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7
Jul/10

Concerns With the Yankees or Mets Signing Cliff Lee

by under MLB
The Yankees have made some great moves in the past couple of seasons that helped them win a championsihp. 
The Mets, on the other hand, have greatly disappointed some fans with the moves they have made. 
A couple of years ago, Brian Cashman decided to skip on trading for Johnan Santana, save the prospects, and wait a year for free agent ace CC Sabathia. By keeping top prospects Austin Jackson and Phil Hughes, the Yankees used their deep pockets to sign a different ace in Sabathia.
That decision has paid off greatly for the Yankees since they were able to use Jackson in another trade for Curtis Granderson, Phil Hughes has become one of the top young stars in the game, and Sabathia led the team to a 27th Championship.
The Mets, on the other hand, decided to dive into the Santana sweepstakes a couple years ago by giving up their top prospects. Santana had a great first season, but has been up and down and plagued by injury ever since. 
The Mets and the Yankees needs to realize and learn from what happened a few years ago with Santana. Perhaps trading for Cliff Lee might not be the smartest idea. 
The situation is unique for both teams. The Yankees have a good enough rotation to contend for a 28th Championship without Lee. In my opinion, the only way the Yankees will trade for Lee is if the Rays or Red Sox join the race. Besides that, I don’t see any other reason for the Yankees to trade for him this season. 
For the Mets, things are very different. They do not have an opportunity to go to the playoffs each and every year. They do not go into every season knowing they are going to be there in September. That is why I think they eed to go ahead and trade for Lee.
The Mets have a very good chance of making the playoffs this season, and by adding Lee to their rotation, their chances of playing late into October greatly increase. 
Even though it paid off for the Yankees by not doing this, the idea of trading a top prospect is something I support. Yes, they have proved themselves at some level, but a top prospect is still not guaranteed to succeed at the major league level. 
Looking back on many past trades, including top prospects, you can’t even recognize some of the names on the list. Many of those players do not even make it to the majors. This is why I believe the Mets need to take the chance and trade whatever Seattle wants to get Lee in their rotation. 
Whichever team lands Lee this season will most likely use him as a rental and let him hit the free agent market at the end of the season. This is where the Yankees come in. They don’t need him now, but they could sure use Lee in their rotation for next season.
We all know the Yankees have the resources to sign him in the offseason, so why should they trade away guys like Jesus Montero for someone they don’t really need this season?
My gut feeling is that the Mets will trade for Cliff Lee soon and get him in their rotation to start right after the All-Star break. After this season and an intense bidding war, I think that the Wilpon family will dig deep into their pockets and sign Lee to a long term contract. 
These are some of my concerns and predictions with either the Mets or Yankees signing Cliff Lee this season. 

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18
Jun/10

Top MLB Mid-Season Stories (Part 2)

by under MLB
This is the final part of  a two part article where we will discuss the Met’s plans once Carlos Beltran comes off the DL, the exciting three team race in the AL East, and a mid-season trade that could greatly change the NL West standings. 
The Mets with Beltran Again

Carlos Beltran is expected begin his rehab assignment within the next couple of weeks, and then make his return from the DL around mid to late July. The Mets have said that they are very excited for his return, but some fans are not as enthusiastic. Many Mets fans, as well as the Mets organization, feel that they are playing at a great level right now, and there is a great feeling inside and out of the Mets clubhouse.
As of now, the Mets starting outfield is playing good, if not great baseball. When Beltran come back the starting center field job will be his, so that means that someone will need to sit, or there will have to be a platoon in right field.
The platoon would have to be in right field because the job securities of Beltran and Jason Bay are very safe right now; but a platoon would not really even work well because both Angel Pagan and Jeff Francoeur are right handed batters.
I think the best move would be to send Pagan to the bench, and keep the more experienced Francoeur in right. Pagan is have a good year, but in reality Francoeur is a much better player. 

Another issue Met fans have, is how the Mets clubhouse will react to Beltran coming back. Right now, everyone gets along and there are no problems between players. When a player like Beltran comes back from an long period of time being out, other players might not react the right way.

Beltran needs to go in with a good attitude, and not like he is the best player on the team and he deserves to play center field and bat 4th in the lineup. 

It will be interesting to see how the Mets react to Beltran coming off the DL. I do not think much will change, because the addition of Carlos Beltran can make any team better. 
The Three Amigos (but not really)
Get ready folks because we are about to witness one of the best three teams division races in baseball history. Let’s think about this – the  Red Sox, who are in 3rd place in the AL East as of today, would be in first place in any other division. That right there tells you how good the Rays and Yankees actually are. 
At most only two teams from the AL East can make the playoffs, so one of these teams will be left out. I believe that it will really come down to what moves the Red Sox make this mid-season.
As of now I do not think that the Sox have a good enough team to compete with the Rays and Yankees for the remainder of the season, but if they are able to add a good bat into their lineup their chances of making the playoffs will greatly increase. Sounds like common sense, right? It’s not that simple for the Red Sox. Who they add or what they add will be a major factor in the outcome of this team. 
The Rays have a great young team, lead by Evan Longoria, with a very good pitching staff. The only problem I see with the Rays is their so-so bullpen. As we all saw in the 2009 playoffs, the bullpen plays a major factor in the outcome of the game, and without a great bullpen your team will not succeed far into the playoffs. 
The Yankees have an old team. We all knew at some point we would see a decline in production from the core players, but so far this season it has not effected the Yankees that much. They have one of the best starting rotations in all of baseball, so that will not be an issue for them throughout the playoffs. They have a very respectable bullpen, and everyone knows when the game gets into the 9th inning and they have the lead, Mariano comes in and the game is over. 
Remember folks, it is only June 17th and a lot can change throughout the remainder of the season.
The Trade Heard ‘Round the NL West

There is one move that I believe can alter the standings in the NL West to push the Giants into first place. This would be a trade between the Giants and the Brewers, sending Prince Fielder to the Giants in exchange for top pitching prospects. I do not know what the exact parameters of the trade would be, but the main piece of the trade would be Fielder to the Giants. 
This trade would keep Sandoval at third and push Posey to catcher, or maybe even to an outfield spot. For the remainder of the season Posey and Molina would slip the time behind the plate. 
The Giants have many great pitching prospects in their farm system and the Brewers are in great need of pitching, so this would be a deal that makes a lot of sense. Fielder, although is not having a great season thus far, is a game changer and would have a great impact on the Giants offense. 
The Giants are a half a game out of first, and the Brewers are 8.5 games out and well below the .500 mark. The Brewers want young pitching who will impact the future of the franchise, and that is exactly what the Giants have to offer.
Closing Notes:  

With the All-Star break about a month away, there are many stories that are surprising to many people, and then there are the stories that everyone saw coming. There are teams that we knew would do good, and be where they are, and then there are teams that are a bit surprising and came out of no where.

I’ll say it again, it is only June 17th and a lot can change throughout the remainder months of the season. For more information please contact me .

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