Lowe-balled

The Mets pitched a three-year, $36 million offer to Derek Lowe on Tuesday. According to sources, Lowe will continue shopping for a deal elsewhere.

From the Extra Bases blog:

Part of the reason the Mets may have entered the bidding with a relatively conservative offer is because they believe Lowe has no other suitors in the Northeast, where the pitcher has expressed a desire to pitch. The Yankees, Red Sox and Phillies had only preliminary conversations with Lowe and none of those clubs is believed to be interested in the pitcher at this time.

The Mets will likely have to increase the offer by a couple million even to get Lowe to the table. He is said to be seeking a possible five-year, $90 million deal.

Jack Curry doesn't see the Mets going much higher than what they already offered, though:

But as much as the Mets like the veteran right-hander, they are not expected to radically improve their offer. Another million a year, for a total package of $39 million? Maybe. But there won’t be a fourth year added to the deal.

Maybe Lowe will strike out everywhere else and "settle" for the $36 million. With Scott Boras as his agent? Yeah, right.

Outfield assist to Ian from SOX & Dawgs.

Tidbits: Fuentes and Vargas sign, DeRosa traded, Marquis soon

A few tidbits on this one of many slow news days.

• Brian Fuentes finally found a team. He signed with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for two-years, $17.5 million, with a vesting option for a third year. A little cheaper than K-Rod, eh?
• Claudio Vargas signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. $400,000 base salary with up to $1.4 million in incentives. Why couldn't the Mets do this?
• The Cubs have traded utility man Mark DeRosa to the Cleveland Indians for three minor leaguers. I expect Omar Minaya to land a utility guy for the Mets quite soon. I'm looking at you, Alex Cora.
• The Cubbies are also in talks to trade Jason Marquis to the Rockies for Luis Vizcaino. An upgrade from Heilman, if ever so slightly.

Fletcher wished his readers a Happy New Year, and I will too. Have a safe night and here's to a wonderful 2009 for you, yours and our Mets.

2008 Met of the Year Award: Championship Round voting

#1 Johan Santana vs. #1 Carlos Delgado -- May the best Met win.

Voting ends at MIDNIGHT.

2008 Met of the Year Award: Championship Round set

Here is your final matchup: #1 Johan Santana vs. #1 Carlos Delgado.

I guess I seeded them well.

It was a close match, with Delgado earning 56% of the vote (84 votes to 66) over #2 Mike Pelfrey.

Polls will open immediately and will close at midnight. Winner will be announced Thursday.

Mets offer Lowe three-year deal

According to Jack Curry of the NY Times, the Mets have offered Derek Lowe a three-year deal worth around $36 million.

This backs up a story from Dec. 24, in which it was noted Lowe and the Mets were "close" on a three- or four-year deal.

This would be much lower than the deal Lowe is seeking, which Curry noted to be for "five-years, $90 million."

Lowe, 35, is coming off a 14-11 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Black uniforms going from bad to worse?

Adam Rubin and Matt Cerrone both posted the same photo of this mysterious black Mets jersey found at a Sports Authority.

Taking a look at the shirt, it's as if the Mets thought that the black jersey wasn't ugly enough, and they decided to make it look even more detestable. It seems both Rubin and Cerrone believe this may be the rumored "changes" to the jersey that have been coming.

I think they've both been taken. There are things called "fashion" jerseys, and not only are they ugly, but they seem to be very popular. In fact, they have their own category in the Mets shop. That shirt isn't in there, but it's not in the official section either.

Why would a Sports Authority have the new uniform before the Mets even announced it? It just makes no sense. Many companies (outside of Majestic or Nike) make their own Mets uniforms that aren't "official." This seems like one of those shirts.

It's just another ugly jersey, not the Mets new uniform. At least, I hope so.

Update: I was right. Thanks to some snooping, commenter NYMetsGrrl94 and Ryan Punzalan sent in this: Majestic New York Mets Charcoal Fashion Replica Jersey. $79.99 for that? No thank you.

2008 Met of the Year Award: Final Four -- Piazza Division

With Johan Santana winning the Seaver Division, today is the day we vote for who will be facing him in the final.

Today's matchup: #1 Carlos Delgado vs. #2 Mike Pelfrey.

Voting can be based on anything from VORP to cuteness to game winning hits to game saving plays. Seriously, it's whatever you choose.

Here is the poll:

2008 Met of the Year: First Finalist: #1 Johan Santana

The top seed from the Seaver Division, Johan Santana crushed his Final Four opponent and will move on to the Championship Round.

Santana beat out #2 David Wright by 64 votes, raking in 73.53 percent of the votes (100 exactly). Wright garnered 26.47 percent (36 votes).

Santana will face the winner of #1 Carlos Delgado vs. #2 Mike Pelfrey match, beginning at 9:30 am.

2008 Met of the Year Award: Final Four -- Seaver Division

Today marks the first matchup of the Final Four round of The 2008 Met of the Year Award.For a larger image, click here.

Today will be the one matchup from the Seaver Division. Tomorrow will be the matchup from the Piazza Division, and on Wednesday (12/31) it will be the final vote to determine The 2008 Met of the Year, to be announced on Jan. 1, 2009. All results will be hidden.

Today's matchup pits 1. Johan Santana vs. 2. David Wright.

Remember, voting can be based on anything from VORP to cuteness, and anything in between. Here is the poll:

Voting ends at MIDNIGHT.

May the best Met win.

Mets to make offers soon

With a lull in signings and tradings since the Winter Meetings, the Mets have been pretty mum about their next move. Not for much longer.

According to Marty Noble, the Mets may make offers to Derek Lowe, Oliver Perez and Randy Wolf this week.

The Mets believe Lowe and Perez, both represented by agent Scott Boras, are more in position to sign now that one of Boras' higher-profile clients, Mark Teixeira, has agreed to a deal with the Yankees. They still view Wolf as a fall back alternate to the other two. There has been no indication the Mets will pursue more than one starter or that they will pursue any reliever to any great extent, opting instead to allow the market to slow even more.

Noble goes on to note that Lowe is valued higher than Perez, mainly due to his consistency.

The "Sign Lowe" movement has been gaining voices the last few weeks among the fans, and I am part of that group. I'd like to see a multi-year deal sometime soon, but hopefully not for a ridiculous amount of money.

And ignoring the Lowe and Perez possibilities, I still feel the Mets should sign Wolf no matter what. They need a back end of the rotation guy in case Jon Niese can't handle the duties.

1. Sign Lowe...If not, 2. Sign Perez...3. Sign Wolf either way. The end.

Remove the cork, sniff, swirl, inhale and sip

A quick five-step program to enjoy your Brian "Schneider Schardonnay."
The 2008 Met of the Year Award Final Four is set, and voting will begin tomorrow. Only three more matches to decide the winner of the inaugural tourney.

Enjoy this "day off," and maybe get your hands on some Schneider Schardonnay for a relaxing Sunday.

Outfield assist to Doug.

2008 Met of the Year: Black and Blue Brackets Elite 8 voting

Here are today's TWO matchups for the Elite 8 round:
1. Carlos Delgado vs. 12. Daniel Murphy AND 2. Mike Pelfrey vs. 3. Oliver Perez.

Voting closed. Final Four begins on Monday.

May the best Met win.

My prediction: Murphy topples Delgado, Pelfrey beats out Perez.

Voting ends at MIDNIGHT.

2008 Met of the Year: Elite 8 voting, Sweet 16 results

Inching closer and closer to the crowning of the 2008 Met of the Year.Click HERE for an large bracket.

Today we move into the first of two days of Elite 8 voting. The matchups will come coupled from the Orange and White Brackets (today) and the Black and Blue Brackets (tomorrow).

Here are today's matchups: 1. Santana vs. 4. Beltran and (oh boy) 2. Wright vs. 3. Reyes. Here are the polls:

Voting closed.

May the best Met win.

My prediction: Santana takes a 70-30 victory over Beltran, Wright squeaks out a win over Reyes.

Will Omar finally get Sammy Sosa?

Sammy Sosa has long been on Omar Minaya's wish list. Two years out of baseball, Sosa claims he's ready to play. Will Omar finally get his wish and bring Sammy to the Mets?

I sure hope not.

Sosa is still all about him. Instead of getting proactive and marketing himself for teams, he claims "I still don't have an offer, and I shouldn't be looking for offers out there. Any team who wants to sign me should have the initiative and make an offer." At least he's confident?

Though, with Fernando Tatis and Daniel Murphy looking to split time in left field, the Mets may be a bit under the average if one, or both, fail to perform. I doubt this happens, but I could see reason enough for Omar to bring Sammy into spring training, at the very least as a favor to his fellow Dominican.

Sosa, now 40 years old, will play in the World Baseball Classic for the Domincan Republic beginning in March.

2008 Met of the Year: Blue Bracket Sweet 16 voting

Here is the final set of matchups in the Sweet 16 round.

Merry Christmas everyone. Hope you have time to get to the polls today.

Today's TWO matchups:



Voting ends at MIDNIGHT.

May the best Met win.

Happy Holidays, all!

Thank you for reading my blog.

I means a lot to me and it's been another
record setting year.
I am forever in debt to you, the readers.

Thank you.

And as always, let's go Mets!

Report: Mets, Lowe close on three- or four-year deal

According to Major League sources, the Mets and free agent pitcher Derek Lowe may be very close to coming to term to a contract. The deal is rumored to be either for four years or three with a vesting option.

Boy, that vesting option sure is getting a lot of use these days.

The money could reach around $14-16 million per year.

Doing a little computing, that comes to (on the Lowe-end (get it?)) three years, $42 million and could reach all the way up to four years and $64 million. I'm guessing it will fall somewhere in between.

First of all, I think this would be a good signing for the Mets. They need this kind of grit and hard-nosed attitude in the rotation, and Lowe would bring that to the team. Secondly, I don't think I'll ever tire of all the time I will be able to use "Lowe" in puns and headlines.

Outfield assist to Ian from SOX & Dawgs.

2008 Met of the Year: Black Bracket Sweet 16 voting

I'm out and about right now, but I will post the results from yesterday's polls when I get in.

Today and tomorrow's votes will be pretty low, I'm guessing, but some of you will still find time to make it over here and get the vote out.

Here are today's TWO matchups (#1 Delgado vs. #9 Tatis and #4 Wagner vs. #12 Murphy):



Voting ends at MIDNIGHT.

May the best Met win.

Mets not giving up on Lowe

As the team across town is celebrating their latest acquisition, the Mets are trying to fill a void of their own.

According to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, the Mets and Derek Lowe are "deep in negotiatons" [sic].

The Mets have consistently remarked that Lowe is "out of their price range" but most with a keen eye knew that was all just a ploy. The team has money to spend, and they need to land an above average starter to help even out the starting rotation -- Lowe would be that man.

If the Mets do sign Lowe, Oliver Perez is easily forgotten.

Yanks sign another

The Yankees have now signed Mark Teixeira. That makes CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Teixeira in the last two weeks.

For continuing updates, check out Scott Proctor's Arm.

Happy Mets Festivus

Today, Dec. 23, marks the celebration of Festivus. Today, we will go through the many rituals of Festivus, of course dealing with the Mets, so why don't we just call this "Metstivus."

Break out your aluminum poles, and let us begin with the Airing of Grievances:

Luis Castillo: Your albatross of a contract has weighed on the team since the day you signed. You may have been a necessity to get Johan Santana to sign long-term, but if you backed up the money you're being played with "decent" play, I think people would look the other way. Instead, you miss tons of time with your bum knees and slap your way into double plays. You are the biggest waste of money on the Mets and since Aaron Heilman is the newest resident of Seattle, you will become the fans new personal scapegoat.

Left field: Yes, I'm airing my grievances toward the entire position. It seems to be cursed. Let's start with 2008. Endy Chavez saw the most games in LF -- he's now a Seattle Mariner. Follower up by Fernando Tatis -- he missed the end of the season with a shoulder injury. Daniel Murphy seemed to escape the curse, as did his rookie counterpart Nick Evans. After them was Marlon Anderson, who struggled mightily at the plate all season long. Then Angel Pagan, who lost most of the season to a shoulder injury. Behind him was Moises Alou, who only appeared in 14 games for the Mets in '08.

Looking to 2007, Alou led the list, and again missed lots of time to injuries. Chavez was behind him, and also lost time to a hamstring injury. In third on that list was Carlos Gomez, who was traded in the off season to the Minnesota Twins.

Now to 2006 and Cliff Floyd, who suffered many injuries throughout the year, none more memorable or heartbreaking as in the NLDS against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Floyd held his own from 2003-2005. 2004 featured Roger Cedeno as the almost everyday left fielder, with Timo Perez a distant second. Let me just list some left fielders the Mets have had "recently" (these are the players who saw the most games in LF that year): 1995 - Joe Orsulak, 1994 - Kevin McReynolds, 1993 - Vince Coleman, 1992 - Daryl Boston.

Maybe -- hopefully -- the move to Citi Field rids LF of it's apparent curse. Only few have escaped it since the early '90s.

Ryan Church: Stop running into things.

Luis Aguayo: Good riddance!

Willie Randolph: See: above.

Aaron Heilman: See: above.

Scott Schoeneweis: See: above.

Ambiorix Burgos: Get a safe, get a chauffeur, get anger management and get a lawyer. Also, see: above.

On to the Festivus Miracles!

It's a Metstivus miracle Omar Minaya signed Francisco Rodriguez for that price. Sign of the economy or just good dealings by Omar?

It's a Metstivus miracle he also helped sure up the 8th inning when he dealt the embattled Heilman and others away to land J.J. Putz.

It's a Metstivus miracle what Carlos Delgado did in the second half of the season.

It's a Metstivus miracle the Mets got Johan Santana earlier this year. (That was this year?! Geez.)

And finally, the Feats of Strength.

The Mets newest feat of strength will be when they flex their power in the 8th and 9th innings next season. I'm truly excited to see the day when Santana pitches seven strong innings and then has no fear or regrets as Putz shuts them down in the 8th and K-Rod comes in for the 9th. "Santana to Putz to K-Rod, the first Mets perfect game!" OK, I'm dreaming a little here, but still.

Another feat of strength, which also made last year's Festivus celebration was Shea Stadium. Holding up all those years, especially after Game 6 in 1986, is truly a feat of strength. You will be miss, Shea.

And finally, the fans. After having to put up with two heartbreaking collapses in two seasons, the fans will come flocking back to the team like nothing ever happened. With a renewed attitude and vigor, anxiously awaiting the chance to wash away the past two years and watch their team play baseball again. I can tell you I am among these fans. Spring training can't start soon enough.

Happy Holidays, everyone! Let's go Mets!

Please go check out Scott Proctor's Arm for a Yankee Festivus (featuring appearances by yours truly!)

2008 Met of the Year Award: White Bracket Sweet 16 voting

Moving into the White Bracket (which, if what looks like will happen does come true, will be the most hotly debated matchup yet) as the second set of Sweet 16 votes gets underway.

Remember, voting is based on whatever you choose. Stats, cuteness, clutch-ness or anything else -- it's up to you.

Here are today's TWO sets of matchups:



Polls close at MIDNIGHT.

Enjoy and may the best Met win.

2008 MotY: Orange Bracket Round 2 results

Two blowouts, as expected.

Here are the results:

1. Johan Santana vs. 9. Fernando Tatis -- 98.53% to 1.47% (67-1)

5. Scott Schoeneweis vs. 4. Carlos Beltran -- 2.7% to 97.3% (2-72)

So Santana and Beltran move on to face each other in the Elite 8 round. That should be a pretty interesting matchup.

Next polls up at 9:30 am.

2008 Met of the Year Award: Orange Bracket Round 2 [3 hours left!!]

Let Round 2 begin!

Criteria for voting: Voting can be based on whatever you choose. Stats at the plate, play in the field, a game-winning hit at a game you attended, the fact that he signed your hat at the stadium, how cute he is, VORP -- whatever you choose!

Today's TWO matchups (scroll down for the second poll):

Polls closed.

Voting will end at MIDNIGHT.

My prediction: Santana in a romp over Tatis. Beltran destroys Schoeneweis. Top seeds move on.

David Wright will be your starting third baseman, USA

Attention United States of America:
David Wright, and not Chipper Jones, will be the starting third baseman representing your country in the upcoming World Baseball Classic.

According to Joel Sherman, Wright is one of two third basemen on the Team USA roster.

Wright has been told directly by USA manager Davey Johnson that he will be receiving the majority of the time at third base. Atlanta's Chipper Jones already has confirmed he will be one of the two American third basemen, but it is expected that he will serve often as the DH.

Good for him. Go USA!

I got mine

I got my Francisco Rodriguez Mets shirt the other day at Modell's. They also had blue ones, but instead of "Rodriguez" on the back, they only had "K-Rod." It struck me as a little weird, but that is his nickname.

As of now, we only know K-Rod will be No. 75 and J.J. Putz will wear No. 40. The other acquisitions haven't been assigned numbers yet.

I wonder if they'll mass produce Putz shirts? Would you buy one if they did?

Anyway, I'm wondering who else picked up their Rodriguez shirt already? Or are you waiting for Christmas or Hanukkah?

2008 MotY: Blue Bracket results

Here are the results from the Blue Bracket Round 1 voting of The 2008 Met of the Year Award.

2. Mike Pelfrey vs. 15. Argenis Reyes -- 98.18% to 1.82% (54-1)

3. Oliver Perez vs. 14. Brian Stokes -- 67.35% to 32.65% (33-16)

7. Ryan Church vs. 10. Duaner Sanchez -- 95.83% to 4.17% (46-2)

6. Brian Schneider vs. 11. Luis Ayala -- 79.59% to 20.41% (39-10)

Here is an updated bracket, all the way through Round 1.

For a full-size image, click here.

I feel like I can predict who is going to win these next few matches, but 12-seeded Daniel Murphy has seemed to quickly garner a big following, as he was the biggest upset in Round 1, toppling the fifth-seed in John Maine.

Stay tuned. Voting in Round 2 begins tomorrow morning at 9:30 am. The matchups will be from the Orange Bracket.

2008 MotY: Blue Bracket voting

Voting closed. Here are the results.

This is the final voting in Round 1. The Blue Bracket in the Piazza Division.

Here are today's matchups. (There are four polls. I notice the top poll has more votes than the others, so make sure you scoll down for the others!)

The case for Tim Redding

Back on Thursday Dec. 16, I proposed a plan for the Mets to sign Tim Redding. Not only would he help the back of rotation if he has a strong spring training, but he could also serve as the long man out of the bullpen if need be.

I was also tickled by his relation to a character on The Honeymooners and had a whole host of ideas planned out for him.

Well it seems like this Redding-Mets thing is gaining steam. I present the case for Tim Redding.

In the Major League Baseball System the players are influenced by two separate, yet equally important groups. The teams that want to sign the players and the agents who represent them. These are their stories.

DUN-DUN

Exhibit A: Jon Heyman links the Mets and Redding as a "Category B" type starter. Filed Dec. 19 at 2:45 pm.

Pitchers on that list include free agents Freddy Garcia and Tim Redding, plus Cubs starter Jason Marquis.

Exhibit B: Ken Rosenthal makes a similar claim, as the Orioles are attempting to sign Redding as well. Filed the same day, a few hours later.

The Mets and several other clubs also are interested in Redding, who is seeking a two-year contract. The Orioles likely will be reluctant to go two years, but that might be the only way for them to get him to Baltimore.

Exhibit C: Rosenthal has a new lead, citing sources, he claims the Mets will make a push to sign Redding.

The Mets, trying to create additional options for their rotation, are attempting to sign free-agent right-hander Tim Redding, major-league sources say.

Rosenthal goes on to confirm my statement of having Redding possibly challenge and compete with Jon Niese for the 5th spot in the rotation.

And finally, Exhibit D: Peter Botte spoke to Redding's agent. Filed Saturday Dec. 20, 1:51 am.

"The Mets are very much in the mix for Tim, he's a Northeast guy and loves the city," agent Tom O'Connell said of Redding, who is from Rochester. "We're still relatively early in the process, because Tim just got on the market, but we definitely are considering New York, 100%."

The case is not closed yet. The teams have a chance to make closing arguments and offers to Redding before he chooses.

DUN-DUN

2008 MotY: Black Bracket results

Here are the results from the first round of Black Bracket voting. We had our first big "upset" and also the closes match so far.

4. Billy Wagner vs. 13. Nelson Figueroa -- 79.07% to 20.93% (34-9)

5. John Maine vs. 12. Daniel Murphy -- 31.71% to 68.29% (13-28)

8. Damion Easley vs. 9. Ramon Castro -- 44.44% to 55.56% (20-25)

1. Carlos Delgado vs. 16. Nick Evans -- 97.62% to 2.38% (41-1)

2008 MotY: Black Bracket voting

Update: Polls fixed. Vote away!

Here are your polls for the Black Bracket Round 1 voting.

4. Billy Wagner vs. 13. Nelson Figueroa -- VOTE!

5. John Maine vs. 12. Daniel Murphy -- VOTE!

8. Damion Easley vs. 9. Ramon Castro -- VOTE!

1. Carlos Delgado vs. 16. Nick Evans -- VOTE!

To make up for the delayed voting, this poll will run until 9:00 am on Dec. 21.

Enjoy!

2008 MotY: White Bracket Round 1 results

Sorry for the delay everyone. The site I use, PollDaddy, was down for a long time and I just got yesterday's results. I'm also fighting a might sickness, so sorry for the sparse posting.

Here are the results from the White Bracket Round 1:

6. Joe Smith vs. 11. Angel Pagan -- 82.56% to 17.44% (213-45)

3. Jose Reyes vs. 14. Endy Chavez -- 98.04% to 1.96% (250-5)

7. Pedro Feliciano vs. 10. Pedro Martinez -- 66.4% to 33.6% (166-84)

2. David Wright vs. 15. Jorge Sosa -- 98.41% to 1.59% (247-4)

Not surprised as all the favorites won yesterday. Nice to see Martinez get a handful of votes though.

Results and next vote coming soon

The website I use to run the polls is down for maintenance right now.

As soon as it's back up, I will post the White Bracket results and the Black Bracket polls.

Quoted in Newsday

It's not the best quote in the world, but hey, I'm in Newsday!

Barbara Barker sent out a feeler on David Lennon's Newsday blog the other day asking fans about the recession and baseball. I shot her an e-mail, and she asked to talk to me over the phone.

Unfortunately (or is it fortunately?), I'm not from Long Island or New York, so I almost didn't make the cut. I must have persuaded her when I told her I can see the Long Island sound from my school -- or at least the sports center, to be more exact.

Here's my quote:

The signing even has brought a mixed reaction from hard-core Yankees fans, judging from responses to a query posted on Newsday's baseball blogs. Some, particularly younger fans, feel like Andrew Vazzano, a junior at Quinnipiac University, who says "a team has to spend money to make money." And other fans, even those who are thrilled that the Yankees are trying to improve, seem somewhat taken back by Sabathia's contract.

Now I'm not sure if I'm used separate from that Yankee statement, as just a baseball fan in general, or if she goofed. Obviously, I bleed orange and blue.

I did talk a lot about the Yankees on the phone, so I can see why she could have made the mistake. I guess it's because I feel like the Mets got Francisco Rodriguez for a steal, and traded for J.J. Putz while the Yankees went out and spent considerably more money for their big acquisitions.

Either way, it's pretty cool to see your name in print. Maybe one day I'll be writing the articles...Wouldn't that be nice!

Check out the full article right here. It's worth the read.

2008 Met of the Year Award: White Bracket voting

Here is the second groupings of votes in the 2008 Met of the Year Award tourney.If you're behind, check out the original post and the results from the Orange Bracket.

Today's matchups:

[Voting is over.]

Make sure you vote for the correct Pedro!

Voting ends at 11:59 pm.

2008 Met of the Year Award: Orange Bracket update

It was a successful beginning to the 2008 Met of the Year Award. There was only one close match, while the rest were absolute blowouts, so here are the results and an updated mini-bracket.

Winners names are in bold, followed by percentages and actual votes in parentheses.

1. Johan Santana vs. 16. Marlon Anderson -- 98.73% to 1.27% (78-1)

8. Aaron Heilman vs. 9. Fernando Tatis -- 3.66% to 96.34% (3-79)

5. Scott Schoeneweis vs. 12. Luis Castillo -- 70.89% to 29.11% (56-23)

4. Carlos Beltran vs. 14. Claudio Vargas -- 97.53% to 2.47% (79-2)

Here in an updated mini-bracket.

Check back tomorrow at 9:30 am for the White Bracket voting.

Announcing: The 2008 Met of the Year Award [Voting has begun!]

The 2008 Met of the Year Award will be

awarded to the winner of the tourney.For a printable bracket, click here.
For an large updated bracket, click here.

Here at The 'Ropolitans, I thought it would be both entertaining and interesting to see who the 2008 Met of the Year (MotY) is, as voted on by you, the readers. I have the bracket and polls lined up and over the next two weeks, you will be able to vote in a head-to-head match to determine this years MotY.

Voting can be based on whatever you choose. Stats at the plate, play in the field, a game-winning hit at a game you attended, the fact that he signed your hat at the stadium, how cute he is, VORP -- whatever you choose!

The winner will be awarded a "trophy" and will be entered into The 'Ropolitans MotY Hall of Fame.

The first round of voting begins today, beginning with the Orange Bracket. The White Bracket will be tomorrow, followed by the Black and then the Blue Bracket.

There will be four polls for the first four days, after that it will go down to two polls a day for Round 2 and 3. Round 4 will be held over two days, as will the championship round. The winner will be announced Jan. 1, 2009.

Here are the results [Updated Daily]:

12/19: Orange Bracket Round 1 results.
12/20: White Bracket Round 1 results.
12/21: Black Bracket Round 1 results.
12/22: Blue Bracket Round 1 results.
12/23: VOTING IS OPEN. Polls close at midnight.

Have fun voting and good luck to whichever player you're pulling for.

Let the 2008 Met of the Year tournament...BEGIN!

As if Mike Pelfrey needed any more bad omens

Mike Pelfrey played a fine Santa yesterday for the children during the Mets holiday party, but it may cost him. In my projected 2009 roster, I linked back to a story about Pelfrey and his innings count. Foreshadowing much?

Here's what I wrote back on Sept. 5:

The article outlays the research by SI columnist Tom Verducci, where he found that if a young pitcher, under the age of 25, has his innings count rise by more than 30 innings from one year to the next, he will most likely suffer an injury or suffer from decreased performance the next season.

The 30-inning threshold is an indicator rather than a hard-and-fast rule, Verducci said. And there are exceptions, like Detroit’s Justin Verlander, who followed a 56-inning increase from 2005 to 2006 (when he won 17 games and the American League Rookie of the Year award) by going 18-6 with a nearly identical E.R.A. in 2007.

Well the New York Times brings up another tidbit of info that Pelfrey might want to ignore.

From their Bats blog:

In recent years, the Mets have had various players take on the role of Santa Claus at the team’s Christmas party, and more often than not it has not led to the best of luck the next season.

It goes on to list the players and their assorted maladies.

Mike Cameron -- 2004 Santa -- Collision with Carlos Beltran, misses two months of season.
Kris Benson -- 2005 Santa -- Wife causes him to be traded away.
David Wright -- 2006 Santa -- Great year for Wright, not so much for the fate of the team.
John Maine -- 2007 Santa -- Shoulder injury, costing him most of the season.

Beware, Pelfrey, the Santa curse is now laid upon you.

K-Rod's first Mets baseball card

Actually, just another Photoshop by yours truly. I don't like his hat logo, but it's the best I can do.

Link: Mets all time home grown team vs. acquired team

Head over to Sully Baseball to check out the NEW YORK METS - ALL TIME HOME GROWN TEAM vs. ALL TIME ACQUIRED TEAM.

Love the Anthony Young reference.

Photo of the Day: Francisco Rodriguez in a Mets uniform

Here are two shots from K-Rod's press conference today.He wears it well.

AP Photos

Mets eyeing Redding and Wolf as Plan B

I've suggested both the players over the last few days, and it seems the Mets agree. Randy Wolf and Tim Redding are both on the Mets radar, but rank in behind Oliver Perez and Derek Lowe on the team's wish list.

According to Marty Noble, Wolf is the better option, and he evens goes as far as to liken Redding to Jose Lima.

Inking Redding would more [sic] consistent with the Mets' signing of Jose Lima in 2006. Redding would serve as a No. 5 starter or in reserve. If he were to sign, the impressions Jon Niese would make in Spring Training -- not his ERA and record, but the Mets' sense of his readiness -- might determine Redding's immediate future.

Lima? Really? Redding isn't that bad.

But, this is exactly what I've wanted the Mets to do -- sign a #5-at-best, AAAA type starter to push Niese through spring training.

The Mets should just go ahead and sign Wolf now. I still fail to see why Jon Garland is not talked about as an option, though.

Noble also notes the Mets "anticipate a lull" in roster moves over the coming weeks, especially since three of their most wanted players are all represented by Scott Boras, who has bigger fish to fry right now.

Projecting the Mets 2009 Opening Day roster

The 2009 off-season is so far successful for the New York Mets. With a handful of new players arriving for their first stint in a Mets uniform, and even more players being shipped away, I figured it's time to take stock of the locks, possibles and wild cards in the Mets 2009 25-man roster.

Starting rotation
Johan Santana
John Maine
Mike Pelfrey
Oliver Perez / Derek Lowe / Randy Wolf
Jon Niese / Randy Wolf / ???

The first three are pretty easy here. The other two are still way up in the air. Maine and Pelfrey could be flipped, if you think Pelfrey will be that effective this season. History is not on his side. Brandon Knight is actually listed as the Mets 5th starter on the depth chart.

Outside of the ones we know, I hope the Mets start to stockpile pitching. They're going to need starters when the injuries start, and we all know they're inevitable. I'd like to see Lowe over Perez and Perez over Wolf. I'm scared to hand the starting role to Niese. He needs someone to compete with through spring training.

Bullpen
Closer: Francisco Rodriguez
Set up: J.J. Putz
Duaner Sanchez
Pedro Feliciano
Brian Stokes
Sean Green
Bobby Parnell
A left handed reliever

That's my best guess. The first two are shoe-ins. I believe the Mets will give Sanchez another go-around. If he can prove his worth in spring training, he's back on the team. Hopefully his arm can hold up this time around.

Parnell is a total guess. I don't think the Mets want to use him as a reliever, but they will. The Mets still need another lefty out of the 'pen after trading away Scott Schoeneweis. Maybe, just maybe, they'll get a guy who can throw at least one inning. The lefty specialist role is really wearing on me.

Update: I'm dropping Parnell from this list. He won't make the team out of the gate, but will almost definitely make it up to the big leagues during the season.

Infielders
1B: Carlos Delgado
2B: Orlando Hudson
SS: Jose Reyes
3B: David Wright
Alex Cora
Daniel Murphy
Marlon Anderson

The corners are locks, as is shortstop. Yes, I think the Mets will find a suitor for Luis Castillo (Kansas City? Cincinatti?) and will sign Hudson. Though I expect Hudson to get injured (Hudson is only two years younger than Castillo, and has also spent significant time on the DL) I think Mets fans will just be happy that Castillo is gone -- even if the Mets have to eat part of his albatross of a contract.

I think they will sign Cora, or someone to his degree to fill in for Reyes, Hudson and maybe even Wright when needed. Anderson, who better get his pinch hitting knack back in '09, can fill in at first, though I'd like to see the Mets try out Murphy there from time to time. I still think he's best suited as a first baseman.

Outfielders
LF: Fernando Tatis / Murphy
CF: Carlos Beltran
RF: Ryan Church
Jeremy Reed
Nick Evans

No way, no how do the Mets spring for Manny Ramirez. The Tatis / Murphy combo will be decent at best. Tatis will not hit like 2008 all over again. Beltran is a mainstay, and I couldn't be happier with him. Church, if he can stay healthy, will put up similar numbers to his entire '08 campaign.

Reed and Evans will likely be the fill-ins for Church, with Reed getting the ned for CF when Beltran needs a day.

Update: Evans was dropped in favor of a catcher.

Catchers
Brian Schneider
Ramon Castro

Rumors are swirling that the Mets want to sign Jason Varitek and move Schneider elsewhere. I can't see it happening. People were upset with Schneider's hitting last season, I doubt they'd put up with V-Tek's .220 average. I'd love to see Castro get more time behind the plate if Schneider does stick around. The chemistry between Santana and Castro in undeniable.

(Thanks, James K.)

So there you have it. Not a stretch by any means, but that's how I see the Mets shaking out for the rest of the season. Three more "big" signings or trades -- two for the rotation and one for the bullpen. A tiny signing for the utility playerHopefully a ton more pitchers are brought in "just in case."

To break it down even more...
Pitchers: Santana, Maine, Pelfrey, Lowe / Wolf / Perez, Niese, Rodriguez, Putz, Sanchez, Feliciano, Green, Stokes and some other lefty. (13)
Infielders: Delgado, Hudson, Reyes, Wright, Anderson, Cora, Murphy. (7)
Outfielders: Tatis, (Murphy), Beltran, Church, Reed. (5)
Catchers: Schneider, Castro.

Again, nothing extensive. Castillo is gone, the Mets sign a starter or two, add a lefty in the bullpen and bring on a utility guy. Other than that, the players are already here.

I'll keep track as the season approaches to see which ones I nailed and which ones I missed.

Links: Two of my non-Mets related writings

In the spirit of the off-season, I'll link you to some of my non-Mets related tirades.

The first is from The Quinnipiac Chronicle, the newspaper at my school of which I am a part of. This article focuses on my distaste for the song "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus." It is entirely tongue-in-cheek (except for my actual hatred for the song).

The second comes from a friend of mines blog, J Schil's Blog (one L), run by the admirable Jeremy Schilling. I guest posted about my feelings for tomatoes.

Please enjoy.

Buffalo Bisons unveil new logo

The Mets new Triple-A affiliate unveiled their new logo today and all I have to say is it trumps the Citi Field logo, by a lot.

From the press release:

The Bisons new logo was produced by Phoenix Design Works, who last year designed the inaugural logo for the Northwest Arkansas Naturals -Rich Baseball Operations' Double-A team in the Texas League. For their new design, the Bisons 'modernized' a popular alternate logo from recent seasons that had a standing bison inside a black and white baseball. This new adaptation shows a bison charging out and adds a new dynamic, multi-dimensional feel to an old logo.

Much better than this Domino's ripoff. Maybe they'll change their creepy mascot too.

According to the press release, the Bisons have played in Buffalo for 123 seasons. That's a long time in the Queen City.

Thanks, Howie!

Sign Tim Redding

On my personal quest to find the Mets another starter, Tim Redding came across my computer screen.

Recently non-tendered by the Washington Nationals, Redding is now a free agent.

The man would easily be the fifth starter at best, if the Mets decided to take a chance with him. Last seasons he went 10-11 in 33 games with the Nats. 182 innings pitched and a 4.95 ERA later, Redding could be a nice fit to challenge Jon Niese in spring training.

But the real reason I think the Mets should sign him, according to his Wikipedia page, he is the nephew of Joyce Randolph, who is famous for playing Trixie Norton on The Honeymooners.

I can see it now...

• Every time he comes out to the mound, they play "Hamana-hamana-hamana-hamana." The crowd echoes it.
• If he ever pegs someone in the head, or gives him a little chin music, they would play "POW! Right in the kisser!"
• If he ever hits a home run, they play "One of these days, Alice...Bang! Zoom! Straight to the moon!"

He's also from Rochester, New York. He appeared in one game for the New York Yankees in 2005, pitching one inning and surrendering six earned runs for a 54.00. Not the best stat ever, but he's a fifth starter!

A minor league deal, with incentives. Time to stockpile pitchers, Omar Minaya.

Link: Rollie Fingers and his 'stache

Head over to Big League Stew to check out a hilarious story about Rollie Fingers and his amazing mustache.

"I was in Chicago at the airport and there was this couple in front of me and they've got a little 5-year-old girl. She keeps turning around and looking at me. And all the sudden, she turns around and kicks me right in the shins. Her parents turn around and say, 'Honey, what are you doing!' and she looks up at me and says, 'Why were you so mean to Peter Pan?' She thought I was Captain Hook. It was right around the time that movie, 'Hook' came out. I just started busting out laughing. I was just glad she didn't have pointed shoes."

Amazing.

J.J. Putz as a set up man

J.J. Putz was an All Star closer only two years ago. Now he'll be the primary set up man for another All Star closer. Coming off of seeing years of Billy Wagner sometimes pitching in a non-save situation, I must say I'm a little worried.

Mel Stottlemyre seems to agree with me.

Anthony McCarron talked to Stottlemyre about Putz, since he was Seattle's pitching coach last year.

His mentality is that of a closer," Stottlemyre said. "If I had any question marks about how he handles New York, it's adjusting to the new role. J.J. will have to find himself comfortable as a setup man. He has the pitches and the capability.

"I've always questioned people who are closers for a long time, how they adapt to the new role. And he likes to be the guy. He gets an extra bit of adrenaline going when he's pitching the ninth inning. But the fact that he's going to a club expected to win and that has every capability to win with that lineup, that'll ease the situation for him."

I can remember times with Wagner coming in to a game when the Mets were up by four or five, and then having to sweat out the last few outs because he let in three runs already and there was a player standing on second base.

Hopefully Putz can translate well into the set up role, because it'd be a shame to watch the leads disappear in the 8th inning instead of the 9th next season. Maybe he was paying attention to the NL East last season, and knows how dire the Mets need is for a solid bullpen, so he'll step it up in the 8th inning. You never know!

Putz will be introduced on Thursday, with Francisco Rodriguez being welcomed in on Wednesday at the Christmas Party with Mike "Santa" Pelfrey.

Randy Wolf and the Mets have mutual interest

The Randy Wolf-to-the-Mets train is gaining steam. Are you on board?

Marty Noble throws some coal into the engine with his latest article. Here's what Noble has to say:

The Mets appear to be beyond the connect-the-dots stage with the veteran pitcher. Wolf himself acknowledged as much Monday night during a telephone conversation. The Mets, he said, have been in contact with his agent, Arn Tellem, and, in Wolf's words, "have shown some interest."
---
The Mets have some appeal to him, seemingly the same appeal the Yankees would have -- they are likely to be a competitive team, and they play in the Northeast. "I like the intensity of the fans in the Northeast," Wolf says.

Since the Phillies fans "borrowed" Ya Gotta Believe!, I think it's fair to say that Mets fans are more than allowed to have their own Citi Field Wolf Pack if he's on the team in 2009.

Could the Mets make a play for Andy Pettitte?

Andy Pettitte is a free agent who we all know can handle pitching in New York. Could the Mets be making a play for the longtime Yankee?

According to Jon Heyman, an unnamed team supposedly has a three-year, $36 million offer on the table for Pettitte.

Hopefully, that team is not the Mets.

I would take Pettitte on a one year contract worth $8 million, though he likely won't sign for that. How about a two year deal worth $14 million? It's a bit off from this suggested $12 million a year he's supposedly getting from Team Anonymous (which I suspect doesn't exist). Pettitte also supposedly turned down a one-year, $10 million offer from the Yankees.

Last year, he was on the mound for 204 innings. The three years before that he threw 215.3, 214.3 and 222.3 innings respectively. Don't expect his ERA to dip below 4.00, the last time that happened was in 2005 with Houston when he put up a spectacular 2.39 for the year.

The Mets need at least one more starter, and it could be Pettitte. Again, Jon Garland is still higher on my list, especially because he's seven years Pettitte's junior. I'm not sure if I could deal with that creepy stare Pettitte always has while pitching.Yeah, that's the one.

Mets Rumor: Randy Wolf

With the end all but sealed up, the Mets now need to focus on who will be starting some of those games.

According to Anthony McCarron in the Daily News, the Mets have turned their sights to free agent Randy Wolf. I believe the Mets made a tiny run at him during the 2008 season, but he instead went to the Houston Astros.

Here's what McCarron had to say:

The Mets are interested in re-signing Oliver Perez, something GM Omar Minaya has said is "50-50." Lefty Randy Wolf, who has a career mark of 11-5 with a 3.34 ERA in 28 starts against the Mets, is another strong possibility. Wolf is likely to sign faster than Perez, which would solve the Mets' rotation riddle sooner.

McCarron also notes that Wolf is represented by Arm Tellem, a person Omar Minaya and Jeff Wilpon have come to know lately, since he also represent Francisco Rodriguez.

Wolf spent eight seasons with the Phillies before moving on to the Dodgers, San Diego and Houston. His best seasons came between 2000 and 2003 when he went 48-39. Since 2002, he hasn't posted an ERA below 4.23.

In 2005 and 2006, Wolf combined to pitch only 130.7 innings. In 2007 he pitched 102.7 and last season he threw 190.3 between the Padres and Astros.

If the Mets do sign him, I hope it's cheap and incentive laden. He's the kind of guy that can break down very easily.

Who did it better?: K-Rod's player photo

I was pretty underwhelmed with the job MLB did on putting Francisco Rodriguez in a Mets uniform, so I decided to take matters into my own hands. (Actually, I was challenged to do this in the comment section.)

Here's what I came up with...There's a bit of red leaking out from under K-Rod's cap, but it's his hat, not someone else's pasted on his head. I didn't quite get the Mets blue correct, but at least it looks like he's wearing his own hat and shirt (because he is!) instead of an XXL uniform and hat that is way too big for his head.

Vote!

Minaya's Q&A

Steve Serby of the POST has a great Q&A session with Mets GM Omar Minaya. Here are a few highlights:

Q: You met again with Team K-Rod the next day.

A: We had met at the Bellagio late in the afternoon - 4, 5, 6 (p.m.)- then we kinda went back and forth for about 12 hours. Jeff was really the one driving this. I don't want to be the one taking credit. We work together as a team, between [John] Ricco and Sandy Johnson and Tony Bernazard and (pro scout) Brian Lamb.

---

Q: K-Rod had one concern.

A: He also wanted to know "Who's the guy that's gonna give me the ball?

---

Q: You're the talk of the town.

A: Being a Met fan, it's a passion. I just want Met fans to know we all care. I say, "Look, if you're afraid of your heart being broken, you cannot be a baseball fan," but you can't be a Met fan if you're afraid of your heart being broken. We overcome tough losses. It's like relationships in life - you overcome them. You bounce back. The fact that it's Christmas in the city, waiting for spring to start for new hope of a better year - they (Mets fans) should feel ownership and the front office will continue to do everything they can to provide them a championship team.

Minaya has definitely proved his worth as GM so far this off-season. He still has some work to do, but the bullpen -- which has been the major issue the last two seasons -- has been completely overhauled.

Two marks on the To-Do list down, a few to go.

I like K-Rod already

Brash. Attitude. Bold.

All things I like about Francisco Rodriguez, besides the talent of course.

Here's what K-Rod said during a conference call today:

Of course, we're going to try to win the division. Of course, we're going to be the front-runner. Of course, we're going to be the team to beat.

Good man. I'm sure the Phillies hate him already.

Oh, and come on MLB! You can't Photoshop K-Rod into a Met uniform any better than that?!

Update: Check out this in-depth article by Christian Red of the Daily News.

Toby Hyde on Connor Robertson

Though the Mets newest acquisition has some pretty awful numbers at the big league level, Toby Hyde of Mets Minor League Blog posts some stats from Connor Robertson's minor league appearances, and they look fairly interesting.

Robertson is a fine athlete who was a second-team All-American as a 3B at Birmingham Southern where he is the career leader in HR, TB and RBI.

In 306 minor league innings, Robertson struck out 383 batters while walking 123. That works out to 11.26 K/9,, [sic]3.26 BB/9 and a K/BB of 3.11. The nine big league innings that hardly indicate his underlying abilty [sic].

Very interesting. Maybe all he need is some seasoning with a different pitching coach.

The Mets sent Scott Schoeneweis along with $1.6 million to Arizona for Robertson on Friday.

Mets trade Schoeneweis

That's right everyone, Scott Schoeneweis is no longer a Met. Omar Minaya is absolutely gutting this bullpen. I wonder if anyone from the 2008 pen will be around next season...

The Mets have traded Schoeneweis to the Arizona Diamondbacks for right handed relief pitcher Conor Robertson.

From the press release:

Robertson, 27, was 0-1 with a 5.14 ERA in nine games with Arizona this past season. In 7.0 innings, he allowed eight hits, four runs, earned, with two walks and two strikeouts. In addition, the 6-2, 220-pounder went 7-4 with a 5.02 ERA in 47 contests with Tucson (AAA) of the Pacific Coast League. In 71.2 innings, he surrendered 69 hits, 45 runs, 40 earned, with 30 walks and 72 strikeouts.

My one issue is that the Mets need some sort of veteran leadership in the bullpen now. All these young guys in, or possibly in, the bullpen could lead to some strange issues.

Trevor Hoffman, anyone?

Anyway, so long Schoeneweis. I will not miss typing your last name.

Tidbits: Ibanez off the market, Mets look to Cora, choke artists

As I'm sitting here at a Starbucks on the corner of 40th and Lexington, piggy backing on someone's unencrypted internet, I figured I'd post a few tidbits of news from the day.

• According to ESPN, the Phillies and free agent Raul Ibanez agreed on a three-year deal today. Ibanez, who the Mets had shown great interest in, will take over for Met-killer Pat Burrell in left field for the Phils.
• The Mets are apparently targeting free agent Alex Cora to be 2009's Damion Easley. Cora spent the last few seasons with the Red Sox. He played seven games at second base and 69 games at short. Can't say I would mind Cora. How bad could a utility infielder be?
  
• Cole Hamels told WFAN yesterday that the Mets are "choke artists." I've heard such a hubbub over this. Too bad he's right.

Enjoy J.J. Putz's entrance music...

Manny will never stop being Manny

That doesn't mean I don't want him on my favorite team, though.

Manny Ramirez is a five-year-old. He feels ignored, so he's stomping around the playground making big, bold statements. According to Ken Davidoff, Manny is threatening retirement if no "good" deals come about.

What a goof ball, but darn can he hit.

I hope when Manny finally does retire, he becomes a coach. I'd love to see him go Ozzie Guillen on anything and everything.

J.J Putz: By the numbers

Here is a By The Numbers look at the New York Mets set up man J.J. Putz.

31: Age of Putz.

22: Career wins.

17: Career loses.

3.07: Career ERA.

337: Career strikeouts.

1: All Star appearance. (Francisco Rodriguez replaced Putz in the game after Putz allowed two runs in the 9th, and closed out the game. Johan Santana also appeared in that game, earning a hold for a scoreless 7th inning of work.)

77: Inches tall.

250: Pounds.

0: Career at bats.

308: Games appeared in.

323: Innings pitched.

101: Career saves. (I guarantee he gets at least one this season.)

0: Postseason appearances.

.955: Career fielding percentage.

1.38: ERA in 2007.

1: Set up guy.

Check out Francisco Rodriguez's BTN.

Still trying to make Marquis a Met

Omar Minaya will not rest, will not sleep for an instant until the 2009 Mets are ready to go.

Jon Heyman continue to bring up Jason Marquis to the Mets.

Marquis, a Staten Island native, would fill a need in the Mets' rotation at a reasonable cost. The Cubs are offering to pay some of Marquis' $9.5-million 2009 salary to defray the cost. The Mets could also consider sending reliever Scott Schoeneweis to the Cubs to further offset Marquis' salary.

For a second, I got very, very excited that the Mets were sending Schoeneweis for Marquis straight up. Darn.

I'm not quite sure what else the Cubbies need, outside of bullpen help. They might need a right-handed bat in the outfield, but I'm not quite sure the Mets have enough righties on their team as it is.

I'd like to see Marquis, as he'd be a solid #5 starter. Don't forget about Jon Garland, Minaya!

Mets pick two righties in Rule V draft

The Mets picked righthanders Darren O'Day and Rocky Cherry in the Rule V draft.

O'Day was selected from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim franchise. He appeared in 30 games for the Angels in 2008, he notched 43.3 IP and posted a 4.57 ERA.

Cherry, who sounds a lot like an ice cream flavor, has a career 5.77 ERA, and was selected from the Baltimore Orioles franchise. He's appeared in 40 games over two years with the Chicago Cubs and O's.

A sneak peek at Omar Minaya's notebook [Updated]

I was lucky enough to get a photo of Omar Minaya's notebook for the Winter Meetings thanks to a source in Las Vegas. Take a look!
Hopefully he can check off that first item very soon.
Update - 12/9: Deal is done, pending physical.

Update - 12/11: Bullpen help -- Check!

What's next for Omar? Stay tuned!

Rule V draft today

Today at the Winter Meetings the Rule V draft will be held.

You likely remember when the Mets picked up Steven Register from the Colorado Rockies last season. He almost made the team, but was eventually shipped back to the Rox with $50,000 payment.

Here's a primer on the Rule V draft:

Players who are not currently on their team's 40-man roster are eligible to be selected in the Rule 5 draft, but only after a standard exemption period has elapsed.

If chosen in the Rule 5 draft, a player must be kept on the selecting team's 25-man major league roster for the entire season after the draft--he may not be optioned or designated to the minors. The selecting team may, at any time, waive the Rule 5 draftee. If a Rule 5 draftee clears waivers by not signing with a new MLB team, he must be offered back to the original team, effectively canceling the Rule 5 draft choice. Once a Rule 5 draftee spends an entire season on his new team's 25-man roster, his status reverts to normal and he may be optioned or designated for assignment.

To prevent the abuse of the Rule 5 draft, the rule also states that the draftee must be active for at least 90 days. This keeps teams from drafting players, then placing them on the disabled list for the majority of the season. For example, if a Rule 5 draftee was only active for 67 days in his first season with his new club, he must be active for an additional 23 games in his second season to satisfy the Rule 5 requirements.

Any player chosen in the Rule 5 draft may be traded to any team while under the Rule 5 restrictions, but the restrictions transfer to the new team. If the new team does not want to keep the player on its 25-man roster for the season, he must be offered back to the team of which he was a member when chosen in the draft.

Make sense? It's not too hard. Pretty much if you draft a player, he must be on your MLB team and active for at least 90 days, or he must go back to the team from whence he came.

There are a few rules and exemptions, so check out the Wikipedia article for the full story.

Why I want to do what I do

Last night, or all of yesterday for that matter, was a very exciting time for me and the blog. It was great to cover things real time and feel like a real reporter, breaking news and all that. Ben Shpigel has a really awesome post on The New York Times Bats blog, only making me want to do what I do even more.

Omar Minaya was set to hold his daily briefing with reporters on Wednesday, but the phone rang before things got under way. Here's Shpigel's take:

Minaya’s daily briefing with the beat reporters was scheduled to begin around then in his hotel suite. Soon after we walked in and settled into the couches and chairs, a telephone in the suite rang. Minaya walked behind the couch where I was sitting to answer the phone. His voice lowered instantly, but I heard him say, “Uh-huh, uh-huh.” He mentioned something about “players who we’d get” and I heard him say, “Heilman.”

He told the person on the other line that he’d get back to him and hung up. Then he asked John Ricco, the assistant G.M., and Adam Wogan, the team’s director of minor league operations, to join him in an adjacent room. Minaya closed the door behind him, and they stayed in there for about 15 minutes.

That is just too cool.

Along with a few of my friends, I'm already planning a trip to Indianapolis next December to attend the 2009 Winter Meetings. Not only will it be awesome to cover them live, but it's also a great place to land a job with a team.

J.J. Putz's reaction to his trade

Geoff Baker, on his Mariners blog for The Seattle Times, caught up with J.J. Putz soon after the trade.

A surprised J.J. Putz was working on his car outside his Arizona home an hour ago -- figuring he wasn't going to be traded any time soon despite the rumors here. Next thing he knew, his wife came out and told him: "Looks like we're headed to New York.''

"It's a new challenge and I'm excited about it,'' Putz said. "I'm going to a new team that's going to be very competitive. Frankie's a great closer and with Sean Green going as well, we should have a great bullpen.''

Contrary to the Ken Rosenthal report, Putz said nothing of not being able to close. The man seems excited and understands the situation, which is good.

So far, so good on this trade. Still yet to read or hear one negative thing about this from fans. The Mets did have to give up a few minor league players, who have a good chance to be very good players one day, but that's always a crapshoot.

Could Putz be around for only one year?

I know it's a little early to discuss next year (2010), but here's an interesting tidbit that might sour the trade a little in some people's eyes.

According to Ken Rosenthal, J.J. Putz's agent, Craig Landis, said that Putz does not want to be a set up man, and would much rather close.

Putz is signed for $5.5 million next season. The Mets will assume his $9.1 million club option for 2010, and that option could increase to a maximum of $9.6 million if Putz meets all of his appearance-based incentives.

This means Putz will likely be around for only one year, as the Mets will be unlikely to pay their set up man almost $10 million. He'll likely not get his option picked up, allowing him to pursue other teams where he could close.

So long, Endy Chavez

Endy Chavez will forever be a part of Mets lore. As Gary Cohen said, "possibly the best play in franchise history."

A good player, a great guy and so many amazing plays.
Thanks for the memories.

Mets trade for J.J. Putz

In a deal that took only a few hours, at least that we know, the Mets have laded their set up man for 2008.

The Mets have traded a handful of players, landing J.J. Putz for the 8th inning in front of Francisco Rodriguez.

The three team deal breaks down as follows:
Seattle Mariners get: Aaron Heilman, Endy Chavez, Mike Carp, Maikel Cleto, Ezequiel Carrera, Jason Vargas, and Franklin Gutierrez.
Cleveland Indians get: Luis Valbuena and Joe Smith and minor leaguers.
New York Mets get: J.J. Putz, Sean Green and Jeremy Reed.

To make it simpler:
Mets give up: Heilman, Chavez, Carp, Cleto, Carrera, Vargas and Smith.
Mets get: Putz, Green and Reed.

Omar Minaya moves at the speed or light, I must say.

Originally, I disliked the deal, but the more I look at it, the more it makes sense. The Mets are really not giving up much for this. Chavez is a fourth outfielder, and between Angel Pagan and now Reed, they seem to have the outfield more than covered.

Cleto and Carrera were minor league guys. I don't know enough about them to miss them. I've heard their names, which must mean something.

Vargas was a possibility to make a play for the rotation after starting fall and winter ball with a bang. He seems to have come back down to earth a bit, but we'll have to see how he plays when he's not with the Mets.

Heilman was on his way out the door, it was only a matter of time. Carp was billed as the first baseman of the future, but never really blossomed into what the Mets thought he could. He's still young though.

Smith is the one guy I will miss the most here. Green could step in and replace him nicely, just a little older.

The 2009 team is quickly taking shape. Quite a few days for Mets fans.

Update - 11:36pm: Minaya will address the media around 12:30am Eastern time.

Update - 12:33am: Dan Graziano on the phone with SNY.

• Green for Smith a "wash."
• Reed hits more than Chavez, doesn't know him in the field. (Chavez is better, but Reed is no scrub.)
• Likes the deal. Seems to be unanimous.
• Getting rid of Heilman was "no longer viable in New York."
• Still need starting pitching. Will fill one from within with Jon Niese or Bobby Parnell.
• Will look to bring back Oliver Perez.
• Jon Garland in Mets sights.
• Still talking to Raul Ibanez.
• Want to move Schoeneweis and Sanchez. (No surprise there.)

Live from Las Vegas:

• Minaya at the podium now, congratulating Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik.
• "Pure baseball trade," says Minaya.
• Thanking scouts and minor league system for being able to hone talent to be able to complete trade.
• "To Mets fans: We've addressed the bullpen."

I hope that last one doesn't mean the man is done, and I doubt it does. Well done everyone. So far, I'm yet to see one negative comment about this. From minor leagues up, this trade seems to please all Mets fans.

• Back to the press conference. First question to Minaya is in Spanish. I just took my Spanish 102 final today, and I have no idea what he just was asked or responded with.
• Heilman to get a chance to start in spring training with M's.
• And that's it. Shortest press conference ever.

And I think it's time for everyone to go to bed. What a day, Mets fans! K-Rod deal goes official and Putz to Queens all in one day.

Mets put Putz in Citi bullpen [Updated]

UPDATE - 11:17pm: MLB.com is reporting the deal is done.

The Seattle Mariners sent right-handed reliever J.J. Putz to the New York Mets on Wednesday night as part of a three-team, nine-player trade with the Cleveland Indians.

The Mariners receive right-handed pitcher Aaron Heilman, outfielder Endy Chavez and first baseman Mike Carp from the Mets, along with outfielder Franklin Gutierrez from the Indians.

Smith will also go to Cleveland in the deal.

Omar, you never cease to impress.

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As if one All Star closer wasn't good enough, the Mets are apparently working on a deal for J.J. Putz.

Ken Rosenthal reports:

The Mets are working to acquire a setup man for new closer Francisco Rodriguez — and that setup man would be another closer from the American League West.

J.J. Putz could be headed to the Mets in a three-team trade with the Mariners and Indians, according to major-league sources.

Mets right-hander Aaron Heilman, outfielder Endy Chavez and first-base prospect Mike Carp would be in the deal, as would Indians outfielder Franklin Gutierrez.

The deal also would include one or more prospects, but it is not yet clear which players are headed where.

But Anthony Castrovince has a different story:

MLB.com has learned the Mariners would likely receive Indians outfielder Franklin Gutierrez and the Indians would receive Mets right-handed reliever Joe Smith and Mariners infielder Luis Valbuena.

Mets right-hander Aaron Heilman and Mariners outfielder Jeremy Reed are also believed to be involved, though it is unclear who is headed where.

I don't know how I feel about it. We already have K-Rod, but we do need someone to set up for him. The Mets really wouldn't be giving up a lot for this as Heilman is on his way out the door no matter what, Chavez is the fourth outfielder (remember Angel Pagan?) and Carp just never realized his full potential. At least not yet.

Smith is someone I would not want to part with, though.

I guess I could live with this, if it does go down.

Update - 10:08 pm: Jon Heyman believes the Mets could give up six (6!) players in this proposed trade.

The trade would involve 12 players in all.

He also notes that Putz struggled in 2008 and only registered 15 saves with a 3.88 ERA. For what the Mets will be giving up, this seems a little much. Six for one? Someone better sweeten this deal.

Update - 10:25pm: Putz is no spring chicken. He's 31-years-old, and strangely, was drafted three separate times.

Through Aug. 22 of the 2008 season, 34 games, Putz had a 9.78 ERA.

Update - 10:27 pm: Ken Rosenthal has more news:

Under terms of the deal, the Mets would get Putz, outfielder Jeremy Reed and reliever Sean Green from Seattle. The Mariners would receive reliever Aaron Heilman, outfielder Endy Chavez and first baseman Mike Carp from the Mets. They'd also get Franklin Gutierrez from the Indians and minor leaguers. The Indians would get reliever Joe Smith from the Mets and infielder Luis Valbuena from Seattle.

OK. That makes a ton more sense for the Mets. The Indians look like they're getting screwed here.

Update - 10:31pm: David Lennon thinks the announcement could be coming soon.

The three teams are currently going over the medical records and a deal could be announced shortly.

Woah. Stay here for all the info.

Update - 10:34pm: Here are stats for Jeremy Reed and Sean Green.

The more I think about it, the more I like it. Heilman and Carp for Putz. Chavez for Reed. Smith for Green. I can live with it, as long as Putz is healthy.

Update - 11:08pm: Heyman is on WFAN with Steve Somers.

• Notes that the Mariners would look to use Heilman as a starter.
  
• Deal likely not done by 11pm Las Vegas time.
• Gives it 50/50 chance, but says all trades fall in there.
• Heilman, Chavez and Carp are all the players Heyman's heard about.
• No Smith, according to Heyman. Shmooze knows otherwise.
• Shmooze asks about Putz's elbow. Smart man. Knows his stuff.
  

They've moved on to CC Sabathia news. Nothing new from Heyman, really.