And there it is…
Mets Roster Move: Bobby Abreu has been designated for assignment.
Kirk Nieuwenhuis is on his way to meet the team.
I’ve been nailing it with my timing… 🙂
12:00 PM
According to a report by Adam Rubin of ESPN New York, the Mets have no current intentions of releasing either player despite ranking last in the majors in batting average (.196), 29th in slugging percentage (.303) and 28th in runs scored.
Team officials continue to weigh promoting Kirk Nieuwenhuis and/or Matt den Dekker from Triple-A Las Vegas in an attempt to provide a jolt. Still, a team official said it remains to be determined whether the Mets make the call-up(s) before rosters expand on Sept. 1. Otherwise, the Mets likely would have to dismiss Bobby Abreu and/or Chris Young.
Since a 4-for-4 performance on June 13 against the Padres, Abreu is batting .120 (6-for-50) and has one extra-base hit. He’s particularly flunked in his primary role: pinch-hitting. Abreu is hitless in his past 22 at-bats as a pinch hitter and hitting .065 (2-for-31) in that role for the season.
Young, now late in a one-year, $7.25 million deal, is hitting .207 with eight home runs and 28 RBIs in 242 at-bats this season. He is starting his 10th game since July 21 in Monday’s matinee series finale against the Giants.
The beat goes on…
August 1
As we get back to business as usual after spending the last few days pondering the different things the Mets could have done before the non-waiver deadline, I wanted to discuss two moves the Mets could have done to improve the team that didn’t require any of our top prospects or vast sums of money. Cutting Bobby Abreu and Chris Young.
We’ve expended many a column on CY already this season, but somehow Abreu has managed to escape any biting criticism both here and elsewhere. Perhaps it’s the fact he’s making over $6 million less than Young, but the way I see they both represent an equal waste of a valuable spot on the 25-man roster. Two spots that could go to players who we could evaluate for next season and most likely could match or out-produce Abreu’s and CY’s current production.
Let’s rewind the clock back to Tuesday’s 6-0 loss against the Phillies, when Abreu’s hard liner couldn’t avoid the slow-footed diving glove of first baseman Ryan Howard. As Abreu walked back to the dugout, it extended his pinch-hitting futility to an abysmal 0-for-21.
I’m sorry, but that doesn’t cut it as far as I’m concerned. And memo to GKR, can you please stop telling us how the Mets “absolutely love his approach” every damned time he comes to plate? Can we please dispense with all the niceties and pleasantries and instead point out how atrocious he’s been going on over two months now?
After a quick start that saw Abreu feeding on a healthy dose of down the middle secondary stuff that missed their spots and had him boasting a .293 average, his performance has sunk faster than the Titanic.
In June Abreu batted just .227 (10-for-45) and then he followed that up with a measly .111 (3-for-27) average in July. On the season he’s batting .240 in 165 at-bats and let me tell you I wanted to punch my TV screen when Terry Collins told viewers during his post-game that he needed to get his bat going. You know what that means right?
Hey I was just as excited as the rest of you when Abreu initially came up and seemed to be a very productive piece and an inexpensive one at that. But what exactly are we trying to accomplish by wasting a roster spot on him at this point in the season?
I understand that the options are few, but wouldn’t it be more advantageous to the team to have a 26-year old Kirk Nieuwenhuis honing his skills in the outfield rather than a 40-year old Abreu?
I’m not saying Nieuwenhuis is going to be a game-changer or even an everyday player, and yes he has struggled at times, but if you look at his .837 OPS in scattered playing time with the Mets and compare that to Abreu’s .672 the answer seems to be very clear to me. Crystal clear.
Nieuwenhuis gives the Mets significantly more power off the bench than Abreu, and can also provide stellar defense at all three outfield positions.
If we’re going to get one of these hitters going, shouldn’t it be the younger and the more promising Kirk Nieuwenhuis rather than the player who will sink back into retirement in two months?
