Scott Hairston: According to Adam Rubin of ESPN, the Mets feel optimistic about bringing Scott back. He has also seen interest from the Tigers, Giants, Yankees, Indians, and Cardinals to be primarily used in a 4th outfielder and pinch hitting role.
Some Guy Named Richard Allen: Most of the news swirled around Mister CY Young for obvious reasons. According to MLBTR.com Sandy has had preliminary discussions with about eight teams and is asking for the moon. Andy Martino of the NY Daily news reported that Sandy met with the Diamondbacks on Dickey but talks did not get too far. It is also being reported that the Dodgers are looking at Dickey as Plan B if they cannot sign Zack Greinke.
Ryan Ludwick: Rumors have surfaced that the Mets are kicking the tires on Ryan according to MLBTR.com.
Bobby Parnell: According to Adam Rubin, Parnell is being listed as “virtually untouchable.”
78 comments
Stick
12/4/2012-9:19am at 9:19 am (UTC -4)
Thanks for the post Salty.
Let me summarize the Mets day:
- lunch buffet was good. Sandy had Ovaltine and tomato soup.
- team is very disappointed that they have to stay down the road at the Red Roof Inn, but they understand things are tight.
- Met contingent will be leaving today because none of the bar tenders can make a decent Mai Tai.
SaltyGary
12/4/2012-9:23am at 9:23 am (UTC -4)
Ovaltine and tomato soup is a dreadful mix.
Stick
12/4/2012-9:27am at 9:27 am (UTC -4)
You know how it is with old guys. Ask Gate if he wanders by.
gategem
12/4/2012-12:16pm at 12:16 pm (UTC -4)
Actually it’s not all that terrible if you partake of it at my favorite Parisian café located not far from the River Seine.
SaltyGary
12/4/2012-12:25pm at 12:25 pm (UTC -4)
How about some tomato aspec? The old people love that stuff.
Prismo
12/4/2012-12:28pm at 12:28 pm (UTC -4)
Wow gate brought out the accent aigu. He means business.
gategem
12/4/2012-3:51pm at 3:51 pm (UTC -4)
Uncultured bourgeois
TX
12/4/2012-9:23am at 9:23 am (UTC -4)
There also is a shocking lack of tiny umbrellas.
Stick
12/4/2012-9:28am at 9:28 am (UTC -4)
The South is a whole different culture.
TX
12/4/2012-10:09am at 10:09 am (UTC -4)
Correction. The South is a lack of culture.
Stick
12/4/2012-10:21am at 10:21 am (UTC -4)
What, not a Honey BooBoo fan?
TX
12/4/2012-10:27am at 10:27 am (UTC -4)
I can honestly say, while I’ve heard of it in the news and such, I don’t have a clue what it is about. My TV watching is relegated to sports, the cooking channel, HGTV and when the History channel was running that series on the Men who Shaped America (Carnegie, JP Morgan, etc.), I was glued to that.
Stick
12/4/2012-10:47am at 10:47 am (UTC -4)
You should actually watch at least 1 episode. Knog too. It is a shocking view into the underbelly of a slice of American culture that I can’t believe exists.
kingman 26
12/4/2012-12:15pm at 12:15 pm (UTC -4)
Well, first off, much of the South has tremendous culture, and arguably some of the finest indigenous American culture that exists.
Sure, Mississippi/Alabama/etc. lead the nation in horrific racial/political history, and the Honey Boo Boo thing magnifies the revolting aspects of the South, for sure.
However, much of this country’s best music, literature, and homegrown cuisine most definitely come from the Old South region—this is not debatable.
Blues, rock, jazz, and country music.
Literature: Faulkner, Richard Wright, Flannery O’Connor, Thomas Wolfe AND Tom Wolfe, Tennessee Williams, Robert Penn Warren, Tom Robbins, Barbara Kingsolver, Anne Tyler, Horton Foote, and on and on and on.
And Southern cuisine–from South Carolina Low Country food to New Orleans Creole cooking–is some of America’s only real original domestic cuisine.
And Southern architecture is also very unique as well. As is Southern hospitality, which is no myth. Not to mention the courage of MLK and his movement.
While I am of course very progressive when it comes to race, unions, etc., I love South Carolina, have spent time there since I was a kid, and in many ways, the South has evolved tremendously racially and otherwise.
TX
12/4/2012-12:35pm at 12:35 pm (UTC -4)
Kong, I should say, the South lacks higher culture. All regions have their own “culture” per se, but as a general sweeping statement (which is probably wrong to do, but I’m doing it anyway) the South does lack a refinement. Now, is that really a bad thing? No, not really. Drinking beer while frying a turkey and shooting cans off the fence certainly can be fun.
I went to Clemson for a couple years, and once you left the friendly confines of the campus, I was waiting for Burt Reynolds to pop out of the woods with a bow and arrow and his canoe in tow. And there are certainly quite a few still waiting for the 2nd uprising to start waiving them stars and bars of the confederacy.
Prismo
12/4/2012-12:39pm at 12:39 pm (UTC -4)
I like fried chicken.
TX
12/4/2012-12:42pm at 12:42 pm (UTC -4)
Me too.
Deep Fried Turkeys are just awesome.
Not a fan of grits,
kingman 26
12/4/2012-12:44pm at 12:44 pm (UTC -4)
First off, I like fried chicken too, and pretty much EVERY kind of shrimp Bubba mentioned in Forrest Gump.
And I LOVE shrimp and grits, and cook it SO well. Really. I don’t even use bacon.
TX, of course what you mention is 100% on the money—but those people are in NY and VT and WASH too—just not as many of them.
Charleston SC today is a flourishing hotbed of great music, great art, great restaurants, parks, amazing architecture and history, and is almost crime-free.
I think we are both right. But both of these Souths are very real.
TX
12/4/2012-9:21am at 9:21 am (UTC -4)
I would be all for Ludwick. As for Hairston, he was extremely good for this team last year, but he is not an every day player. Would love to have him back, but at what cost.
SaltyGary
12/4/2012-9:25am at 9:25 am (UTC -4)
Really shocked by the Parnel untouchable rumor. If the pen wasn’t so bad I would say move him but they do need every arm they can get. He just has horrible makeup. The only time I am comfortable with him coming in is no runners on in the 7th. Any other situation it gets in his head and bad things happen.
Prismo
12/4/2012-9:34am at 9:34 am (UTC -4)
Agree Gary, Parnell desperately needs darker eyeliner and some blush for those pale cheeks of his.
Stick
12/4/2012-9:57am at 9:57 am (UTC -4)
I think he gets a bad rap. He has been a work in progress but he lacked experience. I am not so sure all the armchair psychologists have him figured out!
Besides, closing is easy in a way, since they almost always come in to start an inning with no one on base!
srt
12/4/2012-5:43pm at 5:43 pm (UTC -4)
First, thanks for the update from today’s meeting. Just catching up after doing my civic duty at jury duty…
Parnell untouchable? Hmmm….out BP must be worst than I thought.
Stick
12/4/2012-9:26am at 9:26 am (UTC -4)
Oh, and don’t kick Ludwick too hard. He might break.
And I understand they have some Pen issues, but hard to see Parnell as “untouchable”. Not that I see teams going after him hard. i do, however, suspect that they are planning on having him take over as closer next year. Frnaky is only going to be doing it until they have someone else (ideally someone under control for a few years) in place to do it.
Parnell is the logical first choice. Edgin a dark horse. And after that, any of the live arms that wants to step up and grab the job.
hairston? Not hat big a fan. yes, I know he had a couple of hot streaks and hit 20 HRs, but other than those, did he really add much value? perfectly happy to find a different RH batter that plays better D and is a bit more well-rounded. I just don’t feel like seeing him as a starting OF again this year.
SaltyGary
12/4/2012-9:31am at 9:31 am (UTC -4)
I agree on Hairston. HE did great, but he had to play too much. Starting is not his role. I would rather downgrade the bench position to shift resources to a anyone but Baxter position.
greggofboken
12/4/2012-9:56am at 9:56 am (UTC -4)
If including Parnell in a package with Dickey would get a more meaningful player back, I’d be all for it. More troublingly, if the organization views him this way, it tells me they have serious doubts about both Mejia and Familia who would seem to have been in-house options for his spot if he were moved. Perhaps this is just winter meeting posturing.
Stick
12/4/2012-10:02am at 10:02 am (UTC -4)
plenty of that going around.
and Mejia and Familia IMO are still pretty rough, and you can’t really count on them for anything this year.
SaltyGary
12/4/2012-10:31am at 10:31 am (UTC -4)
I got to see Mejia in the minors right before his call-up and he was so raw. I get the fact it was only one day, but he literally threw over 10 pitches in the dirt. He has a live ARM but has a complete lack of command.
Stick
12/4/2012-10:43am at 10:43 am (UTC -4)
Let the Omar Special shine her light on me,
Let the Omar Special shine her ever-loving light on me.
Prismo
12/4/2012-9:30am at 9:30 am (UTC -4)
With regards to the Diamondbacks as a trade partner, there is not one outfielder in their minor league system that interests me. Their TOP outfield prospect (Adam Eaton, not the pitcher) is projected by many to be a good 4th outfielder due to being a small guy and not having much home run power.
Really, Justin Upton is the only outfielder in the entire organization who you can count on for any real power (and even he only hit 17 dingers last season in an off-year).
Their top prospects are all starting pitchers – and if we’re going to trade Dickey for an unproven starting pitcher…well I just don’t see how that improves the team.
Their highest catching prospect (Trahan) was recently drafted and is about as far away from the majors as Plawecki . So again, no point in really trading for him.
Stick
12/4/2012-10:03am at 10:03 am (UTC -4)
toronto and texas seem like the best fits. Oh, and KC of course, probably the best of all for matching needs.
TX
12/4/2012-10:55am at 10:55 am (UTC -4)
If we played a drinking game where we had to take a drink every time there was a “un-named source says” or “Player X may do this or may not do that”, we’d be hammered by noon.
darknova306
12/4/2012-12:13pm at 12:13 pm (UTC -4)
Isn’t that how Omar “built” the team while he was here?
SaltyGary
12/4/2012-11:06am at 11:06 am (UTC -4)
Ken Rosenthal @Ken_Rosenthal
Sources: Dan Haren in agreement with #Nationals, one year, $13M. Pending physical.
SaltyGary
12/4/2012-11:07am at 11:07 am (UTC -4)
Teams just have all this FU money from that TV contract. Unreal.
SaltyGary
12/4/2012-11:11am at 11:11 am (UTC -4)
Jon Heyman @JonHeymanCBS
Scott Kazmir getting a lot of interest, may choose soon from multiple teams offering chance. Throwing 90-94 in puerto rico
kingman 26
12/4/2012-12:46pm at 12:46 pm (UTC -4)
90-94 KM, not MPH…
Prismo
12/4/2012-11:12am at 11:12 am (UTC -4)
Nationals sign Dan Haren. 1 year, $13 million.
I think this is an excellent signing. The 13 mil is probably a bit of an overpay on a per-year basis, but since it’s a 1-year deal and they’re minimizing risk so much, it’s fine.
Haren’s averaged 33.5 starts per season over the last 8 years (pretty impressive) with an ERA of 3.58. Basically the perfect replacement for Edwin Jackson.
Nats are scary.
TX
12/4/2012-11:21am at 11:21 am (UTC -4)
Very Scary.
I think the asking price on a 5 Mil deal for a CY winner is going to net a Myers type.
Prismo
12/4/2012-11:50am at 11:50 am (UTC -4)
You should see what Toronto fans think they should trade for him. Usually comes down to Arencibia and a 2nd tier prospect. Alderson may be able to convince them to throw in a sh*t sandwich to close the deal.
TX
12/4/2012-12:03pm at 12:03 pm (UTC -4)
We do the same when evaluating Flores or Familia, etc. etc. And wouldn’t they throw in a slab of Canadian Bacon to get it done?
Prismo
12/4/2012-12:12pm at 12:12 pm (UTC -4)
I’m not sure we do. I think the only minor leaguer I value incredibly highly is Wheeler, because he’s so close to making a real impact (hopefully).
I’d be okay with getting rid of anyone else, in multiples, for a player we hypothetically need.
Prismo
12/4/2012-12:16pm at 12:16 pm (UTC -4)
lol nevermind you’re right. First comment on Metsblog: “wilmer flores for pestano straight-up?”
HAHAHAHA. Indians are laughing so hard they’re puking up yesterday’s lunch at that one.
TX
12/4/2012-11:27am at 11:27 am (UTC -4)
Actually worked out even better for Haren than had the Halos just picked up the option. He got an extra 1.5 mil, when you add in the buy out to his 13 Mil salary.
I think Dickey is realistically going to cost 35-40 mil over 3 years to extend him.
SaltyGary
12/4/2012-11:37am at 11:37 am (UTC -4)
Heyman on Twitter said the buyout was 3.5m. The guy banked with a bad back and all.
TX
12/4/2012-11:38am at 11:38 am (UTC -4)
yup. He was slated to make 15mil for 2013 and now is making 16.5,,, talk about stepping in it!
Stick
12/4/2012-11:48am at 11:48 am (UTC -4)
geez, all that time wasted on school when I should have been playing ball.
oh wait, did not waste it there either.. where did that time go?
SaltyGary
12/4/2012-11:48am at 11:48 am (UTC -4)
TX, Choo’s gonna happen. They are rumors about Mets wanting Pestrano, add in Choo and it could be a sweet deal man.
TX
12/4/2012-11:51am at 11:51 am (UTC -4)
Depends on the deal, though. Niese better not be in that package at all. I’m wondering if they would do something like Flores, Mejia, Duda and another for those 2… I hate to give up on Flores, but you have to give to get and he’s basically blocked now. CLE needs a DH and Duda could fit that role.
SaltyGary
12/4/2012-11:57am at 11:57 am (UTC -4)
Niese cannot be touched at all unless it’s a amazing deal that’s probably not from Cleveland.
TX
12/4/2012-12:01pm at 12:01 pm (UTC -4)
If Niese is moved, Carlos Santana better be part of the return.
Stick
12/4/2012-12:06pm at 12:06 pm (UTC -4)
choo just does not excite me. not a bad player, but not a difference maker (certainly not one that would put them over the top in 2013), and a FA at the end of the year.
Better than Baxter I am sure, but is he going to do that much more than a platoon out there to make it worth giving up the chips for 1 year?
IMO much better idea to just try to get that production in FA, and only trade valuable parts for a guy that has at least 3 years of control.
But Duda to Cleveland does make sense. That is the guy i thought of when the RP name recently popped up.
kingman 26
12/4/2012-12:05pm at 12:05 pm (UTC -4)
Scott Hariston? Does he work in the Metsblog editing room?
SaltyGary
12/4/2012-12:08pm at 12:08 pm (UTC -4)
And I was just going to bust that Pitching Analysts chops. Now I feel all dirty.
kingman 26
12/4/2012-12:15pm at 12:15 pm (UTC -4)
I got your back bro.
You have a real Executive Editor.
Prismo
12/4/2012-12:19pm at 12:19 pm (UTC -4)
Mistakes are okay to make if you have an editor.
It’s different if 100 people comment on a mistake and it’s never fixed.
kingman 26
12/4/2012-12:41pm at 12:41 pm (UTC -4)
Prismo, I hope all of today’s kids are half as smart as you.
If they are, then there IS hope for society.
Stick
12/4/2012-12:46pm at 12:46 pm (UTC -4)
It is even better if the editor does not hang you out to dry for all the world to see.
kingman 26
12/4/2012-12:47pm at 12:47 pm (UTC -4)
OK, OK, I hear you.
But a quick SELF-edit is SO fun and rewarding! Unlike Cerrone, I have a REAL business to run!
gategem
12/4/2012-4:01pm at 4:01 pm (UTC -4)
Sung to the tune of the old George M. Cohan song:
H, A,R,I,S,T,O,N spells Hairston.
SaltyGary
12/4/2012-12:59pm at 12:59 pm (UTC -4)
JIM BOWDEN @JimBowdenESPNxm
The negotiations are presently at a standstill between R. A. Dickey and the New York Mets increasing expectations that Dickey will traded
SaltyGary
12/4/2012-1:00pm at 1:00 pm (UTC -4)
Buster Olney @Buster_ESPN
Saw Mets GM Sandy Alderson and R.A. Dickey’s agent, Bo McKinnis, speaking outside of hotel, near the valet, on Monday night. Business.
TX
12/4/2012-1:05pm at 1:05 pm (UTC -4)
Go Go Gadget Myers!
SaltyGary
12/4/2012-1:38pm at 1:38 pm (UTC -4)
Adam @AdamMets
@Wheelerpro45 Would you trade yourself for Wil Myers?
TX
12/4/2012-1:41pm at 1:41 pm (UTC -4)
Had an interesting post by someone on MMO. Dickey and Flores for Wil Myers. Myers and Wheeler for Stanton.
SaltyGary
12/4/2012-1:45pm at 1:45 pm (UTC -4)
I would keep Myers and Wheeler over Stanton. The possibility to to really good positions filled is probably better then one even though the one is proven.
Prismo
12/4/2012-1:49pm at 1:49 pm (UTC -4)
100% agree.
Prismo
12/4/2012-1:48pm at 1:48 pm (UTC -4)
I actually consider Wheeler pretty much untouchable. He’s a top 10 prospect in MLB. Unless you’re a playoff contender you don’t mess with that (hopefully the Royals think they are…).
Stick
12/4/2012-2:20pm at 2:20 pm (UTC -4)
you do to get an established MVP candidate that is not even arbitration eligible yet.
TX
12/4/2012-2:28pm at 2:28 pm (UTC -4)
Agreed. Stanton is a monster. Myers may one day be that, but Stanton is King Kong to Myers mighty joe young.
Prismo
12/4/2012-2:29pm at 2:29 pm (UTC -4)
And that would be one thing if this team was a Stanton away from being a 95 win team. But they’re not. We need high upside talent, and not just 1 player’s worth of it.
We’re also talking about 4 years of Stanton vs what…6ish years of Myers and Wheeler? I don’t know how those things work before arbitration starts.
I think you reach a point where you KEEP your talent and build around it. And having two top 10 prospects in ALL of baseball, both major-league ready…that’s the time to hold on to them.
Prismo
12/4/2012-2:33pm at 2:33 pm (UTC -4)
P.S. That’s just my take on it. I can see an argument from both sides. Also, irrelevant because the Mets/Marlins would never trade these players within the division.
Stick
12/4/2012-2:40pm at 2:40 pm (UTC -4)
that is why I went the other way, and keep BOTH myers and stanton.
and prospects are unproven. Stanton for myers + wheeler would be a steal.
Stick
12/4/2012-2:18pm at 2:18 pm (UTC -4)
I saw that but wanted to take a different spin on it.
It gets complicated, but anything these days with Miami will be!
anyway, I have said troll Dickey and Neise, and take the best deal, and if 2 great ones drop in your lap, take them both.
well, if you could do the dickey for myers, then Niese for something tasty, take part of the Niese return and ship that + wheeler for Stanton.
yes, leaves the SP thin, but man, instant OF upgrade. And both are under team control for many years to come. and cheap!
just need a CF that can run around and catch the ball (hell, Kirk + a RH guy, or still try for gomez). IF will be set, OF set, and CHeap!
cheap being important, because they need to go get some filler SP. Pelf? lannan? a couple of those and try for 1 “real” SP option (FA or trade). maybe give Mejia a shot. Or get an almost ready SP back in the Niese deal.
If they can rebuild the OF like that, you can live with crap behind the plate for another year.
ideally will also snag a RP or 2 along the way.
I know it is a fantasy, but hell, with DW and Ike locked up for a while, adding those 2 to the heart of the order would really give them something to build on.
TX
12/4/2012-2:26pm at 2:26 pm (UTC -4)
Agreed. Losing Niese would hurt, but if you could solidify the order like you propose, and you can then do one big signing in 2014 for a SP, the Rotation of Harvey, Wheeler, Gee + JJ and some filler/Gorski/Mejia/Familia type, it would be sweet. And yeah, it’s all fantasy talk, but who likes dealing with reality?
Prismo
12/4/2012-2:31pm at 2:31 pm (UTC -4)
His trade for Stanton also included Wheeler.
o_O
Trading Niese, Dickey, and Wheeler is a bit much for me to comprehend or accept.
Stick
12/4/2012-2:41pm at 2:41 pm (UTC -4)
lool at it this way.
Stanton and Myers in the corner OF instead of Duda and Baxter.
srt
12/4/2012-5:47pm at 5:47 pm (UTC -4)
Wait…is Loria really dangling Stanton? Damn…he would solve a lot of problems.