After the signings of Fogg and Catalanotto, one must admit that Omar’s offseason has not been that bad at all.
Another front-line starting pitcher was the biggest need, but there was only one real number two available, and he apparently wanted to play in Boston. Can’t blame Lackey; the Red Sox are a very well-run team and Boston is a great city.
There were no other aces or number twos available; that is why top of the rotation guys are so valuable: there are very, very few of them in captivity.
The team clearly needed a presence in LF, and Omar signed Jason Bay. Bay will hit, will steal a few bases, and no matter what folks say about his fielding, a player who committed one error and had 20 assists in 199 games in one of baseball’s most difficult outfield positions simply is not that bad of a fielder.
Omar signed a very live Japanese arm, and brought in the all-upside reclamation project Escobar. And now we have signed Josh Fogg. A quick look at Fogg’s career screams that he is potentially the second coming of Darren Oliver. Oliver was absolutely horrible as a starter for years, as was Fogg, but when Oliver finally found his role as a middle relief specialist, he began to excel. Fogg’s excellent numbers against RH batters after moving to the pen in 2009 show that he very likely is on the same path.
Frank Catalanotto is a versatile player who has been well-liked and respected throughout his career, and in addition, he hits and gets on base. Catalanotto and Tatis are a potentially outstanding 1-2, lefty-righty pair to have on the bench.
Yes, we are relying far too heavily on the return to form of Pelf, Ollie, and Maine, but at this point, it looks as though Omar has filled the rest of the team’s holes in a potentially solid manner.
Players like Oliver, Bradford, Chavez, and Valentin were a large part of what made 2006 far different from 2007 and 2008. Catalanotto and the same performance by Fogg against righty bats could very well provide the nucleus for a vastly improved bench and back end of the pen.
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The media is having a serious field day trashing the Mets. From national outlets to local writers, we have been flooded with stories about how no players want to come to Queens, how the organization is a total mess, and even that it is time to trade Johan for prospects.
First off, which players did not want to come here? We heard one story about Pineiro supposedly telling the Mets he was looking elsewhere, but this was after months of no team giving him much of anything in the way of serious offers. If this is true, we are lucky. Pineiro was terrible every year from 2004-2008, and has a career path eerily similar to Oliver Perez. Except that Pineiro is older and has had several more terrible years.
Did Jason Bay really dread coming to New York? He sure has not said anything to that effect, even remotely. Are we to trust Massachusetts native, longtime Boston Globe writer, and lifelong Red Sox fan Peter Gammons’ totally unsubstantiated claim?
During Holliday’s time in the wilderness, Scott Boras made a very public plea for the Mets to consider signing his client.
The very mediocre Jason Marquis seemed to dream of throwing his customarily bad 6 innings regularly in Queens.
Legendary clubhouse king and postseason hero Gritty McHudson apparently spends all of the time when he is not getting bottom of the 9th game-winning hits praying that the Mets show interest in him.
The Pirates. The Royals. The Orioles. These are terrible franchises which are in disarray. Franchises whose fans would probably give anything to trade places with the Mets, our talent, our payroll, and our record the last five years.
But shameless windbags like Rosenthal, Klapisch, the proprietor of the childish and inane “contestâ€, and their ilk will not get nearly as many hits to their sites and readers of their stories were they to accurately chronicle the woes of truly terrible franchises. So they go the easy route, and write spectacularly ridiculous articles trashing the Mets.
Is there really a serious movement among players to avoid the Mets? If there is, this space would welcome the unearthing of the first concrete evidence of it. Much to the chagrin of the venomous corporate media, one of their minions writing something that is then repeated by countless blogs and commenters does NOT necessarily make it so.
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This writer lived in Seattle during the 1990s, and some media folk have accurately stated that the mid-to-late 90s Mariners achieved less with more talent than any team in recent memory. This trap does indeed seem to be one the Reyes/Wright/Beltran/Johan Mets are in danger of falling into.
Those Mariner teams had Griffey Jr., ARod, Jay Buhner, Edgar Martinez and Randy Johnson, guys like Mike Blowers driving in 90 and Russ Davis getting many clutch hits, and managed just two postseason appearances and one dramatic win in 1995 over the Yanks. And oh what a win it was, but we digress.
Those Mariner teams were largely doomed by horrific bullpens, and should 2010 turn out to be another year devoid of those elusive meaningful October games, we may indeed look back on these Met teams in a similar manner to how those Mariner teams are viewed, with the bullpen killing us in 2008, starting pitching dooming us in 2007 and 2010, and a spectacular core just not having enough support to win a pennant.
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Kingman’s Korner is perhaps not the place to find the most objective viewpoint when it comes to judging the potential of an as-yet unplayed Met season. But the negativity coming from the fans and the media towards Met management is simply irrational and, at this point, ridiculous.
If we see meltdowns from Pelf, Ollie, and Maine, or even from two of them, the season will be in peril, there is no doubt about that.
But this writer must reiterate that we now have Jason Bay in his prime in LF, and Omar has picked up several bullpen pieces with huge potential. Tatis, Catalanotto, Cora, and Blanco make up a bench loaded with versatility, and by many accounts, solid leadership and clubhouse skills.
Barring a major surprise, it appears that we are close to completing the roster with which this team will go to war.
This space says it is time for the loyal fan to get behind this group and at least give it a chance to get through March in a healthy, fundamentally sound, enthusiastic manner before giving up on it.
If we are 25-35 come June 1st, and if ownership is clearly not working to put together a major acquisition or two, then it will be time for the Nabobs to wave their flag of Nattering Negativity.
But for now, King and Stick’s Parade of Partial Positiviality shall continue to demand its rightful place at the head of the table of Met fandom.
Now please, let the damn games begin!
12 comments
rustyjr
1/31/2010-1:40pm at 1:40 pm (UTC -4)
Great column kong – but it could be a little shorter – lol
in all seriousness I agree with alot of your points here and to say that this team will be dwelling in the basement is a pure falacy. But imo the way this team is constructed , the phils and braves would have to have a serious downturn for the mets to either win the division or to get a wild card berth. I feel the team as constructed is a mid ’80 win team – which should be good enough for third place. but I feel like most mets fans do that third place should not be good enough and not enough has been done to better the team. I am on record as saying that i like the pick ups of the velvet fogg and the cat but i wish that we tried harder to get lackey ( i still think this f.o has their heads up their butts) and please don’t sign smoltz it would be the second coming of frank tanana or mickey loilich. If you are going to take a chance on a scrap heap pitcher go for either hampton or washburn – both are fly ball pitchers that if healthy can thrive in citi field. And hope that if we are in contention come july – omar will have the wherewithall and the chips to get the missing pieces that this tyeam will need to propel us into the playoffs.
btw kog sorry I was going to mention skyking in my piece but for some reason i ommited him but i was going to say it made no sense that they traded another fan favorite who the obtained no less than 2 years prior ,who won the fans over with his power and his demeanor ( and the rats in boxes sent to journalists excluded.)
trs86
1/31/2010-2:45pm at 2:45 pm (UTC -4)
How hard did we try to get Lackey? I have no idea. We know that they targeted him first and either they did not want to give him more money or years OR he wanted to go to Boston.
GravediggerHebner
1/31/2010-2:03pm at 2:03 pm (UTC -4)
I am also not unbiased but I think the closest I can come to a fair, unbiased appraisal of the 2010 Mets as currently comprised is similar to what you seem to say many times throughout – the outcome is uncertain.
It seems that the loudest and largest contingent on earth appraising the Mets is saying that the outcome is certain, and that they are certain to suck. That belies their own negative outlook in my opinion, but I respect their right to feel their own outlook can be appropriately defined as “realistic.”
A lot of things have to break right for the team to do really well, and a lot of things have to break wrong for it to do really poorly. The 67-72 win prognostications are as ridiculous as any who might say the team is destined to win 97-102. The reality would seem to be somewhere in the middle, and then fluctuate either way due to things breaking right or wrong. Basically an 85 win team that will either finish below that due to underwhelming performances by some players, or above that due to the opposite.
Those who were looking to be spoon fed a guaranteed 97 wins (or a viable # 2 SP as I was) in the form of a Philly-Dragon slaying juggernaut aren’t going to get it, so we will either get tough or get going as the old saying about tough going goes.
My only quibble with your post, just my personal opinion, is the suggestion that other than starting pitching “…at this point, it looks as though Omar has filled the rest of the team’s holes in a potentially solid manner.” I still don’t see a starting catcher necessarily. From reading the comments and posts of others, some don’t see a starting 1B, RF or 2B either. Only attention craving fools don’t see a starting 3B.
But other than my different opinion of starting catcher, I see in this post a positive outlook with appropriate caveats, and I agree 100% with your last sentence.
trs86
1/31/2010-2:49pm at 2:49 pm (UTC -4)
89, 92, 93 wins that is the win totals of the almighty Phillies. Clearly the class of the league but that win total is not insurmountable IF things go well.
Kingman 26
1/31/2010-4:59pm at 4:59 pm (UTC -4)
Yeah Grave, I thought about your quibble a lot.
I definitely agree about catcher. That could be a problem, but in the 8th hole, how bad can the offense be? And Blanco is fine defensively and as I think you may have pointed out, if Jerry does not like Santos’ pitch calling, Jerry can call the pitches from the dugout; it certainly has been done before.
As for 2B, sure, I would love to see an improvement, and we still might, but Slappy is adequate at least. And we could see Catalanotto play some games there.
I am very eager to see what Murph can do in his first full season as a veteran. I really see the emphaisis on signing Bay as at least partly to bring more HR in to compensate for the HR Murph won’t be hitting.
As for RF, Frenchy should be among the least of our problems.
steveo
1/31/2010-2:04pm at 2:04 pm (UTC -4)
I agree with most of your points but I still believe that this offseason was a failure because of the lack of a key pitching move I know after lackey signed there was nothing really worth going after, but that’s where Omar failed. The trade market was where he should have gone and I know people are going to say what could we have traded that’s where the great GM moves are made.True we didn’t want omar to trade our farm and he didn’t great move in my opinion. But the moves that could have been made like possibly moving a guy like pelfrey for another more proven and more expensive pitcher to save some other franchise’s finaces could have been the key. I use Pelfrey because he is the only real movable piece to me, but omar probably thought that his possible upside was to much of a gamble, I understand that but to be good gm you have to gamble sometimes and he didn’t, and we will have to wait and see if this works for or against him, again the pelfrey thing is just a thought Pagan,Maine,Parnell and even Santos could have been considered as well.I hope omar proves me wrong more than anything I guess we will have to wait and see.
trs86
1/31/2010-2:51pm at 2:51 pm (UTC -4)
How would moving a Pelfrey that cost .5M for another pitcher that a team is looking to dump be a good move at all.
By not giving suggestions and saying that is what a good GM does you are trapping him into a no win situation.
steveo
1/31/2010-3:55pm at 3:55 pm (UTC -4)
We are not behind the scenes to give any real sugestions and therefore are not privledged to that kind of info.My sugestions mean nothing plus I’m not getting paid 1 mil year to make sugestions but guys like arroyo and ozwalt come to mind again I don’t come up with trade sugestions because I don’t know what’s realistic in terms.
trs86
1/31/2010-4:08pm at 4:08 pm (UTC -4)
Agreed, so how do we get on Omar for not getting it done when we have no idea if it could be done and what the cost would be if it were to be done? Have either of those guys been traded? If not could it be that either their teams want too much or do not want to trade them? I just don’t think you can get on the GM for something that you don’t even know if it is possible or not. Sure it’s his job to get us a better pitcher but you can’t fall into the trap of saying well he did not get us one, he failed or is not trying.
stickguy
1/31/2010-3:34pm at 3:34 pm (UTC -4)
going all the way this year baby. Unless of course, they don’t.
As long as the SPs hold together and reasonably approach their talent and potential, the team is in good shape.
DOn’t forget, the 2-4 trifecta are all in that sweet spot 26-28 range, when guys that are going to have career years often decide to do it (at least hitters are age 27,maybe pitchers peak a year or 2 later?) but shatever, they are still all young enough to be heading up the peak, not long since over it.
I will disagree that the off season holes were filled too, since I think they needed a more legit starting catcher, and really needed to make the big, bold move upgrading 2B.
Of coruse, both options are still on the table, so we shall see.
But it is still probably not adding that one more SP that sticks out as a glaring problem.
trs86
1/31/2010-3:46pm at 3:46 pm (UTC -4)
I too would like to see Lopez or Gritty brought in but as for catcher I would just as soon to not waste our money or efforts. Hot Rod is not a better option than what we got. Let Santos give it a shot and if he can’t handle it go with Coste and Blanco until Thole is ready.
metsfan4decades
1/31/2010-5:29pm at 5:29 pm (UTC -4)
Not adding that one more SP that sticks out as a glaring problem….
My sentiments exactly. SP is going to make or break this season, IMO.