Probably because Zito is one of the most overrated pitchers in a LONG time and he would suck in the AL East. But in the weaker NL, he should be closer to being worth his contract.
Good post. Makes a lot more sense to me know. You're right, I was missing the point. I thought guys were against him almost solely because of his history pitching against the Yankees and Sox. When you put it in terms of the total "value" of the contract over time, it makes a lot more sense why he doesn't fit here. The thing is, I would still take a pretty reliable inning eater who is going to win games. Like I've said though, if we don't pick him up, we don't pick him up. It's not nearly as bad as allowing the Sox to take Schilling a few years ago. I totally agree that he would be the best signing the Mets could make this offseason. He would dismantle the NL East. 20 wins a year, all but wrapped with a bow.
He would be much, much better pitching in the NL, in that ballpark, on a team that can take on a large contract and still have reasonable flexibility, and he would be their #1 starter, so his large salary would be justified based on performance and position in the rotation. On the Yankees, he would be in a very tough division, his usual 3.8-ish ERA would balloon up to the 4.2-4.3 range, he would be the #3 starter and making $16M, and the Yankees are staying away from long term, big money deals when they aren't an absolute necessity.
Seems like we're in trade discussions with the Pirates for either Marte or Mike Gonzalez. Both are good and solid lefties. I wouldn't mind trading for either. As for Zito, he had a respectable ERA against the AL East in his career if you erase his stats against the Yankees obviously, but we don't have to goa fter him if you ask me.
The Pittsburg Tribune reports a possible three way deal could be in the works between the Pirates, Braves, and Yankees. Under one scenario, the Pirates would ship (closer) Mike Gonzalez and (second baseman) Jose Castillo to the Braves -- who yesterday non-tendered second baseman Marcus Giles -- in return for Adam LaRoche and right-hander Kyle Davies. The Braves then would flip Gonzalez to the Yankees for reliever Scott Proctor and outfielder Melky Cabrera.
Aaron Guiel gets non tendered: NEW YORK -- Aaron Guiel's season took a turn for the better last July, when the Yankees claimed him off waivers from the Royals. On Tuesday, Guiel's tenure with the Yankees came to an end, as New York non-tendered the outfielder/first baseman. General manager Brian Cashman called Guiel late in the afternoon to inform him of the club's decision. "I'm not really surprised," Guiel said. "I was made aware that they're a strong left-handed-hitting team right now. I wanted to be a part of it, but with the way things were, the arbitration process wasn't attractive for them." The Yankees have plenty of left-handed pop in their lineup, with Jason Giambi, Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon and Robinson Cano among their regulars. "There might be a team out there with a stronger need for a player like me," Guiel said. "For once in my career, being left-handed worked against me here." Guiel hit .242 with seven home runs and 18 RBIs last season with the Yankees and Royals, batting .256 with four homers and 11 RBIs coming after his move to the Bronx. The Yankees are planning to have Andy Phillips and Josh Phelps battle for the first-base job this spring, while Melky Cabrera will fill the fourth outfielder spot. That left no room for Guiel, who will now test the free-agent market. "In a way, I thank the Yankees; they could have dragged things out, but they didn't," Guiel said. "Now I can look at my options," Guiel said. "I loved playing in New York. It was a great experience."
Maybe I'm in the minority on this one, but I'm not sure I would trade Scott Proctor for Gonzalez straight up. Proctor's proven that if he stays rested he can pitch in the AL--I don't want to move him and Cabrera for a guy who's only pitched in an no pressure situation with a last place team in the NL Central.
MLB suspended RHP Hector Noesi 50 games for violating the league's policy against performance-enhancing drugs. Noesi, who turns 20 in January, appeared in five games for the Rookie GCL Yankees last season and allowed one run in seven innings. The Dominican right-hander struck out 11 and walked one.
Now that Reitsma's been non-tendered, I'd say go on and trade for Mike Gonzalez. Besides, Proctor's value has never been any higher. He is awesome and all, but he is getting older too. Mike is younger and a hardthrowing lefty that is very successful.
Here's another point. I don't know anything about Gonzalez, but that info above says he's a closer. Ummm, we have one of those. You might know him, his name is Mo. Some would say he is the best closer in the game. Mo's already said he wants to pitch in the new Yankee Stadium, so for the foreseeable future, he is our closer. We also have Farnsworth, who when healthy can be dominant. Our biggest issue is middle relief. Even with a starting rotation of Wang, Pettite, Moose, Johnson, and even Pavano, we are still fairly solid with starting pitching. The middle innings are where we need the guys who can be relied on for 2-3 innings every other day. Sure Proctor's value is never going to be higher, but how do we fill the void he leaves behind? We haven't had a pitcher in the pen that could do what he can since Stanton and Nelson were here. Unless they are willing to rely on guys like Karstens, Bruney, and Beam, trading Proctor for anything less than a #3 starter should be out of the question.
4 Yankees honored yesterday with This Year In Baseball awards. Derek Jeter (top hitter) Chien-Ming Wang (top starter) Mariano Rivera (top closer) and Melky Cabrera (top play) What play you might ask? Well, you would only be asking if you are a Mets fan, since Yankee and Red Sox fans know the play. It was the one where Cabrera robbed Manny of a game tying home run, that was clearly gone. Truly one of the best plays I have ever seen.
You bet. I was fortunate enough to be at that game, and the visual memory of my reaction, the chase for the ball, the catch, and the crowd's reaction would never be forgotton.
Lucky you. I was watching on tv. I have never been so shocked in my life over a sports event. That play alone is enough to convince me that my argument for Melky over Matsui in left is legit.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=d6JThqQn4Lw Personally, I think Endy Chavez's catch was better, but both were very impressive plays.
I'm a big fan of Mike Gonzalez, but at the price of Proctor and Melky I think it'd be a bad trade for the Yanks.
