Atom Feed (xml)
I made my case last week for the team to not go after Bobby Jenks. The closers pool is simply too deep for them to make a trade, in my opinion any discussion regarding trading for a closer is simply to show the free agents they have options and won't be forced into a bad contract. if somehow the Mets don't sign one of the big three closers ( Fuentes, K-Rod, Wood) then they completely blew it.
At K-Rod's age if all he costs is a four year deal then it should be done already. Fuentes and Wood can have three year deals as far as I'm concerned. The Mets seem to be making this more of a game then it needs to be. Let me play GM for a minute, this is simple sign K-Rod and move on to the next piece either a set-up man or starter. Apparently the Mets received K-Rod's medical records yesterday and his agent is awaiting an offer......
"I would guess their medical people are looking over the reports, and then I'd anticipate we'll hear from them again," agent Paul Kinzer said in a brief phone interview Friday. "So nothing's changed as far as that goes right now."source Daily News
Last week all the trade rumors indicated the Mets were most interested in Bobby Jenks now the same things are being said about J.J. Putz. But just as Jenks didn't make sense neither does Putz, more so in my book because he's 31 y/o. He's only been a closer for the last three years and prior to that he was an uninspiring middle reliever who's best season ERA was 3.60. After two solid years as the Mariners closer ( 2006 ERA 2.30 SVO 36-43 / 2007 ERA 1.38 40-42 SVO ) last year he struggled posting a 3.88 ERA while blowing eight saves in only 23 opportunities. But there are other troubling numbers, each of the last three seasons he has pitched less innings ( 78, 71, 46 ), his strikeouts have decreased and his ratio to walks has gotten worse ( BB/SO- 13/104, 13/82, 28/56). I almost find it comical that a Mariners blog would say our farm system is weak and we don't have what it would take to trade for him. Needless to say we should stop playing games and sign K-Rod.
The Mets have targeted Seattle closer J.J. Putz as their priority. He is signed for 2009 at $5 million with an option for 2010 at $8.6 million or a $1 million buyout, which is a lot less than the expectation of prime free-agent closers such as Francisco Rodriguez and Brian Fuentes. source Rocky Mountain News
2 comments:
No -- they should trade for him, so he could join all the other Putzes in the bullpen.
Putz was awful last season. His ERA wasn't good for a closer, but even that was deceptive. At no point in 2008 did he look like the dominant force that he was in the year and a half prior. As a Mariner fan I am hoping we can still get value for him, but I would give the team that gets him a 50/50 chance that they get burned pretty badly. Maybe he bounces back, but I'm not fully convinced.
That said, K-Rod will be one of the worst investments ever. He is completely overrated and no closer should ever get paid what he's asking. He got the record for saves, a completely ridiculous stat, and because of it he's regarded as the best available closer. There are closers out there that will give teams much better value.
Obviously the Mets died with their bullpen last year, but they shouldn't panic and start making bad decisions. The bullpen should be one of the cheapest parts of your team.
Post a Comment