New York Mets
2009 Record: 70-92
4th place in NL East
Key Acquisitions:
C Rod Barajas (free agent from Toronto)
C Henry Blanco (free agent from Padres)
1B Mike Jacobs (minor league free agent from Royals)
OF Jason Bay (free agent from Red Sox)
OF Gary Matthews Jr. (trade from Angels)
UTL Frank Catalanotto (minor league free agent from Brewers)
OF Jason Pridie (waivers)
LHP Jay Marshall (waivers)
LHP Hisanori Takahashi (Japan)
RHP Ryota Igarashi (Japan)
RHP Kelvim Escobar (free agent from Angels)
Key Departures:
C Brian Schneider (signed with Phillies)
1B Carlos Delgado (free agent)
INF Ramon Martinez (free agent)
OF Gary Sheffield (free agent)
OF Jeremy Reed (signed minor league deal with Blue Jays)
RHP Tim Redding (signed minor league deal with Rockies)
RHP J.J. Putz (signed with White Sox)
Rich’s Mets Offseason Review:
The Mets added one of the top three free agents this winter, but the problem is he isn’t a pitcher. Jason Bay is a nice addition, but he doesn’t solve all of the Mets’ problems. They are still lacking a number two starter to pitch behind Johan Santana and have questions marks in the rest of their rotation. After an injury plagued 2009 season where a lot of back-ups and young players saw significant playing time, the Mets needed to concern themselves with adding depth throughout their 40-man roster and farm system. The Mets are going to win more games in 2010 than they did in 2009 as long as they remain healthy. The number of additional wins is the question. The NL East is a tough division and the Mets didn’t do enough to overtake the reigning champion Phillies. The Mets rotation remains a major question mark.
Grade: C+
Rob’s Mets Offseason Review:
Some would say the Mets had a quiet offseason with only one major free agent signing (Jason Bay), however, you would never know it with the media bashing and fan thrashing the front office endured. The Mets unsuccessfully attempted to trade their range-less slap happy second baseman and sign a legitimate starting pitcher. With John Lackey, being the only real difference maker, signing a big deal with the Red Sox, the Mets chose to stick with what they have and ride it into the season. By taking a page out of the Brian Cashman book a la 2008, Omar Minaya passed on the second-tier free agents in order to let his young players get much needed experience. Minaya will likely wait until next offseason to make major aquisitions when names such as Cliff Lee, Josh Beckett, Carlos Pena, and Carl Crawford among others. I commend Minaya for not buckling under the media pressure and sacrificing his farm system. Although somewhat uneventful, the Mets may see this offseason as a blessing in disguise.
Grade: B-
Due to a lack of statistical support, Kowen’s review and grade has been removed.
Key acquisitions and departures via Yahoo! Sports
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You forgot to include Brian Stokes on your key departures list.
Bay had career highs in hrs and rbis last year and his slug/obp went up so whats this guy talking about decling numbers, his average took alil drop big deal.. and as much as i was on omar all offseason about the pitching, but now with beltran missing the first month or so and delgado being gone imagine how not intimidating that lineup would be without bay… a guy that can hit you 30 or so hrs and drive in over 100 runs is a difference maker….ollie,maine pelfrey gotta just step up this year and really prove sometihng… i think the mets should have tried to make a trade for another starter but w.e its over with, and lets be honest piniero wasnt solving our pitching problems, so it was lackey or no one.
“The only key signing was Jason Bay, whose an inferior defensive left fielder”
Bay made 0 errors last year, and with Pagan and later on Beltran to his left, he should be fine
“Not to mention his production at the plate is in the decline”
What?!? Based on what? His career highs in virtually all offensive stats?
And you said the Mets had one of the worst off-seasons in recent memory, but when you gave them a C- which makes do sense.
Kowen, do you actually watch baseball?
Right, Lackey was the only (almost) certain difference making pitcher available. Next year’s pitching free agent class will be deeper. Mets have to dive in there next year. No need to tie up money for 3 years with a Wolf or a Pineiro when they will be a third starter at best.
“Not to mention his production at the plate is in the decline”
Based on what? His career highs in virtually every offensive category?
weak argument against Bay. Made me ignore the entire article. If you are going to do things like this, at least make coherent arguments…
Regarding Robs offseason review…what makes you think that the Mets will even go out and spend money on big name tallent next year? Remember the Wilpons didnt even want Piazza! Santana fell into our lap only because the Twins had to get something for him and there was no other suitors. Bay…no offers for him either. If theres competition the Mets arent usually interested. What makes you think that players would even want to come play for the Mets with how much turmoil and disorganization this franchise consistently showcases? The Mets are in trouble until they do a thorough in house cleaning of the front office. The Wilpons need to step back and let whoever is the GM do what they have to do and stop interfering. Everybody knows Jeff is the GM and Omar is the fall guy for negative reaction. Until front office changes happen it will be yet another in a never ending string of dissapointments when it comes to the Mets.
Thank you for the feedback. We’ll address the matter.
Bay on the decline? Based on what? His OPS+ the last four years – 134, 136, 128, 134.
CHONE projects him to hit .267/34/105 in 2010 – you are just making things up to bash the Mets.
Kowen is a donkey… if you want to have a credible site, make sure your “experts” don’t just say random, incorrect things. Jason Bay is not an inferior defender, he’s just not as good as Beltran or Pagan. As others have proven, he’s coming off his most productive season.
Rob, on the otherhand, nailed it right on the head. Why lock up Wolf and Pineiro for 3 years each when we can go for Beckett or Cliff Lee or Derrek Lee or Carlos Pena. I’m content with the Mets offseason, except for the catching situation. If everybody does their jobs, we’ll have a good season.
Thank you everyone for your feedback and insight. I can’t speak for Kowen, but let’s see what he responds with before we go off on him more. Maybe he can come up with a good explanation for his thoughts on Bay.
Like you guys, I disagree with Kowen’s thoughts on Bay. I think he is going to put up big numbers. My personal reasoning for not giving the Mets a better grade was because I thought they needed Lackey more than Bay. But by saying this, I am not knocking Bay. I’m simply saying that a number 2 started was a bigger need. I expect Bay to have a great year.
Let’s see what Kowen says and if his reasons for denouncing Bay are acceptable because statistics are not in Kowen’s favor.
I am trying to build a credible, unbiased, knowledgable entity and any feedback is greatful. I am very gracious for your comments no matter if negative or positive.
After watching Bay when playing for the Pirates and Sox I can’t imagine what would make him an inferior left fielder. I’m just a little confused. I think the Mets had a bad off season but if there is one move you cannot knock them for its the Jason Bay deal. He’s a left fielder who is being paid to hit and not patrol all three outfield spots. Hell this is the first time in a long time I can remember the Mets not having a platoon in left. Jay Bay is not a god in left but he is good enough to send out there ever game and not worry too much.
I agree. He wasn’t brought in to win a gold glove. He was brought in to add some pop to the lineup.
To get one of the top three free agents of a free agent class is always positive.
Rich your opinion is pretty dead on too.. we have no depth, but on paper, if healthy, our guys should easily win 10, 15 more games.. which, against the NL East, would put us in wild card or division territory (I doubt we’ll be able to wrestle it from Philly.. they’re stacked!)
In terms of Lackey, I believe we could do better. He’s a workhorse, he’s a fighter, and we need that. My only thing is that we could do better, so let’s see if we could win with what we got, if not, then we spend big when there are more premiere players to choose from.
Rich, on a side note, haters are gonna hate, it’s what they (we) do. Commenting on every post is a great personal touch, but you can’t please everybody. My questioning of the site’s credibility was more-so directed towards Kowen’s irresponsible statements. It’s so easy to be cynical, but at the end of the day we’re all Mets fans and we all wanna see our team WIN! Keep up the good work.
Thank you Mike, I appreciate your support. Whatever content that is posted on the site is a testament to me and my goal is unbiased conent backed by statistics. Nobody should just throw anything out there. With that being said, we need to see how Kowen responds and backs up his thoughts. I should have caught it before I posted it and asked him to give reasons to support his beliefs.
The good thing for the Mets is they have a stud left fielder and have one less position they need to address next offseason. Focus elsewhere.
Your absolutely right, haters will hate no matter what. Its ridiculous to keep pouring it on the poor Mets. Not only did they have a bad season in 09 but there incity rivals won the WS over their division rivals. Tough year. Its over now though.
Jason Bay is over 30 years old without the advantage of steroids like many of his predecessors who hit well after they hit 30. The plateau for a hitter is at age 27 and he is way past that. He has injury concerns which scared away the Red Sox. I won’t disagree he put up big numbers LAST YEAR, because he did. Look at the big picture, you put basically 70 million into this guy and everyone just reads the stat line – so he must be worth it. Wrong. His numbers in home runs and rbi’s were a direct correlation to the ballpark he played in and who he had hitting around him. He batted in the 5th and 6th spot for the Red Sox. Now remove him from that scene and put him a pitcher-friendly park and see how his numbers translate. He will easily lose 6-7 home runs and 12-16 rbi’s and his range will be exposed to balls in the gap. His total hits each of the past 4 to 5 seasons have declined. His fielding is adequate, but you said yourself that Pagan and Beltran are better. I’d call that being inferior, he’s probably the worst on the roster. Fenway is a box, easier to throw runners out. Let’s see how many runners he throws out at Citi Field. He is a good player, we all know that, probably top 15 in the OF, but for you to argue against his decline I disagree. I want to hear why you think his production will incline or level…I realize most of you are Met fans and don’t want your team or player getting bashed, but too say I hold no weight in the opposing argument is a little childish. The reason for the low grade wasn’t the Bay signing it was because they didn’t address the needs of the team. They signed one of the best FA’s available yes, but they needed to fill holes in the rotation and a couple positions. The Mets aren’t the Yankees, they shouldn’t go out and buy top guys for the sake of doing it. Free agency should be used to fill holes on your roster. Every key Mets free agent signing over the last few years has built up fan morale and has given the fans a reason to say “this is our year”. But the fact is they disappoint every time..Carlos Beltran, Pedro Martinez, Carlos Delgado, Johan Santana…they sink money into losing efforts time and time again. Now you all can fire away at me, let’s hear it.
Jason Bay is over 30 years old, well past a traditional hitters age plateau (27). He doesn’t have the advantage of steroids like his predecessors. He has injury concerns so much so that the Red Sox were scared off and the Mets were the only team interested in signing him. His career highs LAST YEAR in home runs and rbi’s were in direct correlation to the hitters around him and the ballpark he played in. Fenway is a box, which also hid his limited range in the outfield and led to many of the outfield assists he was privy too. Now that he’s playing in Citi Field his range will be exposed and I guarantee he won’t throw out more than 10 runners. He’s going to be the worst defensive outfielder on the field for the Mets, which makes him inferior. Citi Field will limit his power production by 6-7 home runs and 12-16 rbi’s. Not to mention his total hits have declined in each of the past four seasons. I’m not saying he his a bad player. He’s a good hitter, no doubt. But for what they paid for him and not addressing team needs earns the Mets a bad grade. He is a top 20 outfielder if you play fantasy baseball, but this concerns the actual game of baseball. The Mets ignored the pitching staff and other positional concerns to sign a player that is hitting the latter stages of his prime. This is not the first time the Mets have done this. They get the fans stirred up and moral is great because they go out in the offseason and make moves, but they still disappoint when it matters. Carlos Beltran signed a big money deal and was probably one of the top 5 players in the game at the time. He came to NY and failed miserably his first season. He picked it up the next year for sure, but has been in progressive decline for every season thereafter. Bay’s on a new team, in a new park, in a new BIG city. Situations determine everything in baseball, on and off the field. I hope he does do well, but I just don’t think he will…I expect nothing more than a .260/28/100.
Sorry I thought my first one didn’t go through and I had lost what I wrote so I re-wrote it quick. Ignore one of them..or both..
I should have explained my reasoning better the first time in the article and for that I apologize. I didn’t mean his production at the plate has been in decline, but that he will decline from last years numbers…
Since when has defense been a major concern of any team in MLB when looking for a leftfielder? He’s usually a guy with pop in his bat. To use this as one of your main points in arguing against Jason Bay is to argue against 90% of leftfielders in baseball. It doesn’t hold weight.
I still don’t see the reasoning behind saying Bay’s offense is on the decline. You have said that Fenway is a “box”. That translates to more home runs, true, but fewer hits to the gaps as outfielders have less ground to cover therefore allowing them to turn what might be a long single or double at Citi into a fly ball out. Lower average, fewer hits, more homers. At Citi his homers will likely drop but his average should increase in Citifield.
i didnt even finish reading kowen explantion bc bay hit more hrs away last year then he did at fenway , these injurys were all unaware about even to jason bay himself, must be something only kowen knows.. yeah we all heard the reports about the redsox, bay even said the last time he was hurt was in 04 and since hes played in a 150 games atleast each season soooo im gonna wait and see b4 i buy into him not being healthy. WHose worried about bay coming to the big city, im certianly not, he raked vs the yankees in the tougher game situations for a big demanding city that was actually in a race for the WS, who even says the mets contend? bay def had more pressure in boston last year competing with the yanks, picking up for big papi slackin in the beg, takin over after manny, if anything i see it taking a step back right now the mets arent anything lets be honest, the phillies put us in place, we did nothing last year, and if bay hits 270ish 29 hrs 100 runs and 105 rbis i will be very happy, your bashin the mets paing 66 mill for this guy, when the cards threw out double for a guy who everyone speculates his high numbers due to playing in colorado, i think the mets made a nice deal. and i dont know where you figure after 27 hitters start going down hill bc there are plenty of guys 35+ still putting up legitt numbers.. theres no reasoning behind your facts, how do you know citi field limits him to 6 – 7 hrs n 10 – 12 rbis? did citifield tell you that, how do you know he doesnt strive in citifield and hit gapper after gapper, you dont know, no one does, CHONE calculations none of that knows whats gonna happen whos gonna be pitching, what pitchers gonna miss wat pitch and leave it right where he likes it, just wait and see and let the guy play a year or 2 before u start criticizing him.. if he plays 110 games the next 2 years and hits 20 hrs drivin in 80rbis n starts too look bad in the OF with knee problems then okay yeah it was a bad deal, but until we see that, i dont see how anyone can say jason bay is not a legit bat to have in your lineup, this is ny thats not that much money to us, were not a 50 mill payroll team. he was one of 2 LFers to make 0 errors last year, yeah he make play half his games at fenway but if he was really that bad in the other 80 games it woulda came out n shown he cant play LF, 80 games is alot of time to get alot of oppertunitys to make a mistake. again i just think you have no evidence how hes gonna decline, only jason bay knows if hes gonna decline or not. not some kid named kowen , no offense dude. just saying. let the dude play hes the least of our problems right now. with beltran being out and delgago gone, im glad we have him, our line up would be so easy to pitch around.
“But the fact is they disappoint every time..Carlos Beltran, Pedro Martinez, Carlos Delgado, Johan Santana…they sink money into losing efforts time and time again. Now you all can fire away at me, let’s hear it.”
How in the world can you make that kind of statement? You must have some very unrealistic expectations.
Beltran has been outstanding and any team in baseball would jump at the chance to have him in their lineup. He hasn’t been given nearly the credit he deserves. He was the top free agent in his class and the Mets deserve credit for being able to sign him.
Pedro gave the Mets instant credibility, which has been lacking this year as shown by the number of players, including Lackey, who just didn’t want to play for the Mets.
Delgado broke down physically last year but he was a potent force in the Mets’ lineup during his healthy tenure with them.
Santana might be the best pitcher in baseball but he has been the victim of very poor run support. And he cost the Mets virtually nothing. Give Minya credit for waiting out the competition on that one.
Kowen, the fact of the matter is that Jason Bay is a fine acquisition IMO but, really, no one can predict the future.
Ok, so instead of saying Bay is declining, you’re saying, based on statistics and trends, he’s due for a decline. These are two completely different things. And yes, inferior compared to two people doesn’t make him an inferior fielder. These are also two different things. If you mean one thing, you have to make sure that point comes across, because clearly it didn’t.
Johnny Damon just had a great season at thirty something… so did Jeter, Ibanez, Tejada, Berkman, and Ichiro. You can’t proclaim a player is going to decline based on numbers, especially when he crushed his previous stats THE YEAR BEFORE. And honestly, a slight Jason Bay decline is still better than more than half of the outfielders in the league. Come on, man, if you’re going to state your opinions as if they were facts, at least stick to concrete facts, cause unless you’re Miss Cleo, you don’t know what Bay’s bringing to the table this year… none of us do.
I’m making a bold prediction sure, but I’m not saying Jason Bay was a bad move or that he can’t play left field or that he’s only going to hit 18 home runs and 75 rbi’s. I didn’t say that…I’m saying that he’s not the be all end all for the Mets. They needed more than Bay this offseason and they didn’t address other major concerns (SP, 1B,2B, C). Yes he’s a great addition to any team he goes too, but I don’t believe his numbers will translate as well to Citi Field and we’ll see a decline in his production from his stint with Boston. There was a reason why the Mets were his only suitor this offseason and yes there were reports all offseason of injury concerns, I didn’t just make that up. Get an ESPN Insider account and take the blinders off your eyes. I’m all for sticking up for your team, but to start bashing on me for disagreeing with you is ridiculous.
As for Pedro, Beltran, Johan, etc.. Also great signings at the time, but they have produced 0 world series and 0 pennants, so how much can you really praise them? Win something with the big names you signed then we can give them credibility. Till then celebrate mediocrity.
its a nice blog your trying to get rollin here rich, but i just cant take it to serious right now with that kowen guy posting whatever hes posting as one of your commentors. I just cant read his nonsense.
Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate it.
“Carlos Beltran signed a big money deal and was probably one of the top 5 players in the game at the time. He came to NY and failed miserably his first season. He picked it up the next year for sure, but has been in progressive decline for every season thereafter.”
Beltran has been awesome. His signing is a gold star for the mets organization.
I agree that this was not a great offseason for the mets. Without getting into it, I thought a B to B- is more accurate. But to each his own.
With that, Beltran is the man. Prob the best CF in the past 5 or so years.
The biggest “key departures” would have been Jerry Manuel and Dan Warthen. Manuel doesn’t deserve to the 2nd best managerial job in the worlds #1 market……and Warthen is just a joke.
Biggest Acquisition should have been Bobby Valentine. He would have brought the instant credibility and put fans in the seats. Too bad Minaya/Wilpons didn’t have the stones to bring him in.
As for some of the Beltran bashing going on…..IMO he is the only player on the team that I actually EXPECT to get a clutch hit (2006 game 7 aside) and trust me, he WILL be missed once he departs.
I’d say a B. Really, I didn’t like anyone but Bay and Holiday and I think they chose the right guy. All of the pitchers were mediocre, including Lackey at that obscene price. I hoped that they might get rid of Castillo, but alas, another year of the bad karma loser. Also was very unimpressed with the Mathews deal. Stokes was decent and will be missed.
Thanks to all who appreciated and commented on my Off-season review.
I would have loved for the Mets to sign John Lackey, but with Boston offering 5 years and $80+ million, I do not think Minaya had a chance at him. Lackey’s wife is from the Boston area and he already knows the hitters in the AL. For the Mets to have a chance with Lackey, Minaya would have to offer 5 years and around 90-95 million or 6 years and top $100 million. Minaya was smart not to pony up that kind of dough on a pitcher in his 30s that has had recent arm trouble.
Like I said in my review, Lackey was the only real difference maker. Randy Wolf is a good pitcher but he is coming off a season where he pitched in Dodger’s Stadium and in one of the worst hitting divisions I have ever seen, the 2009 NL West. Wolf’s 2009 numbers certainly warrant his 3 year deal, but his career number do not.
Mets fans were upset at not getting Jason Marquis or Joel Pineiro, but are they really worth 2 years at $8 million per year? From what I saw from Jon Niese last year, albeit a small sample, I believe he can put up similar numbers as what Marquis and Pineiro will put up in 2010 for a fraction of the cost.
Nick W, the Mets have been consistently in the top 4 of total payroll for the past 7 seasons. They may not always spend their money intelligently, but they do spend the money. The Santana “trade” might have fallen into their lap, but they still had to extend his contract and make him one of the highest paid players in baseball.
Regarding Jason Bay, he is not going to wow you in left field, but he is also not going to hurt you. Classifying Jason bay as an inferior defender is a misconception. I would say he is an average defender. He will make the routine plays and from time to time make a great play
continued from previous post…
Jason Bay is a very productive major league hitter, a gamer, and is respected by his teammates. He is a relatively quiet guy who shows up everyday ready to play. He was brought to New York to bring some pop to a lineup that lost their best power hitter, Carlos Delgado, and saw David Wright’s power diminish.
Kowen, 27 is not the age that is associated with a hitter’s plateau; it is considered the age when hitter’s breakout. This is not true for all players, but the prime age for a hitter is from age 27 to 32. Those are his prime years.
Thanks to all who commented. I learned a valuable lesson through this ordeal. This article (not including Rob’s) has been shredded all over the internet (prosportsdaily, themetsblog, here).
Any feedback is welcomed, no matter how bad it may be. It makes the blog better. Thank you and please come back.