Category: Roster

Mets 2010 Spring Training Lacks Competition

New York Mets at New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium in New York

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There have been two big surprises about the Mets coming off their 70-win disaster of a season last year. First, the Mets and Omar Minaya didn’t do more to improve the team via trades and free agency. Second, there aren’t many position competitions on the field in spring training. We’re basically going to see the exact same team we saw last year, plus Jason Bay.

The first point we’ve argued about all winter. Some of us think the Mets should have done more in the offseason to shake up the team. Other fans have been on board with Minaya’s plan that there weren’t better players on the market than the Mets that are returning from injuries. Whether you’re on board with the plan or not, it’s finished and we’ll see how it plays out. If things don’t look like they’re working out by mid-season, it’s likely that Minaya and Manuel are finished with the Mets too.

The second point is an interesting one. You would think that a team coming off a horrible season would have plenty of competition for playing time. But the Mets appear to be pretty set at most positions and that’s probably a bad sign. It’s very likely that we’re going to see the exact same team that drove into a brick wall last year.

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Mets Links: Angel Pagan, Mike Jacobs, Daniel Murphy

New York Mets Angel Pagan reaches first base in the second inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citi Field in New York

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Now that we’re only eight days from pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training, there’s starting to be some action in the news over the last few days. Unfortunately, none of the news involves the Mets signing a #2 or #3 starter, a first baseman that can hit, or a legitimate big league catcher. That being said, here’s the latest news:

  • Angel Pagan worked out a deal with the Mets to avoid arbitration. He’ll be back on a one-year/$1.45 million contract. That’s a 152% raise over his 2009 salary. Pagan wanted $1.8 million and the Mets were offering $1.275 million before they agreed on $1.45 million.
  • It looks like Mike Jacobs is coming back to the Mets on a one-year minor league contract. I’m not sure what the Mets expect from Jacobs other than a first baseman that can play a little for the fans of Triple-A Buffalo. Clearly, Ike Davis is the first baseman of the future. But Jacobs offers a little protection against another horrific season by Daniel Murphy.
  • Keith Hernandez is in Florida teaching Daniel Murphy how to play first base. Frankly, I think someone needs to teach Murphy how to hit and do it with power if he wants to stick at first base.
  • The Mets are lowering the center field wall from 16 feet to 8 feet. I thought the Mets brain trust liked having a pitcher’s park? If anything, they should have lowered the wall in left field if they wanted to have an impact on home runs.
  • Mookie Wilson is coming back as a minor league outfield and base running coach. I always like when they find a job for former players. Good job bringing Mook back.
  • Joel Sherman has a plan to save the Mets in 2010. He’s been on the Mets pretty badly over the last few days. You have to wonder what his motivation is. Did someone turn down an interview with him?

Mets 2010 Relievers – Ryota Igarashi and Kelvim Escobar

MLB: Angels v Rangers July 5, 2007

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One of the biggest changes we’ll see as Mets fans this year will be in the bullpen. Of course, Francisco Rodriguez is still at the back of the pen. But there are some big changes in front of him. Last season the Mets acquired J.J. Putz in a trade before the season and that sealed the setup role for 2009. It didn’t work out as planned with Putz only pitching in 29 games before having elbow surgery. But the plan for the season was clear. It isn’t so clear who will set up Rodriguez in 2010.

Ryota Igarashi may have the inside track if he can show the type of performance that he did while playing in Japan. The 30 year-old right hander is a flame thrower with a touch of wildness. You can read a great profile of Igarashi at NPB Tracker. We’ll get a much better idea of what he can do against Major League hitters during spring training. Sometimes the success that players have in Japan just doesn’t translate here in the U.S.

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Mets 2010 Starting Pitchers – Picking at Leftovers

Texas Rangers vs. Seattle Mariners

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Although you could fault the Mets and Omar Minaya on several fronts this offseason, one of the biggest glaring holes in the acquisitions was at starting pitcher. You could say that they should have gotten another first baseman or catcher. Personally, I think they’re fine at catcher. But I have been consistent in calling for a change at first base. Mostly, I hear from fans that the starting rotation is still a mess. Even Darryl Strawberry doesn’t like what the Mets have done, or haven’t done, this offseason.

Now that we’re only two weeks away from pitchers and catchers reporting to Port St. Lucie, you have to consider the Mets picking up a leftover starting pitcher. The obvious choices are Jerrod Washburn, Chien-Ming Wang, and Erik Bedard. At this point in the offseason there are pretty slim pickin’s.

You could always throw in Pedro Martinez, but I doubt that the Mets would go back to him. I wouldn’t either. He was better than I thought he would be with the Phillies last year at 5-1 3.63 in 9 games. But that’s a really small sample. If you consider the fact that he effectively robbed the Mets of two and a half years of his contract, I can’t see the Mets going there again.

Bedard had surgery for a torn labrum and won’t be ready to start the season. Wang also has several months to go before he’ll be ready for the season too. But both pitchers have proven to be effective when healthy and neither is too old to make a comeback. The Mets should take a flyer on Bedard or Wang with an incentive laden deal. Washburn is looking old at 35, even for a soft-tossing lefty. With such limited options, the Mets need to take a gamble on Bedard or Wang.

Mets Five Prospects That Could Impact 2010

Mets Thole Singles for First Major League Hit in Denver

http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/PicAppPIS/JavaScript/PisV4.jsAs promised, here is my list of five prospects, in no particular order, that could potentially help the Mets in 2010. Enjoy!

1. Josh Thole, C (age 23)

Josh Thole is coming off of a tremendous season in which he hit .328/.395/.422 in the Eastern League (AA) followed up by an impressive .321/.356/.396 performance when called up to the Mets in September. Since his power is limited, Thole’s defense will go along way in determining whether he will be a starter or backup at the big league level. I do expect Thole to potentially help the Mets in 2010. Right now the current catching tandem is Omir Santos and Henry Blanco, which I can’t really see lasting the full season, especially if the Mets are getting little production from the catching position and Thole is tearing up the International League (AAA), both of which are realistic scenarios.

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Mets Links: Doc and Darryl, Catalanotto, Jeffries

Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry press conference New York City

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The news about the Mets has become a trickle over the past week. There’s just not a lot happening 18 days from pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training in Port St. Lucie. There are some minor signings to talk about that, hopefully, won’t have a big impact on the 2010 season. Here are the links for today:

  • SI.com – Tom Verducci wrote an article comparing the 80’s and 90’s days of Doc Gooden and Darryl Strawberry to the steroid users. It’s hard to follow the premise that the off field activities that got Doc and Darryl into trouble are comparable to using performance enhancing drugs. But it’s worth a read.
  • CBS Sports – The Brooklyn Cyclones are ending their stadium naming deal with KeySpan Energy. KeySpan was taken over and the company name doesn’t exist anymore. The original deal was supposed to run until 2020, so I wonder how much KeySpan had to pay the Cyclones to buy the rest of the deal out.
  • NY Post – The Mets signed Long Island native Frank Catalanotto to a minor league deal. He’s not a bad offensive player but at 35 years-old it’s hard to imagine how much of an impact he’ll have in the big leagues anymore. I imagine he was signed to be a draw at Triple-A Buffalo more than he was to be in Queens.
  • NY Post – Kevin Kernan did a good piece on Greg Jeffries. He was such an enigma with the Mets, coming up to a lot of fanfare in ‘87 only to prove that he was an average and immature player.
  • Daily News – The active career leader in minor league home runs, Mike Hessman, signed a minor league deal with the Mets. Again, I think this is a move to try to improve the miserable Bisons team.
  • Daily News – Bill Madden details the laundry list of moves that Omar Minaya should have made this offseason. The funny thing is, that it’s nothing that you haven’t seen written anywhere else over the past two months. Madden needs to work on some original material.

Mets 2010 Stars Already Aligned

Pittsburgh Pirates at New York Mets at Citi Field in New York

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I’ve been disappointed that the Mets didn’t do more to shore up the pitching rotation this offseason. I’m also surprised that they didn’t attempt an upgrade, even incremental, at first base. The more that I thought about it, after John Lackey, Matt Holliday, and Jason Bay signed their free agent deals there wasn’t anybody left on the market that I’d consider a “difference maker”. Sure, there were, and still are, some players that would be solid peripheral players for the Mets. But the 2010 season doesn’t hinge on any free agent that’s been available since Holliday signed with the Cardinals.

The 2010 season does depend on Johan Santana, Francisco Rodriguez, David Wright, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, and Bay. They’re the ones that are going to carry this team. I know it’s a long season and everyone needs to make a contribution at some point. But there’s a big difference between making an impact and making a contribution.

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