Master Index of Archived Threads


Davidoff : Mets Need Help

metirish May 11 2010 02:19 PM

Ken has some thoughts... Davidoff: Help is on the way for Mets, and they need more of it After an ugly 3-2 loss to the Nationals Monday night at Citi Field, a rare instance this season in which the Mets beat themselves, Jerry Manuel announced a necessary personnel change to his club. Smithtown's Frank Catalanotto, a great guy who just didn't show much as a Mets bench player, is out, designated for assignment. Chris Carter, who had been tearing up the International League at Triple-A Buffalo, will join the team tonight in an effort to improve the bench. It's a good first step, but there are two other moves the Mets (17-15) - who fell a game behind second-place Washington (18-14) in the National League East with the loss - should make right now. And if they really want to contend for a postseason spot, rather than just lurk in the periphery of postseason conversation, they should make larger moves once other teams have real interest in trades. The Mets were 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position Monday night, and afterward, we heard much about how they are pressing. Manuel said his players will "continue to work, continue to talk about it, continue to get after it." The truth, though, is that the Mets need help. Sure, they should have something coming from Jose Reyes and Jason Bay. Yet Rod Barajas will slow down on the power front, and Jeff Francoeur already is regressing toward the sort of numbers that prompted the Braves to give up on him. The Mets lowered their payroll during the offseason, acquiring Bay and doing little else, because they professed they saw no other clear upgrades. And they promised they'd have more in-season flexibility to make moves - the sort of moves they largely did not make during the lost seasons of 2007 and 2008. Replacing Willie Randolph with Manuel in '08 felt like a huge maneuver, yet the biggest trade came when Luis Castillo came over from the Twins in '07. So if Seattle makes Cliff Lee available, the Mets should be all over that. They have a deeper farm system now, giving them more trade chips, and they can replenish it (if they trade someone) with the seventh overall pick in this upcoming draft, as long as they're willing to pay more than Major League Baseball's slotted figure. And if an outfield bat becomes available - shoot, even Kansas City's Jose Guillen, if the Royals express a willingness to pay enough of the freight - the Mets should consider that, too. Right now, though, with the Carter-for-Catalanotto swap executed, the Mets should . . . 1. Release Gary Matthews Jr. As expected, he hasn't been the best addition for the Mets. Manuel called upon Matthews as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning with Mets on first and third and none out. Matthews struck out against Doug Slaten. The Mets should let him go and bring up another pitcher or Buffalo slugger Mike Hessman. It's time to admit that getting Matthews was a mistake. 2. Prepare Jenrry Mejia to be a starter. Yup, again. Ollie Perez is too inconsistent and John Maine, though better lately, lives on the edge. The Mets could wind up needing to replace both. If it's Mejia and an outsider - Lee, Baltimore's Kevin Millwood, Houston's Roy Oswalt or someone else - then that's pretty good. These Mets fight. They can hang around. To do more than that, though, they need help.

Benjamin Grimm May 11 2010 02:25 PM Re: Davidoff : Mets Need Help

I'm down with items 1 and 2. Releasing Matthews would be no loss, since the Angels are paying the bulk of his salary. And grooming Mejia to be a starter makes a lot of sense to me. I wouldn't mind getting Cliff Lee either, of course, but that's easy to say in the abstract. Davidoff doesn't speculate on what it would take to get him.

metirish May 11 2010 02:27 PM Re: Davidoff : Mets Need Help

Isn't Lee injured? I'm down with OPP and 1 & 2

Benjamin Grimm May 11 2010 02:32 PM Re: Davidoff : Mets Need Help

I think Lee is back and pitching for Seattle.

Edgy DC May 11 2010 02:33 PM Re: Davidoff : Mets Need Help

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Davidoff doesn't speculate on what it would take to get him. Of course he doesn't. I'm down with replacing Matthews, but not flip flopping on Mejia. The Mets are fourth in the league in ERA and fourth in starter ERA. Continually trying to perfect the rotation until everybody is having quality starts every time out is as futile as trying to establish the magic shutdown bullpen formula that Jerry is killing himself over. Where the team is failing is in the middle of the lineup.

soupcan May 11 2010 02:33 PM Re: Davidoff : Mets Need Help

Meanwhile if Bay would just get a hit in a big spot here and there - we wouldn't be having this discussion.

Gwreck May 11 2010 02:43 PM Re: Davidoff : Mets Need Help

Lee is probably a discussion for the offseason and obviously should be the Mets #1 target during said offseason. I would be surprised to see Seattle move him at this point; they'd probably need to be way out of the race before giving up on the player they moved a bunch of prospects to get.

Frayed Knot May 11 2010 02:46 PM Re: Davidoff : Mets Need Help

soupcan wrote: Meanwhile if Bay would just get a hit in a big spot here and there - we wouldn't be having this discussion. And/or Reyes, and/or Wright (especially lately). But, yeah, Bay & Reyes are the biggest culprits right now. Plus (and I usually don't harp on this because in small samples it's usually just bad luck) the high Ks and (therefore not un-related) lack of "productive outs" are killing us. Ks and pop-ups with runners-on all night and every night. 14 baserunners last night and 2 runs.

attgig May 11 2010 02:46 PM Re: Davidoff : Mets Need Help

We finally got carter up, I think it'll only be a matter of time before GMJ is gone too (please beltran...come back soon). Hopefully, we have a few pitchers in AAA that keeps the attention of Omar, in a way Carter has, and forces Mejia down...Iggy coming back will only help with that...

Frayed Knot May 11 2010 02:54 PM Re: Davidoff : Mets Need Help

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I wouldn't mind getting Cliff Lee either, of course, but that's easy to say in the abstract. Davidoff doesn't speculate on what it would take to get him. Also, I know Seattle is off to a tough start and these NY-area writers believe that the sole purpose of those 'outside' teams is to supply us privileged north-easterners with players, but geez it's early May, no one in the AL West is doing much either, and Lee has made all of two starts so far. Touting a way to fix a team by essentially saying "add good players somehow" is a waste of paper/web space.

Edgy DC May 11 2010 02:56 PM Re: Davidoff : Mets Need Help

You're selling them short. They also argue that the Mets should shed bad players.

Frayed Knot May 11 2010 02:59 PM Re: Davidoff : Mets Need Help

At least shedding bad players is something they can do on their own. The importing good ones part takes a bit of outside cooperation.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr May 11 2010 03:16 PM Re: Davidoff : Mets Need Help

1) Shed bad players. 2) Import good players. It's missing something. Ah, yes. 3) Score more runs. 4) Pitch better. 5) Win games. There. My plan's, like, 150% better than Davidoff's. It has three more good steps.

Gwreck May 11 2010 03:19 PM Re: Davidoff : Mets Need Help

My plan would also incorporate: 7. Get a manager who has a clue about strategy.

metsguyinmichigan May 11 2010 03:20 PM Re: Davidoff : Mets Need Help

Getting Royota back will help in the pen, as he looked pretty solid before the injury. But overall this is a pretty decent piece, as opposed to the "hapless Mets suck" stuff we get from a lot of the columnists. What's kind of a shame is that Carter and Davis knocked the hell out of the ball all spring, and they went with the vets anyway.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr May 11 2010 03:54 PM Re: Davidoff : Mets Need Help

metsguyinmichigan wrote: What's kind of a shame is that Carter and Davis knocked the hell out of the ball all spring, and they went with the vets anyway. Why, that's because of MAJOR LEAGUE EXPERIENCE! Gary Matthews the Lesser is 0-for-11 gritty pinch-hitting ABs, with no walks. Why, without valuable major-league experience, Matthews the Lesser would be some negative number-for-11! MAJOR-LEAGUE EXPERIENCE-- KEEPS NEGATIVE INTEGERS OUT OF YOUR SCOREBOOK!

Ashie62 May 11 2010 05:18 PM Re: Davidoff : Mets Need Help

The sooner Manuel goes the better

Valadius May 11 2010 06:14 PM Re: Davidoff : Mets Need Help

Kevin Millwood's still around?

MFS62 May 11 2010 09:41 PM Re: Davidoff : Mets Need Help

Valadius wrote: Kevin Millwood's still around? He was last seen running to back up third after throwing a pitch. Later