Ask The Fans

I run a fantasy league with far too many players and far too many teams. At any one time at least 500 players are floating around the 20 teams in the league and for non-paying owners we're all pretty involved, enthusiastic and aggressive. We're like a bunch of children arguing over the merits and flaws of various X-Men. However, I'd say that 16 out of 20 of the owners know their baseball and make sound arguments for things.

I asked them:

If the Mets are sellers at the deadline, and everyone was available, who would your trade for and what would you offer?

I closed commenting from Met fans (the majority of the league) and let the fans of various other teams give their opinions on what they'd give for who.

Atlanta:

Mr. Carter is a Brave fan who I've known for some years (purely online communication) and we've had mature and interesting debate on the NL East. This began on the Met message boards of ESPN and has continued largely into our fantasy league. Like most Brave fans, Mr. Carter loves himself some Bravo prospects. However for Jose Reyes... here is what he's come up with:

Atlanta Gets:
SS - Jose Reyes

NY Mets Get:
SP - Arodys Vizcaino
SP - Chris Masters
SP - Dimaster Delgado

Sorry I just can’t find any way to rationalize to myself giving up Teheran, Minor, Delgado, Salcedo, Perez, or Lipka for a rental player. Depending on needs Christian Bethancourt could be a target for the Mets. He hasn’t done much so far in the minors but is still really young and has monster upside as a catcher. Ive seen reports that said he’d probably have the best arm in baseball if he came up now but wouldn’t be able to hit.Frankly, the Mets would be stupid to take this deal and I think Mr. Carter knows it.

The largest issue is that all of the players he's offered are in A+ baseball. This, in turn, means that none of them can contribute in 2011 or 2012. While none of the players he's listed are worthless I think that Brave fans would delude themselves if they thought that they could get Reyes without giving up one of the: Teheran bunch. Add to this that the Mets trading Reyes within the NL East would be near impossible and that price-tag goes up.

Detroit:

I met Mr. Oom as he came into the league in the middle of year 1. He wasn't super baseball savvy at first but thanks to the insanity of the league I like to think this Tiger fan has rekindled his love of baseball minutia.

Detroit Gets:
SS - Jose Reyes

NY Mets Get:
SP - Andrew Olliver
SP - Charlie Furbush
OF - Daniel Fields
3B - Nick Castellanos

Third base is basically a black hole of death now that Brandon Inge has proved to be an average/below average fielder (which was once his only saving grace). Batting near the mendoza line, a rough K/BB, and with more limited range and erratic throws, there's not much to like barring yesterday's game winning triple over Minnesota. Every dog has his day. Jhonny Peralta has been surprisingly great for the Tigers, and a move to third would make him even better!

This package makes a lot more sense for the Mets. Olliver and Furbush are good AAA pitchers with solid upside. Fields and Castellanos make little sense for the Mets as they play positions the Met farm has depth at, but that isn't the end of the world. Mr. Oom who made this package goes on to say that he'd go after Wright as well but would balk at giving up Jacob Turner. The rest of the league agreed that Turner would need to be part of the deal if Wright were on the table.

New York, AL:

I've known Mr. Reitman for years and years. We met when we were in Elementary school... or maybe even earlier. He's probably the guilty party when it comes to my insane following of baseball. Sure, he's a grubby Yankee fan. Sure, he cheats at All-Star Baseball 2001. Sure, he will never admit that Scott Brosius was inferior to Robin Ventura, but he isn't as bad as MOST Yankee fans.

NY Yankees Get:
SP - Mike Pelfrey

NY Mets Get:
SP - Nik Turley
RP - Fernando Hernandez

or

NY Yankees Get:
SP - R.A. Dickey

NY Mets Get:
RP - Fernando Hernandez
SP - Zachary Nuding

or

NY Yankees Get:
OF/DH - Carlos Beltran

NY Mets Get:
SP - David Phelps
3B - Robert Lyerly

or

NY Yankees Get:
SS - Jose Reyes

NY Mets Get:
SP - David Phelps
SP - Nik Turley
SP - Chase Whitley

R.A. Dickey is probably only worth a couple C-Level fillers or maybe a decent RP... meaning not a top prospect but an RP doing well. Beltran is worth a couple middle B prospects but no more than two. I'd give up a decent B and a C for Pelfrey and probably a trio of Bs for Reyes. Reyes is worth more but we have no opening.

Mr. Reitman... NO opening? I'm sorry but I wouldn't be thrilled to have the Captain holding SS for the next few years and players like Reyes don't come along frequently. Less frequently do they get traded by big-market clubs. The key to most of these deals is that the Yankees aren't giving up "A" level prospects but they are giving up players who could impact the club in the somewhat near-ish future. The Beltran trade is the only one that looks remotely acceptable to me.

In conclusion, the Mets want to make some trades but getting top prospects back is not a sure thing. Also... UNDERSTAND... that other fans don't value our players as highly as we do. Likely if we were asked about acquiring THEIR players we'd balk at sending Wilmer Flores, Matt Harvey or Jeurys Familia. It's reality.

Duck Season! Wabbit Season!

The season has officially started... so I... am going to take a break for a week. Sorry, it's bad timing, but it can't be avoided. In the meantime I'll try to give you plenty to think about... and avoid making any April Fools jokes.

Let us start with the Mets... Why? Well because this is a Met blog, that's why.

First, A Story:

I have a small number of friends who are as into baseball as me... strike that, I have ONE friend who is as obsessed with baseball as me... strike that, nearly as obsessed. Ross is a Yankee fan and I am a Met fan. Ross is one of the only types of Yankee fans I can stand. Sure he has that smugness that drives Met fans to murder but he's at least a fan through and through. When the Yankees are bad and miss the playoffs... he's still a fan. He cares about the Yankees from Opening Day... To Opening Day the next year. This story could be about Ross... but it's not.

This story is about Dave. In high school, Dave was a Met fan. That means that he and I could debate Ross on the various reasons that Robin Ventura was better than Scott Brosius. Since college etc... Dave moved to Boston and did what any Yankee hating fan would do... he got local and threw his support behind the Red Sox. This I forgive... heck, I root for the sox when the Mets are not involved in the equation. Anything is better than hearing about Mariano and Jeter.

I get a message from Dave that he's heading back to the mother land. (In this case that swampy state that I call home) He asks me if he should become a Yankee or Met fan now that he's coming home. THAT IS RIGHT! He asks... should I admit to never actually being a Met fan and become a scum sucking, martini drinking, fair weather, yuppy Yankee fan? Well... he had to have guessed how this would hit me. He might have also guessed that I'd blog about it... but I'm sure he regrets asking it now. At least... I hope he does.

What Color Do You Bleed:

Do you bleed blue and orange? I don't. If I did, I'd probably have mere seconds to live. It just couldn't be healthy. But... am I a Met fan through thick and thin? Absolutely. Ready for it, it's the Fan Test.

Fan Test:

1. Name your teams starting lineup. (If you failed to get through all 8 or 9... please go back to waiting for the NFL lock-out to end.)
2. Name the starting rotation. (Again... this is so basic that ANY fan should be able to do it.)
3. Name the closer. (Can't do it? Well we'll say that you are an EXTREMELY Casual Fan. Thanks for playing!)
4. Name the Manager. (Real fans will know this because they spend hours yelling at the guy for not pinch running Davis with the game tied in the 8th.)
5. Name the highest paid player on the team. (This is where we leave the realm of casual fan and enter the realm of ACTUAL fan. Actual fans know this guy because he's the first guy they blame when things go wrong.)
6. Name the General Manager. (Sometimes this is easier than naming the manager, but the GM is less important to a casual fan.)
7. Name the Owner. (This is easier or harder depending on which team you root for, if you get it wrong but know that you hate them... you're still allowed to go on.)
8. Name the backup catcher. (Every team has one. He's usually paid pennies and spends most of his time warming guys up in the bullpen.)
9. Name the team's top prospect. (We're getting into TRUE Fan territory here.)
10. Name the team's AAA, AA, and A+ facilities. (You've gotten through 10 questions. You are a True Fan. Congrats!)
11. Name the pitchers in the starting rotation of each of your teams divisional rivals. (Wait... this is getting hard.)
12. Name your teams pitching and hitting coaches. (This is getting hard. Can I just name the mascot?)
13. Name the first and third base coaches. (Really? Those guys?)
14. Name 5 of your teams top 10 prospects. (This is actually pretty advanced stuff but stick with it.)
15. Name the starting roster from your teams last championship. (You get a pass if you were not yet alive. It's not easy for me... I was 2 years old in 86. If you've come this far... You are a SUPER Fan.)
16. Name 3 top prospects from your divisional rivals. (Do people actually know that stuff?)
17. Name your teams last 3 top draft picks. (Why are they important?)
18. Name who on your team enjoys positive splits vs. left handed pitchers. (Oooo... statistics.)
19. Name the rest of those top 10 prospects. (Gee... I know that we have someone from Puerto Rico who can pitch... or something.)
20. Quote from memory the lengths of your teams 10 largest contracts and the dates they expire. (Can you do it? Are you an UBER FAN?)

UBER FAN, Super Fan, True Fan, Actual Fan, Casual Fan, Extremely Casual Fan or Non-Fan... enjoy the season. It's gonna be a long one. This is baseball... it's ALWAYS a long one.

O' Johan Where Art Thou?

Experts predict Johan Santana will not be pitching with the Mets until June. HOWEVER, Mets fans must understand that pitching AT ALL in 2011 is not a guarantee. How he'll pitch when he returns... is not a guarantee. The only thing the Mets are assured... is that he'll cost a lot of money.

I like Johan, and always have. He's a smart guy and a gutsy pitcher. He has a good work ethic, is a role model and a team leader. What I don't like is paying for pitchers who aren't ACTUALLY going to pitch for me.

If he does pitch for the Mets... how important is it, that he ACTUALLY pitches in 2011?

Will the Mets be contenders? Odds say no way. So... wouldn't it be better to have a healthy Johan in 2012? Maybe. However if the Mets want to play the market and get some bang for their buck... perhaps this might appeal to them.

By no means am I trying to say below that the Mets NEED to trade Johan. Or that the Yankees would necessarily want him. Or that these are the players I see being dealt. Or that this is in anyway a likely scenario. All I am trying to say is that the Mets might be able to trade with a team that is in Buyer mode and a little desperate for starting pitching. In this case I do see the Yankees as likely people to be in this boat.

The New York Mets Trades:

Johan Santana, SP (L)
Carlos Beltran, OF (S)

To The New York Yankees For:

Ivan Nova, SP (R)
Brett Gardner, OF (L)

The Yankees are in a rare situation where they are off-season losers. They didn't get Plan A: Cliff Lee (Philly), Plan B: Carl Crawford (Boston) or Plan C: Zack Greinke (Milwaukee). The Yankees have Nova and some more distant (higher ceiling) pitching prospects, they have an inexpensive and talented young OF, they have a gaping hole in talent after C.C. Sabathia and Phil Hughes, and they have enough money to shrug off the financial burden of adding a 1-year rental of Beltran and the overall contract of the often injured Johan Santana.

The deal is an example... not really a specific to focus upon. All I an saying is that Johan Santana's biggest contribution by pitching in 2011 could be pitching for another team all together.

This is Phlavio Phega and, if it relates to the Mets, I have an opinion.

Where In The World Is Jose Reyes?

Jose Reyes is in the final year of his Team friendly contract and heading towards free agency. This is the kind of situation we constantly see the Padres faced with... wait... the Mets aren't the Padres... That doesn't change the fact that the Mets have invited a bidding war for their speedy SS after the 2011 season. Now... The Mets will have $4o Million coming off the books which is more than enough for Jose and leaves room for more. HOWEVER this is the new fiscally conservative New York franchise. God I hope the Wilpons sell soon.

The Mets Keep Reyes Long-Term:
Sandy Alderson can talk about not giving out long contracts but players in this day and age want them and the Mets can actually afford to give them. So if Reyes performs well and helps the Mets have a rebound year, Alderson will potentially pony up and Reyes will stay in Blue and Orange.

The Mid-Season Farewell:
Jose Reyes plays well but the Mets don't. The Mets cut their losses and trade Jose for some prospects and hope to form a new plan. This won't preclude the Mets from getting him back after the season but I highly doubt Jose would be begging to come back to the Mets were this the case.

Compensation Picks:
Mets hold Jose Reyes through the season and after the season Alderson balks at the price. The Mets offer Jose Arbitration and he declines and signs elsewhere... at least he's likely to be a type A.

Worst Case:
Jose is hurt, has no value and sinks to a type B or worse. If this happens the Mets might be kissing Jose goodbye for absolutely NOTHING.

Where?:

Philadelphia - Rollins is in a contract year but Jose is younger and the Phillies would love to sting the Mets yet again.

New York - Jeter just signed a contract but the Yankees need to think pragmatically about his ability to play short long-term.

Boston - Scutaro isn't an answer and Lowrie has yet to prove much. Could Boston call on Jose to fill that position? (Imagine this: Ellsbury, Reyes, Crawford as a 1,2,3... JESUS!)

Los Angeles - Furcal has been fine but the Dodgers might be looking for a new solution to an old problem.

Atlanta - Alex Gonzalez is not a long-term solution and if their prospect fizzles they might inquire.

St. Louis - Let us say that the Cards lose Pujols... might they ease the pain by acquiring Jose?

Seattle - They may try to be the Big Splash again and nab Jose to join Figgins and Ichiro for their own 1,2,3 nightmare.

This is Phlavio Phega and, if it relates to the Mets, I have an opinion.