When the Mets were in free fall earlier this month, I grew sick of Terry Collins' postgame news conferences, when he kept insisting that the Mets would turn it around and go on a long winning streak. At one point, I think he mentioned winning nine of eleven, another time, something like winning six straight. I just wanted the Mets to win one straight.
Turns out Terry was right - the Mets have now won five straight. 5-0 since Jason Bay returned. And 5-0 since R.A. Dickey, after the team's last loss, said:
We can't just keep telling ourselves, 'Oh, we’re a better team than this.' We may not be. And we've got to be honest about that, and identify what we're doing wrong, and do it better. That's the only way you have any real growth…
Dickey is one of the few Mets to show leadership qualities. Now let's hope he can snap his own losing streak Wednesday and help the Mets continue to win.
Before the game, I went to see a panel discussion at Fordham moderated by Lenny Cassuto, co-editor of "The Cambridge Companion to Baseball." The panel included former Met GM Omar Minaya, baseball historian John Thorn, baseball writer and Pulitzer Prize finalist Alan Schwarz and Matthew Jacobson, a Yale professor and contributor to the Cambridge book.
It was a lively discussion on topics ranging from the declining number of African-Americans in baseball to instant replay. Some of the sharpest exchanges revolved around steroids. Thorn saw no need to make any changes to the record book, even going so far as to suggest that if Babe Ruth played today, he would be Matt Stairs. Schwarz said that he did not look forward to telling his young son that the home run record was held by Barry Bonds. Thorn replied that Bonds was the best hitter he's ever seen, and Thorn had seen Ted Williams play.
The panel was also not always in agreement on baseball's popularity in the U.S. When Minaya said that he saw plenty of baseball fields whenever he was on a plane coming in for a landing, Schwarz asked if anyone was on those fields and Cassuto said that he had just read that more and more baseball fields are being paved over.
When Minaya said that his purest experience of seeing a baseball game might have been in Cuba, Schwarz noted that "they have a hell of a salary cap."
Minaya said he would not want to see a robot determining balls and strikes because you need to be able to "go out there and argue."
Minaya mentioned that he had played ball in Tuscany, which made me think of Rick Peterson's statement when the Mets got rid of him that they were replacing a hardwood floor with Tuscany tile.
I'm still not sure that the Mets are better off with Dan Warthen, but the way the pitching has been the last few days, the Tuscany tile is looking pretty good.
Showing posts with label Omar Minaya. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Omar Minaya. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Monday, October 4, 2010
Omar Minaya and the search for the next Jose Valentin
Omar Minaya started the season with a roster that included Gary Matthews Jr., Mike Jacobs, Frank Catalanotto, Fernando Tatis and Alex Cora. No wonder he ended the season out of a job.
Much has been written about Minaya's big-ticket acquisitions, but the small ones are just as important. You can't win a pennant with a few stars and a bunch of scrubs. Yet that's what Minaya increasingly seemed to try to be doing.
It's one thing to have one or two such players. Tatis was a valuable complementary piece in '08 and Cora held down shortstop for a good part of '09. But when you are hoping to squeeze one more year out of a full one-fifth of your 25-man roster, you are asking for trouble.
Minaya learned the wrong lessons from one of his best moves, signing 36-year-old Jose Valentin for the '06 season. In 2005, Valentin hit .170 for the Dodgers with two homers in 147 at bats. But in 2006, Valentin took over the Mets' second base job, hitting .271 with 18 homers and 62 RBI.
It was a great move by Minaya that helped build the powerhouse 2006 team. And it made sense to bring Valentin back in 2007 at age 37, so long as you didn't expect the good times to last forever. But Valentin couldn't make it out of April without getting hurt, and 2007 turned out to be his last season.
Minaya's first replacement for Valentin was another 37-year-old, Damion Easley. Once again, Minaya's move worked in the short run, with Easley rebounding from batting .233 in '06 with Arizona to hit .280 with the Mets in'07 with 10 homers in 193 at bats before declining in 2008.
Later in 2007, Minaya acquired another second baseman from the Twins, and this move also worked out at first. Luis Castillo hit .296 with 10 steals in 199 at bats.
At the time, Minaya's moves seemed to be working, so it was mainly seen as quirky when he gave 47-year-old Julio Franco a two-year contract in '06. Franco was able to contribute primarily off the bench in '06, but ending up getting released in July of '07.
But Minaya was raising the stakes in his pursuit of players near the end of their careers.
Before the 2007 season, Minaya signed 40-year-old Moises Alou to play left field. This move cost the Mets a first-round draft pick for someone who would probably play just one year.
In fact, Alou only played half a year, missing the other half with a torn quad. But that didn't stop Minaya from picking up the '08 option for Alou, now 41 and coming off a serious injury.
In 2008, Alou only played in 15 games due to a hernia and torn hamstring.
Also in the 2007 offseason, Minaya signed Luis Castillo to a four-year deal. Minaya had put so much faith in much older players that perhaps Castillo, 31 at the time, seemed like a youngster. A two-year deal might have been reasonable. Giving Castillo a four-year deal helped get Minaya fired.
By 2010, Minaya was filling out his roster with players who made Alou and Castillo look like the All-Stars they used to be. Jacobs had been cut by the Royals. The Angels were so eager to get rid of Matthews that they were willing to eat $20 million.
Tatis spent most of the year on the DL. Cora was picked up by Texas in August and released three weeks later. Matthews was briefly in the Reds' organization and is now a free agent. Catalanotto is also a free agent. Only Jacobs is currently active - in the Blue Jays' farm system.
So at the end of the season, one-fifth of Minaya's Opening Day roster was not on any MLB roster as an active player, and it was likely that some or even all of them might never play in the big leagues again.
Jerry Manuel deserved to be let go, but he did start with a disadvantage having to work with such a roster, which was only made worse by the Mets' refusal to eat the contracts of Castillo and Oliver Perez.
Minaya's strategy of desperately seeking the next Jose Valentin could work as long as the roster was already filled with quality ballplayers and there were only one or two open spots. But in his sixth year of being the general manager, Minaya didn't have enough quality players in his system and had to roll the dice with one-fifth of his roster.
Even Minaya admitted today that the Mets needed to make a change at GM.
***
Squawker Lisa, my condolences on the loss of C.C. the Squawker Cat.
Much has been written about Minaya's big-ticket acquisitions, but the small ones are just as important. You can't win a pennant with a few stars and a bunch of scrubs. Yet that's what Minaya increasingly seemed to try to be doing.
It's one thing to have one or two such players. Tatis was a valuable complementary piece in '08 and Cora held down shortstop for a good part of '09. But when you are hoping to squeeze one more year out of a full one-fifth of your 25-man roster, you are asking for trouble.
Minaya learned the wrong lessons from one of his best moves, signing 36-year-old Jose Valentin for the '06 season. In 2005, Valentin hit .170 for the Dodgers with two homers in 147 at bats. But in 2006, Valentin took over the Mets' second base job, hitting .271 with 18 homers and 62 RBI.
It was a great move by Minaya that helped build the powerhouse 2006 team. And it made sense to bring Valentin back in 2007 at age 37, so long as you didn't expect the good times to last forever. But Valentin couldn't make it out of April without getting hurt, and 2007 turned out to be his last season.
Minaya's first replacement for Valentin was another 37-year-old, Damion Easley. Once again, Minaya's move worked in the short run, with Easley rebounding from batting .233 in '06 with Arizona to hit .280 with the Mets in'07 with 10 homers in 193 at bats before declining in 2008.
Later in 2007, Minaya acquired another second baseman from the Twins, and this move also worked out at first. Luis Castillo hit .296 with 10 steals in 199 at bats.
At the time, Minaya's moves seemed to be working, so it was mainly seen as quirky when he gave 47-year-old Julio Franco a two-year contract in '06. Franco was able to contribute primarily off the bench in '06, but ending up getting released in July of '07.
But Minaya was raising the stakes in his pursuit of players near the end of their careers.
Before the 2007 season, Minaya signed 40-year-old Moises Alou to play left field. This move cost the Mets a first-round draft pick for someone who would probably play just one year.
In fact, Alou only played half a year, missing the other half with a torn quad. But that didn't stop Minaya from picking up the '08 option for Alou, now 41 and coming off a serious injury.
In 2008, Alou only played in 15 games due to a hernia and torn hamstring.
Also in the 2007 offseason, Minaya signed Luis Castillo to a four-year deal. Minaya had put so much faith in much older players that perhaps Castillo, 31 at the time, seemed like a youngster. A two-year deal might have been reasonable. Giving Castillo a four-year deal helped get Minaya fired.
By 2010, Minaya was filling out his roster with players who made Alou and Castillo look like the All-Stars they used to be. Jacobs had been cut by the Royals. The Angels were so eager to get rid of Matthews that they were willing to eat $20 million.
Tatis spent most of the year on the DL. Cora was picked up by Texas in August and released three weeks later. Matthews was briefly in the Reds' organization and is now a free agent. Catalanotto is also a free agent. Only Jacobs is currently active - in the Blue Jays' farm system.
So at the end of the season, one-fifth of Minaya's Opening Day roster was not on any MLB roster as an active player, and it was likely that some or even all of them might never play in the big leagues again.
Jerry Manuel deserved to be let go, but he did start with a disadvantage having to work with such a roster, which was only made worse by the Mets' refusal to eat the contracts of Castillo and Oliver Perez.
Minaya's strategy of desperately seeking the next Jose Valentin could work as long as the roster was already filled with quality ballplayers and there were only one or two open spots. But in his sixth year of being the general manager, Minaya didn't have enough quality players in his system and had to roll the dice with one-fifth of his roster.
Even Minaya admitted today that the Mets needed to make a change at GM.
***
Squawker Lisa, my condolences on the loss of C.C. the Squawker Cat.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Rays give away 20,000 tickets while Mets offer empty 'Thank you'
When I first saw the ad on SNY in which the Mets collectively say, "Thank you, fans," I thought it was a promo for Fan Appreciation Day. When I saw the logo from the TV ad on mets.com, I clicked on it, wondering what gifts were in store for the few hardy souls still heading out to Citi Field as another disappointing season comes to a close. But the link only led to an opportunity to buy full-price tickets for the remaining games. Not much of a thank-you considering that tickets are available on StubHub for as little as two dollars and field level seats in a section behind the dugout can be had for $40.Just as Rays management felt the need to do something above and beyond, Mets management should have explored ways to actually get some fannies in the seats for the final game. How about a pregame ceremony featuring some parting gifts for those we hope will soon be departing:
- For Jerry Manuel: A personalized MRI machine in honor of his eagerness to keep players in the lineup regardless of their physical condition. Jon Niese should have been shut down before the exhausted rookie could collapse down the stretch. Carlos Beltran has played just about every game since his return and now he needs to be shut down with inflammation in the knee, just to name the two most recent victims.
- For Omar Minaya: Season tickets for the Newark Bears and the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League, so Omar can scout for the next Gary Matthews Jr., Mike Jacobs and Frank Catalanotto.
- For Luis Castillo: A deluxe DVD edition of "Inception," since Castillo must be living in a dream world if he thinks he is going to get a starting job anywhere else in MLB.
Finally, a meaningful game in October, as Perez pitches for his Met career. If he pitches a shutout, he can stick around. Maybe his problems really are all in his head, and he can still pitch like the guy who got that huge contract. Imagine the suspense if Ollie shuts down the Nationals into the late innings. Can he pull it off? Will the MLB network air the ninth inning live?
Oh, who are we kidding - Ollie won't make it through the first inning without giving up a run. Maybe the first batter. And then he'll be gone for good.
Now that's the way to say, "Thank you, fans."
Friday, August 13, 2010
Mets' ownership, front office are MIA over K-Rod
To Squawker Jon's dismay, I've been paying a lot of attention to the train wreck that is the Mets of late, with the Francisco Rodriguez arrest situation. So I watched Wednesday's SNY postgame, and also watched the pregame for Thursday's game.
And I was appalled by Jerry Manuel excusing his closer's arrest as being "not baseball related," and for him saying that he would actually use K-Rod in a game that day. How outraged was I? I actually uttered the words "Joe Torre would have handled this better" to Squawker Jon. And you know how often it happens that I ever say anything positive about Torre!
According to media reports, the K-Rod fight with Carlos Pena, his common-law father-in-law, supposedly took place after Pena told Rodriguez to "man up." I don't know if that's what happened. But that advice is something the Mets front office ought to do.
So far, their behavior has been abysmal. Aside from Manuel acting like a befuddled Mr. Magoo, insinuating this is a private matter (a private matter doesn't involve an arrest report, dude), the rest of the Mets' management haven't exactly been profiles in courage here.
What did general manager Omar Minaya have to say about the closer he signed turning the family lounge into the stage of "Jerry Springer"? A whole heap of nothing. Here's the story, from Bob Nightengale of USA Today:
Well, the Mets did suspend Francisco for a whole two games. Whoopee.
And why the heck didn't Wilpon speak to the media personally? It was one thing when an aging, addled George Steinbrenner would have his press agent issue statements for him. But why is the COO of this team pulling the Greta Garbo act all the time?
As for the storm of stories about what really happened to spur on K-Rod pummeling his in-law, it doesn't really matter to me what was said, and what caused it. What matters is that Rodriguez, who will get paid over $11 million this year to pitch, used the hands that the Mets pay him so much money for to pummel somebody so badly that he was sent to the hospital. And that he did it on Mets property, in front of Mets family members.
What if Rodriguez had hurt his pitching hand in the fight? I wonder if the Mets would have punished him more for potentially missing games.
Anyhow, the Mets fans who pay their money for tickets and support their team deserve more accountability than they've been getting from their team. When will this nightmare end?
What do you think? Tell us about it!
And I was appalled by Jerry Manuel excusing his closer's arrest as being "not baseball related," and for him saying that he would actually use K-Rod in a game that day. How outraged was I? I actually uttered the words "Joe Torre would have handled this better" to Squawker Jon. And you know how often it happens that I ever say anything positive about Torre!
According to media reports, the K-Rod fight with Carlos Pena, his common-law father-in-law, supposedly took place after Pena told Rodriguez to "man up." I don't know if that's what happened. But that advice is something the Mets front office ought to do.
So far, their behavior has been abysmal. Aside from Manuel acting like a befuddled Mr. Magoo, insinuating this is a private matter (a private matter doesn't involve an arrest report, dude), the rest of the Mets' management haven't exactly been profiles in courage here.
What did general manager Omar Minaya have to say about the closer he signed turning the family lounge into the stage of "Jerry Springer"? A whole heap of nothing. Here's the story, from Bob Nightengale of USA Today:
Minaya declined comment on the charges against Rodriguez, saying he didn't have enough information. Yet the Mets suspended Rodriguez for two days and placed him on their restricted list, costing him about $125,000 in salary.
You're the GM of the team and you refuse comment? Unacceptable.
Jeff Wilpon, the guy his father Fred Wilpon insisted was doing such a great job, had a little more to say than Minaya, but not much: He issued this statement:
"Ownership and the organization are very disappointed in Francisco's inappropriate behavior and we take this matter very seriously."
Well, the Mets did suspend Francisco for a whole two games. Whoopee.
And why the heck didn't Wilpon speak to the media personally? It was one thing when an aging, addled George Steinbrenner would have his press agent issue statements for him. But why is the COO of this team pulling the Greta Garbo act all the time?
As for the storm of stories about what really happened to spur on K-Rod pummeling his in-law, it doesn't really matter to me what was said, and what caused it. What matters is that Rodriguez, who will get paid over $11 million this year to pitch, used the hands that the Mets pay him so much money for to pummel somebody so badly that he was sent to the hospital. And that he did it on Mets property, in front of Mets family members.
What if Rodriguez had hurt his pitching hand in the fight? I wonder if the Mets would have punished him more for potentially missing games.
Anyhow, the Mets fans who pay their money for tickets and support their team deserve more accountability than they've been getting from their team. When will this nightmare end?
What do you think? Tell us about it!
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Mets honor '86 greats, then get started on 2010 Hall of Shame
When Davey Johnson was inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame this afternoon, he told the crowd, "if you don't win, you don't really like us a lot." Johnson went on to say that the fans inspired the 1986 Mets. Unfortunately, the celebration of the Mets' last championship did nothing to inspire the current team, which put on a dismal display that left the booing crowd not really liking them a lot.
I'm glad that Squawker Lisa and I were there for the ceremonies. The actual game, not so much. At least, unlike the last game at Shea Stadium, the festivities were held before the awful game, when fans were still in a good mood.
By the end of the game, I was hoping for another ceremony - inductions into the 2010 Mets Hall of Shame, along with the following acceptance speeches:
GM Omar Minaya: Frank Cashen spoke of how his Met teams set attendance records. As I look around at the empty seats, I wonder if we, too, are closing in on a record - biggest attendance decline in the second year of a new ballpark.
But I couldn't have done it alone. I work for a team that doesn't want to spend more money, but claims that it does, which makes me look like the one who just couldn't get a deal done at the trade deadline.
Then again, if my hands weren't tied, I probably would have done something like trade Angel Pagan for Jake Westbrook.
At least I was able to stack this year's roster with retreads like Mike Jacobs, Gary Matthews Jr. and Frank Catalanotto.
Manager Jerry Manuel: Omar, you may have provided the pieces, but I was the one who batted Mike Jacobs cleanup on Opening Day and started Gary Matthews Jr. over Angel Pagan at the beginning of the year. I made John Maine my number two starter coming out of spring training. And I'm the one who pitched Fernando Nieve every day until he lost his effectiveness.
Jose Reyes, your uniform says 7, but you'll always be a number 3 hitter to me. And then there's my bullpen strategy - if you can call it that. (laughs)
Second baseman Luis Castillo: I would not be here were it not for the people on this stage. Jerry, thanks for batting me second so many times this year. And Omar, I want to thank you and ownership most of all for not eating my contract. Instead of my poor performance getting me quietly designated for assignment, your insistence on keeping me around has turned me into the Mets' version of Eddy Curry. (quickly looks down the stage) Oh, I'm sorry, Ollie - didn't mean to step on your toes.
(At the mention of Ollie's name, the fans start booing.)
Finally, I want to say that there is no greater thrill than winning a ring in New York. And I'm so grateful that I had the opportunity to do just that - when the Florida Marlins clinched the 2003 World Series at Yankee Stadium.
Pitcher Oliver Perez: Dwight Gooden said that the fans' rhythmic clapping inspired him to get that third strike. I am also fortunate enough to get a strong fan response every time I take the mound.
(The crowd boos.)
When I hear that sound, it's as if you are saying Ooooooooooooh! So that's what a $36 million pitcher looks like!
(The boos get louder.)
Look, I know I've gotten a lot of grief for not wanting to pitch in the minors, but I don't see how people can criticize me for not wanting to pitch in the minors when I'm willing to pitch for the Mets!
(The booing gets so loud that Mr. Met covers his ears.)
Okay, maybe that came out wrong. But do you really want to trade me for Carlos Zambrano? His contract is a lot bigger and he's even crazier than I am! And, well, this franchise hasn't exactly had good luck with Zambranos in the past.
(The crowd starts chanting "We want Zambrano!" Security drags Ollie off the stage.)
Howie Rose: Our final induction into the 2010 Hall of Shame, is...
Met fans.
Management responded to the calls for the team's history to be honored, but when the biggest names of 1986 finally got their long-overdue induction into the Mets Hall of Fame, there were too many empty seats.
Photo by Jon Lewin.
Friday, July 16, 2010
If Mets win, it will be in spite of Jerry Manuel and Omar Minaya
I feel bad for Fernando Tatis and wish him well now that he has undergone shoulder surgery and is on the 60-day DL, but the fact remains that almost 1.5 of Omar Minaya's Opening Day roster consisted of players that would not make most major-league teams. It took half a year, but the Mets have finally purged the roster of Tatis, Mike Jacobs, Gary Matthews and Frank Catalanotto.
A case could be made that a pennant contender would also not have players like Luis Castillo, Oliver Perez and John Maine, who were not only on the Opening Day roster, but started the season in prominent roles.
If the Mets still had their Opening Day roster, and Ike Davis, R.A. Dickey, Hisanori Takahashi and Ruben Tejada were not on the team, they would not have gone 48-40 in the first half.
Minaya does deserve credit for finding Dickey and Takahashi. Everyone keeps getting ready to write Dickey off, but last night he kept the Mets in the game against two-time defending Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum. Imagine if Maine or Perez had been pitching instead.
Tejada improves the Mets' defense over Castillo, and when he was hitting at least a little, the Mets were winning, going something like 15-5 in the first 20 games Tejada started after Castillo went on the DL. But with Tejada in a deep slump, the nearing return of Castillo may not be the disaster that it appeared to be a couple of weeks ago.
But Perez is also nearing a return, which brings up a big difference between last year's Met team and this year's. Last year, the team and fans waited, mostly in vain, for injured players to return. But now that Carlos Beltran is back, most fans and probably the team as well are dreading the return of players like Perez.
Despite Jerry Manuel's numerous curious moves, I was ready to give him credit for the Mets' successful first half until the handling of Jose Reyes' oblique injury. The Mets appear to have forgotten the lessons learned last year about rushing players back. The organization as a whole likely shares responsibility, but it was Manuel who put Reyes in his original lineup for Thursday night's game against the Giants, because, as Metsblog reported:
"I assumed that he was ready to play…I put him in the lineup, and then [Ray Ramirez] came to me and said that there is still a bit of discomfort, even though he feels much improved, and I took him out of the lineup."
Reyes had not swung a bat since Sunday, but Manuel assumed he was ready to play. Manuel added that Reyes appeared "much better," which appears to be more wishful thinking on Manuel's part. As Metsblog writer Michael Baron wrote:
…if he’s not ready to play, i don’t think he can be 'much better' as Manuel indicates…i think it would be ok if someone simply said 'the guy is hurt, he needs time off to rest'…that really would be ok, because that would mean nobody is going to try and accelerate his return, like last year, and prolong this issue…
The Mets went through this last year and nobody lost his job. If Reyes is out any length of time, someone needs to be held accountable.
And if Reyes is out, the Mets don't have to worry about trading for some so-so starter who probably won't make an appreciable difference to a team whose big problem now is scoring runs, because the Mets will be out of the race.
A case could be made that a pennant contender would also not have players like Luis Castillo, Oliver Perez and John Maine, who were not only on the Opening Day roster, but started the season in prominent roles.
If the Mets still had their Opening Day roster, and Ike Davis, R.A. Dickey, Hisanori Takahashi and Ruben Tejada were not on the team, they would not have gone 48-40 in the first half.
Minaya does deserve credit for finding Dickey and Takahashi. Everyone keeps getting ready to write Dickey off, but last night he kept the Mets in the game against two-time defending Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum. Imagine if Maine or Perez had been pitching instead.
Tejada improves the Mets' defense over Castillo, and when he was hitting at least a little, the Mets were winning, going something like 15-5 in the first 20 games Tejada started after Castillo went on the DL. But with Tejada in a deep slump, the nearing return of Castillo may not be the disaster that it appeared to be a couple of weeks ago.
But Perez is also nearing a return, which brings up a big difference between last year's Met team and this year's. Last year, the team and fans waited, mostly in vain, for injured players to return. But now that Carlos Beltran is back, most fans and probably the team as well are dreading the return of players like Perez.
Despite Jerry Manuel's numerous curious moves, I was ready to give him credit for the Mets' successful first half until the handling of Jose Reyes' oblique injury. The Mets appear to have forgotten the lessons learned last year about rushing players back. The organization as a whole likely shares responsibility, but it was Manuel who put Reyes in his original lineup for Thursday night's game against the Giants, because, as Metsblog reported:
"I assumed that he was ready to play…I put him in the lineup, and then [Ray Ramirez] came to me and said that there is still a bit of discomfort, even though he feels much improved, and I took him out of the lineup."
Reyes had not swung a bat since Sunday, but Manuel assumed he was ready to play. Manuel added that Reyes appeared "much better," which appears to be more wishful thinking on Manuel's part. As Metsblog writer Michael Baron wrote:
…if he’s not ready to play, i don’t think he can be 'much better' as Manuel indicates…i think it would be ok if someone simply said 'the guy is hurt, he needs time off to rest'…that really would be ok, because that would mean nobody is going to try and accelerate his return, like last year, and prolong this issue…
The Mets went through this last year and nobody lost his job. If Reyes is out any length of time, someone needs to be held accountable.
And if Reyes is out, the Mets don't have to worry about trading for some so-so starter who probably won't make an appreciable difference to a team whose big problem now is scoring runs, because the Mets will be out of the race.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
ESPN debates the Mets: Is this franchise 'moribund'?
Last week, ESPN's Jayson Stark buried the Mets with the following piece:
Mets in impossible spot going forward
Monday, Peter Gammons countered with:
Return of the Mets not as impossible as it seems
The return of the Mets only seems impossible to the likes of Stark. The subhead on his piece reads "Trading Jose Reyes could be a huge step toward jump-starting moribund franchise."
Whatever else one can say about the Mets, and one can say a lot of negative things, they are not a "moribund franchise." The Pittsburgh Pirates and their record seventeen losing seasons in a row - that's a moribund franchise. The Royals, Orioles and Nationals could fall into that category, and the Padres are heading there fast.
Even with an unprecedented wave of injuries, the Mets figure to go around 72-90, which means that just by getting healthier, they will do a lot better. How much better depends on what they do to replace Carlos Delgado's bat in the lineup, since he is the one injured player who does not figure to return. It is probably also necessary to assume that, between John Maine and Oliver Perez, at least one of them will not live up to the expectations going into this season.
So the Mets need a cleanup hitter, a middle-of-the-rotation pitcher and a return to health to get back to where they were the last few years - a contending team.
Would the Mets be championship caliber? Unlikely. Would they be flawed? Yes. Would they have organizational issues? Sure. But the notion expressed in Stark's column that the Mets have no choice but to rebuild is not true.
According to the anonymous scouts that Stark quotes, the Mets need a lot more than one pitcher and one hitter, and they are right, they could use a catcher, another corner outfielder, another starter and a lefty reliever. But that is to get the Mets to championship level. What's wrong with getting the Mets back to the 85-90 win level, then saying that all they need is a couple more pieces to compete for the title?
Instead, Stark feels that the Mets need to blow things up by trading a star such as Jose Reyes. Now one can make a case for trading Reyes, though you would rather do it when his value is a lot higher than when he is coming off of an injury-plagued season in which the health of his legs is back in question.
But if you are going to trade Reyes, you do not do it for the reasons expressed in Stark's article:
No, that is not logical at all. You need stars AND grinders. The 1986 Mets might not have won without Wally Backman and Lenny Dykstra, but would they have won if they had acquired them in a trade for Darryl Strawberry?
Gammons' column is much more realistic. He says that the Mets need "one quality starting pitcher," "one catcher" and "one corner bat." Still a tall order, but a lot different from rebuilding a moribund franchise.
But where Gammons does agree with Stark, and, I would imagine, most fans, is that the Mets need some sort of major organizational change. Gammons writes:
Starks quotes Minaya as claiming to be the right man for the job:
"I think it's a challenge," he said. "But I've dealt with challenges before. I had to build the Montreal Expos situation from scratch [after MLB took over the club]. That was a challenge."
Minaya did help make the Expos a winning team in 2002 - by bankrupting his farm system by trading future stars Grady Sizemore, Cliff Lee and Brandon Phillips for Bartolo Colon in midseason. A little over six months later, he traded Colon away for a package featuring Orlando Hernandez.
Minaya has claimed in the past that he traded away the jewels of the Expos farm system for a half-year rental of Colon because it appeared the franchise was about to be disbanded. But even if that is true, it makes Minaya's Expos' experience even less relevant as to whether he can build a championship team in New York.
The only good thing about Minaya's Colon trade in 2002 is that it might be keeping the Mets out of last place today. If the Expos-turned-Nationals still had those players, or had gotten much better value for them, Washington might be a team on the rise, instead of a moribund franchise.
The Mets are not a moribund franchise, not as of now. But the quickest way to get there is to trade Reyes, and to let Minaya be the one to make that trade.
Mets in impossible spot going forward
Monday, Peter Gammons countered with:
Return of the Mets not as impossible as it seems
The return of the Mets only seems impossible to the likes of Stark. The subhead on his piece reads "Trading Jose Reyes could be a huge step toward jump-starting moribund franchise."
Whatever else one can say about the Mets, and one can say a lot of negative things, they are not a "moribund franchise." The Pittsburgh Pirates and their record seventeen losing seasons in a row - that's a moribund franchise. The Royals, Orioles and Nationals could fall into that category, and the Padres are heading there fast.
Even with an unprecedented wave of injuries, the Mets figure to go around 72-90, which means that just by getting healthier, they will do a lot better. How much better depends on what they do to replace Carlos Delgado's bat in the lineup, since he is the one injured player who does not figure to return. It is probably also necessary to assume that, between John Maine and Oliver Perez, at least one of them will not live up to the expectations going into this season.
So the Mets need a cleanup hitter, a middle-of-the-rotation pitcher and a return to health to get back to where they were the last few years - a contending team.
Would the Mets be championship caliber? Unlikely. Would they be flawed? Yes. Would they have organizational issues? Sure. But the notion expressed in Stark's column that the Mets have no choice but to rebuild is not true.
According to the anonymous scouts that Stark quotes, the Mets need a lot more than one pitcher and one hitter, and they are right, they could use a catcher, another corner outfielder, another starter and a lefty reliever. But that is to get the Mets to championship level. What's wrong with getting the Mets back to the 85-90 win level, then saying that all they need is a couple more pieces to compete for the title?
Instead, Stark feels that the Mets need to blow things up by trading a star such as Jose Reyes. Now one can make a case for trading Reyes, though you would rather do it when his value is a lot higher than when he is coming off of an injury-plagued season in which the health of his legs is back in question.
But if you are going to trade Reyes, you do not do it for the reasons expressed in Stark's article:
To be a truly great team, said one scout, "you need grinders, not stars. And the Mets have been All-Stars and no grinders."
So the logical solution is: Trade one or two of those stars.
No, that is not logical at all. You need stars AND grinders. The 1986 Mets might not have won without Wally Backman and Lenny Dykstra, but would they have won if they had acquired them in a trade for Darryl Strawberry?
Gammons' column is much more realistic. He says that the Mets need "one quality starting pitcher," "one catcher" and "one corner bat." Still a tall order, but a lot different from rebuilding a moribund franchise.
But where Gammons does agree with Stark, and, I would imagine, most fans, is that the Mets need some sort of major organizational change. Gammons writes:
...here is some advice for the Wilpons: Hire a really strong, competent, forceful CEO with a widespread understanding of the business, development and people.And here is Gammons' first assignment for that CEO:
1. They will not allow the commissioner's office to determine whom they draft, and use their market and SNY television network advantage to acquire talent through the draft and the international stage.The fact is that the Mets are not that far away from contention because you can buy your way into contention, and over the last few years, Omar Minaya has done just that. But to make yourself a winner requires also building a strong farm system.
Starks quotes Minaya as claiming to be the right man for the job:
"I think it's a challenge," he said. "But I've dealt with challenges before. I had to build the Montreal Expos situation from scratch [after MLB took over the club]. That was a challenge."
Minaya did help make the Expos a winning team in 2002 - by bankrupting his farm system by trading future stars Grady Sizemore, Cliff Lee and Brandon Phillips for Bartolo Colon in midseason. A little over six months later, he traded Colon away for a package featuring Orlando Hernandez.
Minaya has claimed in the past that he traded away the jewels of the Expos farm system for a half-year rental of Colon because it appeared the franchise was about to be disbanded. But even if that is true, it makes Minaya's Expos' experience even less relevant as to whether he can build a championship team in New York.
The only good thing about Minaya's Colon trade in 2002 is that it might be keeping the Mets out of last place today. If the Expos-turned-Nationals still had those players, or had gotten much better value for them, Washington might be a team on the rise, instead of a moribund franchise.
The Mets are not a moribund franchise, not as of now. But the quickest way to get there is to trade Reyes, and to let Minaya be the one to make that trade.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
If Omar Minaya and Michael Weiner held a news conference to defend the Mets' playoff chances
Omar Minaya, Mets general manager: Earlier today, a list was leaked that shows the Mets eleven games out in the National League East Division.We are concerned that some in the media may use the presence of the Mets on this list, which was not supposed to be made public, to conclude that the Mets season is over.
Michael Weiner, Players' Association general counsel: But we are here today to inform you of the presence of a second list. This list is entitled "National League Wild Card Standings."
Unlike the first list, in which the Phillies are generally conceded to be on their way to the division title, there are several teams on the second list that are considered to have a strong chance to win the wild card.
Since the Mets also appear on the second list, we believe that gives them plausible deniability that their season is over.
Omar Minaya: A local reporter has been writing that the second list shows that the Mets are ten games out in the wild card race and in eighth place. When I saw these stories, I scuffled a bit, because this same reporter has been trying to get a job in the Mets' organization as a statistician.
But that is ultimately beside the point. I'm not here to make excuses or anything.
I want to assure everyone that the Mets have always done everything possible to stay off of lists. Even when one of our players is injured, we often refuse to put him on the disabled list.
Michael Weiner: Given the uncertainties inherent in these lists, we urge the press and the public to use caution in reaching conclusions based on leaks, particularly from sources whose identities are not revealed, that suggest that it is time for the Mets to give up on 2009 and start bringing up prospects.
Omar Minaya: I want to apologize to the fans for the distraction, ownership, my manager. This season has been a nightmare for me.
I definitely was a little careless back in the offseason when I was signing players like Tim Redding. I never thought that trading for J.J. Putz and Sean Green, it was going to hurt anyone's feelings.
And I should have paid more attention to what I was putting in my farm system.
Photo by wallyg.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Mets' version of 'Takin' Care of Business'
The Mets play "Takin' Care of Business" after every win. But this song is no more appropriate for this franchise than former eighth-inning singalong "Sweet Caroline." Especially not today.
At least the Mets did not let Tony Bernazard fly out with them to California only to fire him at 3 a.m. New York time, as they did with Willie Randolph last year. Then again, Omar Minaya would have been better off holding his news conference at a time when hardly anyone would be watching.
Only in the world of the Mets could the team finally start turning it around, thanks in large part to Jeff Francoeur, only to have Jon Heyman start twittering possible new GM candidates. Minaya's trade for Francoeur could turn out to be one of his best - and his last.
***
There was a time when winning three in a row while scoring 25 runs was routine for the Mets. Now it's worthy of curtain calls for the entire team.
Call me Eeyore, but I'm not ready to treat signs of life as pennant fever. Especially when the Mets won despite more questionable moves on the field.
In the sixth inning, with Luis Castillo on second and David Wright on first and none out, Daniel Murphy singled to shallow right. Third base coach Razor Shines held up Castillo, but Castillo ran through the stop sign.
Shines' eagerness to wave everyone home whatever the odds of success has been one of the most frustrating aspects of the 2009 Mets. It has not always been clear that he even has a stop sign. Finally, he uses it, only to have Castillo ignore it.
And Castillo scored standing up.
What Castillo noticed was right fielder Brad Hawpe throwing to second to prevent Wright from advancing to third. So Castillo alertly raced home and scored easily. Castillo was able to steal a glance at Hawpe despite the fact that Castillo's back was to the play.
What exactly was Shines looking at? The out-of-town scoreboard? Why was Castillo able to see what Hawpe was doing, but not Shines?
Back when Shines was waving everyone home, it sometimes seemed as if that was his instruction, to send runners regardless of the actual circumstances of the play. Perhaps he had the opposite instruction in the sixth - hold the runner regardless of what else is happening on the field.
Fortunately, at least Castillo was paying attention to what was actually going on.
In the eighth, the Mets again had Castillo and Wright on second and first with none out and Daniel Murphy coming up. But this time, Jerry Manuel decided to have Murphy bunt. At least Murphy now knows how to lay one down - the runners advanced to second and third.
Now the Mets had their biggest RBI threat, Jeff Francoeur coming up. And, thanks to Manuel's maneuvering, first base was open. So Francoeur was walked, leaving the Mets to rely on the dregs of the lineup.
As it turned out, pinch-hitter Fernando Tatis hit a grand slam to win the game for the Mets. But the Mets won despite Manuel's strategy, not because of it. Manuel took the bat out of the hands of both cleanup hitter Murphy and five hitter Francoeur, leaving things up to the weak second half of the lineup.
If Manuel does not trust Murphy to hit in that spot, Murphy should not be hitting cleanup. In fact, why not bat Francoeur fourth and Murphy fifth? The righty-lefty back and forth works a lot better with names like Beltran, Wright and Delgado. Managers are not going to worry about bringing in a righty to face Wright and Francoeur just because lefty Murphy is between them.
But despite the dubious decisions and the off-the-field circus, the Mets were able to take care of business. What a wonderful world!
At least the Mets did not let Tony Bernazard fly out with them to California only to fire him at 3 a.m. New York time, as they did with Willie Randolph last year. Then again, Omar Minaya would have been better off holding his news conference at a time when hardly anyone would be watching.
Only in the world of the Mets could the team finally start turning it around, thanks in large part to Jeff Francoeur, only to have Jon Heyman start twittering possible new GM candidates. Minaya's trade for Francoeur could turn out to be one of his best - and his last.
***
There was a time when winning three in a row while scoring 25 runs was routine for the Mets. Now it's worthy of curtain calls for the entire team.
Call me Eeyore, but I'm not ready to treat signs of life as pennant fever. Especially when the Mets won despite more questionable moves on the field.
In the sixth inning, with Luis Castillo on second and David Wright on first and none out, Daniel Murphy singled to shallow right. Third base coach Razor Shines held up Castillo, but Castillo ran through the stop sign.
Shines' eagerness to wave everyone home whatever the odds of success has been one of the most frustrating aspects of the 2009 Mets. It has not always been clear that he even has a stop sign. Finally, he uses it, only to have Castillo ignore it.
And Castillo scored standing up.
What Castillo noticed was right fielder Brad Hawpe throwing to second to prevent Wright from advancing to third. So Castillo alertly raced home and scored easily. Castillo was able to steal a glance at Hawpe despite the fact that Castillo's back was to the play.
What exactly was Shines looking at? The out-of-town scoreboard? Why was Castillo able to see what Hawpe was doing, but not Shines?
Back when Shines was waving everyone home, it sometimes seemed as if that was his instruction, to send runners regardless of the actual circumstances of the play. Perhaps he had the opposite instruction in the sixth - hold the runner regardless of what else is happening on the field.
Fortunately, at least Castillo was paying attention to what was actually going on.
In the eighth, the Mets again had Castillo and Wright on second and first with none out and Daniel Murphy coming up. But this time, Jerry Manuel decided to have Murphy bunt. At least Murphy now knows how to lay one down - the runners advanced to second and third.
Now the Mets had their biggest RBI threat, Jeff Francoeur coming up. And, thanks to Manuel's maneuvering, first base was open. So Francoeur was walked, leaving the Mets to rely on the dregs of the lineup.
As it turned out, pinch-hitter Fernando Tatis hit a grand slam to win the game for the Mets. But the Mets won despite Manuel's strategy, not because of it. Manuel took the bat out of the hands of both cleanup hitter Murphy and five hitter Francoeur, leaving things up to the weak second half of the lineup.
If Manuel does not trust Murphy to hit in that spot, Murphy should not be hitting cleanup. In fact, why not bat Francoeur fourth and Murphy fifth? The righty-lefty back and forth works a lot better with names like Beltran, Wright and Delgado. Managers are not going to worry about bringing in a righty to face Wright and Francoeur just because lefty Murphy is between them.
But despite the dubious decisions and the off-the-field circus, the Mets were able to take care of business. What a wonderful world!
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