Category: Latest News

Time For A New Sheriff In Town

The "Willie Watch, Part Two" is in full bloom now that the Mets have reverted to their pre-Wilpon meeting ways. I really thought that the energy that we saw from the Mets two weeks ago could be sustained… But I was wrong. Now it’s time for Willie Randolph to go.

The Mets problems certainly aren’t completely Randolph’s fault. The players and Omar Minaya deserve some of the blame as well.  I stand by my initial feelings about this team; although there are flaws in the roster, the current configuration should be capable of being a strong contender for a playoff spot. Whether they achieve that goal or not depends on variables such as competition, injuries, and seasonal performance.

Based on that assumption, Willie Randolph hasn’t done the job of motivating the players to achieve their potential. Sure there are players that need to go: Carlos Delgado, Aaron Heilman, and maybe some others. But the roster doesn’t require a complete overhaul. You can’t fire all of the players but you can fire the manager.

My contention is that the Mets need a new manager that is bigger than the players. A manger that isn’t afraid of under performing veterans, and isn’t afraid to move young players into power positions in the lineup. It’s common in college but pretty rare in the pro’s. There are a few examples: Phil Jackson, Bill Parcells, and Terry Francona. These are people that have attained the highest level of success in their respective sports and won championships. They know what it takes to be on top. They know that talent rules over union seniority.

The Mets need a "star" that has a significant history within the organization and has won a championship. No… I’m not talking about getting Doc Gooden clean and bringing him in to manage the team. There are only two logical choices; Davey Johnson or Keith Hernandez. They’ve won here as manager and player respectively. They bring immediate clout to the job. They bring an attitude that winning is the only thing, and lackluster play is unacceptable. It’s time for a new sheriff in town.

Mets Roster Move: June 11- Nunez

After the loss to the D-Backs last night the Mets announced that Abraham Nunez was designated for assignment. There wasn’t a corresponding addition to the roster but Omar Minaya told reporters that it would probably be a position player.

There’s been some speculation that the player added to the roster may be Jose Valentin. He went to Triple-A New Orleans a few days ago to continue his rehab from a neck injury.

Rosenthal: Randolph Firing “Inevitable”

Fox Sports Ken Rosenthal has a new column out today and writes about the fading job security of Mets manager Willie Randolph and the Mariners John McLaren. Of the Mets he writes:

The Mets could have fired Randolph at the end of last season. They could have fired him two weeks ago during his well-publicized meeting with ownership. Instead, they keep delaying the inevitable — and, thanks to the play of the Phillies, their season is slipping away.

He also writes that it wouldn’t be a surprise if Randolph was fired this week after the embarrassment the Mets suffered in San Diego. The second four game sweep in two weeks must be very difficult to swallow for the Wilpons right now. “Citi Field: Home of the Fourth Place Mets” would be a nice banner to hang for the 2009 opening day celebration.

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Are The Mets Buyers Or Sellers This Season?

New York Mets

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New York Mets GM Omar Minaya only has three to four weeks to decide if the Mets will be buyers or sellers on the trade market. The non-waiver trading deadline ends on July 31 so the Mets need to give themselves two to three weeks to work out trades prior to the deadline.

I would imagine that Minaya has no idea what he’s going to do right now. Standing at 7.5 games back of the NL East leading Philadelphia Phillies and two games under .500 after the first 62 games makes their situation ambiguous at best. The Mets need to play 20 games over .500 for the rest of the season to win 90 games which is about what it will take to win the division. If the first two and a half months of the season are any indication, and they are, that is highly unlikely.

The wild card is a long shot right now as well. The St. Louis Cardinals and Florida Marlins are in a much stronger position to make a run, especially the Cardinals playing in a weak division.

That leaves the Mets in the awkward position of potentially scrapping the 2008 season and selling off the team for parts. For a team that went into opening day with a payroll of $137,793,376 the proposition of selling prior to the deadline is a complete and utter embarrassment. Flushing a season down the toilet in New York is particularly difficult because the team’s revenue goals are tied to the tickets sales and television advertising revenue. Last season the Mets sold over 3.8 million tickets and the Mets jointly owned television station SNY generates plenty as long as people are watching. Watching this team becomes more difficult with each passing loss.

Possibly the most embarrassing situation of all would be for the Mets to limp into their new stadium Citi Field. I’m sure that the Mets will sell plenty of tickets despite the team that shows up to play every day. But it’s certainly not what the Wilpons had in mind when they broke ground on Citi Field, a team that’s a reclamation project. Continue reading “Are The Mets Buyers Or Sellers This Season?”

Mets News Today- June 8- Church, Santana, Alou, And Casanova

Several Mets players are in the news today as they finish the fourth game of their series against the San Diego Padres.

  • Ryan Church seems to be having an adverse reaction to his concussion suffered two and a half weeks ago. He’s not going to play again today and will be examined by a neurologist when the Mets return to New York tomorrow. This will be the second time since the injury that he’s been examined by a neurologist.
  • Moises Alou is scheduled to come off the disabled list on Tuesday against the D-Backs. He’s been unavailable for almost three weeks since straining his calf in Atlanta.
  • Johan Santana seems to be fine after being hit by a pitch in his left shoulder on Friday in San Diego. He doesn’t expect the shoulder to interrupt his pitching schedule.
  • Raul Casanova is back from the bereavement list. His father passed away this week. Robinson Cancel was sent back to Triple-A New Orleans.
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Jose Reyes Fielding Problems- Randolph Offers Help

NEW YORK - MAY 14: Manager Willie Randolph of the New York Mets removes Claudio Vargas #39 from the game in the seventh inning against the Washington Nationals as his teammates David Wright #5, Carlos Delgado #21, and Jose Reyes #7 look on on May 14, 2008 at Shea Stadium in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Jose Reyes season has been one of offensive success in recent weeks and defensive mystery. His fielding percentage (.961) is the lowest of his career since 2004 (.957 at SS). That’s when he was in the middle of the horrible transition to second base to make room for Japanese superstar Kaz Matsui.

We now know that Matsui wasn’t a superstar for the New York Mets and Reyes wasn’t a second baseman. But Reyes has been struggling defensively this season often on plays that appear to be routine. There’s been speculation that Reyes is dissatisfied with his four year/$23.25 million contract. That may be a logical assertion. Fellow infielder David Wright has a six year/$55 million contract. In my opinion, Reyes is a far more dynamic player at a position that requires more defensive skill. I’d be unhappy about the contract as well. Continue reading “Jose Reyes Fielding Problems- Randolph Offers Help”

Sidney Ponson DFA’d By Rangers

Sidney Ponson

Image via Wikipedia

The pitching challenged Texas Rangers designated Sidney Ponson for assignment this afternoon. Rangers GM Jon Daniels said that the move was due to several off the field problems that have arisen over the past few weeks. According to MLB.com:

“Based on recent events, I don’t think Sidney wants to be here or deserves to be here,” Daniels said.

This season Ponson is 4-1 with a 3.88 ERA. So whatever he did must have been pretty bad. Ponson was signed by the Rangers on March 9, 2008 to a one year minor league contract. The contract was purchased by the Rangers on April 26th. Continue reading “Sidney Ponson DFA’d By Rangers”