Something went awry with the recording, but I was still able to pull three clips off the CD.
Joining me on the show are Jeremy Schilling, Alex Birsh and Lenny Neslin.
We discuss playoff baseball, Jose Reyes and Jeff Francoeur.
Clip 1 – Playoff baseball
Clip 2 – Jose Reyes
Clip 3 – Jeff Francoeur
Rafael Castro, 18 and a Columbian native, collapsed and died of an apparent heart attack, according to the Associated Press.
Castro had been in the Mets organization for two years, both with the Venezuelan summer team. He died at the team’s academy in Carabobo, Venezuela.
Simply: Probably not.
The 21-year-old Cuban defector looks like he’ll be making headlines until he signs, but it’s unlikely he’ll land in Flushing.
Chapman is asking for somewhere between $40 and $60 million, according to David Lennon.
If that’s the case, count the Mets out. With something like $30 million coming off the payroll this season, the Mets have too many other things to deal with.
For all of those that have high hopes of Chapman and Mr. Met arm in arm, it might be time to set your sights a little lower. Or a lot lower.
The 2nd annual “Should they stay or should they go?” article. While you read, I suggest you listen to this.
Below is a list of all position players who played for the Mets (and are still with them, in some capacity) in 2009 and whether they should stay or go for 2010…
Omir Santos – Stay. As a platoon/backup player. His struggle to keep his OBP near .300 is sad, but with little to no decent catchers on the market this season, he may be the Mets best option. Sign another mediocre catcher and hope they don’t stink up the joint too bad.
Brian Schneider – Go. For as thin as the catchers market is, the Mets can upgrade of the Schneid.
Josh Thole – Stay. In Triple-A. He needs more seasoning. But hopefully not too much more.
Daniel Murphy – Stay. I think he’s eventually traded, but his stock is pretty low right now. Hope 2010 platooning at first base with a cheap, decent bat raises that stock a bit and he can be shipped out before 2011, when, if all goes according to plan, Ike Davis starts at first. Or…just keep Murphy. If they do, they need to seriously upgrade elsewhere.
Fernando Tatis – Go. Double play machine.
Carlos Delgado – Go. To an AL team. Unless he’s really, really cheap.
Nick Evans – Go. To Triple-A or another team. If you can find a spot for Evans on the Mets, I’ll give you a nickel.*
Luis Castillo – Stay. A very good year for Castillo was overshadowed by a dismal season for the entire team. He won’t repeat 2009, but a slight decline won’t be the worst thing in the world. And honestly, where else will he go?
Alex Cora – Go. I like his leadership and all and he should only be a backup player, at best. But if they want to contend in 2010, they need to plan for reoccurring injuries. Find a better backup.
Anderson Hernandez – Go. Didn’t like his the first time around. Not any better the second spin, either.
David Wright – Stay. Duh.
Jose Reyes – Stay. Anyone who says he should be traded is a knucklehead.
Wilson Valdez – Go. I know James Kannengieser wouldn’t mind him back, but again, they can find better. I hope.
Jeremy Reed – Go. His talent can be found in a bunch of other players. Though, he had a knack for pinch hitting.
Gary Sheffield – Go. Do you need an explanation?
Cory Sullivan – Go. Can’t hit, can’t really field much either. Made some nice plays, but isn’t a defensive star. Though, wouldn’t hate it. As a fifth outfielder, maybe.
Carlos Beltran – Stay. Again, duh.
Angel Pagan – Stay. As a fourth outfielder. Don’t hand this guy the reigns to any starting jobs. He’s a solid fill-in (for an extended period of time) and that’s about it. Surprisingly one of the healthier players last season.
Jeff Francoeur – Go. For what he’ll likely cost and what he puts out on the field, he’s just not worth it.
Fernando Martinez – Stay. In the minors. His short stint with the Mets didn’t do much to raise his stock. In fact, it likely dropped considerably.
Did I miss anyone?
With the Red Sox…
With the Phillies…
He’s lost his edge.
Also, apparently Pedro was nowhere to be found when the Mets won the National League in 2006. Or at least no image exists of him. Or I just didn’t find one when I Googled it five minutes ago.
Everyone (OK, maybe not everyone) wants to run/own/control a team. I asked my Twitter followers what they would do if they had one move to make for the Mets.
Roster move, coaching staff change, uniforms, front office…anything. Here are some responses…
dmoneymania said: Bring back those Blue road uni's with the silver lettering and orange trim. Heck yeah!
Ceetar said: Any Mets change? Playerwise, Holliday. non-player, Manuel for Carter, Valentine, or someone else.#firemanuel
cutiepie0319k said: bye bye omar!! #fireomar
chrisbirckhead said: Plain and simple, fire Omar
saffir_99 said: Hire people who actually know a bit about baseball and not try to compete with the Yankees
wendy93639 said: ONE?! I don't think I can choose. ...ditch Jerry for starters. Anyone else can't be much worse.
tyronem said: ship ollie perez for a bunch of stale ritz crackers.
darknova306 said: In all seriousness, though, my move would be to replace the owners.
What about you?
Hit the comments to discuss what one (1) move/change you would make for the Mets.
A story in the New York Post today reveals that Steve Phillips is in deep trouble with his wife (again) and ESPN.
Remember all we heard about the Mets losing $700 million or more in the Bernie Madoff disaster? Well, apparently they made money off of it.
From Bloomberg…
An entity tied to the New York Mets baseball team and its owner Sterling Equities Inc. might be sued for withdrawing $47.8 million more from Bernard Madoff’s firm than it deposited with the con man, a lawyer said.
Mets LP placed a total of $522.7 million in two Madoff accounts and withdrew $570.5 million over an unspecified period, Irving Picard, the court-appointed liquidator, said in a filing Oct. 19 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York.
This is nuts. First, they lost a ton of money. Now, it seems like they made money. But they might be sued for it.
Oy vey.
Who thought you had to be a finance major to be a Mets fan?
This one is a little more recent. According to the Tax Watchdog blog, Livan Hernandez owes quite a lot of money to many people.
From the Tax Watchdog blog…
What's owed:
- On Aug. 19, SunTrust Bank sued Hernandez in Miami, and is trying to foreclose on the mortgage for his 4,643-square-foot home (see below), according to this public record. The home, coincidentally, is for sale for $1.42 million, according to this listing.
- A day earlier, on Aug. 18, the neighborhood association that governs the pitcher's $981,000 Miami Beach condo filed a $3,587 lien for unpaid bills, which you can see here.
- He's also catching heat from a second neighborhood association. The Bay Point Property Owners Association filed a lien July 8, claiming the pitcher owed more than $2,700 for property maintenance, attorney fees and costs associated with the Miami home, according to this public record.
- Even the pool guy is pursuing Hernandez. David Cohen, president of All Florida Pools & Spa Center, filed this lien on Sept. 17, claiming Hernandez failed to pay $1,102 in pool repairs.
- The state of California filed a $29,791 lien against Hernandez on Jan. 25, 2008, in Sacramento County Court. It is the second lien filed against Hernandez in recent years.
- On Aug. 20, 2008, the IRS released a $307,268 income tax lien that had been filed three months earlier in Miami, according to this public record.
Pay your bills!