Cutnpaste: - Carlos Beltran for SP Armando Galarraga/OF Brennan Boesch

Carlos Beltran for SP Armando Galarraga/OF Brennan Boesch

Good Move For The Mets? Yes - The Mets are bound to go through changes with a new general manager and a new manager. Unloading Beltran should make some noise in the Big Apple, but they know that if they get anyone major league ready it's worth it. And freeing up those millions of dollars might allow them to land a big fish in the free agent market.

Good Move For Detroit? Yes - Beltran will find a rejuvenation in Detroit under Jim Leyland. And he'll feel slightly less pressure in the Motor City than he did in New York, where the expectations were almost impossible.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/521452-mlb-trade-rumors-top-10-trades-that-could-shock-hot-stove-crowd#page/10

Buscones:

“Buscones in the Dominican Republic are in the business of selling children,” he said. “And it’s very disturbing that American investors would come in to profit from a system that exploits and discriminates against young children.” An hour and a half by car from Santo Domingo, at the end of a dirt road in the town of Don Gregorio, a piece of the Dominican baseball system can be found in a small house surrounded by concrete walls and metal fences topped with shiny barbed wire. The entrances are locked.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/18/sports/baseball/18investors.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

Prediction on Manager from XMLBScout:

Well I'm gonna put on my Nastrodamus ball cap and make a Mets prediction on who will be their next Manager and that person will be Bob Melvin. Why? Why not?!!! Bob has already scouted the club in depth, he's had seasoning with the Diamondbacks and he understands players. Bob is a no nonsense guy and has the intangibles that Sandy Alderson is looking for in a good manager to turn this club into a consistent performer. Albeit, the Mets had a tremendous amount of injuries in 2010, I believe a lot of the injuries came from a poor conditioning program and this off-season the Mets will be more focused! If Bob does not get the Managerial job with the Mets, the second choice I believe will be Wally Backman, even though he doesn't have manager experience at the big league level, he has coached in the minors and seemed to have clubs that did well, but I'm not sold on him. Wally is a former Met and won a WS ring with the Mets, but it takes more than just winning a ring as a player to be an effective manager.

http://xmlbscout.angelfire.com/

Trades:

We all know that the Mets aren't going to be capable of a lot of big splashes for 2011. That's why the important updates revolve less around the courting of players and more around how animated the conversations are in the hotel lobby, or where the Mets brass goes to eat while interviewing the "final four". So it seems to be that the only possibility of that "shut everyone up" move, the one most everyone wants, is to hire Wally Backman as the manager. Everyone's had their two cents thrown in on the discussion, and I've so wanted to come up with the perfect soliloquy as to why Backman should, or shouldn't be the manager. The one problem with that is that a) it's not that simple, and my brain can only handle simple, and b) I had to look up "soliloquy" to make sure I spelled it right. Am I really the one you want writing the manifesto on this?

http://www.metstradamusblog.com/2010-articles/november/the-pastor-of-patience.html

Fernando Martinez:

A former top international signee, Martinez has seemingly been around forever and may be growing stale in New York. A trade out of the organization could do wonders for his future but it doesn’t make a lot of sense for the Mets considering that the prospect’s value is at an all-time low. It’s really not fair, as the outfielder posted respectable numbers at triple-A, especially considering that he’s still just 22 years old. Martinez produced a triple-slash line of .253/.317/.455 in 257 at-bats. He’s shown good power potential the past two seasons in triple-A with ISO rates topping .200. As he matures as a hitter, Martinez could hit 20-25 homers in the Majors but he’s going to want to make a little more consistent contact after posting a strikeout rate of 25.3% in 2010. He also needs to incorporate his legs a little bit more into his swing, as he’s currently relying on his hands and bat speed to generate power. Defensively, he’s a good corner outfielder with a solid arm, but his speed has diminished over the past few seasons, which has cut into his range. With parts of two seasons at triple-A now, it’s time for Martinez to show a little more consistency – and hopefully stay healthy for a full season.

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/top-10-prospects-the-new-york-mets