Mets Focus On Raul Ibanez

Colonel,
Exactly. According to most metrics Ibanez gives back every run with his defense that he creates with his offense.

Regardless of Raul's value, however, the M's want the equivalent of two high draft picks because that is what they will get when he turns down arbitration at the end of the year. If he accepts he makes sense for the M's as a DH.

csiems,

nrmax is right. It drives me crazy when people assert that a productive hitter who's a below-average defender costs his team more runs than he creates.

Over his career as an OF, Ibanez has slightly fewer than 2 chances per game. And he's successfully fielded 98.5 percent of them.

He gets 4 to 5 plate appearances a game.

To "give up" as many runs as he produces, he'd have to butcher every ball hit his way. He doesn't. So get a grip, man, and join reality.

Evidently you guys don't watch too many Mariner games (completely understandable). While Raul is no gold glover, he doesn't run around with his glove dangling off his foot blindfolded.
He is a little below avg to be sure, but to insinuate that he costs his team as many runs as he produces is completely idiotic.
I love how the media, and east coast fans completely overvalue Mets/Yankees/Red Sox players and prospects, but any other teams players....who those East Coast teams are trying to secure, are crap........if they are crap why do you want them so bad? Just because the chronically stupid Pirates bend over every time another GM calls about a deal doesn't mean every team has to.
also, while Raul will be a Type A Free Agent, don't automatically assume the M's will get those two picks, I wouldn't be surprised to see him accept arbitration....which is fine by me, Raul would be an OK DH.
As to Washburn, go find another LHP....as much as I'd like to see him gone, I think he hold a little more value than is being portrayed, or teams wouldn't be pursuing him....

Failure to understand the value of defense has put the M's in the position they are currently. Last year, according to any accurate metric we have available to measure defense, Raul's glove cost the M's 20-30 runs relative to the average left fielder and his bat earned the team about 30. Everything we know about baseball suggests age has reduced his fielding ability even further in 2008.

Subjectively guessing about Raul's defense is no substitute for evaluating the concrete results of his play. I cannot believe fielding percentage has even been referenced in this discussion.

Raul would be incredibly valuable as a DH. One could make the argument that he could succeed for at least a few more years at first base. As an outfielder, however, he is toast. He accelerates incredibly slowly and runs terrible routes.

I am sure he is a terrific human being who loves the game. As far as improving a team, however, the Mets (and the Mariners for that matter) would be better off with a AAAA bat who plays league average defense.

The Mets would be able to take Ibanez out when they have a lead and put Chavez in who plays phenomenal defense. Beltran also covers enough ground to get some of those in the gap hits.

Know ID yuh, Raul is a near lock to become a Type A free agent according to the Elias rankings at the end of this year. If he rejects an offer of arbitration by the Mariners in order to sign with another team, the Mariners will be given two high draft picks. If the signing team finishes in the top half of the standings it will be a 16-30 first round pick. Otherwise it will be a 1-15 second round pick. In addition they will receive a supplemental pick between the first and second rounds. In this instance I know exactly what I am talking about.

That the Mariners have allowed one of the worst defensive players in the game to play in the outfield is one of several reasons they have the third worst record in MLB despite a top ten payroll.

Just because a national league team is interested in Raul's services does not prove he is a decent fielder. They may see him purely as a bench hitter, or someone who can spell Delgado at first base. Perhaps they believe he can be obtained for salary relief and a low level prospect, so he is worth investigating. You and I have no way of knowing.