K-Rod had a nice season, but his dip from 62 saves in Los Angeles the year before to 35 with the Mets was both a reflection on the Mets having a bad season and him being a bit inconsistent.  His 3.71 ERA was also way inflated from his 2.24 mark the previous season.  Putz was pitching pretty well before blowing out an elbow and being put on the DL about a third of the way into the 2009 season.  And Parnell was great at times, and a gas can at others.

So now, how do you feel knowing that K-Rod is coming off a sub-par season, with Parnell, Kelvim Escobar, Jose Feliciano, Sean Green, Pat Misch and Ryota Igarashi behind him?  On paper, this bullpen is almost as much of a question mark as the starting rotation is.  That’s not to say they can’t overachieve and keep the team in games, but how likely is that?  And the rotation is not exactly the kind of group that will give the bullpen long stretches of rest at a time.  To the contrary, they will be called upon to pitch 2-3 innings each night.

So I ask you, how do you all feel about this bullpen?

“When I tried to throw last week, it was weak,” Escobar said. “It didn’t feel right. … I will take my time and do my exercises.”

Escobar said he was ashamed he’s not able to contribute. He’s sure to open the season on the disabled list.

“It’s tough coming to a new team,” Escobar said. “You don’t want to be in the position I am right now. I have pride, and sometimes I feel embarrassed being in a position like this.”

It doesn’t sound like we’ll have Escobar back anytime soon if at all. Just last week, Escobar said not to count him out from returning by opening day. Obviously, that’s not going to happen now. He was reportedly throwing on flat ground, but now has stopped picking up a baseball entirely. His $1.25 million contract is guaranteed for the 2010 season.

As reported by WFAN and now confirmed on Mets.com, manager Jerry Manuel said he doesn’t think Kelvim Escobar’s ailing shoulder will allow him to be the team’s eighth-inning man by Opening Day.

Escobar, who has been limited to just one Major League appearance in the past two years because of right shoulder woes, said he’s been playing catch every other day, but he added that there’s still no timetable for when he’ll return to the mound.

“They don’t want to rush me back, because I’ve already had a couple of setbacks trying to rush myself,” Escobar added. “This time, I want to do things right and make sure.”

Yesterday he was quoted,

“I don’t want to hurt myself — I don’t want to rush,” he said. “Once I get ready, I want to be unstoppable.”

Jerry Manuel feels that Escobar will need to step back from baseball activities and take it easy , and that he won’t be ready to contribute in any capacity — setup role or not — by the start of the season.

“I don’t see it right now,” Manuel said. “Hopefully, I’m wrong, but I just don’t see it.”

I don’t know if this is something you’d call a major blow, because in my opinion I don’t think it is. It just sounds like the Mets are now inclined to be more cautious with their players whereas last season it seemed they were more interested in rushing them back onto the field.

I think that at some point, we will see Kelvim Escobar grab hold of that setup role, but we might have to wait until May before that happens. This probably opens the door for guys like Bobby Parnell, Nelson Figueroa and Fernando Nieve to all make the team to start the season.

On Thursday, Jerry Manuel unveiled his plan that he would bat Jose Reyes in the third spot spot of the lineup, at least until Carlos Beltran re-joins the team. Yesterday, Reyes was all gung-ho for the idea. “Whatever is best for the team, I’m going to do it,” Reyes said. “Manuel is the boss. Whatever he says, I’ll do it. I just want to get back on the field.” He’s such a good soldier…

Mike Jacobs fever is reportedly catching on around Mets camp as he mixes it up with old pals and makes some new friends. Yesterday we learned that the Mets will have him donning a catchers mask and getting some work in behind the plate. By the looks of things, Jacobs could secure a spot on the team whether he beats Danial Murphy out or not, as the team is intrigued in having him as the emergency catcher and giving Jerry Manuel added late-game flexibility.

Mets Merized Online has jumped into the advanced metrics arena with their own addition to the sabermetric lineup of alphabet soup. It gives me great pleasure to announce OPSwB (On-base Plus Slugging with Brace). After we learned that Mets rightfielder Jeff Francoeur intends to play with a thumb brace in 2010, we decided to put pen to paper. We reached into our pocket protectors and whipped out our calculator, a pink highlighter and a medium ballpoint pen and went to work. What we found out was that Jeff Francoeur’s batting average was 148 points higher than his career average while wearing his brace. Small sample size to be sure, but who cares it’s a new stat dudes! Forget the walks, lets get every Mets batter suited with a thumb brace as soon as possible, and that goes for you pitchers too.  

Here’s a scary thought, yesterday Jerry Manuel said that the team played its best baseball last season in San Francisco, when Castillo was batting leadoff, followed by Alex Cora. Even if that were true, you don’t ever, ever, ever say something like that Jerry. However, if you want to bat Angel Pagan leadoff, Luis Castillo second and then Reyes, Wright, Bay, Francoeur, Murphy… I certainly can deal with that until Beltran returns from the DL.

We already give opposing teams plenty of incentive to try and kick our asses on the field. I don’t have a problem with a Met saying we’re good enough to win a World Series, in fact I applaud it. But I don’t think it’s wise to compare yourself to individual players and give the other team bulletin board material for the upcoming season. Memo to Johan Santana: Mets fans already know you’;re better than Roy Halladay, but dude, tone it down a little.

Don’t worry about Kelvim Escobar. According to Adam Rubin, Escobar expressed little concern about being ready for Opening Day, or about the rigors of pitching regularly in the back end of the bullpen. As I wrote previously, I do believe that Escobar could be one of the more significant and impactful signings of the offseason after Jason Bay. 

Adam Rubin also tells us that David Wright don’t need no stinking “C”. Manager Jerry Manuel doesn’t plan to name a captain. Manuel said, As long as I’m running this ship, I don’t need more chefs making the soup or too many indians running the show. A-ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha hah…”

There you go… All of the latest spring happenings in one neat little post…

It was a very strange Hot Stove season that still saw the effects of tough financial times as well as a glut at several positions especially at first base and corner outfield where I found some of the best bargain signings.

Mets GM Omar Minaya repeatedly asserted that it was a slow moving market, but deals were actually getting done quickly from the word “go” and it never really let up.

Here are some of the best values of the Winter.

Adam La Roche – D’Backs 1 year, $6.0MM – I can’t tell you how much I prayed that the Mets would sign him. A .355 OBP to go with a .843 OPS and tallying 25 homers and a whopping 38 doubles, all while providing sound defense. His left-handed bat would have given the right-handed heavy Mets lineup some much needed balance. I’ve got my eyes on you now Murph. 

Kelvim Escobar, Mets – one year, $1.125MM – I alluded to Escobar yesterday in comparison to Ben Sheets who got $10MM from Billy Beane (wow). Yesterday, Omar Minaya practically anointed Escobar as the team’s setup man, ”At some point in time we see him being that guy. He’s done it before.” In his last full season, Escobar was 18–7 with a 3.40 ERA in 30 starts for the Angels in 2007. I’m not ruling out a surprise return to the rotation by mid-season, especially if recently acquired Ryota Igarashi or fire-baller Bobby Parnell can assume the setup role.

Nick Johnson - Yankees 1 year, $5.75 MM - Yeah, yeah, I know all about the injury history all of which arose out of game action and not anything chronic… A .426 on-base percentage to go with a .831 OPS and solid defense. What a steal for the World Champs who give credence to the old adage that you can always go home again.

Ryan Garko – Mariners 1 year, $500K - Can we just hand the 2010 GM of the Year award to Jack Zduriencik? What an outstanding job he has done in totally revamping a lackluster Mariners team and turning it into a juggernaut in their division. Garko is the right-handed batter the Mets should have signed instead of nice-guy and resident church builder, Fernando Tatis. All Garko does is eat up southpaws to the tune of a .308 BA, .391 OBP and a .870 OPS.

Eric Bedard – Mariners 1 year, $1.5MM -  Of all the injured or injury prone pitchers that were available this offseason, few if any had more upside than this left-handed ace-caliber pitcher who really needs to start avoiding the disabled list. Unlike many of the other risky choices who signed deals in excess of $5 million bucks, Bedard’s deal makes you salivate at the thought of getting all that ace potential for such a minuscule price tag. The interesting thing about this is that the Mariners, who probably know Bedard’s arm better than any other organization, thought well enough about it that they decided to keep him rather than let another team sign him. But for a few dollars more, you’d think the Mets would have been all over him.

Other steals worth noting include Andruw Jones $500K, Jim Thome $1.5MM, Yorvit Torrealba $1.25MM, and Justin Duchscherer $2.0MM

I can only speak for myself, but I love baseball and the excitement is unparalleled in any other sport out there. The smell of the grass, the food in the air from the vendors, the planes flying overhead (Shea Stadium flashback, sorry), and seeing the sea of orange and blue in the stands ready to cheer on our Amazins. The future is closer than it appears and we will be experiencing a new year for our team very soon.

So what’s new? The season. Mostly the same core but hopefully much healthier and driven to erase the stigma 2009 specifically provided and even the same pitchers with some spot starters vying for extended roles such as Nelson Figueroa, Fernando Nieve (projected to be the #4 arm, at least, if Jerry Manuel has a say in the matter), and Kelvim Escobar.

Now I added him because this upcoming season is all about potential. This team minus a few new faces was projected to go to the World Series by several prognosticators, but injuries, spotty defense, and an epic lapse in intensity and desire killed the dream.

Escobar, IMO, has the potential to be a top starter for this team if healthy. He has a career record of 101-91 with a 4.15 ERA. His best year to date would probably be in 2007 where he pitched for Anaheim with an 18-7 record and a 3.40 ERA. The man had 160 strikeouts.

If or when he brings this kind of daily pitching performance to the team, he has all the potential to be a solid #2 guy.

If Pelfrey or Ollie (also projected ad nauseam to have #2 potential as well) realize their abilities, then you have a logjam at the top of the rotation. That’s a good problem to have. In case, you didn’t guess, I liked the Kelvim Escobar signing. I saw him in action for years and I believe he can bring something to the table the rotation needs. He’s projected to pitch in relief but trust me, he has starter stuff and he will probably see the rotation at some point if someone else falters. I’ll go on the record and say that this could be the best signing of the year aside from Bay that the Mets have made.

Speaking of Ollie, shouldn’t we be excited? He’s feeling better physically and mentally (and you know that’s a BIG deal) and on top of that, he’s got a beard. 

“Right now, I feel nothing (in my knee), I think that’s why I’m really happy.  I feel real strong and I’m really excited to get back and start the season.  The first thing is we want everybody to be healthy, because we understand what happened last year, that was really tough for everybody, and me.  And so, I think this is a new year and we have to keep going and be healthy.”

I’m happy for him as this would appear to be his last chance with the organization. I think Ollie can show us something consistent finally. We’re rooting for you, Ollie.

I think it’s clear that the Mets are focusing on their voids such as pitching, catching, and the first base spot by signing “the other one not named Ken” Hisanori Takahashi, Riggans, and Jacobs (who has been discussed as a catcher and a first baseman so who knows? I guess by what we’ve seen throughout the league, versatility is a good thing as long as you’re consistent and effective in both places.) There were some other signings that have the capability of panning out into something special, or at least, competent. Names like non-roster invitee, infielder Frank Catalanotto (situational hitting, leadership, and solid defense), and Chris Carter (excellent defense, versatility at LF and 1B, and decent bat) come to mind.

Depth matters and maybe I’m guessing, but if you look at the current roster, the bench, and the non-roster invitees, the Mets clearly have stacked the deck with infielders, outfielders, and arms that can start and pitch in relief in hopes that several of them will stand out.

Will the core come back healthy and produce like we all know they can? Will the starting arms go longer than 5 innings and allow the bullpen to do their job and not be overworked? Will the bench come in and not miss a beat with cohesion, situational hitting, and heads up play? Will the non roster invitees surprise and give the regulars a run for their money? Competition is good. I believe that this team can allow the answers to be “Yes” to all of the above. Now it’s time to play the game. We’ve seen lesser teams do more with much less. LGM!

Usually around this time of year, once the Super Bowl has been played and sports docket is less than fulfilling for most of us, I start to get that itch for baseball.  I can almost smell spring when having visions of baseball, either at the ballpark or on TV.  And it’s usually accented with the hope that my team, the Mets, are going to head into the season as contenders again, hoping for their first world championship since 1986.

But alas, I feel more than a twinge of apathy right now.  Omar Minaya has once again given us false hope, as he signed modest slugger Jason Bay but then made no other significant moves.  Well, unless you consider Kelvim Escobar, Henry Blanco and Gary Matthews, Jr. significant.  I’m sorry Omar, but with each marginal move, you are increasing my own margin of apathy.

That doesn’t mean I won’t root for the Mets.  After all, when fandom is in your blood, you can’t ever remove it.  But beyond the fact that this Mets team has as much chance to contend as the ’62 Mets, is the fact that I almost would rather not watch it all unfold.  Clearly there are better things I can find to do with my time, and the fact that I’m saying that and writing that really bums me out.

Would I feel differently had the Mets added the likes of Cliff Lee or Roy Halladay or Matt Holliday?  Probably yes, but even if they somehow added all three of those guys without magically depleting the farm system, there would still be holes, and that’s not good.  It’s not good for the Mets, their fans, or my apathy.

It’s easy to be skeptical after the debacle of 2009, and I know many of you probably want to throw rocks at me for being so negative, but I just don’t see any real improvement beyond adding Jason Bay to the roster.  Gary Matthews, Jr.?  Henry Blanco?  Kelvim Escobar?  Um, okay.  And a guy the Mets have coveted, Ben Sheets, just signed with Oakland.

To make matters worse, I saw the complete MLB schedule that was printed in yesterday’s USA Today.  Aside from three games against Washington in early April, the rest of the first month of the season features games against potential contenders–including games against every 2009 playoff team: Los Angeles, St. Louis, Colorado and Philly.  Of course, interleague play does the Mets no favors when they have to face the World Champion Yankees twice, but they also drew Detroit and Minnesota this time around, the two teams who battled it out for the AL Central title last season.  And one more thing….the second half of September has the Mets facing Atlanta, Florida, Philly and Milwaukee.

Can we take a rain check on this season?  The Wilpons, Minayas and baseball gods sure are not making it easy on us, are they?  Well, at least we can go check out the Dave Matthews Band right after the all-star break.

Kelvim Escobar contract details: $1.25 million guaranteed base salary, and a $125,00 bonus for making the Mets’ Opening Day roster.

In addition, Escobar can receive $2 million in incentives based on games pitched, and $1 million more in incentives based on games finished

Roger Rubin of the Daily News sheds some light on Escobar’s transition to the bullpen.

Before the righthander missed almost all of the past two seasons with shoulder injuries, he was a dynamic starter for the Angels, going 18-7 with a 3.40 ERA in 2007. Minaya told the Daily News Friday, “With Escobar, we are looking at him as a reliever.”

There’s an extremely good chance that Escobar could take over as the setup man for closer Francisco Rodriguez or at least battle Ryota Igarashi for the role.

As far as low risk - high reward type signings go, this could prove to be a big addition for the Mets.

Based on the contract details, the Mets would have been nuts not to sign Escobar.

And who knows… Maybe at some point in the season as Escobar increases his arm strength, he might decide that he’d like to start a few games down the road.

Lately everybody has loved knocking Omar around, but I give him two thumbs up for this signing.

The 33 year-old right hander has pitched for two teams throughout his big league career; first with the Toronto Blue Jays and most recently with the Los Angeles Angels.

During his career, Escobar has amassed a win/loss record of 101-91 and compiled an ERA of 4.15.

His best season came in 2007 when he made 30 starts and compiled a record of 18-7 and maintained an ERA of 3.40.

Strangely this deal is not a minor league contract, as was suggested a couple of days ago, instead it will be a major league one.

As Newsday’s Ken Davidoff points out, the fact that the Mets handed him a major league contract ” shows how enamored the Mets (and others) are by the guy’s arm, when healthy”.

Another interesting note to point out is that according to the NY Post’s Joel Sherman, the team intends to use Escobar as a setup man for Francisco Rodriguez.

This is rather confusing as mutliple reports suggested that newly signed, Ryota Igarashi, was to be the new eighth inning pitcher.

All in all, I really like this deal for the Mets and I think it is one of the few things Omar has done right this season, despite the fact that Escobar has only logged five innings since 2007.

Provided Minaya did not guarantee a ridiculous amount of money to the veteran pitcher, this signing could turn out to be a beneficial one for the team.

Lastly, Merry Christmas to everyone, who celebrates the holiday. For those who do not celebrate, take today as an opportunity to enjoy a good movie and perhaps some Chinese food.

UPDATE: According to the terms of the deal. Escobar will be used exclusively as reliever so as to preserve his arm strength. This was done at the request of Kelvim.

Last week, the NY Post’s Joel Sherman tweeted that Escobar might pitch in the Venezuelan winter league to prove his health, and that both the Yankees and Mets had checked in on the free agent pitcher.

Escobar had labrum surgery on his shoulder in August of 2008 and is said that he will be ready to pitch again by spring training.

This story is a little underwhelming as compared to John Lackey being on the verge of signing with the Red Sox, but underwhelming is exactly what the Mets have been in the last three years.

The 33 year old Escobar, won 16 games for the Angels in 2007 while posting a 3.40 ERA in 30 starts. If the right hander can get back to the level he was at before the injury, this could be a significant addition for the Mets.

There are several other teams interested in Escobar including the Yankees.