Comments on: Ruben Tejada Reporting For Duty

By: Pete

Pete — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 02:53:49 +0000

Look at it this way guys. According to the team reyes’ rest started last week. So last week is 1. This week is 2. Next week is 3. For all we know he might be back by opening day! And all of this is moot. Let’s all be positive and hope tejada and Cora are prepared just in case. And root them on and not boo them. Tejada might just surprise us! LGM!!!!!!!!! Rally time guys!

By: Meet Ruben Tejada, Shortstop – A Train Baseball

Meet Ruben Tejada, Shortstop – A Train Baseball — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 22:18:59 +0000

[...] Ruben Tejada Reporting For Duty (metsmerizedonline.com) [...]

By: Mr North Jersey

Mr North Jersey — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 22:07:11 +0000

Nice!!!

By: theonlymaskman

theonlymaskman — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 22:00:29 +0000

I agree with you that the Reyes situation is unfortunate and hope that in some way the Mets can make the best of it by putting someone on the field who can play well and provide at least reasonable performance. The backup will not come close to Jose’ but hopefully will be able to play representative ML baseball until Jose’s, hopefully, speedy return. I guess we can agree on that. LGM!

By: theonlymaskman

theonlymaskman — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 21:55:05 +0000

OK, I agree with what you say this time. It is still ealy in spring training and nothing has actually been decided. If Tejada outperforms, he deserves a look (although what I have seen so far doesn’t show me anything like that). Cora could very well start the season. My comments were addressing Jerry Manuel’s current assessment as to his current thinking and inclination. Jerry likes to play psychologist and that is what it may be about. His psych head play, however, tends to demoralize players instead of produce positive results. My complaint is aimed at Jerry’s skill or lack thereof as a manager and his flawed decision making and at Omar’s early signing of Cora as well.

By: Mr North Jersey

Mr North Jersey — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 21:53:48 +0000

theonlymaskman says:
March 13, 2010 at 4:43 pm

But thy are not going to keep Cora and get ANOTHER utility infielder. Cora is the backup! Fred will not pay for such a bill. Plus they will not release Cora and pick up someone better. Fred will NOT pay that bill either. So you are in Dreamland about picking up or trading for another ute infielder. We have what we have. It is a travesty to spend $2M on Cora and have him on the bench when he will actually be needed. The whole subject of going with Tejada is preposterous. And do you really think Jerry Manuel actually knows how to evaluate players? That is another whole joke.

You seem to know a lot of what the Mets will or will not do. I can’t claim to know such things. You may be right I can’t say I merely propose what I said as what seemed like a reasonable scenario.
Maybe your right and the Mets will say Cora has to be the SS. I am ok with that also if there is nothing better available. Like you said that is what he is getting paid for right?
In any case whoever they get will pale to what a Reyes could of done in that position. So I hope be it Cora or Tejada or player x that they do the best they can till Reyes gets back.

By: Mr North Jersey

Mr North Jersey — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 21:45:40 +0000

LOL, ok let me try and come at you this way.

1. The Mets have yet to make any decision so nothing has been concluded.
2. The Mets simply are saying based on what they have seen so far from Tejada they think he may be able to handle it.
3. Had Tejada not impressed the Mets so far in camp he probably would of never been given a 2nd thought.
4. The Mets have not announced that Cora will not be the Opening Day SS.

By: theonlymaskman

theonlymaskman — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 21:43:32 +0000

By: theonlymaskman

theonlymaskman — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 21:38:00 +0000

But ST has hardly started and how can that be concluded so quickly? And if that is the case, why was Omar so quick to sign Cora? There must have been some urgency! If this kid is so great, they could have waited until now to figue out what to do about signing someone for backup. Better guys were available, but Cora was signed immediately in the post-season. It must have been urgent enough not to consider this kid. What has happened now to change that? Oh yeah, Reyes is going to be out. So suddenly Cora, who is good enough to get paid $2M, is not good enough to actually play. Ridiculous!

By: Mr North Jersey

Mr North Jersey — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 21:37:18 +0000

I wasn’t referring to trading Cora away necessarily rather if the Mets feel like you suggest Tejada is not ready they can still go out and bring in a more suitable player to fill Reyes void in the meantime.

What you call a travesty is only in your head because you can’t possibly predict what Tejada can do if he is given the starting SS position. You can guess as many do but the fact remains that TODAY no on knows who will be the Opening Day SS.

By: theonlymaskman

theonlymaskman — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 21:31:24 +0000

I know that’s what you meant and that’s how I answered it. If they trade for a better guy, then great. But with the new cheap Mets that’s unlikely because we already put $2M in Cora’s pocket and Fred doesn’t like throwing money in the garbage. If they can trade Cora for somebody better, great again, but who will take him for $2M when better guys were going for half the price. So a trade of Cora means the Mets have to take most of his salary back and, once again, Fred won’t take that lightly. The basic problem is Cora’s contract was too rich and that screwed the Mets. We’re stuck with him and his $2M bill. But sitting him and playing an unproven kid makes a total travesty of it.

By: Mr North Jersey

Mr North Jersey — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 21:23:39 +0000

You keep missing the biggest point in all of this.

That maybe the Mets simply feel Tejada is better than Cora.

By: Mr North Jersey

Mr North Jersey — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 21:21:37 +0000

Sorry I should of said “The Mets have enough players in camp that it is realistic to think they may just end up bringing in a utility infielder” via a trade.

By: theonlymaskman

theonlymaskman — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 21:21:15 +0000

I’m not assuming anything. The tenor of the article is that Jerry Manuel is simply handing the position over to an unproven youngster before anything is even demonstrated. At least play out ST before selecting the interim guy. Any decision now is ridiculous. If they pick up a utility player with some sort of credentials fine; go for it. But when Cora was signed that option was tossed overboard on this new frugal Mets franchise. So given Cora is the backup (that’s how Minaya set the roster), then play him and let the kid mature in the Minors. It’s really simple. You paid a guy $2M, stand up to that and use him when the emergency arises (which it has now). To introduce Tejada as the starting ss is a travesty. He is at best a September callup. The Mets are headed to emabarrass themselves because Jerry doesn’t have his head on straight.

By: Mr North Jersey

Mr North Jersey — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 21:20:04 +0000

I can’t tell you if he belongs in AA or not. You may be right. I just think it’s something that we will know better in the next 7 to 10 days.

No need to make that determination now. Especially when all your really looking for is a person that can handle SS defensively.

By: Mr North Jersey

Mr North Jersey — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 21:14:09 +0000

Again your assuming Tejada will be the SS and that he will be worse than a 34 year old Kennedy would have.

Right now we really have to wait a week or two in my opinion. The Mets have enough players in camp that it is realistic to think they may just end up bringing in a utility infielder.

By: theonlymaskman

theonlymaskman — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 21:13:46 +0000

Say what you want, he is an AA player and needs to be in Buffalo this season for his own good. A Wally Pip he is not.

By: Mr North Jersey

Mr North Jersey — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 21:02:36 +0000

Wow I can only imagine what you would of said back on June 15, 1923 as Gehrig stepped in to replace Wally Pip.

Rough crowd let’s at least see if the kid actually is the starter and what he does with it before we bury him.

The whole boy doing a man’s job line is a bit much also. Last I saw we had a boy come up and take over NY once by the name of Dwight Gooden.

By: theonlymaskman

theonlymaskman — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 20:53:03 +0000

The irony of this is that Omar took his slow, sweet time during the offseason to fill every need (and plenty of needs remain unfilled), except for one signing and that was Cora’s. He couldn’t wait to sign Cora to a lucrative contract from the get-go. Meanwhile there were better players available at lower prices right down to the wire at the end of the offseason. Adam Kennedy or even Felip Lopez would have been better signings. With Adam Kennedy, we wouldn’t be digging down to a mid-level minors prospect to start the season. Yes, I’m ticked that the season has to start off this way when better alternatives were readily available.

By: theonlymaskman

theonlymaskman — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 20:47:34 +0000

Actually Tejada hasn’t won anything. He is being handed the starting ss job because Reyes won’t be ready and Cora is no great shakes anyway. If that is winning, it’s winning by default. The Mets could have had a real player on the bench ready to step in, but that’s not the case. So we have a boy to do a man’s job. It is my feeling that the season is set to kick off poorly now.