Month: December 2010

The Mets Report Thanks You for 2010

New York Times Square New year celebrations in...

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We had the best year ever here at The Mets Report thanks to all of you that read the site and especially those that chose to engage in commenting on our opinions about the team. The site has been running in some form since 2007 and it’s continually growing and branching out in directions that I never imagined when I began. The readers are what makes this whole thing work for us and we’ll never lose sight of that. We appreciate your visits and comments immensely.

I would also like to take the time to thank the great writers that have contributed to The Mets Report this year. There have been occasional contributions in the past but it’s never been close to the level that we had this year. The pieces that were written added a new dimension to the site with their richness and diversity. The benefit to the site has been immeasurable.

I would like to thank, in no particular order: David Daniels, Doug Gausepohl, Gabe Aguilar, John Wenk, Clayton Caldwell, MetStatHead, and Nick Migliore. Their contributions have enriched this site tremendously and I look forward to their opinions on the Mets in 2011.

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Mets Plan for 2011–Fan Reactions

NEW YORK - OCTOBER 29: Sandy Alderson answers...

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I’ve been surprised to hear how many fans are very dissatisfied with the Mets this offseason. The Mets brought in Sandy Alderson, J.P. Ricciardi, Paul DePodesta to run the front office and develop a plan. But not much has happened since then while other teams are spending on big names like Jayson Werth, Cliff Lee, and Carl Crawford. That’s led to a lot of dissension among fans that I’ve talked to and heard from on Facebook and Twitter.

My take has been that the Mets knew for at least three years that this day would come. This is a day in which several long-term, big money contracts are coming due at the same time. Typically, that’s the making of an ugly situation which is exactly what’s happening to the Mets for next season. The confluence of the final season of contracts for Carlos Beltran, Oliver Perez, Luis Castillo, and K-Rod is the making of a difficult season. There just isn’t the financial flexibility or players with value to be able to do anything with. We’re going to have to ride out 2011 and just hope for the best. By “best”, I mean another .500 season and maybe dump some salary in July for prospects with potential.

Continue reading “Mets Plan for 2011–Fan Reactions”

2011 National Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot

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Like many of you, pretty much every year I’ve talked my friends about which players should or shouldn’t be in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Those players that are on the edge of getting in like Bert Blyleven are always the ones that everyone talks about. But I’ve never sat down and evaluated every player on the ballot for my vote… until this year. As part of my membership in the Baseball Bloggers Alliance, I participated in the vote for the 2011 National Baseball Hall of Fame class.

It was more difficult than I thought it would be to decide which players I think were great and which players were just very good. The following are the players I voted for and the players that I thought were close but not good enough for me to vote for this year.

Continue reading “2011 National Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot”

Mets Trade for Chin-lung Hu

Chin-Lung Hu

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The Mets announced a minor trade today with the Dodgers to acquire infielder Chin-lung Hu for Michael Antonini. We saw a bit of Hu in 2008 when the Mets were in L.A. playing the Dodgers. At the time, Hu was playing shortstop for an injured Rafael Furcal. He got into 65 games that season and looked like your typical backup middle infielder. Good glove and can’t hit. He’s a career .191 hitter in 96 big league games. That’s been a major disappointment as Hu is a .299 career hitter in the minors over parts of seven seasons.

Hu’s presence on the roster will allow the Mets greater flexibility with Ruben Tejada. Sandy Alderson has talked about wanting Tejada to get more minor league at-bat’s this season. Hu will compete for playing time at second base with Brad Emaus, Luis Castillo, Luis Hernandez, and Justin Turner.

The contract situation for Hu is favorable as well. He only has 0.153 MLB service time and won’t be arbitration eligible until 2012. He isn’t eligible for free agency until 2016.

Michael Antonini rose to Triple-A Buffalo last season but his 4.49 ERA was disappointing. He was taken in the 18th round of the 2007 draft the first two seasons were impressive for the lefty starter. But his 5.74 ERA between Double-A and Triple-A in 2009 and his aforementioned 2010 ERA were cause for concern. He certainly wasn’t looking to be a factor at the Major League level in 2011.

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2011 Critical for Mets’ Reese Havens

Reese Havens
Image by Eric Kilby via Flickr

The 2008 draft saw the Mets with two first round picks. Omar Minaya went after seasoned college bats who could make an impact in the immediate future. He took a first baseman with doubles power in Ike Davis. The Mets believed those doubles would soon develop into home runs. They also took a gritty shortstop with a left-handed stroke that made him a target for Theo Epstein in Boston. Reese Havens was drafted and, upon his move to second, it was said he would become the top second baseman in the system.

The 2011 Mets field a team that is set at every position with only one exception: second base. The farm system does not have a second baseman ready to seize the position. Ruben Tejada can field the position but his bat needs tuning at Triple-A. Daniel Murphy has been experimenting for a second time at second base. Murphy has proven he can handle big league pitching, but his fielding leaves much to be desired. Up the middle defense is crucial to a baseball team and especially a sinker baller like Mike Pelfrey. Eventually, Murphy’s experience at different positions could make him a nice utility player but as a regular he would be exposed. The Mets also have Justin Turner who came to the team last year but didn’t set himself apart. Continue reading “2011 Critical for Mets’ Reese Havens”

Mets 2011 Salaries Page

July 23, 2010 Los Angeles, CA..Mets Johan Santana in action during the Major League Baseball game between the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. The Mets defeated the Dodgers, 6-1..Josh Thompson/CSM.

http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.jsThe Mets roster and salary page has been updated to reflect the 2011 roster to date. You can see that the Mets are committed to about $122 million so far with the additions of D.J. Carrasco and Ronny Paulino in free agency. Also, Angel Pagan’s contract hasn’t been resolved yet but will likely be prior to arbitration.

There really isn’t a lot of room for the new Mets brain trust of Sandy Alderson, J.P. Ricciardi, and Paul DePodesta to make moves. Unfortunately, that means that we’ll likely have to suffer through another subpar season.

The other problem is that Johan Santana is taking up 18% of the payroll and won’t be able to play until July because of shoulder surgery this offseason. That’s a killer for any team, much less a struggling team like the Mets.

Things look really good for 2012 though. I’m sure that’s why Alderson and friends decided to come to the Mets. They have a chance to do a complete makeover of this team with half of the payroll going off the books. They’re going to have some fun spending the Wilpon’s money next offseason.

If you want to get a primer for the players that will likely be available in free agency before the 2012 season, check out MLB Trade Rumors. The big names will be Prince Fielder, Albert Pujols, Mark Buehrle, Edwin Jackson, Heath Bell, and Booklyn’s David DeJesus.

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Happy Holidays 2010 Mets Fans

Twilight over New York, NY
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I hope all Mets fans have had a good year and are able to enjoy the holidays with family and friends. Thanks for reading The Mets Report this year. All of us that have been writing this year appreciate your support and comments.

Let’s wish for a positive future for the team. And a season without Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo.

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