Category: Roster

John Maine Rehab Assignment To Begin

NEW YORK - JULY 10: John Maine #33 of the New...
Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Mets pitcher John Maine will begin a rehab assignment for the Binghamton Mets in Trenton on Sunday. He says that he’ll need one more start after that before re-joining the Mets. He’s been on the disabled list for right rotator cuff tendinitis.

Maine can rest and rehab all he wants, but if he doesn’t re-gain his velocity there’s no way that he’ll be an effective pitcher. He just doesn’t have the control or secondary pitches to throw a sub-90’s fastball successfully.

The big issue for Maine is that he’ll be a free agent after this season and likely pitching somewhere else in 2011. This is his third straight season with health problems and he’s become a guy that can’t stay healthy and hasn’t been effective when he is healthy.

Maine will return to the starting rotation when he comes back, likely next week. The only reason he’ll get a rotation spot is because Hisanori Takahashi has been equally awful in his last two starts.

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The 2010 Homegrown New York Mets

Apr. 27, 2010 - Flushing, NY, USA - April 25, 2010: New York Mets shortstop Jose Reyes, left, has a laugh with rookie teammate Ike Davis before a rain-filled Major League Baseball game vs. visiting Atlanta Braves at Citi Field in Flushing, NY.

http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.jsSince the 2010 season started, Mets fans have had a soft spot for many of the players on the New York Mets. I have always wondered why the fans have embraced this team so much. Right now the Mets are three games behind the Atlanta Braves for the National League East.

With those numbers many of the fans wouldn’t embrace the team as much as they do. Yet, this team fights. This team cares. Finally it seems like the Mets players care about their fans.

I wondered why, so I did some research and found out that this team is one of the most homegrown teams the Mets have had in a long time.

Take Saturday afternoon for example. The New York Mets starting four in the infield were all homegrown. Ike Davis at first, Rueben Tejada at second, Jose Reyes at shortstop and David Wright at third are all homegrown. All drafted and played through the minors with the Mets. Even pitcher John Niese was homegrown.

That might not seem like that big of a deal. Yet, the last time that had happened was on September 20,1996 when the Mets had Butch Huskey at first, Tim Bogar at second, Rey Ordonez at short and Edgardo Alfonzo at third. The infamous Paul Wilson pitched that day as well. He was homegrown too. Continue reading “The 2010 Homegrown New York Mets”

Is This The Last We’ve Seen of Oliver Perez?

MLB: Giants vs Mets MAY 09

As MLB starts an investigation into the “injury” of Oliver Perez that comes at a most convenient time, I talked with an equal number of Mets and Yankee fans about what pitcher has been the most damaging to their respective team.

Carl Pavano of the Yankees, who supposedly has an MRI machine named after him in the Yankees clubhouse, or Oliver Perez of the Mets who famously broke his toe kicking a cart after a loss that landed him on the DL for two months while playing for the Pirates.

Why did this topic come up?

Interestingly enough, the Twins are in town between June 25th and 27th. This is Carl Pavano’s current team. Oliver Perez will be off the disabled list just in time for this series and, in theory, we could see a Perez/Pavano matchup. What would we call it? Continue reading “Is This The Last We’ve Seen of Oliver Perez?”

Mets Oliver Perez on Disabled List, MLB Investigating

NEW YORK - JUNE 29: Starting pitcher Oliver P...
Image by Getty Images via @daylife

For the second season in a row, the Mets placed under-performing pitcher Oliver Perez on the disabled list with a convenient knee injury. They’ve been trying to convince Perez to accept an assignment to the minors to work out his problems, but he has refused so far. According to reports, Perez complained on Friday of pain in his right knee, the same one that was scoped last season.

An MRI found tendinitis and Perez was placed on the disabled list. This revelation of a knee injury couldn’t have come at a more convenient time for the Mets with Jon Niese pitching today and needing a roster spot. Apparently, the timing is so convenient that MLB is investigating Perez’ medical records according to the Daily News.

It wouldn’t surprise me if the Mets sent Perez for one of those full body scans that you hear advertised on the radio to find any possible problem that would land him on the DL.

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Video: Mets’ Minaya on Beltran, Matthews, Castillo

Luis Castillo batting for the New York Mets on...
Image via Wikipedia

Mets GM Omar Minaya addressed the media before last night’s game to talk about a flurry of roster moves the Mets made and the one that will be made today. Here’s the breakdown:

  • Gary Matthews – designated for assignment and will go home to count his money
  • Luis Castillo- on the 15-day disabled list for his bad foot/gimpy legs
  • Ruben Tejada- re-called to play second base
  • Omir Santos- re-called because Henry Blanco is slightly hurt
  • Jon Niese- starting tomorrow and they need to find a roster spot but Oliver Perez won’t leave

Carlos Beltran also played in an extended spring training game but didn’t run. So he’s starting to work his way back.

http://espn.go.com/videohub/player/embed.swf

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Mets’ Oliver Perez Not Going Anywhere

NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 28: Starting pitcher #46...
Image by Getty Images via @daylife

The continuing Oliver Perez saga has taken a few turns but the result has been the same. Perez isn’t accepting a demotion to the minors. He isn’t going to Florida to see a sports psychologist and he wants to know who the anonymous teammates are that told the media that he should go.

He told Fanhouse that he’s staying to work through his problems with Dan Warthen and Randy Niemann. He has to start prepping himself to pitch in New York again and that could get really ugly. There’s been a lot of talk about booing home players over the past couple of years. This one could be off the charts though.

Check out what Perez had to say when asked about the teammates that told the media that he should go.

Audio- Oliver Perez

The fans and the media are calling loudly for him to go including the Times drawing a comparison to Dontrelle Willis and the Daily News as well. But none of that could compare to the barrage of boo’s he’ll get the next time he pitches at Citi Field.

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Mets’ Oliver Perez Should Refuse Minors

New York Mets starting pitcher Oliver Perez reacts after being pulled from the game at Citi Field in New York

http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/PicAppPIS/JavaScript/PisV4.jsIt’s probably safe to say at this point that we’re all tired of Oliver Perez and his lack of focus, free-wheeling side-arming, and general lack of any semblance of pitching ability. Now, we’re hearing from the NY Post that some anonymous Mets players want him off the roster. I’m not so sure I believe that story from the Post. But it’s coming to a point soon when the Mets will have to do something about Perez.

John Fitzgerald of Mets Today wrote a good post today summarizing the different storylines surrounding Perez and the Mets attempts to get him to agree to go to the minors. The organization is continuing to try to convince him and his agent, Scott Boras, that it’s in his best interest to work out his problems in Port St. Nowhere or Buffalo.

I’m going to reiterate what I wrote two weeks ago. If you look at the situation from Perez’ perspective, he should refuse an assignment to the minors. Page 63 of the MLB Collective Bargaining Agreement for 2007-2011 is very specific about assignment of contracts. Perez falls in the category of a player that has the right to approve assignment to a minor league team. Continue reading “Mets’ Oliver Perez Should Refuse Minors”