Mets Merized Online

Will the Mets pickup the options on Billy Wagner of J.J. Putz?

I feel the Mets should not pick up either of their options unless within the final two months of the season they are able to prove that they have significant value with no signs of holding back because of their injuries. The barometer should be their pre-surgery velocity coupled with their command. If they rise to the occasion on both those levels, than pick up the options and trade them. If they are truly healthy, than it would be no problem getting significant players in return. The Mets have too many holes and questions to have the luxury of an $8 MM+ setup man. That money would be put to better use toward getting a top of the rotation starter or a bonafide cleanup hitter.

If our prospects are too good to trade for all star caliber players like Victor Martinez, Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay, why are we calling up mediocre players like Cory Sullivan and Argenis Reyes?

Not everyone believes the Mets farm system is a s good as Minaya says it is, and that includes me. Most of our better prospects are under 20 years old, and many, many years away from being major league ready if that even comes to fruition. The organization has tried to rush their top pitcher, Brad Holt, who now seems to be struggling at AA. The reason we’ve seen players such as Cancel, Berroa, Switzer and the two you mentioned, is because they represent the best that the Mets have right now. The Mets top two affiliates in Buffalo and Binghamton, are a combined 55 games under .500, and are the worst teams in their leagues. That doesn’t happen by accident. Some say the Mets depleted their farm with the Johan Santana trade, but the fact is they gave up very little to get Johan, and if those players were still in the Mets system, it wouldn’t change their circumstances much. The reason we haven’t traded any prospects for quality major league players, is not to protect the system, but because the Mets are broke and can’t take on any more salary.

Adam Rubin of the Daily News was kind enough to answer a few questions for Mets Merized Online. It’s been a hectic week as far as Mets news goes, and I wanted to get his thoughts on the Halladay situation, Carlos Beltran’s bone bruise, the shift in our top prospects, and other Mets concerns.

1. According to a report by Jon Heyman, Omar Minaya rejected a trade that would have landed Roy Halladay in exchange for prospects; F-Mart, Tejada, Niese and Parnell. I was actually shocked Omar turned it down, and felt the deal could save this season and set the Mets up for next season too. What are your thoughts?

If that were an actual, bona fide proposal for a yea or nay, then two GMs ought to be out of a job. An oft-injured outfielder, a hard-throwing reliever, a projected middle-of-the-rotation starter and a non-power-hitting, teenage middle infielder playing above his level? For Roy Halladay? Look at what the Mariners gave up for Erik Bedard. Erik Bedard! Even high-ranking Mets officials say the Blue Jays, at best, were just floating ideas to see how much they could get. The Mets don’t even believe Halladay will be traded. So why did this report come out? No doubt someone high up with the Mets said it. Reports usually aren’t fiction. I would suggest the probable reason is that the Mets could then say: A, “Look, we’re talking to teams.” And, B, “Look, there’s a big market for our guys.” A report that Omar Minaya is safe not coincidentally surfaced the same day. Think about whose interest that is in.

2. I get the sense that not even the Mets themselves know if they are buyers or sellers. Lets assume they are sellers… What players, if any, might we be able to move for prospects? Do we have anything a contending team might want from us?

The Mets are not renting players. If it helps them for 2010 and beyond, great, such as Francoeur-Church (although it’s highly debatable whether it achieved that). As for selling, the Mets wouldn’t do that. They can’t admit they’re out. And trade what? You need Bobby Parnell and Pedro Feliciano for 2010. In Parnell’s case, he’s an affordable, late-inning option on a team with a bloated payroll that needs young players to offset big contracts. In the latter case, have you seen how many lefthanded relievers the Mets have gone through this season trying to find someone competent to join with Feliciano?

Fortunately, Fernando may exceed the at-bat total (130 by Baseball America standards), so I’ll hopefully be absolved of ranking him if the magazine asks me again next offseason to do it. I wouldn’t commit to it this far out, but Jenrry Mejia is the guy scouts say is the most legit, so he’d probably be my No. 1 right now, followed by Wilmer Flores and then Brad Holt. Beyond that, I’ll still need to do a lot of research to get a legitimate top 10. Josh Thole probably has crept in there somewhere, although I’d like to see better power numbers. One scout said a Scott Hatteberg-type career would probably be the best case scenario.

It clearly was botched, whether the advice was sound and things unpredictably went wrong, or whether the original treatment course was just plain bad. The Mets knew a bone bruise existed, yet had a $119 million player injected with cortisone. A month later the bone bruise had doubled in size. Sources continue to tell me Beltran is privately upset. And whenever I get Mets officials ranting at me, I ask to point out what’s factually incorrect in my reporting. No one ever has a reply. Usually, the response is more about how the trainers should be off-limits from my scrutiny, since they’re not public people. More generally, there are clear problems with the way Hospital for Special Surgery recommendations are used. I had a conversation with an AL official on Monday who, unsolicited, said 29 of 30 teams would have placed Jose Reyes on the DL as far back as San Francisco, or at least L.A. You may remember that even in Boston, Omar Minaya was still calling Reyes day-to-day.

I would argue that time is now.

The option is for $9.1 million. I believe when the Mets acquired Putz last December, the intention fully was to pick that up, if only to trade him. Now, I don’t think that’s possible. It’s too big a gamble for a team that only has a net of about $30 million coming off the payroll and so many holes. That would be nearly a third of the net coming off for a luxury item.

I seem to be the only one saying Omar Minaya is not safe. While I can’t say Omar is definitely out, my sources tell me Jeff Wilpon’s view is tipping and a three-year extension worth an estimated $1.1 million a year would not be an obstacle to making a change.

Adam, thanks again for your time. We look forward to reading more about the Mets each day in the Daily News and on your blog, Surfing The Mets.

Q – Can somebody please tell me whatever happened to Eddie Kunz? At one time he seemed like an untouchable, but now I never hear him mentioned anywhere.

A – Eddie Kunz was considered to be the Mets closer of the future, but that label began to wear toward the end of the 2008 season.  He didn’t impress the Mets after a brief cup of coffee last season, and he was completely ineffective when he made the jump from AA to AAA last season. He is currently closing for the Buffalo Bisons and has a 2.38 ERA in six appearances. He has no saves, but save opportunities have been rather scarce in Buffalo these days. He still ranks at number ten among all Mets prospects, but with K-Rod in the house, Kunz may surface as setup man or short reliever in the future, most likely 2010.

Q – Why don’t the Mets trade Brian Schneider and call up prospect Josh Thole who is tearing it up in the minors?

A – First, Brian Schneider can’t be traded while he’s on the DL, and even if the Mets could trade him they won’t get much in return for a catcher in his walk year who is batting below the Mendoza line. As for Thole, he was recently converted to catcher a little over a year ago and has a way to go in refining his defensive skills before making the jump to the Majors, however he’s a quick study and has impressed. His bat has been explosive so far in AA, batting a blistering .370. In 2008, Thole had an all-star year for St. Lucie, hitting .300/.382/.427 in 347 at bats. Thole has always shown a good eye at the plate and great patience. He has 133 walks and 131 strikeouts in his minor league career. He may still be a year away, but the Mets believe in him and he looks like a keeper to me. Baseball America ranks him at 23 among Mets prospects, but I suspect he’ll soon be in the top ten if he’s not already.