12/14 - 12/17 Winter League Results | Albaladejo Throws a Gem but take Loss, Boscan Battles Through 5 and Gets Win, Rasquin Disappoints in Rare Start, Montero & Lagares Added to Dominican Rosters

December 14th

Arizona Fall League
- Completed on November 18th
(Recap can be found here.) 

Mexican Pacific League

- Charros de Jalisco 8 - 7 Yaquis de Obregon

- Tomateros de Culiacan 11 - 6 Caneros de los Mochis

- Naranjeros de Hermosillo 0 - 1 Venados de Mazatlan

- Mayos de Navojoa 3 - 4 Aguilas de Mexicali

• C Xorge Carrillo: 0 for 2, BB, 1 Runner Thrown Out

Venezuelan Winter League

- Cardenales de Lara 3 - 1 Navegantes del Magallanes

- Caribes de Anzoategui 7 - 1 Tigres de Aragua

• LHP Alberto Baldonado: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 K

- Tiburones de la Guaira 0 - 1 Aguilas del Zulia

• RHP Johnathan Albaladejo: 7.0 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, Loss(5-4)

Dominican Winter League

- No Games Scheduled

December 15th

Arizona Fall League

- Completed on November 18th

(Recap can be found here.) 

Mexican Pacific League

- Charros de Jalisco 9 - 1 Naranjeros de Hermosillo

- Yaquis de Obregon 8 - 2 Caneros de los Mochis [13 innings]

- Mayos de Navojoa 3 - 6 Tomateros de Culiacan

- Aguilas de Mexicali 0 - 1 Venados de Mazatlan [10 innings]

• C Xorge Carrillo: 0 for 3, BB, K, 3 SB Allowed, 1 Runner Thrown Out

Venezuelan Winter League

- Tiburones de la Guaira 0 - 3 Aguilas del Zulia [Doubleheader- 7 innings]

- Tiburones de la Guaira 1 - 2 Aguilas del Zulia [Doubleheader- 7 innings]

- Bravos de Margarita 2 - 4 Cardenales de Lara
- Caribes de Anzoategui 8 - 11 Leones del Caracas

- Navegantes del Magallanes 6 - 1 Tigres de Aragua

Dominican Winter League

- Estrellas Orientales 6 - 9 Leones del Escogido
- Tigres del Licey 4 - 7 Toros del Este
- Gigantes del Cibao 6 - 5 Aguilas Cibaenas

• PH Jhoan Urena: 1 for 1

December 16th

Arizona Fall League

- Completed on November 18th
(Recap can be found here.) 

Mexican Pacific League

- Charros de Jalisco 5 - 7 Naranjeros de Hermosillo

- Yaquis de Obregon 3 - 2 Caneros de los Mochis [12 innings]

- Mayos de Navojoa 6 - 2 Tomateros de Culiacan

- Aguilas de Mexicali 4 - 3 Venados de Mazatlan [10 innings]

• C Xorge Carrillo: 1 for 4, K, 1 SB Allowed, 1 Runner Thrown Out

Venezuelan Winter League

- Tiburones de la Guaira 1 - 13 Navegantes del Magallanes

- Cardenales de Lara 1 - 7 Leones del Caracas

• PR/2B Walter Rasquin: 0 for 2, 1 K

- Bravos de Margarita 1 - 3 Aguilas del Zulia

• RHP Wilfredo Boscan: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, Win(4-3)

- Tigres de Aragua 2 - 5 Caribes de Anzoategui

• LHP Alberto Baldonado: 0.2 IP, 1 BB, 2 K

Dominican Winter League

- Gigantes del Cibao 5 - 3 Leones del Escogido
- Tigres del Licey 4 - 3 Estrellas Orientales
- Toros del Este 5 - 4 Aguilas Cibaenas

December 17th

Arizona Fall League

- Completed on November 18th
(Recap can be found here.) 

Mexican Pacific League

- Charros de Jalisco vs Naranjeros de Hermosillo [PPD- Rain]
- Aguilas de Mexicali vs Venados de Mazatlan [PPD- Rain]

- Yaquis de Obregon 7 - 2 Caneros de los Mochis [Suspended due to Rain- Top 4th inning]

- Mayos de Navojoa 2 - 0 Tomateros de Culiacan

Venezuelan Winter League

- Bravos de Margarita vs Aguilas del Zulia [PPD- Rain]

- Navegantes del Magallanes 7 - 1 Cardenales de Lara

- Tigres de Aragua 1 - 8 Caribes de Anzoategui

- Leones del Caracas 4 - 11 Tiburones de la Guaira

• 2B Walter Rasquin: 0 for 4, R, 2 K
• LHP Kevin Canelon: 1.0 IP

Dominican Winter League

- Estrellas Orientales 1 - 6 Gigantes del Cibao

- Leones del Escogido 3 - 0 Toros del Este

- Aguilas Cibaenas 11 - 8 Tigres del Licey 

• CF John Mora: Defensive Replacement

Side Note: OF Juan Lagares has been added to the Aguilas Cibaenas reserves roster.
Side Note #2: RHP Rafael Montero has been added to the Toros del Este reserves roster.

FLASH: Terry Collins to Carry 3 Lefties in Bullpen, Josh Edgin Makes Team, Montero's Spot at Risk

     The Mets have announced that the team will carry 3 left handed relievers in the bullpen to start the both LHP Josh Edgin AND LHP Josh Smoker on the Opening Day Roster in addition to LHP Jerry Blevins. The reason for this decision is the fact the team views Smoker as a dual handed weapon because he did not have wide split difference between facing lefties or righties in the minor leagues. This leaves Edgin to be the true 2nd left handed specialist.

     This leaves only 1 spot remaining in the bullpen that the team has not decided on. After seemingly winning a spot after Sewald's re-assignment, RHP Rafael Montero is now competing with RHP Seth Lugo for that spot. Both guys will head up north with the team but only 1 of them will be added to the roster to be the swingman in the bullpen.

(There was talk about carrying 3 lefties in the pen early in the year....but after Lugo's impressive WBC performance and Montero's resurgence as a RP in camp...I figured that idea would be squashed in favor of carrying both guys. Instead now 1 of them will face a seemingly unfair demotion to AAA Las Vegas to be the club's first arm called up in case of injury to anyone in the rotation.)

FLASH: Paul Sewald Re-assigned, Rafael Montero Wins Bullpen Spot

(Photo Courtesy of MLB.com)

     The New York Mets announced this morning that RHP Paul Sewald has been re-assigned to minor league camp. Sewald pitched extremely well this spring in an effort to win a spot in the MLB bullpen. In 14.1 IP, Sewald posted a 2.51 ERA with a paltry .143 AVG against and a 7.5 K/ rate. Despite the strong performance, his inclusion would have required a spot to be opened on the 40 man roster. With David Wright already swinging again in camp, and everyone else seemingly in good health, there were no options to be placed on the 60 day DL to free up that spot.

     As a result of this move, RHP Rafael Montero seemingly will win the middle reliever job. Montero has also been pitching well this spring with a 1.96 ERA across 18.1 IP. His high strikeout totals (10.3 K/9) and ability to pitch multiple innings provides the Mets significant flexibility for the early part of the season when they are trying to keep SP inning totals down.

(This is just me reading the tea leaves......but I wonder if Montero winning this job is a pre-cursor to the Mets also bringing Zack Wheeler up north with them. The club already had a guy with the ability to provide length out of the bullpen in Seth Lugo...for them to carry another guy of that nature makes me wonder if they plan on going with a "piggyback" system between Wheeler and Lugo? Having the 2 of them combine for 7 IP and letting Montero be the official long man in the pen would effectively keep Wheeler's inning count down enough to get him to at least September without crossing that 120-125 IP limit that the team has initially set.)

Christopher Soto - Spring Training Battles: Back End of the Bullpen

     This has been a no holds barred cage match between a large group of guys with many of them pitching fairly well so far this spring. The current bullpen consists of 4 RHP (3 sans Familia) and 1 LHP so Terry can pretty much go with any combination of guys above and still have a pretty balanced bullpen. For this analysis though we will assume that the opening day bullpen will consists of 5 RHP and 2 LHP giving us 1 RHP spot and 1 LHP spot to fill. In addition, I am making the assumption that Seth Lugo is taking the last spot in the bullpen as the 6th starter/long man for the duration that Jeurys Familia is suspended for.

2nd Left-Hander Job

• Josh Edgin | 8.1 IP, 4.32 ERA, 3 BB, 9 K, .179 AVG against
•      Edgin has the inside track on the job by virtue of the fact that he is out of options and cannot be sent to the minor leagues without first being passed through waivers. The consensus amongst folks in the industry right now believe that he would certainly be claimed by another if that happen. That aside.....Edgin has pitched well this spring after shaky off a bit of rust in the early going. His lack of 'premium" velocity though is still a bit of concern as he has failed to regain the ticks on his fastball that he lost due to Tommy John surgery. With other left handed options advancing in the minor league system, the club could decide that it can afford to risk potentially lose Edgin.

• Josh Smoker | 10.1 IP, 1.74 ERA, 5 BB, 10 K, .200 AVG against
•       If Edgin were to be pushed.....this is the guy that would cause it. Smoker has been on the fast track to the MLB since the Mets resurrected him from the Independent Leagues in 2015. With a fastball that sits between 95-96 and can touch 100 mph and a wipeout slider that generates a ton of swings and misses, Smoker has the tools to be a premium MLB RP. The club also has quite a bit of confidence that he is ready for the MLB based on his performance in September last season. From Sept 3rd till the end of the season, Smoker faced 32 batters and struck out 14 of them (a 15.1 K/9 rate) while allowing a .241 Avg against.

• Adam Wilk | 9.1 IP, 1.93 ERA, 2 BB, 7 K, .243 AVG against
•      Signed to a minor league deal with a camp invite in January, Wilk was supposed to have legitimate shot at competing for the 2nd lefty role this spring.....until Blevins was re-signed that is. Now he's on the outside looking in but that hasn't stopped him from pitching extremely well this Spring. Unless an injury occurs, Wilk seems destined for AAA-Las Vegas where he can either be deployed as the LOOGY down there or he can even be used as a SP. In either scenario, he's an arm that the club will likely hold onto for the 2017 season.
• ***Adam Wilk was already re-assigned to minor league camp so he is out of the running.***

• Sean Gilmartin | 6.2 IP, 6.75 ERA, 3 BB, 4 K, .276 AVG against 
•       The former Rule 5 draft pick couldn't build off of his excellent 2015 bullpen season and was switched back to a SP in AAA-Las Vegas to provide the club some more depth last season. Based on his performance out of the bullpen so far this spring....it seems like he will likely be asked to do the same thing in 2017. With the numerous injury concerns in the club's rotation and the lack of higher end prospects forecasted to begin in AAA this season, Gilmartin could be one of the first arms called up should the injury bug plagued the Mets again.

• Tom Gorzelanny | 6.2 IP, 9.45 ERA, 4 BB, 6 K, .333 AVG against
•       Just like Wilk, Gorzelanny was signed to a minor league deal with a camp invite and was supposed to have a chance at winning this job before Blevins was re-signed. Unlike Wilk though, Gorzelanny has not looked very good this spring and is a candidate to be flat out released.

2nd Right-Hander Job

• Rafael Montero | 13.1 IP, 2.70 ERA, 7 BB, 20 K, .200 AVG against
•      Can the real Rafael Montero please stand up? If this is him....the Mets may finally be inclined to abandon hopes of him as a SP and carry him on the Opening Day roster as a low to mid leverage RP. The former control specialist is still having problems with his control this spring (4.7 BB/9) but the huge uptick in strikeouts (13.5 K/9) more than makes up for it. His stuff plus the ability to go multiple innings and makes him a perfect fit for an early bullpen usage innings eater role. The question is.....has the club seen enough to trust him?

• Ben Rowen | 10.1 IP, 1.93 ERA, 1 BB, 6 K, .156 AVG against
•      Why does a 28 year old an 82 mph fastball have the front office super excited? Well that would be because Mr. Rowen is a submarine style pitcher who has a career 1.85 ERA in the minor leagues. The Mets jumped on the opportunity and made Rowen their 1st minor league signing with a invitation to camp. So far he is proving exactly why the club likes him so much. In today's era of 95 mph+ fastballs from everyone in the MLB bullpen, Rowen gives opponents a very different/very strange look. Not only is the arm slot a rarity.....but his motion is almost wiffle ball like making it extremely difficult for a batter to get his timing right. Rowen has a VERY REAL chance of making it onto the MLB roster. The only thing giving the club pause is the fact that someone would have to be removed from the 40 man roster (or placed on the 60 Day DL) in order for them to add Rowen.
• ***Ben Rowen was re-assigned to minor league camp today so he is out of the running.***

• Paul Sewald | 10.1 IP, 1.74 ERA, 3 BB, 6 K, .143 AVG against
•      A rising bullpen star in the organization, Sewald has produced positive results as the closer for the St. Lucie, Binghamton, and Las Vegas teams over the past 3 seasons. Now he finds himself trying to force himself onto an MLB roster that is pretty crowded when it comes to right handed arms. Sewald doesnt really have the premium stuff most late inning RP have as his fastball only clocks in between 88-92 mph and his slider grades as a league average pitch. However, Sewald plays those pitches up with his unbelievable command of the lower half of the strike zone. It seems like Sewald will come up short this spring....but he may very well be getting a call to the big leagues at some point this season. 

• Erik Goeddel | 6.1 IP, 9.95 ERA, 0 BB, 9 K, .429 AVG against 
•      Goeddel has MLB experience......he's had MLB success......he possesses strikeout caliber stuff......unfortunately for him, he's coming off of elbow surgery and doesn't look like he is 100% yet. An assignment back to Las Vegas seems very much in the cards for him for now. However, since he IS on the 40 man roster, once the club does feel like he is ready, he could very well be the 1st right handed bullpen arm called up.
• ***Erik Goeddel was re-assigned to minor league camp today so he is out of the running.***

Winter League Results 1.24.2016 | Another Injury for Xorge Carrillo, Tigres Avoid Sweep In DR Championship, Barbosa Shuts Out Santurce

Mexican Pacific League Playoffs
Championship Series
- Aguilas de Mexicali 0 - 2 Venados de Mazatlan [Mazatlan Leads Series 3-1]

• C Xorge Carrillo: 0 for 1, K
• Trying to figure out why Carrillo was pulled from the game after the 3rd inning. Very possible that he was ejected for arguing after he was called out on strikes.
• UPDATE: The Inning prior to his last AB, Mazatlan DH Carlos Munoz collided with Carrillo trying to score from 2nd on a single to RF. Carrillo held onto the ball for the out and took his next AB but had to be removed from the game afterwards.

Venezuela Professional Baseball League Playoffs
Championship Series
- Navegantes del Magallanes 4 - 5 Tigres de Aragua [Navegentes Lead Series 2-1]

• LF Jairo Perez: 1 for 4, BB 

Dominican Baseball League Playoffs

Championship Series
- Leones del Escogido 6 - 7 Tigres del Licey  [Leones del Escogido Lead Series 4-1]

• RHP Rafael Montero: 0.1 IP, 1 K

Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League Playoffs
Championship Series
- Cangrejeros de Santurce 0 - 1 Indios de Mayaguez

• 3B T.J. Rivera: 1 for 4
• PH Johnny Monell: 0 for 0, BB
• LHP Andrew Barbosa: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 BB, 3 K, Win(3-1)

Winter League Results 1.21.2016 | Mazatlan Ties Mexican Championship Series at 1, Montero Blows Save in Dominican Championship, Monell and the Caguas Eliminated by Santurce

Mexican Pacific League Playoffs
Championship Series
- Venados de Mazatlan 4 - 2 Aguilas de Mexicali  [Series Tied 1-1]

• C Xorge Carrillo: 0 for 3, SB Allowed

Venezuela Professional Baseball League Playoffs
Championship Series
- No Games Scheduled



Dominican Baseball League Playoffs

Championship Series
- Tigres del Licey 4 - 6 Leones del Escogido  [Leones del Escogido Lead Series 2-0]

• RHP Rafael Montero: 0.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER
• Brutal Day for Montero. 1st Batter he faces, he grooves a 90mph fastball that Diory Hernandez tattoos into LF. He then gets Joey Terdoslavich to ground out but then gives up back to back to back singles before he gets pulled. Luckily, his teammates were able to bail him out.

Jonrón de Diory Hernández para empatar el partido a 4 carreras en el 8vo episodio. Cortesía de @AFPSiembra pic.twitter.com/mZOI9ZwjaQ

— LIDOM (@LIDOMRD) January 21, 2016

Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League Playoffs
Sudden Death Game
- Criollos de Caguas 0 - 1 Cangrejeros de Santurce

• DH Johnny Monell: 1 for 3

Winter League Results 1.18.2016 | Carrillo Hurt In 16 Inning Series Finale, Montero's Swing and Miss Stuff Appears, Rough Day for Barbosa

Mexican Pacific League Playoffs
Semi-Finals
- Venados de Mazatlan 2 - 1 Yaquis de Obregon  [Mazatlan Wins Series 4-3]
- Mayos de Navojoa 3 - 4 Aguilas de Mexicali  [Mexicali Wins Series 4-3] 

• C Xorge Carrillo: 0 for 1, HBP [Carrillo had to leave the game due to the HBP. Hopefully we will hear more about his condition over the next few days.]

Update: Big shout out to Michael Mayer of MetsMinors.net who was able to find video of the what happened on Youtube. If you are squeamish I would not recommend watching. Reports are indicating that he suffered a broken nose.

Venezuela Professional Baseball League Playoffs
Semi-Finals
- No Games Scheduled

• [Tigres lead series 3-2] 
• [Caribes lead series 3-2]

Dominican Baseball League Playoffs

Sudden Death Match [Winner Plays Tigres del Licey in Championship]
- Leones del Escogido 7 - 2 Toros del Este

• RHP Rafael Montero: 1.0 IP, 2 K [K'd Nationals bench player Tyler Moore and Detriot top prospect Steven Moya. Both Swinging K's]
• LHP Dario Alvarez: 0.1 IP [Faced AAA batter Carlos Peguero and induced infield grounder]

Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League Playoffs
Round Robin Stage [Pool Play Ends 1/20/2016]
- Cangrejeros de Santurce 4 - 1 Indios de Mayaguez

• 3B/2B T.J. Rivera: 0 for 4, K
• LHP Andrew Barbosa: 4.2 IP, 10 H, 4 ER, 3 K

Winter League Results 1.11.2016 | Carrillo's Aguilas Jumped Out to 2-0 Lead, Alvarez "the LOOGY" Dominates a Few Righties, Another Fine Bullpen Showing by Montero

Mexican Pacific League Playoffs
Semifinals
- Venados de Mazatlan 8 - 4 Yaquis de Obregon  [Series tied 1-1]
- Aguilas de Mexicali 1 - 10 Mayos de Navojoa  [Mexicali leads 2-0]

• C Xorge Carrillo: 2 for 3, 2 R, 2B, RBI(3), BB

Venezuela Professional Baseball League Playoffs
First Round
- Caribes de Anzoategui 1 - 0 Bravos de Margarita

Dominican Baseball League Playoffs
Round Robin Stage [Pool Play Ends 1/17/2016]
- Tigres del Licey 5 - 3 Toros del Este

• RHP Jenrry Mejia: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 K [Juan Pablo Perez allowed Mejia's runner to score]
• LHP Dario Alvarez: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 3 K [Faced 4 Right Handed Batters]

- Estrellas de Oriente 1 - 6 Leones del Escogido

• RHP Rafael Montero: 2.0 IP, 1 H

Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League Playoffs
Round Robin Stage [Pool Play Ends 1/20/2016]
- Cangrejeros de Santurce 0 - 3 Criollos de Caguas

• DH Johnny Monell: 1 for 3, BB, SB

Winter League Results 1.6.2016 | Cabrera Playoff AVG now Over .300, Perez Struggling in Playoffs, Montero with Another Scoreless Relief Outing

Mexican Pacific League Playoffs
1st Round
- Aguilas de Mexicali swept Charros de Jalisco (4-0)
- Yaquis de Obregon 4 - 1 Caneros de los Mochis [Obregon leads series 3-2]
- Venados de Mazatlan 2 - 3 Mayos de Navojoa [Navojoa leads series 3-2]



Venezuela Professional Baseball League Playoffs
First Round
- Tiburones de La Guaira 4 - 6 Caribes de Anzoategui  [Tiburones leads series 3-1]
- Tigres de Aragua 5 - 4 Bravos de Margarita  [Series Tied 2-2]
- Navegantes del Magallanes 2 - 1 Leones del Caracas  [Navegantes leads series 3-1]

• LF Jairo Perez: 1 for 5
• SS Asdrubal Cabrera: 2 for 4, BB, K, SB(1), Caught Stealing(1)

Dominican Baseball League Playoffs
Round Robin Stage [Pool Play Ends 1/17/2016]
- Tigres del Licey 4 - 2 Estrellas de Oriente
- Toros del Este 6 - 0 Leones del Escogido

• RHP Rafael Montero: 1.0 IP, 1 BB

Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League Playoffs
Round Robin Stage [Pool Play Ends 1/20/2016]
- No Games Scheduled

Winter League Results 12.30.2015 | Rough Day in Double-Header for Cabrera, Another Strong Relief Outing for Huchingson

Arizona Fall League

Completed. Final Game was November 19th

Mexican Pacific League

Completed. Final Game was December 29th

Venezuela Professional Baseball League (Last Game Scheduled for 12/30/2015)

- Caribes de Anzoategui 4 - 2 Leones del Caracas

• DH Asdrubal Cabrera: 0 for 4, 3 K 

- Cardenales de Lara 5 - 6 Leones del Caracas

• DH Asdrubal Cabrera: 1 for 4, R, K
• DH Jairo Perez: 1 for 3, R, 2B, RBI(39), K

Dominican Baseball League

Completed. Final Game was December 21st

Dominican Baseball League Playoffs
Round Robin Stage
- Leones del Escogido 6 - 7 Leones del Escogido

• RF Alejandro De Aza: 2 for 4, R, K
• RHP Rafael Montero: 0.2 IP, 1 H

- Estrellas de Oriente 2 - 4 Tigres del Licey

• LHP Chase Huchingson: 1.0 IP, 1 H, Hold(2)

Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League (Last Game Scheduled for 01/04/2016)

- Cangrejeros de Santurce 15 - 1 Gigantes de Carolina
- Indios de Mayaguez 3 - 4 Criollos de Caguas

• C Johnny Monell: 1 for 4, 2B, RBI(16), K, Passed Ball(5)
• PH T.J. Rivera: 0 for 1

Winter League Results 12.21.2015 | Dominican Winter League Playoffs Set, Surprise Appearances by Urena and Montero on Final Day of Regular Season

Arizona Fall League

Completed. Final Game was November 19th

Mexican Pacific League (Last Game Scheduled for 12/29/2015)

- Yaquis de Obregon 7 - 2 Charros de Jalisco


Venezuela Professional Baseball League (Last Game Scheduled for 12/29/2015)

- Aguilas del Zulia 0 - 8 Leones del Caracas


Dominican Baseball League (Last Game Scheduled for 12/21/2015)

- Tigres del Licey 2 - 1 Estrellas de Oriente
- Toros del Este 4 - 5 Gigantes del Cibao

• 3B/1B Jhoan Urena: 1 for 4, 2B

- Aguilas Cibaenas 5 - 2 Leones del Escogido

• RHP Rafael Montero: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 K, HR allowed

Side Note: The DWL playoffs will begin Sunday 12/27. Toros del Este will host Estrellas de Oriente and Tigres del Licey will travel to Leones del Escogido. RHP Jeremy Hefner and CF Juan Lagares will be the only Mets not participating in the playoffs

Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League (Last Game Scheduled for 01/04/2016)

- No Games Scheduled

The Morning Report 12.16.2015 | Terry Wants One More Big Bat for His 2016 Line-up, Flores is the New Super Utility-Man, Montero to Start in Dominican Winter League.

Matt Ehalt | NJ Advance Media- When the Mets acquired Neil Walker from the Pirates last week, they found their replacement for free agent Daniel Murphy, who batted third for them throughout the playoffs. They have yet to find a replacement for cleanup hitter Yoenis Cespedes, though, and manager Terry Collins would welcome another bat to strengthen a lineup that lacks a right-handed slugger. “It’d be nice,” Collins said. “As we all know, you’d like to have as many great bats as you can possibly get. The front office executives are certainly searching for a couple more pieces.”

(Chris Soto: Terry speak generally mirrors what the front office is thinking so for him to publicly come out and say that he specifically wants a right-handed OF with a power bat is a pretty good indication of where the team's focus is right now. The only guy who fits that profile exactly is Yeonis Cespedes, unless you think Alex Gordon is capable of playing CF.)

Adam Rubin | ESPN New York- Barring an outfield acquisition also capable of playing first base, Wilmer Flores will be the primary backup to Lucas Duda at that position in 2016 for the New York Mets, manager Terry Collins said Tuesday."We've certainly got to go into spring training and give Wilmer a chance to play around the infield a little bit more -- to put him at some different positions to where we can give guys days off," Collins said. "We're certainly aware that we've got to keep an eye on David and his workload. We've got to make sure Duda is rested up. There's got to be some spots where you're going to need a bat. 


(Chris Soto: As we expected, with the Asdrubal Cabrera and Neil Walker signings, Flores now finds himself in the heavily used utility role that Terry Collins loves so much. Against lefties, you could see Flores spotting Walker at 2B or Duda at 1B both of which have lower splits when facing their fellow handed counterparts. In addition, you'll likely see Flores start for Wright at least twice a week in an effort to not overtax the Captain's back.)



Michael Mayer | Metsmerized Online- According to multiple sources I talked to on Tuesday, RHP Rafael Montero will make his Dominican Winter League debut on Thursday pitching for the Leones del Escogido in the Parallel League. The Parallel League is like the minor league feeder system for the younger players to get some experience. If all goes well Montero could pitch on Monday in the last game of the season or in the playoffs. He will be on a short pitch count and could be limited to only relief appearances. He hasn’t pitched since throwing in the Mets Instructional League this fall, he struck out all four batters he faced in one outing.

(Chris Soto: Michael does some great work over at MMO and is far more plugged into the Caribbean Leagues then I am. Mr. Mayer is usually the first to know about news coming out of there and also follows guys in the much more distant Colombian League and in these smaller "minor" leagues. In regards to Montero, this is a very important start for him as the Mets front office is probably going to use this game as a barometer to figure out what kind of health shape Montero is in. His performance will probably dictate what the Mets next steps are in the Free Agent market for SP's.)



HOT STOVE REPORT (courtesy of mlbtraderumor.com)

• The Mets lost another minor league player to free agency when SS Wilfredo Tovar signed a minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins.
• The Washington Nationals are discussing a trade with the Cincinnati Reds that would send Gold Glove 2B Brandon Phillips to D.C. This comes on the heels of current 2B Danny Espinosa asking the team to give him a shot at playing SS in 2016 which would allow the club to keep prospect Trea Turner in AAA for additional seasoning.

The Morning Report 6.2.2015 | Positive Injury Updates, deGrom's Fastball Improvement, Trade Candidates, May's Top Prospects

David Wright Injury Tracker |  Received a cortisone shot. Meeting with Team Today.

Michael Baron | Just Mets- Dilson Herrera has begun some light baseball activities at the team’s minor league complex in Port St. Lucie. Rafael Montero has progressed his throwing program and is now throwing off a mound in Port St. Lucie. Travis d’Arnaud began baseball activities in Port St. Lucie today, and he is hopeful d”Arnaud can resume his rehab assignment this week. Lastly, Buddy Carlyle, who strained his back in Chicago on May 12, is also mostly idle at the moment.

(Chris Soto: Excellent injury updates on most of these guys, d'Arnaud was pretty much almost good to go before taking a foul off the hand. He'll probably get an additional 3-5 rehab games before the Mets declare him ready to join the club. I'd say he returns June 9th when the club comes back to NY. As for Herrera and Montero, it'll be a while before we see those guys again. Lastly, the fact that Carlyle has not resumed throwing for what was considered a mild back injury is concerning. If he continues being idle the club may consider moving him to the 60 day DL to open a 40 man spot.)


Zachary Rymer | Bleacher Report- Against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park, deGrom was superb. He led the Mets to a 7-0 victory with eight shutout innings that featured just two hits, no walks and eight strikeouts. He also darn near celebrated the anniversary of Santana's no-no by one-upping him, taking a perfect game into the sixth. In his last four starts, he's pitched 29.1 innings and struck out 34 with just one walk. He's also allowed only three earned runs, equating to a 0.93 ERA. "This is as good as I've ever seen [him] play" said Terry Collins. 

(Chris Soto: Not to be overlooked by Harvey or Syndergaard, deGrom has been superb over his past 4 starts. According to Pitch F/X, his fastball velocity is up from last year and he is taking advantage of it by throwing it almost 5% more than in 2014. The added velocity has also helped the bite on his slider which he has also begun to use more than his curveball. Those two pitches alone are dominating hitters to the tune of a .164 AVG against the 4 seamer and a .238 avg against the slider. The only knock against him right now is that the added velocity seems to be hurting the break on his change as hitters are hitting .321 against vs .237 last year. )


Joel Sherman | New York Post- We are in that period between Memorial Day and the draft, when clubs begin to intensify at least the chatter about doing something in the next two months, before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. Let’s assume the Mets are going to be aggressive over the next two months to try to deliver their first playoff team since 2006. Where should they be concentrating? I offer these four names — Aroldis Chapman, Martin Prado, Ben Zobrist and Justin Upton.

(Chris Soto: I don't think Upton would be a fit for the club, considering the money they spent on Grandy and Cuddyer, unless an injury occurs to one of the OF'ers. Chapman is certainly an interesting idea but the front end of the bullpen has not been a problem for the Mets and they have a number of reinforcements on the way to shore up the middle and back end of the pen. Now Zobrist or Prado are two very likely candidates to be Mets. Both are multi positional guys who play every position well while bringing a consistent hitting approach that matches the overall team philosophy. Plus the cost to acquire won't be nearly as much as it would be for Upton.)


Bryan Zarpentine | Rant Sports- The New York Mets continue to get standout seasons from many of its prospects up and down its farm system. Several prospects have already earned a promotion to the next level less than two months into the season. Here is a look at 10 Mets prospects that made themselves stand out from the pack during the month of May.

1. Steven Matz
2. Gavin Cecchini
3. Dominic Smith
4. Amed Rosario
5. Casey Meisner
6. Robert Gsellman
7. Akeel Morris
8. Bradley Weick
9. Eudor Garcia
10. Wuilmer Becerra

(Chris Soto: May was a strong month for a number of Mets top prospects. In fact the only real "down" guy for the month in my opinion was the fact that Brandon Nimmo got hurt. You can make a case that Conforto has a "down" month, but if a guy's down equates to .255 AVG, .715 OPS, and a meager 11.7% K rate then sign me up today. The Mets still have a number of studs in the minor league system that will refuel the parent club in 2016, 17, 18, and beyond.)

The Morning Report 5.12.2015 | More Injury Updates, deGrom Misses d'Arnaud, The God of Thunder Arrives.

More Injury Updates | Chris Soto

• Despite Terry Collins stating that 3B David Wright, was scheduled to resume baseball activities yesterday, reports revealed that Wright has still not received team doctor clearance to resume his rehab assignment.

• RP Bobby Parnell struggled mightly in his 1st rehab appearance. While his velocity was between 92-96 mph, he struggled badly with his fastball command and bounced a number of curve balls which led to a blown save on 3 R, 2 H, BB, and 2 WP. 

• C Travis d'Arnaud has received clearance to resume all baseball activities except hitting. As he gets back into baseball shape, once he does receive hitting clearance he is expected to use a 1 week rehab assignment before returning to the Mets. ETA could be roughly post Memorial Day.

• SP Rafael Montero attempted to throw yesterday but had to shut himself down as he was still experiencing significant pain in his pitching arm rotator cuff. 

• RP Buddy Carlyle pulled his hamstring last night as he ran to cover first base in the 7th inning. He is considered day to day at the moment but looked for Hansel Robles to receive some more opportunities in medium leverage situations.

Adam Rubin | ESPN New York-  Jacob deGrom bluntly described his recent problem after the loss to the Chicago Cubs, "It boils down to location, Tonight I struggled with it. And I think that kind of makes me get off my game plan. I can't throw the pitches that I want for strikes. I made some mistakes over the middle of the plate and they seemed to hit it a long way." Collins said he could detect frustration in deGrom's body language on the mound. "I saw that tonight for the first time," Collins said about deGrom's visible frustration. "But you've got to also understand, he really hasn't struggled like this before. We've got to get him through it and we've got to get him to get that confidence back and still trust his stuff and make pitches with it."

(Chris Soto: Ughh....your killing my fantasy team bro! deGrom has not been as sharp the past few games and you have to wonder if maybe it's because of Plawecki? Sounds crazy but check this stat out...Plawecki has caught 4 deGrom starts, d'Arnaud has caught 3 deGrom starts. On nights that Plawecki catches, batters hit .276 with a .810 OPS against deGrom, his ERA is 5.64, and his BB rate is 8.9%. On nights that d'Arnaud catches, batters hit .260 with a .618 OPS against deGrom, his ERA is 0.93, and his BB rate is 3.8%)


Ed Coleman | CBS New York- Last year he wasn’t ready, by his own admission and in the judgment of others. This year he is...Yes, Noah Syndergaard is prepared to make his major league debut, and he will do exactly that today at Wrigley Field. Last year, Syndergaard appeared apprehensive at times, a little overwhelmed by his surroundings. This year, he seems to have matured and appears to be much more at ease. When you’re young, big, strong and possess a great fastball like Syndergaard, sometimes you forget how to be a pitcher, and become too reliant on your strength. Syndergaard now is a more well-rounded pitcher.

(Chris Soto: THE GOD OF THUNDER COMETH DOWN UPON THY SOULS OF WRIGLEY FIELD. HE SHALT BRINGTH STRIKEOUTS IN GRAND NUMBERS AND BASEBALLS SHALT NOT LEAVETH THY INFIELD!  I don't know about you guys....but I am excited about seeing Syndergaard in action tonight. The 1st major piece of that Dickey has already show us how good he can be and now we get to see the 2nd piece hopefully dominate tonight and for the next 6 years. The Mets need a win and Thor shall bring it!)

The Morning Report 4.30.2015 | Injury Updates, Colon Off the Trade Block, Bleacher Report Observations.

Injury Updates | Chris Soto

• According to Matt Ehalt of NJ.com, RP Victor Black has resumed throwing once again after resting his slightly herniated disc.
• OF Brandon Nimmo caused a bit of a scare last night when he hit the second base bag awkwardly and twisted his knee. According to Michael Baron of JustMets, Nimmo is ok and will take a day or two of rest.
• 3B David Wright is inching his way closer to a return as he took live batting practice yesterday at the Mets Minor League complex in Port St. Lucie. According to SNY's Gary Cohen, Wright could be 7-10 days away from returning to the Met line-up. 
• SP Rafael Montero is on his way to New York to get an MRI for what he is describing as shoulder discomfort. According to assistant GM John Ricco, if Montero needs to miss any time, the Mets would not abandon the sporadic spot starter plan. Instead the team would adjust and have one of Noah Syndergaard, Steven Matz, or Matt Bowman take Montero's role.

Andy Martino | NY Daily News- [Bartolo Colon] is entertaining, and has become a significant part of the Mets’ loose clubhouse culture. This matters, but Colon’s production is more important; after winning 15 games in 2014, he is 4-1 this year, with a 3.31 ERA. Because of these factors, the team the team has changed its stance on whether to trade him, according to sources. The idea then was to keep him around long enough for a few youngsters to break in, and then move his contract to another team. That plan was very much alive before last July’s trade deadline, but the Mets were surprised when a robust market did not develop. Now, seeing the benefits of Colon’s experience and leadership, the Mets are not expecting to make him available this July, unless trading him would somehow directly improve their playoff chances. 

(Chris Soto: Ya know...Part of me agrees with this thinking for now. Colon has been superb for the club so far this year and if the Mets are serious about making a playoff run, then anyone who is helping the club should be retained. That said, look at that last line..."unless trading him would somehow directly improve their playoff chances." If by some chance another team is in a dire situation for pitching and blow Alderson away with an offer come July, I don't see him turning it down as he could just hand over the reigns to Syndergaard or Matz without much trouble.)


Shale Briskin | Bleacher Report- 5 Observations from the Mets' Season so Far

1. The Mets Can Still Win a Lot Despite Various Injuries
2. The Mets Have Enjoyed Playing at Citi Field More Than Ever Before
3. Matt Harvey Has Not Missed a Beat
4. Jeurys Familia Has Emerged as a Very Reliable Closer
5. Juan Lagares and Wilmer Flores Have Already Shown Offensive Improvement

(Chris Soto: There's actually very few things wrong with the club right now. Yea the middle infield defense still struggles at times and this recent 2-4 road trip was disappointing, but the team still looks good. They're run differential is 6th best in baseball at +22, they aren't being shut-out, Wright is on his way back, and they still have the 2nd best record in baseball as they head back home where they are 10-0 so far this season.)

The Morning Report 4.29.2015 | Where's Montero's Change-up?, 6-Man Rotation, Dilson Herrera's Defense, Rare Failure by Torres.

Matt Ehalt | North Jersey Advance Media- The Mets received encouraging signs from spot starter Rafael Montero, who was optioned to the minors after the game for lefty reliever Jack Leathersich. The Mets hoped to see Montero incorporate more of his off-speed pitches and command the strike zone like he has in the minors, and he accomplished both. In his April 10 outing against Atlanta, Montero threw 35 straight fastballs in a relief appearance. Montero threw 54 of his 85 pitches for strikes, and showed a willingness to use his off-speed pitches. He tossed 58 fastballs, 21 sliders and six change-ups, per MLB.com.

(Chris Soto: Montero's slider was better last night but it still concerns me that his bread and butter pitch that got him through the minors, the change-up, is hardly being used. Why wouldn't you use the only "plus" pitch in your arsenal? It is something that he is going to have to rectify because we have seen how inconsistent his slider can be. When it's off....it gets tattooed...which then leads him to using exclusively fastballs.)


John Delcos | Mets Report- The Mets were treated to a solid performance from Rafael Montero to where the idea could be floated of considering a six-man rotation. Doing so would give everybody an additional day of rest. Specifically, the real goal would be to give Matt Harvey an additional day and ultimately preserve his workload. However, could a six-man rotation work for the long term? For something that unconventional to work, it can’t be imposed a month into the season. I suggested something similar in the offseason that would have enabled the rest of the rotation to get into a routine.

(Chris Soto: The six man rotation has its pluses, however, the main case against it is that, in theory, that 6th starter is going to be your weakest guy. So instead of Harvey being thrown out there every 5th day and providing an almost 80% chance of winning, his now only going out every 6th day. It reduces the overall quality of the pitching staff. These "spot starts" by Montero during long stretches of no off-days are actually smart and I give credit to the Mets front office for coming up with the idea.)


Quinn Berry | MetsMerized Online- Herrera, 21, has been a Top 100 prospect in baseball, ranking as high as No. 46 on MLB.com to as low as No. 82 on Baseball Prospectus. But just how good is the Mets’ young second baseman? Can he become an All-Star, as Keith Law predicted, or is he more destined to be a solid starter? Offensively, Dilson Herrera has the bat-speed to make scouts drool. His lightning quick hands should allow him to hit for a good batting average accompanied by solid-average power at the major league level.  His defense [though] leaves a lot to be desired out of a middle infielder. Baseball Prospectus reports that South Atlantic managers felt the youngster’s actions were “stiff” in the field, and Minor League Ball’s John Sickels concurred with those concerns last August.

(Chris Soto: Defensively, I have seen the same things out of Herrera when he was in Binghamton last year. While his hands are soft and his range/first step are good, he just doesn't look smooth at 2B. That said, neither does Daniel Murphy...but rather than rushing Herrera the Mets are taking their time with him and working to improve that fluidity so that he can eventually replace Murphy in 2016.)


Adam Rubin | ESPN New York- Despite heavy usage, Torres largely has been reliable. Tuesday, however, proved an exception. Entering with the score tied for the bottom of the eighth, Torres issued walks to two of the first three batters he faced. "Those two walks cost us big," Torres said. "It's the difference between throwing and trying to 'feel. I was just trying to stick the ball in the zone and make sure to throw strikes instead of just throwing it and it would be a strike. When you try to 'feel,' that's what happens. The balls get sprayed a little bit, which really sucks, because once I got my rhythm ... I was pounding the zone. But that's the name of the game. I didn't look on film, but I don't throw too many two-seam fastballs. I thought it was down. I thought it was good. But he's a professional, too, and he's a good hitter."

(Chris Soto: Torres just didn't have it last night. As he indicates, he was aiming the ball rather than just throwing which tells me he just didn't feel great when he was warming up in the pen. It's too bad cause now fans are going to call for his head even though he's been absolutely solid for us over the past 2+ years. His heavy usage so far this season is concerning though. I would love to see Terry Collins give Robles an opportunity to pitch in a higher leverage situation to see if he can take a bit of the pressure off of Torres.)