Dec. 26: Back to work
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- December
- 26
Greetings …
I hope you all enjoyed the Holidays. The Mets were quiet over the weekend and figure to be slow this week, also. That’s not to say things haven’t happened. Texas acquired pitcher Brandon McCarthy from the White Sox and Jeff Suppan is off the board, headed for Milwaukee. Both impact the landscape for Barry Zito, in favor of the Mets.
Rangers GM Jon Daniels said, “I’m not terribly encouraged,” when asked about Zito, and, obviously, not having Suppan available has to put the focus on Zito.
Meanwhile, the Yankees would like to trade Randy Johnson, and if they can, that frees up money to go after Zito without adding to their luxury tax bill. Then again, if the Yankees were really interested, nothing would stop them.
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Hi John, happy holidays!
Do you think the Yankees really want Zito? I would hate seeing him go over there after flirting with the Mets.
Hi Judy …
They don't want him as much as the Mets do, but the Yankees are like a little kid. They want everybody else's toys. I believe the Yankees will make a run at Roger Clemens. They'd like to dump Johnson's contract. But, the truth is if the Yankees want somebody they won't let a little thing like a luxury tax stand in their way.
I gotta think the Johnson thing is just dumping a semi-useless player…I think they still dream of Rocket not Zito….
jb
What a relief to see that Jeff Suppan is off the board. The problem I have with Suppan is not that the Mets suddenly forgot how to hit and made him look like Pedro in his prime, its that he just isn't a very good pitcher. Don't look at what a guy did in a couple of games or over 2 weeks. He's been in the majors for years now and he just plain isn't that good. Breath a sigh of relief Mets fans because this guy would not have helped us.
I had the feeling the Mets weren't really interested in Suppan, but were merely using him a negotiating ploy to hold down what they would have to pay Zito (in the same way, Boras is using the Giants and Rangers to drive up the salary). Suppan signing with the Brewers I think hurts them in this respect (who else can they now conceivably hold up as an alternative to Zito—Chan Ho Park?) And now with the lastest news in the NY Times about the Yankees' possible interest in Zito, I think Zito's contract could well skyrocket beyond the Mets' permissable range!
To Tropicalista …
You're rght. Zito's price has to go up now, with or without the Yankees. If it leaps beyond their budget, they have nobody else to blame but themselves.
To Taymitsan …
Suppan was never more than a No. 4 guy in the Mets' eyes, which could have been enough if Glavine and Hernandez don't show their age and Maine wasn't a fluke.
To JB …
I agree. As long as Clemens is out there, he's the Yankees' first choice.
To Taymitsan,
Suppan is actually a good pitcher. You may want to look at what he's done during the past few seasons as well as his entire body of work in the playoffs. ERA of 3.95 over the past 3 seasons. 9th most wins in the majors during that time. 2.39 era since the 2006 all-star break in 15 starts. 3.00 era in the playoffs for his career. 30+ starts every season beginning with 1999. Won 16 games 2 of the past 3 seasons, and last year won 12 on a 83 win team. He excelled against the Mets in the NL championship series in games 3 and 7…2 of the 4 they lost while they didn't have problem with Cy Young winner Chris Carpenter. He also pitched a great game 7 in the NL championship series in 2004. The numbers speak for themselves as well as his demeanor which is all professional. People need to stop judging this guy by what he did earlier in his career. He's not the same picher…but rather has morphed into a very reliable one. He would have done well as a Met, with no reason to think he couldn't win 15+ as one, year after year.
Anonymous,
You make a good argument on Suppan's behalf, but on the other hand, hitters hit .277 off him last year with an OBP of .343 (about his career average in both departments). This is not a pitcher who strikes fear into the heart of hitters. But you are right, he pitched extremely well down the stretch and came up with some big, big wins in the playoffs.