Results tagged ‘ Oliver Perez ’
A Night At Citi Field
So last night I went to see my first night game at Citi Field (I had seen three day game there this year). It was a good night, as the Mets actually won for once, by a score of 5-4.
But it felt like I was in Dodger Stadium. The section I was sitting in was full of Dodger fans, and I actually had trouble finding Mets fan (save for the extra-fat lady sitting next to me who overflowed into my seat). One thing that drove me nuts about this was that when Manny Ramirez came up to bat, the whole stadium booed, except my section was cheering. Disgusting.
I had never paid attention to the advertisements in center field, but we got to the park a little earlier than usual so I was just looking around. There was the the gigantic Budweiser sign. There was the Fox News advertisement, and the SNY tv logo. And then I noticed the one in the top right corner.
I couldn’t believe my eyes. “Hospital For Special Surgery, Mets Official Hospital”. Are you kidding me? The Mets actually have there very own official hospital now? This is ridiculous! I know the Mets have half a team on the disabled list, but is this supposed to be funny?
Then during an inning break, they had the “KissCam” where they find views of couples and let them kiss on the Jumbotron. At one point they found Sean Avery, the hockey player. He looked pissed, like he would give the camera man the finger. Then they found Donald Trump. He stared at the camera for about twenty seconds, then the crowd starts booing so he kisses his daughter and laughs. That was fun to watch.
But this game was so LONG. Three and a half hours. By the end of the third inning it was 8:30 already. At the rate the game would end at 11:30 (assuming it didn’t go to extra innings). It wound up ending at 10:40. I got to bed around 11:30. I was exhausted.
Oliver Perez made his first start since coming off the disabled list (Thanks, Hospital for Special Surgery!) He pitched 5 innings, gave up 4 hits and 2 runs. He walked 7. Ouch. He reminds me of AJ Burnett. Watch, one day he will pitch a no-hitter but walk 10.
I am going back on Saturday. Anything I should look for?
(By the way, I think the hopsital sign in center field is a jinx.)
Johan Santana: I Hope They Play Him Right
With the constant talk of Johan Santana, I can’t help but worry. It seems every time I go to another website, there is a new report. Literally, one says he will miss opening day, the next says he’ll start opening day, the next says he’ll miss it, the next says he will miss the season, the next says he’ll be fine. Optimistically, I am thinking he will start opening day. But I would rather he start a week later than miss a few months. I think what’s going to happen is they are going to rush him, have him start opening day, and then he will get hurt and miss a lot of time. If he does miss opening day, who will start for the Mets?
Mike Pelfrey is the young, number two fire baller who is the future of the Mets rotation. Pelfrey did very well last year and could have a breakout season in 2009. The only problem is he *might* get hurt this year since he threw so many innings last year. I think he is the next in line but the Mets staff want to be careful with him.
Oliver Perez is the number 3 starter, but since he has been in the league for a while and has ace stuff, he would probably assume ace responsibilites. Perez is very wild and very eratic at times, so he can’t be trusted, but ace is just a title and it doesn’t make a difference if you start opening day or the second day.
John Maine is very good for a number 4 starter. I would probably prefer Andy Petitte, but Maine is younger. John Maine has been working on a curve ball this spring, which could make him a better pitcher, but he is coming off shoulder surgery so this could hurt him in the end. He showed some good signs last year but is expected to take a step back in 2009.
By the way, about the contest. It said on the rules that the essays had to be mailed in by Monday. We had a snow day on Monday so my teacher couldn’t get to her school inbox, where us students had given her our essays. She said she mailed them to the post office yesterday, Tuesday, but she didn’t seem to remember that they were late. She sounded very happy about how good the essays were but she said that next time she needs to enter a happier contest. Anyway, this really disappointed me and gave me something else to worry about because I really want to win that contest. And when I don’t, I am going to lose a lot of sleep thinking about if I just didn’t write a good essay, or if I lost a laptop, a visit from Sharon Robinson and a trip to the All-Star game because of a snow day.
Manny Is Unrealistic; What Actually Happens When Negotiating a Contract?
OK, I want Manny Ramirez to be on the Mets just as much as the next guy. Depsite his bad attitude, he could actually be great in the clubhouse. He would fit into the Latino theme, and he would be a hit with Jose Reyes (I hope), especially since he provides a bunch of extra chances to do a home run dance. His bat would be tremendous in the lineup with Beltran and Wright, and Delgado if he can stay hot, and Church if he can come back after an injured season. But the thing is, we just can’t afford him.
While I have not heard this from any official sources, the Mets have around $20 million left to spend. If Manny will accept that to play in 2009, then what do we do abuot the rotation? There is nothing left to sign Oliver Perez or Ben Sheets. And you can make it $19 million, because the Mets just signed a bunch more nobodies to minor league contracts, including Bobby Kielty, Tony Armas Jr., Matt DeSalvo, and Valerio de los Santos. Who the heck is he?
There was actually a Manny Rally last night. A bunch of Mets fans dressed up in dreadlock wigs and custom Manny Ramirez jerseys all stormed the set of Mets Hot Stove. With signs in hand, they all stood right outside the window behind the camera chanting, “Manny, Manny!”
But it’s just not going to happen. The Mets simply can’t afford him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Recently, I was thinking about all the different free agents who still aren’t signed. Manny Ramirez, Bobby Abreu, Orlando Hudson, Orlando Cabrera, Adam Dunn, Ivan Rodriguez, Eddie Gaurdado, Denys Reyes, Ken Griffey Jr., I could go on and on. There has to be at least 40 or 50 names that are always ticking on MLB Network. I was thinking, why can’t these guys get a job? They are some really great players. Sure, they may be more expensive than teams would like, but why does it take so many months? I’m no lawyer, so I don’t really know what goes into these contracts that takes so long to create. I’ve always pictured it going something like this:
Mets: Hello, Mr. Perez, its me Omar Minaya. I wanted to sign you to play with us.
Oliver Perez: Sure. I want 4 years and $15 million a year.
Mets: Are you crazy? No way!
Perez: What were you thinking?
Mets: How about 2 years, $8 million each with a third year option with incentives?
Perez: Heck no! I want at least $10 million a year, and make the third year guaranteed.
Mets: We can do $9 million. That’s it.
Perez: Well, I’ll go see what other offers I can get.
A half hour goes by as Perez and his agent call up the other GMs to discuss a possible contract. Perez calls back the Mets.
Perez: Yes, Mr. Minaya. It’s me Oliver Perez. I want to sign with you.
Mets: Okay, but now we just signed some other guy. We can only give you $7 million now.
Perez: Okay, let me talk to my agent.
Oliver Perez talks to his agent and decides that this is the best deal he will get. He calls back five minutes later.
Perez: Okay I am going to sign it.
Mets: Great. I’ll fly down to your house tomorrow.
Omar Minaya flies to Perez’s house and he signs a contract. The end. Is that so hard?
And Julia, don’t worry, I’ll do a whole offseason recap soon. But we still have a month or two to go, so anything can happen. As of right now I do think the Mets can make the playoffs though.
I Think The Mets Are Done
The starting pitcher’s market is getting very small. With the resigning of Andy Petitte with the Yankees, the only names that still come to mind are Tom Glavine, Oliver Perez, and Ben Sheets. The Mets continue signing nobody players to minor league contracts, with the recent signing of not only Freddy Garcia, but Rob Mackowiak, Kyle Snyder, and Jon Switzer. The Mets are using up all their money. After Spring Training, we’ll never hear these names again. So stop wasting time, Omar Minaya. Sign Oliver Perez already. I would ask you to sign Ben Sheets instead, this way we could sign Adam Dunn or Orlando Hudson or Ivan Rodriguez as well and maybe use the nobodies you’ve already signed so you can look like a genius, but I know that isn’t going to happen. So at least sign Perez already. I think its inevitable at this point, but watch what Scott Boris can do. Maybe we can at least get Perez for cheap if we wait, like the Yankees did with Petitte who turned down a $10 million offer to later accept a $6.5 million with incentives deal. But I think the Mets are done. Now, I am going to waste my time and run through some possible options for the Mets to go with if they choose Sheets instead, even though I know they won’t happen. Consider it a gift since I took so long to post a new post.
Adam Dunn: The Mets have about a million left field options in Daniel Murphy, Fernando Tatis, Angel Pagan, Jeremy Reed, Fernando Martinez, Nick Evans, Marlon Anderson, Rob Mackowiak, and Cory Sullivan. While I think the Murphy/Tatis platoon is a good idea, Murphy could turn out to be an Ian Kennedy, a player who came off great and then stunk. Tatis is old, he will not have another season like 2008. Adam Dunn is a lot cheaper than Manny Ramirez, and he is an enormous power bat. Plus, he can play first base if Delgado can’t produce.
Orlando Hudson: I think Luis Castillo can have a good 2009 at second base, despite his horrible performance last year. However, I know Orlando Hudson can have a better 2009. And while it might be a bit of work, I am sure you can get something in return for Castillo in a trade.
Ivan Rodriguez: The Mets want to upgrade at catcher, it just isn’t their top priority. It’s no secret that Brian Schneider isn’t much good, and while I am a big Ramon Castro fan, he gets hurt way too much.
Eddie Gaurdado: After the Mets traded away Scott Schoenweis, they needed another lefty reliever to compliment Pedro Feliciano. They signed Casey Fossum and plucked Darren O’ Day from the Rule 5 Draft, but like I previously said, they are nobodies. Everyday Eddie is a veteran who has closing experience, and he tought J.J. Putz his signature splitter. He would be an amazing asset to complete our bullpen.
Oliver Perez: That’s right, sign Ben Sheets instead of Oliver Perez and then use the money you saved to sign Perez. Doesn’t make sense? Nobody else wants Perez. If you sign Sheets at a bargain deal, all the other teams looking for a starter will probably choose to upgrade at offense instead. Perez won’t sign. He’ll need a deal, and he’ll drop down to a ridiculously low price. The Mets can at that point sign him to perhaps a 2 year, $18 million deal, and have a starting rotation of Santana, Sheets, Perez, Pelfrey, and Maine, with backup of Garcia, Redding, Niese, and Parnell.
Go For Sheets and Garcia
Right now it seems like the Mets are going to resign Oliver Perez, I’m thinking to a four year, $12 million contract. Nobody else is interested in him, (I have heard some rumors about the Yankees, but where would Ollie fit in their already uber-rotation?), and it seems like the Mets are once again bidding against themselves and they will once again overpay. While I do think this is one of the most productive offseasons in a long time, the Mets gave up too much in the Putz deal in my opinion, and Alex Cora does not deserve $2 million to play as a backup when David Eckstein is getting $850k to be a starter. It is time to go for the bargains. Right now, the starting rotation looks like this:
1. Johan Santana
2. Mike Pelfrey
3. John Maine
4. Tim Redding
5. Jon Niese
Instead of signing Perez to be the number two starter and pushing everyone back a slot (Niese would go to long relief probably), I say go after Ben Sheets. As I have said in the past, he is an absolute ace, just with some injury history. What about A.J. Burnett? He is an ace, who got payed a lot, even though he has had some injuries. Sheets stayed healthy all year in 2008, and he put up pretty good numbers. He will only cost about $9 million a season on a one year deal with a club option for the second year. The only reason the Mets are reluctant to sign him is because of his injury risk. I have a solution.
The Mets are basically just bidding against the Yankees at this point for Freddy Garcia, who might even come on a minor league contract. Garcia has been terrible in the past few years, mostly because he has missed so much time to injury. But if you recall, he had some great years in Seattle, including a phenominal 2001. He made the All-Star team twice and won the World Series with the White Sox in 2005. He is only 32 and he is a fantastic deal.
Freddy Garcia will be the Cliff Lee of 2009.
If the Mets sign both Sheets and Garcia and the injury bug backs off, the Mets can have one of the top five starting rotations in baseball. Think about it.
1. Johan Santana – arguably the best pitcher in the entire Major League
2. Ben Sheets – he has ace stuff
3. Freddy Garcia – a player who should be in his prime may find his stuff again
4. Mike Pelfrey – an amazing young star who in a few years might be a Cy Young winner
5. John Maine – A solid starter who has started 57 games in the last two years and won 25 of them.
And to top it all off we have Tim Redding in long relief, and Jon Niese and Bobby Parnell in the minors. Don’t forget Brad Holt, one of the system’s fastest growing players.
Mets Are Not Active Enough
Trevor Hoffman signed with the Brewers. The Red Sox inked Rocco Bladelli and John Smoltz (hard to imagine him anywhere else than Atlanta). The Mets are doing nothing. They met with Scott Boras but there are reports that the Mets and Derek Lowe are still far from a deal. I don’t know much about Oliver Perez and his current standing with the Mets but I certainly do not feel that signing him would be a major acquisition, especially because last year proved his infrequency and he is not a solid, proven number 2 starter they need. I have also read that the Mets have made contract offers to Tim Redding and Randy Wolf. I would actually prefer the Mets sign them both than just Oliver Perez. That way, they have 2 veteran pitchers who can both pitch well at the Major League level, and that adds more depth. Right now I can’t see the Mets signing Derek Lowe. The reports are just to negative lately and I don’t think he is going to be willing to lower his price tag as significantly as the Mets would like.
But what the Mets need is a proven veteran starter who is good as either a number 2 or number 3. Derek Lowe is obviously the top priority, but what if they can’t sign him? I think that a lefty would be preferred. Why? If that was the case, the Mets would have 3 lefties in him, Johan Santana, and Jon Niese, and only 2 righties in Mike Pelfrey and John Maine. Because if somebody went down with an injury, it is much, much easier to replace a right handed starter than a left handed starter. I personally like having a rotation with 3 righties and 2 lefties, that way it is nice and balanced. Plus, veteran lefties, while not packing much fastball life, seem to be masters of breaking balls, and injury resistant for the most part of their career, which in this day and age is a major asset.
So why not sign Andy Pettite? He turned down a 1 year $10 million offer from the Yankees because he reportedly wants $16 million. Randy Wolf wants $30 million for 3 years, or so I’ve heard. In my opinion, Pettite is better than Wolf anyway, and assuming the Mets can get him for $14 or 15 million, they might even be able to add in a second year for the same price and Wolf. But if they can only get him a 1 year deal, thats fine too. After all, it helps for this year and gives Jon Niese some time to progress. And don’t forget, we also have Bobby Parnell, and Brad Holt, who is projected as a Mike Pelfrey type pitcher, a fire baller who can be an ace some day.
I also really like the idea of bringing back Tom Glavine for a year or two. He really liked the Mets when he was with us, and now that Smoltz has signed, he doesn’t have to be pressured into retirement so that the trio of them and Greg Maddux can go into the Hall of Fame together. I think the Mets should pursue Glavine, but something tells me he will sign with an American League team so that he can pitch against Smoltz.
And lastly, if the Mets want a lefty reliever, why are they not going after Ken Takahashi? Before the new year, they had some interest in him. But according to this article on NPB Tracker, Takahashi hasn’t seen much of a market for himself.
The Mets Seem Confident
To me, it seems as if the Mets are really trying to make 2009 the year. They were supposed to win it all in 2006, but fell short. We all know how they missed the heavy expectations set last year, and it seems like they are trying to make it all up now. I look back at the Putz trade now, and while I still feel the Mets gave up way too much, I am not as upset about it as I was back then. However, I am still very concerned about the fact that he will be a free agent in 2010, unless the Mets pick up his $8.5 million option, which is pretty high for a set-up man. They better have some plans for the future involving Eddie Kunz if they are okay with that trade, because Joe Smith seemed to be an important, young, developing star in the making.
I have heard that because of the rapid dropping prices of Derek Lowe and Oliver Perez (which has to do with Scott Boras asking for too much initially), the Mets could possibly sign both. Not going to happen, but if these rumors are popping up, then the Mets must feel good in their chances to sign at least one.
And lastly, I’ve heard about some 40 year-old Japanese lefty named Ken Takahashi who used to be a starter, but also has expierence as a closer. I’ve heard the Mets are the frontrunners and he wants to sign by the new year. I say go for it. The Mets have never really gotten any Asian players, and even though this guy is near the end of his career, this offseason belongs to the Mets, and they have to continue to make headlines. Signing this guy will be such a splash with the media, he’ll be some kind of star. Plus he’ll fill the empty role Scott Schoenweis left. And the best part is, since he’s played for more than 10 years, the Mets won’t have to pay a posting fee to the Japanese league.
Sabathia Signs With Yankees
C.C. Sabathia has made the hard decision of choosing between home, or money. He chose to sign with the Yankees, because of the final contract adjustments they made. The deal is for 7 years, $161 million with an opt out option after 2011. This is the new largest pitching contract in history, breaking Johan Santana’s contract signed last year. I think he’ll get hurt somewhere along the line, seven years for somebody who pitches as much as him seems like an invitation to the DL. I think he should’ve gone to California with the Dodgers or Giants, where he really wanted to be. Either way, you’ll be making over a hundred million dollars, which I honestly can’t think of what to do with, and you’ll be pitching for a big market team. I’d love to know what he plans to do with that extra $40-60 million he’s getting.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In response to I Still Love Piazza’s comment:
I see Oliver Perez as signing with the Mets, as I’ve previosuly blogged about here.
Starting Rotation for 2009: 1. Santana 2. Jon Garland 3. Pelfrey 4. Perez 5. Maine
And start blogging again, I miss reading it. :p
First Projection of 2009
I haven’t posted in a while and I just wanted to let everybody know that I will continue to be blogging, so don’t worry. I know the previous post kind of sounds like I’m saying goodbye, but rest assured, I will keep blogging so keep reading and keep commenting! I will always try to comment back at your blog so it is a win-win.
But in the meantime, I feel like blogging but there is no really no Mets news going on, and I think it will be like that a lot this offseason, so I am going to randomly post my projection of the 2009 Mets from a combination of what I think should happen and what I thikn will happen. Let me know how your projections match up!
Starting Rotation:
1. Johan Santana
2. Jon Garland (if I were GM he would be my most targeted starter)
3. John Maine
4. Oliver Perez (as I said earlier there are several reason why the Mets will resign him)
5. Mike Pelfrey
Bullpen:
Closer – Francisco Rodriguez
Set Up – Joe Beimel
Middle Relief – Joe Smith
Aaron Heilman
Duaner Sanchez
Lefty Specialist – Pedro Feliciano
Long Reliever – Brian Stokes
Lineup:
1. SS Jose Reyes
2. 2B Luis Castillo (Give him a second chance, he actually had the highest plate discipline of all players on the Mets)
3. 3B David Wright
4. CF Carlos Beltran
5. 1B Carlos Delgado
6. RF Ryan Church
7. LF Daniel Murphy/Fernando Tatis platoon (but I think they will both get hurt and we will eventually have Nick Evans, Endy Chavez, and Angel Pagan all getting a turn to play there regularly at some point or another)
8. C Brian Schneider/Ramon Castro platoon
9. Pitcher
Bench:
OF Endy Chavez
OF Daniel Murphy/Fernando Tatis
IF Damion Easley
IF Argenis Reyes
C Brian Schneider/Ramon Castro
What do you think?
Why the Mets WILL Resign Oliver Perez
The Mets have to resign Oliver Perez. It is as simple as that. I know he will cost a lot more than last year, but the Mets need to give him that. Here is why. (more…)
mlblogsmetsmainman
Recent Comments