Rumblings and Met Bashings

Jayson Stark's newest column focuses predominantly on pointing out every supposed Met weakness and generally taking some jabs. Overall it had some interesting pieces of information once you get past all of the Mets bashing.

FICTIONAL STATEMENT: "Their biggest off-season need, to me, was relief pitching -- and they haven't addressed that at all," said one NL assistant GM.

FACTUAL STATEMENT: Omar brought back Mike DeJean who seemed to regain his old form when he posted a 1.69 ERA with a 10.13 K/9 while giving up no homers in 21.1 innings after coming over in a trade with the Orioles. The Mets also have brought back Orber Moreno who due to return from his surgery early in the season after posting a 3.38 ERA in 34.2 innings while giving up homers in 2004. Heath Bell showed he is worth taking a look at after a 9.99 K/9 and a 3.33 ERA. Strickland was a solid set up man whom used to close in his days with the Expos and is a great arm to have in the bullpen. They brought him back this off season as well. Bartolome Fortunado showed some signs of being useful by posting a 9.64 K/9 and a 3.86 ERA in 18.2 innings and will get a good look in the spring. The also brought in Dae Sung Koo to address their long man need and sport starter out of the bullpen and have him to add into the lefty mix with Blake McGinely and Felix Heredia. The Mets bullpen is not a glaring hole as many people think and they should be able to build and effective bullpen from the above players and the bevy of guys signed to minor league contracts.

FICTIONAL STATEMENT: "You look at their five starting pitchers. How deep into the game are they going to go? I wouldn't call [Tom] Glavine even a seven-inning guy anymore. Pedro is a six-inning guy. You don't know what you're going to get from Victor Zambrano. Benson has never been a given. [Steve] Trachsel is the only one in the bunch who gives them innings. So even if they have the best one-through-six-inning starters in the league, somebody's got to pitch the seventh and the eighth."

FACTUAL STATEMENT: Steve did a great job dispelling those silly notions on how deep Pedro can or cannot go into games already. Tom Glavine averaged 6.43 innings per start, Benson averaged 6.46 innings per start, and Steve Trachsel average 6.13 innings per start. The only guy not in the rotation that did not average going into the 7th inning per start was Victor Zambrano. Steve Traschel actually is not the only one in the bunch who gives them innings since he is actually fourth on the team in innings per start.

As for giving Pedro a rest, Omar brought in Koo Dae-Sung as a left handed reliever and spot starter. While he is still a mystery if he can actually pitch in the bigs, it's place to start to alleviate the stress on Pedro to give him that extra day of rest when he needs it.

FICTIONAL STATMENT: "That team still has some holes. [Mike] Piazza is still the catcher, and that's a defensive nightmare."

FACTUAL STATEMENT: Ok, Piazza has a bad arm. We all know that. If they had said that Piazza's health was the biggest concern, I'd be OK with that. However, to call him a defensive nightmare is a bit too much. He still calls a good game, continually posts a lower CERA than the overall team ERA and anyone who watches him knows he as good at blocking balls as most of the catchers in the majors. Jorge Posada lets more balls between his legs than Jenny Jamison and no one says a word about him. Also, their CS% is not to far off each others. In the past two years, Piazza's was .256 to Posada's .272 to Varitek's .256. People run more often on Piazza as he has averaged letting up .82 steals per game to Posada's .50 SPG to Jason Vartiek's .52 SPG. Piazza's arm is a problem, but not a big one. Teams run less and less these days while looking for the long ball instead of manufacturing runs. Defense is not jut having a strong arm though it is part of it.

Yes, I know Piazza's sample size is a bit small for the last two years...

FICTIONAL STATEMENT: "You've got uncertainty in the middle of the infield. They're moving [Kazuo] Matsui to second base, and that's easier said than done. With [Jose] Reyes, you're not sure if you're even going to get him on the field every day."

FACTUAL STATEMENT: Of course there is uncertainty with Reyes' health. What I cannot understand is why people keep glazing over the fact that Omar signed Miguel Cairo to have a really good fallback option on the team. He was good enough to hit over .300 for Yankees and start on a playoff team and I think he qualifies as some added certainty. As for Kaz moving to second base, it is not like he's moving to catcher. Yes, second base and shortstop have many differences, but most of his fielding problems stemmed from his noodle arm.

FICTIONAL STATEMENT: "You don't know what's happening in the outfield besides Beltran."

FACTUAL STATEMENT: Let the man get through the off season before any crazy statements are made. Right now they have two guys in the outfield with great gloves, power, and speed. That is as sure as anything on the Mets in 2005. Sure Cameron may miss some time to start the season, but that is not even a guarantee he will miss time and he'll be back soon enough after opening day if he does miss some games. As for if Cameron actually misses games to start the season and Cliff Floyd's injury problems, Victor Diaz does the job for me in terms of providing some solid insurance along with Eric Valent.

If the uncertainty is surrounding Cammy's status with the team, rest assured Omar will have another player in place not named Victor Diaz if Mike gets moved.


* * *

Stark did have some fun at someone else's expense that is not associated with the Mets.

In case you hadn't noticed, several dollars have changed hands this winter. In fact, according to ESPN research maven Mark Simon, the current crop of free agents has signed contracts worth over -- ready for this? -- a billion dollars.

Yeah, you read that right. A billion. Which is even higher than Jose Contreras' ERA.

Tom Hicks really wants Delgado. The Rangers have put forward a four year $40 million dollar contract offer. Steve Popper and Bob Klapisch have reported it could be as high as four years $45 million.

Hicks, who famously bid against himself for Alex Rodriguez in December 2000, admitted the Rangers went beyond what they previously felt comfortable offering because they have been bowled over by Delgado.

"He's a very impressive young man," Hicks said during a conference call. "His reputation for having great character and great leadership . . . is warranted.

"We feel we've made a very strong offer. We gave it our best shot, and we hope it's something Carlos will give serious consideration to."

He said, she said. In case you couldn't figure it out, A-Rod is definitely the "she said" part of the trash talking.

A-Rod is apparently still a bit miffed that Schilling called his fem-slap of Bronson Arroyo a "bush-league play." What's the problem with calling it like you see it? It was a bush league play and a blatant attempt to cheat. Deal with it and try and keep your hands to yourself next time. Didn't mommy A-Rod tell you that back in kindergarten?

According to Michael Kiley of the Chicago Sun Times, the Cubs are tops in the NL in payroll right now.

According to the Cubs, the New York Mets currently are second to them in the league with a $99 million payroll. If the Mets sign free agent Carlos Delgado, that will push them to No. 1 in payroll, but the Cubs still would be second.

He also mentions the club is negotiating with Rob Nen, who will not be ready to open the season.

The Red Sox are split on whether to trade Mientkiewicz or Millar.

Lucchino said there's almost a 50-50 split among management about whether first baseman Kevin Millar or Doug Mientkiewicz will be traded.

By semi-popular demand, I was going to post the very warming picture of the Brazilian Volleyball women. However, someone played a cruel joke and took down the picture of the Brazilian Volleyball team's congratulatory pat on the behind. In lieu of that, I offer the behind without the slap. I know it's not as good, but deal with it.

If that didn’t warm you up, you can always take a look at this again.

Crying Wolf

Hal Bodley takes a look at an off season in which spending has seemingly gone out of control. Every year there is a battle between the owners and players. The owners are crying that they are broke and the players are crying the owners are stealing all their money.

If I were a player, I'd be tickled to death to get a contract like that of many of the 141 free agents who've signed contracts with major league teams totaling $1.1 billion. That's an average per player of $8 million.

Not since the winter of 2000-01, when the Texas Rangers gave Alex Rodriguez a record 10-year, $252 million deal, have the owners gone over $1 billion in free agent spending.

Bodley also states the money is being spent because the owners have it. While that is somewhat correct since all the owners are filthy stinking rich, there has been a pretty solid balance between the owners trying to break even and spending as much as they could on the players. In 2000, major league teams turned in an average profit of $4.3 million per team. In 2001 the owners turned in an average profit of $4.2 million per team. In 2002 the owners lost an average of $1.3 million per team. In 2003 the owners lost and average of $1.9 million per team. The 2004 figures will not be out for another couple months, but I'm guessing it will be negatives again due to a certain team tipping the scales with a payroll knocking on the $200,000,000 door and losing enough money for every team. The players really cannot ask for much more than that. More than the owners having extra cash, I'd say that most of the money spent this off season was in a lot of desperation deals. Two of the biggest spenders this off season were the Mets and Mariners who would certainly fit that bill. They needed to make some deals to improve their club and that meant overpaying. The D-Backs are guilty of that too. With the prospect of losing Sexson becoming a reality, the D-Backs signed Glaus to try and right that wrong and add pop into their lineup while overpaying for their guy. Major League baseball and their owners are doing well financially, but they are not exactly sitting on top their millions laughing diabolically. They deserve some credit for dishing it out regularly.

The Mets have been the worst offenders this off season by spending $197,800,000.00 in major league contracts so far and inking a slew of minor league contracts while signing their top draft pick as well. Wilpon and the Mets may approach the quarter billion dollar category if they end up with Delgado, but I think it is money well spent. Tom Hicks spent that much on one single player after the 2000 season and something tells me the Mets are getting a bit more for their money and it may actually translate into wins.

In fairness to all 30 teams, only a few have spent big. The Mets, trying to compete with the Yankees for New York attention and anticipating large revenue from a new cable TV operation, have spent the most — $197.8 million on seven free agents, including $119 million for outfielder Carlos Beltran.

After the Mets come the Los Angeles Dodgers ($142.65 million), the Seattle Mariners ($122.45 million) and the Boston Red Sox ($119.15 million).

The blame should not get put squarely on the Mets shoulders, but the fact is no one thought this type of market would materialize. Wasn't this supposed to be a buyers market? Supply and demand tends to do set the market and there was plenty of demand for the players out there. Richie Sexson was supposed to get around $10 million per year and the Mariners squash that notion because they had a need. It's good to be a ballplayer these days and in three years we will be seeing some of these contracts looking much like Jeromy Burntiz's did a few years back. I can only hope it is not one that the Mets signed.

With all the money thrown around by the Mets this off season it's hard to believe that they are playing hardball with their newest target. Not only did they show up 60-90 minutes late to their meeting with Carlos Delgado in Puerto Rico, they failed to even match the Marlins offer in terms of dollar value. While they are close, the Marlins contract is believed to be heavily back loaded which certainly lowers the current contract value a bit, although not that much when you are talking three years. The Mets are most likely not done yet and they still have some financial wiggle room. According to the NY Post, a baseball official suspected the Mets were going to add at least a fourth year option that never materialized. Either way, they still have time to wait out other team's offers before they improve on theirs and I like that approach thus far. I think it may be a smart way to operate in negotiations where there is no clear front runner and no other deep pocketed team. The Mets offer may seem like a slap in the face to some, but the Mets are running this negotiation a bit differently than the others in the way that they do not feel like Delgado is as important a piece to the puzzle as Pedro and Beltran were. Omar knows he has Sammy out there if he needs a fallback guy with power and he knows there are other first base options that could fit the team, albeit with a lot less hitting ability. For the time being their plan is to simply keep up with the Joneses.

* * *

John Sickels just did an On the Farm piece on Tim Stauffer. He's been a guy I've been pulling for to succeed after the 2003 draft. For those of you unaware of his story, he was drafted and signed by the Padres for $2.6 million before coming out to the team saying he has some shoulder problems. They downgraded the bonus to $700,000 and the arm problems went away. Then in his first pro season, he shot up through the minors from A ball to AAA ball and is poised to start at AAA with a second half call up possible. Take a look at what John Sickels says about him:

Stauffer's fastball isn't spectacular in terms of velocity. He's usually at 89-91 mph, sometimes a notch higher. But his heater has good movement and he commands it well. The pitch looks faster than it is due to the contrast with his other offerings: a changeup, a standard curveball, a knucklecurve, and a cut fastball he will use in slider counts. Stauffer demonstrates excellent command of all his pitches. Scouts praise his instincts and work ethic. Stauffer is fully developed physically, and it seems unlikely that he'll pick up much additional velocity. If he maintains sharp command, his stuff is certainly good enough for him to succeed without a blazing fastball.

and

While Stauffer doesn't have the pure velocity of a dominant ace, his ability to throw strikes, mix his pitches, and stay ahead of hitters is exciting. If he can avoid further arm problems, he projects as a solid No. 3 starter.

You could take out Stauffer's name and plug in Petit and it is exactly what people say about Yusmeiro.

Quote of the Day:

"The Marlins are not in the business of overpaying. The worst thing you can do as a franchise is have underperforming contracts and we won't do it. So, if it becomes an overpay, the Marlins will bow out gracefully and we will see the Mets on the field 19 times and we'll look forward to saying hello to Carlos then."
-Marlins president David Samson

Thems fightin' words.

First Humber, now Niemann.

The Devil Rays and first-round pick Jeff Niemann have agreed to terms on a five-year major league contract that guarantees the former Rice right-hander $5.2 million, including a signing bonus of $3.2 million.

"I knew things were going to work out," Niemann said. "It was just a matter of time until things fell into place, and they fell into place perfectly. I'm not sure either side could ask for anything better."

The thought of Kazmir and Niemann heading a rotation fo while would certainly make any team drool. Add in Delmon Young, Carl Crawford, Rocco Baldelli, BJ Upton, Joey Gathwright, and Dewon Brazleton and you just may have a solid team for a few years.

Surprise! The last two unsigned first rounders both belong to Scott Boras.

The Orioles are thinking about getting back into the thick of the Delgado negotiations.

A club official indicated that the Orioles have the flexibility to increase their second offer once the market becomes more clear. In the meantime, they're waiting to receive a firm contract figure rather than start engaging in a "blind auction" and risk bidding against themselves.

"I can't say we have a limit," the official said.

Breaking News.....

I just found out that Anna Benson actually has a head with two eyes, a nose, a mouth and even some teeth inside the head. You have to look really hard to actually see them though.....


Page 3 from ESPN.com did a Q&A session with her and they further prove my suspicion that between Anna and Pedro, the media will have no shortage of priceless quotes.


The best part (of being married to a ballplayer)?

The lifestyle. I'm getting more interested in baseball right now just because we're on a good team. The thought of winning makes me hot

Ummm, someone should tell her he signed with the other New York team.

If Kris wins the Cy Young, how would you celebrate?

However he wants to. Whatever sexual favor he wants, or place he wants to go, or party he wants to throw, he'll get if he wins the Cy Young.

I wonder if this statement was made in similar vain as Cammie's "I'll move to right field for Beltran" statement. Kris winning the CY Young? Let's get a record over .500 before any of that talk.

If the Mets are not winning, it is good to know it will not be dull in Flushing this summer.

* * *

I'm sure many of you are wondering why this is in the sports section this AM.

Why we want a replay: Beltran's electric smile alone could light up Shea Stadium, but when you add smoldering, chestnut-colored eyes with a fetching bod, you get "fantasy baseball."

Chestnut-colored eyes? Fetching bod? Let's keep this about baseball ladies.

NJ.com does a good job does a good job laying out the pros and cons for each team chasing Delgado.

Rick Hurd says that despite what has been reported on the East Coast, Eric Byrnes may still end up in the Big Apple.

A team source confirmed Wednesday that the A's have made a formal trade offer that would send Byrnes to the New York Mets for outfielder Mike Cameron. Rumors involving the two clubs have bubbled since late last week, and a Mets team source told the New York Daily News that A's reliever Chad Bradford also would be involved in the trade, though the A's source wouldn't confirm that Bradford is part of the deal.

In case you have not noticed from today’s post, it’s a slow day for news.

It's Quantity, Not Quality

Omar Minaya is going by the theory that if you throw enough shit at the wall, something is bound to stick. I for one sort of agree with that theory. We already know that there are a few guys who are locks to be in the bullpen in 2005 and the other 18 or 19 guys are left fighting for 3 or 4 spots. There are a lot of guys with a lot of upside and talent which should allow the Mets to be able to put together a solid pen. It will not be anywhere near as good as the Phillies or Angels bullpens, but it will be effective. In 2004 the problem with the Mets was not the bullpen. It was the offense that could not win the close games for their starting pitchers. Two of the worst offenders from the pen are gone in Stanton and Franco and some guys emerged at the end of the year to prove they are worth a shot. So for those of you keeping track at home, these are the guys vying for a bullpen spot.

1) Dae Sung Koo
2) Manny Aybar
3) Joe Nelson
4) Juan Padilla
5) Grant Roberts
6) Scott Strickland
7) Orber Moreno
8) Mike DeJean
9) Royce Ring
10) Jake Joseph
11) Braden Looper
12) Heath Bell
13) B. Fortunato
14) Matt Ginter
15) Jae Weong Seo
16) Aaron Heilman
17) Tyler Yates
18) Roberto Hernandez
19) Felix Heredia
20) Blake McGinley
21) PJ Bevis

I threw Heilman and Seo in there since they pretty much have exhausted their usefulness to the franchise and will possibly get one last shot to contribute to the major league squad. Also, I probably forgot someone since the Mets can almost put together an entire 25-man roster completely composed of relievers.

Anyone else confused as to why the Mets did not try and bring Bottalico back? He signed for the Brewers for less than a million dollars and pitched admirably after being out of baseball with an injury.


* * *

The NY Post has two great covers today. Possibly the best cover tandem in the history of this storied paper.

According to the Post, Delgado has some lofty contract demands.

Delgado's camp has presented a proposal of five years and $80 million, according to a source familiar with the negotiations. Asked about the price tag, Sloane declined comment.

Ummm, not going to happen.

Maybe Cammie is going to stay after all that hoopla.

"I had reservations about it for the simple reason of I've never done it before," said Cameron, who did not exactly sound thrilled about his new position last night. "The one thing we came to terms with [yesterday] was I'm here to do what's in the best interests of the ball club and try to put this team back on the map."

NJ.com still says the Mets need to cut payroll if they are to add Delgado.

Minaya is said to be under orders to cut payroll in order to sign Carlos Delgado. Cameron and left fielder Cliff Floyd are believed to be the two most likely to go.

I'm still not buying their need to clear payroll for Delgado.

Derek Jeter is the bestest base runner in all of the world. Nothing like a player loaded with intangibles and things that cannot be translated into stats.

If Jeter was drafted by Milwaukee and played for them the first seven or so years of his professional career, he'd be a pimple on the game of baseball today. Being on great Yankee teams has certainly helped him more than any other player.

Gagne got paid.

Gagne, 29, is guaranteed $19 million and would make $30 million should the 2007 option for $12 million be exercised. He will get $8 million this season, $10 million in 2006 and a $1-million buyout if he and the Dodgers part ways after two years.

4 Years $45 Million?

According to Newsday, the infamous person familiar with negotiations expects the Mets to ink Carlos Delgado for four years and $45 million dollars.

The Mets already have spent close to $200 million on three players - Kris Benson, Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran - and one person familiar with the Delgado negotiations expects the Mets to offer the slugging first baseman a four-year deal in the $45-million range

If the Mets can sign him for about $11 million per year, that would be a great price when compared to other contracts given out this winter.

The Mets have been engaged in talks with several teams regarding the availability of Mike Cameron, who was pushed from his center field spot by the acquisition of Carlos Beltran. The Mets are deep in talks with the A's in a deal that would send Cameron to Oakland for outfielder Eric Byrnes and reliever Chad Bradford.

While the rumor is the Mets are still trying to move Cameron to make room for Delgado's salary, I am of the opinion that the Mets have no need to move Cameron to add Delgado's salary. The Mets will be paying a bit more for their payroll than they would have like this year, but it would have been a one year hit most likely and they would have returned to a figure of around $105 million in 2006 if everyone stayed healthy and no need arose to chase another starting pitcher or position player. The only two reasons that I can think of for the Mets to move Mike Cameron are to move a disgruntled player that does not want to move to right field or to clear payroll for another move after Delgado. Could moving Cameron be precursor to a move that would be highly scrutinized?

Daryl (NY): Are the Mets and Cubs still discussing a Floyd/Sosa deal?

Buster Olney: Daryl -- I think it's going to be the coup de grace of the winter for Omar. He'll get all the other stuff in place, and then arrange a Sosa deal on the eve of spring training. Cubs are motivated to get rid of Sosa, and Omar loves Sosa. As long as it doesn't cost the Mets a lot of extra cash, I think they'll end up doing it. Who knows how it'll all come together, but without a doubt, there will be a lot of interest in a team that adds Pedro, Beltran, maybe Delgado and maybe Sosa. Quite a splash...

We all know how credible Buster has proved to be with his commenting on the Beltran chase a few weeks ago, but I still cringe every time I see Sosa to the Mets in print. If Omar is going to move Cameron under the guise of needing to clear payroll for Delgado while picking up a guy who can play any outfield spot, then he is certainly keeping his options open. If the Mets were to acquire Byrnes they would have the luxury of deciding whether to play him in right field and keep Cliffy or they can move Floyd for Sosa and put Byrnes in left. Maybe this is a conspiracy theory that I'm making up, but Omar is proving that he does what he wants and what he thinks will improve the team.

* * *

The Mets mailbag with Kevin Czerwinski is back again.

What about using Tyler Yates in a middle relief role? He seemed to have better control at the end of the season and is usually good for two to three innings. I think that he would be strong in the bullpen in a role like that. -- Mark M., New York, N.Y.

You must have some inside information, Mark, because that's part of the plan right now. Yates demonstrated last season that he was good for short bursts and was much better suited to be in the bullpen than in the starting rotation. He responds well to direction and has worked very hard with pitching coach Rick Peterson. The changes Yates made from the beginning of the season to when he was recalled late in the year were obvious. He had better command and much more poise on the mound. At one time Yates was being groomed as a closer, so it's not surprising that he would be an effective middle reliever.

What about Mike DeJean as the setup man for Braden Looper? He pitched really well in his short stint with the Mets. Do you know if they feel he can do the job? -- Bill S., New York, N.Y.

Yes, I feel DeJean would be an excellent candidate for the right-handed setup role now that Ricky Bottalico won't be back. DeJean was extremely effective last year before getting hurt and has fit in perfectly in the New York clubhouse. Plus, DeJean has an edge over Yates in that he has years of experience in the role.

The link to the new Mets spring training jersey has been floating around the comments section the last few days and if you have not checked it out yet, here it is:

David Wright gets a quote into Baseball Prospectus' This Week in Quotes.

"The best thing I know is that I have a long way to go.... I took the off season to prepare myself physically and baseball skills-wise. I have to try and be more consistent. You can't play like things are handed to you. You can't be complacent."
--David Wright, Mets third baseman

This was a funny quote from that piece:

"If you tell me steroids help you hit major league pitching more often and farther, I see no evidence whatsoever. None...I think if you tell me that using steroids and bulking up like that will help the performance of a football linebacker, maybe. If you tell me it will help a professional wrestler, maybe. If you tell me it will help a beer hall bouncer, maybe. If you tell me it will help somebody become the governor of California, maybe."
--Marvin Miller, former executive director of the MLBPA

Ouch.

Can Carlos Delgado Still Be Productive?

The Mets, Rangers, and Marlins are heavily interested in bringing Carlos Delgado onto one of their teams. At this point, Carlos looks like he is going to receive a four year contract which would bring him to the age of 36/37 when the season ends in 2008. Since I'm not smart enough to do any Bill James type statistical analysis to project a player's future performance, I decided to take a look at some different players who I think would be in Delgado's class at their respective positions. I took at look at some offensive first baseman of recent years as well Gary Sheffield and Jeff Kent because I think they are comparable players in terms of being the right age and some of the best at what they do. Obviously it can be expected that 99% of the players will not see improvement like Barry Bonds has into his 40's, but top tier players can still be effective well into their mid 30's and beyond. I took each players five seasons from the age of 28 to 32 and compared them with their 33 to 36 year old seasons. In Sheffield's and Thome's case, they have not played four seasons after they turned 32 yet so I just used however many they did play.

Carlos Delgado

AGE	G	AB	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	.AVG	OBP	SLG
28-32	151	535	102	158	37	37	118	103	112	.296	.419	.578

Jeff Bagwell

AGE	G	AB	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG
28-32	158	565	128	172	39	39	125	125	114	.304	.436	.586
33-36	159	587	108	165	33	34	104	98	129	.281	.387	.520

Tino Martinez

AGE	G	AB	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG
28-32	154	576	87	160	31	28	115	65	81	.278	.352	.486
33-36	145	509	70	137	24	23	83	55	76	.270	.345	.459

Rafael Palmeiro

AGE	G	AB	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG
28-32	147	565	100	165	33	35	107	70	84	.291	.369	.543
33-36	160	587	99	173	32	44	128	95	82	.295	.394	.579

Jim Thome

AGE	G	AB	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG
28-32	153	527	104	148	27	44	118	118	170	.281	.413	.587
33	143	508	97	139	28	42	104	104	144	.274	.396	.581

Fred McGriff

AGE	G	AB	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG
28-32	144	531	87	156	30	32	100	71	101	.293	.376	.537
33-36	151	556	77	159	27	25	97	81	114	.287	.378	.471

Andres Galaraga

AGE	G	AB	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG
27-33	137	529	78	157	24	25	89	34	129	.297	.345	.488
34-37	152	584	108	176	32	41	129	47	148	.302	.362	.574

* I took out Andres' '91 and '92 season since he was injured and used his '88, '89, '90, '93, '94, '95, '96, and '97 seasons.

Gary Sheffield

AGE	G	AB	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG
28-32	140	400	76	124	20	27	79	78	67	.310	.423	.568
33-35	148	547	108	169	31	33	112	83	64	.309	.405	.552

Jeff Kent

AGE	G	AB	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG
28-32	129	528	89	154	37	26	106	56	108	.291	.361	.517
33-36	152	569	90	171	41	27	103	51	95	.300	.361	.529

In some of the cases players benefited from certain ballparks or lineups and there were some other variables involved, but overall it gives a pretty good picture of how production after 32 is common for the stars of today. Steve Finley had set career highs in homers three times after turning 33 and no one expects Manny Ramirez to slow down after turning 33 in the 2005 season. Elite players are a bit different than the average major leaguer and even in their decline are still going to put out top production. It is completely reasonable to assume that Carlos Delgado can continue to produce for whatever team signs him for the next three to four years. He does not play a demanding position and has stated that he does not want to be a DH and wants to primarily play first base if he signs with an American League team. Between 1998 and 2004, Delgado has played 1018 games at first compared to 31 games at DH. I am not concerned whatsoever about having Delgado play on a National League team without a DH. He has been very healthy in his career and he has played an average of 156 games per season in the five seasons leading up to 2004 when he landed on the DL for a substantial amount of games. His injury seems to be behind him judging by his .330/.432/.600 with 36 runs, 66 hits, 15 doubles, 17 homers, and 54 RBIs in 200 at-bats in August, September, and October. It can be expected that moving into Shea would impact anyone's offensive numbers, but as Piazza had showed us back in '99 through '02 players can perform there.

The Mets need his bat in the cleanup spot and he can still give the Mets some monster years at this stage of his career. However Omar needs to work him into the mix, it has to be done. The dimension he would add to the team with protecting Beltran and getting on base for Piazza and Floyd would ignite the offense tremendously. Over the past few years I've watch Piazza and Floyd come up to bat countless times without RBI chances and Delgado can help create runs for this club and make Beltran's life at Shea infinitely easier.

The Marlins State Their Case

Saturday's six-hour get-together with Carlos Delgado appears to have put the Marlins closer if not altogether beyond even footing with the other teams vying for the left-handed hitting first baseman.

"It involved many substantive issues beyond just a meet-and-greet type of scenario," said David Sloane, Delgado's Coral Springs-based agent.

"A month ago if someone would have asked me about the Marlins, I would have said they were a long shot. After the meeting we had [Saturday], I'd say the Marlins are anything but a long shot."

Let the games begin. The Marlins appear as serious as ever in this pursuit of Carlos Delgado and the interesting thing to me is that I think most teams are going to bid with similar offers. I do not think the Mets are going to step up and blow anyone out of the water and it may just come down to where Delgado wants to go. The Mets are not interested in a bidding war and no team they are up against have the means nor desire to engage anyone in a bidding war either.

"Omar said, 'I'm looking forward to talking to you on a daily basis,' " Sloane said. "I'm looking forward to it, too."

At this point the pursuit for Delgado is taking on a whole new meaning. The Mets said they had to make a play for Benson last season to keep a pitcher who's career record is under .500 out of their division rivals hands. Now there is a player on the market who is drawing considerable interest from another one of their rivals and stands to tip the scales a lot more than Kris Benson and could shift the balance of power into the Marlins direction should they land him.

"I thought Omar Minaya had lost his mind when he said at the winter meetings he was going to turn it around now," said Delgado's agent, David Sloane. "All he's done is prove me and everyone else wrong. While other GMs were playing golf, he was flying around the world signing the best players on the planet."

It appears the Mets are working hard on moving Mike Cameron to clear some salary at this point to make room for the slugging first baseman. Although they do not stand to save a lot in 2005, 2006 is when they will be clearing the most payroll from this move and getting relief.

The Mets are a step closer to acquiring Oakland outfielder Eric Byrnes in exchange for Mike Cameron, according to a source familiar with the dialogue between the two teams. The deal may now include reliever Chad Bradford as a way to lighten Oakland's financial concerns.

The A's are eager to put Cameron in center field, but asked the Mets to assume a portion of his $6 million salary. The Mets countered Saturday by offering to take Bradford in the deal, as well. Doing so would lighten the A's payroll by $3.4 million - effectively awarding them Cameron for a mere $2.4 million this year. The Mets would then use their $2.6 million savings toward signing Carlos Delgado.

It would certainly seem that this move with Cameron would be almost done in tandem because if the Mets do not land Delgado, it just seems smarter to try and convince Cammy he's happy in right.

* * *

Andy from Chuck 'n' Duck has his theory on how this entire Cameron deal might shake out.

With the A's and the Diamondbacks in trade talks already, and both of them being interested in Mike Cameron, does anyone else see one of Billy Beane's patented three-way trades going down here?

What I personally would propose:

Mets trade Mike Cameron to D-Backs
A's trade Eric Byrnes/Chad Bradford to Mets
Diamondbacks trade Jose Valverde to A's
One or two million in cash given to Diamondbacks by Mets

An interesting starting point for negotiations. Things should get interesting on this front over the next few days.

According to Joel Sherman, Hudson has added the Mets to his wishlist.

Tim Hudson has defined a March 1 deadline with the Braves to complete a multi-year pact. The Georgia native is said to prefer staying at home after being traded to Atlanta by Oakland. However, Hudson also had sketched a preliminary, eight-team wish list of where he would consider going next off season as a free agent, and that list is now believed to be nine because the righty liked the Mets' upgrades and new direction so much.

If it gets that far, the Mets would benefit from Hudson's longstanding relationship with pitching coach Rick Peterson, who was Hudson's pitching coach in Oakland. However, unlike with Beltran, the Mets should expect fierce competition from the Yankees, among others, on an ace starter in his prime. There should be no shortage of Hudson Givers.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. As much as I like Tim Hudson, he scares me. His first full season in baseball he had a 8.71 K/9. In 2004 it was down to 4.91 and allowed a career high in BAA and the second highest OBP in his career. Maybe it was an off year, but his K/9 are drastically lower in his last three years than his first three years and that is strong indicater for many people. I do not have the means to watch many of the games he pitches in so maybe he is learning how to pitch more effectively and goes for the groundout before trying to put someone away on K's to save pitches, but it's cause for concern. This season will go a long way for me in him proving he is worth the $12 to $14 million he will be asking for.

Was anyone thinking of the first Ace Ventura movie as Brien missed two field goals at the end of the game that would have given the Jets a victory?

If he had held the ball laces out like he's supposed to, Ray would never have missed that kick. Dan Marino should die of gonorrhea and rot in hell!

The phrase Einhorn is Finkel and Finkel is Einhorn just kept running through me head. I do feel bad for they guy though.