The Sky Is Falling!!!!

The Mets made me want to puke last season. I was at the final game of the season and was enjoying some PBRs in the parking on a beautiful day fully expecting my Mets to make it to the playoffs. John Maine just came off one of the best pitched games of the season for the Mets and undoubtedly the biggest game he pitched all year and the Mets had to beat the Marlins one more time to clinch. Of course you know the rest and the game was over before I even sat down.

However, there are things we all need to keep in perspective.

1) Second Base: Jose Valentin gave us 45 games at second with three homers and a .247/.310/.380 line. Damion Easley provided some nice pop at second and started with a flourish there, but tapered off. Ruben Gotay was great in his 37 games, but there were still 80+ games of underwhelming production there. Now I am not the biggest Castillo fan and thought his deal was a bit silly, but the man hit .296 with a .371 OBP and played solid defense while stealing 10 bases in just fifty games. Sure he has no pop, but Willie will use him in the second hole and he does not create outs giving the Mets best hitters many chances in '08 to make things happen. Castillo will give the Mets more wins by playing from day one and provide some consistency there for sure.

2) Right Field: .273/.326/.398. That is what the Mets got out of right field in '07. If the Mets had not dealt Milledge for Church and it had been someone else moved for him, I would have applauded the move as I think he is an undervalued player that got jerked around in Washington. For a moment, we will set aside the actual trade and look at the player. Church hit .272/.349/.464 last year and plays a good outfield which is a stark contrast to Shawn Green, who was a disaster. The Mets had nine guys compile those numbers and Church will easily top that production and add more stability and consistency from the position with some upside to his 2007 performance. In '07, he got killed by lefties but was a full .030 under what his three year splits where against lefties. His .287 against righties was in line with his three year splits against righties so I am confident that Church has room to grow in '08 over his '07 season.

Also, we know that RFK is a disaster for power hitters. The outfield is pretty uniform and an enclosed circle so I would assume it is as equally as bad for hitters from either side of the plate whereas Shea favors left handed hitters. Church pounded 43 doubles last season and hit 59 XBHs in 144 games. In comparison, the Mets got 48 in 162 games. Ryan Church cannot really be compared to Milledge in '08 since we cannot know for sure what he'll do, but Church is certainly a large upgrade in right field in many facets. I expect him to perform a bit better when you take into account the park change, team change, and improved lineup surrounding him. 60+XBHs from one right fielder? When is the last time the Mets had that?

Ok, not buying it? Let us say you do not agree with me and think Church is a platoon player at best, which I do not think he is. The Mets can still pair him up with Easley to create some pretty good production from right field and should still greatly eclipse what the Mets got out of right field last season. I would rather have Milledge at this point, but you simply cannot argue the Mets did not get better in this area....well I guess you could argue with me about it, but you wouldn't be right.

3) The Outfield: While Alou cannot be counted on for 162 games, the Mets outfield depth stands to be a lot better. With Church in the fold, they can certainly absorb the loss of Alou better and a Gomez/Chavez tandem will be just fine in filling in for him when/if he gets hurt. Also, if Alou gives the Mets 120 games next season, that will be an unabashed improvement over the 84 games he gave the Mets last year. Anything over 84 is a bonus that will just add wins over last year’s production. Also, Beltran only gave the Mets 141 games in center and people cannot forget how much of a disaster the Mets outfield was with Green out there, Chavez going down, Milledge hurt, Alou missing, and Beltran missing a bit too many games. Two words...Ricky Ledee. That is how bad things were.

The Mets outfield is going to be better from day #1 and deeper overall. 150 games from Beltran and Church with 120 games of Alou would make this one formidable outfield with guys that can hit at all three positions. Even if Alou does go down again, the Mets can more capably fill the hole in 2008 than they did in 2007 barring any more disasters. Not only will right field be more consistent and stable, but the entire outfield should be as well and light years better than 2007.

4) Catching: Again, the fact that Milledge was dealt for Schneider has no context in whether he will be an upgrade over the Mets '08 catching situation. There seems to be some people confused about Paulie Ballgame being some superior offensive player to Schneider. A lot of LoDuca's value is in his batting average and he simply is not all that good anymore. In 2007, LoDuca's ISOP was .106 while Schneider's was .101. They both had virtually the same amount of XBHs and had the same RBI total in 2007. Schneider played in ten more games but tallied up about 40 less at-bats due to this novel idea of taking pitches.

LoDuca's ISOD was a paltry .039 while Schneider's was .091. That is not even in the same stratosphere and though we cannot assume Schneider will have a better season, it certainly is reasonable he gets his average up another .020 points and continues to take walks with vastly better plate discipline than LoDuca, who at 36 is not destined to improve offensively or even play to his career averages at this point. All this does not even factor in the immense defensive upgrade Brian represents.

The move to acquire Schneider was not one of my favorites and the fact he is inked for another season after this does not help. However, in terms of an upgrade, he certainly makes the Mets a better ball club by being a sideways move offensively at worst, with the possibility of being a slight upgrade, and a defensive upgrade over Paul LoDuca. With Castro still around, the Mets managed to get bit better behind the plate overall, however small that margin is.

5) Rotation: Pedro, Pedro, and Pedro. He gave the Mets 32 innings last season. Even if the manages to give the Mets only 150 innings, that is a tremendous upgrade over what the Mets had and will add quite a few wins overall. Then you factor in that Maine and Oliver should build off their '07 performance and become more predictable and you have a rather formidable front three. After that, the situation is a bit muddied. We have talked about Livan and Lohse in this space before and of course The Duque can still be the fourth starter. I'm going to consider Pedro's innings separate from simply replacing Glavine's. They are a bonus. I am hoping to cover Glavine's performance in this fourth spot.

In 2007 Glavine's ERA+ was 96, Livan's ERA+ was 95, and Lohse's ERA+ was 98. I am still holding out hope The Duque heads to the bullpen as a capable reliever and solid fallback option in the rotation while the Mets pick up Livan or Lohse. Either one of those guys will replace Glavine's innings and his 2007 production easily in my eyes. Sure, they won't be able to match his professionalism or his crotchety factor, but I think the Mets will manage. Also, it is only fair to mention that it is a distinct possibility that The Duque will hold this spot. He put up a 115 ERA+ in '07, which I do not expect him replicate, in 150 innings. Even if he is the guy and goes down and gives the Mets only 150 innings again, whoever gives the Mets those other starts will probably drag the overall ERA+ for that spot to around the Glavine territory thereby essentially replacing his production. Either way, this spot should be a wash.

This brings us to the fifth spot. Fact: Mike Pelfrey was tragic in the first half of '07. Fact: Mike Pelfrey was marginally better in the second half showing some flashes of improvement. Sure he still got pounded and had a high BAA, but he was still walking over 4.5 guys a game. For his big league career, he has walked 4.88 per 9 and for his minor league career he walked 3.17 per 9. In college, he never topped 2.00 per 9. Once he gets confident and more experience, that big league total will shrink and he will get better. He simply is not this bad and showed flashes of decent secondary stuff at times in '07. ZiPS sees 24 starts for Pelfrey with a 4.86 ERA and I do not think that is optimistic at all and that would be a tremendous improvement over what the Mets got from the fifth spot last season. It should also be noted ZiPS has a hard on for Mulvey and sees him being John Maine with less strikeouts. ZiPS predicts a 4.17 ERA in 23 starts, but sees 5.39 ERA in 26 starts for Humber, which seems very pessimistic to me. Mulvey was a bit optimistic most likely due to his ability to keep the ball down and great HR/9 ratio and Humber was hurt a bit by pitching in the PCL.

Basically, the Mets should have a viable option in the fifth spot to give them some slightly below league average innings with the potential to be much better than that. If the Mets can manage 150 innings from Pedro (which is low), get Lohse or Livan, and have Pelfrey get marginally better, I think people are vastly underestimating this rotation. Last year, there was no depth. People got hurt, Pelfrey sucked, and it was a mess. This season, if Omar does the right thing and moves The Duque to the pen, his rubber arm will be ready to go with Mulvey and Humber also in the wings waiting to give the Mets solid options for the rotation. This team should be more consistent #1 through #5 and much deeper and able to maneuver through some injuries.

* * * * * * *

Are the Mets the most improved team? Not at all, but they were better than people think they were last year and had less improving to do than other teams and I just do not think the Phillies and Braves had blowout off-seasons. In 2008, stability and consistency will be something that this team will enjoy and it will translate into wins. I see the Mets has a 91 win team with a chance to be better if things fall into place, but I see a solid team without a lot of holes that should make the playoffs. Underwhelming in some spots? Sure, but no immense drop offs and no spots devoid of talent.

Do not buy into the national media's hype, the local media's hype, or some other fearmonger's off base predictions. Omar can still improve this team through under the radar moves that made the 2006 Mets so good. Wise, Schneider, Church, and Livan will never make an All-Star team, but they could be the four guys that put this team in the playoffs for the second time in three years.

* * *

You know what it is never too early for? Yes...beer....but smack talking too. Combine both into one activity and you have my undivided attention.

"It was very disappointing because we know that we had the best team. And I believe that we still have a great team," the first baseman said Thursday on a conference call.

I await Jimmy Rollins' response. Of course he has the obvious evidence on his side that the Mets finished below the Phillies to prove his point, but the historic collapse needed to take place and the Mets essentially beat themselves with the final nail being hammered by Tom Glavine.

"We kind of assumed, for a lack of a better term, that we were going to win," Delgado said. "If you look back to 2006, which was a magical year for us, where everything kind of went our way, maybe we thought it was going to be the same way. And we kind of didn't play it out the last three weeks."

Why?

"I don't think it had anything to do with extracurricular activities," he said. "You've just got to kind of narrow your mind and go out and do what you've got to do and don't have any other thoughts in your mind except to win that game instead of thinking, oh, when we make it to the playoffs, we might play San Diego."

Who do you blame for the lack of focus....let's see...who could we possibly blame? If you don't manage all that well and you cannot keep your team focused, what exactly are you getting paid to do?

This is just too good. Too fucking good.

Roger Clemens says he was injected with "lidocaine and B-12" and not steroids or human growth hormone by former trainer Brian McNamee, according to a portion of an interview with CBS' "60 Minutes" released Thursday.

"Lidocaine and [vitamin] B-12. It's for my joints, and B-12 I still take today," Clemens told Mike Wallace in the interview, which is scheduled to be shown Sunday night. It is Clemens' first interview since the release of the Mitchell report in December.

Ah...that explains it! I'm satisfied with that, aren't you? Of course McNamee said he might sue if claims Clemens lies about this so it all fits nicely in that he did not actually call McNamee a liar, just misguided about what he was doing.

"Brian has a master's degree in sports medicine," Ward told ESPN The Magazine's Shaun Assael. "He knows the difference between lidocaine, B-12 and testosterone. What he injected into Roger Clemens wasn't lidocaine or B-12. It was testosterone."

Another lawyer for McNamee, Richard Emery, has threatened to sue Clemens for defamation.

"I think that this is a lawyers' game, which allows him to try and attempt to say that McNamee didn't know what he was injecting or that at least Clemens didn't know what he was injecting," Emery said.

Classic. Of course as the article mentions, this is not the first time. Rafael Palmeiro had said Miguel Tejada gave him a tainted vial of B-12 and he unknowingly shot up with steroids. Good stuff. Also, his angry tirade seemed a bit contrived to me in an effort to seem geniune. For me, it backfired.

Angel Pagan will not make you forget about Lastings Milledge, but he will give you a decent player should the shit hit the fan again. A nice little move by Omar to improve the outfield depth a bit.

No need for this. See above for explanation.

Awesome.

Hypothetically Speaking

Let us say for a moment that the Mets needed to include Gomez, F-Mart, Mulvey, and Pelfrey to compete with the packages of the Red Sox and Yankees for Johan. Of course I have no idea if that is truly even and offer, but Jayson Stark mentioned that the Twins had asked for all of them in addition to Humber. You cannot blame them as you have to start somewhere and leave room for the Mets to negotiate down.

Would that be a remotely intelligent move? I have a hard time believing so. As stated yesterday, Oliver Perez is set to hit the market with The Duque and Pedro. Of course they can all come back, but it would cost close over $35 million to do so on top of the $20 million they are paying Johan and the raise John Maine would be due to get.

Then, you would have to look at the depth of the system and gag just a bit with a complete dearth of talent at the top of the system with the exception of Phil Humber able to contribute meaningfully at the big league level. If you are counting on the three picks of the '08 draft that have not even been picked yet to bolster this team's future, that might be a little optimistic. Those picks need to be a supplement of players already in the system.

Deolis Guerra, Jon Niese, Eddie Kunz, Phil Humber, Brant Rustich, Scott Moviel, Nate Vinyard, Robert Parnell, and a few others are still around, but that would unequivocally be one of the worst three systems in baseball. Three picks, even if they all pan out and the Mets are able to score top tier talent that dropped a bit are not going to change that much. Also, the only meaningful players set to step on a big league diamond before 2010/2011 will be Humber and a few relievers.

Not that I enjoy adding more caveats, but the likelihood of those guys stepping on the field being impact players their first season or two is extremely unlikely which pushes back the time line a bit for them to be a vital part of this team. Of course, that is all predicated upon these guys, who have so far to go, working out. It is scary out there on the free agent market and with more teams having cash and letting less and less talent go, you simply need to be able grow some players. By the time Reyes and Wright are done being cheap, the Mets are set to virtually have no cheap help from within barring anything big going on and they will have plenty of holes to fill.

If you are are not developing, you are not winning. I want Johan and who wouldn't? But it can certainly be argued that the Mets are not in as dire of a need as many think with Pedro, Ollie, and Maine leading the team. They give the Mets a shot to win in a short series and provide a solid foundation for the pitching staff in '08. This 'get Johan at all costs' idea does not resonate all that well with me and the Mets are not quite at the point where they can trade five top prospects for one player, but should strive to get to that point with a few good drafts, holding onto their top picks, and paying out over slot.

Johan makes the Mets favorites, but it is a big gamble and big loss if they do not win it all. It is tough to pass up on a deal like this, but if Omar truly cares about 2009 and beyond, he better tread lightly. I am not saying there is no package the Mets can put together that makes sense both now and long term, but the ones we have heard bandied about that it will take to land Johan are certainly not a positive thing for this team after 2008.

* * *

Swisher dealt to the White Sox for Gio Gonzalez, Ryan Sweeney, and Faustino De Los Santos? Wow. I have to say that Kenny Williams has made some bold moves this off-season, but he does have two young and extremely solid to very good outfielders on his hands now. I like Swisher a lot, as many of you all do, and he is still under control for a while. If you are going to trade youth, you need to get youth back. I'm sure people will be saying Williams gave up a lot to get him, but it seems fair in my eyes given the contact status of Swisher.

I was not all that huge of a fan of the Garland move, but Williams has put together an interesting off-season if nothing else and definitely made some aggressive moves to cover some holes. At this point, Beane absolutely needs to just rid the team of Blanton and whatever other tradeable commodities there are, but you have to be ok with his current haul so far if you are an Oakland fan. It is never easy to see your team rebuild, but doing it intelligently should cushion the blow.

Slow, Steady, and Boring

I've preached prudence when it comes to this off-season. I am well aware of the Mets needs, but they certainly should not force things like making a silly trade of Gomez, Heilman, and Mulvey for Blanton. Yes, Gomez could flame out before he ever gets going and Mulvey could indeed end up as a fringe starter, but I would rather the Mets give them a legit shot on their club to find out as their upside is worth more than Joe Blanton. Gomez certainly did not put up gaudy numbers while in the big leagues, but he did open some eyes and made some believers by performing better than expected for a kid who had no business being in the league.

Does Blanton have value? Of course. He is cheap and under control for a while and is a durable arm. The going rate of that type of guy these days is quite high, but he is not going to make the team all that much better than some other alternatives that do not cost the rest of the Mets farm system. How many wins does Blanton add over someone like Livan Hernandez in terms of pitching? Two or three wins? Before you remind me that two or three wins would have gotten the Mets into the playoffs last year, I would just like to point out it took a colossal team effort to miss the playoffs last year in the form of a historic collapse and that two or three win difference shrinks a bit when you figure you will lose a win or two from whoever replaces Heilman and Livan can help win games with his bat.

So while the Mets proved they were a bit overrated, they are still not in the dire straits as everyone would like to believe. My first choice would be one or two years of Kyle Lohse, which might happen. We know what the market is looking like for him and though there has been interest, it has been tepid to say the least and we know Boras is not afraid to take a gamble. Of course it behooves him to get his client a ton of money now before Lohse proves any further that he is not worth a big payday, but these are strange times we live in when finding a guy that throws a ball across the plate while getting decent production is becoming increasingly rare.

The Mets should consider themselves ridiculously lucky. They picked up Maine and Perez off of the scrap heap and just try and imagine where they would be without those two? They might be better advised to do the same this season and try and get creative rather than make any drastic moves like overpaying for an average arm. If it is innings you are worried about, Livan will give you a lot of them. Would I be disappointed if the Mets were not able to land someone better? Sure, but the Mets are simply not in a position to liquidate their farm unless they get a certifiable ace back.

I give Omar credit this off-season. Not for the bad trade of Milledge, but for being smart about his targets. He did not get anything significant done, but it is not from a lack of trying. He has kicked around a lot of possible deals and could not find a fit. When some GMs in his position might have panicked and just laid out a ton of money to Silva or Lohse, he stood pat. Making a move for the sake of making a move when it can negatively impact the future is never a smart.

Met Players Added:
RP Matt Wise Signed
C Brian Schneider Trade
LF Ryan Church Trade
RP Brian Stokes Trade

Met Players Lost:
SP Tom Glavine
C Paul Lo Duca
RF Lastings Milledge
RP Guillermo Mota Trade

Let me apologize for that...I should have warned you about that run-down and hopefully the puke did not get onto your keyboard.

This off season might not pretty and highly disappointing, but I can definitively feel Omar's pain. If not Santana, Bedard, or Haren, then Omar is well advised to keep his calm. Even if the Mets miss out on everyone and head into the season as is, it is not a total loss and we can only hope Omar puts his money where his mouth is and starts trusting some of these prospects he was talking up so much this off-season. If Lohse can be inked to a reasonable contract, then picking him up with Freddy Garcia seems like the right direction. If not Lohse, then Livan and Garcia would be a safe play here.

Above everything, there is no need to sell low on prospects that could still have a pretty bright future and the Mets need to focus on building up this system so they can keep themselves out of this type of situation in the future. However, at this point you have grin and bear it and hope your team gives you what they are all capable of. If this team’s core can be there in 2008, I have faith and do not hit the panic button if Omar fails to make a splash.

* * *

This was from and old chat but good nonetheless.

Andre GA: Would you trade Reyes for Santana? And have Gomez's speed try to offset the speed lost with Reyes gone?

Jayson Stark: (1:07 PM ET ) I don't know if there's any player in the whole sport I would trade Jose Reyes for right now. I mean that. It's amazing how people in New York are ready to unload him after a couple of disappointing months. Step back for a minute and look at his progression line in his career. That arrow had done nothing but shoot straight upward until the end of last season. Just because he finally took a step backward doesn't mean he isn't going to be the player we all thought he'd be. My wife is a volleyball coach. I tell her all the time that progress in sports is never measured in a straight line. And I think that will be true about Jose Reyes. The Mets won't trade him, and they shouldn't trade him. For anyone.

It still amazes me how down some people are on Jose Reyes.

Yankees to their fans:

"Bend over and pray for a speedy recovery."

For them, the latest increase is a shocker. Many with partial plans also were hit with big hikes.

"When does it stop?" asked a member of a ticket consortium who asked to remain anonymous.

When people stop paying.

I just sent in my money for my Mets tickets that included a handsome fee hike for my Sunday package. I will not complain one bit if they drop some big time scratch for their top three picks and give the finger to the commish while they are at it. If they continue to be cheap under the guise that they are trying to be good for the sake of the game, I will get quite perturbed.

Enjoy the holidays and drink lots and eat lots.

The Baseball Revolution

Baseball has taken quite a strange turn this off-season and I do not think that is a bad thing. In past years, getting trades done was seemingly impossible much less a trading for a top tier player. The free agent market used to be the place where people got their talent during the off-season and now the free agent market has forced teams into trading. Small market teams dish their top tier talent off to large market teams while the small market teams take their best and brightest to maintain financial flexibility. They also do not have to wait for whatever draft picks they obtain from watching their stars abscond into free agency to develop and are able to compete a lot sooner.

For large market teams, bad drafting and irresponsible development of their farm system can put them at a severe competitive disadvantage. GMs are now forced to get more creative and better at scouting and player development. Simply stated, you cannot survive on feasting on the free agent market alone while developing only a few prospects. While not as many trades have gone through that have been rumored, it is unmistakable that there has been more talent on the market in many, many, many years and I love it.

I love this new mode of operation where teams can actually go get themselves a true ace or a future Hall of Famer. Johan, Haren, Willis, Bay, Tejada, Blanton, Garland, Blanton, Rios, Lincecum, Young, Garza, etc. are a lot of big time names. Some with a serious length of time on the books. This is baseball's market today. You can either get on board with it or fall to back of the pack and unfortunately, the Mets have done just that.

By not giving their prospects enough of a chance and just enough to show other people that they are seemingly middle of the road, the Mets have shot themselves in the foot. Milledge and Pelfrey would have been better off not seeing a nanosecond of big league time. If they had not, they would have still been highly regarded. Instead, Milledge never got a true chance to shine and the media painted him as a big distraction. If he gets 120 games last season, he probably looks like a tremendous center field option over the next four years at a value. Especially when Hunter and Jones just got $18 million per year. A guy with an ability to hit .280 with 20 or so homers, 80 or so RBIs and 20 stolen bases at 23 years of age should have been a hotter commodity, but Shawn Green needed to get his ABs.

Pelfrey shit the bed early on in the year, but never got a shot to shine out of the bullpen or build upon his flashes of showing something later in the year. Humber's AAA numbers looked mediocre, but never got a shot to fill in for the Mets while Lawrence and Park stole games. At the end of the season, Humber got a start after sitting idle for nearly two thirds of a month and never got a shot at the bullpen despite how impressed the Mets said they were after his two inning show in 2006. As someone stated in the comments the other day, how can other teams take the Mets seriously about their kids having talent when they had glaring needs themselves and did not want to go to the farm system that they are holding in such a high regard.

Furthermore, the Mets have just flat out drafted bad. Sure, there are some nice guys in there that have surprised or could end up surprising, but their first pick of last year's draft is already looking like a middle reliever at best rather than a late innings option. Also, last year's draft for the Mets had everyone getting slot money when they needed to overpay for someone that fell. Then you can add Beato not getting inked because of a $200,000 or so discrepancy because the Mets wanted to be solid citizens. Now, the Mets are on the sidelines while some tremendous names are being bandied about. No one wants what the Mets have because they are not buying a word of it. That is not to say the names they are throwing out there are worthless, they most certainly are not. Mike Pelfrey still has an arm that most people dream of having and could still fulfill his potential, though many people doubt that. Humber lost a bit of bite on his curve, but it is hard to deny he was at the top many leader boards in AAA despite having minimal experience as a pro. Mulvey has taken a step forward and seems like he is ready to make that next jump.

The only hope the Mets have is that someone trusts their eyes more than ears. However, the Mets can blame no one but themselves and you really cannot blame people for not putting much stock in the words of Omar Minaya and you can certainly blame everyone from Wilpon down to Willie for putting themselves in this spot. Just when everyone thought the Mets had turned a corner in terms of doing things the right way and relying on their prospects to get them into the promised land, it is clear that not much has changed around New York but the faces. I advocated prudence this off-season and the Mets are not far away from that. The Milledge deal was a disaster, but the Mets need to operate their franchise the right way and not pay attention to what fans or the media says.

* * *

From KLaw:

Steven Register was a top closer at Auburn before he was drafted in 2004, but the Rockies tried to make him a starter and it didn't work. As a reliever, he has good control and a 91-93 mph fastball with some sink (although it hasn't produced a good groundball rate), and a tight slider that should be an average pitch in time. I could see him making the Mets' club in spring training, and if it saves them from going after the next Guillermo Mota, so much the better.

I have no idea if this guy is any good, but the Mets needed to get creative and this would certainly qualify. They have not been lucky in the past, but that does not mean they should not try. Of course if he makes the team, he'll probably get the Heath Bell treatment and get buried in the bullpen after he gives up seven hits after being off for nine days.

I forget if I linked to this, but here I go again. Thanks to Scott D...

I would love to see a two-way baseball player, but is it possible? If Micah Owings does not practice hitting all that much and still rakes, he should consider switching to offense full time. I think his sparkling stats might involve that thing called sample size unless he is one of the best hitters in the universe. It is just too hard to come in and hit while not focusing solely on just that. That being said, I hope he sees some games at first.

Andruw goes to the Dodgers for a lot of money over a short amount of time. Andruw gets $18 million per year, but it is actually a $12 million signing bonus and the rest split over the next two seasons. If the Dodgers were smart, they would give their kids a shot and dump Pierre to someone and pay half his salary. I'm sure he has some value to someone in that context, but I doubt they move Pierre. Also, they still have Nomar on board, but he could be a supersub. With so much youth, it would not hurt to have him around getting a decent number of at-bats. If they did all this, the Dodgers lineup would look something like this:

Furcal
Martin
Loney
Jones
Kemp
Kent
Ethier
LaRoche

That is one nice lineup that has some much youth and upside potential. Of course, you could switch some people around and I would prefer Kemp bat fourth with Jones fifth, but Jones is a veteran superstar...at least that's how I think Torre will view it. However, we know this is a pipe dream because they hate LaRoche's guts and Pierre and Garciaparra are still around. The rotation would be led by:

Penny
Lowe
Billingsley

Despite Mike and The Mad Dog thinking the rotation is underwhelming, I think they have the makings of a dominant rotation. The back two would not be too shabby either. They still have Loiza, Kuo, Kershaw later on, and possibly Kurado. The Dodgers are truly positioned well for the future, but it is hard to know what Colletti is thinking these days.

Apparently frigging (or derivatives of the word) is pretty popular these days.

Willie on last season:

"I think about it every day," the Mets' manager said of his team kicking away a seven-game lead with 17 to play in one of history's greatest folds.

"They should be thinking about it. I'm dealing with it and flushing it out. But, for the most part, we're not going into spring training harping on last year. We have to learn from that experience, get better from that, really just focus on the future. We all should have learned something from last year and I think we will."

A good manager is worth about five wins. A bad manager is worth about five losses. Willie is a bad manager. Hopefully he really did learn something so he can be neutral next season.

The Mets have no shot at Johan.

The Mets are still in on Santana.

Picking John Maine to impersonate is brilliant. Besides hardcore fans, who would recognize him?

Fuentes for Heilman? Yeah...that makes sense.

Just an FYI:

Feb. 14 -- Voluntary reporting date for pitchers, catchers and injured players.

Feb. 19 -- Voluntary reporting date for other players.

Feb. 26 -- Mandatory reporting date.

Funny Ha Ha / Winter Meeting Madness

Yet another instant classic. Back to some baseball...

But if the Red Sox wind up sweeping Santana out from under them -- and adding him to a rotation that already includes Josh Beckett, Curt Schilling and Daisuke Matsuzaka -- it will be fascinating to see if the Yankees feel the need to respond by reeling in another ace of their own.

"If the Red Sox get Santana," said an executive of one NL team that's grateful to be in the other league, "they might be the best team in the history of the frigging universe."

Nothing wrong with raising the bar a bit even if you did just win the World Series and it is safe to assume that landing Johan would be raising the bar.

The two deals on the table are John Lester, Coco Crisp, Jed Lowrie, and Justin Masterson or another player versus Jocoby Ellsbury, Justin Masterson, and Jed Lowrie. Decisions...decisions. For me, the best thing for the Twins to do would be to take deal number one.

I like Ellsbury, but he has seem to taken on a life of his own in terms of prospect status and while he is a good centerfield prospect, he is not worth that much. He is 24 and has not showed an ounce of power in a pretty big sample size in the minors. He is going to be a solid player, but I actually think the first package gives them more impact players. The Red Sox would probably be better off with them taking deal number two and keeping pitching depth in their system or using Lester in another trade.

Lester slots into the rotation right away and has front end potential and Jed Lowrie could be an offensive star in the bigs while Masterson gives them decent arm in their system. Also, let us not forget that Crisp was pretty good in 2004 and 2005 for the Indians and might have a nice bounceback year outside of Boston and actually outplay Ellsbury over the next three seasons. People have soured on him a lot, but the fact is he is still young and still talented and could very well revert back to form. Afterall, he would not be the first guy that could not cut it in Boston (see Edgar Renteria, Julio Lugo, Matt Clement).

It is hard to envision Santana leaving and not bringing back a starting pitcher being they just gave up two, but they seem to like Ellsbury that much. No matter who they end up getting from the Sox, at least he is not a Yankee. With the Mets boldly dishing off a top tier talent for Church and Schneider, the Yankees landing the world's best pitcher would just be insult to injury.

* * *

The news item of the day has to be Cabrera and Willis to Los Tigres. Unreal. The Marlins get Andrew Miller, Cameron Maybin, Mike Rabelo, and three pitchers. From Gammo:

Here are the three pitching prospects the Tigers are sending to the Marlins in the Cabrera-Willis deal: right-handers Eulogio De la Cruz (3.62 ERA in the minors with a blazing fastball), Dallas Trahern (13-6 between Double-A Erie and Triple-A Toledo) and Burke Badenhop (12-6 between Lakeland and Erie).

Apparently that De La Cruz guy hit triple digits with his fastball. All in all, the Tigers have balls. They made a huge deal and gave up some solid players, but got the second best right handed bat in the game at 24 years old and the resources to keep him around. Also, you have to give it to the Marlins. They made another good deal and truly seem to be a fair trading partner that a lot of small market teams should take notes from. No matter how much it hurts to trade a guy, good deals can be made.

I thought the Pettite fiasco was a bit strange. Unless the Yankees knew he would come back all along, it is weird why Andy would make them wait. Sure it is his right to wait, but with the Yankees in a bit of a lurch, Pettite probably affects how they approach their hunt for a starting pitcher and how much they would pay. Sure he is back in time, but he surely made them wait.

I like me some Erik Bedard, but let us not get crazy.

But while Bedard's cost, in terms of dollars, is far less than that of Santana, the Orioles believe Bedard's value, in terms of the talent they should receive in return, is just as high as that of the two-time Cy Young winner from Minnesota -- who is still expected to be traded to either the Yankees or Red Sox in the next day or two, with the winning bidder signing him to a contract extension worth perhaps $150 million.

Bedard has been impressive the last two years, but he still has not notched 200 innings, his k/9 in 2007 was way above anything else he has ever done, and he is actually older than Johan. Also, if you get Santana, you get him for another six or seven years due to the negotiation window. You have to pay out of your ass for him, but you will retain him.

With Bedard, he is only under control for two more years and there is no guarantee at all that he would signing with whatever team acquires him. Is he worth the same haul as Johan? Probably not. He obviously has a ton of value, but we will see if McPhail ends up working something out.

One NL talent evaluator who loves Bedard said, "Bedard is closer in talent to Santana than Haren is to Bedard. In fact, it is not impossible to believe that in a year, we will all think Bedard is better than Santana." An AL executive said, "Here is what impresses me about Bedard, he pitches in the AL East against the Yankees and Red Sox. So, to me, he can pitch anywhere and excel."

Of course it depends if you think Bedard has turned that corner at age 28 to become an elite pitcher or if you think he had a career year and is likely to regress a bit.

The Mets are still interested in Kuroda.

One AL team official, in previously providing a scouting report to The Post on the 32-year-old Kuroda, classified his fastball as "average to slightly above average." The official also praised Kuroda's forkball, strike-throwing ability and competitiveness. Kuroda will require a multiyear deal.

This is looking like the better thing to do day by day so the Mets can keep a semblance of a farm system because the asking price for Haren and Bedard are sky high. Also, with the Mets lack of intriguing prospects, it is increasingly unlikely a deal would ever get done. I know the Mets do have some talent, but other teams are just not enthused about them.

I wish the Mets liked young players.

The trade of Quentin — to the Chicago White Sox for a low-level minor league first baseman — does nothing to damage the D-Backs’ chances of trading for a high-end starting pitcher, Byrnes said. The D-Backs’ best trading chip appears to be Double-A outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, whose path to the majors is blocked by Justin Upton. Speedy second baseman Emilio Bonifacio is also drawing interest from other clubs, including Washington.

I still have faith in Quentin. The White Sox got themselves a nice right fielder who should be able to put up some pretty damn good numbers from day one. It would have been nice if the Mets could have spun a three way as I would of rather had Quentin in right with Milledge heading to Chicago. But alas, the Mets have become infatuated with elder players.

Peavy and the Padres are close to agreeing on an extension that will pay Peavy roughly $17 million in 2010, 2011, and 2012. Not a bad deal at all for the Padres.

A heinous and yet extremely delicious crime.

I think Ted Berg said it best about the Milledge deal. Church might pleasantly surprise. He might outperform Milledge in '08 even, though I think Milledge will probably be better. However, the Mets really did not need to make this move. Schnieder is not all that much better than Estrada when you factor in Estrada should be better offensively and was rather proficient at throwing runners out pre-injury. Then you factor in the money owed to Schneider and this still makes no sense in any context. But the Mets did it and they seriously seem to have issues with giving young guys a shot.

Just a view from the other side:

Andrew (London, UK): Jayson, I understand what you're saying, but the fact of the matter is that Milledge's OPS was only 26 points less than that of Church, he's older with less upside, Schneider is AWFUL offensively (.336 SLG), and the Mets already have Estrada and Castro behind the plate. Even if Milledge's value is in decline (which I don't think it is - any outfielder who is as good as he is defensively, with an OPS of almost 800 in just 140 AB at age 22, plus he's cost controlled - has trade value), why not let him play every day for awhile to let him re-establish his value?

Jayson Stark: (1:26 PM ET ) You make great points. If this were the only move the Mets were going to make this winter, I'd be with you all the way. But Castros isn't an every-day catcher. They obviously didn't think Estrada was what they had in mind. So they have more well-rounded pieces to deal with now, I think. All they had before was outfielders. So they had to make two deals to address their needs, not one. For pure tools, the Nationals got the best player in the trade. But it makes some sense for both sides. Remember, Omar Minaya feels the heat to WIN RIGHT NOW. If he waits around for Milledge to put it together, somebody else will be the GM of that team.

The most swellicious quote of the week?

Otis (Toronto, ON): This is dedication: 1. Start your chat at the office while closing door to office and declaring a "brainstorming session" 2. Continue on the commmute home via blackberry 3. Continue chat on the home computer, taking breaks for smokes and steaks that being said, how close are we to having the Knicks banished to the WNBA?

Bill Simmons: That a boy, Otis! I like the idea of banishing the Knicks to the WNBA - Renaldo Balkman would be the 10th most attractive player in the league.

Runner up for quote of the week?

"A deadline is a deadline. It was pretty much done as of this morning," Steinbrenner said on Tuesday, according to AP. "He's a fine pitcher, but there's a lot of things that go into this. This isn't fantasy baseball."

Wowee

I guess the Twins got what they wanted. They were interested in Young, B.J. Upton, and Gomez and they got Delmon Young for Matt Garza. The Rays also netted a shortstop to hold down the fort and give Reid Brignac some extra time while the Twins added some much needed outfield depth in their system with Jason Pridie.

The Rays are also looking to add Troy Percival to the bullpen and all of sudden they have a rather formidable front two. They also have Andy Andy Sonnanstine, James Shields, and Edwin Jackson, who had a nice second half in '07, to compliment them and all of sudden have a deep rotation with plenty of solid arms still in the system with Niemann probably targeted to be a bullpen arm down the line.

You have to like this deal from both sides of the coin though you can say the Twins came out hair ahead because Young's considerable upside. The Twins get their right handed power bat and the Devil Rays got a front end starter. It would not shock me at all to see Jason Kubel break out this year to give the Twins a solid offensive team to go with a sterling pitching staff if Santana stays around.

* * *

Back to Santana and how this deal will come into play with any possible Santana deal. First, it kind of changes the type of players they might want back. We know they have a first baseman, catcher, right fielder, left fielder that I hope they do not give up on, and a second baseman. Also, they have another guy they got from Tampa that they could possibly plug into centerfield from day one, but is a place that is not a burning need, but a mild need. That leaves third base, short, center, and the mound as possible places to upgrade.

The Yankees have been rumored to have to give up Melky and one of Hughes/Joba/Kennedy while the Red Sox need to give up Ellsbury and Buccholz/Lester. Am I the only one is missing something? Maybe if Joba was in for sure, then a two player deal would be doable in my eyes, but Kennedy and Cabrera as a possible deal for Santana? That deal would have been done in a nanosecond if it was on the table, but I just cannot see that as being enough. The Yankees by far have the worst deal on the table if Joba is not included.

If the Twins cannot greatly improve in center with a Milledge or Ellsbury or get a high ceiling guy like Gomez, I am not seeing the point in a guy like Melky to place hold since Pridie could probably come close to his mediocre production. Basically, the Yankees deal looks even worse for the Twins than it did before unless they sweeten the pot with Joba or Hughes and Kennedy with another young high ceiling A baller stuck in.

The Mets might need to part with Reyes according to John Harper's source and Adam Rubin echoed that. Santana is arguably the best pitcher in the universe, but Reyes is a vital part to this team's future. I'm sorry, but the Mets simply cannot do that. If they need to give Milledge, Maine, Heilman, and something else, so be it. But Wright and Reyes should be off limits and not even part of the discussion. If this is truly being considered, the Mets really need to reevaluate their plan. Yes, they need an ace, but they cannot significantly weaken the team by dishing off Reyes who is probably the top catalyst in the league. There are a lot of good arms available after '08 and they simply need to get a Tom Glavine level replacement, which should not be hard to do. Let us not forget he posted an ERA+ below 100 so it would not be as hard as everyone thinks to replace his output.

The Mariners conjured up package of Adam Jones, Brandon Morrow, and Jeff Clement is not such a good fit anymore and they would probably be gunning for something else and suddenly the Dodgers and Angels are the only two teams with a real good fit, though they have been lukewarm in regards to any deal. This thing is spiraling out of control, but the Twins should focus on the best group of players over the best fit anyway. However, it is increasingly obvious that they will get a nice haul of players, but I just hope the Mets do not go too far off the deep end in an act of desperation. Dan Graziano has a different take and says the Mets are not truly in the mix for Santana because or their lack of top tier arms and their stance on not giving any pitcher over five years.

If you are looking for a good laugh....you have found it.

Lennon admits they probably don't have the chips to get Johan Santana, which makes me wonder how they'd have enough to get Blanton or Haren.

Omar Minaya and Billy Beane discussed these guys a year ago, and couldn't come to an agreement. Now Beane's price has risen - Lastings Milledge and Aaron Heilman won't cut it (not sure if it would've last year anyway). I'm not sure if adding any Mets pitching prospect to that pair would be enough to get Blanton, who would have a lesser price tag than Haren. Add Carlos Gomez to the package and you might have something.

Might have something? First, that is not a bad haul at all for Haren and is defendable in both directions. I'm sure Beane would want a young pitcher back as well, but not a horrible deal for either side. However, for Blanton? Milledge straight up for Blanton would be a waste if you ask me. Just get Carlos Silva who had rather similar ERA+ over the last four years with the exception of a down '06. Yes he costs money, but that trade is just ridiculous. Or at worst, get Livan as a one year stopgap to eat some innings as I kind of view him and Blanton in the same fashion or just look towards Japan and take a risk.

Blanton is not a game changer and let us not overvalue innings. Yes, they are important for obvious reasons, but not at the expense of your system and the exact bullpen you are trying to save. This notion that Blanton is some proven and reliable starter needs to stop. His fastball is underwhelming to say the least, he cannot miss bats, and is portly. Not that I have an issue with portly people, but he is young enough for it to be somewhat of a concern. I would not mind him on this team, but there does not seem to be a great fit in regards to a trade between the two teams since the Mets are lacking after Gomez and Milledge.

The Mets acquired something to throw at the wall to see if it sticks.

One and done. Tom, we hardly knew ye'. I vote to bring back Fran Healy.

Santana, Santana, and more Santana

So everyone wants to get Santana and give up nothing for him? Fantastic! But hardly realistic. When it comes to trades scenarios, nothing good comes from listening to fans call into radio shows and say what they think. However, people just have to understand that you have to give up something good to get something good back.

Doug (NY): Am I naive to think that over the next 6 years, I'd rather have Hughes (for approx $6M) than Santana (for approx $150M)

SportsNation Rob Neyer: It depends on which team you're running. If you're running the Yankees and you want to make a *profit* you want Hughes. But if you're running the Yankees and you want to win (while still making a profit, but a smaller one) you want Santana. It's important to remember that Hughes, for all his talent, probably won't win 100 games in the majors, simply because so many bad things can happen to a young pitcher.

I think Neyer hits the nail on the head here. It is worth it if you are the New York Yankees simply for the fact they will drop $20 million per year on a player and not blink.

Adam (NYC): It's hard to believe that Santana will win another 100 games though...wouldn't Hughes have a better chance of reaching that mark than a 29 year old pitcher past his prime? If the Yanks sign Santana to a 10 year extension, they'd be paying Santana $20 million a year at age 39...at the same time Hughes would be entering the prime of his career. Can you say Kevin Brown? Not a very wise business move to say the least.

SportsNation Rob Neyer: Adam, here's a chance for some research. Go back and make a list of 20 pitching prospects with Hughes' credentials. Then make a list of 20 pitchers with Santana's credentials. I'll bet you the Santana comps won more games afterward than the Hughes comps did.

Doug (NY): A little research; according to BA, the top pitching prospects since 1990: S.Avery, T.Van Poppell, B.Taylor, Bere, J.Baldwin, B.Pulsipher, P.Wilson, K.Wood, R.White, R.Ankiel, R.Anderson, J.Beckett, M.Prior, J.Foppert, E.Jackson, F.Hernandez, Liriano. It's too early to tell on some of them (King Felix for example), but other than Beckett, not really a list of HOFers

SportsNation Rob Neyer: Exactly. Thank you for doing what I couldn't do. Granted, Hughes has done more than Van Poppel or Taylor or some of those other guys had done at his age. But the point still holds, I think.

I know the Yankees have been saying they are reluctant to part with Hughes or Joba, but it is just posturing. They would be happy to part with Hughes for Santana and they would especially be happy if Pettite does not come back. Only problem is, the Yankees probably do not have the juice to get the deal done if they fail to include Joba or Cano, which they probably will not. Hughes and Cabrera? As popular as that might be as a deal for Yankee fans, it is 190% improbable. What about throwing in Austin Jackson? Maybe if he put up those numbers at AAA instead of A ball. What about throwing in Kennedy? Depends how good you think he can be, but the Twins still fail to get a bat and Cabrera is not even close to being the productive bat that they need.

“If we make a trade for anybody, it’s going to be fair for both sides,” Steinbrenner said. “We’re not looking to rob anybody. We’re also not going to give up all of our future for one player, even if it is a pitcher.”

Basically, I cannot see the Yankees landing Santana without giving away all four of those guys. As for the Mets, they would literally have to hand them over their top four prospects and Lastings Milledge. A Pelfrey and Milledge deal is just a tick below Hughes and Cabrera because Milledge is head and shoulders going to be a more productive player on the offensive side of things than Melky, but he Mets have little else afterwards. Maybe if the Mets give up Gomez or F-Mart and toss in Guerra for good measure they might get their attention, but Mets successfully put their system into the bottom five of the bigs in the process, which is a bad thing for a team that does not have unlimited resources.

"Someone asked me what I thought of our team," Wagner said in an interview with MLB.com. "I said, 'What team?' We've lost 13 games [Glavine's victory total], and now we are going have to give up something to get those games back. I'm afraid we're just going to create other holes if we give up a [Lastings] Milledge, a [Mike] Pelfrey or a Heilman."

Again, for what it would take the Mets to get him, I just do not think it is worth it. Who gets him? I'm not sure, but the Yankees seem like the best landing spot given their ability to spend. However, given their tight assed approach, it seems like Santana just might hang around Minnesota unless the Dodgers really step up their pursuit or Boston says the are serious about including Ellsbury in a deal with Lestor or Buchholz because the Twins are simply not just going to take the best offer on the table no matter what anyone says.

It has to make sense for them since they have a shot, though a small one, at making a run for things next year based on pitching, pitching, and more pitching. Besides, they can always deal another young pitcher for a young bat like Carlos Quentin to bolster the offense. The Twins have been rather profficient at drafting some pretty solid players and might be better off taking their chances at a playoff run in '07 and taking two picks. Unless things change and better deals do not start shaping up, it is hard to see the Twins trading him at this point in time.

* * *

Wagner had a lot more to say outside of the above quote.

He also says he is not all that happy about how Willie runs his bullpen.

Wagner said: "In Willie Randolph's bullpen, it's different. He wants guys to be able to go 2 2/3 innings or one-third of an inning or in between. That's how he wants it. But guys just want to know, so they can prepare themselves and be comfortable."

Wagner said he and Randolph discussed relief roles several times during the season and that, more recently, general manager Omar Minaya and COO Jeff Wilpon subsequently have asked him about roles.

"I understand what Willie wants -- for a lot of guys to be able to pitch whenever they're needed for as long as he needs them. I'm not sure you can have that. Guys are used to having roles. They'll take the ball because that's what the job is and that's what the manager wants. But the idea is to get them into situations where they can be successful. I mean, you wouldn't ask Carlos Delgado to bunt."

Overall, I like the fact Wagner has his opinions, but he needs to give Omar some time to shape this team a bit more. There is more to be done and it is hard to pass judgment right now.

Anytime a writer offers up advice for Omar, I get scared. However, this was pretty on point.

Michael Salfino does a great job rounding up some info on the Mets top outfield prospects and young pitching prospects.

I still think Humber needs a pass until we see him throw more innings. He was towards the top of all major categories in AAA as we have all mentioned many times and that was coming of elbow surgery. Mulvey however, seems like a John Maine clone with more refined pitches at the same point in their respective careers. I am fully on the Mulvey bandwagon and the Mets better choose carefully and identify their own prospects probability of hitting their ceilings and keep them while dishing off the others if they dabble into the practice of trading human beings.

Larry LaRue has an interesting article about Santana coming to the Mariners with a package of Adam Jones, Jeff Clement, and Brandon Morrow going back. Now we could debate all day about how questionable it would be for a team in the Mariners position to make that deal when they are seemingly a .500 team and giving up two big bats that are part of their future, but that would be a deal I could get behind. Two first class bats for a team that needs hitting badly and Morrow gives them back a nice solid arm that needs some work. Could one of the most profitable teams in baseball shock the world and get a deal done?

Ned Colleti wising up? The Dodgers are my pick to win the west next season if they let all the kids play.

The Red Sox and the Rockies are two teams full of good people.

Considering 37 players pitched or played full- or part-time in 2007, that means a sizable contingent of backstage help, from coaches, trainers, clubhouse staff and Fenway Park [map] employees received partial or full shares. Fourteen partial shares were awarded, while 11 cash awards were voted in.

The team the Sox swept in the World Series, the Colorado Rockies, voted 44 full shares of $233,505. Mandy Coolbaugh, the widow of Rockies minor league coach Mike Coolbaugh, gets a full share. Mike Coolbaugh was killed when struck by a foul ball during a game in July.

I like Dotel and Chacon as possible bullpen options simply because they will not command some insane contracts and will very likely put up the same numbers as Linebrink will for his monstrous contract. Again, not a splashy move, but I do not think the Mets truly need to make a splashy move. Slow and steady is the way to go.

Gobble Mother Fucking Gobble

I wake up on such a glorious day of gluttonies only to read this article.

This was blockbuster news because previously, during the same time period in which the Yankees had lost to the midges, passed their ownership torch from George to Boy George, fired one guy named Joe, hired another and entered into negotiations with three big-ticket free agents, the only activity in Mets camp was the removal of a bunion from El Duque's foot. At least they think it was a bunion. The guy's so old, it might have been a vestigial toe.

Um, except those big ticket free agents were already on the team so that does not exactly count. I love the people who say the Yankees had the best off-season so far by simply retaining the same players who they had last year. If you have a team that did not make it out of the first round of the playoffs, did nothing to improve themselves, and might lose Andy Pettite, why all the praise?

Is Estrada A-Rodesque? I think we can all answer that question. Obviously he is not, but with a huge catching vacancy and a dearth of talent, Omar's move was solid. It gives him leverage to negotiate for the catcher he really wants and can simply non-tender him later, but has a very good insurance plan to platoon with Castro. Throw on top of that the fact Willie no longer can irrationally use Mota as his go to guy anymore as he was jettisoned off and this team is in a much better place than before trade, which is the sign of a good move, no?

Outside of possibly still targeting another catcher, the offense is set and stands to be much better than last year with a full year of Milledge (if he is even still around come opening day) and hopefully 120 games of Alou. Then you look to the bullpen and if The Duque is tossed out there like he should be, the Mets are shaping up to have a pretty good bullpen and they still should be able to bring in one of the many capable arms out there on the free agent market.

Then they received another first round pick for Glavine, which is pretty damn important, and are still eyeing one starting pitcher. The one thing here is that I do not want Omar to get an ace at all costs and no, I do not think Blanton is an ace. There have been many rumors of what it will take to get Haren or Santana over here, but every deal is just too hard to judge.

I like Beane as a trading partner as he seems to be fair most of the time so I am confident Beane will not try and act like other GMs. Too many simply fail to improve their team because instead of making a fair deal, they simply go for the rip off and nothing else even if it means failing to the do the right thing for their team. However, that is why Orioles will always be the Orioles and remain as the dregs of the AL East while everyone else gets better.

Omar should only improve the rotation if the price is right. He should not be in the mindset that he needs to get an ace at all costs. Of course, an ace would be nice, but you truly need to balance out the future and I would be fine with picking up Carlos Silva or Hiroki Kuroda. I think their rotation would be deep enough, if unspectacular, and should be able to do a fine job. The Mets have a solid top three and could have a solid end of the rotation. Give me a solid five and future rather than an ace and a solid four and a barren system.

If the Mets did happen to dish out Milledge for a starter, I would be fine adding Fukudome into the mix. The idea is the Mets have plenty of options at this point and the off-season is not about doing as many things as you can early, but making good moves. I expect Omar will do the right thing and I am not nervous at this point. There are plenty of names still out there on the free agent market and plenty of names out there than can be acquired through a trade. I fully expect the Mets to be better than they were in 2007 and I hope no one is getting antsy yet. Things are looking just fine in Met-land and the Mets have money and they have options.

* * *

Wow. Who saw this coming? Hunter on the Angels is a pretty good move by them, but they still needed to add more offense. It should be noted though, his average annual pay is more than Beltran's, which is nuts. Beltran's contract looks great when you look at what has gone on the last two off-seasons. Also, if they can add Miguel Tejada at this point, they would have to be prohibitive favorites to win the entire thing.

Four years and $19 million for Linebrink? Insane.

Back To Square #1

Just when you think things are a done deal, they fall back apart. Now, the Mets are back out looking for a catcher after their deal with Yorvit fell through. I for one, am a bit disappointed. Not because I think Torrealba was the lynchpin to the season, but because now they have to go back out there and find another catcher in a market that is just not good for catchers.

Laird? Texas knows there are not other attractive options and will not just give him away. They have no incentive to. If it would cost a low level hard thrower, then possibly. However, those guys are nice to have for any team and giving one up for Laird would probably not be a great thing. Shoppach? He will cost more than Laird. The Indians presumably love having him as they can give Victor Martinez some time at first or DH and not lose much at catcher. He is a luxury item for them.

Overall, Torrealba was the best fit. Was he getting overpaid? Shit yeah, but the Mets were giving up a few more dollars than they should have to retain draft picks, which Michael Barrett will cost, and to get someone that is on the right side of 30 that could have capably shared a job with Ramon Castro. I do not know why the deal was broken off, but injuries and a possible inclusion on Mitchell's soon to be infamous list have been bandied about. Either way, the Mets are back to needing a catcher. Orangeandbluebood said it best though:

If the Torrealba deal is dead a new catcher is needed. I hope the Mets wait and let the market develop. If the Padres do not offer Barret I say go after him. Since Castro is in the fold I think Barret is a good upside risk. If Barret is offered arbitration and would cost the Mets #22 pick and the Braves have signed Glavine Barret may still be an option since the Braves would give the Mets the #18 pick by signing Tom, Not So Terrific Glavine. I wouldn't complain if the Mets went for a solid defensive catcher with average offensive skills. Consider Mike Leiberthal or someone like him. A solid defensive catcher who would be cheap for a short term contract and up until last year was a .275 hitter with .315 OBP skills and more power than LoDuca. Better defense than LoDuca, better power and similar average and OBP skills and he could likely be had for a one year $2M deal. No matter what, the available catchers are all #8 hitters so why not get low cost, low years, and good defense. My preference would be Castro and Barret but I think the #18 and 22 pick in the draft may be worth Castro and Leiberthal.

At least the Mets have locked up second base, but four years for Castillo seems excessive for a slap hitter extraordinaire. Obviously less than $6 million per year is not going to break the bank, but I hope this is not backloaded. Maybe $7 million for the first two years, $6 million for the third year, and $5 million for the last season. I guess there was more competition for Castillo than we all expected and Eckstein wanting a $36 million dollar contract added up to overpaying for Castillo. But with Gotay in the fold, I am not all that concerned since he probably is a better choice right now anyway so second base will be capably filled at all times.

* * *

Five years and $93 million dollars? Hopefully Santana takes that deal and if he does not, I think they might work things out either way. Maybe they should tack on some vesting options or some nice mutual options to sweeten the deal.

Also, if they ink Santana, trading Garza or Slowey not only becomes more likely, but almost a certainty in my eyes.

The Braves just gave the Mets their 18th pick of the 2008 draft. Thanks Tom! Now if the Mets squander their pick other first rounder on Michael Barrett, that will be upsetting. The upside would be that they still have a first round pick, but the Mets really need to try to bolster their system this year.

Also within the piece:

David Wells is one name that is expected to be pitched to the Mets. The 44-year-old free-agent left-hander finished last season with the Dodgers.

Wells is considering retirement, but the Mets are among the teams for which he would consider pitching.

Um, let me think about this one. No thanks. The Duque, Pedro, and Wells?

How ironic is this?

Says Willie, "I felt all year long we didn't have that killer instinct consistently that we should've had. We had at it times when our backs were against the wall, and we did show some fight (the Mets went 8-2 after the first four-game sweep by the Phillies), but you have to be careful when you put your back against the wall, because you can't always get off that wall. In the end, that's (exactly) what happened."

It is ironic because that is the persona Willie projects. Don't get too high. Don't get too low. Keep it even keeled. Even keeled Willie drove this team and their lack of urgency reflected his leadership style. Even when we could all smell collapse, he did not exhibit any urgency and is now shocked at the way his team played? I've been saying all off-season that the Mets needed someone at the helm to create a spark if no one there was going to do it. It is time to get someone with fire in there, which Willie clearly does not have.

Common Sense Prevails!

The LoDuca lovers (just speculation that he is the apple of their eye) are out in full force. Look, I do not love Yorvit. However, what else was out there? The trade possibilities were uninspiring and the Mets need to hang onto whatever little prospects they have if no one was appreciably better. Besides, you cannot overlook the fact that Ramon Castro, who might be better than anyone they have been looking at or rumored to be looking at, is still around and will get a large chunk of playing time.

Jonathan (Dallas, TX): The Mets have officially signed Yorvit Torrealba. The downfall of Omar Minaya has begun.

SportsNation Keith Law: Torrealba's not a good player - didn't make my top 50 free agents - but what were the alternatives on the market? He's not blocking anyone. They didn't pass on a significantly better free agent catcher, unless you want to roll the dice on Barrett bouncing back (which he will, but there's risk there). In the abstract, it's a bad signing. In context, it's understandable.

If you can name some type of scenario where the Mets make out better, I would love to know. Ramon Hernandez would have been nice, but he was not going to share time with Castro and he would have cost a top prospect and would not have been a complete salary dump. Laird? Is he all that much better of a choice? Shoppach? I'm a big fan of him, but there is still some uncertainty there and he would have cost more talent than Laird even though Castro could be better.

jLuft: So Shoppach can't hit outside breaking pitches. Yorvit can't hit...at all. Aren't there minor leaguers, salary dumps (Ramon Hernandez?), or younger and cheaper players (Shoppach) that would easily be able to equal or beat Yorvit's production and not require a multi-year deal? I don't see how this is a defensible signing. What do you project Yorvit to hit next year with Shea as his home park?

SportsNation Keith Law: You have to give something up in players to get those other guys. And I don't think the Mets wanted to deal any of their better prospects to fill the catching hole when they might want to have them available to go after a big SP.

I think the main thing people are glazing over with this signing is that Yorvit will not be the everyday starter and there will be two guys getting significant amounts of time. I will guarantee that the two headed monster of Torrealba and Castro will put up better numbers than anyone the Mets were looking at. This is not a bad thing at all. Is it a great thing? Shit no, but it is more of an innocuous move that does not deserve as much ire and attention as it is getting. Remember, the key word to this off-season should be prudent. The Mets simply cannot panic as a result of their meltdown and this move was a prudent move when you factor in the other options and Ramon Castro.

* * *

Now to second base....

Andre (GA): Hey Keith, I have a 2 part question: I kinda feel Luis Castillo is too old, almost no power and too expensive to man 2B for the mets. How ready is Ruben Gotay to play there as a regular and is he worth it?? and two with Minaya expressing his desire to trade young talent for an ace pitcher, who do see becoming a trading partner with the Mets and what player might be involved??

SportsNation Keith Law: The Mets don't feel Gotay is good enough defensively to handle 2b. I think his range is fine, and he needs work turning the double play, but that can improve with work. His bat is ready - I'd take his bat over Castillo's, especially since Castillo is old, slowing down, and getting a little thick. The Mets will kick the tires on any #1/#2 starters made available, but right now only Erik Bedard really fits that bill, and Baltimore would like to make sure they can't sign him long-term before they shop him.

As Danny stated yesterday and as we have discussed before, a Gotay and Easley platoon would be just fine. No need to go crazy at second if you do not have to and it certainly gives the Mets some leverage. They are not desperate, but it would be nice to upgrade.

Castillo for longer than two years would be a disaster and Omar should know that. The fact that Houston is looking at Castillo for a long time and are looking to add Cordero as well is mind boggling. When they should be looking at rebuilding, they are looking at bringing in more pieces that will not be around when they are winning. Fucking ponderous.

It looks like Jake Peavy and the Padres are going to be talking contract extension and that is upsetting. However, not as upsetting as I thought it would be since I thought he was going to be a free agent after the '08 season, but it turns out he had an option for '09 anyway. The Padres are not poor and Barry Axelrod is not Scott Boras. I fully expect something to be in place prior to the beginning of the season.

Wallace Matthews is being a negative nelly again and he did not have to wait long to eat his words.

If anyone is being used here, it's the Yankees, but they must know this, mustn't they? Because if they believe they're getting Rodriguez in a room by himself, they must also believe somebody can do a better job of managing this team than Joe Torre. (Oh, wait a minute ... )

Ziiiiing! Ha ha...he's so funny with that subtle knock at the Yankees. First, Joe Girardi is probably going to be a better manager than Torre in many, many, many respects. Second, A-Rod has signed already.

The sides still are working on putting together a provision that would allow Rodriguez to share revenue created by his pursuit of the career home record held by Barry Bonds, who was indicted Thursday on perjury and obstruction charges. A-Rod has 518 homers, 244 shy of the mark.

Well, Matthews is part right I guess because A-Rod's deal has Boras written all over it. It is a bizarre and hard to determine provision. Or at least I would presume it to be hard to determine for a team that already sells out all of it's games and maximizes their revenue.

"Because he's generating such enormous revenue potential, both to the player and the club, there should be some way for the player and the club to capitalize on that achievement in some fashion," said Gene Orza, the union's chief operating officer. "The devil will be in the details. The minds of men and women in the sport should be able to figure this out."

Shocking statement from the player's union. Really, take more money out of the owner's pocket and put it into the pocket of a player?

"There are a few cynics who say, 'Well, he really couldn't get this there,' " Steinbrenner said. "Trust me, he would have gotten probably more. He is making a sacrifice to be a Yankee, there's no question. ... He showed what was really in his heart and what he really wanted."

Everyone is in save face mode. The Yankees are saying he came crawling back to them. A-Rod is saying he finally had an epiphany. Who gives a shit. Everyone made out and no one is going to give two shits about this come the start of the season much less three years from now. I am just very excited the A-Rod watch is over.

I think Neyer said it best though...

We've been reading that A-Rod came back to the Yankees because he's been so disturbed by all the nasty things people have been saying about him. Sorry. I'm not buying that. I think he's come back for the same reason the Yankees have reneged on their sworn promise to spurn all negotiations if he opted out of his old deal: business.

Rodriguez simply wasn't going to get that $35 million per season that Scott Boras was talking about. Not from the Yankees or anyone else. And it seems he wasn't going to get even $30 million from anyone else. Teams really have wised up. Crawling back to the Steinbrothers is simply good business for A-Rod and his agent.

The Yankees need a third baseman. They literally have more money than they can spend this winter, considering the thin crop of free agents who might be slotted into the roster. Yes, they look a little silly, negotiating with A-Rod so soon after swearing they absolutely, positively would not. You know what? Nobody's going to care. People say things they don't really mean all the time, and the grown-ups all knew it (even if I didn't). Locking up A-Rod forever is simply good business for the Yankees.

None of this is about pride, or redemption, or egos. It's about business.

Just an aside, A-Rod is still a big douche.

Jeter is a criminal. So is Bonds.


Wait. Barry did steroids? Get out of here. I'm shocked. Can we all stop this? Barry did roids and lied about it, but a lot of other people did as well. Sure, not in front of a Federal Grand Jury, but we are talking about baseball and steroids. He impeded a legal proceeding, which is a bad thing, but so did the former President of the United States.

Now this is all supposed to tarnish his legacy? It should be just as tarnished as it was two days ago, which is marginally and I'm not buying "but now we reeeaaalllllyy know" argument. To act like this is all Bonds' fault it nuts. This steroid debacle was everyone's fault and is similar to the mortgage mess. The mortgage mess is the brokers fault for originating the loans, the investors fault for having an appetite for riskier loans with high interest rates which had driven the entire market, the rating agencies faults for putting those risky securities on par with government bonds, the borrowers faults for not being a more educated consumer (I mean it is only the biggest investment you will make in your life), etc.

How has Bonds become the fall guy for this steroid era? When the Mitchell report comes out, many, many, many big names will be named and yet everyone wants to vilify Bonds for taking steroids as if he was the only one. Again, cheating in the game of baseball has been around since the first pitch in many forms. For me, I do not seperate forms of cheating. In sports, everyone tries to get a leg up on the competition. That does not make it ok, but cheating is certainly not isolated and certainly not new.

If this impacts his Hall of Fame bid, it will be a shame. It is widely believed he was a Hall of Famer anyway and I could see how steroids would take a borderline guy out, but he is not a borderline guy. What if it comes out that Roger Clemens took them? Nothing. He will not be vilified and he will be in the Hall of Fame and I wonder why Bonds is getting treated differently.

10 Things That Need To Happen

Dayn Perry lays out his ten things that need to happen most in regards to this off-season.

1. Alex Rodriguez to the Angels

That is what many people saw as the ultimate destination for A-Rod and there is obviously the great need for offense that the Angels have. However, the biggest priority for the Yankees this off-season should be retaining A-Rod and it looks like that is something they have come to terms with.

2. Johan Santana to the Mets

Given Santana's peerless skills and the demand for him on the market, it'll take a lot to get him — say, a package of Fernando Martinez, Lastings Milledge and Philip Humber. Still, nabbing Santana means the Mets would be the power team in the NL. They've got the deep pockets to sign him to a long-term extension.

If that was the deal on the table, I would do that in a heartbeat. My only fear is that leaves Carlos Gomez as the only to position prospect and he has a lot more uncertainty than Lastings Milledge in my eyes.

3. Miguel Cabrera to the Yankees

The Gotham media and Yankee partisans have a long-standing habit of A) Grossly overestimating the team's mid-grade prospects and B) Assuming other teams, when it comes to making trades, will gleefully and deferentially bend over. That's not how things work (at least not since the A's were in Kansas City). You can keep Philip Hughes, Yanks, but getting a player of Cabrera's gifts is going to cost you Joba Chamberlain and Jose Tabata.

I do not think Perry could have nailed this one on the head any more. Yes, he would be a great fit and yes, the Yankees mid-level prospects are grossly overrated. Outside of their pitching duo of Hughes and Chamberlain, only Cano could be included as a centerpiece for a big time player.

4. Mariano Rivera to the Tigers

That would be something else, no? The Yankees lose A-Rod, Pettite to retirement, and Mariano to the Tigers? Dare to dream..... I guess that would mean Joba is definitely back in the bullpen for the time being until Humberto Sanchez gets healthy, which could be 2009.

5. Miguel Tejada to the Blue Jays

A package of young arms centered around Ricky Romero (plus the salary relief) should be enough for the O's.

He would be nice there, but Romero is basically a non-prospect these days. I used to love him back in his Long Beach days, but he is simply in the Jeremy Sowers arena when it comes to being a prospect. I just do not see a great fit unless the Blue Jays want to pony up Adam Lind in any deal which would probably get the Orioles attention.

6. Torii Hunter to the Dodgers

That would certainly seem like a good fit if they fail to get A-Rod because they need to add some serious pop. It could also be argued that he would be a better fit overall than A-Rod if they give Kemp, LaRoche, and Loney full time spots from day one.

7. Francisco Cordero to the Cubs

Signing Cordero not only gives the Cubs a huge upgrade at closer, but it also deprives their chief division rivals, the Milwaukee Brewers, of their best reliever.

I don't know much about #2 since he is not going back to the Brewers anyway and they give the Brewers their first round draft pick, but Cordero makes any team instantly better so it is hard to argue with the Cubbies really making their solid bullpen into a tremendous one.

8. Jon Garland to the Brewers

For the Brewers to trade anything away for one year of Garland would be curious. If they planned to chase him as a cheaper alternative to Ben Sheets that is one thing, but they certainly wouldn't be well advised to trade for him to make a run at the playoffs in '08. The Brewers have a good thing going and are on their way to being a contender for a while. They would be better off trading Sheets for a younger arm that could contribute down the line.

9. Geoff Jenkins to the Indians

Have we dropped off this precipitously already? The 9th most important move is for a role player?

10. Bartolo Colon to the Phillies

This is a smart deal for a team that needs pitching badly. There simply is not much out there and the Phillies need to get creative. In regards to getting creative, the Mets should definitely seek out Freddy Garcia and see if he can give anything in the rotation or the bullpen in the second half of the season.

Overall, I think Dayn Perry did a good job here in objectively evaluating talent needed in trades and definitely targeted good fits.

* * *

Why would Posada rule out the Mets at this point?

"We're working on it, we're working on it with the Yankees," Posada said, noting that the two sides are close to reaching an agreement. "We're going to hear from the Mets [tomorrow]."

It is called leverage. Posada makes tons of sense to the Yankees, but not to the Mets and he will ultimately end up back in the Bronx. The rumored deal is not done officially just yet, but it will be any day now.

If Lowell walks, the Red Sox would undoubtedly check into the possibility of A-Rod coming to Boston. In 2007, the New York Yankees spent $189,639,045 and the Boston Red Sox spent $143,026,214. With the Yankees set to lose a substantial amount of payroll, the Red Sox might overtake the Yankees as the team with the highest payroll. The Yankees have not been anything but #1 in that category since 1998. Would John Henry have to rethink this "Evil Empire" tag that he gave the Yankees?

Joel Sherman muses about some third sacker options for the Yankees. I actually like the idea of Scott Rolen in pinstripes despite the obvious injury concerns, but the Cardinals need offense badly so they may as well just hang onto him since they probably will not extract all that much in terms of value from trading him.

'Twas a close one in the NL, but the AL was a landslide. You can argue all day about Braun and Tulo, but what Braun did was mesmerizing.
Tulo was good, but what Braun did was extremely rare and extremely impressive. He kept pace with the universe's best player during one of his top three best seasons in the history of his eventual Hall of Fame career.

The ESPN bloggers had some interesting stuff on an uninteresting daythe other day.

First, Neyer did a quick piece on Mark Cuban.

I got my turn, too. I asked him what's happening with the Cubs. He said, "I'm tryin'."

I asked if he really thought the owners would let somebody like him own a team. He said, "I'm tryin'." And then it was on to the next guy.

Like a lot of baseball fans -- and maybe every Cubs fan, and baseball writer -- I'd love to see Cuban own a team. I just don't think will happen

During the Q&A portion of Cuban's appearance, he said, "I'm a ready-fire-aim kind of guy."

Read that again. I thought Cuban misspoke. Wouldn't you know it, the next question from the audience was, "Mark, did you misspeak a minute ago when you said 'ready, fire, aim'?"

He smiled and said, "Let me think about that ... ready, fire, aim ... yeah. That's right." Another smile (that might be more accurately described as a #@%&-eating grin).

When was the last time the owners allowed a ready-fire-aim guy to join their little club?

I've spoken about how much I would love Cuban to own a big league team, but I do not think the Cubbies should be that team. They are already a team that spends money and has resources. However, a team like the Pirates or some other small market team would greatly benefit from the likes of a Mark Cuban who would truly do what it takes to make that team competitive.


Second, Keith Law laid out who he thought should win the AL and NL Cy Young, MVP, and Rookie of the Year Awards. Law was behind David Wright as the MVP, which we know will not happen.

NL MVP
1. David Wright
2. Chase Utley
3. Jake Peavy
4. Albert Pujols
5. Matt Holliday
6. Chipper Jones
7. Hanley Ramirez
8. Brandon Webb
9. Jimmy Rollins
10. Prince Fielder

Likely winner: Rollins

I'm tilting at a windmill here; voters will say the Mets didn't make the playoffs and therefore Wright can't be the MVP. Of course, in those fateful 17 games when the Mets went 4-13, Wright had a hit in every game, had multiple hits in eight, had eight extra-base hits, and in total hit .397/.451/.575 over that span. Yeah, it was all his fault.

Utley probably would have won the award hands-down had he not missed three-plus weeks due to a broken hand, and he would have passed Wright in total value anyway. But with Utley out and the Phillies still winning, the voters needed someone else to fall in love with, and Rollins was sitting right there on the other side of second base -- think of him as the "rebound MVP candidate."

He obviously hit the AL and NL CY Young winners as he laid out Sabbathia and Peavy and his choice of A-Rod is going to be correct since he carried the Yankees for so long.

He also just missed on Tulo, though it was close enough to give him a pass on and hit the Pedroia on the head, though he curiously thought Jeremy Guthrie should have won it.

He also had a quick bit on Brian Bannister.

Bannister is an interesting story and deserves to be on the ballot, but among him, Guthrie and Matsuzaka, he's the one I most expect to experience a sophomore slump. He had some extraordinary luck, and in general pitchers who don't miss bats or get groundballs end up giving up a lot of hits and home runs.

If you were reading my site in 2006, you know my thoughts on Bannister and they are echoed by Law above. However, I think he might have given the Mets that extra win they needed to sneak into the playoffs and Omar's deal is a horrific one in hindsight (in fairness to Omar, a healthy Burgos might have notched that extra win as well). Going forward is another issue. I fully expect a significant regression in 2008 for Bannister and his 2007 will be a distant memory shorty.

There is always a chance he is one of those guys that just gets it done no matter what scouts say, but I just cannot see that happening. He should be a good 4th or 5th starter in the bigs, but that is really nothing to cry about losing.

From Mr. Neyer:

Doug, Nashville, TN: What happened in 2006-7 that would make it into a new edition of BASEBALL BLUNDERS? Thanks. PS: Tell those coming for the meetings to make it to the Loveless Cafe. Best biscuits in the world.

SportsNation Rob Neyer: The Brewers didn't handle Ryan Braun particularly well, and Willie Randolph is widely held to have mismanaged his bullpen down the stretch. That said, I don't think either of those would merit a whole chapter.

It seems Willie's inabilities have circulated into baseball circles which is a good thing when it comes to getting someone a bit better than him at the helm.

Kalyan (Minneapolis, MN): I have to say Rob, Willie Randolph's mismanagement of the bullpen wasn't just down the stretch, it was all season long. If we're struggling at the All-Star Break we need to fire him.

SportsNation Rob Neyer: Really? Didn't the Mets have a fantastic relief ERA through the spring? Anyway, I think talk of firing is premature. But assuming he made some mistakes last summer, we'll see if he learned from them. Some guys never do.

The Mets appear to be ready to trump everyone for Torrealba.

The Mets have zeroed in on Torrealba, who played for the National League champion Colorado Rockies, and could offer him a multiyear deal worth as much as $5 million annually, which would be a hefty raise from the $1.075 million he was paid last season. The Rockies remain interested in retaining Torrealba — the Florida Marlins are suitors, too — but have reportedly capped their offer at $7 million for two years and would not match what the Mets would give him.

While not ideal, he is certainly more attractive than LoDuca in my estimation for the simple fact he is 29. I think there is probably more to him than was seen in 2007 and he will not cost any talent. However, a guy like Gerald Laird still might be a better choice, but he would cost some talent (however little, it would still be talent) for someone that is better defensively, but not all that much better overall.

Besides, if the Mets bring back Castro, things would be all good. The Mets appear to be set to give him more playing time and he could very well be better than anyone they are looking at on the market and via trade, but Torrealba would provide a solid alternate (though expensive) option should he not be be able to handle increased playing time.

I have not used the term Sugar Pants in a while much to many people's happiness, but this quote outlines why David is Sugar Pants.

"It was more to say hello and he wanted to tell me to be prepared to be the third baseman in 2008," Wright said Monday while visiting sick children at NYU's Medical Center. "That's what I took from it and that's how I'm going about my business."

"I wanted to let him know that in no way, shape or form does he have to go through me about anything. His job is to make the trades, sign the free agents and I told him that I want to win, first and foremost. But as far as talking about changing positions, talking about Alex Rodriguez, his name did not come up once in the conversation."

Not good reports on Kunz.

The Mets have four pitchers on the Scorpions: lefties Adam Bostick and Eddie Camacho and righties Eddie Kunz (the Mets top pick in 2007) and Carlos Muniz.

Here's the take from Deric McKamey, advisor to the St. Louis Cardinals and author of the soon-to-be-released, third annual "Minor League Baseball Analyst" (available through BaseballHQ.com or via Amazon):

"I like Bostick a little more than Camacho. I think Bostick can be a swing-man or two-inning reliever. Camacho to me is a LOOGY (lefty one-out guy). Muniz is going to have trouble getting lefties out, so he's a ROOGY; and you don't see too many of those in the majors."

"As for Kunz," McKamey continues, "I'm not as big a fan as some scouts. He throws 89-to-94 with a slider in the low-80s and a developing change. His command is an issue, a big problem for a short reliever. He struggled with his control for Oregon State even. I see him as a notch below an Aaron Heilman, more of a seventh-inning guy."

An American League East scout in attendance at a recent AFL game agrees with McKamey. "I can't believe Kunz was a first-round pick. I think his ceiling right now is Aaron Heilman and not many players reach their ceiling." Technically, Kunz was a first-round sandwich pick (42nd overall).

If true, you have to wonder what is going on with the Mets and their scouting.

Tom Glavine is inching closer to becoming a Brave again, which we all expected.

The Red Sox do not appear to be willing to budge on their three year offer to Mike Lowell. Inevitably, the Yankees are not wasting time jumping into the fray, but Mike Lowell's chance to use the Yankees as leverage might evaporate pretty quickly. The Yankees have warmed a bit to the idea of bringing A-Rod back because they would be in trouble without him.

The New York Yankees are getting close to re-signing third baseman Alex Rodriguez to a multi-year contract that would pay him as much as $290 million, multiple baseball sources told MLB.com as the owners gathered here Wednesday for the final quarterly meetings of the year.

As long as A-Rod gets a contract above his $250+ million and the Yankees pay less than $30 million a year, everyone saves face.

Youlk finally shaved that disaster on this chin.

Lastly....for Jake.