Baseball Guru
02-12-2007, 05:45 AM
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/hotstove06/columns/story?id=2756314
The Mets haven't exactly loaded up on starting pitchers this offseason. They struck out on Barry Zito and got outbid for the right to negotiate with Daisuke Matsuzaka. Their biggest signing of a starting pitcher was the re-signing of 40-year-old Tom Glavine.
As a result, more pressure will be on the everyday lineup to stay hot and help the Mets take a step beyond 2006 and move past the National League Championship Series, in which they lost in seven games to the Cardinals.
Two winters ago, the Mets added Carlos Beltran. Last winter, they brought in Carlos Delgado. No Carlos was signed this winter -- Carlos Lee signed with the Astros -- and the Mets don't appear to have done anything dramatic to improve themselves.
But they did add a 40-year-old outfielder who might have been better served by moving to the American League and becoming a designated hitter, considering Moises Alou's age and injuries. On the other hand, if healthy, Alou could be exactly what the Mets need, a right-handed bat in a lineup that too often struggled against left-handed pitchers.
The Mets haven't exactly loaded up on starting pitchers this offseason. They struck out on Barry Zito and got outbid for the right to negotiate with Daisuke Matsuzaka. Their biggest signing of a starting pitcher was the re-signing of 40-year-old Tom Glavine.
As a result, more pressure will be on the everyday lineup to stay hot and help the Mets take a step beyond 2006 and move past the National League Championship Series, in which they lost in seven games to the Cardinals.
Two winters ago, the Mets added Carlos Beltran. Last winter, they brought in Carlos Delgado. No Carlos was signed this winter -- Carlos Lee signed with the Astros -- and the Mets don't appear to have done anything dramatic to improve themselves.
But they did add a 40-year-old outfielder who might have been better served by moving to the American League and becoming a designated hitter, considering Moises Alou's age and injuries. On the other hand, if healthy, Alou could be exactly what the Mets need, a right-handed bat in a lineup that too often struggled against left-handed pitchers.