People elsewhere have opined on the idea. John Delcos in the Journal News had a 10 step program. Bloggers and commentators elsewhere have chimed in. I've posted here and there, but have not posted my definitive ideas. Some of what I have read I agree with, and I will note that below. Some of what I have read has made me quite angry (trade Jose Reyes? Are you F'in kidding me?)
So, without further ado, let's begin. Today I will go over the roster and say who stays and who goes.
Sticking like the final out in 1986:
David Wright
Jose Reyes
Carlos Beltran
Those three are the cornerstones for this franchise. A 24 yr old 3rd baseman who continues to amaze, a 30 yr old center fielder who plays his ass off even when hurt, and a 24 yr old catalyst who, despite some thoughts, will not be traded simply because you cannot get equal value for him. The key for next year, rest, and fewer attempted steals, please. Of course, this would require the Mets obtain a SS to back him up. Perhaps Anderson Hernandez? I doubt it, he can't hit. David Eckstein? Well, the scrappy quotient would go up. Problem is, David will probably want to play every day.
Beyond that we have the following:
Pedro - like there is any question about this.
John Maine - ONLY goes if part of a deal for Santana. Otherwise, John will be here for a long time.
Oliver Perez - Same as Maine. If he can get his head in the game full time, he can win 20 easy.
Billy Wagner - um, are we forgetting how lights out he was until he had back problems? Do we think closers grow on trees? Please see our recent history with closers, not exactly Goose Gossage in there.
Scott Schoeneweis - No chance he is bought out, and no one is going to trade for him. So long as Willie uses him as a LOOGY, he will be fine.
Pedro Dos - the man was great until overuse wore him down. He goes nowhere.
El Duque - he has another year left on his deal. He is great when healthy. Put him on the DL for 15 days every other month to rest him.
Moises Alou - The man can flat out RAKE. If only he could play 120 games. A $7.5 million option makes this a no-brainer.
Carlos Delgado - Um, $16 million contract makes him the Mets Giambi, without the HGH. Hopefully he will be healthy next year and can put up 2006 numbers. A back-up plan is essential.
Hanging on like Endy's Catch
Jorge Sosa - Free Agent. Also was good until Willie burned him out. I like him in the pen.
Paul Lo Duca - Free Agent. He could be back, but it is tenuous. If Omar can't find a replacement cheap, PLD will be back. I don't see teams beating a path to his door with 3 year deals.
Luis Castillo - I liked what he did in the #2 spot. If Jose can continue to get on base, the speed with Castillo is dangerous. Please have your knees MRI'd and scoped if necessary. Grass field may help his legs. The guy played hard until the end, and you could see the pain etched on his face.
Gone Like a
Guillermo Mota - Do I really need to explain this?
Aaron Sele - see Mota.
Brian Lawrence - Free Agent. He should have to pay to get work.
David Newhan - name 1 thing he did to help this team this year. Go ahead, I dare you.
Shawn Green - Free Agent. I like Shawn, I really do. He plays hard, he has a sweet swing, and played pretty good first base. But we already have a lefty bat who can't hit lefties at first. Wants to play every day. I will not make the Israeli Baseball League joke.
Ben Johnson - let's just forget the Heath Bell trade, shall we.
Tom Glavine - I respect his career. I do not respect his craptacular outings at the end of the season and the repeated slurping of the Braves. Time to go Tom, and don't let the door hit ya where the Good Lord split ya.
Jeff Conine - well, he already said he was done, so I won't pile on much. Too bad he didn't realize he was done before last season. Everyone else did.
I Hope They Stay, but...
Lastings Milledge - I fear Omar is going to be told to trade him. He will come back to haunt us for years if this happens. Put him in right, bat him 7th and leave him alone.
Carlos Gomez - Trade bait. Good field, can't hit. Could be great, could be Jason Tyner.
Aaron Heilman - I like Aaron, I think he is a good arm in the pen. All guys have bad outings. He just gets crapped on by fans more than most. Some team will see him as a starter. Good for us, not for them. I see him as a closer. I would love it if it were here after Wagner is done. But he is probably the best trade chip.
Jose Valentin - Free Agent. Did real well in 2006. Injuries killed him this year. Sadly, he will probably not be back. Depends on what happens with Castillo and others. Odds are against his returning.
Endy Chavez (Thanks for the reminder Fakehead) - Arb Eligible. Endy is a nice bench player and a great 4th outfielder. Probably one of the best fielding centerfielders in the game. Problem is, Endy is exposed with continuos playing time. Here, he is a good fit to fillin for Alou once or twice a week, and even Beltran 2X a month (this is a must, as Carlos needs to stay fresh). Other teams might like him, so Omar may get offers, or might be willing to include him in a deal. I hope not, but you never know.
Philip Humber/Mike Pelfrey - I'm not willing to give up on Pelfrey yet. The guy missed a lot of time thanks to Boras being an ass in negotiations. I would love it if the Mets would be like other teams and let their young arms learn MLB in the pen. As for Humber, that hammer curve and fastball would look real nice in the 6th or 7th inning. Also missed time with his TJ surgery. I throw out his start the last week of the season since Willie blew it by not using him in blowouts to keep him fresh. I see one of them as the 5th starter and the other in the pen. I could also see one of them go in a trade. I hope not.
Bring Em Back
Marlon Anderson - Free Agent. Good bat off the bench. If Willie asks you to play center, please pull out tape of last time he tried it. Thanks.
Ramon Castro - good #2 catcher with pop. Please drop 20 pounds, it will help your back.
Damion Easley - good bench guy. Can fill in at 2nd. Maybe SS ocassionally.
Ruben Gotay - I like his potential. Could platoon with Castillo, which would probably eliminate Easley.
Coaches
Willie is back, we know this, and anyone who thought otherwise does not know the Wilpons. As for his coaches, this will be interesting.
Rickey - Rickey thinks he was fine. Ed thinks that Rickey was a detriment to the team. Ed thinks Rickey told Jose to run too much, and Ed thinks this was a factor in Jose's slump. Ed thinks that the Mets should give Rickey a nice parting gift of a folding table, chairs and 25 decks of cards.
The Jacket - Really, is there a better option out there? "Dep" over on Metsgeek put it best, even Rumpelstiltskin couldn't make gold from shit. Rick had a lot of shit to work with.
HoJo - Hitting Coach. RISP numbers improved. David Wright improved. Even Delgado showed signs. Only negative was Reyes trying to hit everything in the air. I think he stays in some capacity. May be replaced as hitting coach by Rudy Jaramillo (Rangers)
Sandy Alomar Sr. - 3rd base coach. Designated punch taker for Reyes. Needs to learn the STOP sign.
Jerry Manuel - Bench coach. I have no problem with his return.
Guy Conti - He's Pedro's guy. He ain't going anywhere.
Tom Nieto - Catching instructor. This is the Mets, not the Yankees. He's safe.
In the coming months, I will opine on Free Agents, trade possibilities and youth from the minors. Feel free to comment.
3 comments:
Ed, I liked what you were saying for the most part. The only thing is that I have to say I believe the Mets will try to include Heilman in a package for...someone, I just don't know. The problem is I'd like him as a closer, he doesn't seem to realize this (read my BPP column over at my blog). He doesnt' have the mental makeup for it and has said as much. Now if he were smart (and I think he has to be, I mean, he is a ND alum), he would work on his mental game and be paid gajillions of dollars to pitch an inning, and learn from one of the best in Wagner. The sad part is he won't, and he'll be starting in like Kansas City or something in a few years.
What about Endy? I couldn't agree with you more about Newhan, just awful.
Rickey don't want cards and a table. Rickey wants to play again damnit. Rickey out.
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