Author: Will Sommer
I recently had a Q & A with Ted Berg of SNY. His column "Flushing Fussing" is a must read for any Mets fan.
Also I'm not sure why the line breaks are so funky. I'm trying to fix it. Sorry
WS: In your opinion do the Mets have the best bullpen in baseball or at least the best 1-2 punch in baseball with Putz, and K-Rod?
TB: It's so hard to predict bullpens -- look at the Phillies last year. Would anyone have said in April that they'd have one of the league's best relief corps? Who would've thought Lidge would have that year, or Chad Durbin or Clay Condrey? There's so much variance in relievers' effectiveness that it's tough to definitively call any team "the best."
That said, the Mets are definitely much improved in the bullpen -- there's no arguing that. If both pitchers throw like they did in the second half of 2008, the bullpen will be a strength instead of the Achilles' Heel it was last season. But I still think what the bullpen needs, more than anything, is a starting pitcher that can eat up innings and save relievers some appearances.
WS: Why doesn't Mets ownership want Manny?
TB: Well, we won't know for sure that Mets ownership doesn't want Manny until they let him pass by (I'm still holding out some hope). My guess would be they don't want the headache that comes along with his awesome plate discipline and power. Whether it's true or not, the perception is that he quit on Boston, and there's no arguing that he choked the traveling secretary. That's a lot to put up with for an aging player who can't play defense. I personally still think the positives outweigh the negatives, but I guess I'm not the one who stands to be choked if they don't.
WS: Does Luis Castillo have any shot of being traded?
TB: It's looking less likely every day, isn't it? Obviously if the Mets can find a taker, they'll have to eat a lot of Castillo's salary or take on a similar albatross of a contract. I'm not sure they're eager to do
either, so I think a Mets fan's best hope is to cross his fingers and hope Castillo is fully healthy and maybe not quite as bad as he looked last season. I could stand his complete lack of power if he could play defense at all, but last year he was pretty bad out there.
WS: Do you think the Mets need another lefty in the 'pen?
TB: It couldn't hurt, but it probably depends on how they intend to use Pedro Feliciano. Until 2008, Feliciano was always pretty good at getting both lefties and righties out. He struggled against right-handers in 2008, but Howard Megdal caught up with Feliciano in Puerto Rico and learned that he's working on that part of his game. If the Mets want to use him for full-inning stints, they could probably use a traditional LOOGY. But if Feliciano's slated for the one-out role, the Mets should focus on finding relievers who can get both lefties and righties out.
The over-specialization caught up with them last year, I think, when the appearance totals went through the roof.
WS: If Derek Lowe signs with the Mets, and Perez signs somewhere else, do the Mets have to give up the pick the Mets got from the team Perez signs to the Dodgers, since the Mets all ready signed one Type A free agent?
TB: That is a great question. The MLB rules on this stuff are pretty complex, but I'm pretty sure a team can not lose its compensation pick. So if the Mets sign Lowe and someone else signs Perez, the Mets will still get the two picks they earn for losing Perez -- the signing team's first-rounder (unless the signing team has a top-15 pick, in which case the Mets would get their second-round pick) and a sandwich round pick. So essentially, if they sign Lowe and lose Perez, they'll be giving up two picks (one for K-Rod, one for Lowe) and gaining two picks (first- and supplemental-round picks for Perez). I think.
WS:
Will Dan Murphy repeat his great 2008 season?
TB: That's a lot to ask. I think Murphy's a good hitter who's going to be a nice Major League player, but 131 at-bats is a pretty small sample. I think, as the league gets a better scouting report on him, you'll see him struggle a bit at some point. If he's as good as he looks and the Mets stand by him, he'll adjust. But I wouldn't be at all surprised if it was a few years before Murphy posts his next .870 OPS.
WS: How nice is Citi Field?
TB: From the looks of it, very. I've got lots of opinions on architecture that I won't bore you with here, but I can say this for sure: It's going to be a more pleasant place to watch a game than Shea Stadium. The seats are nicer, there's better leg room, more food options and the seats will generally be closer to the field. I'll miss Shea, but the promise of a taco stand at Citi should make that burden a lot easier to bear.
how come they don't start Castro and get rid of Schneider?
Posted by: tommy kim | January 13, 2009 at 03:51 PM