The free agent market, which has been somewhat stagnant for a while, has started moving again. Outfielders Bobby Abreu and Adam Dunn have signed contracts.
Abreu and the Angels have agreed on a one-year deal worth roughly $5 million plus incentives. The Mets were only willing to talk about Abreu if his price fell below $4 million.
NL East rival Washington has signed Adam Dunn to a two-year deal worth $20 million. Dunn is certainly worth the $10 million, but with this shaky market I thought he could be netted with a cheaper deal.
Dunn more than makes up for his low batting average (career .247) and high strikeout rate (at least 120 K's in every full year of his career) with his phenomenal home runs and ability to get on-base.
Dunn has hit at least 40 homers in the past six straight seasons. He has gotten on base at a .385 clip in five of those seasons.
Going into spring training the Mets will have Daniel Murphy and Fernando Tatis splitting time in left field. Some Mets fans are uneasy with this tandem but I'm perfectly fine with it.
Last season, Murphy and Tatis combined to hit .302 with 13 homers and 64 RBI in 404 at bats.
Murphy has already arrived at the Mets Spring Training facility in Port St. Lucie, Florida. He has been working out alongside David Wright, Ryan Church, Brian Schneider, Nick Evans, and others.
According to Bart Hubbuch from the New York Post, Murphy impressed in sprints this morning, beating his teammates. Hubbuch also said that Murphy is in great shape and seems to be ready for the season to start now.
Showing posts with label Daniel Murphy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Daniel Murphy. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Murphy Will Play Left in 2009
Omar Minaya was on Mets Hot Stove on SNY tonight. He informed the public that
Daniel Murphy strained his hamstring in the Arizona Fall League and will skip Winter Ball to prepare himself for Spring Training.
Minaya added that Murphy would have played left field in winter ball and that most of his playing time will be in left in 2009.
So it looks the like the Mets will go with Murphy and Tatis in left field. They will likely try to trade Luis Castillo and his big contract. Castillo will make $18.75 million over the next three years.
The Mets will already be paying two people that will not be of service to the team in 2009. They are Billy Wagner and Willie Randolph. The signing of a free agent second baseman will likely be dependent on how much of Castillo's contract they are able to unload, if any at all.
Orlando Hudson, a three-time Gold Glove winner, is the top candidate for the job, however he might not be an affordable option due to Castillo's contract.
If the Mets are unable to unload Castillo's contract I suggest that they hang on to him and sign a less expensive second baseman/utility man such as Nick Punto or Willie Bloomquist to platoon with Castillo.
Punto is a hard nosed player who would fit right in with Jerry Manuel's new strategy of situational hitting.
Daniel Murphy strained his hamstring in the Arizona Fall League and will skip Winter Ball to prepare himself for Spring Training.
Minaya added that Murphy would have played left field in winter ball and that most of his playing time will be in left in 2009.
So it looks the like the Mets will go with Murphy and Tatis in left field. They will likely try to trade Luis Castillo and his big contract. Castillo will make $18.75 million over the next three years.
The Mets will already be paying two people that will not be of service to the team in 2009. They are Billy Wagner and Willie Randolph. The signing of a free agent second baseman will likely be dependent on how much of Castillo's contract they are able to unload, if any at all.
Orlando Hudson, a three-time Gold Glove winner, is the top candidate for the job, however he might not be an affordable option due to Castillo's contract.
If the Mets are unable to unload Castillo's contract I suggest that they hang on to him and sign a less expensive second baseman/utility man such as Nick Punto or Willie Bloomquist to platoon with Castillo.
Punto is a hard nosed player who would fit right in with Jerry Manuel's new strategy of situational hitting.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Mets' Youngsters Performing Well in Arizona Fall League
The Arizona Fall League is a six-team league in the Phoenix area created by Major League Baseball. The purpose is to get prospects some extra playing time and hopefully accelerate their path to the majors.
Each MLB team sends six players most of whom are Double-A and Triple-A players. Each team is allowed to send just one Class-A player. No player with more than one year of MLB service is eligible to participate with the exception of Rule 5 draftees. The six AFL teams have thirty players each.
Several of the Mets representatives already have some Major League experience. The Mets prospects, led by Daniel Murphy, have joined forces with White Sox, Padres, and Cardinals prospects to lead the Peoria Saguaros (11-5) to the best record in the league thus far.
Joining Murphy in the desert are pitchers Eddie Kunz, Bobby Parnell, and Jason Vargas, as well as catcher Josh Thole, and third baseman Shawn Bowman.
Bowman and Thole have emerged from the shadows and are hitting .297 and .375 respectively.
After a brief major league stint that consisted of 2.2 innings in 2008, Kunz is serving as the closer for the Saguaros (a type of cactus). Kunz was superb in his first four innings in the AFL. He didn't allow a run while recording two saves. Unfortunately, he imploded in his fifth outing, surrending eight earned runs in just a third of an inning against Mesa. Hopefully, Kunz will be able to recover from this poor outing. He holds an ERA of 12.79 in 6.1 innings for Peoria.
The other Mets pitchers have fared much better. Parnell, who had a 5.40 ERA in 5 September innings with the big league club, has a 2.84 ERA in 6.1 innings in the AFL. In his last outing, Parnell threw four innings while allowing just one hit and striking out five.
Jason Vargas, who was acquired from Florida prior to the 2007 season, has been dominant this fall. Vargas, who was recovering from hip surgery this season, has yet to allow a run in 12.2 innings. Furthermore, he has surrendered just five hits and one walk while striking out seven.
On to the man who everyone is eager to hear about: Daniel Murphy.
Murphy has had quite a fall so far. In ten games he has hit .400 with a .480 OBP, two homers, and 11 RBI, and leads the team with 12 runs scored.
Murphy has been playing second base for Peoria, however this will probably not be the position he plays in New York. According to Omar Minaya, Murphy is seen as the man who will take over for Carlos Delgado at first base, perhaps in 2010. For now, Murphy will likely play the outfield in New York.
The Arizona Fall League season runs up to the week prior to Thanksgiving. The Mets youngsters and the Saguaros have 22 games remaining.
Each MLB team sends six players most of whom are Double-A and Triple-A players. Each team is allowed to send just one Class-A player. No player with more than one year of MLB service is eligible to participate with the exception of Rule 5 draftees. The six AFL teams have thirty players each.
Several of the Mets representatives already have some Major League experience. The Mets prospects, led by Daniel Murphy, have joined forces with White Sox, Padres, and Cardinals prospects to lead the Peoria Saguaros (11-5) to the best record in the league thus far.
Joining Murphy in the desert are pitchers Eddie Kunz, Bobby Parnell, and Jason Vargas, as well as catcher Josh Thole, and third baseman Shawn Bowman.
Bowman and Thole have emerged from the shadows and are hitting .297 and .375 respectively.
After a brief major league stint that consisted of 2.2 innings in 2008, Kunz is serving as the closer for the Saguaros (a type of cactus). Kunz was superb in his first four innings in the AFL. He didn't allow a run while recording two saves. Unfortunately, he imploded in his fifth outing, surrending eight earned runs in just a third of an inning against Mesa. Hopefully, Kunz will be able to recover from this poor outing. He holds an ERA of 12.79 in 6.1 innings for Peoria.
The other Mets pitchers have fared much better. Parnell, who had a 5.40 ERA in 5 September innings with the big league club, has a 2.84 ERA in 6.1 innings in the AFL. In his last outing, Parnell threw four innings while allowing just one hit and striking out five.
Jason Vargas, who was acquired from Florida prior to the 2007 season, has been dominant this fall. Vargas, who was recovering from hip surgery this season, has yet to allow a run in 12.2 innings. Furthermore, he has surrendered just five hits and one walk while striking out seven.
On to the man who everyone is eager to hear about: Daniel Murphy.
Murphy has had quite a fall so far. In ten games he has hit .400 with a .480 OBP, two homers, and 11 RBI, and leads the team with 12 runs scored.
Murphy has been playing second base for Peoria, however this will probably not be the position he plays in New York. According to Omar Minaya, Murphy is seen as the man who will take over for Carlos Delgado at first base, perhaps in 2010. For now, Murphy will likely play the outfield in New York.
The Arizona Fall League season runs up to the week prior to Thanksgiving. The Mets youngsters and the Saguaros have 22 games remaining.
Three Mets Prospects Participate in Rising Stars Showcase
New York Mets' prospects Daniel Murphy, Eddie Kunz, and Josh Thole participated in the Arizona Fall League Rising Stars Showcase on Friday, October 24th.
Murphy came into all-star game as a pinch hitter and drew a walk, typical of the disciplined Murphy who has a .480 on-base percentage in ten Arizona Fall League games.
Catcher Josh Thole also walked and knocked in a run with a single in two plate appearances.
Kunz, on the other hand struggled, allowing a walk, two hits, and a run in two-thirds of an inning. He was stuck with a blown save when his American team lost 7-6 to the National team.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
