The Morning Report 8.31.2015 | Familia Reveals a 4th Pitch, 1st Wave of September Call-ups, Parnell Fixing his Arm Slot, Cespedes...Is he Worth the Money?

Brian Lewis | New York Post- Closing isn’t just about talent, but temperament as well. History has shown that takes a special sort of pitcher to shoulder the burden of finishing a game, especially in a pennant race. On Sunday, the crowd of 38,938 saw Familia betrayed by a Ruben Tejada double-clutch on Rusney Castillo’s leadoff hit in the ninth, and then allow Blake Swihart’s single. Familia’s sinker was off so he unveiled a new splitter both he and Collins said will make him even better.
“It’s going to elevate him,’’ Collins said. “He’s one of the best in the game. This guy’s got 100 mph [heat], he’s got a great sinker, the split is starting to be more consistent for him, you see him starting to get hitters out with sliders.

(Chris Soto: Oh man...that splitter he threw last night was just unfair. Familia's sinking fastball is one of the best in all of the MLB, however, we have seen him get into some serious trouble on the rare occassion that pitch in "off." Without his sinker, hitters can sit dead red and spit on the slider. Adding the splitter to the arsenal gives him a 2nd breaking pitch that "looks" like a fastball but then falls off the table making him all the more dangerous late in the game.)

Adrian Knowler | Amazin Avenue- The Mets will promote Eric Campbell, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Kevin Plawecki, and Eric Young Jr. when rosters expand on Tuesday. Steven Matz will also join the club after making one more rehab start. Campbell, Nieuwenhuis, and Plawecki have all spent time on the Mets' active roster this year [but Young is] not on the 40-man roster, which means the Mets will have to remove someone from it to add him to it before he joins the team on Tuesday.

(Chris Soto: As was intially thought, the Mets are going to promote Eric Young Jr to the 40 man and active roster to give the bench a speed boost down the stretch. In the past we would see some of these guys left down in AAA to help the 51s with their playoff push...but these are different times now. The Mets can smell the playoffs so screw the AAA and AA teams. If you have value to the club, you better believe that you should be packing your bags for a flight to Queens.)

David Hong | Metsmerized Online- Mets reliever Bobby Parnell threw a live batting practice session on Sunday morning at Citi Field. He is expected to come off the DL on Tuesday, which is also the day rosters expand. The Mets reportedly gave Parnell the option of being designated for assignment, going to the minors or being placed on the DL three weeks ago and Parnell chose the DL. While inactive, Parnell has worked with pitching coach Dan Warthen to adjust his mechanics and get his arm higher so he can avoid “pushing” the ball toward the plate. “I feel like the ball’s coming out a lot better — a lot easier, too. I didn’t feel like I was ‘muscling’ it,” Parnell said. “The rest definitely helped.”

(Chris Soto: Dan Warthen may be on to something here. According to data compiled by Brooks Baseball Pitch F/X tracking systems, though it doesn't seem like a lot, Parnell's vertical release point was lower this season. In fact, his average release point in 2015 is similar to his 2011 release point when control problems flared up on him. Getting his arm higher will put him in a better position to drive through the ball which will induce more groundballs rather than line drives.)

Ernie Palladino | CBS New York- It doesn’t take a great mind to see how Yoenis Cespedes has helped change the Mets. What does is determining whether Cespedes should remain part of the franchise once the lease the Mets signed July 31 runs out. The notoriously flinty Wilpons will have to decide whether the money he’ll look for in free agency is equal to the financial pain the owners will have to endure to keep him around. Anyone who has followed the Mets knows that this ownership group regards outward cash flow as others do dental implants — painful periods endured simply to keep up appearances, such as they have been. But the recent success, much of it spurred by the 29-year-old former Oakland/Boston/Detroit star, might just get the moneymen to open up the pocketbook for him. 

(Chris Soto: Here's the thing...In the past, we would have never entertained the idea of signing another player for big money. However, did you know that todays "Full Year" payroll is $132M?. The right sizing and the balancing of contracts under Sandy Alderson actually going to rear it's "ugly" head on the bright side this season. As it stands right now, the Mets only have $60M committed to the 2016 team, $40M committed to the 2017 team, and $26M to the 2018 team. Of course, after you add in arbitration raises for Harvey, Duda, and Familia, that number rises by about $22M, but that is still about $70M less than today's current Full Year payroll. Lets assume that the Wilpons have enjoyed the packed Citi Field enough to give Alderson a starting budget of $120M next season. Higher than 2015's starting but lower than 2015's current. That gives him almost $40M to play with to fill...very few holes. Certainly $20M of that balance can go to Cespedes, right? )