Phillies Nation

112 Responses to “Keep A Veiled Eye On Sheets”

1. Tim Malcolm Says:
   February 2nd, 2009 at 9:35 pm

   Just a note: The Mets were crazy to give Perez four years and $44M. Just a bad, bad deal. He’ll be good for two of those years, probably.

2. Bonezy Says:
   February 3rd, 2009 at 8:48 am

   If all he wants is 2 years I can’t see why we don’t test the waters here. I mean its not uncharted territory giving pitchers bad deals for us (ie Adam Eaton). Worse case senario is that he sucks as bad as Eaton, but I really don’t think that is possible.

3. Jason B. Says:
   February 3rd, 2009 at 8:52 am

   Tim, I agree… The Mets once again over paid for less than mediocre talent. I think he’ll have one good year out of the four that they signed him to. Also, 2 years 14 mil for Sheets is a bargain when you consider that Eaton is making 8 mil a year. If the Phils picked up Sheets, we would have one hell of a rotation. Hamels, Sheets, Myers, Blanton, Moyer. That, my friend, is a SOLID starting 5. The only question with Sheets is how long can he hold up before he ends up on the DL. Perhaps that’s why he’s only looking at 7 mil/yr. Also, per my starting 5, put them in any order you’d like, it’s not overwhelming, but, any one of those 5 can give you a chance to win each time they start.

4. Jason B. Says:
   February 3rd, 2009 at 8:55 am

   My thought exactly Bonezy. That is the worst case scenario. Also, there was a report that the Phillies order for season tickets went up by 20% over last year. Apparently they have 24000 tickets locked up for season tickets each game. With that info in mind, Ibelieve they have the money to take a chance.

5. nick Says:
   February 3rd, 2009 at 8:59 am

   Why do I feel like if that 8m for Eaton was not on our payroll we’d have Sheets?

6. happy feet Says:
   February 3rd, 2009 at 9:05 am

   Eaton could get a buyout from the phillies or he can choose to play at AAA because he has no shot at ever playing for the real phillies again. Sheets at 2/14m is a good deal until he hits the wall in august and september and is a bad deal then. I say we get the deal more like 2/8m with incentives to bring it up to 11-13m. That way we arent stuck in another eaton contract. The Mets again proved to us that they are not smart at all. They threw the bank at a guy who gets rattled after a walk to the first batter of the game and they appertly dont have the money to sign big ticket players.

7. Geoff Says:
   February 3rd, 2009 at 9:06 am

   heck…id rather pay sheets 2/14 than give another dime to that GREEDY SELFISH SCUMBAG Ryan Howard.

8. Geoff Says:
   February 3rd, 2009 at 9:10 am

   The Oliver Perez contract is HORRIBLE too. thats a carlos silva type deal unless this guy finds himself. Id take him at like 3/21 or something like that but 3/36 is CRAZY. and ryan howard will ONLY make 14M if he “loses” arbitration….HAHAHA. this is so screwed up. this sport needs a salary cap BADLY. this has gotten out of control. this is a depression and apparently some teams didnt get the memo..

9. KB Says:
   February 3rd, 2009 at 9:18 am

   The Mets signed Perez to a 3-year, 36 million dollar deal (not 4), without guaranteeing a fourth year or even including a vesting option. It’s basically #2 spot money for a 27-year old left hander. And on many teams, he’d be a #2.

10. Manny Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 9:21 am

    Sheets would be great in any rotation. This guy was the starter for the NL team in the last All-Star game. Also, he still pitched 198 innings in 2008. I don’t know why teams are so scared of him.

    2 guaranteed years could get this done in a heartbeat. But we would have to trade Myers or Blanton at some point. I bet many teams would like a guy with Blanton, especially after his good run with the Phillies. He’s good, but he is no Ben Sheets.

11. Don M Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 9:21 am

    GREEDY SELFISH SCUMBAG, HORRIBLE, CRAZY, HAHAHA, BADLY…

    speaking of screwed up, and depression, Geoff why don’t you sit the next couple of plays out, maybe stop talking for a while..?

12. Geoff Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 9:27 am

    I must have put some extra sugar in the starbucks this morning…because im fired up today.

13. Jason B. Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 9:34 am

    HAHAHA nice back and forth between don and geoff. they could package Myers of Blanton for relief help. Color me ignorant, but if we DIDN’T trade Myers or Blanton AND signed Sheets, couldn’t we throw Chan Ho into the pen? Until Romero returns I wouldn’t be opposed to Park in the 7 th and the Madson and Lidge for the 8th and 9th. Plus, if Sheets were to get injured, we could throw Park or Happ into the 5th spot in the rotation. May be a crazy idea, but I’m just trying to bounce a couple of ideas off my Phillie Phollowing Commrades.

14. NJ Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 9:37 am

    Tough to see how Sheets doesn’t land with the Rangers after all the song and dance but would love to see him in Philly pinstripes, Happ does deserve a shot but you can’t turn down Sheets at costs.

    As for Eaton, the likely scenario for him is taking the expected buyout and signing a minor league deal in the NL central or West, it’s unlikely a team does a Helms and guarantees him a roster spot and if the Dodgers didn’t want Andruw Jones in AAA, the Phils sure as hell don’t want Eaton there.

    Geoff has someone put a brick through your window yet? Looks like your going to need to accept the DFA to win back the faithful…

15. Phil Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 9:38 am

    on many teams he’d be a #2?

    which teams are those again? The 5 worst… maybe? absolutely non of the teams that came close to the playoffs?

16. NJ Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 9:41 am

    Myers isn’t going anywhere with his salary number otherwise Lowe would be in Philly. I thought Gillick made a bad deal for Blanton giving up the wrong prospects but we saw how it played off and this is a guy you can flip for something useful like the White Sox did with Garland.

    Hamels/Sheets/Myers/Blanton/Moyer (or minus Blanton with Happ’s) as good as a rotation as any.

17. Don M Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 9:43 am

    I look at Sheets as really a High-Risk, High-Reward guy… and although he reached X-amount of innings last year, I feel like he only did that BECAUSE he was a Free Agent, and that it was actually a selfish thing to do. If you are a starting pitcher, and your arm won’t give you 5-6 innings, it hurts the team to start the game, and have to come out in the 2nd or 3rd innings with your team in a deep hole.. and Sheets did that to them down the stretch.

    He would look GREAT slotted in behind Hamels, giving us a legit, lethal 1-2 punch, but I think that the risks behind his arm are such that this is a very unneccesary move, and two months ago we were all loving the fact that we had a set rotation, and sure things in there… the question mark was Myers, but he generally stays healthy, and when he’s on, he’s awesome…

    I wouldn’t be mad if the got Sheets, but I don’t think he’s that much of a difference maker if you’re losing Myers or Blanton because of it.. all of those guys are 15 game winners with this offense, but I like the guys who will eat the innings and keep the team in the game… hold the opponent to 3 runs and you did your job, holding them to 1 or 2 is great, but not neccessary

18. Geoff Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 9:44 am

    Ive gotta think that Sheets is in worse condition that has been publicized otherwise someone wouldve bitten by now…

19. Chuck P Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 9:45 am

    As much as I love making a fool out of Geoff and his senseless anti-Howard remarks, I’m really not in the mood. So Geoff, you win. Howard is the worst. He’s garbage. He can take 40+HR and 145 RBI somewhere else because we just don’t need him. Trade him for a bucket of balls and a tube of Roger Clemens’ testicle liniment for all I care!

    If Sheets is looking for 2 years and he’s willing to take 2/8 (with a bunch of built-in incentives), that is a good deal. This guy can pitch… the question is, “Can he pitch in this park for an entire season?” I think he can but he’s not as good as his 3.72 career ERA would indicate and that’s why a lot of teams have backed off. I would still take a shot at 2/8. We can do what the Cubs did with Rich Harden last year; limit his pitch counts, give him off regular off days and be very careful with him early on. We could even go with a 6 man rotation at times. If you can get through the early part of the season and keep him healthy for the stretch run, he could be very valuable. If he’s going to give us 3 good months and flame out, then I would rather go with what we have. I want guys that are going to produce in September…

20. Don M Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 9:48 am

    Perez signed a $36 M/ 3 year deal from what I read… so $12 each for 3 years is still just as bad as $11 each for 4 years.

    He’s a STRIKEOUT pitcher, who was 4 in baseball in WALKS per 9 innings..

    Career 4.39 ERA, and allows almost 1.5 baserunners per innings (1.42 WHIP)… and his career record is 55 wins – 60 loses.

    Another good singing by Omar Minaya… the worst GM in baseball.

21. NJ Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 9:49 am

    Sheets is best served doing an Abreu and lowering his demands to cherrypick a one year deal. If he has faith in his health it’s not going to make a difference and a 3rd year club option+ deal for him is bad.

    It’s a risk but this is a gamebreaker.

22. Greg V. Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 9:52 am

    You have got to be kidding me! Sheets gets injured every other day! I would much rather have Myers and Blanton than Sheets. OK, the guy is great when he’s on, but towards the end of the season, that was hardly ever! The Phils have screwed themselves on deals like this before. Sheets is this year’s Freddy Garcia.

23. NJ Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 9:52 am

    Minaya would fall flat on his face with a team like the Twins and probably still would with a team like the Mariners or Astros who’ll spend. He’s meant to be a very nice guy and he’s not an aweful GM but I’ve barely seen a good deal out of him, even the Putz trade was one he gave up a lot.

24. Geoff Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 9:55 am

    Well I dunno the Clemens thing. But what about Wilfredo Ledezerema – whatever his name is – (that horrible pitcher, HORRIBLE, that washington signed to a minor league deal) and a bucket of balls and maybe another HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE prospect who will never even make it to Lehigh Valley let alone the big leagues. Thats the key do the deal there..I agree about Sheets. Id do it if you can work around him and accomodate his sensitive condition. otherwise itd be a huge pain in teh neck if theyre not ready to make that adjustment.

25. Chuck P Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 9:56 am

    Agreed, Don… Ollie Perez is a talented kid but he’s not worth anything near that kind of money. He’s a total head case and is very inconsistent. When he gets rattled, he loses all control. He’ll go three innings of no-hit baseball, give up a hit in the fourth and then completely lose it in the fifth… walk two batters, sac fly, walk the bases loaded, single… the wheels completely fall off. One of my close friends just happens to be a Mets fan and he hates Ollie Perez. He has a ton of talent but he can’t keep it together for an entire game… the Phillies know that.

26. From Section 113 Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 9:57 am

    Adding that Ty Wigginton just signed and if the Mets get O.Hudson we almost have to get SHeets to strengthen our rotation.

27. Geoff Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 10:02 am

    I was at Pitt when Oliver Perez was their ace…hes THE most inconsistnet pitcher with good talent and good stuff ive seen in YEARS. he could be awesome but hes such a mess upstairs that he cant put it all together…

28. Don M Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 10:04 am

    I don’t think they can afford Hudson cause they’re still paying Luis Castillo like $6 M a year for two more seasons

29. Brett Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 10:06 am

    Sheets would be a great Phil. I think and incentive laden 2 years would get it done.

30. Chuck P Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 10:06 am

    I don’t think that O. Hudson necessitates anything… he might be a minor upgrade over Luis Castillo but he wasn’t a great defender last year and he broke his wrist in August so I don’t know how effective he’ll be this year. Plus, the Mets would have to give up a draft pick to get him so I say, let them have him.

    Now, if the Mets sign Manny Ramirez… then we might want to start thinking about adding another bona fide starter.

31. Anthony Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 10:12 am

    As a Mets fan, I would have rather taken a 1 or 2 year flyer on Sheets instead of Perez, but you can’t ignore the facts. Chuck P, Ollie had a 0.35 ERA in 4 starts vs. the Phillies last season, with a 0.00 ERA in CBP, so how do the Phillies know he can’t handle a full game, huh?. He comes up big in big games. And once Peterson was fired and Warthen allowed Ollie to change up his delivery motion, his ERA dropped a half point and his walks per nine went down significantly. Now, I’m not saying that we’re going to get the same production from Tatis/Murphy/Delgado in 2009, but I’m sure you are well aware of the facts from 2008 about the Mets bullpen. Even if they blow half of the 26 games they blew in 2008, the Mets run away with the division. But it didn’t go down like that, and the Phillies won the series.

32. phillyhater Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 10:12 am

    LETS GO METS!!!!! NOW BATTING NUMBER 99 : MANNY RAMIREZ!!!

33. NJ Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 10:13 am

    not quite mate, good try though.

34. phillyhater Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 10:14 am

    hey chuck i got news for you..you might want to add another bona fide starter either way…because the mets are hunting heads…haha

35. Manny Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 10:16 am

    Guess what? The Mets sign Manny and they choke again. It just keeps getting better.

36. NJ Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 10:17 am

    wow grumpyminer do you want to chime in with something worthy while your fellow Mets fan talks out of his ass.

37. phillyhater Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 10:19 am

    ahhhhh but you see…just like a post above me….we have a pretty good bullpen now…im pretty sure that even with our offense as is now..can beat phillies up…which they will…because even with the phillies winning the world series…they still went on about the mets….we are in their heads…and mets sign manny…cole hamels better bring another pair of underwear with him cause he will be pissing all over himself

38. phillyhater Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 10:21 am

    honestly guys…im just kidding….we will most likely not get manny…our offense still sucks…you guys are world champions and we have collapsed the past two years…which is maddening and sickening all in one…i have been saying the phillies are the better team..because obviously they havent choked and until mets dont..phillies will still be the better team..lol….i just wanted to see how everyone reacts…much better than over at metsblog…lol…

39. Joel Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 10:28 am

    “Ive gotta think that Sheets is in worse condition that has been publicized otherwise someone wouldve bitten by now…”

    I agree with Geoff on this one. From reading baseball website online the past few years Sheets has always had good stuff and could be a top of the rotation guy, but injuries have always derailed him.

    I just would think that if Sheets was that good, the brewers would try harder to keep him, especially with C.C. gone.

    I think this has the potential to be a Freddy Garcia type of situation for anybody that tries to sign him, which is why I think the interest in him has cooled down.

40. Tim Malcolm Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 10:30 am

    I must’ve had an earlier report when I said 4/44. It is 3/36. Still too much. If I’m Minaya, I take a gamble on Sheets at 2/20 and should’ve gambled with Penny, too.

41. Don M Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 10:30 am

    In their last 30 games of 2008, the Phillies went 24-6 including the World Series, the Mets went 16-14 ….

    Why are Mets fans talking smack again?? Ohhh yeaaa.. because they just resigned OLIVER PEREZ…. ?

42. phillyhater Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 10:33 am

    hey man..i agree…im not a big fan of his….does he have the stuff to be dominant? absolutely….will he be dominant? from watching him the past two seasons…no….and omar wants to go into the season with this crap lineup….cant get hits with RISP w/ 2 outs….its awful…thats why they need a big bat…im a huuuuuge mets fan…i will be the first to say….until mets prove themselves..given the past two years…phillies are better than the mets….ON PAPER though mets are better…however they dont play on paper…

43. phillyhater Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 10:34 am

    i wanted sheets before perez too

44. Don M Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 10:39 am

    We know that the Mets are good… but even ON PAPER, what makes you think they are better?

    They are better at 3b, and CF….and somepeople argue SS (so i’ll give you that for the sake of this arguement)…

    Santana is still better than Hamels, but for how much longer?…

    Lidge was better than F-raud; Madson was great down the stretch last year, while Putz has been injured lately… the rest of the Mets bullpen sucks..

    Just want to know where you are getting this.. oh yea, and our bench is probably the deepest in baseball too

45. From Section 113 Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 10:41 am

    Anthony- I think, if you are a Mets fan, it would be very unfair to blame Peterson on Olie because EVERYONE was giving Peterson credit for Maine and Olie when they were in the playoffs in ‘06. And he changed him around from being a never was into something viable and useful.

    Chuck P – I think if the Mets sign O. Hudson over Castillo they are making such a HUGE statement that that alone could be enough to lift the Mets up. I mean no one has any faith in Castillo and no one thinks the Mets will get Hudson, if they do that would change eveyones perception and give alot of faith to the team and fan base. Plus Hudson, even injured, is much better than Catillo.

    **** Citi group announced today they might/thinking about backing out of Mets deal ****

46. phillyhater Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 10:46 am

    church is better than werth…being a mets fan i have to say jose is better than rollins…close but i think jose is better….although i think hanley is better than those 2….or at least will be…santana is going to be better than hamels for a very long time…santana does not get hurt…lets see hamels pitch another year like he did last year…he is hurt a lot..wasnt last year his first full season?….you cant possibly say that lidge is going to have the same exact year like last year…ill give that to you…he was great…but you cant compare him to krod when krod wasnt even in the bullpen for the mets…he had 62 saves last year in the AL…our rotation is better than the phillies….the phillies last year reminds me of the 06 mets….everything went right for them at the right time…not taking anything away from them…but..i mean its a new year so we have to see…who knows how this will all play out…and IF IF we somehow manage to bring manny into queens….there is no doubt mets would be favorites…no doubt…and even you have to admit that it would be a little difficult pitching to wright beltran delgado manny and church…

47. Bob Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 10:53 am

    I would love the Mets to be favored again. And you can not compare the 06 Mets to the 08 Phillies for one reason: the 08 Phillies won the World Series while the Mets started their choking habits by losing to a 83 win Cardinals team in the NLDS, with game 7 in Queens. Have the Mets gotten better? Sure. We shall see if they can shake their choking label. The Mets, not the Phils, have a lot to prove this season.

    And “on paper” the 09 version of the Phillies might just be better than the 08 version. They know what it takes to win, the Mets do not. So once again, which team will be relaxed down the stretch and which team will tighten up?

48. Bob Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 10:54 am

    Correction: NLCS

49. From Section 113 Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 10:54 am

    Phillyhater- Church and Werth are even in my book. You cannot possibly take one over the other coming into the year. One has been injured most of ‘08 while one broke out and hit much better against righties than he previously has done. Werth may regress and might not be the everyday answer in right. Church may indeed hate NY and also is not a top RF to begin with. I think both are nice players who have a chance to have fantastic years in ‘09.

    Rollins and Jose is a tough argument. WHile Jose might have a better career than Rollins, he’ll never match JRolls leadership or MVP year. So while I believe Jose may/will have a better career than JRoll, JRoll played beyond the capabillities of Jose.

50. phillyhater Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 10:56 am

    thats what i have been saying….i see where you are coming from….again..and you are right thats when the choking began…that still burns…lol..thanks for bringing that up…i agree…mets get down to one or two games left…i dont have any faith in this team to get it done…its awful…

51. Don M Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 10:57 am

    Church is better than Werth… tell me that again at the end of this season, I’ll be waiting to laugh at you. Church is older, slower, and has a lot less power…. if both were Free Agents, you’d rather have Werth, and you know it

    Hamels JUST turned 25 years old, and already one of the best pitchers in baseball… he’ll get better over the next few years, and I think he’s closing the gap on Santana (arguably the BEST pitcher in baseball)..but Hamels put his name into that conversation too..

    Lidge isn’t going to stay perfect.. but I’ll bet you he doesn’t blow 8 saves. I can definitely compare him to K-raud, cause that is who all the Mets fans appointed savior when you guys signed him…. he’s he’s in the AL, but he was in the AL WEST.. i’m pretty sure i’d have a good shot at 60 saves if I pitched against the Mariners, A’s, and Rangers 60 times a year

52. Griffin Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 10:57 am

    “church is better than werth”
    Based on what? Werth’s +121 OPS comapred to Church’s +109 OPS or the fact that Werth is the better defensive player?

    Lidge and K-Rod are very close. Who cares about saves, K-Rod saved 62 and blew 7. Lidge’s WHIP the last two years: 1.25, 1.23, K-Rod’s whip: 1.25, 1.28. They’re close, but I don’t think you can say that K-Rod is definitely better.

    “the phillies last year…everything went right for them at the right time” Meaning that they played well in September (they always do) or that they had their rough patch in June while the Mets had their rough patch in September (they always do). 25-6 down the stretch is impressive, but nothing new for the Phillies, they always play well down the stretch.

    “IF we somehow mange to bring manny into queens, there is no doubt mets would be favorites” No argument here

    “its a new year so we have to see…who knows how this will all play out” Amen.

53. Geoff Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 10:59 am

    Tell you when? After Werth hits 25-30 HR and drives in 90-100 runs while hitting .280 or better? Yeah tahts when you can try to tell him about Ryan Church, who wont even come close to doing that.

54. Kev Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 11:00 am

    Regardless of what everyone thinks of Oliver Perez and how hes a head case or whatever. You gotta think that one of the main reasons they signed him was because he absolutely dominates the phillies, along with Tim Redding from the Nationals, whom they signed also.

    Its clear that the Mets are building their team or adding pieces that will help them beat up the phillies and are sort of modeling themselves after getting some viable bullpen pieces after seeing how good the Phillies bullpen was and where it got us last year. While i believe the phillies should be the favorite to win the East and Possibly the NL, since the Cubs seem to be overrated to me. The Mets did win the season series last year against them too something like 12-7 Mets i believe? Not sure, correct me if im wrong on the number.

55. Griffin Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 11:02 am

    11-7

56. phillyhater Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 11:02 am

    i cant stand jose’s baby attitude…you guys all saw the game manuel took him out and threw his helmet..it was actually manuels first game as skipper…i mean come on he really has to do that?…im with you guys….and no offense…it is sad for me to do so…lol…i hate the phillies….but they are good..just like i hate derek jeter…but he is one of the best…we will just all have to see how it plays out…its another year…a fresh beginning…but then again…i said that the past two years before spring training is aobut to start…which by the way…really excited its finally here…especially with the new mlb network

57. From Section 113 Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 11:04 am

    Don M. – Remember Werth has had his fair share of injuries so his ‘08 year needs to be duplicated as well.

    ALso, Hamels has yet to have a year like any of Santana’s best 3 years. So let’s give Santana is due.

58. phillyhater Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 11:09 am

    phillies won the world series…but guys we beat you head to head last year…and church was hurt for basically the whole year…even when he came back he was hurt…wait for that…and defensively…church has a cannon for an arm…he can cover some ground…please…again…you guys are all jumping at me…calm down..im a mets fan remember…i would not rather have werth than church….even after church was hurt…church was our best hitter in april…he was nasty…hopefully he has a good year…and someone on metsblog gave numbers on favorites…mets are actually favorites…i cant remember the numbers but they are….again…thats not really saying much…they have to play…and actually win before we can sya they are favorites

59. Don M Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 11:09 am

    Right but Werth’s injury was getting his wrist shattered by an AJ Burnett fastball.. that the first surgery didn’t go well, so he has another.. by the time he got back to good and started getting his power back, it was last year, like 2.5 years after it happened..

    Werth needs to play everyday to get into a groove.. and he’ll get the chance this year.

    Watch him be .275+, 20+ HR, 75+ RBI, and 20+ SB….

    And I really wouldn’t be surprised if he becomes a 30-30 HR and SB guy either, but Im not expecting it

60. From Section 113 Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 11:11 am

    I hope you are right. At the very least I really don’t think he’ll regress at all.

    I am still very worried about the pen. Locking up Sheets would help in that area.

61. Manny Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 11:12 am

    Memo to the Mets: Baseball season is 162 games long. Phils play the Mets like 15-20 times each season. And even with Perez and Redding, who can’t pitch every single game against the Phils, best case scenario would be 5 wins. You gotta win 85 more.

62. Don M Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 11:14 am

    Church is a nice player, and the Phillies were looking into him like 2 years ago… they got Werth instead of trading for Church, and I couldn’t be happier with the move.

    Call them a wash if you want..

    I wanted to ask everyone this, I thought about it on the train this morning, and it seems like a good time to ask it..

    What OTHER teams in baseball do you guys see as having good seasons, or surprising, maybe playing above .500 past the All-Star break, etc..

    my take:
    We were all saying the Orioles the other day, if they get any pitching, because they’ll put some runs on the board.. I think the Royals surprise some people this year with a decent lineup and rotation, good closer, the Brewers and Blue Jays will be bad,

63. Griffin Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 11:18 am

    In Vegas, the Mets will be favored again. Just like they were in ‘07 and just like they were in ‘08.
    I’m not a big Church fan, he does have a good arm and good range, but Werth does as well. Werth is no sure thing to stay healthy, but neither is Church and Church has had concussions. Church had a good month and a half for the Mets last year, I’m not convinced. He’s no Lastings Milledge, I think that dude is going to breakout this year.

    Santana is still the best pitcher in baseball, I’ll give the Mets that.

    Also, who cares if the Mets went 11-7 against the Phillies last year? That means the Phillies were 7 games better against the rest of the league than the Mets were. I’ll sign up for a repeat of that again. Also, the Phillies faced Santana a bunch while Hamels only pitched twice (I believe) against the Mets and lost to Santana both times.

64. Kev Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 11:19 am

    Signing Sheets would bolster the situation, and i believe his injury history would be helped by the fact that the phillies training staff has to be doing something right in keeping all their starters healthy for 176 games last year (including playoffs). Also, Hamels has his own Chiropractor, which helped him stay healthy for the 1st time all year since HS, so why couldn’t Sheets work with him? Wishful thinking?

    But if they do sign Sheets, it wouldn’t make any sense at all to get rid of Myers or Blanton, keep it as Hamels, Myers, Sheets, Blanton, Moyer and you have the strongest rotation in the East, possibly the NL. If one of them gets hurt, you have Happ to move in, or even Chan Ho, whom i don’t believe he has a prayer to be the 5th starter, (also did any1 read the Daily News where Bill Conlin has Chan Ho as the favorite to win the 5th start spot? Bill Conlin Sucks).

    Also, if you have sheets, that leaves Carrasco down in AA or AAA getting better and groomed for the Majors if you decide to let Myers walk after the season, or if when Moyer’s Contract is done.

65. Kev Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 11:21 am

    Very True Griffin, regarding facing Santana and the Mets facing Hollywood himself.

66. Manny Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 11:23 am

    Don M: The Giants… Expect their offense to get a boost with Renteria back in the NL… and the possibility of Manny is now tangible. Plus, Lincecum-Cain.. talk about a 1-2 punch.

67. From Section 113 Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 11:23 am

    Don- I think the Giants are set to win that division. I really cannot think of another time in baseball when 1 player (Manny) has had this much impact on a division race. If he went anywhere, that team would win.

    I think the A’s will be bad this year, even with their new additions. I want to like the Rangers but their pitching is sooo bad. I think the Indians will rebound as will the Tigers.

    My biggest surprise team and the Central Division champions…the REDS!!!!!

68. Griffin Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 11:23 am

    I double checked. Hamels only faced the Mets twice (both times against Santana) , while Santana faced the Phillies 5 times. That would help explain why the Mets went 11-7 against the Phils, whil they struggled against everyone else.

    Also, check out who sponsors the Johan Santana player page on baseball-reference:

    http://www.baseball-reference.com/s/santajo02.shtml

    Phillies Nation!

69. Kev Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 11:29 am

    I was looking at the overrall standings last year for all the teams, and noticed that only 3 out of the 15 teams in the NL had a winning record in Interleague play, ATL (8-7), CIN (9-6), and the METS (9-6) compared to the AL teams where 13 of the 15 teams had winning records against the NL even the Royals, the only two that didn’t were, CLE (6-12) TOR (8-10), SEA was (9-9).

    I know that the AL is better but you would think it would be a little more evenly matched that those records, funny.

    What do all you guys think?

70. Griffin Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 11:35 am

    Check out this stat on Oliver Perez. In 2008, he had 4 starts and a 0.35 ERA against the Phillies.
    In 2007, he had 3 starts and a 5.40 ERA against the Phillies.

    I think it’s safe to say that we can expect some regression from Ollie against the Phils in ‘09.

    As far as interleague, the AL is much better. These things have a way of evening out over time, but for now, the difference is pretty stark.

71. Don M Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 11:40 am

    I liked the Reds LAST YEAR.. I thought they would be good, but Harang was hurt, and terrible… Homer Bailey still wasn’t ready..

    They’ve got a good lineup, and they are young.. a good closer in Cordero, they just need some starting pitching.

    Giants: I think Cain is a #3- on a good team… he can be good, but I feel like he gives up 5 ER in 5 innings, just as often as he gives up only 2 ER in 7 innings.. he’s a Brett Myers clone, but when Myers is on top of his game, he’s better

72. Kev Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 11:50 am

    Cheats on his wife, hahahaha

73. Joe O'Phillie Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 11:50 am

    2 words: No shot.

    barring injuries

74. Griffin Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 11:56 am

    Did you guys check out Jose Reyes’ girlfriend?

    http://www.bentleymatthews.com/

    She used to be Gary Matthews Jr.’s girlfriend (hence her stage name). She was banging Jose for awhile and had no idea that he was married. Class act Jose, you duche.

75. Rob E Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 12:00 pm

    Late getting to the post, I love the idea of getting Sheets on a 2 year 14 million but i would load it with incentives that bring it up to a 2 year /30 so he will be inclined to take the 2years as opposed to a one year deal.

    However I think he maya be looking for only a one year deal and the most garunteed money

76. Chuck P Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 12:03 pm

    Anthony, you brought up some valid points… last year, Perez was solid against the Phillies but we have seen the other side of him, too (maybe not in ‘08 against the Phils). Perez did seem to do better under the tutiledge of Warthen. The one point that I disagree with is the notion that the bullpen is 26 games better than it was last year… you added some key pieces but you also lost some key pieces, too. The net effect will certainly not be 26 games.

77. william Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 12:09 pm

    the giants somehow manage to sign manny they could may a run at the playoffs. as for sheets sign him 2/16 keep myers & blaton you will still have time before the deadline to make a move if needed.

78. Georgie Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 12:25 pm

    “Bentley” could have three more boob jobs and another nose job and still not be that attractive. Now Chase’s wife is a pretty woman, imo.

79. Griffin Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 12:30 pm

    Georgie, I’m with you. Chase’s wife is very pretty. Reyes’ road beef (that’s actually what they call it) is a little too fake.

80. Chuck P Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 12:48 pm

    There are a lot of teams that could do well in 2009. I keep waiting for the Rangers to put something together… with Nolan Ryan at the helm, I expect them to turn the page soon. His competitive nature and presence should really help with the development of their young pitchers (which is really what they need). Sheets could be a nice addition but I don’t think that’s a good move for him. They’re going to have to lean on him pretty heavily and I don’t think that he can handle that type of workload. The Royals could be dangerous but I can’t imagine the Tigers and Indians not doing better in 2009 so it’s difficult to see them making it out of that division (CHI, MIN, CLE, KC, DET). In the NL, Saint Louis and San Francisco will be tough. The Reds are definitely going to make a run this year. Their defense across the infield is not great but they have some decent bats, speed, solid pitching and a pretty good bullpen.

81. Don M Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 12:54 pm

    I swear to God we run the internet…. Tom Verducci on cnnsi.com JUST posted an article about which teams will surprise next year.

    His list was the Tigers, Braves, A’s, and Orioles..

    http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/tom_verducci/02/03/2009.rays/index.html?eref=T1

82. Evan Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 1:00 pm

    Who cares about Reyes’s girlfriend? This is baseball not date-my-shortstop!

    What a weird word, shortstop… shortstop. Say it outloud with me.

    Anyway, I’m not sure where the Phils have room for Sheets. If you get rid of Blanton or Meyers for him, what do you do if he goes down, especially early on? Blanton and Moyer are in the lineup cause they are consistant, and I think the front office values that consitancy which is why they resigned Moyer and didn’t make any big moves for starting pitchers. Meyers is there cause he has the potential to be better than just consistant and we all know why Hamels is there.

    If the Phils were to sign Sheets, I hope it’d be a one year deal (though he probably won’t take it) or 2 year lowball with incentives. He’s might not be worth 2/14 because you have a good shot of only getting one good year’s worth of pitching out of him.

    As for the Phils/Mets this year, I will cheer my head off for the Phils but I’m no fool. The Mets made some of the right changes for this year and they are gonna be dangerous. I have no doubt both teams will be good, I will go nuts if the Phils are better.

83. Nationals#1 Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 1:10 pm

    philly hater obviously has no idea what he’s talking about. are you responding to his stupid posts only because they’re about the mets? just ignore this guy and his generic comments

84. Griffin Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 1:18 pm

    “Who cares about Reyes’s girlfriend?” Reyes’ wife

85. Evan Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 1:41 pm

    Maybe not, some wives are cool like that.

86. Griffin Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 1:42 pm

    LOL

87. Pete Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 1:46 pm

    The Phils should sign Sheets for anywhere up to 2/16MM of guaranteed cash. Go to baseball-reference or fangraphs and check out his win shares, even with reduced innings over the last four years. He’s a +3.5 to +4 win pitcher, even pitching only 150 innings or so. The guys at fangraphs ran the numbers and calculated that 130 IP from Sheets was equal to 200 IP from Garland and something like 78 IP (!) from Sheets equals a full season from Perez.

    The point is, they don’t need Sheets to pitch a full year to get $8MM worth of value out of him. And with our pitching depth, it won’t cripple the rotation if he goes down (though I would not trade Myers, Blanton, or anyone for this reason – we need to be aware of Sheets’ injury risk and plan accordingly).

    I think a lot of the concerns about Sheets’ health here and elsewhere are misplaced.

88. Richie Allen Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 1:48 pm

    Don M …I think a lot of people watch these posts…I said it before ,and I think its true that DNL on comcast uses this post for panel questions.

89. Matty Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 3:00 pm

    If Amaro hadn’t grossly overpaid for Raul Ibanez in an off-season in which corner outfielders are basically sitting on street corners with signs saying “will work for food”, Sheets would be signed already…

90. Chuck P Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 3:02 pm

    The Orioles, A’s, Tigers and Braves… coming out of the ALE, the O’s have virtually no chance, the A’s with Holliday/Giambi should be better but they have ZERO pitching (Gio Gonzalez has something to do with that… he looked like garbage last year), the Tigers couldn’t be any worse so I agree that they’ll improve and the Braves… seriously? I guess they have a few solid starters but their lineup is the fourth best in the NLE and I don’t think they’re particularly strong defensively. They’re a few pieces away from being a legitimate contender.

91. Don M Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 3:06 pm

    If Amaro hadn’t grossly overpaid for Raul Ibanez…. we’d be paying Burrell another $14 M per season… or we’d be bitching about John Mayberry Jr. or whatever his name is… cause he’d be our plan for LF, sharing time with Jenkins

    I like Ibanez, and we paid more than we should have (hindsight is 20-20), but we landed the player that they thought was the best fit for this team.. sometimes you need to overpay to get what you want.. but its better than saving money on something you don’t want

92. Chuck P Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 3:27 pm

    In hindsight, it was a good thing that we didn’t offer Burrell arbitration because he would have taken it… smart move… maybe we could have saved some money but I’m happy with Ibanez. I think that he was the best FA outfielder on the market besides Ramirez. And say what you want, our heavy lefthanded lineup should fare well against the heavy righthanded Mets bullpen (right now they only have one lefthanded reliever, Pedro Feliciano). I’m excited to see this team take the field in 2009.

93. SJ Will Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 4:26 pm

    We can trade Myers to the Red Sox. HAHAHA just kidding. I wouldn’t want to see Brett leave at all. I don’t even want to see Blanton leave for that matter. I know he’s only been on the team for a short period but after seeing him belt that homer in game 4 I feel like he should be a Phillie forever.

94. Kev Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 4:30 pm

    Agreed SJ Will, Blanton kind of reminds me of Thome, but a pitcher, iunno why lol

95. The Dipsy Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 5:40 pm

    Fantasy baseball and real baseball are, of course, nothing alike. But they were this year in this respect. If you could have just held onto your money until the end (a week from now) you could have gotten a lot of good players…….cheap. To be honest, I would have had noooooo problem with a Wigginton/Dobbs platoon in left. Or Abreu for a 2y/12m in left field (thats what he’s going to get). They are still a lot of nice players out there that are going to have to settle for bargain basement prices. I just wish Amaro could have seen this. We can get Ohman (don’t want him) in about a week for 2y/5m. Sheets is the guy now. He might have to sign a one year deal to get away from the incentive laden deals.

    The Dipsy

96. keep it posi Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 7:22 pm

    THE METS SIGNED OLIVER PEREZ TO A 3 YEAR 36 MILLION DEAL, NOT A 4 YEAR 44 MILLION DEAL. ALSO HE IS NOT AVERAGE HE HAS CY YOUNG STUFF. JUST ASK YOUR FRIEND RYAN HOWARD ABOUT HIM IF YOU DON’T BELIEVE ME. ALSO WHY WOULD HE ALL OF THE SUDDEN GO BAD IN TWO YEARS? HE IS ONLY 27. IF ANYTHING HE IS GONNA GET BETTER. GET NERVOUS PHILLIES FANS. AND BTW SHEETS IS ARM IS ABOUT TO FALL OFF. god’s son across the belly you know you lost already.

97. hahahahaha Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 7:32 pm

    this blog talks more about the Mets then the phillies…didn’t you guys win the world series last year? haha atleast mets fans complain about themselves

98. Kennedy Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 7:42 pm

    The good thing about this season is I can’t remember the Phillies being so stacked at SP. Of the 4 guys competing for the 5 spot (Happ, Carrasco, Kendrick, Park) I feel all of them could do the job.

99. Kev Says:
    February 3rd, 2009 at 8:35 pm

    The Dipsy
    Abreu was never on a team that made the playoffs in which he was on the team for a full year. He sucks, scared of the wall and cant play defense, i dont care how cheap he was, hes a bum, didn’t you notice that the day after they traded him the whole team concept and lockerroom changed? Thats not a coincidence.

100. Chuck P Says:
     February 3rd, 2009 at 8:36 pm

     hahahahahaha…

     The reason that we talk about the Muts is because parasites like you are constantly found clinging to our message boards and traffic is traffic, right? And why are you on here anyway? Is it fear, envy or are you just feeling a bit inferior? And contrary to popular belief, we have even discovered a few Mets fans (Anthony) that are able muster up something that their team cannot (that being courage)… the courage to actually talk baseball with us Phils Phans… of course, we’re going to rag on any Mets phan on here but we welcome discussion. Sometimes it takes an outside opinion to make us realize what we need to do to improve… especially now since we are, as you know, World Champions.

101. Chuck P Says:
     February 3rd, 2009 at 8:40 pm

     Agree 100% Kev… we turned the page on Abreu and I don’t think that we can go back on that decision no matter how cost effective it might have been to us (I don’t know if Bobby would want to come back). The only FA’s that could have possibly fit better were Burrell, Ramirez and Dunn. We decided that we were better off moving on from Burrell, Ramirez is obviously insane (asking for 4/100) and Dunn might not have been a better fit because of his strikeouts. So we got the best guy for this team.

102. Kev Says:
     February 3rd, 2009 at 8:52 pm

     Agreed Chuck, i think Ibanez is going to make the lineup much more better, and with him hitting in the upper .290s and that means eliminating burrells .250 average, our offense is less likely to go on those weekly run scoring slumps because we didn’t have many guys who hit for average besides utley j roll in vic. Now adding Ibanez will only help our offense score more runs without the big homer, which sometimes this team relys on way too much. Feel me?

     I still would of loved Manny in this lineup for a reasonable salary, the guy can rake, imagine Manny, Utley, Howard, in any particular order, murderers row my friends.

103. Kev Says:
     February 3rd, 2009 at 8:52 pm

     much better*, much more better lol, i sound like a damn met fan

104. hahahahaha Says:
     February 3rd, 2009 at 9:56 pm

     chuck…this is my second time on the site, first being earlier today…the only reason i came across the site is b/c i was bored enough to read the comments section of metsblog…that one would take a while to explain..anyway someone said that the phills blog was ripping into the ollie signing and i was curious…ill gladly talk baseball with you, since this site seems to have less bandwagoners who cry money..oh i mean manny for weeks and don’t think rationally…

     i just found it interesting b/c you guys have won the division 2 years in a row now, and won teh ws last year, i felt that you would feel less obligated to harp on the mets resigning perez and more obligated to talk about your own team, b/c lets face it, they enter the season as the defending champs, not the defending runner ups for the nl east

105. ChynaBeach Says:
     February 4th, 2009 at 9:27 am

     People are talking about Oliver Perez because the signing just happened. It’s baseball news on an otherwise slow news day. It’s not about some obsession with the Mets and it does affect the Phillies as well. So relax Mets fans.

     I personally feel they gave him away too much money, but there rotation was shakey without it. It was a signing that needed to get done. Mets fans just better hope he’s Ollie of 2008 and not 2007. The guy’s a headcase and really inconsistent. At his best, he’s got great stuff. At his worst, he walks the bases loaded.

106. Don M Says:
     February 4th, 2009 at 10:10 am

     I don’t think Perez is a “bad” pitcher… but he’s sure not a Cy Young candidate… how can the Mets fans like that deal, that 3 years means that they’ve handcuffed themselves for next years spending spree… its nice to have a Strikeout pitcher on the staff, and I firmly believe they wanted him so bad because of the Phillies LH-lineup, but how many times are we going to face him 4, 5 ?? That is a whole lot of money for a pitcher with good stuff, but a bad head…

     Do Mets fans get free tickets to games at the stadium they are paying CitiBank for?? just wondering…

107. hahahahaha Says:
     February 4th, 2009 at 1:45 pm

     most mets fans don’t like the deal, they are simply happy that the mets didn’t give hime a deal like 5 yr 70 mil…it would have been nice to add a solid 2 behind santana, but that wasn’t the main focus of the off season….the main problem besides the bull pen was lack of depth in starting pitching…el duque an pedros perennial dl stints left the mets sending out jon niese’s, brandon knights, nelson figueroas etc…now they have garcia, redding, and niese will have another full year in AAA, plus maine, pelf, and perez are a lot less injury prone then pedro, and duque.

     I wanted ben sheets, but if he’s truly healthy then how does he have no offers on the table, and seems to be asking for such a little contract.

     also, delgados 12mil and wags 10.5mil are off the table next yr, and i cant seem to believe that all the contracts that came off this season add up to the new contracts…especially since perez made almost 7mil last year. i think they have atleast 5mil extra, plus hopefully wilpon will be over getting scammed and citi will be back on their feet…the mets will be fine next off season, its this actual season were worried about.

108. Chuck P Says:
     February 4th, 2009 at 3:23 pm

     haha…

     Glad that you’re giving us some respect… we don’t focus on the Mets but we know that they’re not sitting around being complacent. We’ll keep an eye on what they do to see how that will affect our chances to repeat as NLE champs. Ollie Perez is a big signing… probably the most significant offseason investment that the Mets have made. His signing causes us to reevaluate our team and determine whether we need to bolster our rotation. It also means that players like Sheets might be available cheaper because the Mets are no longer in the picture. Punch and counterpunch… I like Perez. I don’t know if he is worth that kind of money but he has a high ceiling. Fans should care less about money; you should be happy about Perez because he’s going to be a big determinant in the success or failure of the Mets. I’ll withhold total judgment until September… right now, I’m excited to see what the Phils can do.

109. Tyler Says:
     February 4th, 2009 at 4:40 pm

     I know I’m a little late on this post, but finally, some mets fans with a brain!!! As far as sheets goes, would love to see him on the phils but not at the cost of blanton or myers. On the Ollie signing, he is dangerous, and I’ll give credit where credit is due, he is a huge threat to the phils, but he is inconsistent and may repeat 2007 instead of 2008. Only time will tell who the mets really signed. As far as Santana vs Hamels, Santana is currently better, but I don’t think he will be for long. The only reason is because as has been pointed out, Hamels has a history of injury.

110. Memphis Says:
     February 5th, 2009 at 2:35 pm

     Sheets considers surgery on elbow, may have failed a physical with Texas:
     http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3886732

111. Ben Says:
     February 5th, 2009 at 3:10 pm

     It’s a shame that someone with so much talent has to be injured so often. If Sheets could stay healthy he would easily be one of the best pitchers in the game. He has shown that he is dominant when he is healthy, which isn’t very often.

112. NJ Says:
     February 5th, 2009 at 5:35 pm

     I’m wondering the logic of this, of course Sheets will regretably take the time to get healthy but his bargaining position is weaker coming off elbow surgery and the reported reason he hasn’t signed yet is money. Prior earnt something like $4m rehabing last year and the worst case scenario for Sheets would be to need to go under the knife during the season in which he’d be in the same position as he is now, just a little wealthier for it.

     Does anyone have a different take on this?

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