Jayson Stark of ESPN.com reports that the Phillies have agreed to a minor league contract with free-agent pitcher Joel Pineiro, according to a major league source. The deal includes an invitation to the Phillies’ big league spring training camp. Pineiro, 33, went 7-7 with a 5.13 ERA while dealing with shoulder tightness last season which required some time on the disabled list. The Phillies were looking have been looking for some insurance for their starting rotation and Pineiro will [...]

This week I caught up with NY Mets right-handed pitching prospect, Bret Mitchell. Bret was the 2011 Sterling Award Winner as the Kingsport Mets Pitcher of the Year. The Mets were fortunate to be able to get a quality arm like Mitchell’s with their 12th round pick in the 2010 draft.  Now, after rehabbing from an injury suffered at the end of last year, he is poised to have a big season in 2012. Bret [...]

Over at MetsBlog, I saw this mock-up of how Mike Piazza’s retired number would look on the wall at Citi Field. I was bored today so I quickly made a mock-up of my own…  What do you think? Then I thought, hey wait a second the walls are going to be blue this season, so…

Here’s a new feature that will take a look at some of the stuff making the rounds in the Mets blogosphere. Tell us if you think the following statement is Fair or Foul. It is probably unfair, but to me this encapsulates the 8-year Piazza Era in New York; a time marked by some spectacular play and wonderful moments but ultimately disappointment and failure.  The Mets in Piazza’s first year, 1998, missed the playoffs by [...]

Mets third baseman David Wright took questions from reporters during his second annual Vegas Night charity event. Andy McCullough spoke to Wright who spoke a little about his legacy. “I’ve never been one that wanted to make every last dollar that I could playing this game. I’m obviously very fortunate where if God forbid I got hurt tomorrow, I should be OK financially. But now it’s gotten to the point where, really, hopefully I’m at my midway [...]

We had done it! We gave hugs and high-fives all around above the clouds at the highest point in Africa. The view was unforgettably magnificent, as incredible as anything I have ever seen. But as I took time to contemplate, I realized that the reason the view was so rich was the overall experience of the trek. We had walked approximately 40 miles and climbed 13,000 feet since the beginning of the journey, overcoming all [...]

Michael Baron of MetsBlog wrote the following this morning regarding the Mets projected starting rotation: According to FanGraphs, Bill James predicts Gee will go 8-10 with a 4.33 ERA in 160 innings, Niese will go 9-10 with a 4.28 ERA in 160 innings, Dickey will go 12-11 with a 3.89 ERA, Pelfrey will go 9-11 with a 4.36 ERA in 188 innings, and Santana will go 14-7 with a 3.10 ERA in 189 innings. That’s [...]

Mike Pelfrey, Manny Acosta, Ramon Ramirez, and Andres Torres all filed for arbitration before the midnight deadline last night. Pelfrey earned $3.925 million, Torres earned $2.2 million and Ramirez earned $1.65 million in 2011. They are all expected to get significant raises for the upcoming season. Tuesday is the deadline for teams and players to exchange salary arbitration figures. If both parties cannot settle on a contract, they will go to a hearing in February where an arbitrator will [...]

The New York Yankees have acquired young right-hander Michael Pineda from the Seattle Mariners for top hitting prospect Jesus Montero. The trade was first reported by CBS Sports. The Mariners also received Yankees right-hander Hector Noesi in the deal. Pineda, who turns 23 next week, is a potentially dominant starter who struck out 173 batters in 171 innings for Seattle last season. He won six of his first 10 starts and as late as May 21 had a [...]