Off-Season Transactions Thus Far

Free Agents
2B Jose Valentin - Gotta love 'Stache's results during the regular season last year. He had big hits in big spots and he was so much better than Kaz Matsui, defensively and offensively, that the converted to second baseman was a real candidate for comeback player of the year (pashaw on Nomar - how can you have really come back when you are on the DL for two months of the season?). Will he have the year he had last year and did he tire out at the end of the season? I would say no to the former and yes to the latter. Which I am still okay with. Spelling him with Anderson Henandez will give Hernandez a chance to work on his hitting without a sub .200 hitter in the lineup for two months and it will keep Valentin fresh. Would I have liked a big bopper like Soriano at second? With the bat, yet. With the glove...hell no. While there may have been sexier picks and he isn't getting younger, I think this was fairly low risk when you are talking about your #7 or #8 hitter.

RHP Orlando Hernandez - I think it was good to resign him. Without Pedro until at least the ASB, and with Glavine currently at 50-50 to come back, El Duque was the only other veteran starter that the Mets could have back (and I think Steve Trachsel would have been picked off by a sniper had he been resigned. The Mets have no shortage of young arms in Oliver Perez, Mike Pelfrey, Brian Bannister, Phillip Humber, John Maine, Alay Soler, and now Jason Vargas. While Perez and Vargas have had major league level success and at times dominance, they were AWFUL at times last year. These are both projects for pitching coach Rick Peterson, so bringing back a steady vet who knows the game and knows what to do only takes some of the responsibility off of the youth movement. While John Maine was impressive much of last season, he will be much more well known in his sophomore campaign. To let El Duque go without Glavine locked up would have meant having a pitching staff with Maine as the ace and then two projects two rookies behind him, pending whatever big name Omar lands this season, and that can range from a Willis/Zito meagmove to the trade for New York Soured Javier Vasquez. With injured Mark Mulder also on the radar, this was a smart insurance move, even if it results in El Duque eventually being relegated to the pen.


LF Moises Alou - Five years ago, I wanted this guy. He has pop, he drives in runs, and he hits the hell out of lefties, especially last year, which was a problem for the Mets and a strength for Alou - when he is healthy. I have loved Floyd's heart and determination and I really thought he was going to have a Kirk Gibson moment during Game 7 of the ALCS, so I am sad to see him go, but with his injury history, I understand why. But to replace him with an oft-injured 40 year old who is not as good as a defensive presence? Alou has pop and is great in a lineup when he is there, but with Shawn Green on the other side of Beltran, did we really need to get older in the OF? I don't think I wanted Soriano or Carlos Lee because both were worth just too much money that I would rather see spent of starting pitching. But if this move clears room for something like Zito & Schmidt, I'd rather see $136 million go there than the contracts that the premier guys in the OF would command, or a, thus far, one-year wonder like Gary Matthews Jr. commanded at 5 yrs/$50 million.

SS Damien Easley - Ho hum. Maybe he can be next year's Endy Chavez, Marlon Anderson, Jose Valentin, but he will probably just be a much older Chris Woodward. I don't know if getting an old utility infielder was really worth it. The Mets are getting old this season, and fast. They were not a super young team in Floyd, Glavine, Pedro, LoDuca, Valentin, and Delgado (need I mention Franco) and during the season lost younger Xavier Nady and replaced him with a graybeard in Shawn Green. Alou is also over 40 and if Glavine come back he will turn 42 during the season. So go get old Easley? Why bother?

Trades
RHP Heath Bell/LHP Royce Ring to the San Diego Padres for OF Ben Johnson/RHP Jon Adkins -
Another ho hum move. While Ring had potential, I liked Henry Owens better. Do we need Ben Johnson with Milledge and Chavez, plus Gomez and Martinez in the wings? Maybe this signals Milledge's departure, which might be good if it lands a Willis or a Peavy. It has the potential of working out if other trades are made. If not...primarily a waste of time to really discuss. Admittedly, until the trade I had not heard of either of the Padres players.

RHP Henry Owens/RHP Matt Lidstrom to the Marlins for LHP Jason Vargas/Adam Bostick -
Even though Owens is 28 and there are a lot of pitchers in the Mets system that might end up in the pen (Humber, El Duque, Soler, etc.), I did not care for this move unless it again leads to other moves. I never thought Bostick was anything special, and because of that I will admit I have not followed him much. Vargas was a nightmare who is now officially a project. He was good, what, two years ago? This sounds familiar? Why? Because we already have enough of a duplicate project in Oliver Perez. How much magic can we expect Rick Peterson to work, here?
It seems like we are loading our roster with starting pitching that is consists of untested rookies, arms that lack durability, or flashes in the pan.

Bids
SP Daisuke Matsuzaka - Made sense. It was a competitive offer and it would not have broken the bank. I'd rather lose the bid by $13 million than 1.3 and unless D-Mat is a stud (and given the Mets history with Japanese players, that is always a concern), the BoSox were just out of their minds.

Waiver Claims
RHP Jason Standridge (from Cin) - Why? Why not? You be the judge!

Misses
SP Daisuke Matsuzaka - No problems here. I don't trust Japanese unproven Japanese pitchers to pay them this much anyway. If he ends up getting 4 years at $15 mil per, it will cost the Sox $111 million for an unknown commodity. This is the definition of being a high roller. If he is a Cy Young, we can always get him in three or four years when he is up again for free agency and is only 31 or 32.

LF/2B Alfonso Soriano - As I have said in a few places, how could you not want the only member of the 40-40-40 club (Hr's, SB's, and 2B's) in your lineup? The answer: When his price meant you would have a $250 million OF WITHOUT COUNTING YOUR RIGHT FIELDER! Lets just add $100 million dollar Carlos Lee to play right field, while we are at it. Soriano is great, but his price tag was so high, he would have prohibited the Mets from going after what they really need: a durable, younger, potential ace starting pitcher. And while I don;t think he is going to be dominant like he once was, I think just the fact that Zito just goes out every year and starts 35 games is just what the Mets need. Rotation stability. If he gets #1 money for that and only pitches like a #2, I could live with that. Signing Soriano would have prohibited this, so good luck with the Cubbies, Alfonso.

LF/RF Carlos Lee - The Mets were never really in this and it looks like the size increasing powerhouse is better suited for an AL team where he can DH as he gets older, slower, and bigger. I would have liked to add him, but not at the projected $100 million that the Astros are reportedly offering.

Free Agents Let Go
LF Cliff Floyd - I could see it if we replaced him with a young stud. But with an older, equally injury prone, bopper? Alou mashes lefties and is a good right handed bat, but Floyd has proven he could play in NY and was loved by most fans. Plus, his arm in left was vastly underrated. I saw some of the best gun downs at the plate from Floyd.

SP Steve Trachsel - The Mets benefited greatly from the four years of Trachsel usually steady and consistent pitching. But he was never really anything special, especially after his back injury. Granted, I was as excited as anyone when he threw those two one-hitters, but most of the time, it seems he was the 9 hit, 3-4 runs per game guy that could usually just keep you in it. He is somewhat cool and never really warmed to fans, and after the debacle with his bruised leg, I think it was wise for both parties to move on. I think he would have heard a lot of boos this coming season.

SP Victor Zambrano - My drink curdled when I heard that the trade for Zambrano was made for Scott Kazmir. And I was drinking water. I think Peterson may have been able to do something with Zambrano if he was willing to listen. Reports are that he is a stubborn goat. It was indeed time for him to be let go. It wasn't fair to either party as Zambrano could never be as good as the Mets fans thought Scott Kazmir would be.

RP Roberto Hernandez - I thought the Mets really were desperate when they traded for Bert, especially as he was the focal piece in a trade for the serviceable Xavier Nady, who was a valuable righty bat. Granted that deal also landed Oliver Perez who might turn out to be a diamond in the rough if he can regain his old form, at an only age 23, he may. Bert was a nice fill in while Duaner Sanchez was out injured, but did not recapture his '05 form and is will be 42 next season. No reason to add to the over the hill gang. He was a hard worker and good with the fans. Good luck, Bert!