Print

[Dan]

Maine has surgery, prepares for 2011

John Maine underwent arthroscopic surgery on Friday to clean out scar tissue in his right shoulder. The surgery was performed by Dr. Michael Cicotti in Philly, & Maine is expected to be ready for Spring Training.

Jerry Manuel expressed his feelings that Maine finally had a diagnosis & treatment that can help him continue his career, saying, "I'm happy that I'm sure he's satisfied."

Maine last pitched on May 20 in DC, when Jerry removed him after he walked the 1st batter on % pitches. "He just didn't look right," said Jerry, reflecting on that decision.

While many speculated that there was a problem between Maine & Jerry regarding his pitching, the skipper said it was never about that. "I was getting on John Maine for hurting John Maine," Manuel said. "When I confronted him, it was about him hurting John Maine."

Maine made 9 starts for the Mets this season, compiling a 1-3 record & a 6.13 ERA in just under 40 innings.

When the Mets 1st placed Maine on the DL, the RHP insisted that Docs had told him that he had shoulder tendinitis & that he could pitch with the ailment. "John wanted the ball regardless of how he felt," said Jerry, adding that he was more concerned with his health than with his desire.

"Even in Florida a few years ago, when I confronted him," Jerry revealed, "he said he wanted to pitch, & I said, 'No, you don't look right, & I'm not gonna let you do that.'"

Maine tried to make a comeback, throwing 2 Minor League rehab starts, but said that he didn't feel right after the second start on June 18. Now with the surgery behind him, Maine can start preparing for the '11 season. Jerry reiterated his pleasure in hearing that Maine finally received the treatment he needed. "He was always tough on John Maine," Jerry said. "That was my argument, why are you so tough on John Maine? I like John Maine."
http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100724&content_id=12576272&notebook_id=12576274&vkey=notebook_nym&fext=.jsp&c_id=nym

I guess Dickey will keep his starting job.

[Dan]

Forget what I said about Warthen. The starters have been fine the last few games.

HoJo needs to go. A 2-9 (1-10, if you count Cuzzi's blown call) road-trip where hitting was the problem should be enough of a reason to send HoJo packing.

I don't care if he was an '86 Met. If the Mets want to keep him, he can manage a minor league team, be a scout or developer for the Mets. But he can't be the hitting coach for the NY Mets.

[EP21]

Like I said, the problem is the offense. And it's not even a lack of talent. That's the saddest part.

[Dan]

If they don't want to fire HoJo because he was an '86 Met, then they should give him another coaching job. He was originally the 1B coach in '07, which he was good at. Give him that or the 3B job. They need a new hitting coach.

To do that, they can get rid of:
Bench Coach Dave Jauss & put HoJo as Bench Coach. Jauss hasn't managed since '94, which was a minor league managerial job. I don't want Jauss as Jerry's replacement if the fire Jerry. I'd keep Jerry as manager than have Dave Jauss. (HoJo managing isn't such a bad thing.)
3B Coach Chip Hale. Hale isn't a good 3B coach. Get rid of him, & have HoJo & Razor Shines as the base coaches.

[9]

It's a shame about Maine. As anyone who has spent more than 26 seconds on the board knows, I'm a Yankees fan, but I always liked the guy. If I remember, he kicked our ass when he pitched for the Orioles, so I thought it was a great move for the Mets when they picked him up. 

[Dan]

There's another person to blame for the recent slump: Carlos Beltran.

They were playing so well with him on the DL. He returned right after the All Star break, when this horrible road trip started.
Someone said if Bobby V was managing, Pagan would be in LF, Beltran in CF & Frenchy in RF. Bobby wouldn't have a problem benching a guy getting $16.5M

[Dan]

Mets place Barajas on 15-day DL
By Anthony DiComo / MLB.com

A chaotic off day for the Mets yielded only 1 tangible result: The team placed Rod Barajas on the DL Monday with a mild left oblique strain & selected the contract of IF Mike Hessman from Buffalo.

The team's coaching staff (a source of speculation over the weekend) will remain intact at least through Tuesday's game, according to a team official.

An MRI taken Monday revealed that Rod, who had been hitting a meager .168 since the start of June, strained his left side Saturday in LA. Though he carried more than his share of the team's offense in April, hitting .244 with 9 of his 12 HR over the 1st 5 weeks of the season, Rod has slumped lately, while losing playing time to rookie Josh Thole.

The Mets placed him on the DL retroactive to July 25. In his absence, Thole will become the regular starter. Rod won't resume baseball activities until he is pain-free.

It is the 3rd such oblique injury for the Mets this season. Last month, CF Angel Pagan strained his right side & missed a week's worth of games. A week later, SS Jose Reyes also strained his right oblique & had to miss the All-Star Game.

The Mets, however, were desperate at the time for those 2 to return, they ranked among the club's top offensive contributors. Rod in contrast, has been mired in a massive funk since June, reportedly prompting the Mets to shop him around in recent days.

His absence will certainly have an immediate impact on the team. With Barajas gone & Thole behind the plate more regularly, the Mets should give plenty of AB off the bench to Hessman, who had been the active Minor League leader with 329 career HR before his promotion. Hessman, 32, was batting .274 with 18 HR & a .573SLG% at Buffalo.

It's the sort of help the Mets can use. After the club was shut out the 4th time on its 11-game road trip Sunday, GM Omar Minaya was noncommittal when asked if his coaching staff would remain intact for Tuesday's game against the Cards. Early Monday evening, after a series of meetings at Citi Field, a Mets official finally acknowledged that everything was "status quo" with the team, & that the coaching staff would indeed remain the same. HoJo had appeared to be in the most imminent danger.

The Mets also received a good bit of medical news on Monday. RA Dickey, whom Jerry contentiously removed from Sunday's game after Dickey felt tightness in his hip area, reported no soreness the next day. He'll be reevaluated Tuesday, but should be fine to make his next start.

http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100726&content_id=12652234&vkey=news_nym&fext=.jsp&c_id=nym

This guy has 18 HR & Ruben Tejada has been in the majors? 

[Dan]

Mets sign reliever Cordero to minor-league deal
By MIKE PUMA

The Mets have signed reliever Chad Cordero to a minor league contract.

Cordero was an All-Star with the Nats in '05 when he finished the season with 47 saves. He had 29 in '06 & 37 in '07, but has fallen on hard times since.

He missed most of the '08 season with a torn labrum in his shoulder & various other injuries. He spent '09 rehabbing the shoulder injury & had a 6.52 ERA in 9 games with the Mariners this year. Last week Seattle tried to send him down to the minors, but he refused the assignment & became a FA.
http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/metsblog/mets_sign_cordero_to_minor_league_sJGUH2jJfoUmzFFiw9jOCO

If they got him a few years ago, it would've been a great signing. I think this is such a pointless move.

[ctnets]

So... Our beloved Muts... Lose to the dbacks once again... What a complete joke!

[Dan]

As Deadline passes, Mets decline to deal
Minaya prefers to keep prospects while rivals make moves
By Anthony DiComo / MLB.com

Roughly half an hour before Saturday's non-waiver Trade Deadline, Omar Minaya's phone began buzzing in earnest. For a moment, the Mets GM believed he might be able to acquire some pitching help, after all.

In the end, though, the Mets' place in the standings (along with their unwillingness to part with even mid-level prospects) transformed Saturday's trade talks into a fruitless endeavor. And so the Mets let the Deadline pass without striking a deal, banking instead on the quality of their current roster, the possibility of an impending waiver deal & their plan for the future.

"The good thing we found out about this process is that different organizations like the young prospects that we have," Omar said. "But you have to be careful in giving up blue-chip prospects & looking where you're in the standings."

After top-flight starting pitchers Cliff Lee, Dan Haren & Roy Oswalt were all traded to other teams in the days leading up to Saturday's Trade Deadline, it became increasingly unlikely that the Mets might strike a deal. Some potential existed this week to swap Jeff Francoeur for bullpen help, but Jason Bay's assignment to the DL squelched that talk, as well.

As it was, the Mets stood pat while the rest of the division (Phillies & Braves in particular) used the non-waiver Deadline to upgrade their roster. Though the Mets still may follow suit with a waiver deal in the coming weeks, their position in the standings (7.5 games out of 1st place when the Deadline struck) may continue to influence their activity.

"We'll continue to have dialogue with teams," Omar said roughly 2 hours after the Deadline. "I do believe that opportunities will be there after the Trade Deadline. The fact that other teams made moves in our division, that's fine."

Now that it has passed, teams can't make deals involving players on the 40-man roster unless those players have cleared waivers. By placing a player on waivers, teams must exposed him to the 29 other teams, and if he is claimed by 1 of them (priority goes in reverse order of standings) he can't be traded. The club that placed the player on waivers then has 48 hours to work out a trade with the claiming team, to withdraw the request & keep the player in question, or simply to allow the claiming team to assume that player's rights & contract. Throughout the latter part of the season, teams routinely place many players on waivers in an effort to mask their intentions.

After Saturday's Deadline, such is the only avenue still open to the Mets. In justifying his team's silence prior to the non-waiver Deadline, Omar cited his intentions of building for the future, of holding onto prospects such as Wilmer Flores, Jenrry Mejia, Kirk Nieuwenhuis & Reese Havens. But the Mets also looked at the bigger picture from an alternate perspective.

Simply put, the Mets realize that a 7.5 game division hole, while not insurmountable, makes for a difficult task, 1 made even more challenging after the Phillies splurged for Oswalt earlier this week. "From a manager's point of view, you look at those things as periphery," Jerry Manuel said. "You have to be concerned with how you can get the people that you have to play at the highest level."

Though the Mets could have shed the salaries of Frenchy, Castillo or Perez, little market existed for those players. And so they stood pat. "You hear all sorts of rumors," Francoeur said. "I think as players, you try to get your mind out of it, because we don't control it. We don't deal with that." In the end, there was nothing of substance for Francoeur to consider. Nothing happened. And so the Mets must proceed with the team that they have, a group that has hardly played up to its potential.

"This is a team that can get hot," Minaya said. "This is a team that can win 10 in a row, & I believe we'll have a run like that."
http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100731&content_id=12856402&vkey=news_nym&fext=.jsp&c_id=nym

I'm sick of Omar.

[Dan]

Tomorrow the Mets will have the Mets Hall of Fame induction ceremony. They are inducting OF Darryl Strawberry, Manager Davey Johnson, GM Frank Cashen & SP Dwight Gooden.

They are giving out these hats. I might go to the game. I have to see.

Mets & Cyclones 2010 Season

[EP21]

Omar Minaya may have done the smartest thing by not doing anything stupid. I have no complaints.

[Dan]

So typical of the Mets to lose on the day they induct 4 guys to the Mets HOF. 

[Dan]

The Cyclones are on a tear. 6 straight wins. The beat the Yankees last Monday, swept the Aberdeen Ironbirds (Orioles) on Wednesday, Thursday & Friday. They beat the Yanks again on Saturday & Sunday. Maybe the Mets & Cyclones should swap rosters.  I'm going to a lot of games in the next week.There's a small chance I'm going to the game tomorrow night. They are giving out an Ike Davis bobble-legs. It is an upside bobble-head, because of all the diving catches he makes.

Mets & Cyclones 2010 Season

I'm going Wednesday when they have a good deal. $60 gets you 4 tickets, 4 white castle vouchers & 4 blue jerseys.

Mets & Cyclones 2010 Season

Thursday is Irish Heritage night. They are giving away Irish jerseys.

Mets & Cyclones 2010 Season

Mets & Cyclones 2010 Season

It happens to be my cousins wedding. (He is from Miami & a big Heat fan. I have half a mind to yell "LEBRON SUCKS" during the dancing). My housekeeper who lives near the ballpark will pick up the jersey for me.I'm going Sunday with my parents for my Mom's birthday. They are giving out models of the ballpark.I will go next Monday to the day game.

[Dan]

Great Cyclones game last night. They shut out the Batavia Muckdogs (Cardinals) 4-0. The game was nice & quick. Only 2:10.

What made it very enjoyable was that they had the backup PA announcer, who doesn't yell like a maniac. He also referred to Joel Fuentes the "Bench Coach" instead of "Assistant Coach" Asst. Coach is not a baseball term.

[Dan]

Extension for Mets' Reyes a possibility
By Anthony DiComo / MLB.com

The Mets are reportedly open to negotiating a contract extension with SS Jose Reyes.

Citing an unnamed team source, the Daily News reported Thursday that the Mets are willing to negotiate a new contract in lieu of exercising Reyes' $11M team option for 2011, but that they will not attempt to finalize anything during the season.

Reyes, who is in the final guaranteed season of his 4Y/$23.25M contract, is hitting .278 with 7 HR & 21 SB in 93 games.
http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100805&content_id=13071896&notebook_id=13071900&vkey=notebook_nym&fext=.jsp&c_id=nym

Reyes is the heart & soul of the Mets. They should sign him long term.

[Dan]

Owner backs GM of his sagging Mets — again
By MIKE PUMA

The Mets’ patriarch isn’t ready to send his boys to their room without dinner. Fred Wilpon, in his 1st public comments about the Mets since spring training, yesterday implied he plans to stick with Omar Minaya as his GM beyond 2010, & at the same time praised the job his son, Jeff Wilpon, is doing as the team COO.

At a news conference in East Hartford, to help announce a new partnership between SNY & UConn athletics, Wilpon ducked reporters’ inquiries about his floundering Mets. But as Wilpon walked away, The Post asked if Omar would remain the team’s GM beyond this year.

“Is the sun going to come up tomorrow?” Wilpon answered. Later, as Wilpon ducked into a chauffeured automobile, he was asked by The Post about the job Jeff is doing, “Excellent,” Fred Wilpon said. “Everybody knows that.”

Asked for a reaction to his father’s assessment, Jeff, through a team spokesman, said he had “nothing to add.”

Last August, in the midst of a nightmarish 70-win season, Fred offered a similar endorsement of Omar, answering “Absolutely. That’s a fact,” when asked by The Post if Omar would remain as GM in '10. Now it would appear as if Omar has more lives than Felix the Cat & Richard Nixon combined.

Though the Mets could be facing a 2nd straight losing season, it wouldn't come as a surprise to many within the organization if Omar is retained as GM, given the fact he is owed more than $2M through '12. They could demote Omar, but 1 industry source doubted the cash-strapped Wilpon is inclined to spend the dollars it would take to put another body in Omar’s chair. Likewise, any replacement for Jerry Manuel after this season would probably have to be willing to work for the $800K Jerry is earning this season in the final year of his contract.

Fred held steady yesterday in his refusal to talk at length about his disappointing Mets (54-54), who are 7.5 games behind the Braves in the NLE as they prepare to open a (last gasp?) 3-game series tonight in Philly.

The last time Fred spoke publically about the Mets was on Feb. 20 in Port St. Lucie, when he noted the number of “great” players on the roster & defended the organization’s decision not to add significant payroll for the starting rotation.

“Jeff & I don’t pick the baseball players, so that is what the front office wanted to do,” Fred said that day. “They think the guys we have will prove to be better than some of the guys we passed up.”

Wilpon, who has become more reclusive in the wake of the Madoff scandal & his team’s lackluster play, said he attended yesterday’s news conference to promote a new partnership between UConn & SNY & it wasn’t the time to discuss the Mets. Asked by The Post what would be a good time & place to discuss the Mets, Fred hesitated. “I have a feeling that Jeff talks & he’s more talking about the Mets & the important thing is really Omar,” Fred said. “Omar is the person who represents the Mets from a baseball point of view.”

That appears as if it will be the case in 2011, too.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/mets/owner_backs_gm_of_his_sagging_mets_eNxYQ3AHHsEgt5Wwcqy7TI#ixzz0vqC9f0J9

I really wish Proky would buy the Mets.

[Dan]

Mets & Cyclones 2010 Season

It has a Budweiser logo on the back of the jerseys. I heard they had to remove the logo from the back of the kids jerseys. 

[Dan]

The NYPL All Star game will be great for Cyclones fans.

STAR POWER

The NYPL NL All-Star Team will be Brooklyn-heavy this year, thanks to the Cyclones' league-leading 33 wins (entering play on Saturday), an offensive juggernaut of a lineup, & some of the top pitchers in the league.

A total of 8 Cyclones players have been named to the NYPL NL All-Star Team, more than any other team in the league, & the most All-Star representatives in 1 year in franchise history.  In addition, the Cyclones coaching staff (manager Wally Backman, pitching coach Rick Tomlin, hitting coach Benny DiStefano, coach Joel Fuentes, & trainer Deb Iwanow) will also represent the NL, giving Brooklyn 13 All-Star representatives. Brooklyn leads the league in Team AVG (.296), Runs (276), Hits (479), Total Bases (761), 2B (101), HR (43), & RBI (247). The Cyclones pitching staff ranks 2nd in team ERA (3.16).

RHPs Yohan Almonte & Ryan Fraser, 3B Joe Bonfe, CF Darrell Ceciliani, LHP Angel Cuan, 1B Jeff Flagg, SS Rylan Sandoval, & RF Cory Vaughn are the Cyclones' '10 All-Stars.

Almonte is 5-3 with a 2.03 ERA, good for 5th-best in the league. In 57.2 IP, he has allowed 46 H, 21 R, 13 ER & 11 BB, while K'ing 37. He has allowed 1 ER or less in 7 of his 10 starts, & has given up just 1 HR run all year. Almonte ranks 2nd in the league in IP. Yohan (a 21-year-old native of Sabana de la Mar, in Dominican Republic) was signed by the Mets as a non-drafted FA in '07.

Bonfe ranks 3rd in the NYPL with a .337 AVG (55-for-163). In 45 games, he has 22 R, 10 2B, 2 HR, 19 RBI & 7 SB. Joe (a 22-year-old native of Woodbury, MN) was the Mets 21st round pick in '09, out of Sierre College (CA).

Ceciliani has been perhaps the best all-around player in the NYPL this season, leading the league in AVG (.387) H (74) R (44) 3B (10) & TB (111). He ranks 2nd in extra-base hits (25) & SLG (.581) & 4th in OBP (.438) & SB (16). Darrell (a 20-year-old native of Madras, OR) is the youngest Cyclone & was selected by the Mets in the 4th round of the '09 Draft, out of Columbia Basin CC (OR).

Cuan is undefeated on the year, going 5-0 with a 1.66 ERA in 9 starts. In 59.2 IP, he has allowed 49 H, 16 R, 11 ER & 10 BB, while K-ing 48. He has thrown the most innings in the league, & allowed just 1 HR all season. Cuan has pitched 5+ innings & allowed 2 ER or less in each of his starts this year. Angel (a 21-year-old native of David, Chirqui in Panama) was signed by the Mets as a non-drafted FA in '07.

Flagg ranks 3rd in the league with 34 RBI, 3rd in extra-base hits (23) & 5th in TB (88). He's batting .287 (50-for-174) in 47 games, with 13 2B, 5 3B, 5 HR & 6 SB. Jeff (a 25-year-old native of Jacksonville) was selected by the Mets in the 27th round of the '08 Draft, out of Mississippi St.U

Fraser is tied for 4th in the league with 7 saves. He has an 0.43 ERA in 16 games, all in relief. In 21 innings, Ryan has allowed just 8 H & 2 R (1 ER) while K-ing 28. Opponents are hitting .119 against him, lowest in the league.  Ryan (a 21-year-old native of Cleveland, TN) was selected by the Mets in the 16th round of the '10 Draft, out of the University of Memphis.

Sandoval ranks 3rd in the league in HR(9) H(58) & TB(97). He ranks 4th in SLG (.551) & R(34) 5th in extra-base hits(21) & 7th with a 330 AVG (58-for-176). Rylan (a 22-year-old native of Castroville, CA) was signed as a non-drafted FA in Feb. '10, after working out for Backman at a showcase in Yuma, Arizona.

Vaughn leads the league in HR (12) & RBI (43) & is on pace to shatter Brooklyn's single-season franchise highs in those categories (13 & 46, respectively). Cory also leads the league in SLG (.574) ranks 2nd in TB (101) & 3rd in R (35). Cory is batting .313 (56-for-179) with 7 2B, 3 3B & 9 SB. Cory (a 21-year-old native of Elk Grove, CA is the son of former MLB slugger Greg Vaughn) was selected by the Mets in the 4th round of the '10 Draft, out of SD St.U, where he played for manager & Hall of Famer, Tony Gwynn.

http://www.brooklyncyclones.com/news/topstories/index.html?article_id=929

This will be an enjoyable game.

[Dan]

Mets call up F-Mart, Tejada; Cora cut
Feliciano optioned to Triple-A as club infuses youth into roster
By Anthony DiComo / MLB.com

Desperate to shrug off their recent struggles, the Mets on Saturday turned to their youth. In a significant roster shakeup, the Mets released veteran IF Alex Cora, optioned OF Jesus Feliciano to Buffalo & recalled prospects Ruben Tejada & Fernando Martinez from the Minors. Tejada will assume the starting job at 2B, with Luis Castillo & his $6M contract shifting to the bench. Martinez will form a right-field platoon with Jeff Francoeur.

"We just thought we need to change it up some," GM Omar Minaya said. "The way we've been playing, we thought we needed to change it up."

Cora, 34, was batting just .207 with 9 extra-base hits in 169 AB as a backup IF. He was 18 games away from vesting an option that would have guaranteed him more than $2M next season. The Mets replaced Cora on the roster with Tejada, 20, who spent significant time with the team earlier this season. Splitting time between 2B & his natural position (SS) Tejada hit .212 with 17 R in 35 games, committing 3 Es in the field. Attributing most of Tejada's earlier struggles to a stomach bug that affected him while he was in the Majors, the Mets named him their starting 2B for the indefinite future. That means that Luis, who was batting .246 on the season but is 5-for-12 in Aug. will assume a backup role. Luis is under contract through '11 & is owed $6.25M next year.

"I was surprised, because I was starting to hit better," Luis said. "But I don't have any control over this, so they'll do what they want to do. I've got to be ready every day to play."

F-Mart has ranked among the organization's top prospects the past few years, but injuries & inconsistency have undermined him for most of his career. Batting .255 with 12 HR in 68 games for Buffalo, he had heated up with a .437 AVG & 2 HR over his past 7 games. To make room for F-Mart on the active roster, the Mets optioned Feliciano, who hit .292 with the big club mostly as a PH. Martinez will receive the bulk of AB in RF over Francoeur, who had been starting regularly since Bay landed on the DL last month with a concussion. Jeff initially slipped into a backup role after Beltran returned from the DL in mid-July, but he regained his starting job after Bay went down to injury. He's batting .241 on the season, & just .176 since the All-Star break. The Mets have long maintained that they wouldn't promote F-Mart to their big league roster unless they could start him regularly in the OF. This new arrangement will allow them to do so.

"We're in a situation here where young players like him, you want to give him the opportunity to perform," Omar said. "F-Mart is a kid that, right now as a young player, we see him as part of our future. I think the timing was right to bring him up."

F-Mart & Tejada were scratched from Buffalo's lineup roughly 5 minutes prior to first pitch on Friday, prompting early speculation that the Mets had been working on a trade. In Buffalo, the players were none the wiser. After speaking to his manager & his agent, F-Mart went to sleep Friday evening unaware if he had been traded or promoted. "It was a little tough, because I didn't know anything. I didn't know if I was going to another team. Nobody told me anything."

Early Saturday morning, F-Mart finally received the call that he was joining the Mets. "I know everybody here," he said. "I have a lot of friends, a lot of brothers. It would have made me sad to go to another team."

Instead, F-Mart is headlining a youth movement for the Mets, at the expense of veterans Luis, Jeff, Feliciano & Cora. The Mets are almost certain to non-tender the struggling Jeff after the season & they actively tried to deal Luis prior to last weekend's non-waiver Trade Deadline. For now, though those 2 will remain with the team in limited roles.

Cora, meanwhile, may need to sign a Minor League contract if he ever has designs on returning to the big leagues. Well-respected throughout the league for his clubhouse presence & leadership, Cora simply didn't produce for the Mets after signing a $2M contract last winter. "He's a pro," Omar said. "He gets along with everybody. The words 'clubhouse leader' a lot of times get overused, but he's a person that commands respect."
http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100807&content_id=13147094&vkey=news_nym&fext=.jsp&c_id=nym

I don't think they should've brought up F-Mart. He doesn't seem ready.