Mets Offer Arb To Perez, No Others

Not that the Mets had too much of a choice, but Ayala was thrown into a position he isn't suitable for. He simply is not an MLB closer. He should get a job as a 7th inning man somewhere and will succeed.

Mets should bring Ayala back. I agree, he'd be a solid reliever. He's just not a closer, he was thrust into a role he isn't suited for. Mets should certainly bring Ayala back to be a middle reliever/set-up guy.

Although they didn't offer him arb, I would really love to see Ayala back. As a season ticket holder, getting to see his stuff excites me for a possible future with him coming out of the bullpen in a 7th-inning role. If you take a look at his career, this was clearly just an injury trodden and mis-handled season. The pitching overhaul of the Mets needs to be handled with care and efficiency. With a guy like Maine returning to the rotation healthy, you know he's as dominant as any in the first three innings, then innings four through six he gets through in command, but after that you need a bullpen to support him. Additionally with the rookie Niese in all probability entering the rotation the need for a solid bullpen that wasn't there last year increases even more. (See Pelfrey '07) With a FA starter coming in to fill the #4 spot, I don;t see how the Mets can justify not bringing in at least THREE new arms, not including whomever may fill the closer role. I view Ayala as a new arm, being that he was with the club for a mere 19 games. The only holdovers for the pen I would like to see are ROOGY Joe Smith, either LOOGY's Feliciano or Schoeneweis, and Brian Stokes as the swingman. Imports via trade or FA are: K-Rod closing, Juan Cruz/Huston Street set-up (capable closers), Luis Ayala/Will Ohman as 7th-inning types. With the possibility of landing Sonnanstine while dealing Heilman, maybe Feliciano (being that Schoeneweis' contract is absurd), and at most a Wilmer Flores, the Mets could form a pitching force to be reckoned with. The last spot in the pen could be from a non-roster invitee or be taken care of within thorugh maybe Bobby Parnell or Eddie Kunz, resulting in:

Starting Rotation
LHP Santana
RHP Pelfrey
RHP Sonnanstine
RHP Maine
LHP Niese

Bullpen
CL K-Rod/Fuentes
SU Cruz/Street
SU Ayala/Ohman
LOOGY Schoeneweis/Feliciano
ROOGY Smith
Swingman Stokes
MISC Kunz/Parnell/FA

This would create a great balance between the Mets offense, which is extremely talented but can be streaky, and a revamped pitching staff that could sustain games when they're close and late. Go Mets in 2009!!!

I actually really like those moves, although it can be debated that Edwin Jackson would be a better acquisition and he definately took strides in the right direction last year. I'd also be reluctant to give up Flores (17 years old!!!) and him and Reyes as a future dp combo would be sweet.

Does Duaner Sanchez have minor league options? I'm sure he has value, it's completely obvious he just ran out of gas. Just look at the ERA splits
Pre-Allstar: 3.75 Post-Allstar:6.00
Days Rest:
0: 5.65
1: 4.91
2: 3.94
3-5: 2.70

The Mets, or any other team, could very easily acquire Andy Sonnanstine without giving up talent quality like Flores. Sonnanstine is ok, and young and cheap, but I think pretty much any team could put an offer for him together without doing much damage to their farm system. No way you move your 1 or 2 prospect (even if it is a crappy system) for Sonny.

Let's put it this way.

The Rays have two pitchers. One is Edwin Jackson, and the other is Andy Sonnanstine. Jackson is the inferior pitcher, and is arbitration eligible, while Sonny isn't arbi eligible and thus makes league minimum next year.

Obviously, if the Rays, a team that has every plan to contend next year, if they're going to deal one of their starters (remember, they don't HAVE to deal a SP this offseason, they can easily sit on the pitching depth and send Jackson to the bullpen, where the Rays need arms, and where his stuff could transition well). Thus, a deal of either SP is a mild downgrade of the overall MLB club, because Davis and Hellickson are NOT ready to contribute in '09. The AL East is a madhouse. If the Rays are dealing a starter, they damn better get MLB-ready value back.

In other words, Heilman + Evans for Jackson would make sense. Or Jackson for Murphy straight up, although I probably wouldn't do that deal if I were Omar. Sonnanstine will obviously cost more.

Wilmer Flores is an awesome prospect, but it wouldn't be in a contending team's best interest to acquire a player who is years away from the majors as the centerpiece of a deal. And, Wilmer's upside isn't fully established, so he probably shouldn't be dealt anyways.