Quote :

"SECOND BASE: Matsui is owed $8 million in the final year of his contract and has a no-trade clause to all but the Angels, Dodgers and Yankees. He indicated he intends to fulfill the deal rather than return to Japan. Still, the Mets figure to try to upgrade, even if it means eating a sizable chunk of Matsui's contract. One intriguing possibility: Braves shortstop Rafael Furcal, a free agent after the postseason, has purportedly let it be known he would be willing to play second base in Flushing. Rookie Anderson Hernandez can field, but odds are he'll be insurance. "

V Cameron said he realizes that collision was probalby his last time on the field as a Met. I'll miss him because he was a GREAT clubhous guy and all around awesome person. That being said, signing Beltran sealed his fate. Victor Diaz or Manny Ramirez will be in RF come opening day 2006..

[Edited on October 4, 2005 at 10:28 AM. Reason : f]

10/4/2005 10:23:50 AM

you need to get rid of your double-dipped ticking time bomb right fielder

10/4/2005 10:27:10 AM

just manny being manny

10/4/2005 10:44:51 AM

Manny in right field?

10/4/2005 12:20:29 PM

I don't think even Manny can save the Mets

10/4/2005 12:26:44 PM

^ This thread should be for those who have more then an elementary level of baseball knowledge. Get off my Internet!

10/4/2005 12:31:55 PM

Quote :

"Dealing Thome won't be easy Veteran has huge salary, no-trade pact. By Jim Salisbury Inquirer Columnist Every time Ryan Howard hit a home run for the Phillies down the stretch this season, his popularity with fans soared and his future with the organization became more secure. A year ago, the 25-year-old slugger was trade bait. Now, it would be shocking if he were dealt. All indications are that Howard, a strong candidate for National League rookie of the year, will be playing first base and hitting in the middle of the Phils' order on opening day 2006. But what about Jim Thome, the slugging first baseman whose signing three winters ago was hailed as one of the greatest days in franchise history? To help lure Thome to Philadelphia, the Phillies gave him a no-trade clause. Would Thome, 35, accept a trade so the Phillies can seamlessly go forward with Howard? Or will he use his no-trade rights to force the Phillies to seek other options with Howard? Thome declined interview requests in recent weeks because he did not want to become a distraction as his teammates unsuccessfully attempted to break a playoff drought that rose to 12 years Sunday. His agent, Pat Rooney, says it's premature to ask if Thome would waive his no-trade clause. "The first thing we want to hear is the Phillies' plans," Rooney said yesterday. "There's no mistaking that Ryan Howard has done a wonderful job, and that's put them in a tight position. We need to find out where Jim fits in, based on the emergence of Ryan Howard." That's all Rooney would say, though he did give the impression that he'd like to hear from the Phillies soon. The Phils made it known to teams in July that they would listen to offers for Thome - and eat some of his remaining salary - but dealing him won't be easy. There's the no-trade clause, of course. There's his health history. In the last year and a half, he has battled back, hand and finger injuries. Ultimately, an elbow injury that required surgery ended his season in July. And there's the money. Thome is owed $46 million over the next three seasons. Another complicating factor could be the marketplace. A number of teams are looking for heavy-hitting first base/designated hitter types, but there could be a number of them available, headed by soon-to-be Chicago White Sox free agent Paul Konerko. Florida's Carlos Delgado, Cincinnati's Sean Casey, Milwaukee's Lyle Overbay and Tampa Bay's Aubrey Huff could all be available in trades. There does seem to be a climate in which Thome would accept a deal, but it would require him going to a team that can win immediately - that's non-negotiable given Thome's age and postseason desires - and that team probably would have to be in the American League, where the DH position is a fallback. Because of Thome's injuries, some team might be leery to make a trade this winter. Teams might want to see him play in spring training before pulling the trigger. Having Thome in spring training might create an uncomfortable situation for both him and Howard. In order to deal Thome this winter, the Phils would have to pay a significant amount of his remaining contract - at least half, one rival general manager recently predicted. While some teams begin their quest to win the World Series today, the Phillies are pondering what to do with Thome, a man who just three years ago was seen as the team's savior. It's a crazy game. On Baseball | In the Market for a Slugger? Here are some clubs that may be in a position to trade for the Phillies' Jim Thome: Angels They need a bat to pair with Vladimir Guerrero. They've talked about Barry Bonds, but Thome's character may be more appealing to manager Mike Scioscia, who values such things. If the Angels re-sign catcher Bengie Molina, they could look to deal young catcher Jeff Mathis. Rangers General manager John Hart has a thing for sluggers, Thome in particular. They were together in Cleveland. The Phils would have to take Phil Nevin's $10 million contract and probably throw in Cory Lidle or Vicente Padilla. If the Phils really got creative, they might be able to work out a blockbuster and get a catcher (Rod Barajas or Gerald Laird) and a third baseman. Baseball sources say the Rangers may listen to offers for Hank Blalock, who is owed $13.7 million over the next three years. Twins They may have the pitching to go far next year, but they are desperate for a bat. Thome loves hitting at the Metrodome (.343, 23 homers, 53 RBIs). There has been speculation the Twins might deal centerfielder Torii Hunter, but organization officials have shot that down. Red Sox They need a first baseman, with free agent Kevin Millar moving on and John Olerud possibly retiring. It would be difficult to imagine Thome saying no, but the Red Sox may favor someone younger and less risky. White Sox If they make the World Series, they may have the revenue to re-sign Paul Konerko. Otherwise, they will need a first baseman and a bat. Thome is from Illinois and would love to play in Chicago. Yankees They may need a DH, and they would satisfy Thome's winning criteria. Athletics GM Billy Beane has always liked Thome, but it's tough to see a match here. Orioles They need a first baseman, but it's doubtful Thome would go there. Too much controversy, not enough winning. Mets They will make a run at Konerko and Carlos Delgado, if he's available. It's doubtful that the Phils would trade Thome to a division rival. Blue Jays They don't appear to be a fit, though they might be intrigued if they could move Eric Hinske's salary. Tigers They need a DH but probably lose too much for Thome's liking. Dodgers They could use a first baseman but may want to go younger. Giants First baseman J.T. Snow is a free agent. They need a lefthanded bat, but seem to prefer Lyle Overbay. Astros They would like to get a bat, but must keep first base open as Lance Berkman's landing spot. - Jim Salisbury "

[Edited on October 4, 2005 at 12:44 PM. Reason : ]

10/4/2005 12:44:08 PM

the season isnt over yet... Hot Stove season hasnt started unless...


















oh























Mets Fan




















nevermind

10/4/2005 12:49:39 PM

Quote :

"This thread should be for those who have more then an elementary level of baseball knowledge. Get off my Internet!"

when it comes to the mets, there isn't much to know!

10/4/2005 1:05:08 PM

The years of Yankee dominance in the city of NY are over. Even the local papers are saying as much. Be afraid George.

Anyway. Where do people think Nomar will end up? I'm interested in him as a possible 2nd baseman somewhere...

10/12/2005 1:56:14 PM

I got a sneaky feeling he will end up in Atlanta after Furcal leaves

10/12/2005 1:58:03 PM

^^lol. Oh yes, CLEARLY. Its quite obvious that the Mets are on their way to overtake the Yankees as the dominate team of the city. Thats complete crap Bryan, no way.

[Edited on October 12, 2005 at 1:58 PM. Reason : ^]

10/12/2005 1:58:34 PM

Nomar will end up out west more than likely, The AJ Burnett sweepstakes should be interesting

10/12/2005 2:00:00 PM

Not really. The Mets have a better farm, the Mets have better young players (don't give me that crap about Cano and Wang being better then Reyes, Wright, Heilman, Seo, etc), they have a new network coming, they improved by 12 wins.

Lupica: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/story/354861p-302486c.html

Chass: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/12/sports/baseball/12chass.html?pagewanted=print

I can sense the fear in you.

[Edited on October 12, 2005 at 2:02 PM. Reason : ^ he is all potential. he is whiny and i don't him for the Mets or Sox]

10/12/2005 2:01:32 PM

i can't read any mike lupica article

homeboy writes like a 12 year old

10/12/2005 2:05:13 PM

I'd love to see Nomar as a Brave...I think the system would fit well for him too. He may not cost as much as Furcal either...may be affordable.

10/12/2005 3:22:29 PM

thats what the braves need

another guy to ride the DL

10/12/2005 3:45:01 PM

yeah, i like nomar, but he's too injury prone. the only guy i would take over furcal is MAYBE reyes or tejada, and neither one of them are going anywhere

10/12/2005 4:02:14 PM

no way in holy hell will nomar be a brave

he costs too much to sit on the DL all year

C mccann
1B chipper
2B giles
SS betemit
3B marte
LF langerhans / johnson
CF andruw
RF francouer

we'll probably have another veteran OF and IF signed if and when some of the youngsters have to go to the minors

take that shit to the bank

10/12/2005 4:09:22 PM

they'll keep laroche, he's shown too much improvement and is too cheap for schuerholz not to

10/12/2005 4:17:54 PM

I think that's too many positions for unproven talent. I know the Braves can churn them out, but I'm still a little skeptical about all this

10/12/2005 4:19:09 PM

laroche has shown very little improvement, his ass is trade bait

 Year Ag Tm  Lg  G   AB    R    H   2B 3B  HR  RBI  SB CS  BB  SO   BA   OBP   SLG   TB   SH  SF IBB HBP GDP 
+--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+---+---+-----+-----+-----+----+---+---+---+---+---+
 2004 24 ATL NL 110  324   45   90  27  1  13   45   0  0  27  78  .278  .333  .488  158   2   2   1   1  10
 2005 25 ATL NL 141  451   53  117  28  0  20   78   0  2  39  87  .259  .320  .455  205   2   6   7   4  15
+--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+---+---+-----+-----+-----+----+---+---+---+---+---+

10/12/2005 4:19:52 PM

i meant power numbers

didn't realize he played in so many more games this year

[Edited on October 12, 2005 at 4:41 PM. Reason : .]

10/12/2005 4:40:50 PM

yeah

AB/HR:
2004 - 25
2005 - 22.5

RBI/AB:
2004 - .138
2005 - .172

his power numbers are going nowhere

he's a 6 or 7 hitter at best and will probably have never have more than 20-25 HR and 80-90 RBI in a year

we've got too much young talent to wait on him to have some kind of breakout

and after trotting home in the final game, i don't have have much use for him

we need some bullpen help and he can easily be traded to get it

10/12/2005 4:46:53 PM

are there any good 1st base prospects in the braves system, or is moving chipper the best option

10/12/2005 4:53:30 PM

we don't have any top 100 caliber prospects at first that could make the move to the big leagues next year

plus we need marte's bat and he's gonna have to play third

chipper has said he's willing to take a pay cut to help bring back furcal so hopefully he can make the move to first when raffy says goodbye

chipper is still a hell of a 3rd baseman but he's gonna start wearing soon, might as well give him a few extra years by moving him to first now

10/12/2005 5:34:59 PM

by mlb you mean

mets
yanks
bosox
braves


right?

because every other team gets ignored on here

10/12/2005 5:44:34 PM

the braves do have a good first base prospect in the minors, scott thorman, first round pick in 2000, he hit close to .300 for the season this year, and had 22 homeruns, and close to 100 rbis between double a and triple a, they are just contemplating doing him like klesko and moving him to the outfield, but he definately has more power and upside than laroche.

Scott Thorman: Individual Stats (Batting)
Team From To G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS OBP SLG AVG
Mississippi Braves 04/07 07/14 90 348 49 106 21 2 15 65 176 28 76 2 2 .360 .506 .305
Richmond Braves 07/14 09/05 52 210 23 58 10 3 6 27 92 9 42 0 0 .313 .438 .276



[Edited on October 12, 2005 at 8:25 PM. Reason : stats]

10/12/2005 8:07:18 PM

Word on the street is that if the Sox don't resign Konerko the Orioles might be a serious bidder...

I wish they would come to their sense and actually go after some pitching... they always fail to realize that the last year they actually made the post season they did so because their bullpen led the league in ERA and they ran guys like Mussina, Jimmy Key, Scott Erickson, et. al to the mound.

10/12/2005 8:29:06 PM

thorman is nowhere close to major league-ready

and why the hell do we need another outfielder

10/12/2005 8:32:43 PM

how is thorman nowhere near close to major league ready, hes put up more solid numbers hitting and in the field than laroche did before he got called up

they are trying him in the outfield to make him more attractive for trade, but believe me, he is much better than laroche and has unbelievable power, and hes a lefty.

[Edited on October 12, 2005 at 8:39 PM. Reason : r]


[Edited on October 12, 2005 at 8:42 PM. Reason : r]

10/12/2005 8:38:09 PM

You're gonna be hard pressed to find a succesful Major League player who didn't put up a .800 OPS in AAA ball. Pujols didn't play AAA and I don't think Miggy did either but they had killer AA numbers...

also his K/BB ratio is horrid..

[Edited on October 12, 2005 at 8:41 PM. Reason : f]

10/12/2005 8:39:36 PM

yeah so is francouers k/bb ratio. but he is doing pretty good. and francouer was hitting .265 in double a wiht twice as many ks as walks

10/12/2005 8:43:22 PM

marte or thorman

who do you want on your team

10/12/2005 8:47:19 PM

well considering that marte was terrible this year when he did play in atlanta its a toss up, id rather give thorman a shot, and if he hits .158 like marte did this year, then its no big loss. he has all his options left. and i seriously doubt they play chipper at first. im for chipper being shipped out and marte being the starter at third regardless, chippers never gonna play a full season again, he might as well go over to the AL and DH somewhere, hes too brittle.

[Edited on October 12, 2005 at 8:50 PM. Reason : r]

10/12/2005 8:49:11 PM

^^^^Actually Pujols didn't play AA either. His A numbers were great & made the team the next year out of ST. You really can't compare anyone to him.

Miggy did go from AA to the big show though.


[Edited on October 12, 2005 at 8:57 PM. Reason : ya, typo]

10/12/2005 8:52:24 PM

i honestly think marte is gonna be on the opening day roster

i doubt thorman will ever get a chance

YEAH THEY'RE GONNA TRADE CHIPPER JONES

you just lost all credibility with me

[Edited on October 12, 2005 at 8:54 PM. Reason : ]

10/12/2005 8:53:52 PM

Pujols isnt a man, he is a god.

Baring injury, he will go down as the best pure hitter since Ted Williams, and maybe ever

10/12/2005 8:54:25 PM

Marte is ten times the prospect that Thorman is. Marte's numbers in A,AA, and AAA are unbelievable. He is going to be a great 5th hitter someday. I'm just not sold on Thorman.

Marte is 2 years younger and has put up a high .800s OPS at every level. He Ks at the same rate but if you are going to do that you HAVE to show signs of having some power (high OPS in other words).

I need to be a ML scout. I'm better then half the assclowns that do it. The Mets can use me. I'd assemble an organization from top to bottom that is unmatched.

^^^ he didn't play AAA. He DID have a fucking 1.038 OPS in Zebulon though. That is absolutely unheard of in that league..

[Edited on October 12, 2005 at 8:56 PM. Reason : f]

10/12/2005 8:54:30 PM

whenever big87ncsu gets a GM position he can hire you NyM

10/12/2005 8:55:45 PM

Fuck, if Jim Duquette can get a GM position I'm more then qualified. I mean christ, that guy probably never even did a fantasy league. Scott Kazmir for Victor fucking Zambrano. My God. My dumb sister wouldn't even make that trade...

10/12/2005 8:57:42 PM

hahahah, i know how good a prospect marte is, and im a big marte fan, but i work for the mississippi braves and got to know thorman well, and would just like to see him in atlanta, im just biased. and i never said they would trade chipper, im not that dumb, i just said i wish they would, cause he will not play a full season again, and if he does ill be shocked, he gets hurt to much. not once did i say they would trade him.

[Edited on October 12, 2005 at 9:02 PM. Reason : r]

10/12/2005 8:59:46 PM

well that makes sense

cause thorman will never have a starting spot in atlanta

10/12/2005 9:01:34 PM

no, he will be traded, and he pretty much knows that. thats why they were trying him some in the outfield during the year.

10/12/2005 9:03:09 PM

The Braves have given the Yankees permission to begin speaking with Leo Mazzone.

10/17/2005 3:20:58 PM

If Ray Miller doesn't come back, Mazzone may come to Baltimore.

Sam Perlozzo and Mazzone are good friends, and Mazzone has said several times that coaching Perlozzo's bullpen would be his dream job.

Of course, the Yankees ARE the yankees and will probably shove so much money down his throat that he'll have to say yes, but i still welcome him to baltimore

10/17/2005 3:26:34 PM

The consensus for the Mets Top 3 Targets this year:

Billy Wagner - CLOSER (if not then B.J. Ryan will be explored)

Rafael Furcal - SECOND BASE

Benji Molina - CATCHER

--------------------------------------------------------------

The lineup I envision next year reads something like this

Reyes SS
Furcal 2B
Beltran CF
Floyd LF
Wright 3B
Jacobs 1B
Cameron/Diaz RF -- I prefer Cameron for defensive purposes
Molina C
Pitcher

Pedro
Glavine
Benson
Seo
Trachsel

Heilman SU
Wagner CLOSER

[Edited on November 1, 2005 at 12:13 PM. Reason : f]

11/1/2005 12:11:16 PM

It'd be nice to have some competition in NYC again.

11/1/2005 12:18:56 PM

Quote :

"This thread should be for those who have more then an elementary level of baseball knowledge. Get off my Internet! "

11/1/2005 12:21:16 PM

I've been reading the reports on Cashman resigning recently. The good news is that part of the deal was that there'd be no more Tampa vs. New York feuding. Cashman is running the winter meetings this year and they'll be in NY instead of Tampa, where they've been for quite a while.

Sounds like Cashman made sure he is closer to the top of the chain than in previous years, which is a huge relief. He also has said that maybe George understands you don't need an aging all-star at every position now that he's seen Cano, Wang and Small come in and contribute. So maybe now we'll get back to seeing more of a focus on the minors, younger guys and role players, ya know, the stuff that made 1996-2000 happen.

11/1/2005 12:38:36 PM