In 1966, in the days before Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, Gary Gentry, and Nolan Ryan, when the Mets’ young pitchers were named Dick Selma, Dick Rusteck, Darrell Sutherland, and Rob Gardner, the Mets tried to provide some veteran presence on the staff to help carry the team to respectability while the young pitchers developed. In the early sixties, you could make up a pretty good core for your major league rotation with the likes of [...]

It’s no secret the Mets have concerns in their rotation, but that doesn’t mean they should rush Zack Wheeler, regardless of how good a spring training he has. The Mets tooker a somewhat patient approach with Matt Harvey, waited to bring him up last summer and gave him ten starts in which he showed his potential. The Mets need to do the same with Wheeler. I still maintain the Mets rushed former first-round pick Mike [...]

In his first interview since being denied first-ballot entry into the Hall of Fame, Mike Piazza spoke candidly with David Waldstein of the New York Times ahead of the release of his autobiography, Long Shot, due out on February 11. In the book, Piazza admits to using androstenedione as part of a supplement pack until the outcry over Mark McGwire’s use of it forced him to phase it out. He flatly denies ever using steroids. “It shouldn’t [...]

As an update to the Ike Davis and 2012 fatigue discussion from Wednesday, here is an update from Adam Rubin of ESPN New York, who spoke to Ike Davis today at Port St. Lucie: Ike Davis publicly portrayed his diagnosis of valley fever last February as a non-issue, insisting it was giving him no problems and was a latent case at worst. In reality, Davis confessed Friday, he would retreat home after Mets workouts last spring [...]

Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors posted part of the interview he conducted with Greg Genske of The Legacy Agency, Red Sox GM Ben Cherington and one other NL Executive. It was on the topic of qualifying offers, the draft pick compensation attached to free agents, and how it hurts the good, but not great players. If signing a free agent does require the forfeiture of a first or second round draft pick, how much does it matter to potential [...]

As I watch the snow pile up outside my window, I am thinking of three of the best words in sports, “pitchers and catchers.’’ The official deadline for the Mets is Monday, but the lockers are already being filled in Port St. Lucie. I am planning to get down there this month and have already started booking my flight, hotel and everything else. Most of the prognosticators have the Mets fighting the Marlins to stay [...]

Pundits often say a college football coach deserves at least two years to turn a team over before anyone can honestly pass judgement.  That time provides the new coach with enough time to recruit his own players and implement his own scheme.  General managers in Major League Baseball get no such grace period.  Thus the dilemma Sandy Alderson currently finds himself in. Since taking the helm on October 29, 2010, Sandy Alderson has deconstructed the [...]

Following up on what I reported earlier this morning, Jordany Valdespin is uninjured and was suffering from  cramps after an 18-inning Caribbean Series game yesterday in cold weather, according to ESPN Deporte’s Enrique Rojas. Good news. Original Post 9:00 AM. I was just notified by one of my writers that Mets outfielder Jordany Valdespin hurt himself swinging in the Caribbean Series. Spin decided to stay in the game to complete his at-bat and grounded out. But [...]

In 1980, Baseball in New York featured a Yankee team that was a legitimate contender. Having won it all in 1978, they looked pretty solid. The overbearing and uncompromising Yankee owner George Steinbrenner was determined to establish his Yankees as perennial contenders by sheer force of will. The Mets on the other hand were awful and ended up losing 95 games. It’s almost hard to believe some of the guys the Mets ran out in [...]

The Mets officially announced that they have finalized their one year deal with reliever Brandon Lyon. They specifically highlighted that Lyon had had two 20-save seasons in his career which points to what most of us speculated regarding his chances to close for the Mets should Frank Francisco falter. According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the base salary will be between $750K – $900K. But the total value of the contract can be worth [...]