The current off-season
— which featured acquisitions like Rob Johnson, a catcher and defensive
specialist who signed a minor league contract, and Ronny Cedeno, a journeyman
shortstop who received a one-year deal worth $1.15 million — has essentially
been more of the same. Notably, reliever
Jon Rauch got a one-year contract for $3.5 million and Francisco, in only the
second multiyear deal of Alderson’s tenure, got $12 million for two seasons,
which, by current Mets standards, is Albert Pujols money. “They’ve been in a
bottom-feeding mode when it comes to the free-agent market,” said Phillips, who
is now a host on SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Radio channel. “They are trying to catch
that lightning in a bottle, that diamond in the rough.” http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/09/sports/baseball/alderson-is-forced-to-remake-mets-on-the-cheap.html
As a billionaire, Mayor Michael
Bloomberg could afford to buy the Mets. But that's one job that he's not
looking to step into after he leaves City Hall. The mayor was asked by a
reporter on Wednesday if he'd be interested in buying the team. Bloomberg said
he enjoys attending the Mets' games, but he can't figure out "why anybody
wants to own a sports team." He says he already faces tough scrutiny from
the press without owning a team. WSJ
Cardinals Sign Carlos
Beltran for 2/$26M - Losing Albert Pujols hurts, but adding Beltran and
shifting Lance Berkman back to first base will cushion the blow and help keep
the Cardinals right in the thick of things in the NL Central. The combination
of Beltran’s offense and the upgrade on defense by getting Berkman out of the
outfield will allow the team to replace most of what Pujols gave them on the
field last year, and the fact that it only required a two year deal to land a
premium hitter to replace Pujols keeps the team in position to stay competitive
for the long term as well. Like with Reyes and Oswalt, there are durability
concerns, but the price tag is so low that Beltran could spend weeks on the DL
and still easily earn his salary. The Cardinals could have had a disastrous
off-season, but they smartly targeted Beltran after Pujols left for Los
Angeles, and with the moves they made, the defending champs may even have a
better team next year than they did in 2011. http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/the-10-best-transactions-of-the-winter/
Possible Breakout: Ike
Davis, 1B - I remember there being some doubt and some polarizing opinions
on Ike Davis as a prospect. Some people loved him at the plate, others thought
he'd struggle to hit in the majors. He quelled many doubters as a rookie,
hitting .264/.351/.440 with 19 HR, 71 RBI over 601 PA's in 2010. He seemed to
be on his way to a breakout in 2011 and hit .302/.383/.543 with 7 HR and 25 RBI
over 36 games until a collision with Wright forced him to roll his ankle and
miss the rest of the season. Concerns with Davis include a strikeout rate that
is regularly over 20%, while he was only walking in 11.4% of his at-bats last
year. The best way to overcome a high strikeout rate is by walking and hitting
for power, and Davis posted a .240 ISO last year compared to a .176 ISO as a
rookie. If he can maintain an ISO over .220, he should be just fine and be a
worth fantasy first baseman that could drive in 100 runs. Best Guess:
.290/.365/.500, 20 HR, 100 RBI, 85 R. http://www.faketeams.com/2012/2/6/2775041/fantasy-baseball-spotlight-new-york-mets
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