UPDATE: I've been thinking about this more and thinking that the Mets should give Kunz and Parnell a shot to make the pen given a strong spring training. Also signing Lyon would be good to have as a back up closer.
The Bullpen is the area that needs the most work this offseason. As of now Smith, Schoeneweis is under contract with Heilman, Feliciano and Sanchez arbitration eligible. Lets take a look at who to keep, who to get rid of and who to go out and get.
I know I will get ripped for this but strictly from a pitching standpoint Scott Schoeneweis is very good at his job and terrible at anything else. His job is to get lefties out. He put up a .174 BAA for lefties and .333 BAA for righties. He is a good left handed specialist but that is it. If the Mets want to carry a left handed specialist he is the guy to keep since he is under contract and very good at getting lefties out. There is a problem of the fans hating him. I personally like him. He is a competitor and pitched all of last year hurt. He was in tears following the game Sunday. I would keep Schoenewies unless we can get someone better in a trade.
Pedro Feliciano has shown he can be very good at getting lefties out and he has also shown he can be just as bad at getting righties out as Show. He was pretty good against righties in '07 and '06 but was terrible this year (even worse than Show). I would offer him arbitration and give him another shot (altough I have never particularly liked him) especially if we trade Schow.
Aaron Heilman. I really like him. He had a terrible terrible year though. He just did not get the job done, especially against lefties (which is odd because his change up makes him usually very effective against lefties). He actually did decent against righties who hit .222 against him. He has been battling tendonitis all year. He did not use this as an excuse though for his poor season. He has good stuff and can be very effective and has shown it in the past. The fans hate him for this season though and it would be tough for me to argue to not trade him but I will do it anyway. He has a lot of potential and can be very useful. I would hate to see him traded for less than he is worth.
Duaner Sanchez was effective at times but forthe most part did not get the job done this year. This was his first year pitching since his terrible injury from the taxi incident in 2006. He should have been given more time off this year and it showed in his decreased velocity towards the later parts of the seaosn. I think we should bring him back for another year and see how he does. He can still be quite effective and it showed at points this season.
Joe Smith is coming back as the rightie groundball pitcher.
As for the closer situation I would love for the Mets to get Kerry Wood but he is probably going back to the Cubs. The Mets should go get Brian Fuentes. K-Rod will cost too much for too many years. His season was good but will be overrated because of his save totals. I love K-Rod and wouldn't mind signing him but I think a smarter move would be for Wood or Fuentes.
Brandon Lyon could be signed as a middle reliever who could potentially close for us in case of injury. Juan Cruz is an undervalued pitcher who could be a very good signing. Also bringin back Stokes and Wise may not be bad moves either. I thought Ayala did a good job and could be brought back as a decent middle reliever.
Burgos has a great arm and could be a sleeper pick for closer if the Mets decide to go internally for closer. He is a hot head who beats his girlfriend but there have been many jerks who have had success in the big leagues (Sheffield, Clemens, Myers, etc.).
Kunz is another pick to close but should be kept in the minors for another year. He could be used in the bullpen in the 2009 season but not as the closer. Bobby Parnell was converted to a starter but many believe he will be better in the bullpen and the Mets may decided to switch him back and while he may not be a closer he could possibly be a good middle reliever.
There is also the trade possibilities of Houston Street, Francisco Cordero, and possibly Joakim Soria. I love Soria but do not see the Royals trading him. I like Francisco Cordero but he may cost too much in prospects, altough he is a very intriguing option. I have always felt Street was overrated and do not want the Mets to trade for him because the A's will ask for way too much and we would likely end up being fleeced for him.
I know there is a lot of rambling just now but to clear things up here is what my 2009 bullpen would look like:
Fuentes
Smith
Schoenewies
Heilman
Cruz
Long Man (Knight or Figueroa)
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8 comments:
reminder..joe borowski is still out there..and you can pull todd jones out of retirement too..solid options..
trade for soria i actually heard the royals would be interested in a deal for him.
if not then get fuentes so we don't overpay.
as for the others i wouldnt mind signing affeldt or eyre. it might be interesting to see what they do with parnell
whats the deal with wise i'm pretty sure his contract is up
theres a reason why todd jones retired
theres a reason why jo jo has a terrible e.r.a
jo jo had a terrible era because of evil voodoo magic spell placed upon him..and todd jones is under the imperius curse right now..they'll come to the mets and be automatic cy youngs..
Feliciano has an incredible ability to get Ryan Howard out as well - can't overlook that.
I hope Omar goes strongly after Juan Cruz, Affeldt and Huston Street.
I'd take Fuentes, but not for more than 2, possibly 3 years. He's getting up there in age, people seem to be overlooking that.
they can have both knight and figeroa, that gives them 7 guys in their bullpen, which gives them 12 pitchers and 13 hitters.
the mets need another lefty besides schoeneweis, since if they use him once for like a batter, they got no other lefties. also, schoeneweis is hated by like 1/2 the fan base as the guy who blew so many leads
and he had a 4.66 ERA after the all-star break
heilman and/or schoeneweis need to go.
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