Archive for the ‘Connor Robertson’ Category

BY MICHAEL GANCI
EDITOR

The Mets went through a busy off-season in terms of potential people they were going to land, and they made some moves that nobody expected. We went through the whole Manny Ramirez fiasco, and there were some tough critics who had some harsh words to say about Omar Minaya. In this evaluation, I intend to set the record straight.

1) Mets Sign Francisco Rodriguez
The decision that Omar Minaya made to sign Francisco Rodriguez was a no brainer. K-Rod, coming off of a career year, was the best closer on the market; just a year after the Mets blew more than 20 save chances. Having K-Rod in the ninth inning essentially makes it an eight-inning game, which would’ve made one heck of a difference last season.

2) Mets Trade For J.J. Putz and Sean Green
This was a move that nobody saw coming. Putz has been one of the most underappreciated closers in baseball for the last few seasons, and he serves as some nice protection should anything happen to Francisco Rodriguez. Putz looks at it as if he is closing the eighth inning, which is a nice way to put it. I don’t expect him to be jealous of Rodriguez, and his positive attitude should reflect well on the youngsters in the clubhouse.

3) Mets do not make an offer to Manny Ramirez
As much as the idea of having one of the best hitters in the game in our lineup was intriguing, I truly believe Minaya made the right decision by not pursuing Manny. We watched what he did in Boston. He single-handedly ruined the continuity of that team, and the only reason that he really behaved in Los Angeles is because he was showcasing himself for his next contract. I think Manny is selfish, and his impact on a guy like Jose Reyes may have been catastrophic.

4) Mets Sign Tim Redding and Freddy Garcia
I disliked these signings from the very beginning. I am not at all surprised to see that both of these guys look like they are pitching batting practice in the spring. Redding has been shut down indefinitely, and the Mets are probably close to cutting Garcia to avoid the potential incentives he could earn if he ever made it up to the big club. This was a low-risk, high-reward potential signing by Minaya, but I think the Mets would have been better off by investing some confidence in the youngster Jon Niese, who will probably be the team’s number five starter come July.

5) Mets Trade Scott Schoenweis for Connor Robertson
Honestly, there weren’t many people who were disliked more in New York last season than Scott Schoenweis. He wasn’t terrible as a Met, but he was certainly prone to giving up the big hit in the crucial time. The Mets could have dealt him for a bag of baseballs. This was a move that was clearly an example of addition by subtraction, although the Mets do find themselves looking for a second lefty out of the bullpen.

6) Mets Do Not Attempt to Re-Sign Pedro Martinez
This is definitely the right decision. Pedro is seeking an insane amount of money after he was a complete snub during his first tenure with the Mets. He was injured more than he played, but his value with the Mets wasn’t in his performance. Big name free agents came to the Mets after Pedro led the way. Beltran and Delgado were examples, and eventually, Santana ended up in Queens as well. The Pedro Martinez era in New York is finished, and the Mets are better off moving on.

7) Mets Do Not Sign Orlando Hudson
This is one move in which I strongly disagreed with. I don’t like the rationale. First of all, Luis Castillo has something to prove. He showed up in shape and wants to prove everyone wrong. Where the heck was he last season? Did he take the year off? The Mets would’ve been better off with putting Ramon Castro at second base with the way Castillo swung the bat. Orlando Hudson is a proven leader and .300 hitter. He also has pop and is someone who is a great influence in the clubhouse. The deal that the Dodgers signed him to may have been the steal of the off-season.

8) Mets do not sign Ivan Rodriguez
I definitely wanted Pudge. There is no secret there. But, I think he was playing the Mets the whole time to use them as leverage against Houston and it worked. Rodriguez looked like a shell of his former self after the Yankees acquired him for Kyle Farnsworth last summer. Initially, I was upset that he signed for so cheap, but he wouldn’t have been any better than Castro. This was a good no-move by Minaya.

9) Mets Release Duaner Sanchez
I was a little upset by this move, because it was more about saving the money than it was about giving Duaner a fair chance. My prediction is as follows. Duaner Sanchez will be a very good setup man in San Diego. Doesn’t that happen with all of the guys that the Mets have given up on? Remember Heath Bell? Remember Matt Lindstrom? I would love to have Lindstrom and his fireball on our team, but instead, he is pitching for the division rival Marlins. This was a bad move by Minaya and company.

10) Mets Retain Jerry Manuel
This was key to let all the dominos fall into place. Manuel took over the reins last season and immediately, this team responded. Jose Reyes was one example of a guy who had to be taught a lesson, and Manuel did it in “gangsta” fashion. Carlos Delgado was also a different player for Manuel, and he even became a potential MVP candidate with the second half numbers that he put up. The key to a team’s success is being comfortable with their manager, and that is definitely something that this team has with Jerry Manuel. We will have to wait and see how the other moves pan out in 2009.