As most of you know by now, an MRI administered Thursday in Manhattan determined Murphy had suffered a Grade 2 strain of the muscle. Such injuries are measured on a scale of 1-4, with 4 being the most serious. Murphy first experienced pain in the leg over a week ago while taking ground balls at second base during batting practice. He hasn’t played since November 10th. He will cease all baseball activities and will not [...]

1. Fernando Martinez – At only 19 years of age, F-Mart just keeps moving closer and closer to the Major Leagues’ with every mighty swing of the bat he takes. While some still doubt his ability, he has convinced many scouts that he is indeed the real deal. Currently, he has been spotted launching rockets in Winter Ball. The Juan Gonzalez comparisons will leave many Mets fans drooling including this one.   2. Jon Niese – This prized [...]

6. Nick Evans – Evans can play first base or outfield and is projected to grow into a power hitter as he fills out. He has been wildly inconsistent in the batting average department, but has made great strides in 2008. He is improving defensively and has a good feel for the game. He may get a half a season in Buffalo to start the season, but the Mets envision him as their future at [...]

I really don’t understand the fascination with Raul Ibanez… Ken Davidoff of Newsday, mentions the Mets renewed interest in the aging yet solid if nothing else, outfielder. Meanwhile, the Mets continue to maintain communication with free agent Raul Ibañez, who interests them as an outfield bat, but they’ll face competition for the 36-year-old. The Phillies, the defending World Series champions, have expressed interest in Ibañez, who could replace free agent Pat Burrell in leftfield. So [...]

Do you believe that this rotation will lead the Mets to 100 wins with just the addition of Derek Lowe? Obviously when your rotation consists of Johan Santana, a still very young Mike Pelfrey, and a pitcher we hope is fully recovered from off season surgery in John Maine, expectations can’t be that high for the 2009 season. It would be one thing if were to add C.C. Sabathia, PLUS a Derek Lowe or a Jon [...]

Ken Davidoff of Newsday paints the picture perfectly this morning. The free-agent market on closers has diminished to where the Mets, the only big-market team looking for an elite reliever, should have their pick of either K-Rod or Fuentes, the top two available options. Though clubs such as Milwaukee and Texas will be shopping for a closer, as well, the struggling economy has limited many clubs’ budgets. Mets officials carry concerns about both of their [...]

Marty Noble got a great question in his mailbag regarding Dan Murphy’s rookie status for the 2009 season. Once a player exceeds 50 innings pitched or 130 at-bats in the Major Leagues he loses his rookie status. Further more, if a player has more than 45 days on a Major League roster before September 1st, he also loses his rookie status. Here was Noble’s reply: Murphy retained rookie status in terms of days on the roster. [...]

Albert Pujols has won the 2008 National League MVP Award. Pujols hit .357 with 37 home runs and 116 RBIs while playing with a sore right elbow. He was rewarded despite the Cardinals’ fourth-place finish in the NL Central. Pujols won by a comfortable margin over Philadelphia first baseman Ryan Howard. Milwaukee outfielder Ryan Braun was third and Los Angeles outfielder Manny Ramirez came in fourth place despit playing only two months with the Dodgers. David Wright finished seventh [...]

A couple of interesting stories today, one from Bister Olney of ESPN.com, and the other by Dan Graziano at the Star-Ledger. Both articles seem to agree that the Mets are not just looking for just any ordinary arms for the bullpen, they are looking for some Major League heat. Graziano spoke to someone familiar with the Mets plans and asked him what the teams major goal was for the bullpen. The response: “Strikeouts.” The Mets’ [...]

Joel Sherman had an interesting article in the NY Post that shed some light on the Bobby Jenks rumors that were floating around Flushing last week. Sherman quotes one Mets official as saying, “Unless something changes, I would say the chances of us getting Jenks are close to zero. The price is too high and he isn’t close to the top of our list.” He goes on to cite two main reasons for why the [...]