Randolph Rejects Nationals Coaching Offer
Newsday and ESPN are reporting that Willie Randolph turned down the Nationals offer to coach third base or bench coach for 2009. Apparently, he felt that the bad relationship with Manny Acta was too much to overcome.
The article goes on to say that if Randolph doesn’t get the Brewers manager job he’ll stay home next season and collect $2.25 million from the Mets.
My feeling is that Randolph shouldn’t stay away from the game for too long if he wants to get back into managing a team. Even if he doesn’t get the Brewers job he could coach someplace for a season and continue to interview for managerial openings.
He lost the Mets clubhouse at the end of his short tenure. So he can’t be too picky about where he winds up at this point.
Mets 2008 Off-Season Needs: Starting Pitching
You probably thought my next off-season needs post would be the bullpen. Yes, that post is coming soon. It’s almost too much to think about though. So for now, let’s talk about the starting pitching situation.
Returning starters Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey, and John Maine will be in the rotation. Santana is a shut-down ace and really requires no further discussion. He’ll be starting on opening day in Cincinnati, period. Pelfrey had a break out season in 2008 and should be the #2 behind Santana. He seemed to run out of gas a bit in September but really found himself in May.
John Maine is coming off shoulder surgery to address a bone spur. He’s cleared to start throwing again in December and should be fine for spring training. I really thought he was going to have a break out season after being nearly unhittable in spring training. But the injuries really damaged his season.
Pedro Martinez and Oliver Perez will both be free agents after the World Series ends. I don’t expect to see Pedro back again. And Ollie will probably get a better offer than he’s worth from someone other than the Mets. If Omar Minaya can make a decent deal with Ollie and Scott Boras (doubtful) in the neighborhood of 3-years/$27 million, he should take it. But I think some team out there will go to four or five years for Ollie because he’s only going to be 27 years old during the 2009 season.
That leaves two openings to be filled in the rotation. Expect Jon Niese and Bobby Parnell to get a shot to compete for one of those spots in spring training. One of those two promising minor leaguers should get a chance to occupy the #5 spot in the rotation.
The Mets will probably look to fill a #4 spot from free agency and take a chance on a “project” starter as insurance in case Niese and Parnell aren’t ready for the majors yet. You can see the complete list of starters that will be free agents next month at MLB Trade Rumors. Beyond CC Sabathia (17-10 2.70) and Ben Sheets (13-9 3.09), the list isn’t really that impressive. Don’t expect the Mets to splurge on another ace like those two. They got Johan Santana last off-season. So I don’t see the Mets making another huge financial commitment to a starter.
A.J. Burnett (18-10 4.07) will probably opt out of his Blue Jays contract. But he’ll be looking for a long-term deal and I don’t expect the Mets to get into a 4+ year deal with any pitchers at this point.
There are several guys that could fit nicely into the middle of the rotation like Derek Lowe (14-11 3.24). Despite the rumors that he doesn’t want to be on the east coast again, he’ll go where the money is. He’ll be 36 years old next season but he could certainly fill the spot in the middle of the rotation. Jon Garland (14-8 4.90) and Ryan Dempster (17-6 4.51) are certainly worth talking to about a three year contract as well.
The “project” pitcher that the Mets pick up on a one-year deal could be anyone from Bartolo Colon, Freddy Garcia, Carl Pavano, Matt Clement, or Sidney Ponson. The tricky part will be finding a pitcher that will agree to a minor league contract so the Mets can give Parnell and Niese a legitimate shot at the fifth spot in the rotation. Colon and Clement seem the most likely candidates to agree to start the season in the minors.
Even with Pedro and Ollie probably leaving there are plenty of free agent options available this off-season. I certainly wouldn’t like to see the Mets get into a contract longer than three years for a middle of the rotation starter. That should be the key criteria, even if the contract has to get into the $33 million plus range. Gil Meche and Ted Lilly both got five year deals, so that throws off the market. But the Mets really need to keep their contracts to as short a term as possible.
Add a comment below with your thoughts.
Report: Pierre Wants Trade From Dodgers
According to MLB Trade Rumors, Juan Pierre’s agent told MLB.com that he’d be willing to waive his no trade clause for a ticket out of LA. He’s another bad contract player that the Mets may be eyeing as a swap for Luis Castillo’s bad contract.
The Dodgers are losing Jeff Kent to free agency and Blake DeWitt, a natural third baseman, was getting playing time at second base anyway. The Dodgers will need to be in the market for a second baseman.
Pierre has 3 years/$28.5 million left on his deal. And although he’s not an ideal fit skill-wise for the Mets, his contract matches up fairly well with Castillo’s 3 years/$18 million.
Pierre’s performance dropped off this year due to a lack of at-bats. The Dodgers have a log jam in the outfield. Pierre will only be 31 years old next season, not too old to make a contribution. He’s consistently getting around 200 hits when he plays every day. He doesn’t take a lot of walks but he could be slotted into the number two spot in the lineup, or at the bottom of the order. He’d be able to handle left field which is an area of need for the Mets as well.
Video: Varitek To The Mets?
Report: Brewers Interested In Randolph, Valentine, And Johnson
The NY Post is reporting that the Milwaukee Brewers are interested in talking to Willie Randolph about their vacant managerial position. Apparently, Davey Johnson is being considered as well. Bobby Valentine has expressed interest in the Brewers job as part of his quest to return to MLB.
The Brewers have a pretty good team but I’m sure they’ll end up losing CC Sabathia. That’ll take them down a notch. And any potential manager has to be wary that they fired Ned Yost with only two weeks left in the season. That was really odd.
Mike Hargrove and Ken Macha are being interviewed as well as Dale Svuem who took over when Yost was fired.
Mets 2008 Off-Season Needs: Second Baseman
I think it’s universally agreed upon at this point that one of Mets GM Omar Minaya’s biggest mistakes was signing Luis Castillo to a long term contract. He’s a shell of his former self, with bad knees plaguing his ability to contribute to the Mets. Frequently, during the 2008 season Castillo sat on the bench watching Damion Easley, Argenis Reyes, and even Ramon Martinez start at second.
Castillo just finished the first year of his 4-year/$25 million contract. He received a $1 million bonus when he signed the deal and he’s scheduled to receive $6 million/year thereafter.
If that wasn’t enough to turn your stomach, here’s the bad news: I fully expect Castillo to be the Mets starting second baseman on opening day 2009 in Cincinnati. The reason is 100% financial. I don’t think the Wilpons will be of a mind to eat all or most of Castillo’s contract as has been suggested by some, including one of my favorite writers Matthew Artus.
You don’t need me to give you Castillo’s statistics for 2008 to know he was terrible. I heard you booing him at Shea in September, including when Jerry Manuel benched him just to avoid being treated so harshly by the home crowd. Castillo lost his starting spot during the most important games of the season in September to journeyman Ramon Martinez. Need I say more?
The sad truth is that Castillo isn’t going anywhere. The Mets have too many holes to fill in the free agent market this off-season in the outfield, bullpen, and rotation to eat Castillo’s contract. Billy Wagner’s $10.5 million isn’t covered by insurance because his injury was a pre-existing condition. So the Mets are eating that money already. And don’t forget that they’re paying Willie Randolph $2.25 million in 2009 to watch on his favorite network SNY. They won’t eat another big contract.
The bottom line is don’t get your hopes up about Orlando Hudson or Brian Roberts. The only way that will happen is if the Mets can trade Castillo for another player with a bad contract like the D-Backs’ Eric Byrnes. He’s got $22 million coming to him over the next two seasons. That may be a fit because they’ll need to fill a hole at second base when Hudson leaves. And the Mets need some help in the outfield.
Barring that type of deal, you should expect to see Castillo at second base again next season. I don’t see the Mets eating most or all of his contract.
The Mets Report 