Chapman Situation: Contrasting Reports and Why It's Good for the Mets

First off, according to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald on twitter, it looks like internally the Marlins have conceded that they will be unable to sign Aroldis Chapman. This would then put the front running Blue Jays and Angels even further ahead in the race to sign the potential stud, though the Red Sox still seem to be in the mix.

After the report from a few days ago suggesting that Chapman is only a few days away from signing, and another from Buster Olney saying both the Mets and Yankees are out on Chapman, it's looking more and more like the Angels and Blue Jays are jockeying for position, with the Red Sox deeper back in the race.

However, there have been conflicting reports this morning about the Angels position on Chapman. Ken Rosenthal on twitter says the angel are "trying like crazy" to sign Chapman. Meanwhile Tim Brown quotes an Angels source as saying that they "aren't in deep" for Chapman.

It'll be interesting to see how this one plays out, but as a Mets fan the idea of him being interested in three teams, and none of them being in the National League, let alone the NL East is nice to hear.

Also, in a post for Metsblog yesterday Matthew Cerrone makes a good point about Chapman, saying that the Mets being out of the running is a good thing because it gives them a few years to evaluate his talent on a major league level and then when his initial contract is up, and he's still in his mid-twenties, they can jump back into play on him if he becomes the ace that some think he will be. I cannot argue with that logic, no matter how nice it would be to make a big splash on the pitching front this offseason.

Alright You're In Dawson, The Rest of You Wait in Line

So, the baseball writers have made their votes and only one new member was selected to the Hall of Fame today. Andre Dawson finally got the votes he needed to be inducted, on his ninth try. Dawson will join Whitey Herzog and umpire Doug Harvey, both of whom were chosen by a Veterans Commitee back in December.

Dawson had over 400 homers and 1,500 RBI in his career, most of which happened for the Montreal Expos. This could potentially make him only the second player ever in the Hall to be wearing an Expos cap. The first being, The Kid, Gary Carter.

Bert Blyleven missed out yet again in his 13th year of eligibility, along with first timers Roberto Alomar, Barry Larkin, Edgar Martinez and the Crime Dog, Fred McGriff. Of those who missed out, my feeling is Larkin, Tim Raines, Alomar (despite his character issues) and McGriff will make it soon, with Edgar Martinez (the poster boy for DH's) not getting enough support from purists who feel his career was prolonged by the DH, giving him inflated numbers.

It is also interesting to note that Mark McGwire did not make it again. And most likely won't, in my opinion, due to his questionable steroid use.

Hall of Fame Show By Hall of Famers for Everyone...

As was brought to my attention by Jon Heyman on Twitter, we are about an hour away from MLB Network's Hall of Fame Show. Which is detailed here in an article by the Washington Examiner.

On top of the MLB Network debut of Peter Gammons, the network will also be featuring Bob Costas, Jon Heyman, Ken Rosenthal, Harold Reynolds, Matt Vasgersian, Tom Verducci and Hall of Fame President Jeff Idelson. The live announcement show will last an hour and a half and will feature Costas and Gammons side-by-side. Apparently there will also be a 2010 hall of fame ballot breakdown at 9 pm tonight, also on MLB Network, featuring most of the above named pundits. Any and all baseball fans should tune in. It'll be worth the price of admission.

While You Were Sleeping (Free Agent Updates)...

Yesterday, Casey Kotchman was dealt from Boston to Seattle to help fill the first base hole in Seattle, that last year was occupied by Russell Branyan, according to Ken Rosenthal on twitter. In return the Red Sox got back Bill Hall, who's done a whole lot of nothing everywhere he's been lately. This most likely, in my estimation, kills any talk of Castillo/Lowell, as the Red Sox don't need 5 back up infielders on their roster.

The Braves went out and signed Eric Hinske according to Scott Miller of CBSSports.com. He'll be a nice bench bat and versatile back up, as Miller mentions in case the recently signed Troy Glaus doesn't hold up at third. As a Mets fan, it seems like the Braves are getting older at the corners and I don't mind that one bit.

According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, it looks like Dan Uggla may not be on the way out of town just yet. And it seems as though the Marlins think they are in the running for Aroldis Chapman, due to the draw of Miami and the $13 Million/year deal they allegedly have out to him. Although it seems like their competition can put up more money, Is the draw of Miami enough to make up that difference? If so, the Marlins will have the best rotation in the NL East, by far...

Once again, according to Scott Miller of CBSSports.com who apparently had a pretty busy last night, the Twins are believed to have an offer out to Jarrod Washburn. This is a guy I'm very surprised we haven't heard really heard connected to the Mets much this offseason. He's a definite improvement over Perez and Redding, so why not look into him.

Finally, Derrick Goold of St. Louis Post-Dispatch, talks about what the Cardinals have left to do, considering the recent signing of Matt Holliday. Goold talks about the Cardinals continued interest in Miguel Tejada, potentially to play third, which would add another nice bat to a pretty potent offense. Also, Goold talks about the possibility of adding Ryan Church as a fourth outfielder, to be rotated in with Holliday, Ludwick and Rasmus. My guess would be that he would spell Ludwick occasionally against righties if LaRussa wanted to go that way. Last year he rotated Rick Ankiel in a similar way, which as a fantasy baseball owner of Ryan Ludwick, was less than awesome.

Deciphering Omar on WFAN

So today Omar spoke to Mike Francesa on WFAN after the presser introducing Jason Bay to New York. (This post is not about Bay, but man he was saying all the right things, and looked good doing it.) As for Omar a few interesting things were said, which Metsblog.com summarizes well along with providing a link to the full interviews online.

So, Omar decided to spill the beans and let us all know he's been talking to Bengie Molina, along with other catchers. Nice to hear Omar, but thats something we knew already...

Omar also said he'd consider Delgado if he came back on the teams terms, which may not be too hard to convince Carlos to do, especially considering the Orioles and Giants seem to be the final two teams in on Adam LaRoche, according to Buster Olney. Should LaRoche go to Baltimore, I think Delgado is down his only other legitimate suitor, unless the Angels get nutty. But at the same time Omar said Murphy could step in and play 1B if need be. Shocker!

As for pitching, Omar told us basically what we knew, he's looking into everything. He said he'd considered and has been in touch with the agents for, high upside, recovering from an injury pitchers (ie. Sheets, Bedard) He also said he felt there were pitchers available via trade, with more likely to hit the market closer to the trade deadline. Omar did a nice job of telling us nothing of substance here, EXCEPT, that he may be willing to enter the season with the current staff. That scares me.

And finally, and most dissapointing, Omar was giving a bunch of credit to Luis Castillo. Even going as far as to say that the Yankee drop is responsible for why some fans are sour on him. No Omar, we're down on Castillo because we haven't won crap with him here. IN FACT since Castillo came here in 2007 at the trade deadline, the Mets have had two monumental collapses that kept them out of the playoffs both years, and suffered probably the most dissapointing season in recent memory. If I were to take a guess, that's why the Mets fans don't like him, along with that heinous drop.

So to recap, here's what we can take from Omar today, either he's really good at keeping his cards close to the vest...or, he's got nothing new brewing. Fantastic.

Bay Watch is Officially Over

So, with the official announcement of the Mets signing Jason Bay to a 4 year $66 million deal what has been dubbed "Bay Watch" is officially over.

TheRopolitans.com does a good job of breaking down the contract here. The thing that jumps out at me most, besides the no-trade clause, is the $3 million dollar buyout on the potential fifth year.

I really think Omar did a good job giving Bay what he wanted, and at the same time not completely handcuffing the Mets in the future. Bay's 2014 vesting option will kick in if he has 600 plate appearances in 2013, OR, 500 plater appearances in both 2012 and 2013. With a $3 million dollar buyout for 2014 on an easily attainable option the Mets threw Bay a bone, without digging themselves into a hole, they way they have in the past.

Also, interesting to note that the Mets structured Bay's contract in a way that is very light in the first year, presumably in an effort to save resources for other moves, which have been rumored to be on the horizon.

All-in-all, a good deal for a organization that needed to land a big fish, without committing too much in the long haul. I think the Mets were able to knock one thing off their wish list this off-season, without compromising the rest of this off-season and years to come.

Mets ACTUALLY Talking Castillo-Lowell

Thank you Omar Minaya for making me look smart today, when the Jerry Crasnick on twitter reported about Mets/Red Sox discussions involving Luis Castillo and Mike Lowell.

I'm not going to be annoyingly arrogant about this, BUT, let's be honest it made too much sense for them not to discuss it at all. The Red Sox definitely want to move Lowell, especially now that Adrian Beltre is in the fold, as reported by Peter Gammons on twitter. The Mets definitely want to move Castillo and sign Hudson. This makes sense for both teams. The only question I really have is about how useful Castillo is to the Sox in terms of personel, with the signing of Beltre. Prior to that I could have seen either Scutaro or Pedroia playing third base, but now...who knows. Although, I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility to have the Sox let Castillo just provide bench depth, and let him waste away on the bench for a lesser salary than Lowell.

As for the Mets, like I have said before, this would be a nice addition of leadership, glove and bat all in one. And you'd only be tied to Lowell for $12 mill this year, and he would then come off the books with some nice potential free agents next December. Now, whether the Mets would decide to platoon Lowell with Murphy (should this deal happen) or are looking to trade Murphy for pitching remains to be seen. But regardless, Omar is leaving no stone unturned, and that's all you can expect from your GM.

At the very least, I like hearing that Omar is being creative and thinking a little bit outside the box, or as I say, a little off the black...

Platoon Team Success and Inconsistency

After all this talk about the Mets platooning Murphy at first with whomever, it got me thinking about the recent success of teams who platoon players.

Last year none of the playoff teams had a true platoon situation at any position. The only debatable situations were Colorado in the outfield, which was more of a hot hand rotation of outfielders, and Minnesota/St. Louis at third base (in these it was more a position of flux because they used multiple players only when Crede got hurt and before the acquisition of DeRosa, respectively.) The Yankees do not count because they were not a true platoon situation, mainly because all of their outfielders/DHs were lefties.

Over the last decade of Word Series winners three of the ten teams to win the series have featured platoons. The 2006 St. Louis Cardinals (Wilson, Encarnacion, Duncan & Schumaker) and the 1999 & 2000 Yankees (Spencer & Ledee) teams featured platoon starters on their rosters.

I don't think this discredits the validity of starting a platoon situation at a position, but, I do think it lends itself to an interesting thought. The one thing most championship teams have is consistency. Consistency is always the most important aspect of a baseball team. Winning teams have consistency, whether through the output of platoon players or the consistent output of mediocre starters.

So, did Murphy's inconsistancy last year come from his own inconsistent play, or his moving around from second (in fall league) to left field to first base? Did it hurt him when he was moved all around in a line up that was full of inconsistencies? I think these questions were probably the bigger issues that affected Murphy's play.

So, if I were Omar I would keep some consistency and let Murphy be your first baseman again this year. Then if he fails you can move him to the bench or a platoon. But I think young players deserve the opportunity to struggle and learn how to play and, in my opinion, platoon situations do not offer them the consistency they need to show their worth on the major league level.

Rangers Check In on Navarro: Should the Mets?

ESPN.com is saying that the Texas Rangers have expressed interest in Rays catcher Dioner Navarro. So the question I'm throwing out...

Should the Mets be checking in on Navarro? Is he worth the player(s) you'd have to give up to get him?

Or, would you rather have Barajas on a one-year deal or Bengie Molina on a two year deal?

To take a bone of contention out of this argument to begin with, I think it's fair to assume NO ONE wants Bengie Molina on a three year deal despite him being the best hitter of the three. But the question to me is what makes the biggest impact for the Mets. Is the bat more important than the glove? Or, is it more important just to find an adequate replacement behind the plate until Thole is ready?


MY TAKE:

If the Mets have the money, and we think they do, then they should go out and get the best player, Bengie Molina. As long as you can get Molina for two years or less then he should be the choice. Although Navarro has an upside, I don't think he will be able to hit with the power of the other two, even though last season was the highest power output from Molina in his career. Barajas is interesting to me, BUT, only if Molina wants too many years. And in general, I don't like guys that hit .219, it bothers me.

Defensively, I've been told Barajas and Navarro are good catchers, and I believe it. But the idea of having a Molina behind the plate, no matter how fat he is, makes me feel all warm inside.

So, to me the best choice is Molina. He'll only cost money, and won't hit .219. Also, the guy has caught the NL Cy Young winner the last two seasons. I AM BY NO MEANS SAYING LINCECUM WOULDN'T HAVE WON WITHOUT MOLINA. But I am saying, I don't think it hurt Lincecum to have Bengie behind the plate.

So, Who'd you rather have?

Defending My Piece: Garko vs. Lowell, Platoon Possibilities at 1B

Thanks to Michael Baron, Caught Lookin' was given a nod at Metsblog.com for it's around the Majors buzz. Thank you Mike, the Caught Lookin' Crew appreciates it.

Of course, after getting the nod there were some comments on Metsblog about my wild idea of using Mike Lowell as a platoon partner with Murphy. Orginally, this idea was brought up as a way to shed Castillo (and still could be if either Scutaro or Pedroia could be swayed to move to third), but now I just think it'd be a depth addition for the Mets. This idea faced some skeptism on the comments at Metsblog, as it seemed as though other Mets fans were higher on Ryan Garko. So I thought I'd take the time to look at the two...

Although, I do think Ryan Garko is a useful player, I don't know that he's a useful player for the Mets. Why? Because a quick look a his numbers reveals a similarity to a current player on the Mets, Daniel Murphy. Garko's line from last year was .268 with 13 home runs and 51 RBI, while putting up a .421 Slugging percentage and a .344 OBP. Those are some decent numbers for a platoon players, but not, when those numbers are combined with almost identical production from the platoon partner. Murphy's line last year was .266, 12 homers, 63 RBI, with a .313 OBP and a .427 slugging percentage.

Although, Garko has a higher OBP, we're looking at similar numbers here, with a similar set of defensive skills. If the Mets ARE actually looking for a platoon partner for Murphy, why would they pick up a player who is almost identical to what they have already, ESPECIALLY, when both are younger players who could benefit from a full time gig to get better. Also, it's important to note that Garko struggled from the plate in San Francisco, in a large park, much the same way CitiField is.

As for my proposal of Mike Lowell...

First off Lowell has a few things that Garko doesn't. The first is a couple World Series Championships. He also brings leadership from a winning organization, stellar defense (even despite his age and injury) and most importantly, in my opinion, no individual agenda. When I say no agenda, I mean, because of his age and where he's at in his career he is not a numbers first type of player. Where Garko would be playing hard to show he can be a regular, Lowell will be more concerned with filling his role and leading the team, while teaching Murphy what it's like to be a corner infielder in the majors. Also, it's important to note that whoever platoons with Murphy will be playing less because of the fewer numbers of lefties in the majors. Also, Lowell allows for the ability to spell Wright occassionally, and gives a little more flexibility to the line up and ultimately, the bench.

And there is one thing we are forgetting here, Lowell can hit. Here's his line from last year: .290 with 17 homers, 75 RBI, a .337 OBP and .474 slugging percentage. Those numbers look better than Garko's to me.

Although, I would not be dissapointed should the Mets decide to make Garko a platoon partner with Murphy, I just think Lowell allows for more line up flexibility, good defense, better leadership and is more likely to drive in runs. And if this can be achieved while dumping Castillo, then I am all for it...unless, of course, Castillo is being used to land Carlos Zambrano because pitching is a bigger issues for the Mets right now than Murphy not hitting lefties.