Category: Roster

Mets 2009 Payroll May Increase

Omar MinayaI have to admit that I’m surprised to read a report at MLB.com that Mets GM Omar Minaya says that the team has the flexibility to add payroll this season. Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised given that the Mets have some new revenue from Citi Field. But given the current economy I thought that the Mets would stand pat at just over $139 million. Only the Yankees are higher this season at $206.8 million.

If the Mets do make moves before the trading deadline this season the most likely acquisition targets would be starting pitching and right-handed hitting outfielders. The list of potential targets is pretty impressive and will likely grow as teams fall out of contention and look to dump salaries. The overall economy may even enhance the number of players that become available this season.

The likes of Roy Halladay, Jake Peavey, Maglio Ordonez, Eric Byrnes, and Matt Holliday figure to become available via trade at some point this season. Apparently, the Mets could be in on some of these players during the season.

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Rob Mackowiak Released

http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/Resources/Javascripts/PisV3.jshttp://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/Resources/javascripts/DataV3.ashx?ImageId=842637&PublisherId=1326MLB: FEB 28 Spring Training - Mets at Tigers

The Mets announced that they released outfielder Rob Mackowiak from Triple-A Buffalo‘s roster to make room for Brandon Knight. I don’t think that Mackowiak had a realistic shot at making it to the big leagues with the Mets this season anyway. They don’t need another lefty outfielder. They’ve got too many as it is.

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Mets Designate Marlon Anderson For Assignment

MIAMI - MARCH 31: Marlon Anderson #9 of the Ne...
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Livan Hernandez joined the Mets roster today and Marlon Anderson was designated for assignment. It wasn’t a surprise for anyone. The speculation has been going on for weeks. Anderson can either accept an assignment to Triple-A Buffalo or become a free agent.

Anderson has been very successful since 2005 as a part-time player and pinch hitter. He got off to a bad start with the Dodgers in 2007 and was released in July of that year. The Mets picked him up the next day as a free agent and signed him to a 2-year deal after the season.

The Mets stand to eat $1.1 million on Anderson’s guaranteed contract.

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Sheffield To Start Against Padres

PORT ST LUCIE, FL - FEBRUARY 26: Manager Jerr...
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Mets manager Jerry Manuel told reporters before last night’s game that Gary Sheffield likely won’t get a start in the outfield until Wednesday at home against the Padres. Manuel had been planning on starting Sheffield on Sunday against the Marlins.

The Mets have been working Sheffield in the outfield before each game getting him ready to play defensively. He hasn’t played the outfield regularly since 2005. There have even been reports that Sheffield believes that he needs to lose weight to be an effective outfielder.

The Mets don’t need to rush Sheffield because Ryan Church is hitting the cover off the ball so far this season. Through the first four games he’s hitting .533/ .588/ .733.

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Ron Villone Signs With Nationals

Washington Nationals
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Former Met reliever Ron Villone signed with the Washington Nationals yesterday. The 39 year old lefty was released by the Mets at the end of spring training. The deal with Washington is a minor league deal, as he had with the Mets, and he’s expected to report to the Nationals Triple-A team the Tidewater Tides.

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Mets Option Nick Evans To Triple-A

http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/Resources/Javascripts/PisV3.jshttp://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/Resources/javascripts/DataV3.ashx?ImageId=816929&PublisherId=1326MLB: MAR 04 Spring Training - Mets at Nationals

Nick Evans was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo today to make room on the roster for OF Gary Sheffield. The move doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone. In fact, it never made sense to me to keep Evans on the big league roster if he wasn’t going to get significant playing time. The guy just turned 23 years old in January. What good does it do for him to sit on the bench?

Evans needs to be playing every day at Buffalo. The best thing the Mets can do for him is to prepare him to be an everyday player. Hopefully, next season Carlos Delgado will be gone and Evans can take over at first base. Keeping him on the roster as a pinch-hitter and part-time player isn’t in his best interest or the Mets.

The bigger issue will be what the Mets do next Saturday to get Livan Hernandez on the roster. Most likely, they’ll release Marlon Anderson and keep Jeremy Reed as a defensive replacement outfielder. That makes the most sense to me. An option they have is to move one of the relief pitchers off the roster though. Bobby Parnell still has options so they could send him to Buffalo. But I think they like him and believe that he can make a contribution this season. My guess is that Marlon Anderson is waived.

Gary Sheffield, Mets Agree On Contract

gary-sheffieldMike Francesa is reporting on WFAN that the Mets have agreed to a contract with Detroit Tigers castoff Gary Sheffield. Its a good low risk, high reward move that could play a big part in the 2009 season for the Mets. Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated reported that two Mets scouts met with Sheffield in Tampa on Wednesday for a workout at a college field. They wanted to see what Sheffield could do in the outfield. He hasn’t played the outfield regularly since 2005 when he played 131 games in right field for the Yankees.

This move may spell the end of Marlon Anderson‘s tenure with the Mets. Anderson’s contract was a mistake. The Mets shouldn’t have given him a 2-year deal before the 2008 season. The Mets will have to eat the $1.15 million that they owe him for 2009.

Sheffield shores up the possibility that Daniel Murphy and Ryan Church can’t handle playing the corner outfield spots every day. It also relieves the Mets of their lefty heavy lineup that’s been a concern for Mets fans throughout the offseason.

The other teams that were reported to be interested in Shef were the Cincinnati Reds and the Philadelphia Philles. A point that I haven’t heard anyone address to this point is that signing Sheffield keeps him away from the Phillies. The Mets haven’t engaged in that type of activity much in recent years but its not a bad idea. The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox have been doing this to each other for years. There’s no reason that the Mets shouldn’t try to keep useful players like Sheffield away from the Phillies.

Overall, I think its a good move that will pay dividends for the Mets. The key is to make sure that Sheffield gets enough at-bats in the outfield to keep him happy. If he’s not happy with his playing time, he can cause real problems for this team.