Here is a list of all 35 free agents that were offered arbitration this year, 12 more than last year according to MLBTR. These players now have until November 30th, one week, to decide whether to accept. Type A – 14 players (Will cost signing team a first round pick.) Grant Balfour Adrian Beltre Carl Crawford Jorge De La Rosa Scott Downs Adam Dunn Frank Francisco Jason Frasor Paul...
Read MoreThough the “decision” did not have as much hype as that of LeBron James’ over the summer, it’s official: Terry Collins is the 20th manager in New York Mets team history. As a fan, I find myself as cautiously optimistic about this hiring. To be honest, I had no true preference among the four candidates for manager. Each one brought interesting qualifications to the table...
Read MoreThe thing that stood out most in listening to Terry Collins this morning is his emphasis in “playing the game correctly.’’ Collins promised an accent on fundamentals with a team that too often disregarded them in the past. This is a team that gives away too many at-bats, both at the plate and on the mound, and loses focus. That is the culture Sandy Alderson and Terry Collins vowed to...
Read MoreI couldn’t help sharing the following news item with you after reading about it on MLBTR. Obviously, most baseball fans, even Mets fans, have heard about the ongoing negotiations between Derek Jeter and the New York Yankees. You would never think the Yankees would be playing hardball with the one player that has defined their brand and image for over a decade, but yet they have. It’s...
Read MoreAdd another left handed reliever to the ranks of the Mets departed. According to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York, LHP Raul Valdes has agreed to a minor league deal with the St. Louis Cardinals. Valdes, 33, was signed as an international free agent last winter by the Mets and had mixed results going 3-3 with a 4.91 ERA in 38 appearances in 2010. The bigger story is that today, Sandy Alderson told...
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For those of you who were curious as to why Sandy Alderson decided against Wally Backman as a manager, he spoke to Kevin Burkhardt and shed some light on why he decided to go in another direction. “I enjoyed meeting Wally,” Alderson said. “We had, of course, long discussions with him over two occasions. One was just myself. And I can understand why the fans were so supportive...
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