What now? Four Thoughts on K-Rod.

K-Rod needs to go.  But knowing the Wilpon's track record, and the way the MLB Player's Union works. This guy isn't going anywhere.

First thought that comes to everyone's mind first is: "Void the contract!" Huge round-off chorus of that going around.
My second thought: "Can that happen?" Of course it can't happen! Given that the Player's Unions in all sports today will defend their players to death, and the soft nature of the Wilpon Family, it ain't happening!
My third thought: "Trade him?" No, this guy is more un-tradable than Carlos Zambrano! (But then again, he more tradable than Ollie at least... *shiver*) He has nasty stuff but he less control of his pitch than Jerry Manuel has control of "ummmm".
Fourth thought: "Drop him?" never. The Wilpons would never do such a thing. I don't think any other owner would cut him either, he's owed way too much to cut.

I wonder what would have happened had the Mets not signed K-Rod in the first place, who/what would that money have been used on? Derek Lowe? CC? More money to keep JJ the Putz and his broken elbow in New York? You tell me.

Is Renting Cliff Lee worth it?

I've been thinking about it, and would renting Cliff Lee really make sense at this point? We know that Cliff lee and his agent have said he is only wanting to be rented because he wants to test the free agent market. So, is renting Cliff Lee going to make a difference for New York?

Let's say, hypothetically, this is our team when we get Cliff Lee:

(Assuming Beltran is back at this point)

Reyes

Wright

Beltran

Davis

Bay

Pagan

Barajas

Castillo

Santana

Pelfrey

Lee

Niese

Takahashi

Do we have a chance to utilize renting him or are we just going to waste good and talented prospects for him? We'd be wasting such big Mets minors' name such as Wilmer Flores, Brad Holt, etc. Can this team use Lee to their advantage?

On paper, yes. A team would die to have some of this talent, let alone our lineup. On paper, our lineup is very heavy. If you throw around names such as Reyes, Wright, Beltran, and Bay, that is deadly. But after watching this team every day you see the flaws with all of them. Reyes pops up too many balls and seems to swing at the first pitch, Wright struckout as I wrote this sentence, Beltran would be coming off of a major surgery, and Bay is either hot or cold, just like the rest of the team.

This team is so streaky that you'd never know what's going to happen. Hell, Johan Santana chucks shutouts and the Mets can't get a measly run home while other games end them losing 8-6. There is never a coupe of people slumping and the rest of the team puts up numbers. It seems like this team is never just playing regular. A player is either hot, or a player is either cold. Why can't a Met player just play? It's ridiculous.

So, if we rent Lee and we keep up this .500 play, he'll most definitely leave. If he likes it here, likes the spotlight here and helps us get far, maybe he'll accept a contract that will lock him up in New York to continue success with the team. How likely is that?

Players must look at Johan Santana and really take into consideration if they want to risk spending a good chunk of their career trying to right the ship of a rocky organization. Who knows though, I guess we'll see this play out and go from there.

If I Were GM...

So, if I were GM I would make a lot of moves that would make sense. This club has more potential than a .500 team and everyone knows it. Making key acquisitions can change this all around and this is how I would do it. And this is in no particular order or importance:

1. Demote Elmer Dessens, promote Bobby Parnell.

Why is Elmer Dessens not in AAA? I don't think anyone can answer that. The only logical reason I can think of is that when they tried to promote someone, it got lost in translation and Elmer accidently came up and Omar was too chicken to say anything. I mean, why else?

Parnell can gas it up to the high 90s. That is a plus fastball that was able to throw past MLB batters last year pretty effectively but he was sent to the minors to work on his secondary pitches. But wait, isn't Jenrry Mejia IN the majors to work on his secondary pitches? Something doesn't add up.

2. Demote Gary Matthews Jr, promote ANYONE

Gary Matthews Jr. is batting .193 and has 1 RBI. That is not a player worthy of the major leagues. Why can't we promote something like Mike Hessman or Jesus Feliciano? Some say they're quadruple-A players and will not carry over their numbers to the bigs... So?? Will they hit better than .193? Would they not be so much better than 11/57 at bats?

The main argument I guess is that they can't play the outfield. If that is what is keeping GMJr on this squad then that is outrageous. Stick Tatis in the outfield, or even Chris Carter. This choice is obvious and is being handled very poorly.

3. Demote Jenrry Mejia after the All-Star break

I have recently accepted the idea of Mejia on the big league roster. If they see Jenrry as a top of the rotation starter, why not prep him by giving him big league batters to adapt against? He's done a great job and now that he's gotten his feet wet, my move would be to send him down. People were outraged when he was granted the bullpen role, but in all honesty, he is 20 years old. How can we say that this will mess him up when he probably won't be in a big league rotation until 2011, with 2010 being a stretch?

In my opinion, getting his feet wet with big league batters is a decent move to get him some of the action he'll be expecting when he is finally ready to fulfill the hype. We all know he's meant to be a starter and a 1-2-3 of Johan, Mike, and Jenrry will be nothing short of incredible.

4. Activate Beltran, Francoeur to the bench

Sorry, Frenchy, but when Beltran is eventually activated from the DL its bench warming or water boy duties for you. Frenchy won't even be a good bat off the bench due to his serious and almost concerning first pitch swing addiction. It almost looks like he just wants to swing at the first pitch and doesn't necessarily believe he got a good read on it.

Pagan has been real solid all season and I can't see him going back to the bench. I can see a RF platoon with Pagan/Frenchy with Jeff only hanging on due to his arm. I love Francoeur, he's a great guy and I love his passion, but I can't watch him struggle at the plate any longer. Hell, I can't even spell his last name.

5. Send Castillo to the DL, promote Reese Havens

I don't know if I'm breaking a certain Mets code, but I like Castillo. I'm not saying I love him, but he's been pretty solid this year and continuing his success from last season. He'll get on base, he'll steal a base, he'll give you average defense, he'll never strikeout. Watching him last night limping with that foot injury, yet also stealing a base, hustling down the line and making a couple of great plays really shows something to the fans. Nobody likes Castillo, but hey, he's not as bad as people say.

I want Castillo out, but he is a pretty solid second baseman for us. I say send him to the DL so he can get his foot a rest and promote Reese Havens. Havens can hit and field, so I think giving him playing time for the 15 or so days that Castillo will be on the DL will get his feet wet and prep him for a serious look he'll most certainly be getting next spring training. Worst comes to worst is he's not ready, and you promote Ruben Tejada or just give Cora the nod.

These are the moves that I would make right now if it were up to me. They don't seem outlandish and they don't seem like a stretch. I didn't add a Cliff Lee trade or a trade for another pitcher because that would be something that would take a while to accomplish, and these moves are meant to be active immediately.

Tell me what you think.. I think it's pretty reasonable.

Gross Over-reaction

I don't know how many Mets fans I have talked to who have said that the season is over already because the team has gone 4-10 in May and 18-20 overall on the season.
This is what I say to them:
This is basically the same team that had a 14-9 record in April.  This team is capable of doing that again at anytime even without Carlos Beltran.

Speaking of Beltran, when he finally does get back, the Mets become a much better team.  Those who disagree that a team can benefit from the addition of one player can look at the example of Ike Davis; the Mets won 8 straight game after his call-up much accredited to the bat and glove of Ike himself.  Beltran gives the Mets an actual #3 hitter, great center fielder, and a smart baseball player.  But for now, he is injured and we are forced to play Angel Pagan in center. (Which isn't terrible... imagine if Gary Matthews Jr. was our CF... I shiver at the thought)

Along with Beltran's injury there have been a few others, which happens over the course of a 162 game schedule (plus spring training and post-season games).

There have also been bad starts by pitchers, which also happens over the course of a season.
I'm not saying that Ollie Perez was just a victim of a a few bad starts, because there is something clearly wrong with him; whether it mental or physical, I have no idea, but there is something very wrong.  Although he may not show it now, Ollie is capable of being a very good pitcher.  I remember in '07 and '08 when Ollie used to have 6 to 8 starts where he would look like an ace, 10-12 looking like a #3 or #4 starter, and the rest made it look like he was throwing soft toss.  Everyone wishes they could see that Ollie again...

John Maine on the other hand, seems much more likely to turn it around.  He has the stuff to be good, but he needs to pick up the velocity and just let it go.  It seems like he's holding back when he pitches, and tries not to injure himself.  And that is something you just can't do, you can't pitch scared.  But once he gets past the injury in his mind, he will get back to being the pitcher that he once was.

The Mets will find a way to replace Ollie Perez (for probably the rest of the year) and Jon Niese (most likely for only one or two starts).  But I hope that way will be Dillon Gee getting called up and Takahashi starting for them.  But from a long term stand point what happens after Niese comes back? do the Mets option Gee back to Buffalo?  What about Raul Valdes or Jenrry Mejia?
We will all find out in time, but for now, we Mets fans must stay patient and quit over-reacting over a few losses!

Can Dillon Gee soon be replacing John Maine?

The 24 year old right hander Dillon Gee was selected in the 21st round of the 2007 draft and has been fantastic in his two AAA starts going 13 innings, 5 hits, 1 walk, 0 runs, and 12 strikeouts.

One must assume if Gee's success continues at the AAA level, John Maine's job is in trouble. I would throw Maine in the bullpen and send Mejia back down. John Maine's career as a Met is over and I'm not sure if there's anybody on his side to bring him back for another year. I know it's only been two starts for Maine but with a team in last place coming off a miserable year, things have to change because they are clearly just not working.

And I know it's only been two starts for Gee too. People can argue that he's always hurt and never healthy, but so is Maine and so is the majority of the team.

I think the team should try to add Maine in a trade package at the trade deadline or before. I'm not sure who would take him, but if he's added in the right package I don't know who wouldn't. Let's hope because Maine is really giving Mets fans nothing to root for.

Who would replace Maine?

John Maine has been doing awful, no getting around that. If he's plunked from the rotation, who would take his place? We clearly didn't think about this before Opening Day, you know, if our starters weren't going to pan out to what everyone was raving about in spring training (because the previous years weren't clear enough). So, my question is, who would replace John Maine is he bombs his next start?

My first thought would be Jenrry Mejia, as if everyone's probably. If they wanted him up in the MLB bullpen, what's stopping them from wanting him in their starting rotation? If they're this high on him and eventually see him as a dominating starter, why not throw him in to the rotation? They'll say he's not ready, but is he really ready to be in the bullpen?

I can obviously scratch off Fernando Nieve for the starters role. Jerry's frequent usage for him late in games, and Nieve being effective, makes me wonder if he'll ever see another start as a Met again. I think if he can lock up the 8th inning and maybe Igarashi can lock up the 7th inning, our starters would only have to go 5 or 6 innings and that helps. But is 5 or 6 innings of giving up a reasonable amount of runs too much to ask of Ollie these days?

I think the next plausible choice would to give Hisanori Takahashi a go. He was fabulous in spring trainging when he started and Manuel might take that into consideration. Though much of the off season was to get a second lefty in the bullpen, I'm not sure if he'd pluck Takahashi as a pen lefty to stick him in the rotation but could easily just be a short term solution.

Maybe give Raul Valdes the nod? He's been talked about a lot and his name has been going around so maybe Manuel will give him the start. He's been highly effective in the bullpen, pitched 5 innings of 3 hit ball, giving up no earned runs and striking out 7. I'm not sure if Manuel wants to tamper with the rhythmn he has being effective in the bullpen, but that's his decision.

Let's not forget about Bobby Parnell, though. Sure, he wasn't sharp when he had a few starts in the 2009 season, but he's over his first season woes and has been fine tuning his splitter in the minors. Why can't Parnell be a starter? Yes, he was good in the bullpen with that fastball that lingers in the upper 90s but if he can improve his secondary offerings and harness a nice splitter, then age is on his side compared to the other contenders for Maine's spot if he loses it soon.

With the bullpen being completely lights out so far, I find it hard to believe Jerry will yank one of those guys without looking at other options. Due to a dominant bullpen early on in the season, maybe Mejia will be sent down to the minors or maybe stick him in the rotation (!). Maybe they'd bring in a free agent (Pedro???) or maybe just leave Maine in there and watch him embarrass himself every fifth day.

Time will tell. What are your thoughts?

Are Mets fan (and fans in general) too quick to call for the head?

Many fans, after a slow start of a team or player, become anxious about them.  This is a very very common occurrence, no matter the team or the player.  For example, as another blogger, Old Backstop made some interesting points about Fernando Tatis, the Mets' part time first baseman/utility man that I would like the point out:
Tatis is really with the Mets to be a pitch hitter/utility man who can make spot starts at first for Daniel Murphy.  He was never expected to be an all-star hitter, he was never expected to start more than maybe 30 games last season, ditto for this season.

People are saying that Bay should have been signed because he got off to a bad start.  Bad starts happen!
Same with Mike Jacobs, but he hit a home run today.  Although it may have come when they were 5 runs behind, it is a sign of good things to come.
I know the Mets have gone 2-4 to begin the season, and that they lost 2 of 3 to the Nats and Marlins, but it's the very beginning of the season, things change, players and coaches learn, players have bad days (like Johan did today).  Right now, things can only get better.  You can't expect everything to work at the start of the season; there is no way that will happen!

In the big picture, Beltran will come back in May, Murphy will come back soon, and Reyes has already come back.  These things will help the team get better.

To all Mets fans:  The Mets may have had a horrible year last year, but let things play out a bit.  It is a new season, game 2 of the Marlins series showed that.  They may not have won, but they showed fight.  They came back from a 6-0 deficit in the 7th inning to tie it in the bottom on they could win any game 8th.  They lost in extras, but this is a good start.  It reminded me of the '06 Mets; they had a chance to win any game they played, and they would fight when they were behind.  Last year, you may remember that when the Mets were down by more than 2 runs, it seemed like the game was over already.  That is not the case this year.  The Mets will have a chance to win any game at any time.  Look at it this way, the Mets have had 3 let down/unlucky seasons in a row, the ball is bound to bounce their way this year!

Our pitching thus far

So after 4 starts from our pitchers, three of them have been good. Santana threw a gem, Maine struggled, Niese threw good and Pelfrey threw great. This is great to see after such questions in the off season about the rotation.

Maine didn't look good out there, but we'll chalk it up to his first start and wait for the second to assess it. Really nothing else to say.

Niese had a great outing for his first start after surgery posting 3 ERs in 6 IP. People are saying he's going to be the most consistent pitcher behind Santana and I'd love to see him step up to that. Barajas speaks big of him and even compares his stuff to Cliff Lee (not as good as Lee's, but similar, etc.) The Marlin hitters apparently reacted to Niese's cutter positively after the game after being questioned about it.

Pelfrey threw great and his splitter just fell off the table to the Nationals. That pitch is fantastic and its great he has mastered it in a short amount of time. Though his control seemed off at times, he can definitely throw that for swings and misses.

Now the big moment is Oliver Perez. People were raving about Ollie in Spring Training, how he's throwing gas and being extremely effective but then he collapsed come game time. I'm curious about how this will play out if he's not effective...

If Santana, Pelfrey, and Niese are all effective and consistent, we can't just allow Maine and Perez to get rocked each outing. If 3/5 pitchers are working in a groove, those 2 other pitchers are going to get us loses and put us back in the division because if we keep the offense like what Franceour has been doing and what our bullpen has been doing, we're poised for a big year.

Spring Training update #1

The Mets as a team are now 6-2 outscoring their opponents 44-20. They seem to have great chemistry and work well together. They seem to be confident about this team and I don't know why we shouldn't either. Anything compared to last year will be progress. Sure, I'd love to win the NL East and make it deep into the playoffs. If we win the Wild Card and make it to the first round of the playoffs then I'd be content.

No one sees this team winning a World Series flat out this year. We're not the Red Sox, we're not the Yankees, and we're not the Phillies. I'd say, if everything goes right, we'd be a playoff team through the Wild Card. If we make these small steps forward in 2010, then 2011 could possibly be a success. By the way Spring Training is going, we have a very bright future ahead of us in Jenrry Mejia, Ike Davis, Fernando Martinez, Josh Thole, and Jon Niese (even though Mejia has stolen all the spotlight). Mejia is baffling batters and is perfect through 5.1 IP, F-Mart is hitting for power, Davis and Thole are red hot, and Niese (in my opinion) definitely penciled himself in for the 5th starter role after his last outing.

By the looks of everything, 2011 looks something like:

C Josh Thole

1B Ike Davis

2B Luis Castillo

SS Jose Reyes

3B David Wright

LF Jason Bay

CF Carlos Beltran

RF Fernando Martinez

1. Johan Santana

2. Mike Pelfrey

3. Jon Niese

4. Oliver Perez

5. Jenrry Mejia

As much as I love Jeff Francoeur, I see Mets management favoring Fernando Martinez over him for the RF job in 2011. What happens to Francoeur I do not know, but I wish we'd still have a spot for him.

Mejia is scheduled to pitch four innings in his next outing, clearly still being groomed as a starting pitcher (thank god).

The New Ollie Unveiling

Thanks to MetsBlog, today's lineup versus the Nationals is:

1. Gary Matthews Jr.

2. Luis Castillo

3. David Wright

4. Jason Bay

5. Daniel Murphy

6. Jeff Francoeur

7. Alex Cora

8. Omir Santos

9. Oliver Perez

I'm actually pretty excited to see Oliver Perez pitch. After all the hype given to us thus far from people who've seen him pitch, I'm curious and anxious to see it happen.

This is my first Spring Training game that I'm watching, so I hope I get to see a lot of people, such as Ike Davis, Josh Thole, Fernando Martinez, Jenrry Mejia, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, and others though I don't know how likely it is.

Scheduled to make pitching appearances is LHP Pat Misch and RHPs Hisanori Takahashi, Jack Egbert, Clint Everts, and Tobi Stoner.

Game time is at 1 PM on WPIX. Let's go Mets!

Mejia is a Stud

Jenrry Mejia bedazzled batters and wowed people who watched him pitch against the Marlins. He was absolutely electric. So, now that we see what he's capable of, what do we do with him next? Do we stick him in the pen? Do we make him our 8th inning guy? Do we send him back to the minors?

The answer is the last one. It would be so exciting to see Mejia in the bigs this year. It's such a tease to watch him pitch in these

Spring Training games and dominate the opposing batters, but he really needs to develop his secondary offerings and gain more experience. Even though he made fools of the batters that faced him, his command was off, which happens to be his flaw.

I'm all for the Mets giving Mejia MLB time, but do it slowly. I think he should be given a few spot starts during the year, then call him up in September. I think where he is now, with a good chunk of time in the minors this season, he'd be the favorite to win a rotation spot in 2011. His stuff is completely filthy and I'd love to see what he can do during a full major league game.

It's going to be interesting to see what's going to happen to Mejia after Spring Training. I really don't think he should break camp this spring, I can totally see him collapse when we try and have him convert from the reliever we made him this season to a starter we'd make him in 2011. It screams Joba Chamberlain all over it.

Even if this happens, he will gain a lot of positive media and notoriety as (by the looks of it) a shut-down set-up man. Is this a good thing?

2011 Looks Bright

Spring Training is upon us and some new faces have reassured us that our future at certain position voids might be filled as of 2011.

1B prospect Ike Davis continues to impress at Spring Training. He continues to turn heads and gain notoriety as the days go on. He'll likely start the year as the starting 1B in AAA with a September call up. Starting 2011, he'll more than likely become the starting first baseman. He's got raw power and being only 22 years old can only improve.

C prospect Josh Thole has also impressed people with his brief MLB debut last season. In 53 trips to the plate, he batted .321 with 9 RBIs. Though his only flaw is his below average defense behind the plate, he's only 23 years old and with a solid season as the starting catcher in AAA, he could be the starting catcher in 2011.

RHP Jenrry Mejia has been referred to as the next Felix Hernandez by some, and Mariano Rivera by others. He is a true stud and has been labeled as either being a dominant starter or a shut-down closer. To be honest, I'm all about grooming this kid to be a starting pitcher. Starting pitchers have always been difficult to come by for the New York Mets, and with this 20 year old kid destined to be our #1 ace of the future, its hard to turn that in for his talent to be wasted as a closer. His pitches have ridiculous movement and if he commands his pitches better and really works on the consistency of his delivery, he could very well be fighting for the #5 spot this time next year. In the meantime, I'm sure he'll get a call-up in September or maybe even a spot start earlier than that.

Possible 2011 lineup: (for humor purposes I left Castillo at second. Who knows who will be playing 2B at that point)

Reyes

Castillo

Wright

Beltran

Bay

Thole

Davis

Francoeur

That is a great lineup right there. If Thole and Davis continue to hit, which they will, we will have such depth as the Yankees or the Phillies with dangerous hitters in mostly all the slots.

Possible 2011 rotation:

Santana

Pelfrey

Niese

Perez

Mejia

Johan will be around 32 in 2011 and obviously won't be as sharp as he used to, though still the staff ace. Everyone below him needs to know that when he's eventually gone, someone needs to fill that void.

I think this season Pelfrey will find his groove and settle in as a good #2, though I don't know if he can fill the ace role when Santana is gone. With better defense behind him and more experience at the MLB level, I think this year will be a breakout year for Mike.

I think Niese will win the 5th rotation spot this spring and flourish. I think he'll establish himself with a positive rookie season and etching himself to fill the #3 spot in 2011. Will he fill Johan's void, probably not but he'll be a great #3.

I think Perez' history makes him unable to fill the ace role. Everyone says he looks fantastic this year in Spring Training, though who knows how long that can last.

And then there's Mejia. I think he's easily the favorite to win a rotation spot in 2011 being an organizational favorite. If he fine tunes his delivery and command with a full year in the minors, I think he'll be our #5 in 2011 then maybe our #2 in 2012 and possibly our #1 in 2013. Jenrry Mejia has the most upside out of anyone on this list and I expect him to deliver.

So, now that 2011 looks bright, I hope 2010 isn't a drag.

Eric Niesen K Reel

I found this video on youtube. It's a K Reel from Mets prospect Eric Niesen, who has been invited to Spring Training.

The Mets drafted Niesen in the 3rd round (99th overall) in the 2007 draft. As a reliever, his fastball touches the mid-90s. His slider is decent, and his changeup is below average. He is a small lefty and will be auditioning to become a left handed specialist in the bullpen or possibly even the left long man.

From this video, Niesen has some pretty nasty stuff. His fastball has some very nice tail action and his breaking ball looks wicked. Should he harness these, he'd be a nice addition to the bullpen.

We'll see how Niesen does in Spring Training. I'm not sure if he'll make the team, he didn't do so hot last season. He split time between A+ and AA, and the results were also split. He found his rhythm in A+ where he posted a 3.28 ERA giving up 57 hits, 21 earned runs, 49 strikeouts and only 5 homeruns in 57 innings of work. Now when he was bumped up to AA, he posted a 4.66 ERA giving up 75 hits, 43 earned runs, 6 homeruns, and 85 strikeouts in 83 innings. His strikeout rate grew when pushed into AA, but he didn't fair well against the batters. His combined A+ and AA ERA for 2009 was 4.09.

I think Niesen will start 2010 in A+ where he found his groove. I really don't see him making the team but who knows, maybe I'll be wrong.

Johan on Pelfrey's bright future

John Harper of the Daily News talks to Johan Santana who gives his feelings about the pitching staff behind him, Pelfrey, Maine, and Perez. It's a very optimistic view and gives some insight on how excited and confident he is for the 2010 season.

On Pelfrey, he says:

"He's got the stuff to be great. Man, if I had his stuff, oh, my God. That sinker that he throws at 95 [mph], it's unbelievable. It's a matter of consistency and being more mature, and I really believe he;s a more mature pitcher after feeling like he had to step in for me (late) last season."

I love this. Johan Santana, the ace of staff and two time Cy Young winner, is jealous of Mike Pelfrey's stuff. This says a lot for the kid and a lot about the mentality this team has. If Santana thinks Pelfrey "can be great," then I'm pretty sure he has a lot more insight on pitchers and what they'll develop into than any of us.

A lot of people are extremely rough on Pelfrey and I don't know why. Sure, I was frustrated with him last season but I think it should go unnoticed due to everything that happened. The team's core player and even back up player flat out collapsed. How could anyone succeed with such a blemish? With all the papers writing about it, news, etc. Hell, Sports Center even had their very own Not Top 10 just for the 2009 Mets. How could people tune that out and not let it get to their heads?

Santana also labels Perez as "hungry" and Maine "pain-free." The players seem very excited about this season, so why shouldn't we? It's so repetitive on twitter and these sites saying how this season is going to be such a waste and Omar sucks and I can't wait until 2011. You're hating on the team now but if we win or go deep you're going to praise them. Let's just start baseball and quit complaining. We have so many key players to win us a championship, so let's do it.

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Interesting Reads: Wellemeyer, 2010 opener, Race

Silvestricles of Caught Lookin' gives his opinion on Todd Wellemeyer.

Eli from Mets Underground predicts what the Mets 2010 opener will look like.

Tom Pich of MetsGuide writes a great article about race and how it shouldn't matter in baseball.

I have to agree with you, Tom. The argument that "the Mets only have one black player," who is newly acquired Gary Matthews Jr., is ridiculous. Why should a team sign a player because of his race? A player is signed so he can impact the team in a positive way, not just because they need another black player or another Latino player.

This Is Truly Rediculous

According to Metsblog.com, J.J. Putz never underwent a physical before being traded to the Mets.

Wow. Now that is ridiculous. How did this even happen? Why in the world would you not preform a physical on this big money guy and on trade of that magnitude?

In the a statement issued by the Mets they say: "In our review of the player’s medical records in the acquisition of J.J. Putz, we were aware that he had a bone spur before the trade." After "an additional exam and MRI" Putz was allowed to play in the WBC.

Didn't the Mets think of the possibility that the bone spur would flare up later in the season? And it did.

This should be the last straw for Omar Minaya and/or the Mets medical staff. But sadly it's not going to be, because it is the Wilpons' fault. It is doubtful that they will fire Omar, or find anyone who would replace him for that matter. It upsets all fans of the Mets that the management keeps getting beat down after beat down, but the management deserves it. They don't know how to properly run a Major League Baseball team. The Mets built a great new stadium, signed a great hitter in Jason Bay, have a great core of players, but don't know how to follow a plan.

Omar Minaya and Jerry Manuel said that they wanted to build the team around pitching, speed, and defense. The only moves that support this are Henry Blanco, a very good defensive catcher, and Gray Matthews Jr. who is also a very good fielder and has some speed (94 career steals).

Ok, you could say that Ryota Igarashi qualifies for this plan, but he is a reliever. The Mets need starters and have signed only Josh Fogg, R.A. Dickey (faint reminder of Tim Redding, how sad...), and Kelvim Escobar, when Lackey, Sheets, Wolf, Duchscherer, and etc. were still available! How did this happen?

The Mets' management is dysfunctional. It is obvious, but it needs to said, this management needs a complete overhaul! New Owners, new GM, new manager, new everything! The only thing that should be left by the end are the core (Wright, Reyes, Beltran, Bay, Santana, and K-Rod) and a few complementary pieces (i.e. Francoeur, Maine, Parnell, maybe Feliciano?).

Yes, I am calling for it. I'm calling for an overhaul. It is about time, because this is truly ridiculous.

Poll: Most successful pair in 2010

Who is going to be the most successful pair in 2010?

• P Santana/Pelfrey
• 1B Tatis/Murphy
• OF Franceour/Matthews Jr.
• P Parnell/K-Rod
• C Santos/Blanco

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Parnell's story

Bret Strelow of the Salisbury Post wrote this article on Bobby Parnell and his college baseball attitude and time as a corner infielder.

I like Parnell a lot. He was a very effective reliever and showed that he can hold his own in a couple of his starts (even though the rest were forgetful). After JJ Putz flopped, he was penciled in as the set-up man and showed he can be effective late into games. He has a great fastball that has the ability to dial up to 100 MPH, but I feel he needs to work on his second offerings. If he has a great changeup to go with that great fastball he could be lights-out with some more training.

Parnell had a great full first season and I look forward to watching what he can offer in 2010 after he has some great MLB experience. In Spring Training he'll fight for the set-up role along with Ryota Igarashi and Kelvim Escobar.

Why John Smoltz Might Make Sense

The Mets did absolutely nothing to address their starting pitching needs this offseason and left themselves with no other options besides internal help (Nieve, Niese) or 43 year-old Johnathan Andrew Smoltz. Granted there are other options available but they would most likely help as much as you or I would.

You might say, 43 years-old, no way.
You might say a former Braves legend, no thank you
You might say after Tom Glavine, nah.

I say...why not?
What do we have to lose? He won't be here very long, he's 43. That would give the young guys more time to develop. He may have had a bad season...but the guy knows how to pitch, and he just does not walk people. Plus, he can't be much worse than Tim Redding, right? I wouldn't mind giving Smoltz a one year, incentive laden contract to try to fill the 5th starter hole. With this rotation he could probably even fit in as a 2nd if he performs well enough (step it up, Big-Pelf). He could be a mentor to not only the young guys in the rotation, but to the guys in the bullpen. Smoltz has 154 saves and was one of the most dominant closers in baseball. Who wouldn't love to have a potential hall of famer around. Plus, it would piss of Braves fans...and I love that.

If you can get anything out of this post its this: John Smoltz can not be as bad as Tim Redding.