Twelve years ago today, the Mets traded Octavio Dotel, Roger Cedeno, and Kyle Kessel to the Astros for Mike Hampton and Derek Bell. Hampton pitched to a 3.14 ERA in 217 2/3 innings during his one season in New York, then signed his monster eight-year, $121MM contract with the Rockies that winter. Here's the latest from continually improving the NL East…
- The Marlins were willing to part with top minor leaguers to acquire Gio Gonzalez, but MLB.com's Joe Frisaro says they weren't willing to move anyone from their everyday lineup. Both Logan Morrison and Mike Stanton are considered "off limits."
- Within the same piece, Frisaro says that Javier Vazquez continues to maintain that he is retiring. The Marlins do not expect him back and are looking elsewhere for pitching.
- In a comment on one of his blog posts, Dave O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution explains why the Braves have less money to spend this winter than many believe.
- Baseball people keep waiting for Nationals GM Mike Rizzo to "bail out" Scott Boras on one of his free agents according to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter). Unsigned Boras clients include Prince Fielder, Edwin Jackson, Johnny Damon, Carlos Pena, and Ryan Madson.
- Mark Zuckerman of Nats Insider takes a look at the far-reaching implications of yesterday's Gonzalez trade for the Nationals.
- Amanda Comack of The Washington Times tries to sort out the Nationals pitching staff following the Gio trade.
First Boras is “gunning for”. Now there’s talk of him getting “bailed out”. Any chance Mike thinks what Boras has done in his career is criminal?
Nats trade to get Gio and the Mets end up with a Rob Johnson print up those playoff tickets Mets. lol
because the mets were trying to make the playoffs in ’12.
Rob Johnson is the missing link. the core 4 Torres,,Rob Johnson,Lucas May, Chuck James. watch out NL East
I’m tired of other Mets fans going insane every time another team in the division does anything to improve. They have the right to get better, just as the Mets, who won’t be any good in 2012 regardless of trades/signings, have the right not to make knee-jerk Vince Coleman-esque reactions in response to said other teams.
Vince Coleman-esque reactions? Dems fightin words.
Scott Boras shouldn’t worry. Prince Fielder will sign with the Yankees and Ryan Madson has just became one of the best pitchers on the market. That is after Edwin Jackson.
There is no way on earth Prince signs with the Yankees.
Javier Vazquez shouldn’t retire…..I hope Braves would sign him to trade Jurrjens.
You want the Braves to trade Jurrjens to make room for…..Vazquez? You do watch baseball right?
I mean, that wouldn’t be that bad if we didn’t have 3 minor leaguers waiting in the wings to put up more-than Vazquez numbers. If you recall he was an ace in Atlanta and unbelievable down the stretch in Florida last year. I don’t think he’s a ranked free agent, so that’s also a plus. Prospects/OFer for JJ and an innings eater to go in Atlanta’s rotation to give the bullpen a break from our 5/6 innings guys we’ll be sending out.
But as it stands Delgado and Teheran need experience much more than Javy could help us.
If he doesn’t retire, there’s a high chance he signs back with the Marlins, mostly because it gives him the easiest way to get back to Puerto Rico in a hurry. Braves would have no chance at signing him.
I think the Phillies should wait out the market and then get Damon on the cheap to fill out their need for a big bat/ LF if need be
When did Damon start batting right handed? I’ll let the big bat comment slide…..
huh? you do know damon is left handed, right?
since when is Damon a big bat?
I get what you are saying but like you said your sick of hearing well we are sick of not doing anything. I agree knee jerk reactions don’t help but we do nothing to improve ourselves and by venting it makes some of us feel better to get it off our chest. I agree it gets old but still it is fustrating that we are great fans each and every one of us. and what happens is we get the shaft by the Wilpons for not selling and getting a owner willing to put his money where his mouth is.
There is nothing to do, sadly. Having broke owners sucks, but not doing the prudent thing, rebuilding, and throwing money at fringe players to try to make an unlikely playoff run slightly less impossible sucks too.
Would signing big free agents help in the short term, possibly the medium term help? Probably, but most of the time you’ll end up with George Foster, who was ok but was largely a waste of time and money for us. I’m tired of contending for two to three years at a time and having nothing to show for it after. The Wilpons will be gone sooner than later, if that helps you feel any better.
i hear you but if we are broke rebuilding ususal has a positive outcome but the problem is that they let a home grown talent walk away in Reyes and same with Wright so what i am saying you can rebuild but if your only going to let them leave in their prime. Stop going to the games so we can push out the Wilpons then if new owners say rebuild ok but the Wilpons is just fire sale for the sake of having money to pay Piccard in two or three years nothing for the team or us. Thats my problem. its going cheap. but will the tickets keep going down in price hardly.
rw, you are feelling the way Twins fans do. We had a 94 win team a couple of years ago but couldn’t get past the Yankees as usual. With billionaire owners and a new stadium, the expectation was Pohlads would do what was needed to get the team over the hump. Instead they gave away a good SS, and let the bullpen walk, all over a matter of maybe $10 million. Now the team sucks and their solution so far has been Jamey Carroll, Ryan Doumit and Jason Marquis- an expenditure of less than $10 million, while $40 mil has been lopped off the payroll from opening day 2011. I feel your pain
Well you do have Mauer for 8 more years that is what you got for openning a new stadium. but you gave up on Ramos to the Nationals for your current closer.
I never been to Minny but without starting a civil war but in NY you should have a payroll way higher then Minny and KC but Mets are managing their team with a below 100 is like being in KC under 50 million
ever team should be able to maintain a payroll over 100 million as a floor.
Not only should teams get a luxury tax over a certain amount but teams should get hit with a tax if they do not maintain a payroll over a x amount.
I’m unbelievably astonished that this site hasn’t said anything about the rumored deal being discussed between the Royals, Red Sox and Braves. Are you guys being paid to keep quiet about it? 😉
What rumor are you talking about?
There was a tweet from a Royals website that said there is discussion going on between the Sox, Royals and Braves about a three-team trade. Royals would get Jair Jurrjens, Red Sox would get Joakim Soria and the Braves would get Lorenzo Cain, Marco Scutaro and others.
That makes no sense, it wasn’t a tweet it was a fanshot, made by a fan on the sb nation site, total speculation. Why would the Royals give up Soria+Cain for Jurrjens, and why would the Redsox be able to get Soria by only giving up Scutaro? Seems like the royals would be getting fleeced in that deal
oh it was a tweet by Piodeportes, lol, so literally no substance to it
There is nothing about it because it was shot down right away and there is nothing to it. It was a small tweet about a possible talk that was nothing.
where was it shot down?
Rumors are only mentioned if they involve a mystery team.
I don’t get why Morrison is off limits. Stanton for sure but putting Morrison in the same untouchable category I’m confused.
I can’t believe Gio was so wanted. I think the Nationals are gonna be disappointed
They’re not in the same untouchable category. Morrison was a no, Stanton was a hell no.
I don’t get why Morrison is off limits. Stanton for sure but putting Morrison in the same untouchable category I’m confused.
I can’t believe Gio was so wanted. I think the Nationals are gonna be disappointed
I don’t think Fielder needs bailing out and no one else on that list fits a Nationals need, so… keep waiting, “baseball people”.
I know and why do baseball people think the Nats will bail Boras out, because they signed ONE of his clients in the last 5 years?
They accepted all prospects from the Natinals, but they wanted either Stanton or Morrison from us? Beane, if you didn’t want to do business with the Marlins, you should’ve said so.
LoMa isn’t ‘untouchable’ for goodness sakes. He is not exactly a top shelf stud. He is a clubhouse cancer and needs to be dealt to a better team, unless all these moves will shut him up.