Now Catching, Johnny Estrada

Torrealba is out and Johnny Estrada is in. I think this is an excellent move.

Let me, however, start off by saying, I have not changed my mind about LoDuca. Given the way he plays the game, his heart, drive and determination, the fire he has when he plays, I would have stayed with Paulie. Obviously that was not the Mets thinking. They wanted to get younger at that position and clearly felt LoDuca’s best days were behind him.

Given that attitude, I still was not big on Torrealba. Now, Estrada on the other hand is someone I can accept playing behind the plate. His best days may be behind him but certainly he has had some good offensive numbers. Also, given the fact that Castillo is signed and the ideal number two hiter, that spot would not be available for LoDuca and Estrada is probably a better number 6 hitter.

The best part of the deal, of course, is both what the Mets did not have to give up and perhaps even better, what they did have to give up. None of the young prospects were traded away. They kept those bargaining chips available for pitching (and once again, I do hope they truly address that need). The Mets did have to trade Guermillo Mota.

Two years ago, when Mota came to New York, he looked like he had resurrected his career. Aside from post season, when he came in, he would get the job done. Then came the steroids issue and a very professional response from Mota that endeared him more to me. Unfortunately, ultimately he came back.

I do not know if it was the steroids that made him so effective when he came over and without them he was not longer the pitcher he had been the year before, or if it was something else, but Mota clearly was not the same. Maybe he just never got in shape. Maybe he just lost his step. Whatever it was, Mota was terrible last year. Fans hated seeing him come in and Willie, apparently loved bringing him in (that one is still a mystery). Yes, towards the end of the season, no one from the pen got the job done, but even before that, Willie kept bringing Mota in, when other relievers were much more effective.

Now, not only do the Mets have a catcher (and some rumors that Estrada may actually be used in a bigger move), they also got rid of a liability. All around, I would say this is a good move.

PS A happy Thanksgiving to all and now with the Holiday season officially upon us, I wish you all the happiest, healthiest and most joyous of Holidays.

Pitching, Pitching, Pitching

So, A-Rod is still a Yankee and will remain that way for the next ten years. Personally I am thrilled, or at least glad that he did not sign with the Mets. It leaves the team money to bring in a pitcher or two. So, what do they do, they sign a catcher, in Torrealba. Well, hopefully with that “need” taken care of, they can now focus on the true need, pitching.

The Mets seem to have decided they will trade some of the young talent to bring in a pitcher. I am okay with that. The only thing is, if they trade a lot to get someone like a Johan Santana, they need to make sure they go ahead a sign him to a lengthy deal. To trade away three or four young guys (maybe more), talented guys, guys who are top prospects, will not sit well with me if they do it only to rent a player for one year and then have that player test the free agency waters. They need to keep the player.

Still, they also need to do something to fill the void. We all knew this was the problem last year, but the Mets’ front office refused to address the need. Well, it remains the need again this year. Even if Glavine were to return to the Mets, the need would be just as great, if not more so.

Oliver Perez and John Maine may turn into complete, whole season pitchers, but they are not there yet. Hopefully Pedro will be back next year for the full year, in tiptop shape, but I don’t think we can count on it. El Duque cannot be counted on to have an injury free season, and certainly not to remain available down the stretch and in post season (if the Mets get there). They need a true, bona fide number one pitcher, and I would like to see them bring in a second pitcher as well. A couple of starters along with Pedro and Maine and Perez would go a long way.

I have a dear friend who would never object to trading away prospect for the right player. The problem is he would insist they had to be the right player (and I agree). He is still ticked at the Mets for trading Scott Kasmir for Victor Zambrano (I hope I got that trade right). I heard former Mets GM Steve Phillips on a talk show last year say that Omar Minaya’s philosphy is, “Prospects don’t win you World Series”. My point here is, I don’t mind if the Mets trade a Miledge or a Gomez or a Pelfrey, or Gotay, or other young talent, as long as they are not trading them just for the sake of brining in another arm. The Mets need to bring in “The Right Arm”. Here’s hoping that happens.

Torrealba Versus LoDuca

So the Mets are considering signing free agent Yorvit Torrealba to be the catcher of the future. Honestly, I do not like the move. I am probably in the minority here, but I am a fan of Paul LoDuca. LoDuca grew up a Met fan and seems to play the game with all his soul. I have never questioned that he gives 100%.

I like LoDuca because he does not strike out that much. He is a good contact hitter, as he knows how to put the bat on the ball, and he seems to work very well with the pitchers. He proved to be a good, effective number two hitter but with Luis Castillo being traded to him last year and the Mets hopeful of resigning him, that spot in the lineup was taken away from LoDuca. Still, I say, they should try to keep both players.

Although I do not have the skills or knowledge of what truly is involved in calling a game, LoDuca seems to call a good game. When the Mets picked him up, he was classified as a catcher who can hit as opposed to a hitter who can catch (what they considered Mike Piazza). He was an upgrade defensively. Now, everyone seems to talk about how he is a defensive liability. Torrealba is considered an upgrade, yet last year 80% of would be base stealers were successful against the man the Mets want to bring in, while the National League Average was 70%. Base runners did better against Torrealba than they did against the rest of the league.

I think LoDuca is a gritty, gutsy ballplayer who has earned his stripes with the Mets. Not only did he finish up strong with them at the end of last year, I thought he had a good year overall and his two year tenure in a Met uniform has been successful and warrants a return. I know the Mets are not asking me (and I highly doubt they are checking my blog to see what I think), but I say they should resign what they have.

A-Rod, Yes Or No?

So, A-Rod is available to all teams and the Mets are certainly one of the teams that could land him. Personally, I do not think the Mets should persue him. Now, if they were to land him, I would not be disappointed, but this is not would I would focus on if I were Omar Minaya.

A-Rod certainly is one of the best players in the game. He is the favorite to break Bonds’ homerun record and it would be nice to stick it to George Steinbrenner and the Yankees. I also think you will see some strong postseason numbers from this man if he were not playing for the Yankees. So, these are all reasons why they should persue him, but again, I am not in favor of that.

First of all, where do you play him. Putting him at third is a possibility but then you need to move David Wright. I do not think you want Wright at second base. That means he either goes into an already crowded outfield or you play him at first base and look to get rid of Delgado. I do not see either of those happening. To play A-Rod at shortstop means you are moving Reyes to second, and we already tried that experiment. Then there is the possibility of moving A-Rod to second, but that is probably not fair to him, and he, one of the best players in the game, should not need to constantly switch positions.

There are other problems as well. The main issue is, if you sign him, it will tie up a lot of money and prevent the Mets from making other moves. Anyone who thinks the problems the Mets had during this year’s meltdown would not have occurred with A-Rod on the team is deceiving him/herself. The problem was pitching.

With Glavine gone (and even if he plays another season, I hope it is not in a Met uniform), with Ollie and Maine still unproven, especially as full year pitchers, with the condition of Pedro not know, with a bullpen that was far from reliable for the entire year minus the closer, and a closer who was unreliable the second half of the year, the Mets should not tie up money on an Alex Rodriguez contract. They should avoid dealing with Scott Boris (unless he represents a pitcher the Mets want to persue). The Mets should look to do the same thing the needed to do last year; address the pitching needs. If they do not, we are probably in for another long season, much like we had this previous year.

Those are my thoughts. Do you have any on the topic?