Author: Dave Doyle

Frequently disappointed Mets fan

Pirates Precursor: Jason Michaels Acquired From Indians

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Xavier Nady during a Pirates/Minnesota Twins spring training game at McKechnie Field in Bradenton, Florida.Image via Wikipedia

The Pittsburgh Pirates agreed to a deal with the Cleveland Indians yesterday to take the struggling outfielder off their hands for next to nothing. The Indians had put Michaels on waivers after he began this season hitting .207 with no home runs and nine RBI’s in 21 games.

I have to believe that this move is a precursor by the Pirates to give them the ability to move Jason Bay or Xavier Nady (or both). The Pirates are struggling and have been for many years. It doesn’t make sense to keep two solid outfielders that could offer significant trade value for prospects.

The Mets surely will keep an eye on the situation in Pittsburgh. We’ve all heard the talk about bringing Nady back to New York to play first and the outfield. That might gain some traction now that the Pirates have Michaels as an experienced outfielder to hold the line until their youngsters are ready to play. The problem is that Nady is playing so well this season that the Pirates can demand a pretty big return for him. The Mets dealt so many top prospects for Johan Santana that leaves them somewhat bereft of minor leaguers to deal.

On Deck: Friday May 9, 2008 Mets-Reds

Cincinnati Reds (14-21) at New York Mets (17-15)  7:10pm

Matt Belisle (1-2) vs. Mike Pelfrey (2-2)

TV: SNY Radio: WFAN

What to watch: The awful Reds come to town this weekend for a series that the Mets need for some easy wins. Matt Belisle has made three unimpressive starts for the Reds so don’t be surprised if the Mets get a good chance to heat up their bats tonight. The Reds do have some good young players but are just biding time until they can dump Ken Griffey and Adam Dunn at the trading deadline.

Three More Weeks For Willie Randolph

Mets manager Willie Randolph before a Mets/Devil Rays spring training game at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.Image via Wikipedia

Lately there’s been a lot of chat on sports radio, the blogs, mainstream media, and reader comments here about Willie Randolph’s future with the Mets. Much of the talks has centered around Willie’s tenure coming to an end in the near future. That may be the case but it shouldn’t happen in May.

The Mets should wait and see where the Mets are at the end of May. It’s too early to pull the plug on him now. If the Mets had to make a decision today, my suggestion would be to let him go and move on.

The Mets current performance is well below where they should be if you look at the talent they have. The teams in the National League with worse winning percentages to this point are: Washington, Houston. Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Colorado, San Francisco, San Diego. There are some pretty bad teams in that group. Continue reading “Three More Weeks For Willie Randolph”

Links: Jose Reyes and Oliver Perez

Jose Reyes– Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports writes about Reyes growing up in New York with the Mets. It’s a well written piece focusing on quotes from Reyes and Damion Easley. Despite the way that last season ended, particularly for Reyes, I’m convinced that he’s got a huge career ahead of him. He’ll be known as one of the best leadoff hitters ever by the time he’s finished playing.

Oliver Perez– Anthony DiComo of MLB.com writes about Oliver Perez from the angle of his contentious arbitration hearing and impending free agency. The column contains plenty of Perez directed fluff from his agent, Scott Boras. Determining Perez’ value in free agency should be interesting because he’s such a wild card, no pun intended. He’s brilliant at moments and dreadful the next moment. I suppose Perez’ value will really depend on what other pitchers get on the free agent market in this coming off-season. Certainly, C.C. Sabbathia will be the big fish in the pond of free agency. Even though he’s had a tough start to this season, he’s got potential to be the #1 starter on most teams. After he signs, that will play a big part in determining how much value Perez has.