Does Boston know something the Mets don’t?

The Boston Red Sox and Mike Cameron look to be finishing up the details on a two-year contract.  That, along with yesterday’s signing of John Lackey, takes the out of the market for Jason Bay.

Bay, who turned down a four-year, $60 million offer from Boston, now only has one formal offer on the table.  That offer is from the New York Mets, worth $65 million over the same amount of time.

Most reports indicate that Bay really, really wants a fifth year, and the team that offer it to him may be able to snag him quickly.  With the top free agents quickly flying off the shelves, the Mets may have to spring and offer that extra year to land him.

But why didn’t the Red Sox offer another year?

Do they know something no other team does?  Is there an injury they know about, or at least some nagging pain? 

Do they just not like his defense?  (But they’re an AL team and could slot him into the DH spot if need be.)  Or did they just not want to go five years, like the Mets are hesitant to do.

I don’t have a definitive answer, just something to munch on this Tuesday morning.

Added – 10:23 a.m.: From the Boston Herald…

Reports early yesterday suggested the Red Sox had enough medical red flags to justify not going five years for the outfielder, who had shoulder surgery in 2003 and knee surgery in 2007. According to the source, those concerns have not been echoed by other teams that have examined Bay’s medical records.

Thanks to Ian from Sox and Dawgs for this link.

In case you were worried: Mets not fielding offers for Beltran

A few days ago in the Boston Herald, columnist Michael Silverman pitched the idea of Carlos Beltran going to the Boston Red Sox.

It was just a suggestion, but the Full Count blog squashed any rumors before they could get started.

From WEEI’s Full Count blog…

A major-league source said that the Mets would not even entertain the idea of trading Beltran. The Mets are instead giving every indication that they will be active in adding pieces this offseason (New York is expected to get involved in the markets for Bay and/or Matt Holliday). Given that likelihood, it would not make sense for the team to deal one of its best players.

(Emphasis mine.)

Don’t worry, Beltran fans.  He’s not going anywhere but back out to centerfield in Citi Field for at least another year.

Mets fans will pull for Red Sox and Dodgers

In my last poll, I asked my readers what team they will pull for in the playoffs.  The Red Sox were the victor over the Dodgers by one vote.  Here are the results…Somehow, the Phillies managed to garner 11 votes.  I’m guessing those were voted for by Philly fans, don’t you think?

Personally, I’d like to see either the Twins or the Tigers win it all, though for Johan Santana’s sake, maybe the Twins shouldn’t win it all.

Next poll: Were the right people fired?

Chris Carter claimed by Yankees

When the Mets traded Billy Wagner to the Red Sox, they were to receive two players to be named later.  It was reported that Chris Carter, a 27-year-old first baseman/corner outfielder, was one of the players heading to the Mets.

But a third team, the New York Yankees, have thrown a wrench into the process.

As the Sox need to send Carter to the Mets, they had to put him on waivers with the intent that he would not be claimed and they could send him to Queens.  Instead, the Yankees claimed him.

Obviously, the Red Sox pulled him back off waivers and will now have to keep him on their 40-man roster for the remainder of the season.

The Mets will still receive Carter, but it will have to wait until the off-season.  So thanks to the Yankees, instead of seeing Carter in Citi Field this September, we’ll have to wait until spring training to see what talent he has.

Thanks a lot, Brian Cashman!

Update: Let me clarify.

I think this is a bushleague move by the Yankees, as the Red Sox already have Billy Wagner and they just want Boston to have to keep Carter on their roster for the remainder of the season.

For the Mets, this won’t affect them much.  I have no notion that Carter is the next great first baseman the Mets have been searching for.  He might be decent off the bench, if that, but nothing more.

This is more a critique of the Yankees / Red Sox rivalry than anything regarding the Mets roster.

It would be nice to see Carter, but I’m not going to lose sleep over having to wait to watch him in blue and orange.

Red Sox claim Wagner, according to report

Ken Rosenthal is on top of the Billy Wagner situation.

Rosenthal first reported on Friday that Wagner had been claimed on waivers.  Now he reports that the Boston Red Sox were the team that claimed him.

The Mets have until Tuesday at 1 p.m. to work out a deal with the Red Sox for Wagner or they can pull him back from the waivers and keep him on the roster.  They could also simply let him go to the Red Sox for nothing in return, but that is unlikely.

Wagner does have a full no-trade clause, which he would have to waive if he was to be moved to Boston.

No Julio Lugo for the Mets

MLB (yes, Major League Baseball) just Tweeted that the Red Sox have traded Julio Lugo to the St. Louis Cardinals for Chris Duncan and a player to be named later.

Um…yay?

The Mets had been interested in Lugo and even had him working out at their baseball complex in the Dominican Republic after he was designated for assignment by the Red Sox.

Julio Lugo DFA’d; Are the Mets that desperate?

The Mets just brought Angel Berroa into the fold.  They promoted him to the major league team after just four games in their minor league system.  But could they be looking to pick up another SS off the scrap heap from hell?

Julio Lugo was designated for assignment today by the Boston Red Sox and could be released by the team very soon, according to WEEI.

Lugo, who has seen his name tossed around in trade talks for years now, was once connected to the Mets in rumors, however unfounded or speculative.  Omar Minaya seems to like Lugo, but hopefully that has passed.  But would the Mets be that desperate to pick yet another player off the scrap heap?

I sure hope not.

I was against the Gary Sheffield pick up, but he has proven me wrong.  I was against Livan Hernandez signing, but he gave the Mets a decent half season.  I was against the Fernando Tatis signing last year, but he was amazing in 2008.  (2009 is a much different story.)

And of course, I was against Berroa coming on board (even if he is replacing Argenis Reyes).  And I would be absolutely horrified if Julio Lugo found his way into Mets orange and blue.

Even if the Red Sox are willing to take a huge chunk of his salary, it just isn’t worth it.

I think, if Lugo did end up playing his home games in Flushing, it would signal the white flag to the rest of the NL East.  I hope it doesn’t happen.

So long, Smoltzy

Oh, this week just gets better and better. And it seems us Mets fans have the AL East to thank once again.

According to Mark Bowman of MLB.com, the longtime Atlanta Brave will head north to Boston.

A Major League source who was in contact with Smoltz on Wednesday night said the 41-year-old right-hander will be calling the Braves on Thursday morning to tell them that he has decided to sign with the Red Sox.

Hallelujah. First Pat Burrell, then John Smoltz. This is great.

What's next? Chipper Jones moves to England? Cole Hamels retires from baseball to pursue a career in acting? The Mets stop playing the Florida Marlins in September?

Beltran for Dice-K and Ellsbury?

From Joel Sherman's Hardball Blog:

Let me ask Met fans, Red Sox fans and anybody else interested if you would be willing to do this trade: [Carlos] Beltran to Boston for Daisuke Matsuzaka and Jacoby Ellsbury?

In a word: No.

Beltran's 2008: .284/.376/.500, 40 2B, 27 HR, 112 RBI, 25 SB. Played in 161 games.
Ellsbury's 2008: .280/.296/.394, 22 2B, 9 HR, 47 RBI, 50 SB. Played in 145 games.

Yes, Ellsbury is a great fielder and sometimes Beltran makes a silly mistake in the field, but there is no comparing the two. Three straight Gold Gloves for Beltran is enough information here.

Ellsbury is six years younger and much cheaper, which is enticing, but there is just no replacing Beltran in the field. Easily one of the most embattled players on the team, with some fans loving every second of him and others thinking he is overpaid. You likely know where I lie.

Dice-K would be nice, no doubt. He'd fit in right behind Johan Santana and be an excellent #2 pitcher. But with the staff they have right now, I don't think the Mets need to give up a guy as valuable as Beltran to land a #2 pitcher. Rather, they need to focus on getting a solid 3/4 guy in the rotation. Mike Pelfrey will have a decent year, but won't match 2008. Hopefully, John Maine can come back and pitch effectively.

The team knows they need to spend here, and they've already made the intial offer to Derek Lowe. It came out to be a little low, but the market seems thin for him, so the Mets might catch a break here and get him for near what they want to pay. That's their best option right now, with Oliver Perez filing in behind him.

I still don't know where the Jon Garland talk is. He's a solid back-end of the rotation guy, and has proven himself and his nearly automatic 4.75 ERA (fixed) for years. Sign him for the 4th or 5th guy and move from there. It would put pressure on the rest of the pitching market to look to the Mets if they seriously consider them suitors.

But back to the trade, I'll pass.

Mets-BoSox talking Brian Schneider [Updated]

According to the Washington Post, the Mets and Boston Red Sox have had discussions over Brian Schneider.

It was unclear what players the Red Sox would send to Queens in a deal for Schneider, but the Mets are known to need starting pitching, and the Red Sox could have a surplus, even if they fail to sign a top target such as Derek Lowe.

Forget who the team would get in return right now, but who would be the catcher next season? Do the Mets actually trust Ramon Castro with a full season behind the dish? The Castro-Johan Santana connection is undeniable, but his injuries worry me.

I'd like a major league ready pitcher, but that's asking too much. The catching market is very slim this year, so having one to deal works in the Mets favor.

Should be interesting if this plays out a little more. I'd like to hear what kind of deal the Sox would offer.

Update - 12:14 am: No deal?

Per Joel Sherman (h/t SOX & Dawgs):

Once the Red Sox agreed to offer arbitration to Varitek, the Mets turned away from that scenario because they didn't want to give up both the money necessary to sign Varitek and the first-round draft pick they would have to surrender in compensation.

Maybe if the Mets realize there are other catchers out there, this might spark back up. Don't hold your breath.

Awkward ad placement

I was browsing Rays Index late last night, and two of their little AdSense boxes caught my eye. I know they're automatically generated by keywords on the page, but still, this is just a tiny bit awkward.

Click for full size.

Go Rays.

Off Topic: Go Rays; The end of a dynasty

A terrific Game 7. Close game throughout, sprinkled with opportunities and clutch performances in key spots. Can't ask for much more than that.

I had a rooting interest, and it actually panned out. I was pulling for the Tampa Bay Rays. I said in a previous post that I miss "Uncle" Cliff Floyd, and I was very happy to see him on the top of the pile as David Price notched his four-out save to propel the Rays into the World Series.

This team is chock-full of great stories, and I couldn't be happier for them. From Floyd (at least for me), to Rocco Baldelli, to Scott Kazmir, and even Price, the Rays played great baseball all year, and were strong enough to take down the defending World Series champs, and live to play another day.

As if I didn't want them to win before, now I'm 110 percent in the Rays camp. I would love to see them beat the snot out of the Philadelphia Phillies. I think the layoff between the NLCS and WS is going to hurt the Phills, but I'm sure they'll be able to put up a fight.

Go Tampa Go!

And on to point number two: Last night, we watched the mighty fall. They did not go down easy, but they did bow out eventually. Could the Boston sports dynasty be coming to an end?

I used to respect Boston. The long-suffering fans and the classy, hard-nosed teams were always one of my favorites to watch and secretly pull for. Anything to anger a Yankee fan, really. But over the past few months, my mini-allegiance from Boston has eroded, and a new disgust has nestled in it's place.

It all started with the 2007 World Series.

Watching the Red Sox win the WS really had no effect on me. I was still reeling from the collapse of the Mets. Anyway, when the Sox won, a person who will remain nameless, who is a big Sox fan was running around screaming "It's been three long years!"

Three long years?? Give me a break. Try never seeing a championship in your lifetime. Try only being able to see your team win on VHS or SNY re-runs. Try watching your team come within outs of the '06 WS. Try watching your team fall flat on it's face and miss the '07 playoffs. And from there, I knew that Boston fans were starting to get spoiled.

Don't get me wrong. I know not every single Boston fan is as boisterous or as greedy as this one, but after experiencing life around more and more Sox/Pats/Celts fans, I think this is the greater majority.

It didn't end there. Cue up Super Bowl 42.

My New York Football Giants taking on the perfect New England Patriots. We all know how that turned out.

It has taken up until yesterday night for me to hear one Patriots fan say to me, "The Giants just played a better game. They deserved to win." I was floored. To this point in time, all I had heard was that the Giants "got lucky" or were the benefactors of "BS calls."

Even when the Giants play now, all they do is "get lucky," according to some fans.

But last night, was some sweet revenge, even if it was a dish best served by the Rays. With the Red Sox losing on Sunday night, and the Patriots poised to take on a mediocre Denver Broncos team, could this be the beginning of the end for Boston sports? Sure, the Celtics look to be amazing again, but watch out for those New York Knicks.

Yeah, right.

Go Rays.

He-Lowe again, Derek?

Another 180-degree turn in the Derek Lowe sweepstakes.

On Wednesday, I linked to a Ken Rosenthal column saying that free-agent-to-be, Derek Lowe, was against playing on the East Coast.

Rosenthal rebuked his own statement today.

In a recent item, I started that the Yankees shouldn't be confident of landing right-hander Derek Lowe in free agency, saying that some rival clubs believe that Lowe wants to stay on the west coast. Lowe told me that my information was wrong, that he actually wanted to go east. He backed up that remark by telling the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo that the Red Sox were his first choice.

So, there is still hope for the Mets too, I guess.

It all depends if the Mets want to re-sign Oliver Perez, or let him go and seek an outside source.

Giving up hope

I treat every game like the playoffs. Be it the third game of the season, or the end of September. That's why I was disgusted to see Boston fans, the self-proclaimed "greatest fans in the world," walking out after only a few innings of the ALCS.

The Rays jumped out to a big lead, and were up 7-0 at one point. Fans were standing up and heading to the exits. Come on people!!!

• It's the ALCS. You probably paid through the nose for these tickets. Get the most out of them.
• It was a nice night out. What else are you going to do? Beat traffic in the fifth inning?
• What happened to believing in your team?!?!?!?!?!?!?

So frustrating.

Just be happy your team made the playoffs, made it through the division series, and they're still alive in the championship series.

Will you put up with Manny's antics?

Let's assume the Mets somehow land Manny Ramirez for a respectable contract, and he is the starting left fielder in Citi Field. Will you tolerate his antics of Manny being Manny?

I will.

The guy is a character, we all know it. Yes, he's on his best behavior in Los Angeles because he's playing for a contract. But his years in Boston, he was loved until the very end. If it wasn't for Jason Bay's play, Red Sox Nation would be very angry at losing him.

If Manny can make a catch, high five a fan in Citi Field, turn, and double off a runner, I don't care if he needs a few days off with a "knee injury." Heck, I'd rather keep him happy and playing 140 games, than cranky and playing 160.

Yes, I'm getting way ahead of myself. But hypothetically if the Mets can land Manny, would you be willing to put up with the guy?

My updated playoff predictions

Here is an updated version of my playoff predictions, complete with the results from my first round of picks. Leave yours if so inclined.

MIL vs. PHI
I had: Philly in three.
What really happened: Philly in four.
Close, but no cigar.

LAD vs. CHC
I had: Cubs in five.
What really happened: Dodgers in three.
I don't think I could have been more wrong. Perfect case of a team getting hot at the right time.

BOS vs. LAA
I had: Angels in four.
What really happened: Red Sox in four.
And with that, my world series prediction is out the window. (I had the Angels beating the Cubs.)

CHW vs. TB
I had: Tampa in four.
What really happened: Tampa in four.
I nailed it!

NLCS: PHI vs. LAD
ALCS: BOS vs. TB

PHI vs. LAD
I'm going to take the Dodgers in six.
Yes, the Phillies starting pitching is good, but their bullpen will soon falter. I'm waiting for Brad Lidge to implode. Dodgers just look too good right now, and with everyone hitting in that offense, it's truly a force to be reckoned with.

BOS vs. TB
Sorry, Tampa. Red Sox in five.
I love the Rays, but they lack the "experience." The Red Sox are a postseason team, they simply find ways to win when it matters most. A better start from Josh Beckett this time around will help considerably. Still, Tampa Bay will put up a fight.

My World Series: LAD vs. BOS, a Yankee fan's worst nightmare.

Red Sox to help open Citi Field

This one just strikes me as odd.

According to The Providence Journal, the Mets will welcome the Red Sox for a two-game exhibition series at the new Citi Field during the last week of spring training.

The article states that the series would probably take place on April 3-4, as the Mets will open the season on the road before returning to their new digs for the April 14 home opener against the Padres.

This is weird. Very weird. It's their new stadium, new home, a huge step forward for the organization, and they're going to open it with an exhibition game?

Is this a move to get the players somewhat accustomed to how the field and stadium plays? Maybe. It just doesn't make sense. Wouldn't you want your first game, a meaningful game, to be played in the new stadium to open it up. The crowd paid to see the first game of the '09 season, but what they're really coming to see is the new park, all of our's home away from home.

But no, it will all start with two meaningless games against the Red Sox. Odd, if you ask me.

Thanks to Ian from Sox & Dawgs for the link.

Rumor: Mets, Sox, Pirates in a three-way

This one will blow your socks off.

From WEEI Radio:

WEEI out of Boston is reporting the Mets, Sox, and Pirates are working on a 3-way deal. The Mets would send prospects to the Sox for Manny, and then the Sox would ship prospects to the Pirates for Bay.

So, Manny Ramirez would be a Met, Jason Bay would be a member of the Sox, and prospects would go to the Pirates.

Enticing, as always. Just a rumor, but one just crazy enough that it just might work. The Mets would have to part with Fernando Martinez, there isn't a doubt in my mind, but I think Omar Minaya would pull that trigger if he could land Manny.

Again, just a rumor.

Update: Don't think this is even in the works, but I think this makes a ton of sense for the teams involved. I truly don't trust "prospects." I'd much rather trade for an established player than wait on maybes.

Thanks to Ryan Punzalan for the heads up...

From the Forum: Trade Carlos Beltran for Manny Ramirez and Jacoby Ellsbury

User "metsfan08" threw out a crazy idea on Mets Lounge this morning, something I want to hear other people's opinions on. Here it is, in it's entirety:

Last night I was listening to the WFAN and a caller had an interesting proposal for a trade for Manny Ramirez.

IF the BoSox were willing to trade both Jacoby Ellsbury AND Manny Ramirez in exchange for Carlos Beltran, should Omar Minaya make the trade?
Let's examine this hypothetical trade--
-The Mets would gain 2 outfielders for this season.
-Manny would be a rental because he might not be willing to sign with the Mets after this season. -Manny in the clean-up spot with Delgado hitting 5th.. WOW!
-Ellsbury is 25 y.o. and CHEAP!! Think of all the money we would save next year.. money we could use to pursue a 1st and/or 2nd baseman..

-The BoSox would not have to deal with Manny.
-They still have Coco Crisp so they would still have 3 outfielders.
-Beltran is 31 y.o. and is under contract until 2012.
-BoSox could still be in contention with Beltran in the line-up instead of Manny.

On paper, this trade looks like a win-win situation with the Mets getting the slightly longer end of the stick. As much as I LOVE Beltran, I must admit that Omar Minaya would have to be crazy to not jump on this trade. What do you guys think? Someone give me a reason to KEEP Beltran.. PLEASE!!

And here is user "nymrods" response:

I say yes because I'm a big Ellsbury fan, so I might be slightly partial, but...

Well, Manny makes up for the lack of power Ellsbury has (or doesn't) and Beltran did. Ellsbury is a good (Church-like) fielder, and young, so he'll improve. Now, Beltran is a wizard in the field, so we would be losing a little in the fielding, but I think Ellsbury's age is very promising. He will improve all around (this is only his first real season anyways). And besides, we'd have Manny. Older, but still amazing!!

Beltran (Avg #s): .279 BA; 26 HR; 108 RBI; .355 OBP (13th year)
Ellsbury (Avg #s): .286 BA; 5 HR; 32 RBI; .346 OBP (First starting season)
Ramirez (Avg #s): .312 BA; 30 HR; 98 RBI; .409 OBP (17th year)

Tough call. Honestly though, do we do it? I like the idea, but I don't think that it solves any problem.

And finally, my answer:

OK...let's see... Ellsbury is OK. Endy Chavez-esque in my opinion.
Manny has a team option for the next two years, at $20mil a pop.
We have enough money coming off the books next year...Alou for sure, Pedro almost for sure, Delgado maybe, Perez (hopefully re-sign)...
The Sox do not like Crisp, at all.

Reason?...You need reasons to keep him [Beltran]? OK, LOOK...Beltran was never an average hitter. Never has been, never will be. He hit .307 and .306 once...every other year he hovers around .275ish. He's driven in 100+ each year except that one miserable 2005.

He OPS .800-.900+ consistently. His OBP is usually .350+ Oh yeah, and he's one of, if not the best fielder in the NL...and tops in MLB. He makes everything look easy. DID YOU SEE YESTERDAY'S GAME!

Thoughts? Responses? Let's hear it on Mets Lounge or in the comments!

For your Saturday morning viewing pleasure

I present to you, the funniest left fielder in the major leagues, Manny Ramirez...


Original Video- More videos at TinyPic

Hat tip to Ian from Sox&Dawgs for the video.