David Brody, who I follow on Twitter, was kind enough to send me a link to an interview Brian Costa of the Star-Ledger conducted with Terry Collins last May. He pointed me to a comment Collins made, in which he says he had no desire to become a major league manager in the future. Q: Do you still want to be a major-league manager again one day? Is that still a goal? A: “It isn’t. I did my thing. I [...]

Jon Heyman of SI.com is reporting that the Oakland A’s have won the rights to bid exclusively on Japanese right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma. Of course Oakland must now try to work out an actual contract with Iwakuma, as their winning bid only gives them the right to negotiate with him. If the two sides can agree to a contract within the next 30 days, the bid amount will go to his old team in Japan and [...]

Angel Pagan had what looked to be a tremendous season for the Mets in 2010. When the news broke that Carlos Beltran would miss a considerable chunk of time and miss the start of the season, Pagan stepped right in as he did in 2009 and gave the Mets more than anyone expected. In 151 games he batted .290 with 31 doubles, 7 triples and 11 home runs. He also scored 80 runs while swiping [...]

As you all know by now, the Mets have released Hisanori Takahashi as per the special terms of the 1-year deal he signed last offseason. Takahashi is now a free agent, and at midnight tonight, he will be joined by fellow southpaw Pedro Feliciano. Takahashi, 35, was said to be looking for a 3-year deal worth $15 million dollars. What lefty specialist Pedro Feliciano will be looking for has yet to be determined, but some reports having him [...]

According to the Daily News, Wally Backman believes his interview with Sandy Alderson on Saturday went pretty good. “I thought it went very well,” Backman told the Daily News Saturday night. “But out of respect to the Mets and the interview process, I’m not going to comment any further.” Backman met with Alderson for three hours. Minor league field coordinator Terry Collins will meet with Alderson today.  The Record’s Bob Klapisch examines the comparison between Backman and Collins who [...]

Lot’s of buzz in the Mets blogosphere today as both Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman are feeling that Terry Collins is now the frontrunner for the Mets managerial opening. First, Heyman reported via Twitter, that he’s been hearing Terry Collins’ name mentioned more and more regarding the Mets managerial job, and he believes it’s very valid. Joel Sherman of the New York Post, goes a little further. Alderson is scheduled to interview Terry Collins this weekend [...]

According to Adam Rubin, Takahashi will not be returning to the Mets next season. [tweeted]http://twitter.com/AdamRubinESPN/status/677508429127680[/tweeted] David Waldstien of the NY Times adds that the Mets and Takahashi’s agent, Arn Tellem, are expected to announce that they could not come to an agreement on his contract, and the Mets will be obligated by the terms of his contract to release him. Original Post 3:00 PM Sandy Alderson was able to get Arn Tellem, the new agent for Hisanori [...]

According to the Mike Puma of the New York Post, Sandy Alderson will be contacting Clint Hurdle today to arrange for an interview one day next week. As we reported yesterday, Jon Heyman of SI.com believes Hurdle is the favorite for the Pittsburgh Pirates’ manager position. Hurdle had been mentioned quite often as a candidate for the Mets, and he gives Alderson the big league managerial experience David Lennon of Newsday says he will go with when he [...]

As expected, the Mets picked up the $11 million option for Jose Reyes for 2011 and left open the possibility of a long term extension. When the Mets signed Reyes to a multi-year deal in 2006, he was on the verge of stardom and being a special player. The injuries that plagued him early in his career were seemingly behind him, he was an All-Star and regarded as one of the top leadoff hitters in the [...]