World Series: A couple of updates on our local clubs, and a couple of suggested stories
Checking in, before we begin pre-game news conferences and batting practice here at The Trop...
You can expect a Yankee Stadium farewell news conference shortly after the conclusion of the World Series. I'll leave myself one percent room for error. But no one who knows Mussina well thinks he'll pitch again.
The Mets, moreover, have no intention of pursuing Manny Ramirez at this point. Too old, too expensive, too potentially disruptive. So if no K-Rod or Manny, and no Orlando Hudson until they trade Luis Castillo (no slam dunk) _ and no CC Sabathia, either _ who are they going to get to improve their club? A starting pitcher, either re-signing Oliver Perez or finding someone else. An outfielder - Juan Rivera? Maybe there's some top-secret plan. For now, though, Mets fans don't have much over which to get excited.
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Comments (19)
Ken in arguing with Rieber on the other topic, you made a mistake. THREE pitchers in the Rays starting rotation came in trades. Kazmir, Garza and Edwin Jackson came from the Dodgers.
It's a shame Moose is leaving, that means Pettitte will probably be brought back out of desperation and I think he's pretty much done.
I'm not allergic to salad but unfunny TV gives me the hives, especially if it's supposed to be hilarious. Friends wasn't either.
Ken I'm offended!! Fehr Sucks, (John Stearns alert) John Stearns is great and Hustling > Starting pitching. Annoyed by me yet??
I'm upset that Moose is retiring. I never thought he'd be a useful pitcher again, and to be honest, I still wouldn't. I think this year was an abberation and if he wants to go out at a high level, this maybe his last chance. But it would have been interesting to see if he could have gotten to 300 wins. He will not make the HOF without them.
I really cant believe the Mets aren't going after K-Rod. And I mean I cant believe it. I bet something changes (like you writing a front page story telling the Mets they need to) and they go hard after him. I still say in the end he stays with the Angels.
The one thing I will say about this is...its sorta similar to Peavey/CC and Putz/K-Rod. I'd rather give a few prospects and have a much more managable contract for Putz, then go crazy for K-Rod. I think the Mets can get Putz to sign a reasonable contract if they traded him.
Ken, isn't it a bad idea to judge the probability of retirement on what a player says at the very end of a season? Mussina may have sounded like he was ready to walk away at the end of September, but I have a suspicion he'll feel quite differently in early November, after the Yankees offer him a nice contract (and a nice chance at 300 wins). I believe a blogger at Newsday found his brother's blog, which essentially said the same.
Until I see Moose offically said that he is retiring I say the Yanks will offer him a reasonable contract for next year and if he turns it down more power to him.
The Mets saying that they are not interested in K-Rod is hard for me to believe. I bet Omar and his guys discuss this and they decided not to pursue K-Rod. The Mets need a closer, but if its not K-Rod then they better come up with someone to be the closer.
I see Bill Livesey is back with the Yanks as a scout. Livesey is the one who oversaw the drafting of Derek Jeter with the 6th overall pick in the 1992 Draft. I wonder what JMH feels about this.
Ken, I read the Cubs want to get lefthanded hitters and might consider trading 1st baseman Derrek Lee. I know Lee has 2 years left on his contract and has a no-trade clause. But would the Cubs consider trading Lee?
LOL, Richie. Further motivation to start Comment of the Week once the season ends. I agree with your Peavy-Putz comparison; I just wonder if the Mets can afford to trade prospects again, after the Santana trade.
PE, I'm not judging the probability. I'm reporting. I've spoken with people who have spoken with Mussina since the season ended.
Sandy, I was thinking about the Rays' postseason rotation of 4; hence my exclusion of Jackson. How do you know Seinfeld is unfunny if you haven't seen it?
Dennis, I don't know specifically on Lee, but it would make sense to use him as a trade chip.
The crazy thing about Seinfeld is you see how much life has changed in just 10-15 years. They had a whole episode on a pay phone (the Chineese restaurant). Seinfeld was such a big part of pop culture, yet now a lot of the show is outdated.
Sandy, I was like you are with Seinfeld with the Simpsons. I hated the Simpsons. Couldn't stand it. Till I was forced to watch an episode. Then I was hooked.
As for Moose... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQJVSOh7cEc
The Yankees will reach out to Mussina in order to determine if he wants to continue playing. If he does, they will make an offer. If he doesn't, there will be no offer.
Mussina is a borderline HOF pitcher right now. He doesn't need 300 wins. He has a good winning pct.
Anyone catch the Baldelli at bat in the 2nd inning with a man on and 1 out when on a 3-2 pitch the home plate umpire Kerwin Danley raise his hand as if he was calling a strike 3 call but it turns outs it was a walk? I mean it look like Baldelli went around on a check swing, Even Buck and McCarver thought he was call out on a check swing. Instead Baldelli walks and it led to a run score by the Rays.
So far tonight the Phillies woes with RISP continues.
Dennis I saw it. Craziest thing I ever seen. Nuts. I woulda got thrown out if I was Manuel.
JMH, Mussina may get in during his 12th and 13th years when writers drink the Koolaid and buy the hype. But he wont get in when the votes actually mean something. (Meaning if it takes you 12 years to induct someone into the HOF, you dont actually believe they are a HOFer in the first place)
The only stereotype that Chamberlain brought to the fore is that he was a stupid idiot, a group which includes all races, colors and creeds.
Ken - if Raines can be a potential HOF member because of his post-cocaine career (and Paul Molitor and Fregie Jenkins were elected after drug incidents) , why can't Bonds be a HOF member because of his career BEFORE the purported steroid usage?
Bonds - .300 BA, 400 HR's, 400 SB's by age 32 in 1997...7 silver sluggers...7 all star games...7 gold gloves....on path for at least 500/500 .....3 time time MVP....ARod's a 3 timer also!...
I metion earlier that Kerwin Danley the home plate umpire mess up on the Baldelli at-bat in the 2nd inning. Well in the 9th inning with Rollins up with a runner on 2nd and nobody out and the Rays up 4-1 with Price on the mound, Price throws a pitch inside that looks like grave the uniform of Rollins. Danley didn't think so, but on the replay the ball clearly touch the uniform of Rollins, and Fox play the sound of the pitch and you can hear some type of clicking sound. If Rollins had gotten on that play, the Phillies would had 2 on and nobody out with the tying run at the plate. Both calls went against the Phillies, and Danley didn't help. But of course the Phillies have left base runners on base left and right so far in the World Series and are lucky to be 1-1.
Bob - because Bonds' steroid usage neutralizes what came before it, IMHO.
You can't believe anything a GM says at this time of year. Everyone is positioning and in the case of Omar, he needs to maintain negotiating leverage.
It is still early in the process, we need to see which players are non-tended. I can't see the Nats offering arbitration to Chad Cordero. Cordero made $6.2M this year and was hurt most of the year so the Nats would have to pay him at a minimum arbitration award a little below $6M based on the max reduction in arbitration. Given the Nat's history this seems unlikely. Obviously Cordero is an Omar guy from his days with the Expos/Nationals.
A bench guy who could share some of the second base at bats is Willie Bloomquist. He doesn't have much pop, but he puts the ball in play (he did hit .277 and .279 the last two years) and defensively can play anywhere, which obviously provides a lot of flexibility, Here are his games played by position in his career: SS-111, 3B-107, CF-94, 2B-86, LF-50, 1B-31, RF-30. He is 30 years old (31 in November) and he only made $875K his year, so he should be cheap.
If the Marlins trade Jacobs (a popular rumor) perhaps we could interest them in trading Olsen for a package that includes Carp. Olsen has good stuff and his development could follow the same path as Ollie.
CAPSLOCK=DISABILITY ACCOMODATION, SORRY. OF ALL THE METHODS PROPOSED FOR EVALUATING A CLOSER. I FIND THE SV% THE MOST ACCURATE/SATISFYING THAT IS OF THE OPPORTUNITIES GIVEN, WHAT % IS SUCCESSFULLY CLOSED. BASICLY HOW SUCCESSFUL ARE THEY AT THEIR ONE JOB REGARDLESS OF HOW THEY GET IT DONE. FOR THAT MATTER, I'VE PERSONALLY EVALUATED EVERY CLOSER FROM '08 WHO WAS GIVEN A MINIMUM OF 20 OPPORTUNITIES AND COMPARED THAT TO THEIR ACTUAL SAVES RENDERING A SAVE% FOR EXAMPLE THE METS GAVE WAGNER+AYALA 45 OPORTUNITIES IN WHICH THEY COMBINED TO RECORD 36 SAVES FOR A SV% OF 80.00% COMPARATIVLY THOUGH K-ROD'S GRAND TOTAL OF 62 ACTUAL SAVES OVERSHADOWS ALL & SEEMS ESPECIALLY DOMINANT VER FUENTES' TOTAL OF 32. YOU MUST CONSIDER THAT K-ROD'S 69 OPPORTUNITIES VASTLY OUTSTRIPS EVERYONE ELSE'S RENDERING A SV% OF 89.86%. ON THE OTHER HAND FUENTES 32 SUCCESSES WERE GARNERED FROM ONLY 36 OPPORTUNITIES RENDERING A SV% OF 88.89%. ANOTHER MORE SUBSTANTIAL WAY TO PUT THIS IS TO COMPARE ALL THE 'AVAILABLE' CLOSER CANDIDATES TO SEE WHAT THEY COULD'VE DIONE WITH THE 45 CHANCES THE METS WOULD GIVE THEM. WE KNOW WE GOT 36 SAVES FROM WHAT WE HAD; BUT BOTH K-ROD & FUENTES INCREASE THE CONVERSION # TO 40 OR 4 MORE Ws FOR THE TEAM. OTHERS? THERE'S SUPPOSEDLY PUTZ & STREET AVAILABLE VIA TRADE. PUTZ' 65.22% GIVES ONLY29 SAVES OR 7 MORE Ls STREET ALSO FALLS SHORT WITH HIS 72.00% CONVERTING ONLY 32 SAVES OR 4 MORE Ls. QUESTION HAS TO BE DOES FUENTES OR K-ROD ALONE SOLVE THE BULLPEN ISSUE? NO! LIKENING A BANDAID TO A TOURNEQUETTE JOB. BY INKING FUENTES TO LESS $$$ NYM CAN THEN P/U FA R. SORIANO, RESIGN AYALA FOR SETUP & POSSIBLY ACQUIRE STREET FROM As TO SETUP. MY PROPOSED OFFERING FOR STREET WOULD BE HEILMAN & MURPHY. IF ENOUGH FA CASH STILL AVAILABLE TAKE A RUN AT ADDING AFFELDT AS LOOGIE TO REPLACE SCHOENEWEIS.
MY FRIENDS, WE ALREADY CHOSE THE GLITZY OPTION IN CHOOSING WAGNER OVER RYAN & HOFFMAN IN F/ACY. NOWS THE TIME TO BE SMARTER AND ADDRESS THE BULLPEN WITH ZEAL. OUR PROBLEM WASN'T SOLELY THE 9 SAVES BLOWN BY WAGNER & AYALA; BUT THE 30 BLOWN BY THE ENTIRE STAFF. PERSONALLY I WANT TO SEE THE FOLLOWING BULLPEN OPTIONS:
CLOSER: FUENTES
SETUP: AYALA, STREET, SORIANO, STOKES
MID & SPEC: SMITH, AFFELDT
THAT'S 7, WHICH IS OUR NORM & CONSTITITES A CREW I GO TO WAR WITH ANY DAY. BONUS: STREET, AYALA & SORIANO CAN ALL BE EMERGENCY CLOSERS IN CASE OF INNURY.
THIS ONLY ADDRESSES PEN; BUT ISN'T THAT THE GORILLA IN THE TINY ROOM THAT WILL BE CITI?
To Mets62fan, enjoyed your analysis. Ken, your a stat man, what did you think? Save % works for me along with a low WHIP.
Strikeouts count a great deal for me. Year-after-year consistency, which K-Rod has displayed and Fuentes hasn't. Remember, Fuentes wasn't even the Rockies' closer in the '07 World Series.
KEN, THOUGHT U'D NEVER ASK 'BOUT THEM STRIKEOUTS. GOING BY LAST YR, K-ROD'S RECORD SETTER, THE 2(FUENTES & K-ROD) ARE ALMOST INDISTINGUISHABLE IN K/IP, H/IP, BB/IP BREAKDOWN FOLLOWS:
K/IP H/IP BB/IP
K-ROD 1.13 .79 .50
FUENTES 1.00 .79 .48
CONSIDERING THE COST DIFFERENTIAL. U MAY CONSIDER THE THE H & BB STATS VALUABLE SINCE THEY SPEAK TO KEEPING RUNNERS OFF THE BASES, IN '08 WHILE LIDGE LED THE WORLD IN SV% RIVERA LED IN KEEPING RUNNERS OFF THE BASES.
HOPEV THIS HELPS. EITHER WILL BE BETTER THAN STATUS QUO OR OTHER MENTIONED CLOSER OPTIONS STREET/PUTZ; BUT NEITHER ALONE GETS THE DOG WALKED. THER'S STILL 30 SOMEODD BLOWN LEADS LATE IN GAMES & A CLOSER ONLY ADDRESSES A HANDFUL. ONLY FUENTES LEAVES ENOUGH CASH TO SOLIDIFY THE SETUP CORPS AS WELL.