In Search For An Outfielder – St. Louis Cardinals

In Search For An Outfielder –  St. Louis Cardinals

So far, we have identified the following outfielders as possible targets for the Mets:

                Atlanta – Reed Johnson

                Arizona – A.J. Pollock

Baltimore – Nolan Reimold

                Boston – Jerry Sands

                Chicago Cubs – Brett Jackson

Chicago White Sox - Dayan Viciedo

Cincinnati – Chris Heisey

                Cleveland – Thomas Neal -

                Colorado – Dexter Fowler

Detroit – none

Houston – J.D. Martinez

Kansas City – none

Los Angeles Angels – Mark Trumbo

Los Angeles Dodgers – Alex Castellanos

Miami Marlins – Gorkys Hernandez

Milwaukee Brewers – Khris Davis

Minnesota Twins – None

Oakland Athletics – Grant Green

New York Yankees – None

Philadelphia Phillies - none

Pittsburgh – Jose Tabata

Seattle – Casper Wells

San Diego – James Darnell

San Francisco – Gary Brown

               

We now move on to the St. Louis Cardinals, who currently have only six (6) outfielders on their 40-man roster:

       Carlos Beltran – switch – $13mil-2013 – FA-2014 – MLB, 547-AB, 32-HR, 97-RBI - RF

                Adron Chambers- lefty –  pre-ARB -

                Allen Craig – righty –  ABB1-2014 – (1B) -  MLB, 469-AB, .307 - RF

                Matt Holliday – righty –  $17mil thru 2016 – LF – 599-AB, 27-HR, 102-RBI

                Jon Jay – lefty –  ARB1- 2014 – MLB, 443-AB, .305 - CF

                Shane Robinson – righty -  ARB1 – 2015 –

The bottom line here is the combination of Beltran-Craig-Holiday-Jay is one of the best 4 outfielder group in the game. There’s obviously no reason for St. Louis to make any changes with these four ofr the 2013 season.

Prospect wise, Oscar Tavares will play AAA in 2013.

This leaves either Chambers or Robinson, neither of which are going to make the HOF some day; however, Robinson would give the Mets a three-year MLB level player to settle down the outfield for a year.

Mets target: Shane Robinson – plays all three outfield positions… team controlled salary…  3-year MLB stat line with St. Louis: .242/.293/.333/.626, 198-AB, 3-HR, 17-RBI… only 2 MLB errors

In Search For An Outfielder – San Francisco Giants

In Search For An Outfielder –  San Francisco Giants

So far, we have identified the following outfielders as possible targets for the Mets:

                Atlanta – Reed Johnson

                Arizona – A.J. Pollock

Baltimore – Nolan Reimold

                Boston – Jerry Sands

                Chicago Cubs – Brett Jackson

Chicago White Sox - Dayan Viciedo

Cincinnati – Chris Heisey

                Cleveland – Thomas Neal -

                Colorado – Dexter Fowler

Detroit – none

Houston – J.D. Martinez

Kansas City – none

Los Angeles Angels – Mark Trumbo

Los Angeles Dodgers – Alex Castellanos

Miami Marlins – Gorkys Hernandez

Milwaukee Brewers – Khris Davis

Minnesota Twins – None

Oakland Athletics – Grant Green

New York Yankees – None

Philadelphia Phillies - none

Pittsburgh – Jose Tabata

Seattle – Casper Wells

San Diego – James Darnell

               

We now move on to the San Francisco Giants, who have seven (7) outfielders on their 40-man roster.

Let’s approach this a little differently by first eliminating two of them, both ex-Mets,  switch hitting Andres Torres and Angel Pagan.

This leaves us:

                Grego Blanco – lefty – ARB-1 – MLB – 393-AB, .244

                Roger Kieschnick – lefty –  pre-ARB -    AAA:  234-AB, .295

                Francisco Peguero – righty –  pre-ARB -  AAA: 449-AB, .272

                Hunter Pence – righty –  2014-FA -  MLB, 617-AB, .253, 24-HR, 104-RBI - RF

                Juan Perez – righty -  pre-ARB -  AA: 483-AB, .341

Pagan just signed a 4-yr, $40mil deal to play CF for the Giants through 2016. That’s done. Pierce will obviously play right field this season and should be a target this time next season in the free agent market.

On paper, Blanco will split time with Torres and Peguero and the world will continue to wait for prospect Gary Brown to arrive. THAT’S  the one you want.  He hasn’t played above AA, but you could start him off in Vegas and put him on the same plane with Zack Wheeler around the all-star break.

If fact, he could be the Zack Wheeler of outfielders.

The problem is… how do you rip off a team again?

Mets target:  Gary Brown – 23-yrs old – 1^st round pick in 2010…  2011: A+: .336, 14-HR, 80-RBI… 2012 AA: 538-AB, .279… 33-SB… natural centerfielder… 

Mack Ade – Justin Turner – The Mets Future Leftfielder?

Mack Ade – Justin Turner – The Mets Future Leftfielder?

Terry Collins made a passing remark last month that just may reposition the Mets primary utility infielder into the outfield for 2013.

Justin Turner has been the perfect Met, especially in both the dugout and the clubhouse. If someone is doing something well on this team, hang around because turner will be there soon with a plate full of whipped cream. His production was down near the end of the season (August: .222, September: .214); however, he still finished the season with a respectful stat line: .269/.319/.392/.711.

Turner’s arrival in Queens had some bumps. He was originally drafted by the Yankees in 2005 (29^th round), but chose not to sign and returned to Cal State Fullerton as a senior. This was followed a year later with a 7^th round pick by Cincinnati plus a $50,000 bonus offer. He played three years in the Red chain but, in December 2008, was traded with UT Ryan Freel and IF Brandon Waring to Baltimore for catcher Ramon Hernandez

Turner had a wonderful year in 2009 playing second base for the Orioles  AAA affiliate, Norfolk (387AB, .300/.362/.388/.749), but he simply never got a real shot for the parent team (18-AB in 2009, 9-AB in 2010). He was release in 2010 and the Mets claimed him off waivers and assigned him to AAA-Buffalo.

Once again, he proved his ability at the AAA level, going:  .333/.390/.516/.906 in 312-AB. He was then named in 2011 as one of the utility infielder of the Mets; however, due to injuries to both David Wright (3B) and Daniel Murphy (2B) managed to carve out 435-AB, hitting .260/.334/.356/.690. Turner was named the NL Rookie of the Month for May 2011. He is the first Met to win the award since its creation in 2001.

 Turner is a right-handed hitter; however, his splits over the past three seasons (2010-2012) are only .230 against lefties but .271 vs. righties.  His role in 2012 was greatly diminished without any formal explanation by either Collins or Sandy Alderson. Most write it off to his returning to a primary utility role, while others have questioned the projected longevity of his future role.

Obviously, his .188/.241/.288/.529 stat line in winter ball isn’t doing him any good, but don’t count the biggest Mets fan out yet. I contacted him via Twitter and he responded back within an hour:

Mack Ade @JohnMackinAde     29 Dec - @redturn2 - writing a feature on you... turning you into the Mets LFer in 2013...

              Justin Turner @redturn2 - @JohnMackinAde i'll do anything to get in the lineup everyday

That’s the Justin Turner we all know and love and my money is on him come the spring.

Mets Outfield, Dillon Gee, Standard and Poor’s, Roy Merritt

Jamie Shoemaker wrote an article for TTF, named “Where will Michael Bourn play?” In it he says:

“B.J. Upton to the Braves. Denard Span to the Nationals. Ben Revere to the Phillies. Chris Young to the Athletics. Angel Pagan to the Giants. Melky Cabrera to the Jays. Shane Victorino to the Red Sox…. Michael Bourn to … whom? …  Mets – I guess they would have the money but why would he sign there? Also have serviceable prospects for much cheaper.”

               

Maybe, we as Mets fans, are sometimes a little too close to the picture. Does the rest of the baseball world think that the reason the Mets haven’t signed a top outfield name is because of the “serviceable prospects” they have in their system? I assume they are referring to Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Matt den Dekker, right?

I want to believe that the Mets can solve this from within, but I just don’t see it, especially for 2013 and 2014. There is a crying need for a solid 25/85 bat to fit himself inside the David Wright, Ike Davis and Travis d’Arnaud 3-4-5 we all dram about come May. I happen to think Lucas Duda will do just fine in the seven hole and produce a 25-75 season.

One more bat, Arnaud, and Zack Wheeler could make for a nice 2013.

Anthony Mccarron

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/mets-gee-weight-shoulder-surgery-fixes-clot-article-1.1229554?localLinksEnabled=false  wrote about Dillon Gee:

Dillon Gee is about one month into his off-season throwing program already and he’s noticed something different. In years past, even when he was coming off healthy seasons, the first few weeks of throwing felt “real awkward” as his arm and legs and body rekindled his pitching motion and there was always soreness afterward. These days, however, Gee is fresher after he throws, looser. It’s a wonderful feeling coming off the scariest stretch of his pro career, one in which a blood clot discovered in his right shoulder led to anxious thoughts about life and his baseball future and, ultimately, a successful surgery.

Boy, we needed this kind of good news about now in the off-season. It is vitally important that both Gee and Johan Santana come to camp healthy and ready to compete. None of us are expecting that much from the 2013 season… heck, the team just traded a pitcher that was singularly responsible for at least 10 victories… and we’re all exciting in the direction the team’s pitching is going, but it’s still around 18 months away having all their best pieces in place. My 2013 rotation is Santana, Matt Harvey, Jon Niese, Gee, and Jenrry Mejia and it will remain that until the Mets decide elsewhere regarding the SP5 slot, or if one of these guys come to camp with a damaged wing. So far, so good.

Ken Belson wrote:

On Dec. 21, Standard & Poor’s lowered its rating on the almost $700 million in bonds issued to finance Citi Field, and it said the outlook for them remains negative. The bonds are now rated BB, from BB+. That’s two notches below investment grade, junk bonds in the parlance of the debt market. Jodi Hecht, an analyst at Standard & Poor’s, cited “cash flow volatility,” noting that “a large portion” of the money pledged to pay off the bonds is “game-day revenue,” which includes sales of club-seat tickets, concessions and parking. How the Mets play will affect the prospects for this revenue, she said. Standard & Poor’s “may lower the rating if cash flows continue to decline due to a combination of poor team performance, slow economic recovery, overcapacity in the New York region,” she added. Attendance has fallen three straight seasons, and the Mets have finished in fourth place four consecutive years.

              

  I may write about this team… heck, I might even still root for it… but I definitely do not invest the few dollars I have left in them, especially if their bonds are tied to ticket sales and RA Dickey shirts. Regardless of whatever you have read online about the Wilpons, trust me… they don’t owe a penny regarding this team. They can walk away from this rich for five generations and stick both you, the consumer, and the City of New York, with the debt tied up in this stadium. My strong suggestion to you is to just root for the team and leave the financial portion of this story to periodicals like the Wall Street Journal. Lots of bloggers have tried to “expose” this story and have got it partially wrong. I choose to stay in the minors.

 I couldn’t help but notice that ex-Mets pitching prospect, Roy Merritt, pitched on Sunday night. Merritt is a perfect example of so many pitchers that show so much promise early on, only to hit that  wall at the AAA-level.

The lefty flame-thrower was a 29^th round pick in 2007 out of a favorite school of the Mets, Southern University, and he began his Mets career going 2.88 in 17G at Kingsport in the same year. It only got better in 2008 (Brooklyn: 25-G, 1.49, 55-K in 42.1-IP) and we all began to write about the ‘live one’ the Mets found in the late round.

AA-ball, which has cost so many pitchers their careers in past, didn’t seem to get in the way of Merritt. First, he went 3.45 in 56-G in 2009, followed by 3.86 in 60-G in 2010, but it was AAA that turned out to stop Merritt in his tracks. A short stint in 2010 resulted in a blistering 14.54 ERA, while 2011 produced 5.26 in 31-G.

The dream was over and Merritt was released by the Mets. Right now, he’s pitching for Tigres de Aragua ( 3-G, 8-ER, 9.0-IP, 8.00-ERA) after going 4.42 in 5-G in the VWL.

We write about so many of these young prospects that seem to have this game all figured out in the lower levels, but the journey is just beginning for so many of them. Sadly, the game spits out many more of these stories than we care to remember, no less write about.

Francisco Pena, Pedro Feliciano, Jordany Valdespin, Coco Crisp, Relief Pitchers

Mack Stuff –  Francisco Pena, Pedro Feliciano, Jordany Valdespin, Coco Crisp, Relief Pitchers

C Francisco Pena – Aguilas Cibaenas - 1-4, .250 – there’s always someone in baseball that thinks they can turn around an ex-prospect like Pena. The Mets signed the undrafted free agent Pena, the son of Yankees first-base coach Tony Peña, to a $750,000 signing bonus, in July 2006. He was first sent to the Mets Florida Instruction camp, where he remained for the remainder of the 2006 season. Baseball America had one international scouting director (in 2007) termed Pena's body as "heavy and thick." Willie Randolph was quoted in January 2007 to say: "he's a little different than I remember. He's a big boy. I saw Ken Griffey and all those kids come through . . . Jessie Barfield's kid (Indians second baseman Josh). It's amazing to see how they've grown and to see the resemblance in some ways. You can see the evolution, and it's weird to look at that." Pena, was considered to be one of the best catching prospects in the Dominican Republic's baseball history. His initial claim to fame so far in his career is he caught the controversial pitcher Danny Almonte on that infamous Little League World Series team. It just hasn’t happened. Right now, his 6-year stat line is: .233/.284/.335/.619. The good news is he’s still only 22-years old which easily could be the same age he would have come out of college if he stayed playing in NYC instead of the DR. He would a wonderful throw in as part of a package for an outfielder. I expect Blake Forsythe will get the lion share of time in Binghamton and he’s simply not ready for Las Vegas.

RP Pedro Feliciano - Leones de Ponce – 1.1-IP, 1-K, 0-H, 0-BB, 1.23. That’s now seven games thrown with 7.1 innings… 2-R, 6-K, 1-BB. Yeah, I know how old he is, but an invitation to camp would kill you? This guy was the heart and soul of the Mets bullpen for seven years (22-19, 459-G, 371-IP, 341-K, 159-BB, 3.32, 1.38) and I can’t see why an invite wouldn’t be proper. Even his limited 2012 numbers in the Yankees system were good: 10-G, 9.1-IP, 3-ER, 10-K, 3-BB, 2.89. He’s only going to be 36-years old. Aaron Lafey? Come on.

Playoffs – RF – Jordany Valdespin - Leones del Escogido – 3-4, 2-R, 2-2B, 2-RBI, 1-BB, .667 – No one has ever said that Valdespin wasn’t talented. Let me take that another step: no one has ever said that Valdespin doesn’t rise to the occasion. Normal baseball games put this guy asleep, but ask him to step up and win you an important game, and you have a good chance that it will be accomplished. Is this because he’s such a great guy and team player? Hell no. This is our Manny. This is our Melky. But, you might want to go to Baseball Cube and check the stats on the two guys I just mentioned before you throw him out of the 2013 outfield. Whether we like it or not, ‘Spin’ is going to play a very important role next season, probably in LF or possibly in center. Get used to it and the baggage that comes along with it.

Ken Davidoff of The New York Post reported that the New York Mets have expressed interest in Oakland Athletics outfielder Coco Crisp.

                We just covered Oakland and these were my thoughts:

we now move on to the Oakland Athletics who currently have eight (8) outfielders on their 40-man squad:

                                   Yoenis Cespedes – righty – $10.5mil thru 2015 – MLB, 487-AB, .292, 23-82

                                  Coco Crisp – switch – $7mil for 2013 – FA-2014 – MLB:  455-AB, .259

                                   Grant Green – righty –   AAA: 524-AB, .296, 15-HR, 75-RBI

                                    Shane Peterson – lefty – pre-ARB  -   AAA:  .389

                             Josh Reddick – lefty –   ARB-1/2014 -  MLB:  611-AB, 32-HR, 85-RBI, .242, RF

                                  Seth Smith – lefty –  ARB-2 -  MLB:  383-AB, .240, 14-HR, 52-RBI

                            Michael Taylor – righty –   pre-ARB -  MLB: 21-AB, AAA:  12-HR, 67-RBI, .287

                                    Chris Young – righty - $8.7mil through 2013 – FA-2014 – CF –

Free agent losses this off-season include Jonny Gomes Boston) and Collin Cowgill (Mets). Obviously, if someone was available who was more talented than Cowgill, he probably would have already been traded, but this is a team in transition.

2013 looks set with Cespedes, Reddick, Young, and Crisp. Their problem is Crisp  is in the last year of his contract and Young’s deal is just for 2013.

Green, Peterson, and Taylor seem all ready to make the next step.

Mets target:  Grant Green -  Green has made the conversion from SS to CF… right behind him in the system is top prospect Michael Choice. Taylor projects out as either a DH or 1Bman. If I can’t get Green, I pass on both Crisp and Young.

                I’m dreaming when it comes to Green and, at this point, I’d be thrilled to have Crisp for even only one year.

Jon Heyman of CBS said that the Mets were “scouring” the relief market with “plenty of good option still out there”. Here’s a reprint of who is “still out there”:

                RHP Jeremy Accardo -    31-yrs old  -  .350 BABIP, 3.92 FIP, 18.4% K/PA, 10.5% BB/PA

RHP Scott Atchison  -  36-yrs old  -  .272 BABIP, 2.67 FIP, 18.0% K/PA, 4.5% BB/PA

RHP Miguel Batista – 42-yrs old  -  .222 BABIP, 5.63 FIP, 8.3% K/PA, 8.3% BB/PA, 1.16 WHIP

RHP Matt Capps – 29-yrs old  -  .250 BABIP, 4.44 FIP, 15.0% K/PA, 3.3% BB/PA, 1.09 WHIP

RHP Todd Coffey – 32-yrs old -  .314 BABIP, 3.64 FIP, 21.7% K/PA, 10.8% BB/PA, 1.34 WHIP

RHP Jose Contreras – 40-yrs old - .343 BABIP, 2.76 FIP, 26.8% K/PA, 5.4% BB/PA, 1.17 WHIP

RHP Francisco Cordero – 37-yrs old - .579 BABIP, 9.33 FIP, 15.6% K/PA, 12.5% BB/PA, 1.80 WHIP

RHP Juan Cruz – 34-yrs old -  .364 BABIP, 4.22 FIP, 20.4% K/PA, 11.7% BB/PA, 1.62

RHP Chad Durbin – 35-yrs old - .262 BABIP, 4.82 FIP, 19.1% K/PA, 10.9% BB/PA, 1.31 WHIP

RHP Kyle Farnsworth – 36-yrs old - .284 BABIP, 3.34 FIP, 20.8% K/PA, 11.7% BB/PA, 1.33 WHIP

LHP Pedro Feliciano -  - did not pitch MLB in 2011 and 2012

RHP Jason Frasor – 35-yrs old - .346 BABIP, 4.05 FIP, 27.7% K/PA, 11.5% BB/PA, 1.46

LHP Mike Gonzalez – 34-yr old - .322 BABIP, 3.02 FIP, 25.8% K/PA, 10.6% BB/PA, 1.31

RHP Kevin Gregg  - 34-yrs old - .339 BABIP, 4.99 FIP, 18.5% K/PA, 12.0% BB/PA, 1.67 WHIP

RHP LaTroy Hawkins – 39-yrs old - .301 BABIP, 4.42 FIP, 12.9% K/PA, 7.3% BB/PA, 1.38 WHIP

RHP Livan Hernandez – 37-yrs old - .324 BABIP, 5.85 FIP, 18.6% K/PA, 5.1% BB/PA, 1.43 WHIP

RHP J.P. Howell – 29-yrs old - .258 BABIP, 4.73 FIP, 20.7% K/PA, 10.8% BB/PA, 1.21 WHIP

RHPP Jason Isringhausen – 39-yrs old - .276 BABIP, 4.93 FIP, 15.7% K/PA, 9.6% BB/PA, 1.37 WHIP

RHP Matt Lindstrom – 32-yrs old - .312 BABIP, 2.10 FIP, 22.2% K/PA, 4.4% BB/PA, 1.12 WHIP

RHP Mark Lowe – 29-yrs old - .265 BABIP, 4.26 FIP, 17.3% K/PA, 8.0% BB/PA, 1.22 WHIP

RHP Brandon Lyon – 33-yrs old - .337 BABIP, 3.35 FIP, 22.7% K/PA, 7.1% BB/PA, 1.33 WHIP

RHP Kyle McClellan – 28-yrs old - .237 BABIP, 5.11 FIP, 13.3% K/PA, 10.8% BB/PA, 1.33 WHIP

RHP Guillermo Mota – 39-yrs old - .396 BABIP, 4.14 FIP, 26.4% K/PA, 8.8% BB/PA, 1.54 WHIP

RHP Peter Moylan – 34-yrs old - .133 BABIP, 6.13 FIP, 9.5% K/PA, 9.5% BB/PA, 1.00 WHIP

RHP Brett Myers – 32-yrs old - .316 BABIP,, 4.30 FIP, 14.9% K/PA, 4.5% BB/PA, 1.33 WHIP

LHP Will Ohman – 35-yrs old - .207 BABIP, 6.23 FIP, 11.6% K/PA, 4.5% BB/PA, 1.04 WHIP

RHP Vicente Padilla  - 35-yrs old - .372 BABIP, 3.90 FIP, 23.4% K/PA, 6.9% BB/PA, 1.46 WHIP

LHP Manny Parra – 30-yrs old - .351 BABIP, 3.66 FIP, 22.3% K/PA, 12.8% BB/PA, 1.65 WHIP

RHP Brad Penny – 34-yrs old - .358 BABIP, 5.34 FIP, 7.5% K/PA, 6.8% BB/PA, 1.82 WHIP

LHP Rafael Perez – 30-yrs old - .190 BABIP, 5.26 FIP, 12.9% K/PA, 12.9% BB/PA, 1.17 WHIP

RHP Chad Qualls – 34-yrs old - .292 BABIP, 2.69 FIP, 10.3% K/PA, 3.4% BB/PA, 1.17 WHIP

RHP Ramon Ramirez – 31-yrs old - .305 BABIP, 3.96 FIP, 18.8% K/PA, 12.6% BB/PA, 1.46 WHIP

RHP Jon Rauch – 34-yrs old - .232 BABIP, 3.93 FIP, 18.0% K/PA,  5.2% BB/PA, 0.98 WHIP

RHP Francisco Rodriguez – 29-yrs old - .302 BABIP, 3.86 FIP, 23.6% K/PA, 10.2% BB/PA, 1.33 WHIP

LHP J.C. Romero – 36-yrs old - .353 BABIP, 6.54 FIP, 4.8% K/PA, 4.8% BB/PA, 2.00 WHIP

RHP Takashi Saito- 42-yrs old - .351 BABIP, 7.13 FIP, 18.3% K/PA, 8.3% BB/PA, 1.83 WHIP

RHP Rafael Soriano – 33-yrs old - .282 BABIP, 3.27 FIP, 24.7% K/PA, 8.6$ BB/PA, 1.16 WHIP

RHP Hisanori Takahashi – 37-yrs old - .292 BABIP, 3.66 FIP, 23.7% K/PA, 5.8% BB/PA, 1.68 WHIP

RHP Jose Valverde – 33-yrs old - .276 BABIP, 3.57 FIP, 16.3% K/PA, 9.2% BB/PA, 1.24 WHIP

RHP Kyle Waldrop – 27-yrs old - .333 BABIP, 4.87 FIP, 7.4% K/PA, 6.4% BB/PA, 1.54 WHIP

RHP Brian Wilson – 30-yrs old – only 2 games in 2012 – TJS surgery

RHP Jamey Wright – 37-yrs old - .340 BABIP, 3.42 FIP, 17.6% K/PA, 9.8% BB/PA, 1.50 WHIP  

'The War Room' continues...

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'The War Room' - 2013 Minor League Rosters Vegas Pitchers

I don't know about you, but I'm sick of talking about who is going to play in the Flushing outfield.

Let's get back to the reason we have this site... the Mets minor leagues.

Here's what I have "on paper" for the Mets pitchers

First the starters, followed by the relievers... and trust me...  I'm always wrong.

So... who goes where and who goes away.....

Las Vegas              Binghamton          St. Lucie             Savanah              Brooklyn           ??  

Zack Wheeler Rafael Montero Michael Fulmer Gabriel Ynoa Steven Matz Christian Montgomery Yoryl  Nuez Jenrry Mejia Logan Verrett Noah Syndergaard Rainy Lara Cory Oswalt Zack Dotson Lenny Rosario Gonzalez Germen Cory Mazzoni Luis Mateo Luis Cessa Chris Flexen Mark Cohoon Chase Huchington Domingo Tapia Hansel Robles Persio Reyes Chris Schwinden Erik Goeddel Jake deGrom Julian Hilario Robert Gsellman Collin McHugh Angel Cuan Tyler Pill John Gant Bret Mitchell Aaron Laffey Miller Diaz Logan Taylor Elvin Ramirez Jack Leathersich TJ Chism David Wynn Martirez Arias Andrew Masse Gaby Almonte Jeurys Familia Jeffrey Walters Marcos Camerena Mathew Bowman Mathew Budgell Christian Chivilli Marcos Gonzalez Darin Gorski Adam Kolarek Paul Seward Tyler Vandenheiden Shane Bay Luis Rengel Eduard Ramos Craig Hansen Taylor Whitenton John Mincone Ernesto Yanez Flabio Ortega Ramon Estevez Gaby Almonte Ryan Fraser Adrian Rosario Chasen Bradford Logan Taylor Carlos Valdez Alberto Baldonado Jesus Lugo Dylan Owen Jeff Kaplan Estarlin Morel Juan Urbina Edioglis Villasmil Armondo Rodriguez John Church Carlos Vasquez Akeel Morris Andres E. Perez Greg Peavey Brandon Moore Randy Fontanez Alberto Baldonado Robert Whalen Chuck James Hamilton Bennnett Jared West Beck Wheeler Brandon Welsh Greg Burke Yohan Almonte Brandon Sage Hunter Carnevale Mathew Koch Carlos Torres Wanel Mesa Scott Rice Jim Fuller Tim Byrdak Alex Panteliodes Daniel Herrera Tyler Vanderheiden Brad Holt

In Search For An Outfielder – San Diego Padres

In Search For An Outfielder –  San Diego Padres

So far, we have identified the following outfielders as possible targets for the Mets:

                Atlanta – Reed Johnson

                Arizona – A.J. Pollock

Baltimore – Nolan Reimold

                Boston – Jerry Sands

                Chicago Cubs – Brett Jackson

Chicago White Sox - Dayan Viciedo

Cincinnati – Chris Heisey

                Cleveland – Thomas Neal -

                Colorado – Dexter Fowler

Detroit – none

Houston – J.D. Martinez

Kansas City – none

Los Angeles Angels – Mark Trumbo

Los Angeles Dodgers – Alex Castellanos

Miami Marlins – Gorkys Hernandez

Milwaukee Brewers – Khris Davis

Minnesota Twins – None

Oakland Athletics – Grant Green

New York Yankees – None

Philadelphia Phillies - none

Pittsburgh – Jose Tabata

Seattle – Casper Wells

               

We now move on to the San Diego Padres, who currently  eleven (11)… yes, that’s right…  11 outfielders on their 40-man. There must be somebody here that is vulnerable:

                Yeison Asencio – righty – pre-ARB -  A – 350/AB, .323

                Kyle Blanks – righty –  $605K-2013 – ARB2-2014 – MLB, 5-AB -

                James Darnell – righty –  ARB1-2015  -  MLB, 17-AB -  AAA: 116-AB, .267

                Jaff Decker – lefty –  pre-ARB -   AAA: 174-AB, .201

                Chris Denofia – right –  $2.25 thru 2014 – MLB, 348-AB, .293 – RF -

                Mark Kotsay – lefty –  $1.3mil thru 2013 – FA-2014 – MLB, 143-AB, .259

                Rymer Liriano – righty –   pre-ARB -  AA:  465-AB, .280

Cameron Maybin – righty – $8.1mil thru 2016 – MLB, 507-AB, .243 - CF

Edinson Rincon – righty –   pre-ARB -  AA:  .494-AB, .291

Will Venable – lefty –   ARB2  -  MLB, 417-AB, .264, RF -

Carlos Quentin – righty - $8mil thru 2015 – MLB, 284-AB, 16-HR, 46-RBI

Carlos Quenton played his ass off in the backend of the season so he’ll be back. So will the contract of Maybin. And, the platoon of Denofia and Venable seems to be working just fine.

What they next have to do is figure out who the 5^th outfielder will be and what to do with the others. Two, Kotsay and Blanks (1B and IR ) are under contract for 2013.

Liriano is your top prospect, but he’s a year away. Strangely, they don’t have another outfielder in their top 20 prospects.

Mets target – San Diego is on record saying they are happy with their 25-man and three of their top four outfielders are right handed hitters.  

My target:  trade OF Corey Vaughn for OF James Darnell - San Diego needs OF help in the future, not now. Darnell may not be a top prospect but he’s MLB ready.  Excellent 2011 in AA ball: .333/.434/.604/1038, 17-HR, 62-RBI… 2012:  .267 in AAA… 116-AB, 7-HR, 21-RBI… Wiki: After being drafted by the Padres in 2008, Darnell was assigned to the Short-Season Eugene Emeralds of the Northwest League. In 16 games Darnell hit .373 with nine runs, 25 hits, six doubles, two home runs and 15 RBIs. Darnell was promoted to the Class-A Fort Wayne TinCaps of the Midwest League in 2009. He hit .329 with 17 doubles, seven home runs and 38 RBIs in 66 games with the TinCaps before his promotion to the Class-A Advanced Lake Elsinore Storm of the California League. With the Storm he hit .294 with 18 doubles, 13 home runs and 43 RBIs in 60 games giving him a combined total of a .311 average with 35 doubles, four triples, 20 home runs, 81 RBIs, eight stolen bases and 87 walks. At seasons end he was named as the Padres' Organizational Player of the Year by MLB.com

In Search For An Outfielder – Seattle Mariners

In Search For An Outfielder –  Seattle Mariners

So far, we have identified the following outfielders as possible targets for the Mets:

                Atlanta – Reed Johnson

                Arizona – A.J. Pollock

Baltimore – Nolan Reimold

                Boston – Jerry Sands

                Chicago Cubs – Brett Jackson

Chicago White Sox - Dayan Viciedo

Cincinnati – Chris Heisey

                Cleveland – Thomas Neal -

                Colorado – Dexter Fowler

Detroit – none

Houston – J.D. Martinez

Kansas City – none

Los Angeles Angels – Mark Trumbo

Los Angeles Dodgers – Alex Castellanos

Miami Marlins – Gorkys Hernandez

Milwaukee Brewers – Khris Davis

Minnesota Twins – None

Oakland Athletics – Grant Green

New York Yankees – None

Philadelphia Phillies - none

Pittsburgh – Jose Tabata

               

We now move on to the Seattle Mariners who currently have nine (9) outfielders on their 40-man:

             Jason Bay – righty – Mets paying all but $1mil-2013, FA-2014 – MLB, 194-AB, .165

                Mike Carp – lefty – (also 1B) – ARB1-2014 – MLB, 164-AB, .213

                Frankin Gutierrez – righty – $7.3125mil-2013, FA-2014 – MLB, 150-AB, .260

                Raul Ibanez – lefty – $2.75mil-2013, FA-2014 – MLB, 384-AB, .240 -

                Julio Morban – lefty –  pre-ARB -  A+:  300-AB, .313

                Carlos Peguero – lefty –  pre-ARB – MLB, 56-AB, .179, AAA:  21-HR, 54-RBI

                Michael Saunders – lefty –  ARB-1 – 2014  -  507-AB, 19-HR, 57-RBI, .247

                Eric Thames – lefty –  ARB1-2015 – 19-HR, 57-RBI, .247

                Casper Wells – righty -  ARB1-2014 – MLB, 285-AB, 10-HR, 36-RBI, .228

Ibanez and Bay are recent signings designed to bring some depth to a young outfield. Saunders has earned himself a starting role and Gutierrez will try to earn his seven million bucks.  My guess is the addition of Ibanez means Carp will be released soon the addition of the right hand hitting Bay does give Seattle the option of shopping Wells while letting Peguero rise to the majors.

Mets target:  Casper Wells – 27-yrs old…  plays all three positions… Wells was traded to the Seattle Mariners along with LHP Charlie Furbush, prospect Francisco Martínez and a player to be named later (Chance Ruffin) for Doug Fister and David Pauley… 

In Search For An Outfielder – Houston Astros

In Search For An Outfielder –  Houston Astros

So far, we have identified the following outfielders as possible targets for the Mets:

                Atlanta – Reed Johnson

                Arizona – A.J. Pollock

Baltimore – Nolan Reimold

                Boston – Jerry Sands

                Chicago Cubs – Brett Jackson

Chicago White Sox - Dayan Viciedo

Cincinnati – Chris Heisey

                Cleveland – Thomas Neal -

                Colorado – Dexter Fowler

Detroit – none

Kansas City – none

Los Angeles Angels – Mark Trumbo

Los Angeles Dodgers – Alex Castellanos

Miami Marlins – Gorkys Hernandez

Milwaukee Brewers – Khris Davis

Minnesota Twins – None

Oakland Athletics – Grant Green

New York Yankees – None

Philadelphia Phillies - none

Pittsburgh – Jose Tabata

We now move on to the Houston Astros, who have six (6) outfielders on their 40-man:

                Brandon Barnes – righty –  pre-ARB – MLB, 98-AB, .204

                Robbie Grossman – switch – AA:  490-AB, .294

                Fernando Martinez – lefty –  ARB-1 – 2015 – MLB, 249-AB, .209

                J.D. Martinez – righty –  ARB-1 – 2015 – MLB, 395-AB, .241, 11, 55

                Justin Maxwell – righty – ARB-1 – 2014 – MLB, 534-AB, .217

                Jimmy Paredes – switch -  pre-ARB –  MLB, 242-AB, .256

This is embarrassing. COT lists their 2013 payroll at $10.55mil, of which $5mil is for a player (Wandy Rodriguez) no longer on the team.

All their outfielders are minimal salary players and we thought the Mets sucked at doing this.

Look, everybody on this team is of minimal wage, thus they will sell you anybody for the same price. This team needs everything.

Prospect George Springer is a year away and Grossman needs to play a year at AAA. They need the other five guys on their 40-man to man the team; however, because both Springer and Grossman could be ready on opening day 2014, you might be able to pry away J.D.

Mets target:  C John Buck for J.D. Martinez…  Mets pay 2/3rds of Buck’s salary in 2013… plays left field… will play 2013 as a 25-year old… we’ll worry about who catchers next week.

Mack Stuff – Gorkys Hernandez, Jason Botts, Aaron Laffey

Mack Stuff –  Gorkys Hernandez, Jason Botts, Aaron Laffey

I had suggested earlier this week that the Mets should target OF Gorkys Hernandez from the Miami Marlins roster. For what it’s worth, as of Thursday, he’s hitting .362 for Caribes de Anzoategui in the VWL… which also leads the league.

Another of my targeted players, OF Jason Botts, currently leads the Mexican League. He remains unsigned.

Playoff time – DWL  - RF Jordany Valdespin - Leones del Escogido -  3-5, 1-R,

                                      LF  Cesar Puello - Toros del Este – 0-0, .000

2B Wilmer Flores - Bravos de Margarita – 1-4, .279

The Mets inked another player to a minor league contract, but continues to be the only baseball team not to sign a player to a major league contract. This time it’s LHP Aaron Laffey, a 27-year old that was a 16^th round pick in 2003 by Cleveland. Laffey has been around (Cleveland, Seattle, NYY, Toronto) who was granted free agency in October. He was a starter for Cleveland, was converted to the pen by the Yanks and Seattle, but went back to the rotation for Toronto in 2012: 4-6, 4.56, 1.36… only a 5.1 K/9 last year… Of the 50-odd active lefty pitchers with 400+ career innings pitched, he has the worst K per 9 (4.4)… this move makes very little sense to me. Laffey does have the MLB chops. But has had very little success. I was hoping for a little more than this to hold down the SP5 until Zack Wheeler arrives.

Fangraphs - Detroit Tigers Top 15 Prospects (2012-13)

#1 Nick Castellanos (3B/OF)

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Age	PA	H	2B	HR	BB	SO	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG	wOBA
20	694	196	38	11	46	149	10	.308	.356	.432	.358

Castellanos has been the Tigers’ best hitting prospect since being selected in the supplemental first round of the 2010 draft. Originally a third baseman, he was moved to right field in 2012 in an effort to find a spot for him on the big league club with veteran Miguel Cabrera currently manning the hot corner.

He still has a chance to play regularly at either position, depending on what the future holds for him. A talent evaluator said Castellanos has embraced the move. “Nick’s taken to it quite well… He’s working very hard at it. He’s a good athlete… it’s just going to take some time.”

Castellanos has consistently hit for average but he has yet to tap into his power, which projects to be at least average. The contact said the prospect is a good hitter who knows the strike zone. “He barrels the ball as well as anybody… He has a good body to add power.”

After hitting .264 in 79 double-A games (after a promotion from high-A), he then hit .242 in 24 Arizona Fall League games which increases the likelihood that Castellanos could return to the level to begin 2013. Despite potentially returning to double-A, he could reach the majors this coming season. I’m told he’ll open the year playing right field while taking grounders at third base.

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