Category: General

Rain On The Parade

There was rain on the Giants victory parade but it didn’t damper the spirit of the fans in attendance. On Monday I told you that I was going to review the rundown on the other $100 million pitchers in anticipation of Johan Santana’s arrival in New York.

Well… I changed my mind. Although Santana didn’t say much today at his press conference. You can hear what he had to say to Mike and the Mad Dog here. On the left side of the page you can listen to the interview.

I won’t rain on Santana’s parade today by dissecting the disasters that precede him in the $100 million pitching club. Let’s just celebrate the day. There will be plenty of time to worry about his contract becoming an albatross before spring training starts.

In case you missed it you can watch the press conference here.

Why I’m Scared of Johan Santana’s Contract

Dollar Signs

Johan Santana is currently Elias‘ highest rated starting pitcher in the AL, ahead of the likes of C.C. Sabathia, Josh Beckett, and Roy Halladay. He’s a two-time Cy Young Award winner, and the 2007 Gold Glove Award winner. He’s a three-time AL All-Star. He’s an incredible pitcher and probably the second best the Mets have ever had. Don’t forget about Hall of Famer Tom Seaver.

I’m thrilled that Santana’s a Met, but his contract frightens me and you should be scared too. Exceeding the $100 million mark hasn’t been done often in baseball, especially for pitchers with good reason. Look at the historical examples of Kevin Brown, Mike Hampton, and most recently Bary Zito. Do you think the Dodgers, Rockies, and Giants have been happy with the way those contracts worked out? I don’t either.

The Mets now have two players whose contracts exceed $100 million. This is nothing new to the likes of the Yankees, but breaking new ground for the Mets. Carlos Beltran isn’t the only mega millionaire in Queens now.

In the coming days we’ll look in depth at the performance of Brown, Hampton, and Zito. We’ll talk about the impact that the money has on players. It’s one thing to be scraping by on $14 million/year and quite another to have $137 million guaranteed for Santana. We’ll also look at the worst Mets current contracts and try to forget about the past transgressions of Mo Vaughn, Roberto Alomar, and other high priced under performing Mets.

Briefly on Steroids

syringe.jpg

It’s incredibly disappointing to find out what a central role the Mets organization has played in the ongoing steroid scandal. I understand that when large sums of money are involved people will go to great lengths to get their hands on it. That’s what this whole scandal comes down to.

I’m sure we haven’t heard the last of the steroids names and stories. The Mets players, former players, and former employees were deeply involved, if not central figures in this situation. That’s the worst part of this as a Mets fan.

On the bright side… we still have the whole HGH scandal to look forward to when reliable tests are developed!

Cubs Deal Precursor to Another Trade?

You may have seen that the Mets reacquired Angel Pagan from the Cubs today. He was sent to the Cubs two years ago for cash. The Mets traded two minor leaguers to get him back.

This could very well be a precursor to another deal in my opinion. Having Pagan back could give the Mets the flexibility they need to trade Carlos Gomez.

The outfield is pretty crowded now with Beltan, Alou, Church, Gomez, Chavez, and Pagan. They all won’t be on the 25 man roster.

I’m thinking this frees up the Mets to move Gomez + to the Twins for Santana. We’ll see…

Where have you gone Omar Minaya?

I have to say that I’m a little concerned about the lack of activity so far this off season. I’m not extremely concerned… yet. I could be soon though. Pitchers and catchers report to Port St. Lucie in six weeks.

Brian Schneider and Ryan Church weren’t exactly blockbuster acquisitions from the Nationals. I can live with Schneider and Castro behind the plate this year. Although, I do think it’s a down grade from LoDuca/Castro.

Apparently, the plan for right field is a combination of Gomez, Church, and Chavez. I’m not sure that this combination will bring about better overall results than Shawn Green gave us last year.

Tom Glavine hasn’t been replaced yet. I’d like to see another lefty in the rotation to go along with Oliver Perez. The rumors so far have the Mets looking at Jon Leiber and the out of shape Bartolo Colon. Of course, Pelfrey and Humber are looking for their opportunity to break into the rotation. And Joe Blanton is still out there for a trade. My choice would be to sign a free agent rather than give up young players for Blanton.

The bottom line is that the roster hasn’t gotten better than last year. The catching has gotten a little worse, and right field and fifth starter are still major question marks. It’s about time for the Mets to shore up the roster.

Your 2008 right fielder is…?

Shawn Green’s departure to free agency has left an opening in right field for 2008. I would love to see some combination of Lastings Milledge, Carlos Gomez, or even Fernando Martinez (if he’s ready) take over the position successfully. There’s nothing better than farm system talent taking over a position and producing. I’m not sure that’s going to happen.

There are some intriguing possibilities on the free agent market. Jose Guillen from the Mariners is free. He’s also a major league loose cannon, and has a history of causing major disturbances with management, teammates, opposing teams, and anyone else that he encounters. He’s also a serious offensive force. Last season for the Mariners he hit .290 23HR 99RBI’s and he’s got a big time arm in right field. That would be a huge improvement over Shawn Green. Green could barely hit the ball out of the infield and stumbled around defensively for most of the season. Of course, Guillen has also allegedly purchased steroids illegally. But that’s never stopped the Mets before (Guillermo Mota).

My choice for a free agent right fielder… Barry Bonds. That’s right, I said Barry Bonds! Yeah, he’s old and another alleged steriod user. He also appears to be a real jerk. The question that you have to ask yourself is: do you want to win a championship or not? Bonds is a free agent, he hasn’t been suspended for anything. I guess that could happen depending upon the results of his federal indictment. But this guy can hit like nobody ever has before except maybe Babe Ruth and Alex Rodriguez.

Sign Bonds to a one or maybe two year contract. It still leaves plenty of playing time for Milledge/Gomez because Barry won’t play every day. Even on the days that Bonds doesn’t start, wouldn’t you like to see him coming off the bench to pinch hit against right handers?

If you think that you’re taking some moral high ground by disagreeing with me, you’re wrong. Were the 1986 Mets a bunch of Boy Scouts… Gooden, Kevin Mitchell, Strawberry? No, but you loved them anyway. And you’ll love the way Bonds can knock the lights out of the scoreboard in right field too.

Bonds