30
2009
Patience And Prudence Pays Off For Omar
An article by Former Writers
Last week, I wrote of Omar Minaya and remarked about him actually using learnings from past mistakes and exhibiting patience and being prudent in the face of enormous pressure. I commend him for not giving in to the heat of talk radio and the national media in general, and opinions calling for his dismissal on the Mets own network, SNY. He stuck to his plan and now has what appears to be an agreement with Jason Bay, our new left fielder.
He also appears to be closing in on a 2 year agreement with his and the organizations’ # 1 catching target Bengie Molina. I still disagree with him regarding Molina, and would rather have Rod Barajas for less money and 1 year less. However, I applaud the organization, and Omar in particular, for sticking to their guns and not offering Molina more than the 2 years I find acceptable, or for that matter, the 4 years guaranteed to Bay. I always thought Bay would get a vesting option on top of the 4 guaranteed years so I’m not angry or worried that the salary on his back loaded deal will hinder player procurement in subsequent years, as the option will help protect the organization.
For those that called for Omar’s dismissal or that the Wilpon ownership group had emasculated him as it pertained to spending, I can only say one sentence: You were wrong. I agree that the wait for this to occur tried Met Nation’s patience and my own, but I believe Omar acted shrewdly in the negotiations at this juncture of the off season. The Organization may have misjudged the pitching market, or perhaps another big move is coming as the Mets had many discussions at the winter meetings. Omar has said he has a plan and after the news from today, perhaps he needed to have this Bay signing to occur to enable him to deal his depth for the right pitcher. For those who desire multi-tasking, He probable couldn’t create the holes in his major league roster and the minor leagues or it would have left the team vulnerable to player and agent demands.
I’ve recently seen the Zambrano reports, (Thankfully Carlos, not Victor) and previously had read stories of Kansas City being interested in Angel Pagan earlier this winter. Gil Meche may be available due to his 2 years and 24 million left. Perhaps one young arm (Parnell) can be included with Pagan and Castillo to bring Meche and Alberto Callaspo to NY. The Castillo contract pales in comparison to Meche’s deal. Meche is a quality pitcher and legit number two starter when healthy. But, he’s been hurt almost every year since signing his big 5 year- 55 million dollar deal. Would it be smart to deal for Mr. Meche? Perhaps not. Especially after the injury riddled season that ruined our 2009 season. But to get rid of Castillo, and acquire a young 2nd baseman like Callaspo, it might be worth it…
Zambrano would be ideal. The Cubbies have so many bad contracts, they may have to dump Carlos just to get a hold of their own situation. Soriano, Silva, my goodness they may have worse contracts to deal with than anyone. How about another one in Castillo…
Perhaps a deal is in the offing with the Reds for Bronson Arroyo or Aaron Harang’s bloated contract.
Whatever the case, it has become apparent that our Metsies and Omar indeed had a plan. For now, we’ll have to take a wait and see approach to the remaining moves.
Patience and prudence. I’ve tried to preach it and live by it as a Met fan. Omar’s learnings may be taking hold after all…
About the Author: Former Writers
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I couldn’t have said it better myself. Look, I understand the frustration of Mets fans waiting & waiting & watching big names being gobbled up by other teams. Especially the frustration during & after last season.
I don’t know about others, but I have absolutely no idea what goes on behind closed doors. Like Lackey, who I like & think he would’ve been a great addition to the rotation (however not for a guaranteed 5 years), but maybe he hates New York. Maybe he’s more comfortable staying in the AL. I don’t know & now I don’t care anymore. But I always hope that Omar has a good plan & a good back-up plan.
Omar is far from perfect. He’s made some moves that were questionable & he has over-payed at times (Pedro, Castillo, Franco, and………Billy Wagner). It’s funny, I never hear the stupid Mets fans who swear that Omar is a racist EVER bring up Billy Wagner’s name. He was over-payed IMO. But that was what it took to get him to Queens.
Omar usually gets his man & that man’s name is Jason Bay. Hopefully, he’s far from being finished. We need pitching, because we cannot go into the ’10 season expecting Pelf to be a #2. He’s not, at least not yet.
I can live with Molina for 2 years. He gives some extra pop to the lineup, handles the pitching staff well & I cannot blame him for wanting 3 years after seeing Pudge & Kendall getting 2.
Keep grinding it out, Omar!
Mike – Great post.
Omar’s patience in the Bay negotiations paid off as did his patience when pursuing Santana.
You have cited sensible moves that require a bit more forethought and calculation than the easy “sign this guy, and get that guy” mentality.
Acquiring C. Zambrano (I feel compelled to distinguish him, just so there’s NO MISUNDERSTANDING) would likely yield positive results as he would join fellow countrymen Santana, Escobar & K-Rod. I think he would exercise better self-control in their presence as they not only speak his language, but also his dialect.
If we were able to land Zambrano (I’m thinking in exchange for Pelfrey, Parnell & Castillo), then we could roll the dice with Ben Sheets. The rotation could look like this:
Santana
Zambrano
Sheets/Nieve
Niese/Ollie
Maine/Figueroa
In that scenario, we’d be at least two-deep in slots 3 thru 5. Tobi Stoner & Dillon Gee bear watching, as they continue to develop. If Escobar re-establishes his health, he could be a coonsideration for the 5th slot post Allstar break.
I would have traded Pelfrey for Lackey, but not for Zambrano. Zambrano is too much of a question mark. He’s overweight, allegedly does not care about staying in top condition and has a huge contract.
Nope, if I’m going to gamble, I’ll stick with Pelfrey–who is cheap, is a former #1 pick, and showed flashes dominance (albeit interspersed with flashes of being overmatched.)
I think zambrano is crazy. we already have crazy mike. my bone of contention is the premise that we needed offense before pitching. That is 180 degrees wrong. The lineup IS better. Good. We still finish third. I cannot applaud someone doing things backward. I do want Sheets. I want no part of Zambrano and his antics. And I agree with you about Molina.
Glad to see Nieve’s name in there. Seems like a lot of people had forgotten about him. He was having a solid season until the ’09 health curse got a hold of him.
Zambrano would certainly answer the Mets’ need for a #2. I wonder if there’s a way to swing both Zambino & Arroyo. I’m not head-over-heels for Arroyo, but I love the thought of Brandon Phillips at 2nd.
I agree.. Would love to see Phillips at 2b (gold glove winner and 30/30 man)… Arroyo i see more as a number 3 starter… WOuldn’t mind trading Castillo, Pelfrey and F-Mart for Arroyo and Phillips. Sign Sheets
Rotation
Johan – 19-7
Sheets – 16-6
Arroyo – 15-8
Maine/Nieve – 14-10
Perez/Niese – 13-10
Line Up
Reyes – 285 14hr 70RBI 25 triples 40doubles 50SB 123runs
Phillps – 275 24Hr 80RBI 114runs
Wright – 305 25Hr 101RBi 100runs 40 Doubles
Beltran – 278 26HR 100 Rbi 100 runs
Bay – 270 28HR 100RBi
Delgado – 260 28HR 90RBi
Frenchie – 265 22Hr 80RBi
Molina – 260 17hr 65RBi
P
I have always been an Omar supporter! The Wilpons are still not off the hook. There is still a $25 million dollar discrepancy between this year’s and last year’s payroll. There is still work to be done. I do have a question which no one has seemed to bring up yet…What does this mean for Fernando Martinez? Is he trade bait now?
Pete, you think we’re still 25mm short of the ’09 payroll? If true, that’s great news.
I will give Omar the credit he deserves but will not give him any if he brings Zambrano on board cause despite not having pitched a lot the last few years, Zambrano is a head case that could cost the team games plus that is a lot of money for a player that has been inconsistent, apart from his under 4 era, what has he done for Cubs? Same thing with Meche and his injuries the last few years, Mets don’t need pitchers especially that have had history of injuries after this past season. Why are some willing to trade Pagan, again, so quickly after he showed last year that he plays great def, can fill in at lead off and hit .300? I know he had some mental miscues but he is the perfect #4 OF with speed.
Fernando Martinez can still be a part of Mets future. He is only 21 and he needs a lot of at bats in AAA next year so I am not willing so start trading him so fast. He can be the next CF, Beltran’s contract is up in 2 years and FMart will be only 23 plus let’s see how Frenchy does this year before we hand him RF for the future.
Signing Jason Bay gives the Mets a legitimate offseason acquisition. However, I am not ready to canonize Omar yet. There is more to be done. The starting rotation needs to be fixed. The Mets must pick up a minimum of at least one starting pitcher. The best opportunities are gone, so it will take some creativity to get this next need filled. I will give Omar until the end of January to pull off a trade that brings in a legit #2. If he does that and we come away from the offseason with Jason Bay and a legit starting pitcher, I will give Omar the benefit of the doubt. Otherwise he still gets a grade of F from me.