Pass That Sh*t

It seems the Rumor Monger (who I'm now officially dubbing Deap Throat) has been possibly toking on some of his finest shiba. Although he said Wagner will ink a four year deal sometime this week, Jayson Stark calls bullshit to his insider info.

"I want to go with the team where I think I'd be the most comfortable and a team that has a chance to win," Wagner told Rumblings. "And Atlanta always has a chance to win."

Lets get real. The Braves are not signing Wagner. They will not pony up $10 mill per year for three years. As far as a discount goes, Wagner is not taking one. As much as we have all been hard on Tom Glavine at times, he is really going to help the Mets chances of landing Wagner. The guy is a consummate professional and solid citizen and could very well help lure him here.

"I'd like to listen to what everyone has to say and then, by the 8th or 9th of December, say, 'This is where I want to go. But I'm also willing to sit there and wait to find out who does what with their team. So it could be later."

I'd also like to jam a rusty nail into David Sloane's eye, but we all can't get what we want. The teams talking to you need to keep moving and Omar waits for no man and like a good Deep Throat, Rumor Monger sticks to his guns.

It's tough to traffic in rumors, what's a good success rate? The trade wins change direction all the time.

As many have said, Stark makes it seem like Wagner said that to him today, as if he somehow took a phone call during his tour of NY. I guess it's somewhat possible...

Every indication I've seen is that the Mets want to move this thing along so that they can budget for other players. That's why they are going to push Wagner to decide now rather than in two weeks.

Omar will make him an offer he cannot refuse and much like when Mike Hampton chose to go to Denver because they had the best schools in the galaxy, it is about the money. Rumor Monger wins out here. He may not sign by "Tuesday" or even this week, but I think the Mets have Wagner wrapped up in neat little package.

* * *

Peter Gammons is sitting at home with a box of tissues and baby lotion.

Beckett has never started 30 games in a season, but he seemed to turn the corner in 2005, going 15-8.

Stuff? Unquestioned. He was in the top 10 in the NL in fewest home runs per 9 IP, strikeouts per 9 IP, hits per 9 IP, highest average fastball velocity (second to A.J. Burnett), with most pitches over 95 mph.

Three things here.

1) Sign fucking Mike Pelfrey when you get settled with these free agents. Get him pitching for the Mets soon. The Mets need to actually have one of these young pitchers contribute at some point.

2) Sign Burnett. He is a power pitcher in the truest sense, under 30, and straight nasty. Imagine, Pelfrey, Pedro, Burnett, Benson, and Humber/Petit/Seo/Hernandez in three years. When Pedro is in his fourth year, he could be the Mets #4 or #5 starter if he falls off in production and it would not matter. If he is still pitching like a #1 or #2, then the Mets will be sitting pretty anyway and possibly have three power arms in the rotation. When has that happened…..ever. Again. Sign Burnett this year. Give him five years if he wants it. He'll be 34 when his contract expires and still able to throw as hard as anyone.

3) Great move for Boston. Beckett can be a whiner, but Burnett and Beckett have the stuff to win Cy Young Awards and sooner or later, one of them will. AJ has sorted out his injuries it would seem and Beckett needs to stop being a whiny bitch and start whizzing on his hands.

"You don't want to shake my hand during spring training."
-Jorge Posada

Stay classy Jorge. Stay classy.

Fucking swell. Simply fucking swell. (I'm trying to modernize swell and the only thing I can think of was adding a 'fucking' before it.)

If the Mets' payroll inflates to, say, $150 million next season, how much luxury tax would they have to pay -- if the 2006 tax threshold is $136.5 million?

A) $3.04 million (22.5 percent)?

Omar Minaya
Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
Mets GM Omar Minaya could go on a real spending-spree this off season.

B) $4.05 million (30 percent)?

C) $5.4 million (40 percent)?

D) Way more than that, just because they're making Bud Selig really nervous?

E) Zero dollars (nada percent), because of a little-known technicality in the Basic Agreement?

(Instert jeopardy music...if you read the comments from yesterday, read ESPN yourself, or other blogs, you know the answer so don't go blurting it out and spoiling it for everyone.)

Ok, the answer is zero.

That clause says, essentially (in language way more complicated than this) that any team that didn't pay luxury tax in the 2005 season is 100 percent off the hook in 2006.

I agree with Andy from yesterday's comments though, I do not advocate it, but good to know the Mets do not have to worry about it. I do think it will end up being a moot point since I doubt the Mets are going to spend over $136.5 million this year when you take all of the cash from the players on the forty man, benefits, etc., but still noteworthy because Jayson Stark seems to think he has discovered uranium. Jayson, much like the stuff I write here and John Sickels' player projections, your article is pointless. Sure in theory it could happen, but the Devil Rays in theory could spend like $120 million and not pay taxes. Oh the humanity of it all.

From ESPN.com Insider:

Vazquez moving East?
Nov 22 - The Diamondbacks are close to facilitating Javier Vazquez's request for a trade to an East Coast team, The Arizona Republic reports.

"We've talked to a number of clubs, and we know where things stand, so it's very possible something could happen before or during the winter meetings (which begin Dec. 5 in Dallas)," GM Josh Byrnes told the newspaper.

Hmm....who can it be? Who can it be. Any guesses to where he ends up? I'm going with the underdog and saying the Phillies because that is the last team I think he is going to in the Eastern part of this lovely country. Well, not the last team. The Yankees are the last team, but the Phillies are the second to last.

Does anyone like this guy?

Agent Scott Boras has unveiled his 10-section binder filled with hundreds of stats on client Johnny Damon, The New York Times reports.

Why can't someone tell him to shove his binder up his rectum?...and

Gee, it's sure unlike Scott Boras to overplay his hand. But Boras has set a modest five-year, $60 million initial price tag on Kevin Millwood -- a pitcher who might be viewed as a slightly more dependable option than A.J. Burnett if he weren't being priced as if he were Pedro Martinez.

"I'm pretty sure that this is the same guy who last year had to sign a one-year deal with a give-back clause if he had an elbow or shoulder problem," said an executive of one decreasingly interested club. "Seems to me the same things that led him to a one-year deal last year didn't magically go away."

Stark wonders who will translate if needed between Johjima and the Mariner pitchers.

The Mariners, of course, do have a right fielder from Johjima's neck of the world (the honorable Ichiro). So maybe he can sprint in from right field to translate, without delaying the game for 20 minutes.

"He's quick enough," one AL executive said, laughing. "So maybe he can."

Or they can just trade for Kaz. Wait, he can't speak English either.

JP Riccardi on Burnett:

"There's going to come a point where we'll have a drop-dead date," Ricciardi said. "In order for us to conduct all our business, we have to be able to move on at some point. I would anticipate that timetable being before the winter meetings. I'm not going to say we won't be flexible. We'll just have to see where we're at. But if they want to go until the end of December, we're out."

Guess who can wait until the end of December because their rotation is chock full o' starters?

My blog is the best, but not because of my horrible grammar or repetitive information. It is the best because of fucking swell banter that goes on daily.

Billy Wagner is Omars Moby Dick.
steve neufeld | 11.21.05 - 5:25 pm |

--------------------------------------------------

Kind of like Kong Kingman's philosophy of hitting: swing hard and eventually you'll catch up to one.

I'll believe it when I see it (but when I see it, I'm going to be really, really happy!!!).

Oh and,... If Billy Wagner is Omar's Moby, then Carlos Delgado is Omar's Godot. Nah, check that. Delgado is Omar's Ulysses. Manny is Omar's Godot.
DG | 11.21.05 - 5:40 pm | #

I'm willing to bet the collective IQ of the commenters here (myself excluded, I'd pull down the average) has the highest collective IQ out of any sports blog in the contiguous US. Where else would you get a reference to Godot?

The Marlins will give the Orioles every chance to land Delgado for the obvious reasons of not wanting to help the Mets, but lets be realistic here. The Marlins lost Beckett and Burnett and are looking to deal Pierre, Delgado, and possibly Castillo. Let me repeat. The Marlins lost Beckett and Burnett and are looking to deal Pierre, Delgado, and possibly Castillo. One more time. The Marlins lost Beckett and Burnett and are looking to deal Pierre, Delgado, and possibly Castillo. Are they doing a bad thing? Not necessarily. Not if they keep getting great prospects. They are rebuilding and have a solid core of players already in their system, but they have no shot in the next three years. Yes, they would be helping the Mets, but it has nothing to do with them. They will be looking to compete with the Mets after Delgado's contract is up. Why can't Loria just help a brother out and let the Mets have him.

I went from almost not posting because I had stuff to do at work to making the longest post ever....I may get fired.