Category: Latest News

Video: Cliff Lee 2010 Trade Market

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Cliff Lee throws a pitch to the New York Yankees in the first inning of their MLB American League baseball game at Yankee Stadium in New York June 29, 2010. REUTERS/Ray Stubblebine (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.jsESPN’s Buster Olney talks about the current trade market for pitcher Cliff Lee. Although there are several teams that have Lee on their radar, Olney lists the Mets and Twins as the favorites to land him. Olney also says that the Mariners are ready to make a deal now so whoever is quickest to pull the trigger should come away with a front line starter for the second half of the season.

We’ve had some differing opinions about what the Mets should do before the deadline this year. Doug Gausepohl wrote that the Mets should forget Cliff Lee and focus on Roy Oswalt. Gabe Aguilar wrote that the Mets should trade prospects not depth for Cliff Lee and there’s a big difference.

Both make good points and we all hate to see good young players go. But the Twins didn’t come away with anything great in the Johan Santana deal. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. I think we can all point to the Victor Zambrano for Scott Kazmir deal as one that got away.

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David Wright Could Be MVP – We Believe in Comebacks

May 21, 2010 - New York, New York, U.S. - DAVID WRIGHT during the Mets vs Yankees at Citi Field in Flushing NY. The Yanks won 2-1.

http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.jsDavid Wright’s career hit a low point in 2009.

Sure, he hit .307, but he had a career low in home runs (10) and runs batted in (72).

Not to mention, the Mets won under 80 games for the first time since 2004, which was David Wright’s rookie campaign.

Coming off of that awful, putrid, and just plain unlucky 2009 season, the Mets started a promotional campaign claiming “We Believe in Comebacks”. Considering the terrible taste the Mets left in their fans’ mouths the past three seasons, not many people believed the Mets would be making any type of comeback this season.

But the Mets currently sit ten games above .500, and in the National League Wild Card lead. They’re also being led offensively by David Wright, who’s hitting .301 with 14 homers (four more than all of last year) and 61 RBI’s, which leads the National League.

Wright may have been happy getting a Comeback Player of the Year award this season the way last year went. But so far, he’s looking like a front-runner in the NL Most Valuable Player race.

At the moment, Wright is on pace to hit 30 homers and drive in 131 runs, all while maintaining that batting average above .300. Continue reading “David Wright Could Be MVP – We Believe in Comebacks”

Jenrry Mejia Injured, Mets Trade Chip Damaged

June 06 2010: Mets' relief pitcher Jenrry Mejia (32) delivers a pitch during MLB action between the New York Mets and the Florida Marlins at Citi Field in Flushing, New York. The Mets beat the Marlins 7-6.

http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.jsThe timing couldn’t be any worse for the Mets. The word from Metsblog is that Jenrry Mejia left yesterday’s start in the second inning with shoulder stiffness. He had only thrown 44 pitches and I’m sure we’ll be getting updates throughout the day. He was pitching for Double-A Binghamton.

The MLB non-waiver trade deadline is coming up on July  31 and the rumors are that the Mariners are ready to deal Cliff Lee now. The Mets biggest trading chip in the organization is suddenly damaged goods, possibly untradeable.

We’ll need to prepare ourselves for the cost of getting a Lee or Roy Oswalt to include Jon Niese. Sure, there are other good players in the organization. But these big deadline deals usually include some young, promising pitching.

The timing for this injury is the worst.

Cubs Could Trade Ted Lilly

Ted Lilly of the Chicago Cubs throwing a pitch...
Image via Wikipedia

With the Cubs season already locked in an early summer downward spiral, it is becoming more and more likely that the club may look to shop left-handed starting pitcher Ted Lilly. The 34-year-old Lilly is 2-6 with a 3.28 ERA, but has fallen victim to anemic run support so far this season with the Cubs. Lilly, like Cliff Lee, would be considered a rental, however, at a far lower cost. Lilly is likely to become a type-B free agent next off season.

Obviously, Lilly would be looked at as a poor man’s version of Cliff Lee by Mets fans if acquired. However, I’ve always looked at him as an effective starter throughout his career. As noted earlier, the Cubs asking price would not be nearly as high as the M’s asking price for Lee. A combination of the likes of Dillon Gee, Jeurys Familia, Nick Evans, and Kirk Nieuwenhuis would be realistic in dealing for Lilly. Unlike Lee, Lilly would not be worth giving up players like Jenrry Mejia, Jonathon Neise, or Wilmer Flores.

I think Lilly would be a good fit for the Mets. He has pitched in New York before, and has been a part of winning teams in Chicago as recently as 2007 and 2008. He’s left-handed and could pose match-up problems for NL East bats like Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, and Jason Heyward, among others.

As much as I’d love for the Mets to land Cliff Lee, I certainly feel that Ted Lilly would be a much more worthy alternative than Kevin Millwood, Jeremy Guthrie, Jake Westbrook, and even Fausto Carmona.

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Mets Trading Prospects Not Depth For Cliff Lee

May 11, 2010: Cliff Lee for the Seattle Mariners pitches during a game against the hometown Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland. The Mariners beat the Orioles 5 - 1.

http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.jsTrade month is almost upon us, and the Mets definitely look to be buyers this season. With that said, any talk of trading Angel Pagan (selling high) needs to be thrown out immediately. I’m not saying the 29 year old will be a major cog in the next couple of years. Who knows? But it is simply a matter of depth.

Carlos Beltran’s knees are never again going to be a sure bet. Pagan is also not a player who has been kn0wn to avoid the disabled list. It doesn’t hurt having four more than capable outfielders sharing time. Just yesterday, Angel was pulling himself out of a game because of a strained muscle. Depth in the outfield, and in general, is essential and in our case could be a strength.

We all remember what happened in past seasons when we lost key players late. Losing Fernando Tatis in 2008 helped to make our offense as inept as any in baseball at that time. The year before, we lost an aging Alou and Valentin who were key offensive pieces. Depth will allow the hot bats to find the lineup and give a manager the ability to get more creative. Continue reading “Mets Trading Prospects Not Depth For Cliff Lee”

Forget Cliff Lee, Mets Need Roy Oswalt

May 26, 2010- Milwaukee, WI. Miller Park..Houston Astros starting pitcher Roy Oswalt pitched for 8 scoreless innings giving up only 4 hits to the Milwaukee Brewers..Milwaukee Brewers lost to the Houston Astros 0-5..Mike McGinnis / CSM.

http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.jsYou know by now that there are two pretty appetizing starting pitching options on the Mets’ radar right now.

Those two, obviously, are Cliff Lee and Roy Oswalt. Both are outstanding pitchers on underachieving teams that are trying to dump them in order to clear payroll or to acquire young talent.

But which one is better for the Mets, both for now and down the road?

If this Mets team was a World Series or bust team, the decision would be pretty apparent: Cliff Lee. He’s comparable to Johan Santana in how he can dominate a game, and would add a third lefty to go along Santana and Jon Niese, in a division with lefty sluggers such as Chase Utley, Jason Heyward, and Ryan Howard. Add Mike Pelfrey to that mix, and you have a deadly starting rotation.

But right now, the Mets are not a World Series or bust team. They’re a team that has a legit shot at a postseason birth, both this year and in the years to come. Remember, outside of Rod Barajas, all the important cogs in this Mets lineup and starting rotation will still be here.

For a Mets team that could make some noise for a while, it makes more sense to go with a pitcher that gives the Mets more roster security. That pitcher is Roy Oswalt. Continue reading “Forget Cliff Lee, Mets Need Roy Oswalt”

Johan Santana Accused Of Rape

Baseball player Johan Santana takes part in the Johan Santana All-Star Bowling Classic at Lucky Strike to benefit skin cancer on June 21, 2010 in New York City (photo by: Jack Shea/ Meet The Famous) Photo via Newscom

http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.jsThe face of the Mets franchise was accused of raping a woman on a Ft. Myers, FL golf course last October. Florida prosecutors didn’t press charges because there wasn’t enough evidence to prove that anything that happened wasn’t consensual.

The married father of three has taken a big reputation hit on this one. The Mets only official comment on the situation is that it’s a “family matter”. And Santana’s only comment was that he wasn’t charged with anything and that’s all he could say about it.

This is a PR nightmare for an organization that hates players getting in trouble publicly, whether they’re guilty or not. I doubt that anything will happen. Santana is the highest paid player on the team and one of the only legitimate stars on the team, especially when Carlos Beltran is injured so often. The Mets depend on Santana to generate revenue, so they’re beholden to him.

According to the Daily News, the accuser told this to the police:

The alleged assault happened on the evening of October 27 at a course located near a gated community in Ft. Myers, according to the police report.

The woman claimed she and Santana were strolling together when the pitcher suddenly “began to kiss her and pull up her top, unclasping her bra.” Although she “told Johan no multiple times,” Santana lifted her skirt and thrust his hands into her underpants, the report states.

The accuser claimed Santana then tore her skirt off and raped her while she “continuously told Johan ‘no.'” The Mets hurler responded by bruising her right calf and “grabbed her hair” before he “ejaculated on her upper thigh,” according to the report.

Instead of immediately calling the cops, the woman told detectives she “cleaned her thigh with her underwear.”

She then wandered over to a tennis court “and continued to sit at the tennis courts as Johan played tennis with another person.” Detectives later retrieved the clothes the woman wore.

 

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