Phan In Phlorida wrote:

MattS wrote:the idea that the mets are the best team in the nl east right now is preposterous. if you add up the run contributions player by player of every single projection system, the phillies are consistently 2-7 wins ahead of the mets. the mets need to sign derek lowe for them to even have a 50/50 shot at beating us.

A major issue the Mets had last year was their bullpen, especially the back end. They blew 29 saves (72 SvO, 43 S, 29 BS ... compared to the Phils 62 SvO, 43 S, 15 BS). Granted, I haven't dug into how many of those BS's were recovered into W's, etc., but their back end bullpen was attrocious and quite likely cost them the NL East (3 GB). The Mets have made a priority to address this issue this offseason, making moves to improve their back end bullpen talent. Of course we can't know if this translates into wins, as they still have to perform and the time machine has yet to be invented. And the offseason isn't done yet so there are still moves that'll be made. But right now, as a Phillies phan, I do have concerns as the Mets are trying to address deficiencies while the Phils have done little to even stay stagnant thus far.

ek wrote:they are apparently in negotiations with Derek Lowe

Mets deep in negotiations for Derek Lowe
By Gordon Edes, Yahoo! Sports
37 minutes ago

Dec 23, 2008

....The Mets’ bargaining position also is enhanced by the fact that rehab coordinator Chris Correnti, who was brought on board to work with the Pedro Martinez, has trained Lowe for the last 11 years.

BigEd76 wrote:This is obviously a drawing and not the final design, but this is rumored to be the patch for the inaugural season of CitiField:



(since MLB prohibits corporate names from appearing on uniforms)

ek wrote:they are apparently in negotiations with Derek Lowe

Mets deep in negotiations for Derek Lowe
By Gordon Edes, Yahoo! Sports
37 minutes ago

Dec 23, 2008

Mark Teixeira’s agreement with the New York Yankees on Tuesday clears the way for the New York Mets to sign Derek Lowe, the free-agent pitcher who had been on the periphery of the Yankees’ shopping list. The Mets and Lowe are deep in negotiations, according to a source, and while an offer has not yet been made, the 35-year-old sinkerballer is the Mets’ prime target.

The Mets have rebuilt their bullpen with the signing of free-agent closers Francisco Rodriguez and J.J. Putz, but general manager Omar Minaya is still in the market for starting pitching to supplement incumbents Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey and John Maine.

The Boston Red Sox had mild interest in Lowe, and losing out on Teixeira might prompt them to strongly consider bringing back Lowe for a second tour of duty in Boston. But indications from Red Sox sources point to less costly options than Lowe, who originally sought a five-year, $90 million deal but has scaled back his demands in recent weeks.

The Mets’ bargaining position also is enhanced by the fact that rehab coordinator Chris Correnti, who was brought on board to work with the Pedro Martinez, has trained Lowe for the last 11 years.

According to Yahoo's Gordon Edes, the Mets are deep in negotiations with free agent starter Derek Lowe. However, the Mets have yet to make an offer.

Bakestar wrote:"Phils Rock" from this thread is pretty much my new hero.

ReadingPhilly wrote:i've been disappointed with gm-carson's effort since his arrival

ReadingPhilly wrote:i've been disappointed with gm-carson's effort since his arrival