2
2012
Jason Bay For Heath Bell And John Buck? Why Not?
An article by 
Yesterday, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported that the Mets and Marlins were discussing a deal before the trade deadline that would send Jason Bay to Miami, and bring Heath Bell and John Buck to the Mets. Although they weren’t close to a deal, they were discussing.
All three players in this proposed trade are overpaid and not performing. However, it would be one that could could benefit both sides greatly. The Marlins would get a starting left fielder. They could move Logan Morrison to first base to replace Carlos Lee. On the Mets side, it would give them bullpen help and a backup catcher, two huge holes on their roster.
If the Mets and Marlins had gotten a deal done, they would be exchanging big contracts. Bay has about $20 million or so left on his current deal, while Bell and Buck combined have just a little bit more than that. The money would have likely been very close in this trade scenario, which I will talk about in a bit.
It’s very possible that a change of scenery would help Heath Bell and turn him back into the dominant force that he was in San Diego. And I’m not a big fan of John Buck, but he is certainly an upgrade from Mike Nickeas and Rob Johnson, right?
Of course, there is always the possibility that neither of them will regain the high level of play that earned them their big contracts in the first place. But if that happens, the Mets could just release both of them, just like they would have done with Bay. They will be on the hook for the $20 million or so Bay is being owed anyway, so if they can’t get avoid paying it, why not take a chance with Bell and Buck, two players who could still bounce back? Am I making sense here? It’s just a low-risk, high reward situation for both teams. The Mets are going to pay SOMEBODY a lot of money. It seems clear that Bay is done for good and that he will never turn his career around. However, we don’t know that the same is true for Buck and Bell, so if you’re going to dish out $20 million, wouldn’t the logical choice be them?
We still don’t know any details about the negotiations, nor will we ever. My guess is the Marlins were the ones who turned it down because Bay has shown no signs of life, while Bell has. However, if it was the Mets that that were reluctant to make this trade, they made a mistake.
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About the Author: Connor O'Brien
I am a very young, but passionate Mets fan who has blogged about the Mets for three years. I hope you all enjoy the unique perspective that a fan like me can bring to the table. More about me... favorite Met- Johan Santana... favorite food- Citi Field burgers and hot dogs!... favorite musician- Mos Def... favorite Mets moment- the no-hitter of course, but I also attended Game 1 of the 2006 NLDS as well as Johan's three-hit shutout in late September 2008. Follow me on Twitter @UpAlongFirst
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NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 23 | 18 | .561 | - |
| Nationals | 23 | 19 | .548 | 0.5 |
| Phillies | 20 | 23 | .465 | 4.0 |
| Mets | 16 | 24 | .400 | 6.5 |
| Marlins | 11 | 31 | .262 | 12.5 |
Last updated: 05/18/2013
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I think they all need a change of scenery and I would have made this trade.
I thought Bay should have changed his number after the All Star break…so, any change for him might help.
I agree, I’m into numbers with Mets and who does well. 44 not so lucky, 22 (Mets theory 22) lucky.
22- Clendenon- MVP
22- Knight–MVP
22- McReynolds- very good player for us.
22- Lieter– Ace pithcer for us
22- Xavier Nady— Was MVP player before being traded for Ollie Perez and we went down after that.
Damn…..
like connor points out, the devil is likely in the details. And of course, no one (here at least) knows if one team was chasing the other one on this, or if it was mutual interest.
Heck, look at the Blanton rumors. From all reports, both teams wanted the deal, the players were decided upon, and it still fell apart because neither side budged on the $$ adjustment.
And that could be the case here. Maybe both teams were OK with the players, but the Marlins wanted the Mets to send back most of Bay’s salary too?
or it was just a “hey, how about this crazy idea” that was tossed out there but was never serious!
I am in favor of throwing out garbage, not trading my garbage for someone else’s.
You seem to be clueless. Many a swap of players who needed a change in scenery work out for all parties involve. To take the stance I dont trade underperforming players for under[performing players shows you to be very naive, and luckily most GMs dont operate that way. The good GMs at least.
No. Bay will be gone before this time next year. Bell is guaranteed through 2014 and the team option for 2015 becomes guaranteed if he hits certain performance marks.
Performance based, you might be asking, isn’t that what we want? Depends on what they are using to measure performance. Saves are not a good indicator of a pitcher’s production, but that is the most likely stat that will be evaluated. A mediocre pitcher can rack up a lot of saves.
As for Buck, we’d be paying $6 million a year for the next 2 years for a back up catcher.
Also, it is a lot easier to handle an under performing hitter and bury him o nyour bench than it is a pitcher, especially if he is anointed closer.
Finally, you are closing off 2 roster spots for the next 2 years at least rather than just 1 for a few more months.
In summation, although you can make the money even out theoretically, there are more factors to consider. You’re gambling more than just payroll on the hope that Bell, at 35, can return to his old form.
based on GFs. Pretty sure you can’t tie it to a stat like saves.
55 in 2014 or 100 combined in 2013/2014 I believe.
They aren’t locking up roster spots for the next two years… If Bell and Buck don’t work out, they can just release them, just like they would’ve done with Bay and pay pretty much the same amount…
Actually, you’d be paying at least an extra $10 million.
Toronto has three catchers that have Major League potential. Arencibia might be available.
Very nice. Besides, Buck sucks and I don’t want him. Thole and RJ are much better, and that’s not saying much.
Bell might be interesting, but our pen sucks, I’m not sure adding another loser will help right now…sure he might rebound…but it’s a lot of money on a might.
I’d rather do a Bell for Bay and skip Buck all together…
It’s like they’re working on a deal that trades one Big POS for two smaller POS…but you can’t the two smaller POS away for severial years, but the Big POS will be gone after one. Plus, you could always plant a flower nest to the one POS to hide it’s smell. It’s hard to hide two piles of crap.
Mets NEED to get better up the middle. You shore up C, CF, maybe 2nd. My choice has been Peter Bourjos- CF for the last year. He would be the CF to shore up our defense, still learning to hit in majors but better than anyone we have out there so far. He will not unseat Trout or Trumbo in Angels outfield but will start for us. Has speed, defense and some pop.
Metstheory22 — At 2B, Murphy is a helluva lot better than he was at the beginning of the season. Going to his right, he’s made some really good plays, with and without turning his glove. Any future improvement will involve turning double plays.
That is why I said “maybe”. I agree, he has improved by leaps over last year. Only if we get a better player. Hitting wise, if he keeps driving the ball instead of slashing at it, like he was last slump.
Metstheory22 — We’ve got the situation sized up the same. In the general case, too many on MMO want to get rid of a player without considering what the Mets are getting in return — salary dumps excepted of course.
Yes, you want to improve, not stay the same or go backwards. Improve up the middle and starting pitching has always been blue print for success. Hopefully next year we will not need a stopgap like Young.
Not in order or rotation but:
Harvey
Niese
Santana
Dickey
Gee
Wheeler coming up sometime in May.
You do know that Murph is a .300 hitter and leads the team in doubles and 3rd in team RBI right?
If you want to get rid of Murphy then you have to get rid of Tejada too…because that’s all that Tejada is too. It’s not like we can make a phone call and get a “Ryne Sandberg” to come play 2nd.
Most who are in favor of trading Murphy all suffer from the same affliction…
When they look for a trade to be made instead of looking at what position can be improved or what players have no future role with us, they instead look at who on our team is good enough to trade for something they have heard of before!
It’s a bad way to run a team but thats how you run a fantasy league.
Thats why they all think guys like Mejia and Familia are worthless in a trade and can get you nothing because every player in thier Fantasy league is an allstar and since those guys can’t get you an all star there is nothing to get for them!
Metsie what do you think those guys trade value is right now? To me you would be trading low.
Well if they aren’t worth a lot in trade then it’s because they aren’t wortyh a lot to us in the Minors either.
Familia is currently a starter who we seem destined to want to punt and make a Bullpen arm.
That probably has to do with how our Future rotation looks filled for the next two years but if you find a team who is weak on starting pitching he may be worth more to them than we think he is to us.
Familia is still on BA’s list so he is not chopped liver. You may not get an All star for him but you could get a swap of an equal prospect back if you find a team who matches up well, Needs starting pitching and has a good CF or C they have no room to play either.
Mejia is coming off surgery which is why his value may be slightly reduced but he scouts out pretty good and once the injury concern is past he can net you something pretty good, Maybe not on his own but as the top piece of a multiplayer trade.
The problem is that too many here think that if your not getting a lopsided return your not getting enough or the player is worthless and might as well stand pat!
I mean what did we give away to get Rusty Staub? Hardly anything!
These are the type of deals we need to make! Find three guys with a slim chance of making this team and trading them for one guy you KNOW can.
Why does it always have to be Huston Street or BJ Upton and if not that they aren;t worth squat and we should just keep them?
If they are ACTUALLY worth squat then trade them for someone else’s squat who plays a position you can use them in!
Because if you wait a little longer they may actually have value. Hell they ,ost likely have value to the Mets as power relievers.
And then again maybe they don’t!
Just another example of the WAIT AND SEE and HOPE SOMETHING GOOD HAPPENS this GM has done for two years now!
I would rather keep him but sometimes you have to give up someone you want to keep. He is a perfect #2 hitter, but is it easier getting a capable to good 2nd baseman or good to better CF.
But more often that just leqads to Roster Whack A Mole….
I can never find it in my heart to trade a guy who hits .300 or close to it two years in a row.
People are obsessed with Murphy’s lack of Power but would they rather he makes an out 3 times out of 4 just to get 20 HRs a year? Not me I can tell you!
Murphy has even played a better 2B than Cedeno if you ask me. Trade Cedeno if thats the case, you have a better replacement at 2B in Valdespin anyway! So you won’t get as much as you might get for Murphy but you won’t lose as much either!
Even a marginal player such as a Bullpen arm or RH OF to take Torres’ place vs Lefties would make a big improvement to this roster
trading away good players is easy any idiot can do that!
Finding the right matchup so you can trade your decent unusable for someone else’s decent unusable that fits a need you have is what seperates the good GMs from the crap!
Again, I would rather keep him. I agree with with his production and see him as perfect 2nd hitter. You trade for a need and sometimes you have to give up something to get that need. That is why WE here on these posts are NOT the GM’s. I would not call us “idiots”, just fans with opinions.
LETS GO METS.
But unless your getting a player that is much better than him your not really accomplishing anything!
Getting two lesser players is not a substitute for one good one. You waste 2 limited to 25 Roster spots hoping to get the same thing you used to get from one!
Even if you think you managed to improve two problem areas you managed to really only fix one problem because of the creation of a new problem.
You mmade two areas of need slightly better but made one area that wasn’t a need a bigger problem now.
Which is why I called it Whack A Mole!
No one is going to give you a much better player than Murphy for Murphy.
So your not going to end up on the plus side in a one to one deal.
The only reason to trade murphy is to get quantity and we don’t really need quantity we have plenty of guys who are barely adequate to play what we need is Quality so we should be looking more towards trading multiples of those guys who have no real role other than bench for us but might fill a better hole for someone else so you get someone that solves your problem area but doesn’t create a new one.
Which is why names like Familia, Mejia, Flores, Cedeno, Montero, Havens, Muno, Marte, Den Dekker are constantly brought up as prospects that could be traded for something we need.
Familia and Mejia seemingly have little chance to be starters for us,
Flores is a player without a position unless you plan on letting Wright go.
Cedeno is our backup SS right now but Turner is a much better guy to keep as the utility player who can play every position in the IF and provide bench depth.
Montero may be a keeper but it is doubful he is going to break into the rotation anytime soon.
Havens has played his way out of our future. Even if you trade Murphy, Valdespin takes his place not Havens!
Muno is currently projected to be not much more than a Utility IF and he sure isn’t going to unseat Tejada at SS.
Marte is another 3B in line waiting for Wright to fall of the planet. He has struggled but he is still only 21.
Den Dekker has struggled in AAA with the Bat, But the bat is something that can be fixed with the right hitting coach. He does have some POP but he is yet another LH OFer who we seem to have in spades (which makes me wonder why we spent so much energy in the offseason looking for a LH bat to come off the bench. I think Den Dekker will be a player someday and maybe even a good one but not if he stays with us I’m Afraid!
Thats 9 guys from our top 20 Prospects and one on the MLB squad.
You could even throw Duda into that group and if you can’t get something to improve one of the areas you want to fix by trading Murphy then your not going to fix it trading Murphy either!
A trade of Familia, Duda and Havens alone should be enough to get you a pretty damn good Switch Hitting CF or RH OF power bat…
Not an All Star but someone who might turn out to be one in time.It sure would improve over what Torres and Bay is giving you!
And without costing you a .300 hitting Second basebman who happens to make his greatest contributions to the lockeroom and fight this team has showed this year!
MY HEAD HURTS.
Just saw on their website that the Halos want BP help for Bourjos. Who could we offer? Mejia? I just think that this proposal to exchange baggage with the fish sounds more plausible than getting Bourjos from the Angels.
Parnell and minor leaguer.
How are either getting through waivers?
Not now, off season
The problem with Bourjos is that he is a pretty poor hitter and does not have a high enough OBP to lead off. He probably has the best range out of any CF in the game right now.
That said, I would certainly take him if he came pretty cheap as a 4th/5th OF for next season, although the OF is a HUGE concern since our prospects aren’t very good.
We really need to acquire a young OF prospect that can start coming out of ST. There has to be a team that is willing to move one for any combination of Valdespin, Kirk, Duda, Mejia, Familia
He is better than anyone we have right now for the next couple of years until Decker or Nimmo come along. By that time maybe he figures it out and Nimmo and Decker are trade bait for power hitter.
MetsTheory22,
Wow dude you want to trade everyone on this team….lol….
I’ve read a couple of your posts the only trade proposal that you mentioned that was intriguing is Peter Bourjos. He technically only has 1 full season under his belt and showed himself to be a much better hitter in the minors. And he’s still young(25) so there is still time for him to improve and he would benefit from working with Hudgens. Unfortunately I dont see Sandy doing anything creative to improve this team.
No, not everyone. Just enough to improve our team. We need a whole new outfield from the one that is playing right now and probably catcher. But as you can see, I am a big fan of what Bourjos over our outfielders.
You need to realize that the Mets will not be trading their top prospects like Nimmo etc unless they are blown away.
Alderson was clear he will build the team up through the farm and he wouldnt trade any of them whom have a chance to help the team by 2014. And thats the only thing I believe that comes out of his mouth.
I would try and keep them also. You never know what comes down in the next few years though.
Maybe a Carter, Strawberry or Piazza bat is offered. We do not know if they will be here or not.
I keep suggesting Carlos Gomez. RH, decent pop, great speed, great defense…. Cheap lol.
You had Sandy at “CHEAP”.
also great at trotting the bases during a foul ball!
Joking aside, I think I’ve made my points as to why Gomez is no good.
Hi Connor,
The Marlins will get a starting left fielder?
The Mets will get bullpen help and a backup catcher?
And each team will benefit from the two major players having a change of scenery?
To be honest, if the names and contracts were different but the performances and ages remained the same we would be talking about a minor swap of little significance or importance.
Joey D, Jason K will never be a starting left fielder for anyone but the dumb Mets for the next year and a half.
MY FIRST QUESTION REGARDING THIS STORY IS FROM WHICH TEAM IS ROSENTHAL SOURCING HIS STORY AS LORIA HAS A LONG STANDING “FUED MINDSET” CONCERNING THE METS & THE WILPONS; UNSUBSTANTIATED RUMORS CITE FRED AS VOCIFEROUSLY AGAINST THE SWEETHEART DEAL THAT ARRAINGED FOR LORIA TO SLIP OUT OF MONTREAL & INTO MIAMI.
UNLESS THE FINNCIALS CAN BE IRONED OUT & ADJUSTED EQUITIABLY AS PROPOSED A “STRAIGHT UP” BELL IS DUE 18+M IN SALARY + 3M DEFERRED SIGNING BONUS FOR 21M.
BUCK IS DUE 6+M IN SALARY.
BOTH + REPRESENT THE PRORATED AMOUNT DUE ON THIS SEASON.
MIAMI WOULD BE PASSING ALONG $27+M IN SAL+BONUSES
WHILE BAY IS DUE 16+M IN SALARY+ 3M BUYOUT OF ’14 OR $19M NO WHWERE CLOSE TO THE 27M IN TRASH LORIA’S LOOKING TO DUCK AND AS REGARDS POTENTIAL ACTUAL PRODUCTION HELP BELL & BUCK MAY HAVE PROVIDED IT’S TYPICALLY DETRIMENTAL FOR CRIPPLES TO LEAN OR RELY ON UNSTABLE CRUTCHES(RUBBER CRUTCHES) LOL
I SINCERELY DOUBT THIS DEAL WOULD ENCOUNTER ANY DIFFICULTY GETTING RESURRECTED AS NO GM OF SOUND MIND QUESTIONS THE NAMES BELL, BAY OR BUCK APPEARING ON THE WAIVER WIRE IN A TRANSACTION BEWTWEEN A 3rd PLACE & 4th PLACE TEAM.
AM I MISS ING SOMETHING?
I would have done this in a heartbeat. I would have to think it was Alderson who hedged by failing to see the logic it as usual or possibly he demanded the Marlins throw Stanton in the deal.
Wow….while I admire Jason Bay for his hustle and attitude…performance wise I’d trade him for the remains of Alexander Graham Bell and And Jack Buck!
No disrespect intended for the dead!
ALAN, WOULD U B WILLING TO KICK IN NEARLY $10M MORE FOR THOSE REMAINS? SOMETIMES BAD BREATH IS PREFERABLE TO NO BREATH AT ALL.
It is time for you to go out and find your lost sense of humor! For the sake of keeping the idea of this alive, consider these points…..
The trade deadline has passed which means all players have to clear waivers…
There has been no confirmation that the teams both considered this deal
It has been publicly stated by the brass that salaries could be added if it meant improvement for the team in the future. Getting a catcher with some pop would be a good thing
Trades like this sometimes can work when a change of scenery benefits a player ad like I said before…..I admire Jason Bay’s ethic but his acquisition just never worked out!
Finally….HAVE A GREAT DAY
A deal like this will have no problems clearing waivers. No one is going to take on those salaries without getting something back!
So the fact the deadline has passed really means nothing in regards to this deal.
These guys will sail through Waivers faster than an unescorted Baby gets past TSA in Newark!
Yeah the only one I would question might be Buck but chances are he would too. However why not wait until the off season. Not like Bell and Buck really answer any questions.
Well for one, All those guys are eligible to request being made FA if traded now which could get you off the hook for thier salaries in the offseason if you wanted to dump them.It’s not something we could force them to do but it does leave a window of opportunity we won’t have if we wait till the offseason.
Bay probably wouldn’t do that but Bell might. Especially if he plays fairly decent once he gets here.
In regards to Bell he might actually fare better here as we have a more pitcher friendly park than they do. (Not in regards to the HR but Marlins Park is similar to the old Citifield where there is so much OF ground to cover hits and doubles are easier to get.)
I also think we have better defense than they do which will help.
And if those guys we get actually show some sort of success you would rather have them on board already for the offseason so you could work out further trades with them to get the other things we need.
Bottomline here though is your correct they may not answer any questions…
But at least there is an answer to be made that you don’t already have three years worth of answers like you do from Bay!
It could actually be a good deal for everyone!
Bay might find himself in Florida (I doubt it in that stadium) and Bell could find it coming home to the team he started with.
ALAN, PERHAPS MY SENSE OF HUMOR CAN BE LOCATED ALONGSIDE YOUR LOST THESAURUS AS IT’S OBVIOUS U’VE MISTAKEN SARCASM FOR HUMOR TWO QUALITIES THAT ARE NOT NECESSARILY SYNONOMOUS.
ANOTHER CONSIDERATION NO ONE IS TALKING ABOUT IS ALDERSON’S LOSS OF A MINAYA “BLAME” ISSUE SINCE BAY REPRESENTS THE LAST BAD DEAL OMAR NEGOTIATED LEAVING ALDERSON ONLY WITH MIONAYA POSITIVES ie HARVEY, TEJADA, MURPHY, NIEUWENHUIS, DUDA WJILE HE’D BE RISKING A BAD DEAL ASSOCIATED WITH HIS PREDECESSOR FOR 2 BAD DEALS BEARING HIS NAME ALONE. S WELL AS THAT ADDITIONAL $10,000,000 U STILL ARE AVOIDING CONSIDERATION OF.
ALAN AS HUMOR & SARCASM ARE TWO ATTRIBUTES THAT ARE MOST DIFFICULT TO DENOTE ON THE INTERNET SANS BODY LANGUAGE OR FACIAL EXPRESSIONS PLEASE ALLOW ME TO SUGGEST U REFRAIN FROM BOTH WHILE TYPING SANS LOL OR LIKE MEANING DESCRIPTIVE.
We don’t know that the Mets would have had to kick in $10 million more.
No but it sure makes sense that they would want that.
Marlins aren’t trading to get rid of players they are trying to reduce Salary!
Without us paying some of Bays rtemaining there really is no reason for them to make this deal as they could just as easily trade each off for a kid and get their salary relief.
There is more to making a trade than just finding equal value!
You have to understand why a player is available from that team in the first place and the Marlins are ready to trade them so they can save all the money they spent and likely so they can spend it next year!
This deal doesn’t do that for them unless we pay Bay’s salary.
But this deal is more than bad players and salery. It’s about years and roster spots. After next year we’ll be done with Bay one way or another. We’d be stuck with Bell and Buck for years after that. That’s why the deal is bad for the Mets.
I love how people think it’s so easy just to release players make millions of dollars. It is almost never done.
The total money left on contract is really key the years don’t matter if the money matches up (I haven’t checked to see what they are all owed so I’m speaking in general here)
Extra years CAN work for you in this case. If the player rebounds and starts earning his keep then you have him for another year If he doesn’t you can still cut him.
I’m not sure that the money is actually equal in this case. Marlins wanted us to pay some of bay’s salary with it which would make the money unequal from the looks of it.
It’s actually pretty easy to cut players who get paid a lot the only reason they dont do it is because Owners are cheap and GMs rarely want to admit they made a mistake signing the guy in the first place.
Since Sandy isn’t responsible for signing Bay that should not be a factor in his decision.
CONNOR; JUST DO THE MATH…
BAY IS OWED: $16M FOR 2013 + A $3M BUYOUT OF ’14′s 16M OPTION EQUALING $19M
BELL IS OWED $9M EACH FOR ’13 & ’14 + DEFERRED W/O INTEREST $3M SIGNING BONUS EQUALING $21M
BUCK IS OWED $6M FOR 2013
EADING US TO DERIVE MIAMI’S CURRENT CONTRACTUAL INDEBTEDNESS OF: $21,000,000 – HEATH BELL
+ 6,000,000 – JOHN BUCK
-19,000,000 – JASON BAY
$ 8,000,000 ADDITIONAL SALARY ASSUMED BY NYM FROM MARLINS
CONNOR, PLEASE NOTE I STATED “NEARLY” $10M EARLIER!
I’D ALREADY DONE THE MATH & WAS LEAVING ROOM FOR PRORATED 2012 SALARY DUE ALL PLAYERS INVOLVED.
Yeah, that’s what the math adds up to. I know that……
Who says the Marlins wouldn’t pay some of the salary of Bell/Buck?
They could make the money even. Remember, we’re all just speculating about how the negotiations went. We don’t know who was offering to pay what amount of salary.
CONNOR TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION JOE LOGIC & MARY HISTORY BOTH EMPHATICALLY WOULD EXPLAIN TO YOU THAT THE NEXT TIME JEFF LORIA PICKS UP THE TAB ON SALARY HE’S OFF-LOADING WILL BE THE INNAUGRAL TIME.
JOE, WOULD ALSO POINT OUT THAT REGARDLESS OF YOUR PERSONAL DISDAIN FOR BAY, PAYING MULTI-MILLIONS TO MOVE HIM IS NOT ON THE WILPON, “TO DO” LIST PRIMARILY BECAUSE THIS YR WAS NEVER TO BE ABOUT CONTENDING FOR A POSTSEASON BERTH; BUT MERELY COMPETING WITHOUT GETTING OVERRUN BY MOST OPONENTS AS CUBS ARE VIEWED JOE LOGIC WOULD ALSO POINT OUT JASON BAY IS NO ALPHONSO SORIANO BY ANY MEANS
CONNOR, I’M NOT SURE HOW OLD U ARE OR THE DEPTGH OF YOUR METS’ FANDOM IN SEASONS; BUT AS A GRISLED OLD WARHORSE ALLOW ME TO SHARE A LITTLE SAGE ADVICE WITHOUT YOUR NEEDING TO PAY THE PRICE OF DECADES OF DISAPPOINTMENT+ SEASONS OF SUCKING MEDIOCRITY.
CONNOR, MY FRIEND, PATIENCE IS DRAPED IN BLUE & ORANGE SCALES, NOT SILKS
TOO MANY PROMISING LONGTERM PLANS HAVE BEEN DERAILED BY IMPULSIVITIES FANNED BY THE UNWASHED WFAN “BENINGOs”
AT WHOSE PROMPTING FOR PITCHING WAS CORRUPTED INTO BENSON/ZAMBRANO AT AN UNSPEAKABLY EXTREME PRICE
CONNOR THE PRESENT DAY GAME PLAN CALLS FOR CONSERVATIVE LURKING UNTIL 2014′s RELEASE FROM ALL THINGS MIDGUIDINGLY SPENT ON BAY & SANTANA 40M+/SEASON WHEN THE HIGHEST PAID “ACE” IS AN OLD KNUCKLER OPPOSING PROMISING PROSPECTS STILL BEING FRUSTRATED BY DANCING BUTTERFLIES FOR WELL UNDER 10M/SEASON. WHILE YOUTH, VITALITY & A TALENT IDENTIFIED BY OMAR WILL HAVE COMBINED TO CREATE A DOMINATING, HARD THROWING PITCHING “STAFF” WITH NAMES LIKE HARVEY,WHEELER,NIESE,HEFNER, GORSKI,MEJIA, PARNELL COMPILING INNINGS NOT SEEN IN QUEENS SINCE THE 80s
Hey Connor, thanks for a very well articulated post on this slow news day. For those of you who are not aware, Connor runs “Up Along First”. http://www.upalongfirst.com
If I was handing out awards, Connor would get the prize for Best New Mets Blog for the excellent content he has produced in his first 12 months in the Mets Blogosphere.
He’s young, but wise beyond his years. I hope you add his site to your favorites and make Up Along First a part of your daily routine. You have read his Buffalo Bisons recaps in our farm reports and soon you’ll be seeing even more from our Boy Wonder. He’s the odds on favorite for our Rookie of the Year Award.
As for this rumored pre-deadline trade, it would have killed three birds with one stone for the Mets. Getting rid of Bay would be a huge plus in and of itself. We are most assuredly going to cut him anyway. If we do cut him and both Bell and Buck rebound nicely either with the Marlins or some other team, we’ll look back at this as another missed opportunity by Sandy Alderson who is becoming quite adept at looking a gift horse in the mouth.
I second this. TRDM and MMO are both better with this kid in the lineup.
Thanks Joe! And you too TRS! It’s been a pleasure writing for both sites.
nice dig there, and completely unfounded, but to be expected.
before you can do that, find some proof that this was an actual deal available that both teams had on the table, and that the Mets walked away (and that it did not also include the Mets eating all the salary on the table)
but you are correct about Conner!
And if the 35 year old Bell continues his decline but Bay gets his swing, then Alderson got suckered. If Bay goes on a tear and wins MVP next season, Alderson is brilliant for keeping him. And if frogs had wings…
So, lets forget the rhetoric and look at the facts and try to extrapolate a conclusion from what we actually know. Bay is a bust and in all likelihood, Bell is declining. Bell may improve next year, but there is no way he’s going to be a $18-$27 million dollar player, if he ever was.
Ask yourself why would the Marlins make this deal? If your to believe this was a straight up 2 for 1 swap salaries included even with as poor a season Bell has had I doubt the Marlins would send away Bell so they can bring back a player that is hitting worse than Hanley Ramirez who they traded away for nothing as a salary dump.
Now I can see the Marlins doing it if say the Mets agreed to pay most of Bays remaining contract as well along with assuming the rest of Bell’s contract but as is I can understand why the deal was not consummated. It makes no sense for the Marlins to do it.
No way Sandy makes that deal….He got rid of K-Rod because he wasnt fond of paying a closer that much money and Bell is due $18M for the next 2 years($9M per yr). Not to mention Sandy already has Frank Francisco on the books for 2013 due $6.5M
The next 2 yrs of Free Agency are horrible so I have no idea whats going to happen with the Mets.
This is no exaggeration- there are many guys you could get off mens softball teams that can put up better numbers than Bay. His career is OVER. Dont you think the Yankees would just release him?of course. Its painful beyond anything Ive seen in a long time in baseball to watch him play. He might end up batting 140. YES 140! Scary
It seems that most of the people who favor this trade use phrases like “if Bell goes to what he was” and “maybe a change of scenery will get him on track”.
How often does that happen? Especially for a 35 year old player?
What is more likely: A 35 year old power pitcher pulls out of his decline or he goes further into it?
You are right, most pitchers do not do a “Roger”.
And even he needed some pharmacological help.
Mets should get rid of Bay anyway they can. It has been irresponsible for the Mets to carry a position player hitting 155 for such a long time and offensive to Mets fans.
This is not an improvement. You are getting out of one bad deal for 2 bad deals for a longer term.
Package Nieuwenhuis with prospects for Josh Willingham
Trade Bay for Bell and Buck
LF- Willingham CF- Torres RF- Duda
3B- Wright SS- Tejada 2B- Murphy 1B- Davis C- Thole
Lineup: Torres Tejada Murphy Wright Davis Willingham Duda Thole
Bench: Buck Cedano Valdespin Hairston Baxter
Rotation: Santana Dickey Harvey Niese Gee
Bullpen: Byrdak Edgin Bell Fransisco Parnell R. Ramirez Mejia
Arms you’ll see sometime during season: Wheeler Familia McHugh Kolarek
Remember what Alderson said he wanted for Hairston? The Twins were looking for the same thing, specifically pitchers.
Niewenhuis Fulmer and Beato
maybe even get Span in a deal
2 guys who got demoted and I don’t think Fulmer was eligible to be traded.