David Lennon of Newsday reports, This has to be considered good news. Johan Santana made it through this morning’s bullpen session without interruption. He began the workout by long-tossing with K-Rod at about 150 feet — though Santana was lobbing it compared to Rodriguez — then threw about 19 warmup pitches from the mound, with the catcher in front of the plate. When Santana finally had the catcher move back into position, he threw 31 [...]

As reported by David Lennon of Newsday, Can’t say this was unexpected. Johan Santana will have his scheduled bullpen session in a matter of minutes. But when he is done, Santana will hop a plane to New York and be examined by team physician David Altchek tomorrow at the Hospital for Special Surgery. Those tests are expected to include an MRI. GM Omar Minaya said the decision is a “precautionary” move and Santana is expected [...]

Today is a big day Mets fans. Not big in terms of a potential make or break game… It’s too early for that. However, depending on how Santana feels after his bullpen session it could be a big day in what could become a make or break decision. In a little while, Johan Santana will take one of the bullpen mounds and throw some of the most important pitches in his Mets career, or at [...]

Spring training is here! Even if the games don’t count for anything, it’s still good to see live baseball once again. Welcome to my first pre-season installment of Hot/Not. So far this spring, we’ve had the good, the bad, and the Freddy Garcia. The Good*Jose Reyes looked really good coming out of the three hole this week. At first, I was opposed to this move because his stolen base count might go down, but I’d [...]

Update 3:00 PM – Adam Rubin reports that Johan Santana may not appear in a Grapefruit League game for at least two weeks because of elbow tightness, and the ace wouldn’t rule out missing an Opening Day start in Cincinnati on April 6. Original Post 10:17 AM – Newwsday is reporting that Johan Santana met with GM Omar Minaya and manager Jerry Manuel for 40 minutes this morning about the best way to handle his [...]

Redding Will Pitch Today – According to several reports, pitcher Tim Redding will throw a bullpen session today. It will be his first time pitching since he was shelved with some soreness ten days ago Just Call Him Babe – Bobby Kielty decided to abandon switch hitting yesterday and then came out to pinch hit in the ninth inning… The result was a Ruthian blast that.went for a three-run homer. The Mets came up short [...]

Righthanded reliever Juan Cruz was signed by the Royals on Saturday. Cruz signed a two-year contract with an option for 2011. The deal was believed to be worth $2.25 million for this year, $3.25 million for 2010 and a club option for $4 million for 2011 with a $500,000 buyout. Cruz, 30, last season had a 4-0 record with a 2.61 ERA in 57 games for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He led all National League relievers with [...]

Two of the key players in the competition for the number five starter delivered performances that were on opposite sides of the spectrum. Freddy Garcia was slapped around for four runs in two-thirds of an inning. He walked three and allowed two hits before being removed from the game. Afterward, he spoke to reporters. “I’m always slow, but this year is different. I’ve got to be ready. I’m fighting for a spot. I cannot sleep. [...]

Great piece based on some nice information gathered from The Fielding Bible – Volume 2. In 2008, it wasn’t close.  The New York Mets clearly had the best defense, based on Defensive Runs Saved from The Fielding Bible–Volume II.  Outfielders saved 56 runs for the Mets last year.  Using the rule of thumb that the value of a win is about 10 runs, that’s five to six extra victories based on outfield defense alone for [...]