MLB – NY Mets:
Carlos Beltran, 31, is also coming up on the anniversary of his famous "team to beat" prediction, a jab back at Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins, who started the war of words in 2007. But as Mets fans are loathe to recall, Rollins' Phillies backed up the claims both seasons, culminating in a World Series title for Philly last fall. It was the first championship for the City of Brotherly Love since 1980. Phillies ace Cole Hamels recently added fuel to the bonfire by calling the Mets "choke artists." Beltran claims not to have heard about Hamels' barb and the veteran does not jump into a spicy verbal battle with his division rival. He certainly doesn't reiterate the "team to beat" boast, now that the Phillies are defending champs. But the normally soft-spoken Beltran is not opposed to sending a small warning shot either.
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/2009/01/14/2009-01-14_swing_training_carlos_beltran_is_gearing.html
Along those lines, Billy Wagner's gut tells him Minaya and COO Jeff Wilpon will bring Pedro Martinez back into the fold. "How [Martinez] has changed the organization and put them back on the map, it's awful hard for me to see them not having loyalty to bring him back," Wagner said. "Pedro Martinez still carries some weight." Though no other known suitors have emerged for Perez, Wagner chuckled at the idea the lefty would return to the Mets for a three-year deal. "Only if Oliver gets scared and signs," Wagner said. "But right now I don't see any reason for Oliver to get scared. There's definitely a market. They'll find it."
http://www.nypost.com/seven/01152009/sports/mets/omars_pressed_to_re_sign_ollie_150194.htm
It doesn't appear to me that any of those guys is a better fit for the Mets' rotation than Pettitte. Unlike Perez, you absolutely know what you're getting: 30 to 35 starts a year, 200-plus innings, a minimum 14 wins. If you make it to October, you have a starter guaranteed not to rattle under pressure, and almost always guaranteed to put you in a position to win. (Pettitte went 13-8 in the postseason for the Yankees, who never lost an ALCS game he started. But because they haven't been to the ALCS in quite a while, it's possible they forgot that stat.) Plus, it would be a tremendous PR coup for the Mets, who frankly have looked like jerks the past few years watching the Yankees rescue their castoffs (Gooden, Strawberry, Cone, Nady) but now have the opportunity to return the favor.
http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/mets/ny-spwally155999281jan15,0,5292419.column
Alex Cora | Major Leaguer 1998-2008
Positions: SS-910, 2B-461, 3B-16, DH-2, LF-1, 1B-1
Full Name: Jose Alexander Cora
Born: October 18,1975 in Caguas, Puerto Rico Map
Height: 6-0 Weight: 180 Bats: Left Throws: Right
High School: Bautista (Caguas,PR)
College: University of Miami
Drafted: Selected by Los Angeles Dodgers in 3rd Round (88th overall) of 1996 amateur entry draft (June-Reg)
Signed by Scout: Camilo Pascual
MLB Debut: June 7,1998
Batting Statistics:
2006: Boston .238/.312/.298/.610
2007: Boston .246/.298/.386/.684
2008: Boston .270/.371/.349/.720
MLB Lifetime: .245/.313/.348/.661
http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/C/Alex-Cora.shtml
Johan Santana plans to represent Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic, but said that won’t be his call. “It will be a medical decision,’’ Santana said this morning in a conference call. “The team will need to approve it. … There are a lot of things here that the Mets want to protect, and if they don’t want me to play I will not play.’’ Santana had arthroscopic surgery in October to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee and has not begun his off-season throwing. He will be examined next week in Port St. Lucie, and then could begin a long-toss throwing program. “I want to play, but at this point I don’t really know what’s going to happen,’’ Santana said. “If everything is not right they will not let me go.’’
http://www.newyorkmetsreport.com/2009/01/14/santana-wbc-is-mets-call
How will the Mets round out their rotation? Watching Lowe join the rival Braves had to sting. Now the Mets have to sort through a group of inferior pitchers including Oliver Perez, Randy Wolf, Pedro Martinez and Jon Garland as they look for a fifth starter. All the bullpen upgrades in the world aren't going to mean much if the rotation is in shambles by July
http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/01/14/from-the-windup-a-dozen-questions-as-hot-stove-season-starts-to
AAA – Buffalo:
According to El Universal, Fernando Martinez (.160 in 25 Abs) has been let go from Leones del Caracas of the Venezuelan Winter League. “Martinez is a great player,” Leones President Luis Avila told the newspaper, “but unfortunately he couldn’t hit as we hoped. We informed him of our decision yesterday and he took it in a very professional way.”
The Mets signed catcher Omir Santos
Pito Santos | Major Leaguer 2008-2008 - Positions: C-528, 1B-1
Full Name: Omir Santos - Born: April 29,1981 in Bayamon, Puerto Rico Map
Height: 6-1 Weight: 200 Bats: Right Throws: Right
College: East Central Community College
Drafted: Selected by New York Yankees in 21st Round (635th overall) of 2001 amateur entry draft (June-Reg) - MLB Debut: September 5,2008
2008 AAA .269/.328/.323/.651
A+ - Lucy:
SP Bradley Holt (Mack’s Mets Prospect #2) has been invited to the Mets ST team.
Scott Shaw: (Mack’s Met’s Prospect #28) The big right-hander had an excellent debut first in Brooklyn and then in Hawaii. Shaw’s fastball, which he commands well, lived in the upper 80s with a few 90s sprinkled in for good measure. From a righty, this is below average. Shaw worked off a curve and a changeup, which at 81-84 did not have a huge separation from his fastball. 2008: Shaw finished fourth in the NYP in strikeouts and sixth in WHIP (1.09). Shaw finished up his season in the final Hawaii Winter Baseball stanza where he was fourth in the league in innings pitched and fifth in strikeouts. Dr. Pangloss Says: Shaw throws enough strikes to get a look as a starter or middle reliever. On the Flipside: The lack of an average MLB fastball could short-circuit Shaw’s big league chances. Projected 2009 Start: St. Lucie
Alumni:
According to Ken Rosenthal, free agent starter Paul Byrd will sit out the first half of the season and then possibly join a contender. Byrd said he had "nice, competitive" offers to play all year but wants to spend more time with his family.
If some major league team calls, Rickey Henderson still wants to play, be it with the A’s or anybody, one day, one week, one season, whatever; his door is wide open. Rickey is still for hire. Now he just comes with a bronze Hall of Fame plaque. Henderson and Jim Rice were at a press conference at the Waldorf-Astoria yesterday, the two newest Hall of Famers. After saying he was retired, Rickey went on to add, “but if a club came out and said they needed a left fielder, they needed a guy to get on base and steal a few bases, they can always ring my phone and I’ll come on down and help their ballclub, that’s how much I love the game.” Rickey at the age of 50 is still the Man of Steal, and if given the opportunity, he incredibly said he would lead the majors in stolen bases. “I believe today, and people say I’m crazy, but if you gave me as many at-bats that you would give the runners out there today, I would out-steal every last one of them,” Henderson said with typical bravado.
http://www.baseballthinkfactory.org/files/newsstand/discussion/rickey_to_big_league_gms_dont_lose_my_number
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