Photo by Michael G. Baron of SNY.

Updated by Mitch Petanick on May 17, 2013

Adam Rubin has reported that Zack Wheeler is scheduled to start throwing again today, and is back with the team in Las Vegas. He was placed on the seven day DL, retroactive to his last start. He will rejoin the rotation next Wednesday when the team is in Iowa.

Wheeler received a cortisone shot last Wednesday after being diagnosed with inflammation of the AC joint in his throwing shoulder. He is still expected to only miss one start, which would have been on Saturday of this week.

Updated by Joe D. on May 15, 2013

Zack Wheeler has been diagnosed with slight inflammation in the AC joint in his shoulder, and will miss one start, according to Assistant GM John Ricco.

Wheeler received a cortisone shot at the Hospital for Special Surgery in his right shoulder and is flying to rejoin his team at Triple-A Las Vegas.

We spoke to his agent a few minutes ago who said there is no structural damage and that he is in good spirits.

That said, until I see Wheeler back on the mound pitching again, I will remain concerned.

It’s just the Mets fan in me.  :-)

Get back on that mound soon, Zack…

Original Post May 14, 2013

Zack Wheeler has a sore right clavicle, and will fly to New York to be examined by team doctors tomorrow at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan.

“I think we’re being a little conservative,” assistant GM John Ricco told reporters about the Mets top prospect. Wheeler had already met with the team doctor in Las Vegas.

That said, Ricco added that Wheeler will not make his scheduled start on Saturday in Omaha.

Mike Puma of the New York Post reports that Wheeler will undergo an MRI exam on his collarbone while in New York.

Terry Collins commented on this and said:

“From what I’ve heard today, it doesn’t sound serious. But any time you miss a start, it’s for the best interest of the player. We’ll wait to hear the doctor’s report and go from there. If it’s only one start, that’s certainly something we can handle easily.”

After a rough start to the season. Wheeler made a mechanical adjustment and has had incredible success over his last three starts for Triple-A Las Vegas and walked only three while posting a 1.35 ERA.

Overall, the right-hander is 2-1 with a 3.74 ERA for the season with 18 walks and 47 strikeouts in 43.1 innings pitched.

While the team calls this precautionary and conservative, any kind of soreness in the surrounding shoulder area should be a cause for some concern.

Thoughts From Mitch Petanick:

I’m hoping for the best here, but preparing for the worst. What I am worried most about is the fact that Zack Wheeler pitches using a delivery called the “Inverted W,” which could put added stress on the anterior labrum ligament in the shoulder — it slowly loosens the ligament and can actually lead to tears. Some pitchers use this delivery and go through their careers injury free, but many of them suffer injuries that require surgery…like John Smoltz and Stephen Strasburg.

Wheeler also recently tweaked his mechanics, which is what his improved control is accredited to, but could that mechanical fix in addition with the Inverted W delivery been enough to cause this shoulder discomfort? I guess we will find out after his MRI, but even precautionary MRIs are a cause for concern.

The Inverted W is like playing with fire…you can get burned.

Thoughts from Matt Musico:

Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey, John Maine, Oliver Perez and perhaps either Nelson Figueroa or Jon Niese, are going to round out the staff. It’s a rotation with more health issues than a VH1 reality show and about as much raw intimidation as Tim Gunn.

Bottom line, like Casey Stengel said, “Good pitching will always stop good hitting…and vice-versa”. I love ya Casey but sadly that does seem to be the logic of our beloved Amazin’s.

The solution is about as complex as the situation itself. We can’t trade our way out of this and we can’t sign every free agent under the sun. With an off season full of fans demanding the Mets pay top dollar for a few nominal pitcher’s at best, the Mets were oddly content with the signing of Kelvim Escobar to a 1 year 1.25 million dollar contract.

The same Kelvim Escobar who tore the labrum in his pitching arm a few years ago with the Angels. The same Kelvim Escobar who hasn’t pitched an inning so far this Spring. The same Kelvin Escobar who will probably start the season on the disabled list. The same Kelvin Escobar whom I guessing won’t get as much as a nanosecond on the mound at Citi Field.

Now in defense of the Mets, the pick of the pitching litter this off season was John Lackey. The Mets did make a play for him but unfortunately he ended up with the Boston Red Sox. His stats were impressively solid but his health always seemed to be the 800-pound gorilla in the room.

Whether the Mets didn’t offer as much money or guaranteed years or a personal Swedish bikini model masseuse, whatever, he didn’t sign with them. Not every player is meant for the bright lights of New York. Go ask Bobby Bonilla who even as a native New Yorker, was given the warm welcome of an overpaid MTA executive with a runaway case of the swine flu.

There were a few others on the Mets radar this winter such as Joel Pineiro, Jon Garland and even John Smoltz. All have their pluses and minuses with Pineiro being the favorite in this bunch by many.

Pineiro eventually signed with the Angels. Garland signed with the Padres and Smoltz is still out there probably golfing with Pedro Martinez until someone needs an experienced arm in August. Quite the crop I must say. If the Mets didn’t have bad luck they’d have none at all.

I feel signing Smoltz, I mean prying Smoltz off the greens at Isleworth, might pay off in one of two ways provided he’s healthy. It’s a big gamble I know and it’s easy for any of us to say lets give 5 million to a 42 year old pitcher with health issues and call it a day, especially since it isn’t our money.

With recent news that the Minnesota Twins closer, Joe Nathan, may miss the season with an arm injury, now is the time for the Mets to get off the pot and bring in this versatile veteran pitcher. He would be a greater financial risk than Kelvim Escobar for sure but his upside could be invaluable.

However if the Mets fizzle out before the trade deadline, and Smoltz is still pitching effectively, theoretically he could draw interest from a contender.

If you remember the year was 1987 and the Detroit Tigers were in a heated pennant race against the Blue Jays. To bolster their pitching the Tigers acquired Doyle Alexander from the Atlanta Braves, sending a little known minor league pitcher by the name of John Smoltz to Atlanta. The rest is history of course.

Of course if it happens, and he signs with the Mets, I wish Smoltzie health and success. Yet it would be a fitting end for Smoltz to be traded for a minor league pitcher, but with our luck we’d probably stay in contention right up to the very last day of the season and blow it.

But then again what am I saying, nothing like that has ever happened before. Silly me.

1B- Russell Branyan, C- Rod Barajas, 2B- Felipe Lopez, RP- Kiko Calero, SP- Braden Looper, SP- John Smoltz, SP-Jarrod Washburn, OF- Jermaine Dye, SP- Paul Byrd, RP- Chad Bradford, 1B- Hank Blalock, RP- Joe Beimel, SP- Pedro Martinez, RP- Scott Eyre, SP- Kip Wells, OF- Johnny Damon, OF- Rocco Baldelli, and C- Paul Bako are just a few of the names that are still out there unsigned.

Most of them have something that makes them interesting to the Mets, but there’s a difference between window shopping and going inside with a credit card in hand. Some even have blatant “buyer beware” tags on them for recent extensive health, durability, or poor defensive issues. Some are just not considered to be very good. Depends on who you ask. Still, a few of these players could probably fill gaping needs in the rotation, the bullpen, and on the bench.

Who do you like? Who has the best chances of helping our team take a few steps forward?

If I had a choice, I would grab Russell Branyan over Hank Blalock. I think Blalock is too one-dimensional right now, while Branyan would give the Mets some added pop in their lineup along with a .867 OPS.

I like Smoltz if as a fifth starter if absolutely needed, but more so for bullpen depth. He brings intangibles that the younger pitchers can glean from as well.

Chad Bradford was always a favorite and I don’t think we should have ever let him go in the first place, but that’s just me. I also like Joe Beimel for depth (decent ERA and strikeout numbers) with Scott Eyre not too far behind. 

Get Rod Barajas so he can bring that “fight” to the team and challenge those younger pitchers with the “yips”. He’s got a history of managing these types of situations unlike Omir Santos who is currently the favorite to play full time right now. Felipe Lopez works since O-Dog is history for yet another year. A case can also be made for Washburn. I’m just not the one to make it. This is what it has come down to. Who knows until the season officially starts, what a minor change here and there can do to help our team in the long term. So…….Buy or don’t buy?

Adam Rubin of the Daily News, reports that according to an inside source, John Smoltz could choose not pitching over pitching for the Mets.

An insider tells the Daily News he believes the 42-year-old Smoltz could follow the route Pedro Martinez went last season — wait and sign mid-season. That could give Smoltz a better opportunity to be at full strength late in the regular season and for any potential postseason activity.

On WFAN’s Boomer and Carton morning show, they are running hard with this latest news, adding that John Smoltz would rather play golf than have anything to do with a schlock organization like the Mets.

It’s quite shocking if it’s true, to be turned down by a soon to be 43-year old who seemingly has no other offers on the table, are we trying to pay him in medifast coupons?

It’s time to acknowledge the reality that the Mets have painted themselves as one of the most inept and dysfunctional organization in sports, the recent rash of rejections along with those players’ accompanying comments regarding the Mets is a bit disconcerting to say the least.

Joel Pineiro, who told everyone that his first choice was to become a Met, rejects them after waiting over two months for an offer. He signs a two-year deal for an $8 million dollar annual salary less than 24 hours after the Mets meekly presented their offer. To little, too late.

Jason Marquis called several Mets players and had his agent make several calls to Omar Minaya to fulfill his childhood dream of one day pitching for the New York Mets. By the time the Mets turned their attention to him, he had already agreed to a contract with the Nationals for two-years and $17 million dollars.

The Mets chased nobody harder this off season than free agent catcher Bengie Molina. He rejected the Mets one year offer with a player option, to take less annual salary and a one-year deal with the Giants for a mere $4.5 million dollars. He’d later say that it was going to take a lot more than what the Mets offered, (substantially more than what he signed for),  for him to play for that team. A lot more.

One the same day that the Mets turned their attention to Jon Garland, after failing in their efforts to sign Ben Sheets, Garland’s agent told the Mets don’t bother. Hours later Garland signed a one-year deal for $5.3 million dollars with the Padres.

It seems the Mets built themselves a pitchers park that nobody wants to pitch or catch in.

One other note…

Yesterday, Red Sox GM Theo Epstein boasted that he is thrilled that he was able to get two top picks in the upcoming June draft from the Mets in the Billy Wagner deal. The Mets in the meantime, have signed Fernando Tatis which ensures that 27 year old Chris Carter will spend his fifth season in a row mired in AAA. Carter was the player the Mets received in the Billy Wagner trade. Incidentally, if reports are true, Tatis will be paid more than the 1.5 million the Twins just paid Jim Thome, who hit 23 homeruns while driving in 77 runs in only 363 at-bats, and posting a .366 on-base percentage last season. 

Pitchers and catcher report in 20 days.

Update 1/26 3:00 pm

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reports the obvious via Twitter,

Mets’ next target, after losing Sheets, looks to be Smoltz. They have not been aggressive on Garland, according to a source.

Adam Rubin also reported that the Mets were engaged in aggressive dialogue this morning even before the Sheets signing went down.

Update 1/25 3:30 pm:

According to Adam Rubin (Welcome back Adam!) of the Daily News, the Mets are also actively engaged in dialogue with veteran starter/reliever John Smoltz.

The sense I get is that the Mets are very likely to add one more starting pitcher. They’ve been in active dialogue with John Smoltz about a starting role, although it’s hard to handicap whether it’s Smoltz, Ben Sheets or Jon Garland they ultimately sign.

Original Post 3:16 PM

In a new post to his blog at SI.com, Jon Heyman has an extensive update on some new developments regarding free agent starter, Ben Sheets.

The A’s, Rangers and Mets are among teams considering free agent pitcher Ben Sheets, who raised his value with what was described by several scouts as an excellent showcase last week in Monroe, La.

The Mets’ interest in Sheets came suddenly after Joel Pineiro, whom they had targeted, rejected their offer and signed with the Los Angeles Angels.

All six of those guys have battled injury recently, and Maine is on the DL once or twice every season.  Santana is coming back from elbow surgery, Pelfrey had a very inconsistent season as his role on the team became more prominent, and Perez absolutely flamed out once he signed that huge 3-year deal.  He came back stronger later in the season, but the guy has clearly lost something, either physically or mentally.  Niese and Nieve showed promise but that’s about it.

So here we are less than a month away from pitchers and catchers reporting to Florida, and we have basically the same starting staff as in 2009, the one that was a big reason for one of the worst seasons in quite some time—and one that can be considered a disaster based on the fact that this team went into 2009 as a playoff contender.  And based on this team’s injury history of late, adding a re-tread or two wouldn’t give me that much more hope.

Sure, we may be pleasantly surprised, but we certainly need to be prepared for the alternative.

Few personnel moves the Mets could make would please me, personally, as much as the addition of Smoltz. He’s a class act and a joy to cover. I’d like watching his slider, too. But, to me, adding Smoltz would be akin to signing Ben Sheets. Incentive-laden contract or not, he’d come with issues. And the Mets have enough potential starters with issues. They need innings, about 200 of them.

At a soon to be 43 years old and plagued with several injuries over the years, the Mets shouldn’t even be looking at John Smoltz, but according to Matt Cerrone of MetsBlog the Mets ARE interested.

According to people connected to the team, the Mets also have interest in free-agent RHP John Smoltz, who could compete for the back-of-the-rotation, but also pitch from the team’s bullpen.

Are they kidding me? Or is this just an early April Fools Day joke?

Smoltz compiled a 3-8 record with a 6.35 ERA while splitting the season between the Red Sox (8.32 ERA) and the Cardinals (4.26 ERA).

Considering the many question marks the Mets currently have in the rotation and the bullpen (yes, the bullpen too.), I just don’t see how Smoltz could help the current situation. Two to three million dollars thrown at Smoltz would be akin to simply soaking the loot in kerosene and setting it ablaze.

Plus who really wants to hear Gary Cohen remind us every time he takes the mound, that he and Tom Glavine are best friends? I think we’ve all had enough of that banter.