The State of The Organization:Starting Pitching

The biggest question going into this offseason was the Mets starting pitching. Omar Minaya is rumored to be intent on acquiring a starting pitcher, either via trade or free agency. So here we review the Mets options from a fan’s point of view, both from within the organization and from outside.Who’s in the rotation?

1. Pedro Martinez: Pedro looked to be fully recovered from his shoulder surgery when he returned to the rotation in September. I would not bank on Pedro being the pitcher from his days in Boston, nor am I expecting 30 starts from him. He will battle hard and give the Mets a chance to win on the days he pitches.
2. Oliver Perez: Ollie is eligible for arbitration, but it is almost a sure thing that he will return to the Mets. Perez continues to struggle with his consistency, but has electric “stuff” when he’s on.
3. John Maine: Faded after the all star break, but still a good young pitcher. Could be included in a deal for an ace, but almost a lock to be in the rotation come spring training.

In the organization, but not necessarily the rotation:

1. Orlando Hernandez: Aging and has battled injury woes the past two seasons. Rumors abound that Hernandez will be moved to the bullpen, but my bet is the Mets will be unable to acquire enough pitching to move Hernandez out of the rotation.
2. Mike Pelfrey: The organization seems to have soured on Pelfrey after he was unable to hold onto his spot in the rotation after being given a chance last spring. Pelfrey was much better when he returned to the rotation after the all star break, but still seems to be on the outside looking in. Voted Most Likely To Be Traded.
3. Philip Humber: Runner up in “Most Likely To Be Traded”, was inconsistent when called up in September. Unlikely to be in the rotation, but could earn a chance if he isn’t traded and has a strong spring.
4. Kevin Mulvey: Stock has been rising steadily after a good season in AA with the B’Mets. If pitching remains in flux, could make an appearance in Shea after the all star break.

Free Agent Targets:

1. Livan Hernandez
2. Freddy Garcia
3. Kyle Loshe
4. Bartolo Colon

Now, lets take a look at this cast of characters. Right now the most talked about course of action would be to sign Livan (I’m El Duque’s Brother!) Hernandez  and have him be the third or fourth man in our rotation. Lemme tell you why this is a bad idea…HE’S LIVAN HERNANDEZ! Last year with Arizona, The Great Cheeseburger finished the season with a 4.95 ERA a WHIP that was over the League Average and a mediocre record of 11-11.

Next you’ve got Freddy Garcia, who only pitched in 11 games last year and cost the Phil’s 10 million bucks for just one measely win. PLUS in the 11 games he did pitch in, he had an ERA over five. No good there either.

Kyle Lohse? Does anyone really care about Kyle Lohse? I mean…I guess I’ll give the stats anyway. 9-12, 4.62 ERA, 1.32 WHIP yadda yadda yadda. Seriously…it’s Kyle Lohse. We’re not getting Kyle Lohse.

 Which leaves only one real top flight pitcher left out of the bunch and let me be the FIRST to say that if we DO NOT GET Johan Santana, we will end up with this guy because Omar loves him, and to be honest I like him a lot too.

Bacon Cheeseburger (or Bartolo Colon, whatever you wanna call him) did not have his best year in 2007 but was also hurt for a great portion of time, he went 6-8 with an ERA over six, but honestly he could really be the steal of the free agent market. The guy eats innings, still has some gas on his fast ball, and is a former Cy Young award winner, also, he always seems to wind up on winning teams. Indians were good, Barto was there, the small time the Expos were good, Barto was there, The Angels win the World Series? Once again, Barto was there. Personally, he might not be the ANSWER, but he certainly wouldn’t hurt.

Trade Targets:

1. Joe Blanton
2. Matt Cain
3. Johan Santana

With the trades of both Haren and Willis elimination them from coming to the Mets, the only options left seem to be an inconsistent Joe Blanton and of course SANTANAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, but nothing is set in stone with either of them. Blanton could be a good pick up for the right price but with an ERA of almost 4 in an absolute EXPANSE of a ball park, I don’t think he’s the answer the Mets are looking for. The only other option that leaves is Matt Cain, and while he would more than likely be a can’t miss number one after developing the next couple of years, we’d have to give up a lot for him as well. The real question is, as is with any trade, are these guys really worth the price it would take to get them?

 Right now I’d have to say the future of our pitching situation looks bleak, and if Omar doesn’t do something quickly it could get completely out of hand.

Check back later here at PIITB for thoughts on the possible 08 lineup and the state of mediocrity that is our bullpen.

Where Now?

Where do the Mets turn now?  Omar Minaya has made it clear that the primary area of need this offseason is the team’s starting pitching.  Unfortunately, Omar has been unable to pull the trigger on any deal, free agent or otherwise, to improve the rotation.  The free agent market has very little to offer.  The Mets may be interested in either Livan Hernandez and Freddy Garcia, but neither would be better than a number 3 starter.  Dan Haren has already been traded to Arizona and there are no indications that the Mets have any chance at acquiring Erik Bedard.  There have been mixed signals as to the Mets ability (or lack thereof) to trade for Johan Santana*.

I have been generally impressed by Omar since he took over as the Mets GM.  Signing Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran gave the Mets instant credibility 3 years ago.  Kris Benson was traded for John Maine and Orlando Hernandez (originally Jorge Julio who was sent to Arizona in the El Duque trade).  Unfortunately, Omar’s hand has gone cold.  Trading away Brian Bannister too early and holding on to Lastings Milledge too long (or not long enough depending on your school of thought) has hurt the Mets dearly.  Omar also traded away Heath Bell and Royce Ring, leaving the Mets bullpen very thin in 2007. 

Omar has been given every chance to succeed with the Mets.  He came to an organization flush with young talent (Wright, Reyes) and a willingness to spend money.  The blame for the Mets stumbles down the stretch in 2007 should be squarely with the players, but Omar is not blameless.  The Mets are worse than they were 1 year ago.  The Mets are now an old team with an ugly history.  The time for Omar to make a deal is now. 

*I have previously written a post as to reasons why the Mets should not acquire Johan Santana.  That post was based on the assumption that Santana would not sign an extension without testing the free agent waters.  That assumptions seems to have been false, so I will update my opinion.  I feel that the Mets should make every reasonable effort to acquire Santana.  What is reasonable? That’s another story for another post.

Running in Place

This title of this post is meant to serve as an assessment of the Mets, as well as an explanation for the recent state of this blog.  We’ll start with the blog, which is probably easier to explain.  The unfortunate lack of new content recently can be attributed to several things.  First and foremost though was the preoccupation of yours truly with law school exams.  The exams are now over, along with the first year of law school, so significantly more time can be spent blogging away about those Amazin’ Mets.  I anticipate  several weeks of uninterrupted new content as the Mets roster begins to take shape.

Speaking of the Mets, progress has been slow recently for Omar.  The Mets still have not acquired a starting pitcher; Dan Haren was traded from the Oakland Athletics to the Arizona Diamondbacks, Erik Bedard seems to be a good bet to start the season in Baltimore, and the Mets chances at Santana seems shaky at best. Some sources cite the Mets refusal to include Reyes as a significant obstacle, while some around the Mets organization remain hopeful that Santana could be in a Mets uniform this season, particularly with the Yankees and Red Sox cooling on the prospect of trading top prospects and paying Johan a hefty sum of money.

Yorvit a Met…

According to multiple sources, the Mets will sign catcher Yorvit Torrealba to a 3 year contract today. Speculation is that Yorvit will form a catching platoon with Ramon “Baby Eater” Castro (more on that later).

The Mets front office has evidently decided that resigning Paul LoDuca would be too costly given his age and recent injury concerns. I don’t necessarily disagree with that assessment. That said, I am not completely behind signing Torrealba.

Yorvit hit only .212 outside of Coors Field last season. Additionally, Torrealba has bounced around with several teams judging him to be unfit for a starting position. I fear that this signing is motivated by the fact that Torrealba is coming off a sold post season with a surprise World Series Team.

Torrealba is reportedly a good defensive catcher and pitch-caller, as well as a fiery competitor and good leader. The Mets were opposed to trading for a Catcher with the other needs, and the free agent market was somewhat thin. Still, I am unconvinced that Yorvit is a good deal in the 13 to 15 million dollar range.

A Post of Things To Come…I hope

Well here we are, the first in what I can only hope will be many posts. This blog is dedicated to the those lovable, darling, New York Mets.

So, lets start with my very own introduction. My name is Chris Boyce, and I’ve been a Mets fan for as long as I can humanly remember. Whether it be the glory years that of Straw, and Doctor K, or the less than stellar some of time that followed including such names as Bobby Bonilla, Jeff Kent, and my personal favorite Mo Vaughn. Now that’s not to say that there weren’t a few diamonds in the rough throughout my tiny chunk of history, guys like Melvin Mora, Edgardo Alfonzo, hell David Cone probably didn’t even get the credit he deserved. That is neither here nor there now though, as we have come upon what can only be considered the Wright/Reyes era, and hopefully over the coming months, and maybe even years, we here Put It In The Books, will become part of the Mets World.

This isn’t going to be your typical sports blog with nothing but boring stats and rehashed articles. We’re serious about our team, and hopefully you are too, so let us know what you think. What you like, and what you despise, we’re all ears.

The Offseason is upon us folks, and hopefully we here at this lovely little slice of the internet will be able to bring you the mirth and merriment you so rightfully deserve.

Until Next Time…

-Boyce