Former Dodgers GM Paul Depodesta is now has his own blog for the public called It Might Be Dangerous.  Depodesta was GM of the Dodgers for the 2004 and 2005 seasons. Prior to that, he was an assistant with the A’s where he apprenticed under Billy Beane.  Currently, Depodesta is an advisor to the Padres. He is known for us use of sabermetrics and statistics to guide his decisions.

In his inaugural post he wrote:

So, I’m here, and I’d like to be a part of the conversation. I’ll do my best to reply to comments/questions, though I can’t promise punctual responses or regular posts. After all, just like everyone else out there, I already have a job.

I think its pretty cool that somebody like him is doing this.  Naturally, because he has a job and is associated with a team, he can’t spill industry secrets or the formula for a winning team (not like he ever found it) but he is already dropping nuggets of well-thought out analysis. He also has addressed questions he’s gotten from readers, which is pretty neat - knowing that he cares about what people are asking him and the fact that he’s taking time to answer questions.  This blog is a nice gesture on his part.

I’m a bit curious about the name though…

For ESPN E-Ticket, Jim Caple profiles Yu Darvish, the 21 year old phenom on the Nippon Ham Fighters.  Darvish, half Iranian and half Japanese, made his professional debut in 2005. 

Last year, Darvish was 15-5 with a 1.82 ERA, and has already won the Japanese equivalent to the Cy Young award.

While Darvish is five years away from Japanese unrestricted free agency, he can be posted to MLB teams, similar to the way stars Ichiro Suzuki and Daisuke Matsuzaka have come over.  According to Caple, if Darvish were posted, peopole expect the posting bit to exceed the $50 million paid by the Red Sox for Matsuzaka, and perhaps exceed $75 million.

Caple quotes Trey Hillman, Royals manager and previous coach of Darvish in Japan, ”The curveball is just not fair. Honestly, it’s just not a fair pitch.”

Caple also profiles how Darvish is almost a rockstor in Japan in terms of popularity.  Trey Hillman likens Darvish’s popularity to Michael Jordon and Tiger Woods.

Really just a fantastic and informative read.

If he is posted, I have to imagine the Mets would be interested in a young SP stud that they could acquire without having to give up prospects, or even draft picks.  Yet, the idea of paying $75 million just to negotiate with the guy seems a little insane to me, but so is the market.

I’ve never heard anything but rave reviews on this guy, and I know Japanese baseball isn’t the same as baseball here, but he was 20 last year and in a full season had a 1.82 ERA. That’s just nuts.

In his Met Notes for the NY Post, Mike Puma provides an update on Pedro Martinez.

Pedro threw a 60 pitch session, part of which was a bullpen session and part was batting practice.  About the session Omar Minaya had to say, “It was a pretty good session. He threw all his pitches.”

According to Puma, Minaya refused to set a timetable for Pedro to throw in a simulated game, which presumably will be the next step.

The following are a list of clues for you to guess three different Ex-Mets:

Player #1 (easy):

• This former Mets’ first round pick made his debut with the team in 1984.
• After failing to produce in 1984-1985, he was traded to the Twins. He would later be traded to the Tigers, then sign as a free agent with the A’s.
• He is now the GM of the A’s, famous for being profiled in the book Moneyball.

Player #2 (medium)

• This ex-Met made a name for himself as an OF/1B in Pittsburgh, making four All-Star appearences for them.
• Prior to the 1992 season he signed a monster (for the time) contract with the Mets worth $25 million over five years.
• He was trade mid-way through the season in 1995 for Alex Ochoa, despite having made an All-Star appearance that year.  He also made an All-Star appearence for the Mets in 1993 for six total in his career.
• In 1998 he was traded by Marlins along with Gary Sheffield for Mike Piazza. In November of 1998 he was traded to the Mets.
• The Mets are still paying this player to the day, because when they released him in 200 they agreed to pay the $25 million left on his contract over time through the year 2035.

Player #3 (hard)

• In 2002, this 36 year old Japanese RP pitched for the Mets. 
• He had an 0-3 record in 25 appearances with a 5.61 ERA.
• This RP has played for Bobby Valentine in both the United States and in Japan.
• He is famous for his trademark goggles and for throwing a “shakeball.”

And the answers are Billy Beane, Bobby Bonilla and Satoru Komiyama. Nice job cityfishing.

According to Dan Graziano of the Star Ledger, the Mets brass is planning on a reevaluation at the end of the month.

The team is disappointed that they are not playing up to their potential, and will look at the idea of replacing manager Willie Randolph. However, if the Mets remain in contention, Randolph will likely keep his job through the season.

Right now, I think its too early to replace a manager, we still have to see what we’ve got. Yet, if we’re still hovering around .500 come June, I’d be in favor of pulling the trigger on Willie. If we’re still around .500 come June, it means lots of the team is still under performing, like Carlos Beltran and Oliver Perez. Under performing, as well as having a fan base that seems like it wants to win more than the team wants to, is a sure sign that its time for a change.

Hat tip to Mets Blog for the link.