I have a poll up on whether the Mets should bring back Carlos Delgado. You can still vote and comment. Also, I invite you to scroll down the page and re-visit some other posts if you haven’t already. Feel free to comment. I’ll know when you do and will respond.
Thanks. JD
When Carlos Delgado is healthy and hitting, there are only a handful of first basemen I’d take over him. You know who they are. Albert Pujols, Ryan Howard, Mark Teixeira. There might be a few others.
DELGADO: Should they or shouldn't they?
In 26 games last year, Delgado hit .294 with a .393 on-base percentage, four homers and 23 RBI. Projected over a 162 games, that would be 25 homers and 143 RBI, numbers that would entail a no-brainer when it would come to picking up his option.
Wanna bet he would’ve kept that pace?
Delgado is 37, coming off an injury, and before that had a hot-cold 2008. He is not what the Mets need if their intent is to get younger, more athletic and pare salary.
Continue reading
Welcome to a new feature on the blog. This will be a thread with several items attached. Random thoughts, if you will. There are a lot of things happening, some directly relating to the Mets and some not.
* If you’re a season ticket holder, have you received your 2010 invoices? When is payment due? Is there a price break? I’m under the understanding there won’t be any increase. You tell me what’s going on.
* Bobby Valentine has been passed over for three jobs since returning from Japan. Cleveland, Houston and now Washington. Doesn’t that tell you something? Yet, there are those still on his bandwagon. Sorry, not happening, even if Jerry Manuel gets fired during the season.
* The Phillies are talking about Mark DeRosa to play third base. Would be a nice pick-up for them. They’ve already taken care of some off-season business. Adding DeRosa will make them that much better.
* Word is Atlanta might trade Javier Vazquez and/Derek Lowe. They must be sold on their young pitching to entertain those thoughts. You can’t have enough pitching. And, forget it, they won’t trade a starter inside the division.
* Carlos Beltran says Carlos Delgado is in good shape and said he’d love to have him return. No surprise there.
Mets Free Agents
Delgado, who missed most of the season with a hip injury, expects to play next season, but won’t be re-signed by the Mets. Schneider could return to Washington.
DELGADO: Gone.
Both are Class B free agents, meaning should they be offered arbitration and decline, then sign with somebody else, the Mets would be rewarded a draft pick from the Sandwich Round, which is between the first and second rounds. It’s a moot point, because they won’t be offered arbitration in fear they accept.
First base next year will be Daniel Murphy and a right-handed bat they sign on the cheap. It could be Fernando Tatis, who is also a free agent.
One of the core wants to stay. Carlos Beltran, 32, who returned from the disabled list earlier this month in an attempt to salvage part of his season, said he wants to finish his career with the Mets and told his agent to approach the team for an extension after the season.
That would be Scott Boras, who prefers to test the FA market.
Beltran, although not a great crowd favorite, has more than done his job with the Mets. He’s been productive and played hurt. He’s also performed in the clutch and has been an All-Star, Gold Glover and Silver Slugger winner.
BELTRAN: Plenty of expectations with his contract.
That strikeout could be why he’s never been as appreciated as he should be.
What I like about Beltran, is with the season over from a competitive standpoint, he worked hard to come back from the DLwhen it would have been easy to shut down.
“Why not?’’ Beltran said. “I don’t feel obligated. This is my job.’’
Beltran is at an age where an extension wouldn’t be a terrible idea, because by the end of his current deal he’d be 34, and still a productive player.
BELTRAN: He's produced.
My thinking is the Mets should be wary because of Beltran’s injury history the past two years. In addition, the Mets have so many holes to fill that their attention will be elsewhere.
However, there’s another reason why I see the Mets waiting, and that’s because they really don’t know what direction they are heading. Do they need a tweaking or an overhaul?
The story of this season has been the injuries, and if they return healthy and productive next year, then a case can be made that the Mets are not as bad as they appear. In that case, they’d be wise to bring back Beltran.
Of course, that includes Beltran having a good and healthy season.
However, if the Mets continue their downward spiral, and Beltran has another off-year, then it would be time to start over.
I like Beltran, but I’m not extending him this winter. There are too many variables.
