"El Gordo"

"El Gordo" strikes again.... The fat one is the best name for any lotto game in the history of the world. That is fore sure.

Some quotes of the day from yesterday (and two days ago)....

This one is actually from Joe Posnanski from the Kansas City Star that was in Matt's article today about Met pitching.

The simple truth: Kris Benson is average. He’s astonishingly average. He’s the essence of average. He’s as average as average can be. This decade, Benson is 46-47, almost exactly .500. His ERA is 4.30. The league ERA this decade: 4.31.

In fact, I think Kris Benson is the single most average major-league pitcher of the 21st century. That’s something, right? You know how there’s a Mendoza line for hitters. There should be a Benson Baseline for pitchers. Everyone better than him is above average. Everyone worse is below average.

Classically classic.

Julian Tavarez. The Mets needed to bulk up their middle relief and there are really no other better options that do not require a trade. Too bad that Benson for MacDougal and Affeldt deal was horseshit and had no chance of going through, but it is what it is. People are scared off by Tavarez and his demeanor and the fact that Boras is looking for four years, but Benny sheds some light on the topic that makes sense.

Tavarez wouldn't be soo bad. Sometimes a team needs a little character. And I personally wouldn't mind a guy who doesn't take no bullshit from nobody.
I kinda like the idea that when one of my guys gets hit, expect somebody else's guy to go down, preferably the head. Maybe a brawl will ensue. That's one of my dreams. That when I go to a game there will be a brawl. With Jules Tavarez, my dream just MIGHT come true...

I have to kind of agree. The post about team chemistry yesterday still stands as an important factor, but Taverez is a guy who teammates respect as a competitor and you would rather have him on your side than against you. Problem is the Mets do not want him on their side for three or four years. That is too much to give a reliever of his stature and at the dollars he is looking for right now, but do they have a choice? Hopefully a market never really develops for him and hopefully all the big reliever contracts have been handed out so the Mets could possibly be in the driver's seat in those negotiations.

On the Manny front, nothing is new.

The Mets say they are currently monitoring the Manny Ramirez situation with the Red Sox. That’s another way of saying there is absolutely nothing brewing — for now.

But the Red Sox’ bungling of the Johnny Damon negotiations has made Ramirez even more angry, a source said yesterday, and he’s now open to a trade to the Mets.

However, the Mets haven’t engaged in serious talks with the Red Sox since Boston’s new front-office structure was announced earlier this month, and the two teams didn’t talk yesterday. The Mets believe it will be more difficult to pull off a trade now that Damon is out of Boston.

If the Mets were highly interested in making a deal, they could approach Ramirez’ agents and ask if he would waive his no-trade clause. However, they haven’t done that this winter, sources said.

Manny would come, but it's just not happening especially without Cameron to give in any deal and Adam Rubin lays the smack down.

From a Mets perspective, obtaining Ramirez also could be dangerous down the road considering the organization's other financial obligations. The slugger is owed $57 million over the next three seasons. When 2008 arrives, the Mets will be in the final year of Pedro Martinez's contract, when he's 36 years old and making $11.5 million. They also will be in a final guaranteed year at $16 million (with $4 million paid by the Marlins) with Carlos Delgado, who will be 36 then. Billy Wagner will make $10.5 million and be 37 in '08. Carlos Beltran will be making $18.5 million (with $8.5 million of that deferred). Plus, David Wright and Jose Reyes' salaries figure to increase dramatically as they enter arbitration and approach free agency.

Precisely. Manny is nice, but you have to consider the long term and that is not an optimal situation. A good GM needs to make today's team better with an eye on the future. Short sightedness is obviously a bad thing and leads to what the Mets just went through from 2001 through 2004.

I'm dying for a blockbuster to go down. A package starting with Prior for Tejada would satisfy that need. I would love for the Orioles to beef up their staff so they can help take down the Yankees and I'm sure Cub fans are drooling at the thought of Tejada, Lee, Ramirez, and Pierre in the same lineup. The Cubs would need a starting pitcher if that deal is to go down as Wood might open up the year on the DL (what else is new) and the Mets have a surplus of it.

Kurt Ainsworth was non tendered. The hard throwing righty has had a myriad of injuries over the years and is worth a shot for the bullpen. He is not going to have many opportunities out there and was once a highly touted prospect. If the Mets are going to do what they did last year with inviting a 100 arms to Spring Training and not figuring out the best bullpen until September again, Ainsworth might as well be in the mix. Joe Borowski is another obvious name as he was non tendered after posting a 4.47 ERA (3.82 with the Rays) with a 1.08 WHIP and a .222 BAA. He will actually be looking for a decent amount of dollars, but the Mets could get away with a probably two years and might be more attractive than giving three or four to Tavarez. Ramon Ortiz and Ryan Franklin should get a look too. Omar might not have the greatest options out there, but there are options.

Anyone want to give Alex Escobar a shot again?

Thanks to Anthony P. for the fangraphs.com link that I used for my Metsgeek.com article.

UPDATE: Anthony, I just read your Metsgeek.com comment. I was going to give you credit here since I was not sure how the other's felt about shout out-type things in articles...I wouldn't forget to give you credit. I take care of people like a Costa Rican hooker (and no I've never had one).

Inundated

Mike is busy. Car in getting serviced and has to get picked up. Working from home. Looking for places to live. Still has to do all his Christmas shopping. However, he still cannot shirk his duties and first true love. The Mets.

So, with a half assed post as half assed as they come, I ask, does team chemistry matter? The Mets have had a lot of new players come in the last few years and have looked a lot like a rotisserie baseball team. The Braves had a lot of turnover two years ago and got off to a very slow start before catching fire and taking the division for the ninetieth season in a row.

Opening day 2003, it was 39 degrees out and I had snot all over my face while watching Glavine get owned by the Cubs. Roger Cedeno was in center, Roberto Alomar was at second base, Cliff Floyd was in left, Mike Piazza was at catcher, Mo-licious was at first base, Ty Wigginton was at third base, Jeromy Burnitz was in right field, and Rey Sanchez was at short stop.

Opening day 2004, Kaz Mat at short, Ricky Guitierrez at second, Floyd in left, Piazza at catcher, Cameron in right, Phillips at first, Garcia/Spencer in right, and Wigginton at third. Now the lineup will have possibly four new guys in 2006 than they had in 2005 with the departures Cameron, Piazza, Mienky, and possibly Kaz from the starting lineup. That is a lot of constant turn over for only a few seasons and the Mets lost two large personalities in Mike Piazza and Mike Cameron. Cameron more for his actual personality and Piazza more for his persona and what he meant to this team and this city for so long.

Of course the Mets have no malcontents, but that does not mean everyone will gel. Mind you, I'm not suggesting I think there will be a problem, but it is a valid point to touch upon. This game has so many mental aspects that things like this can greatly affect performance. Will this be a problem or will the Mets continue a trend of improvement since their big acquisitions in 2005? I think it could be a moot point since Carlos Delgado is going to be the go to guy on this team for reporters and give Mike Piazza-like production. That is something the Mets have never head. Keith Hernandez was that guy back in the 80's in terms of the reporters go to guy, but Delgado is the equivalent of Darryl Strawberry and Keith Hernandez wrapped into one in terms of leadership and production.

Team chemistry is a big part of baseball and it will be a big part of this team. Whether or not Floyd missing his buddy Cameron will mean much, Piazza not being here for the first time in a while, Delgado's agent's mishandling of his negotiations with the Mets, or whatever else remains to be seen, but it will be an integral part of the season.

Beating a Dead Horse

As much as I hate beating a dead horse (I actually love it), it is necessary sometimes because finding something new to write daily is tough. However, it has been pointed out that Pedro's bum toe is still hurting months after the season ended. The Mets season literally could rest on a toe and let me tell you, I hate feet. Toes included. They are ugly and gross. People who suck on them have problems. Pedro's toe problem is not helping to alleviate my hatred. Is this maybe me being too dramatic? Possibly.

"This worries me a little because generally by this time of the year I'm already throwing," he said at a dinner held for major league players by Dominican Republic President Leonel Fernandez.

It only hurts a 'little' and damaged cartilage that was once previously thought to not need surgery that is hurting months later is worrisome. It is three months after the fact and if is not throwing yet because of it. My interest has been peaked in regards to this little problem. Will he actually need surgery? How long would the recovery be if any? If the Mets had a limited budget, they should have factored in an upgrade to the staff and made that a priority after the closer and the big bat. Satiating those two needs were the biggest and getting another #1 or #2 should have taken precedent over everything else, with the exception of maybe upgrading the bullpen, which is the same as it was after Wagner was signed anyway. Alas, now we all have to hope and pray Pedro will be Pedro and Benson will be the guy he was at times last year.

From NJ.com:

Officials with several major-league teams said in recent days that the Mets had been trying to trade right-hander Kris Benson and second baseman Kaz Matsui, in part to create room on their payroll so they could trade for a pitcher such as Oakland's Barry Zito, but that they were not trying to trade Zambrano.

The Mets could use Zambrano, who made $2.1 million last year and should still come in under $4 million even in arbitration, either as a starter or a relief pitcher. He made four relief appearances at the end of his difficult 2005 season, allowing one run on five hits and three walks while striking out eight in five innings.

Desperation fuels bad moves and Omar is in no doubt desperate to get another ace in the rotation for obvious reasons. How the Mets could possibly pull this move off and land Zito while holding onto Lastings is a mystery and improbable. However, at this point, I'm not sure it does not make a complete sense to go for everything this year as far as Omar has come and with the chips already dealt. It goes against every fiber of my being, but what's done is done.

Here is some more beating of that poor dead horse. Trading Cameron early. The Dodgers are heading into the season with Kenny Lofton their starting center fielder, the Red Sox do not have one, and the Orioles would like one. I like Xavier Nady and think is a fucking swell guy, but Omar looks stupid for not holding onto him when the market was going to develop. They could have gotten at the very least an effective bullpen arm for him that could have shared eighth inning duties. I like what Omar has done, but he certainly has not optimized how good this team could have been at this point in time.

* * *

Humber appears to be doing well.

Humber made quite a splash last spring for New York though he only logged two scoreless innings of official work. He was wowing team executives, including Hall of Famer Tom Seaver, with his velocity and command, leading to speculation that he might make the rotation out of camp.

Stop lying. Really, there was no speculation. They barely let him pitch any meaningful baseball.

You have to like Alfonso Soriano's attitude.

Another day in the Nationals offseason brought another story from the Dominican Republic in which newly acquired Alfonso Soriano said he does not want to give up his cherished second base and move to the outfield.

Only this time he added that he does not want to switch leagues, will play out his contract in Washington this summer then sign as a free agent with an American League team.

"I knew the pitchers and batters of opposing teams and therefore where to place myself defensively," he told the Associated Press at a dinner hosted by Dominican Republic President Leonel Fernandez . "In the National that's going to take me a while."

Does anyone think Frank Robinson will have a thing or two to say to him this year?

Molina's suitors? The Jays and possibly the Angels. He basically has no market.

Ah, the Yankees. They are close to a deal for Octavio Dotel for $2 million and a chance to earn $3 million with incentives. That was presumably to rich for the Mets blood on a risk and a shame the Mets could not land him. However, the big news of that day is Captain Caveman's four year deal that will pay him $13 million per year. The bottom line is this. The Yankees needed a center fielder, needed to strengthen their bullpen, and fix their rotation. Their rotation was not getting fixed since it was already filled with guys that were not going anywhere and they bulked up the other two things. They got Dotel and Farnsworth and if Farnsworth pitches like he did last year, their bullpen is solid. They have their lefty specialists for Ortizzle and they are ready to do battle. Their lineup now owns a true leadoff hitter, though Jeter was solid there. Throwing Damon, Jeter, Sheffield, A-Rod, Matsui, and Giambi out there as their top six is going to be tough to beat. I hate to say it, but they had a solid off season and look pretty good. Fuck you.

Who In The World Is Juan Tejada?

A closer look at the four minor league contracts the Mets handed out the other day.

Juan Tejada is the most interesting guy, but still looks like an American League DH.

Q: Paul from Ann Arbor, MI asks:
Why the omission of Juan Tejeda? He had a breakout year at Erie, including slugging well over .500, and all at the age of just 22.

A: Pat Caputo:
He will be in the top 15. His power potential is limited and he is unathletic. 90 percent of the position players in the major leagues are just better athletes than he is. But he can hit...and if you can hit, you can play.

That year was also 2004 and he ended repeating a league that he did very will in last year as well. Carlos Pena took the bulk of the first base duties at AAA so that was presumably the reason he was slated to repeat the league, but he had a pretty solid year, though not as good as the previous year. He had twenty-two less extra base hits, ten less less RBIs, and ten less walks. Either way, you have a guy who has been a pretty consistent hitter and will still be 24 at AAA which is not horrible considering he should have been there at 23.

First baseman Juan Tejeda continues to be one of the organization's most consistent hitters. Tejeda was hitting .277-15-60 this year, and he was leading Tigers minor leaguers in RBIs. "Every year, he just hits .280-.300 and produces," Bennett said. "He's on pace to do it again. We call him our RBI machine."

Being that he is a first baseman and not a very good one according to BA, he looks like he can be a nice platoon option if Carlos Delgado sits against some lefties or to just spell him all together and provide a power bat off of the bench. Of course it is tough to see where he might fit in with Julio Franco here for the next two years, but he is an intriguing player nonetheless.

Julio Ramirez was the seventh ranked prospect in the Eastern League according to Baseball America in 1999 at twenty-one years old. He hit .261 with 39 walks, 13 homers, 64 stolen bases, 30 doubles, and 64 RBIs. Six years later he has put up a .167/.216/.229 line with one homer and eleven RBIs in 96 at-bats in the Majors and bunch of bad to mediocre Minor League seasons.

He has bounced around from the minors and majors with very little major league action since 1999 and had not shown much pop until last year in the hitter friendly PCL. He'll be 28 this year and will presumably get a chance to earn a role in Norfolk with a possibility of getting called up should an outfielder go down, but he seems like someone who might not even stick through Spring Training either. Of course he is older, so he can probably put Victor Diaz off the team with a strong spring and give some more veteran presence to the bench since he has played in the majors since 1999.

Sandy Martinez looks like a AAAA player that will be turning 33 next year with only 564 Major League at-bats under his belt. One would assume he will fill a role at AAA and fight with Joe Hieptas for the first to be called up should LoDuca or Castro go down. Martinez will most likely just be filling and organizational role if he makes it though Spring Training at all. I guess it really depends on how good of defense he plays and I have no idea if he does.

Matt Perisho had lefties hit him to the tune of .346/.500/615 in 26 at-bats and walked nine batters while allowing nine hits in 2005 between Boston and Florida. In 2004 with the Marlins, he held lefties to a .207/.317/.379 line and walked thirteen while allowing eighteen hits. He walks too many batters but has a chance to compete with Royce Ring, Pedro Feliciano, Steve Coyler, and Darren Oliver as the LOOGY out of the bullpen.

* * *

If you are not reading The Best Page in the Universe, you should be.

If you have a weak stomach, do not click here. Gun to my head though, it is Toni Batista.

Gotham Baseball has some news on the Mets and Jeff Kent.

A baseball official with knowledge of the situation told GB that the discussions "were serious" and that "it could happen soon."

He refused to disclose the players the Mets would send back in the deal, but did indicate that minor leaguer Anderson Hernandez could be a "key component" in any trade.

If Anderson Hernandez is a "key component" and the biggest chip, this would undoubtedly be a coup for the Mets.

The Yankees 'seem' close to a deal with Octavio Dotel.

The Yankees appeared close to an agreement with reliever Octavio Dotel before talks cooled last night. But they still seem to hold a slight edge over the Mets, Indians, Rangers and Red Sox, with a deal expected as early as this afternoon, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.

Octavio is worth the risk of an incentive laden deal especially when you look at the Mets failing to ink one effective middle reliever. This needs to happen even if they get Tavarez.

Willie serves some food and speaks out.

"You know what I'd love more than anything? For someone in our organization to step up and take a job next spring, whether that's in the middle relief or as a backup or whatever," Randolph said yesterday, after serving meals to recovering addicts at The Bowery Mission on the Lower East Side. "When you build within, you get the incentive for all the other young players to aspire and do well.

"It's always good to trade or go for a free agent. But I prefer to build within and let these kids see that if you work hard in this system, then you're going to be rewarded for it. I'm hoping someone will step up."

Let's see who might be able to step up....(crickets chirping...)..Willie, there is nothing left that is close to helping. Lastings is the closest impact player and he is at the minimum a half a year away and most likely longer. Kepp or A Hern might be able to play, but no one expects them to do more than tread water at this point. Bannister might get a shot in the pen along with Moreno, Fortunato, and Soler but people are not really penciling them in as factors and Soler is still an unknown despite success this winter in fourteen or so innings. I appreciate the optimism though. In order to step up, you need players.

Umm...

7. Hey, here's how to solve all of the mets problems in one fail swoop. give me a $50 million contract to bang chris bensons wife... hell, i'll do it for free

I think he was talking about taking a hit out on Anna and not actually banging her, but I'm not sure.

Dan Shaughnessy has the quote of the day...

Let's not forget that Manny allegedly asked to be dealt to a West Coast team, and even Manny knows that Baltimore is not on the Pacific Ocean.

The New Mr. Intangibles

Huh?

Three-time All-Star catcher Paul Lo Duca was dealt to the Mets for two Minor Leaguers to be named later. One of those players is 19-year-old right-hander Gaby Hernandez, a hard thrower who grew up in Miami.

I still cannot understand how you can name a player to be named later in the article and still classify him as that....

Larry weighs in on the deal...

"He came as advertised," Marlins general manager Larry Beinfest said of Lo Duca, who was obtained by Florida from Los Angeles in July 2004

That's what I'm afraid of....

Seriously though, Larry says he is clutch and a good leader behind the plate. So lets look...

2005:
Runners on: .276/.318/.367
Scoring Position: .282/.320/.374
Close and Late: .254/.324/.365
Bases Loaded: .417/.385/.583
Scoring Position, 2 Out: .264/.329/.333

Three Year Split:
Runners on: .291/.356/.398
Scoring Position: .303/.380/.414
Close and Late: .262/.340/.395
Bases Loaded: .381/.356/.524
Scoring Position, 2 Out: .299/.343/.520

I'll give him clutch. Though he might not be the most known clutch player, he still seems to raise his game, even if it is slightly in some spots so that would be the definition, no?

As for his glove. It is hard quantify these things for catchers. Errors are always low. Fielding % is always high. It is really a thing you need to see with your own eyes over a lot of games. One thing I was excited about with the departure of Piazza was having a guy who teams did not run on every single game. I did not watch every game of LoDuca's, but if I look at the stats to see who gets run on, it tells me at least if they are respected. Then you can look at CS% to see if they make people pay. Yes, there are outside factors like the staff holding them on, how many fastballs vs. junk, how many speedsters in the division, etc, but that is negligible when you look at the sheer numbers that run on LoDuca.

What catcher has allowed the most stolen bases over the last two years?

Name              GP     SB
Victor Martinez  274    185
Paul LoDuca      258    182
Jason Kendall    293    166
Jorge Posada     267    157
Jason Varitek    260    142
Michael Barrett  252    142
Mike Lieberthal  246    137
Gregg Zaun       229    132
AJ Pierzynski    246    130
Johnny Estrada   237    128

The last three years?

NAME              GP    SB
Paul LoDuca      381   265
Jorge Posada     404   229
Jason Kendall    439   229
Mike Lieberthal  377   221
Victor Martinez  314   205
Brad Ausmus      405   185
Ramone Hernandez 344   178
A.J. Pierzynski  381   176
Mike Piazza      215   175
Javy Lopez       327   172
Gregg Zaun       274   155

The last four years?

NAME             GP      SB
Paul Lo Duca    518     358
Jason Kendall   582     307
Jorge Posada    542     305
Mike Piazza     387     300
Jason Varitek   524     284
Mike Lieberthal 506     272
Javy Lopez      430     226
Ramon Hernandez 452     223

When you look at the others around him and see them hovering around him but with more games played, it paints a picture of guys loving to run on him. Of course he has maintained a CS% that does not exactly make me hurl, but players clearly have no respect for his arm and do not think twice about taking off.

2005:

Name                    Attempted Steals Per Game
Jorge Posada, NYY       0.970
Paul Lo Duca, Fla       0.922
Victor Martinez, Cle    0.880
Jason Kendall, Oak      0.837
A.J. Pierzynski, CWS    0.797
John Buck, KC           0.778
Benji Molina, LAA       0.775
Mike Matheny, SF        0.773
Michael Barrett, ChC    0.746
Ramon Hernandez, SD     0.722

Name                    CS %
Benji Molina, LAA       0.261
Ramon Hernandez, SD     0.257
Paul Lo Duca, Fla       0.246
Jason Varitek, Bos      0.244
Victor Martinez, Cle    0.232
Michael Barrett, ChC    0.231
Gregg Zaun, Tor         0.226
A.J. Pierzynski, CWS    0.225
Mike Lieberthal, Phi    0.213
Jason Kendall, Oak      0.179

2004:

Name                    Attempted Steals Per Game
Paul Lo Duca, LA/Fla    0.992
Victor Martinez, Cle    0.902
Brad Ausmus, Hou        0.828
Jason Varitek, Bos      0.769
Damian Miller, Oak      0.743
Michael Barrett, ChC    0.738
Mike Lieberthal, Phi    0.729
Javy Lopez, Bal         0.712
Jason Kendall, Pit      0.699
Benji Molina, LAA       0.692
Jorge Posada, NYY       0.687
Ramon Hernandez, SD     0.685

Name                    CS %
Brian Schneider, Mon    0.500
Henry Blanco, Min       0.492
Benji Molina, LAA       0.444
Damian Miller, Oak      0.432
Jason Kendall, Pit      0.363
Toby Hall, TB           0.343
Ivan Rodriguez, Det     0.322
Jason LaRue, Cin        0.296
Mike Matheny, StL       0.296
Ramon Hernandez, SD     0.284
Paul Lo Duca, LA/Fla    0.279

2003:

Name                    Attempted Steals Per Game
Paul Lo Duca, LA        1.138
Mike Lieberthal, Phi    0.786
Ramon Hernandez, Oak    0.784
Brad Ausmus, Hou        0.734
Brent Mayne, KC         0.732
Jorge Posada, NYY       0.730
Bengie Molina, Ana      0.692

Name                    CS %
Bengie Molina, Ana      0.444
Toby Hall, TB           0.436
Paul Lo Duca, LA        0.407
Damian Miller, ChC      0.391
Miguel Olivo, CWS       0.358
Brad Ausmus, Hou        0.352
Ivan Rodriguez, Fla     0.333
Ramon Hernandez, Oak    0.330

How do Molina, LoDuca, and Hernandez stack up against each other over the past three seasons?

Name                    Attempted Steals Per Game
Paul Lo Duca, Fla       1.016
Ramon Hernandez, SD     0.735
Benji Molina, LAA       0.715

Name                    CS %
Benji Molina, LAA       0.390
Paul Lo Duca, Fla       0.315
Ramon Hernandez, SD     0.296

What does it all mean? I'm not sure besides Ramon Castro probably being a late inning defensive replacement for LoDuca and for Hernandez if they had acquired him and players loving to run on LoDuca. And yes, Ramon Hernandez and Benji Molina are not the greatest defensive catchers either at this point in time, but certainly arguably better all around. Yes, this does not take into account intangibles like handling a staff, blocking balls, amongst other things that Mike Piazza really never got enough credit for, but these are the reasons I was for Castro getting a shot when presented with the current options which were not great. To accurately judge a catcher, you need to see him with your own eyes as the data is rough to read for that position. It seems the Mets just got a guy who's biggest assets are things that cannot be quantified by anyone. I hate the fact that players run on him more than one time a game over the last three years and was looking forward to a guy that curbed what we had gotten used to with Mike Piazza over the years. It looks like the Mets have their own Mr. Intangibles to go with the original Mr. Intangibles of New York. I for one would like to see these things on paper, but it is what it is. I thought this lineup was good enough that defense first should have been a priority and it is not like LoDuca is going to bring enough offense to outweigh his defensive shortcomings. The silver lining is he is mildly adept at throwing out base runners, but get ready for the races.

When you look at the money spent on him and the lack of success in the bullpen arena in terms of bringing gusy in, one would assume that money was better spent on two of the better relievers on the market when they were actually still around.

* * *

We have BringManny.com and they have KeepManny.com. One site appears to have a solitary goal of bringing Manny and the other is selling shirts to whore themselves out for cash. Not very altruistic of them.

The Yankees are seemingly more interested with Dotel and I have the feeling he is worth the risk.

People wonder why Mike Piazza was not offered arbitration. Easy. He could have accepted. If he gets a deal, you are looking at two years maximum for about $10 to $12 million. He will not make more than that. You cannot receive less than a 20% pay cut in arbitration so that means the Mets would have been on the hook for $12 million for a backup catcher. He would not accept you say? Says who? He said he would have assumed a lesser role to stay with the Mets and he has not really been close to signing with any teams and if you threw in him costing their first rounder, who is to say he would have gotten a decent offer? The Twins were interested, but might not have been if they had to give up their valuable first pick on an aging player. The Mets could not offer him arbitration. It would have been a very bad business decision.