This from the Hey Man… Now that’s interesting… Original Post 12/2 Before the Mets traded Frankie Rodriguez to the Brewers for two PTBNL’s they had the fourth best bullpen in the National League. K-rod was the closer of course, with Jason  Isringhausen performing admirably as the setup man, and Bobby Parnell and Pedro Beato were thriving in lower pressure seventh inning duties. Then, as I wrote on August 19, 2011, this happened: So how is everyone enjoying [...]

I caught up to Brooklyn Cyclones left-hander T.J. Chism the other day, and he was kind enough to answer some questions for our readers at MetsMerizedOnline.com. T.J. had some really fascinating stuff to say, and there is no doubt that he will be a pitcher to keep an eye on as he progresses through the Mets minor league system on his way to the big leagues. Here’s what he had to say: Petey:   First [...]

According to Mike Puma of the New York Post, the Mets would love to trade for Oakland’s Andrew Bailey, but the more likely scenario has the Mets signing one or two relievers from a list that includes Frank Francisco, Jon Rauch, Brad Lidge and Matt Capps. As you can read below, the Mets have checked in on Andrew Bailey, but found the A’s asking price to high and were unwilling to part with whatever it would take. [...]

On Wednesday, Sandy Alderson, Paul DePodesta, John Ricco and J.P. Ricciardi were on hand at Citi Field to discuss their plans for the 2012 season and beyond as they get ready for the Winter Meetings that begin tomorrow. Here are some of the comments they made: Sandy Alderson: We are committed to a winning team and we want you to be proud of our team. We want what YOU want, but we want to make sure we [...]

According to Jim Bowden of ESPN XM via Twitter, there are six teams in on RHP Luis Ayala; the Mets, Yankees, Rays, Blue Jays, Angels and Red Sox. That sounds like a lot of competition for Ayala, who turns 34 in January and is coming off a solid comeback season in 2011 that saw him go 2-2 with a 2.09 ERA in 52 games for the New York Yankees. Ayala, who has been plagued by [...]

Pedro Martinez will soon announce his official retirement, according to MLB.com. Pedro Martinez, who put together one of the best four-year stretches as a starter in Major League history, told MLB.com’s Evan Drellich that he’s planning to officially announce his retirement soon. Martinez, 40, last pitched in the Majors in 2009 with the Phillies, making nine starts. “I’m going to [officially announce it], I’m going to do it, but I want to throw a party too,” [...]

On Thursday, Sandy Alderson hosted a conference call with a few Mets bloggers that was by far the best one I ever participated in. We had some great questions from everyone and Sandy, who was very cordial, took his time and answered all of our questions concisely and proficiently. The tone of the call was kind of upbeat and it was interesting to hear how passionate everyone was about their concerns. Amazin Avenue was good [...]

Joe Janish of Mets Today asks the question, “how long is the Mets rebuilding plan?” Assuming you believe the Mets are in a “rebuilding phase”, how long do you think the rebuilding plan will last? And why / how did you arrive at that time frame? The reason I ask is because there seems to me to be a wild variance among fans as to what constitutes “rebuilding” and a disagreement as to how long [...]

Despite the Winter Meetings still days away, the market for catchers has shrunk by more than 50% in the first four weeks of free agency. As you will see in the chart I created below, only seven of 15 catchers initially available remain. In addition to the catchers that signed already, several have been moved in trades with the most recent, Chris Iannetta, being traded from the Colorado Rockies to the Oakland Athletics. Other catchers [...]

According to Jayson Stark of ESPN.com, former Mets LHP Chris Capuano has agreed to terms with the Dodgers on a two year, $10 million contract. Honestly, as much as I would have liked to have Capuano back on a one-year deal, his chances to re-sign with the Mets was doomed the moment he mentioned he wanted a two-year deal. Capuano did provide the Mets with one of of our Best Moments of 2011. Best Moment #2 Chris Capuano pitched the [...]

In Doug’s Dugout today we discuss: being a Mets fan, trades, and other thoughts rattling around in an empty head: My friends it’s confusing being a Mets fan theses days. On one hand I can understand that GM Sandy Alderson is trying to rebuild the farm system while simultaneously stock a competitive team that the fans can root for. Moreover, not commit the lions’ share of the payroll to a small handful of players. And, [...]