nmigliore Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 (edited) It's weird to bring it up now, but I was just thinking what a fantastic story R.A. Dickey has been. I remember when the Mets signed him to a minor league deal prior to the 2010 season and how it was talked up as a joke. Well... two seasons later, the joke is on everyone else, as R.A. Dickey has posted a 3.08 ERA with the Mets and has been a bright spot in some dark seasons. He's been more than just a bright spot, actually; he's been frontline starter, owning an ERA- (over the last 2 seasons) in line with pitchers like David Price, Tim Lincecum, and Roy Oswalt. Sabermetric stats have thought of him as more of an average starter, but I tend to lean towards actual results being more meaningful for a knuckleball pitcher since they are such an oddball. More importantly, Dickey is a massive bargain for his pricetag; although some may have been skeptical of Dickey repeating his breakout 2010, Sandy Alderson took a small gamble and gave him 2 guaranteed years for less than $8M total with a 3rd year club option for $5M. With money tight and the team in need of starting pitching, this looks fantastic right about now. I really hope Dickey's career revitalization continues and he remains a Met for years to come, when the team is actually a contender. He may be 37, and his high-level performance over the last 2 years may decline, but it seems as if his career is just beginning. If you told me Dickey would be one of my favorite Mets two years ago after he was brought on board on a minor league deal, I would have rolled on the floor laughing... but yet here we are heading into 2012 and Dickey is in fact one my favorite Met players. Maybe not of all time, but if he keeps it up, he probably will be. His coming-out-of-thin-air story, and the fact he's very interactive with fans on Twitter helps his case too I suppose. He also has a book coming out next spring, definitely a must buy for me: http://www.amazon.com/Wherever-Wind-Up-Authenticity-Knuckleball/dp/0399158154/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322846323&sr=8-1 Edited December 2, 2011 by nmigliore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colorado Rockies 1976 Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 I also like that he took Mike Pelfrey to task a while back as well. I don't remember the exact quotes, but I do remember Dickey getting on Pelfrey. Yeah, he's been a bright spot (relatively speaking). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmigliore Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 (edited) Sounds like Reyes is a goner. Joelsherman1 Joel Sherman Source tells me #Marlins are over 100M for Reyes, #Mets know it and are out of bidding. Reyes is leaving unless change of heart This really sucks, and the compensation is going to be bad too (supplemental round pick and the Marlins' 3rd rounder, oof), but 6 guaranteed years seems too rich for my liking. I have no problem with the money; I think there's a good chance Reyes is worth the reported $111M and more, but the caveat is that he needs to stay healthy, and well, I'm really unsure about that part. Argh. Bye, bye Jose. It was fun while it lasted. Edited December 5, 2011 by nmigliore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJDevs4978 Posted December 5, 2011 Author Share Posted December 5, 2011 Is anyone else even IN the bidding? The Marlins seem to be bidding against themselves Whatever, Miami's perfect for Reyes anyway...just sucks that we're going to be the fourth best team in the division for the forseeable future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devils Dose Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 Wow, 6 years at 18.5 million per? It's as if he never got hurt. I would have swore that Reyes' trip to the DL this year would have lowered the price for him to something doable, but I guess not. This is really sad, but I guess Miami got their guy, and that was all that mattered to them. I wonder if this makes a Wright trade more likely, now that it's clear that it's not the Mets' time and won't be for a while. Somebody has to make people want to watch though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmigliore Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 (edited) Sandy Alderson already said they are not moving Wright this offseason, so that's probably out of the cards. I think that makes sense anyway. They are better off keeping him and letting him rebuild some value with a full, healthy season in more friendlier park, picking up his team option next winter and then dealing him then. I'd be very surprised if he's dealt at this year's deadline since he can void the 2013 option if traded and thus be only a rental. Not to mention the new CBA would prohibit the acquiring team to reap back compensation picks if he walked (he would have to be on the team for the full season to be eligible). It's going to really suck having to hate Reyes now. Edited December 5, 2011 by nmigliore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colorado Rockies 1976 Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 Sounds like Reyes is a goner. This really sucks, and the compensation is going to be bad too (supplemental round pick and the Marlins' 3rd rounder, oof), but 6 guaranteed years seems too rich for my liking. I have no problem with the money; I think there's a good chance Reyes is worth the reported $111M and more, but the caveat is that he needs to stay healthy, and well, I'm really unsure about that part. Argh. Bye, bye Jose. It was fun while it lasted. Can't say I'm sorry to see him go. Miami makes sense, in that he won't have to deal with the colder New York Aprils, Mays, and Septembers. Maybe that helps with his penchant for getting injured a little. No hard feelings towards him either, for leaving...he had a right to test the market and sign with another team. I don't think he'll live up to that deal, and even if he does, the Mets couldn't risk giving him that kind of coin. As bad as the organization has been at times, I'm 100% on their side on this one. I wouldn't mind seeing Wright go next, simply because I think this team needs an identity change...it wasn't all their fault that the Mets didn't get over the hump, but to me, Wright and Reyes had their shot here. Maybe Wright comes back and the new CitiField dimensions turn him back into some semblance of the old Wright...after last year, I'll happily take the '10 version. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerrydevil Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 I haven't read any analysis/opinion on this, but are the Mets taking a hit? They shouldn't be. He's the wrong player at the wrong time for the Mets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colorado Rockies 1976 Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 I haven't read any analysis/opinion on this, but are the Mets taking a hit? They shouldn't be. He's the wrong player at the wrong time for the Mets. I think most of us knew the chances of him staying were pretty slim to begin with, so we were all mentally prepared for it. I think if he had stayed healthy for the entire season, you would have seen much more of an outcry, but with two trips to the disabled list, and a total of 191 games missed over the last three seasons, even the most ardent Reyes fans couldn't really justify spending that much money on him. Especially since the Mets aren't in the position to take those kinds of gambles with money being so tight already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJDevs4978 Posted December 5, 2011 Author Share Posted December 5, 2011 Any hit the Mets are taking is more in the line of 'we're not going to do anything to replace Reyes or spend any money to fill other holes on the team' rather than actual teeth-gnashing over losing the player himself. I guess people can criticize them for not trading him at the deadline since now the compensation's just a first and a third rounder, but I think he was on the DL then anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colorado Rockies 1976 Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 Alderson was on the WFAN with Fatso today...basically made it clear that the Mets are bleeding money, and that he wants to get the payroll down to roughly $100 million (still a lot of money BTW). He is not a fan of high-priced, long-term deals that hamper flexibility (didn't have to read between the lines to see that he meant Bay first and foremost). More than anything else, he seems committed to re-gaining that flexibility above all else. Though he's hopeful for next season, he knows a lot of "ifs" have to go right for the Mets to do much. Unlike Minaya, who would try to sell us on this "if" nonsense as though everything would just magically fall into place, Alderson comes off as much more honest and realistic about this. The main message: I inherited Minaya's expensive mess and it's going to take me time to clean it up. Don't expect much unless guys do more than we expect them to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmigliore Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 (edited) I haven't read any analysis/opinion on this, but are the Mets taking a hit? They shouldn't be. He's the wrong player at the wrong time for the Mets. Yeah, agreed with this. I mean, either way, guaranteeing 6 years to Reyes seems a bit much to me. But especially from the Mets' standpoint, it would have really been foolish given where the team is at. The team is better off standing pat, letting the Bay and Santana contracts flush through, and then begin the rebranding. In the meantime, all I could ask Sandy is to continue to bolster the farm system (which is improving - Baseball America's Jim Callis projected it to rank in the top half of baseball a few months ago), not dole any out stupid, payroll-hampering longterm deals (I trust him with this), and get a little creative. On that last one - sitting back and just letting everything flush through while bolstering the farm could probably work, but it isn't good enough. Being proactive --- finding undervalued players that could be longterm pieces, like Jays' GM Alex A. did in finding Colby Rasmus and Yunel Escobar -- would be a welcome site. Edited December 6, 2011 by nmigliore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colorado Rockies 1976 Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 Yeah, agreed with this. I mean, either way, guaranteeing 6 years to Reyes seems a bit much to me. But especially from the Mets' standpoint, it would have really been foolish given where the team is at. The team is better off standing pat, letting the Bay and Santana contracts flush through, and then begin the rebranding. In the meantime, all I could ask Sandy is to continue to bolster the farm system (which is improving - Baseball America's Jim Callis projected it to rank in the top half of baseball a few months ago), not dole any out stupid, payroll-hampering longterm deals (I trust him with this), and get a little creative. On that last one - sitting back and just letting everything flush through while bolstering the farm could probably work, but it isn't good enough. Being proactive --- finding undervalued players that could be longterm pieces, like Jays' GM Alex A. did in finding Colby Rasmus and Yunel Escobar -- would be a welcome site. I got the impression that's what Alderson's going to do...let the bad contracts flush out. I didn't get the impression he's in proactive mode (not at the major-league level, anyway). It's not great for the on-field product for this season and probably the one after that, and will make the Mets seem passive and irrelevant to a lot of fans, but this is what needs to be done...especially since the days of trying to buy guys to fill holes seem to be over. Alderson seems committed to building from within, and then once he builds up a solid nucleus, will entertain the idea of bringing in a high-priced type (he said as much during his interview), but only once all of the other pieces are in place. No more quick-fixes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmigliore Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 (edited) Mets made some moves tonight .... Jon Rauch 1/3.5 plus incentives: Meh, Rauch had a nice 4-5 year run before last season, where he stunk. I'm hopeful it was just a reliever blip but drop in velocity, worst K% in years, career-low swinging strike rate, and being very homer-prone look more like decline in skill than a blip. Hopefully I'm wrong. Pending physicals, Mets send Pagan to SF for Andres Torres and Ramon Ramirez: I like this one. Pagan and Torres are very similar players; Pagan is yuonger and comes with more offensive upside, but Torres is cheaper, a better defender, and is under control 2 more years (2012, 2013). Ramon Ramirez is a solid relief arm. Nothing amazing or long-term, but I'm fine with this. Edit, Frank Franciso, 2/12 pending a physical: Love this one. Francisco was one of the more underrated relievers on the market; there's a good case to be made he's as good more pricier options like like Heath Bell and K-Rod, having posted a better xFIP- in 2010-2011 than them. Edited December 7, 2011 by nmigliore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halfsharkalligatorhalfman Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 (edited) Reyes leaving: what can you do. These are the times we live in. I like the Pagan trade a lot, and the Francisco signing is good value. Alderson is great. I hope he stays for a while. Edited December 7, 2011 by halfsharkalligatorhalfman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colorado Rockies 1976 Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 These are the kinds of moves a team that's currently in neutral pulls off. Nothing to get excited about. They're the kind of moves that can't be analyzed today anyway...they're the "maybe the guys we got surprise a little, who knows?"-type moves. Like I said, moves like this will make the Mets seem passive and irrelevant (Carton has been calling the Mets a minor league team all morning), but Sandy clearly has a plan in place that will take time to come to fruition. We all know it's not about this year anyway. Sandy's brought in servicable players, which is all we should expect until he gets his flexibility back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJDevs4978 Posted December 7, 2011 Author Share Posted December 7, 2011 I'm surprised we were still able to get anything of consequence for Pagan. At least they've managed to upgrade the pen from a total disaster to one that at least has a chance to be okay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devils Pride 26 Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 CR, come on man, whats with all the negativity? If they signed Reyes you would have been pissed that them for going back to their old ways spending without regard. These are all low risk moves. Sure, you might get a Chris Young instead of a Chris Capuano, but I don't know how any rational Mets fan such as yourself unhappy with the moves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmigliore Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 (edited) DP, I don't think CR is disappointed - I think he's just pointing out it's kind of the moves you expect for a team in a rebuilding phase, moves that won't matter long-term but at least make a 2012 and maybe 2013 squad a little more interesting opposed to filling those rosters out with stiffs. I wasn't crazy for the Rauch signing but I liked the acquisition of Torres, Ramirez, and Francisco. Torres might not hit as well as Pagan, but he has an excellent glove in CF that should contribute good value; he was worth in excess of 2 wins last season (more than Pagan's 2011 value) despite a down offensive season and accumulating less than 400 PA. I don't really see either player being demonstrably better than the other but throw in Ramirez, a very solid relief arm, and the deal looks nice. I was very pleased with the Francisco signing since I felt he was an underrated reliever compared to his brethren. Edited December 7, 2011 by nmigliore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colorado Rockies 1976 Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 CR, come on man, whats with all the negativity? If they signed Reyes you would have been pissed that them for going back to their old ways spending without regard. These are all low risk moves. Sure, you might get a Chris Young instead of a Chris Capuano, but I don't know how any rational Mets fan such as yourself unhappy with the moves. I'm not unhappy at all. Re-read what I wrote. Sandy clearly has a plan in place and he's sticking to it. I made it clear multiple times I didn't want Reyes back, and unless he came back at a bargain price, I would've been angry had he been re-signed. For the record, I am not unhappy with what Sandy is doing at all...I said the perception by some fans (not me) is that Mets are being cheap, minor-league, and passive, but Sandy is doing what most GMs in New York usually won't...actually building from the ground up so he can build from within, as opposed to trying to build on a flawed foundation. This team IS in neutral in this year, in that Sandy is still cleaning up Omar's mess. I think it's probably still at least two years until we start to see the team built in Sandy's image. For now, he's bringing in guys that don't cost too much that are low-risk moves, and I'm absolutely on-board with that. Sandy is right to try to get flexibility back...he knows what he needs to succeed. The Mets are probably a 75-81 win team next season, but it's like I've said, Sandy's plan is not to try to make the Mets instant contenders by throwing a lot of money around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devils Pride 26 Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 Gotcha. For whatever reason I read that this morning and thought you were in doom and gloom mode about the moves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colorado Rockies 1976 Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 (edited) Gotcha. For whatever reason I read that this morning and thought you were in doom and gloom mode about the moves. Not even a little bit. In a way it's a little tough to sit by and watch other teams scoop up the big names, but before the Mets could even dream of being in that position where it would make sense for them to dole out a massive contract, Sandy has a lot of work to do. First would be establishing an identity. David Wright shouldn't be counted on as a cornerstone to build around...he's a defensive liability, he strikes out too damned much, and when the game's on the line, you don't have much confidence in him making the difference. At this point he's just too flawed a player. So who is that cornerstone? Is it Ike Davis? If it's not him, then who? And what exactly is this team going to be built around? Speed? Defense? Power? Pitching? Even with the walls coming in, we all know this park is still a pitcher's park that rewards gap hitters. As nmig pointed out, at least the Met farm system appears to be getting deeper, in terms of talent. This has been an issue for years with the Mets, so it's good to see Sandy is addressing it. Edited December 8, 2011 by Colorado Rockies 1976 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmigliore Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 (edited) What a fall from glory for Fernando Martinez. He was one of the better prospects in baseball just a few years ago and now finds himself in a new organization after being cut for Ronny Cedeno. But so can be the life of a prospect. It is a bit frustrating we waived him -- there are worse players on the 40-man -- but I can still see where the front office is coming from. He has arthritic knees, which, even if his bat manages to come around (I'm skeptical), might limit him from being able to play the outfield on a regular basis. Plus, there's all those other maladies that have plagued him over the past 7 years; wrist sprains, hamstring sprains, hip flexor sprains, among others. It's too bad it had to end this way. I do have a small glimmer of hope left for him, and maybe he'll manage to stay on the field and actually hit in the Astros' organization, but expecting that to occur will be just like the last 7 years - nothing more than a dream. Edited January 11, 2012 by nmigliore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmigliore Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 (edited) Sad news: Gary Carter has died. Everyone knew this day was coming but it's still tough to hear. RIP, Kid. Edited February 16, 2012 by nmigliore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devils Dose Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 (edited) Aww, I just heard that Gary Carter is dead from brain cancer. A guy nicknamed the Kid died too young. Edited February 16, 2012 by Devils Dose Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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