All is Quiet on the Mets News Front

I thought the Schoeneweis deal would really be a minor grumbling...a small head scratcher move, but it seemed to illicit some unforeseen reactions.

Scott Fuckin' Schoeneweis is getting Bradford money, My eyes are bleeding.
~ Anonymous

And who likes when their eyes bleed?

So much for full autonomy.
~ Coop

Are the Wilpons still lurching?

And the Mets needed another lefty. Surprised it's three years but will lose no sleep. Funny to see how people seem to be freaking out about the signing though as usual not here. The comments in MLBTrada Rumors were hilarious.
~ DG

Hilarious indeed...more one them later.

Here is what I think about the Schoeneweis deal:
1. A lot of Omar's moves make people scratch their heads. Seo for Sanchez, Benson for Maine and Julio, signing Chavez and Valentin. Omar's greatest talent is that he can find underrated players who are on their way up.
2. Schoeneweis' numbers are much better than what people think: during his 8-year career, he limited lefies to .231/.303/.302. That's pretty good.
3. We only had Feliciano as our left hand specialist before this deal. Wagner is our closer, Williams isn't impressive against lefties. Feliciano had a nice year in 06. Schoeneweis is our insurance if Feliciano can't repeat his success. LHRP is important because our main enemies are the Phillies in 07.
4. So why 3 years and 10.7 mil? Why not Bradford? First of all, Schoe made 2.75 mil last year. Ask him to take a paid cut in this market is impossible especially when he had a strong finish in 06. Second, MLB average salary is going higher and higher. 3.6 mil/year for Schoe is very close to the league average. If he really pitches well for us, he will be a bargain at that price for the next three years. Third, there could be a million reasons why we gave the money to Schoe but not Bradford. Maybe they know something that we don't, Bradford's health concern, our inability to get an ace at this point. Who knows?
I know that if you are smart you better not criticize Omar's moves before you see how they actually work out on the field. Also, is a 10.7 mil deal really that much of a financial risk for a big market team like the Mets?
~metsdynasty

Food for thought...

At first, I was a bit confused when I heard about this signing. But then I thought pretty much everything you just stated about Omar and his signings. Came to the same conclusion, just wait to see how it plays out on the field.
~ Anthony

Does Omar's shit really smell like mangos and papayas?

Nothing curious about the Schoenweis move if you think of some of the other moves Omar has made recently.

He traded for Shawn Green acquired Dave Newhan as a free agent. Its obvious that Mr. Minayawitz is trying to field an all Jewish team. I can hear Chris Russo complainiing about it now. Here comes Lieberthal, Jason Marquis, Youkilis. Its obvious that Minayawitz is out to make a point about his people.
~ Adam

You heard it here first.

From MLBTraderumors.com:

Anybody think this is a perfect prelude for a Milledge/Heilman for Joe Blanton or Esteban Loaiza swap?

Why not throw in Humber for good measure?

Please... somebody shoot me. My GM is a fucking moron.

Blasphemous.

Mets fans everywhere just threw up in their mouths a little bit.

Heck, as an Angels fan among those who were happy to see his ineffective ass leave a few years ago, *I* threw up in *my* mouth a little bit at seeing the moolah tossed his way.

In summary, blecch.

We don't need your sympathy.

Yeah, let's lock up Scott Schoenweiss! I want to make the deal with the devil that Boras did. This guy has thrown 57 innings in his career that warrant anything near this kind of deal.

It's not like this is going to hurt the Mets, he could always be good I guess, or that it's some huge mistake or albatross.

But, yikes.

Getting warmer.

All in all, I don't think anyone is going that crazy. The deal seems a bit off even in this climate hot ending of ’06 for Scott or not. Again, the move is not going to hamstring the team, but I’m all for fiscal responsibility after the 2001 through 2004 version of the Mets and throwing any money away is never good. This is simply a case of the Mets waiting too long and only the scraps are left now. It could end up being solid if Rick Peterson can work more bullpen magic, but there were better options for relatively similar pay.

Justin Speier was the premium reliever on the market and got 4 years and $20 million. I’d rather of splurged for him as it only cost the Mets a second rounder since they picked up Alou and he held lefties under .200 last season, .211 since 2004, and held all batters combined under what Schoeneweis simply held lefties too in '06. Yes, Schoeneweis can start, but the likelihood of him being around as a starter with Williams and Vargas in the mix seems remote. Is it bad to have another arm around? Fuck no. I just think it kind of caught everyone off guard. The reality of it is that we do not know who the real Schoeneweis is.

Since 2004, he has a 4.10 ERA, .250 BAA, and a 1.40 WHIP as a reliever in 110.2 innings. In 112.2 innings as a starter, he has a 5.56 ERA, .288 BAA, and a 1.54 WHIP in 112.2 innings. He keeps the ball in the park and has a 1.84 G/F ratio. He was bad in '04 as a starter, good in 2005 as a reliever and held lefties to a .188 BAA (righties hit him for a .306/.405/.389 line), and bad in '06 as a reliever until his stellar 14.1 inning stint with the Reds which essentially got him this deal. Righties didn't hit him very hard in '06 so at least he had that going for him, but you get the picture. It just seems like a lot for a guy who has been very inconsistent.

Obviously the sky is not falling and this is really a minor move, but it's been slow in the news for Met fans and most of us wanted Zito and instead we got Scottie. I'm sure it will be a swellicious relationship between the Mets and Schoeneweis as Rick Peterson guides him to being a successful reliever, but that doesn't mean many of us get the deal right now. I would have understood it more if it freed up Heilman to be dealt, but this move has nothing to do with that. In the end, it seems like a lot for a guy who will most likely be primarily used as a LOOGY.

* * *

As DG pointed out, Mark McGwire might now lose his highway.

First he was snubbed by Hall of Fame voters, and now this: A state legislator wants to strip Mark McGwire of the highway named for the slugger after his record-breaking season eight years ago.

State Rep. Talibdin El-Amin, a Democrat from St. Louis, submitted a bill Wednesday that would rename "Mark McGwire Highway" to honor former state Sen. John Bass, a veteran city politician and educator.

Not a good week for Mark. Not a good week at all.