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Posted: |
Aug 2, 2012 - 12:32 PM
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By: |
ANZALDIMAN
(Member)
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The trade deadline is now over, and while there was a lot of movement by other teams still in the race the Mets did not make any moves. Mets GM Sandy Alderson has taken a lot of heat from the fans and media for not improving the bullpen sooner while the Mets were still in it. But he's got a plan and he is sticking to it.
There was a rumor afloat yesterday at the deadline that the Mets and Marlins were discussing a Jason Bay for Heath Bell deal. One headcase for another, one huge bust contract for the other. As much as I and many Mets fans would like to be rid of Jason Bay (Now without a doubt the worst big money free agent signing in New York Mets history) I don't think Bell coming back to the Mets would be a good move now or for the future especially concerning the money considerations down the road.
Heath Bell has had success as a closer in his career and this deal would seem the perfect fit for the Mets who need bullpen help. But he has looked awful out of the pen this year for the Marlins after signing a huge contract with Miami last winter, and questions have been raised (Just as in Bay's case) about him being through.
Bell burned bridges after he left the Mets as a young player years ago blasting management every chance he could in the press for "not giving me a chance". Bell never shut up about his exit from New York and I don't think that fact was ever lost on the Wilpons. I have not exactly been a big fan of the way Fred and son Jeff Wilpon run things myself and have said so, but they are still the owners and they are not about to sell the team right now. And they've had the kitchen sink thrown at them recently.
Jason Bay has been an absolute waste of millions for the Mets, as he's NEVER even resembled the player that they thought they were getting when he was once one of the most feared sluggers in baseball in his days with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Boston Red Sox. Bay has become a strikeout, groundout, rally killing machine in New York. An automatic out. It just makes you constantly shake your head that the guy fell so far so fast in only his early 30's. His millions are guaranteed down to the last payment, so there is only so much sympathy he'll get from the fans. Bay won't be eating canned spaghetti any time soon.
By all accounts Bay is a good clubhouse guy, and he always plays an excellent left field, but this dark hole he's been in at the plate for years now as a Met has affected him and he needs to move on and change the scenery for his own good. The problem of course is his contract, and no team in their right mind will touch him now unless it's this type of deal involving Bell where it's a big money for big money swap.
For now, the Mets will have to suck up the remainder of Jason Bay's disasterous contract for one more remaining season, and Heath Bell will remain toiling away in Miami's bullpen taking the heat from a frustrated manager Ozzie Guillen and the fans down there in what has been a disappointing season for them.
The Mets have tried the free agent route and have been burned quite a bit when spending huge amounts of money recently. Not to mention the recent financial strains put on the organization as a result of the Bernie Madoff scandal. It's time to try a different path now and build an exciting team from the youth within the organization. A lot of teams are now looking to the Nationals as a blueprint for rebuilding. Nobody is laughing at the Washington Nationals anymore.
As a longtime Mets fan who has suffered through the days of a sulking Richie Hebner waving at ground balls at third and the mighty swings (and misses) of Dave Kingman I'm prepared to cut the organization some slack here and be patient.
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And two in a row as Sabathia has a great outing in a 6-3 victory over the Mariners, snapping their seven game winning streak. The Yankees have to start piling up the wins again when facing the weak link of the whole AL West!
The AL West is going to have the wildest fight to the finish with the Angels, Rangers and A's. They could even give us both of the wildcards at this rate and freeze out the runners up in the East altogether.
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The Yankees lose 1-0 and demonstrate again they are a team that goes nowhere when facing great pitching, as Hernandez made them look like idiots at the plate all day long and made a solo run scored in the second inning stand up all the way.
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Yankees take the rubber game of the series, 6-2 and get some timely clutch hitting for a change in two out situations, key of which was Ibanez two run single off Oliver Perez (a name Met fans want to forget!) that made it 6-2 in the late stages. Garcia's five inning effort gives him his 150th win.
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Well Gary, you must be happy!  Incredible two-out rally by the Tigers against Cleveland to win their game 10-8 after trailing 8-5.
Cleveland has lost nine in a row and in the process of a week has fallen out of the crowded wildcard hunt, demonstrating how in the packed AL races, it only takes one bad slump to end your season.
Baltimore outlasts Tampa Bay in a tight pitchers duel 1-0 in ten innings putting them in second in the AL East race behind the Yankees and keeping them close with the A's and Angels in those wildcard positions.
The National League situation, I am hoping the five teams that make it will be: Washington, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Los Angels, Atlanta. If those five make it, then the NL pennant winner will be a first-time one for the 21st century! (I like minutiae like that)
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A dreadful outing by Nova on all levels to match the bad outing he had against the Orioles last time out. He's had just one win in his last eight starts and at this moment, I sure wouldn't trust him in a playoff rotation ahead of Sabathia, Kuroda or Hughes.
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I'm glad I bailed out after the bottom of the 8th because I wouldn't have wanted to see them suddenly rally and come up short as the final score reveals.
I predict in a week or ten days the Yankee lead will be down to zero.
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