Tag Archives: Free Agent

May 23

May 23.10: Chat Room, Game #45 vs. Yankees: Santana vs. Sabathia.

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Overall, Johan Santana has enjoyed pitching against the Yankees, but what’s gnawing at him is his last one.

Santana, 4-2 with a 4.59 ERA in eight regular-season starts against the Yankees – including 1-2 with an 8.64 ERA with the Mets- gave up nine runs in three innings in a 15-0 loss last June 14 at the Stadium.

“It motivates me,’’ Santana said. “I don’t go crazy about it, but it’s there. I want to pitch against them again.’’

That game represented a career-high in runs allowed until the Phillies hit him for ten runs, May 2, at Philadelphia. Since then, he’s made three starts with no decisions, but a 2.49 ERA. He gave up two runs in seven innings in his last start, May 18, at Atlanta.

Interleague play has not been kind to Santana since joining the Mets as a free agent from Minnesota, going 2-5 with a 5.11 ERA in seven starts.

Santana will be going against C.C. Sabathia, who, beat him in three of four starts while the latter was with Cleveland.

Here’s tonight’s line-up:

Jose Reyes, SS
Luis Castillo, 2B
Jason Bay, LF
Ike Davis, 1B
David Wright, 3B
Angel Pagan, CF
Rod Barajas, C
Jeff Francoeur, RF
Johan Santana, LP

NOTEBOOK: Daniel Murphy went 5-for-5 with three RBI today for Class A Port St. Lucie. He is expected to join Class AAA Buffalo Tuesday. … Former Mets pitcher Jose Lima, 37, died of a heart attack in Los Angeles. He was 0-4 with the Mets in 2006, his final season in the major leagues. … Reliever Ryota Igarashi was activated from the DL and reliever Manny Acosta was optioned to Buffalo.

Mar 05

March 5.10: Mets still interested in Beimel.

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Obviously, signing Kiko Calero doesn’t quite cure all that ails the Mets’ bullpen ills, which is why they remain interested in free-agent lefty Joe Beimel.

The Mets have on the table a one-year, deal for less than $2 million, and considering we’re already into spring training with the first week of games it doesn’t appear the phone will be ringing anytime soon.

Beimel would be a good addition as it would take some of the pressure off Pedro Feliciano. You can’t go wrong with two lefties in the pen.

Feb 26

Feb. 26.10: Loose threads.

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Sorry, but my internet was down until recently. Let me catch you up on some of what’s going in spring training.

* Not pleased with their bullpen and not wanting to burn out Pedro Feliciano, the Mets are searching for another lefty reliever. Toward that end, the Mets made an offer to free-agent Joe Beimel, the former Dodger. Beimel will take some of the load off Feliciano and give more depth to the pen.

* Jennry Mejia was wild during batting practice. The scouting reports on him are that he’s got a strong arm and throws hard, but doesn’t always know where it’s going. Mejia is a prospect worth watching – on the minor league level this season. They would be rushing him if they kept him on the major league level this season.

* The Mets will hold an intrasquad game Monday at Tradition Field. Nelson Figueroa will get the start against the Braves Tuesday when the exhibition schedule begins.

Jan 27

Jan. 27.10: What would change?

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Maybe this will be the summer in which the Mets fire Omar Minaya. It also might be the summer in which they get it all together.

Care to guess which one has a greater chance of happening?

MINAYA: Just how much power does he have?

MINAYA: Just how much power does he have?


At the end of last summer’s disaster, Mets COO Jeff Wilpon and Minaya said there would be trades and free-agent signings. Nothing has happened between then and now to indicate there will be a real change – and, spare me Jason Bay.

It’s known throughout the industry that the Mets just don’t do it the way the model clubs do – and that includes the Yankees and Phillies. There is no definable budget, or at least one that can be easily recognized. And, there was no real setting of priorities.

How else can you explain the setting the goal as pitching at the end of the season, and yet having your key offseason move be a hitter who really had nowhere else to go?

It was reported Joel Pineiro and Jason Marquis set the Mets as their priorities, but the Mets did not respond. No, neither is John Lackey, but either would have made the Mets’ rotation better and deeper than it is today.

The Met were more content to look at last season as an injury-plagued fluke, and ignored such factors as not improving their pitching depth in the 2008 offseason or building their long-criticized farm system as to provide replacements when a starter went down.

OK, the Mets have Bay, but with no other real bidders they coughed up a fifth-year option. … They got into a spitting match with Carlos Beltran, their best player, over surgery, which should have been avoided with surgery in November. … There were no decisive changes in their coaching staff. … And, their pitching remains the same.

Randy Wolf, Pineiro and Ben Sheets all went elsewhere for salaries that didn’t break anybody’s bank. The Mets by the way, had an ERA of just under five a game.

Minaya has made his share of mistakes, beginning with the Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez contracts, but truth be told, ownership signs off on those type of deals. They weren’t done without Wilpon’s blessing.

So, a miserable start – and with that pitching, who doubts that could happen? – could mean the sacking of Minaya. But, that won’t change anything because they are the same old Mets.

Jan 16

Jan. 16.10: Can’t anybody around here communicate?

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MINAYA: Said team didn't give OK.

MINAYA: Said team didn't give OK.

Mets GM Omar Minaya said things are good between the Mets and Carlos Beltran. Among other things, he did say he spoke with Beltran before the surgery, but didn’t OK the surgery.

He said there was no need for any side to apologize, but also said: “I did not say not to have surgery. What I said to him was, ‘I’m happy to hear there’s a plan in place, but we have to go through the protocol.’ He said the plan was to be operated on (Wednesday). At that point in time, I had not heard from my doctors on whether we had agreed to it or not. I didn’t tell him not to do it. I said as long as the protocol is met, that type of stuff.’’

So, the team endorsed the idea of surgery but didn’t OK it? Sounds muddled to me.

I’m thinking Beltran figures since he spoke with Minaya that he believes protocol was met. OK, so the Mets didn’t take out an ad to say go ahead and do it. But, since their was communication, they had plenty of opportunities to say NO, if they were uncomfortable. But, if they were uncomfortable why would they have sent the workers compensation papers needed for the surgery?

Either way, I wouldn’t be too quick to believe it’s paradise with Beltran and the Mets.

Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks designated Eric Byrnes for assignment. He is to make $11 million next year.

Also:

* FoxSports reported the Mets are in contact with free-agent Jerry Hairston Jr., who can play both the infield and outfield. Hairston, 33, hit .251 with 34 extra base hits in 131 games for the Reds and Yankees last season.

* On the arbitration front, John Maine avoided the process and signed a one-year deal worth $3.3 million plus incentives.

Also, Pedro Feliciano, Jeff Francoeur, Sean Green and Angel Pagan filed.

No surprises on any of that, as the Mets traditionally avoid the arbitration process.

Jan 13

Jan. 13.10: What’s left isn’t good, but ….

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Who’s remaining in the free-agent pitching market isn’t good, and it seems as if the Mets are thinking who they currently have is better.

The Cubs want Ben Sheets and appear willing to spend the $12 million or so it would take to get him. He’s good when he’s healthy, worth the coin, but there’s no guarantees he’ll hold up. Ditto with Mark Mulder, who’s talking with Milwaukee.

The Mets waited for the market to come back to them on Joel Pineiro and the pricing might well have. So has the competition to get him: Los Angeles, St. Louis and Washington are linked to him as well as the Mets. Washington also has interest in Doug Davis. Can’t imagine the Nationals getting both, but what if?

That leaves us Jon Garland, Erik Bedard, Jarrod Washburn, John Smoltz, Mike Hampton (been there done that), and Chien-Ming Wang.

There are flaws with all of them, just there are flaws with the Mets rotation, which now has four arms, three of them coming off surgery (Santana, Perez, Maine). They’ll liable to get Garland as their No. 5 and call it an offseason.

Dec 26

Dec. 26.09: Movin’ On ….

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I hope everybody had a happy and safe holiday. I enjoyed spending time with my family. I don’t get out here that often, so the time is special.

I wrote several days ago it was time for the Mets to take a “take it or leave it” approach with Jason Bay. With his agent, Joe Urban, talking to the Red Sox and stonewalling the Mets, it’s obvious where Bay’s heart lies.

BAY: End the fantasy.

BAY: End the fantasy.


The Mets are ignoring one of the cardinal rules in dating when it comes to Bay, which is some girls play hard to get until they become hard to take.

It has come to that with Bay. It’s time to cut the fantasy with him.

He doesn’t want to play for the Mets, but would be willing to for five years and not four. I’m not deluded into thinking Bay is any different from any other free agent. He’s following the money.

The Red Sox don’t want to go over the $170 million luxury tax marker, so Urbon will have to be creative in backloading the deal. I would have to think the Red Sox would rather have Bay in their batting order over Mike Cameron (making him a fourth outfielder).

But, what about your heroes? Who’s going to play left field for them? They should be thinking hard about this because it should have been obvious to them Bay was a longshot.
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