Mets Set Head Scratching Deadline for Season Ticket Holders

Posted by Steve Sidoti

Last season was my first as a Mets Season Ticket Holder. I knew ever since ground broke on Citi Field that I wanted to have have my own seat and be apart of something special. The key bullpen additions in J.J. Putz and Francisco Rodriguez made that decision a no-brainer. Unfortunately, we know how things turned out for '09 Mets, with injuries, and a miserable final two months.

Now we turn to a new season, which follows three disappointing ones with no playoff appearances.

Things have to be different right? The team will do what it takes to win after what has happened. But then again, I said the same thing the last three off-seasons. I do give this team another chance and I know Omar Minaya's job is on the line this time, as well as the fans trust in the team.

The Mets seem to be pretty confident things will change. We heard what Jeff Wilpon had to say soon after the '09 season concluded, but that is nothing compared to what the team is doing to its season-ticket holders.

Below is a letter that I recently received from the team...

"Dear Mets Season Ticket Holder:

Many thanks for your continued support of the Mets. We greatly appreciate your loyalty. With the return of our key players and the necessary changes we will make to our roster, we believe we will field a championship-calibar team in 2010. As Ownership recently said, we demand and expect better, and you - as a Season Ticket Holder, the most loyal of our fans - deserve better."

The letter then goes on to say that Season-Ticket Holders have until December 4th to decide if they are to keep their current seats and plan. December 4th? The Winter Meetings won't even have started. My plan was to wait things out, you know, give a call in once a week demanding a huge addition or two. Basically, if I do not pay 20% of my total by their "deadline", I will lose my seats and my account. That is sure confidence on their part that things will work out, or is it?

I am now faced with a decision with this deadline in three weeks. I will have to talk things over with my fellow ticket holder, but I will conclude this by mentioning some of the "new benefits" the team will be providing for its Season Ticket Holders. Some are enticing to say the least.

Exclusive Opportunities include; Behind the Scenes Tour of Citi Field Including Clubhouse and Dugout in December, Team Workout Day in April, Expanded Club Access, Early Saturday/Sunday Ballpark Entrance, Port St. Lucie Special Privilege, and Mets Anthem Search Auditions .

Enhanced Appreciation and Recognition include; "Thank You" Gift, Mets Yearbook, Mets Magazine Opener Edition, Season-Ticket Holder of the Game, Season-Ticket Holder of the Month, "Take the Field with the Mets" Days, Season Ticket Holder Appreciation Day, and Season Ticket Holder ID Card.

Special Saving and Offers include; Merchandise Discounts, Group Sales Discounts, Extended Automatic Payment Plan, Paul McCartney Citi Field Concert DVD Offer, Sponsor Offers, and Discount Offers to "Partner Attractions."

Personalized Service and Communications include; Dedicated Season Ticket Holder Account Rep., Ticket Services Staff, Season Ticket Holder Page on Mets.com, Targeted Email Messages, Player Chats, and Player Blogs.

Buster Olney on Trade Market

Posted by Matt Pignataro

Mets Going After Chone Figgins

Posted by Matt Pignataro

Jon Heyman of SI.com, tweets that the Mets would love to sign Chone Figgins to either play second base or left field. The Phillies and Angels are also competing with the Mets for Figgins.

Figgins, 31, in 158 games with the Angels hit .298 with 5 HR, 54 RBI, 37 extra base hits, and stole 42 bases.

A lot would have to happen for Figgins to sign with the Mets. The Mets would first have to move Luis Castillo and then convince Figgins to play second base, instead of going to the Phillies to play third base on a full time basis. Figgins would fit as the No. 2 hitter in the lineup behind Jose Reyes. I think he's a perfect No. 2 hitter, as he hits for average, acts as a second leadoff hitter, hits for contact, and has speed.

Mets Hot Stove Radio Show

Posted by Matt Pignataro

With the World Series now over, Seven Train to Shea Mets Radio Show turns its attention to the "Mets Hot Stove" report, a weekly radio show covering all the news and rumors surrounding the Mets throughout the off-season.

Hosted by Matt Pignataro with co-host's Greg Tortora, Steve Sidoti, and Mike Lucre, Mets Hot Stove premieres Sunday November 22 at 7 PM EST on BlogTalkRadio with featured guest Ted Berg of SNY.tv. Matt and friends will be joined by a revolving panel of experts from writers to bloggers.

The show will also cover the top news stories affecting the Mets' National League rivals, as well as all other MLB teams.

Listeners can listen to the show live at BlogTalkRadio.com/SevenTraintoShea or catch the podcast of the show at SevenTraintoShea.com.

Listeners can also call into the show toll-free by dialing (347) 215-8253.

Send a question or rumor to the show by sending us an email to SevenTraintoShea@aol.com

Seven Train to Shea "Mets Hot Stove" Report airs Sunday November 22 at 7 PM EST.

Hot Stove Radio Tentative Schedule:

Nov. 22 at 7 PM- Ted Berg of SNY.tv
Nov. 29 at 7 PM- Mets Hot Stove Report
Dec. 6 at 7 PM- Winter Meetings Preview
Dec. 13 at 7 PM- Mike Silva of NYBaseballDigest.com
Dec. 20 at 7 PM- Mets Hot Stove Report
Dec. 27 at TBA- Mets Hot Stove Report, Live from Phoenix, AZ
Jan. 3 at 7 PM- Mets Hot Stove Report

Guests later appearing on the show include: Jayson Stark of ESPN.com, Pirates Prospect Jarek Cunningham, and St. Johns University Head Baseball Coach Ed Blankmeyer.

Mets Will Look into Halladay and Gonzalez

Posted by Matt Pignataro

Jon Heyman of SI.com tweeted that the "Mets will look into Roy Halladay, Adrian Gonzalez. Execs believe Roy will go somewhere."

I reached out to a league source and he confirmed that the Mets do have interest in Gonzalez.

It was reported earlier today by Bill Center of the Union-Tribune that the Padres will trade Gonzalez ‘sooner rather than later.’

Former Padres GM Kevin Towers has told media outlets that it is only a matter of time before Padres trade Gonzalez.

Gonzalez is under contract until the 2011 season, which has a team option.

He is a perfect fit for the Mets... I mean he did hit two homeruns at Citi Field at back in April. The crappy part in all of this he's going to cost a fortune, since he's under control for the next two seasons. Your looking at a package around Ike Davis, Fernando Martinez, Jenrry Mejia, and others for Gonzalez. So your basically trading away the farm system for him.

The Mets are better off signing Matt Holliday or Jason Bay and then trading for Roy Halladay, which could cost the Mets a lot less than Gonzalez. Right there gives you the impact bat you need, along with a top flight starter behind or in front of Johan Santana, that you could sign to an extension.

In talking with Joe DeMayo of NYBaseballDigest.com, a package of Fernando Martinez, Brad Holt, Ruben Tejada and others could possibly get it done for Halladay.

Mets Working on Three Team Deal

Posted by Matt Pignataro

According to Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com, the Mets, Blue Jays and Cubs are discussing a three-way deal that would send Luis Castillo to Chicago, Milton Bradley to Toronto, and Lyle Overbay to the Mets.

Overbay hit .265 with 16 HR, 64 RBI and 35 doubles in 132 games for the Blue Jays.

Overbay would be a perfect fit as he has a nice line drive stroke and has a great glove at first. He has one year left on his $7 million contract. Only thing that bothers me is that Overbay hasn't hit lefties well the past to two years.

vs. LHP 2009- .190
vs. LHP 2008- .215

If this deal does get done it would pave the way for the Mets to sign Orlando Hudson or a possible trade for Dan Uggla. I still like Hudson over Uggla since Uggla's defense is questionable at best.

Overbay and Hudson is a much more solid right side of the infield, than Murphy and Castillo.

MLBTR has Mets Signing Holliday, Wolf, and Penny

Posted by Matt Pignataro

Tim Dierkes of MLBTradeRumors.com posts his "2010 Top 50 Free Agents," going through the top 50 free agents and predicts where each player will sign.

Dierkes tabs Matt Holliday as the number one free agent and believes the Mets will sign him to a "six or seven-year deal for more than $100MM."

The Mets definitely need a signing like Holliday to show us fans that they are committed to winning just like back in 2005, when the Mets signed Carlos Beltran. In the end, I think the Mets will probably over pay to get him to play in New York.

Dierkes ranks Randy Wolf as the number five free agent and believes Wolf will sign with the Mets. According to Dierkes, "Wolf is primed to get a three-year deal worth more than $30MM."

If the Mets sign Wolf this off season it will almost be a make-up signing for last years signing of Oliver Perez. I wouldn't mind the Mets signing Wolf as he is a very suitable starter in any rotation.

Finally, Dierkes has Brad Penny as the number 25 free agent and thinks Penny could wind up signing with the Mets.

Penny is kind of interesting in my opinion. I believe he is one of those guys who can turn it on only when he feels like it, and when he's on he's on. Just look at this past season. Penny pitched awful for the Red Sox, but then once he joined the Giants, he just starting pitching lights out going 7+ innings a start.

Dierkes also writes that the Mets could also sign a catcher such as Bengie Molina, who could sign with the Nationals.

Sammy Sosa has a New Look

Posted by Matt Pignataro

The last time we heard of Sammy Sosa's name was a couple of seasons ago when Sosa announced his intention to retire from baseball.

Photos of Sosa at the Latin Grammys 2009 Person of the Year, show a ghostly-white Sosa. Sosa could be suffering from Vitiligo, a chronic disorder that causes loss of pigmentation, the same disorder Michael Jackson suffered from.

Sosa claims his ghostly-white face is the result of a "common skin rejuvenation process used to repair damage."

You can draw so many conclusions to why Sosa appears they way he does in the photo. I don't believe Sosa just from his past history, especially when his attorney testified in front of Congress for him. That right there shows me you have something to hide.

Maybe is could be a side affect from Sosa's use of steroids or he could be telling the truth. Who knows and quite honestly, who cares.

Mets Top 10 Prospects

Posted by Matt Pignataro

Baseball America has released the list of Mets top 10 prospects:

1. Jenrry Mejia, rhp
2. Wilmer Flores, ss
3. Fernando Martinez, of
4. Ike Davis, 1b
5. Brad Holt, rhp
6. Jon Niese, lhp
7. Reese Havens, 2b/ss
8. Josh Thole, c
9. Ruben Tejada, 2b/ss
10. Juan Urbina, lhp

I'm a little surprised not to see OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis, RHP Kyle Allen, or RHP Jeurys Familia on the list. I thought Nieuwenhuis would easily make the list as he had a very strong season at St. Lucie, hitting .274 with 16 HR, 71 RBI's and 16 SB. Then finishing the year at Binghamton batting .406 with a HR, and 2 RBI in 8 games. In talking with scouts, Nieuwenhuis's game has been compared to Curtis Granderson with potential become a 20-20 guy.

The one name on this list that I'm shocked to see is Ruben Tejada. Tejada to me isn't a top 10 prospect nor a top 20 prospect. I really don't see anything special in Tejada. He has a good glove and a below average bat, but nothing else that jumps out at you. In 134 games with the B-Mets, Tejada hit .289 with 5 HR and 46 RBI's.

Wilpons Are Not The Steinbrenners

Posted by Gregg Hopps

The New York Yankees have just won their 27 World Championship title. Make no mistake, its what they do. The Yankees win world championships. As much as I despise them, they set out to do what they have done for years, win. When George Steinbrenner took over the Yankees in the 1970s he made it clear, he wanted to win championships for the great city of New York.

You don't see Steinbrenner, his kids or even Cashman standing in front of the press babbling on about playing "significant baseball in September", like Jeff and Fred Wilpon do. In Yankeeland you perform, or you're out the door. How long do you think Omar would've lasted as Yankee G.M., if the Yankees choked the way the Mets did in 2007? Maybe an hour? Willie Randolph wouldn't have made it through September 2007. The difference between Yankee ownership (winning), and Met ownership (losing), is glaring. I certainly don't like the way the Steinbrenners conduct business, but you can't argue with the bottom line. Its been 23 years since the Mets last world championship, maybe its time they took some notes from their rivals in the Bronx.

George didn't get the nickname "the boss" from being a nice guy, no matter how the NY press wants to revise history. For many years Steinbrenner was ruthless. He fired and hired the late, great Billy Martin the way we change our socks, he terrified and bullied office staff at Yankee Stadium, he hired a thug to find "dirt" on Dave Winfield, he was suspended from baseball twice, he even denied Phil Rizzuto's request to take a night off to go Mickey Mantle's funeral.

Steinbrenner wasn't warm and fuzzy, but his Yankees won a bunch of championships. Under the Wilpon family, the Mets have won one world championship, and they aren't even playing "meaningful September baseball" anymore, let alone baseball in October or November.