13
2009
The Case To Bring Back Carlos Delgado
An article by Former Writers
At the start of the season it appeared that 2009 would most definitely be Carlos Delgado’s last season in the Big Apple. Well as we wrap of the final month of the season, Delgado appears to be as good as gone, especially after missing a majority of the season after undergoing hip surgery.
However, the idea of bringing back Delgado to the Mets organization has to at least be considered.
When looking at the upcoming free agent class, names like Jason Bay, Matt Holliday and Vladimir Guerrero stand out. Unfortunately, beyond those names and a few others, this class of free agents is relatively weak.
The Mets have been dropping hints all season long that they probably will not make a major splash in the Free Agent pool due to their tough financial constraints. This would most likely indicate that they do not intend to pursue the likes of Bay, Holliday and such.
If healthy, Carlos Delgado could bring a great deal of power back to the Mets lineup. He’s the type of player that makes everyone around him better because he has such strong leadership skills. Also, Delgado being in the lineup means that David Wright and Carlos Beltran should see more hittable pitches.
Keep in mind that Delgado is only one year removed from a season in which he hit 38 home runs and drove in 115 runs. Also of note is that Delgado’s career home run total currently sits at 473.
It would not be out of the question for Delgado to reach the 500 home run plateau next year, as he only needs 27 more home runs to do it. For a team that is currently hurting in home attendance, having a milestone like that may help get people back into the ballpark.
Delgado has had mixed results since joining the Mets in 2006. In the three full seasons that he has spent with the Mets, two have been very good and one has been dreadful. In 2006 and 2008, Delgado hit 30+home runs and 110+ RBI’s. In 2007, which was his down year, he hit only 24 home runs and drove in only 87 runs.
Let me be clear, the Mets should only pursue Carlos Delgado in the off-season if he can be had for a reasonable 1 year deal with incentives.
I am getting the sense he can be had for the right price. Take Bobby Abreu, who signed with the Angels this past off-season for only five million dollars. Prior to signing this deal Abreu was coming off a year in which he hit 20 home runs and 100 RBI’s.
Now I understand the economy has improved somewhat since last off-season but if a player of Abreu’s caliber could be had at five million then I’m guessing the Mets could get one more year of Delgado at a similar price.
Yesterday afternoon I asked Bart Hubbuch about the chances of Delgado returning to the Mets in 2010 during his weekly chat. Hubbuch replied saying that a return is “highly doubtful” and that there are “just too many health questions”.
I, too, agree that it isn’t very likely that Delgado will wear a Mets uniform next season. However, I do not agree that his health is an issue because the Mets can setup a platoon where both Carlos and Daniel Murphy can share time playing first. In essence, this would allot Murphy more time to familiarize himself with the position, and allow Delgado the adequate amount of rest he needs to remain healthy.
So I ask management this, if you do not have the funds to acquire the top names on the free agent market, give Carlos Delgado a chance to restore some faith back into Flushing.
About the Author: Former Writers
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Can you explain what leverage each side has in the Delgado negotiations? I’m all for Delgado playing first next year.
Pops
I think the Mets have two forms of leverage if they choose to negotiate with Delgado. After coming off major hip surgery, no team is likely to offer Delgado a multi-year deal.
Secondly, we are still living in volatile economic times. Many players who used to make exuberant paychecks are being forced to take lesser one year deals, with hopes of renegotiating next year when, hopefully, the economy improves.
I just think that he is going to break down again next season. Then we would have spent more wasted money, when we could have used it to go out and get a mid-tier pitcher. As much as people might not like it, it is looking more and more likely that Murphy is your first baseman next year.
Same old,same old! And bring back Maine and Putz! Some people never learn,I hope Omar isn’t one of them.
John Maine should definitely be apart of the Mets plans next season. Looking at the market can you find one pitcher who has had the same amount of success as Maine, whose salary is as low as Maine’s.
Sure, it would be ideal for the Mets to go out and get Lackey or Piniero, but that’s not going to happen because you’d have to imagine both will be seeking big pay days and long term contract.
John Maine is a one year risk and he’s proven that he’s at least an average major league pitcher who can give you a chance to win ball games.
As for Putz, his tenure with the Mets should end following this season, especially with money being so tight.
Phil, you can’t be serious. Delgado will be as bad a decision as the one when they chose to bring Moises Alou back for one more season. This after he gave them plenty of evidence that he couldn’t stay healthy. The Delgado situation has given us fair warning that he is not a gamble worth taking.
The Mets suck at taking gambles. They took gambles that Maine would be healthy and Delgado too. They gambled that Pelfrey would be a number two pitcher, and that Murphy would be a solid leftfielder. They gambled on the bone spurs in Putz’s elbow, that they would cause him no pain. They gambled that Parnell would be a huge 7th inning man and when that failed that he’d be a rock in the rotation. They gambled that Oliver Perez would step up and gave him $36 million dollars. They gambled that F-Mart was ready to be a major leaguer.
Those are all the gambles the Mets made and rolled snake eyes on. Please no more gambles.
I do not believe that Daniel Murphy is ready to be a full-time first basemen. Delgado, maybe an injury risk but it would give the Mets a chance to get some power back into their lineup.
Looking at the soon-to-be free agent class of first basemen names, such as Nick Johnson and Russell Branyan stand out. But, both have proven to be injury prone. And the latter, Branyan, will likely be seeking a big pay day following his career year this season.
Another interesting name is the 29 year old, Hank Blalock. A career .270 hitter, Blalock is coming off a down year in which he only hit .237. Nonetheless, I think Blalock will be seeking more money than the Mets are willing to give.
If we’re going to take a chance on an injury risk, wouldn’t Nick Johnson at 31 make more sense than Delgado who is 8 years older? I don’t think Murphy is qualified to be our first baseman either. he is short on power, and his defense is still below average even with the improvement. With Wright looking more like a leadoff hitter than a cleanup hitter now, we need a thumper and I think the best options are available via a trade. I’ve heard names like Derrek Lee and Adrian Gonzalez being tossed around from time to time. I dont know if either is available, but it might be worth looking into before thumping down our cash on Delgado again. To think he got $14 million this season is mind boggling to me and to add another cent to that total would be ghastly.
I disagree with signing Nick Johnson. He is not an injury risk, he is an injury guarantee. Since coming up with the Yankees in 2001. Johnson has taken a trip to the DL a whopping eight times, including once this season. Of those eight DL stints, three were 60-day DL stints.
Now, I don’t believe the Mets have the prospects to acquire either Adrian Gonzalez or Derrek Lee, but if they could then of course the Mets should pursue them over Delgado.
With the Uncle Bernie financial situation and the Mets having several problems with day to day players, I think the Mets may opt for an 85 win season with a balanced team and a lower payroll.
The comparison of a highly paid Delgado versus a striving Murphy is intriguing. In my view, Murphy moves better defensively than Carlos and has better hands. (The left field experiment was a management failure, in that it set unreasonably high expectations for a kid who had a total of eleven putouts in left in his entire minor league career.) Obviously Murphy doesn’t hit the long ball as well as the Carlos of old, but I expect him to make better contact than Carlos against left handed pitching.
Which Carlos will show up next year is anybody’s guess — the post Willie player or the sulking non-player when Willie was the manager. It’s a game of craps and if Carlos wants much moola, Omar will do a Pedro on him.
DES, HOW DO U FIGURE DELGADO WANTS “MUCH MOOLA”? MOST CONJECTURE I’VE READ INDICATES HIS PREFERENCE TO PLAY IN NY, & THUS A BELIEVED WILLINGNESS TO INK A LOW BASE INCENTIVE LADEN DEAL. THE NYM NEED A 30HR BOPPER IN THAT CLEANUP SPOT. WITHOUT DELGADO, THERE ISN’T ONE PRESENTLY ON ROSTER. BELTRAN IS NO CLEANUP HITTER, HE OBVIOUSLY IS UNCOMFORTABLE IN THAT SLOT. MURPH’S ONLY LOOKING GOOD IN SURROUNDINGS OF AAAA PLAYERS AROUND HIM IN REPLACEMENT LINEUP. THE BIGGEST OFFENSIVE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE LINEUPS OF ’05 & ’06 WAS DELAGADO. IF HE STILL HAS HIS BAT SPEED, U CAN KEEP MURPH’S DEFENSIVE HANDS. HE LOOKS LIKE A PERMANENT NON STARTER TO ME. INK DELGADO FOR 2010 @ 5M + UP TO 7M INCENTIVES. IKE DAVIS IS STARTING 1B IN 2011 WITH MURPH ON BENCH ala MAGADAN HIS PREDECESSOR WHO ALSO WAS B/U 3B,1B.
CAPSLOCK=DISABILITY ACCOMODATION
BLALOCK WITH 150 HR IN 7+ SEASONS IS BASICLY A MORE MATURED, EXPERIENCED MURPHY AS A RH FIELDER @1B IN NL NOT AS OPTIMUM. RH FIELDING 1B ARE MORE SUITED IN AL WHERE PICKOFF ATTEMPTS @ 1B ARE MORE WINDOWDRESSING THAN NECESSITY. SINCE DELGADO HAS AVERAGED PLAYING IN 146.5G OVER PAST 4 YRS WITH MOST INJURIES SUSTAINED UPPERBODY, HBP RELATED. THE NYM AS CONSTITUTED NEED A 30HR THREAT IN CLEANUP. COST FOR TRADE IN FEW TOP PROSPECTS PROJECTS TO BE DISASTROUS. WITH DAVIS PROJECTED AS AN OPTION FOR ’11, DELGADO @ 5M BASE+ INCENTIVES UP TO CURRENT 12M IS CERTAINLY VIABLE. ANY DUMB COMPARISONS TO ALOU SIGNINGS ARE HYPERBOLIC. THE ABSOLUTE BEST POSSIBLE POSITION FOR YOUR OLDEST PLAYER IN THE NL IS 1B @ DH IN INTERLEAGUE. SINCE HIP INJURY SEEMS CAUSED MORE BY SINGLE INCIDENT(SLIDE INTO 3B) POSSIBILITY OF REOCCURANCE, REMOTE. ANY SOLUTION IS SUBJECT TO INJURY. I’D PREFER STANDING WHERE LIGHTNING’S ALREADY STRUCK
Bringing Delgado back sounds like a good idea to me. Whether he can be signed “cheaply” is another story. Carlos had rebounded well in the second half of the season and put up good numbers. No reason to doubt that he can do it again. As far as platooning with Murphy,we have seen that Daniel has worked hard and can play first base. With some solid coaching he can improve his footwork around the bag but he can never be the power threat that Carlos can. Unless there is a left fielder out there to be had who is a 30 plus homer and a .290 plus hitter we are going to need more pop at first base. If finances are so bad that we try andf lowball Delgado we will lose him and get zero in return….
this is a great idea and this could help the team a lot. you all forget that this team was revolved around its speed in jose reyes. if we can get a healthy jose back, then things change completely. i know a power lefty is needed and i think delgado still has a very good year in him. i also say that you give a year to see if murphy develops some power.
over the year, murph has been looking good at times and hes shown at times that he can drive the ball well. can that continue? who knows but lets bring back delgado one more year and hopefully get a guy like bay or holliday to play left field
We need clean up hitter who can 30+ home runs from at 1st base. I think Delgado can play for 2 more years at the same level he is at now. Nick Johnson wouldn’t hit 30+ home runs but would provide that astronomical on base percentage and play great D. Would Nick Johnson provide protection for the other hitters in the lineup? I don’t think so.
I really don’t care who plays 1st base not year as long as that player hits 30+ home runs with 100 rbi’s.
CAPSLOCK=DISABILITY ACCOMODATION
LIFER, SORRY; BUT YOU’VE REALLY HIT THE PERFECT ALOU COMPARISON, ONLY YOUNGER IN BRINGING UP JOHNSON. IF U DO NOT COUNT HIS ROOKIE ’01 SEASON HE’S AVG 122G/YR OVER HIS ENTIRE CAREER. WONDER IF TEAMS HAVE TO PAY MORE TO ACCOMODATE THE BLACK CLOUD HOVERING OVER HIM? LMAO!
I am all for Delgado coming back next year. He gets along with everybody, the fans like him (usually) and the fact that he could reach 500 could motivate him more. Honestly, i don’t see us doing better.
Okay, you are really making me burn valuable brain cells this afternoon on this site. I’ll give you bringing back castillo, but I wouldn’t go near Delgado with a ten foot pole. Ig Delgado had returned in July like Omar said he would, and he would have preformed at a high level the rest of the way, than by all means yes. But that’s not what happened. No way can we add to all the holes on this team by bringing back a guy who has had three surgeries in the last 12 months and hasn’t picked up a bat in months.
I hope the Mets would 1st and foremost see,what the Brewers want for Fielder?
If they can get Fielder no need to have Delgado.If they cant signing Delgado to an incentive laden contract would be okay,say 4million.They can also go sign a big bat to play left,i.e Bay or Holliday.Then Murphy can play 1st,or be platooned with Evans.
I think you started a Delgado fad Phil. lol I must have seen a half dozen or more Mets posts with the same theme this morning. Personally, I’m not a fan of bringing him back unless its for 4 million or less.
JOE? IS YOUR LAST NAME WILPON? IS THE ‘D’ A MIDDLE INITIAL? THE ISSUE IS 1B PRODUCTION NOT $$$ IF YOU GET 145G .275 31 104 DOES IT MATTER WHETHER IT COST 4M,5,12M? WITH 40M+COMING OFF BOOKS DIFFERENTIATING ON SUCH A SM SCALE IS LUDICROUS. ME? I’D INK HIM FOR 5M BASE W/INCENTIVES UP TO THIS YR’S 12M & WHISTLE ALL THE WAY TO OCTOBER IF HE HIT EVERY INCENTIVE. SAVINGS? I’D DO THAT BY GETTING YOUNGER IN BACKUPS/BENCH, HERNANDEZ INSTEAD OF CORA FOR MIDDLE INF, MURPH INSTEAD OF TATIS CORNER INF, PAGAN,REED AS EXTRA OFers,PHers. THE BIGGEST TEST FOR DELGADO’S FUTURE ANYWHERE IS BATSPEED. GOT IT, KEPPER, LOST IT, PARTING GIFTS.
James K. will agree with me on this one. Yes, value does matter. There is a difference between paying $4 million or $12 million for a .280 25 80 season. The Mets outspent 28 major league teams this season and what do they have to show for it? I just finished writing a long winded post on another thread about value and how it compares to Francoeur. James showed evidence that he has had a negative impact, but I argued that he is just 25 and has not had his breakthrough season yet. I look at his overpayment as an investment. What kind of value do we get by paying Pelfrey millions before he thre his first pitch? It’s an investment based on expectations. That said, you must also consider risk. Pelfrey and Francoeur are young and have never been on the DL.
Delgado is a major risk because of age and injury risk.