Minors Stuff

Extended Camp:.

It's been just over a month since New York Mets' starting pitcher Jon Niese suffered a season-ending leg injury during a game in New York back on Aug. 6, but it won't be long before the lefty begins rehab in the hopes of being ready for spring training in 2010.

Niese, a former Defiance High School standout, tore his upper hamstring from the bone during a game at Citi Field in New York against the St. Louis Cardinals. Covering first base on a play early in the contest, Niese stretched too far for a throw to the bag and ended up doing the splits. After walking around following the play, the lefty tried to throw a warm-up pitch before going down in a heap.

"The game started off good, I was facing the Cardinals and the next thing I knew I was running to first for what I thought was a routine play," said Niese, who was 1-1 this season in five starts for the Mets. "I stretched too far, and the next thing I knew I had trouble getting up. Once I got up, it didn't hurt, I walked around and I was told to throw some warm-up pitches.

http://www.crescent-news.com/news/article/4668647


B-Mets:

Josh Thole C - You have to wonder if the numbers that Josh put up in AA (.328) is an aberration. His four year minor league average is only .276, though he did hit .300 last year for Saint Lucie. You have to like his 42 to 34 walk to K ratio, which means he makes solid contact. He only started catching in 2008 (though he did catch in high school) so moving up to the major leagues as a catcher in his second year is high testament to his development. In six games with the Mets he is hitting .421, but then the Mets had Piazza as a catcher for a number of years, so they are a team used to good hitting catchers who can’t play defense. Any team could have had him this year with a Rule V selection but no one took the bait.

Ike Davis 1B - On paper he generates more power than Nick Evans and is currently playing for the United States team in the World Cup. He combined for twenty homeruns and a .298 at two levels (A/AA). His combined slugging percentage was .524. Myworld holds out more hope that Davis will be the Mets future firstbaseman and not Evans.

Ruben Tejeda SS - He has the tools to play shortstop, something that can’t really be said about Flores or Havens. Last year he only hit .229 but the Mets still promoted him to AA where he hit .289. The Mets have selected him to play in the Arizona Fall League. Ruben is from Panama.

Ryan Coultas RHP - This is only his second year as a pitcher, drafted in the sixth round in 2004 as a shortstop. Last year he spent it in the bullpen, getting 47 appearances and a 4.17 ERA. This year he was in the starting rotation and appeared in 11 games with a 2.78 ERA before a torn labrum ended his season. He is 27 years old so he has to move quickly.

Scott Shaw RHP - He’s not overpowering so his command has to be there for him to achieve success. He stands 6′5″ so perhaps the velocity will increase as he gains strength. He started 26 games this year and finished with a 3.73 ERA. He does give up a lot of fly balls and 13 homeruns in the Florida State League in 150 innings is a lot. His ERA with the bases empty is 0.96 while with men on it is 6.54, so he knows what he needs to work on in 2010. You can’t wind up with men on base.

http://myworldofbaseball.com/wordpress/?m=200909&paged=2



Queens:

Jason Marquis apparently holds no grudge toward the Mets for their lack of interest in him last winter. Jeff Francoeur told The Post yesterday that Marquis, whom he considers a close friend, desperately wants to pitch for the Mets next season, even as the veteran right-hander focuses on helping the Rockies clinch a wild-card berth. "He'd love to come here," Francoeur -- who indicated Marquis broached the subject to him and David Wright earlier this month when the Mets played at Colorado -- said before last night's 11-3 Atlanta win at Citi Field. "He'd be a great fit. He's from Staten Island. He's a New York type of guy. He'll probably be coming off the best season he's ever had." The 31-year-old Marquis, who is 15-11 with a 3.84 ERA for the Rockies, is in the final season of a three-year deal worth $21 million. The Rockies traded for Marquis, a former Tottenville High standout, last offseason after the Cubs had first shopped him to the Mets.

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/mets/jason_eyeing_ny_homecoming_H44QxunoedyVLp8k27kh8J


World Cup:

Trevor Plouffe tallied the last two RBIs of the game, including a walk-off homer, to lift Team USA past Australia, 4-3, at Stadio G. Falchi in Bologna, Italy.
The United States (9-1; 7-0) clinched the No. 1 seed in Group G for the Final Round with the victory.
Justin Smoak got Team USA on the board when he slammed his ninth home run of the tournament to deep left field to tie the game, 1-1, in the sixth. Jon Weber then added an RBI fielder's choice to second base to put the United States up, 2-1.
Plouffe tied the game, 3-3, in the seventh with an RBI groundout to the shortstop. In the ninth, he lifted a two-out walk-off home run to deep left field to close out the game, securing an unblemished 7-0 record in Round 2 action for Team USA.

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/index.jsp


Free Agents: -

Catchers

John Buck (30)Raul Chavez (38)Gerald Laird (31)Joe Mauer (28)A.J. Pierzynski (34)David Ross (34)

First basemen

Garrett Atkins (31)Lance Berkman (35) - $15MM club option with a $2MM buyoutJorge Cantu (29)Wes Helms (35)Paul Konerko (35)Derrek Lee (35)Lyle Overbay (34)Carlos Pena (33)Albert Pujols (31) - $16MM club option with a $5MM buyoutTy Wigginton (33)

Second basemen

Willie Bloomquist (33)David Eckstein (36)Mark Ellis (34) - $6MM club option with a $500K buyoutOmar Infante (29) - $2.5MM club option with a $250K buyoutMaicer Izturis (30)Julio Lugo (35)Kaz Matsui (35)Aaron Miles (34)Nick Punto (33) - $5MM club option with a $500K buyoutRamon Vazquez (34)

Shortstops

Eric Bruntlett (33)Cristian Guzman (33)Cesar Izturis (31)Maicer Izturis (30)Derek Jeter (37)Julio Lugo (35)Jhonny Peralta (29) - $7MM club option with a $250K buyoutNick Punto (33) - $5MM club option with a $500K buyoutEdgar Renteria (35) - $10.5MM club option with a $500K buyoutJose Reyes (28) - $11MM club option with a $500K buyoutJimmy Rollins (32) - $8.5MM club option with a $2MM buyoutRamon Santiago (31)Ramon Vazquez (34)

Third basemen

Garrett Atkins (31)Wilson Betemit (29)Jorge Cantu (29)Eric Chavez (33) - $12.5MM club option with a $3MM buyoutBill Hall (31) - $9.25MM club option with a $500K buyoutWes Helms (35)Brandon Inge (34)Mike Lowell (37)Jhonny Peralta (29) - $7MM club option with a $250K buyoutAramis Ramirez (33) - $14.6MM player optionScott Rolen (36)Ty Wigginton (33)

Left fielders

Eric Byrnes (35)David DeJesus (31) - $6MM club option with a $500K buyoutAdam Dunn (31)Willie Harris (33)Jason Kubel (29) - $5.25MM club option with a $350K buyoutMarcus Thames (34)

Center fielders

Alfredo Amezaga (33)Willie Bloomquist (33)Jody Gerut (33)Willie Harris (33)Willy Taveras (29)

Right fielders

Willie Bloomquist (33)Michael Cuddyer (32) - $10.5MM club option with a $1MM buyoutJose Guillen (35)Brad Hawpe (32) - $10MM club option with a $500K buyoutMagglio Ordonez (37) - $15MM club option vests with 135 starts or 540 plate appearances in 2010Jayson Werth (32)
Designated hittersPat Burrell (34)Jason Kubel (29) - $5.25MM club option with a $350K buyoutDavid Ortiz (35) - $12.5MM club option

Starting pitchers

Bronson Arroyo (34) - $11MM club option with a $2MM buyoutJosh Beckett (31)Joe Blanton (30)Jeremy Bonderman (28)Dave Bush (31)Matt Cain (26) - $6.25MM vesting optionKevin Correia (30)Jorge De La Rosa (30)Jeff Francis (29) - $7MM club optionChad Gaudin (28)Roy Halladay (34)Aaron Harang (33) - $12.75MM club option with a $2MM buyoutHiroki Kuroda (36)Ted Lilly (35)Noah Lowry (30)Kevin Millwood (36)Sergio Mitre (30)Jamie Moyer (48)Tim Redding (33)Nate Robertson (33)Jeff Suppan (36) - $12.75MM club option with a $2MM buyoutKoji Uehara (36)Javier Vazquez (34)Jake Westbrook (33)Dontrelle Willis (29)Chris Young (32) - $8.5MM club option

Closers

Scott Downs (35)Frank Francisco (31)Jason Frasor (33)Brian Fuentes (35) - $9MM option vests with 55 games finished in 2010Mike MacDougal (34)Chad Qualls (32)Mariano Rivera (41)Huston Street (27)Kerry Wood (34) - $11MM club option, vests with 55 games finished in 2010

Right-handed relievers

Grant Balfour (33)Jesse Crain (29)Juan Cruz (30) - $4MM club option with a $500K buyoutChad Durbin (33)Kyle Farnsworth (35) - $5.25MM club option with a $500K buyoutGeoff Geary (34)Matt Guerrier (32)Aaron Heilman (32)Mike Lincoln (36)Seth McClung (30)Scott Proctor (33)Jon Rauch (32)David Riske (34) - $4.75MM club option with a $250K buyoutScot Shields (35)Josh Towers (34)Tyler Yates (33)Tyler Walker (35)Dan Wheeler (33) - $4MM club option with a $1MM buyout

Left-handed relieversJ

eremy Affeldt (32)Randy Choate (35)Pedro Feliciano (34)Trever Miller (38) - $2MM option vests with 45 games in 2010Dennys Reyes (34)Arthur Rhodes (41)J.C. Romero (35) - $4.5MM club option with a $250K buyoutBobby Seay (33)Matt Thornton (34) - $3MM club option with a $250K buyout

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/