13
2009
Notable Non Tenders – Part 2
An article by 
Yesterday, I weighed in on two of Saturday’s non tender players; Jack Cust and Garrett Atkins. This morning, there are several new additions to the free agent market. The following players were non tendered by their former team before last nights midnight deadline.
Matt Capps, RP – Capps would be an interesting reliever to consider for the Mets. Only 26 years old, it was surprising to see the Pirates let him go. After posting solid seasons for the Bucs in 07 and 08, he slumped in 2009 during an injury (elbow) marred campaign that saw his ERA balloon to 5.69. However, his career ERA stands at a respectable 3.61 with a 1.17 WHIP to go with it. Capps was still able to post a career high 7.61 K/9 ratio last season, and the former closer could make an excellent setup man for the Mets at a cost of about $2,5 million dollars. Two thumbs up.
D.J. Carrasco, RP – Another surprise non tender, Carrasco, 33, led both leagues in relief innings pitched and posted a 3.76 ERA. He prefers to be a starter, but seems to be more effective in a relief role. His WHIP jumped from 1.13 in 2008 to 1.41 in 2009. Depending on his price, he may be worth a flyer. One thumb up, one thumb down.
Ryan Garko, 1B – The right handed Garko will be 29 in January, and was in the midst of a solid career before a trade to the Giants changed all that. After a 90 RBI season in 2008, Garko slipped to 51 RBI’s last season with 13 homers and a .269 batting average. The first baseman has a career .313 batting average and a .887 OPS against LHP which would suggest he’d be the perfect platoon mate for Daniel Murphy. His defense is ranked well above league average at first base. Two thumbs up.
Mike MacDougal, RP – The writing was on the wall for MacDougal when the Nationals acquired Brian Bruney last week from the Yankees. He saved 20 games in 2009, but it wasn’t pretty. Still, he may have some value at the backend of a bullpen. But this is one former Royals prospect that I’d stay away from. Two thumbs down.
Jonny Gomes, OF – I have always been intrigued by Gomes ever since his breakout year in 2005 when he hit 21 homeruns and batted .282 for the Rays. He has never come close to repeating that campaign, but still has some pop in his bat. Now 29, his terrible LH/RH splits suggests that he is probably best suited for a platoon role. Defensively, Gomes is far below average as a corner outfielder, and he doesn’t seem like a good fit patrolling the vast expanses of CitiField. Still, his power against left handed pitching is worth consideration. One thumb up, one thumb down.
Previous Non Tendered Player Reviews
Jack Cust, OF – Two thumbs down.
Garrett Atkins, 1B/3B – Two thumbs up.
About the Author: Joe DeCaro
Went to my first Mets game, a Mayors Trophy game at Shea, in '73. We beat the Yankees 8-4 and I was hooked. I marched in two Banner Day parades, and before the Grand Slam single, there was the "Hendu Can Do" grand slam - I was there. I've collected Mets memorabilia all my life and started Mets Merized Online to feed my addiction.
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NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationals | 26 | 18 | .591 | - |
| Braves | 26 | 20 | .565 | 1.0 |
| Mets | 24 | 21 | .533 | 2.5 |
| Marlins | 24 | 21 | .533 | 2.5 |
| Phillies | 23 | 23 | .500 | 4.0 |
Last updated: 05/25/2012
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Write Your Own Mets Post
Good article. Capps, Carrasco, and Garko are nearly no-brain decisions. Garko is especially a great choice for the 1B platoon. Plus he would have trade value in the future if Davis takes over in 2011. I’m cold on Atkins, but think Kelly Johnson is another great pick. This non-tender list creates a lot of low hanging fruit for the Mets to harvest. I think there is now no reason why we can’t have 2 or 3 signings over the course of next week. Omar needs to get aggressive now or weave a pretty good tale as to why he let all these guys get away. This is a test of whether he is actually working or asleep at the wheel.
i agree wholeheartedly that Omar must seize the day here. Now. i worry about Garko: why did his #s stink in SF? If we can be reassured he was mis-used or it was the punchless SF lineup’s ‘fault’, then i’d be more comfortable with taking a shot on him. i think we should also definitely go after Wang.
Gee, let’s see Kelly Johnson, a terrific little hitter who always murdered us, or Alex Cora? Way to wait out the non-tenders, Omar.
We mix and match Joe D. on this new bunch of F/A’s. i disagree with you on Cust. His defense can’t be worse than Sheffield’s and he can hit HRs in any park in the bigs + for all his K’s, his .OBP is pretty darn good. i say we take the risk.
i also disagree on Garko: his #s stank with SF last year. i’d want to analyze ‘why’ before i become very interested.
Carrasco, to me, is well worth the risk: his #s in the AL past 2 years are pretty darn good and would be roughly 1/2 pt better in the NL.
And Wang. i’d go hard after Wang, if comfortable he’ll be ready by early May.
And Kelly Johnson stands out to me. Sign him. What are we waiting for?! Trade Castillo to AZ for Mulvey or someone else. AZ needs a 2B.
i agree with you on Capps and Atkins, although i’m worried about Atkins’ offensive plummet last couple of years.
Also, in my view, we use this plethora of decent/good non-tendered guys to be cheap alternatives otherwise, and go hell-bent to sign Lackey and Marquis.
Castillo’s contract…AZ doesn’t want that. Mets aren’t going to throw in 6 million and then pay another 2B. Castillo is our 2B unless he’s traded for another bad contract.
Even before dealing with the contract, i was wrong about AZ: Ryan Roberts, their 2B, is pretty good. Oh well. But maybe, Castillo goes to the Dodgers for Pierre of Casey Blake? Dodgers let both Hudson and Belliard become F/A’s. And i am still puzzled about the Mets selling our Rule 5 pick to LA for bupkus cash. Could a trade be in the offing?
We’re sharing a brain, man.
Garko is perfect for us ; as well as Capps. Carrasco i’d take, he’s pretty versatile out of that pen.
Cust strikes out way too much, but i’m not sure how to judge Gomes.
In truth, i’d take a long look at Wang.
A groundball pitcher…he could fit in interestingly if he’s half as good as he used to be.
Garko’s #s with SF stunk. Why? i’d look at that first. Cust strikes out tons but his .OBP still high and he hits HRs anywhere + he can’t be a worse OF than Sheffield. Gomez hits some HRs in a small Cincy park. No thanks. If Wang can be ready by early May, sign him. And if we can get rid of Castillo, i’d sign Kelly Johnson too. Capps and Carrasco are definite sign-ups in my view also.
Cust is a less powerful Adam Dunn type of guy. He strikes out a ton, walks a ton, and hits a fair few home runs. I just wonder where he’d fit in the lineup. If the Mets were to take him, he’d have to play LF, and bat somewhere in the middle of the lineup…We could do worse, so I understand your point. He just doesn’t hit much for average.
I would take Wang if he’s ready by early May, based on the type of pitcher he is. Kelly Johnson…i’m so-so about him. He can hit, i’ve seen it. He’s also got pretty decent power for a second baseman. Last year wasn’t so great, though. I’d rather have Johnson than Castillo, because Castillo sometimes is a rally killer.
Agreed on Capps and Carrasco. Now…
Garko. He batted .308 against LH and posted an .870 OPS against them.
His numbers do tail off in the second half of the season, but not as badly as people make it out to be. He basically had no protection in the lineup and was forced to hit more RH pitching than he was used to, which he isn’t that successful against. I think he could platoon with Murphy.
Okay, i wasn’t sure about Garko. His #s with Sf were poor, but i thought possibly due to the Giants weak lineup. Then, i agree on Garko. My point, here, is that ‘some’ of these latest non-tendered guys areas good as ‘some’ of the guys on the market previously; they’re probably cheaper; we should be aggressive and take hard looks.
Yes, i knoe: Cust is a swing and miss guy, but if we don’t get Bay, hey, Cust hits homers and has a high .OBP despite his ton of K’s. So, why not?
We do need to take hard looks at them, especially the pitching on the market.
I can see the Met fan base booing Cust out of NY after he goes 0-4 with 4 Ks in back to back games. I know it’ll happen. He will produce, and he’ll jack about 25 Hrs, and walk almost every other day. I guess I just feel we don’t exactly need dead-power hitters. If he could play first…I’m not completely against it, I just prefer more well rounded players than straight power guys.
Interestingly, Dodgers also received Tampa’s Rule 5 pick (a Relief Pitcher) for bupkus cash. So, the Dodgers have 2 other teams doing their bidding. What gives? Something or nothing?
There’s also buzz about trading Pierre to Detroit, but looking for a 3rd team to supply a 4th ‘veteran’ starter the Dodgers desire. No mention of what piece of any trade the Tigers would add.
Also, the Dodgers have no veteran 2B on the roster. Blake DeWitt is a good prospect, but didn’t hit much in his MLB cameo. They may be looking at some F/A 2B’s out there…or, my fantasy would be that either Castillo or Perez become fitted to Dodger ‘blue’.
the judgements on the non-tenderized are spot on; but whaT OF DFA’D church/jacobs for invites/tryouts? church as a reed replacement on milb deal jake as ins against anotherr delgado muscle pull in st? infinitesimal risks, potential decent rewards