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A Possible Solution: Rocco Baldelli

Rocco Baldelli has long been considered one of the good guys in baseball. Truly a gifted talent, Baldelli has all the tools to become a fantastic player but injuries have limited his production almost every season. Doctors has orginially diagnosed him with a mitochondrial disease that could be fatal. It caused him to be a constant injury risk. However, doctors have just claimed that he has been misdiagnosed. He doesn't have a mitochondrial disease, but instead channelopathy, a highly treatable disease. This is good news for Rocco.

Before I get started, I still think signing him to play left field for the Mets is a huge risk. But it is intriguing to say the least. If his disease is treatable, and his injuries are mostly the result of his untreated illness, then there is reason to believe that he could be healthy if he gets constant help from his medical staff.

While it is risky, if he could be had for a reasonable amount of money, then I don't see why the Mets shouldn't look into him. Omar Minaya recently said that he would rather focus on speed and defense before big time power, ala Manny Ramirez. Baldelli could be that speed and defensive player that the Mets are looking to acquire.

Realistically, I do not see this happening by any means. It's just a great baseball story and I'm glad Rocco will have a real opportunity to play a full season.

Look For Mets To Re-Sign Oliver Perez

I have been on the fence for a while concerning whether to keep Oliver Perez or not. On one hand, the guy can pitch like an ace. On the other, he can fall apart at any moment. It's like they have been playing with house money. Should the Mets leave the roulette table right now, or try and see if they can keep the hot hand?

The Phillies just signed Raul Ibanez to a three-year, $30 million contract. This gives them three good to great hitting lefties in Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and the aforementioned Ibanez. Not that this signifies the sole reason why the Mets should seriously consider re-signing Perez, but it does provide more comfort in knowing that he would be able to dominate another Philly lefty.

So other than that, why should the Mets really re-sign Oliver Perez. Let me explain.

1. Other teams are scared of his "inconsistency". This will drive down his offers both in terms of amount of teams looking at him as well as dollars and years. The Mets should be able to get him for three years with an option. That is an attractive contract length.

2. Okay, so I threw quotations around the word inconsistency. What do I mean by that? In 2007, Perez pitched to a 3.56 ERA, striking out almost a batter an inning. It was a real improvement over the years before that. But, there were stretches when he would pitch like an ace, and then other times when he pitched like a AAA starter. Overall, he was good, though.

Then he entered his contract year, 2008. Could it be that he applied an enormous amount of added pressure upon himself? Maybe yes, but nobody knows. Instead, I think it may be that while he succeeded under Rick Peterson, he felt caged. He didn't feel normal, really. Once the midnight massacre happened and Peterson and Willie Randolph were axed, Dan Warthen took over as pitching coach. He let Oliver be himself, while maintaing important mechanics, such as keeping his arm slot consistent. He showed his creativity on the mound, throwing pitches that made Ron Darling and Keith Hernandez say, "Here we go again." However, Perez went on to pitch to a 3.77 ERA under Warthen, while again striking out almost a batter an inning.

3. He is a "big game pitcher". Perez is famous for coming up huge when it matters most. He pitched a great Game 7 in the 2006 NLCS (also, thanks to one awesome catch by now Mariner Endy Chavez) and has some really memorable games against formidable foes in recent past. Last year alone, he had a 0.35 ERA in 26 innings against Philadelphia, a 3.72 ERA in 19.1 innings against Atlanta, and a 1.84 ERA in 14.2 innings against the Yankees. Those were really his toughest opponents all year. Florida has a good lineup as well, and he pitched to a 2.23 ERA in 36.1 innings against them.

I still don't know whether the Mets should sign Perez. I'd rather have Derek Lowe, that's for sure. But assuming the Mets aren't willing to dig that deep for Lowe or Ben Sheets, then I think the Mets are really going to have to consider bringing back Perez, especially if it is for three years, $39M with an option that brings the contract to about 4y/$52M. Lowe is looking to make considerably more than that. While it may be playing with fire, Omar and Co. will certainly have to take a long look at Oliver Perez.

J.J. Putz Joins K-Rod to Solidify Mets Bullpen

Omar Minaya has worked his magic once again during the Winter Meetings. Within 48 hours, the Mets transformed their bullpen from a point of weakness into a huge strength. On Tuesday NY signed Francisco Rodriguez to a 3-year, $37 million contract. While the contract was being finalized on Wednesday, Minaya was working on a deal that would bring lock down reliever J.J. Putz from Seattle to Queens.

Obviously this is not a news blog; however I will quickly go over the details of the transactions. By signing K-Rod, the Mets will forfeit their 2009 first-round amateur draft pick to Anaheim, who will also receive an additional supplemental pick, not from the Mets. K-Rod's contract is an attractive one for the Mets. Thanks to Cot's Contracts, we can take an in-depth look into the details.

2009: $8.5M
2010: $11.5M
2011: $11.5M
If the following conditions are met, then the option for a fourth year is automatically triggered. Frankie needs to finish 55 games in 2011, a combined 100 games finished in 2010-2011, and doctors must declare him healthy after 2011.
2012 Option: $17.5M ($3.5M buyout if the option is not guaranteed)

By back loading the contract, the Mets have some payroll flexibility with Putz coming on board. Therefore, they still have the means to go after more free agents.

The Mets landed J.J. Putz in a three team trade with Seattle and Cleveland. Basically, the Mets gave up Aaron Heilman (Big A as I like to call him), "Mighty" Joe Smith (the jaguar hunter), Endy Chavez, minor leaguers Mike Carp, Jason Vargas, Maikel Cleto, and Ezequiel Carrera. In return, they received J.J. Putz, Sean Green, and Jeremy Reed. Sean Green is a similar pitcher to Joe Smith, but 5 years older. Jeremy Reed is a former top prospect who is basically a fourth or fifth outfielder now, like Chavez. The Mets have an $8.6M club option on Putz in 2010, with a $1M buyout.

Okay, let's move on from the news and details of the transactions. The two deals instantly give the Mets one of the strongest late-inning combos in all of baseball. I had hoped the Mets would get J.J. Putz to close out the ninth earlier in the off season, so I certainly did not expect they were thinking about him for the eighth. He was injured for much of 2008, but once he was healthy later in the season, he was dominant. In August and September, he pitched to a 2.54 ERA. It seems in August he had some control problems, as evidenced by his 9 walks in 13.3 innings. However, he still missed many bats, with 14 strikeouts. In September he really picked it up with 13 strikeouts in 8 innings while walking only 2. He immediately becomes possibly the best setup man in all of baseball.

Francisco Rodriguez was a signing I expected on one hand, but on the other hand he wasn't my first choice (Putz was). However, I never imagined the Mets landing them both. K-Rod has some control issues, with a BB/9 ratio of almost 4. However, his K/9 rates are near 11, and along with Putz, the Mets have a nasty duo of punch out kings.

Aaron Heilman got his wish - he will most likely get his shot to start in Seattle.

I will miss Joe Smith; one time at a game, my brothers and I cheered for Smitty to enter (this was early 2007), and a guy and girl turned around and asked why we went so wild for him. We said that Joe is going to be a great reliever. Turns out those two people were his friends in college. Anyway, Smith is a great right-handed specialist and will not be missed as much as I initially thought. Sean Green is a similar pitcher to Smith, and I imagine Jerry Manuel will use him in the same way - solely against righties for the most part.

Endy Chavez made "The Catch", but remember: the Mets lost that series because of one big reason: a bullpen that ultimately failed. Guillermo Mota was shaky, Billy Wagner mistook So Taguchi for Albert Pujols, and Aaron Heilman felt bad for Yadier Molina so he served him a meatball. The last two seasons Endy hasn't been much of a significant ballplayer for this team. He is a fantastic defensive player, there is no doubt about that. However, his hitting is nothing to be proud of. Endy will be missed but Reed and Angel Pagan are right there to provide depth.

Mike Carp is a minor leaguer who has been leap frogged in the organization by more athletic players like Daniel Murphy and Nick Evans. Carp had a good year in AA, but his power numbers are very short of spectacular for a first base prospect. And he might as well leave his glove at home as his defense is atrocious. He could definitely be a better DH option than Jose Vidro, however.

Losing Jason Vargas is nothing to be sad about. The guy isn't anything special. I'm not going to lose sleep over him, and you shouldn't either.

To be honest, I do not know that much about Maikel Cleto except that he throws really hard and is 19.

From what I understand, Ezequiel Carrera is a speedster who can't hit too well. It seems he won't amount to much besides an extra outfielder. Sounds like Endy Chavez.

Overall, these are fantastic moves made by Omar Minaya. The late innings used to be ones I could barely stomach, but in a matter of hours, they are now probably ones I will look forward to the most.

There are still many moves to be made by the front office. Holes remain in the rotation with only Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey, and John Maine returning. Jon Niese looks to be the 5th starter, but the Mets need another good arm in the mix.

Ideally I would like to get another right-handed bat for the lineup. People may disagree with my next two thoughts, but Manny Ramirez is an attractive option. If it means taking on Pedro for another year at a reasonable rate, then I'd do that to get Manny. I don't think Raul Ibanez would be a good fit here. They need another righty to balance out the lineup.

So, Omar has cleared one gigantic hurdle, and the next one figures to be a starter for the rotation, then less importantly, a right-handed bat.

Mets Close in on K-Rod

Well, it looks like Frankie Rodriguez has his pen in his hand looking for the contract laid out by Omar Minaya. If he signs for the reported 3 years and $36 million, I believe that would be a great deal. It is one far cry from the 5-year $75 million he was looking to get back in August or so. He would immediately give the Mets a power closer who can easily fill the void left by Billy Wagner.

I don't like counting my chickens before they hatch, but the next step would be to find a valuable 8th inning man. Kerry Wood could be that guy. Judging by how cheap Frankie's contract would be in respect to what he wanted, Wood's contract expectations would similarly depreciate. Could a 2-year, $15 million contract get it done? I know a lot of fans would be saying that is way too much to be spending on the 8th inning set up man, but the 9th inning save is the most overrated stat in baseball, and the 8th inning is very valuable. Securing the last six outs would have given the Mets two playoff berths the last two years. Sit on that.

Honestly, I would like the Mets to walk away from these Winter Meetings with more than one pitcher. I'd like to get Frankie Rodriguez on the relative cheap, and a solid pitcher for the 8th inning as well. I honestly believe Kerry Wood could be that person, if the Mets are willing to spend.

Who Said That?

Metsblog recently reported that the Mets are interested in Nick Punto. Sound familiar? It is, because I suggested it back on November 4th. Here (scroll down) I wrote that he is the type of player the Mets should be looking at because of his versatility and overall approach to the game. Maybe Omar is a faithful Mets City subscriber!!

It's been slow out there, but I think with the Winter Meetings coming up, the hot stove will soon heat up again.

The most intriguing story in my opinion is the closer situation. Francisco Rodriguez and Brian Fuentes would both command a lot of money, and would cost draft picks as well. However, Kerry Wood would be available for a shorter contract and the Mets would not surrender any picks. He is definitely worth a long look.

It's Slow Out There for a Blog

The hot stove has been rather frigid lately, with not much action going on surrounding the Mets. They are looking to fill a hole at closer and set-up man primarily. Can they bring in Huston Street and Francisco Rodriguez? They might be able to do it, but it would cost them some prospects and draft picks, not to mention money. Street would be a good set-up man for this team, with a solid surrounding cast. But, what will he cost? The word on Metsblog is that it would cost Heilman and Feliciano, but that seems a little too much. Those two could certainly bounce back and have solid years, as relievers tend to have very hit or miss seasons. Heilman and a mid-level position prospect would be ideal. I would welcome a Street for Heilman and Mike Carp or Nick Evans, but would the Rockies?

Have a Happy Thanksgiving. I will try to update more, but work has been very busy. If only this could be my real job!