Yardbarker: Luis Ayala

Changes in the NL East

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 08:34:36 -0500

With the Winter Meetings for GM's right around the bend (December 8-11 in Vegas), I think it's time we take a look at what every team in the NL East has done to date since the end of the 2008 season.

Philadelphia Phillies:
Adios- Pat Burrell, Rudy Seanez, Tom Gordon, and Guchi Brothers.
Swap Meet- ... Click on the URL for the full rundown of every team in the NL East.

Mets to offer arbitration to Oliver Perez

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 09:22:04 -0500

Another shrewd move in baseball dealings, either of which work out well for the Mets -- be it now or in the future.

As of 12:01am ET, MLB Free Agency Season Arrives. Here's the Complete List

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 09:09:46 -0500

As of 12:01am ET, clubs may now negotiate with the 171 players that filed for free agency this year. Big revenue making clubs will undoubtedly throw huge sums of cash at the likes of Manny Ramirez, Mark Teixeira, C.C. Sabathia, and Francisco Rodriguez.Clubs with the most players that filed for FA? For the American League, it's Boston with 9. For the National League, it's 11 for the Mets.Here is your complete listing of all those who filed between Thursday, October 30, and Thursday, November 13, pursuant to Article XX B (2) of the Basic Agreement. The last two that filed on Thursday should be familiar: Randy Johnson of the Diamondbacks, and A.J. Burnett of the Blue Jays.AMERICAN LEAGUEBALTIMORE (4) -- Juan Castro, ss; Alex Cintron, ss; Kevin Millar, 1b; Jay Payton, of.BOSTON (9) -- Paul Byrd, rhp; Sean Casey, 1b; Bartolo Colon, rhp; Alex Cora, ss; Mark Kotsay, of; David Ross, c; Curt Schilling, rhp; Mike Timlin, rhp; Jason Varitek, c.CHICAGO (6) -- Orlando Cabrera, ss; Joe Crede, 3b; Ken Griffey Jr., of; Toby Hall, c; Horacio Ramirez, lhp; Juan Uribe, 3b.CLEVELAND (4) -- Brendan Donnelly, rhp; Scott Elarton, rhp; Sal Fasano, c; Juan Rincon, rhp.DETROIT (7) -- Kyle Farnsworth, rhp; Casey Fossum, lhp; Freddy Garcia, rhp; Todd Jones, rhp; Edgar Renteria, ss; Kenny Rogers, lhp; Vance Wilson, c.KANSAS CITY (1) -- Mark Grudzielanek, 2b.LOS ANGELES (6) -- Garret Anderson, of; Jon Garland, rhp; Darren Oliver, lhp; Juan Rivera, of; Francisco Rodriguez, rhp; Mark Teixeira, 1b.MINNESOTA (4) -- Adam Everett, ss; Eddie Guardado, lhp; Nick Punto, ss; Dennys Reyes, lhp.NEW YORK (8) -- Bobby Abreu, of; Jason Giambi, 1b; Chad Moeller, c; Mike Mussina, rhp; Carl Pavano, rhp; Andy Pettitte, lhp; Sidney Ponson, rhp; Ivan Rodriguez, c.OAKLAND (4) -- Emil Brown, of; Alan Embree, lhp; Keith Foulke, rhp; Frank Thomas, dh.SEATTLE (3) -- Willie Bloomquist, of; Miguel Cairo, inf; Raul Ibanez, of.TAMPA BAY (4) -- Rocco Baldelli, dh; Cliff Floyd, dh; Eric Hinske, of; Trever Miller, lhp.TEXAS (4) -- Milton Bradley, dh; Jason Jennings, rhp; Ramon Vazquez, 3b; Jamey Wright, rhp.TORONTO (4) -- A.J. Burnett, rhp; John Parrish, lhp; Brad Wilkerson, of; Gregg Zaun, c.NATIONAL LEAGUEARIZONA (7) -- Tony Clark, 1b; Juan Cruz, rhp; Adam Dunn, of; David Eckstein, ss; Orlando Hudson, 2b; Randy Johnson, lhp; Brandon Lyon, rhp.ATLANTA (8) -- Elmer Dessens, rhp; Tom Glavine, lhp; Mike Hampton, lhp; Jorge Julio, rhp; Greg Norton, of; Will Ohman, lhp; John Smoltz, rhp; Julian Tavarez, rhp.CHICAGO (8) -- Henry Blanco, c; Ryan Dempster, rhp; Jim Edmonds, of; Chad Fox, rhp; Bob Howry, rhp; Jon Lieber, rhp; Daryle Ward, 1b; Kerry Wood, rhp.CINCINNATI (9) -- Jeremy Affeldt, lhp; Paul Bako, c; Josh Fogg, rhp; Jerry Hairston Jr., of; Mike Lincoln, rhp; Kent Mercker, lhp; Corey Patterson, of; Javier Valentin, c; David Weathers, rhp.COLORADO (6) -- Brian Fuentes, lhp; Matt Herges, rhp; Livan Hernandez, rhp; Adam Melhuse, c; Scott Podsednik, of; Glendon Rusch, lhp.FLORIDA (4) -- Luis Gonzalez, of; Mark Hendrickson, lhp; Paul Lo Duca, c; Arthur Rhodes, lhp,HOUSTON (4) -- Brad Ausmus, c; Doug Brocail, rhp; Mark Loretta, 2b; Randy Wolf, lhp.LOS ANGELES (14) -- Joe Beimel, lhp; Gary Bennett, c; Casey Blake, 3b; Rafael Furcal, ss; Nomar Garciaparra, ss; Jason Johnson, rhp; Jeff Kent, 2b; Derek Lowe, rhp; Greg Maddux, rhp; Pablo Ozuna; Chan Ho Park, rhp; Brad Penny, rhp; Manny Ramirez, of; Mark Sweeney, 1b.MILWAUKEE (10) -- Russell Branyan, 3b; Craig Counsell, 3b; Ray Durham, 2b; Eric Gagne, rhp; Gabe Kapler, of; Mike Lamb, 3b; Guillermo Mota, rhp; CC Sabathia, lhp; Ben Sheets, rhp; Brian Shouse, lhp.NEW YORK (11) -- Moises Alou, of; Tony Armas Jr., rhp; Luis Ayala, rhp; Damion Easley, 2b; Orlando Hernandez, rhp; Pedro Martinez, rhp; Ramon Martinez, 2b; Trot Nixon, of; Oliver Perez, lhp; Ricardo Rincon, lhp; Matt Wise, rhp.PHILADELPHIA (4) -- Pat Burrell, of; Tom Gordon, rhp; Jamie Moyer, lhp; Rudy Seanez, rhp.PITTSBURGH (4) -- Chris Gomez, 3b; Jason Michaels, of; Doug Mientkiewicz, 1b; Luis Rivas, ss..ST. LOUIS (8) -- Juan Encarnacion, of; Jason Isringhausen, rhp; Cesar Izturis, ss; Braden Looper, rhp; Felipe Lopez, 2b; Mark Mulder, lhp; Russ Springer, rhp; Ron Villone, lhp.SAN DIEGO (2) -- Trevor Hoffman, rhp; Mark Prior, rhp.SAN FRANCISCO (2) -- Rich Aurilia, 1b; Omar Vizquel, ss.WASHINGTON (2) -- Aaron Boone, 1b; Odalis Perez, lhp. lhpSource: MLBPA Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is contributor to Baseball Prospectus, and is available as a freelance writer.Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network.Don't forget to register and log in on The Biz of Baseball site to get updates via your in-box, and see information only logged in members can see.

Mets=Joan Rivers

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 02:34:36 -0500

So yeah, my New York Mets have collapsed in each of the last two seasons. Each time, we lost out on a playoff birth on the last day of the season. The acquisition of Johan Santana could not stop it. The firing of Willie Randolph could not stop it. And even the gangsta-ness of Jerry Manuel could not stop it. As a fan, this has been torture to watch. For the players, the pain has to be excruciating.

So how can the Mets ensure that the collapses of the last two seasons are a thing of the past? With a facelift of course! Or at least that's what David Wright thinks (ESPN.com):

"You go through two seasons that we've been through the last couple years and you're going to need a little bit of a facelift," Wright said Wednesday. "There's 30 teams out there that can use pitching, and obviously we're one of them."

Hmmm...a face lift you say? Not a bad idea, David. I loved the acquisition of Johan Santana last off season, but I think that move was more botox than facelift. Yeah sure Santana is phenomenal and an absolute ace, but he did not solve the fundamental issue with this ball club: the supporting cast, who dramatically failed the Mets in 2008. It can't be that hard to build a team around David Wright, Jose Reyes, Johan Santana, Carlos Delgado, and Carlos Beltran right?

Wrong. Over the past two seasons, Omar Minaya has littered the Mets with a combination of under performing players, injured players, and players who simply are not that good. Take a look:

-The entire bullpen failed to step up this season after Billy Wagner went down. (This means you: Aaron Heilman, Scott Schoeneweis, Duaner Sanchez, Joe Smith, and Pedro Feliciano)
-Ryan Church, John Maine, Ramon Castro, and Pedro Martinez all missed significant amounts of playing time
-Too many meaningful at bats to Endy Chavez, Luis Castillo, Argenis Reyes, Nick Evans, Trot Nixon, Marlon Anderson, and Brian Schnieder
-And by the end of the season, our closer was Luis Ayala and our starting second baseman was Ramon Martinez.

So yeah, I think David hit it head on here. Change is needed for the Mets to succeed. And it's not just adding one big player (i.e K-Rod) either. Omar Minaya needs to go out and surround the core of this team with consistent and productive players who will not make me have an ulcer by August. That's the real face lift that this team needs...because in the end it's about 25 guys, not 5 guys, who get the job done and win ballgames. You cannot win when half of you team is terrible and hurt...it's a fact.

So go ahead, shake up the Mets Omar, but do not touch the core. In the end, no Met fan is going to care if we look like Joan Rivers from all the stress...all we want is a title!

The Breakdown: Contract Riders...

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 15:51:44 -0500

Now we all know the story of the so called rock 'n' rolla whom has demanded only brown M & M's. And of course that's true. But didja know that ballplayers have their own wacky demands? IT'S TRUE!

Because I typed it in all caps. So shall we look at the facts? Yes. Let's look at the facts.

Catchers
Br... ...

Closers market

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 07:22:36 -0500

The Mets can't be passive as they have in the past two years with relievers, they must go out and find a closer, but where will they find one.......

There's the big two in free agency in K-Rod and Brian Fuentes. I think if the reports are true the Mets have all but past on K-Rod, while Fuentes remains a distinct possibility. Kerry Woods and Trevor Hoffman are probably staying with their perspective teams.

They could find a closer on the comeback trail from injuries or bad years such as Chad Cordero, Eric Gagne, Derrick Turnbow or Jason Isringhausen.

The trade route really doesn't look that promising, the names so far are Putz, Gregg, Soria, Street or Sherrill. All of which there are going to be roadblocks except for Gregg and in my opinion he's a set-up guy at best....

Finally the Mets could sign or trade for a guy who's unproven ( or little closer exp.)but has the potential to be a closer a Brandon Lyon, Juan Cruz, Will Ohman, Luis Ayala, Jeremy Affeldt or Juan Rincon type player to name a few.....

Ken Davidoff of Newsday wrote an article about the Mets search for a closer.....

But the Mets, wary of the high price of the relievers, also will explore other avenues to reach their goal. They believe they have a deep enough farm system to trade prospects for a reliever, if the right scenario presents itself. source Newsday

Mets Rumors: No Manny, No K-Rod,

Sat, 25 Oct 2008 12:31:47 -0500

In Ken Davidoff's baseball insider he has this to say about K-Rod and Manny:

"The Mets have convinced themselves that Francisco "K-Rod" Rodriguez just isn't worth the money he wants to close. Signing K-Rod might be expensive, but it's simple. The other options, bidding $4 million a year less for Brian Fuentes than you would for K-Rod, dipping into a farm system that is just getting a little bit healthy in order to trade for J.J. Putz or Huston Street or just auditioning Luis Ayala and Bobby Parnell are not simple. They're high-risk."

So far this has been the plan all along. They will not big time money on relievers and they will look more to the trade options. They will also look into the free agent market to get some low key guys like Derek Lowe, Brian Fuentes, Juan Cruz and Jeremy Affeldt to fill out their roster as I posted yesterday.

Organizing the Offseason - Possible Targets: Ayala, Cruz, Howry, Marte

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 13:17:49 -0500

Taking a look at the Cleveland Indians possible offseason targets. Today, we start on middle relief options: Luis Ayala, Bob Howry, Juan Cruz, and Damaso Marte. Plus, we finally find out of Cliff Lee is Pepsi Clutch.

Taking a look at the 2009 Free Agent Market..

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 20:34:49 -0500

Here is the complete list from MLBTRADERUMORS.COM :

Catchers
Brad Ausmus (40)
Paul Bako (37)
Rod Barajas (33) - $2.5MM club option for '09 with a $0.5MM buyout
Josh Bard (31)
Michael Barrett (32)
Henry Blanco (37) - $3MM mutual option for '09 with a $0.3MM buyout
Johnny Estrada (33)
Toby Hall (33) - $2.25MM club option for '09 with a $0.15MM buyout
Jason LaRue (35)
Paul Lo Duca (37)
Miguel Olivo (30) - $2.7MM mutual option for '09 with a $0.1MM buyout
Ivan Rodriguez (37)
David Ross (32)
Javier Valentin (33)
Jason Varitek (37)
Gregg Zaun (38)
First basemen
Rich Aurilia (37)
Hank Blalock (28) - $6.2MM club option for '09 with a $0.25MM buyout
Sean Casey (34)
Tony Clark (37)
Carlos Delgado (37) - $12MM club option for '09 with a $4MM buyout
Nomar Garciaparra (35)
Jason Giambi (38) - $22MM club option for '09 with a $5MM buyout
Eric Hinske (31)
Doug Mientkiewicz (35)
Kevin Millar (37)
Richie Sexson (34)
Mark Teixeira (29)
Daryle Ward (34)
Second basemen
Willie Bloomquist (31)
Jamey Carroll (35) - $2.5MM club option for '09 with a $0.15MM buyout
Craig Counsell (38)
Ray Durham (37)
Damion Easley (39)
David Eckstein (34)
Mark Ellis (32)
Mark Grudzielanek (39)
Jerry Hairston Jr. (33)
Orlando Hudson (31)
Tadahito Iguchi (34)
Jeff Kent (41)
Felipe Lopez (29)
Mark Loretta (37)
Nick Punto (31)
Shortstops
Willie Bloomquist (31)
Orlando Cabrera (34)
Alex Cintron (30)
Alex Cora (33)
Craig Counsell (38)
David Eckstein (34)
Adam Everett (32)
Rafael Furcal (31)
Nomar Garciaparra (35)
Jerry Hairston Jr. (33)
Cesar Izturis (29)
Felipe Lopez (29)
Edgar Renteria (33)
Juan Uribe (30)
Ramon Vazquez (32)
Omar Vizquel (42) - $5.2MM club option for '09 with a $0.3MM buyout
Third basemen
Rich Aurilia (37)
Casey Blake (35)
Hank Blalock (28) - $6.2MM club option for '09 with a $0.25MM buyout
Willie Bloomquist (31)
Aaron Boone (36)
Russell Branyan (33)
Craig Counsell (38)
Joe Crede (31)
Nomar Garciaparra (35)
Mark Loretta (37)
Fernando Tatis (34)
Ramon Vazquez (32)
Left fielders
Moises Alou (42)
Garret Anderson (37) - $14MM club option for '09 with a $3MM buyout
Milton Bradley (31)
Emil Brown (34)
Pat Burrell (32)
Carl Crawford (27) - $8.25MM club option for '09 with a $2.5MM buyout
Adam Dunn (29)
Cliff Floyd (36) - $2.75MM club option for '09 with a $0.25MM buyout
Luis Gonzalez (41)
Jerry Hairston Jr. (33)
Raul Ibanez (37)
Gabe Kapler (33)
Kevin Mench (31)
Jason Michaels (33) - $2.6MM club option for '09
Craig Monroe (32)
Greg Norton (36)
Jay Payton (36)
Wily Mo Pena (27) - $5MM club option or $2MM player option for '09
Manny Ramirez (37)
Juan Rivera (30)
Fernando Tatis (34)
Center fielders
Rocco Baldelli (27)
Willie Bloomquist (31)
Mike Cameron (36) - $10MM club option for '09 with a $750K buyout
Jim Edmonds (39)
Jerry Hairston Jr. (33)
Gabe Kapler (33)
Mark Kotsay (33)
Corey Patterson (29)
Scott Podsednik (33)
Right fielders
Bobby Abreu (35)
Casey Blake (35)
Cliff Floyd (36) - $2.75MM club option for '09 with a $0.25MM buyout
Brian Giles (38) - $9MM club option for '09 with a $3MM buyout
Ken Griffey Jr. (39) - $16.5MM club option for '09 with a $4MM buyout
Vladimir Guerrero (33) - $15MM club option for '09 with a $3MM buyout
Gabe Kapler (33)
Jason Michaels (33) - $2.6MM club option for '09
Fernando Tatis (34)
Brad Wilkerson (32)
DHs
Milton Bradley (31)
Pat Burrell (32)
Adam Dunn (29)
Cliff Floyd (36) - $2.75MM club option for '09 with a $0.25MM buyout
Jason Giambi (38) - $22MM club option for '09 with $5MM buyout
Vladimir Guerrero (33) - $15MM club option for '09 with a $3MM buyout
Raul Ibanez (37)
Manny Ramirez (37)
Juan Rivera (30)
Mike Sweeney (35)
Frank Thomas (41)
Jose Vidro (34)
Starting pitchers
Kris Benson (33)
A.J. Burnett (32) - can opt out after '08 season
Paul Byrd (38)
Roger Clemens (46)
Matt Clement (33)
Bartolo Colon (36)
Ryan Dempster (32)
Shawn Estes (36)
Josh Fogg (32)
Freddy Garcia (33)
Jon Garland (29)
Tom Glavine (43)
Mike Hampton (36)
Mark Hendrickson (35)
Livan Hernandez (34)
Orlando Hernandez (43)
Jason Jennings (30)
Randy Johnson (45)
John Lackey (30) - $9MM club option for '09 with a $0.5MM buyout
Jon Lieber (39)
Braden Looper (34)
Rodrigo Lopez (33) - club option for '09
Derek Lowe (36)
Greg Maddux (43)
Pedro Martinez (37)
Sergio Mitre (28)
Jamie Moyer (46)
Mark Mulder (31) - $11MM club option for '09 with a $1.5MM buyout
Mike Mussina (40)
Carl Pavano (33) - $13MM club option for '09 with a $1.95MM buyout
Brad Penny (31) - $8.75MM club option for '09 with a $2MM buyout
Odalis Perez (32)
Oliver Perez (27)
Andy Pettitte (37)
Sidney Ponson (32)
Mark Prior (27)
Kenny Rogers (44)
Glendon Rusch (34)
C.C. Sabathia (28)
Curt Schilling (42)
Ben Sheets (30)
John Smoltz (42)
Tim Wakefield (42) - perpetual $4MM club option
Kip Wells (32)
Randy Wolf (32)
Closers
Brian Fuentes (33)
Eric Gagne (33)
Eddie Guardado (38)
Trevor Hoffman (41)
Jason Isringhausen (36)
Brandon Lyon (29)
Francisco Rodriguez (27)
Salomon Torres (37) - $3.75MM club option for '09 with a $0.3MM buyout
Kerry Wood (32)
Middle relievers
Jeremy Affeldt (30)
Luis Ayala (31)
Joe Beimel (32)
Joe Borowski (38)
Doug Brocail (42)
Shawn Chacon (31)
Juan Cruz (30)
Alan Embree (39) - $3MM club option for '09
Scott Eyre (37)
Kyle Farnsworth (33)
Casey Fossum (31)
Keith Foulke (35)
Tom Gordon (41) - $4.5MM club option for '09 with a $1MM buyout
LaTroy Hawkins (36)
Mark Hendrickson (35)
Matt Herges (39)
Bob Howry (35)
Jon Lieber (39)
Jason Johnson (35)
Damaso Marte (34) - $6MM club option for '09 with a $0.25MM buyout
Trever Miller (36) - $2MM club option for '09 with a $0.4MM buyout
Guillermo Mota (35)
Will Ohman (31)
Darren Oliver (38)
Chan Ho Park (36)
Horacio Ramirez (29)
Al Reyes (38)
Dennys Reyes (32)
Arthur Rhodes (39)
Juan Rincon (30)
Glendon Rusch (34)
Rudy Seanez (40)
Brian Shouse (40)
Russ Springer (40)
Mike Timlin (43)
Ron Villone (39)
David Weathers (39)
Kip Wells (32)
Matt Wise (33)
Jamey Wright (34)

Thanks to Tim Dierkes for Compiling this list...

Contracts and Trades in the offseason..

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 20:06:55 -0500

CONTRACT ISSUES

Free agents: Alou, OF; Fernando Tatis, OF; Damion Easley, 2B; Perez, LHP; Martinez, RHP; Hernandez, RHP; Luis Ayala, RHP; Ricardo Rincon, LHP; Matt Wise, RHP.

Eligible for arbitration: Ryan Church, OF; John Maine, RHP; Pedro Feliciano, LHP; Aaron Heilman, RHP; Duaner Sanchez, RHP.

Player options: None

Club options: Delgado, 1B, $12 million, $4 million buyout

Non-tender possibilities: None

Like last season, they have their reasons. Though general manager Omar Minaya's starting lineup is all but set with the exception of 2B and LF. The Starting Rotation might need some retooling and the Bullpen has to get a new look.

Oliver Perez and Pedro Martinez, two significant pieces of this season's rotation, will both hit free agency in the days following the World Series. And the few pitchers waiting in the wings represent a combination of youth and inexperience. It's a combination that the Mets, historically, have tried to avoid.

And so a team that boasted one of baseball's largest payrolls -- roughly $137 million at season's end -- is likely only to add to that figure. Assuming the Mets exercise their $12 million club option on Carlos Delgado's contract, they will shed four significant salaries: those of Martinez, Perez, Moises Alou and Orlando Hernandez. After accounting for increases in other salaries, that's roughly $25 to $30 million off the books.

It's a near certainty that the Mets will reinvest all of it.

Mets have plenty of needs especially in relief, but the rotation could be revamped. The Mets can go out and try to trade for a pitcher like Jake Peavy, Zach Grienke, or a Matt Cain. If the Mets go out and try to get one of these elite young pitchers they will have to use one of their Top Prospects including Fernando Martinez. Even though the Mets think F-Mart has a high ceiling and he is only 19 yrs old, they may make a move here. It is not imposible...

The bullpen needs a obvious facelift. Guys like Aaron Heilman and Scott Schoeneweis should be moved and apparently have some value left. Joey DeMayo on Mike Silva's NY Baseball Digest lastnight suggested that maybe the Mets can make a trade including Aaron Heilman with the Oakland A's for Huston Street. Billy Beane has always made it known that he likes Heilman and would make him a starter in Oaktown. Stay tuned....

The Mets need a closer and everyone in baseball thinks the Mets can go out and get themselves Francisco Rodriguez. If they fall short in the bidding for the record breaking saves leader. They might go out and see if Brian Fuentes will come to NY. They had some interest in him before the trade deadline but the Rockies were still in the range of the playoffs and they did not want to trade him.

Look for the Mets to compliment who ever they get at closer. They will be in the hunt for middle relievers. They need a left hander specialist and I think the Mets should look at Jeremy Affeldt who is a free agent.

Here are his numbers:

		G	GS	W	L	SV	CG	SHO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP	BAA
Total		74	0	1	1	0	0	0	78.1	78	36	29	9	25	80	3.33	1.31	.260

Considering he pitched in Cincinatti, He might be better suited for Citi-Field.

Other guys I would look at are Juan Cruz. People are saying Juan Cruz, who is he??

Check out his numbers:

		G	GS	W	L	SV	CG	SHO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP	BAA
Total		57	0	4	0	0	0	0	51.2	34	17	15	5	31	71	2.61	1.26	.192

In only 51.2 innings, he gave up 34 hits and struck out 71...

In speaking of second base, the Mets have many of options here. They have the incumbent Luis Castillo who I would trade for anything, but Joey DeMayo (NY Baseball Digest) has said that the Mets might be able to get a Eric Byrnes from the Arizona Diamondbacks for Castillo since they want to get rid of Byrnes contract and they need a second basemen (2B Hudson will be a free agent) . If that happend, I would be jumping for joy! Byrnes is a high energy player who brings some grit and toughness the Mets lack.

They also have Dan Murphy who can be the second basemen next year. He is currently in the ArizonaFall league trying to get more work at 2B. If that fails, he might be a platoon outfielder in left.

They also can go out and get Orlando Hudson who is a All-Star 2B. He is a switch hitter who can hit and play great defense.

Of Course if the Mets don't make deal for Eric Byrnes they could look at Free Agent Manny Ramirez who always has been high on Omar Minaya's list or they can get themselves a compliment to Murphy like a Free Agent Juan Rivera who is right handed bat that hits lefties.

We will see what goes on, but these are some things to think about....................

Looking at the roster....

Sat, 04 Oct 2008 20:53:35 -0500

Ok, here's a closer look at the 40 man roster, without changing the core of the team there will still be a significant change to the roster......

Free agents this year:

Pedro Martinez, Oliver Perez, Orlando Hernandez, Luis Ayala, Nelson Figueroa, Brandon Knight, Ricardo Rincon, Al Reyes, Tony Armas, Matt Wise,

Damion Easley, Fernando Tatis, Moises Alou, Gustavo Molina, Ramon Martinez, Argenis Reyes, Trot Nixon

Option Year:

Carlos Delgado

Under Contract:

Johan Santana, Scott Schoeneweis, Mike Pelfrey, Billy Wagner ( 60 day)

Brian Schneider, Ramon Castro, Luis Castillo, David Wright, Jose Reyes, Marlon Anderson, Carlos Beltran, Endy Chavez

Arbitration years:

John Maine, Ryan Church, Angel Pagan, Aaron Heilman, Duaner Sanchez, Pedro Feliciano

Under Control(option players):

Adam Bostick, Ambiorix Burgos, Eddie Kunz, Carlos Muniz, Jonathan Niese, Bobby Parnell, Joe Smith, Jason Vargas, Nick Evans, Daniel Murphy

Of the group of free agents the only ones I see that have a chance of getting a major league contract is Luis Ayala, Tatis and maybe Damion Easley. The rest will move on or get minor league deals with invites, I believe Ollie will out price himself. As they already indicated Delgado will be pick-up. Those under contract Castillo, Anderson and Schoenweis have to go and I could see one of the catchers moving for a more durable or offensive minded player. Arby player, Heilman has to be moved and Sanchez might go as well.

When all is said and done under my estimation 14 players without options will be returning with the 10 option players on the 40 man roster. So with Santana, Maine, Pelfrey, Feliciano, Ayala, Delgado, Wright, Reyes, Beltran, Church, Pagan, Tatis, Chavez, Schnieder staying and Castro, Sanchez and Easley on the ropes. That doesn't include guys like Smith, Parnell, Murphy, Evans and Niese who have options but could or will make the team. Even without making a drastic move the Mets roster this year will look significantly different.

Contracts and Trades in the offseason..

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 20:17:37 -0500

CONTRACT ISSUES

Free agents: Alou, OF; Fernando Tatis, OF; Damion Easley, 2B; Perez, LHP; Martinez, RHP; Hernandez, RHP; Luis Ayala, RHP; Ricardo Rincon, LHP; Matt Wise, RHP.

Eligible for arbitration: Ryan Church, OF; John Maine, RHP; Pedro Feliciano, LHP; Aaron Heilman, RHP; Duaner Sanchez, RHP.

Player options: None

Club options: Delgado, 1B, $12 million, $4 million buyout

Non-tender possibilities: None

It's a near certainty that the Mets will reinvest all of it.

Here are his numbers:

		G	GS	W	L	SV	CG	SHO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP	BAA
Total		74	0	1	1	0	0	0	78.1	78	36	29	9	25	80	3.33	1.31	.260

Considering he pitched in Cincinatti, He might be better suited for Citi-Field.

Other guys I would look at are Juan Cruz. People are saying Juan Cruz, who is he??

Check out his numbers:

		G	GS	W	L	SV	CG	SHO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP	BAA
Total		57	0	4	0	0	0	0	51.2	34	17	15	5	31	71	2.61	1.26	.192

Lyon's den.....

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 23:11:30 -0500

The Mets won in 2006 with a dominant offense and bull-pen that compensated for a mediocre rotation. As Omar focused on improving the rotation I think he took the other components for granted and of the two the bull-pen suffered the most. In 2006 the team had four players with closing experience ( Wagner/Julio/Sanchez/Bradford) and Heilman who they thought had set-up potential. Basically the Mets had three innings of closers and several specialists. The results were that if the team took a lead to the 7th the game was over.....

The Mets need to get back to that formula. I would keep Luis Ayala as a set-up man and Duaner Sanchez, the second year is generally the rebound year and even if he's in-effective it won't be hard to send him down. While continuing to develop Smith with Heilman and Schoeneweis leaving. Then I would acquire a true closer, lefty specialist and set-up man.

Brandon Lyon is a 29 y/o right handed reliever who is eligible for free agency this year and would be a solid pick-up as the set-up man. He has struggled as a closer but when put in the 8th inning role he has thrived. Over a seven year career he has a lifetime ERA of 4.46 with 51-71 SVO and a record of 21-29. His best season came in 2007 as Arizona's set-up man, in which his ERA was 2.68 in 73 games with a record of 6-4 and 2-5 SVO. In that season he pitched a total of five post-season innings in which he allowed one hit and one walk without allowing a run. He knows the pressure of big city east coast baseball as he pitched for Boston in 2003, in 49 appearances his ERA was 4.12 with a record of 4-6 and 9-12 SVO.

Wilpon takes positives from the season that was..........

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 19:35:37 -0500

Despite all the expectations, the what-ifs and the could-have-beens, Mets CEO Jeff Wilpon managed to muster a few positives Sunday on the final day of his team's 2008 season.

"I think we overachieved based on what we had," Wilpon said.

Dressed in a windbreaker and sneakers with electric yellow streaks, Wilpon lamented all the injuries -- to John Maine, Billy Wagner and Moises Alou. He ran down the list of replacement players who had populated Shea Stadium -- Daniel Murphy, Luis Ayala, Nick Evans and Brian Stokes. And Wilpon smiled, best as he could.

"I think we underachieved last year, and I think we overachieved this year," Wilpon said. "Look who our second baseman was. Look who our left fielder was. Look who was in our bullpen. No Billy Wagner, no John Maine. You can go right down the list of what happened."

And so the Mets, Wilpon insisted, had succeeded simply by being in playoff contention on the season's final Sunday. Though he stopped short of lauding manager Jerry Manuel, saying he needed first to discuss the issue with general manager Omar Minaya, Wilpon indicated that he was quite pleased with the bulk of his uniformed personnel.

He was also quite pleased with Citi Field, his own dream and creation, which will open to the Mets and their fans next April.

That, more than anything, has given Wilpon a reason for almost unguarded optimism. He knows that the Mets will not have Alou or Wagner back for any significant stretch of next season, but he indicated that he is willing to do whatever it takes to win. The Mets might not see any momentous personnel changes between now and April, but that's not grounds for pessimism.

So when asked if the Mets are planning on making any significant changes in the coming months, Wilpon simply grinned.

"We are," he said. "We're moving to a new ballpark"

Source: Anthony Di Como/MLB.com

Final Thoughts........

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 23:51:29 -0500

As the Mets made the final out and the game was over. I was in disbelief that the season was over. The Mets did have a admirable year considering the cards dealt to them.

They fired the Manager Willie Randolph who took great criticism and replaced him with a gangsta, named Jerry Manuel (his bench coach). Jerry was very funny and candid, he did a great job. The Mets went 55-38 under the interim manager..

The Offense:
They did not have Moises Alou all year nor did they have Ryan Church, but they found success in players like Fernando Tatis, Daniel Murphy and Nick Evans who filled in nicely which kept them moving in the right place. The offense did not function all the time but they found there grooves. Carlos Delgado can consider himself the NL Comeback player of the Year with the second half he had. David Wright, Mr. Consistancy had a career year in HR's and RBI's but sputtered late in the season to find the big hits. Carlos Beltran had another 20+ HR year with 100+ RBI's in a year with nagging injuries all year long. Jose Reyes led the NL in hits, even though his stolen base numbers were down, he had a great year! Luis Castillo could not find himself at all this year due to injuries...The Brian Schneider/Ramon Castro project worked well when healthy, but when they were not healthy they had to resort to Robinson Cancel.

The Starting Pitching:
The starting pitching who was lead by Johan Santana, who should of had more wins than 16 because the bullpen let him down. John Maine was hurt in the latter part of the season, but pitched decent enough in the earlier part of the year. Mike Pelfrey became a reliable option and matured under Dan Warthen. Oliver Perez had a typical Jeckle and Hyde season, some good starts and some bad starts..Pedro Martinez tried to come back from all his previous injuries but he did not have the killer instinct or quality pitches to succeed in 2008.

The Bullpen:
The bullpen was shot down by the absence of Billy Wagner and had to resort to Luis Ayala who was a late pickup. He did what he can do, but he was not serious closer material. Aaron Heilman looked like a overused wash rag this year. He did not pitch up to his capability. Duaner Sanchez tried to come back from a unusual surgery, but he did not provide us with what he once had. Scott Schoeneweiss had a decent year, but he also had moments of displeasure. Joe Smith was a reliable righthanded sidearmer that will get better with age.. Pedro Feliciano had his ups and downs as well...

Believe it or not this team was a 89 Win team, with all there problems they lacked one game to get in the playoffs. Even though I did not think much of this team because of the problems, I still wanted them to get in. The failures that lagged them last year and this year, will also be with them next year as well.

How do we fix it:
I believe the Mets are on the right path, they have to build on some of the players that they have and bring in new ones to replace the older and injured crop from this year! There will be no Pedro next year, No Moises next year, no Castillo next year! In my mind they have to keep Oliver Perez, he is only 26 and get better. They have to find somewhere to ship Aaron Heilman, because his welcome has become outdated. The bullpen has to be revamped and the Mets have to find a reliable closer. K-Rod will be the easy choice, but Brian Fuentes is not to shabby....
If you look on paper this team had success when the offense did, but you can't go score 10 runs everynight. Pitching is key and it will win championships everytime...

Final Thoughts:
Even though the game did not meet our needs and wants as Mets fans, there still was a closing ceremony at Shea. The names from 1969, 1973, and 1986 teams were there and many others. Yes, Dwight Gooden was even there.. It was a very good and emotional day for me to see some of the players I loved to watch as a kid. Who could forget Tom Seaver throwing the final Pitch at Shea Stadium to Mike Piazza, that was classic (even though it was a 55 footer). They walked to center field together, two Hall of Famers (One current and one future) and they closed the centerfield gates of Shea forever...