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Latest Mets News

Marysol Castro, the Mets PA announcer, talked with Dellin Betances about signing with the Mets.

Latest MLB News 

Buster Olney of ESPN ranked his top 10 first baseman.

ESPN also heard that Bud Selig’s earning six million dollars per year in retirement.

Korean outfielder Jae-Hwan Kim’s signing deadline has passed, making him ineligible to sign with a Major-League team for the 2020 campaign, per Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap News.

The Orioles hired former Braves and Marlins skipper Fredi Gonzalez to help Brandon Hyde in the dugout.

Mark Zuckerman of MASN believes that Daniel Hudson has priced himself out of the Nationals’ range.

Latest on MMO 

Rob Silverman reminisced about former Mets reliever Tug McGraw.

Rob Piersall thinks the Mets should go after Robinson Chirinos.

John Sheridan believes the Mets bullpen could be one of the strongest in the game.

On this Date in Mets History 

Birthdays: Casey Fossum (43), Marlon Anderson (47)

Let’s Go Mets!

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Right off the bat, 21 players also played for the Mets in 2010, who I covered covered in my previous article. If you wish to learn about what happened to Luis Castillo, Alex Cora, David Wright, Carlos Beltran, Jeff Francoeur, Fernando Tatis, Angel Pagan, Jose Reyes, Nick Evans, Josh Thole, Mike Pelfrey, John Maine, Oliver Perez, Francisco Rodriguez, Bobby Parnell, Pedro Feliciano, Sean Green, Fernando Nieve, Elmer Dessens, Jon Niese, and Tobi Stoner, check out The 2010 Mets: Where Are They Now?

Only one player (who hasn’t already been covered) that played for the Mets in 2009 is still playing for the Mets, Daniel Murphy who is now one of the top hitters in the Mets lineup. Murphy currently ranks second on the team in batting average and third highest with a 2.7 WAR. Not only does Murphy provide a presence in the top of the lineup, but he may give the Mets strong trade bait going forward.

Only two other players from the 2009 are still in the majors albeit with another franchise: J.J. Putz and Darren O’Day.

Putz, who amazingly only played in 29 games with the Mets, played with the Chicago White Sox in 2010, before heading to Arizona where he played for the Diamondbacks in 2011. He still plays for them now. Side-armer Darren O’Day was claimed off waivers by the Rangers in April of 2009 and played in Arlington until 2011. After that season, the Baltimore Orioles claimed him off waivers. He is currently in his second year with them.

Five players from that team are currently in the Minor Leagues with other organizations and include Omir Santos, Jeremy Reed, Fernando Martinez, Argenis Reyes, and Nelson Figueroa.

Omir Santos did the bulk of the catching for the 2009 Mets, and he now sits behind the plate for the Rockies’ Triple A affiliate in Colorado Springs. He also played for the Toledo Mud Hens in the Detroit Tigers system in 2011, before spending some time with the big league team for the Tigers in  2010. He’s also played with the Indians Triple-A team this season.

Jeremy Reed signed with the Blue Jays in January of 2010 and was called up on April 12th. On July 12th he was sent down, released, and signed with the White Sox. He played the rest of the season with their Triple A team, the Charlotte Knights. The Brewers signed him in 2011 and he made the opening day roster. He was sent down to make room for Jonathan Lucroy, which led to him being traded to the Twins, where he finished the year. He is now in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization, but is not currently assigned to a team.

Fernando Martinez was claimed off waivers by the Astros in January of 2012 and played in Houston until he was traded to the Yankees this past June, knowing there was a chance that he could be suspended for steroids. He was among those named in the Biogenesis scandal and is currently serving a 50-game suspension.

Argenis Reyes played in the Red Sox system in 2010 and was then traded to the Cleveland Indians where he played the rest of the season. He spent time with the New Jersey Jackals of the Independent Leagues in 2011 before returning to the Indians system. He is currently not playing with an Indians team although he unassigned.

Nelson Figueroa saw time in the Phillies and Astros systems in 2010, and played in the majors with the Astros in 2011. He also played in the Pirates system that year. 2012 saw him spend time with the Yankees and Red Sox minor league systems, and now plays for the Diamondbacks Triple-A affiliate.

One 2009 Met is officially a free agent and that is Casey Fossum who played all of three games for the Amazins that season. Fossum was released at the end of April in 2009 and soon after signed with the Yankees. He played the rest of the year with their Triple A affiliate and then moved onto the Chicago Cubs system. His 2010 season was spent with the Hanshin Tigers in Japan, where he went 2-5 with a 5.72 ERA. Fossum signed with the Mets again in January of 2011 and played nine games, before being released a year later. He eventually signed with the Orioles but was soon released and has not resurfaced ever since.

13 players have retired. They are Gary Sheffield, Ryan Church, Brian Schneider, Cory Sullivan, Carlos Delgado, Ramon Martinez, Emil Brown, Marlon Anderson, Brian Stokes, Ken Takahashi, Lance Broadway, Jon Switzer, and Billy Wagner.

Gary Sheffield couldn’t find a team to play with in 2010, so he retired in the spring of 2011. Ryan Church was traded to the Braves for Jeff Francoeur and finished the year in Atlanta. 2010 was spent in Pittsburgh until the Pirates traded him to the Diamondbacks along with future Met D.J. Carrasco. He was non-tendered after the year and retired.

Brian Schneider played with the Phillies from 2010 to 2012 and retired officially on January 29th this year. Cory Sullivan, who is most remembered for being the last player to hit two triples in one inning, played with the Houston Astros for half of 2010. He played with the Phillies for half of 2011, and retired after failing to make the Dodgers opening day roster in 2012.

After being injured for most of the 2009 season, the Mets released Carlos Delgado when the season was over. The Boston Red Sox signed the future Hall of Famer to a Minor League contract. He went 3-for-13, was released and retired on April 13th 2011. He was most recently the hitting coach for the 2013 Puerto Rican team in the World Baseball Classic. Current Mets pitching coach Ricky Bones was the pitching coach for that team (and if you ask me, Delgado and Bones look extremely like each other).

Not much to say about Ramon Martinez here. The infielder who played only 12 games with the 2009 Mets was released after the season and immediately retired. Emil Brown retired after being released on June 22, 2009.

Super utility man Marlon Anderson was released in April and signed with the Newark Bears of the Independent Leagues. He played the rest of the season there and retired when the season was done. He was last seen in professional baseball as the hitting coach for the Potomac Nationals in 2012.

Brian Stokes was traded to the Angels for Gary Matthews Jr. prior to the the 2010 season and made 16 appearances for the Halos that year. In 2011 he played in the Arizona D-Back’s system, and then moved onto the Camden RIversharks of the Independent League. Ken Takahashi became the third oldest player to make his Major League debut at the age of 40 on May 2nd 2009. He was released by the Mets in October of that year and went back to his homeland of Japan and played with the Hiroshima Carp in 2010. He retired after that year.

Lance “Best Name in Baseball” Broadway has not played in the Majors since his time with the Mets. He spent time with the Blue Jays organization in 2010 and played with their Triple A team, the Las Vegas 51’s. He has since retired and done what I believe no other Met has done in their lifetime. Lance played Agent O’Neil in the 2013 movie, Olympus Has Fallen. We should keep an eye out for other movies that feature Mr. Broadway.

Jon Switzer only got into four games as a New York Met, which led to a 8.10 ERA. He signed with the Astros and played in their Minor League system in 2010. He retired after 2010 and went back to school. He is now a business manager.

Billy Wagner, who is probably the greatest Mets closer of the last 10 years, was traded at the end of the year to the Red Sox for Chris Carter and minor leaguer Eddie Lora. Wagner played two games for Boston and then signed with the Atlanta Braves for the 2010 season. He was injured in the NLDS, but instead of going on the disabled list, he retired. Billy is currently the Head Coach for Miller High School in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Two players are currently in the Independent Leagues. Wilson Valdez played for the Phillies in 2010 and 2011 and was then traded to the Cincinnati Reds before the 2012 season. The Reds traded Valdez to the Giants in December of 2012 but he was released this past March. He signed with the Miami Marlins the next day and was released on May 19th. He is now with the Camden River Sharks. Longtime Mets backup catcher Ramon Castro was traded to the White Sox for Lance Broadway in 2009, but I don’t think it mattered to Ramon, because later in the season he was behind the plate when Mark Buehrle tossed a perfect game. He was released by Chicago after 2011, and did not play baseball in 2012. He signed a Minor League contract with the Dodgers this March but was released after failing to make the roster. He now plays for the Long Island Ducks.

Three players are playing in foreign countries, and they all play in Mexico. They are Anderson Hernandez, Angel Berroa, and Robinson Cancel. Hernandez, who was traded from the Tigers to the Mets back in 2004 for Vance Wilson, was claimed off waivers by the Indians in 2010 but was claimed by the Astros in July. 2011 was spent in Triple A with the Astros franchise. In 2012, Hernandez played with the Pirates Triple A team. This year he has been playing with the Piratas de Campeche, where he is hitting five points south of .300 with 11 home runs.

The 2003 American League Rookie of the Year (I still think Rocco Baldelli should have won) Angel Berroa, who before LaTroy Hawkins and David Aardsma was the last player to play for both the Mets and Yankees, played in the San Francisco Giants organization in 2010. In 2011 he played with the Arizona Diamondbacks Triple A team and the Bridgeport BlueFish of the Independent Leagues. 2012 saw Berroa play with the New Jersey Jackals. He now plays for Leones de Yucantan in Mexico. He is hitting .293 with 12 homers.

Robinson Cancel made his first big league appearance since 1999 in 2008 with the Mets. He spent 2010 with the Long Island Ducks, 2011 with the Astros Triple A team (and a few games in the Majors), 2012 with Monterrey in Mexico, and is still playing in Mexico with Minatilan.

One player is coaching. Andy Green went 1-4 with the Mets in 2009. He spent 2010 in Buffalo playing for the Bisons at the Mets Triple A level. He is now managing the Diamondbacks Double A team, the Mobile Bay Bears. He is managing former Met Nick Evans.

So there are your 2009 New York Mets. What were some of your best and worst memories of that season? Next week we’ll take a look at the 2008 team and the last year of Mets baseball at Shea Stadium.

The post The 2009 Mets: Where Are They Now? appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Below you will find the Opening Day roster for the 2009 Mets.  Some of these players have been traded, some are on the disabled list, some are stuck in traffic, yada, yada, yada.

Starting Pitchers: Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey, Oliver Perez, John Maine

Relief Pitchers:  Pedro Feliciano, Sean Green, Darren O’Day, Bobby Parnell, J.J. Putz, Francisco Rodriguez, Brian Stokes

Catchers:  Brian Schneider, Ramon Castro

Infielders:  Carlos Delgado, Luis Castillo, Jose Reyes, David Wright, Alex Cora

Outfielders:  Marlon Anderson, Carlos Beltran, Ryan Church, Daniel Murphy, Jeremy Reed, Gary Sheffield, Fernando Tatis

Let’s catch up on where these players are now, in case you’ve forgotten about them.  After all, those were the players referred to by Citi Field public address announcer Alex Anthony on Opening Night when he let out his traditional “Ladies and Gentlemen.  Here they are!  Your 2009 New York Mets!”

Johan Santana:  Out for the season with an elbow injury, perhaps caused by lifting too many big chipotle cheesesteak sandwiches at Subway restaurants.  His injury is like “you know who big”.

Mike Pelfrey:  Has remained injury-free all season, but it’s not like he hasn’t tried.  He tumbled to the ground on Opening Night when his cleats got caught in the dirt, but was uninjured.

Oliver Perez:  Spent over two months on the disabled list from May to July.  There is now some concern that he may have suffered a neck injury from twisting it to look at the long home runs he gave up to Jayson Werth and Carlos Ruiz on Sunday.

John Maine:  Has been on the disabled list with what the Guinness Book of World Records is calling the world’s most tired shoulder.  Guinness is also researching the length of his rehab assignment to determine if Maine will be adding a second world record to his résumé.

Darren O’Day:  Pitched in four games for the Mets in April before being designated for assignment.  Was picked up by the Texas Rangers and has pitched beautifully in Arlington, keeping them in the Wild Card chase that the Mets fell out of weeks ago.

J.J. Putz:  Has been on the disabled list for nearly three months and was scheduled to make rehab appearances in Brooklyn but was shut down.  His right forearm is still hurting and there is now a slight tear that has been discovered.  He will be shut down for the rest of the season and will now stay in Brooklyn to practice for the next hot dog eating contest.

The law firm of Feliciano, Green, Parnell, Rodriguez and Stokes has been able to remain healthy, but they have occasionally been known to lose a few cases.  After performing their duties on the mound, they are considering taking on some medical malpractice suits that their injured teammates have presented to them.  The suits are based on the Mets’ inability to disable them when they needed to be shut down, exacerbating their injuries and keeping them out for longer periods of time, effectively wiping out their 2009 seasons.  There are numerous plaintiffs in this case, some of which are presented below.

Brian Schneider:  Spent six weeks on the disabled list from mid-April to late May with a muscle strain in his back.  Apparently, he also has a muscle strain in his bat, as his batting average has dipped below the Mendoza line.

Ramon Castro:  Lost his backup job to Omir Santos and took his Imperial Death March theme music to the South Side of Chicago.  Soon after, he caught Mark Buehrle’s perfect game.  It was the first time he was the catcher for Buehrle.

The entire Mets infield (Delgado, Castillo, Reyes, Wright, Cora):  Except for Castillo, the other four are currently on the disabled list getting their cases together for their attorneys.  Somehow, Luis Castillo is the only infielder not to make an appearance on the disabled list this year.  However, he did miss four games when he forgot to use two hands…on the Citi Field dugout handrail.

Marlon Anderson:  Stuck in traffic somewhere.

Carlos Beltran:  Has been on the disabled list since June.  Wants to return but has not yet run the bases.  Has spent his time off practicing his new guarantee for the 2010 season to be revealed during next year’s spring training.

Ryan Church:  Took his two home runs to Atlanta in a trade for Jeff Francoeur.  No word if the Devil joined Church when he went down to Georgia.  Also apparently donated his concussion to the David Wright Foundation.

Gary Sheffield:  Did the equivalent of turning water into wine by turning a right leg cramp into a 15-day DL stint.  Has played relatively well despite his tender legs.

Daniel Murphy, Jeremy Reed and Fernando Tatis:  These three 2009 Mets have not been injured this year.  That’s because they hold the natural antidote to the injury bug that has permeated throughout the Mets clubhouse.  Unfortunately, since the Mets’ medical team is being taken to court by the residents of the DL Hotel, there is no one left to take their blood samples so that they can cure everyone’s maladies.  Ah, sweet irony!

Manager Jerry Manuel has not been injured, but he was recently seen in this disturbing image, making a gesture resembling a gun pointed at his head.  No word on whether GM Omar Minaya was anywhere in the room when this picture was taken.

There you have it, my friends.  You have now been reacquainted with the team that took the field and was in the dugout on that early April day when hopes were high and injuries were low.  Regarding those injuries, there is something positive that could come out of it.  The majority of the team will now be eligible for the 2010 Comeback Player of The Year Award.  Now if only somebody could just locate Marlon Anderson.  I knew the Mets should have included a GPS system for his car in his contract!

The post The 2009 Mets: Where Are They Now? appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The Mets made the announcement this afternoon to make room for tonights starter, Livan Hernandez.

If Anderson clears waivers, he can either accept a spot at Triple-A Buffalo or become a free agent.

Anderson was 0-for-4 this season at the time of his demotion.

And so it goes…

The post Marlon Anderson Designated For Assignment appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Hernandez will make his Mets debut Saturday against Ricky Nolasco.

Jerry Manuel hinted that Anderson would be a roster casualty according to Adam Rubin.

Without naming names, Jerry Manuel essentially revealed the looming fate of Marlon Anderson. The Mets need to clear a roster spot when Livan Hernandez is activated on Saturday, and Manuel said that dropping from seven to six pitchers in the bullpen (by dropping Darren O’Day) isn’t practical.

“You’ve got to protect pitching,” Manuel said. “Sometimes that guy never gets in a game, but at least you have that protection.”

That means relievers Darren O’Day and Bobby Parnell stick with the team for now

Jeremy Reed is needed as a backup outfielder and Gary Sheffield will remain too. That leaves Anderson as the odd man out.

After hitting .210 last season, Anderson went 0-for-3 as a pinch-hitter against the Reds. He is owed $1.15 million this season.

The post Manuel Hints That Marlon Anderson Is Out appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

UPDATE 3:30 PM – As part of the $400,000 deal, the Mets have promised Sheffield “significant playing time” as reported by Mike Francesa of WFAN aaccording to a source. We’ll know more about that, as soon as Omar is introduced on Francesa’s show which is live at CitiField. He is expected to be on in a few minutes.

UPDATE 3:00 PM – WFAN has just reported that the New York Mets have signed outfielder Gary Sheffield. Mike Francesa made the announcement while interviewing Bobby Ojeda on his show.

UPDATE 12:47 PM – Joel Sherman is reporting that the Mets are on the verge of signing Gary Sheffield for at least one year, but possibly two. It looks like the Marlon Anderson era has come to an end.

They also believe that if Sheffield does sign, he would be playing almost everyday and bat in the heart of the Mets lineup.

I don’t know about that, but at the very least, he might find himself in a platoon with Ryan Church in rightfield, and would be insurance in case the experiment in leftfield fails to draw and positive results.

David Lennon of Newsday is also confirming the report and writes,

Looks like the Mets could pull the trigger on a Sheffield deal as early as tonight. It’s an idea that’s definitely gaining momentum within the front office, and baggage aside, Sheffield is a great match for the Mets’ lefty-dominated roster.

Sheffield is 41 and it’s hard to say at this point how much he has left in the tank. But if all it will cost the Mets is $400 K to find out, then it’s probably a very good risk. He still could be an intimidating presence in the lineup despite his age.

His right handed bat would certainly work well for the Mets and his 500th homerun at CitiField may drum up some additional excitement nationally. Currently, Sheffield has 499 homers.

The Phillies are also reported to be hot on his heels, but Sheffield has told several sources that given the choice he would choose to play for the Mets.

We’ll keep updating this story as needed.

The post Breaking News: Mets Sign Gary Sheffield appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Last season, Anderson slipped back into his old ways and batted .210 for the Mets in the first year of his big contract. Whenever the Mets needed a big hit, Anderson was the pinch hitter of choice, and he amassed a .127 batting average in 55 at-bats with runners on base.

Now, the 35-year old outfielder has seemingly become an even bigger liability.

At a time when the Mets need some right handed pop off the bench, the Mets will have Anderson’s lefthanded bat along with fellow left handers Alex Cora, Jeremy Reed and Cory Sullivan. Of course on the days that Dan Murphy starts, Fernando Taits can provide some help if called upon.

Anderson’s presence on the team would probably mean a ticket to Buffalo for righthander Nick Evans and the switch hitting Angel Pagan who is a natural righty.

For some strange reason, one of my knocks on Omar Minaya, is that he has a bad habit of rewarding aging mediocrity with multi-year contracts. He did it with Julio Franco, then with Guillermo Mota, and then again with Marlon Anderson. For now, I will stay mum on Luis Castillo, but I know you were thinking of him too.

Considering the glut of mediocre left handed hitters on our bench who have almost no power to speak of, and the lack of any right handed hitter who could become a late inning option off the bench. wouldn’t it make sense to cut Marlon Anderson and give 27-year old Angel Pagan a chance to flourish?

I would love to see Nick Evans make the team also, but he’s too solid of a prospect to have waste away on the bench. He needs to get plenty of at-bats in AAA so we can evaluate if he can be a solid contributer in 2010.

The other option would be to sign a right handed outfielder from the leftovers in free agency.

However, I like Angel Pagan based on what little I saw of him, and was actually very pleased when the Mets acquired him from the Cubs before last season.

It seems obvious to me, that both Reed and Sullivan will figure to make the team along with Anderson, Cora, and either Castro or Cancel if Catro gets traded.

As long as Anderson holds onto a fixed roster position, it makes the bench a lot weaker and vulnerable than it has to be. I view Pagan as an upgrade over Marlon Anderson right now.

Even if it means eating the one million dollars that is still owed to Andersom, the Mets should really cut him lose and give someone younger and better a chance to make the team out of Spring Training. 

The post Can The Mets Afford To Carry Marlon Anderson? appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

After a week in which he brought back Moises Alou and Damion Easley, Omar continued that trend by re-signing utility outfielder Marlon Anderson to an apparent 1-year deal with an option for 2009. The actual terms are expected to be released sometime today after Anderson completes his physical.

Marlon Anderson was a key player off of the bench last season after joining the Mets in July, when he was released by the Dodgers.

Anderson became the Mets’ top pinch hitter and hit .319 with three homers and 25 RBI in 69 at-bats in 43 games. His 14 pinch RBI ranked second in the league and included three huge game winning hits. He played all three outfield positions for the Mets and even played a little first base when Carlos Delgado was injured.

I think it was a great move for the Mets. Anderson has loads of personality and and some of you saw how fiery he can be when he tried to take out a second baseman and was ejected after trying to break up a double play.

So far I love the fact that our bench will feature outfielders Endy Chavez and Marlon Anderson, as well as second baseman Damion Easley. It’s a great start to what I expect to be a very productive off season for the Mets.

Keep it going Omar, so far so good…

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