Things just keep getting worse and not better on the Johan Santana front. Andy Martino spoke to more than one team source and the consensus seems to be that Johan Santana will not be ready by Opening Day which totally wipes out Santana’s assertion that “he knows what he’s doing” and everything is okay. “I know the deal, spring training is for training okay!”. The Mets’ private expectations for Johan Santana’s April 1 availability are even [...]

The majority of the Mets are off today, except for those who have a “B’’ game in Jupiter later this afternoon. Pitchers Shaun Marcum, Pedro Feliciano and LaTroy Hawkins will each log some innings. The projected fifth starter, Marcum, raised concerns when he didn’t report to camp in shape. Here is a guy trying to hang onto a major league job and got a $4 million guaranteed contract from the Mets. He doesn’t come to camp ready to pitch and [...]

It usually is not a good sign when a name not recently in the news shows up on the “What’s Trending Now,’’ list when one logs onto the Internet. Dwight Gooden was there this morning and we can expect to see future postings as his latest issue with the law unravels. Gooden, long out of baseball but not forgotten by Mets fans, allegedly threatened his estranged wife, Monique, on Friday, when he should have been on [...]

Some athletes will use anything as a motivator while others simply know what it takes to get ready. Today, pitching coach Dan Warthen tried to sell the idea Johan Santana used perceived criticism of his physical condition as the spark to get him on the mound for the first time since Feb. 19. Santana threw the day after GM Sandy Alderson said he didn’t think the soon-to-be 34-year old lefty would pitch for another ten days to put his [...]

It is not surprising that GM Sandy Alderson indicated today it is “less and less likely,’’ Johan Santana would be ready for Opening Day. Alderson attributed that to Santana not being in good shape when he reported to spring training because he didn’t go through his normal off-season routine after extensive rehabbing the previous two winters. “From my standpoint, his arm is fine, as far as we know,’’ Alderson told reporters. “Was he ready to pitch [...]

General manager Sandy Alderson stopped short of saying manager Terry Collins’ job was secure, but in a conference call this week, left the impression he will be judged with a broad paintbrush. As GM, Alderson’s job description entails building for the future, and while Collins has nothing guaranteed to him beyond this season, it doesn’t mean the two perspectives can’t co-exist.Collins’ extension will be assured if the Mets have a winning season, but even if they [...]

MURPHY UPDATE: Daniel Murphy, who has been down with a strained intercostal muscle in his right side and was reportedly a week to ten days away from playing in a game, is making progress. Adam Rubin of ESPN reports that Murphy began hitting off a tee today for the first time since suffering the injury and he could be ready to appear in a Grapefruit League game in roughly a week. WHEELER UPDATE: When it comes to pitching injuries, always [...]

After a handful of games, this much is certain about the Mets’ porous outfield situation: Nothing has been settled. We know Lucas Duda is expected to play left field, but center field and right field are open. Wide open, it seems. Going into spring training, Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Collin Cowgill were penciled in as a platoon in center, while veteran Marlon Byrd and Mike Baxter were going to be a right field platoon. “The outfield is definitely a question mark, collectively,’’ Sandy Alderson said. “I [...]

In a conference call Wednesday evening, Mets GM Sandy Alderson addressed several issues surrounding the team. Here are some of the things he told us: Catching prospect Travis d’Arnaud will not be allowed to block the plate. The reason for that is obvious – his health. The leadoff spot is still up in the air but Kirk Nieuwenhuis, who is the leading candidate, still has a lot of work to do. If Nieuwenhuis plays full-time [...]

Jenrry Mejia gets the ball this afternoon against Miami. As of now, Mejia will be used as a starter, but there are those in the organization who believe he’s better suited for the bullpen. Mejia prefers to start and has performed better in that role. Maybe it is because he has time to prepare for his assignment, maybe because he has more time to warm up, maybe it is an ego thing. Whatever it is, his [...]

Lucas Duda did not start tonight’s 6-4 exhibition game loss against Washington, and won’t be in the lineup tomorrow. Look for him Wednesday or Thursday. In his first two games, Duda went 0-for-7 with six strikeouts, and told reporters today, “we’re not going to hit the panic just yet.’’ The Mets will opt for extra work in the batting cage instead.Duda, who underwent wrist surgery in the offseason, began to swing the bat in late January [...]