Moving Right Along....

So Curt Schilling is off the market. He was only looking for a one year deal which would have suited the Mets just fine and allowed them to move on from Tom Glavine, but that was not necessarily the best move they could have made. I still think the Mets should stay the course and not do anything crazy. Crazy would be classified as getting A-Rod or signing anyone that costs their first round draft pick.

If you like puking in your mouth, read this. The likes of Woody Williams, Dave Roberts, Roberto Hernandez, etc. were Type A free agents and just reinforces how screwed up the old system was. Luckily, that has changed and the Mets should be focusing on anyone that does not classify as a Type A free agent.

AL Rankings
NL Rankings

Of course, under the new collective bargaining agreement, only Type A free agents would net a compensatory pick, Type B free agents only net a sandwich pick for their old team, and Type C free agents no longer exist. Good times! If you are like me and wonder how they come up with theses rankings, just keep reading.

Elias determines the which 'Type' (A, B, or neither) each MLB player is, and not just free agents. They are put in 1 of 5 groups depending which position they appeared in the most games at over the 2 seasons.

Group 1: first basemen, outfielders, and designated hitters
Group 2: second basemen, third basemen, and shortstops
Group 3: catchers
Group 4: starters
Group 5: relievers

Here are the stat categories used for each of the five position groups.
1B/OF/DH: PA, AVG, OBP, HR, RBI
2B/3B/SS: PA, AVG, OBP, HR, RBI, Fielding percentage, Total chances at designated position
C: PA, AVG, OBP, HR, RBI, Fielding percentage, Assists
SP: Total games (total starts + 0.5 * total relief appearances), IP, Wins, W-L Percentage, ERA, Strikeouts
RP: Total games (total relief appearances + 2 * total starts), IP (weighted slightly less than other categories), Wins + Saves, IP/H ratio, K/BB, ERA

The new system is great. It no longer prohibits teams from picking up finishing pieces to their team that previously cost them first round or second picks. That means the Mets can pick up decent bullpen arms, middling starting pitching, and mediocre catchers and not give anything up.

I still think the Mets do not need to do anything drastic. I think it is a must that The Duque heads into the bullpen and I am warming up to the idea that the Mets should give a long hard look at Carlos Silva. Honestly, I had been really liking the idea of Schilling for no commitment, but he was a Type A free agent and Silva may end up being the innings eater that the Mets need. I am still interested in Hiroki Kuroda and I said I preferred him to the more expensive Silva, but I'm leaning towards the more expensive option at this point partly because of some news and the fact that he might not be all that much cheaper. However, either should give the Mets a capable arm in the rotation, which is what they need and not necessarily and ace.

Outside of that and the bullpen, it is all really minor moves for the Mets. LoDuca, Torrealba, or Ramon Hernandez? Who gives a fuck. It seems like Castillo will be back and that is just fine at this point. Outside of one starter and one reliever (I am resigned to the fact that Humber and/or Pelfrey will be back in AAA), the Mets are just looking to make some minor moves. If the Mets can get Siliva or Kuroda and then add a reliever like Riske, they would not be giving up any picks and would be playing it rather safe.

The starting eight would look like this:
Reyes, Wright, Castillo, Delgado, Alou, Beltran, Milledge, and LoDuca/Torrealba/Hernandez

The rotation would look like this:
Pedro, Ollie, Maine, Silva/Kuroda, and Humber/Pelfrey

The bullpen would look like this:
Wagner, Heilman, Hernandez, Feliciano, Smith, Schoe, and Riske/Affeldt/Linebrink (getting rid of Mota is a must or see if he will pass through waivers)

With the bench looking to be pretty decent again with Gotay, Easley, and Marlon already in the fold, I would be comfortable with that team. Also, that team would have to still be the prohibitive favorites of the entire National League again even after their collapse.

* * *

I'm conflicted. Jeter and Palmeiro among others have made the Gold Glove a joke, but Wright and Beltran winning it makes me happy.

One thing Wright's Gold Glove does do is quell some of the desire to unnecessarily bring in A-Rod. As I have stated before, if the Mets want to open up their wallets for A-Rod, let him move.

The Rockies and the Mets might just end up trading catchers.

The Rockies anticipate they may lose catcher Yorvit Torrealba and their top target to replace him is Met free agent Ramon Castro. Colorado imagines Castro's power being even more overt playing home games in Coors Field rather than Shea Stadium. The Rockies also have strong interest in free agents Paul Lo Duca and Jose Molina as replacements for Torrealba.

Again, any big bid on Posada for the Mets would be a mistake. Really, the guy had his best year by far and should only stand to go downhill from his 2004 to 2006 numbers. I'm sorry, this would be a disaster.

However, if the Mets are just going to help drive up his value and leave a couple of years where the Yankees are sorely overpaying, great. I love driving up the price for the Yankees.

There is no reason to turn on Reyes just yet. Everyone was anointing him the golden boy of baseball earlier in the year and now he is chop liver? Give the kid a break. Maybe it was his attitude. Maybe it was not. If it was, he surely had some time to clear his head and get back on track.