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11/15/12

11-15-12 – ‘The War Room’, David Wright, Mike Pelfrey, Stadiums





‘The War Room’ continues to grow (thanks to David Rubin for the idea) and has now become the most read feature on Mack’s Mets. I ask all of you to join in this Sunday beginning at 8am. The site has been blessed lately with adult, mature, intelligent banter and the best comes out on Sunday. I’m not sure at this point what the question will be, but, unless something big breaks between now and Saturday night, my guess it will involve the Marlins.



Ken Rosenthal - ‏@Ken_Rosenthal - Sources: Mets made offer to Wright. Wright's side made counter-offer. Details of proposals not known.  (it’s nice to see this in print, but, at this point, I don’t believe anything coming out of the Mets PR department right now (apologies to Jay). This is all Mets-speak and part of the master Sandy-plan. You know how I hate to write about speculation and I’m best giving my opinion about something that is etched in stone. There’s very little stone coming out of Queens right now.


David Lennon‏ - @DPLennon -  Talked to a Mets person yesterday who suggested Mike Pelfrey's days in Flushing might not be over yet..." -  Interesting.  -  I have no problem with this, if his services could come in at around $2mil or less. Michael Baron chimed in: “I know a lot of people have been down on Pelfrey, as I have been during his tenure with the Mets. But I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the Mets non-tender Pelfrey this winter and look to bring him back on a Minor League deal.” – The interesting time line here is the fact that he probably would be ready to come back at the same time that Zack Wheeler would probably be ready to be promoted to Queens. What a perfect time (all-star break) to trade Johan Santana (a la  Carlos Beltran) to a team three games down in the loss column), pay half his 2013 salary, and get another pitching prospect. Your rotation could be:

Harvey, Wheeler, Niese, Dickey, Pelfrey, Gee

I like it.


One afterthought on the Marlins-Toronto debacle… I hope fans throughout the country are happy with their baseball stadiums. Keith Law and Michael G. Baron have convinced me that there is no way that the Commish steps in and kills this deal, but it seems to me that it’s going to get increasing harder to get tax payers to pay a lion share of a new stadium they not only have to pay to get inside, buy also pay to park next to. Did anyone wonder why there weren’t any no-trade clauses on this team? Did you ever think that the owner of Marlins main objective here was to field an exciting team of predominantly Hispanic players… for one year… so he could finance the new stadium? Remember, most of these owners are real estate dudes first and sports franchises are just one more page in their portfolio.  Don’t hate the owner here; hate the sport that allows for human beings to operate this way. Try to imagine you wanting to build a new home and both your real estate agent and the bank you are using your financing for allowing you to float a bond to the general public in your zip code to pay a good slice of the cost of building the home, while, at the same time, they walk away without being able to live there. You think that’s stupid. No, stupid is when the people in your neighborhood actually fall for this shit and buy the bonds.


                                             Hot Stove

Detroit Tigers sign OF Tori Hunter to 2-yr. deal, $26mil
The Reds signed OF-1B Mike Hessman - 384 career pro homers, 364 in U.S. minors
Reds sign 3B Marguez Smith – AAA: career – 181-AB, .294/.365/.507
Detroit  sign LHP Jose Alvarez – another ex-Marlin (Hermida deal)
Florida claimed RP Scott Maine from Toronto - 
Nats Named Tony Tarasco first base coach
CWS sign UT Steven Tolleson – 2012/Balt: 71-AB, .183

9 comments:

  1. Mack, I like your thoughts on Santana. Depending on what kind of prospect (Zack Wheeler like I assume) I wouldnt mind a bat either.

    But your rotation is a bit off.;-)
    I think Dickey gets traded and Mejia will get a shot. If he does well you can also trade Gee if the return is great. I read that McHugh is a lot like Gee but perhaps a bit better. So after the ASB you could have Harvey, Niese, Mejia, McHugh and Wheeler. And ofcourse when Mejia cannot handle the majors you can try him in the pen and put McHugh in his place.

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  2. McHugh's time in queens wasn't that great and I'd never go into the season hoping he'd be okay. Certainly not when Gee just gets better and better.

    Yeah, dickey may be gone and that's fine, but even at the deadline, Santana will still be owed 15 million when you include the buyout; if Mets pay half, the other team is on the hook for 7.5 million. Assuming Santana is pitching well, good luck getting a good prospect if the other team must take on all that salary. The mets would have to eat almost all of it.

    I wouldn't dream of trading Gee until other teams see he's healthy. You can't just give away good quality young cheap starters; they're way too valuable. I believe Gee is going to be a solid number 3 and with the Mets pitching come 2014-2015, he'll only be needed at number 5. That's a big advantage.

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  3. Jonah:

    For now, it's Santana, Dickey, Niese, Harvey, Gee

    Room needs to be made around the all-start break for Wheeler.

    That's as far as I can speculate right now.

    McHugh has pitched nicely at the AA/AAA level, but Gee doesn't deserve to be taken out of the rotation.

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  4. I've learned over the years not to do much speculation because you simply have no idea what these guys are going to do next.

    The best you can do is analyze what you have and wait for them to make the next move.

    Don't worry about the Mets pitching. That isn't a problem here.

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  5. Mack,
    Starting pitching is pretty solid, but not spectacular. Mets can certainly use a real closer for 2013, perhaps best fit could be returning TJ guy like Madson or Soria that would have lower base with incentives. Based on deals already given to Affledt and League, Mets won't be able to afford any proven 8th or 9th inning major leaguer.

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  6. In the long run, relief pitching is going to have to come from within the system and my hopes are that people like Mejia, Familia, and Leathersich step up.

    Francisco and Parnell will be some form of 8th/9th inning guy in 2013.

    I disagree with you re: rotation

    Santana, Dickey, Harvey, Niese, and Gee can stand up to the best of them... but this just gets better by the end of the year when Wheeler joins them.



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  7. Charles, if the Mets think they got the replacements ready why not trade your proven players. They have value to get some prospects.

    IF the Mets think Mejia is ready to become a SP next season I think the Mets should trade one of the proven pitchers. But you have to keep in mind that Santana and Gee are coming of an injury. When proven healty at the ASB I assume Santana and Gee could be gone because Mejia, Wheeler and McHugh (read on Toby Hyde's blog that McHugh may be even better then Gee) should be ready to step in.

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  8. Mack,
    I'll go with you on the rotation as long as Santana is the 1st half 2012 version, not the 2nd half.

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  9. I've watched Gee be a masterful pitcher at times with his average fastball and wonderful change up. I saw McHugh melt down nervous times after his great debut. Lets give Gee the benefit of the doubt.

    By the break, they'll be looking to unload money, not young starting pitching. If by some miracle they are at .500, this is all moot anyway. Now is the time for trades and Gee's value is diminished due to his health. For that reason, I wouldn't trade him without fair value, which in my mind is a number 3 starter. If they must move somebody, it's got to be Dickey.

    His value has peaked and he will never get them more in a deal than right now. He's the candidate to be traded.

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