Twitter Is Ridiculous Applesauce - Omar Meets The Agents, Juan Pierre Is Available And Nonsensical Rumors

by James Kannengieser on Dec 8, 2009 9:05 AM EST in Applesauce Comment 33 comments

It seems reporters/"journalists" are neglecting to consider source bias and failing to corroborate rumors with multiple sources before posting on Twitter or a blog. All in the name of page hitzzz I suppose.

Meet the Mets

Omar Minaya met with the agents for various players last night, including John Lackey, Jason Marquis, Bengie Molina, Joel Pineiro and Randy Wolf.

In an interview with Daily 'Stache, Adam Rubin says the Mets should focus on pitching this offseason, namely Lackey. He also says Jeff Francoeur is the most reliable provider of good quotes.

Steve Henson says that 3-4 teams are interested in Dodgers OF Juan Pierre. A trade for Pierre would likely include a bad contract player, AKA Luis Castillo. No thanks on Pierre. Speaking of undesirable players, Jerry Crasnick reports that Elmer Dessens will likely re-sign with the Mets. If it's a major league deal you better get ready for Dessens Avenue.

Ken Davidoff tweets that Yorvit Torrealba is on the Mets radar. Interesting, considering the bizarre chain of events involving the Mets and Torrealba two offseasons ago.

Joel Sherman reports that a John Maine for Corey Hart trade is being discussed. Hart is just 27 years old and two years removed from a 4+ win season but I'd rather hold on to Maine. Will at BlueAndOrange agrees and thinks the deal is plausible, especially considering Omar Minaya's affinity for bad corner outfielders.

Mets Fever is also a fan of Adam Kennedy. If Castillo can be moved, Kennedy is the way to go.

LOL Rumors of the Day

Early yesterday it was reported that Pat Burrell had been traded to the Mets. This story was debunked almost immediately and the original story has been taken down from PhillyBlurbs, the website with the original report. Folks, cool it with your bogus anonymous sources, you're not providing a valuable service and it's annoying. No one is impressed.

Ed Price of Fanhouse tweeted the following yesterday:

Rumor that #Mets acquire Edwin Jackson

This was followed shortly by a clarification tweet from Price:

To be clear: #Mets and Edwin Jackson not confirmed. Heard in the lobby.

Why not get confirmation before posting the rumor? Does "heard in the lobby" count as a reliable source nowadays?

Around MLB

The Nationals gave Pudge Rodriguez 2 years, $6 million for some reason.

Randy Wolf reportedly signed with the Brewers for 3 years and an unknown dollar amount.

Chuck Brownson at The Hardball Times discusses swaps for bad contracts, including Dontrelle Willis, Milton Bradley, Gil Meche and Kevin Millwood.

Tim Marchman thinks an intra-Chicago trade between the Cubs and White Sox involving Milton Bradley makes sense.

Matt Murton, a notorious ginger and player good enough to start on many major league teams, is going to play for the Hanshin Tigers in Japan. I wonder if Murton realizes he's good enough for MLB.

Off topic link of the day: Tom Tango reviews the incredibly enjoyable movie Taken and heaps justifiable praise on Liam Neeson. I agree with him, Taken is fantastic.

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Comments

So...

…does Pudge’s contract turn Benji into a bragain, as Cerrone seems to think?

Oh, the butcher and the baker and the people on the street: wheredotheygo?!?!?

by CharlieH on Dec 8, 2009 9:24 AM EST reply actions

my take is that matt

does not want Benji for all the obvious reasons. I never saw him say anything positive about Molina (except for when he relays quotes).

by gbaked on Dec 8, 2009 11:26 AM EST up reply actions

or even a "bargain?"

Oh, the butcher and the baker and the people on the street: wheredotheygo?!?!?

by CharlieH on Dec 8, 2009 9:25 AM EST reply actions

Let's just say that the scene involving the French guy's wife in Taken

is one of the greatest scenes of all time for shock value alone.

by dtro on Dec 8, 2009 9:42 AM EST reply actions

I lobby that

heard in the lobby not count as a reliable source

You don't cheer for the Mets. You drink for the Mets.

by Kevin H on Dec 8, 2009 9:51 AM EST reply actions

how about

it came to me in a dream?

by HotChipWillBreakYourLegs on Dec 8, 2009 10:05 AM EST up reply actions

I guess I got to see Taken

I thought it looked stupid, but I should have know cause Liam Neeson is awesome.

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

by Evan_S on Dec 8, 2009 9:55 AM EST via mobile reply actions

I enjoyed laughing at Taken

It takes place in a world where Daddy’s worst fears always prove true and he is always right while all other people, women in particular, are wrong, always.

by TheBigStapler on Dec 8, 2009 10:13 AM EST reply actions

Tell me about it

I did not bother to see it because it looked like another lame “baby boomer” action movie. I was surprised that Harrison Ford wasn’t cast as the lead.

by Coolpapabell on Dec 8, 2009 11:01 AM EST up reply actions

it was watchable

nothing special though. Just kind of a generic action/revenge movie.

by KeithsMoustache on Dec 8, 2009 12:45 PM EST up reply actions

I agree

it was your run of the mill action movie, but having Liam Neeson in it made it like 10 times better. He’s that good of an actor.

"[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 8, 2009 4:36 PM EST up reply actions

Interesting comparison

Look at Jeff Francoeur and Corey Hart…any resemblance?

by viktor06 on Dec 8, 2009 10:54 AM EST reply actions

i feel like the pudge signing

could be one of those signings that look really good at the end of the two years.

by gbaked on Dec 8, 2009 11:28 AM EST reply actions

There's no way that looks good at all.

www.twitter.com/willDavidian

by All Shook Down on Dec 8, 2009 12:38 PM EST up reply actions

no he's right, at the end of 2 years it'll be over

and that will look fantastic to them.

by KeithsMoustache on Dec 8, 2009 12:46 PM EST up reply actions

3 mil per

is not that much.

and as a part time player and mentor for Flores, he will be valuable.

You guys can mock, but after the two years are done I bet the Nats and pudge part ways happy with the way he played and the impact he had on the team.

Not saying he is gonna be an all-star, but if Flores is, then the signing was a win.

by gbaked on Dec 8, 2009 1:06 PM EST up reply actions

Huh?

Not saying he is gonna be an all-star, but if Flores is, then the signing was a win.

So, if the starting catcher is an All-Star, that makes wasting $6 million on a washed-up backup catcher somehow worthwhile? For Omar Minaya’s sake, I hope that translates to other positions – because then signing Alex Cora will all be all good so long as Reyes is an all-star.

by dcmetsfan on Dec 8, 2009 2:49 PM EST up reply actions

The nats clearly have

a catcher of the future.

He is still young and is prob at a spot where he can catch about 60% of the games.

so you bring in a guy that has a long history of playing great catcher (maybe the only position where having a young guy learn from an elder makes sense…) to help him take over the position. So it really doesnt translate to other positions.

Maybe its a little higher $ then he should get, but the nats are not in a position of attracting FA’s. They have to overpay a little.

So yes. Bringing in a mentor, HOF backup catcher who has shown he has something left in the tank to help along your young, high ceiling prospect catcher is a good move.

bringing back carrier slightly above replacement level (assuming) middle infielder, who has been with the team for a couple years already when you have a veteran allstar SS already is nowhere close to the same thing.

You are wrong, everyone here is dumber for reading what you wrote, and may god have mercy on your soul.

by gbaked on Dec 8, 2009 3:36 PM EST up reply actions

On that team

they need a leader. Thats a team filled with serious young talent and talent that can’t walk 3 feet without getting involved in trouble. Pudge is probably being brought in as an enforcer as well as mentor.

3 mil per is peanuts

by scott from peekskill on Dec 8, 2009 4:17 PM EST up reply actions

Some argument

So, your argument boils down to: Pudge can help mentor a potentially very good catcher. Okay – so you’re spending $6 million on a coach. It’s a ridiculously bad deal for someone who has dwindling actual value to play for a team that has little chance at being competitive in the coming year. The same arguments are being made on behalf of Pudge that were being made about Cora: clubhouse presence, leadership, yada yada yada.

It isn’t the worst signing of the off-season, and it won’t really make or break the Nationals. But when a team has limited resources, investing that much money into someone to be a mentor for a guy who might be a tad overrated himself makes no actual sense.

But otherwise your argument is compelling and well thought out.

by dcmetsfan on Dec 8, 2009 4:37 PM EST up reply actions

I'm not saying it's the right thing

but I imagine the Nationals are less concerned with him mentoring Flores than they are with him helping to “bring along” their young pitchers like Lackey and especially Strasburg. I think it’s stupid, especially b/c Pudge has never had a reputation as a good game caller and even if he did, why not just hire a good pitching coach, but I would bet that’s part of the reason they went with him.

by cjmulrain on Dec 8, 2009 4:40 PM EST up reply actions

Applesauce

Yorvit Torrealba again? And we’re still looking at/for catchers?

Maine for Hart…I don’t like it. I’d prefer Maine. Hart’s an outfielder, who is average. There’s lots of them. Maine isn’t all that awesome, either, and has got the injury bug, but he’s John Maine.

Bad Contracts: I’d be willing to swap Castillo/Perez for Willis. At least, when he’s not pitching, Willis can come off the bench. Maybe Kevin Millwood.

"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!"
Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.

by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Dec 8, 2009 1:43 PM EST reply actions

i was over at purple row and they say the rockies putting forth a lot of effort to retain yorvit

so i’m guessing he’ll be off the table soon since it seems like we’re waiting out the market to pick up leftovers when everyone else is done making important moves.

by KeithsMoustache on Dec 8, 2009 3:42 PM EST up reply actions