New York Mets Fan Blog

Talk about the New York Mets

Make a Move

The Mets are in the running for a playoff spot, a situation they have found themselves in the past few seasons around the trade deadline. Unfortunately for the past three seasons the Met have failed to secure a spot down the stretch and have missed the playoffs all three years. A common factor with these teams has been their reluctance to make a big time move at the deadline. A move that could put them over the top, changing them from contenders to leaders. So should the Mets change their tune this season and make a trade before the deadline?

I think it is really tempting to say yes, but I am not sure if its the best move. Once Cliff Lee was traded to the Rangers, the trade market lacked a true ace. Sure adding a Ted Lilly or Brett Myers would allow the Mets to move Takahashi to the bullpen, but those guys are not a big improvement over any of the other Mets starters. Come playoff time, it would be hard to take Niese, Dickey, Pelfrey, or Santana out of the rotation. So does the newly acquired pitcher get the boot into the bullpen?

Minaya has done a good job holding onto his prospects the last couple of years. It is finally starting to pay off with some nice depth and big league help, but it still isn’t deep enough to give top prospects away. If they can get one of these guys for scraps, perfect they should make the move. But if the cost is Jenry Mejia, or Fernando Martinez, or even Josh Thole I am not sure it is worth it.

Standing pat, I am not sure the Mets make the playoffs. Perhaps with Beltran and Reyes healthy the Mets offense goes on a tear, but with only four spots in the playoffs and a lot of contending teams, nothing is a lock. It is tempting to make a trade to put the Mets over the top, but not at the cost of tops prospects.

by Evan Slavit at the Sports Fan Blog Network

July 19, 2010 Posted by slavite | Carlos Beltran, Evan Slavit, Johan Santana, Jon Niese, Jose Reyes, MLB, Mike Pelfrey, NY Mets Stuff, New York Mets, Original Content | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | No Comments Yet

The State of the Mets Rotation

Currently the Mets sport a rotation of Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey, Jonathon Niese, RA Dickey and Hisanori Takahashi. Dickey and Takahashi did not start the season in the rotation, but after John Maine and Oliver Perez hit the DL Dickey and Takahashi took over. As of right now Dickey and Takahashi are pitching very effectively and are a big reason the Mets find themselves seven games over .500. With the likely return of Maine the Mets should avoid tinkering with the success of the rotation and put Maine in the bullpen.

To start the season the Mets held out hope that John Maine and Oliver Perez would finally be able to put it together and prove to be reliable pitchers in the rotation; however, neither impressed during their time with the team.

Oliver Perez, probably the player the Mets had the most staked into after awarding him a 3 year 36 million dollar contract a season ago, played so poorly the Mets tried hiding him in the bullpen. Unfortunately he was not even effective there and, after he refused a minor league assignment, the Mets banished him to the DL.

Maine’s story is a little more promising. He did not pitch very effectively to start, but after returning to being primarily a fastball pitcher Maine was able to pitch well enough to keep the Mets in games. The problem was he still had trouble pitching late into games and sustained an injury that forced him out of a game after throwing just five pitches before landing him on the DL.

Maine has recently thrown in a rehab game and is working his way back to the majors. The question is: Should the Mets put him back in the rotation? Right now the Mets are clicking, and a big part of that is the current starting rotation. In addition the bullpen has been more effective as pitchers are pitching six and most of the time seven innings. In fact Pelfrey and Niese started back to back games where they pitched for nine innings. While Dickey and Takahashi will never be top-line starters, they are getting the job done right now and that should not be tinkered with, especially in favor of a player that struggles to pitch five innings.

John Maine’s best career move looks like a transition to the bullpen. He has a lively fastball, but not a ton else and like I keep mentioning, he has trouble going deep into games. In the bullpen only one or two strong pitches are needed to be effective. It would be great to convert Maine into a set-up guy, or if we are lucky an eventual cheaper option to K-Rod at closer when Frankie’s contract is up after next season.

While Dickey and Takahashi’s effectiveness might wane as the season continues, John Maine is not a good replacement. He has had numerous times to prove his worth, and outside of 2007 has failed to do so.

by Evan Slavit at the Sports Fan Blog Network

June 15, 2010 Posted by slavite | Bloggers, Evan Slavit, Francisco Rodriguez, Johan Santana, John Maine, Jon Niese, MLB, Mike Pelfrey, NY Mets Stuff, New York Mets, Original Content | , , , , , , , , | No Comments Yet

Another disappointing loss

For Mets fans, heartbreaking losses are nothing new. In fact, they seem to have almost become routine. Last night was no exception, as the Mets wasted a phenomenally gutsy effort by Johan Santana who threw 123 pitches over seven innings and left with a 1-0 lead. Unfortunately for Santana, the Mets bullpen was unable to hold the lead as Francisco Rodriguez (the pitcher formerly known as K-Rod) blew yet another save to cost his team a victory.

Managers and players are quick to point out that baseball has a long season, and they are absolutely right. Even so, losses like last night’s are especially painful, and they reveal many of the problems that have plagued the Mets all season.

One key issue facing the Mets so far this season has been a lack of offense. When the news of Carlos Beltran’s knee injury came out during Spring Training, most Mets fans expected the offense to struggle, and that has certainly been the case so far. With the news that Beltran could be returning to minor league rehab within the week, however, Mets fans finally have a small glimmer of hope for their offense.

Unfortunately, the Mets bullpen looks like it could be a more troublesome spot. Through the first month of the season, the Mets bullpen looked as if it would be a strength of the team. As the season has gone on, however, the Mets collection of castoffs and journeymen has struggled more and more. This shouldn’t really come as a surprise, as there must be a reason that most of these players weren’t wanted by any other teams.

One player who Mets fans thought they could count on was their closer, Francisco Rodriguez. Like the rest of his bullpen mates, however, Rodriguez has been struggling, as last night’s appearance was Rodriguez’s third blown save. To make matters worse, Rodriguez’s velocity appears to be down and his ability to overpower hitters seems to have disappeared.

As the season goes on, the Mets don’t appear to have any viable alternatives to the players listed above. Instead, Mets fans will likely have to hope for K-Rod to return to his 2007 form, and also hope for Beltran’s return to energize the offense.

by Nathan Eagan at the Sports Fan Blog Network

June 3, 2010 Posted by nathaneagan12 | Francisco Rodriguez, Johan Santana, New York Mets, Original Content | | No Comments Yet

My Best All-Time New York Mets By Position

Here are my all-time best New York Mets By Position…

When I picked my team, I only considered their contributions while a member of the Mets. If they played longer for the Mets, I gave them a slight bump in rankings since their impact on the Mets should be greater than someone playing only a couple seasons. As a general note, I started watching the Mets around 1985-86 so my choices will be biased towards Mets who have played in the 80s or later.

My squad contains one player at each position, five starters and a relief pitcher/closer. I listed other people I considered in the running for each position. I also added a link to some of our sports memorabilia by each of my choices..

OK.. Here is my all-time Mets squad.

Catcher – Mike Piazza
Also in the running: Gary Carter, Todd Hundley

1B – Keith Hernandez
Also in the running: Carlos Delgado, John Olerud

2B – Edgardo Alfonso
Also in the running: Jeff Kent, Wally Backman

SS – Jose Reyes (No Mets shortstop was even close)

3B – David Wright (He has only scratched the surface of his potential)
Also in the running: Howard Johnson, Robin Ventura

LF – Kevin McReynolds (This was a tough one.. There was not a clear favorite in my mind)
Also in the running: Cleon Jones, Cliff Floyd

CF – Carlos Beltran
Also in the running: Lenny Dykstra, Tommie Agee, Mookie Wilson, Lee Mazzilli

RF – Darryl Strawberry
Also in the running: Rusty Staub

Starting Pitchers –
1. Tom Seaver (Top 2 were obvious but I am somewhat biased towards players who played after 1986 and probably would have chosen a few older pitchers had I actually seen them pitch a little more)
2. Doc Gooden
3. Johan Santana
4. David Cone
5. Al Leiter
Also in the running: Jerry Koosman, Pedro Martinez, Tom Glavine, Jon Matlack

RELIEF PITCHER – John Franco (Captain and long time Met.. got the benefit of the doubt even though I remember a few rough spots for him in his last year or two. The other ones I listed are dominating pitchers but had less actual time with the Mets than John Franco. I like KROD so far, and can see him moving up here if he does well for the Mets for the next couple seasons)
2. Francisco Rodriguez
3. Billy Wagner
Also in the running: Armando Benitez, Jesse Orosco, Roger McDowell, Jeff Reardon, Randy Myers, Tug McGraw

– Now that I went out on a limb.. anyone else want to try..?

Written by Evan Kanter of the Sports Fan Blog Network

November 3, 2009 Posted by sportsfan1 | Al Leiter, Billy Wagner, Bloggers, Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, Cleon Jones, Darryl Strawberry, David Cone, David Wright, Edgardo Alfonso, Evan Kanter, Johan Santana, John Franco, Jose Reyes, Keith Hernandez, Kevin McReynolds, MLB, NY Mets History, NY Mets Stuff, New York Mets, Original Content, Tom Seaver | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Johan scratched, to see doctor Tuesday

Mets players said Monday they expect Johan Santana will require surgery on his left elbow to repair whatever malady has prompted the club to scratch the pitcher from his scheduled start against the Marlins in Miami on Tuesday. Instead of making his 26th start, Santana is to have his elbow examined by Mets medical director Dr. David Altchek. And, if his teammates’ sense of the situation is right, his next start likely will be next season.


The Mets offered minimal information, i.e., no specific diagnosis or theories, about the problem that manager Jerry Manuel said began to develop before the All-Star break. But Mike Pelfrey, Santana’s fellow starter, said, “I don’t think anyone expects good news.” And Jeff Francoeur said he anticipates Santana will require surgery after speaking with the pitcher in the clubhouse Monday.

Click here to read the full article – By Marty Noble of MLB.com


New York Mets Sports Memorabilia
and other New York Mets Gifts and Collectibles
Below are links to memorabilia available for Johan Santana.

Johan Santana Framed New York Mets Blue & Orange Team Color Series

Johan Santana Signed Rawlings Official Major League Baseball
Johan Santana Memorabilia

August 25, 2009 Posted by GameSetMatch | Johan Santana, MLB, NY Mets Memorabilia, NY Mets News, New York Mets | , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

   

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