Alex Cora will be the backup middle infielder, Duaner Sanchez slots into a bullpen role somewhere and Jeremy Reed will hopefully be taking the Endy Chavez role as the first defensive replacement in the outfield. These are all minor moves, but important to consider when you look at how the roster is taking shape.
I continue to say that there is no room to add a free agent outfielder - even if our general manager wasn't running around with blinders on - unless Marlon Anderson is traded or released. Even if you get cute and consider Tatis the corner infield backup and Cora the middle infield backup, there's still only room for five outfielders on the roster. Daniel Murphy, Carlos Beltran and Ryan Church are the likely starters and I can't imagine Jeremy Reed was just given over $900,000 to start in center field for Buffalo.
That still leaves Anderson, Angel Pagan and Nick Evans as outfielders on the 40-man roster fighting for the fifth spot. Evans is almost certainly ticketed for Buffalo and it wouldn't be surprising if Pagan was asked to join him, although I suppose it would be equally unsurprising if Pagan beat out Reed for the defensive backup job with a hot Spring Training. The Mets still can't add Manny Ramirez, Adam Dunn, Bobby Abreu or any other free agent outfielder unless they deal with the Anderson issue.
As always, I have the answer:
1) Release Marlon Anderson
2) Sign/trade for a corner outfielder who can hit, preferably right-handed
3) Success!!
STARTING PITCHERS
Johan Santana*
Tim Redding
Mike Pelfrey
John Maine
Jon Niese (renewable)
RELIEF PITCHERS
Francisco Rodriguez*
JJ Putz
Pedro Feliciano
Duaner Sanchez
Darren O'Day (Rule V)
Rocky Cherry (Rule V)
Brian Stokes (renewable)
Sean Green (renewable)
Eddie Kunz (renewable)
Carlos Muniz (renewable)
Robert Parnell (renewable)
Conor Robertson (renewable)
Brandon Knight (renewable)
Billy Wagner (out for 2009 season)
CATCHERS
Brian Schneider
Ramon Castro
Robinson Cancel (renewable)
INFIELDERS
Carlos Delgado*
Luis Castillo
David Wright
Jose Reyes
Alex Cora
OUTFIELDERS
Carlos Beltran
Ryan Church
Marlon Anderson
Fernando Tatis*
Jeremy Reed
Daniel Murphy (renewable)
Angel Pagan (renewable)
Nick Evans (renewable)
2 comments:
Isn't there room on the 40 man roster, so that, in theory Anderson could still be on the team in spring training and released sometime thereafter if another outfielder is signed?
I'm still only showing 35 players on the 40-man roster.
The answer to the question is yes, you could absolutely sign someone and knowingly go into Spring Training with a an outfield logjam. I'm more concerned with the possibility that Minaya does NOT want to release Anderson and thinks he can be a useful contributor to the 2009 Mets. That would be remarkably bad judgment on his part.
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