Kevin Millar is hitting .249/.333/.421 for the Orioles, as opposed to Carlos Delgado's .246/.324/.411 line. The Mets could decide not to pursue Millar simply because he's not a clear improvement. None of the available first basemen are.
Nonetheless, MetsBlog picked up some interesting chatter from a Jon Heyman radio appearance. Apparently Millar has his detractors within the Mets organization, perhaps because he crossed the picket line in '94.
Yeah, why would the Mets have any interest in a stand-up guy who brings some excitement to the ballpark every night? He doesn't have to play every night, can still hit the ball out of the ballpark and is great with the media and his teammates.
That sounds like the complete opposite of what the Mets need right now. Oh, wait...
Ahahaha are you frigging kidding me? The Mets should trade for Millar because he's a stand-up guy? I'd love to hear about this EXCITEMENT he brings to the ballpark EVERY NIGHT. He sure as hell isn't doing it with his bat.
He isn't an improvement over Delgado. Omar shouldn't even consider it.
When did this rumor start? As an O's fan, I'm unfamiliar with trade talk regarding Millar. I'm not so sure I like it. Millar's value is almost entirely tied to the 'intangibles' that Papelboner is referring to. Those don't translate to market value, however, and would have little to no impact on the quality of prospects we might get in return. When you take into account the Mets' dearth of legit prospects, it just seems like a bad idea. Keep him around and let him teach the young kids coming up how to play like a professional without losing that childlike love of the game that first drew them to baseball. He's a good role model for the next wave and, on top of it, could perhaps be a Type B free agent and earn us a supplemental first rounder when he leaves. Granted, that's by no means a sure thing, but even the CHANCE is worth more than a AAAA OFer and a middle relief prospect or whatever crap the Mets would likely offer.
Really? You don't think a great clubhouse guy like Millar would help? Isn't that exactly what they're missing? He would take pressure off the Latin players from the media and he'd bring great energy every night (excitement was the wrong word choice). He's known as one of the best clubhouse guys in the game and he played a big part in the Red Sox first World Series in 86 years. He could platoon with Delgado if they kept them both.
Oh, and here are some stats:
.245/324/410 with 8 hr, 30 rbi, 30 runs
or
.249/333/420 with 11 hr, 33 rbi, 35 runs
Now I know neither of these are that appetizing, but which would you rather have? I'm going with option #2, who happens to be Millar over option #1 Delgado. And Millar is doing that in a far weaker lineup (fewer rbi, run opportunities).
Millar also makes $3.8M this year while Delgado is on the hook for $16M.
"Yeah, why would the Mets have any interest in a stand-up guy who brings some excitement to the ballpark every night?"
Delgado is a stand up guy himself who's activism and charity work is one hell of an example for the younger guys. As for excitement, this is not the Red Sox Millar we are talking about.
As for some of the Mets taking issue with his being a replacement player years ago, I really don't see the issue at this point. He was a non-prospect Northern League guy forced to play, one who had 3 ABs before reporting back to minor league camp. I think the other players understand that.
I can see both sides. I completely agree with Papelboner. The idea that Millar is doing it in a weaker lineup makes it more impressive. Plus, he's on quite the upswing, so his current performance has been better than his overall numbers.
However, I think that the type of enthusiasm he brings is much better suited to the O's and their younger guys. The Mets seem like a team of smug, semi-selfish veterans who probably don't care one way or the other how much fun Millar would be to have around.
“.245/324/410 with 8 hr, 30 rbi, 30 runs
or
.249/333/420 with 11 hr, 33 rbi, 35 runs
Now I know neither of these are that appetizing, but which would you rather have?”
…Uhh, does it not come down to a question of “is an extra 3 HR, 3 RBI and 5 Runs worth eating 16M for Delgado, and taking on atleast a portion of 3M-ish of Millar…” The answer to that is “F* no”… If Millar could play in the OF, maybe it would make some sence ~ otherwise, there is no point unless the team is just deadest on throwing money out the window…
Useles is too kind a word to describe Delgado. He should be released. I wouldn't mind Millar since he's another guy who could talk to the media (which would make 3 guys on the Mets who do).
I'd rather see them trade for Kendry Morales but when do the Angels trade their young guys?
Why would you upgrade to a guy who brings relatively simular numbers to the man who's giving your a reason to upgrade in the first place?
If I'm the Mets, I'm looking for an available hitter who is flexible enough to play first, even if it's not their primary position. There aren't many worthy 1st basemen available.
Would it be plausable to obtain Garrett Atkins and play him at 1st?
"Delgado is hitting .355/.429/.548 with 5 R and 5 RBI since June 1st ~ yet you want to release him NOW? Ok man…"
HOLY SH%T 10 days worth of production!! KEEP THAT MAN! Julio Lugo can produce 10 days in a row and he should've been aborted. Can't believe you said that, your usually better than that.
Millar isn't an ideal man for a platoon as he hasn't hit lefties better than righties throughout his career but there is no reason he wouldn't be a good 1st/lf/bench bat.
He has been unlucky this year with a .250 babip, he still works pitchers seeing 4 pitches a pa which he has done or bettered consistently throughout his career. and as stated is basically beloved by team mates and media. I think that is completely f'ng irrelevant when building a team I'll take 9 Barry Bonds any day of the week but some people seem to think its a big deal.
“HOLY SH%T 10 days worth of production!! KEEP THAT MAN! Julio Lugo can produce 10 days in a row and he should've been aborted. Can't believe you said that, your usually better than that.”
…uhhh… no man, its just a matter of waiting to release a guy when he is actually on fire ~ and esp to replace him with Guy-B who has produced nearly identical numbers to this point on the season… It’s a 16-19 Million dollar decision, and said decision to cut him is going to be made when Delgado is destroying the ball for a guy who hits like Delgado? Might as well hang a “I’m a moron” sign around your neck, ya know…
There is the platoon potential to consider. I don't have their lefty/righty stats before me to know if there are true platoon advantages in a Delgado/Millar platoon, but they are a lefty and a righty. Platoon advantage plus added rest plus injury insurance might make a Mets trade worth it. We'd all hate to see Millar leave Baltimore, though, so it might be hard to work out a deal that both sides deem fair.
“I was unaware the follow up to getting Millar was cutting Delgado. I'm in the use both camp.”
…uhh, that’s what I was replying to ~ Icedrakes post of “Useles is too kind a word to describe Delgado. He should be released”.
…But yeah, I mean that quote was sentence one of the two sentence post you quoted me on ~ I can see where you can get so confused… What happen, you have a “guru” moment or something?
Anyway, Millar and Delgado are both limited to 1B and you cant carry a DH in the NL. Pointless target, an OF who can cover 1st is needed much more...
I'm not a fan of releasing any player (regardless of their talent) unless (1) said player is a club room cancer or (2) the roster spot could be better served with a different player.
In this case, Delgado is hardly a cancer. I don't care for his politics but from most accounts he is well liked as a teammate. Second, to open a roster spot for a player that is putting up identical numbers doesn't make sense. I am also unaware of any hot young prospect beating down the the doors.
The Mets should just hold on Delgado. If they can find someone better than maybe you explore releasing him. Otherwise, ride out the season with him. Don't eat $16m unless you absolutely have to.
I'm not a fan of releasing any player (regardless of their talent) unless (1) said player is a club room cancer or (2) the roster spot could be better served with a different player.
In this case, Delgado is hardly a cancer. I don't care for his politics but from most accounts he is well liked as a teammate. Second, to open a roster spot for a player that is putting up identical numbers doesn't make sense. I am also unaware of any hot young prospect beating down the the doors.
The Mets should just hold on Delgado. If they can find someone better than maybe you explore releasing him. Otherwise, ride out the season with him. Don't eat $16m unless you absolutely have to.
I'm pretty happy keeping Millar on the team all season. I think he prefers to starting then to sitting on a 'winning' team.
Also he is hitting .282 6 HR 13 RBI over his last 23 games. .314 3 HR 8 RBI over last 9. So he seems to have gotten into a good groove. and will save room for Teixeira.
((("Delgado is hitting .355/.429/.548 with 5 R and 5 RBI since June 1st ~ yet you want to release him NOW? Ok man…"))) - me
“Even a broken clock is right two times a day.
His production won't last.” – icedrake
…Uhh, that broken clock probably has a better track record than you are providing us though…
07 on April 30th ~ .188/.262/.260
07 after May 1st ~ .274/.348/.489
08 on April 30th ~ .198/.297/.323
08 since May 1st ~ .281/.345/.477
…I see a trend…
But hey, whatever ~ youre probably right with the whole nothing tangible there is to back up your feelings…
“Kevin Millar plays LF and 1B He can be Marlon Anderson's replacement. LF/1st/bench bat. The O's can't be looking for much”
…Can he really? Well, if that’s the case then maybe it wouldn’t be that bad horrible of an idea ~ but still as a last resort move after a Bay/Nady/Giles/etc type was attempted…
Getting millar would be far from the ideal solution, I just thought that his intangibles (great teammate, good with media, etc) would be a welcome addition to a team that is sorely lacking in those areas. I know Millar isn't great and it doesn't make sense to cut a guy making $16M for a guy making $4M and get the same production. However, like I said before they could platoon the two if they didn't cut Delgado (not saying the should, but it's been rumored as a possibility). I also don't think Delgado is a bad clubhouse guy, he even apologized to Wagner after that whole situation went down, I just thought a guy with Millar's character would be a welcome addition to a team lacking energy, accountability and fun.
I could care less if the Mets go after him, I just thought it was ridiculous the Mets wouldnt be interested in him based on the fact that he was a replacement player wayyy back in the day. I'm sure Baltimore has no problem hanging on to him and help with the young guys.
Just a thought of coarse, but if the Jays fall out of the race and decide to "sell". What about Overbay or Stairs for the Mets. Matt Stairs can still play 1st and has been hitting pretty well. I'm sure he wouldn't take much to get either.
The more I think about Overbay I think next year might be his last as a Jay. Lind, Snider, Cooper all coming all who are LF, 1st, and DH types.
ANYWAYS,moving Millar? Who would take over 1st base for O's? I'm a fan of Millar and agree he's an average player but now this season he means alot to the O's with the younger players.I heard all this crap about the O's losing a 100+ games and i know the season is far from over.Unless the O's get a decent prospect for a Millar or Huff, I wouldn't move them. I'd rather see some pitching moved Bradford,Walker, ect.
"Getting millar would be far from the ideal solution, I just thought that his intangibles (great teammate, good with media, etc) would be a welcome addition to a team that is sorely lacking in those areas."
The Mets are 4th in the NL East. You know what makes media relations, and club house chemistry better? Being in 1st f'ng place, winning baseball games. This club house chemistry garbage really has to stop. I can't wait for the day that some World Series MVP takes the podium and says you know why we won this? Because we are good ball players, and I really hated my team mates all year. It doesn't matter if Manny Ramirez buys a steak dinner for Johnathan Papelbon the fact that they kick ass at baseball matters. They can want to shiv each other after the game. It doesn't matter.
Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent would probably stab each other in the larynx if they could get away with it, they got to game 7 of a world series. Do you think the Angels really won because David f'ng Eckstein is so gritty than Darin Erstad and Garret Anderson want to suck him off after a game?
"I know Millar isn't great and it doesn't make sense to cut a guy making $16M for a guy making $4M and get the same production. However, like I said before they could platoon the two if they didn't cut Delgado (not saying the should, but it's been rumored as a possibility)."
Kevin Millar is talented, and you do want him on your team. Just not when the countermove is cutting a 16 million dollar Carlos Delgado. He is however the perfect replacement for Marlon Anderson.
Kevin Millar is a bad platoon partner for Delgado as Delgado would supposively be subbed for against LH which Millar over his career has not hit better against than RH.
The Mets right now are a go for it 138 million dollar 4th place team. Picking up Kevin Millar if it costs little in the way of prospects to Baltimore, is a smart move.
Baltimore can't possibly be asking for anything of value, they are a dead last should be fighting with Seattle for 1st pick in the '09 draft team. They should be happy to save 1.5 million and get a single A roster filler.
Bleh. Anything the Mets do is pretty much a bandaid. They have more holes in this lineup then swiss cheese. To me, the Alou experiment has to be done. The guy is easily their best hitter, but he plays like 4 games at a time and then gets hurt. The problem now is where do they turn for LF help? Chris freakin Aguila? Maybe Bay or Nady could be in the works. Who knows. I have been hearing a lot of talk the last 2 days about shopping Reyes because the Mets (according to the local media), need a blockbuster shocker to shake things up (brilliant). To me, I dont trade Reyes. For one, he is putting up numbers similar to his 06 season. For some reason people seem to be under the stupid impression that he has had a sub-par year. Jose Reyes has been phenominal since late april. The errors are an abberation. A couple were BS errors (maybe he should pull a Cabrera and call the press box), and a couple were more a result of Delgado's bad defense then Reyes' bad defense. Either way, he is a good defender. On a list of things that is worrisome about the Mets, Jose Reyes' defense is number 47 on my personal list. Yes, I have a list, it goes 1-65. There was some talk thrown around about a Reyes/ Sizemore swap possibility because of both teams slow starts and both teams looking to seriously shake things up. This would be interesting, but seems like more talk then anything else. To me, if you want to shock the system, trade the pretty boy David Wright, because in my opinion, he is much more replacable then Reyes is. There are maybe 1 or 2 guys who can do what Reyes can in the top of the order, and it is easier to find a .300/30/100 guy then it is to find a sparkplug like Reyes. Besides, you could probably get a crazy haul for David Wright. Just for fun, anybody think the Rays would do Price/Longoria for Wright?
I would not trade any big parts yet, as I think most of this teams ineffectiveness is due to not being 100 percent and having such a small amount of depth in AAA and AA for this team. They have lost 5 in a row before tonight, but they have gotten good pitching for a while, and the fact is they just dont have a good offense without Church and Alou in the corner OF spots. If they can find a legit LF, and get Church healthy, and David Wright starts playing like the MVP canidate he usually is, they should be okay. Philly is a great team, but they have been on fire and are bound to cool down, and I still do not trust their starting pitching over the longhaul. They do have a spectacular bullpen and offense though, which is the same way the Mets got it done in 2006. If Ryan Church can come back and play well, and they get any type of consistent production from LF then they should be okay, because they will have a chance to win everynight with their pitching staff. And quietly, Mike Pelfrey has put together a string of very nice starts recently. If the Mets are still struggling like this a couple weeks from now, say July 1, then maybe we come back to this, but this is the time when I would expect them to heat up, as Beltran and Wright are due to really catch fire, and Santana doesnt really start his season until June 1st. Pedro has been very good outside of the 2 1st innings he has pitched. And with Pedro, like with Alou, it is not a question of quality, its a question of quantity. With either of those guys, you know that you will get production from them while healthy, that is not the issue, it is the amount of time thse 2 spend unhealthy, and that is the key to the rest of 2008 for the Mets. The healthy of Alou and Pedro, and the production of Delgado. Delgado has to hit well enough to atleast make pitchers respect him. Atleast hit the mistakes hard, if nothing else. Millar could be nice, if only to take some AB away from Carlos against tough LHP and get some AB in LF for Alou. He is not any type of answer for this team though. Barry Bonds on the other hand? He could be an answer.
I hadn't heard any whispers of the Mets possibly shopping Reyes and I can't see how they would do that without the fans rioting outside of Shea. He got off to an annoyingly slow start, but has been playing great baseball for a while now. With that being said, if they want to put him on the block, I volunteer a bounty of Red Sox prospects for him. What do you think the Mets would need to get in order to give up Jose (and I know it's not going to happen, relax. I'm just wondering).
I don't see the Rays doing a Price/Longoria swap for Wright, esp with that contract Longoria signed.
As great as David Wright is, Evan Longoria will likely be just as great. Price may soon be the best pitcher in baseball. So, no, the Rays would be stupid to do that deal.
What's got your goat? I've never seen you so quick to disparage. Anyway, Millar CAN play LF (as another poster noted before me), so that's irrelevant. What's more important is...why would the O's make such a trade? What would be in it for them? It's not like the Mets have a whole lot of talent in their farm system and what they have, they're unlikely to use on a stopgap solution like Millar- not exactly the splash they need to make people forget their record. Scrub prospects might make sense, value-wise, but how does that help the O's? We're left without a 1B and for what?
I'm not even sure where this rumor came from, but it's much ado about nothing.
Not buying the crossing the picket line talk regarding Millar, the Mets have employed several of these players during their history (Benny Agbayani, Rick Reed, and Shane Spencer).
The reason the Mets wouldn't be interested in Millar is because he's not an upgrade over Delgado. Maybe intangibles wise, but he needs more then that in his favor for the Mets to consider giving up anything significant for, plus adding on another 3 million in payroll.
Xavier Nady is still the most appealing option for the Mets because he can play both 1B/OF, unfortunately he'll likely cost too much to acquire.
Yeah, I never thought that the two teams would realistically make a deal here, I just thought the Mets would be crazy to 1. Not consider a guy because he crossed the picket line so long ago (and have since employed others who have done the same- as venom pointed out) 2. Not consider him from a clubhouse/team chemistry point of view. Seems to me they need a little life in the clubhouse and someone who is always willing to speak to the media.
Papelboner, all the talk I have heard about Reyes being shopped is not about him being shopped for prospects. I have heard several ideas thrown around, but all involved pretty big names heading back and forth. Again, this is just some of the ideas I heard thrown around, not presenting them as my own. Reyes to TB for Crawford plus prospect. Reyes to Cle for Sizemore with both teams struggling and possibly other guys moving back and forth to even the deal out one way or the other. I am not for moving Reyes, but if they insist on making a big trade I would rather see Wright go before Beltran or Reyes. They are both more important players then Wright is, and both would be much harder to replace. Plus, Wright has become too pull happy in the last year and a half and although is hitting for more power, he has not been the all fields hitter he came up as. I would prefer not to move any of these guys, but to me I just always feel that people that root for the Mets think that Wright is the best player on the team when in reality Beltran is better and Reyes is more important and a better all around player, but the thought process around here seems to be Reyes is stupid and inconsistent and Beltran is lazy and he doesnt really care, and that David Wright is the do no wrong Golden Boy of NY, when really he is just as inconsistent as the other 2 at the plate and he doesnt have nearly the defensive abilities or speed of Reyes or Beltran, although he is a very good baserunner. I love all 3 of these guys, but I just feel like if the Mets think they have to make a huge jolting move (which I disagree with from the start)then they would be best served moving Wright and still being in a position to compete.
“Dark- What's got your goat? I've never seen you so quick to disparage.”
…Wasn’t meant as an attack on you, sorry if it came off as such. The “F* no” thing was in quotes as if its what we would expect to hear from a GM if asked that question, thought it would be clear enough but might not have been...
Yeah, why would the Mets have any interest in a stand-up guy who brings some excitement to the ballpark every night? He doesn't have to play every night, can still hit the ball out of the ballpark and is great with the media and his teammates.
That sounds like the complete opposite of what the Mets need right now. Oh, wait...
Posted by: Papelboner | June 11, 2008 at 02:57 PM
Ahahaha are you frigging kidding me? The Mets should trade for Millar because he's a stand-up guy? I'd love to hear about this EXCITEMENT he brings to the ballpark EVERY NIGHT. He sure as hell isn't doing it with his bat.
He isn't an improvement over Delgado. Omar shouldn't even consider it.
Posted by: stellar | June 11, 2008 at 03:02 PM
When did this rumor start? As an O's fan, I'm unfamiliar with trade talk regarding Millar. I'm not so sure I like it. Millar's value is almost entirely tied to the 'intangibles' that Papelboner is referring to. Those don't translate to market value, however, and would have little to no impact on the quality of prospects we might get in return. When you take into account the Mets' dearth of legit prospects, it just seems like a bad idea. Keep him around and let him teach the young kids coming up how to play like a professional without losing that childlike love of the game that first drew them to baseball. He's a good role model for the next wave and, on top of it, could perhaps be a Type B free agent and earn us a supplemental first rounder when he leaves. Granted, that's by no means a sure thing, but even the CHANCE is worth more than a AAAA OFer and a middle relief prospect or whatever crap the Mets would likely offer.
Posted by: milehigh78 | June 11, 2008 at 03:10 PM
Really? You don't think a great clubhouse guy like Millar would help? Isn't that exactly what they're missing? He would take pressure off the Latin players from the media and he'd bring great energy every night (excitement was the wrong word choice). He's known as one of the best clubhouse guys in the game and he played a big part in the Red Sox first World Series in 86 years. He could platoon with Delgado if they kept them both.
Oh, and here are some stats:
.245/324/410 with 8 hr, 30 rbi, 30 runs
or
.249/333/420 with 11 hr, 33 rbi, 35 runs
Now I know neither of these are that appetizing, but which would you rather have? I'm going with option #2, who happens to be Millar over option #1 Delgado. And Millar is doing that in a far weaker lineup (fewer rbi, run opportunities).
Millar also makes $3.8M this year while Delgado is on the hook for $16M.
Posted by: Papelboner | June 11, 2008 at 03:25 PM
"Yeah, why would the Mets have any interest in a stand-up guy who brings some excitement to the ballpark every night?"
Delgado is a stand up guy himself who's activism and charity work is one hell of an example for the younger guys. As for excitement, this is not the Red Sox Millar we are talking about.
As for some of the Mets taking issue with his being a replacement player years ago, I really don't see the issue at this point. He was a non-prospect Northern League guy forced to play, one who had 3 ABs before reporting back to minor league camp. I think the other players understand that.
Posted by: AA | June 11, 2008 at 03:26 PM
I can see both sides. I completely agree with Papelboner. The idea that Millar is doing it in a weaker lineup makes it more impressive. Plus, he's on quite the upswing, so his current performance has been better than his overall numbers.
However, I think that the type of enthusiasm he brings is much better suited to the O's and their younger guys. The Mets seem like a team of smug, semi-selfish veterans who probably don't care one way or the other how much fun Millar would be to have around.
Posted by: Kevin | June 11, 2008 at 03:29 PM
“.245/324/410 with 8 hr, 30 rbi, 30 runs
or
.249/333/420 with 11 hr, 33 rbi, 35 runs
Now I know neither of these are that appetizing, but which would you rather have?”
…Uhh, does it not come down to a question of “is an extra 3 HR, 3 RBI and 5 Runs worth eating 16M for Delgado, and taking on atleast a portion of 3M-ish of Millar…” The answer to that is “F* no”… If Millar could play in the OF, maybe it would make some sence ~ otherwise, there is no point unless the team is just deadest on throwing money out the window…
Posted by: darkstar1661 | June 11, 2008 at 03:41 PM
Useles is too kind a word to describe Delgado. He should be released. I wouldn't mind Millar since he's another guy who could talk to the media (which would make 3 guys on the Mets who do).
I'd rather see them trade for Kendry Morales but when do the Angels trade their young guys?
Posted by: icedrake523 | June 11, 2008 at 03:42 PM
Why would you upgrade to a guy who brings relatively simular numbers to the man who's giving your a reason to upgrade in the first place?
If I'm the Mets, I'm looking for an available hitter who is flexible enough to play first, even if it's not their primary position. There aren't many worthy 1st basemen available.
Would it be plausable to obtain Garrett Atkins and play him at 1st?
Posted by: desmond | June 11, 2008 at 04:05 PM
“Useles is too kind a word to describe Delgado. He should be released”
Delgado is hitting .355/.429/.548 with 5 R and 5 RBI since June 1st ~ yet you want to release him NOW? Ok man…
Posted by: darkstar1661 | June 11, 2008 at 04:05 PM
"And Millar is doing that in a far weaker lineup (fewer rbi, run opportunities)."
Is it really a weaker lineup? On paper, sure, but the O's have been playing quite well and have guys like Markakis, Mora, Huff, Roberts, etc.
"Delgado is hitting .355/.429/.548 with 5 R and 5 RBI since June 1st ~ yet you want to release him NOW? Ok man…"
Not to mention the following:
Last 7 days: .429 .455 .667
Last 14 days: .372 .449 .512
Last 28 days: .273 .343 .455
Posted by: AA | June 11, 2008 at 04:23 PM
"Delgado is hitting .355/.429/.548 with 5 R and 5 RBI since June 1st ~ yet you want to release him NOW? Ok man…"
HOLY SH%T 10 days worth of production!! KEEP THAT MAN! Julio Lugo can produce 10 days in a row and he should've been aborted. Can't believe you said that, your usually better than that.
Millar isn't an ideal man for a platoon as he hasn't hit lefties better than righties throughout his career but there is no reason he wouldn't be a good 1st/lf/bench bat.
He has been unlucky this year with a .250 babip, he still works pitchers seeing 4 pitches a pa which he has done or bettered consistently throughout his career. and as stated is basically beloved by team mates and media. I think that is completely f'ng irrelevant when building a team I'll take 9 Barry Bonds any day of the week but some people seem to think its a big deal.
Posted by: ArodSucksAtLife | June 11, 2008 at 04:37 PM
“HOLY SH%T 10 days worth of production!! KEEP THAT MAN! Julio Lugo can produce 10 days in a row and he should've been aborted. Can't believe you said that, your usually better than that.”
…uhhh… no man, its just a matter of waiting to release a guy when he is actually on fire ~ and esp to replace him with Guy-B who has produced nearly identical numbers to this point on the season… It’s a 16-19 Million dollar decision, and said decision to cut him is going to be made when Delgado is destroying the ball for a guy who hits like Delgado? Might as well hang a “I’m a moron” sign around your neck, ya know…
Posted by: darkstar1661 | June 11, 2008 at 04:47 PM
I was unaware the follow up to getting Millar was cutting Delgado. I'm in the use both camp.
Posted by: ArodSucksAtLife | June 11, 2008 at 05:11 PM
Getting Millar only makes sense if you platoon him with Delgado...
BTW, Does anyone know if Brian Giles has a NTC?
Posted by: Hyro | June 11, 2008 at 05:19 PM
There is the platoon potential to consider. I don't have their lefty/righty stats before me to know if there are true platoon advantages in a Delgado/Millar platoon, but they are a lefty and a righty. Platoon advantage plus added rest plus injury insurance might make a Mets trade worth it. We'd all hate to see Millar leave Baltimore, though, so it might be hard to work out a deal that both sides deem fair.
Posted by: Playwright | June 11, 2008 at 05:22 PM
“I was unaware the follow up to getting Millar was cutting Delgado. I'm in the use both camp.”
…uhh, that’s what I was replying to ~ Icedrakes post of “Useles is too kind a word to describe Delgado. He should be released”.
…But yeah, I mean that quote was sentence one of the two sentence post you quoted me on ~ I can see where you can get so confused… What happen, you have a “guru” moment or something?
Anyway, Millar and Delgado are both limited to 1B and you cant carry a DH in the NL. Pointless target, an OF who can cover 1st is needed much more...
Posted by: darkstar1661 | June 11, 2008 at 05:30 PM
This seems to be a silly argument.
I'm not a fan of releasing any player (regardless of their talent) unless (1) said player is a club room cancer or (2) the roster spot could be better served with a different player.
In this case, Delgado is hardly a cancer. I don't care for his politics but from most accounts he is well liked as a teammate. Second, to open a roster spot for a player that is putting up identical numbers doesn't make sense. I am also unaware of any hot young prospect beating down the the doors.
The Mets should just hold on Delgado. If they can find someone better than maybe you explore releasing him. Otherwise, ride out the season with him. Don't eat $16m unless you absolutely have to.
Posted by: bjsguess | June 11, 2008 at 05:32 PM
This seems to be a silly argument.
I'm not a fan of releasing any player (regardless of their talent) unless (1) said player is a club room cancer or (2) the roster spot could be better served with a different player.
In this case, Delgado is hardly a cancer. I don't care for his politics but from most accounts he is well liked as a teammate. Second, to open a roster spot for a player that is putting up identical numbers doesn't make sense. I am also unaware of any hot young prospect beating down the the doors.
The Mets should just hold on Delgado. If they can find someone better than maybe you explore releasing him. Otherwise, ride out the season with him. Don't eat $16m unless you absolutely have to.
Posted by: bjsguess | June 11, 2008 at 05:34 PM
"Delgado is hitting .355/.429/.548 with 5 R and 5 RBI since June 1st ~ yet you want to release him NOW? Ok man…"
Even a broken clock is right two times a day.
His production won't last.
Posted by: icedrake523 | June 11, 2008 at 05:55 PM
I'm pretty happy keeping Millar on the team all season. I think he prefers to starting then to sitting on a 'winning' team.
Also he is hitting .282 6 HR 13 RBI over his last 23 games. .314 3 HR 8 RBI over last 9. So he seems to have gotten into a good groove. and will save room for Teixeira.
Posted by: XD23 | June 11, 2008 at 05:56 PM
Yeah well I focused on the SSS, everyone makes mistakes and whatnot.
"Pointless target, an OF who can cover 1st is needed much more..."
Kevin Millar plays LF and 1B He can be Marlon Anderson's replacement. LF/1st/bench bat.
The O's can't be looking for much.
Posted by: ArodSucksAtLife | June 11, 2008 at 05:57 PM
((("Delgado is hitting .355/.429/.548 with 5 R and 5 RBI since June 1st ~ yet you want to release him NOW? Ok man…"))) - me
“Even a broken clock is right two times a day.
His production won't last.” – icedrake
…Uhh, that broken clock probably has a better track record than you are providing us though…
07 on April 30th ~ .188/.262/.260
07 after May 1st ~ .274/.348/.489
08 on April 30th ~ .198/.297/.323
08 since May 1st ~ .281/.345/.477
…I see a trend…
But hey, whatever ~ youre probably right with the whole nothing tangible there is to back up your feelings…
“Kevin Millar plays LF and 1B He can be Marlon Anderson's replacement. LF/1st/bench bat. The O's can't be looking for much”
…Can he really? Well, if that’s the case then maybe it wouldn’t be that bad horrible of an idea ~ but still as a last resort move after a Bay/Nady/Giles/etc type was attempted…
Posted by: darkstar1661 | June 11, 2008 at 06:23 PM
Well I dunno. The O's do have a better record then the Mets.
Posted by: XD23 | June 11, 2008 at 06:25 PM
Getting millar would be far from the ideal solution, I just thought that his intangibles (great teammate, good with media, etc) would be a welcome addition to a team that is sorely lacking in those areas. I know Millar isn't great and it doesn't make sense to cut a guy making $16M for a guy making $4M and get the same production. However, like I said before they could platoon the two if they didn't cut Delgado (not saying the should, but it's been rumored as a possibility). I also don't think Delgado is a bad clubhouse guy, he even apologized to Wagner after that whole situation went down, I just thought a guy with Millar's character would be a welcome addition to a team lacking energy, accountability and fun.
I could care less if the Mets go after him, I just thought it was ridiculous the Mets wouldnt be interested in him based on the fact that he was a replacement player wayyy back in the day. I'm sure Baltimore has no problem hanging on to him and help with the young guys.
Posted by: Papelboner | June 11, 2008 at 08:55 PM
Just a thought of coarse, but if the Jays fall out of the race and decide to "sell". What about Overbay or Stairs for the Mets. Matt Stairs can still play 1st and has been hitting pretty well. I'm sure he wouldn't take much to get either.
The more I think about Overbay I think next year might be his last as a Jay. Lind, Snider, Cooper all coming all who are LF, 1st, and DH types.
Posted by: Dev0 | June 11, 2008 at 10:26 PM
ANYWAYS,moving Millar? Who would take over 1st base for O's? I'm a fan of Millar and agree he's an average player but now this season he means alot to the O's with the younger players.I heard all this crap about the O's losing a 100+ games and i know the season is far from over.Unless the O's get a decent prospect for a Millar or Huff, I wouldn't move them. I'd rather see some pitching moved Bradford,Walker, ect.
Posted by: OUTL@W]EC[ | June 11, 2008 at 10:55 PM
"Getting millar would be far from the ideal solution, I just thought that his intangibles (great teammate, good with media, etc) would be a welcome addition to a team that is sorely lacking in those areas."
The Mets are 4th in the NL East. You know what makes media relations, and club house chemistry better? Being in 1st f'ng place, winning baseball games. This club house chemistry garbage really has to stop. I can't wait for the day that some World Series MVP takes the podium and says you know why we won this? Because we are good ball players, and I really hated my team mates all year. It doesn't matter if Manny Ramirez buys a steak dinner for Johnathan Papelbon the fact that they kick ass at baseball matters. They can want to shiv each other after the game. It doesn't matter.
Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent would probably stab each other in the larynx if they could get away with it, they got to game 7 of a world series. Do you think the Angels really won because David f'ng Eckstein is so gritty than Darin Erstad and Garret Anderson want to suck him off after a game?
"I know Millar isn't great and it doesn't make sense to cut a guy making $16M for a guy making $4M and get the same production. However, like I said before they could platoon the two if they didn't cut Delgado (not saying the should, but it's been rumored as a possibility)."
Kevin Millar is talented, and you do want him on your team. Just not when the countermove is cutting a 16 million dollar Carlos Delgado. He is however the perfect replacement for Marlon Anderson.
Kevin Millar is a bad platoon partner for Delgado as Delgado would supposively be subbed for against LH which Millar over his career has not hit better against than RH.
The Mets right now are a go for it 138 million dollar 4th place team. Picking up Kevin Millar if it costs little in the way of prospects to Baltimore, is a smart move.
Baltimore can't possibly be asking for anything of value, they are a dead last should be fighting with Seattle for 1st pick in the '09 draft team. They should be happy to save 1.5 million and get a single A roster filler.
Posted by: ArodSucksAtLife | June 11, 2008 at 11:43 PM
Bleh. Anything the Mets do is pretty much a bandaid. They have more holes in this lineup then swiss cheese. To me, the Alou experiment has to be done. The guy is easily their best hitter, but he plays like 4 games at a time and then gets hurt. The problem now is where do they turn for LF help? Chris freakin Aguila? Maybe Bay or Nady could be in the works. Who knows. I have been hearing a lot of talk the last 2 days about shopping Reyes because the Mets (according to the local media), need a blockbuster shocker to shake things up (brilliant). To me, I dont trade Reyes. For one, he is putting up numbers similar to his 06 season. For some reason people seem to be under the stupid impression that he has had a sub-par year. Jose Reyes has been phenominal since late april. The errors are an abberation. A couple were BS errors (maybe he should pull a Cabrera and call the press box), and a couple were more a result of Delgado's bad defense then Reyes' bad defense. Either way, he is a good defender. On a list of things that is worrisome about the Mets, Jose Reyes' defense is number 47 on my personal list. Yes, I have a list, it goes 1-65. There was some talk thrown around about a Reyes/ Sizemore swap possibility because of both teams slow starts and both teams looking to seriously shake things up. This would be interesting, but seems like more talk then anything else. To me, if you want to shock the system, trade the pretty boy David Wright, because in my opinion, he is much more replacable then Reyes is. There are maybe 1 or 2 guys who can do what Reyes can in the top of the order, and it is easier to find a .300/30/100 guy then it is to find a sparkplug like Reyes. Besides, you could probably get a crazy haul for David Wright. Just for fun, anybody think the Rays would do Price/Longoria for Wright?
I would not trade any big parts yet, as I think most of this teams ineffectiveness is due to not being 100 percent and having such a small amount of depth in AAA and AA for this team. They have lost 5 in a row before tonight, but they have gotten good pitching for a while, and the fact is they just dont have a good offense without Church and Alou in the corner OF spots. If they can find a legit LF, and get Church healthy, and David Wright starts playing like the MVP canidate he usually is, they should be okay. Philly is a great team, but they have been on fire and are bound to cool down, and I still do not trust their starting pitching over the longhaul. They do have a spectacular bullpen and offense though, which is the same way the Mets got it done in 2006. If Ryan Church can come back and play well, and they get any type of consistent production from LF then they should be okay, because they will have a chance to win everynight with their pitching staff. And quietly, Mike Pelfrey has put together a string of very nice starts recently. If the Mets are still struggling like this a couple weeks from now, say July 1, then maybe we come back to this, but this is the time when I would expect them to heat up, as Beltran and Wright are due to really catch fire, and Santana doesnt really start his season until June 1st. Pedro has been very good outside of the 2 1st innings he has pitched. And with Pedro, like with Alou, it is not a question of quality, its a question of quantity. With either of those guys, you know that you will get production from them while healthy, that is not the issue, it is the amount of time thse 2 spend unhealthy, and that is the key to the rest of 2008 for the Mets. The healthy of Alou and Pedro, and the production of Delgado. Delgado has to hit well enough to atleast make pitchers respect him. Atleast hit the mistakes hard, if nothing else. Millar could be nice, if only to take some AB away from Carlos against tough LHP and get some AB in LF for Alou. He is not any type of answer for this team though. Barry Bonds on the other hand? He could be an answer.
Posted by: nrmax88 | June 12, 2008 at 12:23 AM
I hadn't heard any whispers of the Mets possibly shopping Reyes and I can't see how they would do that without the fans rioting outside of Shea. He got off to an annoyingly slow start, but has been playing great baseball for a while now. With that being said, if they want to put him on the block, I volunteer a bounty of Red Sox prospects for him. What do you think the Mets would need to get in order to give up Jose (and I know it's not going to happen, relax. I'm just wondering).
I don't see the Rays doing a Price/Longoria swap for Wright, esp with that contract Longoria signed.
Posted by: Papelboner | June 12, 2008 at 08:31 AM
As great as David Wright is, Evan Longoria will likely be just as great. Price may soon be the best pitcher in baseball. So, no, the Rays would be stupid to do that deal.
Posted by: Playwright | June 12, 2008 at 09:31 AM
Dark-
What's got your goat? I've never seen you so quick to disparage. Anyway, Millar CAN play LF (as another poster noted before me), so that's irrelevant. What's more important is...why would the O's make such a trade? What would be in it for them? It's not like the Mets have a whole lot of talent in their farm system and what they have, they're unlikely to use on a stopgap solution like Millar- not exactly the splash they need to make people forget their record. Scrub prospects might make sense, value-wise, but how does that help the O's? We're left without a 1B and for what?
I'm not even sure where this rumor came from, but it's much ado about nothing.
Posted by: milehigh78 | June 12, 2008 at 11:18 AM
Not buying the crossing the picket line talk regarding Millar, the Mets have employed several of these players during their history (Benny Agbayani, Rick Reed, and Shane Spencer).
The reason the Mets wouldn't be interested in Millar is because he's not an upgrade over Delgado. Maybe intangibles wise, but he needs more then that in his favor for the Mets to consider giving up anything significant for, plus adding on another 3 million in payroll.
Xavier Nady is still the most appealing option for the Mets because he can play both 1B/OF, unfortunately he'll likely cost too much to acquire.
Posted by: AdropOFvenom | June 12, 2008 at 12:08 PM
Yeah, I never thought that the two teams would realistically make a deal here, I just thought the Mets would be crazy to 1. Not consider a guy because he crossed the picket line so long ago (and have since employed others who have done the same- as venom pointed out) 2. Not consider him from a clubhouse/team chemistry point of view. Seems to me they need a little life in the clubhouse and someone who is always willing to speak to the media.
But yeah, I agree it's much ado about nothing.
Posted by: Papelboner | June 12, 2008 at 01:58 PM
Papelboner, all the talk I have heard about Reyes being shopped is not about him being shopped for prospects. I have heard several ideas thrown around, but all involved pretty big names heading back and forth. Again, this is just some of the ideas I heard thrown around, not presenting them as my own. Reyes to TB for Crawford plus prospect. Reyes to Cle for Sizemore with both teams struggling and possibly other guys moving back and forth to even the deal out one way or the other. I am not for moving Reyes, but if they insist on making a big trade I would rather see Wright go before Beltran or Reyes. They are both more important players then Wright is, and both would be much harder to replace. Plus, Wright has become too pull happy in the last year and a half and although is hitting for more power, he has not been the all fields hitter he came up as. I would prefer not to move any of these guys, but to me I just always feel that people that root for the Mets think that Wright is the best player on the team when in reality Beltran is better and Reyes is more important and a better all around player, but the thought process around here seems to be Reyes is stupid and inconsistent and Beltran is lazy and he doesnt really care, and that David Wright is the do no wrong Golden Boy of NY, when really he is just as inconsistent as the other 2 at the plate and he doesnt have nearly the defensive abilities or speed of Reyes or Beltran, although he is a very good baserunner. I love all 3 of these guys, but I just feel like if the Mets think they have to make a huge jolting move (which I disagree with from the start)then they would be best served moving Wright and still being in a position to compete.
Posted by: nrmax88 | June 12, 2008 at 02:57 PM
“Dark- What's got your goat? I've never seen you so quick to disparage.”
…Wasn’t meant as an attack on you, sorry if it came off as such. The “F* no” thing was in quotes as if its what we would expect to hear from a GM if asked that question, thought it would be clear enough but might not have been...
Posted by: darkstar1661 | June 12, 2008 at 03:34 PM