Tag: Francisco Rodriguez

Five Mets That Need To Have A Big 2011

José Reyes
Image via Wikipedia

Many would call this a transition year for the Mets.  The Phillies are clearly ahead of the pack in the National League East, and the Metropolitans will have their work cut out for them if they hope to make a run at the Wild Card.

But as the Giants proved last season, some big years from some key players can launch a team to the promised land.

I’ve compiled a list of the five Mets that the team needs to have a big season from if they have any hopes of playing serious September/October baseball.

1. Jose Reyes-

We all need a big season from the franchise shortstop.  The fans need it, the team itself needs it, and most importantly, Jose needs a big season for himself.  When Reyes is healthy, there’s no arguing that he is one of the most tantalizing players in baseball.  But in 2011, Reyes needs to prove that his body is not already starting to break down at the age of 27.  Realistically, this could be the last season that Jose Reyes is a Met.  He’s a free agent after the season, and if he has a big year he will undoubtedly be targeted by several teams who could use an upgrade at shortstop.  If the Mets don’t plan on resigning him, you could see him used as trade bait in late July if the Mets aren’t in contention. Continue reading “Five Mets That Need To Have A Big 2011”

Mets Plan for 2011–Fan Reactions

NEW YORK - OCTOBER 29: Sandy Alderson answers...

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

I’ve been surprised to hear how many fans are very dissatisfied with the Mets this offseason. The Mets brought in Sandy Alderson, J.P. Ricciardi, Paul DePodesta to run the front office and develop a plan. But not much has happened since then while other teams are spending on big names like Jayson Werth, Cliff Lee, and Carl Crawford. That’s led to a lot of dissension among fans that I’ve talked to and heard from on Facebook and Twitter.

My take has been that the Mets knew for at least three years that this day would come. This is a day in which several long-term, big money contracts are coming due at the same time. Typically, that’s the making of an ugly situation which is exactly what’s happening to the Mets for next season. The confluence of the final season of contracts for Carlos Beltran, Oliver Perez, Luis Castillo, and K-Rod is the making of a difficult season. There just isn’t the financial flexibility or players with value to be able to do anything with. We’re going to have to ride out 2011 and just hope for the best. By “best”, I mean another .500 season and maybe dump some salary in July for prospects with potential.

Continue reading “Mets Plan for 2011–Fan Reactions”

Mets, K-Rod Postpone Grievance Hearing

New York Mets pitcher Francisco Rodriguez is escorted by police for his arraignment on assault charges at Queens Criminal Court in New York August 12, 2010. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL CRIME LAW IMAGES OF THE DAY)

http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.jsThe Mets and Francisco Rodriguez were scheduled to have a hearing before an arbitrator today but canceled as negotiations are ongoing. I’m sure you recall that K-Rod is accused of beating the crap out his girlfriend’s father at Citi Field.

The Mets unilaterally decided to put K-Rod on the disqualified list for the rest of the 2010 season which allowed them not to pay about $3 million that they owed him. The Mets also unilaterally decided that K-Rod’s contract for 2011 wouldn’t be guaranteed, despite the written agreement they had in place.

Everyone knew the Mets wouldn’t get away with what they were trying to do. It was completely ridiculous. The MLBPA immediately filed a grievance on behalf of K-Rod, as they should have.

If the Mets and the players union are negotiating a settlement, there’s no way that K-Rod’s contract for next year won’t be guaranteed. The MLBPA is the most powerful union in sports. They won’t take this lying down. I’m sure they’ll agree to a relatively small fine for K-Rod. Maybe he won’t get paid for the $3 million for 2010 that he missed. That’s not too big of a deal. It’s less than 10% of his total contract anyway.

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Mets Links: Joe Torre, Dysfunction, Team Photo

Joe Torre Manager
Image via Wikipedia

I’m clearing out the list of links that I’ve been holding onto now that the Mets are mathematically eliminated from NL East contention. They’re still 11 games behind the Giants for the wild card with 13 games left to play though! Keep holding out hope.

Yahoo Sports– Jeff Passan wrote a scathing column about the dysfunctional Mets. He squarely lays blame on Jeff Wilpon for running the team into the ground. It’s a good read and, although harsh, it’s hard to argue with his points.

Daily News – Mike Lupica writes about the possibility of the Mets bringing Joe Torre back 30 years later with Wally Backman as his bench coach. I find this really hard to believe on several levels. I can’t see Torre wanting to manage a team in disarray. And I can’t see low-key Torre and high-strung Backman as a good fit together.

ESPN – Adam Rubin writes that the Mets will PhotoShop Johan Santana into the 2010 team photo but K-Rod won’t be included. It’s another sign that he won’t be back with the Mets next season for the final year of his contract.

Daily News – Kevin Mitchell will stand trial for punching a guy on a golf course that said something Mitchell didn’t like. It’s certainly not Mitchell’s first run-in with fist-to-cuffs.

MetsBlog – The Mets have been calling season ticket holders offering them free tickets to one of the final games of this season. The seats have been empty, so why not have some bodies in the park buying food and concessions?

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K-Rod’s Injury A Blessing In Disguise?

New York Mets pitcher Francisco Rodriguez is escorted by police for his arraignment on assault charges at Queens Criminal Court in New York August 12, 2010. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL CRIME LAW IMAGES OF THE DAY)

http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.jsTwitter is hinting about the possibility the Mets will be able to void K-Rod’s contract. This is the first good news I’ve heard all week! Not only is he owed $11.5 million next year but the Mets also get the chance to eliminate a problem in the clubhouse and on the field.

Statistically speaking, I have always felt the closer position was the most overrated position in baseball. Correct me if I’m wrong but the average Major League pitcher will normally get out 70% of the batters they face. In the 9th inning, for every 5 batters a closer would face they technically can give up 2 hits and get 3 outs to earn the save. Is this really a tough job? Continue reading “K-Rod’s Injury A Blessing In Disguise?”

Video: Minaya on K-Rod Return

Francisco Rodriguez is scheduled to return from his two game suspension today for beating his girlfriend’s father at Citi Field. He’ll address the media today and, presumably, apologize for his actions.

Here’s video of Omar Minaya talking about the incident and Rodriguez’ return.

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

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