Tag Archives: Hot Stove

Oct 29

Light up the Hot Stove season.

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When David Murphy’s fly ball nestled into Allen Craig’s glove last night to end one of the most compelling World Series in history, the partying was ratcheted up a notch in St. Louis, but the Hot Stove Season began everywhere else.

Over the next five days, the Mets hold an exclusive negotiating window with their free agents: Jose Reyes, Chris Capuano, Scott Hairston, Chris Young, Miguel Batista, Jason Isringhausen and Dale Thayer.

REYES: What's he thinking?

 

Of the group, the most likely to return is Capuano, who should be a priority because of the Mets’ thin rotation. The others are interchangeable among the 200 or so free agents that will hit the market.

Reyes, of course, is the one drawing the most interest here, but the Mets won’t complete a deal in this window as the shortstop is determined to test the market and history tells us this won’t get done until December after the Winter Meetings.

At the end of the season I posted the Mets’ ceiling for Reyes should be four years at no more than $20 million a season, and I see no reason to back off that sentiment. I’d actually go lower, say $17 million.

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Sep 24

New Chat Room; counting down.

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Game #153 at Phillies

To access the new chat room, click onto the Mets Chat icon to your left.

RA Dickey tonight as the Mets try to avoid the humiliation of watching the Phillies clinch in front of them. They might as well watch, give them something to stew about over the winter. That is, if they can muster that much anger. Four games under .500 and that goal of mediocrity is slipping away.

Even when the nuggets are small, the Mets kick them away.

Pretty soon the Hot Stove league will start, with the Mets shivering in the corner.

Jan 03

Jan. 3.10: Getting off the Pineiro bandwagon.

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PINEIRO: Asking too much.

PINEIRO: Asking too much.

I started the Hot Stove Season believing the Mets should address pitching first and foremost. I feel the same way today.

One I touted was Joel Pineiro.

But, it was a surface infatuation. I looked at Pineiro’s 15 wins and thought they’d look good in the Mets’ rotation. They would.

But, after looking deeper, I’m off the Pineiro bandwagon. Those 15 wins marked the first time he won double-digit wins since going 16-11 in 2003 with Seattle. He’s 87-79 during his ten year career, which averages out to 9-8. He threw 214 innings last year, which was only the second time he threw at much as 200. Three times he’s thrown as many as 190.

There’s no way this should translate into Pineiro getting $10 million a year for four years. No way. But, would it surprise anybody if he did? Not me. When it comes to crazy contracts, somebody is always willing to pay. There’s always a GM waiting to take the plunge.

I’m hoping it isn’t Omar Minaya.

Nov 27

Hot Stove to heat up ….

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Thanks Annie and Ray for the kind words yesterday. I hope you all had a happy holiday with your family and friends.

WRIGHT: Will he get his HR swing back?

WRIGHT: Will he get his HR swing back?


The day after Thanksgiving should be pretty quiet. I’m figuring things will heat up at the beginning of next week on into the winter meetings in Indianapolis, starting Dec. 7.

I don’t believe the Mets will be as aggressive as Jeff Wilpon lead us to believe after the season or as many of you want them to be. I also don’t think they’ll be totally stagnant, either, as even they know another season like next year won’t fly.

They can’t and shouldn’t be thinking a healthy return of the injured will be enough, because it won’t be.
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Nov 13

Do you really believe?

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You guys know the Mets. You know their history, their tendencies, the promises made that have long since been forgotten.

Almost gone now are Jeff Wilpon’s words after the debacle known as the Summer of 09, the Mets would be an aggressive trading and spending bunch this winter. A little over six weeks later, with the Hot Stove rumors starting to fire, I don’t believe John Lackey or Matt Holliday will be Mets this summer. I see the Mets slipping back into old habits of hoping for their best, in this case, having their wounded back healthy and doing some patchwork here or there.

Patchwork does not come in the form of $90 million or more packages.

I know a lot of you want Lackey and Holliday, or would be willing to settle for only one. That said, how many, knowing what you know about the Mets, actually believe you’ll get one?