Mack and Company – The 2012 Pen

photo by Jeremiah Alley

Mack - Tim Byrdak will undergo surgery on his torn meniscus. Now what?

Frank Gray - This is bad news because it does two things. One, it forced the Mets to keep Pedro Beato at the MLB level rather than opt him to Triple-A to groom him as a spot starter, as some have discussed in the organization. Two, it means that Danny Herrera makes the 25 man roster as the only clear lefty option out of the pen. It makes their bullpen much thinner. Unless they go shopping for a lefty specialist at the end of Spring Training when other teams release players, this is what Terry Collins will have to work with.



Jeremiah Alley  - 

I'm not the least bit worried.  I wish Byrdak a speedy recovery, but LOOGIES are a dime a dozen.  It should not be difficult finding a replacement for him.  I'm more excited to see what Robert Carson or Josh Edgin has to offer anyway.  These guys are the future, and if the Mets really aren't going anywhere this season then they should be given every opportunity to exhibit their abilities.

Michael Freire - My initial reaction is that it is a little too right handed, with regards to veteran arms.   However, I expect Sandy to find a few veteran lefties to compete with the younger kids (Edgin, Carson), until Byrdak is able to come back.    Plus, the pitcher they obtained from the Giants (Ramirez) is supposed to be effective against both righties and lefties, so maybe it isn't too big of a deal?   If Byrdak is able to come back in a decent amount of time (say four to six weeks), I think the bullpen will be OK.



Jarod Alley - 

Now What?, I say now nothing. I don't believe there is much to jump at here. Sure he is an asset to the team but not one that would make or break the team. CJ Nitkowski is out there but more importantly we're talking about a lefty specialist. I for one am not a big supporter of the lefty lefty match up and vice versa. IF, a pitcher can pitch there is no reason to pull him from the game because a hitter comes to the box hitting from the other side. Of course there are some exceptions to this rule. Some relievers based on their release point make for a much more difficult at bat but those guys are hard to come by and keep.

David Rubin - Sign Brandon Jacobs.