8
2012
Who Are The Available Outfielders As Sandy Institutes His Wholesale Changes?
An article by 
With so many items on the Mets to-do list this offseason, their longest such list in nearly a decade, you’ll get few arguments that improving the outfield would be paramount after addressing the R.A. Dickey and David Wright situations. The Mets will not be the only team spanning the terrain for available outfielders. Division rivals like Philadelphia have made their intentions well known and usually when Ruben Amaro says he’s going to do something – he actually means it.
Phillies beat writer Jim Salisbury took a solid accounting of what outfielders would be a good fit with the Phillies, and I thought I’d do the same for our Amazin’s.
Many of these outfielders – check that – all of these outfielders, would be an upgrade over anything the Mets have now on their active roster or in the minors. But that doesn’t mean any of them could be donning a Mets uniform come Opening Day. However for the sake of a lively debate we can still discuss the pros and cons of some of these players.
Free-agent Outfield Possibilities
B.J. Upton – A toolsy outfielder who has never lived up to the hype, but runs well, hits for power and plays a solid center field. At 28, there’s still a chance he can put it all together but he might be too rich for the Mets taste.
Michael Bourn – There’s no doubt that Bourn would fit like a glove for the Mets, but he’s looking for a sizable deal that will put the Mets on the outside looking in. Too bad because not only would he have filled a void at the top of the lineup and in center field, but he would have added some much needed speed, defense and on-base ability to a Mets wasteland.
Cody Ross – He bats right-handed, is a great clubhouse guy, and has plenty of pop in his bat. He can play all three outfield positions, but is better suited at one of the corners. Keep an eye on Ross, he could be someone they might take a look at. I hate this guy because he always killed us in the past and whenever we get these Mets-killers they never work out for us like they did for the other team. Right?
Angel Pagan – The upgrade over Angel Pagan never happened and the impact of his loss hung over the Mets outfield for the entire season like the plague. Pagan had the best season of his career leading the league with 13 triples, but also collecting 38 doubles and eight home runs while swiping 29 bases. Only Buster Posey had more extra-base hits (63 to 61) than Pagan for the Giants this season. I normally hate reunions, but this one I wouldn’t mind at all.
Shane Victorino – I’m fearful that Victorino will be exactly the the kind of hitter Sandy Alderson will be looking at. It concerns me because Victorino is on the downward slope of his career, but his low strikeout numbers will have the front office drooling.
Torii Hunter – He’s not the gold glove outfielder he once was and his offensive game is eroding, but on a one year deal he could be a good stop-gap for the Mets, and he is still producing at an above average rate. Problem is that we’ll be back to the drawing board again after next season so it feels like treading water and I’m sick of treading water.
Melky Cabrera – You can bet the Melk-Man will be on Alderson’s radar with the hope he can cop a below market deal after Cabrera got caught cheating and was suspended for PED use. He also concocted a twisted and bizarre lie to cover it all up which to me was worse than the PED use itself. If he comes it will be with plenty of luggage ala K-Rod.
Delmon Young – He’s slow-footed which might not play well in the vast expanses of Citi Field, but he did hit 18 homers and drive in 74. His low OBP may not make him a candidate for Sandy, but he’s only 26 and only two years ago he slashed at .298/.333/ .493/.826. Hard to ignore this one.
Outfield Trade Possibilities
Justin Upton – He’s signed through 2015 at $38.5 million and he just turned 25. He would instantly become the Mets top outfielder and considering his age their highest upside player too. If the Mets trade Ike Davis as I suspect they will, Upton might fill the void and scouts still say his potential is unlimited.
Josh Willingham - Seems like Willingham is always on the block. He had his best season at 33 clubbing 35 homers and driving in 110 runs for the Twins. Throw in 30 doubles and a .890 OPS and he instantly fills a huge void in the Mets lineup – a right-handed power bat that can pick’em in the outfield.
Shin-Soo Choo - A poor man’s Willingham who won’t cost as much to get, but can fill a need at right field. He smacked 43 doubles and 16 homers while stealing 21 bases. Seems like a Citi Field type of player and while he has good range defensively, he’s known for frequent mental gaffes.
Michael Cuddyer - He’s 34 and he;’s becoming a frequent visitor to the DL, but is a solid bat when he’s in the lineup and produces at a .800+ OPS clip. Had 30 doubles and 16 homers in just 358 at-bats this season. He might get a long look. I always like Cuddyer, but he’s risky now and the Mets can’t afford anymore risks.
That’s what I got, I ignored the dream scenario players like Josh Hamilton for obvious reasons.
About the Author: Joe DeCaro
I'm a lifelong Mets fan who loves writing and talking about the Amazins' 24/7. From the Miracle in 1969 to the magic of 1986, and even the near misses in '73 and '00, I've experienced it all - the highs and the lows. I started Mets Merized Online in 2005 to feed my addiction. Follow me on Twitter @metsmerized.
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yeah…i think there is going to be a market big enough for Angel Pagan to choose from that he wont have the need to come back to NYC..
Actually I take that back…with the yankees looking to cut payroll…and Swisher looking for a megasize deal…I can totally see the Yanks signing Pagan for a 3 year 27 mil deal…Pagan having 3 absolutely awesome years in a hitters ball-park…in a stud lineup…
while Met fans rejoice and give praise to Sandy for trading a player who had a few mental lapses in the OF…but was exponentially better than anyone in our Major or minor league system…
Angel Pagan’s Met career was cut short by the same idiot fans that forced Sandy Alderson to play Brad Eamus at 2B instead of Luis Castillo in 2011…
Just_the_Truth: “Angel Pagan’s Met career was cut short by the same idiot fans that forced Sandy Alderson to play Brad Eamus at 2B instead of Luis Castillo in 2011…”
Oh, please. Who writes your material? Fire that person. If it’s you, get a grip. Angel was the object of ridicule of most of MMO in his last year. It had nothing to do with Sandy Alderson. I’ve was an almost lone wolf supporting Angel over the past several years. He can run. He can hit. He can field. But those fans who wanted him out of CitiField kept pointing to Angel’s alleged brain lapses, and his throwing to the wrong base, and his supposedly bad attitude. Every player has ups and downs. But with Angel, Mets fans, including some who claim to like Sandy’s predecessor (Hint: his name starts with Omar and ends with Minaya) bore down unmercifully on one of our then most talented Mets. Angel got a lot of bad press. That started the jackals screaming.
Luis’ career was winding down. If he had good knees, he’d still be here. The criticism of Luis accelerated when Omar signed him to a four-year, $25 Mil contract. Omar was just trying to be competiive with Houston which offered Luis three years at about the same per annum pay. The Cubs or White Sox were also in the hunt. So Omar added a year and got his guy. I would have done the same. As I remember, Luis then had surgery and needed rest every few days. That was unpredictable.
Sandy ( the wilpons ) react to the fans…
If Player A is unpopular, that has 75% to do with whether he remains on the team…
Angel became unpopular…so Angel became expendable…
same thing with F-Mart….talk all the jazz u want about his knee…but the mets in their financial position and their lack of OF depth were in NO position to RELEASE F-MART…
of course, F-Mart in his age 22 season went the whole year with no knee issues…hit over .300 in AAA…and when promoted in August, hit .265 with 6 HR in over 100 AB…
meanwhile here we are..playing a 35 year old Andres Torres…a 32 year old Fred Lewis…a 33 year old Jason Bay….and we released a kid who possibly could’ve either been a solution for us in RF or rebuilt his trade value to shore up a bullpen spot or a right-handed hitter…
Everybody and their mother hits 300 in the PCL. The guy at 23 has arthritic knees. Arthritis does not go away, it only gets worse over time. He’ll never ever be ab everyday player with thise knees. He’s a part time corner OFer. A dime a dozen. No biggie.
Even if it’s the PCL league he still had a good year. So what? If it were somewhere else that wasn’t a hitter’s haven than maybe his numbers are .280 instead of over .300 and maybe he hits 15 HRs in 300 ABs instead of over 20 in the PCL.
It does not matter because the fact is he played almost everyday, hit good and hit with power so the difference in numbers is inconsequential compared to the fact that he played and did well on a consistent basis.
I was against letting him go it made no sense whatsoever and maybe he winds up not being a starter because of his condition and probably made no difference if the Mets kept him but they still should’ve kept him instead of wasting money on the Jerry..I mean Fred Lewises of the world.
He’s still a kid who knows what kind of treatments will be available in the future for arthritis especially with the benefits of gluco chondroiten sulfates being studied more and more. It may not save his career but it would have been a better choice to keep him because of his age and the uncertainty. It was not a smart move to let him go.
He hit 13 HR’s in the PCL not 20. I take PCL numbers with a grain of salt. Everybody hits 300 there and he only played in 90 games, he didn’t play every day, he had his usual 2 trips to the DL. If you wanna say it was stupiid to leave him unprotected and keep Carrasco on the 40 instead that’s fine, I agree but we already have enough corner 4th OFer types. If he could play CF then he’d still be here. Even though both Nieuwenhuis and Den Dekker are better players than he is. He’d probably still be here if he could play CF. No big loss.
Yup, he’s gone because he was a LH hitting LF. I think we have some of those already.
Hey Damaja!
You are missed at Metsblog.
If you think you are going to find sense among the handful of insane regulars here, good luck my friend!
PS–I say sign RA for 3 years, and trade Wright for prospects.
DO NOT trade Niese or Ike.
Build around what can be a great rotation and fundamentally sound fielders like Tejada and Ike who can also hit, then amass more prospects, and build financial flexibility for mid-season 2013 and next offseason.
Pagan? He had a nice comeback season, and Torres is horrible.
Jimmy says hi.
This is all makes too much sense, so I’m not counting on it.
Hahaha! Thank you sir!
Sense is my business.
Hey Wassup Chesty !
Yeah they banned my discus account…not just from their site…but from ANY site…i made a post about jeff wilpon and it was a wrap after that..its all good…im alot more productive now,
but yeah, I would say the goal should be to get an elite SS, so u can move Tejada back to 2B…where is range allows Ike to play closer to the line…
now in terms of 3B, the best move would be to have Murph play there for now, but Wilmer Flores will be nipping at his heels…e
Flores was 20/21, is 6’3, 190 lbs in 493 AB, hit .300 with 30 2b and 18 HR and also played 3 different positions this year…
Honestly, comparisons to miguel cabrera, notwithstanding, this is the perfect time to move Wright and slide a younger Flores in his place…
If u can trade Wright to a team that has some good OF prospects, move those prospects to Texas, and get Jurickson Profur and maybe a couple of SP/bullpen prospects, ur infield would be
1 – Ike – 26
2 – Tejada – 22
3 – Profur – 20
4 – Murphy – 27 or Flores 21
5 – Thole – 25
Thole is an interesting character…i said in the early part of the year, that the catcher position is the single most important position on the 25 man roster…he is the quarterback of the defense and has an affect on infield/outfield positioning, pitch count, pitch selection, SP, RP,d the umps giving us calls….everything…
and knowing full well about this….what do the mets do? they refuse to sign a veteran catcher to help thole learn the ropes…
even someone like pudge, just being on the bench last year for the Nats, they said he was so instrumental in helping wilson ramos learn how to call a game and handle a staff….
http://www.federalbaseball.com/2011/4/2/2086673/washington-nationals-pudge-rodriguez-and-wilson-ramos-backstop
sandy could’ve signed someone…anyone…maybe jose molina…maybe pudge…hell bring back ramon castro….
but no…mr sabermetrics retired from statistical analysis many moons ago…
this is the babysitting sandy we get in 2012…not the ground-breaking one…that really never won anything w/o having a top payroll himself…lets be honest…Sandy drafted mcguire after an impressive collegiate career and a spot on the US olympic team…there is a reason he wanted omar back as an asst vp….kudos for omar passing that up….he did well distancing himself from this organization…the only way i could see it working is if sandy replaced jeff as coo/president, became the face of the organization and worked with omar on reshaping both the major league club, and minor league…they are extreme polar opposites but combined would make a terrific team…i remember reading somewhere that omar and sandy go back 15 years, they actually hung out in december 2010 in corona…
“Although he left after the disastrous season of 2010, this is the kind of guy Omar Minaya is: last year he escorted his successor, Sandy Alderson, to Mama’s –“just to show him the neighborhood, you know,” Minaya explained on Thursday.”
in 2006, they organized a trip to Africa. Omar was trying to open up a scouting division in Ghana
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?er ymd=20070706&content_id=2070487&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb
..and of course…b/c he went to ghana in 2007, this would happen in NYC
http://larrybrownsports.com/baseball/omar-minaya-gave-willie-randolph-extra-time-africanamerican/1654
but then again…
he was hearing this kinda of unprecedented BS since the 3rd day on the job…
10-3-04
DN:
A lot of the managerial candidates mentioned in reports, even if you haven’t acknowledged them, have Hispanic heritage. Carlos Tosca is interviewing this week. White Sox third base coach Joey Cora and former White Sox manager Jerry Manuel have been mentioned. Are you going to put particular emphasis on hiring a minority manager and furthering diversity in baseball?
OM:
No. That will have nothing to do with it. Good managing has nothing to do with heritage. It has to do with communication. It has to do with understanding.
DN:
You are in a position, though, to further diversity.
OM:
It doesn’t matter. You go out and try to find the best man for that particular job. To me, you become blind to race, color, religion. That should not play at all a role in making that decision.
———————–
good thing we have a white gm now..he can sign whoever he wants ( for min wage ) and never has to worry about this kinda BS anymore from the press…
Hey Damaja–Very good to see you…I just come here once in a while, as a lot of folks I know from Real Dirty Mets Blog hang here…I SO agree on Wright—-a big deal for him now would be insane.
My whole things is re-sign RA and build around starting pitching and defense beginning with Ruben and Ike.
Maybe Pierzynski for a year to catch?
Hard to say what they should so, but use the money you might have given Wright to have more flexibility in 2013 and beyond.
Def agree…
I think a corner spot like 3B does not affect outfield and infield defense as much as a SS / 2B and most of all 1B…
having a top shelf SS moves Tejada over to 2B….that instantly improves that position w/o a dropoff offensively either…and also allows Ike to play closer to the RF line…which has a trickle down effect on the staff…
now if u trade Wright, u have to have someone man 3B…
options:
Murphy
Flores
Hairston
I say give Murphy one more year…if he is hitting the way he was in 2011 AND Flores is continuing to rake, I trade Murphy for OF prospects, move Flores to the MLB roster…
now u have 1B, 2B, SS, and 3B…all pre-arb…and potentially all good…u leave them ALONE…and allow them to GEL….
The Catcher spot is bit tricky…here u may have to sign a Jose Molina to mentor Thole, Forsythe, or Shoppach…but u have to get a low-cost veteran catcher with a strong defensive game….
Now as for the OF….
I would trade Bay to Seattle for Figgins…and chip in to equal out the salary…
Have Figgins play RF…if he sucks…u release him the way u would’ve released Bay…if not…u have a potential leadoff hitter…
Have Valdespin/Kirk play CF…
Have Duda play LF…
no help is coming from the outside…
the mets have burned their bridges with Pagan and Beltran..
hell even during last year…Beltran finally opened his baseball academy…the one he got raked over the coals for in 2010…
Here are some pics…
http://carlosbeltranacademy.org/feature-page/miami-march312011
It appears that Pagan and Duda were there…not surprisingly, during spring training, Duda, Pagan, Tejada, and Ike credited Beltran with helping them in 2011 with their swings…and getting them out of slumps…
Not surprisingly, Metsblog ignores Beltran’s work last year with his academy…
look through the website to see Beltran’s work…
we all know if it was David Wright doing this, they would have a statue and a fountain for him in front of Citifield…
since its Beltran…well its not as big…
then people wonder…
SideNote: I would trade Wright to eventually try to get a TOP SS prospect…
the lack of 2B prospects in baseball justifies moving Tejada to a position where his range and arm would be a 10x improvement over ANYONE in our organization…and really…anyone available on the trade or free-agent market…
That’s a terrible job by DN and a great job by Omar deflecting it and putting that guy in his place.
What really gets to me is we went from needing one good OFer to three!
Now people seem to want to trade Wright, Dickey or Davis and when asked about who will replace them we get a bunch of answers that do not replace:
Wright – 20+ HRs, Near .300 or above BA, Near Gold Glove 3B Glove. The best they come up with is Flores (who knows if he will hit as well as Wright and certainly won’t field as well) or suggest move Murphy there which is not replacing Wright just moving the place he need to be replaced from 3B to 2B.
Dickey – Harvey is the replacement for Santana not Dickey and nothing else exists.
Davis – Duda who hadn;t hit well all season and doesn’t even provide a 10th of the defense and half the HRs Davis does.
We wouldn’t have so many holes if we would just stop CREATING then in the first place!
We traded away a Speedy Leadoff hitting SS, a Closer, and power Hitting RH OFer (ok so he can switch hit, no diff) and a CF.
We got a Starting Pitcher for all of that!
And what do we need?
Speedy Leadoff Hitter
Closer
Power Hitting RH Bat
Centerfielder!
Catcher and OFer (which we needed before and haven’t filled despite all we traded away!)
Wright is the gold glove winner. A joy to watch in the field which brings up his trade value.
He batted over .300 for season and career but numbers lie that is why you thought it was below .300.
I concede there is no replacement right now at 3B for Wright..
Why do I keep advocating trading DW. It is the Mets budget restrains. It has been said over and over until the albatrose contracts are off the books we can’t win with him. If Wright the next two years was a 30/30 guy with 110 RBI’s we MIGHT contend for 2nd w/c spot at best.
We can actual reduce payroll further sans Wright and get real good prospects and maybe a good catcher or catching prospect for when the finances loosen up. We do not need Justin Upton types because unless we have a 140M payroll with out albatrose contracts we are going nowhere. Its called rebuilding 101 which conincide when albatrose contracts come off the books. Yes the next two years under this scenario are 90 loss years. Its the Tampa Bay mode (oh Bay is a dirty word) ok moneyball mode. This is at least a plan rather than a PR move which would further delay the Met fans from the caliber of a team they deserve. Cubs, KC and Pirates anyone.
You’re a wise man Hotstreak.
And a huge deal for Wright at age 30 would make Omar smile.
But it would make sanity frown.
Thanks. Chest. Maybe someday sanity will prevail.
Hotstreak you missed what I was saying there…
Yes he’s a Gold Gove not every year but he is one…
He hit .300+ this year but not every year again I’m talking in general not just a single year here.
And yes he might be worth some kids…We got one for three All Stars in the past two years!
So even if Wright is worth something this GM will not get it! He’s not going to get the amounts people seem to suggest.
Better to resign him, Hope Harvey and Wheeler makes a difference, Go after a power RH bat to complement Wright and then when we get to the playoffs or WS in two years you can decide then to trade him for the same gaggle of kids we all think he is worth now but will get more because he is signed for another 3 years.
Unless they have someone who will DEFINITLY replace Wright’s production in the next year or two I definitly don’t want to let this awful GM to be the one who trades him considering what he has gotten in all of his trades so far.
We’ll get MORE for him when he is two years older and signed for several years instead of one??
LOL!!!!!!!!!!
Dude, you are a parody of an adult fan.
PS—”Resign” means to retire.
“Re-sign” means to sign to another contract.
Yeah you think this GM can get something?
Whose the insane one?
This guy couldn’t buy magic beans with a bar of gold!
“Who’s” the insane one, not “whose.”
Try to write like an adult, and you’d be off to a great start.
And while most of what Sandy has done has been pretty weak, he DID get Wheeler for Beltran, so despite what the closed minded folks who write like 8-year-olds think, there IS a precedent for Alderson getting a great return when trading a former all-star.
Act like an adult and somene will bother o pay attention to you!
FACT: Sandy got Wheeler for K-Rod, Beltran and Reyes!
Thats what went out and all that came in!
“Sandy got Wheeler for K-Rod, Beltran and Reyes!”
Yes, this is a mature, educated, and utterly relevant opinion.
You sir, make village idiots appear brilliant.
And you make a doorknob appear sentient!
Even a door knob would be smart enough to know Alderson is probably the worst GM in baseball!
Not you though, He’s your god! Bow before him kis his feet!
Yeah and I’m the village idiot! ROFLMAO!
wow!!! Its incredible that anyone, no matter how in love with a team on the GM when guy you got hasn’t spent one day in the bigs. Why don’t all you Alderson lovers at least wait until he has a uniform that New York on it. Until that tiume, Alderson contiunes his record of losing every move he’s made as Selig’s GM in NY.
actually Beltran was playing at an all-star level up until June in 2007, 2008,2009, 2011…and now 2012…he established that he was healthy last year…so trading Beltran for just one prospect, who the giants themselves had some serious concerns about is not exactly earth-shattering…
and in reality..if Sandy ( via Fred ) was so concerned with rebuilding our minor-league system…he trades Reyes…and tries to get more for K-Rod than 2 Mexican day-laborers…
and in Sandy’s “reinvestment”…well payroll dropped 60 mil, he put back 14…and that 14 stunk the joint up…
now he tells us that Bay and Santana will cost 50 mil…even though they will account for 37 mil of the effective payroll in 2013′s season…
5 mil = deferred til 2018
5 mil = after the season ends
3 mil = after the season ends
The only problem I see with the list is, these guys are going to make too much money for the Mets. Unless the Mets can rid themselves of at least Jason Bay, all these guys make too much money for them. They ONLY have about 5million dollars to spend for next year. I think first or second year players are going to be their target.
Why is it that whenever this front office tries to fix or revamp something, it ends up being worse?
Bring back Pagan on a 3/25 deal. Kirk is a strikeout machine, Den Dekker is even worse. We have no CF anywhere closer than 3-4 years away. I would also trade for Willingham even if it means trading Duda, Murphy plus either Familia or Mejia. Believe it or not we have depth at pitching and Wheeler should be ready by July. Mejia and Familia are spare parts at this point.
Hey Joe,
Did my reference to the original “Angels In The Outfield” in the post about baseball movie characters have anything to do with how you titled this one?
I do think we need Divine Intervention more than anything else to solve our now outfield problem.
Francesa was debating trading Davis for an outfielder and going with Duda at first. Would that still leave us with at least two outfield problems anyway since it seems Duda is slated for left next season? The only way to resolve the outfielder problem is to pay for it via free agency – and that will never happen.
Was that you? Yes it did.
Hi Joe,
Just shows – great minds think alike!
It’s either that or something about the fact your both called Joseph D! LOL
Hi Metsie,
Why not both?
justin upton is the only one I want. His brother is a dog.
It pains me to have this discussion.
The New York Mets are in the number one baseball market worldwide!
We have been nickel and diming for three years now and every off season they talk about next year being a wash because they’re waiting for big salaries to come off the books.
Last year we had quite a few ‘big salaries’ come off the books including F-Rod, Perez, Castillo, Beltran, Reyes etc. And what did they do with that huge financial windfall? They lowered the team payroll by 50 million dollars.
The bullpen, which was the only thing Alderson invested in, was the worst in the majors.
Angel for Torres? That was a great move.
We didn’t have an outfield to start the year – and it got worse!
According to Alderson we are waiting for our minor leaguers to come to the big club – but how has that worked out so far?
We have gone from 79 wins to 77 wins to 74 wins. That, my friends, is heading backwards. And Sandy isn’t offering much hope for next year. But, then again, we have salaries coming off the books so we should be able to lower the payroll by another 30 million.
The Wilpons no longer have Madoff strangling them financially so I guess the true story is that they are financially ill equipped to run a baseball team – much less a baseball team in the number one market.
Hey, I got an idea. As long as the Wilpons refuse to invest in the Mets then the fans should stay away from the ballpark and watch the game in the comforts of their own home.
Hi tl,
It’s not so much that the Wilpons are financially ill-equipped to own but rather that they are financially ill-equipped to run a competitive one, as the Sports Illustrated editorial suggested.
For a baseball team in the biggest sports market in the country to have to nickel and dime itself – there is no other excuse – just a reason and we know too well the history behind it. Had they not tried to squeeze the average fan for every dollar they could, perhaps the average fan would have more sympathy for the squeeze they’re finding themselves in now.
The mets need power and speed from the outfield and a steady bullpen to be contenders next year. The starting pitching is not bad and is not a concern of mine. What is concerning me is Andres Torres and Jason Bay. We have two Perfect fits for those two on the market: Michael Bourn and Justin Upton.
Alderson said his two biggest priorities this offseason are resigning Dickey and Wright. While those two are important, do they really help us win now? RA had a magical season that could not be duplicated by an met fan ever, but can he ever really pitch at this level again? While RA has been consistent as a met, I wonder how this surgery will effect him, and will his un-amazing second half carry over to 2013?
And David is and will always be my hero, but do we not have the 10 th best third base prospect in all of baseball in double a (in Wilmer Flores according to MLB.com)? Flores will also be ready by the time Wright’s contract is up. I know it’s a huge risk, but we do have Murphy who’s natural position is third. And, according to last years stats, is that really so much of a downgrade. We could get back a boatload of front-line prospects for him. I love David and will wear his number five jersey for as long as I live, but I’m 18 and have only seen one mets playoff team. I’m sick and tired of third and fourth place being good enough.
So maybe a smarter place to spend our money is on Bourn in center and to trade for Upton to play right (I’m sick of Duda). Bourn can hit lead off as well as play a great center field. Upton has the upside to be the next a-rod at the plate. We have tons of pitching prospects to trade for him. But we cannot trade Ike, and for the simple reason that we don’t have anyone better.
I know my stance is an unpopular one, but I love the mets and want to see a world series in my lifetime.
The Mets should NOT trade Ike Davis, period!!! 32 HRS 90 RBI is simply too much for the Mets to replace!!
Dave,
I’m not convinced that Ike Davis’ numbers are all that significant. When he started to hit during the second half of the year – what was the team record?
Home runs are fun to watch but their statistical value is many times exagerated. When you have a hitter in the middle of your lineup with an OBP of .304 with 141 strikeouts you have a hole in your lineup.
As Ralph Kiner would say – home run hitters drive cadillacs – but their teams will sometimes finish last (as in Kiner and Dave Kingman for that matter).
Ike hit .201 in the first half. He hit better in the second but still hit only .228 in September. Which Ike is going to show up next year?
I’ll tell you what wins chanpionships – line drive hitters with a bit of power.
Forget about Pagan. The Mets are trying to fill a hole, not continue falling into one. Too bad the “Thanks, Omar” future of CF wasn’t ready this year and a 4th OF was forced to play everyday, but the Mets have had a 4th OF play CF everyday Beltran wasn’t available or in RF, so it was no downgrade, just same day, different name. I like Kirk. Maybe he’ll be better suited to start in 2013.
I’m good with trading for J. Upton. BJ and Bourn aren’t worth the money they’ll get. Neither is Victorino because he’ll get a contract to start somewhere, but he’d be a dream platoon with Kirk and Duda. He crushes lefties. I’m on the Ross bandwagon, too.
I have no use for juicers and guys who commit hate crimes.
I like the kind of player Choo is, but I don’t think the Indians are trading him this season only being 2nd year arb-eligible. Maybe next year closer to FA.
Willingham is a good hitter, but I think Duda can supply that same offense over a healthy season and Willingham’s not a good fielder. Willingham’s one of those weird players who hit righties better than lefties, anyway, so he’s not the platoon partner the Mets would need.
You dont have to like Pagan, but he’s a lot more than a 4th outfielder. If you want know what a 4th outfielders just look at our everyday outfielders this season.
Totally butchered that sentence:
If you want know what a 4th outfielder looks like, look at any of the Mets everyday outfielders in 2012. Take your pick.
All that means is that Kirk didn’t pan out yet to fill a hole already there. Nothing that happened this year “created” a hole. Pagan in his career year was nothing more than a good bat and at best, it’s average. He’s atrocious defensively, makes terrible mistakes on the field and on the base paths. That’s not a starting player. He starts for a team completely devoid of offense. That doesn’t make him a starter, it makes the Giants desperate.
Delmon Young is a good option to consider??? Are you for real??? Did you not read about his drunken anti-semitic rant/assault in New York this past April? Oh, yeah he’d be a wonderful fit here in New York…..
http://gothamist.com/2012/04/28/tigers_player_delmon_young_charged.php
#BlameItontheAlcohol
-Jaime Foxx
This is why the Wilpons place so much value on being a nice guy….if the 86 Mets were made like that…they would more resemble the 92 Mets…a group of nice who played like dog-doodoo…
Does Delmon hit/field/run well?
If the answer is yes, i want him…if the answer is no, I dont want him…
According to one of the Angels sites:
http://ducksdailyblog.com/2012/10/06/weekly-anaheim-ducks-link-dump-september-30th-october-6th-2012/
They are trying to figure which outfielders to trade. Among them Bourjos and Trumbo. Also included on this is Catcher Hank Conger.
Tell me the budget for this “dream” outfielder and I think we would narrow down the options. If we don’t know our budget this is all fantasy unless we get deep into the trade market and give away our top tier players.Also we must realize that Alderson comes away from the winter meetings doing NOTHING and I suspect when all is said is done we open spring training with basically the same team except for a minor trade here or there.
Side Note:
It is hilarious that Matt Cerrone posts an article named Have future Mets fans taken a hit?
commenting on how future Met fans have been aborted through negative attention in the press..
In the same year that Matt bashed:
1 – Tejada for not showing up 2 weeks early for ST
2 – Tejada for diving into a base as he blew out his hamstring
3 – Valdespin for wearing sunglasses, gold chains and for looking like Mr. T
4 – Ike Davis for “being aloof”
Mind you, it wasnt that long ago, that Matt was bashing a young Jose Reyes for his handshakes in the clubhouse…
now in 2012, he wants to complain that kids dont want to be associated anywhere near the Met product
too funny
It Will be offical. mets will announce the extension on david wright,
nice discussion here. I agree with Alex, Wright will be back. They have to create a position for the slow footed Flores so I could see Davis to Arizona for Upton as a real possibility. Give Duda a year there to hold down the fort. I wouldnt be surprised to see Melky in CF next year. He will be cheap and was a pretty good ballplayer before PEDs made him a superstar. that takes care of 2 OF spots and they will run Bay out there one more time. I dont have any doubt about that.
Honestly, Im not sure if WRIGHT wants to be here…he is literally sacrificing a chance to not only win a ring…but just see the post-season ever again as a starting player if he resigns with this club…
Dbacks already Have a first baseman.
Are you the same Ray Sadecki that used to go to the Mets game chats on the Lohud blog before Megdal took over?
trs86, yep the do. a pretty good one too. I dont want to trade Niese so forget about that. Dbacks have too many outielders though so maybe they take some pitching prospects not named harvey or wheeler.
Krane, l am he, I followed Delcos to his own site but nobody posts there anymore so I am looking for a new place. Maybe this is it.
A guy on TRDM gave me the idea of Wright for Upton. Honestly that might work for both sides.
As long as it is not Niese or Dickey or Ike for Upton, go for it!
I still think you are too attached to Dickey, lol. Chester attached to Dickey, that’s fun.