The Mack Report - F-Rod, Brant Rustich Surgery, Jake Goldberg, Dylan Owen, Robert Manuel, and Andy Handy

The Mack Report – 10-21-10:



Well, the Mets made a big deal on Tuesday when they resolved their differences with closer Francisco Rodriquez. Chalk one up to the lawyers on this one for saving the Wilpons $3.1 million dollars.



This is good news, guys. There’s a win/win here. On one side, you have one of baseball’s top closers on your staff (yeah, I know, his velocity is down, but he still ERA’d 2.20 and WHIP’d 1.15 in 2010), while, on the other hand, you have major trade bait.



K-Rod will pitch 2011 as a 29-year old, which in reliever years is around 23.

Do I want him on the Mets? No, but the team has been stuck with much worse.



Will there be interest in baseball for his services? You betcha.



There’s $11.5 left on his 2011 contract and $17.5 mil in a guaranteed 2012. Can the Mets find someone to pay $29mil for a 30-plus good pitcher but bad boyfriend? Probably not.






To get this guy off your team will take the Mets eating a portion of the 2012 contract, while, at the same time, probably trading for another team’s bad contract as well. To do this is just to elongate the inevitable.



Just pitch the hell out of the guy for the next two years and put new locks on the players’ lounge.


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Brant Rustich

 I talked to SP Brant Rustich today, who let me know that he is scheduled for TOS surgery on October 28th, in Dallas, Texas. As you know, Brant has had two years of bad road regarding hand and arm problems, which resulted in his diagnosis of Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, defined as a compression of nerves and artery in the thoracic outlet which is above the first rib and collarbone. Doctors feel he will be 100% recover by the beginning of the 2011 season, and, with a little luck coming my way, maybe they’ll rehab him back in Savannah.

To refresh, Rustich was a 2nd-round beast (6-6, 220) with three above-average pitches in his 93-96 mph fastball, power slider (at times touching 87 mph) and split-finger fastball. He wants you all to know that he’s thrilled that there will finally be an end to his pain and he looks forward to pitching next year at whatever level the Mets place him.


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Pitchers Jake Goldberg and Dylan Owen also checked in.



Goldberg was a 36th rounder in the 2008 draft that had a wonder 2009, splitting time between Brooklyn (0-0, 1.93, 6-G, 11-K, 9.1-IP) and Savannah (1-2, 2.89, 25-G), when back problems set in. He missed the entire 2010 season due to surgery and said today that he feels great, has finished up with his rehabbing, and throwing in August. Jake says he’s ready for the beginning of ST.





Dylan Owen

 Owen said to say hello to everyone out there in Metland and told me that he’s in the middle of arranging for a winter gig in Venezuela. I asked him if he thought he would start or come out of the pen next season and is ready fot whatever the Mets need him to do. Believe me, Dylan is a starter by heart and I’m sure he hopes he gets the same opportunity to rotate in Buffalo in 2011 as Dillon Gee got this past season.


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There was some movement of a couple of ex-Mets this week. The Boston Red Sox granted P Robert Manuel while the Houston Astros did the same to 2B Andrerson Hernandez.

Manuel was another of those early round Mets picks that everyone wishes never happened. He did impress the hell out of us minor league weenies, in 2005, when he went 8-1, 2.06, as a 21-year old. All that got him was traded in 2006 to Cincinnati for Dave Williams. Talk about a bust for a bust. I always liked Manual and, frankly, though he has bounced around for four organizations, his stats… 32-19, 2.71, 1.06 in the minors, and 1-0, 3.18 in 13 appearances in the majors… are quite impressive. He also only just turned 27! Let’s see… he’s 6-3… that’s good news. What about his tools… let’s see… fastball tops off at 87… reasonable command… unimpressive slider…no out pitch… okay, I’ll get off this wagon.

The other guy, once lovingly knows as ‘AndyHandy’ probably has reached the end of his career. Another relatively young player (will play 2011 as a 28-year old), he simply has never hit decently enough to warrant a full time gig in the majors. Fast dude, and great defensive infielder, but how many of them are in baseball? He’s played for seven teams now, which included the Mets twice, and I hope we don’t read about him playing somewhere in the Frontier League, or some league like that. Never met him, but have been told he’s a good guy. Get on with your adult life, Anderson. Thanks for the few memories.


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