From David Lennon in Saturday’s Newsday :
General manager Omar Minaya refused to discuss the specifics in a conference call, but he did say the club is negotiating for rightfielder Richard Hidalgo’s return, another indication the Mets have cooled on Sammy Sosa after the recent steroid revelations involving Jason Giambi and Barry Bonds.
For their other corner outfielder, the Mets are very interested in 38-year-old free agent Moises Alou, both for his ability and his temperament. He would cost far less than Sosa and is lower maintenance, and the team thinks he would be a help rather than a hindrance in the clubhouse for rookie manager Willie Randolph.
As for Pedro Martinez, the Mets are growing more and more confident of their chances of signing him. As long as the Red Sox remain hesitant to match the Mets’ offer of three years and $38 million with a vesting option, and the Yankees stay on the sideline, the chances increase that Martinez might be lured to Shea. Even Minaya slipped a little Friday and envisioned him in the rotation.
The Mets also have come to the conclusion that if Mike Piazza is not traded, he will be a catcher in 2005. The team determined he is too much of a defensive liability at first base.
So the only thing that scares the Mets about Sosa is bad press? Incredible. Thank you, San Francisco Chronicle.
It is also fascinating that they’d choose to pursue Moises Alou at this stage in his career. I mean, why not wait until he’s 40 or 45 years old? There’s no arguing that Alou would’ve been a tremendous addition to the Mets….the last three times he was available (’97, ’98 and 2002).
If the Chronicle reportage has cooled the Mets on Sammy Sosa, file it under better late than never. There is something to be said for accounting for a fellow’s PR possibly kicking you in the butt, as Whitey Herzog once observed, and absent the Fabulous BALCO Boys Sosa of late has developed the sort of PR that will not only kick you in the butt but leave strips of it on the runway. No matter how far back Mr. Minaya goes with Sosa, Slammin’ Sammy’s best days–as a player and, apparently, as a public person–are behind him well enough.
I liked the way Hidalgo seemed to straighten himself out on the field as he rounded into life as a Met. And playing for Moises Alou may not necessarily be an unsound idea. Alou may have maybe two or three seasons of solid play left to him, but it would certainly grant the Mets time to develop a solid left fielder or, perhaps, deal for a prospective solid one who can be made a finished product by the time Alou is ready to call it a career. Alou does things right on the field and off, and the Mets won’t hurt themselves if they can land him.
Jeff – agreed about Sammy. Unless the Mets were able to trade Cliff Floyd for Sosa _and_ get salary relief from Chicago, I don’t see how adding the latter improves the Mets. And perhaps not even then.
Ah yes, Dick Hidalgo really rounded into life as a Met. He hit .174 in August and September, 8 HR’s and 24 RBI’s, an OBP of .155 in September. Getting him for David Weathers was a great move, but keeping him at anything other than a substantial pay cut from his ’04 salary would also be a huge mistake.
If Moises Alou can run Fran Healy out of town the way he did Steve Stone in Chicago, then by all means, let’s bring his decrepit ass to Flushing ASAP.