Though once again we will be watching two teams other than the Mets in the Fall Classic, this year’s series features several players with Met ties. I wouldn’t mind seeing the Texas Rangers win their first ever World Series, but I would more so like to see the former Mets play well. Texas has five players/personnel with Mets ties. ALCS MVP Nelson Cruz was actually a Met farmhand. Our old buddy Steve Phillips traded Cruz [...]

The idea of front-loading contracts is simple. You pay a player for his good years and as the contract goes on, the salary decreases. The concept is not meant to save anyone money and it does decrease short term payroll flexibility, but can benefit a team in the latter years of a deal. I am obviously not the first person to suggest this idea, but you will see why I pose the question as I [...]

Regardless of my feelings about the actual Francisco Rodriguez trade, I was really curious as to what the Mets would be getting in return from the Brewers. The general assumption is that we would get two PTBNL who didn’t matter at all, but I wanted to look more into the situation. As you already know, the Mets acquired two young pitchers for Rodriguez: Daniel Ray Herrera and Adrian Rosario. Herrera’s name was familiar to me [...]

An interesting nugget from ESPN New York citing Juan C. Rodriguez of the Florida Sun-Sentinel: It looks like new Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen and shortstop Hanley Ramirez are both lobbying ownership to pursue Jose Reyes: Asked if he could envision any scenario in which Ramirez played a position other than shortstop in 2012, Guillen didn’t quash the notion. Ramirez indicated last season he would not be opposed to moving if the Marlins signed free agent [...]

I am anxious for the World Series to start, and I would like to see the Cardinals win because that would complete one of the great comebacks in baseball history. The Cardinals have what it takes to complete history. Either way, if the Rangers won, that would also be a compelling story, especially for Mets fans who still have a fondness for Nolan Ryan. The Cardinals have the best pitcher and player in the Series [...]

Former Mets bench coach Chip Hale, told ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin that if the Mets lose Jose Reyes to free agency, young Ruben Tejada is more than capable to hold his own as an everyday shortstop for the Mets in 2012. “Whether he plays second every day next year or short, he’s going to be a big contributor to that team and they need it. His physical presence has improved. He’s gotten bigger. He’s gotten stronger. [...]

Unless your internet was down yesterday, it was nearly impossible for you to miss this post by Patrick Flood that was referenced on every saber-friendly Mets site or SNY Blog east of the Pacific Ocean yesterday. Flood examined 46 multi-year contracts that were dished out to starting pitchers over the last ten years and concluded, “Don’t ever sign a free agent pitcher for more than one year.” It was a well researched list complete with [...]

I read Matt Cerrone’s take on whether the deal Carl Crawford signed last offseason would impact Jose Reyes this offseason. He writes: I don’t think Crawford’s deal will impact the market for Jose Reyes as much as I initially thought. I figured seeing Crawford struggle might spook teams interested in Jose, considering both players rely so heavily on speed and are pushing 30. But, as more than one person told me (be it agents or [...]

The World Series has not ended yet, and already we’re coming out with off-season wish lists. We want Reyes, we don’t want Reyes, pay CJ Wilson whatever he wants, let Wilson go to the Yankees. Get a closer, trade Wright, keep your draft picks, hire Omar, fire Sandy, hire Riggleman, move the walls in. As they say in Seinfeld, yada, yada, yada. Now I’m not saying I don’t find these conversations valuable. I do, I [...]

One last look at 1986, no seriously I mean it. One of our former writers, Mikey J, actually passed along this YouTube video a few years ago and every year around this time, I get a kick out of watching it again. In this clip, as the Mets get ready to take on the Red Sox in the World Series, Lenny Dykstra and Roger McDowell make a 10 minute stop at MTV Studios where they get interviewed by vee-jay [...]