The John Delcos New York Mets Report Featuring Mets' commentary, analysis and news.

The decision to let Chris Carter go explains a lot about both the past and present regimes of the Mets.

Just to save a few dollars, the Mets traded Billy Wagner to Boston for Carter late in the 2009 season. The option would have been to pay out the balance of the contract, offer him arbitration and collect the compensatory draft choices when he declined.

Those draft picks would look good now for a team with a myriad of holes.

Then GM Omar Minaya didn’t want to take that gamble because of the fear Wagner might accept and saddle the Mets with a bad contract, albeit for one season. That fear was instilled in large part from pressure from the Wilpons to save money.

What Minaya didn’t realize, and therefore couldn’t relay to the Wilpons, was Wagner understood the Mets were a sinking ship and wouldn’t have wanted to come back anyway. In hindsight, the prudent decision would have been to pay out Wagner for 2009 and gamble on arbitration.

Tbat brings us to Sandy Alderson and the decision to cut ties with Carter.

There’s still pressure to save money where ever possible as the 2011 contract for Carter would be at least $200,000 (60 percent of last year’s contract) plus the minor league contract. Alderson can bring Carter back at a reduced rate in a new split contract.

The pressure is on Carter to accept because with Fernando Martinez (assuming he’s healthy) and Lucas Duda, the Mets already have left-handed bats off the bench.

Carter was productive as a pinch-hitter, but he’s strictly a one-dimensional player in that his defense and throwing are weak.

Alderson knows Carter doesn’t bring much to the table, at least not more than Martinez or Duda, so why pay the extra money that’s needed for a franchise that wants to pinch pennies?

Posted under New York Mets 2008-09

Watching Roy Halladay make history yesterday made me wonder if he could have made it for the Mets.

HALLADAY: Never would have been a Met

Reportedly, the Mets rejected a trade proposal from Toronto that would have had them sending Jon Niese, Bobby Parnell, Ruben Tejada and Fernando Martinez to the Blue Jays.

It would be great to have Halladay, especially in light of Johan Santana’s injury, but it never was going to happen.

Why?

Because it wasn’t true, said then Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi.

“It was absolutely wrong,” Ricciardi told USA Today. “We didn’t exchange names with the Mets. I felt so bad for [Mets GM] Omar [Minaya] because there was no truth to it. None. Now, he’s the one who has to answer why they didn’t get Halladay.’’

Trade talks never got to the name-exchanging stage for several reasons, beginning with Halladay having a no-trade clause in his contract with the Blue Jays and there was no hint of him wanting to come to New York.

Read More…

Posted under New York Mets 2008-09

Another year, another injury to Fernando Martinez.

Martinez is on the minor league disabled list again, this time with an injury to his right leg, which could prevent him from returning to the major leagues when the rosters expand Sept. 1.

With these constant injuries, Martinez has failed to distinguish himself on a consistent enough basis to warrant full-time. Consequently, his trade value is slowly diminishing. And, with the outfield full for next year – Angel Pagan, Carlos Beltran and Jason Bay – the Mets will likely do what they’ve usually done with young prospects and that’s to keep him in the minor leagues to get consistent at-bars.

The Mets need to think long and hard about Martinez, the progress he’s made and his injury history  and wonder if it’s worth it hold on to him for another year until Beltran’s contract expires or see what they an get for him now.

The Mets are getting diminishing returns from Martinez, and there will come a time that if he hasn’t made it he will have little or no trade value.

Posted under New York Mets 2008-09

Here’s tonight’s lineup at Houston:

Jose Reyes, SS

Fernando Martinez, LF

David Wright, 3B

Carlos Beltran, CF

Ike Davis, 1B

Jeff Francoeur, RF

Josh Thole, C

Ruben Tejada, 2B

Johan Santana, LP

Posted under New York Mets 2008-09

As promised, Carlos Beltran is off tonight. He needs to be refreshed Jerry Manuel says. I think Beltran was rushed back if he needs to be treated with kid gloves.

I also think he should be playing one of the corner outfield positions and batting lower in the order.

Here’s tonight’s line-up vs. Rockies:

Jose Reyes, SS

Fernando Martinez, RF

Angel Pagan, CF

David Wright, 3B

Ike Davis, 1B

Chris Carter, LF

Josh Thole, C

Ruben Tejada, 2B

Mike Pelfrey, RP

Posted under New York Mets 2008-09

Good morning.  It was good to see my family again and I apologize for not being around this weekend.

I tried to keep up with the team as best as I could, and not really all that surprised with how they played and what happened in Philadelphia.

Emblematic of the weekend wasn’t that the lost, but in the release of Alex Cora. They waived him simply because they didn’t want to the $2 million option for next year to kick in.

Small time thinking, but indicative of this franchise. They’ll save $2 million by not having to bring back Cora, but will spend $20 million on the contracts for Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo.

One thing I did like about this weekend was the promotions of Fernando Martinez and Ruben Tejada. If the competitive aspect of the season is over as it surely seems to be, then let’s see what these guys can do.

It was encouraging to see all the homegrown talent in the lineup yesterday. With the exception of R.A. Dickey and Carlos Beltran, the lineup was the by-product of the farm system.

The Mets played with life when Tejada was in the lineup earlier, and seemed to get flat when Beltran and Castillo returned.

Posted under New York Mets 2008-09

Game #77 vs. Marlins

Jenrry Mejia was placed on the minor league DL with a strained posterior cuff in his right shoulder, which GM Omar Minaya said shouldn’t impact trade discussions for Seattle lefty Cliff Lee, who’s starting tonight in the Bronx against the Yankees.

Minaya said “we’re not about one prospect only,’’ when asked about Mejia’s injury complicating trade talks.

Read More…

Posted under New York Mets 2008-09

The news isn’t good on Carlos Beltran, who was examined Tuesday in Vail, Colo. Beltran remains in neutral with no word on a potential return that is anything other than guesswork.

Beltran, who underwent knee surgery in the offseason, hasn’t been cleared to start running. And, until he runs there’s no telling when he’ll begin baseball activities, and after that a return to the line-up.

Initially, the prognosis was up to six weeks following running for a return in May. That’s not happening. Try June now, or maybe after the All-Star break. Who is to say? I mean, who is to say with any authority?

“It’s kind of unfortunate,’’ manager Jerry Manuel said. “But what we have to do is we have to continue to play the way we have the last three or four games and hope that Carlos recovers quickly. He’s obviously an integral part of our lineup, but Angel (Pagan) is playing real well.’’

Maybe so, but there’s a reason why Pagan is a role player and Beltran a perennial All-Star.

Let’s assume at least until the end of June at the earliest. For now, Pagan is the center fielder. Gary Matthews will be kept for insurance. For now I don’t believe they’ll bring up Fernando Martinez as long as Pagan is producing.

I’ve always liked Beltran. He works hard, he hustles and he plays hurt. This was an unfortunate injury, but it would be unfair to say he was a bad signing.

This is a player who played hurt. I don’t think it would be fair to say just because this injury has lasted that the Mets should regret signing Beltran. This guy showed what he is made of when he played with a broken face after his collision with Mike Cameron.

The only thing of hindsight was the issue of the surgery. It should have been done last year, not last winter. Had it been done in September instead of trying to get him back in a lost season they might have him now.

Posted under Mets News, Mets News & Features/2010