New Team To Beat's Not So Perfect Situation

Without a question, the most improved team in the NL East are the Miami Marlins. Their lineup is improved, their rotation is improved and their bullpen is improved. They have a new stadium, a new manager and a new superstar SS. Things are pretty sweet in South Beach.

Lineup:
1. Jose Reyes, SS
2. Omar Infante, 2B
3. Hanley Ramirez, 3B
4. Mike Stanton, RF
5. Logan Morisson, LF
6. Gaby Sanchez, 1B
7. John Buck, C
8. Chris Coghlan, CF

Rotation:
1. Josh Johnson
2. Mark Buehrle
3. Anibal Sanchez
4. Ricky Nolasco
5. Wade LeBlanc / Carlos Zambrano

Bullpen:
CL: Heath Bell
SU: Juan Oviedo
SU: Randy Choate

Awesome...

Not to be contrary... but...

Ozzie Guillen:

• Why It's Good For Them - Ozzie Guillen is one of the most controversial managers in baseball on the plus side his fiery nature can invigorate a team and get them motivated.
• Why It's Bad For Them - I would say that 50% of Ozzie Guillen's fiery attitudt schtick comes across as immature. Add this to a few other immature players (Hanley Ramirez + Carlos Zambrano) and I can see the Miami clubhouse to be pretty unpleasant to be in.

Hanley Ramirez:

• Why It's Good For Them - Hanley had a bad 2011 but I don't think anyone is discounting his ability to put up 30/30 seasons while hitting .300 just yet. Moving to a new position will also probably help his transition to more power as well.
• Why It's Bad For Them - What Hanley wants... Hanley gets... well... that USED to be the case. Remember when a manager was fired for an argument with Ramirez? (Good times...) Hanley is publicly unhappy with his being FORCED off of short stop. He doesn't WANT to play 3rd... frankly, with Matt Dominguez coming up, perhaps the Marlins shouldn't want him there EITHER.

Jose Reyes:

• Why It's Good For Them - Jose Reyes is one of the most fun players to watch. He can spark a team into scoring completely on his own and he's a definite defensive upgrade over Hanley Ramirez at short.
• Why It's Bad For Them - The obvious thing is that the Marlins just tied up a boat-load of money into a guy whose biggest asset is his legs. The thing he injures almost twice a season... his hamstrings, may make them regret that.

Josh Johnson:

• Why It's Good For Them - When healthy... I'm not sure there is a better pitcher in all of baseball. I include Roy Halladay, Clayton Kershaw, Justin Verlander and King Felix into that equation.
• Why It's Bad For Them - When is the last time Johnson went through a full season healthy? Anyone? The kiss of death here? He's a keeper on my fantasy team.

Heath Bell:

• Why It's Good For Them - Bell is one of the TOP closers in baseball and was likely the best reliever on the market since Mariano pretended to be a few years back.
• Why It's Bad For Them - Bell got a LOT of money. While I don't think that they bid themselves into oblivion (like the Mets with Oliver Perez) I do think that they'll regret the money tied into him before the end.

Mark Buehrle:

• Why It's Good For Them - Mark has been one of the most steady starters in the American League for YEARS. He's also a pretty good human being.
• Why It's Bad For Them - They paid WAY too much for a guy who I don't think deserves to be a top team's #2 starter anymore. While they needed to bring in a big pitcher they would have been better off spending the extra cash on Darvish or Wilson.

The New Stadium:

• Why It's Good For Them - New stadiums are nice and AC is DOUBLY nice in the hot swampy mess of Summer in Miami. PLUS: They have GIANT aquariums behind home plate... AWESOME!!!
• Why It's Bad For Them - It's not... but color me skeptical that Miami will become a baseball town like Philadelphia. (Their fans are jerks but they show up) I'll be impressed if the NEW Miami stadium with their NEW players and UGLY uniforms have packed houses through the middle months of the season.

Hot Stove: - Heath Bell, Yoenis Cespedes, Manny Ramirez, Jerry Hairston Jr., Matt Capps

Heath Bell - 3 years, $27M - So, if you believe rumors, and why wouldn't you, they're always true, it appears that the Marlins are going to be signing EVERYONE. You may not want to leave your phone unattended. But, the first notch on their tax-payer funded stadium's over the top dancing dolphin shrine will not be Jose Reyes or Albert Pujols but Heath Bell. Picture this: It's Opening Day. BoonDoogle Stadium is filled to capacity. Kids are clutching their parents legs. They beg. Beg their parents to buy them a brand new, rainbow infused #21 jersey of their favorite closer Heath Bell.  Then you realize Jeffery Loria must be on drugs if he thinks any of aforementioned dream will come true. Alas, Bell should have some good fantasy value. Though, be cautious as he is supported by led footed defenders and will no longer be in PETCO park. Too bad, I hear they have fantastic fish tacos. http://bullpenbanter.com

The chase for outfielder Yoenis Cespedes: That won’t be decided this week because the 26-year-old Cuban defector, already hailed as a franchise talent, is establishing his residency in the Dominican Republic. But Cespedes should be on the market prior to spring training, and industry insiders suggest he might command a $50 million package. The Red Sox, Nationals and Tigers seem the most-serious suitors, but the Marlins, Yankees, Pirates, Phillies, Cubs, Orioles, A’s, Indians and Blue Jays are also showing interest. http://www.kansascity.com/2011/12/03/3300205/10-things-to-watch-at-baseballs.html#ixzz1fbijmN2n

But what team would be interested in a potential distraction like Manny Ramirez? He'll be a DH, for sure. You can eliminate 16 teams right away, as the only way Manny should be in the field is if MLB grants an exemption to let him play left field with Pat Burrell at the same time. One can be true-left field, and the other can be shading-left field. Also, they'd each be strapped with explosives that went off if they ran into each other. Also also, every one of their games would be on pay-per-view. Baseball would be more interesting if I were commissioner. http://mlb.sbnation.com/2011/12/5/2612599/manny-ramirez-free-agent-rumors-rays

Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com reports that the Dodgers have signed Jerry Hairston Jr. to a two-year, $6 million contract. The deal also includes some incentives. Hairston is a fine utility player, but that's a pretty big chunk of change for him. He'll back up at second base, shortstop, third base and all three outfield positions and would be an option to start at short if it turns out that Dee Gordon needs some more seasoning. Hairston, 35, batted .270/.344/.383 with five home runs and 31 RBI over 376 plate appearances with Washington and Milwaukee this season. http://www.rotoworld.com/headlines/mlb/346242/baseball-headlines?r=1

Jon Heyman of SI.com reports that Matt Capps has re-signed with the Twins on a one-year deal that includes an option for 2013. It's not clear if the Twins plan on using him as their closer, but he would probably be the top in-house option at this point. Capps posted a disappointing 4.25 ERA, nine blown saves and a 34/13 K/BB ratio over 65 2/3 innings in 2011, but he's just a year removed from an All-Star season. Giving him a year plus an option isn't a bad move if the financials are reasonable. http://www.rotoworld.com/headlines/mlb/346242/baseball-headlines?r=1

Will Sandy give us something to talk about in Dallas? - Frank Gray

The Winter Meetings are upon us and that finally gives writers, and fans alike, the chance to talk about off season moves for the New York Mets. The Mets have done some of their best work there. They managed to sign Francisco Rodriguez in 2008, trade for J.J. Putz and Sean Green in 2009 and acquired Paul Lo Duca in 2005.

They are currently looking for a closer and some bullpen help. All have to come cheaper than the contracts they passed up for Joe Nathan (two years at $14.5 million or roughly $7.25 million a year) and Chris Capuano (roughly $5 million a year for two seasons).

They are looking at players like Octavio Dotel and Luis Ayala. These are good options, but they will certainly get into a bidding war for Ayala. It is already reported that six teams (including the Mets) are interested in his services. Those teams being Boston, the Yankees, the Tampa Bay Rays, Toronto Blue Jays, Los Angeles Angels and the Mets.

Who knows how many teams will get in on the bidding for Dotel? Other free agents still available, but expected to go quickly are Jon Rauch, Frank Francisco, Francisco Cordero and Brad Lidge, among others. A complete list of remaining free agents can be seen here.

The trouble with most of these pitchers is that the market has shown a high price range for closers and experienced relievers. Take the Philles signing of Jonathan Papelbon and the Marlins inking of Heath Bell as examples. Bell was signed for three years at $27 million with an option for a fourth year. Each year, including the option year is worth $9 million. The Phillies landed Papelbon for four years at $50 million or nearly $13 million a season.

Are the Mets ready to invest $9-13 million on a closer for three or four years? Not in the Sandy Alderson era they're not. I can't say I blame them either. While Francisco Rodriguez (also a free agent) was productive in his time in Queens, the argument can be made that he was hardly worth the financial handcuff that he placed on their payroll. His automatic option made him nearly impossible to trade. Is that a road the Mets want to go down again?

In the end, Milwaukee took him and gave the Mets a pretty good reliever out of the deal in Danny Herrera, well pretty good when he first came to the Mets anyway. The Brewers eventually worked out a restructure of K-Rod's contract that freed them of having to pick up the option, thus making him a free agent now. In an completely unrelated question, why couldn't the Mets have done that?

But I digress. The Mets are admittedly in a cash-strapped position and are not going to bid enormous amounts of money on free agents for the bullpen, regardless of their track record. GM Sandy Alderson has the right idea in that the Mets starting staff wasn't too bad, but the bullpen did a terrible job at holding leads the starters gave them.

It's the bullpen that needs the most help. Alderson wrapped up Tim Byrdak before the season was over and is apparently planning on focusing on this area during the meetings in Dallas. The question is whether or not they can find a solid contributor for an inexpensive price in this market.

The truth is, they will have to reach a little for a player that any other time they may get for a bargain. This off season, however, the players are in control of what they make. The market average has been set already. We can thank the Marlins and Phillies for that atrocity.

The Mets will be in the hunt, but they will be careful to not spend too much more than they can afford on one player. If they come out of these meetings with at least one reliever to add to their bullpen, not necessarily a closer though, it could still be a good thing for the team. The front office will at least look like they are trying and the team's biggest weakness will be made a little stronger.

There will still be time for them to obtain a closer after most other ones are signed up and the remaining players become desperate for a team to report to in the spring. That may be what Alderson is counting on.

For now, with the meetings upon us, at least we have something to finally talk about with these Mets. Instead of writing about how they are idle and waiting, standing by like some operator at a call center for an infomercial. At this point, any solid move is a plus.

STUFF: - Omar Minaya, Chris Capuano, Heath Bell, Jeff Wilpon, Damien Magnifico

1. Former New York Mets general manager Omar Minaya has landed a new job with the San Diego Padres organization, two sources told ESPN.com.  The team planned to announce the hiring Friday afternoon, one of the sources said. Minaya, 53, became the first Hispanic general manager in baseball history when the Montreal Expos hired him in 2002. He ran the Mets from 2004 through 2010, when he was fired along with manager Jerry Manuel.  The Padres will give Minaya a position along the lines of vice president of baseball operations, The Associated Press reported, citing a person familiar with the negotiations.  The New York Post reported that Minaya will serve as a sounding board to new Padres GM Josh Byrnes and do scouting work on amateur and professional players. - http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7307007/omar-minaya-join-san-diego-padres-organization

I’m very happy, both for Omar and the San Diego Padres. I have always found Omar to be a gentleman and he always treated me with respect. We had a lot of fun one time bullshitting in the corner of the clubhouse which was preventing all the “real reporters” from hounding him with questions. We actually were talking about the Disco days and we both had a lot of fun extending the non-conversation to the point that most of the writers moved on and Minaya could get back to his office. In case some of don’t realize, he is one of the most talented Latin American scouts in the history of baseball and I am sure he will bring to that team the same quality kids he found playing on the rocky fields for the Mets. Welcome back, amigo.  

2.   Jayson Stark of ESPN.com reports that the Dodgers have signed Chris Capuano to a two-year, $10 million contract. The deal was first reported by Jim Bowden of SiriusXM Radio and has now been confirmed by Stark and others. Capuano had a pretty nice year for the Mets in 2011, posting a 4.55 ERA and 1.35 WHIP while striking out 168 over 186 innings. He also managed to make 31 starts after years of elbow issues. It's not a ton of money to commit to a guy that could slot in nicely at the back of the Dodgers rotation, but it's risky given Capuano's injury history and the fact that he had a 5.42 ERA away from pitcher-friendly Citi Field. At least he's going to another cavernous park in Dodger Stadium. Capuano's signing could signal the end of Hiroki Kuroda's tenure in LA. - http://www.rotoworld.com/headlines/mlb/346053/baseball-headlines?r=1

I hope Mets fans aren’t getting upset about this one. In fact, do you realize how upset Mets fans WOULD be if Sandy Alderson cut a deal here for $10mil over 2-years? I think we are all starting to get an indication of how the money is going to go in this Hot Stove season, and it seems pretty high to me right now. The offering of arbitration to another “5.42 ERA” pitcher (Mike Pelfrey)is looking more sensible every day. 

 All-Star closer Heath Bell has agreed to a $27 million, three-year contract with the Miami Marlins, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.  The person spoke Friday on condition of anonymity because the deal had not yet been announced. The agreement, which is subject to a physical, is the first free-agent deal for the Marlins since they began courtships last month with several top players. The deal was first reported by ESPN. Bell had more than 40 saves each of the past three seasons for the San Diego Padres. This year he had 43 in 48 chances with a 2.44 ERA. - http://www.caribsso.com/MLB/New-York

This seems to me to be as much as come-on to other free agents as it would be a decent deal for a pitcher that is worth it. Obviously, the cost for a decent closer just went to the ten million per year range, which is far move than the Mets want to give out. My guess is they dish out around $4mil to a Grade B guy and pray for the recovery of Jenrry Mejia. 

Mike J. Silva: - Spoke to a Citi Field worker last weekend and they told me Jeff Wilpon refuses to acknowledge staff and gets angry if u say hello to him… Nick C: - my buddy is in the local 2 and said the same thing about Jeff when CitiField was being built. said he went out of his way to be an ass.

Is this supposed to surprise us? Have you ever met Jeff Wilpon? He is the perfect example of a rich man’s loser son? I will give him this… he is consistent. Tell ya what… why don’t you ask his siblings what they think of him…  err… DOH!

5. Reports out of his school that ex-Met unsigned draft pick, P Damien Magnifico, is "hitting 103.

I'm not even going here...

Reading Into Everything

HEADLINES ARE AWESOME

They are. We read them and can glean from them all sorts of useful information. HOWEVER... we sometimes read a little too far into them. I decided to take a look at some of these Met related news items and the inferences that people make.

Jose Reyes Visits Miami - Now, I won't say that Jose WON'T end up signing with the Miami Marlins and it isn't IMPOSSIBLE that the Marlins would simply blow him away with an offer to the point where he'd stop looking. What I will say is there is LITTLE chance Reyes signs before teams start bidding in earnest. At least wait until the Tigers and Brewers have made their pitches.

Ramon Hernandez Signs With Rockies - This move leads me to believe that the Rockies are planning to move their prospect Wilin Rosario. Rosario is one of the names you'd have to believe the Mets would ask for in a deal for David Wright. HOWEVER, this in no way means that David Wright will be traded OR that Rosario will be traded. It simply means the Rockies are now better equipped to move him.

The Padres Trying (Unsuccessfully) To Move O-Hud - Orlando Hudson was once on every Met fan's wishlist. FRANKLY, it was more about Met fans wanting Castillo OUT. Because the Padres cannot move O-Hud they may be forced to move Jason Bartlett instead. Now... should Reyes sign elsewhere you can bet that the Mets will AT LEAST inquire into Jason's availability. HOWEVER, I don't know that the Padres are "Desperate" to trade EITHER player.

Mets Are Willing To give Reyes 5 Years and $80 Million - First of all, I'm fairly certain that the Marlins already offered over that. Secondly $16 Mil per year isn't the going rate for a player of Jose's caliber. So... this means the Mets are going to offer something low and say, "We tried." We've seen them do that before. What this ACTUALLY means is... NOTHING. Yes, the Mets WOULD pay Reyes $80 Mil over 5 years... so would a lot of teams. Right now I think the question is if a team will go over $100 Mil and offer 6 years.

Marlins Sign Heath Bell - The ONLY thing this means is that Leo Nunez no longer has fantasy value. Gee... shucks. Bell is a good closer and the Marlins are on the verge of being a very good team. Does this make them MORE likely to sign Reyes? NO! Does it make them less? NO! Actually this is one of the few times where a signing MIGHT mean something to the Mets. Leo Nunez who has changed his name to Oviedo will now likely be non-tendered. So... cross one expensive closer off the FA list and add a cheap one.

The Giants Are In Talks With Alex Gonzalez - There are some who saw Alex Gonzalez as a backup plan to Reyes signing elsewhere. HONESTLY... who are these people. Reyes might be miles ahead of Ruben Tejada but, take it from a guy who is not a Tejada fan, Alex Gonzalez is not. The Mets would be absurdly stupid to not pay for Reyes and then pay for Alex.

What's the Point?

Don't get too hung up on what you read in in the paper, online or what you hear on the radio. Unless Sandy Alderson says, "Well now we cannot sign Reyes.", Another team signs Reyes or Reyes retires... he still COULD be coming back to New York. Try not to read into these surrounding moves too much.

Taking a Lap Around The Pen

The 2012 Mets are a bit of an enigma right now. Are they rebuilding? Are they trying to compete? Are they just treading water? One area I'm not terribly concerned with is the bullpen. Sure we don't have a closer and the most steady arm is over 37 years old... I think they'll be fine.

Current Depth Chart:

1. Bobby Parnell (R)
2. Manny Acosta (R)
3. Tim Byrdak (L)
4. Taylor Buchholz (R) [Non-Tender Possibility]
5. Pedro Beato (R)
6. D.J. Carrasco (R)
7. Daniel Herrera (L)
8. Josh Stinson (R)
9. Pat Misch (L)

What are we missing? Assuming that Byrdak and Herrera are both fine for 2012... a closer. The 8th inning can fall to a mix of Parnell, Acosta and Byrdak (Pressure lefties) and the Mets wouldn't be bad off. Carrasco can continue to be wonderfully mediocre and if he can't... Misch can be the long reliever (Or Gee, Schwinden, or Cohoon) and step in. That still leaves the Mets 1 closer shy of a bullpen.

And The Candidates Are:

1. Heath Bell (34) - We all remember the promise of Heath Bell when he WAS a Met. He wasn't yet a star. Seems all he needed was a little West Coast mellow to take his game to the next level. As a Padre he's been ELITE. There are two things working against Bell's contract: 1) He's 34 and 2) He's been protected by Petco. Even with all of that he's likely to be looking for $14 Million per year or more... and 3+ years. I can't see that happening.
   
2. Francisco Rodriguez (30) - Let's all groan at the idea of bringing Frankie back. Now let's grow up and realize that he wasn't BAD when not abusing the elderly and being injured. So... We re-hash a little K-Rod in the bullpen. Now... I don't think he's going to sniff $12 Million but I do think he'll be trying for 3+ years. I think a realistic offer would be 3 years and $28 Million (TOTAL). Would he even WANT to come back to Queens? I don't know.
   
3. Francisco Cordero (37) - Cordero has been pretty sweet for the Reds. At 37 and with a pretty good bullpen, I think the Reds are likely to allow him to walk. (Maybe not?) If Cordero is looking for a contract at 37 he'll be hard pressed to get over 2 years. I think 2 years at $10 Million per year is not a bad deal for a closer who has been as remarkably steady as Cordero has. Now that I've said that we'll watch him implode.
4. Ryan Madson (31) - At 31 he's still among the younger closers and I happen to think in terms of skill he's probably among the most talented. Prior to Phillies poorly budgeted signing of Jonathan Papelbon, I just have to worry over the projected price of what Madson would be. I also have this lingering doubt that Madson is a setup man and NOT a closer. His 2011 success aside, I have watched Ryan be thrust into the closer role a few times and fail. Phillies were talking 4 years and $44 Million. I don't think he'll get that but I think 3 years and $27 Million should be easy.
   
5. Frank Francisco (32) - Francisco is never the guy you WANT to have as your closer. Teams always seem to look at Frank as the ideal 8th inning guy, who gets THRUST into closing situations and can handle himself. I look at his numbers and I see him as the poor man's Francisco Cordero. He's got pretty good stats (Not great) but gets the job done. He'll likely be shooting for 3 years and $20 Million which isn't too bad for a pitcher like this.
   
6. Matt Capps (28) - Capps is one of the interesting names on this list. For one thing... he's only 28 and has 4 years before I typically worry about arms declining. For another he's been a successful closer. His 2011 will likely keep his overall value pretty reasonable but I do think he'll earn over $6 Million a year and seek a contract 2-3 years in length. Given his age, durability and success... he'll likely get it. I wouldn't be surprised if the Mets had him on the radar.
   
7. Joe Nathan (37) -Now... I think this WILL be Alderson's #1 target... BUT I also think there will need to be a safety net. He's 37 and coming off a BAD season (after being hurt for a long time). It kinda reminds me of the J.J. Putz situation but hopefully we'd get the second year back numbers. At 37 and coming off a bad year he's only going to want/get a 1 year deal and even inflating the price to match his former stuff... $8 Million? I can live with that.
   
8. Jonathan Broxton (28) - Allow me to introduce the safety net that EVERYONE wants. Broxton needs a change of scenery and that's fine. I'd LOVE to get he and another risky closer a shot in Queens... I really would. I simply think that because he's 28 and has a REAL upside, if he can regain his footing. He will want a 1 year deal with a player option. He will get over $6 Million from some team. I don't think the Mets would be willing to pay that for an insurance policy.
   
9. Jon Rauch (33) - Now... the safety net I think the Mets COULD afford. You can give a guy like Jon Rauch multiple years because at best... he's a closer and at worst... he's a setup guy. ALSO... if Chris Young and Jon Rauch are on the same team we'd have the tallest pitching staff in the majors. 2 years and $10-12 Million. Whether he's our closer or our setup guy/insurance policy I think I'm willing to do that.

Then The Phillies Ruin EVERYTHING:

Jonathan Papelbon (31) - Signs a 4 year $50 Million deal that throws all of my numerology out of whack. Sure... it adds Ryan Madson into the mix but it also pumps up closer values a good bit. Bell (Who would still be a better signing then Papelbon should get more annual money than Jonathan (at 34 I don't know about years). The deal is bad for the Phillies and I'm happy they made it on one hand but on the other... it adds $1-4 Million to each one of my projected yearly salaries.

Cutnpaste: - Mike Pelfrey, Jenrry Mejia, Chris Schwinden, Joaquin Arais, Heath Bell

When given the Opening Day assignment be Terry Collins, Mike Pelfrey spoke about what it felt like to replace Johan Santana and he said he was up for the challenge and looking forward to it. On Opening Day he folded like a cheap chair. On April 1st he only lasted 4.1 innings against the Marlins allowing five runs, and it got worse from there. Truth be told, if he is still on the team next spring he should not be assured of a rotations spot and he should earn it along with the rest pitchers vying for a spot. As far as tendering/non-tendering goes, the better question is why didn’t Alderson try and move him last season. Teams take chances on pitchers with potential all the time and if you’re waiting for Pelfrey to boost his value that may never happen while he’s a Met. I could think of a dozen other productive things the Mets could do with $5 million dollars than give it to Pelfrey. http://metsmerizedonline.com/2011/11/2011-player-review-mike-pelfrey.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MetsMerizedOnline-GetMetsmerized-NewYorkMets+%28Mets+Merized+Online%29

10-25-11: - http://www.minorleaguerundown.com/2011/10/25/2011-top-20-new-york-mets-prospects - 2011 Top 20 New York Mets Prospects - 1.Jenrry Mejia, RHP (AAA, Majors): At the ripe old age of 22, it’s clear that Mejia still needs a good bit of development time. It would certainly help if he was given some quality time down in the AA rotation to work on the finer points of pitching, as opposed to random action out of the major league bullpen. I hope Mets management won’t continue to view Mejia as a bullpen piece with quality starters like Matt Harvey and Zach Wheeler on the way, as he deserves a shot at starting before they start knocking on the door. His 11 strong starts between AA and AAA the past two years (3.49 FIP, 44.1 IP/2.83 FIP, 27.1 IP) are a good indicator of his talent level as a starter, more so than his 4.72 FIP in 39 major league innings. 

11-8-11: - http://risingapple.com/2011/11/08/2011-season-in-review-chris-schwinden  - While his four starts in 2011 were a small sample size (4.71 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, and 2.83 K/BB in 21 innings), Chris Schwinden showed some undeniable talent. He mixed in his four promising pitches well (fastball, cutter, curveball, and change-up), without relying on any one of them too much (he threw his fastball 45.3% of the time). Granted, his fastball’s average MPH was a little underwhelming (89.1 MPH), both his change-up (average of 81.3 MPH) and curveball (average of 74.4 MPH) kept hitters off-balance. There’s a good chance the 24 year-old will start 2012 in the Minor Leagues, but Schwinden showed enough poise to at least earn a look during Spring Training and throughout the season.

But there’s a specific look that comes from that sort of feeling, and that’s the look I saw on Joaquin Arais’ face. Here’s Arias, right — he had just been traded to a new, far away team with a month left in the season. He’s in a foreign country. He doesn’t speak English well, he didn’t seem to know any of his new teammates, and he wasn’t playing and he probably wasn’t going to play. His career hasn’t quite gone as expected. And now it’s raining and he’s trapped here for God knows how long tonight and he doesn’t have anyone to talk to or anyone who wants to talk to him and it can be paralyzing to be surrounded by people not talking to you. So he went outside and sat on this giant cube thing in the cold, just trying to run out the clock until he could come up for air again. http://www.patrickfloodblog.com/2011/11/08/another-brick-in-the-wall-part-1

Heath Bell: 3-4, 2.44 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 43 saves - Bell almost left San Diego last year on two occasions. He was rumored to be headed to Texas, and San Francisco claimed him off waivers, but could not work out a deal. Bell remained in San Diego where he has saved 132 games the last three years. Bell made $7.5 million and could be due for a significant raise. Bell has publicly stated his desire to stay in San Diego, but is reportedly believed to be seeking a three-year deal worth more than $25 million while the team is thinking of a two-year deal with an option. http://www.metro.us/newyork/sports/article/1019347--mlb-free-agency-fire-up-the-hot-stove

Yet Another Alternate Approach

So far...

Plan A: Resign Reyes AND Sign Sabathia, Wilson or Darvish

While this might cost more money than anyone is willing to believe the Wilpon's would invest, it also is the simplest. You maintain the hitting talent on the team establish a new anchor for the rotation and have the base in place for the emergence of Generation 2K in 2013 and 2014.

Plan B: Trade Davis for Pitching and Sign Albert Pujols

People doubt the ability to trade Davis for a TOP pitcher and I agree to an extent, but with his low price tag and some players like Kershaw and Price rapidly losing their status as "bargains" it's not OUT OF THE QUESTION. Then, of course, the Mets are replacing the fans lost by parting with Reyes with Pujols frenzy. At least the team is changing the field's dimensions so getting a slugger is no longer impossible.

Plan C: Sign Reyes and Trade David Wright

Most ways that this option gets cut, the Mets end up with a bevy of prospects and a dismal 2012. That isn't the end of the world. The Mets HAVE talent working its way rapidly to the majors and getting more would increase the chances of finding success when they do.

So... now I have to come up with a Plan D. I suppose this will be easier than Plan E and F etc... but it's becoming a bit daunting. So I'm going to go with something that is hardly revolutionary.

Step One: Remains re-signing Reyes. The kid (can I call him that? Probably not legitimately) means too much to the team and its fans to replace. It sures up the front of the Met lineup and means that the speedy 1, 2, 3 of Reyes, Pagan and Wright is still in place. It also means not having to replace Reyes from a free agent scrap-heap or through a not-so-amazin' farm system of SS's.

Step Two: Closers Closers Closers
I like Bobby Parnell... but I can't tell you that I'm confident he'll EVER be the closer of the future for the Mets. He's got stuff and that is great, but without confidence it doesn't have meaning and that is what counts. So... as Alderson may have indicated already, I think the Mets spend some bank on getting a closer. Now... the first name I list in this capacity is familiar. Heath Bell: he's solid, has a history with the Mets and hasn't exactly looked like much of a "FLUKE" pitching for San Diego. Frankly... Bell scares me, he just seems like the kind of guy who will succeed EVERYWHERE but Queens. I don't have a rational reason for thinking this. So... that brings us to the NEXT option. Jonathan Papelbon: He's a big flashy name who has had success on a BIG-MARKET team and knows about performing on a big stage. He'll come with an unfortunate price tag, but we can't do much about that. There are other closers who would work: "The Return of" Francisco Rodriguez, Matt Capps, Brad Lidge, Francisco Cordero, Frank Francisco etc... Getting a closer shouldn't be hard but that isn't all I want the Mets to do.


If the Mets can't afford to improve their rotation in a significant way... we NEED to have one of the best darned pens in baseball. That means signing a big impact bullpen arm. For THAT job, I nominate Jonathan Broxton. I once had Broxton as the #1 fantasy closer... I suppose I had Gagne there too. I don't believe Broxton will be given the chance to close for a new team, but I DO believe he'll get a decent contract. I'm willing to have that team be the Mets because if we need to toss Big Pelf out there once every 5 games... I want to have guys who can get me through, not only the 8th and 9th but the 7th, 6th... and even 5th. (I have a lot of faith in our starters... don't I?)

Lineup:
1. Jose Reyes, SS (S)
2. Angel Pagan, CF (S)
3. David Wright, 3B (R)
4. Ike Davis, 1B (L)
5. Jason Bay, LF (R)
6. Lucas Duda, RF (L)
7. Josh Thole, C (L)
8. Ruben Tejada, 2B (R)

Bench:
Ronny Paulino, C (R)
Fernando Martinez, OF (L)
Daniel Murphy, Util (L)
Justin Turner, IF (R)
Nick Evans, Util (R)

Rotation:
Johan Santana, LHSP
Jon Niese, LHSP
R.A. Dickey, RHSP
Mike Pelfrey, RHSP
Dillon Gee, RHSP

Bullpen:
Heath Bell, RHRP
Jonathan Broxton, RHRP
Bobby Parnell, RHRP
Manny Acosta, RHRP
Pedro Beato, RHRP
Tim Byrdak, LHRP
Daniel Herrera, LHRP

This is my least favorite option thus far and I'm sure that you can see why. This team is not a fortuitous improvement over the 2011 Mets. ALTHOUGH... if Davis and Wright stay healthy all season and Jason Bay can continue some of the late season hitting he's shown then maybe it's all the Mets need. With Farvey and Familia potentially available for mid-late season call-ups and Collin McHugh and Chris Schwinden ready replacements for injuries... maybe all the Mets NEED is a little more gas in the bullpen tank.

Scott Kazmir, Heath Bell, Matt den Dekker, DSL Leaders

Scott Kazmir:


You know if Omar was still here, he’d sign Scott. I don’t know how much he has left but it has to be better than Brian Sweeney. The Mets might be the only team that Kazmir would accept a AAA assignment from. Folks, he’s still only 27-years old. He’s got $7mil in his pocket from the Angels and didn’t they play last night without a left hander in the bullpen? And aren’t the Angels coming to town this weekend. You got attendance problems? Come on, you can do this.



Heath Bell:


The Mets were willing to give up Bell because he looked to be a Quad-A player, a reliever with decent minor league numbers who didn't have the stuff to make it at the major league level. In three years with the Mets, he'd put up a 4.92 ERA in 108 innings. Not pretty. The Padres looked past that, though, and saw a reliever who had put up great peripherals at both the minor and major league levels, but had experienced a rash of awful luck in 2005 and 2006. Although Bell had the strikeout, walk, and home run rates of an above-average pitcher, hitters had a .384 BABIP against him in the two years before his trade, the highest rate in baseball for a pitcher with 75 innings pitched or more.- http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/6466015/cashing-new-moneyball



Matt den Dekker:


6-15-11: - http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110615&content_id=20523328&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_milb  - The speedy 23-year-old lefty is now trying to get on the fast track to the Majors, and he seems headed in just that direction. As good as Den Dekker is defensively, his work at the plate with St. Lucie can't be overshadowed. Den Dekker won consecutive Florida State League Player of the Week honors in late April, going 26-for-55 over the 14-day span and hitting in 13 straight games. He hasn't been able to match that .376 average for the first month, but he still has some impressive offensive stats. Through 62 games, Den Dekker is hitting .304 with 32 extra-base hits, including six homers and a league-best eight triples. He also has 49 runs scored, 34 RBIs and 11 steals.

DSL Leaders:


The DSL1 team (5-11, last place) is being led by 2B Yeixon Ruiz (.333/.412/.417/.828) and LF Joan Decena (.328/.381/.466/.846). Pitching wise, starters Rafael Montero (1-1, 1.00, 0.39) and Luis Cessa (0-1, 2.12, 1.00) have excelled, while relief pitcher Audry German (0-0, 1.50, 0.83) is off to a strong start. The DSL2 team (7-10, 7th place) has two outfielders pacing the team, Michael Bernal (.356/.433/.508/.941 and Maikis De La Cruz (.343/.413/.433/.846.