Mets Pursuing Josh Willingham And Juan Rivera?

by Eric Simon on Dec 7, 2009 3:31 PM EST

Just to be clear, any headline you see here with a trailing question mark should be considered unsubstantiated -- or marginally substantiated -- and is being posted here for the purpose of discussion.

With that in mind, Joel Sherman is reporting that the Mets are pursuing Nationals outfielder Josh Willingham (which we kind of already knew) and Angels outfielder Juan Rivera.

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We should have signed Rivera last year

he’s awesome. 3.4 WAR plus-plus defender in LF.

by Sam Page on Dec 7, 2009 3:33 PM EST reply actions

maybe higher

if he could hit like he did in 2006 and maintain his excellent LF defense, he could be a 5+ WAR player

by englishgrey on Dec 7, 2009 3:47 PM EST up reply actions

Exactly. The Mets are always a year too late on these guys.

Kendry Morales is another guy I know a lot of people liked a lot, who was blocked forever over in LA, before finally getting a chance and tearing it up.

"It's like the old phrase goes.....The balls in your court now Mr.Church, so you take that ball, you dribble it up the court and....................................... get a layup"
- Keith Hernandez

by nrmax88 on Dec 7, 2009 3:53 PM EST up reply actions

I was a big kendry fan too

drafted him in fantasy, paid off!

by Sam Page on Dec 7, 2009 4:04 PM EST up reply actions

Not quick enough in the AA league though

"All energy flows according to the whims of the great magnet

What a fool I was to defy him"

-HST

by Mark Himmelstein on Dec 8, 2009 1:46 AM EST up reply actions

as much as my enduring memory of Willingham will always be the Marlins announcers incessantly calling him "hammer"

He’s a National now, not a Marlin.

"[The Giants] beat us down. We were beat by a grown-man team, a team we want to be like one day. They came in here and took it to us. Out-manned us, out-gunned us. ... It wasn't even close." - Raheem Morris, 9/27/09

by cjmulrain on Dec 7, 2009 3:34 PM EST reply actions

and second only to Ryan Zimmerman

in the level of ridiculous zeal with which the Nationals’ stadium announcer shouts his name each at bat. Jaaaaaash………………. WILL-ENG-HAAAAAM!

by deadspy3 on Dec 7, 2009 3:35 PM EST up reply actions

Hammer -- that was the worst

nothing more painful than getting other team’s announcers with Extra Innings package — although I dont think that ever happened this past year. Was able to get GKR just about every night

by Bieser's Balk on Dec 7, 2009 3:40 PM EST up reply actions

I know MLB.tv has it so you can choose which announcers you get now

I wonder if Extra Innings did the same thing? I hated Mets away games bc of the opposing announcers (except Dodgers games. Love me some Vin Scully)

by cjmulrain on Dec 7, 2009 3:43 PM EST up reply actions

Usually, yeah

I switched to EI on DirecTV from MLB.TV last season. Outside of the usual local and national blackout rules (e.g., living in No. Alabama, I couldn’t receive any non-Braves feeds for Braves games, and the Braves feed was available for nationally televised ESPN/FOX/MLB Network games), the main thing was bandwidth. Sometimes, I’d only have one team’s feed pending on whether there was enough bandwidth available (not just MLB games that day, but all in-season sports available) – at least, that’s DirecTV’s excuse.

by dgriot on Dec 7, 2009 4:23 PM EST up reply actions

I'd prefer Willingham

mainly for money reasons, because then there is less obligation (stupid I know, but it happens) to keep playing him when F! comes up. Though if we got Rivera he could maybe go to right and displace the Frenchman when F! is ready.

by deadspy3 on Dec 7, 2009 3:34 PM EST reply actions

I actually like Willingham a lot

but like I said yesterday, if either of these guys mean the Mets don’t go for Holliday, I say no thanks.

by cjmulrain on Dec 7, 2009 3:44 PM EST reply actions

Adam Rubin just said on DNL

that the Mets aren’t interested in either Willingham or Rivera

A "Zeile" for avoiding outs

by metsguy234 on Dec 7, 2009 5:12 PM EST reply actions

Rubin is not the modicum for credibility at this point

by Syler on Dec 7, 2009 5:28 PM EST up reply actions

According to Omar...

Rubin was down in the hotel lobbied while Omar was upstairs making deals. So Rubin doesn’t know what’s going on.

by Bieser's Balk on Dec 7, 2009 5:49 PM EST up reply actions

Juan Rivera

Nice another latino for the LOS METS!!!!! No seriously thou he had a bounce back yr at least fantasy wise. Still does’nt solve are problems just Omar thrifting thru 2nd and 3rd tier players Its not like are team is in NY or anything and want the Best Product but hey keep raising ticket prices and parking and concessions and maybe the gm on SNY can PPV or and change the jersey’s so all of us can buy them and create more revenue for you guys while you bargain shop!
Thanks

by SAL R on Dec 7, 2009 6:52 PM EST reply actions

I hope you make a fanpost soon

by cjmulrain on Dec 7, 2009 7:09 PM EST up reply actions

I feel like there was a 1000% increase in the "Omar only likes Latinos" comments in the last few days or so

by James Kannengieser on Dec 7, 2009 8:17 PM EST up reply actions

they've really been coming out of the woodwork

by KeithsMoustache on Dec 7, 2009 8:34 PM EST up reply actions

yea, it seems like that Bill Maddon fanpost brought it all out

I find this one to be the best though – commenting how Omar wants to add to “Los Mets” on a post about how he’s looking at two players, one of whom is white.

by cjmulrain on Dec 7, 2009 8:40 PM EST up reply actions

Even better:

The comment assumes that Omar wants to add to “the LOS METS”. Awesome.

"He's definitely mixing it into his repertoire. That's French for 'repertoire' " - Keith Hernandez

by Catsmeat Potter-Pirbright on Dec 7, 2009 10:40 PM EST up reply actions

Do do

you you have have a a problem problem with with repeating repeating the the same same word word twice twice?

"I see the job in bigger terms. Paperwork, that’s false hustle... Know what I’m sayin’?"

by Evan_S on Dec 7, 2009 10:46 PM EST up reply actions

you're welcome

"I dunno. I never smoked any Astroturf"
-Tug McGraw

by squid92 on Dec 8, 2009 1:55 AM EST up reply actions

No no.

I I love love Double Double Chex Chex!

"He's definitely mixing it into his repertoire. That's French for 'repertoire' " - Keith Hernandez

by Catsmeat Potter-Pirbright on Dec 7, 2009 11:15 PM EST reply actions

Ack. Reply fail.

"He's definitely mixing it into his repertoire. That's French for 'repertoire' " - Keith Hernandez

by Catsmeat Potter-Pirbright on Dec 7, 2009 11:15 PM EST up reply actions

wrong nat outfeilder

the mets should be looking at nyjer morgan rather than willingham(just imagine frenchy and willingham both in the line up /that should guarantee us at least 4th place) morgan had 50+sb for 09 and his contract is around 500K

by bob c on Dec 8, 2009 10:37 AM EST reply actions