Open Thread - Trio of Mets on the HOF ballot

MLB recently announced that three Met favorites will be on the ballot for the Hall of Fame.

David Wright was a seven-time all-star who is among the greatest to play the game in a Mets uniform.  His lifetime slash line was .296/.376/.491.  He holds a lifetime WAR of 49.2 and was a 2 time gold glove and 2 time silver slugger.  He holds Mets records for many categories, including hits, walks, HBP, total bases,  and RBI.

Jose Reyes was a four-time all-star with a NL batting title and was also a sliver slugger award winner.  His lifetime WAR was 37.4.  Among the most exciting Mets players to watch, Reyes holds Mets records for stolen bases, triples, and lead-off home runs.

Bartolo Colon earned most of his significant baseball accomplishments with other teams, but very quickly became a fan favorite with the Mets and recorded one of the all-time great Mets highlights when the comically-light hitting pitcher hit a home run on May 7, 2016 against another pitcher on the ballot, the Padres' James Shields.  "Big Sexy" finished his career with a 247-188 record, a 4.12 ERA, and 2,535 strikeouts.  Colon's 247 wins are the most among Latin American-born pitchers

It is tough to get in to the Hall Of Fame, and the two former Mets will be vying for the writers' votes with other very accomplished players.  Also newly on the ballot are players Adrian Beltré, Joe Mauer, Chase Utley, Matt Holliday, Adrián González, José Bautista, Brandon Phillips, Victor Martinez, and James Shields.

How many ballots do you think it will take to get Wright, Reyes, and Colon in?

The Morning Report 11.10.2015 | Another Met [GM] Going Under the Knife, Long Term Murphy Deal Still Possible, Reyes Arrested for Domestic Abuse, HOT STOVE!!

Billy Witz | New York Times- The general manager meetings are usually a somewhat sleepy cousin to baseball’s winter meetings, but that could change this year. One general manager who will not be in attendance is the Mets’ Sandy Alderson, who is skipping the meetings to have an undisclosed medical procedure. Representing the Mets are John Ricco, the assistant general manager; Paul DePodesta, the vice president for player development and amateur scouting; and J. P. Ricciardi, a special assistant to Alderson.

(Chris Soto: Our hearts go out to Sandy Alderson who seems to be going through far more than the Mets are giving off. Any surgical procedure, whether your a 23 yr old athlete or a 67 yr old General Manager should be taken seriously due to any number of complications that can occur. Sadly, I think you may begin to see a transitioning of the guard between Alderson and the Ricco/dePodesta tandem. Stay Strong Sandy!)



Michael Baron | Just Mets- On Friday, the Mets made Daniel Murphy a $15.8 million qualifying offer. If he accepts, the Mets will retain Murphy on a one-year deal for that dollar amount. “You always have to anticipate that he’s going to accept,” Ricco explained about Murphy’s qualifying offer. “Otherwise I don’t think we would have done it. We’ll see what he does first at the end of the week, I’ve been around long enough to know a lot of things can happen over the course of the winter."

(Chris Soto: Early words on the rumor mill is that a few teams with protected picks have already contacted Murphy about potentially signing him to multi-year contract. Most specifically, the Colorado Rockies have a heavy interest in bringing him in as their full-time 1B. If Murphy were to sign with a different club this off-season, the Mets would receive a pick at the end of the 1st round of the Rule IV Draft. Some notable names from that area of the draft are: RHP Mike Nikorak [#84 MLB], RHP Jonathan Harris, [#80 MLB], RHP Luis Ortiz [#86 MLB], and RHP Jack Flaherty [#100 MLB] )



Chris McShane | Amazin Avenue- Former Mets shortstop Jose Reyes was arrested after he allegedly assaulted his wife in a hotel room in Hawaii on Halloween, according to a report from Hawaii News Now. The news report says that Reyes's wife Katherine told police that she had injuries to her thigh, neck, and wrist. The report also cites sources who said that Reyes's wife told police that he had grabbed her throat and shoved her into the sliding glass door that led to the room's balcony.

(Chris Soto: If anyone still harbored any desires to bring Jose Reyes back to NY...this burst a huge hole into that dream. Talk about despicable! One thing the MLB has always been good at is avoiding these types of situations as compared to other leagues such as the NFL and the NHL. After the whole Ray Rice situation, the MLB proactively instituted an extremely strict domestic violence policy that allows “the Commissioner can issue the discipline he believes is appropriate in light of the severity of the conduct.”)



HOT STOVE REPORT (courtesy of mlbtraderumor.com)

• According to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, the Mets posted a bid for the services of Korean 1B Byung-ho Park. The Minnesota Twins won the rights to negotiate with Park for $12.85M.
• According to Mike Puma, IF the Mets could trade LHP Jonathan Niese, they would be highly interested in bringing Bartolo Colon to be the club's #5 SP/swingman until Zack Wheeler returns.
• In Joel Sherman's opinion, the Mets could look to acquire a SS who is a buy low candidate such as Jurickson Profar. At the same time, Mets shortstops posted the 10th best overall WAR numbers in baseball last season giving reason to wonder if an upgrade is even needed.

(Chris Soto: Very interesting situation with the Mets in regards to Byung-Ho Park. Over the last 2 seasons, Park has blasted 108 HRs in an extremely offense heavy league. That said, last year's Korean crossover, Jung-ho Kang performed very well in his first MLB season before sustained a serious ending leg injury. The fact that the Mets made an offer tells me the club is not 100% confident in Lucas Duda going into the off-season.)

The Morning Report 7.28.2015 | MORE TRADES!

Evaluating The Trade: Troy Tulowitzki | Chris Soto

• Let's just get right to it shall we? At 12:14AM EST this morning, the Colorado Rockies traded SS Troy Tulowitzki and RP LaTroy Hawkins to Toronto for SP Jeff Hoffman, CL Roberto Osuna, SS Jose Reyes, and SP Jesus Tinoco. This deal was straight up with no money exchanging hands. So of course people are going to ask, "What is the equivalent trade for the Mets?" Well....there is none.....at least not a complete one. I'll do my best to re-create it though

• SP Jeff Hoffman- The Blue Jays top right handed pitching prospect is a potential ace with 2 plus pitches in his upper 90's fastball and his power curveball. His 3rd pitch is a an above average change-up that keeps lefty hitters off balanced.
• Mets Equivalent- Noah Syndergaard

• RP Miguel Castro- Despite only being 20 years old, he displaced Brett Cecil from the closer's role early in the season but giving it up himself to another 20 yr old flame thrower in Osuna. With his mid 90's fastball and a devastating change-up, Castro could develop into one of the better closers for the next 2 decades. 
• Mets Equivalent- Akeel Morris

• SS Jose Reyes- The Rockies do not feel that prospect Trevor Story is ready for the MLB so essentially Jose Reyes is a SS replacement for Tulo. On top of bringing 30 SB wheels, Reyes still has some solid pop in his bat and could be a legitimate threat to hit 15 HRs out of Coors Field. Getting away from the punishing turf field should also work wonders for his legs.  
• Mets Equivalent- .....ummm....I got nothing....Wilmer Flores?? just for the replacement part

• SP Jesus Tinoco- A 2011 Venezuelan bonus baby, the 6' 4" 20 yr old has a ton of projectability. He already has a plus sinker that generates a ton of ground ball outs as well as swings and misses. He still needs to work on improving the breaking stuff and his change-up but if both of those pitches come around, the Rockies could have a potential #3/#4 guy here
• Mets Equivalent- Casey Meisner

• As you can see, the Blue Jays paid a HEAVY price to grab Tulo. A potential top starter, a potential top closer, a significant wild card piece, AND an MLB starting caliber player.

Evaluating The Trade: Tyler Clippard | Chris Soto

• Now that the Tulo evaluation is out of the way....lets turn our attention to the Mets trade yesterday. Sandy Alderson agreed to send SP prospect Casey Meisner to Oakland in exchange for CL Tyler Clippard + cash. The deal utilizes the Mets current SP depth in the lower minors to not only bolster the MLB bullpen, but also provides Terry Collins with a solid weapon against left handed hitters.
• SP Casey Meisner- Meisner is a very RAW prospect who could has some significant upside. When he was drafted out of high school his FB only clocked in at 86-88 mph, but he has since improved it to 92-94mph. He combines this with an ok curveball that flashes promise of being a plus pitch and a change-up that still needs some work but could potentially be an MLB average pitch. Meisner is the definition of the long term project as he still needs significant time to develop his "stuff." If he does improve he could have a solid ceiling as an 200+ inning #3 starter in the big leagues
• RP Tyler Clippard- The former Nationals set-up man, is a battle hardened veteran with 2 years of high leverage bullpen experience in the playoffs. During his 8 seasons with the Nationals and A's, Clippard has a career 2.69 ERA supported by a 10.2 K/9 rate. His superb change-up makes him particularly dangerous against left handed hitters. In his career, lefties are only hitting .183 AVG with a miniscule .571 OPS. 
• Clippard should immediately step into his familiar role as a set-up man in the NL East and knows the Nationals extremely well. He is going to a ridiculously strong weapon for the Mets who suddenly have 4 closer quality arms in the bullpen.

The LTJ Editorial: “Have we truly seen the last of Johan Santana?”

“The LTJ Editorial”
Author: Luis Tirado Jr.
Date: 11-8-13
Twitter: @LTJ81
Website: http://www.TheNYExpress.com

“Have we truly seen the last of Johan Santana?”

All through my life, I've always enjoyed getting the sports jersey of my favorite players on the various teams I root for. Yeah, it's no secret, while I do cover both the New York Yankees and New York Mets, deep inside my heart, I love my Mets. Ever since 1986 when I saw the World Series trophy in the hands of guys like Strawberry, Hernandez, Gooden, etc when I was about 5 years old, I was hooked on this team. That image to this day is burned into my memory, it's the last time I ever saw any of my teams actually win a championship that I can remember. These past few years have been rough on a diehard Mets fan like me but we have our moments here and there. One amazing memory that is actually up there with that '86 championship to a degree, was the first ever no-hitter in Mets history. I'll never forget back on June 1^st, 2012 when for the first time in team history, the New York Mets FINALLY achieved a no-hitter. I watched every inning that game getting goosebumps with every successful out leading to the 9^th inning. Once it finally happened, I knew that the player who ended up bringing that elusive no-hitter to the Mets would be immortalized forever. Of course it went to one of my favorite players on the team, Starting Pitcher Johan Santana.

Some say the decision Manager Terry Collins made to keep Santana in that game potentially led to the shoulder issues that nagged him thereafter. He re-tore his shoulder capsule going into this past MLB season and ultimately needed season-ending surgery that technically stemmed from that perfect game. He missed the entire season and being at the age of 34 years old, everyone wondered if he would ever be the same again. A few weeks ago, the Mets had the decision to pick up his team option or decline it. The team ultimately made the decision to not bring him back. At the time of this editorial, he will be testing the free agency market. There is a possibility he will return to the Mets if no interesting offers are presented from other teams. There is also talk he might be presented with a new deal by the Mets that is incentive based since he is coming off surgery and a year away from MLB. It’s the first time in his career Santana will be a free agent so this is all new to him as well as Mets fans seeing his name there.

When you look at the big picture, many questions need to be answered. Can Santana be effective as a starter again next year? Since he's towards the last leg of his solid career, would there be a chance he would change pitching positions? Maybe converting to a Relief Pitcher or even a Closing Pitcher at this point of his career? Of course the big elephant in the room is would the Mets make some kind of offer to bring him back since we are down an ace? We all know Starting Pitcher Matt Harvey will be out for all of the 2014 MLB season due to Tommy John Surgery on his throwing shoulder so we have a spot open. Would it make sense to bring back an established ace to fill the void without Harvey?

Let's try to dissect all this for a moment.

In the long-term sense, bringing back Santana would be a mistake. For the short-term idea of things, perhaps a simple one-year deal as insurance would be ideal for the Mets. I still think though, this could truly have been the last time we've seen Santana wear a Mets uniform and I'll explain why. We all know the Owners of the Mets, the Wilpons, have made it quite clear they want to bring in some top notch talent to the team to make a quality season out of 2014. They want great pitching, solid defense, hard-hitting players, and gradually mix in their young amazing prospects into the majors. The Mets farm system is one of the best in baseball, especially with pitchers. The Wilpons want to make the organization and its fans know the “youth movement” is coming, no more memories of aging superstars eating away at the finances of the team. No more old players just standing around being unproductive or way past their prime. The key is to upgrade areas with established productive players through the free agency and build from within. Sadly, a player like Santana doesn't fit this criteria anymore when you think about it. He's coming off an entire year of no baseball activity and off of back to back major shoulder surgeries. It's more than likely he's seen his better days and for the Mets to bring him back would be a setback. It would seem like they're just bringing him back for namesake purposes and not for the benefit of the long-term big picture. Sure, there is that slight chance he will return and be decent but history shows that most players don't after these circumstances. They come back and easily require a few more years of re-learning the mechanics and techniques of what made them originally famous. It's not easy to say the least.

It's sad that Santana's final moments with the Mets ended this way. I don't see him returning to the team and he will end up playing somewhere else battling struggles to keep up with everything. I'll always be grateful for his contributions to the Mets as well as finally bringing that no-hitter to this franchise. I finally got to witness something other than a championship that will be remembered for generations to come. Santana pitched that in Citi Field too, you can't put a price on how awesome it all was.

The first Mets jersey I ever bought was back in 2008. When it comes to jerseys, I always take my time and think about who I want to represent. Sure, I could have easily got one of David Wright, Jose Reyes, or even Carlos Beltran since they were all awesome at the time. Something told me though, I had to get the jersey of a true warrior. Someone who exemplified greatness and extraordinary skill. A baseball player who fascinated me every single time I saw them play this sport I love so much.

I went with #57.

The LTJ Editorial: “Don't underestimate Murphy; put him at first”

“The LTJ Editorial”
Author: Luis Tirado Jr.
Date: 11-1-13
Twitter: @LTJ81
Website: http://www.TheNYExpress.com

“Don't underestimate Murphy; put him at first”

 

For the past few years, the New York Mets haven't had a permanent nor consistent playmaker at first base. We saw a glimpse of hope back in 2010 when First Baseman Ike Davis was called up to the majors and made a serious impact on the team. Right before the 2010 All-Star Game, he had the second most HR's of any rookie in team history with 11. I specifically remember his defense was on point, he was patient with every at-bat, and he came through in clutch situations. Sadly, the following year in 2011, he was hit with a severe ankle injury and hasn't been the same since. Sure, in 2012 he hit a decent .227 with 32 HR's but in 2013 he was at his worst. It was so bad, I don't even want to mention his stat line since it was a definite decline from years past. Davis was demoted to AAA and had to earn his way back up to the majors. What happened? My theory is it's all in his head. He seems to lack the confidence that he can be a solid and consistent player. If he just focused on making the right choices in key situations he would be fine but he always looked lost and confused. He didn't stick to his original batting stance and changed it up almost every few games. Even Keith Hernandez questioned who, what, where, and why did his batting stance have no consistency. Davis's defense was atrocious and all across the media, people were demanding change. That change came by way of First Baseman Josh Satin.

Satin was called up to replace Davis, much to the cheers of Mets fans across the nation to bring some kind of redemption out of first base. He was someone who was doing good in AAA and earned an opportunity to help contribute to the team in the majors. He definitely impressed, he was getting his hits, played pretty good defense, and also made a Mets rookie record! He had a streak going on 29 consecutive games he started in which he at least got on base until it ended. Once the streak ended (Ironically once Davis was recalled up to the majors and got his starting spot back almost immediately) he started to struggle a bit. Satin lost that streak he had when he first arrived and just became another name at first base where he faded away. The Mets played the new game of shuffling first basemen based on who was pitching since once excelled over the other based on righties versus lefties. I've always said that while Satin did provide a spark at first base, he was better as a quality backup or used as a pinch hitter. Perhaps he needs more time in the minors, I just don't see the superstar potential of him just yet.

As we all know, the Mets plan to spend some serious money this offseason to start building the necessary pieces to contend for a championship in the next few years. 2014 seems to be the year but it could be 2015 or beyond, who knows. It's not going to happen overnight, but the plan is to bring in some much needed top talent to compliment the pieces we already have. One interesting scenario has been the possibility of trading away more talent to get either pieces we need now or future draft picks. The most common name has been Second Baseman Daniel Murphy. He had a pretty solid season for the Mets with a stat line of .286, 188 hits, 38 doubles, 4 triples, and 13 HR's. With a solid .319 OBP he definitely was a consistent player. Many suggest that the Mets could ship Murphy to a team that desperately needs an established second baseman and acquire some minor league talent for pitching, relief pitching, and the outfield. I don't think the Mets should trade him at all, he has been an asset to the team and continues to improve steadily. I actually thought about a scenario that would fix our issues at first base and allow some other popular players a chance to be on the field instead of being just hidden away as depth.

In my mind, this is how I envision our infield according to my scenario:

First Base: Daniel Murphy
Second Base: Wilmer Flores
Third Base: David Wright
Shortstop: (acquire top talent in offseason)
Catcher: Travis d'Arnaud

I'd move Daniel Murphy to first base since he can definitely handle it and be a fixture there. Wilmer Flores has shown signs of being the next big thing in New York, similar to when we all saw the debut and eventual development of Starting Pitcher Matt Harvey. It would be a shame to just have Flores and his talent be wasted waiting behind David Wright who unless he gets injured, will be playing third base the majority of the time. Speaking of Wright, he isn't going anywhere, he will always be our all-star third baseman. Shortstop is a weak link in our infield, Quintanilla did an sub par job last season and I don't see Tejada being a permanent starter. He just gets into a slump and never seems to bounce back in a positive way. That's why the Mets absolutely need to acquire a solid top talent shortstop in the offseason. Rumors have circulated we could have a reunion with Jose Reyes but I doubt it, plus he is another player who always gets injured and isn't consistent. Throw in the fact that he's coming in towards the latter half of his career. I'd like someone like Jhonny Peralta or even Stephen Drew to be honest. Someone who can hit, be good defensively, and steal some bases! Finally, I think d'Arnaud will turn into a solid catcher but will need another year or so to keep at it. Experience behind the plate will only help his progression. He should be our permanent main catcher for these next few years.

Murphy at first base would finally put an end to the slumps there, blunders on defense, and bring more of a successful presence there. I don't want to see him go since we absolutely need him to keep building around our core. So far it's shaping up nicely, like I said, just an idea I think would work while we bring in a quality shortstop, one starting pitcher, a few outfielders, and of course, a relief pitcher or two. Let us all see what the Mets have in store for us, bidding wars for the top free agents in MLB starts this coming Tuesday, November 5^th, 2013.

Let the races begin! Before you hit the gate, trust me, leave Murphy at first base, he's got this!

Mack Ade – Morning Report – 10-7-13 – Binghamton, Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes, 40-Man, Kevin Plawecki

 

Adam Rubin –

                The long-reported potential move of the Double-A Binghamton Mets to Ottawa has received what appears to be its final death knell. Ottawa’s Finance and Economic Development Committee has shifted its attention from a prospective Double-A team to an independent league team, according to a published report in Canada.

                                Mack – This is very good news. You want the Mets AA and AAA teams as physically close to Queens as you can get them. The Mets need to everything they can to keep the powers to be in Binghamton happy. In addition, I hope back channels are being developed between Syracuse and the Mets to hopefully become their AAA affiliate after the 2014 contract runs out with airless Las Vegas. Mets minor leaguers are supposed to be freezing their balls off in April, not doubling down on the strip.

 

Carlos Beltran on Mets –

                “Maybe I’ll see you, maybe I won’t. I’m going to listen to everybody and we’ll see what happens. I have nothing against them. I would say that was unfortunate to go through that whole thing with my surgery, but I’m pretty good in letting things go.”

                                Mack – Beltran is saying all the right things for a guy that could go into the Hall of Fame someday as a Met. He was always a misunderstood Met and I was there first hand for three spring trainings, including the one where he took charge of his only rehab program on his knee. The Mets wanted him to move faster and he would have nothing to do with it. Beltran is a pro’s pro who knew his body better than any Met doctor they threw at him. He also never reacted to that last at bat where fans castrated him for not taking the bat off his shoulder. He thought it was a ball and he’s do the same thing again. I think there is a good chance you could see both him and Marlon Byrd for two-year contracts here to ehlp calm things down while this team still tries to figure out who is going to play in their outfield in 2016 (right wo, my guess would be Dustin Lawley, and elevated Brandon Nimmo, and Cesar Puelo, baring any additional top notched purchase.

 

Joe D –

                Will The Mets Consider A Reunion With Jose Reyes?

                                Mack –Get off of this.  This is a dead horse being dug up and beaten. He bought a home on Long Island for the school, and he loves the pizza there. This ship has passed… this had as much accuracy as the premature moving of the Binghamton franchise.  I’m not a big fan of speculative’ posting like ‘the Mets should…’. It makes for ‘hits’ and nothing more.

 

Brian Joura’s  40-man –

                Pitchers (18) – Vic Black, deGrom, Edgin, Jeurys Familia, Gee, Gonzalez Germen, Gorski, Harvey, Hefner, Matz, Mejia, Jonathon Niese, Parnell, Rice, Hansel Robles, Carlos Torres, Walters and Zack Wheeler.

Catchers (2) – Juan Centeno, Travis d’Arnaud

Infielders (12) – Davis, Duda, Wilmer Flores, Zach Lutz, Murphy, Quintanilla, Rodriguez, Satin, Tejada, Turner, Wilfredo Tovar and David Wright

Outfielders (7) – Baxter, Andrew Brown, Matt den Dekker, Juan Lagares, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Cesar Puello, Young. - http://mets360.com/?p=19242

                Mack – This is a good start. I would add Luis Cessa and Miller Diaz, who are eligible for the Rule V draft. Frankly, I would take off Robles who hasn’t developed… I hope at least one of the first basemen are gone and we can come up with someone better than Quintanilla before the season starts. I simply hate the outfield.

 

Ed Coleman –

                Harvey’s decision also impacts the wealth of young pitching that the Mets have in reserve. Trading away some of those “chips” to fill other holes the team has now probably becomes prohibitive. Alderson was always reluctant to go this course, but now seems even less likely to do so. http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/10/06/coleman-alderson-has-decisions-to-make-in-the-absence-of-harvey-next-season/

                Mack – It looks like all the Mets brass and beat reporters are finally agreeing on one thing… the solution to the Mets problems is not to start prematurely trading away the young pitchers in the system to fill the holes in the lineup. We all saw the injuries last year… Mejia…Hefner… Harvey… etc. We can’t expect the Mets staff to have an injury free season in 2014. However… what I do expect is the timetable on both Rafael Montero and Noah Syndergaard to speed up a little, especially if they have a hot April and May in Las Vegas. I’ve said it a 1000 times… this team gets to the playoffs with pitching and an after all-star game rotation of Wheeler, Niese, Gee, Syndergaard, and Montero, with Mejia, Familia, Black, Parnell, deGrom, Germen heading up the pen. A staff like this can produce an awful lot of wins if you get them a few more runs than you did this year.

 

Michael Lecolant -

The Mets may have struck pay dirt though, with their number one 2012 compensation pick.  With the thirty-fifth overall selection, the Mets opted for a more polished college catcher, Kevin Plawecki.  After two full seasons playing for Brooklyn, Savannah and PSL, Plawecki, 22, boasts a .278 average in 665 total at-bats, forty-six doubles, fifteen home runs, 107 runs batted in, and a .376 OBP.  He finished the 2013 season with a combined .390 OBP and .305 batting average in 449 at-bats, with thirty-eight doubles and eighty runs batted in. http://risingapple.com/2013/10/06/the-unlucky-process-of-rebuilding-through-the-draft/

                Mack – 2014 will be a critical year for both Plawecki and Travis d’Arnaud. Normally, I would say that someone as talented as Plawecki would be trade bait being directly behind such a projected talent like d’Arnaud, but this does not take into accord the dreaded injury bug that seems to have hit Darno throughout his career. I’m not sure where Plawecki will open the season but he will make his bones in Binghamton this year. Past that, the future of Mets catching looks very bright.

 

John Stubel –

                Vic Black, LaTroy Hawkins, Aaron Harang, Carlos Torres, Jeremy Hefner, Ike Davis, Diasuke Matsuzaka and Lucas Duda are not the answer. To win, and be competitive enough to win a division or play in the post season, Alderson knows the Mets will need more than parts and pieces. The good news is the Mets will "monitor the opportunities in the marketplace factor those in within a budget," according to Alderson. Let me translate: manage your expectations this off-season. For example, will Robinson Cano's name come up at organizational strategy meetings scheduled this week in Port St. Lucie? No. “We’d be in a position to do it, whether it were the right player,” Alderson said last week. “But would it be prudent to do it, even for the right player. It’s not out of the question. Will we do it, that is more of a strategic question, not a matter of resources.” Read that quote again -- carefully. Alderson already answered the question, Whether it's Cano, or Jacoby Ellsbury, Shin-Soo Choo, Matt Garza or Bronson Arroyo, the answer is no. "...would it be prudent to do it, even for the right player," said Alderson. Do you know what prudent means? Here, I'll save you some time: Prudent is acting with or showing care and thought for the future. It appears that with Harvey on the shelf, subsequently, so is the Mets future. http://johnstrubel.com/harvey-surgery-will-impact-mets-plans/

                Mack – I know John. He designed one of my blogs. I also consider him one of the most intelligent and informed Mets bloggers out there. Read what he said again. Here’s your 2014 folks.

 

Tyler Kepner -

When the Mets put Marlon Byrd’s name on the wire, Huntington pounced, hoping that a team with a worse record would not claim him first. Nobody did, and the Pirates sent reliever Vic Black and a Class A infielder to the Mets for Byrd and John Buck on Aug. 27. Four days later, Huntington shipped two more players to Minnesota for first baseman Justin Morneau. For Byrd, who hit a combined .291 with 24 home runs for the Mets and Pittsburgh, this season has been as exhilarating as last season was sobering. In 47 games with the Chicago Cubs and the Boston Red Sox, he hit .210 with one homer. He also served a 50-game suspension for testing positive for tamoxifen, a banned substance. Byrd has explained that he took Nolvadex, a medication to control gynecomastia, the enlargement of breast tissues in males. The condition can be caused by steroid use, but Byrd said he did not know why he had it. He told Newsday that he did not know Nolvadex contained tamoxifen. “It was me not doing my homework,” he said. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/07/sports/baseball/pirates-willing-to-be-stupid-made-smart-midseason-moves.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=1&

                Mack – taking something to try to eliminate male breasts sure sounds like steroids to me… still. 2013 looks to be drug free and let’s give the guy a tip of the hat for a great season that, for him, is still going on. I’ll take him back in a heart beat.

 

Rob Rogan -

Nieuwenhuis’ future with the team is in serious question at this point. The expectation is that the Mets will look to upgrade the corner outfield spots this off-season. Assuming they do, and with Young and Lagares on the roster, it seems that Nieuwenhuis will be a long shot to make the major league roster next season. The presence of Matt den Dekker and the looming AAA arrival of Cesar Puello further cloud his future. The fact that he was not promoted in September when rosters expanded is surely a bad sign as well, and he will most likely remain in AAA as outfield depth moving forward. http://mets360.com/?p=19247

                Mack – 2013 just didn’t work out well for the Captain, who obvious never stood a chance under Terry Collins of becoming the everyday centerfielder. He had only nine, I repeat, nine plate appearances the entire year against lefties. You can’t turn around bad numbers unless you get plate appearances and it looks like the chances for Nieuwenhuis have gone away. Centerfield, at worst, in 2014 will be a platoon with den Dekker and Juan Lagares. For now, I expect the Captain to be a mainstay in Las Vegas, though he could lose a starting job to the trio of Puello, Darrell Cecilliani, and Dustin Lawley.

3-4-13 – Roster Madness, Jose Reyes, dD, Matt Harvey,

Buster Olney‏  - @Buster_ESPN

Mets: Amazing. Their two highest paid pitchers might not be available opening day, and their 2 highest-paid outfielders are Bonilla and Bay.

            This is messed up and entirely unexplainable to the general baseball fan.

            You simply can’t come up with a better case example (good legal term, Rey?) that long term contracts can bury a team in mediocrity.        

            Folks, you lock these guys up for this kind of money  that include years that their game is in decline and you are not going to get players that bust their ass. Oh, there are exceptions, and hopefully David Wright is one of them, but always remember how much of this game is mental.

            Santana and Francisco for Soriano… just get them out of camp.

Jose Reyes went 3-3, 2B, HR, 3RBI on Saturday. Hitting .643 this spring

            (pick up the phone…)  okay… Ruben Tejada, Daniel Murphy, Juan Centeno, Cory Mazzoni, and Darin Gorski for Reyes… hello… hello?

Peter Gammons‏ - @pgammo

Scout in Fla.-"I've seen three young catchers this spring who'll have long careers--D'Arnaud(Mets), Vazquez(Bos.), Bethancourt(Atl)

            Travis d'Arnaud was 1 for 2, 2B, RBI. Hitting .455 so far in ST

            It’s becoming increasingly more obvious that this is the real deal. I wasn’t that thrilled with his first few throws down to second base, but his bat speed is not only controlled, but extremely compact and, well, fast as hell. It reminds me a lot of David Wright. We may have a reversal of last year’s hot first half, cold second half. Stellar years by Ike Davis, Jon Niese, and Lucas Duda, a steady Ruben Tejada, Dillon Gee, and Wright, a rebirth of Scott Atchison, Latroy Hawkins, and Marlon Byrd, and emerging years second half seconds by Zack Wheeler ahd D’Arnaud could make for an interesting race for second place

.

Matt Harvey's line against the Marlins 2.2IP, 1ER, 3H, 1BB, 4K

            Simply put, we’re not going to have to worry about this gu

y for 5+ years, barring any major injury. He’s the obvious opening day pitcher in 2014 and, I can’t see him losing that honor to even Zack Wheeler. I’ll start the few predictions I come up with each spring (I hate predictions) with this one:  16-7, 3.15, 1.10, 190.1-IP, 212-K, 47-BB

2-16-13 – Mets Pen, Jose Reyes, Marlon Byrd, Lucas Duda, Reese Havens

Jordany Valdespin, Wilfredo Tovar and Jenrry Mejia are the only players missing from camp.

Mike Puma:

A tie goes to the veterans. That is how manager Terry Collins views the competition for open jobs in the Mets’ bullpen, as he begins evaluating which arms might belong on the Opening Day roster. LaTroy Hawkins, Pedro Feliciano, Scott Atchison and Aaron Laffey are among the veteran relievers battling for jobs, with Jeurys Familia, Darin Gorski and Robert Carson among the notable younger pitchers in the hunt.

This makes sense to me. The veterans have been there before and they should be called upon first to prove they can still deliver the kind of stats they have in the past.

I assume that Frank Francisco will start the season on the DL.

“Locks” to me in the bullpen are Bobby Parnell, Brandon Lyon, and Josh Edgin (I’m missing somebody…)

Past that, it’s any combination of the names listed above plus Chuck James, Greg Burke, Jeremy Hefner, and Scott Rice.

IMO, the only youngster that stands a chance to come out of this camp with an MLB job is LHP Robert Carson, mainly due to how he pitched the back end of last season. Jeurys Familia still has to prove he can pound the zone, Darin Gorski needs to make the conversion to a reliever in the minors, and the opportunities for Elvin Ramirez may have come and gone.

Teams don’t sign all these veterans if they have confidence in their youngsters.

Regarding Las Vegas, look for new AAA pen additions Brad Holt (yeah, he’s still around), St. John’s Craig Hansen, Ryan Fraser, and Armando Rodriguez.

Kevin Kernan on old d’Arnaud coaches:

Roly de Armas was his first manager. Mike Compton was the Phillies’ minor league catching coordinator. D’Arnaud has earned a special place in both men’s baseball hearts. “I’ve started professionally in 1965 and I worked with and seen a lot of great catchers, and the great ones just have a different gear. Travis is one of those guys,’’ Compton told The Post yesterday at the Carpenter Complex, where Phillies’ minor league players train. “It’s like Usain Bolt; he can just run faster than other people. It’s just there.

“I was with Johnny Bench when he was a young fella,’’ said Compton, the Phillies field coordinator, “and Travis, when he’s off on another field and you look over; physically, he walks and looks a lot like Johnny. His shoulders hang like John’s; he’s got big hands like John, and the mannerisms. He’s got a lot of tools and he is such a gifted hitter.’’

Jesus, they compared him to Usain Bolt and Johnny Bench in the same story. Now, that’s pressure.

More Kernan:

Jose Reyes said that two days before he was traded from the Marlins to the Blue Jays, Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria assured him he was not going to be traded by the flush-it-down the drain Marlins. “Two days before the trade, I was having dinner with him in New York,’’ Reyes explained.  At that mid-November dinner, the Marlins owner went so far as to tell Reyes to buy a house in Miami. “He was talking still about getting a nice house in Miami,’’ the former Mets shortstop said. “That was kind of crazy, how do you want me to spend my money in Miami when I have my house in New York and you are going to trade me in two days? “Then I went on vacation with my wife and I found out I was trade. I thought people were joking but when I called my agent he said yes I was traded … I was shocked.

          Are we talking scumbag or what?

Couldn’t you at least cancel the dinner? This trade will never be equaled in sheer arrogance by an owner. And the sad part about it is there is nothing anyone can do about it.

Let’s remember this team was dismembered two other times after getting to the World Series. It’s absolutely impossible to believe anything that comes out of this guy’s blow hole.

I really feel sorry for Reyes and I still miss him. He will always be a New York Met to me and we’ll never know what went wrong between himself, Sandy Alderson, and Fred Wilpon. This was an easily workable contract for a guy that could still be at short while Ruben Tejada moves over to second.

Kevin Burkhardt‏ - @KBurkhardtSNY

Terry Collins saying the Marlon Byrd, who arrived today, can win the RF job without platooning. I also think Cowgill and Baxter will get more and more consideration to lead off by TC, so platoons in RF and CF seem logical

I seem to remember Terry Collins doing this same “so-and-so can be a starter for this team” crap last year. I know it’s nice to say good things about your players, but everybody can’t start and haven’t you already said about eight other guys can start in the outfield?

TC reminds me of Vice President Joe Biden. There’s always just a little too much coming out of his mouth during the pressers.

I’m not sure if many of you know this, but one of the originators (and maybe the originator) of the platoon system was Casey Stengel.

(boy… the one thing missing on this site is a writer telling old stories about old Mets…)

Mike Puma‏ - @NYPost_Mets

Alderson says he will make a decision Monday regarding Santana and WBC. Santana says the Mets prefer he doesn't participate.

I just can’t see any scenario that would say this was a good idea. 

He’s coming off an injury, he’s your ace for a run for the playoffs, or he’s trade bait at the halfway point of the season. Pick one and there’s no reason to risk another foot injury.

I remember that game. I saw him land funny and I said to myself “take him out now”. You let this guy go ‘home’ and he gets hurt playing funny baseball for the WBC and you throw away any chance you have at either a pennant or another Zack Wheeler deal down the drain.

Lucas Duda -

"Being sent down is probably one of the lowest points that you can have. I think that you learn from that and you grow from that, hopefully, and learn what you did [wrong] and what you can do to stay. And hopefully, I did that. That first couple of days you're angry, saying, 'Why am I here?' There's a clear-cut reason why you're here. You didn't play good enough to be in the big leagues. I realized that and got it through my head. I realized I wasn't playing well enough to stay there and tried to work to get back. And I did, and I think hopefully this year I'll stay there.”

Didn’t we just write last night about Duda having a lack of confidence? This paragraph ended a lot better than it started and the first step in achieving anything is believing in yourself. The scary part about the Mets outfield is Duda is the least of the problems which exposes just how severe this is. I can’t remember a New York team going into a season with this questionable level of talent in the outfield. I’m sure some of you can and I welcome you to chime in here.

Reese Havens –

          "I'm going to have back problems. It's just, I've learned how to try to stay on top of my back with doing core workouts and stretching and stuff. That's just what I've got to do. I'm always optimistic coming in. Last year, I wasn't able to work out like I did this year and I had some doubts about where my back was at coming in. And I still know I'm going to have to stay on top of it. But just the quality offseason training that I had makes me a little more confident this year than in other years."

          I didn’t realize that Havens was in camp already.

Sadly, I have seen this before. His name was Shawn Bowman and he was the original third base prospect before David Wright. Bowman also had a bad back; in fact, he ‘broke’ it twice and, regardless of how well he continued to hit in the minors, he never could stay 100% healthy.

Bad backs are something that don’t go away. Mine was operated on 15 years ago which means I have two stories to tell. One, I had pain for the 15 years prior to the operation and, two, I have no flexibility for the 15 years after the operation.

I wish Havens all the success in the world, but, it’s just a matter of time before we write again about his back problems.

I May Be Wrong, But… Jenrry Mejia, Jose Reyes, Zack Wheeler, C.J. Nitkowski

·         “Current” plans are to have Jenrry Mejia pitch his first game “in May”. That’s really good news. Very few come back this fast from TJS surgery and, I’m sure the Mets aren’t rushing things here. I expect the Mets to take advantage of the “rehab” rule and play him with St. Lucie for the first few outings. The weather will eventually warm up in New York State and I don’t see him repeating Binghamton. Look for Jenrry to pitch out of the Buffalo pen, at least through the all-star break. From there is pure speculation.

·         Are there still some of you that are shocked that Jose Reyes was only in it for the money? I’ve told you this for years and, anyone that was ever part of the Mets inner circle, knew that Reyes’ motivation has always been to take care of his family and his “people”. I sat with his entourage four years ago, just outside the entrance to the ST clubhouse (small park bench next to team bar-b-q) and asked those that were close to him if they thought Jose would retire as a Met. They all smiled and one said, “only if they pay him”. Reyes was never a dummy and all his slow rehabbing was to make sure he would be 100% in his contract year. It worked out exactly how he wanted it to be and anyone that thinks this is still a sport, and not a business, are years behind the times.

·         Wheeler pitched in an intra-squad game on Thursday morning and Mets coaches were “highly impressed” with everything dished up. He was basically unhittable including shattering a bat with one of his fastballs

·         C.J. Nitkowski tried out for the Mets today and both J.P. Ricciardi and Dan Warthen, who reportedly were both impressed. He last pitched in the majors in 2005. Since then, he’s pitched in both Korea and Japan. C.J. now pitches sidearm and is 39-years old.

Head of Surgery and Psychiatry: Sandy Alderson

By - Jarod Alley               

In a perfect world the New York Mets would be annual competitors in the playoff picture, harvesting young talent and spending their free agent dollars on the most premier talent. Reality though has held a different fate for our lovable losers. We’ve been through multiple questionable trades, reckless free agent spending, a sapped farm system, over exaggerated major league rosters, seasons filled with injuries, an ongoing financial dispute and three different coaches. All of this happened within the last 10 years.

                Yeah, it is tough being a Met fan sometimes, but it’s also tough not to like the Wilpons decision in hiring Sandy Alderson to reign in a team that was looking like it was going to take a very long downward spiral. Even if he were forced upon Fred and Jeff by Bud Selig and Major League Baseball, Sandy has been very efficient in re-structuring the seemingly fractured parts and pieces of this team. True, he did let Jose Reyes walk almost without much dialogue but how many of you would have guaranteed Jose…Jose, Jose, Jose  that kind of contract? I know I wouldn’t. Without a solid pitching staff the retention of Reyes combined with Wright, Davis, Murphy and question marks at other positions would seem like a major gamble to put together a World Series caliber team.

           

     One can hardly argue with some of the other decisions he has made too. He’s been signing guys that are very much low risk high reward guys to stitch up vacancies on the team. Last year we saw the resurgent Isringhausen and durable Capuano perform above and beyond expectations both on salaries that amounted to roughly 2.5 million, combined. Also, for the first time in as long as I can remember our Rule 5 draft pick ended up being a very serviceable arm in our bullpen. While Pedro Beato wasn’t a complete success he still proved to be a useful piece out of the bullpen and will be back with the organization since they were able to keep him on the roster all of last year.

                In regards to the minors he’s been active to shape it to his liking as well. Trading Carlos Beltran mid-year for a top pitching prospect in Zack Wheeler helped to gain favor with fans by adding a young phenom arm to go along with Matt Harvey.  In years past the Omar Minaya regime would have clung to their expiring contracts with little hope of making a push into the playoffs thus leaving the club without any return on investment. Instead last year Sandy let Reyes walk saving major cash and gaining an additional draft pick along with the midseason acquisition of Wheeler; two moves that should h elp strengthen a middling minor league system.

                While many of his decisions won’t be known to be truly successful until the next 5-10 years, he has created an environment where competence is not as easily questioned. I for one hope his disinfecting, stitching, splinting and overall medication proves to be the elixir the Mets have been looking for to make this team successful not just in the now but for the foreseeable future as well.

Mets: Jose Reyes, Johan Santana, Michael Fulmer, Shortstop

Mets:  Jose Reyes, Johan Santana, Michael Fulmer, Shortstop

Marlins Sign Jose Reyes for 6/$106M - I know that a lot of people have reservations about Reyes’ health, and I’m on a bit of an island in loving this deal for the Marlins, but I don’t think that our ability to predict future health is anywhere near good enough to make a player of Reyes’ talents take this kind of discount. Reyes is a better player than Prince Fielder and signed for half of the total guaranteed money. Yes he’s had leg problems, but at this price, Reyes could miss a significant chunk of each season and still be worth the money. The guy is a legitimate +5 win player in the prime of his career, and he signed for just slightly more than the Carlos Lee price tag. The Marlins got a lot better this winter, and they did it primarily by bringing in one of the best shortstops in baseball at a price that makes sense for the organization. http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/the-10-best-transactions-of-the-winter/

Best Pitcher: Johan Santana - It would be nice to not have to pick a guy that missed 2011 recovering from shoulder surgery, but the Mets don't have much else to work with. During his time in Minnesota, Santana was one of the best pitchers of our time and I think a lot of people tend to forget how dominating he really was. Between 2004 and 2008, he averaged: 17-8, 2.82 ERA, 0 starts missed, 229 innings, 238 Ks, 52 BBs, 1.02 WHIP and he won two Cy Young awards while finishing in the top 5 all five years. In New York he has been good, but not nearly that good, and he missed parts of 2009 and 2010 before missing all of 2011. http://www.faketeams.com/2012/2/6/2775041/fantasy-baseball-spotlight-new-york-mets

RHP Michael Fulmer - Much like I group Pill and Verrett together due to similar ceilings/stuff, I group Fulmer along with the aforementioned Mazzoni in terms of overall ability and ceiling. Fulmer was the Mets 2011 supplemental selection (44th overall) in exchange for losing Pedro Feliciano to the Yankees. Drafted out of an Oklahoma high school, it cost the Mets just short of $1M -- well over MLB slot -- to sway Fulmer's strong commitment to the Univ. of Arkansas. Like Mazzoni, Fulmer signed just in time to get a little seasoning, though he was less successful in his four appearances with the GCL Mets. However, he too features a low-to-mid 90's heater and an advanced slurve for a prep product. Though like most prep pitchers his change-up lags far behind. http://www.amazinavenue.com/2012/2/6/2768128/2012-amazin-avenue-mets-top-50-prospect-15-11

It would seem to be a foregone conclusion that Tejada is the 2012 shortstop, and of the future, for the Mets. We are assuming that he will look at least as good as he did last year, when he filled in ably at short when Reyes was on the DL. At the same time, he was a little erratic at short compared to how confident and natural he looked at second base; that said, do we know for sure which side of 2B Tejada belongs? Might we see him playing both positions in 2012? Further, what if Tejada looks completely overmatched at shortstop during spring training? Would the Mets start the season with Ronny Cedeno at short, and send Tejada down to AAA for more seasoning at the position? Or would they keep him up with the big club, working him in and out of the lineup until he earns a starting job? I wonder if the former makes more sense; at age 22, Tejada is still very young, and may benefit more by regular reps rather than sporadic starts. http://www.metstoday.com/7422/11-12-offseason/mets-spring-training-question-12-shortstop/