"Bail Out the Small Market Teams"

The following is an article I wrote for school (the original format was not in orange): 

Bail Out the Small Market Teams

After many years of a system that supports grossly over paid stars and gives large market teams an advantage during free agency, it has become necessary for Major League Baseball to create a salary cap. As of late, a few teams such as the Kansas City Royals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Tampa Bay Rays, Florida Marlins, Oakland Athletics, and Washington Nationals have been at the bottom of the league’s payroll list and as a result, they have not shown that they can be competitive on a consistent basis. It has been argued that the money of the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (as well as other high payroll teams) gives them a considerable advantage over small market teams due to their ability to spend large sums of money on the league’s best players. Meanwhile, small market teams aren’t financially capable of matching them. A salary cap shouldn’t be overlooked because if teams with small payrolls are incapable of fielding teams that can compete with those of teams with high payrolls, then why bother keeping everyone in the same league? A team with a small payroll is only able to sign players of a certain talent level, and when there is a poor free agent pool, most of the top-flight players are grabbed by the teams with the most money.

As of last year, the MLB minimum player salary was $390,000. The Florida Marlins’ average player salary in 2008 was less than twice the league minimum ($661,712). Small market teams like the Marlins and Rays have had to develop strong farm systems because they are unable to afford big-ticket free agents. Both of these Florida based teams have been successful in raising and acquiring top prospects however, it has become a pattern for many small market teams to raise the league’s talent and large market teams to buy it up when player price tags inflate. The current system is cruel because it often prevents small market teams from holding onto their talented home grown players due to their inability to match the massive offers of large market teams. Therefore, small market teams must choose between trading their stars away for new prospects or letting them hit free agency, where they will ultimately be signed by a large market team. The system is cruel and doesn’t allow small market teams to remain competitive for long stretches.

The Tampa Bay Rays were a huge surprise last year when they won the highly competitive AL East and made it all the way to the World Series. However, due to the absence of a salary cap, in a few years, when the young studs that made it to the ’08 World Series with the Rays hit free agency, Tampa Bay may cease to compete with the league’s top dogs. When it comes down to where a player goes, it usually has very little to do with anything but the money. Because money is so much of a factor in where players go, large market teams tend to drag in all of the big names.

When Cleveland Indians starting pitcher C.C. Sabathia had a breakout year in 2007, it became apparent that his team would be unable to resign him in 2008 when his contract expired. The question became whether to keep an ace as a bright spot on a bad team or trade him away for prospects. The latter option prevailed and Sabathia was dealt to the Milwaukee Brewers for four players including the 7^th pick from the 2007 MLB Draft, outfielder Matt LaPorta. After exploding in the National League with the Brewers, everyone knew a large market team would pick up Sabathia when the season concluded. Knowing this, Milwaukee milked him for all he was worth. After barely making the playoffs, the Brewers were quickly eliminated in the NLDS by the Phillies, ending their hopes of a playoff run along with the probability that Sabathia would ever take the mound for them again. Heading into the off-season, teams tried to make a run at Sabathia, but they were trumped by the New York Yankees’ record setting price of $161 million (for seven years). A salary cap could potentially prevent this problem because it would limit how much money a team can afford to offer a single player.

Small market teams often have All-Star players that they want to keep as cornerstones of their franchise but can’t afford to. Those players tend to bounce around the league until they hit free agency, like Mark Teixeira. In his fifth season with the Texas Rangers in 2007, the organization realized they could no longer afford him, so Texas struck a deal with the Atlanta Braves in which they received four prospects along with catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Despite this trade, Teixeira didn’t stay put in Atlanta and by the end of ’08, he went west to the Angels. Although you would expect a large market team in Los Angeles to lock up Teixeira, especially after he hit .358 for them with 13 home runs and 43 RBIs, LA was unable to due to a long list of players with hefty contracts. During the off-season, Teixeira went up for sale and multiple teams made a bid but were outdone by the Yankees’ offer of 8 years and $180 million. New York wrapped up Teixeira with Sabathia and top notch starting pitcher, A.J. Burnett ($82.5 million contract).

Contrary to what the MLB may think, the luxury tax, a tax placed on teams for the amount of money by which they exceed their payroll, isn’t preventing big spenders like the Yankees from fishing around. The tax is an after thought for a team that can dish out an insane $423.5 million on just three free agents in one off-season. With the Yankees’ off-season spending spree, you could pay for more than the 2008 bottom nine teams’ payrolls (over 230 single-season player contracts). If some clubs can spend unmatchable sums of money on top tier players, how can small market teams stay competitive?

Although 20 different teams have one of the last 29 World Series titles, you can’t account for teams that over and under perform regardless of payroll. For example, the 1989 Oakland A’s had a very strong roster even though the A’s are a small market team. Since then, times have changed and player salaries are increasing, so the number of different World Series champions in the past two to three decades should not factor into a salary cap factor. There has yet to be solid evidence proving small market teams have been able to compete at consistently high levels in recent years and back when the A’s and Reds were winning the World Series 20 some odd years ago, money wasn’t what it is now. 

With huge pools of talented young players spread all throughout the league this season, it’s a shame to think many of them may end up confined on a few select teams some day. Over the top large market spending is clearly a disadvantage for small market teams. If MLB Commissioner Bud Selig wants to ensure that his league remains competitive and profitable for all of its organizations, he should give great consideration to a salary cap to level off team spending, prevent teams from monopolizing the sport, and give hope to small market teams that desire to be competitive. 

"A New Beginning for the Mets at Citi Field"

The following is an article I wrote for school (the original format was not in orange):

A New Beginning for the Mets at Citi Field

The past three years have been devastating for the New York Mets. After being favored in an NL East Division that doesn't consist of many great opponents, the Mets managed to have a fatal collapse at the end of each of the past two seasons. These two downfalls came after a heartbreaking loss in the 2006 NLCS, where the Mets saw themselves a game away from the World Series. The past two seasons, when everything was on the line and the last game determined their future, the Mets have had no response and saw their playoff hopes dwindle down into nothing. Despite their recent failures at reaching the postseason, there are many reasons to believe in the 2009 Mets.

Approaching the off-season, the Mets had a large sum of questions to answer, and a long period of time to think over the events of the most recent season. The most important question needed to be answered led to the biggest off-season change that occurred within the organization, the bullpen. Last year, despite all other causes, the Mets bullpen was the team’s ultimate downfall. All year, the bullpen was the Achilles heel of the team, and when the team’s best reliever, not to mention their closer, Billy Wagner suffered an injury that ended his season, the late innings were bound to spell disaster. The Mets were third in the entire MLB with 29 blown saves, a staggering number, one that encompasses the inability to win. Knowing that they needed to revamp and remodel a complete dump of a bullpen, the Mets went to work with their checkbook and also swung a few trades.

In order to prevent himself from being the most hated man in all of New York, Mets General Manager, Omar Minaya, signed All-Star closer Francisco “K-Rod” Rodriguez to a three-year contract. Rodriguez is coming off the most dominant year of his career in which he broke the single season save record by recording 62 saves, while posting a terrific 2.24 ERA. After signing arguably the best closer in the game, Minaya went out and swung a three team trade with the Seattle Mariners and Cleveland Indians where he brought in another phenomenal closer in J.J. Putz and a solid 7th inning reliever in Sean Green. Another component to this deal that appealed to fans of the orange and blue was the cutting loose of Joe Smith and more importantly, Aaron Heilman. Both Smith and Heilman were members of last years disastrous ‘pen, where Heilman was the unanimous winner for the most hated Met award. The aforementioned Putz had been off the charts in 2007, but injury prevented him from performing well last year. Now that he is healthy, Putz will join K-Rod in the bullpen and take over the role of setup man. The new 7th inning man, Sean Green, is a solid relief pitcher who posted an impressive 17 holds last season. The next and final significant bullpen move GM Omar Minaya made was trading away dreadful reliever Scott Schoweinweiss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Mets received an unproven reliever in Connor Robertson, but after this move, the major components of the most recent downfall had been rid of. Along with the previously mentioned players the Mets have subtracted from their bullpen, Luis Ayala and Duaner Sanchez, two other relief pitching duds have left the team since the off-season began.

Another important note on the Mets to-do list was to either find a new number two starter or renew one (Oliver Perez). After missing out on Derek Lowe and A.J. Burnett, the Mets settled for re-signing their number two guy from ’08. Oliver Perez. Going down the list, the Mets came to a point where as an organization, they needed to determine whether to stick with grossly overpaid second baseman Luis Castillo, or eat up his contract and sign free agent Orlando Hudson. As the winter wore on, the Mets announced that they would stick with Castillo, who has reportedly lost a good deal of weight and gotten himself back into formidable shape. 

Although a dark cloud hung over the 2008 Mets season, there were some bright spots. Johan Santana’s first season in New York could not have been better. He finished with 16 wins and a 2.53 ERA, but easily would have surpassed the 20 win mark and won the NL Cy Young Award had it not been for the dismal bullpen. Rather than naming the obvious studs from the roster, two guys who came in and performed better than expected were starting pitcher Mike Pelfrey and left fielder Daniel Murphy. In his first full season in the majors last year, Pelfrey had an impressive 13 wins. Although his overall numbers were not All-Star caliber, the young man out of Wichita State proved himself to be dependable for a few stretches during the course of the season. Left fielder, Daniel Murphy was absolutely stunning in his first glimpse of the majors where he batted an outstanding .313 with 14 extra base hits in only 131 at bats. Murphy came up when room opened up in the outfield and he performed well despite having to deal with a position foreign to his normal location of second base.

As Opening Day of the 2009 MLB season approaches, the Mets have answered most of the big questions that developed during the conclusion of the ’08 season. With the moves that GM Omar Minaya has made, fans have to be feeling more confident in this years’ team. We can only imagine that having Manager Jerry Manuel, for the entire season should benefit the team, as his loose clubhouse presence and intelligence of the game should encourage the Mets to perform better than they managed under Willie Randolph. Now that Shea Stadium lies in small pieces, destined to become a parking lot, the new center of Mets baseball, Citi Field, stands tall aside the location the Mets once called home. With a new bullpen and stadium, hope is growing for the Mets organization. Finally, with “next year” looming awfully close, the New York Mets look ready for another season of baseball, and another chance to dethrone the now World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies. Everything that has occurred in recent years is now left behind in the past. Soon, Citi Field will open its gates and become the new home for a promising club that is hoping start the next chapter in its history on a high note.

Murphy Gets the Nod in Left Field

New York Mets manager Jerry Manuel announced yesterday that going into the 2009 season, borderline rookie Daniel Murphy would be given the starting role in left field. Murphy was primarily an infielder during his time in the minor leagues however, last year when he was called up, he was tried out in left field and found success. Originally, Manuel had decided that Murphy would platoon in left with last year's National League Comeback Player of the Year, veteran outfielder Fernando Tatis. Tatis separated his shoulder on a diving catch attempt last year towards the end of the season, which has fans wondering what he might be able to put up this year. 

Now, there is  speculation that Tatis will platoon in right field with Ryan Church. Church was a candidate for MVP and was easily the best player for the Mets until he suffered a concussion in late May. Church attempted to make a few comebacks after he was cleared to play, but he had to sit out for an extended period of time due to post-concussion syndrome. When he made it back to the field near the end of the season, Church was a shell of the player he was prior to the concussion.

I like the idea of starting Daniel Murphy although, a player with only 131 at bats cannot be expected to put up the same numbers with a minimum of about 550 at bats. Batting .313 with an on base percentage of .397 is fantastic for a player seeing limited action, but we will have to wait and see if Murphy is able to produce numbers similar to those he had last season. As for the idea of a platoon in right field, it could potentially work. Church had 13 more extra base hits against right handed pitchers than he did left handed and his average was also 18 points higher. Although he didn't have as many at bats against lefties, if Tatis can produce solid offense, he would fit great in a platoon with Church. Neither of the two has exceptionally better defense than the other however, I think Church would be the safer defensive bet.

Right now, Fernando Tatis is a wild card. We really have no idea how he is going to bounce back from last year's injury. Before last season, he had really put up good numbers one other year, and decent numbers in two other times. Although his career numbers aren't too shabby, we still cannot determine what is next for a 34 year old outfielder coming off an injured shoulder. The one advantage that Tatis has over Church is that he bats righty, a trait that is not common of players in the Mets batting order. It wouldn't be a bad idea to have a platoon in right field, but if Church produces the way he had been, it isn't necessary. Besides, if Tatis still shows he can produce offense and Church is doing alright, Tatis would be a fine right handed addition to the meager Mets bench. And, if Tatis were to be the number one reserve outfielder, he would also be able to fill in for Daniel Murphy if he struggles. Well, that's all for today, I'll try to get the writing in on a more consistent basis. The Mets' first spring training game is less than two days away. Thanks for reading.

Reasons to be Pissed Off: The Atlanta Braves recently signed outfielder Garret Anderson to a one year contract. Anderson has been a very consistent player over the span of his 14-year career. Expect Anderson to hit somewhere within 20 points of .300 with at least 15 home runs and 80 RBIs. He was a nice acquisition for Atlanta and hopefully, he won't hit the Metropolitans' pitchers well.

In other news, one of the top candidates for the #5 spot in the Mets rotation, Tim Redding, has been experiencing shoulder pain and likely will not appear in any spring training games until late March. This is a positive sign for prospect Jonathon Niese however, he will have to prove himself worthy of the spot and beat out Livan Hernandez as well as Freddy Garcia.

Now, Leading Off for the Mets....Luis Castillo?

Yes, the rumors are true. New York Mets manager Jerry Manuel has been contemplating batting Luis Castillo first in the order for the 2009 season. If this change were to occur, Carlos Beltran would likely bat second, and Jose Reyes would drop to third. It's a very thought provoking idea when considered, seeing as it may be capable of producing more runs for an already offensively talented Mets team. Rather than have Luis Castillo sit aside Brian Schneider and the starting pitcher at the bottom of the lineup, where he would likely have no effect, Manuel has considered batting him leadoff in order to maximize his abilities. Castillo is not the player he once was, but this offseason, he promised the Mets that he would work on getting back into shape, and fans are hoping that this statement means dropping a few pounds. Now, towards the end of his career, with his knees giving out frequently and his ugly slap swings becoming more expected, Castillo could be on the brink of a possible "rejuvinating" of his career. No one expects him to steal 50 bases this year or bat at the .300 mark, but putting him at the top of the order would provide the Mets with a relatively consistent baserunner. Castillo can hit singles pretty well and he has a good eye at the plate. If you look at this possible switch in the eyes of a manager, it makes sense. With Jose Reyes becoming a more patient and talented hitter over time, there is nothing that suggests he wouldn't perform well in the number three spot. At the same time, if Reyes produces in his new spot, you receive the added bonus of production from Luis Castillo and allowing him to feel comfortable in the lineup.

The proposed lineup change would not only benefit Castillo, but take a look at what it would do for Beltran. In 2007, Beltran batted .294 in 17 at bats in the two slot and in 2008, he batted .375 in 18 at bats. Those are nice averages for limited time batting second. Another thing that must be taken into consideration is the ability to drive in more runs with Reyes batting third. Hypothetically, if the change isn't made, you may have Reyes batting first and Castillo second. The odds of Reyes scoring off a Castillo hit are not as great as the odds of him scoring when he has David Wright and Carlos Delgado batting directly behind him. Even if Luis Castillo is out, Beltran still has a nice set of wheels and if you have Reyes' extra base capabilities behind a solid runner, there is a greater chance of scoring runs. So, when you think about it, batting Castillo first might not be a huge downfall, it might actually help produce more runs. However, we will have to wait and see what happens in spring training and I'll be sure to write about any updates in this new and interesting scenario.

Signs of Hope:  The Mets currently have four major candidates for the #5 spot in the starting rotation. Among them are Tim Redding, Freddy Garcia, Livan Hernandez, and Jonathon Niese. Between all four of those guys, you have to like the looks of the five spot. That is a pretty good looking group to duke it out for the final spot in the rotation and whether you get an innings eater in Livan Hernandez or a promising youth in Jonathon Niese, the five spot looks to be just fine.Besides, aren't all of these possibles better than options of the past like Chan Ho Park, Alay Soler, and Kazuhisa Ishii? Obviously, with one spot and four pitchers, not everyone can make it, but with the group of four, you could always throw one of the veterans in the pen. If Livan Hernandez gets the spot, Jonathon Niese can be sent to Triple A, and you could have an experienced pitcher like Tim Redding in the bullpen.

Why the Mets Don't Need Marlon Anderson

Marlon Anderson is a 35 year old utility player who usually pinch hits. Anderson strained his hamstring in May last year which gives him a bit of an excuse for his poor performance, but no one can tell you that his .210 batting average was pleasing. Although he is given inconsistent playing time, that is no excuse for failing to hit because he has been used in a limited role for the past few seasons. In the month of September, Marlon Anderson had 13 pinch hit at bats, yet he only managed one hit and two walks. In his first 19 pinch hit at bats of the season, Anderson managed only one walk, two hits, two runs, and an RBI, with one of the hits being a home run. In games which he started, Anderson performed better, but the point is, there are much better utility men out there. For example, Damion Easley was fantastic for the Mets the last two seasons although he had a larger role. Easley was another veteran leader in the clubhouse and was great when he filled in for second baseman Luis Castillo when he was injured. Easley did it for a cheaper price and at an older age, proving that with a pretty substantial role, he could succeed. If the Mets had brought him back this year rather than Anderson, they likely would have had him for a discount and received better performances in return. Easley provides better depth for the infield (off the bench) which is scarce other than Alex Cora (signed this off-season) and he would be of more value to the team.

I know that Marlon Anderson is basically there to be the designated pinch hitter, but is that a necessary role to fill with a guy who couldn't perform in that spot last season? I don't have Anderson's exact salary for 2009, but I believe it is somewhere around his salary for 2008 which was a around $1,000,000. In my opinion, $1,000,000 is too much money to give a guy who has such a limited role and hasn't been clutch when necessary. If you take Marlon Anderson off the payroll, the Mets have some more cash that they can spend wisely on a player that they need, like a left handed reliever. Now, I know I've been bashing Anderson for quite a while and maybe I've been too harsh. I am basing my writing mainly on last season, in which Anderson was dreadful, but, if he can perform close to the level of his 2007 season, he may be worth his salary. Maybe his injuries made that much of a difference (-.109 difference in batting average between 07-08), but I suspect that wasn't the whole story. In conclusion, I think Marlon Anderson is a waste of money. Had his contract been structured differently, I wouldn't be as critical, but his current price tag is too high. For now, it looks like Anderson will back up Carlos Delgado at first base and be in charge of the pinch hitting duties. For future references, as of next week, whenever the Mets make transactions, have injuries or other notables, I will make a short post of it. That's it for today, check back next time.

Back In Action

    

It's been a while since I last checked in here and many things have gone on. There was the Collapse of '08, the signing of Francisco Rodriguez, the trade for J.J. Putz, and the Mets have begun to reshape their bench and edit the bullpen. I cannot guarantee that in the future I will be able to write long summaries on Mets games, but what I can promise is that I will stay up to date and make this blog worth reading.

What I want to talk about today is the upcoming bullpen for the 2009 New York Mets. Knowing that he wasn't going to make it to 2009 without changing up the bullpen, GM Omar Minaya made some big changes in the pen that pleased Mets fans. The most significant change was the addition of former Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez (a.k.a. K-Rod). K-Rod is a 27 year old Venezuelan with some very good stuff. He has a fast ball in the mid-high 90s and a killer changeup. K-Rod is currently #36 on the All-Time Saves list however, but if he continues to close out games at a consistently productive rate, he will have no trouble cracking the Top 10. In the last four years, he has averaged 48.5 saves a season, with his most outstanding season being last year, when he broke the MLB Single-Season Save Record with 62 saves. The critics are saying that if he keeps throwing the way he does, his arm will fall off and he won't have anything left in the tank. That comment is complete BS, especially because K-Rod has been developing his changeup into one of the top pitches in his arsenal. The Mets were used to seeing heat with Billy Wagner, and K-Rod can do just the same while throwing off batters with his off speed pitches.

In the event that K-Rod's arm does fall off, the Mets will not have to worry about trading for the next Luis Ayala, and they will not have to settle for pitchers the likes of Armando Benitez and now starting pitcher Braden Looper. Omar Minaya was smart, and he knew that if he was going to shape up this team and put a legitimate product out on the field, he would need more than arguably the best closer in baseball. His answer was J.J. Putz. The Mets acquired Putz in a three team, 12 player trade involving the Seattle Mariners and Cleveland Indians. New York sent Aaron Heilman (he will prove himself in Chicago), Endy Chavez (Fan-Favorite), and Jason Vargas (awful acquisition) to Seattle. This trade not only brought a recently dominant closer to the Mets, but it also crossed off getting rid of Heilman from the list of things to do. Along with Putz, the Mets also acquired Jeremy Reed, a candidate for reserve outfielder, and Sean Green, a decent reliever whose religion I have yet to confirm. One stat that fans should note is that Green recorded 17 holds last season. In case you didn't know what a hold is, it is an undervalued stat that signifies that a pitcher entered the game with the lead and left the game with the lead. Leaving the game with the lead was not a very common site last season at Shea Stadium, so Green should be a valuable member of the bullpen this year. In this trade, the Mets also shipped out young reliever (with some good potential) Joe Smith to Cleveland and lost three minor league players, most notably, first baseman Mike Carp. Heading back to J.J. Putz, he has been a fantastic closer for Seattle, posting two solid seasons (36 saves and 40 saves) until last year when he only recorded 15. Putz was struck by some injuries last year, which held him back from another great season. Now however, with a healthy Putz and K-Rod, the Mets will have one of the best one-two punches in the league.

Some other notables, the Mets sent Scott Schoeneweis to Arizona for unproven reliever Connor Robertson. The Mets also signed Tim Redding to a one-year contract. Redding gives the team some flexibility because he can fill in as a #5 starter or, if necessary, he can be placed in the bullpen. Expect some better performances from Duaner Sanchez this season, as he should be just about fully healed from his shoulder injury. If Sanchez can be anywhere close to how he was in 2006, the Mets will definitely have a top notch bullpen capable of finishing off the opposition.

It has been a long off season and Spring Training is just around the corner. Pitchers and catchers report in about six and a half days and Citi Field is coming up strong. Sadly, Shea Stadium is inching closer to being completely wiped off the map although I have heard that the spots where the pitching rubber and home plate were will be marked. Along with that, the Home Run Apple is supposedly being moved to Citi Field, but I have heard that a new one is being constructed. Mets fans, rejoice, those 29 blown saves have been replaced with elite pitchers who should be able to survive New York. My goal is to make at least one post a week, and I will be sure to keep up to date and throw out anything Mets that I have on my mind. Thanks for reading, and check the blog every Friday.

Signs of Hope: Francisco Rodriguez has a career 2.35 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. 

                           In seven games last season, K-Rod surrendered only one run to NL teams,                                                                                and that team was none other than the New York Mets. 

                           K-Rod has a career 3.13 Postseason ERA.

                           

                       J.J. Putz has a career 3.07 ERA and 1.16 WHIP. 

                          When Putz was healthy in 2007, he posted a 1.38 ERA and a 0.70 WHIP.