This offseason, Omar Minaya has fixed the bullpen. He hasn’t done much else; I would have signed Oliver Perez before Tim Redding. It’s such a shame they’re not even considering Perez. I would give him a multi-year deal over Derek Lowe any day of the week. With the departures of both Aaron Heilman and Scott Schoneweis, Luis Castillo has officially taken the role of Jessica’s Scapegoat (although seeing the posts below, I may have to reconsider).
As I’m sitting here writing this post, I’m listening to “Let It Be,” one of my favorite songs ever. But Jessica, what do the Beatles have to do with the Mets? At lot, actually. This song ended the LAST Last Play at Shea, which I was lucky enough to attend and this song may also begin a new season of questions.
Are we going to get another starter? A lefty reliever? An everyday left fielder? Should Brian Schneider be our starting catcher? How come we don’t trade Castillo and have Daniel Murphy play second? Why do they play the World Baseball Classic in March?
We, as Mets fans, need to be postive. There will be an answer. We’re gonna get another starter because Niese isn’t ready. We’re going to get a lefty reliever, even if he’s picked from the farm. Fernando Tatis and Daniel Murphy were our most clutch players last season; we don’t need a left fielder. At least Brian Schnieder came through offensively towards the end of the season. We still have Luis Castillo because Jessica needs a scapegoat. I honestly wish they’d play the WBC in November after the World Series, but I can’t change that.
Even if we don’t know it yet, or have it yet, as McCartney and Lennon once said:
“There will be an answer, let it be.”
The Mets are our team; we’ve stuck by them through both good times and bad. For most of us, the Mets are more than just a team we root for because of our hatred of the Yankees. We’ve invested hours in front of the TV, hundreds on Mets tickets and merchandising (and in some cases, thousands). We fans are like an extended family; only another fan can know how you felt on September 28, 2008 or September 30, 2007. Only another fan can understand why we’ve stuck around for so long.
Whether Omar delivers in his next move or not, the only thing we can do is continue to love this team.
“Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.”
*Mets Merized Online Needs Your Help*
At the end of the day that’s all we as fans can do…Let it be.
Omar knows what he’s doing.
lol, I like the line about Castillo.
That’s a great philosophy. It’s always good to have a scapegoat in case things go wrong, and Castillo is perfect for that role.
I’m not sure where you get “they’re not even considering Perez.” The team’s plan all along has seemed to be to sign ONE of Lowe and Perez. Now that Lowe appears to be on the verge of becoming a Brave, I’d say it’s LIKELY that Perez ends up back in Queens, especially given Minaya’s preference for him to begin with.
That being said, the offense is still in trouble. Who knows which Delgado shows up – 1st half Delgado or 2nd half Delgado? How will Citifield limit Wright’s power? Can Church return to form? Does Murphy has a sophomore slump ahead? Can Tatis perform another miracle? Is Castillo worth a roster spot?
The Mets could really use another bat, and I’m relatively disappointed that the Mets have made no improvements this year beyond a couple of reliever acquisitions.
In Omar I Trust.
While I’d love to see us sign another starter or reliever NOW, I trust that it will happen. We all wondered why Omar didn’t jump on K-Rod immediately and just get him signed, and it was because he’d eventually sign with us for a good bit less. We all panicked, we all questioned, but we didn’t have to worry, it would be done, and better than any of us could’ve hoped (a LOT cheaper). The reason we haven’t signed anybody yet is because Omar knows what he’s doing.
The same thing happened with Johan Santana last offseason. We heard what it would’ve take to get him, and wondered what Omar was thinking not pulling the trigger, especially with the Yanks and Sox in the mix. But Omar did nothing, and we wound up getting Santana for MUCH less than any of us thought possible.
WE might be getting desperate as fans as we are nearing mid-January, but so are the players who have no team to call “home” yet. When Derek Lowe is unsigned in 2 weeks, or when Ben Sheets still hasn’t found a suitor at the end of the month, or when Ollie realizes that he’s not getting the contract he thinks he is, Omar will get his man, and with room to spare.
In regard to the offense……for all the comments about not knowing if Delgado will be hot, or if the new field will effect Wright, Murphy slump etc….. Kills me – sure any of those things can happen, but whats to say you bring ANYone in and will do any better, its like playing the lottery, you can NOT predict these things……but I for one am so sick of people assuming the worst…….
Jessica, Great Article..Let’s see what happens in the next weeks.
Kay – My thoughts exactly, I’ve been reading the same thing every where…its like they went back in time and looked at a Sports Almanac ala Back to the future…LOL
ohhhhh “Let it be” and all this time I thought it was “hug a tree” I wish I knew this a long time ago. No more tree hugging…
I hope they Come Together
Source: Martinez talking to Marlins
Comment Email Print
By Enrique Rojas
ESPNdeportes.com
Archive
SANTO DOMINGO, Domican Republic — Pedro Martinez and the Florida Marlins are believed to be in the beginning stages of negotiating a contract and could meet next week, a source told ESPNdeportes.com Saturday night.
The Marlins have spoken with MartÃnez’s agent.
Martinez, 37, has won three Cy Young awards and has a career record of 214-99, with a 2.91 ERA and 3,117 strikeouts in 17 seasons with Los Angeles, Montreal, Boston and the New York Mets.
Martinez struggled last season to a 5-6 record with a 5.61 ERA with the Mets, after battling injuries and dealing with the death of his father. In his first year with the Mets, Martinez won 15 games and struck out 208 batters in 217 innings. But he has been 17-15 in the last three seasons.
MartÃnez owns a house in Miami.
Enrique Rojas is a reporter for ESPNdeportes.com.
Saw that on Espn…Its bitter sweet for me..I know his time as come but Im gonna miss Pedro.
Kay, we’re the Mets. We once lost 120 games in one season. We have had several heartbreaks over the years, we are the most pessimistic fan base in the country after the Cubs fans.
If we just wrote that everyday was going to a beautiful sunny day, the site would be quite boring.
Step out of yourself and join the debate but realize that mostly all the negativity is just people venting or people who have had their hopes crushed one too many times.
I think it’s great that you always see things under the best possible light in the universe, but you are the exception to the rule, lol.
I wish I could be like you but I can’t.
Anyway, if we all agreed on everything, what would we talk about?
I always enjoy your replies though.
So I was thinking about LF…Maybe the Mets are shying away from Manny because they feel he will be a clubhouse distraction…So I was thinking maybe they should look at Garrett Anderson…I know he is older but he can be a temporary fill in till Fernando gets ready…What do you guys think?
Hitting Stats: Next Stats >>
SEASON TEAM G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS OBP SLG AVG
1994 California Angels 5 13 0 5 0 0 0 1 5 0 2 0 0 .385 .385 .385
1995 California Angels 106 374 50 120 19 1 16 69 189 19 65 6 2 .352 .505 .321
1996 California Angels 150 607 79 173 33 2 12 72 246 27 84 7 9 .314 .405 .285
1997 Anaheim Angels 154 624 76 189 36 3 8 92 255 30 70 10 4 .334 .409 .303
1998 Anaheim Angels 156 622 62 183 41 7 15 79 283 29 80 8 3 .325 .455 .294
1999 Anaheim Angels 157 620 88 188 36 2 21 80 291 34 81 3 4 .336 .469 .303
2000 Anaheim Angels 159 647 92 185 40 3 35 117 336 24 87 7 6 .308 .519 .286
2001 Anaheim Angels 161 672 83 194 39 2 28 123 321 27 100 13 6 .314 .478 .289
2002 Anaheim Angels 158 638 93 195 56 3 29 123 344 30 80 6 4 .332 .539 .306
2003 Anaheim Angels 159 638 80 201 49 4 29 116 345 31 83 6 3 .345 .541 .315
2004 Anaheim Angels 112 442 57 133 20 1 14 75 197 29 75 2 1 .343 .446 .301
2005 Los Angeles Angels 142 575 68 163 34 1 17 96 250 23 84 1 1 .308 .435 .283
2006 Los Angeles Angels 141 543 63 152 28 2 17 85 235 38 95 1 0 .323 .433 .280
2007 Los Angeles Angels 108 417 67 124 31 1 16 80 205 27 54 1 0 .336 .492 .297
2008 Los Angeles Angels 145 557 66 163 27 3 15 84 241 29 77 7 4 .325 .433 .293
Career Totals 2013 7989 1024 2368 489 35 272 1292 3743 397 1117 78 47 .327 .469 .296
Anderson is left handed, we need a righty. Our lineup is too lefty heavy as is.
More specifically, we need a GOOD hitter in our lineup. If we’re gonna add a lefty, it better be someone like Adam Dunn who guarantees 30-40 HRs per year, not the lefty version of Moises Alou.
Ben,
Adam Dunn is not even a good hitter check his batting Avg. out. Does he have Pop? Most definately but thats about it. I don’t like him cause he strikes out wayyyyy to much! I would rather have Ramirez. I guess since our line up is so filled with lefties then Abreu shouldn’t even be talked about then. Cause I keep hearing all these sports analyst say Abreu if a good option for the Mets.
Also Ben Adam Dunn Bats lefty…
So after Ramirez is there any other option then cause there seems to be alot of Lefty batters in the market…I personally think adding another lefty to the line up wouldn’t be a problem.
D – You can’t use batting average as an indicator of run production.
On-base percentage is a better barometer, and Dunn is always among the league leaders.
Five straight seasons of 40 homeruns and 100 walks is a New York Mets wet dream in my opinion.
I bet they never had a player in their 46 year history do it once. (maybe Beltran in 2006)
Don’t dismiss Dunn because of his batting average. You want to knock him on defense that would be a better argument, but the problem is the Mets have a first baseman and third baseman slotted to platoon in left field in 2009 anyway, so even that argument is mute.
Dunn would most likely lead the Mets in homeruns, slugging and on-base percentage, plus he is still young enough to improve.
If Dunn were homegrown, Mets fans would say he was untouchable.
True I see your point the only thing is that I couldn’t see anyone picking him up anyway if he made on base on this squad…I dont know i just hate the fact he strikes out alot…He’s played the outfield though.
Nope, Beltran never did it and neither did Piazza.
Great on the MlB netword they are showing game 7 of the 2006 NlCS…ERRRR LOL
I just think that everytime he launched a 450 foot bomb, we’d forget all about the strikeouts, and we’d be cheering and shouting for a curtain call.
Especially against the Braves and Phillies.
Dunn’s high k’s numbers would only be a major negative if the lineup is full of high strikeout hitters. If we surrounded him with a few contact hitters then its not a big deal. Problem is our current lineup does strike out alot. Delgado, Beltran and Wright each strike out a ton.
Is there any data on what the average 3-4-5 hitters strikeout rate is?
I don’t think the Mets are all that bad in that department.
I could do some research on it but it will take awhile… tomorrow I’ll look into it Joe
Glad to hear you’re a Dunn fan Joe! Given the bargain signings of Burrell and Bradley, I wonder if Dunn can be had for like 2-3 years, $9 million a year?
Plus he can play 1B in 2010 when Delgado presumably leaves. Doesn’t seem like Omar has any interest in Dunn unfortunately.
Awww Joe D you really warm my heart – lolol
I certainly am a bit sad that I come off as Pollyanna in my replies because I certainly do not believe its all wonderful, and I do not have my head in the sand about what has to be done.
I have watched this team loss 100 games in a season, and THAT is why I currently cringe when reading comments with people near the edge.
Knowing and watching how bad this team HAS been in the past makes the comments of today seem silly sometimes.
Comparing a team that has won TWO World Series in last 45 plus years to a team that HASN”T won one in over 100 also proves that we are sounding like spoiled brats Joe D…..
Lets see if I can do this like youse guys.
If we don’t get at least one more bonafide pitcher we’re going to have a big challenge ahead of us this year. We could use one more right hander in the lineup. One more thing, if ANYONE sitting withing hearing range of me on Opening Dsy or April boo’s Luis Castillo (if he’s still here) will bet a pop in the mouth from me!!!
How’s that?
More more thing Joe D – can you please add a spell check or edit function to this site – so I don’t come off as a 4th grader that can’t spell. I know slow down the typing and rereading my posts would help – but what the ……..if the Wilpons weren’t so cheap we’d have a spell check and edit on this site!
bahahahahahahah
It took a while but I finally found it at ESPN.
2008 Catchers ERA or CERA
Schneider – 4.14
Castro – 3.73
Other top catchers…
1. R. Martin – 3.65
2. B. Ausmus – 3.73
Castro was tied for second but he only caught 40 games and minimum was 80 to qualify.
BTW, the difference on RF was negligible 7.99/7.75.
The biggest thing Schneider had on Castro was CS% .333 vs .217.
this site is getting more and more popular i see. I never seen so many comments on a post before. Good job Jessica, as always. I always enjoy reading your blogs. And keep up the good work Joe D, and all the other bloggers.
Lets Go Mets!
And please Omar, forget about Lowe, sign Ollie, please. He has such a higher upside. And in 2 or 3 years from now, when Lowe will be fading fast, and Ollie will be in the prime of his carrer and shining, we will highly regret it if we get Lowe