Offseason Outlook: New York Mets

"Well first thing I would try and do would be trade for JJ Putz. A package of something like Carp, Evans, and maybe Kunz could get a deal like that done."

I'm sorry but an elite closer like J.J. Putz would cost more than Carp, Evans and Kunz. All of those guys are fringe prospects that at best will be solid contributors. If the Mariners decide to deal Putz, they'll be looking for quality young players that the team can legitimately build around, not the kind of guys you listed. What about Fernando Martinez for Putz?

And you simply can't compare Beltran to guys like Burrell. Burrell gets on base and has 30-35 HR power, and that's about it. Beltran gets on base, has 40 HR power, plays elite defense in center and steals bases. Carlos Beltran is a very special player, as nrmax said there are really only 3-4 comparable players to him in this league right now. Pat Burrell is far from the only good OBP, power hitting outfielder who offers nothing else.

Probably not more so Reyes than Wright but only if you can sign Rafael Furcal to take over for him. It is highly unlikely though. The dodgers makes sense for Reyes but what would they give up for him?

Most likely this would never happen.

I think we would want more.
This is a top 2 SS in the game on a team friendly contract it would have to be headlined by a starting pitcher (Billingsley or Kershaw)or Kemp plus McDonald and bullpen arm and we could take on a bad contract player (Jones, Pierre).

For the Mets to get equal value the Dodgers would have to give up a ton so it would never happen.

"I think the Mets would entertain the idea if it began with Bronxton, Elbert, and Hu. I'm not saying that is enough, but it seems like the right idea if the Mets would entertain the idea."

Honestly I think that a Reyes to the Dodgers deal would start with one of Matt Kemp, Chad Billingsley and Clayton Kershaw. The Mets would be giving up an elite young player, and would require one in return.

I could something like Reyes for Kemp, Hu and Wade. New York would probably push for a package of Kemp, Broxton, and one of Chin Lung Hu and Ivan DeJesus Jr. I just don't think the Dodgers would be so excited to do that.

Who the hell are you asking that?

Have you ever actually SEEN a guy eat his own head?

PhillsWSChamps

"i love the mets fans trying to get to where the Phils are. Enjoy the view from down there!!! Until you get players with heart like Victorino, Utley, Rollins etc you will NEVER win the division much less anything else. $pend all the money you want, it won't help!!

Oh and i especially enjoy all the fans making all these wild trades and signings. Its honestly very comical, thanks!"

This post is a great example of why Philly fans and people from Philly get a reputation for being assholes.

What does this post have to do with the Mets inmproving their team? We are talking about the Mets and you have to come on here and rant about the Phillies. Your team is up 3-1 in the NLCS and your wasting your time talking about the Mets? Are you kidding me? Worry about your team cause in the off season when you you dont make the playoffs you have to talk about trades that make your team better. But lets look at your post and pretend its meaningful for a moment.

"I love the Mets fans trying to get to where the Phillies are"

Where are you exactly? Did you win the WS yet? Nope. If you win the WS then ok but if you dont I think the Mets would rather try to get where Boston and Tampa are before Philly. Wouldnt you?

Also you realize if the Mets win the division next season then the division count is 2 for the Mets and 2 for the Phills since the Braves run ended right? Thats hardly domination on the Phillies part.

"You will never win the division much less anything else"

Already did that in 06 with the same core of guys. So that point is idiotic and we can throw that out. We went to game 7 of the NLCS as well. Hey we lost but we did accomplish something.

"Spend all the money you want, it won't help"

Umm yeah it will. Brining in a big time bat or another big time pitcher wouldnt help? How stupid do you sound right now.

Are you trying to say the Phills dont spend money? Howard, Hamels, Utley, Victorino, and Rollins dont come cheap and if they are now they wont be for much longer. I've heard Phills are also interested in Manny and or C.C. So.......maybe they dont spend as much as the Mets but there not exactly holding back the cash.

metsfan99-

THANK YOU! I was trying to figure out how to best respond to that phillies jackass..and you've done it perfectly. By the Way, I am actually a die hard mets fan since I was born...living in the Philly area, and your statement about them being assholes is right on. They are just pathetic and angry since they haven't won a major sport championship in 25 years. And the Phillies alone have won 1 world series in 125 years of existence. That is truely poor. Don't forget they are the losingest franchise in the history of the game. The fans are just angry pricks and blowing up their current accomplishments before they even happen. It takes all of my energy every day to not flip out on some of the ignorant Philly fans I live around. whatever happens happens now...I personally think and have always thought an American league team will win. And at this point I would love to see the Rays do it!
Lastly, Whoever made a post about Victorino having a higher OPS than Beltran is just flat out stupid...HE DIDN'T! Victorino - .799 OPS Beltran - .876 OPS..comparing them is stupid. Victorino isn't close to the player Beltran is yet. And to say he didnt play with heart this September? What do you have to base that on? What I loved with him was after the ninth inning grand slam against the Marlins and the game winning RBI against the Cubs he said that he actually sat there in the box and thought about his at bat against Wainwright in the 06 NLCS and thought to himself I don't want to come up short for my team again like that. That is heart and courage to actually think on past failures to succeed in the present.

Also, has anyone given any thought about signing some oldies but goodies to the staff. I was thinking maybe sign Randy Johnson and asking him to convert to a closer. Or even sign Maddux as a 5th starter. Sure he only throws 50mph (lol) but he knows how to pitch. What about that starter turned closer in Kerry Wood. He looks as if getting back to his dominant old self. There are also guys by the name of Jamie Moyer, Curt Shilling, Mike Mussina, Brad Penny (if the option isnt picked up), as well as Ben Sheets. These are PROVEN winners and can probably be had for a decent price tag. And before everyone starts putting down my post saying things like "they are all 40 or injury prone" remember i am talking about a 5th starter or potential closer transition here. Not someone to follow behind Santana in the rotation...

First of all, you can't just have Vlad. He is a player on the Angels. I would also like to have Jon Lester and Grady Sizemore, but they play for other teams. Vlad is not a free agent. Randy Johnson is interesting, but as a starter. No way I let him close. But he proved that he can;t cope with the NY media. I think he lands in Houston. Next. Maddux... I wouldn't mind it, but I doubt he pitches here. He will stay out west or retire. Kerry Wood isn't leaving Chicago. Jamie Moyer is going nowhere. Curt Schilling is shot, he is hurt and at best will be back mid way through next season, at best. Mike Mussina is going to be a Yankee or retire. I wouldn't mind having him on a one year deal though. Brad Penny is terrible. He is fat, out of shape, injury prone, wears down in the second half, no thank you. Sheets is always interesting, but he is also injury prone, but could be worth the risk for the right money. Since you're talking about oldies, John Smoltz?

Say the Angels can't retain Teixeira would the Mets send them Delgado for a package centered around Arredondo (picturing him as closer option). They could then move Murphy to 1st base and sign Manny to replace Delgado's bat. It would also probably require the Angels to resign KRod to move Arredondo.

For all those that are asking for Aaron Heilman to be a #5 starter, you actually trust this guy in New York at this point? I honestly think he is way too fragile to pitch anymore in New York, let alone start games and go multiple innings. He needs a fresh start elsewhere - I couldn't help but notice that everytime he took the mound at Shea in the last 4 months of the season he looked petrified. I think he could be effective elsewhere, and I think having him as a starter was a plausible idea as late as last year's spring training, but at this point he has to go.

I still say that Santana-Pelfrey-Maine-FA (Perez, Lowe, or otherwise)-Niese is the way to go - give Niese a shot to pitch as a #5 starter, but give him the opportunity to fail by signing a backup plan such as Odalis Perez.

And as for Manny Ramirez or Vladimir Guerrero, guys like this are better suited to play in the American League. Granted these guys are great hitters, but there is a reason why they are DH-ing most of the time these days, or at least Manny was in Boston when Ortiz was injured. Any NL team signing Manny to a contract has to know that he'll be patrolling the team's outfield at 39. That's a scary thought. This is coming from someone that wouldn't hate on Manny coming to the Mets, but it is a thought.

Delgado to the Mariners makes no sense. They would be looking for propsects for Putz...because a team like the Cards or Indians would give them something that they value more than that in their sleep.

This is in response to several posts, but

If the Angels resign Teixeira, I'm betting Vlad gets his option turned down and becomes a FA. I don't see Moreno raising payroll that much, and if they let Garland walk, they have to add a starter (and I don't see someone in the minors ready to start). If Vlad's option is declined, I could possibly see him a Met. Although, if you're the Mets and want to sign an aging OF, I'd put all my chips in Manny Ramirez over Vlad. Better hitter.

If the Angels retain K-Rod and lose Teixeira (I'm guessing at the end, it boils down to Angels or Mets), I could see the Delgado-for-Arredondo + prospect type trade going down.

I also agree with Dunc that more then likely somebody else would pay more for Putz, but just value for value, it doesn't seem awful. Once again, I agree with Melonis, though I am surprised to hear that you think Vlad's option may be declined. You know more about that division then I, I just figured he was a given to be picked up. Agreed, however, that the Mets would be better off throwing their money at Manny before Vlad. He is just a better hitter.

"2. "For all those that are asking for Aaron Heilman to be a #5 starter, you actually trust this guy in New York at this point? I honestly think he is way too fragile to pitch anymore in New York, let alone start games and go multiple innings"

Yes. And, if he can't, why not actually FIND OUT and cut him if he can't. "

Seriously. Do people not realize a guy like Aaron Heilman is the kind of guy Omar loves to pickup from another team? John Maine? Oliver Perez? Hello? If we didn't give second chances, neither of those guys would be in the Mets organization. They have both helped a good amount since 2007 (mid 06 for Maine). Matty, you say you have no doubt that Heilman will thrive elsewhere, yet you want to just dump him before even finding out if he can do it here? What kind of gameplan is that? What is the harm in letting Heilman try to win a starters job? See what he does in 10 starts? Where is the downside? If he stinks, we are right back where we are now. The upside is, he provides a cheap, solid, back end of the rotation innings eater. Isn't that upside alone better then just dumping him for anybody who will have him? If he can give you a 4.50/1.30 over 190 innings, isn't that better then moving him for nothing and signing Jon Garland? Who will give you that exact same production for 12 million dollars?

doesnt beltran have a no trade clause?

I agree with dealing delgado and keeping Murphy at first. He could platoon with a Rich Aurilia. However you have to replace his bat. Left field can't be left to Chavez and Evans is a natural 3b not OF. I like signing Pat Burell or a power right handed bat to play left. Oliver Perez is not a good signing seeing as that would leave too many starters ( him, maine and pelfrey) that are guaranteed to pitch past the fifth inning. I like Niese as a fifth pitcher but agree with signing a Colon, or Garcia as insurance.

''Yeah, Heilman can't handle big, bad, mean New York. He only did it for 3 years very well. But, I know, one bad year, sell low, buy high, we are Met fans, I get it.''

I'm not on here proposing that we sell away Aaron Heilman for junk. If anything, I proposed earlier that we package Heilman in a deal to get Freddy Sanchez instead of spending the type of money that we just spent on Castillo with Orlando Hudson. I'm not on here offering Beltran for the entire Yankees roster - give me a little more credit than that.

I just think that between the Yadier Molina home run in '06 and being a main cog of the bullpen letdowns in September of '07 (even though he was effective for almost all of '07) and well, all of '08, I just think that Heilman could use a fresh start elsewhere. Many Mets fans were advocating him getting a shot as a #5 starter in the previous two years and I kind of agreed with it then. But at this point, after all this guy has been through here, I don't know if he could be accepted anymore as a Met. I was at around 15 Mets games this year at Shea where he just got bombarded with boos, and I don't think that would ever cease. It's terrible to have to deal with that on a regular basis, and anyone that watched any of the Mets season this year saw the agonizing look on Heilman's face every time he came in to pitch at home, or even on the road.

One interesting outlook I had on this past year was the idea that in the first set of appearances by the relievers at home in '08 in the first series against Philly, the same three relievers of Heilman, Feliciano, and Schoeneweis were bombarded with boos on the opening homestand and they didn't stop until the last inning of Game 162. I think it would be extremely detrimental to keep more than one of these three guys in a Mets uniform next year.

Matty- You do bring up a good point. There are intangibles involved, ones I might have overlooked. However, in practicality, Heilman should stay a Met and he should get a crack at the rotation. I'm more of a hard numbers type person, I'll admit. Maybe he will prove himself in the rotation of another team, I don't know. If he stays a Met, which, when looking at his trade value(right now, under the floor), he should. He'll be inconsistent, ala Jon Garland or Joe Blanton, but he'll get the job done.

The majority of intelligent posters here, yourself included, understand that fans can be complete morons.

The Show antagonizing by fans was all on management. HE. IS. A. LOOGY. He is horrible at getting righties out, don't use him against righties.

NRMAX88:
"First of all, you can't just have Vlad. He is a player on the Angels. I would also like to have Jon Lester and Grady Sizemore, but they play for other teams. Vlad is not a free agent."
No, you are right, hes not a free agent, yet. But if they dont pick up his option he will be. And to think about it, if they want to re-sign Texiera, K-rod, or Garret Anderson plus have a shot at CC they are gonna have to shed some salaries. Their owner already has been quoted stating that he will not break 140mil for the 09 payroll.

"Kerry Wood isn't leaving Chicago. Jamie Moyer is going nowhere."
You know this how? Do you have some sort of affiliation w/ the cubs and phils? If they were so adamant about resigning those players without worrying about market competition don't you think they would have given contract extensions before the season ended? Just curious to why u think these players are untouchable.

Another thing, I do believe I said about adding those older pitchers as a 5th starter or POSSIBLE transition to a closer, and not to scold my post because they are JUST IDEAS. Read the posts a little more carefully next time. You are probably the person in school who skipped chapters 2, 6, 9, and 11 in all your text books just so you could be the first to tell everyone else how wrong their ideas are, and how everything you know is engraved in stone. More than likely an A student, but with the reading comprehension of a B student (that or just laziness). Sorry if you feel this is me lashing out at you, but don't try to make people feel foolish when they are just giving their (already stated, mind you) opinions. These are just ideas, not possible scenarios depicted from my Playstation 2 lineup.

phils.... just because Gary Matthews (or whoever it was), a complete moron who announces Philly games, said to throw one at Reyes' neck doesn't mean the Mets should trade him. He held his fist up in the air after hitting a huge homerun in a divisonal rivalry game in a pennant race. Sue him. I also love when people say it makes other teams "try harder" and "want to beat the mets". Does this make it easier hitting a 98 mph fastball or a splitter in the dirt? Who cares if people like the Mets. The 86 team was hated by the entire league and how did that turn out? This isn't a conutry club, it doesn't matter if other teams like you or not.

PhillsWSChamps

Everybody i hear from in Baseball says that he is one of the hardest working players in the game. It's the way he plays that makes people think he isnt busting it all the time.

Not trying to pump up Beltran here but he makes a lot of things look very easy and doesnt get enough credit. He always busts his ass for balls and never takes plays off. You named a couple errors. I guruantee you there isnt a center fielder in baseball who hasnt made bad errors before. Going after Beltran is ridiculous. He is a great player and is extremley clutch.

The core isnt the problem. They won a division and went deep into the playoffs with this core. The problem is the Bullpen. It's as simple as that. No if and or buts about it. The Bullpen sucked down the stretch in 07 and it was horrible this year.

Who cares if teams don't like Jose Reyes and hate the Mets. A lot more of it has to do with New York as well and the fact that they get all the attention. Do you think the Mets really care that other teams hate them?

nrmax brought up a great point about the 86 team. I think the Phillies and Marlins specifically worry to much about the Mets.

You might win another division title next year. You might not. You can bash the Mets core all you want but the 3 main guys are Beltran, Reyes, and Wright. And at those posistions the Mets are better then the Phillies anyway. The core isnt the problem its the bullpen.

Who cares if the Philly players were calling Victorino Reyes for celebrating. I'm sure the Mets players make fun of the Philly players to.

I know they make fun of Jimmy Rollins for complaining and crying all the time.

At the end of the day you have won the division and are in the WS. But unless you win the WS your fate ended the same as the Mets. You didnt accomplish your ultimate goal. You still went furthur then the Mets though. The Mets arent going away though. There going to work hard on fixing this Bullpen and if they make it stregnth there going to be tough to beat. I don't like to get into could of, would of, should of stuff but the facts show that if the Mets had a Bullpen they win the NL East fairly safely this season. But that doesnt mean anything because they didnt win.

But dont make the Phillies something there not until they win the World Series. Cause they have been in existance for 125 years and have 1 WS title to show for it. There the losingest franchise in sports history. The point is teams go through bad stretches and the Phillies have endured their fair share.

The Mets are going through it now. The difference is though that everybody knows the Mets are a playoff team. Thats why everybody talks about it so much. For the last two seasons people are not talking about Philly winning the division. There talking about the Mets losing it.

PhillWSChamps

I think you guys could definitley beat the Rays. I dont like you that much against Boston though.

I agree you are going to be good for years to come but so are the Mets. There not going anywhere and the Phillies cant keep counting on the Mets to choke again September because eventually thats going to catch up with them. I look at the last two septembers and I see the Mets having a 7 game and 4.5 game lead and then losing.

The problem is it's not the Phillies who are beating them. It's the crappy teams of the NL. Philly beat them up in 07 down the stretch but they still had a 4 game lead and it was the Nats, Marlins, and the one game against the Cards that did the Mets in. Then this year the Mets beat up on Philly all year losing only one series 2 games to 1. Then they lost the first two games against the Nats and that let Philly back in it and the Mets faultered down the stretch against the Cubs and Marlins. A good Pen is not going to let the Mets forget about what has happened to them the last two septembers but it is going to really help this team.

what about possibly trading jose reyes to the pads for jake peavy and kahil greene? The pads need help up the middle, the mets would have the best one-two punch in baseball with santana and peavy, sign hudson to take over as leadoff man and have greene hit seventh and play short.

It is a commonly held notion that elite(or lets say above average) pitching more often than not, is much more important that hitting. Our lineup is perfectly good enough to compete in the NL but I wouldnt mind seeing hudson get plugged in 2B since he's dying to play for the Mets, or so he says. We need to acquire a close, and K-Rod is the most sensible option out their from the bang for the buck perspective. He's 27+ in age, converts 90 percent of save opp. in his career and he's worth it if the Mets can get him for 5 years at 13-13.5 million a year. Then we need to acquire BJ Ryan and another reliever and part ways with a combination of Heilman/Scott Sch./Feliciano. I'd keep Felic. on the team as he is still fine in my opinion. Manny is too much money and he doesnt exactly put too much heart into a team and well have plenty of options next year for a big bat. We need a starting pitches so either we sign C.C./A.J. for Santana type money or we have to resign Perez at his inflated cost. Sheets is a total waste of time. Salary should go up about 10-12 million over last year but well have a much improved team so that we can move out of our minds the past two years. Just a better closer maybe would have gotten us into the Phillies position now?

PhillsWSchamps

Whose not giving the Phillies credit. I think all Met fans agree at this point that your the better team. What more do you want? But you have to admit that if the Mets didnt become chokers your not playing baseball in Ocotber. Thats all i'm saying.

You cant realistically sit there and tell me that witha 7 game lead with 17 to go that it's more about the Phillies winning then the Mets choking. This year they had what a 4.5 game lead with 17 to go. Mets choked. Thats why the Phills have won the division. A lot of that has to do with the Mets pen. At the end of the day though the Mets inability to finish games off has lead to the Phillies being the better team.

Gursk1989

No way should the Mets trade Reyes for Peavey and Greene. Reyes is a all star and there are not many other players out there like him. Peavey is good but the Mets starting rotation is strong and they can add to it via FA. They dont need to trade a core player to add to it.

ahh the second class team in nyc......how pitiful they are ..........they collapse yet again.......i would just like to say that jose reyes couldent hold derek jeters jock stap....when jeter was 26 he was leading his team into its 4 world series....jose reyes even get his team into the playoffs and he STUNK it up in SEPTEMBER.......boohoo pitiful looser met fans the marlin beat yous AGAIN ahhhhahahahahahaha
it was yet again one of the best moments in a bad year for ny baseball...a shing beam of sunshine

YANKEES 2009

hey TheBigNewYorker

the next time you want to post in a mets blog, why don't you check your spelling.

The BigNewYorker

Wow your a joke bro. Thats all I got to say. Theres obviously no point in talking baseball with you.

AHHHahahaha pitiful met fans you make me laugh..... i know nothing about baseball???? ha listen up clowns....i knew the mets would not make the playoffs again in 08 b4 the season even started.....they did nothng to improve that bullpen which was pathetic....the best pitcher you guys had was bill "blow it in a big spot" wagner.....simply pathetic.....then at the top of the lineup was jose "the clown" reyes....who plays like a dogg for half the seson.....now i shale tell the lowerclass team how to improve....
#1 sign k-rod you NEED HIM
#2 sign fuentes YOU NEED A 8 INNING MAN
#3 sign raul ibanez he will fit in good in the middle of that lineup
#4 either sign orlando hudson or mark ellis at second ....im not sure if ellis is still available
#5 re-sign perez you need starters
#6 now i know the mets fans are big on derek lowe but keep in mind that he has inflated numbers pitching in the nl west....maby you guys could pick up a garland or randy wolf
#7 pick up delgados option...there are no 1st basemen oyt there

its alot to do but your team sucks so they need alot of work....and dont hit me with the yankees suck too....cause they did but they wont next year they will spend the money and that is why they are the greatest franchise in professional sports and you looser met fans deep down know it and are jelouse.....true story

guys i think you should go congratulate the PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES & the great FANS of PHILADELPHIA on their world seiries....hahahaha

guys, as much as i hate to say this, big newyorker has a point. i love the mets and i am a die hard met fan. but what he said about waht the mets need to do is pretty much right on. they NEED a topline closer and they NEED a legit reliever. we can leave perez off the rotation though (asking for way more than hes worth). sign hudson, forget ellis. i wouldnt say pick up ibanez just cause tatis was solid and as was church pre-concussion. f-mart will most likely be coming up for the season. you also have evans, murphy, and the best outfielder we have (besides beltran) endy chavez. delgado's option has already been picked up so thats that

in what way was i being pesemistic? see the yanks NEED to go after a starter like cc cause they dont have a solid rotation what-so-ever now. lowe will just fill a whole the mets have. and yea, you have a lot to look forward to, but not to brag about. do the yanks have cc and tex right now? no they dont. but they have alex "the cooler" rodriguez who has really done them wonders in getting to the world series. spend 120 mill in cc and another 80-100 mill on tex. theyve already spent more on that on one guy and the only place hes taken you is to the crapper

TheBigNewYorker

Wrong again.

Ibanez doesnt fit the Mets right now because he is alefty. Not because of his numbers.

Why do the Mets need to spend a ton of money. Now they did collapse the last two years but they are still right there as far as making the playoffs go. They dont need to add a lot money wise. They need one or two guys plus a revamped Bullpen and most middle relievers dont cost a lot of money.

I agree with you on Murphy though.

now as for you metsfan99 why do you not want the mets to actully spen lots of money why do you care.....its not your money...and now that citi feild is built they are going to hike up ticket prices anyway......so you should want them to spend the way the yankees do you might actually get to enjoy a season for once.....and if you think there is a better choice then ibanez then tell me who he is? ....ps mets are to cheap to go get manny so dont say manny

WHY in the cubs right mind would they trade marmol for tatis and church???? this is a insane trade.....were do you met fans live in space??? crazy crazy crazy....and why would you trade peavy for nick evens and mike carp??? they could get way better deals then that for peavy ......now i know you met fans are loosers but when did you become stupid aswell.......i think for a trade the mets could probably accuire houston street for maby a neise and parnell something along those lines.....come on johan=cry you can do better then that.....go yankees

oh i didnt even relize you have lee and soriano in that deal ..........ahahahaha you are a moron please never talk baseball again

and as much as I dislike thebignewyorker, I do agree with him on what johan=cy was saying. Will the Padres give up one of the best starters in the NL for two grade b (at best) prospects? Plus, how does that even help the Padres? They have Gonzalez at first. I find it remarkable if you think that the Cubbies would trade the best set up man in the NL, an annual all star in Soriano and a solid first baseman in Lee for Ryan Church (who needs to be platooned) and a washed up, never that good anyway veteran. And then to say moving Lee, who hasn't had awesome seasons the last few years, for an MVP type in Holliday. I think you must be thinking that Lee or Helton can play left field.

I still say trade Reyes for Jake Peavy and Kahlil Greene and sign Hudson.

oh and reyes for pevey even up is more like it....and def. need to sign hudson

yeah the reason that I agree with you is because that was completely absurd what johan=cy was saying. I don't care if you are a Yankee fan or a Mariner fan, that was plain dumb what he said. And why do you say Reyes straight up for Peavy? Reyes plays 160 games a season, Peavy will play maybe 32. You would need to throw Greene in there too, sign Hudson to take over as the leadoff man and acquire a speedy corner outfielder to offset the speed you would be losing.

i meant 2 solid bullpen arms not closers......one closer one set up guy

see i say they are too cheap to sign peavy cause they will have to fill to many holes with free agents such as hudson k-rod/setupman L-feilder...if peavy was the only thing they need to do (like with johan last year) then i would say that its fisable...now i think church and reyes might be better but i'll bet they would ask for murphy.....and you dont want adam dunn....god no....you think arod puts up alot of meaingless #'s ....adam dunn is horrible....180 k's a year 250 ba........i dont know if you heard this but on SNY it was reported that OMAR said that he thinks that the lineup from last year is good enough to make the playoffs next year.......oooooo i hope they tourcher you guys with those bumms again....castillo in the 2 hole

Just another point on that trade I just proposed, swapping beltran for maybin in additional to the other players cuts about 12-15 million dollars off the payroll. With this freedom, plus the fact that we already have 30 million to spend, they could sign K-Rod for 15 million, AND Manny for 20 million and not add anything to their payroll

Reyes SS
Maybin CF
Uggla 2B
Manny LF
Wright 3B
Delgado 1B
Church RF
Schneider C

Johan
Nolasco
Pelfrey
Maine
Olsen

Bullpen:
Feliciano
Smith
Gregg
Lindstrom
K-Rod

i love that every met fan puts heilman in with every trade....hahaha what do you guys think that its a secret that he su*cks....i'll let you in on a secret everone one knows he's a bumm....now johan=cry i dont know if your retarted or if you drop acid and then come up with these trades and lineups....yea and the yankees are going to trade matsui hughes and posada to the redsox for pedroia youkilis ellsberry brian lester and lowery.....hey gursk how about neise and murphy (or another prospect) for houston street...i think the A's are ready to trade him he makes over amillion dollers and they dont like to pass the 700k mark

i doubt that omar would unload all those prospects ..... thats all the prospects and you know how the mets keep dumping thier prospects and then taking heat for it .... kazmir banister jacobs even nady was an unknows that got traded there are a couple others i 4get their names..... they should get street and i think they should go after cordero....i actualy want the yanks to go after him he only has upside....you can sign him to a short term cheap deal right now....i also hope that the yankees stay away from holliday i want him to go to the phillies so that they can continue thier domination of the newyork metroplitans

i dont know if anyone read this but minya offerd heilman and feliciano for huston street and the rockies said they would think about it....then they got back to him and minya told them to 4get it he changed his mind........hahahaha what a bunch of loosers the mets are ......i think minya is trying to sabotage the mets

The Mets payroll likely wont be where it was last year. Most people in the know think that the payroll will be around $125MM.

If the Mets have around $20-25MM to spend they need to get a solid group of players, rather then spend it on one big player as Tim points out.

Since they can't afford a Lackey type, and can't afford an oft injured Bedard or Sheets type they need to get a guy like Randy Wolf or Jon Garland who you know will make 34 starts and have an ERA under 4.00 behind Santana. Perez can't be dealt, and Maine could be non-tendered so that leaves a rotation of:

Santana
Wolf/Garland (around $10MM per yr)
Pelfrey
Perez
Niese

As for the lineup, the Mets need power in LF, but on a short term deal so they don't block Fernando Martinez. Possible solutions for around $8-10MM include Marlon Byrd, Jermaine Dye, Bobby Abreu, Xavier Nady etc. Nady could split some time at 1B with Murphy with Angel Pagan getting a few starts in LF. A Thole/Santos catching tandem works well enough.

Lineup
SS Reyes
2B Castillo
3B Wright
CF Beltran
LF Abreu/Dye/Nady/Byrd
RF Francoeur
1B Murphy
C Thole/Santos

As for the 'pen, reject Putz's option but offer an incentive laden deal. It would be a shame to have given up all those players for his performance this year. If he leaves, go after a Rafael Betancourt type reliever.

'Pen: K-Rod, Putz/Betancourt, Parnell, Stokes, Green, Feliciano

Bench fills out with Pagan, Sullivan, A. Hernandez, Santos and Tatis.