Morning Report – 4-2-14 – Dana Everland, Buddy Carlyle, Bobby Abreu, 2015 FA, Jose Reyes

1908 Buffalo Bisons 

Coming Up –

        10 am –  Reese Kaplan – The Fat Lady Hasn’t Sung Yet

         12 noon –   Guilbert/Mack - Opinion- Current Top 10 MLB Mock Draft

         2 pm –   Baseball Cube - Transactions

          4 pm –   MLB Draft Insider - New Revised 3-31 Mock

         6 pm -   Monte Harrison, Jeff Hoffman, Derek Fisher, Jack Flaherty, Lane Thomas

         8 pm  -  OF - Braxton Davidson - T.C. Roberson

Andy Martino ‏@MartinoNYDN  -  Yes, very sad, both old and breaking down  RT @sportswatch Better chance Jeter is with Yankees in 2015 than Burkhardt is with SNY.

There are a bunch of new players in the system that we need to familiarize ourselves with, especially the ones at the AAA level that could be called to Queens in a future emergency role.

Dana Everland was signed by the Mets in the off-season. The 30-year old lefty was a 16^th round pick in 2002 by the Milwaukee Brewers. He’s pithed at the major league level for eight different teams and his combined MLB stat line is: 19-25, 5.44, 1.66, 5.85-K9, 4.41-BB9.

One has to ask what the big deal is other than he’s a lefty and filling up a slot one of the young arms could be filling.

Amazin’ Avenue: - A career ERA+ of 77 is pretty dreadful, but Eveland's left-handedness as well as his ability to pitch out of both the rotation and the bullpen make him a mildly intriguing wild card.

Everland isn’t the only veteran that the Mets signed during the off-season to a minor league contract.

6-3 RHP Buddy Carlyle has ‘been around’. He’s pitched part of 15-years in the minors, compiling a respectful 3.67 ERA, but his visits with four major league teams (SD, LAD, ATL, NYY) didn’t fare as well (5.56).

Again, one must ask why the Mets first sign and now retain the services of this 36-year old.

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I don’t even know where to begin talking about the signing of Bobby Abreu.It sounded like a good idea on paper until I read that he basically can’t run anymore. In my book, the minor leagues should be about the future and why would a team hold back the development of someone like, say Darrell Cecilliani or Corey Vaughn and make them play in Binghamton instead of Las Vegas? This was an absolutely panic move after Chris Young tweaked a quad. Stupid move.

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Rammy -

Hey Mack - With 2014 season pretty much another one with no playoffs , who are some potential 2015 free agents you see the Mets targeting?  Also do you think with another losing season ownership will be forced by the media and fans to increase payroll?

        Mack – Hey Rammy…

First thing first… the Mets may have the worst relief staff in the league and that was before the Parnell diagnosis today. You can’t even begin to determine who you’re going to go after in free agency until you decide what direction this team is going this year.

I have been an optimist about 2014 for three years but I’m not any longer. The plan didn’t work.

There simply aren’t enough quality ballplayers on this team, the critical holes (shortstop, first base, bullpen) were not addressed, and signing people like Bobby Abreu and Kyle Farnsworth isn’t going to bring a pennant to Queens.

You have another problem, Rammy. Your General Manager doesn’t like keeping up with the trend and signing legitimate stars to long term contracts. I always thought this was a good thing to do plus, it seems like a lot of other teams think so too.

But not Sandy Alderson and the Mets.

So, addressing the 2015 free agent market… hmm…

Well, first of all, I have to go through another selloff… Chris Young… John Lannan… Jose Valverde…

I also would try to find a home for Bartolo Colon’s $11mi 2015 salary and I would trade off the ‘most tradable’ first baseman, either Lucas Duda or Ike Davis.

(aren’t you getting a little sick and tired of this?)

You should go into 2015 ‘okay’ at 1B, 2B, 3B, C, an outfield that has Cesar Puello filling the Young departure, and a rotation of Harvey, Wheeler, Syndergaard, Montero, Neise, Mejia, and Gee.

Now, everyone here keeps saying I’m nuts to move Montero to the pen, but seven starters simply doesn’t work, especially on a team basically without a bullpen.

So, my free agency targets?

For now… I send scouts out to check:

Andrew Bailey (31), Jim Johnson (32), Chris Perez (29), Sergio Romo (32), Hector Ambriz (31), Burke Badenhop (32), Ronald Belisario (32), Joba Chamberlain (29), Manny Corpas (32), Luke Gregerson (31), Carlos Marmol (32), David Robertson (30), Phil Coke (32), Tom Gorzelanny (32), Jose Mijares (29), Andrew Miller (30), Franklin Morales (29)

Maybe, just maybe, you can find yourself two good relievers.

Bob Gregory asked -

Mack - I heard a conversation on the "Michael Kay radio show"  (ny) today regarding Alderson not trading Reyes.  The hosts believed Alderson deserved a pass for not trading Reyes  because they believe the Wilpons did not allow him to.

I however don't agree with this.   I believe Alderson needed to fight ownership on this (if indeed the Wilpons refused to allow a trade).  Alderson knew Reyes would be too expensive to resign.   He knew he could net an impressive haul of prospects in a trade.   Alderson knew how bad the Mets minor league system was at that time.  From reports Alderson was backed by Selig and the Wilpons acknowledged Alderson as a knowledgeable Gm they needed to trust in order to navigate through the mess the organization was in. 

Given all of this I can't give him a pass on trading Reyes.   He could have and should have fought the Wilpons on that decision as steadfastly as humanly possible (if indeed it was Wilpons fault)

He didn't

They didn't

Now imagine how the Mets would have benefited from 2 strong position prospects now ready for the majors.  Maybe this winter's off season would have played out differently

A penny for your thoughts

        Mack – This really sounds like radio fodder to me.

I lost my press passes when Omar Minaya departed, so I have no firsthand knowledge about anything Sandy Alderson has ever done.

I will tell you that I talked to Reyes about him leaving the Mets someday. It was right outside the entrance to the press room in St. Lucie and I asked his sort of acting out ‘you’re not really considering leaving the Mets, are you?’.

Reyes said ‘you have no idea how little we come from and when we get the chance to take care of everyone in our family (he means cousins, aunts, grandmothers), we go with the money. If the Mets match the offer or make the best one, of course I would stay’. It said it like a businessman, not a disloyal teammate and I totally understood where he was coming from.

It wasn’t any kind of story. It was just two guys talking back in the days I still smoked and there was an ashtray outside the press room entrance. Reyes came off the field, we shot the shit for a few moments, and the moment was over.

Bob, all I can say is after everything happened, I talked to a couple of Mets and they said everybody… I mean everybody (you read between the lines) on the team was shocked that no offer came from the Mets. The amount of money he signed for was not over the top and the Mets could easily have matched it if they wanted to keep him.

In my book, they just didn’t want him anymore.

I have no knowledge of any trade talks and no one talks about this subject. Even the beat reports have stayed away from asking about the details of this.

I was taught early in my business career to get rid of the people as quick as you can once you determine they either don’t fit into your plans or will stand in the way of you achieving your goals. I still believe this was a 100% Alderson decision; however, I’ve been wrong before.

I will write about the Sand Gnats tomorrow.