Notes from Day 2 of the Mets Winter Caravan

The second day of the Mets winter caravan featured a ton of interviews with Mets players, as well as manager Willie Randolph, pitching coach Rick Peterson and GM Omar Minaya. There was some actual substance to the interviews rather than just the usual "Bull Durham" type clichés.

I thought Omar did a reasonable job explaining his thinking on the Seo and Benson trades. It was pretty much along the lines of what Ed Coleman was saying the day the Benson trade happened, that the Mets were stacking up their bullpen because they felt all they had was a bunch of 6 inning starting pitchers anyway. Minaya said that he felt that it was crucial for a playoff contender to have a good bullpen. He wanted to "shorten the game" by building a deep bullpen. We'll take a look at the moves the Mets made this off-season and give our own take next week.

Rick Peterson came on at the end of the Mike and the Mad Dog radio show and jokingly addressed the accusations that have been leveled against him -- everything from forcing the Kazmir trade to running Jae Seo out of New York. I haven't come to a final decision on how I feel about Peterson as a pitching coach, though I'm leaning towards a favorable opinion, but to me the things the man has been accused of are ludicrous. To me, the GM gets all of the credit or blame for the moves he makes. For what it's worth, Peterson spoke very favorably about Seo.

Check out WFAN's web site for some Real Audio interviews to be posted -- the one Imus did this morning with Omar Minaya is already posted. Click on the Mike and the Mad Dog link for their audio archive. Matt Cerrone at MetsBlog also did a great jog transcribing the interviews and posting highlights, check it out.

ESPN.com: The pressure is on...
Sean McAdam looks at two teams that had an active off-season, the Mets and the Blue Jays, and the pressure on both of these clubs to capitalize. He quotes an unnamed major league GM on the difficulties the Mets will face, Carlos Delgado in particular:

New York's a different place. It's tough to judge how players will respond there. I don't think Delgado ever wanted to go there. He doesn't like expectations or media pressure. He's always played in a place [Toronto and Florida] where he's been protected. But there's no place to hide in New York.

We've been hearing a lot of this concerning Carlos Delgado. I hope that he takes this as a challenge and rises to it. He played well during Florida's pennant chase last year. Mets fans would like to see this carry over to Flushing.

Mets Inside Pitch: Xavier Nady profile
Bryan Hoch profiles one of the newer Mets, OF Xavier Nady. (Most content on this web site requires a paid subscription, this one is free to all.) He quotes Nady on the opportunity the trade provides him:

I'm looking forward to having an opportunity to play. That's all I'd really asked for my last couple of years in San Diego. I don't come in for the competition; I'm coming in ready to go.

It's my turn to speak up and prove I was worth the trade.

Most of what I've heard about Nady was that he was once a big-time prospect that is something of a disappointment. I did read one opinion by Fox's Kevin Kennedy a while back that described Nady as "a guy with 35-40 home run potential."

Mets.com: Noble looks at the corner infielders
In this week's installment of Around the Horn, Marty Noble looks at corner infielders David Wright and Carlos Delgado. Noble Opines that if Delgado manages to have just an average year, that could be historic:

Performing characteristically will make Delgado the most accomplished slugger in franchise history. He will play more than Piazza because his position is less demanding, and he already has a resume that puts him a level higher than Darryl Strawberry as a run producer. Strawberry, whose tenure as a Met coincided with a less offensive period in the game, nonetheless exceeded 100 RBIs three times and never exceeded 108 in eight Mets seasons. Delgado has averaged 114 RBIs in his 10 full big league seasons.

I've been following this team for a long time, and corner infielder positions have not been traditionally strong for the Mets. In 1987, Hojo and Keith Hernandez had a nice season together. John Olerud and Robin Ventura were great together in 1999. The Delgado/Wright pairing has the potential to be the Mets' best ever.

Fox Sports: More Delgado
Tim Dierkes looks at seven players that have changed teams, including new Met Carlos Delgado and former Met Kris Benson. He offered the following from a fantasy baseball viewpoint:

Carlo Delgado:
Shea is a worse home park than Dolphins Stadium for left-handed sluggers, but Delgado should be fine. Look for him to hit around .280 with his typical 30-35 HR and 110 RBI. Even entering his age 34 season, Delgado is clearly still a top-ten first baseman in fantasy baseball. I'd pony up $10-12 for him in a 5x5 mixed league.

Kris Benson:
I think Benson will post a 1.29 WHIP and 4.03 ERA for the Orioles; not much different than he would have for the Mets. His K rate is below average, and 12 wins would be a stretch. In a pinch, Benson could be worth a buck in your fantasy league. But you'd really have to be in a deep league or a major pinch. I'd rather gamble on a young gun with upside.

New Orioles' pitching coach Leo Mazzone really likes Benson. I'm not sure I'd bet against Mazzone's track record in turning pitchers like Kris around, even though the switch to the AL East should prove tough for him.

Yahoo Sports: Dominican Winter League
Tim Lewis writes about the winter baseball league in the Dominican Republic, where a lot of Mets players competed this off-season.

Chicago Tribune: Cubs purchase Angel Pagan from Mets
The contract of Mets minor league outfielder Angel Pagan was purchased by the Chicago Cubs. The 24-year-old Pagan was considered a potential fourth or fifth outfielder in the majors. The Mets had to deal him after removing him from their 40-man roster to make room for Japanese pitcher Yusaku Iriki.

Gotham Baseball: Mike McGann on the Latinization of the Mets
I've become a fan of Mike McGann's column on Gotham Baseball's web site. This week McGann refutes the allegations that Omar favors Latin players over all others, and also reports on the first day of the winter caravan.

Shea Faithful: B.A.T. Dinner
Pat from Shea Faithful attended last night's B.A.T. charity gala, and writes a little about it on his blog.