“You could just tell. One of the things last year at this time that he really showed was that great feel for the changeup. He was trying to build up some velocity and he didn’t have a real good feel for his release point. But at least he had the arm speed, and the other day I didn’t see much arm speed.”
-Terry Collins of Johan Santana’s spring shut down until March 10-15
Category: Roster
Mets Sign Shaun Marcum
The Mets finally signed a Major League free agent today by signing right-handed starter Shaun Marcum.He signed a one year deal but haven’t seen how much he’ll be paid this season. It’s a solid minimal risk signing but should be a huge step down from Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey in the rotation.
Marcum’s been in the league for seven years with Toronto and Milwaukee. He’s known as an excellent fielder and solid starter when healthy. He missed a few weeks last year with a bad elbow so he only made 21 starts. The 31 year old has a career record of 57-36 with a 3.76 ERA. Very solid numbers.
If Marcum can stay healthy, the deal will look good. If not, Zack Wheeler could make his Major League debut sooner than we might have thought.
Mets Buy Out Jason Bay’s Contract
The Mets and Jason Bay agreed to “part ways” today. From the quotes we got from Sandy Alderson and Bay, it sounded mutual. But we all know that the Mets wanted him gone and so did we. They just had to find a way to get rid of him while still owing him $21 million guaranteed.
In three years with the Mets, Bay played in 288 games and hit .234 with 26 HR and 124 RBI’s…. Combined over three years!!! It’ll certainly go down as one of the worst contracts in Mets history, if not the worst. The 4-year/$67 million deal left Bay and his family financially set for life thanks to the Wilpons but left Mets fans exasperated.
The move leaves a hole in left field for the Mets going into 2013 but we all know that the Mets aren’t playing for 2013. They’re building to try to be competitive again in 2014 after Johan Santana’s contract expires.
The only good thing I can say about Bay is that he always hustled and never made excuses for his poor performance when it would’ve been easy to do so. I have to commend the guy for giving 100% effort during extremely difficult conditions. He just seemed to lose any ability to hit the ball. It’s dumbfounding.
Mets and David Wright Negotiating Contract Extension
There’s no secret that the Mets and David Wright have been talking about a contract extension. Sandy Alderson discussed it openly near the end of the lost 2012 season. Wright has a team option for 2013 at $16 million and the Mets have five days after the end of the World Series to take that option.
Joel Sherman is reporting in the Post today that his anonymous baseball people believe the Mets want to finalize that deal before having to take the option year. That would allow them to package the option year into one large deal in the neighborhood of 8-years/$143 million. That would eclipse Johan Santana’s 7-year/$143 million as the highest paid Mets player ever.
I’m not so sure that the Mets will finalize a deal of that magnitude within five days of the World Series ending. But all signs point to a deal getting done soon that will keep Wright with the Mets for what will likely be the rest of his career. The guy has done everything right since he’s been with the Mets and keeps himself in great shape. So if you’re going to risk a huge contract, I can’t think of a better player to risk it on.
Mets Activate Baxter, Demote Nieuwenhuis
Mike Baxter is making his return with the Mets after separating his collarbone on June 1st preserving Johan Santana’s no-hitter. He’ll re-join the team in San Francisco starting tomorrow at 10:15pm. It’ll certainly be a triumphant return for the Queens native. I wish he had been able to play his first game at Citi Field. The crowd would’ve gone crazy for him.
Unfortunately, Kirk Nieuwenhuis was exposed by opposing pitchers after having a great start with the Mets. He’s currently hitting .252 with 7 HR’s and 28 RBI’s. The problem was 98 strikeouts in 282 at-bats.
It’s possible that Baxter could play left field predominantly against right-handers with Jason Bay playing against lefties. If Bay continues to struggle and Baxter keeps hitting, Baxter may be able to get a grip on the left field job permanently.
Mets Mike Baxter Could Take Over Left Field
Jason Bay’s career has continued it’s steep decline this year. There have been calls from fans for two and a half years to keep Bay out of the lineup so he can’t continue to damage the Mets. Now that Mike Baxter is playing at Buffalo in rehab games, that possibility could become a reality sooner than later.
Baxter’s been on the disabled list since June 1st, when he made that great catch in left field preserving Johan Santana’s no-hitter. But he dislocated his collarbone in the process and ended up losing two months of the season.
Let’s face it, Bay has less than a year and a half on his contract with the Mets. He’s hitting .170/.246/.330 right now and there’s no prospect of improvement on the horizon. As the money left on his contract becomes smaller and smaller, the need to continue to try to get something out of him is reduced.
I’m not sure that Baxter is a long-term solution in left field as en everyday player, but I like the energy and effort he has on the field. And in 40 games (74 PA’s), he’s hitting .323/.392/.523. More than respectable! And when he did get a chance to play, he seemed to be in the middle of every rally. Not killing rallies like Bay has for nearly three seasons, when he’s been healthy enough to play. I’m all for giving Baxter a shot to hold onto left field as the primary starter with Bay playing occasionally against lefties.
Video: Matt Harvey Hit Hard by Charlotte
Last night in Buffalo Matt Harvey got hit hard by the Charlotte Knights in a 11-0 loss. Harvey gave up 6 runs in only 5 innings on 7 hits and 2 walks, although he did have 6 K’s. He threw 96 pitches, 61 for strikes. It’s a disappointing start for Harvey in his second audition for a spot in the Mets rotation after Miguel Batista was shellacked by the Dodgers yesterday.
Here’s some video of Harvey’s post-game interview.
The Mets Report 