Cutnpaste: - Scott Kazmir, Pedro Felicano, John Franco, Pedro's Return, and Felix Mantilla

Scott Kazmir:

Watching film of Scott Kazmir, not a whole lot jumped out at me as for why he was suffering from velocity loss in 2010. I only noticed maybe one major difference in him mechanically, but it wasn’t something that seemed like it would make a big difference with his velocity. However, this wasn’t the first time Kazmir suffered from a sudden loss of velocity. There was a point in 2009 where his velocity lagged behind its normal self and he made the necessary adjustments to correct himself later in the year.

http://www.baseball-intellect.com/adjusting-scott-kazmir  



Pedro Feliciano:

Former Mets relief pitcher Pedro Feliciano is close to a deal with the Yankees. The left-hander was 3-6, 3.30 ERA in 92 games for the Mets in 2010. Feliciano, 34, spent all 8 years of his career in Flushing

http://benmaller.com/2010/12/yanks-close-to-adding-former-mets-pitcher



John Franco:

Unlike his fellow 400-save club members, however, John Franco was no flame-throwing, ninth-inning intimidator. But armed with pinpoint control and the guts of a burglar, Franco crafted a legacy unmatched by almost all modern closers. Franco, who played 21 big league seasons with the Mets, Reds and Astros as retired as the all-time saves leaders among left-handers, is one of 33 players on the 2011 Baseball Writers' Association of America ballot for the Class of 2011 at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Franco is making his debut on the BBWAA ballot.

http://baseballhall.org/news/voting-news/what-relief 



Pedro’s Return:

Martinez sounded far from returning in an interview with Justo de la Cruz at the Domincan paper El Dia today (links in Spanish), saying he's very happy to be away from the stress and travel of a player's life, which is to say, "I'm realizing what it is to be a normal person." An expanded version of the interview in the Puerto Rican paper Primera Hora further lowered expectations of a return in 2011, as Martinez added, "It's most likely that I don't return to active baseball...

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2010/12/phillies-asked-about-pedro-martinez.html



Felix Mantilla:

Infielder, Milwaukee Braves - A tall, slender infielder with an intriguing bat, Mantilla had once seemed destined to be something special. But in a golden opportunity to win a first-string job in 1959, Mantilla had flopped miserably, and ever since he’d been relegated to a strict backup role. But at the age of 27, he was a good choice in the draft, particularly for the Mets, given the quite reachable left field wall at the Polo Grounds.

http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/the-virtual-1960s-new-york-mets-part-1-the-expansion-draft