Team Continue to Add Missing Pieces

With most teams reporting date for pitchers and catchers about a month away, teams continue to sift through the free agent bargain bin, looking for players to fill out their empty roster spots.

To say the least, this has not been a banner year for free agents around the league.

The New York Mets finalized their contract offer to Tim Redding. Redding, who led his club in wins last season, was released by the Nationals after finishing 2008 with a 10-11 record and an era of 4.95. Redding, 31, threw 182 innings last season and struck out 120 batters.

Good news for Mets fans; Redding was 3-1 against the World F*cking Champions last season.

The reigning AL Champs signed free agent outfielder Gabe Kapler to a one year deal worth $1,000,018.

We're assuming that Kapler isn't a pompus ass by requesting the extra $18. We're also assuming that he's going to use that $18 (to pay for a ticket) the first time he tries to get into Tropicana field because nobody knows who the hell he is.

K-Rod Nears Deal with Mets

Sports Illustrated, Newsday, and the New York Post are all reporting that Fransisco Rodriguez and the New York Mets are on the same page when it comes to contract talk.

The Mets offered the single season saves leader a contract believed to be worth 3 years at $37 million plus:

Rodriguez's agent, Paul Kinzer, said, "I am more optimistic than I have ever been" about finalizing a deal between K-Rod and the Mets, according to the Post. "We will know more in the next 24 hours, but so far everything has been positive."

Mets Pick Up Option on Delgado

The Mets looked to solidify at least one of their roster spots for the upcoming '09 season, picking up Carlos Delgado's $12 million option.

Delgado was primed to be let go by the Mets in the offseason, following a horrific start to the season. His late season offensive outburst leading to a .271 BA, 38 HR and 115 RBIs season, made the Mets decision to keep him much easier.

In other Mets news, Pedro Martinez, outfielder Moises Alou, second baseman Ramon Martinez and pitchers Tony Armas Jr., Luis Ayala and Ricardo Rincon all filed for free agency.

108 Red Stitches Rating:

Mets Season on the Ropes

Things are starting to look a lot like 2007 for the Mets. Entering a crucial period in their schedule, they find themselves in a familiar position; looking up.

After taking hold of the NL East lead, the Mets have found a way to tumble down, now trailing the Phillies as another September collapse begins to look imminent.

The Mets just announced that Fernado Tatis will miss the remainder of the season after seperating his shoulder against the Nationals. Add that to Damion Easley being scratched from the lineup and the Mets are slowly losing quality right handed bats.

The Mets have recently lost closer Billy Wagner to a season (possibly career) ending injury and don't expect John Maine to return until the playoffs (and may return to a bullpen role).

Maybe it wasn't Willy's fault.

Angels Win Santana Sweepstakes

That's right, the Angels won the long, hard fought battle to land Santana in their rotation.

Not taking about the lefty.

Let's introduce you to the best pitcher in MLB with the name Santana attached to his paycheck.

Ervin Santana.

Let's take a look at some recent Santana Headlines. Ooh! A fun game: "Guess Which Santana We're Talking About!"

a) Santana threw a four-hit shutout on Monday night at (MLB CITY), striking out nine while walking none.
____ Ervin _____ Johan

b) Santana allowed three hits over eight innings Saturday, retiring 20 of his first 21 batters. He struck out eight and did not walk a batter.
____ Ervin _____ Johan

c) Santana fell to 1-2 after giving up five runs -- four earned -- on six hits over 6.2 innings in Saturday's loss to the (MLB Team).
____ Ervin _____ Johan

d) EXTRA CREDIT: HEADLINES

No Hunter, no Santana but first place for Minnesota Twins

____ Ervin _____ Johan


Send your answers to 108redstitches@gmail.com for your chance to win the next Santana Sweepstakes!

Fetch an Old Dog New Digs

Some of baseball's ageless wonders seem to have found themselves in new uniforms for the upcoming season. And we're glad that the names Clemens or Bonds will be stitched on any of them.

Kenny Lofton has been talking with the Cincinnati Reds as of late. According to rotowire.com, if this move happens, Reds outfielder Jay Bruce will likely start the season in the minors.

Tony Armas signed a minor league deal with the Mets, leaving him with a very outside chance to crack the team's rotation.

Baseball's slowest pitcher Steve Traschel, signed a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles and received a spring training invite. Traschel started last season with the O's, before being traded to the Cubs in late August.

The Pirates signed defensive wiz Doug Mientkiewicz to a minor league deal. Mientkiewicz
will be competing for the backup first base job/pinch hitter role left open by Josh Phelps departure to St. Louis.

The Royals fan favorite Mike Sweeney agreed to join the Oakland Athletics, accepting a minor league deal and an invite to spring training.

Superbowl MLB: Part II

Here at 108 Red Stitches, we're growing weary of the constant debate and speculation regarding which baseball team has the best chances of winning the World Series. So we bring you part two of our two part installment of "Superbowl MLB; A Look at Which Baseball Team Could Win the Superbowl". Part II covers the National League Contenders. (Part One: AL)
For argument's sake, well use only a handful of teams to compare, one's that are normally (or would be considered) World Series Contenders. To balance out "position eligibility" catchers will equate to the team's position known as the Center and the team's front line starter will be considered the Quarterback. Every other position is fair game. Realizing that there aren't enough baseball players to fill out a football team, we'll base our studies on the theory that "Offense Wins Championships". Based on 2007 Season Rosters. Let's Continue.

New York Mets:

O-line: Paul LoDuca, Carlos Delgado, Moises Alou, Shawn Green, and Ramon Castro make up one of the most un-inspiring offensive lines in the league. Not only are they slow, they're creaky old men who'd likely spend anywhere from 6-8 games a season on the Physically Unable to Perform List.

Quarterback: Pedro Martinez starts the season as the QB and gets nailed on the first play of the game. He's out for the rest of the season allowing for a Bledsoe/Brady type situation where John Maine comes in and leads the team to the playoffs.

RB/FB: This one is a obvious. Jose Reyes in the open field is probably as dangerous as Reggie Bush or LT. The only problem is his offensive line shuts down faster than a cupcake factory does when Artie Lange leaves town. Carlos Gomez acts as a good second option to give Reyes a breather.

WR/TE: Pretty decent receiving duo with Beltran and Wright. After those two, the depth chart is pretty scary looking.

Defensive Highlight: This team would need to put up 35-40 points a game to remain in the playoff hunt. They have no end-game. Sounds oddly similar to last season.


St. Louis Cardinals:

O-line: Yadiar Molina anchors a scruffy o-line. Alongside Molina; Scott Spiezio, Scott Rolen, Chris Duncan, and Jason LaRue

QB- Jason Isringhausen would make a fine QB due to his career. Being both a starter and a closer allows Izzy to have the emotional and mental makeup of a good QB that'll pace his team throughout the first 3 quarters, and then know how to finish off the opposition in the 4th.

RB/FB- The run game is almost completely ignored. Due to the fact that any of their big guys who might be considered RB material are manning the O-line, the running came suffers. But that's not the end of the world because:

WR/TE: Albert Pujols is Cardinal version of Antonio Gates. He'll block for the run, helping out a weak run game, but in the Red Zone he's a huge target that will cause huge mismatches. Rick Ankiel and Adam Wainwright fill out the two receiver slots.

Defensive Highlight: The Cards offense is simply put; awful. Chris Duncan will have to go both ways in order to spark some life into a defense that quickly bottoms out.

Unlike their American League Counterparts, the National League (after second thought) probably doesn't have enough man power to fill out a decent football team. The lack of a DH in the NL causes teams to pick up more arms and more guys that are decent hitters (off the bench, not off a screen pass). Sure some teams have guys like Ryan Howard and Carlos Lee (who wouldn't pay money to see Howard level Pedro Martinez in the backfield).
Who wouldn't love to see Greg Maddux kick a game winning field goal against the Rockies, only to find out seconds later that Clint Hurdle called a timeout, causing Matt Holiday to block Maddux's follow up kick and hear the announcer scream Troy Tulowitski at the 40, the 30, the twenty.... TOUCHDOWN TULOWITSKI!!!

Ah, one could always dream.

Mets Acquire Santana, Hope He Isn't the New Pavano

Pending everyone passing a physical and Johan Santana agreeing to a contract extension, the New York Mets may have pulled off one of the biggest upsets this offseason.
Santana had just about done everything except try on a Yankees or Red Sox uniform, until the dark horses of the NL East came charging back with an offer that, apparently, the Minnesota Twins felt comfortable enough to deal the game's best pitcher. The Mets will send Carlos Gomez, Phil Humber, Deolis Guerra and Kevin Mulvey to Minnesota in exchange for the coveted left handed strikeout artist.
However, the deal isn't exactly "signed, sealed, or delivered". According to ESPN: "Santana has a full no-trade clause and can veto the deal unless he gets a contract extension, and it's expected that the Mets and Santana will begin negotiating as soon as possible. New York and Santana have until 5 p.m. ET Friday to reach an agreement".

If we may step outside of the objective journalist point of view for a few seconds:

"What the hell where the Minnesota Twins thinking? They got screwed over big time. The Yankees and Red Sox offers were far and away better than anything the Mets could have come up with. Humber is not even considered Major League talent by a majority of Major League officials and Carlos Gomez is borderline at best (right now). Sure he was flashy for the Mets last season, but that was with limited at-bats. It'll be interesting to see how he pans out for the length of an entire season. At least with the Yankees offer, they would have been getting a proven outfielder in Melky. The Twins had initially asked for Jose Reyes, and the Mets refused. So now they settle for less? From the team that rejected a counteroffer?"

Whew, glad to get that off our chest. While its not our primary goal to stand on a soapbox and give our opinion (we'd like to think our selves as a news source, not a biased slanted blogcommunist) this situation all but presented itself in a gift basket.

Apparently we're not the only ones that feel the Twins got fleeced. According to MLB.com:
"At a seemingly reasonable price -- swift outfielder Carlos Gomez and young pitchers Philip Humber, Kevin Mulvey and Deolis Guerra -- the Mets have satisfied the Twins. Now, they have until 5 p.m. ET on Friday to satisfy Santana, who, armed with a no-trade clause potentially as effective as his world-class changeup, can veto the trade if the Mets don't make him happy."

Back in the Saddle

Good news loyal 108 Red Stitches blog readers! I've finally come out of my self induced baseball coma, one that kept me from writing for the past month.
So, what'd I miss?

Red Sox won the World Series? Did this coma transport me back in time?

Haha, you're funny, no way the Yankees "fired" Joe Torre.

Don Mattingly is going to be a Dodger? Are they really that hard up for a first baseman?

I'm sorry, the nurses must not have cleaned the wax out of my ears while I was napping, could you repeat that? A-Rod opted out? Did you say opted out, like, of his contract? So he's not going to be playing for the Yankees next season?

How will that effect next year's version of MLB 2K8? A-Rod will still be on the Yanks roster right? I want him breaking Bond's record while wearing pinstripes.

Did you just say that San Fransisco gave Bonds his walking papers? Well, that's nice. Good for San Fran.

He wants to sign with who?!?! Oh, Cashman has another thing coming if he signs that jerk.

Are we still talking about baseball? Because you mentioned instant replay for a minute there.

The Mets didn't fire everyone on their team?

The Phillies traded for Brad Lidge? What's the point of playing next year then? Might as well print off those championship t-shirt. Lidge solves EVERYTHING.

Really, so Tampa Bay gave up on the whole Devil thing? So you think that'll be the thing Peter Gammons points to when the "Rays" are leading the AL East?

I'm sorry, I thought you said the Devil sold his soul to Scott Boras.

A Silent Hell

You have to admit, you knew this was coming.
All those weeks of tormenting the Yankee Fan sitting in the cubicle next to you. All those summer months you sat on top of your perch, looking upon the downtrodden, the Yankee faithful. Peasants looking for a whiff of freedom, just a ray of light, any sign of hope.
Yesterday, as you have for the past week, you lose a little bit more of your throne.
The peasants are rising.
The Mets are failing.
What is happening to your Mets? As you sit silently in your cube/office/car, you catch shrapnel from every angle. The newspaper, the radio, internet, blogs, webcasts, podcasts, and the ever jerky smiling office temp with the neatly pressed Yankee tie.
This is your silent hell.

Willie Randolph is peering out from the left field fence, looking towards the Bronx. What would Joe do, he thinks. How would his mentor fix this flailing franchise. Believe it or not, what Willie learned while wearing Pinstripes will make or break the Mets during their playoff run.

Trust in Veterans: Mike Pelphry and fellow young guns on the Mets roster have offered their arms to aid a sinking bullpen. Torre preaches a trust in veterans, and Randolph will likely do the same. Rejecting the youth's plea to move to the bullpen, Willie doesn't think that "throwing these guys to the wolves" or forcing them in on a situation they are neither comfortable or familiar with, is a good move for the franchise.

Light a Fire: Randolph doesn't seem to be overly critical of his players. Not suggestion to call out underachievers, but Torre has a way of getting his point across to his players through the media (see Mussina, Farnesworth, Matsui).

Don't point fingers: Making a huge deal out of numbers and declines can often rub players the wrong way. So what if Reyes' batting average has slipped to a tune of 40 points since the All-Star game. John Maine, worthy of first half Cy Young Award Contention, has more than doubled his era in the second half. These players are young, and don't need to be beaten over the head with numbers.

For Mets Fans: Keep the hope alive. Invest in a Rally Monkey. Bring Mr. Met to his AA meetings, because there's no way he's a sober ball over the past few weeks. Don't shave until the magic number is down to 1, and keep those champagne bottles on ice.


That jerk in the next cubicle is probably going to ask to borrow them.

So You Think You Can Help My Team?

The baseball season is getting down to the wire, and its time to take a look at past and potential acquisitions that will or have helped a team in its push to make the playoffs. Need to seal up that division title? Looking to squeak in through the Wild Card Door? Check out these players that have helped or can help your team in the final weeks of the season. (Impact is based on a scale of 1-5, 5 being the highest rating)

1. Atlanta Braves: Woah! Has Mark Teixeira re-found his power stroke! Possibly the best acquisition for any team in baseball, Teixeira cost the Braves a lot in terms of mortgaging their future, but has paid off in full. Teixeira shores up a weak spot in the Braves lineup offensively and on the field as well. He just recently hit 4 home runs in 2 games, and has been a spark plug, igniting the Braves lineup.
Impact:

2. NY Mets: With Damion Easley out for what could be the rest of the season, the Mets were quick to pull the trigger on a deal to land veteran outfield Jeff Conine from the Reds. Conine adds playoff experience to a team that floundered last season in the finals against the Cardinals. This could be a big payoff for the Mets, now that Conine has something to play for. He can spell any of the corner outfielders and corner infielders, which is something Willie Randolph needs to prepare for the postseason.
Impact:

3. Phillies: Get one, lose one. Things started to look bright for the Phils when doctors cleared Chase Utley to begin throwing and swinging on a regular basis. Then Cole Hamels hurt his elbow, and is expected to miss 2 starts as he heads to the DL. Utley is a welcome addition to any lineup, but losing your ace can't be good.
Impact:

4. Yankees: Get out the way old man! The Yanks have injected life into their cranky, stiff bones with the recent call ups of Joba Chamberlin, Shelley Duncan, Edwar Ramirez, and the return of Phil Hughes from the 60 Day DL. Combine that with the everyday "Baby Yankees" Melkey Cabrera and Robinson Cano, the Yanks can keep their heads above water for the next few weeks.
Impact:

5. LA Dodgers: Anytime you take strengthen your team by weakening another in your division, it has to be a good move, right? Well, not in this case. Dodgers traded for Giants firstbaseman Mark Sweeney for a player to be named (or cash). The move doesn't seem to make any sense at first, but now that Nomar is on the 15 Day DL, its a good move, sort of. If you're the type that salivates when you see anyone named Sweeney in the starting lineup, maybe you should check out this blog.
Impact:

6. Mariners: So you want to win the AL West? One of the easiest divisions in baseball to win, the West is constantly up for grabs every year. So your biggest acquisition of the season is left hander John Parrish from Baltimore? Its a wonder that Ichiro signed the deal, if this is an example of your commitment to winning.
Impact:

7. St. Louis Cardinals: Everyone wrote them off before the All Star Game. Now, with the NL Wildcard Up for grabs, and the Central looking as stable as Baghdad, the Cards gamble on signing Troy Percival looks like a briliant move. In 21 innings pitched, Percival has only given up 2 runs, batters are only hitting .183 against the righty, and he's managed to win 3 games in relief. With the resurgence of Rick Ankiel, the Cards are starting to looking like a dark horse.
Impact: