Mets Offseason Update

If you haven't been following along at Metsblog (shame on you), the Mets recently made their first significant moves of the hot stove season (re-signing Luis Castillo, trading for Johnny Estrada).

There's no need to spend too much time talking about the Estrada trade, it was a no-brainer for the Mets. Many believe the Mets were done with Mota, regardless, and the fans had certainly seen enough of him, so to get anything in return was nice - let alone a starting catcher.

Estrada has bounced around and had some conflict with his team and manager last season, but all things considered I still prefer him to the alternatives, for the following reasons:
a) He was cheap (1 year left on his contract, only cost Mota)
b) He's a switch hitter with a solid bottom of the order bat (despite his low OPS)
c) His defensive numbers could revert back to '05-'06 after having a bone spur removed from his throwing elbow.
d) Younger than the man he's replacing (Lo Duca)

All in all he's a nice compliment to Castro and they didn't have to part with any major trading chips, so they should still be able to land pitching help. The Torrealba deal falling through could turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Even if Estrada doesn't pan out they can cut ties with him at the end of the season and essentially end up not paying anything since the Brewers are picking up Mota's contract.


As far as Castillo goes, I think most Mets fans wanted to see him back as he fits in the two spot pretty well, his defense is still solid, and he seemed to fit in nicely with the teams' personalities. The concerns are obviously his health issues, as well as the rumors that he was having a negative influence on Reyes off the field. You have to think if those were true the Mets would have let him walk considering there were similar options to pursue. The only other option that intrigued me was Orlando Hudson, but they would have had to acquire him via trade, and that likely would have hurt their chances of landing a pitcher, so Castillo was the right choice.

So, while 4-years is a lot to give to an aging player with bad knees, the market pretty much dictated that was necessary as both the Astros and Cubs coveted Castillo, and even David Eckstein is pursuing a 4-year deal worth more than what Castillo was given.

Speaking of Eckstein, I'm elated the Mets stayed away from him as details of his grit/hustle/determination equating to success on the field are greatly exaggerated. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the work ethic, and I'm sure he's a nice guy and great in the clubhouse and all. He just can't play professional baseball very well at all. If you want the full break down on how truly overrated Eckstein has been over the past few years, thanks to the media, head over to Fire Joe Morgan.com as they have a wonderful obsession with Eckstein.


Naturally, Mets fans were getting impatient 30 seconds into the hot stove season, but now they have some things to talk about and with Omar Minaya all but guaranteeing to upgrade the pitching staff, it will be interesting to see what's next.

I'll discuss the pitching options in trade and FA and give my opinions on each later in the week. Football picks for the Thanksgiving Day games will be up late this evening.

In the meantime, stay tuned in to Metsblog for the latest info and check back here for my expanded opinion on the Mets offseason and other baseball moves.

Is it all burning to the ground?

I guess we're gonna find out. It's time to see how far we've come...

BEEP BEEP BEEP....That’s the sound of the Mets trying to back into the postseason.

There’s not a whole lot to you can say about the recent 5-10 record and the feeling of despair hovering over this team.

By now, everyone is aware of the trials and tribulations of the Mets pitching, especially the bullpen. It feels like it’ll take a complete game shutout just to get a win. Except they don’t have a starter that can get past the 5^th.

Last night’s debacle, combined with a Phillies win, closed the gap to one game.

So, the season comes down to four games in four days.

Proving that it takes more than one or two solid seasons to change the mindset of a historically demoralized fan base, a good number of Mets fans are spending their time trying to figure out which relievers to sign in the offseason, what it will take to land Johan Santana, and who’s going to replace Willie Randolph.

Personally, it's never been my style to give up like that, and I’m praying the Mets come through to let me atone for MY mistake last season.

As partial season ticket holders last year, my friends and I were entitled to one NLDS game, two NLCS games (1 and 7), and one World Series game (game 4) at Shea. Prior to the playoffs, I was forced to make a decision regarding a business trip: schedule it during the NLCS and hope there’s no game 7, or schedule it during the World Series and try to talk my way out of it (would have been extremely difficult at the time) if the Mets made it. I took it for granted that the Mets would steamroll their way through the National League, so I banked on there not being a game 7 in the NLCS.

Ever since that roller coaster night; watching the game alone in my hotel room, calling my friends for every big moment just to hear the crowd, and then not speaking to them for a week after Cardinal killer, Carlos Beltran, struck out looking with the bases loaded to end the season, I’ve been counting down the days until this postseason so both the Mets and I could redeem ourselves. They should have won, and I should have been there.

Since that day, my desktop background has been what should've been the image of the postseason, the defining moment in the championship run for the Mets…

I sleep with Shea stadium hanging over my head.














I wake up with the ’86 Mets on the nightstand to my left…















and right…



















And all day long while I work I’m reminded of what could have been…

So, on the cusp of the biggest night of the season to date, I watched the Mets 1986 DVDs, and then the 2006 DVD.

Remembering being in the stadium last year for the grand slams, the come backs, the stifling bullpen, the walk-offs, the double play at home plate, everything...

I remembered how I thought last year’s team was invincible, and so did they...

“Nothing is impossible… If we believe, we can do everything.”
- Carlos Beltran

“It really doesn’t matter what the score is. If we’re behind, we’re gonna win the game.”
– Tom Glavine

I remembered that, even without that aura, this year’s team is STILL the most talented and best overall team in the National League.

I remembered how the Cardinals finished last season 3-8 and the Tigers 0-4 (against Toronto and KC) before meeting in the World Series a few weeks later.

I remembered the Phillies are still the Phillies.

Then, I looked at the pitching matchups for tonight.
Pedro Martinez (NYM) vs. Joel Pineiro (STL)
John Smoltz (ATL) vs. Kyle Kendrick (PHI)

And I believed, because... Ya Gotta Believe.

LET’S GO METS!

Ya Gotta Believe

There will be a new football related post later tonight, but I had to get to this first...

All season long I’ve been in the small minority of Mets fans that haven’t really panicked. When Wright struggled early on, I was confident he’d be fine. When Joe Smith went from an early season hero and fan favorite (Durden has his authentic Jersey to prove it, possibly the only one ever made not worn by Smith) back to being, well… Joe Smith, I wasn’t really concerned. When Carlos Delgado’s slump proved to be season long, I was disappointed but still felt he would produce enough for the Mets to be successful. When the Phillies took four in a row, I was certainly annoyed - not because I thought the Mets we’re in danger of losing first place or missing the playoffs, but because I hate the phreaking Phillies. I told everyone to relax then, and I did so again after the most recent Phillies sweep. Only this time, the Mets didn’t bounce back like they were supposed to…

I was keeping a close eye on the game last night, smiling and nodding my way through 4 ½ innings against the last place Nationals. The offense and defense were solid, and Maine was just good enough to have the good guys up 7-3. They had found their way out of bizarro world again and were back on track to put the season away over the next week.

One-half inning and five runs later I felt sick to my stomach. Top it all off with the Phillies bullpen (seriously) leading them to a 14 inning win over the Cards and I finally found reason to be concerned.

Throughout the year, I've been saying how the Phillies were irrelevant regardless of how they played against the Mets. Well, now they are relevant thanks to a Mets team that recently made an incomprehensible 10 errors in two games. A team where the back of the rotation has turned into the mess skeptics thought it would be at the start of the season. A team with a bullpen that makes everything difficult, to say the least. Even our beloved Jose Reyes is falling apart: 3 RBI in 30 games, errors, baserunning mistakes (when he actually gets on – which is few and far between these days).

Are they pressing too much? Is it just a slump? Should Reyes have had more days off throughout the year? Should we have really added bullpen help (certainly not Gagne...) or a back end rotation guy at the trade deadline? Nobody knows for sure, and frankly nobody should care right now. It’s about how Willie and the Mets pulling it together over the next 12 days against some of the worst the National League has to offer (Nationals x4, Marlins x7, Cardinals).

If they separate themselves and ease into the postseason, or if the Phillies play the role of the typical Philadelphia sports team and collapse allowing the Mets to back their way in, I don’t really care at this point. How you play at the end of the season has no impact on how you perform in the postseason. I don't want to hear any of that "do you really think this team can do anything in october" talk. Everyone said the same thing about the Cardinals last year. Besides, look at the contenders.

We know about the Phillies issues in the rotation and in the bullpen (both among the worst in baseball), you can't think they are any better off than the Mets. The Diamondbacks have scored 665 runs this year. That's 23 LESS than they've allowed, and fifth worst in all of baseball. The Mets outscored them 30-22 and won the season series 4-3. They faced Brandon Webb and Livan Hernandez twice each, while the Mets threw Maine and Sosa twice, Pelfrey, Glavine, Perez once each (edge Mets in a playoff series). The Cubs and Brewers are both full of question marks and don't scare anyone. The Padres offense is almost as dismal as the D'backs and the Mets have shown they can hit their pitching (32 runs scored in six games, beat Peavy, beat Hoffman). None of these teams are flawless...

So, despite the recent embarrassment, I still believe this team is World Series bound if they can survive the last 12 days of the season (you gotta be in it, to win it).

You see, the Mets ARE the best team in the National League. I don’t think this, I know this. That’s why I haven’t been concerned throughout the season. I’ve watched the Phillies, the Padres, the Diamondbacks, the Cubs, and the Mets as a team, are better than all of them. Every team has question marks and every team has dramatic ups and downs throughout the year. Unfortunately, the best team doesn't always win, but at the end of the day there are a few things I'm sure of:

****There's only one potential posteseason NL lineup that can compare to ours, but I expect them to be watching the playoffs from home (Phillies).

****Pedro, Glavine, El Duque (if healthy) will keep us in the game against anyone in the post season.

****There’s no other NL closer I’d rather hand the ball to than Billy Wagner (34 saves and 2.38 ERA)

****The only person that can keep Jose Reyes from getting on base (and subsequently stealing 2^nd) is Jose Reyes.

****I’d let David Wright sleep with my girlfriend.

****And finally, the New York Mets will make it to the World Series…if they can only get to the postseason.


12 games. 12 days. 1 job to do. Hang on tight, it could be a bumpy ride...