WFAN’s Eddie Coleman calls in from Port St. Lucie to Joe & Evan talking about the Duaner Sanchez release and the bullpen options for the Mets.
Angel Pagan Considering Surgery
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The bone spur in Angel Pagan’s elbow may require surgery. But that surgery wouldn’t cause Pagan to miss the entire season. Great news for the Mets!
If Pagan does opt for surgery he’ll miss 6-8 weeks according to the NY Post.
I’d like to know what the other option(s) are for Pagan. I assume that he may miss less time if he opts to rehab the injury without surgery but runs the chance that rehab won’t cure the problem.
Mets Release Duaner Sanchez
There’s been so much chatter recently about the Mets having a looming decision about whether to keep Duaner Sanchez or release him. I thought they would at least give him a look until the end of March.
By releasing him now the Mets are only responsible for one-sixth of his $1,687,500 salary for the 2009 season. The Mets didn’t have much of a choice after he got knocked around pretty well last season. He didn’t look great this spring either. I watched him get knocked around a bit yesterday against the Orioles. He was only able to hit 89 mph on the radar gun yesterday and that was high for him over the past two seasons.
From the NY Times:
“We looked at it, really, his over all performance based upon last year to what we see now and we didn’t see the improvement,” Minaya said.
This could end up being a good thing for Sanchez. He could sign a minor league deal elsewhere and have a chance to work his way onto the major league roster. He didn’t have options so the Mets had to keep him on the major league roster or release him.
After not pitching at all in 2007 after an accident in a taxi in July 2006, he came back last season to very mixed results. He had a 4.32 ERA and 1.320 WHIP in 66 games in 2008. He was really a shadow of his former self with very reduced velocity and couldn’t find himself as a finesse pitcher.
Santana Resumes Mets Spring Thursday
Mets ace Johan Santana will get back on the mound in a start against the Florida Marlins on Thursday in Port St. Lucie. The game is an unusual 7:10pm start on SNY and MLB Network.
Santana has pitched several successful bullpen sessions and batting practices since experiencing tightness in his left elbow.
If Santana pitches well this could quell some of the concern surrounding the fifthe spot in the rotation. Right now, with Mike Pelfrey slightly injured, Santana not ready to pitch in games yet, and the fifth starter candidates flopping badly Mets fans are extremely concerned about the rotation. And rightuflly so.
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If Santana and Pelfrey can solidify their spots this week it’ll go a long way toward making us feel like the Mets rotation is going to be okay this season. Mike Pelfrey is scheduled to start on Saturday against the Washington Nationals in PSL.
If all goes well with Santana and Pelfrey we can start to remember that the fifth starter is the the FIFTH starter. There are several guys that the Mets can rotate in and out to find soemthing that works. I realize that nothing is working at this point. But let’s worry about the first and second spots in the rotation this week as the priority.
Mets Angel Pagan Hurt Again
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A really sad story for a guy that I liked to have an impact on the Mets this season. Angel Pagan has been a really fast starter the last two seasons only to be injured along the way. We found out today that Pagan came back to New York for tests on his inflamed right elbow. The diagnosis is a bone spur that may require surgery.
Pagan was hitting .467 in 15 at-bats this spring and, in my mind, was a lock to make the team as corner outfielder that can switch hit. The Mets really need someone that can sub in defensively in left field for Daniel Murphy or Fernando Tatis. They also need a right-handed bat off the bench.
Last season Pagan got off the a hot start and got a ton of playing time because of Moises Alou’s injuries. He injured his shoulder in May in Los Angeles going for a fly ball over the wall.
Hopefully, Pagan won’t require surgery and will have a chance to do some damage for the Mets this season. I was really looking forward to seeing him play a key role off the bench. It looks like Bobby Kielty will fill the role of reserve outfielder and he’s also a switch hitter.
Freddy Garcia Needs To Perform For Mets
I have to admit that I thought Freddy Garcia would be able to come in and lock up the fifth spot in the rotation quickly this spring. Just the opposite has happened. Here’s Garcia’s line from this spring so far:
W L S ERA G GS CG SHO IP H R ER
0 2 0 20.22 2 1 0 0 2.2 5 8 6
Source: ESPN 2009 Spring Training Stats
I don’t think that Garcia is in danger of being cut immediately. But he is eating up useful innings this spring that could be used by a pitcher that has a shot at the major league roster. Since Garcia is with the Mets on a minor league contract he could be sent to Triple-A Buffalo. But he has indicated that he would want to be released rather than play in the minors.
If he keeps pitching to an ERA over 20, he may be in danger of being cut in the near future. He’ll face the University of Michigan team today which could be his last appearance in a Mets uniform if he doesn’t show that he still has some skills.
Mike Pelfrey Another Injured New York Met
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Mike Pelfrey is reported to be experiencing some pain in his lower left leg. He had an MRI on the leg and is expected to miss at least a few days of work outs. Pelfrey is the latest Met to be experiencing some minor pain this spring.
The list of Mets that have minor injuries is somewhat alarming. But we have to remember that every team is overly cautious in the spring to avoid problems that spill over into the regular season.
The reason to be concerned about Pelfrey is sherely because Johan Santana has experienced some elbow problems. So if Santana can’t go on opening day in Cincinnati, it would have been Pelfrey that likely would have led the rotation. But let’s not get crazy in the first week of March until we have more conclusive information.
The Mets Report 