The State of the Mets -- 1/8/09

Introducing The State of the Mets!

This will be a sporadic video blog featuring me (and occasionally a few other people) talking about all things Mets. Today's episode features talk of Derek Lowe, Oliver Perez, Tim Redding, Randy Wolf, Luis Castillo and the utility role.

Enjoy.

Ed. note -- This was recorded early this morning, before the Braves came out as a strong suitor for Lowe.

Oh, and possibly the greatest screen grab ever right before you click play.

Found the new Citi Field mascot

To compliment the fact that Shea Stadium had a fairly large feral cat population, a stray dog was found Citi Field yesterday.

A stray dog led animal control officers on a rainy romp through the stadium Wednesday after construction workers said she spent several days sniffing around the Mets' new digs.

The nimble pooch was finally snagged near the Jackie Robinson Rotunda after running the bases and racing up and down the aisles. Her rescuers have dubbed her Jackie.

Oh, very clever.

I say the Mets should bring this dog back, complete with one of these, one of these and of course one of these. Mr. Met and family could use a new member of the family.

I smell a marketing gimmick!

Maybe someone is listening

REDDING MULLS OFFER FROM METS

"[Minaya's] thinking is he would like to bring in six or seven starters this spring because of what happened last year," the source said.

Yay.

So long, Smoltzy

Oh, this week just gets better and better. And it seems us Mets fans have the AL East to thank once again.

According to Mark Bowman of MLB.com, the longtime Atlanta Brave will head north to Boston.

A Major League source who was in contact with Smoltz on Wednesday night said the 41-year-old right-hander will be calling the Braves on Thursday morning to tell them that he has decided to sign with the Red Sox.

Hallelujah. First Pat Burrell, then John Smoltz. This is great.

What's next? Chipper Jones moves to England? Cole Hamels retires from baseball to pursue a career in acting? The Mets stop playing the Florida Marlins in September?

They ate at Citi

Well, I was wrong.

Here I proposed coffee and biscotti, maybe a nice sandwich or even a pricey sit down feast. Steve Popper reports things went a little different.

The Mets - GM Omar Minaya, C.O.O. Jeff Wilpon and assistant GM John Ricco - met with Boras and his assistant, Mike Fiore at Citi Field. They brought the power agent and his assistant on a tour of the new stadium and hosted a lunch for them at the stadium.

According to Popper, the chit-chat focused on Derek Lowe. The Mets are standing pat with their offer, as expected (for now).

If the Yankees are buying a championship, at least it’s a good looking one

Give me a minute or two to be completely and utterly ridiculous (and talk about the Yankees)...

The New York Yankees have just plunked down nearly half a billion dollars for the service of three men. A.J., CC and MT will be around for the next five, three or seven and eight years respectively. But I’m not here to talk about them.

Have you seen their wives?! Gosh golly gee-willikers and every other darn tootin’ phrase from the 1950’s!!

Karen (Burnett), Amber (Sabathia) and Leigh (Teixeira) are all a sight for sore eyes. Their presence at the new Yankee Stadium will leave even Hank speechless, if only for a few minutes.

Mrs. Burnett looks like she could still be attending school in search of her undergraduate degree, and I mean that in the best way possible. She’s smoking hot, but seems to come off with that air of “I’m better than you.” I bet she was a cheerleader at some point in her life.

Mrs. Sabathia reminds me of Jada Pinkett Smith. Very beautiful but kind of scary at the same time. Hey, you’ve got to have some ‘tude if you’re going to tango with 295 lbs. of man.

And finally to Mrs. Teixeira, where I see a hint of Anne Hathaway in her. I guess that fits right in with New York City, being as Ms. Hathaway was born in Brooklyn, NY. (Destiny?) She’s very pretty, but in that “girl next door” kind of way that almost any guy will pant like a dog for.

And ladies, I did not forget about you. A.J., CC and Mark are nothing to scoff at.

Burnett reminds me of that high school jock that all the ladies wanted and all the guys wanted to be. The uber-male. I guess that makes sense, since he’s the one married to the “cheerleader.”

Sabathia may be a big guy, but he’s just a big ol’ teddy bear. Who wouldn’t want to cuddle up next to this guy to stay warm on a cold winter night?

Teixeira strikes me as the guy who always volunteered for things. Soup kitchen, nursing homes – whatever it was, he was ready to go. None of the ladies noticed him in high school, but as he got older, he became a man and a hot commodity.

So not only have the Yankees brought in some new guys to try to lead the team to victory, the new faces – both the players and their significant others -- are all pretty nice to look at!

(Photo credit: AJ and Karen, Mrs. Sabathia and Mark and Leigh - Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images.)

Mets and Boras to do lunch

Scott Boras is in town for this. The Mets convinced him to stick around another day with the offer to buy him lunch. Apparently it worked, and the two sides will sit and chat about Derek Lowe and Oliver Perez -- both Boras clients.

As stated before, the Mets have already pitched digits to Tim Redding and will soon be dealing with Randy Wolf. Both of those players are for the back of the rotation, while Boras' clients could fit anywhere from the No. 2 spot back to No. 4.

I wonder where they will go to lunch...Coffee and a snack at Starbucks is too cheap. Maybe a stop at Pret A Manger? What about Tavern on the Green? It will probably one of these places, knowing Boras' taste for the extravagant (at least when dealing with contracts).

Five bucks says the Mets sign Alex Cora out of all this, another Boras client.

Offer already out to Tim Redding, Randy Wolf soon

The Mets will meet with Scott Boras to discuss top-tier starters Derek Lowe and Oliver Perez tomorrow. In the meantime, the team will try and sure up the back end of the rotation.

According to sources with the team, the Mets have already offered a contract to Tim Redding and will soon make one to Randy Wolf.

It's about time. The Metties need pitching and they seemed to be going down the list one at a time. Thankfully, they've trashed that idea and will try and sign the available pitchers as soon as possible.

No need waiting around for one to slip by. It seems the Mets are listing their free agent pursuits in this order:
1. Derek Lowe
2. Oliver Perez
3. Randy Wolf
4. Tim Redding
5. Pedro Martinez
6. Jon Garland (if at all)

I think the Mets should sign both Wolf and Redding and one of Lowe or Perez. If they can somehow swing Lowe and Perez and Wolf or Redding, that would be amazing -- but I just can't see it happening.

Pick three from that list, and who would you want?

Dates to look forward to

Baseball is getting closer and closer, and here are some key dates for Mets fans to look forward to...

• Feb. 13 -- Pitchers and catchers report.
• Feb. 17 -- Position players report.
• Feb. 19 -- First full workout.
• Feb. 25 -- First exhibition game @ Baltimore.
• March 5 -- Exhibition against Team Italy.
• March 8 -- Exhibition against U. of Michigan.
• April 3-4 -- Exhibition vs. Boston Red Sox @ Citi Field.
• April 6 -- First game of the season @ Cincinnati.
• April 13 -- Citi Field Home Opener against San Diego.

Some dates via Bart Hubbuch.

Mets will not go higher on Lowe

The Mets have pitched a three-year, $36 million offer to Derek Lowe. He seems to have brushed it aside in hopes of finding a bigger and better deal. No other team has come forward with an offer, and the Mets are adamant they will not raise their offer to the free agent pitcher.

Via Ken Davidoff:

Lowe ranks as the Mets' first choice to replace Oliver Perez in their starting rotation, but they also are negotiating with Perez himself and lefthander Randy Wolf. Agent Scott Boras represents both Lowe and Perez.

The Mets should wait this out and see if he folds and takes the deal. I can see them offering a few million more, but not much. I can't see them giving him four guaranteed years, though.

Lowe wants $16 million per year, and with this deal he's only getting $12 million. With Scott Boras as his agent, you would think he would get what he wants (and more), but with the economy the way it is and many teams already locking up their needs, Lowe may have to "settle" for the Mets offer.