The New York Mets organization has cordially extended invitations to 11 non-roster players to attend spring training.
“The New York Mets today announced that they signed infielder/outfielder Jolbert Cabrera, infielder Luis Hernandez and lefthanded pitchers Bobby Livingston and Travis Blackley to minor league contracts and invited all four to major league Spring Training camp in Port St. Lucie, Fla. later this month. Additionally, the team extended major league Spring Training invites to righthanded pitchers Jenrry Mejia and Carlos Muniz, lefthanded pitcher Eric Niesen, catcher Francisco Peña, infielders Ike Davis and Ruben Tejada and outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis.”
75 comments
ceetar
2/4/2010-2:53pm at 2:53 pm (UTC -4)
Tejada was there last year, wearing 86 or 87 with no name depending on the uniform of the day. Saw him play in Tigertown, St. Lucie, and the Marlins place as well as at Citi Field against the Red Sox. He even signed a baseball for me.
Looked pretty good, young, not horrible at the plate although he wasn’t quite able to turn double plays (or that may just have been a ‘non-aggressive’ attitude towards spring training collisons. )
GravediggerHebner
2/4/2010-3:00pm at 3:00 pm (UTC -4)
Wasn’t he the starting SS for the Panamanian WBC team too? For a 19 year old the kid has a decent resume.
trs86
2/4/2010-3:02pm at 3:02 pm (UTC -4)
I think for some reason a lot have given up on him and already saddled him with defensive replacement as his ceiling. From what I have seen that is not the case. I think he will be a candidate to replace either Reyes or Castillo down the line.
ceetar
2/4/2010-3:04pm at 3:04 pm (UTC -4)
Hopefully Reyes sticks but I could see Tejada as the 2012 2Bman.
stickguy
2/4/2010-3:20pm at 3:20 pm (UTC -4)
Not if havens has anything to say about it!
ceetar
2/4/2010-3:23pm at 3:23 pm (UTC -4)
True true..we actually have two different 2B prospects. woe is us.
CaseStreet
2/4/2010-3:39pm at 3:39 pm (UTC -4)
oh yeah, who got the ST invite?
trs86
2/4/2010-3:21pm at 3:21 pm (UTC -4)
I hope you are right. But I could also see Reyes or Beltran getting traded if our fortunes don’t reverse.
CaseStreet
2/4/2010-3:32pm at 3:32 pm (UTC -4)
I could also see hell freeizing over.
trs86
2/4/2010-3:34pm at 3:34 pm (UTC -4)
Case I still feel this may be the last year for the core. Not to mention Beltran and Reyes are not signed forever.
stickguy
2/4/2010-5:14pm at 5:14 pm (UTC -4)
I do not expect Baltran to be here after his contract expires. If anything, he will get offered arbitration.
Reyes and wright I think both get offered extensions, and likely take thm
trs86
2/4/2010-3:02pm at 3:02 pm (UTC -4)
Very interested to see Kirk Nieuwenhuis play. Some have mentioned that he could be on the fast track and has a lot of potential.
trs86
2/4/2010-3:38pm at 3:38 pm (UTC -4)
You keep mentioning this McFadden’s bar at Citi Field. What does that mean?
Hmmm, I am guessing it means…. there is or will be a McFadden’s at Citi Field. What the hell do you think it MEANS?
GravediggerHebner
2/4/2010-3:40pm at 3:40 pm (UTC -4)
Who are you addressing?
saltygary
2/4/2010-3:43pm at 3:43 pm (UTC -4)
Ya know I just had this feeling it had to do with that other blog and I was right.
trs86
2/4/2010-3:47pm at 3:47 pm (UTC -4)
Could not help it. What kind of dumb ass question is that? What does that mean? Seriously?
GravediggerHebner
2/4/2010-3:48pm at 3:48 pm (UTC -4)
I no longer go there except in extreme cases of breaking news. I was personally offended by the disdain for commenting and the expression that “page views are what’s important and they’re as strong as ever” so I determined I would not add to those page view totals.
To each his own I am not advocating that anyone else act similarly, but for me it feels right. I learn what I need to second hand quickly enough.
trs86
2/4/2010-3:51pm at 3:51 pm (UTC -4)
True, I still consider it a good source for breaking news. I usually keep it and MLBTR pulled up. Between those 2 sites and sportspyder I think get stuff pretty quickly.
GravediggerHebner
2/4/2010-3:54pm at 3:54 pm (UTC -4)
I think as long as that is the “official” blog someone here has to keep tabs and between the 15 people that are not me I think it’s well covered.
When I am in hyper-monitor-info mode I use the site hotstove.com’s twitter monitor page and the similar one at mlb.com as well as MLBTR but I don’t know if those will still exist once the season starts. I’ll find out though.
CaseStreet
2/4/2010-3:53pm at 3:53 pm (UTC -4)
w/ over 900 people online at any given time, I don’t think it matters.
GravediggerHebner
2/4/2010-4:00pm at 4:00 pm (UTC -4)
Due to where this is nested I’m not sure if you’re talking to me or not but in case you were I’ll say it matters to me. One small step for man and all that. It may be a Pyrrhic victory but it’s victory dammit.
CaseStreet
2/4/2010-4:14pm at 4:14 pm (UTC -4)
I admire your character.
Once Mattsblog went corporate, we should’ve expected that kind of results oriented thinking.
GravediggerHebner
2/4/2010-4:22pm at 4:22 pm (UTC -4)
That’s kind thanks but it’s much less character and much more stubbornness combined with blind rage.
prismo
2/4/2010-3:51pm at 3:51 pm (UTC -4)
Hurr durr, what’s a bar?
trs86
2/4/2010-3:52pm at 3:52 pm (UTC -4)
I know, for some reason (me being a smart ass) that question bugs me.
prismo
2/4/2010-4:01pm at 4:01 pm (UTC -4)
Actually the question bothers me less than the answer. For all we know it’s an 11 year old (there are many young children who read sports blogs these days) and it’s a legitimate question. Why Matt feels the need to answer it publicly instead of just emailing the person back is beyond me.
trs86
2/4/2010-4:04pm at 4:04 pm (UTC -4)
Agreed. Is he getting a ton of emails asking what a bar is?
ceetar
2/4/2010-4:09pm at 4:09 pm (UTC -4)
Because (and it say this without any critcism) McFadden’s is a sponsor of Metsblog (weekly polls).
I’m really excited for it, and want to know if they’ll have real beer, and what the details are. Like location, but I think it figured it out. Stumbled upon a Zack Hample post where he was walking around the place taking pictures and it basically confirms it’s going in that building that’s basically the Verizon Studio out in Center Field. Don’t nkow where the entrance/exits are, but that appears to be tehcase.
http://snaggingbaseballs.mlblogs.com/archives/2009/09/9809_at_citi_field.html is the link btw, if you scroll down he mentions peaking through glass doors out in deep CF.
prismo
2/4/2010-4:23pm at 4:23 pm (UTC -4)
There’s a McFadden’s in DC (it’s a chain), which I’ve been to many times.
Generally very expensive drinks, except they have $1 Bud Light bottles before 10pm. They also sometimes have girls come around with trays of girly shots for a buck or two. The shots are cheap, but they have almost no alcohol in them.
After midnight the bartenders (hot girls) usually get up on the bar, dance, and give out free shots. Not sure if they’ll bring that over to CitiField…
GravediggerHebner
2/4/2010-4:25pm at 4:25 pm (UTC -4)
If they wear Brooklyn Dodger uniforms while bar dancing I’m sure it will be OK.
ceetar
2/4/2010-4:28pm at 4:28 pm (UTC -4)
If they atke off Brooklyn Dodger uniforms while bar dancing..
I assumed it was normal crappy beer and expensive drinks. Was just hoping they’d do something special at the Citi Location. But just a sports bar with proximity is what I expected.
saltygary
2/4/2010-3:40pm at 3:40 pm (UTC -4)
Mel Brooks pushed out some unbelievable stuff and material pretty edgy for it’s time.
GravediggerHebner
2/4/2010-3:50pm at 3:50 pm (UTC -4)
He did. I think this is actually still edgy for right now, but I couldn’t resist the melody of the phrase “Springtime for Hitler and Germany” and how it almost works with the title of this post. I carefully categorized this post as “satire” so no one would think I was advocating for the Nazi party.
CaseStreet
2/4/2010-4:03pm at 4:03 pm (UTC -4)
Case I still feel this may be the last year for the core. Not to mention Beltran and Reyes are not signed forever.
trs, I can’t agree. The Mets, like most big market teams, are about winning now and making money.
Trading these guys wouldn’t help either.
Most, if not all, big market teams let their stars hit FA not trade them.
Whether the Mets will be able to extend either is another question, but I highly doubt they would trade them. If they do, they might as well trade the rest of the core, because there’s no way we’re getting anything in return that will help us get to the playoffs right away.
trs86
2/4/2010-4:06pm at 4:06 pm (UTC -4)
Depends on the player but I agree conventional wisdom tells you they would not. I just get the feeling that between lots of fans that will push the issue and a bias media that when Omar leaves then they might look into trading Beltran for SP and then replacing him with Fmart or whomever.
GravediggerHebner
2/4/2010-4:11pm at 4:11 pm (UTC -4)
I agree with your premise here until the last paragraph. If somehow the organization comes to the conclusion that “it’s just not working” with this core I believe they would benefit more quickly by trading one or more members of it than they would by letting them leave via free agency and taking the draft picks so on that aspect I disagree. Would it “help them get to the playoffs right away?” Probably not, but I think it would enhance their ability to do so in the nearer term more than draft picks would, especially if the team considered signing a free agent (and thus losing other draft picks) to replace said core member.
trs86
2/4/2010-4:13pm at 4:13 pm (UTC -4)
Interesting point.
GravediggerHebner
2/4/2010-4:19pm at 4:19 pm (UTC -4)
Thanks, in the absence of “points guy” I thought we could use “interesting points guy.”
But seriously, the thought process I use here is (very) loosely based on what I perceive the Phillies were doing in trading Cliff Lee rather than holding onto him and going for it. They were IMO trying to maintain a balance between being good in both the short and long terms, and if you have good scouting I think you do that better by trading a pending FA for established minor leaguers as opposed to letting them walk and taking draft picks.
wannybackstra
2/4/2010-4:23pm at 4:23 pm (UTC -4)
This is an unresearched post (admittedly the type of which I would kill TRS for making) but my sense is that most star for prospects trades don’t ultimately benefit the team trading the star all that often.
Off the top of my head, the Colon for Sizemore et al. trade is an obvious exception.
It would be interesting if a TRDMB author (yes, I am passing the buck) would do an analysis of recent trades like these to determine whether they helped the star trading team in the near term. Of course, the most recent trades would have to be refrigerated until the prospects have had the opportunity to mature.
wannybackstra
2/4/2010-4:25pm at 4:25 pm (UTC -4)
The Santana deal is a recent example of a complete anamoly. They traded the star player, got crap back in return and went to the postseason a year later.
No thanks to the players acquired with the exception of one key performance in one big game from Carlos Gomez. Hardly enough to credit that trade with having improved the team.
GravediggerHebner
2/4/2010-4:31pm at 4:31 pm (UTC -4)
Does Alexander for Smoltz count?
wannybackstra
2/4/2010-5:05pm at 5:05 pm (UTC -4)
Don’t see why not.
trs86
2/4/2010-4:27pm at 4:27 pm (UTC -4)
OK so who votes for Wanny to be added as an author?
CaseStreet
2/4/2010-4:33pm at 4:33 pm (UTC -4)
def sounds like Wanny wants to do this? I second your nomination. Good luck Wanny, can’t wait to see the post.
wannybackstra
2/4/2010-5:08pm at 5:08 pm (UTC -4)
You guys don’t want to pay my hourly rate.
CaseStreet
2/4/2010-5:33pm at 5:33 pm (UTC -4)
hourly rate is passe, fee for service is more fashionable
wannybackstra
2/4/2010-5:40pm at 5:40 pm (UTC -4)
And less profitable!
CaseStreet
2/4/2010-5:56pm at 5:56 pm (UTC -4)
true, but your clients will be happier
http://greatestamericanlawyer.typepad.com/greatest_american_lawyer/2007/04/what_is_value_b.html
wannybackstra
2/4/2010-5:58pm at 5:58 pm (UTC -4)
My firm has begrudgingly embraced alternative billing structures.
CaseStreet
2/4/2010-6:07pm at 6:07 pm (UTC -4)
how’s it going?
My dentist doesn’t charge by the hour and drives a pretty nice car.
I guess it depends on your type of practice.
wannybackstra
2/4/2010-6:56pm at 6:56 pm (UTC -4)
Dunno. My work is all hourly. I think they’re doing okay with it where it’s being used.
There are general dangers to it, though. When the work stops becoming profitable, certain things will slip in priority.
GravediggerHebner
2/4/2010-4:30pm at 4:30 pm (UTC -4)
I’ll give it a try, I have nothing but free time in the near term, except for literally right now I have to walk the dog so excuse me.
I will do the research and report back even if it contradicts my own point above because I am comfortable with my caveat of “good scouting.” If your scouts suck so much that you fail to get anything good back, that’s not my fault.
wannybackstra
2/4/2010-5:06pm at 5:06 pm (UTC -4)
Oh good. You’re about the only one I trust to pull trades that will fit on both sides of the equation (and I include myself in that distrust category!).
CaseStreet
2/4/2010-4:24pm at 4:24 pm (UTC -4)
It is true that trading would help the team sooner than draft picks. What I meant, though, is this. If the team decides to trade Reyes and/or Beltran, we won’t get anything in return that could help us that year and there won’t be any FAs that could replace them. So unless we’re calling it quits for 2011, the team would be better off keeping them.
GravediggerHebner
2/4/2010-4:27pm at 4:27 pm (UTC -4)
OK I see. I was assuming the season had been packed in if they were actually seriously considering trading a core member. I agree if the team is still in any semblance of realistic contention that it’s not going to happen.
trs86
2/4/2010-4:28pm at 4:28 pm (UTC -4)
How do we know there would not be any FA to replace them? Lets say you could get a top rotation pitcher for Beltran (someone that does not cost that much) then you also use his 20M to upgrade the team.
trs86
2/4/2010-4:29pm at 4:29 pm (UTC -4)
Oh I misread maybe. I was referring to doing in the off-season.
CaseStreet
2/4/2010-4:44pm at 4:44 pm (UTC -4)
still, do you think any team is giving up a top rotation pitcher for just 1 year of a CFer on the wrong side of 30, w/ bad knees, a $18.5M contract and a full no-trade clause?
Reyes would be more tradeable, but as a homegrown co-face of the franchise guy, it’d be harder to swallow.
Mr North Jersey
2/4/2010-4:21pm at 4:21 pm (UTC -4)
It’s turning out to be overall a Minor League day.
trs86
2/4/2010-4:31pm at 4:31 pm (UTC -4)
Time to go coach game #2 of 3 in a row. Later.
GravediggerHebner
2/4/2010-5:05pm at 5:05 pm (UTC -4)
So 1 of the 11 minor leaguers invited to spring training, Travis Blackley, is pitching for Mexico right now versus Bill Pulsipher who is on the mound for Puerto Rico. I just put on the game but the announcers are praising Blackley for regaining his composure after giving up 3 first inning runs and keeping his team in the game (is 3-2 PR top 5th).
He’ll be interesting to look at in ST anyway, he has lots of tats and piercings.
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2010_02_04_mexwin_purwin_1
GravediggerHebner
2/4/2010-5:12pm at 5:12 pm (UTC -4)
Wanny if you’re out there are there any rough parameters we should establish for this before I get going?
I mean should I really go back to the Alexander/Smoltz era, or maybe keep it in the last 15-20 years or so?
Also, how to define the “star” and “prospect” in this seems rather open ended. Should I maybe use OPS+ or something to make sure the “star” is at least at or close to the top player on his team?
wannybackstra
2/4/2010-5:19pm at 5:19 pm (UTC -4)
Interesting questions.
I would keep it in the modern era. Let’s say 1990 as the absolute cut-off? I say this because of how money has changed the way trades have been made over the years. I think you’ll be able to get a representative sample long before that anyway.
As far as who is a star, I think you’ll have to just use the sniff test.
GravediggerHebner
2/4/2010-5:24pm at 5:24 pm (UTC -4)
OK I think I can work with that. Thanks for the idea I think this will be interesting and perhaps a little fun even. I can’t say how long it will take (won’t be done tonight for sure) so don’t sit poised by your twitter or anything but I’ll try and craft a post out of it which will have an obvious title such as “Does trading star players for prospects work for the team trading the star?” so you’ll know when you see it.
GravediggerHebner
2/4/2010-5:32pm at 5:32 pm (UTC -4)
I want to add one thing too since I’m the one actually doing this I’m going to define “help the team trading the star” as meaning the prospects they get back actually become at least serviceable major league players, not that trading the guy freed up $16 million which they used to sign player X the following year.
wannybackstra
2/4/2010-5:33pm at 5:33 pm (UTC -4)
I have very little poise when my twitter is activated.
wannybackstra
2/4/2010-5:31pm at 5:31 pm (UTC -4)
Some suggestions off the top of my head:
Hudson to the Braves
Mulder to the Cards
Haren to the Backs (maybe too soon to judge) (I sense a theme here)
Griffey to Cincy (though I don’t know if those were prospects in return)
Unit to the Yanks
Wagner to the Phils
Alomar to the Mets
Colon to Montreal
Piazza to the Mets
Piazza to the Marlins
The Hanley for Beckett deal
GravediggerHebner
2/4/2010-5:33pm at 5:33 pm (UTC -4)
Great I appreciate the kick start.
wannybackstra
2/4/2010-5:39pm at 5:39 pm (UTC -4)
Thanks for taking this on!
wannybackstra
2/4/2010-5:39pm at 5:39 pm (UTC -4)
Found some on ESPN which also reminded me of some others:
McGwire to the Cards
Bagwell to the Astros, I think was within the 1990+ timeframe
Cone to the Yanks
McGriff to the Braves
Unit to Houston
Beltran to Houston
Damon to Oakland
Dye to Oakland
And thankfully, this one is too old to consider: Seaver to the Reds!
GravediggerHebner
2/4/2010-5:45pm at 5:45 pm (UTC -4)
I wrote down your first list, then googled the phrase “mlb transactions 1990″ and discovered that baseball-reference has a chronological record of literally every transaction that has ever occurred, so I’m scrolling through that and found what I consider my first “doozy” which is Joe Carter for Sandy Alomar and Carlos Baerga.
b-r.com lists their “annual” transactions from Nov 1st so I consider this 12/6/89 deal to be a “1990″ transaction.
wannybackstra
2/4/2010-5:57pm at 5:57 pm (UTC -4)
That one would seem to be bad for my position on this one.
(the next baerga trade probably doesn’t qualify as having resulted in an exchange of prospects but one player in that deal, Jeff kent, was once a prospect along with Ryan Thompson who was traded to the Mets for a star, David Cone, in a deal that did not work out very well for the Mets even though Kent became a star 4 years later).
GravediggerHebner
2/4/2010-6:06pm at 6:06 pm (UTC -4)
It is bad for you but it’s only the first one I’ve found. Alomar did have some major league time but still qualified as a rookie. I hope that’s fair to consider him a prospect, I do. I will try not to use for this any trades in which the “prospect” no longer qualifies as a rookie, although perhaps I will find some gray area in which as part of a 4 for 1 deal, 1 of the 4 has “too much” major league time. I’ll see how it unfolds.
Mr North Jersey
2/4/2010-6:01pm at 6:01 pm (UTC -4)
Just in case Baseball America has the trade central trades made going back to 2000.
http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/majors/trade-central/2010/
GravediggerHebner
2/4/2010-6:08pm at 6:08 pm (UTC -4)
Thank you once I get to 2000 I’ll switch to that because what I’m using now literally has every transaction, releases, rule 5, everything. I had forgotten that the Mets just released Gary Carter after the 1989 season, but now I have been reminded.