Zack Wheeler’s 11K performance for Double-A Binghamton last night has earned him a promotion. He’s headed to Triple-A Buffalo, the team announced this afternoon. Sandy Alderson also told reporters it was unlikely would pitch in the big leagues this season. The Mets GM said Wheeler has a limit in place of around 150 innings this season, and that will allow him to only pitch through the remainder of the Bisons’ season. Wheeler went 10-6 with a 3.26 [...]

The Mets are moving Jenrry Mejia back to the starting rotation said Mets VP of Player Development Paul DePodesta according to comments he made to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York, Sure enough, today’s media notes from the Buffalo Bisons reported that Mejia will get the start on Monday against the Indianapolis Indians at 7:05 PM. DePodesta explained that Mejia changed his style of pitching once he moved from the rotation to the bullpen and not in a good way. [...]

Baseball America’s Prospect Hot Sheet for the week ending July 27th has Mets top prospects RHP Domingo Tapia and LHP Stephen Matz both ranked in their Top 10 at No. 5 and No.6 respectively. Tapia hails from the International arena when the Mets signed him in 2009 as tall, hard throwing 16-year old from Santo Domingo. He is having a solid season for Low-A Savannah where he is 5-2 with a 3.45 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP [...]

July 28, 2011 – The Mets trade OF Carlos Beltran and cash to the Giants for RHP Zack Wheeler. Beltran certainly did his part (.323/.369/.551) in San Fran, and he wound up signing a bargain contract with the Cardinals. This year, he’s been one of the NL’s most productive hitters. Although the Giants missed the postseason, it was no fault of Beltran’s. The Mets, though, landed a potential gem in Wheeler. Wheeler, who touches triple digits with his fastball [...]

Mets closer Frank Francisco began his rehab assignment with Double-A Binghamton today, starting his rehab one day later than initially planned. Francisco was very rusty, allowing one run on three hits, a walk and a strikeout in 2/3 of an inning. Francisco threw 24 pitches, 14 of which were strikes. Francisco, who has been on the disabled list since June 23 with a strained left oblique, was slated to begin his rehab on Tuesday with Class [...]

Mets top prospect Zack Wheeler was shelled for ten hits and six runs (five earned) in four innings today in New Britain where the B-Mets were playing the Rock Cats. For Wheeler it was his second straight bad outing. On July 20, the right-hander was lit up for eight earned runs in 3.2 innings by Bowie, having allowed six hits and three walks. It was rumored yesterday that Wheeler could be heading to Buffalo to [...]

Despite all the speculation that Cole Hamels would bolt for free agency, or that the Philadelphia Phillies would not be able to afford him, the two sides agreed to a six-year contract extension for $144 million, according to what major-league sources have reported to Ken Rosenthal. The Phillies are expected to make the official announcement later today. Rosenthal adds that the deal is the second largest ever awarded to a starting pitcher, trailing only the seven-year, $161 [...]

As expected, the Mets have announced that they have optioned Lucas Duda to Triple-A Buffalo. Duda was batting .241/.335/.391 in in 89 games with a dozen home runs and 44 RBI. Duda drew 42 walks and struck out 94 times in 307 at-bats this season, almost a third of the time. The big guy was mired in a horrendous slump in July that forced Terry Collins to start using other options in right field. His defense in the outfield [...]

The New York Mets announced that Buffalo Bisons RHP MATT HARVEY will start for New York on Thursday, July 26 against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Mets will place Harvey on the 24-hour taxi squad on Monday and then active the pitcher on Tuesday. Harvey, 23, was 7-5 with a 3.68 ERA in a league-high 20 starts. He leads the Bisons in all pitching triple crown categories, including his 112 strikeouts that are 2nd best in [...]

Over at ESPN New York, Adam Rubin talks with Mets VP of Player Development Paul DePodesta who shared some insights on a variety of topics. In Part 1 of the interview, DePo sheds some light on Zack Wheeler’s innings workload, Jenrry Mejia’s transition from starter to reliever, and the following question in which he addresses fan expectations and hype: Q: In New York, the prospects get hyped. And it’s good in a way in terms of generating fan excitement, [...]

According to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York who spoke with Assistant GM John Ricco, the Mets will not overpay for any player that will help the team now, but at the expense of the future. “We’re watching every day the same thing people are,” said assistant GM John Ricco on Thursday. “But you also can’t fool yourself into thinking that there’s one guy that is going to be the be-all and end-all solution to our problems. You [...]