List of 2008 Free Agent Players

I got this from MLBTradeRumors.com : Also remember that options can be exercised and in several cases will definitely be exercised (Delgado etc.). Also remember this are just estimations about Type of FAs but they should be pretty accurate. Also some people may retire from the MLB.

Catchers
Brad Ausmus (40)
Paul Bako (37)
Rod Barajas (33) - $2.5MM club option for '09 with a $0.5MM buyout
Josh Bard (31)
Michael Barrett (32)
Henry Blanco (37) - $3MM mutual option for '09 with a $0.3MM buyout
Johnny Estrada (33)
Toby Hall (33)
Jason LaRue (35)
Paul Lo Duca (37) - Type B
Miguel Olivo (30) - $2.7MM mutual option for '09 with a $0.1MM buyout - Type B
Ivan Rodriguez (37) - Type A
David Ross (32)
Javier Valentin (33)
Jason Varitek (37) - Type A
Gregg Zaun (38) - Type B

First basemen
Rich Aurilia (37)
Hank Blalock (28) - $6.2MM club option for '09 with a $0.25MM buyout
Sean Casey (34)
Tony Clark (37)
Carlos Delgado (37) - $12MM club option for '09 with a $4MM buyout - Type B
Nomar Garciaparra (35)
Jason Giambi (38) - $22MM club option for '09 with a $5MM buyout
Eric Hinske (31)
Doug Mientkiewicz (35)
Kevin Millar (37)
Richie Sexson (34)
Mark Teixeira (29) - Type A
Daryle Ward (34)

Second basemen
Willie Bloomquist (31)
Craig Counsell (38)
Ray Durham (37)
Damion Easley (39)
David Eckstein (34)
Mark Grudzielanek (39) - Type B
Jerry Hairston Jr. (33)
Orlando Hudson (31) - Type A
Tadahito Iguchi (34)
Jeff Kent (41) - Type B
Felipe Lopez (29)
Mark Loretta (37) - Type B
Nick Punto (31)

Shortstops
Willie Bloomquist (31)
Orlando Cabrera (34) - Type A
Alex Cintron (30)
Alex Cora (33)
Craig Counsell (38)
David Eckstein (34)
Adam Everett (32)
Rafael Furcal (31)
Nomar Garciaparra (35)
Jerry Hairston Jr. (33)
Cesar Izturis (29)
Felipe Lopez (29)
Edgar Renteria (33) - Type A
Juan Uribe (30) - Type B
Ramon Vazquez (32)
Omar Vizquel (42) - $5.2MM club option for '09 with a $0.3MM buyout

Third basemen
Rich Aurilia (37)
Casey Blake (35) - Type B
Hank Blalock (28) - $6.2MM club option for '09 with a $0.25MM buyout
Willie Bloomquist (31)
Aaron Boone (36)
Russell Branyan (33)
Craig Counsell (38)
Joe Crede (31)
Nomar Garciaparra (35)
Mark Loretta (37) - Type B
Juan Uribe (30) - Type B
Ramon Vazquez (32)

Left fielders
Moises Alou (42) - Type B
Garret Anderson (37) - Type B
Milton Bradley (31) - Type A
Emil Brown (34)
Pat Burrell (32) - Type A
Adam Dunn (29) - Type A
Cliff Floyd (36) - $2.75MM club option for '09 with a $0.25MM buyout
Luis Gonzalez (41) - Type B
Jerry Hairston Jr. (33)
Raul Ibanez (37) - Type A
Gabe Kapler (33)
Kevin Mench (31)
Jason Michaels (33) - $2.6MM club option for '09
Craig Monroe (32)
Greg Norton (36)
Jay Payton (36)
Manny Ramirez (37) - Type A
Juan Rivera (30)

Center fielders
Rocco Baldelli (27)
Willie Bloomquist (31)
Mike Cameron (36) - $10MM club option for '09 with a $750K buyout - Type B
Jim Edmonds (39)
Jerry Hairston Jr. (33)
Gabe Kapler (33)
Mark Kotsay (33)
Corey Patterson (29)
Scott Podsednik (33)

Right fielders
Bobby Abreu (35) - Type A
Casey Blake (35) - Type B
Cliff Floyd (36) - $2.75MM club option for '09 with a $0.25MM buyout
Brian Giles (38) - $9MM club option for '09 with a $3MM buyout - Type A
Ken Griffey Jr. (39) - Type B
Gabe Kapler (33)
Jason Michaels (33) - $2.6MM club option for '09
Brad Wilkerson (32)

DHs
Milton Bradley (31) - Type A
Cliff Floyd (36) - $2.75MM club option for '09 with a $0.25MM buyout
Jason Giambi (38) - $22MM club option for '09 with $5MM buyout
Mike Sweeney (35)
Frank Thomas (41) - Type B
Jose Vidro (34)

Starting pitchers
Kris Benson (33)
A.J. Burnett (32) - can opt out after '08 season - Type A
Paul Byrd (38) - Type B
Roger Clemens (46)
Matt Clement (33)
Bartolo Colon (36)
Ryan Dempster (32) - Type A
Shawn Estes (36)
Josh Fogg (32)
Freddy Garcia (33)
Jon Garland (29) - Type B
Tom Glavine (43)
Mike Hampton (36)
Mark Hendrickson (35)
Livan Hernandez (34)
Orlando Hernandez (43)
Jason Jennings (30)
Randy Johnson (45)
Kenshin Kawakami (34)
Jon Lieber (39)
Braden Looper (34) - Type B
Rodrigo Lopez (33) - club option for '09
Derek Lowe (36) - Type A
Greg Maddux (43) - Type B
Pedro Martinez (37)
Sergio Mitre (28)
Jamie Moyer (46) - Type A
Mark Mulder (31)
Mike Mussina (40) - Type A
Carl Pavano (33) - $13MM club option for '09 with a $1.95MM buyout
Brad Penny (31) - $8.75MM club option for '09 with a $2MM buyout - Type B
Odalis Perez (32)
Oliver Perez (27) - Type A
Andy Pettitte (37) - Type A
Sidney Ponson (32)
Mark Prior (27)
Kenny Rogers (44)
Glendon Rusch (34)
C.C. Sabathia (28) - Type A
Curt Schilling (42)
Ben Sheets (30) - Type A
John Smoltz (42) - Type B
Koji Uehara (34)
Tim Wakefield (42) - perpetual $4MM club option - Type B
Kip Wells (32)
Randy Wolf (32) - Type B

Closers
Chad Cordero (27)
Brian Fuentes (33) - Type A
Eric Gagne (33) - Type B
Eddie Guardado (38)
Trevor Hoffman (41) - Type B
Jason Isringhausen (36) - Type A
Brandon Lyon (29) - Type B
Francisco Rodriguez (27) - Type A
Salomon Torres (37) - $3.75MM club option for '09 with a $0.3MM buyout - Type B
Kerry Wood (32) - Type A

Middle relievers
Jeremy Affeldt (30) - Type B
Luis Ayala (31)
Joe Beimel (32) - Type B
Joe Borowski (38)
Doug Brocail (42) - Type A
Shawn Chacon (31)
Juan Cruz (30) - Type A
Alan Embree (39) - $3MM club option for '09 - Type B
Scott Eyre (37)
Kyle Farnsworth (33)
Casey Fossum (31)
Keith Foulke (35)
Tom Gordon (41) - $4.5MM club option for '09 with a $1MM buyout
LaTroy Hawkins (36)
Mark Hendrickson (35)
Matt Herges (39)
Bob Howry (35) - Type B
Jon Lieber (39)
Jason Johnson (35)
Damaso Marte (34) - $6MM club option for '09 with a $0.25MM buyout - Type A
Trever Miller (36) - $2MM club option for '09 with a $0.4MM buyout - Type B
Guillermo Mota (35)
Will Ohman (31)
Darren Oliver (38) - Type A
Chan Ho Park (36)
Horacio Ramirez (29)
Al Reyes (38)
Dennys Reyes (32) - Type B
Arthur Rhodes (39)
Juan Rincon (30)
Glendon Rusch (34)
Rudy Seanez (40)
Brian Shouse (40) - Type B
Russ Springer (40) - Type A
Mike Timlin (43)
Ron Villone (39)
David Weathers (39) - Type B
Kip Wells (32)
Matt Wise (33)
Jamey Wright (34) - Type B

Fernando's back!

The Mets and Fernando Tatis have a greed to a one year deal. I think this is a great move by the Mets. He is a very valuable bat off the bench and can start if necessary. Good move Omar.

Congratulations Phillies

The Phillies won the World Series last night just as I had a feeling they would once the Rays were their opponent. Congrats, they deserved it. I don't hate the Phillies like a great deal of Mets fans do, I just don't like them. Also, I do not see the Phillies as our rivals. Our rivals are and forver will be the Braves. The Rays aren't the new rivals to the Red Sox just because the Yankees weren't in the equation this year. I don't like Jimmy Rollins, Brett Myers, or Cole Hammels but I do like Ryan Howard, Lidge, and Utley. I hate Phillie fans more than I hate the Phillies themselves. Anyway, Mets '09!

Garret Anderson?

The Angels have just declines next year's option on Garret Anderson. Anderson is a left handed LF who hit .293 with 15 HR and 84 RBI in 145 games this season. He has always put up solid number but he is also 36 and played a good chunk of his games this year at DH. He could be willing to sign a one or two year deal to play LF until F-Mart is ready. The Mets could go this route if they decide not to go with one of the bigger FA's or explore the trade market. He should be fairly cheap and the Mets could spend the extra money on pitching. I wouldn't sign him unless Manny wants 4+ years, we don't go for Dunn or Ibanez. Thoughts?

Matt Holliday

It is rumored that the Rockies have made outfielder Matt Holliday available to other teams for mainly pitching. The Mets are one of several teams rumored to be interested. If you are the Mets how much would you be willing to give up. Holliday playing half his games at Coors Field is one of the best hittters in the game. He will no doubt be a good hitter playing half his games else where but how good is the question? He is great at Coors and only good elsewhere. As a fan would you want the Mets to give up a package of Niese, Murphy, Kunz, and Heillman for Holliday? I would actually probably say no to this deal (although it would be a tough call). I would say no because there are a few OFs on the Free Angent market who we could sign without giving up these players: Dunn, Manny, Ibanez, Burrell, Abreu, etc. While only Manny is the only one who is as good/better than Holliday the others are still solid options.

Poll

On the right I added a poll. Answer and comment here if u choose other.

Congrats Fernando Tatis

Fernando Tatis was voted NL Comeback Player of the Year by fellow MLB players. "The career of Tatis, 33, took a steady downturn after his breakout season of 1999, when he batted .298 with 34 home runs and 107 RBIs with the Cardinals. By 2003 with the Expos, Tatis had skidded to .194 in 53 games. He did not play professionally in 2004 or 2005."- MLB.com This year Tatis in 92 games with the Mets hit .297, with 11 homers, 47 RBI and 33 runs scored. Also remember that Tatis did not start all of those games. Tatis was a huge part of the Mets resurgance in teh second half and helped them contend for the NL East title. Tatis hurt his shoulder in mid September and missed the rest of the season. Tatis is one of my new favorite players. The only reason Tatis came back to professional baseball after the 2005 season was so he could make enough money for his hometown so they could build a church in his hometown of San Pedro de Macoris in the Dominican Republic. He is a good guy and a hard worker. I love when he hits a homeroom and he does his sidestep, clap, and point to God. I think it's very classy without being too show offish. Here is a video of an interview with Tatis after he found out about his winning of the award. I really hope the Mets bring Tatis back next year. He was a great addition to the team and was a catalyst for the team for a long period of time. He provides the Mets with a great backup outfielder/infielder who can start when needed.

CentSports

Hey guys I am doing this thing where you bet imaginary money on actual games and when you make $20 or more you can cash out and get real $. It's pretty cool. If you click on this link http://www.centsports.com/?opcode=256759 and sign up we become "cronies" and when one of us wins we get 5% of the other person's bet so it's a good way to rack up some money. It's pretty fun. Try it out. The link is also on the top right of the page.

Prior and Mulder

Today the Cardinals declined their option on Mark Mulder's contract for next season thus making him a free agent. Mark Prior is also a free agent. Both of these players have had a lot of success when healthy, but their problem is staying healthy. Prior is only 28 and Mulder is only 31. I personally am a huge fan of signing talented guys coming off of surgery to minor league deals with incentives. I would sign both of these guys to contracts because neither would cost much and could probably sign both to minor league deals. I wouldn't rely on either but if even one of them could help out the team he would be a huge boost and cheap. Signing them, especially Prior, is one of the ultimate low risk/high reward type of move. Think about if Mark Prior could come back healthy pitching even in the realm of his prime, we would have a good rotation. If BOTH of them could come back and pitch like they have the ability to, we would have a great rotation. I am a big supporter of signing both of them to minor league deals. Please Omar listen to me for once and sign them.

Playoff Hopes and Predictions: World Series

Well the Red Sox were eliminated but did come close to winning it. As soon as they put in Price to close the game I knew it was over for the Sox. It's a Phillies vs. Rays matchup. I want the Rays to win but I have a gut feeling that the Phillies will. I love Cliff Floyd and Carl Crawford so I am pulling for the Rays. They should win because of their superior pitching but many many times the best team does not win. So here we go. I can't wait unitl the Hot Stove begins, one of my favorite parts of the year.

Jake Peavy

There have been rumors going around that Jake Peavy is being shopped around. While I personally do not see him getting traded, I wouldn't be shocked if he did. Some teams that have been mentioned to trade for Peavy are the Braves, Yankees, and Astros, among others. Peavy is only 27 years old and is owed $59 million over the next four years with a $22 million option for 2013. Peavy also currently has a no-trade clause so he can pretty much choose where he goes. Peavy is one of the best pitchers in baseball. The only issue with Peavy is that he is an injury risk. He has had injury problems in the past and could have problems in the future but he is not Ben Sheets-injury prone. While I do not see the Mets giving up their young talent to get Peavy, I think they should if they have the opportunity. GM Kevin Towers is reportedly looking for pitching and middle infielders in the package. If I were Omar I'd give up F-Mart, Niese/Parnell, Murphy, and Carp for Peavy. Obviously there are other combos you could go with but basically in my mind the only future star you are giving up is F-Mart and he has injury concerns. Murphy is a bit overhyped but he is a good hitter. In my mind though aces are much harder to come by than anyone else. Think about that rotation next year.
1. Santana
2. Peavy
3. Maine
4. Pelfrey
5. FA

That would be the best rotation in baseball regardless of which free agent the Mets sign. While I see none of this happening, it is nice to dream...

Joba the Drunk

Joba Chamberlain was arrested yesterday on DUI and speeding charges. Joba also was driving while having an open container in his car. Following in the footsteps of fellow Yankee pitcher Sydney Ponson, Joba has made a great decision. I just don't understand it. If you're as talented as someone like Joba Chamberlain (or even Ponson) why in God's good name would you get involved in stupid shit like this.

Things That Annoy Me

I have been meaning to put up some things about baseball games that really annoy me. Here is my list of things that should never happen at baseball games.

• Leaving a game early. If you paid for tickets (or even if you got them for free) to a game, regardless of the score, stay for the whole game. There are only 2 reasons a fan should leave a game early: 1. An emergency that needs attending to. 2. Bad weather (and even this one is iffy). The first one is obvious. The second one I would not personally leave a game early for bad weather unless the game is delayed so long and I have to be somewhere important. If you ever find yourself at a baseball game and the game is a blow out and you get up to leave, do me a favor and please don't call yourself a "fan." Look at last night's game between the Red Sox and Rays. The Rays were up 7-0 with one of the better bullpens in the game this year and so called Red Sox "fans" got up and left. It's a f*cking playoff game. ARE YOU CRAZY!? ALCS tickets at Fenway are a ton of $, why not get full value out of it. I bet the people who left last night are very disappointed they didn't stay to see an amazing come back victory with a walk off in the bottom of the 9th.
• The Wave. STOP. Plain and simple, keep the wave away from baseball. I don't like it at ANY sporting event. It's fun to do in random situations like at rallys or in school but not during a game. It is dumb. ESPECIALLY in close games in important situations. Sign the Petition here.
• Thunder Sticks. Do I even need to explain how annoying and stupid these things are? Keep them away from baseball.
• The Tomahawk Chop. THE. MOST. ANNOYING. CHANT.
• UPDATE: Booing players on YOUR team. It's perfectly fine when at Shea to boo Chipper Jones, Albert Pujols, Barry Bonds, Jimmy Rollins, etc. But don't boo you own players, especially when they don't deserve it. I'm not a fan of booing your players at ANY point in the game regardless of how they're doing. It can't help the team. It can only hurt. It can get in players' heads and cause them to do even worse and thus create more booing.
  
• UPDATE: Negative chants (outside of booing opposing teams). So-and-so sucks. I don't like it. It just annoys me. Especially if your saying X sucks when X clearly does not suck.
  

Luis Castillo

I was thinking about writing an article about this even before I came across this article on another blog . Mets fans are calling for Omar to get rid of Luis Castillo at any cost. I think that Luis Castillo, when healthy, can be a very productive (while not great) hitter. He gets on base at a good clip (.370 OBP), can hit around .300 and can steal 20+ bases (He stole 17 out of 19 bases this year despite his injuries). He is not nearly as good defensively as he was in his Gold Glove but is still solid. Omar did sign him for too long of a contract. 4 years for an aging player with knee problems is too much. Castillo is a "gritty" and "hard-nosed" player that soo many Mets fans call for. He played through injuries and is currently planning to play winter ball to get back on track. This is a good sign. It shows that Castillo is not going to just assume he has the starting role because of his past and his contract. He wants to earn the starting job. Mets fans should be happy to hear this. I feel it would be ill-advised to cut or trade Castillo now because his value is at its lowest ever. Give him a chance to prove himself. Why go out and overpay for Orlando Hudson (who also has had injury problems btw) when we have a solid player already. We can use that money towards areas that really matter (RP, LF, SP).

Rumors: Beltran and Church

There have been several rumors floating around about the Mets shopping around Carlos Beltran and Ryan Church. One such rumor is a Beltran to the Yankees trade. The Mets would send Beltran and in return get Cano (with the Yanks eating some salary), either Jose Veras or Brian Bruney, Ian Kennedy, and another prospect from the Yankees system (WasWatching.com). Why on earth would the Mets trade the best CF in baseball for an overrated 2b, a middle relief pitcher, an overrated prospect who was terrible this year, and another prospect? The Mets would then have 2 second basemen on their hands and 0 starting centerfielders. Who would the Mets put in center? It's not like they have a MLB ready prospect ready to take over to Beltran. They could put Chavez in center and sacrifice a ton of offense or move Church over and sacrifice defense and leave the question of who will play RF. Also, officials said the Mets aren't necescarily "shopping" Beltran or listening to "offers" but will be hearing "inquiries" from other teams. This makes it unlikely that he will be moved but has a better chance of being moved than Wright or Reyes. I do not think that this rumor will ever happen because it makes no sense on the Mets part.

Another rumor floating around for the past couple of weeks is the idea of trading Ryan Church. Church burst onto the NY scence and quickly became a fan favorite in his first year in NY before he suffered multiple concussions that forced him out of the lineup for many weeks. When he returned Church did not play at the same level and was never able to get into a rythm. He was also playing the last couple of weeks of the season with a hip injury. Mike Francesa said on his show that his sources told him that Church hates playing in NY and does not like the Mets team. However, when Church first came off the DL and played his first game since the concussions he got a standing ovation that moved both him and his wife. He said his wife cried at the ovation. Church also said at the time he would be open to signing a long term contract and buying out his remaining arbitration years. I like Church and actually want to buy a Los Mets Church jersey. I would be open to signing him to a long term contract. He is a very good outfielder with a very strong and accurate arm. He can swing a good bat and hits for a decent average with good pop. He even showed he can hit left handers this year and in past years. I would be open to trading Church depending on who we get. The only Mets I would be completely be opposed to trading are Wright, Reyes, Beltran, Maine, Pelfrey, and Santana. I also don't see Church getting traded because we also don't have anyone to replace him. I just don't see it happening but I wouldn't be shocked if it did happen.

Playoff Hopes and Predictions: Championship Series

Well my NL hopefuls got eliminated while my AL hopefuls got through. Now the two match ups are Dodgers vs. Phillies and Rays vs. Red Sox. I am hoping for the Sox to win and then go on to win the World Series. I think the Red Sox have a good shot a doing so, especially with the Cubs out of it. I really don't care much about who wins the Dodgers vs. Phillies matchup. I'll hope for the Dodgers because Lowe and Manny playing against the Sox in Boston would be very interesting. Like I said before, the Dodgers are deceptively good and are better than most people think. They have a legitimate shot to win the series vs the Phillies. I think that it will be a Sox vs. Phillies matchup but I'm hoping the Dodgers can beat the Phillies.

My Favorite Shea Moments

In honor of Shea Stadium being demolished and Citi Field being opened next year, I decided to write about my favorite memories at Shea. I have not been to many games in my lifetime because everyone in my family is Yankee fans. However there are two games in particular that I attended that were truly amazin' in my mind.

The first game that sticks out was on Saturday, April 15, 2005. My godfather called my dad the day before and asked if we wanted to go to a 1:00PM game the next day. The Mets were playing the Marlins and injured starter Kris Benson was being replaced by none other than Mr. "Jeckle and Hyde" Aaron Heilman. For the Marlins, former World Series MVP, Josh Beckett was starting and newly acquired 1b Carlos Delgado in the heart of the lineup. On teh way to the game my godfather tells us that he could have gotten us tickets for Sunday's game but he couldn't have gone with us. Of course my two favorite starters were pitching against each other, Pedro Martinez and Al Lieter. We joked around with my godfather giving him grief for not giving us tickets to Sunday's game instead. We were kidding of course and just glad to be going to in the first place. My dad joked and said "Watch Heilman pitches the first Mets' no-hitter in history." He nearly did. The game was amazing as Heilman blanked the Marlins to throw a one-hit complete game shut out. The one hit by Luis Castillo was a dribbler to 2b Miguel Cairo which I thought could have been considered an error but the offical scorers disagreed. Regardless, the game was great. Heilman only walked 3 and struck out 7 Marlins including one to the heavily booed at the time, Carlos Delgado. To make the game even better for me my favorite Met Mike Piazza went 2 for 4 with 3 RBIs. Reyes had also had a double but Wright unfortunately had the day off because of back spasms. The Mets won 4-0. The Mets won the Sunday game 4-3 with a walk off single by Ramon Castro, but I don't think it could have matched the Mets game I went to. Even Wright not playing could not take away from a great game and possibly the best game I've ever been to.

Game two was this July 27th, my birthday. My friend had tickets to the game and the four of us took the ferry and the train to the game. New Met ace Johan Santana was going up the Cardinals' Kyle Loshe. The Mets would go on to win the game 9-1 with Johan Santana tossing his first CG as a Met and the first CG by a Mets pitcher in 2008. The game was amazing with Johan taking a no hitter into the 5th. Wright, Castro, and one of my new favorites, Fernando Tatis hitting home runs. Johan Santana became a new favorite when he got a hit and ran the bases like a real player, not wearing the jacket and running hard. The CG came after the Mets bullpen struggled the night before and the Mets needed a long outing from Johan. He delivered and didn't give up a run until 7th giving up a solo shot to Albert Pujols. The Pujols HR came right after Carlos Beltran robbed Ryan Ludwick of a HR and being the top play of the day on ESPN. Another great play in the game came in the third when Endy Chavez bunted Jose Reyes to third. Chavez was hustling to first and dodged the tag and slid head first into first. My friends and I were going crazy. It was truly an Amazin' game which I will always remember. The game just helped give me one of the best birthdays of my short life.

World Series Homefield advantage

Let's take a look at how home field advantage for the World Series is determined. Prior to 2003 the home field advantage for the World Series was alternated between NL and AL. However after the 2002 All-Star game ended in a tie, commissioner Bud Selig changed the rule and made the winning team of the All-Star game have the home field advantage for the World Series. While to many home field advantage may not seem like much, it can have a significant impact on any game, especially the World Series. I personally do not like the current way of having the All-Star game decide who has home field advantage. You may think that I think this because I am a fan of the NL and the Mets. This is not the case however.

I think it is unfair that the All-Star game decides the World Series because many times the best players do not play in the All-Star game. Those who play are voted on by the fans. This year Wright was only on due to Soriano injury and Reyes was not on the team at all despite the fact that he had an historically good first half becoming the first player in history to have 10 home runs, 10 triples, 20 doubles, and 30 stolen bases before the All Star break. Santan was not on the team despite having one of the lowest ERAs in the NL at the time. These are just 3 snubs from the Mets this year and does not take into account everyone else in the league for every other year. Also, the All-Star game is an exhibition game meant for fun. This means that the fans want to see all players get in the game so many times managers take out their starting and sometimes best players for backups who may not even deserve to be on the team in the first place.

My solution would not be to go back to alternating years (although it is better than the current All-Star game method). The World Series home field advantage should be determined by the team with the better record throughout the year. This rewards teams who play in an exceptionally tough division who have to win more games to get into the playoffs because of their division. Also, it gives teams who are lightyears ahead of the rest of their division motivation to continue winning games and not slack off. In the case of a tie for best record in MLB in both leagues (Yankees & Mets in 2006, although neither made it to WS) then you go to a coin toss or opposite of who had the advantage in the previous year. This system is more fair and would make the teams continue to play rahter than slack off and take the rest of the season lightly after clinching a post season birth. Also, it forces managers to be more stategic. For example if a team has the best record in the MLB and is in the AL but the best NL team is only a couple games behind them with a week left to play, do you rest your regulars or go for the best record and a chance for home field advantage? More managing and strategy = better baseball. (which is why the DH makes it easier to manage in the AL, but that is a whole other can of worms).

CC, Manny, and K-Rod

UPDATE: According to MLBTR.com Manny may be looking for 5 years for $85 million years. NO WAY do I go for it if these are the conditions. 5 years is way too many.

The three major free agents this offseason are CC Sabathia, Manny Ramirez, and Francisco Rodriguez. Listening to Mets fans talk, they want all three. This definitely will not happen as all three will be demanding large and expensive contracts. CC will probably be asking for 5-7 years. Manny will be looking for at least 3-4 years. K-Rod will be looking forat least 4-5 years. I think that all 3 of these contracts at their asking price will be too much because Manny is 37 and has been injured in the past, CC has thrown a ton of innings the past 2 years and any 7 year deal is alot, K-Rod has lost a few MPH on his fastball and has a violent motion. Having any 3 of these players would significantly change the view on this team. Having a lineup starting Reyes, Beltran, Wright, Manny, Delgado is ridiculous. Johan and CC would be the best 1-2 punch in baseball. K-Rod is a significant upgrade over Luis Ayala/closer by comitteee that the Mets finished with. There are guys I would sign over each of them due to age, $, or shorter contract term (Dunn, Perez/Sheets/Lowe, Fuentes/Wood). However I would not be against signing any 3 of these guys, which I think readers thought after my last couple of posts. Manny would be a great signing for a 2 and possibly even 3 year deal as long as we can keep him happy. Manny is also known as a "clutch" player which many believe is important. Although if you look at it statistically, clutch is an overused term but thats aside from the point. K-Rod is great but will be overpaid because of the flashy but relatively hollow saves record. He is a top 10 closer and would be a good signing but he may take away $ to improve the rotation, lineup or rest of the bullpen. CC is probably the riskiest signing because of the lenght of the contract and the innings he has pitched. It would also be the most lucrative contract because teams like the Yankees and Angels will also be involved in the bidding but the Mets may have an edge up on them because we are in the NL.

The Gangsta Years

Jerry Manuel agreed to a 2 year deal with a third year option as manager of the New York Mets. I like this move a lot and like Jerry. He is very fun to listen to and always has good quotes from his threatening to stab Jose Reyes on the field to Johan's gangsta performance on the second to last day of the season. Manuel motivated the Mets and did overall a very good job as manager. He was also manager of the year with the White Sox in 2000.

Lucky Charms 10/3/08

• The Mets announced that Omar Minaya's contract has been extended through 2012 with team options for 2013 and 2014. It is a good move in my opinion.
• Minaya said the Mets intend to pick up Carlos Delgado's $12 million option for next year. Another smart move.
  
• The Mets have reportedly offered Jerry Manuel a 2 year $2 million dollar deal but he has yet to accept it, possibly holding out for more. Give him more and bring him back or get Bobby Valentine back. Either would be fine with me.
  
• Cubs are down 2 games to the Dodgers and barring 3 straight wins (which is definintely possibly) the Cubs are all but done. God must really hate the Cubs. Dodgers are like I said a deceptively good team.
• Brewers are also down 2 games to the Phillies but I can't say I'm surprised about this. CC should have pitched game 3 on more rest rather than yesterday. Hindsight is 20/20 thought.
• Rays are up 1 game on the White Sox.
• Red Sox are up 1 game on the Angels.

Ambiorix Burgos is Hell-bound

According to the Daily News, Mets pitcher Amiorix Burgos is wanted for allegedly hitting and killing 2 women in the Dominican Republic with his Hummer. Burgos is also wanted for a gun possesion charge. Brilliant. This is one quality guy. Trade him ASAP. Some team who doesn't really care about the character of their players (Yankees possibly) because Burgos does have a lot of talent. Just get rid of him.

Johan Santana = New Favorite

Johan Santana today underwent knee surgery because he had a torn meniscus. How long has Johan Santana been dealing with pain in his knee one may ask? How about the whole month of September. Yes September, the same month he won pitcher of the month. Truly amazing. He did not tell the team about the pain. He pitched with a torn meniscus on the second to last day of the season on 3 days rest. A game in which he threw a 3 hit complete game shut out. Johan Santana is truly amazin'. He should win the Cy Young regardless of this new news. However now that we know this, there is no doubt in my mind he should win the Cy Young. This shows the type of player and competitor Santana is. Johan Santana will go down as a legend in Mets lore, even if they did not make the post season.

Off Season Moves : The Bullpen

UPDATE: I've been thinking about this more and thinking that the Mets should give Kunz and Parnell a shot to make the pen given a strong spring training. Also signing Lyon would be good to have as a back up closer.

The Bullpen is the area that needs the most work this offseason. As of now Smith, Schoeneweis is under contract with Heilman, Feliciano and Sanchez arbitration eligible. Lets take a look at who to keep, who to get rid of and who to go out and get.

I know I will get ripped for this but strictly from a pitching standpoint Scott Schoeneweis is very good at his job and terrible at anything else. His job is to get lefties out. He put up a .174 BAA for lefties and .333 BAA for righties. He is a good left handed specialist but that is it. If the Mets want to carry a left handed specialist he is the guy to keep since he is under contract and very good at getting lefties out. There is a problem of the fans hating him. I personally like him. He is a competitor and pitched all of last year hurt. He was in tears following the game Sunday. I would keep Schoenewies unless we can get someone better in a trade.

Pedro Feliciano has shown he can be very good at getting lefties out and he has also shown he can be just as bad at getting righties out as Show. He was pretty good against righties in '07 and '06 but was terrible this year (even worse than Show). I would offer him arbitration and give him another shot (altough I have never particularly liked him) especially if we trade Schow.

Aaron Heilman. I really like him. He had a terrible terrible year though. He just did not get the job done, especially against lefties (which is odd because his change up makes him usually very effective against lefties). He actually did decent against righties who hit .222 against him. He has been battling tendonitis all year. He did not use this as an excuse though for his poor season. He has good stuff and can be very effective and has shown it in the past. The fans hate him for this season though and it would be tough for me to argue to not trade him but I will do it anyway. He has a lot of potential and can be very useful. I would hate to see him traded for less than he is worth.

Duaner Sanchez was effective at times but forthe most part did not get the job done this year. This was his first year pitching since his terrible injury from the taxi incident in 2006. He should have been given more time off this year and it showed in his decreased velocity towards the later parts of the seaosn. I think we should bring him back for another year and see how he does. He can still be quite effective and it showed at points this season.

Joe Smith is coming back as the rightie groundball pitcher.

As for the closer situation I would love for the Mets to get Kerry Wood but he is probably going back to the Cubs. The Mets should go get Brian Fuentes. K-Rod will cost too much for too many years. His season was good but will be overrated because of his save totals. I love K-Rod and wouldn't mind signing him but I think a smarter move would be for Wood or Fuentes.

Brandon Lyon could be signed as a middle reliever who could potentially close for us in case of injury. Juan Cruz is an undervalued pitcher who could be a very good signing. Also bringin back Stokes and Wise may not be bad moves either. I thought Ayala did a good job and could be brought back as a decent middle reliever.

Burgos has a great arm and could be a sleeper pick for closer if the Mets decide to go internally for closer. He is a hot head who beats his girlfriend but there have been many jerks who have had success in the big leagues (Sheffield, Clemens, Myers, etc.).

Kunz is another pick to close but should be kept in the minors for another year. He could be used in the bullpen in the 2009 season but not as the closer. Bobby Parnell was converted to a starter but many believe he will be better in the bullpen and the Mets may decided to switch him back and while he may not be a closer he could possibly be a good middle reliever.

There is also the trade possibilities of Houston Street, Francisco Cordero, and possibly Joakim Soria. I love Soria but do not see the Royals trading him. I like Francisco Cordero but he may cost too much in prospects, altough he is a very intriguing option. I have always felt Street was overrated and do not want the Mets to trade for him because the A's will ask for way too much and we would likely end up being fleeced for him.


I know there is a lot of rambling just now but to clear things up here is what my 2009 bullpen would look like:

Fuentes
Smith
Schoenewies
Heilman
Cruz
Long Man (Knight or Figueroa)

Johan Santana and the Cy Young Award

I have a huge problem with the way the Cy Young Award is handed out. The Cy Young award is supposed to be handed out to the best pitcher in the league. However many times the award is handed out to the pitcher who has the most wins, which is a terrible reflection on how good a pitcher really is. The goal of a pitcher is to prevent runs from scoring. There is a statistic that measures how good a pitcher is at doing that. That statistic is called ERA. In my opinion the pitcher with the lowest ERA in the league (given that he has pitched enough innings) deserves the Cy Young. A pitchers win-loss record is many times a reflection on how lucky he was, how good the bullpen was, or how good his offense was (something which for the most part is out of a pitcher's control). Take for example Steve Trachsel and Randy Johnson in 2006. Steve Trachsel finished the year with 15 wins (1 shy of the league leader) but had a 4.97 ERA. Randy Johnson finished with 17 wins (2 shy of the league leader) and an ERA of 5.00. It is amazing how these two pitchers had so many wins yet pitched so poorly. Now these are extreme examples but take this year for instance. The Cy Young candidates are Brandon Webb, Tim Lincecum, CC Sabathia, and Johan Santana. The front runner for this award is probably Brandon Webb because he has 22 wins. Yet Santana has on average given up nearly a full run less per game than Webb.

I'll give you these stats anonymously and you tell me which pitcher you would rather have.
A: 227 INN, 2.62 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 265 K, 26/33 Games started were quality (GS/QS)
B: 253 INN, 2.70 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 251 K, 25/35 GS/QS
C: 234.3 INN, 2.53 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 206K, 28/34 GS/QS
D: 226.7 INN, 3.3o ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 183 K, 24/34 GS/QS
E: 206.7 INN, 2.96 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 187 K, 21/33 GS/QS
F: 227.3 INN, 3.09 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 196 K, 23/33 GS/QS
(I only included K's because people love them but in the grand scheme it is not very important and just very flashy.)

I would take pitcher C over the rest of them followed probably by A then C then E then F then D. A is Lincecum, B is CC Sabathia, C is Santana, D is Webb, and E is Dempster. F is Hamels. Interesting how those stats stack up to one another when they are anonymous w/o wins. Santana has the lowest ERA in the MLB (yes even lower than Cliff Lee). He was undefeated since June 28th. If CC was in the NL the whole year and put up similar stats I would of course have to go with him. He wasn't though and didn't put up similar stats in both leagues. This award is for the year, not half of the year. Santana outpitched the rest of the league and if all the pitchers had the same run support and same bullpen, Santana would have the most wins. He pitched under more pressure than any other pitcher because of the NY media and fans. He was brought in to be the savior of the team and he did his best to be just that. He pitched one of the greatest games on the second to last day of the season. CC did a great job down the stretch as well but for the whole year Santana was better overall. The Cy Young Award should go to Santana but because he only has 16 wins and Webb has 22 and Lincecum has 18 it is unlikely Santana will win the award. This is not the only time in history where a pitcher will be robbed of the award. It has happend many many times before. It happend to Pedro the year Zito won. It happend last year with CC. It happend when Colon won it. It happened when Carpenter won it. It happend to many many others in the past. Johan should win but most likely won't and may not even finish top 3. It is a shame that the Cy Young award doesn't usually go to the best pitcher in the league.

Playoff Hopes and Predictions: 1st Round

Here are what I hope and what I think will happen in the first round:

MIL Vs PHI: I think that with a healthy Sheets the Brewers would win the series because CC and Sheets healthy are better than anyone the Phillies have (even Hamels). However Sheets is not healthy. I hope the Brew Crew wins but the Phillies will probably win.

CHC Vs. LAD: This is a tough call because the Dodgers are deceptively good. Not many give them credit. However I am going to hope and think that the Cubs will win with my boy Rich Harden and Kerry Wood. The Cubs have a great 3 man punch in the rotation in Dempster, Zambrano, and Harden. They also have a good bullpen with Wood and Marmol. I am going to go with the Cubs and hope they make it to the W.S,

LAA Vs. BOS: This is another tough call. Both teams are very good. Healthy the Sox probably have a better team but they are not healthy. It will be a good fight but I think overall the Sox will probably pull off a series win. I also hope they make it to the W.S.

TBR Vs. CHW: I think and hope the Rays have this one. I don't really feel like going into why because I am tired but yea Rays.