Tom Glavine signed with the Atlanta Braves. Gee, there's a shock. He never wanted to leave there in the first place. John Schuerholz told us all that when he wrote in his book how Glavine begged to take him back the night before he signed with the Mets in 2003.
Glavine was 61-56 as a Met. His best season was 2006 and that was only one that remotely resembled the pitcher the Mets were expecting to be getting when they originally signed Glavine.
Hind sight is always 20-20, so it's easy for me to sit here and say that he was very average over his 5 years at Shea. The best thing he did for the Mets was eat up innings, which is great if you're the #4 or #5 starter on a team. But Glavine was brought in to be a big game pitcher and help the Mets finally beat the Barves. Ironically, he could not have been more opposite of those expectations.
The Braves were the one team he just couldn't beat. Maybe it's because his heart was always with them and not with the team that was shelling out millions of dollars to him. He never won really big games for the Mets and when all the chips were on the table, we should have seen that debacle against Florida coming. The funny thing is that Glavine had a good career in the post season for the Braves. Interesting.
I'm not saying that he tried to lose, but I am saying that his heart wasn't in it when he was a Met. All he wanted was to go back to the team that turned their backs on him. You would think that since the Mets practically rolled out the red carpet for him every game he started that he would have given a little more. They always say you want what you can't have.
So here is a certain hall of famer going back to Atlanta with his tail between his legs. In my eyes, his left his dignity on the mound at Shea when Willie finally pulled him after 2/3 of an inning in the biggest game of the season.
Can't wait to see your first start against the Mets at Shea next Tommy-boy!
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Put Up Or Shut Up For Omar
As a Mets fan, this winter could be a cold and long one. Right now all I hear Omar Minaya talking about is having to make a trade to bolster the team responsible for the second worst collapse in baseball history (I still feel the Yankees blowing a 3-0 lead to the Red Sox in the ALCS is #1). The free agent market is not all that appealing unless you're looking for a high priced castaway. All the good players were signed by the Yankees already.
If you're going to hang your 2008 hopes on your ability to make a trade for a front line starter and get a starting catcher, then we're in some trouble. Omar has a great track record for stealing some gems in deals. (ie: John Maine and Oliver Perez) But he's not playing with a particulary strong hand right now. The Mets farm system is depleted and their "trade-able" chips on the roster may not be so appealing to anther team. Who in their right mind wants Carlos Delgado right now? Not me!!
Here's my solution: You already signed your starting catcher when you gave Ramon Castro a two year multi-million dollar deal. We all know he refuses to play unless he 100% so it's a good idea to have a strong backup in place but Castro has shown he's got the ability. Why not give him a shot as your #1? And if a front line starter is what you're looking for, look no further than your bullpen. Aaron heilman is wasting away in the bullpen and begging to be put into the rotation. And Minaya seems to be the only GM in baseball who wouldn't give him a shot as a starter. Now you have Pedro, Perez, Maine and Heilman as your top 4 starters. Go out and get a decent #5 to try to replace some of the 200.1 innings Tom Glavine is taking with him to Atlanta (I'll get to that later).
Now you can keep the "gems" you have in the minors. All you need to do is replace Heilman in the bullpen and I hear Duaner Sanchez can help with that. But if you decide to overhaul the entire bullpen, I wouldn't oppose that either because they all had their struggles and who knows if Sanchez will ever be the guy he was in 2006?
The most pressing issue should be making a deal with Luis Castillo. He showed he can be great in the #2 slot in the batting order and since Paul LoDuca is apparently not coming back, you're going to need a guy who can get on base and advance a runner.
Once that is done, look to put together a package with Anderson Hernandez, Mike Pelfrey and Aaron Heilman (if you're still not convinced he can be a starter) for the starter you're going to need. But if you do trade any combination of those guys, you better come back with more than a #5 starter.
If you're going to hang your 2008 hopes on your ability to make a trade for a front line starter and get a starting catcher, then we're in some trouble. Omar has a great track record for stealing some gems in deals. (ie: John Maine and Oliver Perez) But he's not playing with a particulary strong hand right now. The Mets farm system is depleted and their "trade-able" chips on the roster may not be so appealing to anther team. Who in their right mind wants Carlos Delgado right now? Not me!!
Here's my solution: You already signed your starting catcher when you gave Ramon Castro a two year multi-million dollar deal. We all know he refuses to play unless he 100% so it's a good idea to have a strong backup in place but Castro has shown he's got the ability. Why not give him a shot as your #1? And if a front line starter is what you're looking for, look no further than your bullpen. Aaron heilman is wasting away in the bullpen and begging to be put into the rotation. And Minaya seems to be the only GM in baseball who wouldn't give him a shot as a starter. Now you have Pedro, Perez, Maine and Heilman as your top 4 starters. Go out and get a decent #5 to try to replace some of the 200.1 innings Tom Glavine is taking with him to Atlanta (I'll get to that later).
Now you can keep the "gems" you have in the minors. All you need to do is replace Heilman in the bullpen and I hear Duaner Sanchez can help with that. But if you decide to overhaul the entire bullpen, I wouldn't oppose that either because they all had their struggles and who knows if Sanchez will ever be the guy he was in 2006?
The most pressing issue should be making a deal with Luis Castillo. He showed he can be great in the #2 slot in the batting order and since Paul LoDuca is apparently not coming back, you're going to need a guy who can get on base and advance a runner.
Once that is done, look to put together a package with Anderson Hernandez, Mike Pelfrey and Aaron Heilman (if you're still not convinced he can be a starter) for the starter you're going to need. But if you do trade any combination of those guys, you better come back with more than a #5 starter.
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