7:37pm: According to Tim Brown's Twitter feed, "In the face of economic limitations, Dodgers working on a way to sign Joel Pineiro."
7:09pm: According to Ed Price's Twitter feed, the Mets and Joel Pineiro are talking, with the money somewhere around two years, $15MM.
At that price, you'd have to think a deal could get done quickly. The Mets have been interested in Pineiro all offseason, though Pineiro has seemed to be looking for a deal that rivals or exceeds the three-year, $29.75MM contract Randy Wolf signed with the Brewers.
Two years, $15MM is exactly what Jason Marquis signed for earlier this offseason with the Nationals. Despite the concerns over whether Pineiro can repeat his successful 2009 without Dave Duncan, his pitching coach with the Cardinals, the Mets would be taking a worthwhile risk at that price and length.
Pineiro was 15-12 in 2009 with a 3.49 ERA and just 27 walks in 214 innings pitched.
Two years, $15MM is probably a lot less than Pineiro thought he’d receive entering into the offseason.
The Mets’ offense and Johan better be really good this season if they want to catch up to the Phillies.
honestly, they wont be winning any time soon. The phillies are very good, they’ll win the division, so the mets can get to the playoffs there. Then the wildcard, you have the giants, rockies, maybe the braves depending on the remainder of the offseason goes for them, and then there are always one or two teams that come out of nowhere (Twins last year over the tigers).
They should look into sheets, i’m not sure how much money they have left to spend… but sheets, and piniero is right there a great 1 2 3.
Dam, so sick of people already saying certain teams have a lock on the divison or wildcard a lot of things can happen during a season (see mets for example) the team may look good on paper but you never know how it is going to turn out over the course of 162 games.
Of course that’s true. The Royals COULD win the WS. That said, it is highly IMPROBABLE. That’s all he was saying about the Mets. Right now, they are not projected to win the East under any forecasting system.
Using the Royals is a poor example. The Mets, while certainly not the favorite, still aren’t a bad team, and before last season, were seen as a major contender to take the division. Due to many injuries (Reyes, Delgado, Beltran, Maine, Putz, Church, etc…) and sub-par seasons (Wright), the Mets didn’t do as well as expected.
I’m not saying they’re going to take the NL East in 2010, but it’s not as if they have zero chance–like the Royals.
Of course that’s true. The Royals COULD win the WS. That said, it is highly IMPROBABLE. That’s all he was saying about the Mets. Right now, they are not projected to win the East under any forecasting system.
Just a question… if the Braves look bad on paper, does that mean we have a chance to work out very well. We looked bad on paper last year, but still managed to challenge for the WC. Now that we have a better team than last year, we still have the problem of not looking good on paper.
Heck, Nats could do well this year. Their team isn’t an absolute dump like it was last year. Any line-up with Willingham, Dunn, Morgan, and Zimmerman looks good. Nothing too shiny after that though. Barring a melt-down they’ll stay at the bottom.
Yeah, and that’s why baseball is so great! No matter what you have on paper you have to play the game. And when you do, well…anything could happen. After all, who would’ve predicted the Rays’ run in 2008, or even the ChiSox tearing it up in 2005?!
That’s why I looooooove this game!
Who is your mystery team this year? I know everyone is going to pick Mariners… so I’m going D-Backs. Just a feeling.
My gut feelings usually kick in a week or two before Pitchers & Catchers. So only working with my head at the moment. I’m guessing we could see a resurgence from the Twins – just on sheer nerve, and maybe rekindling that sudden spirit they showed at the end of the ’09 season.Yeah, I know what you mean about the M’s bandwagon – and here we go again about how they look on paper. Still, I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t nail the division. Maybe it’s just that I’m used to that from them.
My gut feelings usually kick in a week or two before Pitchers & Catchers. So only working with my head at the moment. I’m guessing we could see a resurgence from the Twins – just on sheer nerve, and maybe rekindling that sudden spirit they showed at the end of the ’09 season.Yeah, I know what you mean about the M’s bandwagon – and here we go again about how they look on paper. Still, I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t nail the division. Maybe it’s just that I’m used to that from them.
You and me both. Seems like a lot of people forget that even in baseball, “experts” are right about 50% of the time – at most.
That would be an excellent deal for the Mets, considering Pineiro will likely be much better than Marquis this season
Unless you think Pineiro’s 2009 was his true talent level, as opposed to like, every other year in his career, they look pretty equal, with the edge over the last three years going to Marquis.
I agree to a certain extent, but control isn’t luck–that’s talent. While Pineiro may become more hittable, his control is a skill (a career 2.56 BB/9). That’s why he’s a superior pitcher to Marquis.
That’s a great deal for the Mets if they can get it done. A lot of people have been bashing their offseason, but the deals they’re going for make a lot of sense. Seems like they’ve learned from the Oliver Perez fiasco.
For that price, id like to see the Dodgers in. They have been linked to him, and at 2/15, it could happen..
no they wont. they just signed russ ortiz to a minor league contract but has an invitation to spring training to compete for the 4th and 5th spot. keep wishing the dodgers actually sign someone good.
Russ Ortiz will not see more than 10 major league innings on the Dodgers, if even that many. He is washed up and will probably be on the 1st cuts of ST.
With your “keep wishing the dodgers actually sign someone good” comment, I could say the same thing for the Giants…
Russ Ortiz signing a minor league contract means nothing. The Dodgers did the same thing with Shawn Estes and Claudio Vargas last off-season. Shawn Estes never made major league team, Claudio Vargas threw a few innings out of the bullpen and was traded.
You called that one.
Edit: I’m not being sarcastic, the Dodgers are showing interest now.
It just seemed like a pretty fair price for a #4 guy. Even if he regresses some after last season, we aren’t asking him to be the ace. Just a solid innings guy, something sinkerballers are notorious for.. I do hope they dont get into a bidding war for him though, he isnt good enough to guarrantee 20+, IMO
they’re showing interest because he’s cheap. if the mets bump an offer a mill and the dodgers are just sitting there waiting for someone else whose cheaper.
Yes, all should praise the Derosa/Huff combo.
they’re showing interest because he’s cheap. if the mets bump an offer a mill and the dodgers are just sitting there waiting for someone else whose cheaper.
This can’t be life.
Awesome
Dont think this a great idea for the Mets. Pineiro had a breakout year last year with “pitching guru” Dave Duncan, not sure if he will reach our expectations
Wish the Mets could get Dave Duncan…He’d do more for their team than Joel Pinero.
Do you think he’d go to NYC for $6 million / year??
I don’t get it. Why don’t the Mets trade for a #2 starter instead of handing money out to an unsure thing?
Could you please elaborate who are these sure #2 starters the Mets should try to trade for?
Mets should make a player for either Aaron Harang or Bronson Arroyo now that Reds have signed Chapman and will be looking to clear salary.
Either pitcher could be had for prospects. Coming in as a trade will lower expectations a bit.
Mets could also make a play for Dan Haren. He’d be a great fit on their staff. Ask price likely too high though…
Wouldn’t Dan Haren be a great fit on 29 other staffs as well? Somehow I don’t see the Dbacks selling there, particularly considering his contract and Brandon Webb’s pending free agency.
Wouldn’t Dan Haren be a great fit on 29 other staffs as well? Somehow I don’t see the Dbacks selling there, particularly considering his contract and Brandon Webb’s pending free agency.
Who exactly would you like them to trade for? And what would you like them to give up?
I would rather see the Mets land John Garland as he has a much longer track record of success. Pinero could become a huge waste of money and look like Ollie Perez part two.
as a braves fan, Id love to see them waste money on Piniero and Garland.
you mean like Frank Wren did on Lowe??? It’ll be an awefull long time before he lives that contract down,….then to trade Vasquez for a minor leaguer and Cabrera! lol I’d much rather have Omar than Wren any day of the week!
Oliver Perez, Castillo???? should we continue?
OK so lets see take Oliver Perez’s remaining contract, add it to Luis Castillo’s remaining contract and you get 36 million. In turn that would be 9 million less than what is left on Lowe’s contract. Yup, lets go on.
Oliver Perez – 3 wins, 66IP = $12 mil
Derek Lowe – 15 wins, 194IP = 15 mil
and who gives 4/25 to Luis Castillo?
Thing is.. I think that you can actually throw Lowe out there and expect results. Just every once in a while he’ll give up 6 runs in one game, but that’s due to the Braves defense.
OK so lets see take Oliver Perez’s remaining contract, add it to Luis Castillo’s remaining contract and you get 36 million. In turn that would be 9 million less than what is left on Lowe’s contract. Yup, lets go on.
i agree
im doubtful pineiro agrees to a 2/15..maybe a 3/22.5 or something along those lines. He is worth more than Marquis.
No team will offer him three years at this point
you forget who the mets GM is..nothing is beyond him. Remeber the Bartolo Colon deal, my body still cringes when i remember it.
But the thing is: The Nats overpaid for Marquis.
He’s better than Carlos Silva too but I’m guessing the Mets won’t top that offer either.
Worth more than Marquis? You’re basing that on 2009 alone. Look at Pineiro previous to 2009, he wasn’t very good. At least Marquis has been a consistent, league average pitcher for the last three years. I’d rate them pretty closely but Pineiro has higher ups and lower downs, Marquis is more consistent (at least recently). They both had a bit of success early in their careers and then had some bad years. Both throw ground balls. If you know which Piniero you’re getting then fine, pay him more than Marquis. Otherwise, caveat emptor.
I’d agree, I can’t really value Pineiro of all people over Marquis, although Marquis”s decline over his second half is somewhat suspect. In fact the Mets actually looked to sign him first, but evidently there were some health concerns the Mets had that the Nationals were content to live with. I guess we’ll see when the season starts. Ideally I rather have Arroyo or Harang from Cincy than Pineiro, Garland, or Marquis, but who knows what will happen there!
i like the years and the money… not so much the player… but if he could consistently pitch FOR the mets the way he pitched AGAINST the mets it would be an awesome deal…
This is why I never liked the Nat’s Marquis signing.
Both pitchers stink. Although, Pineiro’s career year was better than Marquis’ career year.
With Pineiro, it is much more simple: He has to retain that GB% he posted in 2009. (About 20% higher than his usual numbers)
I think the Mets can go a little lower since their rotation won’t be that great with or without Pineiro.
It does raise the question: If Minaya didn’t overpay for Bay, couldn’t he have used to the extra cash and sign Chapman instead of Pineiro?
……………………………….chapman signed with the reds……..
Yes, I know.
It was a hypothetical question.
He could have afforded Chapman regardless of Bay. In fact, he’d be probably be able to afford him even if he signs Pineiro
Piniero will probably regress, but pitchers just don’t forget good control and that high of a groundball percentage in one year
I won’t say he could have signed him even after overpaying Bay but I do propose that he could have signed Chapman with no excuse to the contrary if he hadn’t overpay for Bay.
Chapman’s signing would have greatly changed the media’s feelings towards the Mets’ offseason. It would have surely uplifted the fanbase.
“Piniero will probably regress, but pitchers just don’t forget good control and that high of a groundball percentage in one year”
Off the top of my head… Chien Ming Wang and Fausto Carmona. It’s happened before… Although, I don’t expect him to do too poorly.
Wang was due to an injury, there is little doubt of that. I’ve never even heard of the other guy! lol
It was an odd signing for the Nats…
I really liked Marquis’ one selling point – ‘I’ve played in the playoffs ten years in a row.’ Can’t argue with a track record like that…And, can’t imagine he’ll keep that string going to the Nats..
Would have liked to have seen the Mets move on Marquis or Garland…
No real #2 starters on the free agent market unless they deem Ben Sheets healthy enough to risk signing him…
How about… they don’t spend that money since there is nothing good for sale?
I mean, knowing the Mets, they could use that money for next year OR, more importantly, into getting a better medical staff.
OK … As a Braves fan, I like the idea of 30+ starts going to Pineiro.
So Minaya ended 2009 with an ace and four mediocrities and will open 2010 with an ace and four mediocrities … and a higher payroll.
Pineiro is better than a “mediocrity”
K rate never good and declining. Career ERA+ 98
Sounds like a mediocrity to me. LaRussa/Duncan got their Jedi mind tricks to work just long enough to let Pineiro cash in (and make him another team’s problem).
how do you expect someone maintain an incredible ground ball rate and have high number of strike outs? what is he? Randy Johnson?
you may want to go look at his 2004-2008 #’s…mediocre may be generous
That’s all the proof I need this is a bad signing for the Mets – Braves fans clamoring for it!
Braves Fans – focus on the Phillies, not the lowly Mets…
id like to see a 3/18 deal with 6MM in incentives..2MM per year for 30 starts and a 50% groundball ratio..if you can do a incentive based on that.
Looks like a good deal for the Met’s but Pineiro wasn’t very good prior to 2009. Seems like a large gamble that he’ll hold form. I suppose Citi Field would work to his benefit and he’d be pitching for basically the same salary that he got in 2009, it’s not like he’d be getting a huge raise based on last years work. If he doesn’t regress to his previous self then it’d be a fine deal, if he does regress it’s going to look pretty bad. For the Met’s sake I hope they have a pretty good idea which Joel they’re getting.
I’m sure that stepping out of the bright lights and media glare of Saint Louis for the backwater New York Mets will help take some of the pressure off…
Pinero would be a disaster in NYC….The town would eat him alive…
If the cost is just 2YR/15M I wouldn’t mind seeing him back in Seattle. I think Rick Adair could have a similar effect to Duncan on Pineiro. Adair was the guy who helped Washburn develop that Sinker in 09.
I would like the M’s to sign a #3 starting pitcher to put behind Felix and Lee. I like Garland for this, but when a talent like Pineiro is said to be signing so low after a break out year then I say find out if he has any interest in returning to the Safe.
I would like this move at 2/$15
wonder how far the Dodgers would go for him
Maybe a heavy backloaded deal from money freed up from Manny’s expiring deal.
little to no money is freed up from Manny. He makes 10M this year and will make ~8M for the next couple years after the deal expires. Most of the deal is backloaded..
True. Manny makes $10m this season and $8.3333m in 2011-2013.
But the Dodgers will have Kuroda’s ~$12m coming off the books after 2010. Still, not much sense to backload a contract right now. The Dodgers payroll still figures to be significantly less than it was in 2008, and probably lower than 2009. Backloading/deferring too much more won’t give them much flexibility in 2011 and on…
little to no money is freed up from Manny. He makes 10M this year and will make ~8M for the next couple years after the deal expires. Most of the deal is backloaded..
How long would it take to get a deal done, if it gets to a bidding war you have to think that the Mets would win
lol it would be pretty funny if the dodgers and cardinals switched padilla and pineiro.
Who from the 2, in your opinion, is a better pitcher?
Pineiro is safe IMO, but I’d rather have Padilla for a year than Pineiro for 2-3.
Pineiro is safe IMO, but I’d rather have Padilla for a year than Pineiro for 2-3.
Pineiro is not a #2, which is what the Mets need. But options appear to be limited. Would still like to see them make a deal. I will say this for Pineiro, even a healthy Met lineup struggled with him. He throws strikes and doesn’t walk many. A welcome change from what we saw last year.
Mistaken “like.” Wouldn’t like this if I were a Mets fan. Like this move, however, as not a Mets fan.
As a Mets fan, I say: Nooooooooooooooooooooooo!
My crystal ball tells me the Dodgers aren’t going to outbid the Mets.
Everyone knows that. But if they both come in with 2/15, I think he picks the Dodgers simply because our team is on the rise and some(or all) of your biggest pieces are coming off injury
Everyone knows that. But if they both come in with 2/15, I think he picks the Dodgers simply because our team is on the rise and some(or all) of your biggest pieces are coming off injury
Pineiro changed his repertoire; he throws his pitches at different rates, particularly his 2-seam fastball. I don’t think he’ll need Dave Duncan around to continue to use his 2-seamer at a high rate. If it were a mechanical or mental-toughness issue then I would be far more concerned about him without Duncan.
He’d make for a really solid #3 starter, and to get him at 2 years in the $15-20M range is a major bargain, especially considering the deal Marquis got.
His career stats scream utter mediocrity. He has a long and established track record. He’s had three and a half good seasons and more that were either wiped out due to injury or were terrible.
This is his one chance for big money. Hope he gets it and hope it is not from the Mets…
id like to see the braves overpay for lowe, oh wait…
Genius post.
Genius post.
Isn’t Washburn better in the NL than Piniero?
I bet this whole things ends with Pineiro in NY and a whole bunch of “the Mets outbid themselves” ‘s.
He will go to the mets, McCort will never let coletti sign him unless they can talk Pinero into taking defered payment,Not Likely.
this is my mets lineup that i have been wantong for a whiile now
Lineup:
1. Jose Reyes SS
2. Carlo Beltran CF
3. Jason Bay LF
4. David Wright 3B
5. Orlando Hudson 2B
6. Bengie Molina C
7. Jeff Franceour RF
8. Daniel Murphy 1B
Bench :
1. Henry Blanco C
2. Alex Cora INF
3. Angel Pagan OF
4. __________ ___
Rotation :
1. Johan Santana
2. Joel Piniero
3. Oliver Perez
4. Mike Pelfrey
5. John Maine
Bullpen:
CL – Fransisco Rodriguez
SU – Ryota Igarashi
MR – Kelvim Escobar
MR – Pedro Feliciano
MR – Bobby Parnell
MR – ___________
MR – ___________
LR – Brian Stokes
Looks great. This lineup should place 3rd or 4th in the division…
Why not dream big and add:
1) a real 1B?
2) Better depth than ‘Jo-El’ Pinero at the #2?
3) Better depth on the bench in case of injuries.
Omar has done okay this offseason. That said, he must address the SP and 1B positions.
I do agree on Hudson as he would be a solid compliment to their infield and lineup. Not the kiss of death if they stick with Castillo and maybe sign a backup with stronger legs…Castillo played with much heart in 2009.
“1. Jose Reyes SS
2. Carlo Beltran CF
3. Jason Bay LF
4. David Wright 3B
5. Orlando Hudson 2B
6. Bengie Molina C
7. Jeff Franceour RF
8. Daniel Murphy 1B”
That lineup actually excites you? Maybe for an opposing pitcher.
anyone has any critisicms comment please
If Escobar is healthy, he’ll likely be the setup guy,…..atleast till he’s strong enough for the rotation. Hudson at this point seems unlikely(unfortunetly) I think it’s more likely to be Reyes, Castillo Beltran, Bay, Wright, Francouer, Murphy, Molina or if by some miracle Delgado is healthy enough,….Reyes, Castillo, Beltran, Bay, Delgado Wright, Francouer, Molina.
Anyone think Escobar could be a starter? He’s had two great seasons in that role where he outperformed anything Joel Pinero has done…The Mets are stocked with setup guys (tip of the cap to Omar for his restocking of the pen this offseason).
As much as I like Hudson the mets will NOT sign him because no one will take Luis Castillo’s contract. Im not the biggest Luis Castillo fan but give the guy his credit, he worked his ass off to get in shape for the 09 season and hit .302 with an OBP. of over .400
im tryin to do my best with wats left loll… u know omar aint doin any trades hes all about free agents
Except for that Santana trade…and the one for Putz…and Francoeur
Except for that Santana trade…and the one for Putz…and Francoeur
see this is what i have been dealing with for the last couple of years, projecting the mets to do good with what they have… delgado pelfrey maine perez but we alll have to face the fact that they dont live up to the potential we are all putting them on…….. met fans have to realize that compared to the angels and compared to the yankees and compared to the phillies and dodgers, we just dont have that good of a team, with our ballpark being rediculously pitcher friendly, we sahould have gotten lackey piniero and any other possible number 2/ number 3 our team is never going to be offense friendly we need to focus on pitching, and we didnt manage to do so for the last couple of years, we just dont have good top 3 pitching, if we had santana lackey and piniero we would have been in GREAT shape … but thats all history
I’m a cards fan, saw both the bad and the good with Pineiro. He really looked horrible in 08, and was awesome through most of 09. I have mixed feelings on him, on one hand I am glad the cards didn’t sign him to a long term deal, I do however think he’s definitely worth the risk of a 2 year deal. I get that you don’t buy a pitcher on a career year, but I think there is a good enough chance that Pineiro has embraced the sinker, and his success will be duplicated.
actually I wouldn’t mind if he wanted to bolster his resume with a one year deal with the cards to work under Dave Duncan again.
Would be pretty sweet to have that kind of rotation, but not too likely
Would be pretty sweet to have that kind of rotation, but not too likely
for the record… bill james has pinero throwing 205 IP with a 4.17 ERA… for some reason he has pinero’s walks doubling this year to 53?
marquis… 202 IP and 4.37 ERA… 77 BB
washburn… 155 IP 4.09 ERA…
obviously pinero figures to be the most valuable, the mets FO also feels like Pinero can sustain his numbers away from dave duncan. they view him as a 3/4 type and like that he keeps the ball down and throws strikes. I have to agree
and btw pinero also has better career numbers…
I would hope they pick up Pinero and resign Pidella for tehere fourh and fifth spot they got the best bullpin in the league .
Um what about Elbert, McDonald, Haegar or even Lindblom? They all should get a shot at the extra spot instead of signing both Padilla and Pineiro
By all accounts Lindblom is being groomed to be a reliever. If the Dodgers decided to put him in the starting rotation, it wouldn’t be until after a good long stint at AA. I doubt that happens.
Elbert, McDonald and Haeger all have a good amount of potential, but no way do I want to hand those guys 2 of 5 spots in the rotation (and potentially a 3rd spot if Kuroda suffers from more injuries). Do you really want to rely on those guys to start 35-50% of the Dodgers games (depending on injuries)?
McDonald was a disaster when he started last season. He’ll get another shot eventually, but he shouldn’t be given it out of the gate when he’s extremely valuable in the bullpen.
Elbert still needs a lot of work. His BB/9 (and HBP rates, too) is way too high. He only averaged 5 IP per start in the minors last year. He needs to start the season in AAA and work on his control and pitching deeper into games.
Haeger I like. He’s a great #5 candidate because he can eat a ton of innings. If Torre is patient with him and the knuckleball is working, he could easily get 200 innings out of the guy over the season. Having an innings eater in that #5 spot will really help out, hopefully avoiding the overuse Torre puts on the bullpen. Mota, Belisario, Kuo, Troncoso all missed time with injury last season, I’d say due to overuse. Proctor and Wade same story in ’08.
But the Dodgers need somebody half decent to fill that #4 spot. Pineiro, Garland, Padilla, Washburn, Pedro, Smoltz, Sheets, Bedard, Davis, Wang… I don’t really care at this point. There isn’t enough demand for these guys for them to get all that much. The Dodgers will pick up one.
Haeger #5 spot, McDonald bullpen, Elbert starting in AAA.
The word I have heard is he started part of last year and if he doesnt make the team out of ST this year, he will start in AAA. (That’s via TBLA). It seems they arent sure what to do with him because he was a closer in Purdue, but apparently has started. I just put his name because he has started in the past and could be MLB ready…
With Elbert, just glancing at his stats, it seems he has worked on his control almost every year(except while he was in AA in 06/07). The HBP, i would guess, are because of his slider that has extreme movement and the running fastball. If it starts too far inside, it will hit someone. Thats something that gets worked on as he gets older. Dodger prospects(at least SPs) have been brought to the majors when ready, get a little bullpen time, then get a shot at the rotation, even if their control is average or worse. They let them try to figure it out with Honeycutt. Look at Billingsley and Kershaw. They were brought up with killer stuff, but average or worse control. Also, I believe he was on a pitch/innings count because it was his first year after injury.
I have said that I really like Haegar, espically if we dont sign another pitcher. His ERA was ~3.8 in 3 starts and then never got another shot. A knucleballer who can eat tons of innings from the 4th spot(if we dont sign another FA, Haegar would be 4 and Elbert would be 5) to give the ‘pen some rest from possible short starts from Billz or Kershaw.
And I do agree, McDonald in the pen. He will probably get a shot sometime this year, but not out of ST unless he impresses.
Um what about Elbert, McDonald, Haegar or even Lindblom? They all should get a shot at the extra spot instead of signing both Padilla and Pineiro
I would hope they pick up Pinero and resign Pidella for tehere fourh and fifth spot they got the best bullpin in the league .
I’d rather see Doug Davis in a met uniform. But still 2/15m wouldn’t be a bad deal.
Pinero makes a lot of sense for 5 million. The infield defense is pretty damn solid with Dewitt being the wildcard.
.Yes they should give Elbert, Mcdonald, Haegar a try but they need pitchers that have experiance like Pineiro and Padilla, if they go for a six starter spot then rotate these players around, they are young and will be starters soon.
Elbert should be the 5 starter.
mcdonald needs to see some starts as the #5 guy too, he has incredible stuff and grew as a big leaguer at the end of the season after struggling at the beggining of the season. With that said the signing of a #4 starter is imminent seeing as the dodgers need a veteran prescence in the rotation other than kuroda. not many people will give credit to the dodgers pitching staff but in my opinion the dodgers have the best bullpen in baseball(yeah despite the fact they didnt show up in the NLCS and i wont try to bail em out by saying they were overworked). kershaw is the best young pitcher(that hasnt proven himself) in the game. the only starter on the rotation that i am not sold on is billingsley, he has all the pottential in the world but at times he seems to get rattled, stops going after batters and starts pitching around them. i really hope this is a result of nagging injuries or a simple mechanics problem because billingsley will play a huge part in the dodgers playoff hopes next year
i was reading something on another blog and i dont think its impossible to do. make a trade for josh johnson. Mejia, Holt, and Tejada? add pelfrey or maine? i dont know if thats enough to get it done but i think thats a starting point. Marlins love developing talent and im sure they can develop those guys to stars. that would give us a number 2 that we can sign to the extension he wants. what you you guys think?
I could be wrong but I everything I hear says the Marlins are determined to hold on to Johnson for as long as they can before they HAVE to give him up. Also, I wonder if the Marlins have the will to sign within the division – when they are not on fire to save money?
so lets say the pineiro deal gets done and they can trade for johnson. im not trying to be living in the clouds either. they are looking for a number 2 and johnson would fit the bill perfectly considering the marlins arent known for shelling out a bunch of cash and they always get after everyones 1 and 2 top prospects. i think this is possible rather than a dream.
Santana
Johnson
Pineiro
Pelfrey/Maine
Perez/Niese/Nieve/Escobar
very unlikely they would trade for both Johnson AND Harrang/Arroyo but they can do it and i would only like to see them do that if it added Brandon Phillips to the picture (ill support why i rather have phillips over hudson and castillo later.
Santana
Johnson
Harrang/Arroyo
Pineiro
Perez/Nieve/Escobar
for Johnson i say Mejia, Holt, and Tejada (possibly adding Pelfrey)
Harrang/Arroyo and Brandon Phillips
Maine, Niese, Flores, F-Mart (possibly adding Pelfrey if not in trade above)
Clears up most of the farm but seeing as you have young guys in next years FA, you can sign franchise players there as well. also Johnson is only 25.
I choose Phillips over Hudson and Castillo because he is a gold glover and defense is what is going to win games at Citi. also, its an argument that his number are inflated by his home field. but he has more RBIs and the same amount of HRs away than he did at home. he is also a young player who can be a solid 2B for years and years to come.
so overall the Mets give up:
Maine
Flores
Tejada
F-Mart
Pelfrey (hopefully not but most likely)
Niese
Holt
Mejia
for
Johnson
Harrang/Arroyo
Brandon Phillips
now before bashing away, how about a good conversation with supporting arguments. thoughts?
The perfect fit for the Mets would have been the pitcher that was traded to the Yankees in Javier Vasquez. Excellent NL #s last year. Wont have same stats pitching in the AL East but will def do well. Like all players not named Andruw Jones they seem to dial it up a notch when in a contract year. He will def be a type A so you can recoup 2 draft picks if he leaves at the end of the year. He would have been an excellent fit as their #2 starter right behind Johan. Basically a 1 year rental at 7 1/2 million for the yanks. Vasquez money minus Melky Money. Not bad. Unfortunately for them the consistent 15 game winner is not out there on the free agent market. Trades withstanding of course. Could they revisit the Oswalt trade talks? They are not getting a Dan Haren bc he costs more than they have to offer. So do they sign a Piniero/Garland type starter or do they take a gamble on a Sheets/Wang/Bedard/Moulder. Its a very tough call bc they already have so many ? marks in their rotation after Santana. They have a decent bullpen a good lineup. What they need is a starter and not in 2011 but this year. They cant suffer through another year of poor attendance at Citifield. I think they should have taken a gamble on Brett Myers. Just my opinon. Think he may have pitched with something to prove all year and would have loved to stick it to the Phillies. My opinion of course. Really interested to see where the fans think they are getting that #2 starter from.
I would of been more comfortable with Jason Marquis because he is a proven 15 game winning every year but since the mets let him go for a 7.5 million a season i guess we have to make an offer to Piniero. If they do get him at a reasonable price (not Wolf money) id be happy but they should also look to aquire Ben Sheets because if he is back to old form the mets would have a pretty solid pitching staff.
1- Johan
2- Sheets
3- Piniero
4- Big Pelf
5- Perez, Maine or Neise
Maybe move Maine to the bullpen to keep his shoulder healthy. Or trade him for Corey Hart and have a solid 4th outfielder and would make Pagan expendable and i think the Royals have interest in him.
Also since eeveryone keeps taking shots at the mets starting pitching take a look at how their 2006 starting rotation compares
1- Glavin
2- Orlando Hernandez (Replaced by Maine who did great)
3- Pedro Martinez
4- Zambrano and Perez
5- STEVE TRACHSEL
And with a rotation that looks like that they won 97 games. So all the Met haters need to calm down abou their rotation. Maybe the Phillies should be concerned about how poorly Cole Hamels did last year. Only time will tell
Pineiro has had only one good year. I hate this move, plus our infield defense is not exactly the 99′ Mets. Whatever, I hope they dump Castillo and sign Hudon.
maybe you should check some stats before sharing your opinion… Pineiro has had a sub 4 ERA 3 or 4 times… depending if you want to count his 6-2 2.03 ERA in 11 starts his first year up
Piniero to Mets is a good idea
Piniero to Mets is a good idea
the NY METS should sign: Piniero, Sheets, Ankiel, O. Hudson, and Blalock
the NY METS should sign: Piniero, Sheets, Ankiel, O. Hudson, and Blalock
the mets need an upgrade
the mets need an upgrade