Jon Niese | New York Mets Fan Blog

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 | Brett Myers, Carlos Beltran, Cliff Lee, Fernando Martinez, Jenry Mejia, Johan Santana, Jon Niese, Jose Reyes, josh thole, Mets, Mike Pelfrey, Omar Minaya, RA Dickey, Takahashi, Ted Lilly | No Comments Yet

Right hamstring tear ends Niese's season

Mets starter Jonathon Niese is out for the season after a Wednesday magnetic resonance imaging exam revealed a complete tear of the right upper hamstring tendon from the bone, a club statement said.

Niese, who was examined at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, will have surgery and is expected to be ready for Spring Training next year.

Niese left Wednesday’s 9-0 win over the Cardinals at Citi Field in the top of the second inning after stretching to receive a throw while covering first base on a potential 3-6-1 double play. He went into a split, missed the bag and collapsed moments later while trying to throw a practice pitch with manager Jerry Manuel and the team training staff on the mound. The left-hander, who was 1-1 with a 4.21 ERA in five starts this season, was helped off the mound and into the clubhouse.

Click here to read the full article – By Doug Miller of MLB.com

New York Mets Sports Memorabilia
and other New York Mets Autographs
Below are links to memorabilia available for Jon Niese.