A number of clubs have shown interest in Mets outfielder Angel Pagan, major league sources said Wednesday, but it doesn't appear that he's close to being dealt. The Royals have inquired about Pagan, 28, but one source insisted that the Mets don't have interest in Kansas City outfielder Jose Guillen. Pagan, who is arbitration-eligible, probably has greater value to teams searching for an everyday center fielder than he would in New York. He batted .306 in a career-high 88 games this year, but he wouldn't see as much playing time with the Mets in 2010 if Carlos Beltran stays healthy. Pagan should earn a reasonable salary next year, so the Mets aren't obligated to move him.- fox sports
Arecibo 3, Ponce 2 - Mets farmhand Rene Rivera hit a two-run homer to help the first-place Lobos edge the last-place Leones. Former Major Leaguer Hansel Izquierdo struck out five over 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief for Arecibo, while Orioles prospect Miguel Abreu had two hits, including a triple, and an RBI for Ponce
Licey 4, Gigantes 3 - Major League veteran Wily Mo Pena homered and drove in three runs as the Tigres edged the Gigantes. Marlins infielder Emilio Bonifacio scored the go-ahead run on a throwing error in the eighth inning, while Reds infielder Juan Francisco went 3-for-4 with two runs scored for the Gigantes
Zulia 7, Aragua 2 - Diamondbacks outfielder Gerardo Parra collected three singles and two RBIs and scored a run as the Aguilas cruised past the Tigres. Braves farmhand Ernesto Mejia clubbed a pair of homers for Zulia and Dustin Martin (Twins) singled twice and scored a run
mlb
Like Sheets, Harden is an ace — when healthy. After starting only 16 games in 2006 and 2007, Harden managed to make 25 starts each in 2008 and 2009. Despite that improvement, Harden is far from durable. In each of the last two years, he’s spent time on the DL for problems with his back and shoulder. Previously, he had elbow problems — including an injury that kept him out for nearly all of 2006.
Unlike Sheets, Harden has yet to throw more than 189 innings in a season (in fact, he’s only topped 150 IP once in 7 years). Also unlike Sheets, he’s never been on an operating table. His age is also an apparent plus — he’s only 28. But you know what? His mechanics are downright awful, and will continue to cause him multiple arm injuries. He has a similar arm action to John Maine, in that he over-rotates during the leg lift and his right arm extends behind his back after the hand break — which puts extreme pressure on the shoulder. That over-rotation also leads to premature opening of the front side, which is exacerbated by a lazy glove that stays low and pulls the upper body toward first base — putting more pressure on the shoulder and additional strain on the elbow. In my opinion, Harden will never start more than 25 games in a season — and may be lucky to start that many. Some may argue that 25 Harden starts are better than 25 by most others, but in 2009, he had a .500 record and a 4.09 ERA — not exactly dominating. His back and shoulder issues will only get worse as he ages, and they can’t be helped by surgery. - link
Farm System:
Worst of the rest (16-25 range)
Mets: Solid top 10, but the Mets don't have anyone likely to help in New York in 2010.
Read more: SI
Well, that didn't go according to plan. I think. If it did go according to plan, I seriously question the planning abilities of the New York Mets. A few things did go right for the team. Francoeur flailed enough hits to actually contribute while with the Mets, though I don't expect that to last given his history of having plate discipline so poor that Brad Pennington couldn't walk him. Pagan played legitimately well.
Not many teams can absorb losing Delgado and Reyes for most of the season, Beltran for half a season, and Wright's loss of power. The hypothetical team that could would have to have a pretty strong pitching rotation and a great deal of organizational depth. If the 70-92 record didn't do it, having a team that was very happy that Nelson Figueroa was hanging around should disabuse any holdouts that think the Mets could have been that team.
So, what do the Mets do? Delgado's gone, but it's hard to resist the urge to go for it when you have Beltran, Wright, Reyes, and Santana on your team. The team desperately needs a fill-in at 1B better than Murphy and they need someone to catch for a year. Getting an actual innings-eater is a must and it would be useful if someone would inform Omar Minaya that an innings-eater doesn't necessarily have to be a pitcher as bad as Livan Hernandez or Tim Redding.
Nelson Figueroa was an innings eater in all 8 of his starts after he replaced Santana in the rotation, from mid-August to October 4th: he averaged 6 plus innings per game, over 100 pitches per game. He was 2-6, but in his 6 losses, the Mets scored a total of 11 runs. 3.38 ERA. Figgy is on the Mets 40 man roster; why doesn't Jeff Wilpon sign him for one year with performance bonuses and an option for 2011? He can also be used in short & long relief as he was in 2009.
ReplyDeleteI get this same type of comment every time I mention Nelson Figueroa.
ReplyDeleteTrust me, it's not Nelson. He's a gentleman and deserves nothing but success.
But this is why I periodically remove the ability for some people to comment without at lease making up a name.
Trust me, it's easy to figure out who emails someone these days, and I know who this is, so why not take the pressure off Nelson but not wasting your time on an old fart like me that lives in South Carolina?
For the record, Figgy had a great year and deserves to be in Queens, as a reliever.