The Mack Attack - 1-11-9

MLB – NY Mets:

Pedro Martinez recently told The Post he has a strong desire to return, but his chances may have taken a hit with Redding's imminent arrival. Nevertheless, Martinez's agent still expects to speak with Mets GM Omar Minaya next week. If Lowe, Perez and Wolf were to elude the Mets' grasp, the 37-year-old Martinez's stock suddenly would surge. There is also the possibility Martinez would be re-signed and handed the No. 5 job, with Redding on call as a sixth starter should an injury hit the rotation. - om/seven/01102009/sports/mets/redding__mets_agree_to_terms_149495.htm

It probably wasn't lost on the Mets that Tim Redding made five starts against the Phillies last season and went 3-1 with a 3.41 ERA. In 11 career starts against Philadelphia, Redding is 5-3 with a 3.29 ERA. -

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/2009/01/09/2009-01-09_mets_agree_to_oneyear_deal_with_pitcher_.html

The Mets have seen a lot of Tim Redding, who pitched the last two seasons for the Washington Nationals, and were impressed with his success against the rival Philadelphia Phillies. Redding, who was not offered a contract by the Nationals, went 10-11 with a 4.95 earned run average in 2008, but three of his victories came against Philadelphia. Like Santana, he was victimized by his team’s dreadful bullpen. Redding had seven potential victories blown by his bullpen last season, which tied him with Santana and three other pitchers for the most in baseball, according to the Elias Sports Bureau -

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/10/sports/baseball/10mets.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

Tim Redding is the nephew of actress Joyce Randolph, best known for playing Trixie Norton on The Honeymooners

Dom D makes a good case in keeping Pedro Martinez: - In 2007, Martinez, over the course of September, went 3-1 with a 2.57 ERA in 28.0 innings. Clearly that is only a fraction of the innings he normally pitches, it is indicative that Pedro has something left in his tank. All in all, I believe that it would be wise for Omar to keep an open mind about bringing back Pedro, as he has the heart of a champion and can only help the team. -

http://www.ddmetsfanblog.com/2009/01/case-to-re-sign-pedro.html

The Mets have moved in reverse in terms of time, but not in terms of priority; the bullpen required the most renovation. However, their focus on relievers was not to suggest their need for a starting pitcher was something less than urgent. The Mets' rotation still has a vacancy that seemingly can best be addressed by making a purchase in the free-agent market. With some 5 1/2 weeks until the Spring Training camp opens, the Mets have a pretty good idea which pitcher will start on Opening Day, April 6 in Cincinnati, and which pitchers will follow -- in some sequence -- Johan Santana. But at this point, they appear quite uncertain of the identity of their No. 2 starter. It could be Mike Pelfrey or John Maine. But if the Mets had their druthers, they'd also have Derek Lowe on their roster. And that is where they stood -- at the intersections of wishing, hoping and willing -- as they got back to business this morning. -

http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090104&content_id=3732409&vkey=news_nym&fext=.jsp&c_id=nym

Ed Ryan has something to say about Ollie…

Before Lowe has even signed with the Braves, while I will admit for those of us who want him it doesn't look good but still he hasn't even signed and the propaganda wheels have begun to spin in favor of Oliver Perez. Once the forgotten Boras pitching client, Ollie is suddenly Omar's favorite and his agent's choice for New York. So now Ollie is the young left hander, who has begun to mature with much more upside and after losing out on Lowe the Mets will be the one team that will pay his demands ( well at least most). Of course Ollie always wanted to play here, big game Ollie thrives in the large market and someone misunderstood if they thought he wanted to go west....http://metsfever.blogspot.com/

A – Gnats:

Patrick Hickey listed three top ex-Cyclones to watch in 2009:

Kirk Nieuwenhuis- Anyone with any type of brain who watched him last season saw something special in the kid. Great defensively, with an amazing arm and range, “Captain” Kirk had no problem getting dirty or diving into foul territory if it helped his team win. In the batter’s box, he was the team’s most consistent hitter. Despite some high strikeout totals, he still tied the team’s single-season hit record and that, combined with 11 stolen bases, proved his versatility and promising future. A shoe-in to spend time at St. Lucie next season, Nieuwenhuis, who was drafted in the third round in last season’s draft, has the physical makeup and the selflessness of a leader in the clubhouse that can take him to the big leagues one day - http://www.dembrooklynbums.com/

Saber:

To summarize: - a) I hate to say it, but Johan Santana’s ERA in 2008 was somewhat lucky. His left-on-base % (LOB %) was unsustainably high. Coming off knee surgery, I think his ERA will regress in 2009. Then again, Citi Field may be a pitcher’s park in the mold of Petco Park so maybe his ERA will remain sub-3.00.

b) Derek Lowe was outstanding in 2008. His FIP was 3rd in the league behind Tim Lincecum and Danny Haren. He almost certainly won’t be able to repeat that performance, considering ’08 was a contract year and he’s 35 years old. I still think he’ll be a top tier pitcher for the next couple years – his 2009 Marcel projection has him at a 3.67 FIP. Compare to Santana, who is projected at 3.60 or C.C. Sabathia at 3.16.

c) Oliver Perez was 9% worse than league average in 2008, his contract year. This worries me. Tell me again why he’s worth $12 million a year? Don’t get me wrong – I like Ollie. I just don’t want the Mets to overpay for talent, especially in this off-season of bargains (Yankees signings excluded).

d) As I’ve posted previously, my ideal feasible 2009 Mets rotation would be Santana, Lowe, Pelfrey, Maine, and Redding, with Niese expected to make a few starts. Let’s see how this group’s FIP+ stacks up with those of the 2008 Phillies and Cubs, the top 2 teams in the NL last year:

http://www.metstailgate.com/2009/01/fip-and-2009-mets-rotation.html

Fantasy:

Every day now, the worldwide baseball media seems consumed with what fate awaits free-agent Derek Lowe. Is there anyone else out there who, like me, could care less? Yeah, yeah, he's a journeyman pitcher and innings eater who put up slightly better numbers last year than he usually posts. And yet I remain underwhelmed. Probably because I can't help but to evaluate all players from a fantasy perspective, and I try not to draft SPs who only throw more than 130 Ks during their good years. Oh, well. Harold Reynolds and the rest of his MLB Network cronies need something to talk about until spring training starts.

http://www.fantasyhurler.com/articles/january-2009/tired-of-derek-lowe.html

Alumni:

MLB.com's Adam McCalvy has reported that the Dodgers have reached an agreement with 30-year-old right-hander Claudio Vargas.

Also on the Cubs' front, the team has expressed interest in right-handed pitcher Aaron Heilman of the Seattle Mariners. The former Met is considered by the Cubs a possible missing link to their bullpen for next year

http://stations.espn.go.com/stations/espnradio1000/blog?id=3738908&post=3822498

Puerto Rican Winter League Playoffs - Santurce 3, Arecibo 1 - Luis Lopez homered, doubled and walked twice as the Cangrejeros shut down the Lobos in the opening game of their playoff series. Fellow former Major Leaguer Jose Valentin chipped in an RBI single in the ninth for Santurce. –
Dominican Winter League Playoffs - Licey 10, Gigantes 6 - Rays infielder Willy Aybar doubled twice and drove in three runs and Phillies catcher Ronny Paulino contributed two RBIs and scored three times to lead the Tigres past the Gigantes. Jorge Sosa pitched five solid innings for the win for Licey (7-4), which is tied atop the round-robin standings

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090109&content_id=3738913&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

It appears that Brian Cashman is inclined to stick with Nick Swisher on the '09 New York Yankees at the expense of Xavier Nady, who was supposed to be Bobby Abreu's replacement in right field. Though sources indicated to MLB.com that the Yankees have received calls on both Swisher and Nady, the club would prefer to deal Nady, who is due for salary arbitration and is under control only through 2009. Swisher — acquired from the White Sox in November in a five-player deal — has approximately $21 million remaining over the next three seasons, plus a club option for 2012. – yahoo sports