According to the Huffington Post, former Mets and Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine will work as a commentator for NBC Sports Radio. He will be the part-time co-host of a weekday talk show that debuts in April. Starting this month, he will also periodically provide analysis to NBC Sports Radio shows and affiliated stations. Valentine was fired in October after just one season in Boston, when the Red Sox went 69-93. His colorful no holds [...]

Chris Young remains a viable option to be re-signed to fill the rotation void according to what a source told Adam Rubin of ESPN New York. Young, returning from surgery to repair a torn anterior capsule in his right shoulder, made 20 starts for the Mets in 2012 and went 4-9 with a 4.15 ERA in 115 innings. The innings total was his highest since logging 173 innings with San Diego in 2007. Young earned roughly [...]

Infielder Omar Quintanilla is returning to the Mets on a minor league deal with a spring-training invite, according to Adam Rubin of ESPN NewYork. The Mets traded Quintanilla to the Baltimore Orioles for cash last July 20 after a decent job as a backup middle infielder for the team. The 31-year old hit a combined .243 with four homers and 16 RBIs in 169 at-bats for the Mets and Orioles in 2012. He will likely battle with Brandon Hicks for [...]

Jim Callis of Baseball America addressed the following questions regarding the Mets minor league system for his Ask BA post. After the R.A. Dickey trade, how would the Mets Top 10 now shake out? Is Noah Syndergaard a potential No. 1 starter? How would you rank the Mets system overall? After the R.A. Dickey trade, how would you re-rank the Mets Top 10 Prospects? How much do you think the trade helped their organizational ranking? [...]

Matt Cerrone of MetsBlog is reporting that The Mets are still looking for a veteran starting pitcher, who they will most likely sign off the free-agent market. This winter, the Mets have been most linked in rumors to Shaun Marcum, Joe Saunders, Carl Pavano and Chris Young, though Jair Jurrjens, Kyle Lohse, Derek Lowe and Daisuke Matsuzaka, among others, are also available. From what I can gather, the Mets are looking to give only a one-year deal. They have the [...]

Is Ike Davis heading toward a statistical cliff? I’m really concerned about the fact that unless something drastic happens between now and Opening Day, there will be no real legitimate right-handed power bat to protect Ike Davis in the lineup. The Mets are lacking a true number five hitter. With Davis being the Mets’ number one power source on the team, why would any opposing pitcher throw him anything that he could wallop? Especially when [...]

Buster Olney, in his latest column for ESPN Insider, takes a look at what free agents are still available out there including some low cost names that can plug a hole or round out some rosters. Right now you still have Michael Bourn, Nick Swisher, Rafael Soriano and Kyle Lohse as the top names out there, but there’s still some quality in the second and third tiers of free agents remaining, he says. Top among those players is Scott Hairston. Scott [...]

Jayson Stark of ESPN, spoke with one of his colleagues Dan Szymborski, and polled some MLB executives and Vegas odds makers, to determine which five teams have most improved the most this offseason as well which five teams have least improved. The consensus is that the Mets could tie with the Marlins for the most losses during the 2013 season: As for what they had to say regarding the Mets’ offseason thus far, there is [...]

John Sickels of Minor League Ball, has updated his Mets Top 20 Prospects for 2013, and assuming the trade goes through, look who jumps to the head of the class. Travis D’Arnaud, C, Grade A-:  Should be acquired from Jays in the R.A. Dickey trade. He’s not perfect, but D’Arnaud is either the best catching prospect in baseball or the second-best behind Mike Zunino. Could use a bit more polish with his throwing and his plate [...]

Michael Bates of Baseball Nation with the ultimate R.A. Dickey post of the week. Bates compiles a partial list of the many crimes R.A. Dickey committed against the Mets. It’s a great reaction piece against some of the poppycock that has been coming from mainstream writers like Mike Puma and Ken Davidoff who both tried to give our favorite elf a very cruel and undeserved sendoff. Dickey likes to give away tickets to underprivileged kids, who never [...]