Wow! Really?

by gondeee on Jan 17, 2007 1:40 PM EST

I'm going to pick on the Mets one more time and this will be the last time (not). I am just having a hard time getting a handle on their philosophy this off-season. They seem to be filling out their roster based in part on luck and the philosophy of "we'll figure it out in Spring Training." We here in Braves-land know that approach doesn't always work as we found out last season.

Here's the reality of the Mets pitching staff next season:

They seem to be relying on Ambiorix Burgos as a key member of their bullpen, and hoping that his 5.52 ERA last season and 16 career blown saves in 36 opportunities is not an indicator of his talent. They are also counting on Scott Schoenweis as one of the left-handers out of their pen. All he has done in seven Major League seasons is compile a 5.01 ERA.

Their rotation will be filled by the likes of Oliver Perez, he of the ERA in the mid-6.00 range even after the Mets acquired him last year. Once again, a lot of potential, but that's all it seems to be.

And now they have added another wonderful wildcard into the mix - our old friend Jorge Sosa. As much as we want the Mets to fail, we couldn't have asked them to do anything worse than add Senor Stink:

Just as with Oliver Perez, the Mets see the potential in Sosa, and his signing is another reflection of an organization-wide belief that anyone can be turned around with the right instruction. Minaya also likes to have plenty of depth for his rotation, which remains shaky with spring training less than a month away.

Wow, that's now an "organization-wide belief?" To me it's more like subtraction by addition, and I thought we were nuts for signing Tanyon Sturze (for the record, I still think we're nuts for signing Tanyon Sturtze).

Really, I couldn't be happier. It couldn't have happened to a nicer team. Keep in mind too that the Mets are going to be sucking up 50 games at the start of the season with a 24-man roster because of Guillermo Mota's drug suspension. So they've got Tom Glavine and Orlando Hernandez and their combined 80 years of age at the top of the rotation filled out by any three of the group consisting of Oliver Perez, John Maine, Dave Williams, Mike Pelfrey and Philip Humber. To me that reads old age, proven failures, and unproven rookies. And once we get past the six innings that most of those guys can throw we get to see the likes of Schoenweis, Burgos, and Sosa.

I like the Braves chances next year more and more every day...

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Sosa

I read the sosa thing yesterday and I couldn't believe someone actually signed him to a real life major league contract. I mean i couldn't believe we pawned him off on someone to beging with, but i thought the mets were supposed to be, you know, decent at baseball, but their whole offseason has just been mind boggling to say the least.

.....Matt

by yondaime4 on Jan 17, 2007 4:41 PM EST reply actions

Once Upon A Time.

Jorge Sosa with Atlanta in 2005: 44 G, 20 GS, 13-3, 2.55 ERA and 1.39 WHIP
Jorge Sosa with Atlanta in 2006: 26 G, 13 GS, 3-10, 5.46 ERA and 1.58 WHIP

Now, I know I'm not the only one who was clamoring to trade this guy when his trade value was at an all-time high (ridiculously more so than his abilities merited) after Year 1 in Atlanta, but it appears we bought into the hype and hung on to the guy. Well, predicticably enough, he blew up in our collective faces and we dumped him while getting nothing more than a token minor leaguer in return. Sure, we do well in free agency, the draft and in the trade markets, but it's things like these (and the fact that the Ramirez-for-Soriano deal of this offseason could have been bigger) that make me think "we could have done better". Am I alone in this???

by ejruiz on Jan 17, 2007 4:56 PM EST reply actions