Mack Ade – Morning Report – 6-26-13 – Carlos Beltran, Cesar Puello, Erik Goeddel, Angel Pagan, Tim Dierkes, Noah Syndergaard

Not the best nights for Mets pitching prospects. Both Zack Wheeler (Mets) and Rafael Montero (Las Vegas) forgot their main objective and that is to set up the game by pounding the zone with the fastball early in the game. It was nice to see Wheeler's curveball, but it was naked in the wind, especially since it seem like he was telegraphing the pitching by slowing down his delivery when he through it. Montero, on the other hand, just stunk up the place, giving up four runs in the first three innings. 

Let's chalk these up as their worse outings and take it from there. You know how important the future of this team sits on their right hand shoulder.

Andrew Vazzano ‏@AVSNY  - @RisingAppleBlog: The Mets should seriously consider signing Carlos Beltran after the season. Makes all the sense in the world.

                I hate when I start thinking the same as some of the Mets bloggers out there J

You all know I like this idea, especially if they can’t find themselves a long term solution for their three outfielder problems. A less talented version of this is in Queens right now… Marlin Byrd, and he, Juan Lagares, and Eric Young have helped stop the bleeding with a tight bandage. Beltran can give you one more solid year, slotted in between David Wright and Ike Davis in the lineup (think Wright, Beltran, Davis, d-Arnaud, Lucas Duda).

Look, it’s baby steps, but it’s a little bit better than today… which was a little bit better than (before Young) last month. 

Ted Berg ‏@OGTedBerg -  I asked Pedro Martinez, most dominant starter ever, about the most impressive pitchers he's seen this year. First name he said: Matt Harvey.

OF Cesar Puello - .338/.407/.616, 14-HR, 51-RBI through  58 games

This is about as good as you are going to get in the AA league. The AA all-star game is July 10^th and I’m sure he will ship out to Las Vegas the following day. Is there a chance he comes to Queens instead? No, right now the outfield is going to have to adjust first to the return of Ike Davis (probably this weekend) to first base. It is interesting though that he’s been playing more CF lately. Helps the marketing department.

Rich Coutinho ‏@coutinho9  - Marlon Byrd 10/35/.263, Justin Upton 15/34/.240, Ryan zimm 9/36/.269  Laroche 10/32/.251

RHP Erik Goeddel – 7-2, 3.72, 14-ST, 77.1-IP, 76-K, 28-BB

This is a guy no one ever talks about anymore. We’re all a little Harvey, Wheeler, Montero, and Syndergaard crazy, but, if these four weren’t in the system we’d be calling Goeddel a prospect. He’s also blocked out from AAA philosophy that sort of looks out of control. Would someone try and explain to me the future need of having D.J. Mitchell or Giancarlo Alvarado preventing a guy like Goeddel from elevation. Let’s write this off as another move that will happen the day after the all-star break. After that, there is no excuse.

Angel Pagan will have surgery to repair his torn hamstring, Giants manager Bruce Bochy announced. Out 12 weeks

Okay, we have some trading history here that has benefited each team and, frankly, the Giants did much better here what with both Beltran and Pagan for a nobody and a prospect just getting going.

Now, the least they need (for the rest of this season) is a good speedy defensive centerfielder that can lead off, not kick the ball around, OBP around .325 and steal a few bases. Insert either Juan Lagares or Eric Young Jr. or consider Marlon Byrd as well.

Gregor Blanco, Andres Torres and Juan Perez will be the starters and their two top prospects, Roger Kieschnick and Gary Brown have not been called up.

I would gladly take one of the two off their hands for their pick of our outfielders, including Lucas Duda.

Tim Dierkes -

MLBTR http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2013/06/analyzing-the-free-agent-starters.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter outlined the best of the 2014 free agent pitchers out there:

                        Innings eater – Bronson Arroyo, Hiroki Kuroda

                        Hardest Throwers – Jason Hammel, Josh Johnson, Matt Garza

                        Best Control – Bartolo Colon, Erwin Santana, Dan Haren

                        Extreme Ground Ballers – Chien-Ming Wang, Jake Westbrook, Tim Hudson, Phil Hughes

                        Low opponent BA – Jason Marquis

                        Lowest ERA – Santana (2.64), Kuroda, Colon

Folks, I’m not thrilled with spending a ton of money on any of them. I think the system is producing the future rotation of this team through 2020. The money needs to be spent on every day players, either through free agency, International signing that will hopefully pan out down the road, and trades for some of the young pitchers the Mets will never use.

A perfect example is a guy that we wrote about earlier in this piece. Erik Goeddel should be able to get you a quality AA prospect ready to move into AAA, either as an outfielder, or a shortstop.

 Jonathan Mayo on Noah Syndergaard –

“He could end up being the best player in the deal, though it may take more time for him to develop.”

He also ranked him 23^rd today on the new updated Baseball America Top 50 Prospects (Travis d-Arnaud was #28). Mayo also is on paper last December saying that Thor was ‘ahead’ of Zack Wheeler was at at the same time. I love all this… Thor ahead of Wheeler who was ahead of Harvey.