Tag Archives: David Aardsma

Nov 25

Mets Set Free Agent Market The Wrong Way

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New York Mets general manager Sandy Alderson called the free agent market “robust,’’ but he’s a contributor in making it so.

We all know Robinson Cano and Jacoby Ellsbury – both good players will get their money – but they aren’t the ones driving up the market.

Salaries aren’t driven by the stars getting large salaries, but when mediocre and questionable talent are given huge paydays.

The bar gets set when Chris Young – thanks to Alderson – gets $7.25 million. The market is also influenced when a PED user such as Jhonny Peralta gets a four-year, $52-million contract from St. Louis. For all the talk about the Mets being interested, it is just as well they didn’t sink that kind of money into player whose numbers are suspect because of PEDs.

So please, I don’t want to hear Alderson moan about the high salary demands when he helped create the environment that leads to those demads. That includes being in the market for a PED user like Peralta.

Retiring commissioner Bud Selig is going after Alex Rodriguez though questionable methods, yet his legacy will also include large contracts for guys like Peralta.

Reliever David Aardsma tweeted over the weekend after learning of the Peralta deal with the Cardinals: “Apparently getting suspended for PEDs means you get a raise. What’s stopping anybody from doing it? … I had 2 major surgeries in 5 months and made it back clean, nothing pisses me off more than guys that cheat and get raises for doing so.’’

He’s right.

I don’t know how you can regulate teams against signing PED users. It’s their money and they are the ones taking the risk.

So many players have benefitted from using PEDs, and regardless of whether MLB nails Rodriguez or not, that will continue.

Which makes me wonder what’s Selig’s real objective?

 

Oct 15

What Is Mets’ Interest In Their Own Free Agents?

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In looking at the free-agent market, the New York Mets will first consider which of their own eight they might think of bringing back.

It isn’t an impressive list, but there are several the Mets might think of returning. If they don’t bring back they can always find their replacements in the market.

The filing period begins five days after the end of the World Series. Here’s the eight:

David Aardsma: He had some decent moments coming out of the bullpen, but nothing that screams, “we gotta have him back.’’ Aardsma was 2-2 with a 4.31 ERA in 43 appearances. He allowed 53 base runners in 39.2 innings, so we’re not exactly talking about a slam-the-door reliever. Walking 19 and giving up seven homers isn’t good for such a limited time.

Tim Byrdak: He worked 4.2 innings in eight appearances because he was coming off an injury. He pitched in 72 games two years ago, but was injured in 2012. Because of his health issues, he should come relatively cheaply and might be worth offering an incentives-laden deal. If he rejects it, the Mets haven’t lost anything.

Pedro Feliciano: He is far from “Perpetual Pedro’’ but after missing the past two seasons he did find his way into 25 games. It was too small a window to measure his effectiveness. He might be worth a shot, but the Mets must ask themselves, “can we live without him?’’ Chances are they’ll answer in the affirmative.

Frank Francisco: I mention him because he’s on the list, but there’s no way the Mets want him back. Frankly, I thought the only reason they brought him up at the end of the season was in the hope of finding a trading partner.

Aaron Harang: The Mets can pick up his option and since they are two short in the rotation, he’s somebody worth considering. He started four games for the Mets, and worked six innings in three of them. Harang struck out 26 in 23 innings, so there’s some hope there. On the flip side, he also gave up five homers among his nine runs. That he gave the Mets innings is what they should look at considering he’d be a back end of the rotation starter.

LaTroy Hawkins: He’s 40 and still throws in the mid-90s. When Bobby Parnell went down he assumed the closer role and saved 13 games. Parnell is not a certainty coming off neck surgery and constructing the bullpen is a must. Frankly, I’m not sure they would get much better in the free-agent market.

Daisuke Matsuzaka: He started seven games and went 3-3 and worked into the fifth inning is all but one game. He gave the Mets 38.2 innings when they needed it desperately. GM Sandy Alderson said he was pleased with what Matsuzaka gave them. Of the eight free agents, he’s probably the most likely to come back.

Johan Santana: He wants to pitch again and Alderson said he’d keep his mind open. He’s already received a pile of money from the Mets, and unless he accepts a minor league deal, I’d be reluctant considering his health situation.

 

Sep 24

Mets Wrap: Aaron Harang And David Aardsma Show Something For 2014

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It was fun to watch the New York Mets play a meaningful September game. Maybe next year they’ll be in one for their own benefit.

Manager Terry Collins said prior to the game the Mets could benefit just by playing a team with something on the line.

HARANG: Pitching for 2014.

HARANG: Pitching for 2014.

“It will be an education for our young players,’’ Collins said of this series with the Cincinnati Reds. “It will be fun to watch. We’ll see how we react. The pressure is on them. We’ll see how our guys measure up.’’

They measured up well in tonight’s 3-2 10-inning loss at Cincinnati, with a couple of nuggets worthy of a look.

The first was Aaron Harang, who gave up two runs in six innings. By definition, that was a quality start, but there was nothing good about the six walks.

However, what Harang demonstrated was an ability to work out of trouble, which is something to look for in a No. 4 or No. 5 starter.

Harang should be invited to spring training to compete for a spot in the rotation.

Assuming Matt Harvey won’t be ready for the start of spring training, the Mets have three starters in Jon Niese, Zack Wheeler and Dillon Gee. That leaves Harang competing for the fourth spot with the fifth spot wide open.

Should Harvey be ready, Harang would be competing for the fifth spot. Harvey opted to rehab his elbow and eschew surgery for now. Part of that rehab could be to test the elbow in the Arizona Fall League, as it would enable him to throw at game speed.

The Fall League is advantageous to the Mets in finding out about Harvey. Throwing on flat ground or in the bullpen does not test the elbow as facing hitters. Of course, Harvey won’t pitch in Arizona if he feels any discomfort in his elbow.

Something else to consider as they prepare their offseason moves is reliever David Aardsma, who pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the ninth.

The Mets, as in what has been a winter tradition in the past four years, will be attempting to build a bullpen. Aardsma has been effective in stretches this season, and tonight was another example.

Your comments are greatly appreciated and I will attempt to respond. Follow me on Twitter @jdelcos

Jul 02

Resilient Mets Show Something; Josh Satin And Andrew Brown Star

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No, Matt Harvey doesn’t get a partial credit for a win last night, but even so it was fun to watch the New York Mets turn aggravation to something to shout about.

They left 20 runners on base for the second time this season, but nonetheless came from behind twice to beat Arizona, 5-4 in 13 innings, before another sparse crowd at Citi Field.

BROWN: Coming through. (AP)

BROWN: Coming through. (AP)

`If you’re going to be out there that long you might as well win the game,’’ manager Terry Collins told reporters. “We were out of pitching, I can tell you that.’’

Actually, the Mets were out of everything, even using Anthony Recker as a pinch-hitter.

The Mets won largely from the contributions of three players – Josh Satin, Andrew Brown and Omar Quintanilla – and reliever David Aardsma, who weren’t on the Opening Day roster.

Factoring prominently was Satin, whom the Mets had to place on their 40-man roster to promote him when Ike Davis was finally sent down to Triple-A Las Vegas.

Satin has been on a tear, batting .444 (12-for-27, including back-to-back three-hit games) in the last seven games.

Not to dump on Davis, but there’s no rush to bring him back with how Satin is playing.

“Josh deserves some at-bats,’’ Collins said of Satin’s increased playing time. “He’s getting some big hits. It doesn’t matter if they’re left-handed or right-handed. He’s getting big hits for us.

“I’ll tell you what: Every team has somebody that surprises you and saves you. And right now, he’s our savior `cause this guy has come up and filled a big hole for us.’’

Savior is a bit much, but he is playing well.

Down 3-0, the Mets scored single runs in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings, with Satin driving home Marlon Byrd to force extra innings.

Met killer Cody Ross homered to give Arizona a 4-3 lead, and you could imagine TV sets across the tri-state area turning off. After all, it was past midnight.

But with one out, Satin doubled to the opposite field – something we rarely see from Davis. Instead of trying to strike him out for a fourth time, the Diamondbacks intentionally walked John Buck. Enter Harvey, who bunted the runners to second and third. Quintanilla was intentionally walked to load the bases, and Brown singled to erase the sour taste of the weekend.

Quintanilla had three more hits and walked twice; Brown also delivered a sacrifice; and Aardsma pitched two innings for the win. It was the seventh time this year the Mets won in walk-off fashion.

“Walking a team off at the end – there’s no greater feeling,’’ said Satin, who unlike Harvey, is not dating a supermodel.

Even so, he had a point.

As always, your comments are greatly appreciated and I will attempt to answer them. Please follow me on Twitter @jdelcos

Jun 29

Mets Wasting Matt Harvey

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It happens. It just happens with more regularity with the New York Mets. Sometimes it is the offense that let’s Matt Harvey down; other times it is the bullpen.

Either way, the Mets are wasting the best thing to happen to them in years.

LYON: Part of the carnage. (AP)

LYON: Part of the carnage. (AP)

Last night it was a little bit of both, with the obvious villain the bullpen which gave up five runs in the last two innings to leave Harvey with his ninth no-decision of the season.

That’s a high number for even a full 34-start season, but shockingly alarming considering last night’s 6-4 loss to the Washington Nationals came in Harvey’s 16th start.

In Godfather fashion the Mets pulled us back in to thinking there could be some fun in the second half of the season. During the Mets’ 7-4 road trip, the pen had a 0.52 ERA in 34 1/3 innings. But, it wasn’t all roses as there were several walk-off defeats. Veteran Mets watchers would have noted those losses and waited for the other shoe to fall.

It did last night.

It was a crushing defeat regardless of who started, but moreso because it was Harvey, the best they have to offer as nobody can say for sure what Zack Wheeler will give them and Jon Niese is out indefinitely.

Harvey was magnificent, giving up a run on three hits with 11 strikeouts and no walks in seven innings. He was even better after the game by not throwing the pen under the bus when he had every right.

If the media was waiting for fingers to be pointed, it wouldn’t come from Harvey.

“It’s baseball, it happens,’’ Harvey told reporters last night. “Those guys go out every single day and pitch their butts off. Today just happened to be one of those days.’’

Terry Collins said he could have left Harvey in the game, but he had already thrown 109 grueling pitches on a hot, humid night. It was a close game throughout, so every pitch mattered. Every pitch had some stress attached.

Perhaps Collins over-managed in the eighth by using David Aardsma, Josh Edgin and Brandon Lyon, with the latter giving up a game-tying three-run double to Ryan Zimmerman.

Bobby Parnell, who had been a plus this year, gave up two runs in the ninth.

Of course, it didn’t have to come down to that, as the offense went 3-for-12 with runners in scoring position and stranded nine, including the bases loaded in the fourth. They also left runners in scoring position in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings.

When the game was getting away from them in the last two innings, all they managed was a walk by Omar Quintanilla.

Although Harvey has gone longer this year, I can’t fault Collins for pulling him.

“Yeah, I could have left him in, no doubt about it,’’ a defensive Collins said. “I could have let him throw 150 [pitches]. I decided to take him out, I thought he had enough.’’

Harvey did his job, and Collins made the right decision. But, as has often been the case, it wasn’t enough.

Once again, Harvey, the best the Mets have to offer, was wasted.

As always, your comments are greatly appreciated and I will attempt to answer them. Please follow me on Twitter @jdelcos