Tag: Jason Bay

Mets And MLB Winter Meetings 2009

Jason Bay at a game between Orioles and the Re...

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We haven’t seen much from the New York Mets yet this offseason but it’s still early. None of the big free agents that the Mets should be interested in have come off the board yet anyway. It’s been in the news since yesterday that Chone Figgins signed a 4-year/$36M deal with the Mariners. As far as I’m concerned, that’s fine with me. I like Figgins but don’t see where he would fit in with the Mets roster. Maybe left field. But that’s a stretch for a guy with a long term contract at $9M/year.

At least the Mets are set at catcher. That was easy. Chris Coste will be the third string guy staying in shape at Triple-A Buffalo. And Henry Blanco should back up Omir Santos. Yahoo Sports wrote that the Mets are still in the market for a starter at catcher like Bengie Molina, Yorvit Torrealba, or Rod Barajas. But I think the Mets have bigger fish to fry than another catcher.

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New York Mets 2009 Offseason: All About The Bats

Matt Holliday of the Colorado Rockies hits aga...

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After the 2008 season ended, the Mets went looking for pitching. More specifically, they were looking for bullpen help coming off 29 blown saves. Mets GM Omar Minaya made no secret about the fact that he was looking at pitching, pitching, and more pitching. He came away with a solidly revamped bullpen led by Francisco Rodriguez, J.J. Putz, and Sean Green.

Unfortunately, we ended up with Daniel Murphy manning left field and no depth among the position players. Minaya let the rest of the team go for the sake of solidifying the bullpen and re-signing Oliver Perez. It showed when the Mets suffered an abnormally long injury list and there were no replacements waiting in the wings, minor leagues or otherwise.

Although there are some serious question marks on the pitching staff, this offseason needs to be all about generating some offense. The 2009 Mets finished 25th in the majors with 671 runs. Teams like Kansas City and Washington scored more runs than the Mets. They were dead last in the big’s with only 95 team home runs. Sure, the new stadium played a part in that. But there’s no excuse for the team with the highest payroll in the National League to finish in dead last in all of MLB.

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Deal Done- Manny To Dodgers, Bay To Red Sox

Manny Ramirez ends up with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox get Jason Bay. The Red Sox will cover the rest of Manny’s salary for this season. The Pirates get four players in return for Bay: Craig Hansen and Brandon Moss from Boston, and Andy LaRoche and Bryan Morris from the Dodgers.

It sounds like a good deal for all parties. The Red Sox had to move Manny, he was killing them with his lack of effort over the last few weeks. The Mets and Phillies may be the biggest benefactor of this trade because Manny didn’t land in Florida.

The Dodgers had to agree not to pick up Manny’s option year at the end of the season for him to accept the trade.

Trade Rumor- Jason Bay to Rays, Manny Stays Put

Tampa Bay RaysImage via Wikipedia

The latest word is that the Tampa Bay Rays have acquired Jason Bay from the Pittsburgh Pirates for minor leaguers SS Reid Brignac and pitcher Jeff Niemann.

That means that Manny Ramirez won’t be a part of a three-way deal going to the Florida Marlins. The Mets dodged a bullet there.

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Mets Need An Outfielder- Should Talk To The Rangers

Texas Rangers (baseball)Image via Wikipedia

I’ve written before here that I love what Fernando Tatis and Endy Chavez have brought to the table this season. But with Moises Alou finished for the year (and his Mets career) and Ryan Church a major question mark going forward, the Mets need to get into the trade market for an outfielder. It doesn’t necessarily have to get done by the non-waiver deadline on July 31st. The Mets could see what they’ll be getting out of Church and make a waiver deal in August.

In the meantime, Omar Minaya should be talking to the Texas Rangers about Nelson Cruz of the Triple-A Oklahoma City RedHawks. The Mets don’t need the big splash trade like a Jason Bay, Manny Ramirez, or Matt Holliday. They don’t need to take on Raul Ibanez’ massive salary either.

Cruz is tearing it up at Oklahoma City. He just turned 28 years old this month. He’s a right-handed hitter. And apparently, he isn’t going to break into the Rangers major league roster right now.

Cruz has played 93 games for the RedHawks this season hitting .347/ .443/ .729 with 36 homers and 91 RBI’s and 22 SB’s. He’s ready for the big leagues.

Even if it cost an Aaron Heilman it would be worth it.

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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.