Turnpike Series

Mets Sign Garcia

The New York Mets went for some more of the Phillies trash as they signed dead arm starter Freddie Garcia to a minor league contract. Garcia is recovering from a shoulder injury that cost the Phillies 5 losses and $10 million.

Kidding aside this is a good signing for the Mets as Freddie is a low cost, high reward player. He may or may not return to the form he had from 1999 to 2006 when he was first in the American League in innings pitched and second in wins but he brings an experienced arm to Spring Training for the Mets to look at.

Meanwhile, the Phillies are looking at some of the Mets trash as they are heavily pursuing Moises Alou. I don't like the Alou option at all and think the Phillies should look elsewhere.

For full coverage of the rivalry between the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets, be sure to check out Phightin' Phils Phorum and Mr Mets Daily.

The Wallet Closes in Flushing

The New York Mets have seemed to have infinite amounts of money since Omar Minaya became the general manager. They overpaid for Pedro Martinez, Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, Billy Wagner, and others. They paid the highest amount ever for a pitcher when they signed Johan Santana last off season. Now all of the sudden, the Wilpons seem to have decided to cut the spending.

Evidently the Wilpons decided saving a few bucks was better than paying for an extra year for Derek Lowe and putting their team in a position to win a division title. Casey Stern and Rob Dibble discussed this as they had irate callers from New York calling "The Show" today on XM Sirius MLB Homeplate. Stern, a Mets fan, was upset by the Mets decision to not pay Lowe and said that although fans will come out to see them play they may won't see a winner. He also said that Minaya over evaluates the talent he brings in including pitcher Oliver Perez who the Mets may sign as a back up plan.

Another great point that Stern had was how the Mets players feel about the teams lack of bringing in Lowe. He used David Wright as an example. He said, "Could you imagine being David Wright watching the news about Lowe? He signed long term with this team and expects to win. He probably kicked his television or even threw it out the window." Similar statements were made about Santana. How would the players feel? Of course they are dissapointed and possibly feel a bit cheated as they expected their organization to do whatever it takes to win. The Mets didn't. Great way to go to Spring Training!

Interesting that the Mets are moving into a new stadium and unwilling to do what it takes to win. They spent the money on K-Rod but now with Citibank in financial distress and the Wilpons personal financial problems, it is the Mets that suffer.

For full coverage of the rivalry between the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets, be sure to check out Phightin' Phils Phorum and Mr Mets Daily.

Mets are Lowesers in the Starting Pitching Market

The New York Mets took a blow today when free agent reliever Derek Lowe signed with the Atlanta Braves for 4 years/ $60 million. While the price for Lowe was steep and the Mets may have made the right decision not trying to top that number, it does not address the team's need for a true number 4 starter.

After staff ace Johan Santana, the team is expecting Mike Pelfrey in the 2 slot, John Maine to be number 3, and newly acquired pitcher Tim Redding to be number 4 or 5. The final spot is the team's concern and rightly so. Internal candidate Jonathon Niese is a possibility but with Pelfrey just coming of age, Niese having no experience, and Redding being a number 4 instead of number 5 starter, the Mets rotation will not be a solid as the World Champion Phillies or perhaps now even as strong as the Braves.

Oliver Perez is a possibility to return and the Mets could sign Randy Wolf or take another chance on Pedro Martinez, but how good are any of these choices? Perez will come with a Scott Boras price tag and as every Mets fan knows, you never know which Ollie will pitch on any given day. Wolf if a decent option if he can stay healthy but that is a big question mark. Martinez is a waste of money and a roster spot and the Mets are crazy to consider him coming back.

Unless the Mets pull off a trade, they will have a decent rotation but perhaps the third best in the National League East. While the Mets have improved their bullpen they still need another reliever or 2, at least one corner outfielder, bench players, and an upgrade at catcher. The Mets are a bit away from making a run to recapture the N.L. East.

The Mets Return to their Vomit?

Imagine the Yankees resigning Carl Pavano. Or how about if the Braves had resigned Bruce Sutor? I could go on and on about teams that signed pitchers and paid for them to sit on the bench injured or be ineffective. The New York Mets could actually resign one of these pitchers and live up to the old proverb of a dog returning to his vomit.

Pedro "The Philadelphia Phillies are my daddy" Martinez says he wants to win a World Championship with the Mets and is sending his agent into a meeting with the team next week. Martinez said, "I went over to the Mets with something in mind, to win a World Series in the National League, and I haven't achieved that. I'm anxious to get out there with the team that we have right now. We should be really close to a team that will win it all, and I want to be part of it."

Martinez only pitched in 25 games over the past two seasons with the Mets and in 2008 posted a 5.61 ERA. The 37 year old is supposedly healthier now then he was at any time with the Mets and would command much less money. But would you sign him? Then again with the Mets history of signing over the hill players one never knows.

The only thing I know is that I am amazed that Omar Minaya still has a job and will be even more amazed if he is dumb enough to resign Pedro. Let's keep our fingers crossed as more then 10% of Pedro's career losses have come at the hand of the Phillies. We'd love to tee off on him some more!

For full coverage of the rivalry between the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets, be sure to check out Phightin' Phils Phorum and Mr Mets Daily.

Phillies and Mets Fans Agree

How often will you see a title like that? But today there is something both Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets fans can be happy about. Long time Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz is on the verge of signing a contract with the Boston Red Sox.

The deal would get one of the best pitchers in the game out of the National League East and leave the Braves with another hole in their rotation. I am sure I speak for both Phillies and Mets fans when I say, good riddens Smoltzy!

Phillies Off Season So Far

One of our readers made a comment asking how the Phillies have upgraded this off season after I made some comments about the Mets upgrades. The reader did not think Raul Ibanez was an upgrade from Pat Burrell and that resigning Jamie Moyer did nothing more than keep the team at status quo.

Of course before I start, I'd like to remind everyone that status quo won the Phillies the World Series. The Phillies do not need big moves this off season but some small tweaks to make the team a little better. The Jamie Moyer signing can be looked at a few ways. Derek Lowe may have been a better option because of his age and post season experience but Moyer has been such a great leader on the Phillies pitching staff and a mentor to so many of their young pitchers. All in all, Moyer was the right choice for the Phillies for 2009.

Ibanez was also the right move in left field. Many Pat Burrell fans are upset about the change, but Burrell's streaky hitting and lack of speed will be replaced with a more complete hitter that can man left field better and will do so at a discounted price. Expect Ibanez to be much better in the clutch than Burrell ever was.

The Phillies really do not have any other major pressing needs. They could use one more arm in the best bullpen in the National League but what team couldn't. They also need to find a right handed bat off the bench since Jayson Werth will move into a starting role while Chris Coste is likely to be dealt. There is plenty of time and the Phillies have plenty of bargaining chips to land both.

Sure the Mets have made significant upgrades to their bullpen, but it is still not at the same level as the Phillies as they had a gaping hole. Expect the Mets to be better because of the upgrades, but it will not make the difference. In the end the Phillies have more depth and a better team.

For full coverage of the rivalry between the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets, be sure to check out Phightin' Phils Phorum and Mr Mets Daily.

Park and Moyer Sign With the Phillies

Ruben Amaro Jr had a busy day today as he inked two starting pitchers for the 2009 season. He started the day by giving Chan Ho Park a 1 year contract for $2.5 million  with incentives that could make it worth as much as $5 million. The team also signed Jamie Moyer to a 2 year deal that will take him until he is 48 years old.

Both are good deals for the Phillies as Moyer brings his consistent pitching and mentoring back to the Phillies while Park gives the Phillies depth and and outside chance to be a real contributor to the team. He gives the team an insurance plan if a starter falters or gets injured and can eat up innings in a mop up role.

More details on Moyers deal are forthcoming but what is known is that the veteran was guaranteed for 2 seasons. This is certainly a risk for the Phillies but then again, they are paying Adam Eaton as much money and he has been worthless.

With the signings today, my prediction for the 2009 Phillies pitchers look like this:
Starters:

1. Cole Hamels
2. Brett Myers
3. Joe Blanton
4. Jamie Moyer
5. Kyle Kendrick, J.A. Happ, Carlos Carrasco, or Adam Eaton (doubtful)

Bullpen:

• Brad Lidge - Closer
• Ryan Madson
• J.D. Durbin
• J.C. Romero
• Scott Eyre
• Chan Ho Park
• Clay "Hit Parade" Condrey

Hopefully the Phillies will find another set up man and send Condrey packing.

For full coverage of the rivalry between the Philadephia Phillies and New York Mets, be sure to check out Phightin' Phils Phorum and Mr Mets Daily.

Phillies Have New Left Fielder!

The Philadelphia Phillies lineup just got better as they signed left fielder Raul Ibanez to a 3 year $30 million contract. I can see it now. Bottom of the ninth inning 3-3 game. K-Rod on the mound, runner on second base. Ibanez drives a ball in the gap and the Phillies win the game! Sorry, had to get my Mets dig in there.

Ibanez will patrol left field bringing a better fielder and all around hitter to the Phillies. Ibanez is great in the clutch and is a career .305/.380/.493/.873 hitter with runners in scoring position. Of course Mets fans are happy to see Pat Burrell go as he had a knack for killing Mets pitching but now the Ibanez era begins in left field for the Phillies and the team has addressed one of their two off season needs.

Now the Phillies will look to sure up their starting rotation with possibly Derek Lowe, the return of Jamie Moyer, or maybe both. The Ibanez signing saves the Phillies potentially $6 million a year and $4 million from last year as Burrell probably would have cost $16 million this season. This money can now be used to form one of if not the best rotation in the National League if they sign Lowe.

The Phillies will also need to address a right handed bat or two off of their bench. Ibanez being left handed gives the Phillies 3 left handers, 1 switch hitter, and 1 right hander in their outfield. If Chris Coste does not come back because of the Ronny Paulino trade, it leaves the Phillies with only Paulino and Eric Bruntlett on the bench. Obviously they will need more than that!

For full coverage of the rivalry between the Philadephia Phillies and New York Mets, be sure to check out Phightin' Phils Phorum and Mr Mets Daily.

Coste's Days in Philly Over?

With the Phillies late night trade for Ronny Paulino, Chris Coste's days in Philadelphia may be numbered. Paulino will compete for at least a back up job if not the starting job and if he can return to form from 2006 when he hit .310, he could become the Phillies starting catcher with Carlos Ruiz backing him up. That scenario or Ruiz being the starter and Paulino being the back up leaves Coste without a big league job in Philadelphia.

Coste has been a huge addition to the Phillies in his three seasons with the team and although he only hit .263 in 2008, he hit 9 homeruns and was a great right handed pinch hitter option off the bench for skipper Charlie Manuel. Deeper than statistics though is the winning attitude Coste brings to the team. He is energetic and brings life to the team. Replacing him with a guy that hit .212 last season just does not make sense.

Hopefully Ruben Amaro has another plan in mind and maybe he is planning on dealing Ruiz with Paulino being a stop gap until Lou Marson is ready. Chances are though, Chris Coste will be playing somewhere other than Citizens Bank Park in 2009. Sad.

For full coverage of the rivalry between the Philadephia Phillies and New York Mets, be sure to check out Phightin' Phils Phorum and Mr Mets Daily.

Oliver Perez Only Phillie or Met Offered Arbitration

The New York Mets offered salary arbitration to Oliver Perez on Monday. This guaranteed the Mets 2 draft picks should Perez sign elsewhere. The Mets did not offer arbitration to Pedro Martinez, Moises Alou, Damion Easley, Luis Ayala, Tony Armas Jr., Orlando Hernandez, Ramon Martinez, Trot Nixon, Ricardo Rincon and Matt Wise. Ayala is the only player on the list that may be expected back.

the Philadelphia Phillies refused to offer salary arbitration to any of the four players eligible. While there was no surprise about Rudy Seanez and Tom Gordon, Pat Burrell is some what of a surprise and Jamie Moyer was a big surprise.

There is no way to sugar coat this, the Phillies are being cheap and were afraid if these players accepted arbitration they would earn a raise from last season that they would prefer not to pay. This is Ruben Amaro's first mistake as general manager. You can argue a bit with me about Burrell with valid points, but there is no argument about Jamie Moyer. Burrell could earn $16 million in arbitration with Moyer possibly fetching $10 million. $16 million would be a bit high for Burrell but with no other viable options on the free agent market, supply and demand may dictate. The team would also not want to pay Moyer $10 million but it would give them the flexibility not to commit more than one year to a 46 year old pitcher. Sounds like a fair trade off to me.

To make matters worse, Raul Ibanez, Derek Lowe, and A.J. Burnett were all offered arbitration so the Phillies are even less likely to sign any of these players because they will not want to forfeit their draft picks. Poor planning here is taking the top free agents out the Phillies potential plans and limiting them to trying to resign Burrell and Moyer or going with "B" type players.

For full coverage of the Turnpike Series check out Phightin' Phils Phorum and Mr Mets Daily.