Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Bay-esian Analysis

-----I guess one of us has to comment on the Jason Bay signing. I would have preferred Holliday and I think the contract is arguably a slight overpay, but it's a decent signing in isolation.

The problem is that even with Bay, the Mets probably aren't a good enough team to make the playoffs. Even if Reyes/Beltran/Johan are healthy, the Mets are around a .500 team with Bay. Adding Bengie Molina would add another win. Adding Molina & Pineiro gets them to 83-84 wins. They'd still be far behind the Phillies and a few wins behind the Braves. It's hard to get this team to a truly competitive point because there are so many holes. It's hard to win with a lineup that includes Castillo, Francouer, Murphy, and Molina and a rotation that includes Pelfrey, Maine, and Oliver Perez.

If I was in charge, I would have tried to prop up the team with stopgap solutions (like a one-year Nick Johnson deal) and avoided any long-term deals that could hurt the team down the road. Then, pour extra money into the draft and international signings. This time next year, we'll have a clearer idea about some of the strengths and weaknesses of the team, and there will be much more attractive free agents on the market.

Cold Canes Can't Cut It.

Jacory Harris getting his umpteenth pass deflected/knocked down.

Yes, Jacory Harris was banged up entering the game. And I suppose a 50-degree night can be considered 'brisk' for a team based in Miami. Maybe the great return of the opening kickoff and quick score gave the Canes a false sense of security. But Wisconsin, a prototypical Big Ten bruising team, just kept hitting Miami in the mouth and the Baby Canes in their lame-ass fiesta-style jerseys were powerless to stop them.

And maybe it's Sid Rosenberg inviting it, but the first caller I heard dropped a 'bull-****' on air regarding the Canes performance, and you can hear and feel the groundswell for Randy Shannon's head growing every year. At what point does his neutering program face accountability?

"Things just didn't happen our way," Shannon said. "I can't explain why."

Quotes like that don't help. One helluva leader.