Tatis signing likely

[Mike McGann]

Multiple sources say that the Mets are on the verge of bringing back Fernando Tatis instead of Carlos Delgado.

Tatis, 35, is a right-handed bat and plays multiple positions. He seems to be the Mets' target to play some first base against lefty pitching, as well as games at 2B, 3B and OF.

Compared with signing Delgado, who appears finished, this makes more sense.

[laidbackrider]

Multiple sources say that the Mets are on the verge of bringing back Fernando Tatis instead of Carlos Delgado.

Tatis, 35, is a right-handed bat and plays multiple positions. He seems to be the Mets' target to play some first base against lefty pitching, as well as games at 2B, 3B and OF.

Compared with signing Delgado, who appears finished, this makes more sense.

True, it's like choosing seasonal flu over HIN1. Neither are welcome but the lesser of two evils is certainly preferable.

[Mike McGann]

Paired with Catalanotto, I guess, it gives them some depth and some options. And while adding Josh Fogg as part of the crowd to compete for the end of the rotation/swing man job is okay, it still doesn't solve the issue of needing a dependable starter. I think that ship may have sailed.

[GaryG]

I'm underwhelmed. The good news is with offseason moves like this, it'll be easy to get tickets at the last minute at cheap(er) prices.

[laidbackrider]

I'm underwhelmed. The good news is with offseason moves like this, it'll be easy to get tickets at the last minute at cheap(er) prices.

Garko just signed for less money to play with the Mariners than we paid Cora and Tatis to return to the Mets. After all, they had a great impact on our winning ways. Oh, wait...

(He's no superstar, but he is younger and does make for a power hitting platoon partner for Murphy).

[Mike McGann]

Whatever enthusiasm generated by the Bay signing seems to have evaporated and the stories about Putz not getting a physical just leaves me stunned.

With only a couple of weeks to go before pitchers and catchers, there should be some level of excitement, some sense of a fresh start (and maybe there was a little of that with the piece today in the Post about Reyes' health). But what I'm seeing is a lot of anger, more suggestions that the team kept its payroll down -- after denying it would -- and a total disconnect between ownership/management and the fanbase.

While winning and playing good ball out of the gate will salve a lot of wounds, a poor start will be a mess.

[Tavares Lives!]

Garko just signed for less money to play with the Mariners than we paid Cora and Tatis to return to the Mets. After all, they had a great impact on our winning ways. Oh, wait...

(He's no superstar, but he is younger and does make for a power hitting platoon partner for Murphy).

Hard to argue with that logic. Omar is clearly handicapped by the old "go what what you know" strategy. He probably doesn't even know who Ryan Garko is. I think this team will compete this year, and I think they'll be in it to win it come the trading deadline, but can Omar put together a deal that will put them over the top? Increasingly the answer seems to be no.

Again, we don't know if that the real factor is that no one really wants to play for this franchise. This season could be a pleasant surprise or downright Knicks-like, with wholesale changes from the GM on down, and even then we will have to rely on the Wilpons to take a step back like Jeff Dolan finally did when he hired Donnie Walsh, and llet the new management expertly do their jobs.

[GaryG]

I'm thinking that unless it gets really ugly we've probably got the Omar and Jerry show thru 2010, with possible changes in the offseason. If you're not gonna go after prime FA's for whatever reason, I see no reason to pay old GM and mgr and a new GM and mgr. At least that would be consistent.

My bet is that its not about money (ownership is NOT cheap, just doesn't spend wisely) , but more about being clueless that Jeff and Fred don't think there's a problem to solve and that fans will come out regardless.

[Mike McGann]

I'm thinking that unless it gets really ugly we've probably got the Omar and Jerry show thru 2010, with possible changes in the offseason. If you're not gonna go after prime FA's for whatever reason, I see no reason to pay old GM and mgr and a new GM and mgr. At least that would be consistent.

My bet is that its not about money (ownership is NOT cheap, just doesn't spend wisely) , but more about being clueless that Jeff and Fred don't think there's a problem to solve and that fans will come out regardless.

I totally agree with the second part. But...I do think that Manuel and Minaya will be sacrificial lambs as early as May if the team gets off to a slow start. The easiest (although probably not smartest move) will be to bring back Bobby V. who lurks in the wilds of Connecticut. It will make the fans excited, take some of the media onus off the Wilpons and may, in the short term, provide an on-field boost.

Valentine, though, is probably not a great long-term solution and maybe not a great baseball solution, unless he can wrest operational control of the team from Jeff.

[Tavares Lives!]

I
Valentine, though, is probably not a great long-term solution and maybe not a great baseball solution, unless he can wrest operational control of the team from Jeff.

This is the key. Valentine is a great baseball mind. Best case scenario is losing Manuel and Minaya by May, letting Valentine take the team over for the season, bump him up to GM at the end of the year and bring Backman to the major league job for 2011.