Good Morning and welcome to the second of our 3 part discussion. Yesterday, David Wright was the main topic and there was much talk and commentary on this as expected. Amazingly, all the folks that wanted to see him traded had no comment on the issue yesterday. Just sayin. With the season all but over, there is an outcry to make “significant” changes, not only to the coaching staff but also to the on field personnel as well. What do you think about these?
Beltran Buh Bye?
Ken Davidoff of Newsday believes there is a strong likelihood Carlos Beltran will be traded this winter. Now we have heard the talks before but much of that was from our fan base and speculation due to the player being placed on waivers this season. This may be a little more significant. Davidoff says the Mets are sending “strong signals” they badly want to unload Beltran, but it remains to be seen as to whether or not they would be willing to “pay the freight” to deal him. He is suggesting there is strong interest in Beltran this winter from the Cardinals and the Red Sox, should they be willing to pay a portion of the $18.5M left on his contract for next season. Both teams make sense from a position standpoint. I’m surprised that most teams would give Beltran the CF reins without being ensured he is fully healthy and recovered but his other attributes are hard to ignore. This guy’s considered a five tool player. Plus, this comes down to the Mets paying a significant portion of his remaining salary.
Guess it boils down to how bad do we want this deal. After the issues with Boras and Beltran’s surgery this winter, the Walter Reed situation, and the general feeling about Beltran as a vocal leader on this team and the Mets long term center fielder speaks volumes. The Mets are at fault for quite a few of these media debacles and if Boras has his way, he won’t recommend that Carlos move to RF or work on limited duty. The news reports that the Mets are pursuing trade don’t help this decreasingly fragile relationship. This alone is telling but another piece of news may strengthen the idea that the Mets are looking to part ways with the outfielder……
Window Shopping
Another outfielder, a center fielder to be exact, is on the Mets radar this off-season. A few Met officials have let it be known that Jacoby Ellsbury is on their shopping list this winter. I’m not sure why there is an interest in him when Pagan is on the team and more apt to play CF unless they like him at RF for keeps. I would put Pagan’s health history against Ellsbury’s any day of the week. (There’s always a chance that Beltran might move to RF and concede the center position to Pagan but nobody thinks he will.)This is actually a situation where I’m not sure how to feel about Ellsbury on this team. I got to admit he will look good at the top of the lineup but how much would he cost? Already I’ve heard DW’s name come up as a possible component. Farfetched? In January, Beltré signed a 1 year, $9M deal with the Boston Red Sox which has a $5M player option for 2011 with a $1M buyout. Beltre told Rob Bradford of WEEI.com that he hopes he doesn’t have to exercise his player option. Depending on how many plate appearances the third baseman makes between now and the end of the season, he’ll have an option worth $5MM or $10MM. The point is moot, since Beltre will opt out and test the market. (He’s having his best statistical season excluding 2004 but please don’t suggest he comes to NY. I know someone is thinking it.) Maybe you can help persuade me that this potential move with Ellsbury is a beneficial one.
Got Greinke?
So here we are. At the crossroads. This rumor is picking up steam and the fact that these two teams have made deals in the past and have engaged in talks almost yearly, this has some potential of panning out. The Royals are pretty sure they will not be competitive in 2012 and their ace, Zach Greinke is aware of this and would like to leave for greener pastures. They are open to listen to all offers. So Mets GM, fan base, and experts, what do you offer KC in return for their stud pitcher? Mind you, trying to lowball them will not work as the Yankees, Rangers, Tigers, and Nationals are all interested as well. What can you offer that will knock their socks off? I’m almost positive any deal may include Kirk Neuweinhuis or they wouldn’t be looking at Ellsbury so intently. Logically, KC shouldn’t be bent on getting major league ready talent but they might be. Their rotation, without Zach, consists of Luke Hochevar, Bruce Chen, Gil Meche, Kyle Davies, and Brian Bannister. Meche and Bannister’s status long term is undetermined so the Royals will want pitching along with a bat and prospects in return. Feel free to speculate.
So what do you think, Nation? The argument that things will work with another year of what we have is clearly without merit but making a trade for trades’ sake is not the wisest of approaches either. Check in tomorrow for the 3rd and final installment of this look into the Mets and their direction during this upcoming offseason. LGM. Duh.
