17
2011
My Recession Mets Wish List
An article by 
Being that we are in a “Met-conomic downturn” if you will, the coveted free agents this winter are nothing more than overpriced commodities the Mets can only stare agape at through a store window while other teams snatch them off the shelves. Instead, the Amazin’s are forced to look in the “Clearance Sale” bin and try to find a nice bargain. Here are some of those who I think could be a nice, economy fit for the now-frugal New York Mets. I made this list about a week ago so I know rumors have since begun to float about several of these players:
Bench: Endy Chavez, Omar Vizquel, Scott Hairston: As I have stated in a previous article, the Mets should bring back Endy Chavez in 2012. He has a decent bat, blazing speed and exceptional fielding capabilities, as seen in Game 7 of 2006. He is a fan favorite and would be a nice 4th outfielder as a backup to Angel Pagan, who is a big question mark in 2012.
Omar Vizquel is not known for his bat, but his defensive capablities are something not seen since the days of Ozzie Smith. I would bring him in as a mentor for Ruben Tejada and Daniel Murphy should Reyes skip town, which is becoming all the more likely. Murphy especially needs some serious help at second if he is going to be the everyday second baseman, and Vizquel could be just the guy to teach him.
Scott Hairston was a very nice, bottom-of-the-barrel pickup on the part of Sandy Alderson last year. He served as the go-to bat off the bench last year and provided some much-needed power up until he went out for the year with an injury. Hairston is a bit streaky, but an ideal bench player, and relatively cheap at that.
Backup Catcher: Jason Varitek or Dioner Navarro: Either of these veterans would be a solid addition to the 2012 Mets. Although my first choice for a backup catcher would be Pudge Rodriguez, Varitek or Navarro could work too.
Varitek is a legend in Boston and has played his entire career there, but after the collapse of 2011 and the supposed clubhouse issues, they may want a change in leadership. Varitek at 39 is exceptional with pitchers and still even has a little pop left in his bat, hitting 11 home runs in 222 at bats. The only issue is that like Pudge, his agent is Scott Boras, so he won’t be a bargain.
Navarro does not come with the same benefits as Varitek of being a leader or having a reliable bat, but would also be a solid, inexpensive veteran backstop to work with the younger pitching staff. He made $1 million last year while batting .193, so the Mets might be able to get him for 6-figures.
Starter: Paul Maholm, Oliver Perez: Maholm could be a solid mid-rotation starter who could give the Mets some innings. He is slightly above average in walks, but is not afraid to have the ball in play and is able to get that “big out” if needed. Although likely to be seeking a multi-year deal, Maholm could very well be worth the commitment at a relatively inexpensive price.
As for Oli… Psych! That mess is someone else’s problem now.
Closer/Bullpen: Vincente Padilla, Todd Coffey, J.C. Romero, Mike MacDougal, Jason Isringhausen, Frank Francisco: I saved the best for last; that unsightly, heart-wrenching time for Met fans that is innings 7-9, where promising games for Flushing’s Finest go to die. To ease the burden a bit, I have come up with several names that I believe would be both inexpensive and efficient.
Closer: Frank Francisco: Francisco had a respectable year with Toronto after coming over in the Mike Napoli trade with the Rangers. After struggling mightily the first half, Francisco settled down to end with a 3.55 ERA and 17 saves. He made $4 million last year with the Blue Jays and will likely command similar money, which is not too steep for a closer.
Bullpen: Vincente Padilla, Todd Coffey, J.C. Romero, Mike MacDougal, Jason Isringhausen: Vincente Padilla does have his share of injuries, but if healthy, can provide some consistent outs while also being a reliable spot-starter. Todd Coffey is not only a fast runner, but can get righties out like nobody’s business. He is a veteran, proven, and always hustles. J.C. Romero holds his own when facing righties, he knows the division and has a .211 BAA with two outs and a runner on third. Mike MacDougal had an absolutely dominant year, he is worth the risk and could be a nice set up man to Francisco. Finally Jason Isringhausen, as we saw this year, is a great mentor to younger guys like Beato or Parnell and can still pitch even though he will surpass the age-40 mark in 2012.
I estimate that all of this would cost about $18-$22 million to sign everyone on this list, bring the total payroll to about $100-$110 million in 2012; exactly where Alderson was expecting payroll to be at.
This is what I got when I dove into the bargain bin, any other suggestions?
About the Author: Clayton Collier
Clayton, a Long Island native and die-hard Mets fan, started writing online about three years ago. He is currently a Journalism major with a minor in Broadcasting at Seton Hall University. Although very disappointed with the current state of the team, Clayton remains hopeful that the young prospects in the farm system will bring the Mets back to a respected franchise in baseball once again. Besides writing for MMO, Clayton is also a staff member at 89.5 WSOU, Seton Hall's modern active rock radio station. You can contact Clayton by following him on Twitter: @Clayton_Collier or E-mailing him at MaybeNextYearMets@yahoo.com
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NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 24 | 18 | .571 | - |
| Nationals | 23 | 20 | .535 | 1.5 |
| Phillies | 20 | 23 | .465 | 4.5 |
| Mets | 16 | 24 | .400 | 7.0 |
| Marlins | 11 | 32 | .256 | 13.5 |
Last updated: 05/18/2013
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I like your Bench players a lot, Endy and Vizquel are great mentors for Tejada, Duda, Havens. Navarro is great, but I can see him as the starter over Thole in time. Maholm is a great pick, but made 6 million last year. He could seek even more after what was his best season. I’d still go with Marquis, don’t ask me why. There’s a lot in the bullpen and I’m torn between Francisco and Capps. Francisco because Capps is a Type A. Good picks!
Endy is not a decent bat, but he could be an acceptable fifth outfielder. Mike MacDougal? No thanks. I have always disliked adilla for some reason, but since I don;t know what it is, I will not quibble about him. Thole needs a mentor, but I suspect he will not be a mainstay here. Mahom is just another guy in the pack to me. Is he better than Dillon or Jonathan ? My recollection of him is very much like Capuano.
I would have rather had Rod Barajas or Henry Blanco back instead of Paulino last season. Paulino sucked. We had two good catchers and they never last long on the market because teams know how good they are. Both are already picked up and signed this offseason.
Clayton I’m starting to wonder if we ARE the clearance Bin?
We buy these retreads let the re-establish their careers here and pay them for a year and then let them all go once they prove they aren’t quite as bad as their affordability to us suggested!
reyes? Two 2nd Rounders if Marlins signs him and they sign no one else?
Haven’t read what they would give up Murphy for but I bet it isn’t much more than a Thanksgiving Butterball Turkey!
They claim they need to be WOWED to give up Wright but I would bet one relief pitcher and two PTBNLs would get it done too!
God forbid Ike Davis and Santana have a good year cause both will be next!
How bad can you make one team in two years time?
Metsie I think once you fall out of being a contender those pieces like Francoeur or Hairston or Capuano become a normal in-and-out type of player. They are mostly stop-gaps until the star prospects, namely Harvey and Wheeler arfe ready and not rushed like Milledge or F-Mart. So I wouldn’t say that the Mets are the bargain bin, it is just what happens to a consistent non-contender.
Well Clayton whatever happened with F-Mart in the past…If he isn’t ready to take Hairstons place then he never will be ready!
Start him and let him fail, maybe he gets it and doesn’t!
Then at least he is tradeable!
Same thing I said for Evans and Pridie (now gone)
If a Kid isn’t ready by age 24 then thats the guy you use as Bench filler not some slouch for twice the price.
To be honest I would rather non-tender Pelfrey and sign Maholm as his replacement.Getting rid of the headcase Pelfrey is addition by subtraction.Maholm holds all NL East teams to under a 100 batting average only the Mets have hit him at a weak 211 for his career so I think Maholm would be a nice replacement over Pelfrey for about the same price.
I would also non-tender Pelfrey and resign Hairston and Chavez to platoon them in CF until Niewenhuis proves that he’s fully recovered from season ending shoulder surgery which is possible he could be ready by openng day but both Endy and Hairston will be less expensive than Pagan who was totally lost in CF and on the basepaths last year despite being much more talented than Endy and Hairston.
Non-tendering both Pagan and Pelfrey helps offset the cost to retain Reyes.I’m sick of waiting for Pelfrey to reach his potential.
As far as the bullpen why isn’t Joe Nathans name being tossed around anymore? He would be target number one for me and I would also bring in Coffey and Padilla.Romero seems to have lost a little something so I think I’ll pass on hm.We have enough pitchers fall behind 3-0 to the 1st batter faced.Also Francisco or Lidge to set up for Nathan.Even if we have to go a little above the 110 budget than so be it.If these guys all perform and Ike and Santana give you something then we coluld possibly fight for that 5th WC spot if it is in the cards for next year.Or is it 2013? Either way it’s better than punting.
Well Joem Sandy is going to tender him AND Pagan because what he really wants is the picks not the player!
If they accept the Arb then he will try to trade them but his hope is that they will decline, sign elsewhere due to a low Arb number put out by the team and he will get more HS kids to make us competitive in 8 years!
I would rather have 2 old proven catchers like Varitek and Rodriguez than Thole and Nickeas.
Those guys are a little too old.
I have always thought unless you have a guy like McCann or Piazza, catcher is mostly a defensive position and who works best with pitchers. It is a much bigger responsibilty than just catching a ball while squatting, they are the natural leader of the field, and I have found it is always done best by a veteran, namely Varitek or Pudge or someone along those lines.
I totally agree! With Thole and Paulino we have 2 catchers that are well below average defensively and don’t make up for their lousy defense with their bats.If we’re going to have a lousy defensive catcher he better mash. I would even rather have Doumit over Thole,at least he adds a little offense.Doumit and Nickeas would probably be a better tandem than Thole and Paulino.
Ehh Doumit is a stretch, I like his bat but I see him taking a similar route as V-Mart; becoming a DH/ reserve catcher in a way.
But Paulino is not that bad defensively if i recall correctly, at least I remember he is pretty good with the call game ebhind the dish.
Thole I am not a fan of. He is a contact hitter, might walk a decent amount, but poor callgame, poor defense, no power, inconsistent bat… Maybe if he has a good first half, flip him with another prospect for a starter.
FYI Doumit signed 1 yr deal with Minnesota
Well Cayton think about it….
How does a guy get good at caling pitches and directing the infield unless he has a few years of experience behind the plate and sees most of the hitters in the league for a few seasons?
Piazza was never really all that great of a defensive catcher truth be told. He got better as he went though.
There are two ways to go at Catcher.
Go for the mediocre hitting defensive specialist or go for the good hitter who is not all that defensivly great but gets back the runs with his bat. The latter describes Piazza to a T!
Thole is neither but then again he has only been playing two season worth. Add to it he has Pitchers who have little method of pitching, they basically throw what they think is their best pitch and hope they get the guy out! (Thats Pelfrey’s problem for sure, Dickey is the only guy who tries to set up batters from last year’s squad)
If we had a real Ace (and maybe Santana helps here) pitching to Thole and helping to show him what a Pitcher with a REAL PLAN OF ATTACK does with a batter it might help a kid like Thole and show him how a good pitcher should pitch to certain batters.
I go back to Grote who was a good defensive guy, so so bat (who got better with time) but he had guys like Seaver, Koosman, Ryan and Gentry there to make the calling and defensive side easy.
And when guys like Matlack comes around Grote knew how a Seaver would play batters and merely call Matlack’s games with that knowledge.
This is why having two aces is so important.
Not only can they mentor the young pitchers you have but they help the catcher figure out what a good pitcher needs to do to get the rest of the league out!
If Thole had that type of knowledge maybe pelfrey would not be the inconsistent pitcher he is today!