Buy One Left Side of the Infield, Get the Second One Free
(Note: A piece from Cheddar Ben follows this one from Sip.)
The time was last August. The Mets and their fans smelled the postseason for the first time in six years, and the all around feeling surrounding the club was one of nothing but happiness and optimism.
In early August Omar Minaya secured a pair of what at the time looked like generous deals for his cornerstone infielders, David Wright and Jose Reyes (Wright - 6YR, $55 mil/Reyes - 4YR, $23.25 mil).
I remember receiving phone calls from the regulars talking about the extensions and whether or not the dollar figures made a lot of sense for players yet to hit arbitration.
At the time, both deals seemed solid. Today, they seem like highway robbery.
Earlier this week the Phillies signed 2B Chase Utley to a 7 YR, $85 million contract, avoiding arbitration with their superstar second baseman. Like Wright and Reyes, Utley has made a quick jump to superstardom with an even brighter future ahead.
Like Reyes and unlike Wright, Utley qualified for arbitration, but his contract was clearly the product of this crazy offseason, and the Mets are the better off for it; Utley's deal makes the Mets' deals seem like small potatoes.
The fact that the Mets are spending $78 million to have Wright and Reyes for a combined 10 years is just an utter steal, especially when you consider that the Phillies are paying more dollars for one less talented player. We are basically getting two better players for the price of one.
That's right, I said it. Our guys are both better than Utley. Take Utley or any Phillie out of Citizen's Park and then let's see where their numbers are. But that is not where I want to go with this.
Our left side steals lead to the question that we have asked so many times with Omar Minaya. Is he really smart or really lucky?
Did he know Duaner Sanchez would become a star relief pitcher?
Was John Maine more than just a throw-in in the Benson-Julio deal?
Did Omar know that he needed to sign his superstars before this offseason to avoid the backlash of a new CBA and crazy contracts or was he bored once the trade deadline had passed and needed something to do in the month of August?
These are all questions that have never really been addressed and could use some answering. It surely wasn't rocket science to overpay for Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran, but it may have been to know that overpaying for them would lead to veterans like Moises Alou taking pay cuts to play for the Mets.
Any way you hack it, the Mets are in a pretty decent situation. Despite a million question marks in the starting rotation, the Mets remain with what appears to be one shaky contract, Pedro's (if he ever pitches again), but otherwise a ton of reasonable deals for some exceptional players.
As for young Sip, I am still trying to adjust to my new California digs, find a job, a lamp, a couple of end tables and pictures for my room, an extra role in the upcoming Elisha Cutherbert slasher flick and then a little thing called dignity.
As for baseball, well, this is a slow time of year over here, it really is. Baseball is dead.
Vaya con dios,
Sip
(Pics courtesy of MLB.com and Scout.com)
The time was last August. The Mets and their fans smelled the postseason for the first time in six years, and the all around feeling surrounding the club was one of nothing but happiness and optimism.
In early August Omar Minaya secured a pair of what at the time looked like generous deals for his cornerstone infielders, David Wright and Jose Reyes (Wright - 6YR, $55 mil/Reyes - 4YR, $23.25 mil).
I remember receiving phone calls from the regulars talking about the extensions and whether or not the dollar figures made a lot of sense for players yet to hit arbitration.
At the time, both deals seemed solid. Today, they seem like highway robbery.
Earlier this week the Phillies signed 2B Chase Utley to a 7 YR, $85 million contract, avoiding arbitration with their superstar second baseman. Like Wright and Reyes, Utley has made a quick jump to superstardom with an even brighter future ahead.
Like Reyes and unlike Wright, Utley qualified for arbitration, but his contract was clearly the product of this crazy offseason, and the Mets are the better off for it; Utley's deal makes the Mets' deals seem like small potatoes.The fact that the Mets are spending $78 million to have Wright and Reyes for a combined 10 years is just an utter steal, especially when you consider that the Phillies are paying more dollars for one less talented player. We are basically getting two better players for the price of one.
That's right, I said it. Our guys are both better than Utley. Take Utley or any Phillie out of Citizen's Park and then let's see where their numbers are. But that is not where I want to go with this.
Our left side steals lead to the question that we have asked so many times with Omar Minaya. Is he really smart or really lucky?
Did he know Duaner Sanchez would become a star relief pitcher?Was John Maine more than just a throw-in in the Benson-Julio deal?
Did Omar know that he needed to sign his superstars before this offseason to avoid the backlash of a new CBA and crazy contracts or was he bored once the trade deadline had passed and needed something to do in the month of August?
These are all questions that have never really been addressed and could use some answering. It surely wasn't rocket science to overpay for Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran, but it may have been to know that overpaying for them would lead to veterans like Moises Alou taking pay cuts to play for the Mets.Any way you hack it, the Mets are in a pretty decent situation. Despite a million question marks in the starting rotation, the Mets remain with what appears to be one shaky contract, Pedro's (if he ever pitches again), but otherwise a ton of reasonable deals for some exceptional players.
As for young Sip, I am still trying to adjust to my new California digs, find a job, a lamp, a couple of end tables and pictures for my room, an extra role in the upcoming Elisha Cutherbert slasher flick and then a little thing called dignity.
As for baseball, well, this is a slow time of year over here, it really is. Baseball is dead.
Vaya con dios,
Sip
(Pics courtesy of MLB.com and Scout.com)
posted by Sippy Momo at 1:14 PM
4 Comments:
Sip,
23 days until pitchers and catchers...
Sippy, that is brilliant. omar is by far the best thing that ever happened to the Mets. He's going to smell like a rose when everyone in MLB basically is buried under these horrific contracts. I wonder if Buttley's contract has a no-trade? B/c in a few years, when the Phils finish third for several consecutive years, how bad do you think he'd beg out?
Miss you on the east coast here :-)
OH PS - I made a bet on BMF that if the Mets win the WS this year, I will get a tattoo of the Mets' NY logo on my foot, for tatt #7 (my lucky number too!). I'll post that here too so more peeps see it
http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/4017/cuthbert8vu.jpg
Cuthbert is crazy cute.
Good point(s) on the past aggressiveness and the current planned passive activity of Omar. Are those the right numbers on Reyes?...wow....
dude u dont need a lamp...use the sun...and at night, the tv...thats how u beat Con Ed!!! u dont need to read at night...thats for sisEz and nerds
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