.
"Crazy" JE here, RG. Delgado will cost the team only $8M net. Buying him out PLUS paying someone else to play first would be unwise on its face, UNLESS the Mets elected to make a bigger-than-Johan commitment to Teixeira. (Who else is available?)
In any event, if Delgado plays harder under Jerry Manuel, well, fine, it appears as though Jerry will be back next year.
Ken -
The Mets are a joke. Delgado and Reyes dogging it early cost this team the playoffs, plus Wright pulling an A-Rod throughout the season. Sure, the bullpen blows, but if they had won a couple more games in April and May, they would've at least made the playoffs. As disliked as Willie was, the fact remains that these guys are multimillionaires and couldn't get past a stupid personality conflict to go and play hard.
Also, I have to slightly disagree with you. Why shouldn't the Mets go after Manny? Or Sabathia? I don't know how any Met fan can be sold on the "core" after the last 3 debacles, or the rotation at this point. At this point, I would rather live or die with Manny at the plate in a clutch situation than either Beltran, Delgado, Reyes or Wright. I'm absolutely not convinced that Pelfrey, Maine and Perez will win this team a championship.
Looking forward to Rush Hashanah on VH1 Classic. And while I'm rooting for the Dodgers, Brewers and Rays, I think it'll be Sweet Lou's Cubs and, unfortunately, the Red Sox.
Rock
Every team in the majors has four starters and a hope and prayer # 5 slot. Santana, Pelfrey, Maine (hopefully), Perez and a fight for # 5 among all comers. And sadly, I do not want Pedro back either.
The Mets need a middle reliever (I wrote this spring that Sanchez would be very important this year) , left fielder and a second baseman. They don't need to get into the overpay for KRod race. KRod is a prodcut of Angels small ball and good defense which inflates his save numbers. Don't go there!
They don't have to overachieve - mere achievement with their talent should have won the divsion the last two years...and should give them probably one more good chance in 2009 before the club needs to fill in CF, RF and 1B.
Management wasted $ 250 million dollars on this team over the past two years.
I don't know what is worse, watching CNBC looking at the ticker go down to -700 points while listening to politicians blame each other for this "bailout" bill not passing, or listening to Francesa screaming the Mets need to trade Wright and Reyes because they can't deliver in the clutch. Between that, the Rays winning the division, Duke Blue Devils football being 3-1 and a whole bunch of other things, I think we have just seen the Apocalypse arrive!! :(
JE, I'm not disagreeing with you about Delgado. The Mets sorta have to keep him. But I just have a gut feeling he will have a very bad or injured year this year. (Sorta how I felt about Tom Brady this season) I hope I'm wrong about the injury, but I think a healthy Delgado will be a very unproductive Delgado. But there is no other option.
Bob, I hear you with overpaying for K-Rod. I think its 99.99% dumb to overpay for anybody! But to me, he is that exception. What are the alternatives for a closer?? If they had one for next season, he would have been here this season.
Rock, I dont want Manny but Good Manny is EXACTLY what this team needed the last two seasons. However Bad Manny is EXACTLY what this team had too much of earlier this season. So its a tough call. I'm sure you'd get a lot of both throughout the contract.
But I do agree with you 100% on Delgado. His loafing cost the Mets big time this year.
And of course you cant get rid of the three core MEts, but you need to add someone who will energize and make this team believe when the chips are down.
Richie if the Mets bring Delgado back he will be playing for a new contract therefore he will be motivated to do well. There's no real logical reason why he shouldn't be back--you pay him $4 million not to play for you or $12 million to play for you. Now, I will agree with you if the Mets extend him this off-season.
Sandy, I think the Mets have to bring him back. I just think he's going to have a bad year. Same with Tatis. I think you have to bring him back, but I think he's not going to repeat the year he just had, even if given the same opportunity.
There was a lot of motivation for him this year as well. Had he continued to suck, he would get $4 million, and then have a paltry contract this season. He would have lost millions had he not rebounded.
"Looking forward to Rush Hashanah on VH1 Classic."
Ditto Rock
The average home run per game this year is 2.01 which is the lowest in 15 years. Perhaps steroids testing had something to do with it as Torii Hunter said.
Josh Beckett will not pitch for the Red Sox until Game 3 Sunday against the Angels because of a strained oblique muscle. Jon Lester will pitch Game 1 and Dice-K will pitch Game 2.
Francesa said that the Mets should consider excising the option on Delgado and then package Delgado along with someone like Heilman and trade them to get something for them. Better chance that Heilman gets traded than Delgado in the off-season.
Ken, congratulations on your near perfect prediction on the Yankee season, missing by a single game their record. Remarkable. What will tonight's lottery numbers be? There's still time for me to buy a ticket.
Dennis, Carlos Delgado has a complete no-trade clause in his contract. He's not going anywhere without his permission if the Mets exercise the option.
Dennis didn't say that about Delgado,Jim, Francesa did. Francesa was on a real roll today, he must have lost more than I did in the stock market. As I stated above he said the Mets should consider trading Wright and Reyes because they aren't clutch players and Mets fans need to get off Delgado and Beltran because they are. He also decided Evan Roberts had no clue about the Mets (and tried to bury him), and since Roberts owns a season ticket, maybe he knows a bit more than Francesa thought. All in all, a fine, fine day all around.
And it looks like regular season baseball will be extended for one more game as Minnesota will play the White Sox tomorrow night barring a miracle finish/White Sox choke tonight and Freddy Garcia had to take himself out of the game because of injury while he was pitching quite well.
Sandy, Dennis was repeating it as fact. It isn't a fact. I wanted everyone to know that, including Dennis. Francesa is a windbag. He again seemed to indicate that Torre should be the NYY manager and if he was, the Yankees would be in the playoffs. Unless Torre could pitch, replace Posada behind the plate or play leftfield/DH in the absence of Matsui, I don't know how he would have won any more games for the team.
Jim, as Lee Curso would say "not so fast my friend". According to Delgado's contract that he sign with the Marlins on 1/27/05, Delgado does not have a no-trade clause in his contract. So if the Mets exercise the option in his contract, the Mets can trade Delgado without his permission.
Dennis, from what I can find so far, you are right. The no-trade clause was in his previous contract. I am trying to confirm that. Good job. I wonder what the market would be for him if a team had to pay the full $12 million? As we have discussed, the Mets are really only paying him $8 mill. since they would owe him $4 mill. for the buyout.
Again, gut yontef to all those celebrating the New Year.
I assume that everyone now knows that the Lohse signing is official: 4/41 is the total. By the way, this includes a FULL no-trade clause. As I noted earlier today, this should sober up everyone who believes that the Mets or Yankees, for that matter, will be able to find quality pitching help on the open market at reasonable prices.
Here is the link in question:
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3616983
Joel Sherman in today's Post wrote that the Mets should go after Sabathia. Here's my problem with what Sherman said. The Mets already are paying Santana the money. By signing Sabathia, the Mets would have 1/3 of their payroll tied to 2 pitchers. Granted, Santana and Sabathia would form a nice 1-2 punch. But you would be committing long term contrracts to 2 pitchers. Plus the Mets have other needs.
Kyle Lohse getting 4 years $41 million from the Cardinals means one thing. Free agent starting pitchers will be demanding more than what Lohse got from the Cardinals.
Looking at Lohse's contract it appears that the Cardinals are hoping Duncan is responsible for his turn-around, not that he was playing for a new contract. Most of the contract is back-ended to the last two years, so if he is doing well because of Duncan and continues to do so the next two years, he will be a bargain at an average of around 8.5 million per year. If not, and he is as bad as everyone thinks, he is extremely overpaid.
As far as Francesa, the problem with him (and every another talk radio show blohard invested on America) is this: Part of his audience thinks he's a legitimate journalist, part of his audience trusts his opinion and takes it as gospel (and adopts it for their own because their are incapable of forming their own opinions) and the rest look at him as entertainment and realize he knows very little. Now Francesa, since he was a journalist once in his lifetime (I know for Sports Eye, but still he was) has a bit of journalistic integrity and tries to obtain sources and break stories, unlike the rest of the talk show universe, and his former partner who is just another fan, who don't and can't. Those guys have never really been an information source for me, and now that I'm 1,000 miles away they still can't provide me with any, meaning they get their information the same way I do by reading NY and other newspapers. Any 100,000 sports fans could do the exact same thing they do for a living and be just as good at it.
The Mets don't need to pay CC, what they have coming back for the top 3 starters is good enough. They need a fourth starter and most of a bullpen. I'm surprised at Sherman, he usually does better thinking than that.
Sandy, I wouldn't sign CC either. But I think if the Mets signed CC, they'd be almost unstoppable in the regular season next year. Can you imagine a better 1-2 punch? With John Maine 3 and Pelfrey 4?? You wouldn't really need much of a pen.
Francesca is entertaining, but he says some dumb things too. He said if the Mets were a game up going into Sunday, he wouldn't pitch Santana bc he'd roll the dice to hold him till a one game playoff or start him Game 1. Crazy.
Though people thought I was nuts for saying they shouldn't treat Saturday like a Game 7, they should treat it like a Game 5. And exactly what I feared happened. Perez couldn't go six and the pen blew the game.
RG, Francesa was not the only one who said that if the Mets had a 1 game lead heading into Sunday, he would not pitch Santana. Joel Sherman said the same thing.
Richie the most important thing was to try to avoid pitching Santana on Sunday because they would have needed him to pitch twice in the playoffs. Santana did the right thing by demanding to pitch Saturday and he could have pitched tomorrow. You have to realize Francesa gambles, and gamblers do dumb things that cost them money. They don't do conservative things, so the way he thinks Santana wouldn't pitch Sunday, but the way he says it, it makes it sound like Santana shouldn't have pitched Saturday either, which is absolutely insane. He had to pitch one or the other, no doubt about it. As far as Saturday and Sunday, both games should be considered game 7's because if you lose you're eliminated. At the very least Saturday was game 6, game 5 was Friday.
RG and Sandy, signing CC is not THAT crazy, although thinking that Joel Sherman IS insane seems entirely reasonable. ;-)
Assuming that CC would agree to play in NY and command 7/140, why not? Compare with a 6/90-96 for K-Rod. And with the price tag for third/fourth starters heading northward, thanks to the Lohse deal, I agree with Tim Dierkes that CC would be a more prudent investment than a combination of the latter two.
Now, having said that, I would prefer going after Dunn, Manny, or even Baldelli instead....
JE it's a world gone wild. I'm sitting here today listening to Francesa saying the Mets should trade Wright and try to get Youkilis (because he's a better player and more clutch Mikey says) if he's available or trade Reyes for Rollins or Hanley
Ramirez because they are better, and I just shake my head. And there are people calling in agreeing with him too. WFAN is paying miilions of $ for that. So why can't the Mets spend $40 million dollars on 2 aces if they are desperate to win a World Series? Which they better do if they do that. CC and Santana and Pelfrey can pitch complete games every game they ahead in the 7th and the other 2 starters can play Russian Roulette with whatever bullpen they have.
You do realize that the US Surgeon General has decreed that spending so much time listening to Mike Francesca is majorly hazardous to your health?
My point was simply that, if it's a choice between CC and a combination of K-Rod and a fourth-starter, go with the former. The financial commitment is not that much more and the risk is probably less.
As you know from the Schoenweis signing, finding bullpen help does not require a whole lot of cash.
Guys, maybe I should leave the blog again.
Well, Cashman is staying with Yanks. He sign a 3-year contract. Cashman did what was best for his family according to a Yankees source and so he stays.
Well, Dennis, if Cashman gets three years, then Omar deserves another four, right?
Here's a pretty good rant on the subject:
http://productiveouts.blogspot.com/2008/09/fury.html
My entire point is you can fill 3 pitching spots with $20 million instead of one. A closer, and 2 mid relievers which is what they need more than anything. CC is a luxury only the Mets and maybe the Yankees can afford. You pay an ace to be the ace.
One good thing about Francesa being alone, he's exposing himself as being not very knowledgeable at least his partner made him look good :).
I'm glad Cashman is coming back, he has work that has to be done. For him CC is worth $20 million.
And, Jim, why would you suggest such a thing? I haven't seen you get into arguements with anyone here lately.
Sandy, it wasn't me. It was a troll. Maybe Ken can find out who when he comes back online. Everything is fine in my world.
BTW, I believed all along that Cashman was returning. You don't leave a job that pays upwards of $2 million with a budget of $210 million and a short drive from home. It was all BS.
Now, whether he deserves to return - well that's a different story.
Rays rotation for the first round:
Shields, Kazmir, Garza and Sonnanstine. Kazmir hasn't been pitching well for awhile and he might be hurt.
I would rather see them play Chicago because they are the Twins "twins" and might not match up as well against them. Then again they have that tremendous home field record and home field advantage, so maybe it wouldn't matter. Carl Crawford is working out this week and will probably be on the playoffs roster, but he might not be able to play the field.
The Twins won the season series over the White Sox 10-8. Yet tonight's game is in Chicago because of a coin filp that was done in advance. Some people like Buster Olney think the team that win the season series should host the 1 game playoff at home. I for one have no problem with the coin filp deciding who will host the play-in game. Its been this way in baseball since the beginning. The National League went with a Best of 3 format to decide things until 1969 when the advent of divisional play was introduced. While the American League has use a 1 game playoff format since the beginning.
JE, signing CC isn't crazy, but I just think it will be a bad signing in the long run. It always seems smart at the time, but if he and Santana both go south the last four years, as Ken would say, Yeesh. Though I do agree I'd rather have CC then a Burnett/Perez combo. I always say pay extra for excellence then save a little coin for mediocrity.
And its funny JE, you think K-Rod is the last thing the Mets need, and I think Dunn is the last thing the Mets need.
If Manny wasn't such an idiot, he's EXACTLY what the Mets need. But he's so bipolar you cant trust him.
Jim, no offense but its not that hard to crack the code on your name. Jim. (Though I do agree it must have been someone that knows of you since he said you're going to leave again)
The dumb thing about Francesca's theory is theoretically, beating the Marlins should be easier than beating the Brewers.
Give props to the ChiSox; they won the division despite playing their last 17 games in 17 days. That's brutal. Although they have a day off tomorrow, Guillen would still have to start either Mark Buehrle on short notice or Javier Vazquez against the Rays.
Sure, RG, the Amazins would be taking a chance by signing CC, but at least it's a calculated risk, as Santana and Sabathia are blue-chip investments. Again, what's the point of having a wonderful closer if you don't give him the opportunity to save many games?
Richie - I am not following you. My point was that maybe Ken can see who it is because he has access to identifying information that we don't see. I don't think anyone would like it if someone used their name in a similar manner.
Jim I was making a joke because you dont exactly have the most uncommest of screan names. I'm Richie G. (Lynbrook). Bob Tufts is Bob Tufts.
And this did happen to Richie G. There was another poster named Richie G. and I was on Glaubers blog. I was ripping him for saying that the Patriots are going to be more motivated bc of what Plaxico said. (My point was I think an undefeated season and a chance to win the Super Bowl was more than enough incentive). Anyways he makes a crack on me and the other Richie G. asks Bob what the hell is he talking about. Then Bob thinks I'm a lunatic because I've been going back and forth with him for a week. So I changed mine to (Lynbrook). I haven't seen the other Richie G. since though.
JE I know you like Adam Dunn a lot, but I was listening to an interview Marty Brennaman did on radio yesterday and he thinks Dunn is an awful baseball player. He can't field, doesn't hit for average, strikeouts too much and his attitude stinks. He says he doesn't see a lot of teams chasing after him because of how poorly he has performed. I look at him and see Dave Kingman all over again, and I wouldn't want a Kingman on my team.
Sandy, I hear you, but if you really want Dave Kingman stats (high HR and K totals, awful OBP), ask the Marlins to give us back Mike Jacobs!
Dunn may be a strikeout machine but then what about MVP candidate Ryan Howard's 199 strikeouts? Dunn may indeed be a defensive liability, but so is Howard. Dunn hit into only seven double plays this year; Howard hit into 11.
And look below for a BA/OBP/SLG/OPS+ comparison:
Adam Dunn: .236/.386/.513 (130)
Ryan Howard: .251/.339/.543 (123)
And, as I have indicated before, 19 of Dunn's 39 home runs were hit on the road.
Assuming that Brennaman was right about Dunn's attitude, so what? That would make him an even more attractive pickup, as his contract demands may be more reasonable. And how can we point fingers at Dunn when Manny Ramirez is also on the market?
Who would you have play left field for the Amazins, Sandy?
JE, there are other options besides Dunn and Manny. I dont see how Dunn being a jerk is a plus. I'm not saying he is mind you, I'm just saying that if he is I wouldn't view it as a plus. Also, I doubt very much he's that big a jerk where his asking price will suffer.
Also, Dunn had 100 RBI's and Howard had 146!! That's a HUGE difference.
To be honest, if Kens Blog had a team and I was named manager, you'd be my bench coach because I normally agree with you. But I'm just not into Dunn at all. I agree with the Kingman analogy.
Thank you for the job offer, RG!
We'll debate the value of RBIs as a useful statistic at another time.
Here's a question for you, RG, and everyone else for that matter, including Ken: why did neither the Mets or Yankees demand season-ticket holders to get PSLs? (See http://www.squawkingbaseball.com/?p=190) Considering what the Giants and the Jets have done, why did neither Steinbrenner nor Wilpon go down this route?
They didn't feel the need, JE. They obviously knew the risks (horrendous PR) and didn't think that the rewards were rich or necessary enough.
Fair point, Ken, but wasn't the controversy mostly confined to the Giants PSLs, not the Jets? As "Shawn" pointed out, "the eBay route is a brilliant play by the Jets; instead of dealing with the backlash the Giants are looking at, they can simply point to the market."
JE I was shocked they didn't do the PSL thing. I couldn't believe it.