Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Looking Ahead to Next Season

The Mets have already been looking at actions for next season already. For one, we are heavily considering moving back to Shea which is probably a given for a couple reasons. So Mr Commish we will need the password to make that happen after rollover.

Salary is going to be a big concern next season. Leo Rodney will want a big contract and we are going to be more than willing to give out a 5 year $8M deal. We will have two players in arbitration for the first time and they are keepers for sure and won't cost much next season.

Now comes the hard part as we will need to trade a player.

 Clarence Valentin is on our sell list. The chances of moving him are slim as he has the right of refusal. He has lost too much range to be useful in CF though he is still valuable but not as a full time starter as we have better assets and that is the problem.

Benito Ozuna is also on the sell list. Not a must as we like what he brings to the table but is hampered due to the fact we have three LF's on the roster and RF is totally out.

Omar Ordonez is also on the list though we would rather keep him and play him in RF even though his play there is uninspiring.

 Dan Radke might be on the list. The problem here is that I really like him but for some reason he has just never came around at the plate like I think he should.

Major players leaving via Free Agency.

 Emil Flores is a great fielder but just never came to much at the plate and was always in the dog house.

 Don Zhou is probably one of the best short relievers in the game. In 6 seasons he has compiled a 26-8 record for us but we have a couple youngsters on the way which makes him expendable.

Al Limon is a pretty good medium to long reliever and has served us well for many seasons. He has always been a Met and hate to see him go but contract demands deem it necessary.

Hector Fernandez played well for us in the long run, seldom got that lucky break. He is just one of those players you just want to say "WTF  happened!!?".

Danys Candelaria is one of those players that can be really good and really bad. The unfortunate part was his bad outshined his good.


I have been looking over the coaching staff as well and there probably going to be a little shake up happening for next season. The same staff for two seasons with identical records, that could be a first but not an exciting one unless you make the playoffs. For one the Hitting coach just doesn't seem to be getting the job done. Me thinks we need to look elsewhere in this category. Me thinks that the First Base coach just might want the job, he is young and brash and probably not ready for the assignment but we are willing to give him a chance. Third Base could also find a new face in the crowd but it depends if Phil is going to retire or not.  The Pitching coach slot might see a change but that one will be up in the air until rollover is completed.  The Bull Pen slot will probably see a change as Pablo really wants to move up. I don't like paying a fortune for a Bench coach but he is good and the grooming needs to continue in the minors. I am hoping the Fielding Instructor wants to return.

Now as for the budget, I am in a bit of a quandary.  There really isn't much need to spend a lot more money on scouting though I am going to raise the High School and International off the floor a bit and maybe put in a little more effort into College. Putting a whole lot into prospect would be a waste, drafting in the 20's means you aren't going to get a superstar and the budgets for prospects was through the roof for several clubs to try and vie for a quality International.











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