NL West At A Glance

Arizona Diamondbacks: The D’Backs made tough decisions this off-season  They decided to build their roster based on their team concept, and not based on just overall talent. Some think Justin Upton was the move that proved their concept, but I think it was sending Trevor Bauer to Cleveland. Kevin Towers and Kirk Gibson have an idea of what they want this team to look and act like, and they apparently did not fit that mold. Miguel Montero is one of the best and most underrated players in the sport, and he’s surrounded by a lot more underrated talents. Martin Prado, Aaron Hill and Paul Goldschmidt are all players you never talk about but should. One thing that hurts though, rookie Adam Eaton who excelled in twenty games last year was supposed to be their starting CF this year is now out for about 8 weeks with a strained UCL. Their rotation is young but talented. They are lead by Ian Kennedy and Wade Miley but also have Brandon McCarthy and Randall Delgado whom they acquired in the Upton deal. I am really curious to see what Heath Bell does for this team. If he can revive his career then he and J.J. Putz could be a lights out combination.

San Francisco Giants: The Giants are your defending champions, and just like in 2011, I’m predicting they will finish second in the NL West following their title. The Giants didn’t really improve on anything, and sure the reply “they won it all,” is valid, it can still be argued they needed to improve. Offensively they are very weak, and unless Tim Lincecum returns to Cy Young form, this team cannot boast a dominating staff that will offset the lack of run support. I will believe the 2012 Angel Pagan was the real thing, when and if I see it in 2013. Buster Posey, and Pablo Sandoval provide the run support for the champs, and while I’d love to have them both on most teams, I don’t think they can carry an offense. The Giants chose to not offer Lincecum a longterm deal for a reason, and I think we started to see why last year. Madison Bumgarner and Cain are the real deal, but if Vogelsong, Lincecum and Zito struggle as I expect – there will be a repeat for San Francisco, just not the one they were hoping for.

San Diego Padres: The Pads were one of the best second half teams in 2012. Manager Bud Black seems to be getting the most out of his young roster, and I expect it to get a little better in 2013. First baseman Yonder Alonso needs to turn the corner though and become the complimentary corner player to Chase Headley. Speaking of Headley, is he the real deal after an MVP caliber season or was it a fluke? The Padres are just joining the masses who decided their park is “too” pitching friendly. So how will that help or hurt this team? Only time will tell, but I like their under the radar roster and I think they can squeak by in the NL West to get to third place.

Los Angeles Dodgers: The Dodgers are the sexy pick in this division, which is exactly why I’m predicting them 4th. They went out and grabbed Zack Greinke and Korean free agent Hyun-Jin Ryu to solidify their rotation. During the 2012 season, they also added Hanley Ramirez (now out for 8 weeks), Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett. A-Gone is a superstar, and if he can take the reins and keep players like Beckett and Ramirez in check, things might be better than I expect. To take it a step further, if Matt Kemp and Adrian Gonzalez stay healthy and they along with Clayton Kershaw can be the faces of this franchise and overshadow any issues – this team will be dangerous. I think the talent is there and I’d be a fool to deny it. However, I can just picture this blowing up in their faces like we’ve seen so many times. The end result will be Don Mattingly without a job. Regardless, there are not many better things in sports than turning on a Dodgers game and listening to the poetic methods of Vin Scully.

Colorado Rockies: The Rockies are starting to look more and more like the mid 2000’s Rockies that couldn’t put together a team and had a terrible rotation year after year. This year’s biggest question marks will be based on what they get in a trade for Carlos Gonzalez and whether or not Troy Tulowitzki can return as an MVP candidate. Their best pitcher is coming off Tommy John Surgery (De La Rosa), and I can’t pencil him in as a guarantee just yet. Coors Field effect is less of a big deal than it used to be, but they can’t compete in the NL West with this pitching staff.

Projected Standings

XtreemIcon: Giants, Dodgers, D-Backs, Padres, Rockies
Jessep: D-Backs, Giants, Padres, Dodgers, Rockies
Joe D: Giants, Dodgers, D-Backs, Padres, Rockies

Top Sleeper

XtreemIcon: Josh Rutledge, Colorado
Jessep: Gerrardo Parra, Arizona
Joe D: Tyler Colvin, Colorado

Top Rookie

XtreemIcon: Tyler Skaggs, Arizona
Jessep: Adam Eaton, Arizona
Joe D: Tyler Skaggs, Arizona

Top Pitcher

XtreemIcon: Matt Cain, San Francisco
Jessep: Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles
Joe D: Madison Bumgarner, San Francisco

Top Hitter

XtreemIcon: Matt Kemp, Los Angeles
Jessep: Chase Headley, San Diego
Joe D: Matt Kemp, Los Angeles

Next up will be the NL Central.

Everyone is entitled to his or her opinion.  Blogs afford this opportunity, as so they do for the commentor to express agreement or disagreement.  Not only do I disagree with Silva but I totally take issue with his entire mentality and philosophy in proposing such a trade.  To sum up my thoughts in one sentence:  Making such a trade is not the way to run a major league franchise.

Most Mets fans are disillusioned with ownership’s inconsistent actions in executing a long term strategy.  That’s why the Mets are never able to contend for an extended period of time.  That’s why we need a plan that maintains a constant flow of prospects coming up through the minor league system.  They need to be well coached and tutored to afford them the opportunity to develop and eventually play important roles at the major league level.  We also need a top tier free agent or two to complement our future stars.  The result would be continuity of the roster from year to year for many years.  Chemistry, camaraderie, and hopefully success will be the end result.

This is not a unique or novel approach.  It simply combines the best strategies of small market teams and large market teams.

In my opinion, a strong farm system is the most important factor in being able to achieve the stated goal.  To be fair, I realize that there is more than one way to build a championship caliber team.  And there are many who disagree with my opinion which so heavily would rely on the minor league system.  It’s true that the Mets have had little success developing their own players.  There is a history of over-hyping our prospects and when they do not meet our lofty expectations, we trade them but get little in return.  In addition, as a large market team, we can afford to splurge on top free agents.  These arguments do give credence to the idea of acquiring Adrian Gonzalez at any cost.

I say we need a strong farm system at any cost.  If it’s broken it must be fixed.  And if it can’t be fixed by the current administration, a change must be made.  In this vein, I have never criticized Omar for failing to sign an impact free agent or make a high profile trade.  I don’t buy the belief that the Mets need to concentrate their efforts on these types of moves.  Making a big splash to pacify the fans and generate support for the team is short sighted.  Trying to imitate the Yankees formula for success has never worked.

We need to scout better, draft better, and coach better.  The results will be difficult to measure, especially in the short term.  Unfortunately a long term plan doesn’t yield instant success or gratification.  But this is where the money should be spent. The team should be built primarily from within.  Let’s get the right people in charge who can get these results.

Believe it or not, the Mets might be on the right track.  I think the Wilpons, along with Minaya, are in the early stages of implementing such a plan. They haven’t formally announced or publicized this plan, nor might they have the courage to admit that this is the plan.  But seeing what has transpired this winter, there is proof that the winds of change have begun to shift.

Proof lies with the Mets payroll for 2010.  Cot’s Baseball Contracts currently shows the Mets payroll as being down 18% from last year.  That’s $122M against $149M last year.

In addition, there has been no response to the Phillies having increased their payroll substantially.  $98M in 2008, $113M in 2009, and $138M committed to date in 2010.  Yes you read it correctly.  The Phillies as currently constituted, will be outspending the Mets in 2010 by $16M.

An 18% decrease in salary and no knee jerk reactions.  Not signing mediocre free agents to long term contracts is consistent with this strategy.  No short-sighted decisions in hopes of improving poor ticket sales is a sound way of staying the course.

The plan is operational!  But that’s just the beginning.

The second piece of proof that a new strategy is in place is that the Mets have not traded a single minor leaguer this winter, from any level of their organization.  It’s exciting that we now have many highly rated prospects that are predicted to succeed at the major league level.

I think the mentality and philosophy of this organization has changed.  The Madoff fiasco and the poor economy seem to have jolted the Wilpons into changing there tune on how to manage this team.  For whatever reason, it is a change for the better and quite refreshing.

Mets Merized fans are energized about the coming 2010 season, despite having been agitated, disgruntled, and depressed all winter long.   We have laid our hopes on all the injured players being healthy, comeback seasons by last year’s underachievers, and the addition of Jason Bay, hopefully a leader and backbone of the team.  Plus now for the first time in years, we feel turned on by our prospects having the potential to be true impact players.

I want to see Jenrry Mejia and Jon Niese pitch for the Mets, not some other team.  I want Ike Davis and Fernando Martinez to be the ones getting curtain calls at Citifield.  Brad Holt, Ruben Tejada, Wilmer Flores and many others.  Who knows?  I’ll take my chances with them.  I don’t want to see any of these guys coming into Citifield with a visiting team’s uniform on.

I want my trip to Citifield to center on an exciting game played by an exciting team.  I don’t want my memory to be having stood on line at the Shake Shack or being mesmerized by the waterless urinals.

All I am saying is to give patience a chance.

Danny Baseball

It looks like two of baseball’s biggest stars could possibly be heading toward free agency as both Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez have ceased negotiations with their respective teams.

According to a report by Marc Topkin of the St.Petersburg Times, Carl Crawford and the Tampa Bay Rays have decided to postpone all contract extension negotiations until after the season. His agent, Brian Peters, said:

“We had an opportunity to exchange ideas with the club about a contract extension for Carl and it was clear to all of us that an immediate agreement was not going to materialize.  Thus, we all agreed to table discussions until the end of the year.  We’d like to minimize distractions for Carl and the club and keep the focus on baseball, so we don’t plan to comment upon Carl’s contract status again until after the season.”

The three time All Star is just 28 years old and last season he tied a modern era record by stealing six bases in a game against the Boston Red Sox. He is considered to be the best defensive left fielder in the game and won the 2009 All Star Game MVP after scaling an 8′ wall to rob Brad Hawpe of a game winning homerun. The speedy outfielder has led the league in stolen bases four times and sports a .295 career batting average. I always wanted to see Crawford on the Mets, but with the Mets current outfield situation as it is, it doesn’t seem very likely.

Meanwhile at the other side of the nation, San Diego first baseman Adrian Gonzalez sounds like he is resigned to moving on after his contract expires with the Padres after the 2011 season.

“This next contract is going to be the one where I look for what I deserve. If the Padres want to keep me around, they’ll find a way to keep me around.”

His agent John Boggs told the San Diego Union-Tribune that he believes the Padres will have to trade him.

“The feeling we’re getting is more than likely they are going to have to trade Adrian Gonzalez because they can’t afford him.”

Padres CEO Jeff Moorad pretty much confirmed as much when he replied,

“The early signals indicate his cost will be greater than our ability to pay.”

Gonzalez, 27, is owed a $4.75 million in 2010 with a $5.5 million club option for 2011. He hit .277 with 40 home runs and 99 RBIs last season to go with a .407 OBP and .958 OPS.

Gonzo is another guy I would have loved to see on the Mets, but with how the Mets feel about Daniel Murphy and the up and coming Ike Davis, like Crawford, there’s little chance of Gonzalez ending up in Flushing anytime soon.

According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, the San Diego Padres may not be able to sign their superstar first baseman, Adrian Gonzalez, to a long-term contract extension.

Team owner Jeff Moorad sounded less than confident in a statement he made earlier today.

“I think the fairest description of our point of view is that we continue to be committed to doing what’s best for the long-term interest of the organization,” Padres CEO Jeff Moorad said yesterday. “As a result, no player is untouchable. And while we’re mindful of players’ individual popularity, we won’t put one player ahead of the long-term interests of the club.

“I’m confident that (General Manager) Jed (Hoyer) and John Boggs will have a discussion at some point about Adrian and his future. While I’d be thrilled to have him part of the organization for the long term, the early signals indicate his cost will be greater than our ability to pay.”

The Padres still have control over Gonzalez until through the 2011 season, but may choose to move him much like they did with their young ace pitcher Jake Peavy.

John Boggs, the players agent, sounded resigned to he fact his client could be traded.

“I don’t ever want to speak for ownership because I have no knowledge of what they have and what they don’t,” Boggs said. “(But) the feeling we’re getting is more than likely (the Padres) are going to have to trade Adrian Gonzalez because (they) can’t afford him.”

Last season, Gonzalez hit .277 with 40 home runs and 99 RBIs. His league high 119 walks gave him a .407 OBP and a .958 OPS. The 27-year old slugger has averaged 35 homers and 105 RBIs in the last three seasons. He will make $4.75 million in 2010, and the Padres hold a $5.5 million option on him for 2011, after which he becomes a free agent.

Obviously, as a Mets fan, the first thought that comes to my mind is whether the Mets have any chance to land the prized first baseman. The cost will no doubt be high, and a fat extension would also have to figure into the equation, but wouldn’t you agree that he would immediately become the Mets’ best player and resuscitate a fan base that is desperate for another significant addition to the team?

His addition may also put to rest any doubts regarding the Wilpon’s commitment to fielding a championship caliber team and the persistent rumors of financial woes.

Most importantly though, the addition of Adrian Gonzalez would certainly give the Mets the most formidable offense in the National League, and in the end that’s the only reason the Mets should pursue a trade with the Padres.

Before you read any further I would like to issue a disclaimer of sorts. Despite all the buzz around the internet suggesting that Adrian Gonzalez and/or Miguel Cabrera, I don’t believe that either will be traded this off-season.

Furthermore, I would like to go out on a limb and say that even if they were to be traded, I don’t see the Mets on the receiving end of either of the potential deals.

Think about it, either of these moves would essentially go against the two fundamental principles that the Mets seem to be working under lately.

One of which is the fact that a trade for either of these guys would pretty much wipe out the farm system in its entirety. As of late there seems to be a desire in Mets camp to build from within.

Also, regardless of what has been said, management has clearly been acting as if they were in cost cutting mode.

Similarly to what has been stated here on Mets Merized over the past week, ‘actions speak louder than words,’ and the team’s actions have given off the aroma of slashing expenses.

However, given that the past few days have been relatively slow in terms of Hot Stove news, let’s take a closer look at these two superstar first baseman and see which one would be a better fit in Flushing.

Miguel Cabrera -

The Mets are very familiar with Cabrera from his days with the Florida Marlins. Despite being only 26 years of age he has racked up an impressive resume over his six year career in the big leagues.

During his tenure in Miami, Cabrera was elected to the National League All-Star team four times in four consecutive years spanning 2004 to 2007.

When looking at Cabrera’s stats from both Detroit and Florida, the thing that impresses me the most is his consistency. Year in and year out you know what you’re going to get with this guy.

Injuries have never been a large concern for Cabrera, as he has missed no more than five games in the past five seasons.

Obviously, having a player that can stay healthy, like Cabrera would be important in helping the Mets bounce back from a year in which the team was riddled with injuries.

Not only has he stayed consistently healthy  following his rookie season in 2003, Cabrera has driven in at least 100 runs in every season since.

It also goes without saying that the first baseman is a legitimate power threat in any lineup. Last season alone he hit 34 home runs and the year prior he hit 37.

However, like anything else you have to take the good with the bad.

Cabrera’s character has been questioned on numerous occasions. The most recent incident in which his character came into question was during the final days of the Detroit Tigers’ playoff run.

In the midst of a pivotal match up to win the division against the Chicago White Sox, Cabrera partied and became intoxicated with members of the opposition. To make matters worse, he got into a physical altercation with his wife, which lead to him being detained in prison for a few hours.

Needless to say, the Tigers were not able to capture the division crown and thus did not make the playoffs. While the blame certainly does not lay solely on Cabrera, his incredibly poor judgment did not help his team.

On top of that he has nearly $130 million left on his contract, which could potentially pose a problem to the Mets, especially if the team is as strapped for cash as they claim to be.

Still though, despite his personal flaws and high salary, it is hard to argue against the fact that Cabrera would bring an enormous amount of power that the Mets were missing in 2009.

Adrian Gonzalez -

Like Cabrera, Adrian Gonzalez is another one of the most powerful and most consistent hitters in the game today. Since 2007, he has posted at least 30 home runs per season.

Gonzalez, who is one year Cabrera’s senior, hit six more home runs last season than Cabrera for a total of 40 dingers. The 99 runs batted in by Gonzalez were also comparable to Cabrera’s 103.

Like Cabrera, Gonzalez is a very durable player and rarely misses any playing time. As a matter of fact he did not miss a single game in 2008 and only sat out two in 2009.

Once again, if the Mets are serious about contending next year they are going to need durable players that can produce game in and game out. Clearly, both of these two players fit the bill.

One category in which Gonzalez lags behind is in batting average. Last season he hit .277, which is by no means poor, but it fails in comparison to the .324 average that Cabrera hit.

As a matter of fact, Gonzalez has hit over the .300 mark only once in his career and that was in 2006 when he hit .304.

While he may not hit for as good of average, Gonzalez makes up for it with a great clubhouse demeanor. Unlike some stars in the game today, Gonzalez acts as if he is just one of the twenty five guys on the roster and brings to the table a team-first mentality.

This is exactly the kind of player that the Mets need, as he would fit right in with the mindset that current leaders, like David Wright and Johan Santana have.

Most importantly, if the Mets truly are tight on finances, it is important to note that next season Gonzalez will make under five million dollars, which is more than four times less than Cabrera’s salary of $20 million.

Conclusion -

While I maintain my belief that the Mets will not acquire either of these sluggers due to the lack of room for substantial salary growth and willingness to give up prospects, in my opinion Adrian Gonzalez would be the better fit in New York.

While he may not hit for as good of average, his offensive stats are still very good and last year he showed that despite playing half of his games in Petco Park, a ballpark favorable to pitchers, he could still put up a very impressive home run total.

To me, the thing that seals the deal is not a statistic but rather an intangible characteristic. In the past Miguel Cabrera has shown to me that his attitude is not the best. This dates back to when he was on the Marlins and got into a physical altercation with fellow teammate, Scott Olsen, during a game and has continued to his most recent drunken episode.

While these kinds of things may be able to happen in Detroit and Florida, in New York these incidents would turn into a media circus that would distract the team.

On the other hand Gonzalez has shown himself to be a good player, who leads by example and doesn’t draw unnecessary attention to himself.

Who knows maybe Omar will surprise us all with an early Christmas gift by acquiring one of these stars or someone else of comparable talent, but until then I wouldn’t hold my breath.

Also, I loved his choice of words… “Ike Davis waiting in the wings”. Last off season we had Nick Evans waiting in the wings, and the off season before that we had Mike Carp waiting in the wings. Sounds like the Mets have a flock of seagulls instead of a stash of prospects playing in Binghamton.

Funnier still, is the Mets’ constant assertions that we have some great first baseman waiting in the wings. The truth is that the Mets have only had three home grown first baseman start back to back opening days in their entire 47 year history; Ed Kranepool, John “The Hammer” Milner and Dave Magadan. And much like incumbent first baseman Daniel Murphy, neither were known as power hitters, despite Milner’s cool nickname.

The Mets have never had a first baseman come up through their system and hit 25 homeruns for the Orange and Blue. The venerable Eddie Kranepool maxed out at 16, Milner once hit 23 and never came close again, and Magadan never hit more than 6 homers in his career.

The Mets have had some great first basemen pass through Flushing and make their marks on the organization like the incomparable Keith Hernandez and the quiet, but productive John Olerud.

Kranepool is the only first baseman the Mets have ever developed that logged any substantial playing time for them. And I am using the word “develop” very loosely. You see Kranepool was signed as a minor league free agent half way through the 1962 season, and got a cup of coffee later that year at the ripe old age of 17. In 1963 he beat out Marvelous Marv Throneberry for the everyday first base job and the rest as they say, is history. He spent less than three months developing before dethroning Throneberry. One thing is certain though, Kranepool went on to become one of the most beloved players ever to wear the Mets uniform.

That brings us back to Daniel Murphy who has won the hearts of many Mets fans with his apparent grission. Murphy went from leftfielder of the future, to leftfielder of the past, and is now acquainting himself with a tenuous hold on first baseman of the present.

I already alluded to former first round pick Ike Davis, who parlayed one good season in A/AA and 20 games in Arizona into untouchable status in the minds of many.

To me Davis is just another prospect in a long line of Mets prospects that have held the title of “First baseman of the Future”. In the past two decades, the Mets have had quite an extensive collection of first basemen of the future. Unfortunately, the future never came for any of them. None of them. Zilch, nada, zippo.

However, after a half a season of moderate production at Class-AA, many Mets fans are now donning their “I Like Ike” buttons. Every year we continue to embrace whatever first baseman of the future the Mets put out in front of us because that’s what fans do. The same people who consider Davis untouchable now, felt the same way about Nick Evans a year ago, and Mike Carp before him. Nothing changes.

Now here is the moral of the story; A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

Wouldn’t it be great if Ike Davis became the Padres’ first baseman of the future, and Adrian Gonzalez became our first baseman of the present?

Wouldn’t it be really cool to look up at the beautiful Citi Field scoreboard in September and see: 1B Gonzalez, A. .313 BA – 37 HR – 117 RBI?

In the last three seasons he has averaged 35 homeruns, 35 doubles, 90 walks and 105 RBI. He continues to improve each year and the sky’s the limit. Witness his last three years in these key metrics,  OBP .347, .361, .407 and OPS .841, .879, .958. He has just won his second consecutive Gold Glove at first base.

Imagine Keith Hernandez, Carlos Delgado and John Olerud all rolled into one.

It may take a boatload to get him, but at 27 years old, Adrian Gonzalez would be well worth it.

The former number one pick in the country, would immediately become the Mets number one core player surpassing even Wright and Reyes.

The San Diego Padres would be nuts to trade him, but it would be well worth the time it takes to pick up the phone and at least try. Don’t think for a minute, that other teams aren’t already lining up their offers for Gonzalez, because they are.

Former Padres GM Kevin Towers said the return they would get for Gonzalez will never be higher than it is right now.

For a franchise that can ill afford to dole out the tens of millions of dollars he will one day command in arbitration, it may be best for them to do it now if they are going to do it at all.

Why do you think the Adrian Gonzalez rumors continue to persist?

Because everybody knows they can’t keep him including the Padres.

Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.

In the next few weeks, I’m sure I will be receiving my ticket plan renewal brochure from the Mets.  Imagine the uproar by my fellow fans if the Mets didn’t feature Johan Santana, David Wright or Jose Reyes on their renewal brochures.  Wouldn’t that raise a red flag in Mets-ville?  The media would be all over that one and Omar would have some explaining to do.

The Padres already traded Jake Peavy to the White Sox during the season to reduce their payroll.  Next season is the final year of Adrian Gonzalez’s four-year contract that he signed prior to the 2007 season, although there is an option for 2011.  Surely, Gonzalez will be worth more than the Padres can pay for his services once his contract expires.  Perhaps the Padres have already been considering this and would like to make it known that he will become available if the right deal presents itself.

The Padres have a promising first baseman that they called up in 2009 named Kyle Blanks.  In his brief time with the Padres, Blanks hit .250 with 10 HR and 22 RBI in only 148 at-bats.  The 23-year old’s minor league numbers have been quite impressive over the past three seasons.

• 2007: .301 average, 24 HR, 100 RBI in 465 at-bats.
• 2008: .325 average, 20 HR, 107 RBI in 492 at-bats.
• 2009: .283 average, 12 HR, 38 RBI in 233 at-bats (before his call-up to the Padres).

Blanks seems ready for the major leagues now and the Padres might be willing to accommodate him if they can move Gonzalez first.

The Mets should be all over Gonzalez if the Padres are looking to trade him.  He provides two things the Mets did not have in many of the players in 2009 – durability and power.  Consider his numbers from 2007 to 2009.

• 2007: .282 average, 30 HR, 100 RBI in 161 games.
• 2008: .279 average, 36 HR, 119 RBI in 162 games.
• 2009: .277 average, 40 HR, 99 RBI in 160 games.

He has been in the lineup in all but four games over the past three seasons (the Padres played 163 games in 2007).  Also, his home run totals have increased in each of the past three seasons despite the fact that he plays his home games in a pitcher’s park.  Therefore, Citi Field shouldn’t diminish his home run totals.

Gonzalez defines durability and consistency.  Not only that, he is still very young.  At age 27 (he’ll be 28 in May), he is just entering his prime.  If the Mets can come up with the proper package for the Padres, they should go all out to bring Gonzalez to New York.  By having a home run hitter playing first base, the Mets would not have to make a move for a home run hitter in left field.  They could try to swing a deal for Carl Crawford or keep Angel Pagan as a cheaper option to Crawford.  There is more of a need for speed in the outfield because of Citi Field’s spacious gaps, so bringing in Crawford instead of Matt Holliday or Jason Bay would benefit the Mets both offensively and defensively, especially if they can trade for Adrian Gonzalez.

If the Mets cannot live with another year of Daniel Murphy at first base, then Adrian Gonzalez is the first person they should consider.  Their minor league system might not be as deep as other teams, so swinging a deal now might take some creativity.  However, if they can find the right group of players to satisfy the Padres, why not go for Gonzalez?  According to that Padres brochure, he might be there for the taking.  Now it’s up to the Mets to make that call.

Special note to our MMO readers: This is my 100th post for MMO, so I’d like to thank the readers for making it such a pleasure to write for you.  It is an honor to write for the best fans in the world.  Thanks also go out to Joe D for having faith in me and to Kelly and Denise for giving me that push to come aboard.  I’ll keep trying to write my best work for you so that MMO can continue to thrive.  I’m already planning out my next 100 blogs (but not at the same time.  That would be like a record or something).  Hope you’ve all enjoyed reading them as much as I’ve enjoyed writing them.  Thanks again!