18
2011
MMO Exclusive: An Interview With Mets Beat Writer Andy Martino
An article by 
Earlier this week I had the pleasure of speaking with Daily News writer Andy Martino. For those of you that do not know, Andy is a BBWAA member who does an exceptional job for Daily News as their Mets beat writer. He wrote for the Philadelphia Inquirer as the Phillies beat writer during the 2009 season before returning to the Daily News. Here are the highlights of our E-mail conversation:
-Andy, after returning to the Mets after writing for the Phillies, which team have you enjoyed reporting on the most in your career?
Both provided unique and rewarding experiences, but I have to say–covering losing and dysfunction last year in New York, and the transition that it led to, provided richer material than covering a World Series run in 2009. Plus, after being a transplanted New Yorker living in Philly for a year, it was nice to get home to family and friends in New York.
-What was it like to return to the Daily News after beginning your career there as an intern?
It felt more like a continuation than a new beginning. Because I knew nearly all my colleagues well, it was an easy transition. The only difficult part was staying in a buddy’s extra bedroom in Brooklyn while my wife and I looked for somewhere to live on short notice (the offer from the Daily News came rather suddenly, and left us scrambling).
-As a BBWAA writer, who do you believe is a Hall of Famer that is on the 2012 ballot?
I am a BBWAA member, but I don’t support the idea of journalists voting for the Hall of Fame. I think it’s a conflict of interest, and I also think the questions of “who is a Hall of Famer” is impossible to answer, because there is no set standard. I am not eligible to vote yet (you have to be a BBWAA member for 10 years), but will not vote once I’m able to. To be honest, I don’t think about the HOF much, and don’t really know who is on the 2012 ballot.
-Would you ever vote a baseball player into the Hall who has been proven to take steroids? Someone like Clemens or Ortiz who were accused, but deny the accusations?
This is one of the issues that I have with the Hall of Fame. How are they going to deal with this? There is no good answer. It would probably be better if it were just a museum, rather than something that involves elections. Then we could focus not on issues like “do steroid cheats belong in the Hall of Fame,” but on questions more relevant to society like, “should the MLB All-Stars who spoke out last year about Arizona’s immigration law, have boycotted the game?”
Wherever one stands on that issue, we should be talking about stuff like that more often, when we talk about sports.
-What was your take on the K-Rod trade? Was it just a salary dump? Who is the winner in this deal?
It was a good deal for both teams. A total salary dump for the Mets, who had to get out from under that $17.5 million vesting option for next year. So they found a taker for much of the contract, and the Brewers–who were a championship caliber team except for their middle relief–get bullpen depth during a year that they’re going for it.
The Mets were worried that the market for K-Rod would drop later in July, as more closers became available, so this really was the right time for both teams to make the move.
-Does the moving of K-Rod increase the chances of re-signing Reyes? If so, by how much have their chances increased?
It certainly doesn’t hurt, but that is still going to be a tall order for the Mets. Reyes will be seeking close to top dollar, and the Mets have budget constraints. But moving K-Rod does clear payroll space, and probably slightly increases their chances of resigning Reyes.
-Was the K-Rod trade a waiving of the white flag on Alderson’s part for the 2011 season?
He claims it wasn’t. If you ask me, Beltran represents the white flag. But I would hope that, in a division with Atlanta and Philly playing so well, the Mets front office understands that this is not s playoff year, and that they plan accordingly.
-After the July 31st deadline, where do you believe Carlos Beltran will go or stay? Mets? Giants? Red Sox?
I think the Mets will shop him aggressively, but hold out for a favorable deal. Let’s say it’s 65-35 he is dealt. Giants, Red Sox, Phillies, Tigers, Indians–there are a lot of places he would fit.
-The Phillies have interest in acquiring a right fielder with a power bat and the Mets have just that on the market in Carlos Beltran. Do you think that Alderson, a GM who traded Jose Canseco to the Rangers during a pennant race back in his Oakland days, would deal Beltran to the rival, first-place Phillies?
If Alderson judged that a deal with the Phils was right for the Mets from a baseball standpoint, I do not believe that the “rivalry” would in any way hold him back.
-Have you heard anything about Mets rental players on the market other than Beltran that could be dealt before July 31st such as Capuano or Byrdak? Any rumblings about Pelfrey as a possible trade candidate?
Byrdak and Isringhausen could go. Capuano makes sense, although there haven’t been a whole lot of rumblings there yet. As for Pelfrey, the Mets would be selling low now, after a spotty first half, but maybe this winter.
-Out of Keith Hernandez, Gary Carter and Mike Piazza, do you believe any of them should have their numbers retired by the Mets?
Those are three of the most important players in franchise history, so if anyone deserves it, they do.
-Who is more likely to return from injury in 2011, Ike Davis or Johan Santana?
Tough one. We’ll know more about Davis soon. If he has surgery, he’s done, so I’ll go with Santana.
-Based on the age of current players, financial situations and farm systems, who do you think has the brightest future 5-10 years down the road, Mets or Phillies?
Wow. The Mets’ financial situation makes them a wild card, but assuming the franchise finds a way to stabilize, I’ll choose them. There is a cyclical nature to contending in baseball, and the Phillies are on the backside of their run.
-You have been accused of being too critical of the Mets in comparison to other writers and overly praising the Phillies by some readers, what is your response to that?
Many readers in Philly accused me of being a Mets fan. Many readers in New York accuse me of being a Phillies fan. Both are, of course, ridiculous. I’m a reporter.
-Finally, Do you think Brian Wilson’s spandex tuxedo at the ESPY’s out-did Lady Gaga’s egg arrival at the Grammy awards?
Ha. I’d have to say so. You expect it from Lady Gaga, but from an athlete? Good for Wilson, for always being an interesting character.
I would just like to thank Andy once again for taking the time to answer my questions. He was truly a pleasure to speak with. To read Andy Martino’s excellent work, you can read his blog here. You can follow Andy on twitter at @SurfingTheMets. Also if you would like to read my full interview with Andy Martino, click Here.
About the Author: Clayton Collier
Clayton, a Long Island native and die-hard Mets fan, started writing online about three years ago. He is currently a Journalism major with a minor in Broadcasting at Seton Hall University. Although very disappointed with the current state of the team, Clayton remains hopeful that the young prospects in the farm system will bring the Mets back to a respected franchise in baseball once again. Besides writing for MMO, Clayton is also a staff member at 89.5 WSOU, Seton Hall's modern active rock radio station. You can contact Clayton by following him on Twitter: @Clayton_Collier or E-mailing him at MaybeNextYearMets@yahoo.com
38 Comments + Add Comment
NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 23 | 18 | .561 | - |
| Nationals | 23 | 19 | .548 | 0.5 |
| Phillies | 20 | 22 | .476 | 3.5 |
| Mets | 16 | 23 | .410 | 6.0 |
| Marlins | 11 | 31 | .262 | 12.5 |
Last updated: 05/18/2013
Recent Comments
- BadBadLeroyBrown: on Is Marlon Byrd Finally Coming Around?: Yeah uhhh Byrd didnt earn Jack....Collins gave...
- JG: on Mets Appealing Harvey Earned Run, Want Tejada Charged With Error: It's a team game we have pieces...
- BadBadLeroyBrown: on Mets GM Tells Ike Davis He Has Until End Of Month To Turn Slump Around: We just saw "what Brown can do...
- Russell Zanca: on Mets GM Tells Ike Davis He Has Until End Of Month To Turn Slump Around: End of the month! What a waste...
- Cackletta: on Mets GM Tells Ike Davis He Has Until End Of Month To Turn Slump Around: Because Brown is hitting 357/427/607 and Lutz...
MMO Mets Chat
Need Tickets To The Mets Game?
Check Out These Great MLB Links!
Photographs From Gordon Donovan
5358 Fans Follow Us On Twitter!
1270 Fans Like Us On Facebook!
2341 Fans Read Our Feed!
1702 Fans Subscribe via Daily Email!
Great interview Clayton!
I second that. I really believe Darling struck a sensible chord when he cojectured to pkg Pelfrey alongside Beltran would net a considerable prospect pkg. As an additional + a deal like that exports our last 2 Boras’ clients from our active roster at least untikl Matt Harvey arrives. As I sincerely doubt Sandy volutarily invites Boras back into our clubhouse if he can avoid it.
Thanks Guys! And Mets62Fan, I think Martino brought up a good point about selling low of Pelf. If he has a good second half, I think the probability of him being moved this winter increases.
I personally think Beltran is gone one Reyes and Wright return and feel comfortable behind the plate. It will probably be a deadline deal for a midlevel prospect and I’d say they eat $5-6 Mil.
Clay, that’s the beauty of pkging him with a highly sought after commiodity where he can be PORTRAYED AS A ROTATION READY SP, NOT AS A CASTOFF ‘HEADCASE’
Attempting to deal him alone, offseason is BEST without question; but his value is depressed regardless of timing. By tying him in with Beltran u hope to trigger a “GIFT HORSE” reflex of dom’t make waves or I lose what I really need. it’s better to get who I need & attempt to deal with his companion after.
Supposedly theere’s 6 or 7 teams with interest out of a pool I believe is comprised of BOS,NYY,DET,CHW,CLE,PIT,MLW,STL,CIN,SF,AZ,ATL,PHL out of which, I presume BBOS,NYY,SF will be the most ardent. BOS is the DARKHORSE due to payroll constraints vic-a-vis Luxury threshold which likely makes them the most needy for salary assistance & thus possibly the more desperate to offset with returning talent. Whoever says they KNOW, is a self deluded fool
of those ahead of us in WC chase ATL is the sole hurtful destination as the Central is so tight as to award firtst place to whomever gets him, thus eliminating them from WC concern.
That is true, but if you recall last year, Omar had the chance to trade Oli and a low end prospect for Zambrano, but he tried to package Castillo into the deal and it fell through. Despite his off-field issues he is still a quality pitcher. Would you rather have him or Oli at this point? It could have happened if not for trying to make a package deal.
I think Beltran will get a decent return. If they were to package him with a hurler, Capuano would make more sense to me, he’s been effective unlike Pelfrey.
Clayton there is no comparison in that pkg since obviously the “difference maker” ewas held by the Cubs. That would be tantamount to the NYY offering us Igawa & Joba for Beltran +5,6M straight up. Pkgs only work when tossing in turd with a diamond for promises not 2 turds in lieu of promises for 1 diamond.
SOME PKGS HAVE VALUE SOME DON’T!
That’s a pretty decent idea to package Beltran AND Pelfrey.
Any team looking to compete would have to ante up 3 B prospects if we kick in enough cash.
I would not reject a Beltran deal to te Phillies. If we are not catching them or making the playoffs, and I do not believe we will, what is the harm if he finishes his contract there? Boras will move him somewhere else, but if he does not, hell, Beltran could have signed there as a FA anyway. If they offer the best exchange, go right ahead.
what exactly have the phillies give other team that jumps out at you that you’re willing to say, ohh they may have something good in the system?? they kept the good ones (utley, howard and rollins) and convice houston and toronto to take their “prospectS” for a cy young stud ace, a bonafide closer who gave them a championship, and another ace.. stay away from their “prospects” as much as you can, all they had is crap yet, a good GM sometimes is what’s needed.. gillick and amaro have done wonders for that org.. mean while in flushing……….. we’re stuck with mike pelfrey, jason bay and brandon nimmo
Why are we stuck with Brandon Nimmo? You are already bashing this talented kid sight unseen? Seems a bit hateful if you ask me. You almost had a good argument until you ruined it with a very ignorant ending.
Kranepool: Because it’s easier to just say things then to look into anything. Like alex68 is an expert on high school amateur baseball players? I don’t pretend to know anything about Brandon Nimmo, and neither should alex68
again, we could’ve had fulmer AND jed bradley, but went with this guy because……???? we’ll see if all the hype of the first draft from the sabermetrics hall of justice was worth it.. imo.. no he will not,given the track record of depodesta, he will be a most likely bust..
He was drafted for his projected ceiling. I would have preferred Bradley as well, but I get the logic behind this move. Also, I’ve read several places that scouts are concerned that Bradley’s delivery puts a lot of torque on his elbow.
And even Depodesta has said sabermetrics do not play a big roll in amateur scouting. So stop being mad about a big word you don’t understand that was in a book you’ll never read.
again, did i say they pick nimmo over bradley on sabermetrics?? where did i say that?????????
i said is obvious this team is pitching starved, and drafting as many arms in the minor leagues would be wise, i wouldn’t have wasted a pick on this kid, also, given depodesta “TRACK” record as a scout, there’s a posibility all the players in this year draft who were selected by him turn out to be bust.. plain and simple
Alex, regarding talented arms, not ready immediately which is how I’d describe any amateur we may have selected. I challenge your depiction of our pipeline as “pitching starved” As I don’t consider a pipeline with:
HARVEY
FAMILIA
MEJIA
GORSKI
I addituion to Niese & Gee as malnouridshed, let alone STARVED. true both Mejia & Familia got injured this Season; but anyone drafted this yr isn’t making a meaningful appearance before ’13,14 plenty of time for those 2 to recover & resume.
Alex, I’ll grant u that the “IMMEDIATE” PITCHING CUPBOARD IS BARREN; but when talking draft immediacy is NOT the issue being addressed.
62: my point is, the more you have the better.. we’ve seen how the likes of lima and co have doomed this team for not having kids coming up trough the system quickly, even pelfrey who was rushed here, look what is done to him.. made him be who he is today..
Alex, the issue that created theose conditions u r concerned over was due to Phillips’ stated belief that because he couldn’t accurately predict what his positional needs in the future woyuld be, he chose tro focus primarily on pitching during his drafts believing an abundance of even mediocre pitching prospects could be dpkgd & dealt for positional needs as they occurred. towards the enmd of Phillips’ era Jeff chose to create a Pitcjing guru, [pseudo pitching GM],Peterson, who, as Special Assistant to the C-uh-O,Jeff, was tasked with evaluating the entire franchises pitching inventory with the power to earmark stays & goes as he deemed appropriate as should be expected the glut of Phillips’ sign any pitchers that breathe philosophy most were tagged expendable for laxk of talent, some for improper, unfixable mechanics,& some out of dislike eventually gutting the pipeline of most salvagable pieces. This polgrum combined with the cashless ’04 firesale of disappointing vets netting only 1 potential pitching prospect(Ring) is the convoluted series of catasriophic Jeff interferences that created openings for Hernandez Bros, & the vulgar 4 letter words of pitching,”LIMA,SOSA,MOTA” Alex, our situation at this time, is far from that post ’04 period that primarily left us devoid of ANY notable pitching prospects @ any level; while today every level up to AA has notables.
BTW, I believe Pelfrey’s early debut is more a result of his agent’s insistance upon an immediate 40 roster inclusion than upon pitching desperation in another, I presume, Wilponesque logic application of “cutting off nose to spoite face”.
“again, we could’ve had fulmer AND jed bradley, but went with this guy because……???? we’ll see if all the hype of the first draft from the sabermetrics hall of justice was worth it”
If that doesn’t imply you think Nimmo was selected by using sabermetrics then you really need to proof read your comments first.
ok, explain to me what i said that tickle your fancy??? other than saying what WE ALL KNOW, that this front office is based on sabermetrics “geniouses”, what was it that i said that inplied they took nimmo using sabermetrics??
did you get offended because i called sandy and his squad “sabermetrics hall of justice”?
Which sabermetric stats have they used since Alderson was hired? Since “we all know,” please enlighten me
Compare any list you like of the top players in MLB and what you are going to see is that high school players make up at least half of the best producing players and they get up here at a younger age, have a longer prime where all aspects of their game are in sync (hitting eye, defense, base running), have arms less abused by colleges that know they’ll only have them for 3 years and face better competition during their 18-22 year old seasons in the minors than many college players do.
A high school player deemed talented enough to be taken as one of the first 100 picks in the draft by multiple organizations is the literal cream of the crop pure talent wise that has continually been skimmed off before we draft because they take longer and cost more to sign.
True they may bust more often than the 21 year old college player but when they hit, they hit it bigger and for a longer period of time because it’s a pure talent pick. Skills get taught, prospect gets GROOMED. Add all that together you get a dominant player as opposed to a good player, and he dominates for a longer period of time and then transitions into a good player rather than a useful role player.
The Mets over the last 13 years have selected an extrodinary number of college pitchers who have busted one right after the other with our first, 2nd and 3rd round picks while actually making the “safe” medium floor, medium ceiling selection and then getting an upside of an Aaron Heilman those few times the pick does actually make it up here.
A team full of Aaron Heilman’s is the reason we have to import all of our true talent onto the 25 man roster and that costs us 1st, 2nd and 3rd round draft choices where the best players get selected as well as prospects already in our farm, clogs up the roster with deadwood, the DL with more frequently injured older players, and the payroll with expensive players we can’t even get rid of at any price.
Look at just The Mets for instance which isn’t a great example because of our previous draft philosophy heavy on lesser priced college players.
High school: Thole, Tejada, Reyes, Wright, Pagan, Beltran, Niese, Beato, Johan, Izzy, Paulino, K-Rod.
College: Gee, Capuano, Pelfrey, Dickey, Davis, Murphy, Turner, Bay, Parnell.
Historical Mets drafted or signed out of high school: Keith Hernandez, Mike Piazza, Gary Carter, Darryl Strawberry, Lenny Dykstra, Mookie Wilson, Sid Fernandez, Dwight Gooden, Jesse Orosco, Rafeal Santana, Ray Knight, Howard Johnson, Edgardo Alfonzo and plenty of more as well. Not to say that college players don’t have their place cause they do but certain positions almost demand you look to the HS or IFA because defensive skills are the first to go.
CF, SS and 2B must be filled by HS players or IFA’s (not to say that an Utley or Tulo cannot be an exception to that but their careers will be shorter all told)
A guy like our own Matt Den Dekker for instance really faces a time crunch because even right now at 23 years old (just promoted to AA) the clock is ticking. By the time that his bat is ready to play in the majors (BB/K, BA, OBP, SLG%) his defensive prime is quickly approaching (about 25-27) The period of time that all his skills are in the ideal range at the same time is going to be pretty short which leads to a shorter career. Same goes for a guy like Satin or Havens.
When you look at the “young man’s” positions of 2B, SS and CF once that first step and reactions get slower it becomes more difficult to find a position the bat will play at. Sure you can point to Yount (HS) and Biggio (college, but just 1 yr in the minors and up here at 22) but their really the exception.
The Phillies are notorious recently for preferring boom/bust types and you can see that reflected in their roster. Take Dominick Brown (20th rnd HS) for instance. Could be a boom, could be a bust. Draft 7 of these types every year and your almost bound to produce at least 1 Boom every three years and have a couple other real good looking guys kicking around the minors with time left to put it together to use as trade bait, depth and organizational competition.
Even if you bust on all seven every year, year after year you can still grab a league average guy somewhere which is about the upside of a Den Dekker
anyway for a few years so what have you lost by shooting for the stars? Just some extra cash in buying out their college comittments. That’s it.
What this team has needed for a over 20 years now is to skim the cream off the draft by selecting the highest talent and then properly developing it so those players useful primes are all in sync in our uniform, not someone else’s.
The bust ratio shouldn’t matter when your talking about reaching for the stars because all you need is one star every year and your doing better than everyone else. Bust ratio comes in when your making “safe” picks because those are expected to make it and produce at an average level.
Going HS player with our first two picks (and numerous others) this year was a very welcome change which if we continue to do and spend the money to get them into our system will pay a lot of dividends.
High School players are what formed the basis of both of our World Championship teams.
Look at our list of top prospects right now. Mejia, Familla, Harvey, Gorski, Urbina, Tapia, Rodriguez, Morris. Harvey and Gorski are the only top pitching prospects from college.
Flores, Niuwenhauss, Valdespin, Puello, Marte, Vaughn, A. Rodriguez, J. Rodriguez, Lagares, Havens, Den Dekker, Zapata. Only Kirk and Vaughn are from college and on track. Den Dekker appears to be a useful 4th OFer (as might Kirk) and Havens maybe running out of time. Even Fern as long as he’s seemed to be around could still make it up here because he’s only 23 right now.
here we go again.
How about this
Explain to me what sabermetrics have to do with taking Nimmo? Please. Enlighten me.
Specifically if you can answer what sabermetrics have to do with taking Nimmo instead of Bradley I would appreciate that.
If not, then please refrain from saying words you do not understand
We’re stuck with Nimmo? Has he even signed yet?
I did not say that. I said IF they make the best offer, you go with it. It is called common sense, since Beltran is an FA anyway.
Jdon, Atlanta is the only bad destination of ALL the possibilities.
I loved the question you asked him about being too critical of the Mets, and I’m sure Phillies fans felt the same way when he was there. I dont know why everyone thinks a beat reporter has to be a fan. How can you report and maintain any objectivity if you are a fan?
Thank you Kranepool7, I had noticed that there were some that believed that about Martino so I thought it would be a good opportunity for us to find out an answer from the horse’s mouth and for him to dispel/confirm suspicions.
I agree that trading beltran would be the white flag, NOT trading K-Rod.
soon my friend.. soon. even i who am one of the biggest beltran’s supporter have come to the conclusion that beltran will be traded..
K rod had to be done, and while he has put up saves, he has been walking a tightrope most games anyway. IMO, he was not going to be enough of a difference maker to matter.
Beltran would be hard to replace though, especially since they (sadly) don’t have any prospect having a monster year, knocking on the door. if say Kirk had not gotten hurt, and was crushing the ball, you could sorta justify the move as being time. But, since the replacement will be a mix/match of spare parts, I don’t think you can argue that.
Send beltran to whichever team gives up the best prospect back. Yans, Phils, who cares? if the Mets are going to make a miracle run to the playoffs, it most likely will be via the WC anyway, so just keep him away from the Braves if that is what you are worried about!
any, the front office gave up on this team, why should we believe???
Let me ask you this, how do you think the Phillies became as good as they are right now?
Hint, it had something to do with taking chances in late 90′s and early 00′s and getting as many good draft pieces as they could.
You don’t think their recent success just happened by twisting their nose do you?
draft picks?? are we getting “draft picks” from the brewers?? i thought we were getting GTBN later!!
You will never understand and are waste of my time trying to explain it.
Get Omar on the phone, maybe he’ll come back, overspend and we’ll still be playing golf during the post season.
“but I have to say–covering losing and dysfunction last year in New York, and the transition that it led to, provided richer material than covering a World Series run in 2009.”
This tells you everything you need to know about the Press! (And media in general!)
the BAD news is easy to write…the good news is ho hum!
Whats the old saying? They root for quick games and long drama?