The LTJ Report - Harvey Pitches Again, More Trade Rumors, Mejia to Relief, and How Syndergaard will Light MLB on Fire!

Earlier this week, New York Mets starting pitcher Matt Harvey threw a simple 20 pitch session in Spring Training and experienced no difficulty whatsoever. He is showing good progress after having successful Tommy John surgery and is doing well in rehabbing his throwing mechanics for his return in 2015. Keep in mind the Mets don't want the spotlight to be on his small pitching sessions during Spring Training since he definitely won't be playing anytime soon. I also don't see Harvey coming back this season as the Mets wouldn't want to deal with a nightmare if he gets hurt again and sets him back even further from a full recovery. Expect to see him back in the starting rotation come 2015.

Mets first baseman Ike Davis is still a hot topic these days as his name continues to come up on trade rumors and the fact that even though he’s in Spring Training with the team, he is still not a lock to stay on the team for too long. The latest now is the Baltimore Orioles have a strong interest in bringing in Davis to primarily be their Designated Hitter. According to the New York Post, Davis to become a DH in the American League could actually happen if the Mets pull the trigger on such a deal. While no draft picks would be involved, perhaps the Orioles can intrigue the Mets with some positional/utility players if a deal is reached. There is no denying Davis has a good bat when he’s not in a funk and could be stellar in a DH kind of role with a new team and ballpark. It’ll be interesting to see if a deal can be reached since even though Davis wants to remain a Met, I can imagine he’s probably frustrated with how this entire situation has unfolded throughout the offseason and into Spring Training. I personally think his name is a popular headline for every possible trade proposition you can think of since he knows he is on borrowed time. Expect to see Davis traded before Opening Day.

Reports are surfacing that the Seattle Mariners have been in talks with the Mets to see if a trade could be made between some extra players on both sides that the other side needs. At the moment, the Mariners are interested in trading shortstop Nick Franklin for possibly some of the younger pitching prospects in the Mets minor league system as they have plenty of arms to spare. Franklin would be a nice acquisition for the Mets since last season, he hit.225 with 12 HR’s and 45 RBI’s. He is a good utility baseball player since he has experience as a second baseman and shortstop. I think bringing him in would be a great idea so we don't have to deal with Ruben Tejada and his inconsistency. While Franklin won't exactly have the great impact a guy like Stephen Drew would make, Franklin would be ideal to hold down the starting shortstop position.

The Mets are once again considering converting Jenrry Mejia from a starting pitcher to a relief pitcher and quite honestly, I agree with it. Even though Mejia is currently doing his best to win the fifth spot in the Mets starting pitching rotation, manager Terry Collins hasn’t completely ruled out turning him into a bullpen option. It might happen obviously if he doesn’t get that starting spot but I think if he’s fully converted to a relief pitcher, it’ll help him recover from his bone spur surgery he had on his elbow last season. That way he can still contribute to the team in a relief kind of way while also not adding on anymore wear and tear. If Mejia were to adjust just a few of his pitches to help gobble up outs, I think he would thrive in this sort of situation, at least for this season. We’ll see how Spring Training goes for Mejia since I personally predict he's going to win that fifth spot in the Mets starting rotation. If healthy, Mejia will be outstanding this upcoming season.

Starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard has absolutely lived up to his top prospect hype so far in Spring Training. He was showcasing his amazing pitching magic this past Monday in a bullpen session where he was hitting 97+mph fastballs around a crowd of people. People were amazed at his velocity and were said to be incredibly impressed. I know I can’t wait to see him finally get that call up to the majors so we can see the damage he will cause at the major league level. He’s really tall too, coming in at 6’6, I can imagine what opposing batters will think when he has his eyes set on that strike zone!

Luis Tirado Jr. has been a Sportswriter for over 14 years. He is the founder of TheNYExpress.com and writes for RantSports.com, Mack's Mets, and GiantsGab.com. Please follow him on Twitter @LTJ81, "Like" his page on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google+.

The LTJ Report: Donate Coats for Mets Coat Drive, Colon becomes our new SP4, and why Wheeler is going for HARVEY-like numbers in 2014

The LTJ Report
Author: Luis Tirado Jr.
Twitter: @LTJ81
Website: http://www.TheNYExpress.com

If you are able to donate some old/still usable coats on Wednesday, December 18th, 2013 at Citi Field from 9:00am – 5:00pm EST I'm sure the New York Mets will be extremely grateful. Living in New York is brutally colder when you are less fortunate and don't have a coat, so if you are able to, please do so! You can donate them at the Mets Team Store inside the Jackie Robinson Rotunda. As a treat, you will get a voucher for two free tickets to a Mets home game in 2014. You will also get a coupon for a 15% discount off regularly priced merchandise in the Mets Team Store for that day only. Also note, if you attend between 11:00am – 11:30am EST, both Starting Pitcher Zack Wheeler and Second Baseman Daniel Murphy will be on hand to greet and thank fans!

I was very happy to hear that the Mets were able to bring in Starting Pitcher Bartolo Colon to the team on a reasonable deal. He was offered and accepted a two-year/$20 million deal and effectively becomes our fourth Starting Pitcher in our rotation. Confirmed for the most part are Wheeler, Gee, Niese, and now Colon. I'd like to see maybe Mejia get that 5th spot but I still see the Mets grabbing one more veteran arm to throw in there as he continues to develop and come back from injury. Mejia had some bone spurs removed from his throwing elbow, so if anything, he should come back better. Another big reason why Colon makes sense is because his experience of over 15 years in baseball will help give the younger pitchers around him some invaluable advice in pitching. Overall, nice acquisition.

You know a starting pitcher has a good head on his shoulders when all he wants to do is prepare ahead of everyone else before deadlines hit. Wheeler stated that he plans to be in Port St. Lucie on Wednesday February 5th, 2014, ten days before pitchers/catchers report. I love his mentality and willingness to start preparing because now, the spotlight will be on him since Starting Pitcher Matt Harvey will be out for most of if not all of the 2014 season. I've always believed that the early bird gets the worm, and now, he can focus on making us all not miss Harvey too much in 2014. I predict he will have a breakthrough season, I'm sure Harvey will be chiming in his ear to make him continue his progression.

The LTJ Report: Why signing Bartolo Colon makes sense, an injury update on Juan Lagares, and how Curtis Granderson was key to show the Mets want to contend!

The LTJ Report
Author: Luis Tirado Jr.
Twitter: @LTJ81
Website: http://www.TheNYExpress.com

From what I've been hearing, I hear that the Mets are very much interested in the services of Free Agent Starting Pitcher Bartolo Colon of the Oakland Athletics. I've also been hearing that the Mets don't want to entertain any offers from any free agent starting pitchers who want long-term deals. They simply want at least one established veteran to add to their starting rotation in the absence of Matt Harvey for 2014. That makes a whole lot of sense because I know for a fact Harvey will indeed be back in 2015 and you better believe he will be starting and gathering a healthy collection of wins (by then the Mets should have vastly improved their run support). I really hope the Mets can nab Colon for at least 2014 but his asking price might be a bit steep. I still think though provided they don't break the bank, adding him would be extremely great even if they gotta spend a little more money. His solid pitching, experience, and mentoring for the pitchers around him is worth it. Remember, this guy last season went 18-6 with a 2.65 ERA. Imagine what he could do in a Mets uniform for just one-year? I think they might have even offered him a one-year deal for an undisclosed amount of money.

Center Fielder Juan Lagares suffered a slight knee injury while playing winter ball but all is fine. He got some exams done and was given a two-week window to simply take it easy. You'd be surprised how some days off from the job fixes everything. In his case, time off on his knee will make sure he'll be fine to continue baseball activities by mid December.

As I'm sure most of you have heard by now, the Mets did indeed acquire Center Fielder Curtis Granderson for the next four-years at $60 million. I love how the majority of New York Yankees fans said that he was "sloppy seconds" and how he sucked. Weren't these the same fans who were chanting his name the past few years? Also the same fans who were praising his HR's left and right while buying his jersey? Regardless, I'm extremely happy they got him because he's going to compliment everything the Mets believe in. This signing also showed to us all that the Mets were indeed serious about 2014 being something more than just another losing season. This backed up a lot of what the Mets were saying going into the offseason. It also shows to everyone that yes, the Mets have money and they like to spend it too on top talent. Had they not made any big free agent signings, I'm pretty sure many would have once again dubbed the Mets as not wanting to contend for being cheap. After all, if you want to survive, you have to compete, right? In order to compete, at some point, you have to open your wallet and invest. Granderson is a nice upgrade for our outfield and I'm anxious to see how well he does in 2014.

The LTJ Report: Granderson, roster cuts, and why the Mets MUST get Stephen Drew too

The LTJ Report
Author: Luis Tirado Jr.
Date: 12-4-13
Twitter: @LTJ81
Website: http://www.TheNYExpress.com

- The New York Mets have had some intense talks with free agent Center Fielder Curtis Granderson and hopefully they pull the trigger and make a deal happen sooner than later. Rumor has it they offered a three, possibly four-year deal to bring him to the Mets. I have no idea how much money was put on the table but if the Mets expect to be taken seriously in 2014, they absolutely NEED to make some noise and offer a good amount of money to acquire Granderson. I predict they will indeed sign him and it'll be announced by Friday!

- The Mets recently released their non-tendered cuts list a few days ago. On it was Justin Turner, Jeremy Hefner, Scott Atchinson, Jordany Valdespin, and Omar Quintanilla. I'll definitely miss Turner since while he was a good utility player, he just didn't really meet the pro cut in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, he filled in when needed and was a fun guy to be around from what I can imagine in the clubhouse but the Mets need to start getting some serious on-the-field players, not just ones that players like. Hefner was decent but again, just didn't seem to cut it. Atchinson was pretty bad so that makes sense. I absolutely am happy that the Mets finally cut Valdespin after not only his poor performance, his Biogenesis suspension, but for his absolute horrible morale, ethics, and personality. He lashed out at Terry Collins in front of his players because he was demoted so I'm glad he's gone and never coming back. I have zero tolerance for players who cheat in one of the sports I love so I hope he ends up working at a supermarket. Quintanilla was a short term kind of player for the most part so we need to fill our Shortstop issues in free agency.

- Speaking of free agency, the Mets absolutely need to make a HUGE splash before 2013 is over. They can do so by easily signing Granderson which will show their backing up their words about spending some money in the offseason. I'd like to also see them sign one more. Everyone is loving the Boston Red Sox model of bringing in quality players who play for the team and not for the money. Teams are trying to learn from what worked in their miracle season by following the formula to a degree, even if it means taking some of their players away. From what I have gathered, Stephen Drew would be a solid fit for the Mets and a major upgrade for them at Shortstop. He's looking for a multi-year deal and if they can get Granderson for four-years and then offer Drew something similar, it'll prove the Mets want to contend next year not just to other teams but for their fanbase. Patience wears thin when you are in New York. Even David Wright is anxious to see the moves his team makes.