Mets Need Second Baseman, Pitching

by Eli Greenspan on Nov 16, 2007 9:43 AM EST

The Mets are on the verge of completing a three year deal worth 14 million dollars with Yorvit Torrealba. I think the main reason he is being brought in is because of his defense, and impressive ability to call games. He will probably be slotted in the eighth spot because he hit .212 away from Coors Field, and because he is not showing any signs of breaking out. With this signing, it becomes even more important that they sign Luis Castillo, who hit .301 with 1 HR, 38 RBI, and 19 SB with the Mets and Twins last season. He is 32, but is not showing any signs of slowing down. A lot of teams are showing interest, so he might fly out of the Mets' price range. Second base is not a hard position to fill, but it might be, depending on who they ask for. I assume they will offer up a young pitcher or two for Orlando Hudson. They are hungry for pitching and with Livan Hernandez leaving, and they will do anything to bring more in. Other possibilities include Tony Abreu, Jeff Keppinger, Brendan Harris, Josh Barfield, and possibly Cubs prospect Eric Patterson. They do not want to aim too high with a second baseman though. That is because they plan to be in the running for one of the top pitchers that hit the market, specifically Joe Blanton or Dan Haren. They would have to give up one of their top prospects to acquire one, perhaps Phil Humber or Lastings Milledge. Finally, according to MLB Rumors Correspondent Steve Wilson, the Mets have contacted the agent of Octavio Dotel in hopes of striking a deal by the Winter Meetings. The Mets would also be smart to look into free agent pitchers Ron Mahay, Kerry Wood, and Jeremy Affeldt.

UPDATE: The Mets have opened up talks with both David Eckstein and Tadahito Iguchi. Iguchi seems like a possibility because he is looking to play second base. Eckstein, on the other hand, prefers to play shortstop.

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What about right field? If the Mets deal Milledge, who will play right? With Alou not likely to play more than 90-110 games, and with Beltran, who has frequent nagging injuries, they need Endy Chavez to platoon as a 4th outfielder. They might need to secure a guy with a little more pop than Gomez to play everyday right. Now that Lo Duca is gone, they need to sign Castillo or a guy that can hit in the 2 spot more than ever, as Lo Duca was always an option, (unless they do plan on going with Gomez, who probably needs another year or two to mature at the plate). I wish they would make a deal for Cabrera and D-Train. Given their needs, it seems like a no brainer. As of today, their offense is actually in a negative, as is their pitching (assuming Glavine doesn't return) when compared to the end of the 07 season.

by Anonymous on Nov 16, 2007 10:59 AM EST reply actions