OK, I feel ready to write without screaming now. Following the football and another lovely shutout loss by the Rangers at home (have they put a puck in the net in December?), I need to turn to another sport: baseball. The Winter Meetings have started in Las Vegas and that's where the wheels of player transactions really start to gain some traction. And after the Mets' second straight meltdown and a miserable ending to Shea Stadium, we as Mets fans have suffered enough. We expect better and it is time to get better. These are the four areas I think need to be addressed more than anything.
1) Bullpen
2) Setup men
3) Second base
4) Fourth starter
1) I have written post after post about the horrors of the Mets bullpen. I am not going to go through the stats again. With Billy Wagner out for the season, they need a closer. The good thing is no other team really seems to be willing to commit a multi-year contract to a closer. So the Mets control the market right now. The top three are Francisco Rodriguez, Brian Fuentes, and Kerry Wood. I cannot count Trevor Hoffman, unless he is willing to pitch the 8th inning. Now Wood intrigues me. I thought he did an outstanding job for the Cubs this past year and I think he would come at a reasonable price. His injury history is longer than Pacman Jones' rapsheet, but the bullpen may be what he needs to stay moderately healthy. I have zero interest in Fuentes. During the Rockies' run to the 2007 World Series, he was demoted from the closer role. Even the Mets cost him a few saves. Nuff said. K-Rod may have some miles on his arm. But he is the guy that I want. He has moxie, vicious stuff, and is only 26. I would go 4 guaranteed years for $12 million per.
2) Now that is not enough. Oh no. This team needs an influx of setup men. I really believe the Mets need to sign at least three bridges to the ninth, maybe even four. I like sidewinding Joe Smith for sure and everyone else to me is a question mark. I would take lefty Pedro Feliciano back but would not mind trading him either. I feel the same way about Brian Stokes and Duaner Sanchez (if he can recover his lost velocity). Eddie Kunz and Bobby Parnell (who the Mets refused to trade to the White Sox) will probably both have a chance to earn a spot. I have defended Aaron Heilman, but he needs to go. Contrary to that is Scott Schoeneweis, who I have not defended and absolutely needs to go.
So let's assume the Mets sign a closer and bring back just Smith, Feliciano, and Stokes. For lefties, I would sign Joe Beimel and Will Ohman in a minute. Eddie Guardado, I would be cautious of, but I can see Omar taking a chance on him. For righties, the guy I really want is Juan Cruz. He can fire the ball, which so few Met relievers did last year. Outside of Stokes, I don't think a Mets reliever ever broke 94 MPH. He will cost draft picks though, so that is a drawback. Brandon Lyon and Juan Rincon would also fit in well. I would love to bring in Huston Street as an 8th inning guy, but that would require a trade. They also need a long reliever, though Nelson Figueroa could possibly fill that role.
3) If there is a Mets fan out there who wants Luis Castillo to be the second baseman on Opening Day, raise your hand. This is one of the few contracts where everyone hated it as soon as it would signed and as the season went on, the hatred only deepened. He has 3 years and about $18 million left. Omar Minaya has to trade him. I would trade him for an extra tarp for the infield during weather delays. And they have got to bring Orlando Hudson in. He brings the character and energy the Mets have lacked for two years. He would be an ideal No. 2 hitter behind Jose Reyes. He plays great defense. He wants to be in New York. If Hudson cannot be had, then a viable 1 year option who can play off the bench should be added (Mark Grudzielanek or Mark Loretta).
4) The Mets have Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey, and John Maine as their top 3 starters. The big question is whether they should sign Oliver Perez. He reminds me of a mechanical bull. His stuff is so electric but too often, he can't harness it. I would give him 4 guaranteed years, but would not go past 10 million per. And I would add a lot of performance-based incentives. Anything to motivate him. If they do not keep Ollie, they need to sign a 4th starter. Jon Garland is the big name, but his numbers have plummeted the last three years. I would proceed with caution with him. I like Randy Wolf and Brad Penny as well. Too many other guys are injury-prone (Prior, Mulder). As for Pedro, I would give him a one year offer for 5 million, nothing more. And I would give Jon Niese a shot to earn the 5th starter's spot against a Jason Vargas or a Brandon Knight. Ouch. They need a good starter. Or maybe Parnell could start...
A few other notes:
I would like to get a better catcher than Brian Schenider, but that is not a realistic possibility right now. I would not mind adding a left fielder, but I don't know where he's coming from. I do not want Manny Ramirez. Adam Dunn strikes out too much. Thank God they are not interested in Pat Burrell. I guess Raul Ibanez would be a fine addition for three years. Tatis, Murphy, Pagan, Evans, Argenis Reyes, and Castro make up a pretty good bench for now, though some power could be used. Damion Easley was good, but he is old and his last two seasons have ended with injuries. I would add either Rocco Baldelli or Jason Michaels. I would welcome them in a heartbeat. And perhaps we will see Fernando Martinez debut in the big leagues sometime this summer.
But back to the present day. Now I understand Omar is set to meet with K-Rod tonight. And Omar is determined to leave Las Vegas on Wednesday with a closer. The buzz in baseball seems to suggest the Mets will offer K-Rod a three-year deal, with an option for a fourth year, all worth roughly $12 million per season. If Francisco Rodriguez takes that, I will be thrilled. But there will still be plenty of work to do.
It is time to take the National League back.
No comments:
Post a Comment