Late last month, ESPN New York's Adam Rubin reported that the
Mets are facing the largest one-year payroll cut in major-league history, at
least in terms of total dollars. With owners Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz deprived
of the profits they derived from decades of investing with Ponzi schemer Bernie
Madoff, and struggling to find minority partners willing to provide a quick
infusion of capital, the team is hemorrhaging money and facing a growing mountain
of debt. According to general manager Sandy Alderson, the Mets lost $70 million
last year, and made no real attempt to retain pending free agents Carlos
Beltran (who was traded in midseason) or Jose Reyes (who departed for the
Marlins in December). Barring even one additional midlevel signing, they could
become the first team to drop $50 million in salary from one Opening Day to the
next http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=15956
Frank
Francisco was brought in to be the Mets' closer, and Jon Rauch made the
trip from Toronto with him to set-up. At 32, Francisco still has a lively
fastball and can rack up the strikeouts, though home runs are a bit of a
problem. Rauch and Ramon Ramirez, the other guy in the Andres Torres trade,
will compete for 8th inning duties. Ramirez has the better stats across the
board and could be a value pick in leagues that count holds. 27 year-old
fireballer Bobby Parnell, who was viewed as the closer-in-waiting before
Alderson acquired Francisco, is still an intriguing option if you're chasing
strikeouts but don't mind taking a hit to the rate stats. http://www.faketeams.com/2012/2/6/2769925/2012-fantasy-baseball-mlb-real-teams-preview-new-york-mets
C Albert Cordero - Obviously
I’m a big fan of Cordero after his impressive 2011 season. Although, to be more
specific I should say his wildly impressive second half. In fact, at the all
star break the 21-yr old backstop was batting an anemic .219 with a .585 OPS
and a K% nearing a brutal 23%. That’s when the Venezuelan native made some
adjustments to his approach, utilizing a more conservative plan of attack at
the dish. Suddenly he began making modest gains in walks while making much more
significant cuts in strikeouts. This allowed his excellent natural power to
begin coming through as his SLG rose each month as his K% fell. And while his
all-around performance at the plate blossomed, his excellent defensive
potential continued to shine through behind it. He would gun down 40% (24 of
60) base stealers while displaying excellent footwork/quickness. http://www.amazinavenue.com/2012/2/6/2768128/2012-amazin-avenue-mets-top-50-prospect-15-11
2-6-12: - mlb - Chase
Huchingson, LHP: The 22-year-old converted outfielder produced a strong
year in the South Atlantic League, posting a 1.82 ERA in a swingman role that
saw him compile 84 innings in 27 appearances (eight starts). At 6-foot-5 and
200 pounds, Huchingson's outfielder frame translates very well to the mound
where he works with a low-90s fastball and a rapidly improving breaking pitch.
Huchingson also kept the ball in the yard, allowing just one home run all
season
2-6-12: - http://www.faketeams.com/2012/2/6/2775041/fantasy-baseball-spotlight-new-york-mets
- Rookie Watch: Matt Harvey, SP - The Mets have been famously impatient with
prospects and that process may have ruined guys like Fernando Martinez or
Jenrry Mejia. That shouldn't be a problem with Harvey who will be turning 23
just before the start of the season. He was the 7th overall pick in 2010 and
last season was his first in the minor leagues. He was dominant at high-A,
throwing 76 innings and striking out 92 batters while walking only 24. He moved
up to AA Binghamton and while he wasn't as dominating (more walks, less
strikeouts) he was still pretty good, especially for his age. The Mets are
starting a youth movement and Harvey and Zach Wheeler (acquired for Carlos
Beltran last year, 6th overall pick in 2009) are at the forefront of that
movement. I personally like Wheeler more, but the right-handed Harvey should be
up first... maybe soon enough to be worth rostering this season.
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