Jorge Posada stays with the Yankees with a four-year, $52.4-million deal, a package that would have been ridiculous for any team without a DH to consider. Posada wasn’t going anywhere, anyway.
This could enhance Paul Lo Duca’s chances of returning, but it will only be worth it for one year or one with an option. If Lo Duca wants more, he’s not worth it at the production he gives.
The best option is Colorado’s Yorvit Torrealba because he’s young and would cost only money. Trading means giving up players and the Mets aren’t deep in prospects and would be wise to spend their trade chips on pitching.
27 Comments
Mets are in trouble. They need changes, they need more talent. But they have only Heilman and Milledge to trade. I hope they keep both. There is very little on the free agent market. Silva, Colon or Hernandez might help. They need to resign Loduca and Castillo but neither promises much of an improvement. Their money won’t help unless they decide to sign Arod and everything seems to indicate they won’t do that.
Finally!!!!! Delcos advocates a change!! Torrealba may not be a star but unlike LoDuca, he’s not on the downhill side. I agree he’s an upgrade, espcially if we can keep Castro as # 2. And you are right about our trade pieces Slim and slim…. Need to hope someone has a great scouting report on one of them.
PS: I didn’t add Newhan to the list but he’s my vote, especially since he’s a FA again turning down a minor leaue spot.
As I have said before, you can get Silva, LoDuca and Castillo for about 24MM or so or you could get the best player for 30MM who will help you win more games than those 3 avg guys and will pump 100 times more revenue into your coffers.
But the Muts won’t look at it that way b/c they won’t sign someone to a long term deal (Beltran being the one exception) for big bucks b/c they won’t go over the luxary salary level even though they can easily do so.
They’d rather spend 50MM on crap like Silva for 5 yrs b/c he will “only” be 10MM/yr. But after about a season, he will be booed off the mound.
I hope they can do a trade for Roberts and Hernandez from the O’s who supposedly want to dump some salary (maybe to get Arod?). That will give them an excellent 2b and a decent catcher, neither of whom is ancient….
I think John would rather have Lo Duca, based on past posts, but knows the Mets don’t want him.
How does that justfiy Newhan being your vote? You make no sense.
LoDuca without question. He is hard nosed and the kind of guy you like on the team. Yorvit Torrealba???? Do you people hear yourselves? HE STINKS…just what I want…a .220 hitter batting 8th and the pitcher 9th…sounds like the days of Rey Ordonez. No thanks…Omar, please be smarter than that.
I have to agree with Jay. When the season ended and i was in full “we have to change this team every way possible” mode, i considered Torrealba, but after coming back to my senses and looking more closely at him – what does he have on Lo Duca aside from age? He hits for lower average, more strikeouts, less rbis, and his defense supposedly isnt that great either. I just don’t see the advantages of replacing Lo Duca with this guy… It wouldnt really be a salary dump – we can afford loduca…it wouldnt be a skill upgrade, so whats the point?
I know no one wants to hear this but it might be for the best to lay low and not do anything stupid and wait for our prospects to look better either in spring training or in the minors early next year.
Resign LoDuca, Castillo, and Castro for 2 years each.
Save some money for 2008 that right now will be a better FA class. If agents see the Mets holding back that could keep some players from signing with their current teams since they will know the Mets will have extra money to burn and the buzz of a new stadium.
The best FA bullpen move is still moving Pelfry to the pen.
This might be one of those times to copy the Yankees.
Also it worked with Heilman.
Is Torrealba an upgrade over Paulie? If so go get him. If no one is then resign our catcher for 2 and move on.
Pitching is the key. I think you trade a package of Milledge to get a good pitcher and then replace him by getting one of the productive OF that are out there.
You weaken your bench and take the risk that Milledge blossoms someplace else, but if it is for a good young pitcher you do it. Ditto for Pelfrey and Humber, If the upside today and tomorrow is big enuf you let them go.
Go get Castillo or someone like him unless he wants 4. Else be comfortable with the in house platoon we have.
I am waiting for Omar to implement his plan and am looking for JD’s usual good reporting in the offseason on this.
Dave
Oh yeah, to the question of the day.
Was talking to my boss about this. I think Posada got a rich contract considering his years. In part this is a contract on past performance. He has been a good Yankee and goes and does his job without complaints ( kinda like our 2 young guys ).
He finally got his big contract. Good for him.
That’s the problem – none of those three players will accept two years, at least not at first, while waiting for other offers, during which time they could get away. To guarantee signing them would be at least three years. The money is not the problem for me, but the length of the contract because it limits our future options if it is too long, since we’ve seen that these owners won’t do a buyout, trade and pay, or DFA to the minors.
The Yankees will surely regret giving 4 years to a 37 year old catcher, but who ever said they were smart? now they are offering 3 years at 15 mil per to a 38 year old closer. If they had a really smart GM, they would be unbeatable with their limitless money supply.
Torrealba our next catcher? this guy sucks, his avg. outside of Coors was around .220. Rosenthal said he has a bad right arm and only threw out 17 percent of basestealers last year. Loduca is on the outs because of his comment about the other players speak english too. Sorry to say it, but if torrealba comes in here, who is definitely not an upgrade over Paul, I am going to join the others who say Omar only wants latins on his team. OK, Maybe Wright can be the token white guy.
All you have to know about Torreabla is that he was outproduced by Paul Lo Duca but… he played in COORS FIELD!
I would just rather have Lo Duca.
I absolutely hate Yorvit Torreabla with a passion. He’s horrible. He’s bad defensively, he had shoulder surgery and I really don’t expect his arm to get any better.
No… just NO!!!
I might have to take back the nice things I said about Omar if he gets this Torrealba guy unless he is savings his trade chips to make a big move on a position player and/or picther.
Heard that Arod might now go back to Yanks. Let’s see, Yanks get Posada, Mo and Arod….....Mets get Torreabla. Par for the course. Met management should never complain that they don’t get the back page.
ESPN is reporting that Torrealba signed a one year deal with the Rockies.
It does look to me like all the rumors about the Mets are about maintaining the status quo. I am not interested in A-Rod but I would like to see significant improvement in the pitching, both starting and bullpen.
If not then we are wasting another season while guys like Beltran, Wright, and Reyes are in their prime.
This whole catching problem would have been irrelevant if Omar would have done his job. If he wouldn’t have given Julio Franco a 2 year contract he could have kept Flores on the 40 man and we would’ve had a kid ready to take the plate. But NO, OMAR screwed up and since we have no prospects at catcher we are torn between old over the hill LoDuca and younger not very good Torrealba or Hernandez. Another failure by Omar, that this team will pay for this year and next year because if LoDuca comes back its Groundhog day again next year at catcher.
To Ray Sadecki: How about keeping your criticisms to Omar to a non bigoted rhetoric. Dislike him for doing a lousy job which he is doing the last 18 months, not to show unfounded bigotry.
Looks like the Mets and Torrealba are close to a 3 year worth 15 million.
Sloppy, I thought bigots are the people who only hire thier own kind. Calling me a bigot isnt going to keep me from stating the obvious.
Poor Ray, Do you call the signing of Billy Wagner another move to make the Mets all Latino, or bringing in a rotten Schoeneweis, or Marlon Anderson or Damion Easley or Willie Randolph or HoJo to be hitting coach, or giving Peterson a 3 year extension… Hispanics all I suppose.
I guess you define the ultimate bigot as an ignorant human being who distorts facts to justify his/her own hatreds…..
if Torrealba signed the one year with the Rockies he is not smart considering reports of what the Mets were offering.
Omar chose Smith last year and got promoted to the bigs..
The Latin thing is just stupid. Many latin players are the top performers on many teams.
If the top athletes in countries that happen to be south of our border choose baseball because that is what they love, then if they have the skill,passion, training they will make it to mlb.
You are right, sloppy, IF torrealba is signed we will have every spot on our starting 8 filled by hispanic players except Wright. Thats only a coincidence, of course. my bad.
You’re not bad Sadecki, You’re just a sick racist who can come out of your closet in this anonymous world of blog posting. You were probably one of the deficient ones who screamed the world is ending that day many a decade ago when the Pirates were the first to field a lineup with no white people on it. Too bad Ray, the world has changed, and only bigots care about skin or heritage when looking for the top employees. Glad I don’t have to live, work or know you.
PS: Please study all the rosters so you and yours can move to their fandom.
The sure way to know somebody is losing an argument is when they resort to namecalling. sticks and stones, sloppy.
Didn’t LoDuca want a multi-year deal? I’m pretty sure he wanted at least 2 or even 3 years and that would be an idiotic move on the part of the Mets.
I’m still on the fence and given the overall lousy quality of the available catchers I would prefer to not lose any prospects for one. Who knows what Baltimore wanted for Hernandez?
But I do expect Omar to spend those “saved” prospects on a front-line pitcher.
I think it is way too early to declare this off-season as a “failure” or “the same old bandaid moves”. And obviously A-Rod was a scam, good for Omar not to drive up his price.
And I could care less about the racial makeup of the ballclub. Basketball, anyone?
JT
Uh oh Ray,, Torealba is on his way. Did you ever write the Wilpns and tell them about this conspiracy of Omar’s to undermine their team. I’m sure they don’t know about it. They need to know before it too late. The good news is that bigots like you will find other teams to root for an we can then have intelle\igent discussions about the team. Bye bye Ray.
Hey sloppy seconds.
Before you said Minaya wasnt trying to build a latin team, naming Wagner and a few black bench players as your argument. Now you cheer on torrealbas coming to the mets even though you admit he is a horrible player. you are such a stupid hipocrite. Now we can all see who is the racist here. you dont care about who is the better player for the Mets just that is he is not white. Nothing worse than a hypocite, sloppy schmuck. why not call you names since nobody here mind when you slander me, you low grade moron.