Tim Redding’s spring training hasn’t started very well. He’s been shelled pretty much every time out so far. And now we have word from Mets GM Omar Minaya that Redding is suffering from “weakness” in his right shoulder. Now some would say that his right arm has always been pretty weak but this time its an actual injury.
Redding will be on the disabled list when opening day rolls around on April 6 and he won’t pitch anymore this spring. Normally, this wouldn’t be very significant for the Mets. But the fifth starter situation has become so dubious over the past three weeks that this does now impact the team.
Remember that the Mets won’t need a fifth starter for the first two or three weeks of the season anyway. So there isn’t an immediate need to sort out the situation. And we also have to remember that we are talking about the fifth starter. We’ve seen some awful pitching from Redding, Freddy Garcia, and decent work from Livan Hernandez this spring.
There are still some alternate options like Brian Stokes and Nelson Figueroa when he gets back from the Puerto Rican team in the World Baseball Classic. So I’m not that worried about this issue now, and I’m certainly not advocating signing Pedro Martinez. I saw enough of him the last three years to know that he just doesn’t have it anymore.
The Mets Report 
Hi Dave,
I suggest the Mets let him have his next rehab starts against a High School team. If he keeps them in the park, than we “consider ” letting him pitch 😀
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Nice… Robin. I guess if he had so much trouble with Univ. of Michigan, facing a high school team is the next logical step. The latest news is that he disputes Omar Minaya’s description of his injury. He says its pain in his right shoulder not weakness. He says he should be able to start throwing again in a couple of days.
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Well lets not get ahead of ourselves. Uof Michigan is actually a very good team. But Redding has sucked big time. I really think the team needs to start looking for better options. They need to start watching the WBC and start grabbing some of these kids to try out…
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