Yesterday Adam Rubin tweeted, citing Baseball America as the source, that the Mets had released several minor leaguers. Now, obviously if the team is releasing minor leaguers they are not going to be top prospects. Still, as inconsequential as these moves were, I feel as if we should pay homage to some guys who once graced the Mets farm system with their presence, and certainly were not released for a lack of effort. So, here’s a little about the young guys the Mets let go:
Samuel Martinez is a 23-year old pitcher from the Dominican who signed in 2006 but did not appear in the farm system until 2008. He pitched about 25 innings per season the last three years, putting up pretty good strikeout numbers, and eventually making it to St. Lucie by the end of 2010. He could have been a serviceable arm in the organization, but at his age and slow movement through the system, it makes little sense to put resources into trying to make him a big leaguer.
Richard Pena is also a 23-year old pitcher from the Dominican. He signed all the way back in 2004 but did not appear in the farm system until this past year. He made 20 relief appearances for Kingsport, getting credit for two saves but struck out only 20 in 32 innings. He managed to make three appearances for St. Lucie, but that is where his career with the Mets will unceremoniously end.
Scott Shaw was taken in the 13th round back in 2008 and had a great debut in Brooklyn going 6-3 with a 2.80 ERA. He saw a dip in his strikeout numbers but had a solid 2009 for St. Lucie starting 26 games with an 8-8 record and 3.73 ERA, a pretty solid season. After 13 innings in St. Lucie this past year he was promoted to Binghamton where he bombed out making 22 appearances and 13 starts posting an 8.42 ERA with a 4-7 record, nearly walking as many as he struck out. Apparently AA was more than Shaw could handle and the end of the line for his Mets career.
Marcos Tabata is a native of Venezuela and a member of the Mets farm system since 2006, where he pitched in his homeland for the Mets team in the Venezuelan Summer League. Tabata had a rough debut in the state in 2007 pitching for Kingsport and then missed the entire 2008 season. Tabata faired well in the Gulf Coast League in 2009 and managed to climb his way to St. Lucie by the end of 2010. Tabata has posted a 1.59 ERA in 28 innings pitching in his homeland this winter, but throwing so many breaking balls has produced 22 walks, almost as much as his 25 strikeouts. Now at age 24, and not known as a hard thrower, there aren’t a lot of reasons to keep Tabata around.
Ryan Mollica is a 24-year old from Suffern, New York who the Mets took in the 47th round of the 2009 draft. He played mostly the middle infield during his brief career, accumulating 115 at bats for Kingsport in 2009, hitting .287 with 7 extra-base hits and 19 RBI’s. He allotted only 97 at bats in 2010, mostly for St. Lucie, but his mediocre offense and lack of tools are the reasons Mollica’s career ended up the same as a lot of late-round draft picks: ending fairly quickly.
Hector Pellot was the Mets second-round pick in 2005, but now his time with the Mets is over after it started with such great promise. Pellot went straight to full season ball in the South Atlantic League in 2006 where he struggled, hitting just .189. He figured out the SAL in Savannah the following year, making the all-star team and earning a late season promotion to St. Lucie where he spent the next two full seasons. In 2008, Pellot once again struggled, hitting .165 in the Florida State League, but responding with a .277 average, 24 extra-base hits, and 39 RBI’s in the same league in 2009. He started 2010 in the Florida State League but finally earned a promotion to AA Binghamton, where once again upon advancing to a new level, Pellot struggled mightily to the tune of a .127 average. By now it should be clear that Pellot does not bode well when he moves to the next level, making it nearly impossible to imagine that he could ever get to the big leagues.
And so we bid farewell to these once and former Met prospects, and thank them for their service and contribution to the farm system throughout their careers.
83 comments
njstuckintx
1/14/2011-9:37am at 9:37 am (UTC -4)
Nice Summary. This is the stuff I like reading, as other than Rubin’s tweet, I had no clue who they were or why they were going.
kingman 26
1/14/2011-10:17am at 10:17 am (UTC -4)
Really nice piece. Very interesting.
Nice contribution, and very unique perspective.
Excellent work.
TRS86
1/14/2011-10:20am at 10:20 am (UTC -4)
Hey does it look like to you that Sandy may be weeding out a lot of these international signings that Omar was “known” for?
metsfan4decades
1/14/2011-10:35am at 10:35 am (UTC -4)
Ouch…..
Bryan
1/14/2011-11:18am at 11:18 am (UTC -4)
Not a bad thought, definitely a possibility with Martinez, Pena, and Tabata, or it could be just an early projection that there’ll be no room for them coming out of spring.
metsfan4decades
1/14/2011-10:35am at 10:35 am (UTC -4)
Thanks for the post on this. Some little known facts about the Mets that you can only find here on TRDMB.
Nice job.
metsfan4decades
1/14/2011-10:42am at 10:42 am (UTC -4)
On another note, reading the reactions over at MLBTR on the Soriano signing.
Some of them are just too funny. After one poster rips apart ‘CashMan’, his non creativity and the Yanks throwing good money after bad, one posters says:
‘I don’t know why everyone is so concerned with the money. The yankees print the stuff, it means nothing to them.’
THIS….in a nutshell.
TRS86
1/14/2011-10:48am at 10:48 am (UTC -4)
I think overall it’s a good signing for them. They have a ton of cash left to spend, no reason just to sit on it. Soriano also has no no-trade clause so the Yanks could actually shock the world and trade him to be a closer somewhere later for a reasonable rate.
metsfan4decades
1/14/2011-11:00am at 11:00 am (UTC -4)
Yeah, with Mo’s age, it’s some good insurance as well.
stickguy
1/14/2011-11:21am at 11:21 am (UTC -4)
yeah, saw over on MLBTR that after this, they still had $20,000,000 left in the budget that they couldn’t figure out how to spend (especially if Petite did not come back).
Must be nice to be the rich kid that gets a new bmw for their 16th birthday!
metsfan4decades
1/14/2011-10:47am at 10:47 am (UTC -4)
You have got to be kidding me, Ollie:
Dan Warthen on Oliver Perez in Mexico
“At times [Mets bullpen catcher Rafael Arroyo] thinks that Ollie is up-and-down, and his heart isn’t as in it as much as it should be at times. But he feels good, and he’s getting in shape, and he’s working hard, realizing that this is a big year.”
Dan Warthen, as quoted by Andy McCullough of the Star Ledger.
According to McCullough, Arroyo is with Oliver Perez in Mexico this winter to ““be a guy that pushes him do his workouts each and every day.”
TRS86
1/14/2011-10:49am at 10:49 am (UTC -4)
Ollie never seems to age does he? Of course we have to be careful how much spin comes out between now and Opening Day.
metsfan4decades
1/14/2011-11:02am at 11:02 am (UTC -4)
I don’t know how much Warthen talks to the media, but seems every time they quote him, it’s something on the negative side concerning ‘his’ pitchers.
Ceetar
1/14/2011-11:14am at 11:14 am (UTC -4)
Wonder how his wife deals?
While not flattering, this is pretty much how he’s been his whole career. They signed him knowing that his effort level was what it was, that he needed pushing and guidance. So while at least the Mets have learned to send someone down there as a drill sargent, like they should’v with the WBC, I don’t think the Mets can afford to trust him, no matter what he does between now and April Fools Day, unless they truly believe they’ve created a system for _future_ success not based on his spring training numbers.
And if you look at the different styles of pitching coaches, Peterson would yell at him from the dugout about his arm angle, whereas Warthen “Lets Ollie be Ollie” or whatever the quote was in 2008 when he took over.
I supported the signing originally because I believed the Mets had a system set up that allowed Perez to have some measure of success, but I do not believe Manuel/Warthen were that system and always felt their promotion to interim and then to permanant lacked the proper research as to how they fit with the overall team/organizational structure.
oleosmirf
1/14/2011-1:44pm at 1:44 pm (UTC -4)
I dont think its fair to judge Warthen based on damaged goods like Oliver Perez and John Maine.
It might have nothing to do with his coaching but the facts are the Mets pitching staff was pretty good last season other than a few pitchers who either suck (Maine and Perez), had no business being on a 25 man roster (Raul Valdes and Jenrry Mejia) or were completely overworked by Manuel (Nieve)
besides those 4 pitchers, the Mets pitching staff was quite good and only Igarashi really had a bad season.
fongy2
1/14/2011-11:09am at 11:09 am (UTC -4)
ya know, one incident shouldn’t define anyone, BUT…..Ollie’s
attitude last year in refusing a minor league assignment spoke
greatly to who he was. As I’ve said a few times here, as bad as
Ollie’s attitude toward the team paying him millions and the guys he
spends 8 months a year with was, more of a worry should be the
attitude he has about his own career. He apparently doesn’t care
much about his own performance, legacy as a player or his ability
to earn in the future. Sad.
RE: Hector Pellot, the older and wiser you get, the more you understand that in any walk of life there are so many variables
which contribute to the outcome of almost anything for almost anyone. With 16,17 &18 year olds, you simply have no idea how
one will mature as a player and person. Can one handle whatever pressure is on them at diff levels?Can one improve?Does one want to improve?What about outside influences?How will one react to not being the best guy on the field as they were as little leaguers? And on and on.
Another reason to be careful building up the kids and making them untouchable.
Ceetar
1/14/2011-11:15am at 11:15 am (UTC -4)
That last bit was covered pretty well in Moneyball too. Billy Beane was painted as extremely flawed mentally and unable to cope with failure, so that despite enormous talent, he never panned out.
TRS86
1/14/2011-11:16am at 11:16 am (UTC -4)
I look at his decision last year differently. I look at it as a game of chicken that he and Boras played with the Mets. I think 100% that the Perez group wanted their release from the Mets and a chance to go to a less stressful environment to rebuild value. Some place he could go and start and suck but still get back into things eventually. So you refuse to go down and call the Mets hand. Release me or stash me. The Mets were stubborn enough to stash instead of release.
stickguy
1/14/2011-11:24am at 11:24 am (UTC -4)
just thank god that no matter what, this is the last year that we have to deal with the Saga of Ollie. And I expect he does not make it til 4/1, and possibly is gone well before that.
Ceetar
1/14/2011-11:25am at 11:25 am (UTC -4)
Doubt it’s “well” What’s the date, 3/21? where they start setting up rosters and have to get thingsi n order and can start DLing guys?
stickguy
1/14/2011-11:32am at 11:32 am (UTC -4)
they can be making moves requiring 40 man spots before that time.
If Ollie is in ST, he has to be on a real short leash.
fongy2
1/14/2011-11:26am at 11:26 am (UTC -4)
Yeah BUT once THAT decision was made how do you NOT
go down, get yourself together and try and return as the best
Ollie?…For HIS sake. I mean, he’s a Pitcher for God’s sake.
Ceetar
1/14/2011-11:28am at 11:28 am (UTC -4)
I’m not sure that was Perez’s mindset, but I’m sure Boras was involved. I think Perez just figured he needed to pitch more often, and that he could still get it done and didn’t need to be banished like a minor leaguer. Supposedly it was doing side sessions and everything he was supposed to (I personally did see him get up and stretch and stuff a couple of times), so it’s not like he just sat there and twiddled his thumbs.
It was lose lose for him anyway. if he’d gone down he’d have been criticized for not caring at all and just wanting his paycheck.
stickguy
1/14/2011-11:33am at 11:33 am (UTC -4)
that screamed of a combination of an Boras grand scheme, and Ollie being too proud to want to go to the minors (of course he was going to say no I want to pitchi in the majors instead).
Ceetar
1/14/2011-11:35am at 11:35 am (UTC -4)
I think the Mets failed to pitch the ‘journey’ to Buffalo properly either.
and deservedly or not, how do you think Ollie feels about then being forced to go and them “making up” an injury?
fongy2
1/14/2011-11:35am at 11:35 am (UTC -4)
Wrong Ceeter, showing any maturity, he could have went down, got himself straight, come back and taken Johan’s spot in the rotation. Helping the team and himself, AND his
pocket in the future.
Ceetar
1/14/2011-11:38am at 11:38 am (UTC -4)
most baseball players have an ego, and a belief that they are better than they are. Frenchy deserved a demotion nearly as much and yet he claimed he deserved to start when Beltran came back.
players aren’t managers, aren’t paid to think about roster moves. They rarely think they can’t help if someone would just give them the ball.
metsfan4decades
1/14/2011-11:34am at 11:34 am (UTC -4)
This was my perception as well. Boras/Perez called the Mets bluff and the Mets wouldn’t give in. Wonder if they would have released him had we been in contention in Sep.
Mr North Jersey
1/14/2011-11:41am at 11:41 am (UTC -4)
Nice nugget of info there 4d. I havent seen that anywhere yet.
Bryan
1/14/2011-11:11am at 11:11 am (UTC -4)
Thanks guys, although I will say that one thing we don’t know is if any of these guys asked for their release. Shaw and Mollica were only in the organization for a couple years, so perhaps they decided to give up on their dream.
fongy2
1/14/2011-11:14am at 11:14 am (UTC -4)
Exactly! It’s not everyone’s dream to play professional baseball.
Bryan
1/14/2011-11:24am at 11:24 am (UTC -4)
Well, I’m sure it’s their dream, but it is such a long shot, especially for the guys picked late in the draft. Plus it’s so difficult financially that if guys went to college and then spent two or three years playing and haven’t made a lot of progress, then they’re in their mid twenties and just want more stability in their lives for whatever reason so they give it up.
stickguy
1/14/2011-11:26am at 11:26 am (UTC -4)
yeah, plenty of these guys must be smart enough to figure out that they are never getting out of th elower minors. It must be a whole lot harder than it looks, especially if you jumped from say HS to the pros.
but, it looks like a fantastic way to spend a couple of years after college say before you have to “grow up” and join the real world. Kind of like backpacking across Europe for some people.
fongy2
1/14/2011-11:32am at 11:32 am (UTC -4)
Bryan, don’t be “sure”. i have a family member who gave up
baseball to focus on basketball b/t his jr. and sr. yrs because
he simply didn’t love the game as much anymore. This young
man is likely to get atleast a partial ride to a decent University
to sit on someone’s bench as a B-ball player, while pro scouts
were already looking at him as a late round pick (as a jr.)
as a Pitcher. So, the situations different for everyone.
Bryan
1/14/2011-1:10pm at 1:10 pm (UTC -4)
I understand, but I just think that the minor leagues is such a grind that the guys playing it must really love the game and have dreams of playing in the majors.
metsfan4decades
1/14/2011-11:36am at 11:36 am (UTC -4)
Or maybe the little boys dream is much different than the reality of getting to the majors.
Don’t know how many times I’ve heard serious ball players – such as DWright – talk about the level of effort and dedication they put into making it to the show.
fongy2
1/14/2011-11:47am at 11:47 am (UTC -4)
Exactly!..My nephew is a quiet young man whos world isn’t
consumed by dreams of just being a pro ballplayer.
I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s a heartbreaker for me and
his Dad b/c the kid’s been the best player on the field since
he’s been 7 or 8. Even in Basketball he’s been very good,
Freshman scoring record, co-capt as a soph, best player on
his team as a jr, all-tourney team for upstate NY, NY-PA H.S.
Championships and on the all-tourney team just recently
and one held in Orlando ESPN WWofS which had teams from
all over the country. We’re hoping for Bucknell, St.Mary’s, Shippenberg or Lehigh next year. Frankly though, he was
a far better Baseball player than Basketball which of course
is harder to make a living at simply b/c of numbers.
metsfan4decades
1/14/2011-12:04pm at 12:04 pm (UTC -4)
Well good luck to your nephew, Fongy – whatever final path he chooses.
Another lifetime ago, my Dad was scouted by the Brooklyn Dodgers in HS. He was a slick fielding SS but a lightweight with the bat. And he knew it. Said he was extremely flattered but he knew he’d never make it past the minors with his offense. He’s only about 5’9″ and at the time about 135 lbs. Every time he tells the story I say ‘but, but look at Buddy Harrelson. He couldn’t hit either!’.
fongy2
1/14/2011-12:11pm at 12:11 pm (UTC -4)
Ha, ha….Very true. Heck how ’bout raffy Santana???
Couldn’t run, couldn’t hit and was very, very ordinary in the field….OR, better yet Ron Gardenhire??/……
Couldn’t hit, couldn’t run, couldn’t field and still worked
his way to the majors and hung around for 5 or 6 yrs.
Look at the oppurtunities it opened for him.
stickguy
1/14/2011-12:09pm at 12:09 pm (UTC -4)
still, the world is full of guys like your nephew that still have no realistic shot at making the majors (in either sport) as a pro.
might as well do what you love and if you get a free education (at Bucknell, that is a $200K value) you are ahead of the game.
I saw pelnty of kids playing 9and hating ) particular sports because there parents essentially forced them to play. Never turns out well.
fongy2
1/14/2011-12:13pm at 12:13 pm (UTC -4)
That’s what I’ve been preaching to him for yrs.
If you can get a free ride to a nice school, you go
have fun, learn things you don’t know and figure things
out for the rest of your life. I wish I’d been that smart
30 yrs ago.
fongy2
1/14/2011-11:21am at 11:21 am (UTC -4)
You take a look at the Garza deal. Apparently The Cubs gave up
a solid package of prospects to get a top of the rotation SP.
Maybe one or two of those prospects ends up making the same impact
Garza has as an MLBer. Then again, maybe not. The Cubs aren’t sure
exactly how good they’ll be BUT what they do know is that Garza is a
top-tier SP, in his prime who has already had success, been paid millions and not only has handled it BUT gotten better with it.
On the other hand, look at a guy like Lastings Milledge, who was already showing signs of NOT being able to handle success and riches
before he even had much of either. He’s never improved as a player
and, atleast his reputation as a person hasn’t improved either.
stickguy
1/14/2011-11:29am at 11:29 am (UTC -4)
well, while no prospect is a guarantee, once they have actually shown real aility (production) at the higher levels, they are way more projectible than these guys that never got out of low A ball, or who were totally overmatched at AA in a trial.
njstuckintx
1/14/2011-11:30am at 11:30 am (UTC -4)
FMart is a can’t miss! Circa, 2008…
fongy2
1/14/2011-11:32am at 11:32 am (UTC -4)
Thank You!……And b/t/w Go Steelers!!!!
njstuckintx
1/14/2011-11:34am at 11:34 am (UTC -4)
May Black and Yellow distribute some Black and Blues…
fongy2
1/14/2011-11:37am at 11:37 am (UTC -4)
It ain’t gonna be easy!….Worst part is that you know whoever
wins, will come out beaten-up, in all likelyhood having to go up to Foxboro next Sunday.
njstuckintx
1/14/2011-11:42am at 11:42 am (UTC -4)
Our only hope is Rex plays dirty and drops on Oelhoffer on Brady. Kidding… But seriously, We have to hope the Pats come out just as bruised as the Stillers do. I’m looking forward to this week’s game, even though it’s got me a little nervous
kistics
1/14/2011-11:47am at 11:47 am (UTC -4)
For Jets or Steelers?
fongy2
1/14/2011-11:49am at 11:49 am (UTC -4)
Yeah….Best case is The Jets w/o an injured Sanchez.
That would sweet!
njstuckintx
1/14/2011-11:52am at 11:52 am (UTC -4)
I’d watch Rex’s foot video to get that matchup!
kistics
1/14/2011-11:53am at 11:53 am (UTC -4)
Rex till stomp you with his giant feet.
fongy2
1/14/2011-12:05pm at 12:05 pm (UTC -4)
Rex needs to shut-up a little and actually win something. Yeah, the bravado I guess is nice for
some Jet fans BUT given their history and who their
competion is in the AFC he’d be better served
focusing on how to beat the better-run organizations
i/f/o him who all have a greater history of winning in
the Steelers, Pats and even the Ravens.
I’m in no way a Jet hater BUT really Rex needs to
tone-down the clown show.
kistics
1/14/2011-11:38am at 11:38 am (UTC -4)
So.. Francis signed for $2M + $2M. For the Royals?? Why??
I wonder if that’s the most guaranteed money he could get.
Ceetar
1/14/2011-11:39am at 11:39 am (UTC -4)
He wouldn’t get much more from the Mets, if even that much, plus he’d be fighting for a spot.
Guarenteed to pitch with the Royals.
kistics
1/14/2011-11:43am at 11:43 am (UTC -4)
I’m sure he would have the inside track for the Mets rotation too.
fongy2
1/14/2011-11:50am at 11:50 am (UTC -4)
Because The Mets wouldn’t match the 2 million.
Simple as that. Folks, we’re looking at our team for the 2011
season now…….And it don’t look good.
kistics
1/14/2011-11:56am at 11:56 am (UTC -4)
I guess we’ll never find out whether the Mets offered him a contract or not. But if the Mets were willing to offer Cap $1.5+$3M, I would assume they would have offered similar $$ to Francis.
And IF they did offer him a contract, I can’t understand why Francis would not sign with the Mets unless he didn’t want to pitch for them.
fongy2
1/14/2011-12:07pm at 12:07 pm (UTC -4)
Yeah, who wouldn’t rather pitch for the Royals???
metsfan4decades
1/14/2011-12:10pm at 12:10 pm (UTC -4)
Saw a comment on this signing over on MLBTR where someone mocked him for signing with the Royals. Someone else replied something like ‘could have been worse. He could have signed with the Mets’.
Well, dang….
Wonder how many years it’s going to take to become relevant again and not perceived as the joke of MLB?
kistics
1/14/2011-12:13pm at 12:13 pm (UTC -4)
ouch… that’s mean…
stickguy
1/14/2011-12:15pm at 12:15 pm (UTC -4)
as soon as they win. Media loves to pick on the big bad NY scene, it has always been like that. Hey, better to be mocked than ignored!
Mets were toast of the BB world in 2005/2006. If they go back to 90+ wins and a division title in the next couple of years, then everyone will be hopping on the bandwagon again.
one thing you know about the media. No way they want to be shut out of hooking onto a winner, especially one in a big market.
as to fans of other teams, screw them all and the horse they rode in on.
metsfan4decades
1/14/2011-12:21pm at 12:21 pm (UTC -4)
And as a die hard Met fan my whole life, I’m counting on Sandy and Co. to turn it around soon. I’m getting tired of the taunts from my nieces and nephews – half of who are Yankee fans and the other half Philly fans.
stickguy
1/14/2011-12:12pm at 12:12 pm (UTC -4)
why not? With all you fans that have already conceded any chance of the mets competing in 2011, why should he care to pitch here?
might as well go for the best money, and like MF posted above, a team that will likely look to flip him mid year to a contender (something the old mets would never do, but not sure about Sandy). If anythin, more likely he stays in NY all year, since they have no prospects getting ready to replace him.
fongy2
1/14/2011-12:15pm at 12:15 pm (UTC -4)
That’s the point, the Mets couldn’t match THAT deal?
Things really are bad for Mr.Wilpon.
njstuckintx
1/14/2011-12:17pm at 12:17 pm (UTC -4)
And rumors are that they actually made money in the Madoff deal…
stickguy
1/14/2011-12:20pm at 12:20 pm (UTC -4)
maybe they did not want to for whatever reason. doesn’t have to mean they cant.
say, maybe they did not want to have a rotation with 3 LH pitchers now for some reason. Or young is about to sign. Or they just don’t like the guy that much.
or, maybe they are right at the budget limit, set for whatever reason they wanted to set it.
stop focusing on the Mets. a FA is involved in a 30 team auction. Obviously, the other 29 teams did not think he ws worth this much, or he would have gotten more from someone.
njstuckintx
1/14/2011-12:16pm at 12:16 pm (UTC -4)
If they just drop Castillo and Perez, they should be able to recoup the $400K each and use that for a pitcher, which would have been about 1/2 of what francis made.
fongy2
1/14/2011-12:17pm at 12:17 pm (UTC -4)
Sign Kenny Powers!!!!
fongy2
1/14/2011-12:20pm at 12:20 pm (UTC -4)
Freddy Coupons, anyone??????
stickguy
1/14/2011-12:25pm at 12:25 pm (UTC -4)
didn’t RDN institute an automatic banning policy for using the coupons crack?
metsfan1744
1/14/2011-12:10pm at 12:10 pm (UTC -4)
Love The Mets.
fongy2
1/14/2011-12:16pm at 12:16 pm (UTC -4)
So do we, thats why we all have broken hearts!
kistics
1/14/2011-12:32pm at 12:32 pm (UTC -4)
I’m questioning the interest Mets have for Young and/or Francis.
I’m starting to get a feeling that the Mets are worried about their shoulder problems and don’t want to sign them unless it’s absolutely necessary. Right now, they’ve signed couple pitchers with injury problems. And maybe they are not willing to take more chance on more injury prone guys.
But then, who is left to sign?
stickguy
1/14/2011-12:55pm at 12:55 pm (UTC -4)
you pretty much have 3 options at this point (well 4, which is sign for or trade for a more expensive guy, but that ain’t happening in seems) to get SP on the cheap:
1) guys returning from serious injuries that you have no idea if they can last (young, francis, webb, etc)
2) proven mediocrity and/or really old guys that show it but seem healthy (Millwood, Bush)
3) the crap you have laying around in the system that works cheap (misch, Gee).
Frankly, not a lot to choose from there. at least #1 theoretically gives you the upside of possible good pitching.
If you want #2, why pay the extra? might as well get yoru mediocre innings from #3!
metsfan4decades
1/14/2011-1:12pm at 1:12 pm (UTC -4)
Or a trade. What team(s) have ML pitching surplus – any? Cubs maybe?
kistics
1/14/2011-1:15pm at 1:15 pm (UTC -4)
I agree. But they have gone #1 option for Capuano, Tank, Buch, etc. So I think they are now more hesitant to go with #1 with Young. So maybe they’d rather go with #3 to fill the roster.
njstuckintx
1/14/2011-1:11pm at 1:11 pm (UTC -4)
Snell signed with the Cards. TRS, isn’t he a fan fav. of yours?
njstuckintx
1/14/2011-1:44pm at 1:44 pm (UTC -4)
If you can’t beat them, join them… or have them join you!
Willie Harris is a Met. Minor League Deal, if I read correctly.
kistics
1/14/2011-1:49pm at 1:49 pm (UTC -4)
Not a bad signing.
metsfan4decades
1/14/2011-1:51pm at 1:51 pm (UTC -4)
Yup. At least we won’t have to watch him make those catches robbing us of hits/runs.
oleosmirf
1/14/2011-2:30pm at 2:30 pm (UTC -4)
had the Mets won 84 games last season, i’m sure this off season would have been different but the fact is the optimism seen by some fans is not seen the same way by the new management.
while you might think everything that has gone wrong has been dumb luck, the front office cant operate like that…
Ceetar
1/14/2011-2:33pm at 2:33 pm (UTC -4)
the Mets would’ve won 84 games had Collins been the manager last year though.