By now we are all aware of the tantalizing conga line of pitching prospects dancing their way up the ladder to Flushing. The litany of names is familiar: Zack Wheeler, Noah Syndergaard, Rafael Montero, Luis Mateo, Steven Matz, Michael Fulmer, Hansel Robles, Jacob deGrom, Jack Leathersich, Domingo Tapia, et al. It is only natural to consider how some of this apparent surplus of talent might be spun off in exchange for pieces needed to shore up the more glaring weaknesses of the Mets. Accordingly, I have engaged in a common baseball reverie and imagined a trade or two or three that could help speed the team toward post-season relevance.

I set some standards for the kind of talent I would want the team to target. Older players are acceptable, just not too old. In other words, free-agent-to-be Shin-Soo Choo is a viable option at 31, but 34-year-old Josh Willingham is best left to teams looking to add some frosting to the cake. We’re looking for young players with real potential or players in the prime age range for performance (27-32).

Some assumptions have been made in an effort to keep things realistic. Although every team targets young pitching, much of the Met talent involved is at the AA and A level so possible trade partners have been narrowed a bit to organizations with a longer timeline to contention (i.e. rebuilding), teams with a clear surplus at a position which they would be willing to swap for organizational depth, and teams that have a potential match but would require some major league ready players to complete a deal.  In the latter case, I can foresee the inclusion of players such as Wilmer Flores, Daniel Murphy, Lucas Duda, or Ike Davis as they represent areas of overlap for the Mets. With these criteria in mind I have imagined a few trades that just might help speed the Mets that much faster toward post-season relevance.

Giancarlo Stanton:

Well, this is the obvious one. The Marlins have stated that they will not trade him, but what else would you say if you wanted a decent return? You would expect that given a rich enough package, some team will pry him away. For the Mets, I imagine that this would involve at least four or five players including Zack Wheeler and/or Travis D’Arnaud. Before you go nuts, remember that you have to trade prime talent to get prime talent and that Stanton has pretty much proven himself at the major league level, something that can’t be said of Wheeler or D’Arnaud.

Ben Zobrist:

The Rays are a cost-conscious organization that always looks to get younger. At 31, Zobrist should still have several good years ahead, and his defensive versatility paired with his switch-hitting ability makes him a valuable component in a lineup. He’s a good talent but not an elite player so the package to obtain him might include pitching plus a young player with similar skills (Valdespin?).

Nick Markakis:

The most expensive outfielder on the Orioles’ roster, his production has tailed off in the past two seasons and Baltimore might be willing to part with him to gain salary relief. Close to shedding the albatross of Jason Bay’s contract, management may not be enthused about picking up a similar expense with the tab for Markakis but with a career slash line of .295/.363/.453 and in his prime at age 29, it seems a gamble worth taking. He’s signed through 2014 (with a 2015 team option) and would likely try to pick things up a bit in his walk year.

David Price:

What? A pitcher? Yes. Dominant lefties in the prime of their career do not become available all that often. Price is arbitration eligible in 2014 and is likely to command a pretty penny indeed. It’s almost a universal assumption at this point that the Rays will deal him rather than shell out for a massive contract. Could this be Johan Santana all over again? Possibly, but there are also the examples of C.C. Sabathia and Cliff Lee to consider when looking at pitchers in their late twenties.  Perhaps a blockbuster including Zobrist could be engineered.

Ian Kinsler:

This is a case of one team’s surplus filling another team’s need. The Rangers will need to find a spot for wunderkind Jurickson Profar now that Elvis Andrus has been locked up and second base would look to be the spot. Kinsler is only 30 and has produced big-time out of the leadoff spot for most of his career.  His combination of speed and power would add a dynamic force to a Met lineup that could sorely use more consistency.  Naturally this move would turn Daniel Murphy into trade fodder, but his ability to play third makes him a valuable commodity in today’s market.

J.D. Martinez:

This is the type of young player that teams in the position of the woeful Astros generally hang onto, but they obviously need so much that you would have to think that they would listen to reasonable offers. He is still largely potential at this point, but at age 25 is likely to start putting things together soon. His minor league numbers show him to be a high OBP guy like the Mets brass prefer with midline power from the right side. At the very least he would expand outfield options for the Mets without costing too much.

Ultimately, we will likely need to wait for the off-season to see any major moves made by which time trade targets and expectations may well have changed considerably.  Regardless, the Mets’ glut of quality arms in the organization should be considered a potential trigger for what could be some significant changes to the lineup.

Cowgill, who was initially proclaimed the everyday center fielder before the season began, has now been relegated to a platoon role against southpaws only and a bat off the bench. He is mired in a 1-for-18 slump and is just 3-for-23 on the season. The most alarming stat is that he’s 0-for-12 against LHP and has yet to draw a walk this season.

It’s still early and it’s a small sample size, but there could be a reason why the Mets are his third organization in three years and why he was never seen as an everyday player until the Mets declared him one before Opening Day. That didn’t last very long.

Mike Baxter and Kirk Nieuwenhuis are making the most of their limited playing time and Lucas Duda may be batting just .227, but he’s drawn seven walks and has a .452 OBP and an impressive .861 OPS.

Then of course you have the non-outfielder in the group, who the Mets and SNY like to continually throw under the bus. That would be Jordany Valdespin who I continue to call the best catalyst the team has. He’s leads all Mets outfielders with a .300/.417/.500 slash in just ten at-bats with two stolen bases. This of course after leading the Mets with a torrid spring training that earned him just a spot on the bench while lesser producers came away with so-called everyday jobs.

Spin came into the game during a double-switch last night and replaced Duda in left. Then he did what he so often does and single-handedly manufactured one of the Mets runs last night after he tripled and then scored on a passed ball. As usual, Spin was electric and also as usual he showed lots of emotion as he rushed to the plate with his fist raised in the air – this after an emphatic high five after gunning it to third of Cliff Lee. How dare he… That showboating son of a b***h…

Sooner or later the Mets will have to figure out that they probably have just one legitimate everyday outfielder on their active roster – and it’s infielder Jordany Valdespin.

Everyone was so eager to give Cowgill an everyday job because he “never got a full shot”, and yet that same rule was never applied to Valdespin who I say is the closest thing we’ve had to Jose Reyes since… well since Jose Reyes was let go.

When are the Mets going to wake up and see what this kid could do with some regular playing time, and stop casting aspersions on a player who is guilty of being overly enthusiastic and having a real passion for winning?

Davis is struggling out of the gate, hitting .148 with one homer and showing no signs of breaking out. He’s on the way of repeating last spring, which morphed into a miserable first half.

“I don’t know if I can say I am better for going through that,’’ Davis said during spring training. “But, you do learn that eventually you’ll come out of it. That’s what happened to me.’’Davis had a strong second half to finish with 32 homers; that’s what gives him confidence now.

Tonight is as good a night as any to give Davis a break as he is 1-for-11 with four strikeouts in his career against Lee.

It was suggested in my post earlier today that if Terry Collins needed to adjust his lineup he might consider dropping Daniel Murphy to third and David Wright to fourth.

Instead, Collins chose to keep Murphy and Wright in their respective, two-three slots and play Justin Turner at first base and insert hot-hitting catcher John Buck in the cleanup spot.

It is premature to say Davis is evolving into a left-handed hitting Dave Kingman, but there are signs he is not far off, such as 10 strikeouts to only four hits this year in only 27 at-bats this year. For his career, Davis has 320 strikeouts to 154 walks and 299 hits.

“I like to him home runs,’’ Davis said when asked if he considered changing his approach. “I’m going to strike out.’’

Thoughts from Joe D.

I still don’t know what to make of Ike Davis, but his inconsistency is becoming a growing concern. Should we just accept the fact that he’s just a streaky, free-swinging hacker? Or do we keep hoping there’s more to him than that because he’s flashed some glimpses of being a lot more than what we’re seeing now?

I’m wondering what the Mets do at the end of the season when he will command an even bigger payday in arbitration especially if he finishes with 30+ home runs and the same sub-.250 batting average.

After last season ended, I wrote a few times that I don’t think the front office views Ike Davis the way the fans do, and I could see them trading him long before he gets that $7-8 million arbitration award next season.

I like Ike (who doesn’t?), but as I’ve said before, he just doesn’t strike me as a Sandy Alderson cleanup hitter. And for a GM who is always so conscious about money and value, you gotta believe Davis has little to no job security in Flushing.

It’s just a hunch and that’s all it is at this point, but so many of my hunches do come through more often than not.

Ike Davis being a Met in 2014? I say the odds are 50/50 and dropping fast…

We’ll see….

1. Collin Cowgill CF
2. Daniel Murphy 2B
3. David Wright 3B
4. John Buck C
5. Marlon Byrd RF
6. Lucas Duda LF
7. Justin Turner 1B
8. Ruben Tejada SS
9. Dillon Gee RHP

Game Notes

The Mets have hit at least one home run in each of their first seven games, the longest such stretch to open a season since the 1987 team opened the season with a home run in their first eight contests. This current streak is tied for the second-longest in team history to begin a season. The 1962 Mets had a home run in their first seven contests. This year also marked the first time that the Mets have hit a home run in their first six home games of a season.

The Mets have hit nine home runs in their first seven games this year, the most by the club since 2005 when New York had 10 home runs after its first seven contests. The Colorado Rockies are the only other team in the majors to hit a home run in every game they’ve played this year (seven games).

Aaron Laffey should get several starts in the rotation in place of Shaun Marcum, although the Mets plan to wait until next Tuesday at Colorado for Laffey’s next turn. The Mets are unlikely to pursue Aaron Harang, writes Mike Puma in the Post. Harang was obtained by the Colorado Rockies and then designated for assignment.

Daniel Murphy is hitting .308 a week into the season, despite getting only 10 Grapefruit League at-bats because of an intercostal strain on his right side that sidelined him for several weeks of spring training.

Matt Harvey became the second pitcher in franchise history to open a season with consecutive starts of 7.0 or more innings while allowing three or fewer hits. Nolan Ryan opened the 1970 season with three straight such games.

Harvey has 19 strikeouts in his first two games, tied for the third-most in the majors with the Pirates’ A.J. Burnett. The Cubs’ Jeff Samardzija has 22 and the Rangers’ Yu Darvish has 20. He also became the third pitcher in team history to begin a season with nine or more strikeouts in each of his first two starts of the year. David Cone also accomplished that feat in 1992, notching 20 strikeouts and Pedro Martinez had nine or more strikeouts in each his first three games in 2005 (30 strikeouts over 22.0 innings).

This season, Mets starters have combined to post a 1.87 ERA (nine earned runs/43.1 innings pitched), ranking second in the majors behind Los Angeles-NL (1.32). The staff of Jonathon Niese, Matt Harvey, Dillon Gee, Jeremy Hefner and Aaron Laffey has tossed six quality starts in seven games and have combined for 40 strikeouts, the third-most among NL clubs.

Game Preview

The Mets beat the Phillies last night and look to repeat the results tonight. Yesterday Matt Harvey had another excellent start racking up 9 strikeouts while dominating the Phillies line up. On the other side, the Mets batters were able to rough up Halladay and get to the Phillies bullpen to pour 7 runs on the scoreboard. Dillon Gee looks to follow up Matt Harvey’s performance tonight as the Mets bats try to encore against Cliff Lee.

Dillon Gee was the hard luck loser in his last start as he allowed only one run in 6.1 innings of work while allowing only 3 ER, walking 3 and then striking out 4 batters. It was Dillon’s first start after being sidelined for half the year last year, where he went 6-7 over 17 games and 109.2 innings while posting a 4.10 ERA. Last season he allowed 6 ER over 12.1 innings against the Phillies, where the Phillies had 16 hits, only 1 walk and 9 strikeouts. The Phillies have the following numbers against Gee:

Mayberry 2-9, HR
Rollins 6-9
Utley 2-8, 2B
Howard 2-7, 2 HR
Young 2-3, HR

The Mets batters get their first 2013 crack against Cliff Lee who picked up the win in his first start of the season, shutting out the Braves over 8 innings, allowing only 2 hits and striking 8 batters out. Last season he was 6-9 over 211 innings where he posted an ERA of 3.16 (so in other words, don’t let the record foul you). He faced the Mets a lot last year totaling 5 starts and 35.0 innings where he posted an ERA of 3.09, a 2-1 record, 31 hits, 5 walks and 39 strikeouts. The Mets have the following numbers against Cliff:

Buck 14-48, 3 2B, 3 HR
Byrd 7-21, 3 2B
Wright 6-21, 2B
Murphy 6-19, 3 2B
Duda 5-16, 2B, HR
Tejada 6-13, 2 2B
Turner 0-10

Let’s Go Mets!

Check 213 Miles From Shea!

KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE AND YOUR ENEMIES CLOSER!

Team News and Notes

Atlanta Braves (6-1)

The Braves currently sit in first place in the NL East, and new addition Justin Upton is a major reason why. The 25-year-old has batted .423/.448/1.192 to start the season, with six bombs and eight RBI. The other half of the Upton brothers, B.J., has struggled to hit himself out of a barn batting just .120 to date. On the mound, the wily veteran Tim Hudson is back to work with a record of 1-0, and a 3.27 ERA to start the year. Paul Maholm hasn’t given up a run in 12 2/3 innings, and Mike Minor was solid in his first start as well, while youngster Julio Teheran struggled.   

Washington Nationals (4-2)

Bryce Harper was the story during the opening week as he belted three home runs, including two on Opening Day. Stephen Strasburg fired seven shutout innings on Opening Day, but got roughed up for six earned runs in his second start. Gio Gonzalez, Ross Detwiler, and Jordan Zimmerman all went six innings in their starts and allowed just one earned run combined. 

Philadelphia Phillies (2-5)

Opening Day starter Cole Hamels got pounded over his first two starts of the season, giving up an astounding 13 earned runs over his 10 innings of work. Conversely, Cliff Lee twirled an eight inning gem, allowing just two hits and striking out eight in his first start. Ryan Howard has started out slow, batting .148 with 10 punch-outs in just 27 at-bats. Chase Utley, on the other hand has burst out of the gate on fire. The second baseman is batting .370/.400/.630, with one home run, seven RBI and two doubles. Lastly, are we seeing the beginning of the end for Roy Halladay? The righty has seen a drop in his velocity, and has an unsightly ERA of 14.73 over his first two starts of 2013. 

Miami Marlins (1-6)

The Marlins have stumbled out of the gate, and did not score a run until the second inning of their third game of the season. Giancarlo Stanton has struggled with little support around him, and is batting .174/.367/.261 with no home runs or RBI, and just one run scored. Jose Fernandez made his debut against the Mets on Sunday, and dazzled for the first five innings, striking out eight, but received a no-decision.

Injury Report

Nationals: Adam LaRoche is currently day-to-day with a stiff back. Reliever Christian Garcia is on the DL with partial tear in his forearm tendon.

Braves: Jonny Venters (elbow) was shut down for four weeks on April 2, and may be out for the first two months. Brandon Beachy (Tommy John surgery) and Brian McCann (offseason shoulder surgery) were placed on the DL on March 29, both retroactive to March 22.  McCann may start a possible rehab assignment by mid-April, and could be activated by late April, while Beachy could return by midseason. Freddie Freeman was placed on the DL with a strained oblique on April 7, and may need 2-3 weeks to recover.

Phillies: Delmon Young (ankle) played the outfield for the first time this spring on April 1, with the hope that he returns sometime in May.

Marlins: Casey Kotchman was placed on the DL, retroactive to April 4, with a strained hamstring. Logan Morrison is currently on the 60-day DL, as he recovers from a torn patella tendon that required surgery last September. Henderson Alvarez and Nathan Eovaldi are both on the DL with right shoulder inflammation. Alvarez has resumed a throwing program, and could return by early May, while Eovaldi is out indefinitely.

Upcoming Schedules (4/8-4/14) 

Nationals: (CWS, 4/9-4/11), (ATL, 4/12-4/14)

Braves: (@FLA, 4/8-4/10), (@WSH, 4/12-4/14)

Phillies: (NYM, 4/8-4/10), (@MIA, 4/12-4/14)

Marlins: (ATL, 4/8-4-10) (PHI, 4/12-4/14)

Suspensions

Carlos Ruiz: The Phillies backstop will continue to serve his 25-game suspension to start the season.

Is Justin Upton the heir apparent to Chipper “Larry” Jones?

But, there is some juice here, enough to where there is some light.

The Mets began the season with little hope of cracking last year’s 74 victories, but the first week created a sense there might be something to the summer if nothing more than another collapse in the making.But, wouldn’t you rather have a duplicate of last season – a good start followed by a fall – rather than no season at all?

Following a baseball team is all about hope, and maybe the Mets will break your hearts again. While hoping for October is outlandish, hoping for an enjoyable summer, where meaningful games are played, could be possible.

It is hard in baseball to look at a schedule, circle a date and think, “that’s a win.’’ There are many variables in baseball that make it difficult, but looking at their upcoming 10-game road trip, it isn’t hard to fathom an opportunity to make April interesting, and with it, maybe the entire summer.

The Mets open a three-game series tonight in Philadelphia behind Matt Harvey, who every time he pitches, has his teammates believing.

“It’s exciting to see him pitch,’’ David Wright said. “He pitches with a lot of poise. We believe we can win every time he goes out there.’’

The Phillies aren’t the monster they used to be, and their starter tonight, Roy Halladay, is in decline. Philadelphia, ever grateful for the Marlins, has been slow out of the gate.

As bad as they were last year, the Mets were 10-8 against the Phillies, including 7-2 in their park. Confidence can be a fragile thing, but the Mets know they can win down there.

Following Harvey will be Dillon Gee and Jeremy Hefner against Cliff Lee and Kyle Kendrick, respectively.

After Philadelphia comes Minnesota. The Twins enjoyed a strong run from 2002-2010 when they made the playoffs six times, but they’ve had two down seasons.

If the Mets should pattern themselves after any team over the past decade, they would do far worse than emulate the Twins, who have fielded fundamentally strong teams with good pitching while on a limited budget.

The probable for Minnesota are: Jon Niese, Aaron Laffey and Harvey.

The Mets conclude their trip with four games in Colorado, which is three years removed from the playoffs and five from the World Series.

The Mets haven’t enjoyed much success against the Rockies, but their park is one where pretty much anything can happen.

As of now, Gee, Hefner, Niese and Laffey will start against the Rockies.

By no means is this an easy stretch, but coming home even or 6-4 is doable, before series against Washington, Los Angeles and Philadelphia.

Circle your calendar: April 19 at Citi Field, Harvey against Stephen Strasburg.

Ryan Howard is not the player he used to be.

The Mets begin a three-game series with the Philadelphia Phillies tonight at Citizens Bank Park, their first road series of the year and their first against a decent team.

Tha Phillies are currently at a crossroads. Where health and age meet talent. The Phillies are getting older, and this may be their last year to make a run at the World Series, although it’s very unlikely. The Phillies went 81-81 last season, spending half the year without Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. They have both back this year, but neither is the same player they used to be. Howard struck out in a career-high 33.9% of his plate appearances, while batting just .219. 57.1% of the balls he hit last year were ground balls. That’s significantly higher than his 39.4% career average, and a bad sign for a slugger. Utley has been slowly losing his power. His Isolated Slugging Percentage (ISO) was just .173 last season, compared to a .213 career average. A healthy spring training does not necessarily mean a better year for those two either, as they are both another year older and another year slower.

The pitching staff isn’t looking much better, either. After losing Joe Blanton and Vance Worley, the Phillies’ once-great rotation is lacking depth. And although it appears Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels are as good as ever, Roy Halladay is showing signs of age. He had a 4.49 ERA in 25 starts last year, and hasn’t looked much better this year.

While there is an outside chance the Phillies make the playoffs, it’s unlikely. They are only a shell of the group that dominated the division a few years ago, and they will only be getting worse from here as their expensive assets become less tradeable with age. Nonetheless, they are probably about on-par with the Mets right now, which will make this series a fun one to watch.

Pitching Matchups

Game 1: Matt Harvey (2012: 59.1 IP, 141 ERA+, 2.69 K/BB) vs. Roy Halladay (2012: 156.1 IP, 89 ERA+, 3.67 K/BB)

Halladay hasn’t been himself lately, struggling this spring and in his first start, in which he went 3.1 innings, allowing five runs and two home runs. Jayson Stark of ESPN.com talked to a scout about Hallday. Here is some of what he said:

“If you didn’t know it was Roy Halladay out there,” he said, “you would say, ‘This guy looks like a journeyman.’”

A journeyman. For more than a decade, that would have been the last word anyone ever would have attached to a description of Roy Halladay. But now he finds himself a few weeks from his 36th birthday with more than 33,000 pitches on the odometer. And all of a sudden, the same scout said, “he looks like a guy who doesn’t have a whole lot left in his tank.”

“I didn’t see anything alarming,” the scout went on. “Nothing where you’d say he’s doing this or doing that, and that’s what was wrong. I just think he’s thrown a lot of pitches over the years. He’s always kept himself in great shape, so it isn’t that. But you’ve only got so many throws in that arm.”

He may be right: this may be the end for Halladay

Game 2: Dillon Gee (2012: 109.2 IP, 94 ERA+,3.34 K/BB) vs. Cliff Lee (2012: 211 IP, 127 ERA+, 7.39 K/BB)

Lee was horribly unlucky last season. Despite posting a 3.16 ERA and 3.06 xFIP (first in baseball), the Phillies lost most of the games Lee started. His win-loss record from last year is completely misleading. He is still one of the best in the game, walking only 1.219 batters per nine while striking out 8.8. In his last outing, Lee tossed eight shutout innings, allowing just two hits and striking out eight.

Game 3: Jeremy Hefner (2012: 93.2 IP, 76 ERA+, 3.44 K/BB) vs. Kyle Kendrick (2012: 159.1 IP, 103 ERA+, 2.37 K/BB)

Kendrick has proven himself to be a solid option at the back of the rotation with an occasional stint as a long man. With a career 4.7 K/9 rate, he doesn’t dominate, but he doesn’t walk too many hitters either, with a 2.61 BB/9 ratio. Kendrick allowed five runs on eight hits in 5.2 innings in his last start against Kansas City.

Series News & Notes

• Carlos Ruiz, who batted .325 with a career-high of 16 home runs is still serving a 25-game suspension for violation of Major League Baseball’s drug policy.
• The Mets have hit at least one home run in each of their first six games, the longest such stretch to open a season since New York hit a home run in six straight games to begin the 1987 campaign. That team went on to hit home runs in their first eight games.
• David Wright played his 61st consecutive game without an error yesterday, extending the franchise record for third basemen. Lenny Randle is second on the list with 54 consecutive errorless games.
• In his final start in 2012, Harvey allowed a leadoff home run to Jimmy Rollins on September 19…That was the only hit and run allowed by Harvey over seven innings as he racked up seven strikeouts in a no-decision…the Mets lost, 3-2.

In this edition of a not-so-regular MMO feature that first appeared in 2007, our reader Pietro Sinapi gets the well deserved hat tip for taking us back to June 30, 2010 when the big news of the day was the Mets and their pursuit of Mariners ace Cliff Lee.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported that if the Mets wanted Lee they needed to up the ante and make the M’s an offer they couldn’t refuse:

You are not getting Lee for Fernando Martinez and Josh Thole. That would be painless for the Mets. I don’t know if an injury-prone outfield prospect (Martinez) and a fringe catching prospect (Thole) are worth as much as the two first-round compensation picks an acquiring team would receive if it lost Lee to free agency after the season. So why would the Mariners gift-wrap Lee and those two picks for such a meager return? Flip it; if you ran the Mets would you trade Lee for the equivalent of Martinez and Thole? Of course not.

Thus, if the Mets want Lee — and, boy, do they ever — a trade will have to be built around Jenrry Mejia, whom Seattle likes, but does not love, or Wilmer Flores, an 18-year-old infielder already thriving at High-A. In conversations with Mariner officials, I strongly sensed they would accept no less than one blue-chip prospect or they will not do this trade.

One key impediment for Seattle is that Lee has been traded twice in the past 23 months for seven prospects — none of them blue chip — as teams dealing the lefty valued quantity in return over quality.

The Mets were feeling their oats that June after an 18-8 run that had them at 44-34 overall and in second place, ten games over .500. They were well within grasp of that coveted division title.

Desperate for another starting pitcher and unable to dole out another nickel as the Madoff scandal started to hit home, the Mets stood pat and there was nothing Omar Minaya could do about it. The team paid the price and it all went downhill from there going 31-45 the rest of the way and finishing the year in a disappointing 4th place.

The always dapper Omar Minaya and his gangsta Jerry Manuel were rubbed out while pulling up in front of Sparks Steakhouse in NYC two days later. It was a bad scene, man…

The Texas Rangers wound up winning the Cliff Lee sweepstakes and got him along with Mark Lowe for some of their one-time top prospects Matthew Lawson, Blake Beavan, Josh Lueke and Justin Smoak.

Huh… Who? Wait… What?

Talk about getting Smoaked…

Last week the Nationals signed outfielder Rick Ankiel for just $1.5 million.  He can earn another $1.25 million in performance bonuses.  Not a bad contract in a rebuilding year for a team. Of course, signing Ankiel is not going to win any championships that’s for sure, but it would have given us some depth in the outfield which the Mets do need as Ankiel does play all three outfield positions.  Of course, he also has trouble staying healthy, but you can say the same thing about Beltran and Pagan. Besides providing depth in the outfield, signing Ankiel could help the Mets make a trade.

The rumor for months have been that the Tampa Bay Rays will be looking to trade starting pitcher Matt Garza this off season.  Starting pitching is something the Mets really need right now.  The Rays outfield lost a great player in Carl Crawford when he signed with Boston. They’re going to need to fill that hole. If the Mets trade for Garza you have to believe that the Rays are going to want Pagan as part of the deal.  While Crawford is a better player than Pagan, he would certainly fit in rather nicely there and the price is right. I have been a Pagan fan for awhile, but realistically we’d have to part with something of value to complete a deal for Garza. I doubt the Rays are going to want Beltran with his big contract and his bad knees. They certainly are not going to want to trade for Jason Bay and that bad contract either. Pagan is the obvious choice.  Sad to say because I really do like Pagan, but if he nets the Mets Garza then he has to go to Tampa.

Unfortunately, Ankiel is gone the Mets outfield depth is still limited.  Duda is not ready to be an everyday outfielder, and his defense is still somewhat questionable. F-Mart cannot stay healthy and has not produced anyway when he was promoted to the majors suggesting even more time in the minors.

I understand this is a rebuilding year, but couldn’t they have made some attempt to sign a player like Ankiel for one year and under $2 million guaranteed?

It could have enabled the team to have more depth and give them more options in trying to acquire a starting pitcher via a trade.

As we prepare ourselves for a long hard season we look at the Phillies who have assembled the best starting staff in recent memory and will easily cruise to a division title The Braves will battle for 2^nd with the Marlins, just cause the Marlins always seem to be there. If we are able to finish at 500, I think many fans would consider the year a success.

But what if…

The one sure thing about Baseball is that there are no sure things. What this great game teaches us is the only thing we can expect is the unexpected.

Many players who spent their entire careers in oblivion have had their names etched alongside the greats due to heroic accomplishments in October. A 500 pitcher named Don Larsen. A decent HR hitter named Bobby Thomson. A light hitting 2^nd baseman named Bill Mazeroski. A sure fielding 1b-man named Buckner. Expect the unexpected.

Even our own history is filled with great moments when they were least expected. One year the Mets won 73 games and finished 24 GB. We came into the following season not expecting anything to change. But things did change. We won 100 games, clinched the division by 8 (a turn around of 32 games in the standings) and went on to win the World Series. Tom Seaver went from 4 games over (16-12) to 18 games over (25-7) and brought home a Cy Young Award. An outfielder who was known to be a defensive liability, Ron Swoboda, made perhaps the greatest catch in team history.

One other time the Mets were stuck in a rut hovering above mediocrity. We won 83 games 3 straight seasons and coming into the following season nothing gave us reason to expect a change. Things did change, however. We actually won fewer games. 82. But that mark was good enough to capture the division in 1973.

In 86 we were led by Keith, Gary and Darryl. But it was Mookie who stole the show. In 06, it was not David, Jose or Carlos, but rather Endy.

I know this wont happen but what if….Just imagine for a moment if things did start happening.

Imagine David Wright cutting down on the strikeouts and finally emerging as team leader. Reyes and Beltran are in the final years of their contracts and will do their best to stay healthy and put up monster numbers. Imagine if Pagan continues to improve. Imagine if Pelfrey takes a big step forward. Imagine if Jon Niese makes great strides towards becoming a bona fide starter.

Now imagine if the Phillies stagger a bit. We all know the pressure to win when expectations are high can put on a strain on a team. Imagine if it’s the All-Star break and we are within striking distance–and now have a healthy Johan coming back.

Sure, none of this will happen, but what if?

Imagine if we battle the Phillies in September, but end up just falling short? Or maybe end up just missing the wild-card by 4 or 5 games?

If this was to happen wont we feel cheated? Cheated by a GM and ownership that was the laughing stock of the winter meetings? Maybe had we showed up in Orlando with more then $5 million we could have made a push for a Cliff Lee. Or Carl Crawford.

Perhaps instead of spending an exorbitant amount of time on coming up with Terry Collins, Alderson should have made a move for Uggla. Maybe we’ll regret not making a tweak here or there. Imagine if 2011 ends and we fall just short, realizing perhaps a Jayson Werth could have put us over the hump.

And imagine the sleepless nights that a successful 2011 would cause the Wilpons. What if Beltran and Reyes return to All-Star form and return the Mets to a legitimate pennant contender? Well that would sure screw up their plans to stay frugal.

But of course all of this is hypothetical. We know already that 2011 will be a lost season.

Hall of Fame manager Earl Weaver once said, “You win pennants in the off-season when you build your team with trades and free agents.” Based on the Mets defeatist attitude this winter and the clear cut lack of desire to spend money, it’s obvious that “winning a pennant” anytime soon is not high on their agenda.

Baseball fans of all teams conclude every season with the expression, ‘Wait ‘till next year.’ Thanks to the Mets new approach we have coined a new expression: “Wait till the year after next year.”

I knew it would be all but impossible but call me crazy; I wanted to test my own ability to believe. I didn’t favor signing him to a six or seven year deal. Even the five year deal with a vested sixth year he signed with Philadelphia is a bit much but in the end, New York wanted Cliff Lee more than Cliff Lee ever really wanted New York, period.

Like Ole’ Blue Eyes used to say, “That’s life…that’s what people say…you’re riding high in April…shot down in May…”

It seems as Mets fans we’re always trying to chase our own tails and keep up with the Joneses or rather the Yankees and as of the past few years, the Phillies. I like to think I’ve passed that stage by now. It’s not easy to keep in mind that this is all cyclical. That at some point, and probably fairly soon, teams like the Yankees will be facing their greatest opponent, time. Both the Yankees and Phillies are the two oldest teams on average in Major League Baseball. 

That may be of little solace to the casual Met fan who’s each and every breath seems to hinge on whether or not Sandy Alderson is going to soak up the next potential multi-millionaire on the free agent market, regardless the player’s history. Reality tends to bite and for many of us Mets fans, it’s needed. As much as I wanted Lee this past season, I wasn’t willing to sell the farm for him or pay him into his late 30’s or early 40’s.

For the first time I can remember, at least since the days of Frank Cashen, the Mets have a front office with an overall plan for this team that has the foresight and hopefully the constraint to see the forest through the trees. While it may test our very patience as fans, as the demands for any action grow, the goals set out are time tested and universal. Build from within. Develop talent. I want the next Cliff Lee. The next Albert Pujols. Will all of this happen in a year, or two, or three? No.

Where were the Yankees prior to Jeter et al? Where were the Phillies prior to Utley and Howard? It takes time but when the plan finally comes to fruition, the payoff is incalculable. How hard is that for some of us to understand? I can relate with those who have little to no faith in the Wilpons, however bringing in Sandy Alderson was a step in the right direction.

This is a man who is universally respected by his peers in MLB. In fact there was a time where Alderson’s name was bantered around as the heir to Bud Selig. And as an MMO commenter pointed out, Alderson’s record as an executive/GM in his 22 years includes 6 Division Titles, one more than the entire 48 year history of the New York Mets.

If payroll is the keystone to success, then logically the Yankees have no excuse not to win everything every year since they spend the most. Money can’t buy love or perpetual World Championships. But money does give the Yankees and all other well off teams, the ability to build an organization from the ground up. The Wilpons have spent unreal amounts of money to field a championship team. Unfortunately that investment has yielded one World Championship and one losing trip to the Fall Classic in 2000. Not exactly a rate of return worth bragging about.

If the payroll is $140 million, some might say why not $150 or $165? My question is, what has $140 million bought us? It’s not the amount of money spent, it’s on who it’s spent that matters most. Sure any fool can pay an Oliver Perez $36 million in a panic but at the same time that very same fool can find an R.A. Dickey and sign him to a league minimum deal.

It’s all about making good, aggressive decisions based on as many facts you have about that particular player and not panicking because of the market or your rabid fan base. Good intentions don’t win championships. This isn’t a reinvention of the wheel. But as a Met fan, even the most pedestrian of ideas can have the effect of a holy epiphany.

How will Jose Reyes perform in his walk year? This is a very important year for Jose Reyes and his future with the Mets.  Reyes is one of my favorite players, I was hoping that Alderson and the Mets would have signed him to an extension after picking up his option.  Unfortunately it looks like at least right now that Reyes will be a free agent in 2012.  I’m hoping that Reyes can stay healthy and produce the way he has in the past.  I really think that he is one of the best players in the game and one of the best players to ever play for the Mets.

Also I’ll be interested to see how Jason Bay rebounds after a horrible season that was made worse by suffering a season ending concussion.  Jason Bay signed a big contract last year and I don’t think I’m wrong to say that last year was a huge disappointment for him and for us.  He was supposed to be the power that the Mets needed, but before getting injured he had only hit six home runs.  The Mets have a lot of time and money invested in Bay.  I’ll be interested to see if his power comes back, if Citi Field is still in his head, and how he’ll be able to play after suffering that concussion.

Carlos Beltran will be a very interesting story to watch.  Will he or won’t he be moved to Right Field? Will his knees hold up a full season? If Beltran has a good first half will he be with the Mets the second half?

Another story to watch in 2011 will be Josh Thole and how well he plays now that he’s the everyday catcher.  Thole impressed me a lot last season.  Of course he only played in 73 games, so it will be interesting to see how his bat and his body holds up playing the demanding position of catcher in 120-130 or more games.

Also we’ll be watching to see how Ike Davis does in his sophomore year.  Hopefully this off season Ike has worked on correcting that flaw in his swing.  If Ike does correct it, he could very well have a breakout season and become a nightmare for opposing pitchers.

There’s also Jon Niese and how well will  he follow up on a very impressive season.  He didn’t finish 2010 off very well, but that could have been due to fatigue, and not a drop-off in skills.

Let’s also not forget we have a new manager and it will be interesting to see how he manages this team next season.  Will the team respond to Collins?  Will Collins be able to handle the pressures of New York?

I’m sure there are some other pretty good story lines to keep an eye on next season. There might even be some that won’t be written until the season begins to unfold beginning in April.

Hopefully, we’ll have more happy endings than bad ones, but we’ll know the answer to that by next September. Either way, the 2011 season will be anything but boring.

The San Francisco Giants are champions of the world after knocking out the Texas Rangers 3-1 to win the World Series 4-1.

For the second time in the series, San Francisco ace Tim Lincecum outdueled the Texas ace Cliff Lee.

The Giants took the lead on a 3-Run HR by Edgar Renteria off Lee in the 7^th. Nelson Cruz answered with a solo shot in the bottom of the 7^th off Lincecum.

Lincecum was dominant in Game 5, with 3 Hits and 10 K’s in 8 IP.

In the playoffs, Lincy defeated Derek Lowe, Roy Halladay, and Cliff Lee.

The Texas offense, all series was dismal. Josh Hamilton went 2 for 20. Vladimir Guerrero had a slash line of .071/.125/.071. The Rangers as a team batted .189 with a .232 OBP.

1B Mike Moreland was the only one with a semblance of offense going .452/.533/.769.

Giants SS Edgar Renteria captured the MVP award, after going .429/.467/.643 with 2 HR and 6 RBI.

Renteria joins Yogi Berra, Joe DiMaggio, and Lou Gehrig as the only players to have the World Series winning hit in two different World Series.

The Giants offense, considered to be the weak link on the team, exploded for 20 Runs in the first two games.

Aubrey Huff went .357/.438/.714 with 4 RBI.

The Giants got a gem from rookie Madison Bumgarner in Game 4, firing 8 shutout innings. In Game 2, Matt Cain threw 7.2 scoreless.

In Cliff Lee’s two World Series starts, he took his first (and second) postseason losses with a 6.94 ERA.

The Giants won their first title since 1954, and first since moving out west.

When the Giants last won the World Series in 1954: Gas was $.21, top song was “Hey There” by Rosemary Clooney, and President was Dwight D. “Ike” Eisenhower

Texas Rangers

The Rangers rotation is anchored by mid-season acquisition, and playoff ace, Cliff Lee. After Lee is CJ Wilson, Colby Lewis, and Tommy Hunter. Lewis has a 1.45 playoff ERA with 18 K’s in 18.2 IP. Wilson is 1-1 in three starts with a 3.93 playoff ERA. Lee has been his usual outstanding self. In three starts, Lee has pitched 24 IP with only 2 Earned Runs and an absurd 34:1 K:BB ratio. 34 to 1!!!

However, Tommy Hunter is the weak link in the rotation. He’s made two starts, never lasting longer than 4 IP. He still gets the K’s (12 in 7.1 IP), but has a bad WHIP (1.50) and ERA (6.14).

The closer is the electric Neftali Feliz.

You’ve probably heard of the Rangers offense. Leadoff man Elvis Andrus, 3B Michael Young, MVP Josh Hamilton, Who’s Your Vladdy, Boomstick, Ian Kinsler, Bengie Molina, 1B Mitch Moreland, and either David (don’t call me Daniel) Murphy or Frenchy.

I won’t go too in depth, but this offense is seriously freakin good.

The Rangers are in the World Series for the first time in franchise history; 39 seasons in Texas, 11 in Washington. The trades that were made this season were made with the intent that there was no tomorrow, which because of the ownership situation, there wasn’t. That’s why they were willing to deal Justin Smoak and Blake Beaven for Lee, and steal him out from under the Yankees. That may have won them the ALCS. It’s World Series or bust for the Rangers.

San Francisco Giants

The Giants win with pitching, pitching, pitching, and enough offense to take the lead. Timmy “The Freak” Lincecum anchors the rotation with Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez, and Madison Bumgarner. For the past two years, the Giants have had a reputation as “The Team No One Wants To Make The Playoffs” because of their rotation. Lincy has been what you would expect. Cain’s shutout in Game 3 against Cole Hamels gave the Giants the series lead they would not relinquish. Bumgarner and Sanchez can really rack up K’s, but they also give up runs. Sanchez did not make it out of the 3^rd in Game 6. He could be the Giants weak link.

The closer is Brian Wilson and his beard.

The lineup is a collection of misfits that somehow work well together. Andres Torres (6^th in the league in Defensive WAR), Freddy Sanchez, Aubrey Huff (4^th in the NL in WAR among position players…seriously the biggest bargain of the 2009 offseason), ROY candidate Buster Posey, mid-season pickup Pat Burrell, mid-season pickup Cody NLCS MVP Ross, Kung Fu Panda, mid-season pickup Mike Fontenot, Juan Uribe, and Edgar “I’ve been around forever but I’m only 33” Renteria. The lineup doesn’t pack the punch that the boys from Arlington have, but it’s a group of players peaking at the right time. All of these pickups and signings have done well since coming to San Fran.

The Giants have not won a World Series since moving out West, 53 seasons.

Fun Factoids

Tim Lincecum and Cliff Lee were the two Cy Young winners in 08. The last time that the two respective Cy Young’s from the same year have faced in the World Series was 2001 (Roger Clemens and Randy Johnson, who both won it in 2001 and matched up that October/November).

Bengie Molina started his year by the bay, but was traded to Texas.

The first interleague game ever was between the Giants and Rangers in Arlington.

Hey Beltran-bashers, next time you want to bring up that called strike, just remember that both LCS’s this year ended with called strikes on the losing team’s biggest sluggers. On pitches that weren’t as nasty as Wainwright’s curve.

Either Guillermo Mota or Frenchy will be a World Champion soon.

Questions To Chew On

Who will win the series?

How many games?

MVP?

Who wins Game 1, Cliff Lee or Tim Lincecum?

Should Cliff Lee throw Games 1, 4, and 7?

Should Lincecum?

For Fun: Comparing the cities, who is the cooler law-enforcer, Walker Texas Ranger or Dirty Harry?

Watching Cliff Lee dominate the Yankees last night was pure magic. I’m living my Mets dreams through the Texas Rangers right now and they are everything I wish the Mets were.

Lee continues to pad his post season resume after pitching eight innings of shutout baseball, allowing just two hits, a walk and striking out 13 batters.

With the win, Lee has now improved his playoff record to 7-0 and his ERA to an unbelievable 1.26. Oh and by the way, three of the wins all came against the Yankees, two when he pitched for the Phillies, and of course the other coming last night. He’s a dragon slayer.

He now ranks third all time in ERA among pitchers that have made five or more post season starts. Only Sandy Koufax and Christy Mathewson were better.

His 13 strikeouts last night, matched a career-high for Lee, and he became the first pitcher in major-league history to record three straight double-digit strikeout games in a single postseason.

Rangers owner and team president Nolan Ryan said, ”He’s the most consistent pitcher I’ve ever seen.”

The 32-year old southpaw is coming off a 5 year $23 million dollar deal. He won a Cy Young in 2008 when he went 22-3 for the Cleveland Indians with a league leading 2.54 ERA. In addition to all of his other noteworthy accomplishments this season, the one that stands out the most for me is his 185 strikeouts versus his 16 unintentional walks this season. Just sixteen walks in 212 innings pitched!

Lee will fetch in excess of $100 million dollars this offseason over five years, and he will be worth every penny of it. He will undoubtedly be the biggest name available in free agency this offseason and which ever team wins his services will become favorites to win their division in most cases.

Where the Mets are concerned, whomever they choose to be their new GM will immediately look to place his stamp on the team, much like Omar Minaya did when he signed Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran, and Steve Phillips when he traded for Mike Piazza and Al Leiter.

With the status of Johan Santana still up in the air, and lingering concern that he may not be ready until mid season or even longer, the question of who is the ace of the team is currently a blur. With Oliver Perez not expected to return, the Mets highest paid starting pitcher on the 2011 opening day roster will be R.A. Dickey who earned $750K this season.

Clearly, the Mets will add a frontline starter, but whom will it be? Do they roll the dice like they did with Oliver Perez and offer a B-type starter $12-15 million dollars annually to head the rotation and hope for the best? Or do they minimize the risk, put the Mets back on the map, improve the brand name, and fill the park again by paying $5 MM- $6 MM more annually for a stud like Cliff Lee?

Maybe I’m just grasping at straws, but the way I look at it, if Jon Daniels, Sandy Alderson and Logan White are as sharp, talented and smart as everyone says they are, wouldn’t you have to think they’d take a close look at Cliff Lee? Hell, Daniels already traded for him once already and gave up the most talented prospect in his system to get Lee.

I’ll go as far as saying that if our new GM simply bypasses and does not engage in the Cliff Lee sweepstakes, it’s because he was told that he was un-affordable by the Wilpons. Any new GM who would is looking to make an immediate impact and had no payroll limitations, would have to go after Lee in a heartbeat. If you expect these Mets to be contenders next season or more realistically in 2012, having Lee would improve your chances not hurt them, and you don’t have to give up any prospects to get him.

This is not a post bashing Johan Santana.  I know early on in the 2010 season I wrote that Santana was done and I admit I was wrong.  Santana rebounded nicely and was having a great 2nd half until being sidelined with another injury that would for the 3rd consecutive year require surgery.  This surgery is now the 3rd surgery Santana has had on his pitching arm.  Santana is expected to miss most if not all of next year which means that he won’t return until 2012.  In 2012 Santana will be 33 years old. It’s time to start looking for a new Ace of the staff.  Also with this type of injury to a pitcher the pitcher has not returned to pitch again.  Look at Mark Prior and Wang as examples.  Prior hasn’t pitched since having this surgery in 2006 and Wang hasn’t pitched since having surgery last year.

Now hopefully Santana will be able to recover and be a good number 2 pitcher to our ACE. Unfortunately the Mets do not have an ACE on the staff.  As much as I like Pelfrey and Pelf has improved he just does not have what it takes to be an ACE, at least not mentally.  Physically I believe Pelf has the stuff to be a number 1 pitcher but I just cannot rely on him, he’s too much in his own head.  Jon Niese is at best a number 3 pitcher.  R.A. Dickey is a number 5 pitcher.  As much as Gee impressed me the final weeks I think we can all agree that he doesn’t have the stuff to be an ACE.  Now I know we have Jenrry Mejia but the verdict is still out on whether or not he can be a major league starter.  Also keep in mind that Mejia has had several injuries in his young career, all when he was starting.

Now the obvious is to say the Mets should go after Cliff Lee this off season. There’s no denying that Cliff Lee is one of the best pitchers in baseball.  As we’ve seen the last 2 years he’s a big game pitcher and can pitch in high pressure situations. Is it widely known that Lee wants a contract very similar to the one that C.C. Sabathia got from the Yankees.  Just to remind everyone C.C. got a 7 year deal worth 161 million dollars!  Cliff Lee next August will turn 33 years old.  That means his contract would expire after he turns 40.  Lee has also had several injuries including a groin injury back in 2008.  This year Lee suffered an oblique injury.  Also it’s been reported that Lee has been having back trouble.  Like I said Lee is a great pitcher but I think for this new front office it would be a mistake to take a chance on him. In fact if their first move was a big bust it would be a disaster.  Look at what happened with Pedro Martinez.  He was on the back end of his career, had several surgeries but the Mets signed him to a 4 year deal, something the Red Sox didn’t because they felt he wouldn’t hold up.  Unfortunately they were right. Pedro was injured for most of his contract and the Mets lost a lot of money on him.  You can say the same has happened with Santana though he has a few more years left before we can really pass judgement.

The new administration needs to learn from the past administrations mistakes. They will need to go after younger pitchers.  I for one would hope whoever gets the GM job (hopefully Alderson) tries to trade for Zack Greinke from Kansas City. It’s well known that Greinke wants a trade.  I know a lot of people would say to trade Pelf but keep in mind Pelf only has 1 more season to free agency and he’s a Boras client also.  Without a doubt we’ll have to give them Mejia and I’m OK with that. Niese is under team control for several more seasons and we’ll have to part with him as well since he’s major league ready.  You might have throw in Dudda and another prospect but If that’s what it takes then the new GM needs to make that deal.

The new GM cannot wait and see how Santana’s surgery works out.  If Santana can come back from this surgery the best case scenario is that we have 2 aces and there is nothing wrong with that.

The Mets need a starting pitcher.  John Maine had surgery and is gone and Oliver Perez has been banished to the bullpen to lose games for the team.  R.A. Dickey has been a nice surprise and has filled a rotation spot.  Takahasi when he first came into the rotation did an excellent job.  Unfortunately the league has been able to make adjustments to him and the third time through the lineup is pretty much like batting practice against him.  I’m not blaming Takahasi, he was brought here to be a long relief pitcher and he has excelled in that role.  The bullpen is weaker without him, there’s no doubt about that.  That’s another reason why the Mets need a starting pitcher.

Cliff Lee and Dan Haren would’ve been a great upgrade for this team.  I understand the reasoning in not trading for Cliff Lee since he will be a free agent next year.  Trading Ike Davis to Seattle would’ve been the wrong move.  Maybe in 5 years from now we’ll say it was a mistake or we’ll say it was one of the best non-moves Omar did in his tenure as the General Manager of the Mets.  Unfortunately not trading for Dan Haren is I believe a mistake.  I realize that Haren with his ERA of 4.60 and his 7 wins and 8 loses is not having a great season but he’s a good pitcher.  Haren is owed 33 million dollars and is under contract for another 2 years with an option for an additional 3^rd year.  Instead of getting on the phone and trying to make a trade, Omar let Haren go to Anaheim.  The Angels robbed the Diamondbacks blind in that trade.  The Mets farm system is pretty strong, there had to be a couple of players that Omar could’ve sent to Arizona for Haren such as Mejia, Flores, etc…

Omar has been a horrible GM in general but especially with trades.  Just look at his track record.  The Mets need a pitcher, be it Millwood or Ted Lilly.  Hopefully it will not be Gil Meche.  Hopefully there will be a trade that will make sense; if not then this is going to be a long second half.

To begin, according to reports in both the Daily News and the NY Post, the Seattle Mariners wanted Ike Davis in any deal for Cliff Lee, a price that was too rich for the Mets liking. They did try to sell the M’s on Fernando Martinez, Josh Thole and Jenrry Mejia, but apparently the Mariners didn’t consider them as highly as the Mets did.

One GM likened the Omar Minaya negotiation as offering someone a ten dollar bill in exchange for two twenties.

The Mariners wanted major league ready players who they could pencil into their 2011 opening day lineup. Given the Mets choices, only Ike Davis fit that bill.

According to Ken Davidoff in this article in Newsday, the Mets did want to add a pitcher like Cliff Lee, but had no interest in negotiating an extension or re-signing him after the season. Being already locked into a long term deal with Johan Santana at $20+ million per year, the Mets are hardly looking to hand a contract like that to another 30-something pitcher like Lee.

“The Mets were never serious candidates to get Cliff Lee, because while they finally are seeing some fruits of their farm system blossom, they certainly couldn’t afford to trade Ike Davis. The Mets would pay only a rental price for Lee, because they didn’t want to commit huge, long-term dollars to the lefty. Having one over-30 pitcher making over $20 million a year is nerve-wracking enough, as the Mets have seen with Johan Santana. Having two? That’s just stupidity.”

The bottom line is that Omar Minaya or Jeff Wilpon made the right call. Ike Davis is far too valuable to let slip away for a pitcher who may only make a total of fifteen appearances for the Mets. As a matter of fact, you could say the same thing for Jenrry Mejia.

It’s always disappointing when another team ends up getting the player you knew could be a difference maker in the quest for a pennant, but it’s also devastating when the players you gave up end up having long solid major league careers with another team.

We’ve seen enough of Ike Davis to know that at the very least he will be a very productive first baseman at the major league level, and in time he may even play at an All Star level.

Having Cliff Lee in the rotation would have been nice for the stretch run this season, but I’m not willing to throw away 2011-2015 for a chance at the brass ring in 2010. There are less costlier alternatives.

Hope to see you in October Cliff…

It’s over…

According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Texas Rangers have indeed acquired Cliff Lee from the Seattle Mariners.

The Rangers are sending a package that will include one of baseball’s best prospects in Justin Smoak as well as two to three other top Rangers prospects.

Interesting as well is that the the Mariners are kicking in a portion of Lee’s salary as part of the deal according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

There was a time when stars like Cliff Lee, would never be traded in the same division… Boy, times sure have changed…

Quite frankly, I’m glad it’s over… But expect a tremendous amount of interest to be shifted toward the Astros’ Roy Oswalt and LHP Ted Lilly of the Cubs.

With 16-18 teams all within shot of making the post season, one thing is absolutely certain, a starting pitcher won’t come cheap.

If the Mets start throwing names like Josh Thole and Nick Evans around they will come away empty handed. That means they will be relying on Takahashi, Niese, Pelfrey and Dickey to continue to pitching well above their career norms. They may also be forced to put Oliver Perez and John Maine back into the rotation.

Do you still like their chances?

Original Post 4:00 PM

So much for that planned 3:00 PM press conference…

According to WFAN’s Mike Francesa, the Mariners have backed off the Yankees deal for Cliff Lee and a mystery third team has topped their offer.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post, believes that the Mariners are backing off because they are concerned about the injury to second base prospect David Adams.

Sherman tweeted moments ago that the Rangers are working really hard on Lee now, but that it may be tricky because finances with team sale are not yet complete and that they have an MLB-imposed budget.

Francesa just confirmed that the Yankees no longer appear to be in the mix to acquire Lee.

What a day…

With trade discussions between the Texas Rangers and the Seattle Mariners now appearing to be heating up, it adds yet another serious contender in addition to the Minnesota Twins into the mix to acquire starting pitcher Cliff Lee.

The price continues to rise for Lee’s services and the latest reports say the Mariners have called teams asking for two blue-chip prospects plus a third young player in return.

Yesterday, Ken Davidoff of Newsday tweeted that the Mets now like the idea of acquiring lefthanded starter Ted Lilly from the Chicago Cubs.

The Cubs are getting more serious about trades, and the Mets like the idea of getting Ted Lilly and the $6 million dollars owed him and giving fewer prospects.

Lilly, 34, is having a solid season and would certainly be a solid addition to the Mets rotation. Though his name may not be as sexy and as attractive as that of Lee, from a statistical standpoint Lilly compares very favorably and would cost the Mets much less in prospects than Lee would.

Additionally, Lilly currently projects as a “Class A” free agent at the end of this season, which means that if the Mets were to let him walk at the end of the season, they can get two first round prospects in return by offering him arbitration. Sort of what the Boston Red Sox did last season with Billy Wagner.

Lilly has a 3.76 ERA in 14 starts for the Cubs this season, and has struck out 64 batters while walking 22 in 93 innings pitched.

While his ERA seems a little high, his excellent 1.10 WHIP suggests that he may have fallen prey to a few extra longballs at Wrigley Field. His numbers could get even better if he were pitching half of his games at Citi Field.

Finally, I like the idea of having three southpaws in Johan Santana, Jon Niese and Ted Lilly in a division that features some of the best lefthanded hitters in the league.