Cutnpaste: - Top Baseball Potheads, Manny and Yanks, Beltran, Cory Vaughn, and Lucas Duda

Top Baseball Potheads:

2. 2002 Mets - These guys did not win a whole lot that year and according to reports they were likely not too worried about it. Apparently a vast number of players on the team would smoke up before games — sure must have made it difficult to hit those 95 mph fast balls. - coedmagazine  



Manny and Yanks:

According to Jack Curry of the YES Network, the Yankees have had internal discussions about free agent Manny Ramirez. The Yanks are looking for a right-handed bat to add to their bench, but Curry suspects that a deal with Man-Ram is unlikely. He's a poor defensive outfielder and probably won't be a very happy camper if given only limited playing time. At the moment, the Yankees have committed the DH position to Jorge Posada and left field to Brett Gardner. There simply aren't enough at-bats to go around. Manny is also drawing interest from Tampa Bay - .rotoworld.  



Carlos Beltran:

His trade value is so low here, partially because of his arthritic knee, but mostly because his contract doesn’t allow him to be offered arbitration after 2011. This means that his former team can’t recoup draft picks if Beltran walks after 2011, killing his a big part of his trade value. To move him, the Mets would have to eat some (or even all) of his salary, depending on how much they want in return. -

Patrick Flood  



Cory Vaughn:

OF, New York-Penn League, .307/.396/.557 in 313 PA. - The Mets’ fourth-round pick in the 2010 Draft out of San Diego State, Vaughn is the son of former MLB star Greg Vaughn. The younger Vaughn had a big year in the NYP, hitting for both average (.307) and power (14 HR) while also showing the speed to steal 12 bases. While a rookie league, the NYP is the natural spot for many college players and first-round picks. Under the old Mets regime, Vaughn would likely have opened 2011 in Double-A. Now, he’s likely headed to the Hi-A Florida State League, instead. - mets360  



Lucas Duda:

The Good: Duda is a potential offensive force who works the count well, waits for pitches he can hit, and then displays plus raw power. He's a good enough hitter to provide some average as well, as he does a good job on focusing on hard contact as opposed to powering balls out. The Bad: Duda is a bat-only prospect with no other tool worth noting. He's a well below-average runner who is likely limited to first base. While the Mets have tried to develop him as an outfielder, he has the range of a lawn ornament and a poor arm. - baseballprospectus