Mets Early November Offseason Report
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By Mike Metsy
So far, the Mets Offseason has been about their starting pitching issues stretching from Tom Glavine's family, Pedro's calf muscle, Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez's hamstring, Maine in Japan, and the Mets mulling Mike Mussina. The Mets seem to be very active in trying to retain southpaw Tom Glavine, as well as go after Yankee-supposed free agent Mike Mussina to fill the voids of Pedro Martinez until the 2007 All-Star Break, and most possibly El Duque not resigning with the Amazins'.
Lets start this report off with Mr. Glavine. Several sources are reporter that SP Tom Glavine will remain in Flushing and not mainlybecause he wants to earn his 300th win or based on the high-possibilty he has of getting his second World Series ring. The New York Daily News was the first to report it, but the Mets have yet to announce the resigning of Tom Glavine to a 2-year contract worth $25 million.
It appeared at first that Glavine would not remain as a Met for family reasons to return to Georgia and pitch again for the Atlanta Braves, a team he pitched for 14 years before signing as a Met in 2003. In fact, Glavine, who is,10 away from becoming a member of the elite 300-win club, not only wants to stay in New York, but pitch until he's 42 years old. Believable rumors are swirling around that Glavine wants to add on that extra year in New York because he doesn't want to be in the same Hall of Fame class in Cooperstown as former Tomahawk SP teammates on the Atlanta Braves in Greg Maddux and John Smoltz. Both Brave pitchers have already announced that they will retire at the end of next season (Smoltz with Atlanta, and Greg Maddux with the Los Angeles Dodgers).
Glavine's four years as a Met haven't been that much better than President George Bush's run as President of the United States. His record as been far from pretty has exactly .500 with 38 wins and 38 losses, to go with a 3.85 ERA. This year, as the Mets were the best NL team (record wise) and second-best (playoff wise), Tom Glavine had clearly been the Mets best pitcher. The southpaw went 15-7 with a 3.82 ERA in the 2006 Season, racking up just a shade under 200 innings. In the postseason, Glavine was (2-1) including a stretch of 13 scoreless innings of baseball in his first two starts against the Dodgers and the Cardinals. Glavine is going to be a major part of the Mets rotation in 2007 as Pedro Martinez returns from rotator cuff surgery.
As well as trying to retain Glavine, there have been reports that GM Omar Minaya is trying to convince SP Mike Mussina against re-signing with the Yankees, to join the Mets. However, it appears now that Mussina may be close to accepting his pact from the Yankees, the team he's pitched for since 2001 after leaving the Baltimore Orioles to sign with the Bombers. Here's my assessment on the whole deal. WHY IT CAN HAPPEN:
If the Yankees don't pick up Mussina's $17 million dollar option, Mussina is free to talk to all teams except for the Yanks of course. Mussina may want to join a new club since he's never gotten a chance to win a world series crown with the Yankees. The Yankees will be too busy with bidding on Japanese FA SP Daisuke Matsuzaka to re-sign Mussina. Mussina feels he may have a better shot of winning the title with the Mets. Mussina may want to experience the NL and put on some batting gloves. Even if not with the Mets, Mussina may want to sign with the Phillies, for he currently resides in Pennsylvania (I rather Moose re-sign with the Yankees than sign with the Phils!). WHY IT MAY NOT HAPPEN:
Owner George Steinbrenner does not want Mussina, an effective Yankee starter who went 15-7 with a 3.51 ERA (kinda similar to Glavine right?) to go crosstown and win crucial games for the Amazins', instead of for his Beloved Bombers. PROS IF METS SIGN THE MOOSE:
Mussina is big-game pitcher who has always done well against the NL in inter-league play. He provides another good veteran presence in the clubhouse and would fill Martinez's void greatly at the beginning of he 2007 season. He's pitched well at Shea before. The Mets have one less problem, and the Yankees have one more. Ex-Yankee pitchers have done well with the Mets and sadly, vice versa! Imagine this rotation: (Barry Zito, Tom Glavine, Mike Mussina, Pedro Martinez (when he returns), Oliver Perez, John Maine, or Mike Pelfrey in that 5th slot). CONS IF MOOSE COMES TO FLUSHING:
He'll be 38 next month. He's never pitched in the National League before and is probably not used to be taken out of games early for a pinch-hitter. He struggled in the postseason for the Yanks this year and also during the stretch at the end of the season. We shall see if Moose brings his antlers to Shea before the 2007 MLB Season begins! Officially, HOTSTOVE METS is underaway!
Carlos Beltran wins first Gold Glove: Along with San Diego CF and Ex-Met Mike Cameron (third time), as well as Brave CF Andruw Jones (nine). Carlos Beltran won his first ever Gold Glove announced yesterday. Beltran had a spectacular defensive team making memorable catches after another including one that robbed Lance Berkman of a game-winning homer off Billy Wagner in the bottom of the ninth at Minute Maid Park in Houston in September. After Beltran caught the ball, he missed 4 games due to banging his left knee into the fence. Beltran is actually the second Met OF to ever win the Gold Glove Award, joining CF Tommie Agee, who accomplished the feat in 1970. The other winners were SP Greg Maddux (16th time), C Brad Ausmus (3rd), possible NL-MVP 1B Albert Pujols (1st), 2B Orlando Hudson (2nd), SS Omar Vizquel (11th time), and 3B Scott Rolen (7th time). SS Derek Jeter was the only Yankee to win an AL Gold Glove award.
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