Tag Archives: Opening Day

Jan 08

Mets Look Done For The Winter

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Shortly after the conclusion of the Winter Meetings, Mets GM Sandy Alderson said he wasn’t done and indicated Dillon Gee could be moved in January.

FLORES: His job. (Getty)

FLORES: His job. (Getty)

Don’t bet on him getting traded before spring training, and with Alderson admitting this week Wilmer Flores will likely be the Opening Day starter, don’t count on the Mets doing anything significant in the next six weeks.

“Nothing is likely to occur,’’ Alderson told the New York Post about acquiring a shortstop.

By himself Gee would not bring in a quality shortstop.

Shortstop, outfield and finding another left-handed reliever to complement Josh Edgin were the Mets’ primary offseason priorities they addressed by signing Michael Cuddyer, committing to Flores and re-signing lefty Scott Rice.

Gee could be moved in spring training when injuries occur to other teams, but they might first look to pick up players released just before Opening Day before dealing with the Mets. Given that, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Gee still with the Mets either in long relief or in the minors.

So, I’m not seeing the Mets doing anything noteworthy until late in spring training.

Dec 30

Ten Storylines For Mets In 2014

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It was an interesting year for your New York Mets. No playoffs and no .500 record as expected, but for the most part they played aggressive baseball. There was improvement.

The following are ten of the more important Mets’ story lines from the 2014 season:

1. The loss of Matt Harvey: Despite his distracting chirping about wanting to pitch in 2014, and where he wanted to rehab, the Mets held firm and kept him out for the season following elbow surgery. The Mets say his rehab went well and he will be ready for Opening Day. Harvey will work on an innings limit for 2015, and start the home opener.

2. The decline of David Wright: He was named captain and signed to a lucrative contract, but was injured again and only hit eight homers with 63 RBI. Wright last hit 20 homers in 2012 and drove in 100 runs in 2010. He last played in at least 150 games in 2010.

3. The emergence of Jacob deGrom: Nobody saw this coming as most of the preseason attention went to Zack Wheeler, but deGrom went 9-6 and was named NL Rookie of the Year. With Harvey, the three form the nucleus for a potentially solid rotation.

4. Failure to find a leadoff hitter: With Wright struggling, somebody had to be a consistent presence at the plate and it was Daniel Murphy. He was most effective hitting second, but there should have been some consideration to batting him first as for the second straight season the Mets failed to generate a leadoff hitter.

5. The inability to find a shortstop: There was to be a competition between Wilmer Flores and Ruben Tejada, but it never materialized. At the end of the season Flores did most of the playing. There was again the show this winter of searching for a shortstop, but nothing happened. Flores enters spring training as the frontrunner.

6. The emergence of Juan Lagares: Nobody can cover centerfield like Lagares, who even showed signs of becoming a base stealer. Now, if he could only cut his strikeouts and improve his on-base percentage the Mets might finally have a leadoff hitter.

7. They finally got a power hitter: Lucas Duda assumed the first base job full time after Ike Davis was traded to Pittsburgh and responded with 30 homers and 92 RBI. Amazingly, Duda took some heat for being too patient.

8. Jon Niese continued to struggle: A young, hard-throwing lefthander with a manageable contract made him alluring to other teams. Unfortunately, an injury history and string of mediocre seasons – only two double-digit victory years in his seven-year career – took away his appeal.

9. They filled an outfield hole: Michael Cuddyer was signed to a two-year contract to presumably play left field. The projection is he’ll bat fifth behind Duda.

10. They spent some money, but maybe not wisely: Curtis Granderson was signed to a four-year deal last winter, but coming off an injury in 2013, hit only 20 homers with 66 RBI, paltry production for $13 million. He had some success leading off and might get another shot if Lagares spits the bit.

Dec 29

NFL Gets It When It Comes To Scheduling; MLB Missing Boat

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As I watched the NFL yesterday on the Red Zone – sports for those with ADHD – it came to me how much Major League Baseball could learn from football when it comes to scheduling.

All of yesterday’s games were played within the division, which illustrates a major flaw in baseball’s scheduling. There were ten games that had some kind of playoff implications, whether it was winning the division or playoff seeding.

Conversely, the Mets ended their season with an interleague game against Houston. Regular readers of this blog know I am vehemently against interleague play, but in particular on Opening Day and in September.

There was an interleague game nearly every day of the season, including two for home openers and eight series in September. How can you legitimately promote pennant races with that many September interleague series?

MLB would be wise if its September schedule, or at least the last three weeks of it, were played within the division. The Mets’ 2015 September interleague series is against the Yankees. If neither team is in the race then there could be a lot of empty seats at Citi Field.

Another thing the NFL does I like with its schedule is the opening week. Clearly, the NFL wrestled the “magic’’ of an Opening Day from baseball with its Thursday night game featuring the Super Bowl champion.

Baseball’s Opening Day used to highlight Washington – the team in the nation’s capital – and Cincinnati, the oldest franchise, the day before everybody else.

This past season, the first regular season game was played in March, while another team was still in its exhibition schedule. There have been other times, notably when the Yankees and Rays went to Japan, when the season openers were played abroad and those teams returned to complete their exhibition schedule.

Opening Day used to be special, now it’s a hodge-podge. The NFL gets it when it comes to scheduling while MLB is falling short.

Dec 16

Trade Of Gee Won’t Happen Soon

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Speaking today at the Mets’ holiday party, GM Sandy Alderson said not to look for anything involving Dillon Gee soon.

“I’d say activity will pick up significantly in January across the board,’’ Alderson said. “That’s probably the likely time frame for us as well.’’

Given that, don’t be surprised if he’s with the team in Port St. Lucie. I wouldn’t even be shocked to see him on the Opening Day roster.

A lifetime 40-34 pitcher with a $5 million contract, and with the Mets making it clear they want to trade him ahead of Jon Niese and Bartolo Colon, his value isn’t that high. And, with the free-agent market still heavy, teams will look there before trading.

Alderson said the Mets are unlikely to bid on South Korean shortstop Jung-Ho Kang, which means there’s a high probability of Opening Day job going to Wilmer Flores.

Mar 27

Lannan Added To 40 Man Roster

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jiohn lannan Phot by Howard Simmons, Daily News

Adam Rubin of ESPN NY reported on his Twitter page that the Mets officially signed John Lannan to a contract and added him to the 40-man roster.

Lannan is officially on the Opening Day roster as a reliever.  During the Grapefruit league picthed in seven games and was 0-2, with a 4.91 ERA.

This will be the first time in his major league career, spanning 148 games, that he will pitch out of the bullpen.

(Photo Credit: Howard Simmons/ NY Daily News)