Press Conference Applesauce - Mets to introduce Bay, Delgado back in fold, Strawberry Apprentice

by Joe Budd on Jan 5, 2010 8:14 AM EST in Applesauce Comment 59 comments

Meet the Mets

Jason Bay passed his physical and will be introduced to the media this morning at an 11:00 press conference.

Carlos Delgado went 1 for 4 in his first winter league game on Sunday. Omar took notice and the team is definitely interested in bringing the aging first baseman back.

Darryl Strawberry will join Cyndi Lauper, Rod Blagojevich, Bret Michaels, Goldberg, Sinbad, and a few others on the cast of this season's Celebrity Apprentice. This may be the first reality show I will ever watch.

Patrick Flood dedicates this week to David Wright and trying to figure out last year's power outage. First, he puts it in historic perspective. Then, he tries to figure out whether Wright's bat slowed down.

Ted Berg waxes poetic on weighing rational thought versus irrational fandom.

MLBTrade Rumors puts together a nice spreadsheet of Omar's work.

The Mets are not among the 15 teams who have contacted Chien-Ming Wang's agent.

Fred Wilpon would love to see the NHL's Winter Classic held at Citi Field in the near future.

I wonder if the Jason Bay signing will convince Matthew Broderick to stick with the Mets.

Around the NL East

Charlie Manuel is old.

Despite reports to the contrary, the Phillies are not close to signing Taiwanese outfielder Chia-Jung Lee, although they have interest in him.

Around MLB

Some odds and ends:

The Rockies have snagged Miguel Olivo

Cleveland adds Shelley Duncan.

Boston is close to signing Adrian Beltre.

Other good stuff:

Rob Neyer discusses the comparisons between Bert Blyleven and Harold Baines.

Dave Cameron says Edgar Martinez's clutch moment was just as dominating as Jack Morris's.

Joe Posnanski compiles an amazing list of the best players since 1970. Seriously, take a look.

Pujols as a Yankee. Cringe.

Beyond the Box Score continues its pipeline to Baseball Prospectus.

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Comments

Applesauce

Delgado: I don’t like it, right now. 1 for 4 as a DH shouldn’t make the team interested. Let’s at least let him play the field first, before we show our cards.

Strawberry: The only thing better with that line-up of characters would be if it was a reality show where everyone lives in the same house together, like Big Brother or whatever. Imagine the comedy of it all…

Omar’s trade history: Late 2006. Ouch.

Wang: Why has Omar not contacted Wang’s agent? I hate to be blunt, but is he stupid? The worst that can happen, we spend a minor sum on a one-year incentive contract, and it doesn’t work out. It’s not like he’s signed players with less talent to longer/more expensive deals, right? Oops, wait a second…

Miguel Olivo: Since he’s with the Rockies now, and I heard them and Torrealba are seeing things much differently, I wonder if Omar will take a shot at him again, especially with not much going on on the Molina front.

Pujols as anything other than a Cardinal: Not going to happen. Based on anecdotal evidence, he seems like the kind of guy that WOULD take less money to stay in St. Louis.

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

by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Jan 5, 2010 8:53 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

did he really

trade FOR jeff conine? did i block that from memory?

by cntrlalt on Jan 5, 2010 8:59 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

haha i had the same reaction

I had almost totally forgotten Jeff Conine was indeed once a Met

by KeithsMoustache on Jan 5, 2010 10:52 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Do you mean...

… Ironman Triathlete Jeff Conine?

(Stumbled on him last weekend while channel-flipping. Weird and impressive.)

by LeiterMilnerFasterStronger on Jan 5, 2010 1:55 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

impressive indeed

i couldnt imagine doing a race like that, its just ridiculous.

by KeithsMoustache on Jan 5, 2010 6:14 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I've actually raced marathons and ironman's both, and found the straight marathon to be more difficult.

Marathons tend to be run at a much higher pace, meaning you are operating above your anerobic threshold for the entire time. Due to the amount of time reguired to due an ironman, you tend to be operating 100% aerobically. While you get tired doing both, you don’t get the lactic acid buildup in the longer races that you do while running a marathon. I suppose if you’re not worried about time, and just worried about finishing it would be a totally different story. I think if you tried it, you’d be surprised at the fact that you could do it with less training than you thought.

"We're just as bad as the old Mets, but this time nobody's laughing"
-Dallas Green

by Schmidtxc on Jan 5, 2010 7:07 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

It looks like the 3 million dollar buyout is included in the 4/66 that Bay got.

That really doesn’t make it look quite as bad.

"We're just as bad as the old Mets, but this time nobody's laughing"
-Dallas Green

by Schmidtxc on Jan 5, 2010 9:48 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Depends on how it vests.

It’s either 69/4 or 83/5, really.

by DanDotLewis on Jan 5, 2010 9:51 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

It looks like it's 4/63 that would become 4/66 if it doesn't vest, or 5/80 if it does.

"We're just as bad as the old Mets, but this time nobody's laughing"
-Dallas Green

by Schmidtxc on Jan 5, 2010 10:01 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

i'm actually very happy to see that

That makes this contract at least potentially movable should the situation arise that Bay ends up a DH-type player, which is a very real possibility.

by KeithsMoustache on Jan 5, 2010 10:53 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Full NTC though...

"We're just as bad as the old Mets, but this time nobody's laughing"
-Dallas Green

by Schmidtxc on Jan 5, 2010 11:17 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

The option is better than I would have guessed though.

500 ab’s in both 2012 and 2013 or 600 ab’s in 2013. That’s fairly easy, but if he’s hurt in 2013 or ineffective it’s unlikely to vest.

"We're just as bad as the old Mets, but this time nobody's laughing"
-Dallas Green

by Schmidtxc on Jan 5, 2010 11:20 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

ABs or PAs?

Either way is fine, just curious.

If there's ever a riot at Citi Field and Oliver Perez was the starter, I started the riot.

by meigs1414 on Jan 5, 2010 11:22 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

PA's...sorry about that

I need another coffee

"We're just as bad as the old Mets, but this time nobody's laughing"
-Dallas Green

by Schmidtxc on Jan 5, 2010 11:26 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

yup this contract is far more reasonable now that we know the conditions of the vesting option

forgot about the NTC, but still glad to see the vesting option isn’t stupidly easy to reach.

by KeithsMoustache on Jan 5, 2010 11:40 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I'm starting to not be as worried if it does.

14 million isn’t that awful (as we already have 3 mill guaranteed.

"We're just as bad as the old Mets, but this time nobody's laughing"
-Dallas Green

by Schmidtxc on Jan 5, 2010 11:54 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah 14 million wouldn't worry me

it’s the money he’ll likely make in the year or two before that if it’s really heavily backloaded, probably 18-20 million.

"We have a plan, and our plan, I like our plan'

it's Omar's world, we're just livin in it.

by Gina on Jan 5, 2010 11:59 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

2010 - 6.5 million with an 8.5 million dollar signing bonus.

2011 – 16 million
2012 – 16 million
2013 – 16 million
2014 – 17 million (3 million dollar buyout

Cot’s has him listed now. I can certainly live with this.

"We're just as bad as the old Mets, but this time nobody's laughing"
-Dallas Green

by Schmidtxc on Jan 5, 2010 12:23 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah that;s much better that what was originally being reported

"We have a plan, and our plan, I like our plan'

it's Omar's world, we're just livin in it.

by Gina on Jan 5, 2010 12:25 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

It really isn't bad at all, if it wasn't for the NTC I wouldn't have any issue with it.

I’m still curious what Holliday gets, but I imagine it will look better now than it would have if the Mets were forced into the bidding. Bay is getting paid very well, but it’s a contract the Mets can certainly afford to give out with their revenue streams. As long as a few of Thole, Davis, Martinez, Mejia, and Niese end up panning out the Mets can certainly afford moves like these. The homegrown kids don’t really need to be stars either, just useful back of the rotation/bottom of the order types.

"We're just as bad as the old Mets, but this time nobody's laughing"
-Dallas Green

by Schmidtxc on Jan 5, 2010 12:33 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Cot's just updated the breakdown on the signing bonus.

2010 – 8.625 million
2011-2013 – 18.125 million

That makes it a little worse than I originally thought, but it’s still something that they can afford.

"We're just as bad as the old Mets, but this time nobody's laughing"
-Dallas Green

by Schmidtxc on Jan 5, 2010 12:58 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

4/66 or 5/80 is still a bad contract

by EtSuKe on Jan 5, 2010 4:58 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

It's really not that bad.

This contract in Pittsburgh would be be crippling, but the Mets have the revenue to afford it. If you believe he’s as bad as UZR says he is, he’s overpayed but still a solid player. If you buy more into plus/minus, he’s being paid right around market value, and is a very good ballplayer.

"We're just as bad as the old Mets, but this time nobody's laughing"
-Dallas Green

by Schmidtxc on Jan 5, 2010 5:20 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I don't think it's that bad

but just for devils advocate even if you take +/- rather than uzr he’s only being paid market value for this season, and he’ll still likely be way overpaid for the life of the contract.

"We have a plan, and our plan, I like our plan'

it's Omar's world, we're just livin in it.

by Gina on Jan 5, 2010 9:54 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

+/- was -6 per season the last 3 years right?

Subtract 1 for aging and that’s -7. BtB, using UZR and a simple aging technique have Bay at -11 UZR/150. Let’s say the current market is $4 million/win (considering the economy and such). Bay would have to be 4.125 WAR per season to make the deal “worth it.” There is almost no way he can do that, no matter what defensive projection you use.

by EtSuKe on Jan 5, 2010 10:21 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I don't know...

That 5 run difference is roughly 1/2 a win, which would have made Bay a 4 WAR player last season. Plugging in a -6 in 2008 would have made him a 4.1 win player. Thats roughly in line with his deal, and not much of an overpay for a NY team.

"We're just as bad as the old Mets, but this time nobody's laughing"
-Dallas Green

by Schmidtxc on Jan 5, 2010 10:43 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I'm really not a fan of bringing Delgado back

just because I don’t trust Jerry to not keep running him out there if he’s struggling, or to properly platoon him.

"We have a plan, and our plan, I like our plan'

it's Omar's world, we're just livin in it.

by Gina on Jan 5, 2010 11:28 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Seems silly to pay him $7-8mil per season when we don't know what he is capable of.

I think keeping Murphy at 1b and paying him $450,000 makes more sense than paying Delgado. Even if Delgado is healthy i think his value over Murphy is minimal. I see him being a much better hitter and a much, much worse fielder.

If we want to bring in a vetran bat then the platoon of Lowell and Murphy makes some sense. Lowell adds that RH bat the media seem to think we need and seems to be a pretty decent clubhouse guy.

Asking a General Manager to slim down his budget is like asking an alcoholic to blow up a distillery.

by scott from peekskill on Jan 5, 2010 1:52 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, I'd rather just bring a right-handed bat to platoon with Murphy

Ryan Garko would come cheap and mashes lefties (lifetime 887 OPS). I’m skeptical that Delgado is going to be the same hitter he was before the hip surgery.

by PeterFH on Jan 5, 2010 2:10 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed Gina, but that big left-handed stick would/could be most beneficial. The more I think about it the more I like Mr.Bay. Modern McReynolds, he’ll be calm, cool, and collected. Dig it now.

by strawspoonage on Jan 6, 2010 1:19 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Off Topic

But why was Sam’s last post taken down? Too much talk about communism?

The Mets lobby Omar for a plan, and his plan, he likes his plan. The problem is that he didn't write his plan down 'cause that makes it paperwork, and that’s false hustle... Know what I’m sayin’?

by Evan_S on Jan 5, 2010 12:02 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Violated the "no politics" rule, perhaps?

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

by Catsmeat Potter-Pirbright on Jan 5, 2010 12:06 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I thought my quip about Reagan probably crossed the line

but I still found it amusing.

by Evan_S on Jan 5, 2010 12:09 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I actually really enjoyed the post.

The American Flag graph was a keeper.

"We're just as bad as the old Mets, but this time nobody's laughing"
-Dallas Green

by Schmidtxc on Jan 5, 2010 12:34 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Can you describe it a little? I wish I could've read it.

by Brooklyn Tar Heels on Jan 5, 2010 2:14 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

He headline said Castillo is worse than communism

He used the Reagan gaffe quote on the radio, that communism was outlawed and bombing was going to start in 5 minutes, and that’s how Sam felt about Castillo. Talked about his terrible defense at second, how he shouldn’t even be called a second baseman. Used an excellent quote from Chapelle when Chapelle was talking about scantily clad women who get angry when you stare at them, he likened it to him dressing up as a policeman and someone running up asking for help with him replying, “just because I’m dressed this way, doesn’t make me a police officer.” That’s it in a nutshell.

by Evan_S on Jan 5, 2010 2:25 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

November 2006

Was a bad month for Omar. In the span of 5 days, he traded Royce Ring, Heath Bell, Henry Owens, and Matt Lindstrom for squat. Ouch. Maybe some of those guys could have been better than Luis Ayala?

"You know I am only teasing. I love you gals out there -- always have." - Keith Hernandez

by OSUmets on Jan 5, 2010 12:10 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

He got a lot of the small deals incredibly wrong at the end of 06

Keppinger for Gotay and Bannister for Burgos weren’t really big deals but having those players could have made a difference the last few years, at least kept us from paying the Alex Coras and Tim Redding/Livan Hernandez’s of the world.

"We have a plan, and our plan, I like our plan'

it's Omar's world, we're just livin in it.

by Gina on Jan 5, 2010 12:22 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Livan was a 1.7 WAR pitcher.

We signed him on a minor league deal and paid him less than 1 million total. I really don’t se how you can complain about that one. He was actually a very good signing by Omar.

"We're just as bad as the old Mets, but this time nobody's laughing"
-Dallas Green

by Schmidtxc on Jan 5, 2010 12:28 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

You're not a fan of Burgos' live arm?

by Evan_S on Jan 5, 2010 12:29 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I would have liked to see Bannister in our line up and Keppinger at 2nd

Bannister at worst would be our #5 and is better than Ollie. Keppinger if not our 2b then yes, he would be head and shoulders above Cora as MiF sub.

Asking a General Manager to slim down his budget is like asking an alcoholic to blow up a distillery.

by scott from peekskill on Jan 5, 2010 1:55 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Ted Berg

nails one of my pet beliefs: fandom of any team is irrational QED. It’s the one spot where we can stow rank on statistics and reason.

It’s irrational in principle (“Just a game” is a cliché, but not a canard) and in practice it’s depressingly irrational for all but a few teams, and the longer the season, the truer that becomes. People root for teams because they enjoy the pathos, because they enjoy the sport per se, and because they are loyal-cum-stubborn. The rest is dross… multibillion dollar dross.

phliadelphoe ite domum!

by Doc Manhattan on Jan 5, 2010 12:15 PM EST reply actions 0 recs