1. In today’s Post, I wrote a column in which I suggested Omar Minaya do a better job of emphasizing the whole 25- and 40-man rosters and not just obsess on loading the top of the roster with stars. As a way to get that done, I recommended Minaya, at least, consider what is possible should he trade Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes or David Wright. I will repeat here what I stated in the column: This does not mean I am advocating that any of those players must be traded. Beltran, Reyes and Wright are among the 25 best position players in the majors. If all are back next year, that is totally fine. This is not about anger or retribution. I do not believe any single player has been responsible for the collapses of the past two seasons.
But I do believe that lack of depth on those 25- and 40-man rosters has been a key reason for the collapses. And so I believe Minaya must — at the least — find out just how far someone would go to land one of his prime core players. Remember that last offseason the Diamondbacks were able to obtain six pieces for Dan Haren. Now I remember some other items. I remember seeing a 60 Minutes piece on statistical analyst godfather Bill James, now a Red Sox executive, who said the player he would want to obtain is Wright. I also remember asking a panel of executives/scouts early this season to name the players they would want to start a team with, and Reyes was in just about everyone’s top 10.
Minaya must see just how far some rival organization might go for, especially Reyes or Wright. He should ask a huge return because — again — it is fine for the Mets to walk away and just keep these stars. He should get no worse than three high-end players who would be part of the 2009 team as a way to deepen that 25-man pool. And he should receive players who are far from free agency. Don’t forget that Reyes and Wright are even more seductive to rival teams because they not only are just entering their prime, but also because they already are under such reasonable long-term contracts; Reyes through 2011, Wright through 2013.
2. Here is the number that must obsess both New York teams — and so many others in the sport: 513. That is the total innings that CC Sabathia has thrown over the past two years, postseason included. Assuming that the Phillies finish off the Brewers before Game 5, Sabathia will not have to lift his arm in anger again before next spring training with a new team. Still, those 513 innings have to be part of the consideration — a huge consideration — before you plunk a six- or seven-year record pitching contract down on Sabathia. He has not pitched well in the last two postseasons and perhaps that is due to wear and tear. And then there is all the extra work on three day’s rest this year down the stretch. I think both New York teams have to go hard after Sabathia. But I do see the worry in those 513 innings.
3. I have this recurring feeling that Brad Lidge is going to have a Gary Anderson/Mitch Williams moment somewhere in this postseason. You remember Anderson, the place kicker who had the nearly perfect season. In 1998, he made all 35 field goals he tried and all 59 extra points during the regular season for the Vikings. But with a chance to put the NFC title game away with 2:07 left, Anderson missed a 38-year-old field goal. The Falcons ended up winning in OT and going to the Super Bowl.
Lidge was 41-for-41 in save chances during the season, and is now 2-for-2 in the Division Series. But watching him lately, you see more tightrope walks and a gain a greater sense that his key slider has lost just a little ferocity. The Phillies this year have won their first postseason games since going to the World Series in 1993. That Series ended memorably when Toronto’s Joe Carter launched a walkoff homer against the out-of-gas Williams in Game 6.