31
2010
Scrap Heap Signings Haven’t Solved Mets’ Pitching Problem
An article by Tom Terrific (Stephen Hanks)
Okay, so the Mets went 1-for-2 on their attempts to get a power hitting outfielder and a top of the rotation starter. Then after whiffing on pitchers Jason Marquis and Joel Pineiro and catcher Bengie Molina (the most welcome strikeouts since Kevin Bass in 1986), they didn’t even offer at pitchers Doug Davis, Ben Sheets and Jon Garland. So Omar and company spent the last week taking their swings at the remaining scraps on the free agent market to fill the back end of their roster.
But in the Mets’ case, perhaps the appropriate metaphor to their off-season is the strategy someone on a tight budget takes at a silent auction. You know you want to buy some stuff, perhaps you even need some of the stuff, but you have to pick your spots when you bid. You see a few expensive trinkets but know you can only outbid everyone for one because you might actually win the high bids. Then you see a few items you like, but not enough to outbid everyone else and blow all your cash when you could save that money for next year’s auction. And then as you’re walking to get a cocktail, you see a few cheap, but nice things that nobody has bid on so you take a flier and win.
Coming up with utility man Frank Catalanotto and righthanded reliever Josh Fogg and re-signing Fernando Tatis didn’t exactly set Mets fans hearts aflutter, although all three are acknowledged to be good character and clubhouse guys, something not exactly in abundance the last few years in the team’s locker room.
If the best thing to come out of the Tatis signing is to hasten the end of the Carlos Delgado era at first base, it was worth it. In addition to getting Delgado’s influence, or lack thereof, out of the clubhouse, the Mets could do worse than Tatis–who for the second straight season had decent power numbers coming off the bench, but was a double play machine in the clutch–as the righthanded platoon at first with lefty Daniel Murphy. The Mets are clearly committed to determining if Murphy can be a run producer at first base before deciding on turning to bigger first base fish (the Padres’ Adrian Gonzalez?) at the trade deadline or next year. It’s the right move. With Bay supplying most of the power the team won’t get from Delgado, Murphy should be under less pressure to be the 30-homer guy he clearly is not. If he hits close to .300 against righties, bangs about 20 dingers and plays solid defense (with Tatis supplementing those numbers against lefties), the Mets will be fine at first base.
But back to the silent auction metaphor: This supposed lack of aggressiveness in signing the bigger name free agents this winter–other than outfielder Jason Bay–may actually be a plan, as hard to believe as that may be. If the Mets can stay in the race through the All-Star break, they may be able to supplement the roster through deadline deals for impending free agents. If they’re toast by the 4th of July, they can look to 2011 and sign from among a better crop of free agents that will hit the market after this season.
But they won’t have a chance of being in contention with the Phillies or even the Braves and Marlins if they don’t add another solid starting pitcher, preferably a number two behind Johan Santana. The problem is the only free-agent of that caliber on the market winter was John Lackey and the Mets deemed him too expensive for their budget and not worth the investment.
What’s left to choose from? Aging future Hall of Famers John Smoltz and Pedro Martinez, former stars rehabbing from injuries like Chien-Ming Wang and Eric Bedard, and trade possibilities Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo from the Cincinnati Reds. While either of the latter two would be solid additions to the back end of a staff, perhaps as high as a number three starter, they may not be that much of an upgrade over what the Mets already have in Mike Pelfrey (if he grows up) and John Maine (if he rebounds from injury).
If Jeff Wilpon allows Omar to shop from somewhere other than the scrap heap, he would be wise to take a flyer on Wang and Bedard, perhaps even both. Surely they can’t be worse than Oliver Perez healthy. Both were number two caliber starters when they were with the Yankees and Orioles, respectively, and both should be ready to take a major league mound again by May or June. Omar should stick with his current policy of preserving what’s left of his minor league crop, stay away from trades (unless it involves unloading Luis Castillo) and go for the freebies.
Of course the whole plan goes to hell in a hand basket if Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran don’t revert to 2008 form, let alone stay healthy. At that point, no amount of short-term bargain shopping will help this franchise and we’ll see Bob Melvin in the manager’s chair by June.
About the Author: Stephen Hanks
Stephen Hanks (Tom Terrific) is a magazine editor and writer based in Brooklyn, NY, who has been the publisher and editorial director of publications ranging in subjects from sports to health to archaeology. Hanks began his career at the late, great SPORT Magazine in 1977 and in 1983, he co-founded NEW YORK SPORTS Magazine (which ceased publication in 1985). He has written and edited coffee table books on baseball history, penned unauthorized biographies of Bo Jackson and Wayne Gretzky, and in 1990 authored "The Game That Changed Pro Football," an oral history of the 1969 New York Jets Super Bowl Season. Stephen has also played baseball for 45 years and currently plays in an Over-40 hardball league based in Northern New Jersey. Even though he grew up near Yankee Stadium, he loathes the team from the Bronx and has been a die-hard Mets fan since attending his first game at the Polo Grounds in 1963.
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Bedard makeup and injuries isn’t a good idea. Wang can play in NY but again if the Mets are taking a chance on him they better have left some money to play with incase his shoulder isn’t 100%.
Mets biggest problem isn’t what they didn’t bring in but the players that they have. They have big question mark with Reyes, Perez, Santana, Maine, Pelfrey and Krod. All of them are going to have to be healthy and on top of their game. If they are not, bringing in Wang or whoever isn’t going to make a difference. And to be honest, if the Mets just came out and said that at the end of the year, instead of the smokescreen they tried to present I wouldn’t have cared.
2011 is their best shot at winning a championship…they have players who will be looking at FA in 2012 (Beltran, Perez, Reyes) and a lot better crop of FA in 2010. Lets hope for a healthy 2010…
If Perez continues to produce only Excedrin headaches, the Mets need to jettison him, regardless of his ‘potential.’ I’ve gotten to the point where I won’t watch him. The angst isn’t worth an occasional brilliant victory.
Has anybody been using a kind of ‘Consistency Index?’ Maybe some math guru will incorporate baseball parameters into a standard deviation formula or similar measure. Perez must be an outlier or a curve buster.
I like Mike Jacobs, Bedard and Wang. I think getting those three for around $10 MM is not a bad chance to take and all of their salaries would still come off the books in time to spend on next years free agents.
Look, the Mets had no good options for starting pitchers. Yes, there was Lackey, but after that, there was nothing worth overpaying for. The rest of the field were a bunch of question marks, and were asking for more than they were worth because there was so little competition. And the team had little to trade, since they don’t have any major-league ready players in the minors (in a couple of years, that will change, but you can’t get anything for an Ike Davis at this point).
I guarantee you that if the Mets had signed any of those pitchers (other than Lackey), the fans would have been complaining about the contracts and jumping to criticize when the signed players started playing at the level they were expected to play.
Getting Jason Bay was a good move. Not going overboard on Molina was also a smart move in the long run. Signing Cora was also smart, not just in a baseball sense, but as a way to encourage everyone to give an extra effort (Cora went beyond the call of duty to play with injuries. If the team jettisoned him for an equivalent but cheaper player, every player on the squad would think twice about doing anything like that).
Overall, the Mets were smart in that they didn’t go wild over nothing and saved their big bucks for another year. There was no good solution other than to hope their players bounce back, and that’s really not all that bad a bet.
I agree 100% with Bedard and Wang. Can’t be worse than Ollie.
This is the time to take fliers on guys, because our “core” players are all fliers too.
The last line in your report, Tom, frightens the Hell out of me. Perish the thought. As a fan base, I don’t know if we could take that. Unfortunately, it is a very real possibiliity.
“If he hits close to .300 against righties, bangs about 20 dingers and plays solid defense (with Tatis supplementing those numbers against lefties), the Mets will be fine at first base.”
Thye above wish is a mighty tall order. to assume Murph can morph into those #s without adversEly effecting BA,OBP & Ks is fool’s erand.
I’ve a problem with all these negative assumations vs. our pitchers while everyone either ignores or assumes Phl will suddenly get productive numbers out of bothy Moyer & Contreras while Atlanta’s 40+ yr old backend of the pen(Wagner,Saito) holds up effectively. While there’s something of an optimistic view to antiocipate Santana,Perez, Maine,Neive,Neise all recover effectively it absolutlt astronomically foolish to assume such aging pitchers as Moyer,Wagner,Saito all recover competitivly.BTW, all 3 teams atop NL East are hoping for recoveries for their warts on their staff ours isn’t the only team in our division to make sacrifices when accomodating a budget, while the overall payrolls of both ATL & PHL don’t individually come close to the NYM, Philly sacrificed a given dominating for yrs Rotation by sacrificing Lee when adding Haliday(if both kept, overall payroll still > NYM) Atlanta targeted offensive power as their primary offseason objective citing a willingness to reduce their rotation somewhat from 6 effective SP to add a BIG POWER HITTING PRESENCE, they settled on weakening their rotation by their #2 SP getting in return, Melky Cabrera, a nice player; but certainly not a PRESENCE, not a significant offensive addition once u factor in loss of 2B, Kelly. To sacrifice such a key competitive pitcher as Vazquez, one of your younger & most effective starters (REPLACEMENT IS INJURY RETURNING HUDSON). Still dependent on hobbled 38yr old Chipper for offensive production, weaker in rotation as Hudson<Vazquez, weaker in pen opting for ancient recovering finishers Wagner(40) & Saito(41) over hardthrowing Gonzalez & Soriano from last yr.
ALL 3, AS OMAR HAS POINTED OUT & FANS CHOOSE TO IGNORE, HAVE THEIR CERTAIN '?' AND HAVE MADECOMPROMISES DUE TO $$$. ALL WILL BE FORGIVEN OF THE TEAM/TEAMS PARICIPATING IN THEE POSTSEASON.
bat 300,hit 20 hrs.? That’a a heck of a hitter. Bat him third! I had no idea,I mean I know he hit 300 in doublle A once but how many homeruns? Maybe Omar does know what he is doing.
’62 you make some legit points, but you seem to ignore fact that we are depending on an entire staff to come back healthy, not just 1 – 2 pitchers, which is probably typical for most clubs. And, we’ve done very little to nothing to add depth/stability to our rotation. THAT is where Omar/ownership are culpable.
Bob, considering the talent level available this offseason, if our 3 ENIGMAS pitch to their talent levels instead of their histories, there wasn’t a discernably huge improvment on the market once Lackey priced himself out of our range to ink both Lackey & Bay within ownership set restrictions and if they don’t, no one pitcher available, incl Lackey would alter the misery that could follow. Those available; but with questions certainly, for the most part, had much bigger questions surrounding them like age, for instance, being 31 or 32 trying to come back from historical soft tissue arm injuries is a much bigger concern than say a 29 yr old Maine attempting comback from his very first injury, an arthroscopically shaved down bone spur of his rt shoulder. or a 26 yr old attempting to discard the hackles of Peterson’s methods attempting to recover his lost power style with mental insecurity causing concentration fopars,yips. Acquiring that bigger questionmark with a “NAME” has not always been kind to us!
In my not so humble opinion, our biggest blunder was turning so much control over to a coach who’d learned a valuble trick that took full advantage of control/deception into improving the results for pitchers with mudiocre raw ‘stuff’(Zito,Mulder,Hudson,et al); pitchers naturally lacking in ability to dominate or overpower being successful pitching to controlled contact, strings @ knees, inducing groundballs at a highly successful rate. Consequently when applied to pitchers having consistant swing/miss ‘stuff’, contact, even controlled, was less efficient than non-contact. While we banished the teacher, his teachings lingered in the minds of his pupils, both pitchers & catchers. starting this yr all Petersonization influence has been banished along with Schneider & Castro. Maine & Pelfrey were both prime Peterson acolytes, Johnny, unforetunatly was injured during Warthen’s innaugral months and had the least reprogramming. I also believe the methodology was so ingrained as to leaving the Enigmas at a loss when umps weren’t buying into the style at the knees. In the past few decades 2 renowned pitching coaches emerged due to consistant success by their staffs, Peterson & Mazzone with my vote going to “rocking Leo” for adapting his teachings favoring corners & “just outside” to only include the 2 lacking in velocity that needed “that” edge, Maddox & Glavine; but Smoltz was encouraged to use hispowerful abilities anywhere in the stikezone, While Rick has proven to be a “one size fits all” single trick pony that has not only cost us dearly in effective stubborn prospects(Kazmir,Bell,Bannister,Linstrunm) as well as undermining the self confidence of three major cogs in our rotation.
Perez, unfortunatly, despite his immense raw talent has been left utterly confused by many coaches plying their best guesses from Pittsburgh’s attempts to Glavinize him to control/groundball style & Peterson’s string art, leaving him now with Warthen who is obviously attempting to set him free and aiming his deliveries properly through entire body motion, not just arm angles. Warthen’s contact with Pelf’s college coach will hopfully enable the big fella to entrust the new approach with more faith in his non-Petersonized game callers. Maine’s high rider, hopfully will track from belt to letters instead of knees to wheelhouse. Let us Pray!
PS. my statements regarding Peterson’s tendancy to give himself credit instead of his charges is substantiated by angry statements that were issued in Oakland by his 3 studs complaining, “Rick always too all the credit” as well as none of the 3 pining for a reunion tour. Everyone may recall Zito barely wanted to entertain a Met offer despite Peterson’s position or [possibly because of it. That was prior to SF going off deep end in bidding.
and they still have not extended their usual spring training invites to the four or five has-been pitchers that they inevitable do. Scouring the slag heaps is a time honored tradition with this team.
jdon, they’re not alone. for years under guidance of Schurholtz, the Braves completed their bullpen that exact same way. Does it really matter how a key contributor is acquired? I’d say, their issue isn’t the acquisition; but the use. If while visiting the local glue factory, u spot a good looking steed, it likely best to buy it for one of those, kiddie rides & not the SWEEPSTAKES.