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What to do?

smg58 Jan 02 2008 09:36 AM

Spring training is six weeks away. The offseason so far has, at optimistic glass-half-full best, been a break even for the Mets, and breaking even doesn't appear likely to cut it. If you're the GM, what do you try to do given the dwindling list of available players? My to-do list: 1. Focus on Joe Blanton. Offer Pelfrey, the choice of Guerra or Mulvey, and Ruben Gotay. Add Joe Smith if necessary, and be willing to haggle at any rate. 2. Sign Bobby Kielty, a switch-hitting rightfielder who's always been much better batting right. He's coming off an injury-plagued year, but while that makes him risky it should also make him easily affordable. And if Gotay is dealt, there will be an open spot on the 25 waiting for him. 3. Ask the Nationals about Jon Rauch. Even with Blanton, the Mets will still need more innings out of the pen than they can count on from what they have.

Centerfield Jan 02 2008 10:04 AM

It's as good a plan as any I've heard...and it certainly beats holding out for a long-shot like Santana to pan out. I can't remember being this disappointed in an off-season. Maybe the winter of 2000-2001.

AG/DC Jan 02 2008 10:25 AM

I can't remember having any real ambitions for an off-season at all. Stay healthy, stay out of jail, and prepare for spring. The real action is on the field. Splashes are for Shamu.

Vic Sage Jan 02 2008 10:31 AM

I'm not high on Blanton, and despite what Beane is asking for him, i think your proposal is drastically overpaying for him. And here's a concurring opinion i just read on MetsBlog: ]According to Jerry Crasnick earlier this week at ESPN.com, the Mets are still interested in acquiring A’s RHP Joe Blanton, but not at the expense of Carlos Gomez, Kevin Mulvey and Aaron Heilman. In a recent post to Athletics Nation, Nico writes the following about Blanton… “It’s difficult to say exactly how good Joe Blanton is….He has never missed a start, he rolls (literally) out of bed and gives you 200 IP, and the guy has won 42 games in 3 years…The consensus around the league is that Blanton’s best seasons are behind him, not ahead of him…Blanton’s weight has scared off teams that think it reflects either a lack of conditioning, or a poor work ethic, a risky tendency, etc., and they believe Blanton is not nearly as good a health risk in the future as he has been in the past…Yes, Bartolo Colon and David Wells made it work for years on an ample frame, but many others didn’t. If I saw Joe Blanton at the hardware store, it would be difficult to convince me that he was a top athlete who could make the strapping young All-American boy-wonder look foolish on a slow curve.” Last season for the A’s, Blanton was 14–10 with a 3.95 ERA through 34 starts, during which he allowed an average of just one walk per start. He made at least 32 starts in each of the last three seasons. He is eligible for salary arbitration this off-season, and the two after that, and is eligible for free agency after 2010. He’d be a nice fit, especially switching his game to the National League East…however, gomez, mulvey and heilman is a hefty price tag for a picther who, though he did well last season, had a 4.82 ERA in 2006. In a recent chat for ESPN.com, Keith Law said the following when asked how the Mets should proceed, assuming Johan Santana and Erik Bedard are not an option… “I think if they’re not getting either of those guys, they should skip the Joe Blantons of the world and roll the dice on Pelfrey and maybe Humber. You liked these guys enough to take them in the first round, and both did well in the minors. Pelfrey in particular still has #1-2 potential. Jerking these two guys up and down isn’t going to help the big club or enhance their trade value.” To me, if Santana is not an option, and the Mets are confident heilman can be replaced, i would pull the trigger on that deal for blanton, because he, John Maine and Oliver Perez will make a solid, young foundation to build upon over the next few seasons, plus it means keeping pelfrey and humber…and, it is quite clear that the only way to acquire above-average starting pitching is to overpay in prospects… …plus, though i’d be disappointed to not get santana, starting Pedro Martinez, blanton, maine, perez and, say, Bartolo Colon, would be a good-enough rotation - especially when compared to the rest of the division…

smg58 Jan 02 2008 02:40 PM

The metsblogger took the quotes about Blanton out of context; Nico was surmising possible reasons why Blanton hadn't been dealt yet, and gave a list of possible explanations why GM's might not be willing to meet Beane's demands. I wouldn't part with Heilman. Our bullpen can't afford to lose 86 quality innings. I'd be surprised if Beane is insistent on Gomez given that they just acquired Carlos Gonzalez and have another CF prospect in the system. Having said that, if we can get Blanton for three players then I'd do it. The A's don't have any young infielders of note, and Ellis is a year away from free agency, which is why I think they'd take an interest in Gotay. What do I like about Blanton? Aside from the innings, his K/BB shot up to 3.5 after not exceeding 2 before, he gave up less home runs last year than in the previous two despite pitching 30 more innings, and opponents had a lower OPS against him last year than they did against Haren. He did tend to give up his hits in bunches, but most of his bad starts came in a bad stretch in July that was immediately preceded by a spike in his pitch count. He's not so much durable as he is efficient with his pitches. But as long as you know that going in, I see no reason why he can't be very effective.