For this franchise, no-hitters come around once every 50 years. Or, at least, that’s how long it took the Mets to get their one and (so far) only. Steven Matz made his bid for history a little more than four years after Johan Santana made his. But unlike Santana and similar to many others before him, Matz’ hopes against the San Diego Padres came up a few outs short.

For manager Terry Collins, watching a left-hander with injury concerns attempt a no-hitter was a recurring nightmare. He agonized over the decision to leave Santana — less than one year after shoulder surgery — stay in for the duration of his noteworthy June 1, 2012 outing versus the St. Louis Cardinals — a feat accomplished after 134 pitches.

Matz eclipsed 100 pitches during his strikeout of Jabari Blash, which marked the first out of the eighth. Collins’ choice became clear when Alexei Ramirez hit the 105th pitch sharply down the first-base line and bounded over the base before heading into foul territory. Umpire Carlos Torres immediately ruled it a hit and the promising rookie’s stellar day was done in what would turn out to be a 5-1 victory.

“Had he got through the eighth inning, I was going to let him start the ninth — depending on what the eighth inning looked like,” Collins said per the Associated Press. “I wasn’t going to visit the Johan Santana scenario again, I can tell you that.”

While Matz was understandably disappointed, it was a hugely positive step.  He’d been dealing with loose bodies and a bone spur in his left elbow for much of the season and was coming off a career-high 120-pitch effort versus Arizona. His performance was also extremely beneficial for the Mets, who got above the .500 mark in their chase for the Wild Card.

Overcoming any lingering pain and taking full advantage of the National League’s 13th-ranked offense, Matz retired 14 straight Padres after beginning the afternoon by allowing a walk to Travis Jankowski. Derek Norris drew a bases on balls to start the sixth and end the streak, but it would be the second and final walk on Matz’ ledger.

He struck out six, including Blash to open the eighth, before Ramirez’ single. The offense provided a small measure of run support from homers by Wilmer Flores and Neil Walker before tacking on insurance after Matz’ departure.

The post OTD in 2016: Matz Pitches 7.1 No-Hit Innings Against Padres appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

According to beat reporters Matt Ehalt and Adam Rubin, the New York Mets will place left-hander Steven Matz on the disabled list with “shoulder tightness.”

This is a significant blow for the Mets who just can’t seem to stay healthy this season. No word on how much time Matz will miss, but look for right-hander Seth Lugo to replace him in the rotation and start against the St. Louis cardinals on Thursday.

Additionally, RHP Robert Gsellman has been scratched from his scheduled start with Triple-A Las Vegas, which could be related to a call-up to the majors, according to Betsy Helfand of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Gsellman would give the Mets another starting pitching option if Jon Niese were to falter on Tuesday against the Cards.

Matz, 25, was scratched from his scheduled start on Friday due to some shoulder soreness. He was scheduled to undergo a full exam on his shoulder today with team doctors.

Additionally, he is expected to have elbow surgery after the season to remove a bone spur.

For the season, Matz is 9-8 with a 3.40 ERA and 1.204 WHIP in 22 starts. In 132.1 innings he has struck out 129 batters while walking just 31.

Previous Report – Aug 21

Steven Matz played catch on flat ground Saturday in San Francisco and will visit with the team doctor on Monday, according to Matt Ehalt of NorthJersey.com. Matz did not thrown any breaking pitches, but he told Ehalt that he “felt fine” afterward.

The Mets will wait until the results of Matz’s examination on Monday before deciding what the next step will be.

Matz, 25, was scratched from his scheduled start on Friday due to some shoulder soreness. On the season he is 9-8 with a 3.40 ERA and 1.204 WHIP in 22 starts. In 132.1 innings he has struck out 129 batters while walking just 31.

He was replaced by Seth Lugo on Friday who gave the Mets a solid start against the Giants despite the loss.

Original Report – Aug 19

According to Mets manager Terry Collins, Steven Matz has been scratched from his scheduled start on Friday with a shoulder issue, and in replacement, Seth Lugo will toe the rubber for the Amazins instead.

Collins said Matz felt a twinge in his shoulder after his last start and he still felt some discomfort when the team arrived in San Francisco.

“He felt great after his start Sunday,” said Collins. “The following day, he threw a curveball and felt some discomfort in his shoulder. Did not feel it while throwing a fastball.”

“The next day he got on the mound, threw some fastballs, and when he wanted to throw a curveball, his shoulder bugged him again. As a precaution, we got to skip him this time.”

Matz nearly tossed a no-hitter against the Padres on Sunday before Alexei Ramirez broke up the historic bid with a single in the eighth inning.  He was the first Met to carry a no-no into the eighth inning since Johan Santana in 2012.

Matz, 25, has pitched to a 9-8 record so far this season in 22 games started, and holds a 3.40 ERA.

He told reporters that he is not too concerned about the shoulder.

“Not so much,” Matz said. “It’s just discomfort. I’m really not worried about it.”

Lugo will make his first major league start, after appearing exclusively in relief thus far this season for the Mets.

The post Steven Matz Heading to DL with Shoulder Tightness appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times confirms what many already suspected that the White Sox are not trading shortstop Alexei Ramirez.

White Sox GM Rick Hahn was never very motivated in trading Ramirez unless a team was willing to overpay.  “It’s certainly not something we’re pursuing on our end.”

Yesterday, the Cubs informed the Mets that Starlin Castro was not available. The 24-year old All Star hit .292 with 14 home runs and 65 RBI in 2014.

Xander Bogaerts is also off the market according to Jon Heyman and Bob Nightengale. Red Sox manager John Farrell told reporters in San Diego on Monday, “Xander is going to be a very good player for us for a long time.”

The shortstop trade market continues to dwindle for the Mets.

The post Shortstop Update: Alexei Ramirez, Starlin Castro, Xander Bogaerts Off The Market appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

An MMO Fan Shot by Steven Pacchiano

Call me old fashioned, call me a dinosaur, I’m 39 years old BUT I still have 20/20 vision. I understand the concept of WAR and all the stats that go into it, but I really prefer to look at the classic numbers and watch the player play in order to decide if one player is better than another.

WAR supposedly is a stat that determines the value of a player’s total contributions to their team. It is claimed to show the number of additional wins a player would contribute to a team compared to a replacement level player at that position, usually a minor league player or bench player. It is an attempt by the sabermetric baseball community to summarize a player’s total contributions to their team in one statistic. An example would be, saying that Player A is worth 3 wins and player B is worth 6 wins.

I think it’s a very interesting idea for a stat and would love to be able to put a “number” on a guy like this. But I think there is something flawed somewhere in the calculations. Maybe there is too much weight for one stat over another or maybe they are missing a value or two, because to me something just doesn’t add up.

So lets relate this to Stephen Drew since he’s still in the headlines. Drew had a WAR of 3.1 in 2013 for the World Champions Red Sox. He had a batting average of .253, 13 HR and a .333 on base percentage. He played in 124 games in 2013. Let’s pretend and say the Mets do sign him, with the current roster where would he on opening day? Sixth or seventh?

Lets take a look at some players with a lower WAR than Drew and consider where they would hit in our lineup for comparison:

Norichika Aoki, who had a lower WAR 3.03 (not by much), who hit .286 with a .356 OBP, 20 SB and 80 Runs scored in 155 games on a Bad MIL team. (Would be a great leadoff hitter if the Mets had him)

Matt Holliday had a WAR of 2.66, Matt hit .300 with 22 HR, & 94 RBI with a .389 OBP, in 141 Games. (Would hit clean up in our lineup)

Justin Upton had a bad year (for him) and had a WAR of 2.64 BUT he still hit, .263 with 27 HR, 70 RBI, 94 Runs and a .354 OBP. (Would hit clean up in our lineup)

Domonic Brown, Had a WAR of 2.51, He hit .272 with 27 HR, and 83 RBI in 139 Games. (Would hit clean up in our lineup)

Allen Craig, Had a 2.25 WAR, Allen hit .315 with 97 RBI and a .373 OBP (Allen would hit 3 or 4 in our lineup)

Now WAR or no WAR, I would much prefer any of these guys on my team than Drew. ,Their numbers BLOW his away. Most of these players are big difference makers. Please look over their numbers again for yourselves. Yes, yes I know WAR also takes into consideration what position a player fields, so lets look at a few shortstops…

Alexei Ramirez, had a 2.58 WAR, but he hit .284, 39 doubles and 30 SB. In 158 Games (He would leadoff if he was on the Mets)

Jose Reyes (A name we all know) Had a WAR of 2.55. Yes, he did only play 93 Games (31 less than Drew), but Jose hit .296 with 10 HR, with a .353 OBP (Jose would take back his leadoff spot in our lineup)

Jed Lowrie Had a WAR of 2.27, And he hit .290 with 15 HR, 45 Doubles, 80 Runs scored, 75 RBI and a .344 OBP. (He would hit second in the Mets lineup)

I do know that Drew is a better defender than these other shortstops, Lowrie and Alexei committed a lot more errors BUT Reyes only had one more error than Drew. But the way I see it, committing an error doesn’t always lose you a game. Sometimes it doesn’t even cost you a run. Maybe there is a bit too much weight on defense?

Hey, if GM’s thought WAR really determined the value of a player’s total contributions to their team in games won, than we should sign Drew and trade him for one of those other guys I mentioned. Maybe they would think they were getting a good deal?

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This Fan Shot was contributed by Steven Pacchiano. Have something you want to say about the Mets? Share your opinions with over 25,000 Mets fans who read this site daily. Send your Fan Shot to GetMetsmerized@aol.com. Or ask us about becoming a regular contributor.

The post MMO Fan Shot: Going To WAR For Stephen Drew? appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

ESPN New York’s Mark Simon weighed in on a few shortstops that he believes the Mets will target this offseason. Here are some of his insights on that front. It’s part of more comprehensive post titled “A Mets Free Agent Shopping Guide”. Check it out…

Stephen Drew 

It’s our educated guess that Stephen Drew tops the Mets’ list among available shortstops in free agency. He’s above-average offensively (.777 OPS with the Red Sox) whose 10 percent walk rate over the last three seasons will suit the Mets and is an average (maybe a hair below average) defender and baserunner. What will make him affordable and also a bit risky is his injury history (he missed about half the season in 2011 and 2012).

Yunel Escobar

Escobar’s best seasons at shortstop rate slightly better than Drew’s — primarily because of his defense. The question marks with him are in issues regarding his lack of hustle and his wearing eye black with text that included a homophobic slur. Escobar has an option for $5 million in each of the next two years, so the Rays may not let him reach the free-agent market.

Jhonny Peralta

Peralta may come discounted because of his recent 50-game PED suspension. He has the best offensive numbers of anyone available at shortstop: his average season from 2005 to 2013 is a .332 on-base percentage with 17 home runs. The knock on his game is his defense, but his numbers are better than you think. He’s rated almost exactly average on defense there over the last three seasons.

Original Post 10/1

When Mike Francesa asked Sandy Alderson if he felt comfortable with Ruben Tejada at shortstop next season, he didn’t hesitate to convey his dissatisfaction with the shortstop position as whole.

“Well I think the problem is that you can’t go into the season with three or four below average positions… You can’t go into the season with a bunch of positions that are below average.”

“Can we go into the season with what we had last year? Well we got by with Quintanilla and Tejada and so forth, but that’s not what we’re trying to do next season so it’s definitely an area we have to look at.”

A couple of weeks ago, TexasGusCC submitted a Fan Shot which did a nice job of examining the shortstop market this offseason.

He dispels the prevailing theory that the Rangers would be trading one of either Elvis Andrus or Jurickson Profar this offseason, and instead proposed that second baseman Ian Kinsler is the player the Rangers would prefer to trade.

As far as what other shortstops will be available in trade or on the free agent market, he writes:

One name to surely be available is Asdrubal Cabrera. Cabrera is 27, and will be a free agent after 2014. The Indians have the #1 prospect at SS in Francisco Lindor according to Jonathan Mayo. While Cabrera’s numbers haven’t been very good in almost two years, he represents a middle of the order type hitter, or at least a #2 guy.

Another name will be Dee Gordon. Gordon will be 26 early in the 2014 season, and he has not shown the Dodgers that he can be a viable SS option. His lone offensive asset is speed, but as we know with many speedsters (i.e.: Joey Gathright), you can’t steal first. Defensively, Gordon has shown the range to play SS but his fielding percentage has gone the wrong way since he came up in 2011.

Lastly, a SS that was available this past July was Alexei Ramirez. Ramirez has shown himself to be a 15/15 offensive player and is 29. His defense rates as plus, and the White Sox have no pitching depth.

With regard to free agents, Stephen Drew, Jhonny Peralta, and Yunel Escobar are the most attractive names. Drew has his injury history, but represents solid bat potential as a double digit steals and a home run bat and a solid batting average. Peralta has had an up and down career, with steady reliable fielding but has shown flashes of power with sometimes very low average. However, his Biogenesis association will keep his market lower than normal.

Escobar has a very good glove and with the Braves from 2007 – middle 2010 was a good offensive performer. Since being traded to the Blue Jays during the 2010 season, his offensive numbers have tumbled. All three are similar in age, but Escobar has a $5MM team option. The Rays have Hak-Ju Lee ready at SS to step in, so keeping Escobar may not be an option.

If the Mets decide to go the trade route, expect to see Alexei Ramirez as a primary target because the two teams match-up well. If they opt to go the free agent route, it’s still hard to say. Escobar had a reputation as being difficult to deal with when he was traded; wonder if that changed. Drew gets hurt quite often. Peralta is not too exciting, but is solid and reliable.

Among all the potential suitors Gus mentions, none of them are perfect. If I had to choose one, I’d lean toward free agent Stephen Drew. I think he can be had in a cost-effective way, he won’t cost the Mets a pick, and of course we wouldn’t have to give up any players to sign him.

The post Mets Are Scanning The Market For Shortstops appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Much has been said regarding the future of the Mets’ outfield, with many suggesting a run at CarGo, Ellsbury, Choo, or Stanton. That certainly should be a focal point for this offseason; however, with the lack of production from the infield, even more questions have emerged. Let’s take a look at the situation at each infield spot.

First Base

Entering the 2013 season, Ike Davis was high on everybody’s list as a potential 40 homer threat. Well 9 home runs, a demotion, and an oblique injury later, now what do the Mets do? Lucas Duda has played decently since supplanting Davis as the everyday First Baseman, but is he an answer to the problem? Duda vs. Davis may be an interesting debate this offseason, especially because Davis will be earning around $4 – $6 million next season. Davis may be non-tendered of course, but Duda also has an option available for next season. So, there is a scenario where Lucas Duda is the starting 1B for the Las Vegas 51s, while Davis retains his job in New York.

Josh Satin has also earned a spot on the Mets bench and seems to be a good fit due to his versatility. He has below average speed and doesn’t hit for too much power, but he has a .329/.417/.493 slash line against southpaws. There is always the possibility of the Mets signing a free agent to fill the 1B need, but it is hard to envision the Mets going down this route. If the Mets are to spend money, look for them to spend it in the outfield or at SS.

Prognosis: I don’t know why and I hope it works out, but I honestly believe Ike Davis should be the First Baseman in 2014. He certainly has not earned it, but I am still inclined to give him one last shot. He has succeeded at this level and he has a much better glove than Duda at 1B. I of course would give him a short leash and stash Duda at 1B in AAA. A platoon with Satin/Flores would be advisable as well.

Second Base

Daniel Murphy is and will be the second baseman for the New York Mets for the foreseeable future. Murphy seems to have the support of the front office and his manager, so it will be hard to supplant him at 2B. He has played in 149 of the 150 games this season and has played at least average defense. You’d like to see Murphy take a few more pitches, but at the same time he is most effective when he attacks the ball. He’s hitting .283 with 11 home runs, while his 19 stolen bases and 70 RBIs are career highs.

Third Base

.309/.391/.512 with GG caliber defense.

Shortstop

Here’s where things get very interesting. Ruben Tejada is not loved by the organization, but still factors into the future. I like Tejada; however, I’m not sold on him being the everyday shortstop for the Mets. I believe he has the ability to both 2B and SS at this level in some capacity. He’s a contact hitter with no power, but will hit his fair amount of doubles. Has a solid arm and glove, but just has not put it together yet. These factors, in my mind, make him a solid backup.

This is a position the Mets need to go out and do something. Here are some names that fit the bill: J.J. Hardy, Alexei Ramirez, Erick Aybar, and Starlin Castro.

Castro would cost a lot more in terms of prospects than any of them, but is by far the youngest. Hardy is entering the final year of his deal with the Orioles, so he is somebody that could be traded, especially with Manny Machado capable of shifting over to short. Alexei has good speed and is hitting .285 this season, but with a lot less power than his norm. He has two years left on his contract and about $17 million. He is a player that could be moved as the White Sox start rebuilding. Erick Aybar was infamously offered straight up for Jose Reyes by the Angles back in 2011. Aybar would be a solid pick up but comes with 3 years left on his deal at about $8 per year.

Prognosis: I would go after Alexei Ramirez. He’d cost less in terms of prospects than Castro, but would be a good 2 year fill for a position that definitely needs some change at the big league level.

Catcher

Barring another injury, Travis d’Arnaud will be the starting catcher. Anthony Recker has some pop and is well-liked by the pitching staff. These two are the front-runners to be the opening day catchers on the roster. A veteran could be signed as insurance for the oft-injured d’Arnaud.

The post A Look Forward to the 2014 Mets Infield appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

In his interview with Mike Francesa on WFAN, Mets GM Sandy Alderson said some things about Ruben Tejada that were very unflattering and I would say he basically called him lazy, aloof and unmotivated although not in so many words.

“One of the problems with Ruben is it’s like pulling teeth,” Alderson said to describe his frustration with the 23-year old infielder.

He accuses Tejada of failing to put in any extra effort to prove he deserves to have a regular job. Saying that he never takes extra batting practice or does anything extra unless someone tells him to.

He added that Tejada lacks any real commitment to improve as a player, and that now if he want’s a role on this team he’s going to have to earn it.

Wow…

He did say that if not for Las Vegas being in the playoffs, Tejada likely would have been called up, but it certainly looks like the once promising infielder has worn out his welcome with the Mets.

Ironically, over at our companion site MetsMinors.net, Tejada was just selected as out Mets Minor League Player of the Week after batting .424 (14 for 33) with seven runs scored, a double, a triple, two home runs, five RBIs and four walks among his four multi-hit games.

Oh, and it was Tejada who hit the walk-off single that clinched the post season berth for the 51s.

It doesn’t seem to me like Tejada will have a role with this team going forward…. Bad enough he was in Collins’ doghouse, but now it’s clear that he’s in Alderson’s doghouse too…

Original Post

Is Ruben Tejada dead to this organization? Why are we still playing Omar Quintanilla? What is the game plan at shortstop next season and please don’t tell me it’s Quintanilla or I’ll vomit.  –  Max

Max, if you’re going to vomit, please make sure we are not in the same room. As for Ruben Tejada, I’m happy to report that he is alive and well in Las Vegas. In fact, after last night I would even say he’s thriving.

Tejada collected five hits last night, including a walk off single in the bottom of the tenth as the Las Vegas 51s clinched the Southern Division Title in the Pacific Coast League. It was all hugs and high-fives for Ruben who is batting .356 over his last ten games with four doubles and a triple among his 16 hits. Add to that a .489 slugging and an .851 OPS to go with six runs scored and five ribbies.

Tejada has never been a Terry Collins favorite ever since he failed to show up one month early for Spring Training in 2012. Collins gave Tejada an earful when he finally did report to camp five days before most of his other teammates. It seems that for some reason or another, Tejada has spent plenty of time in Collins’ doghouse.

Before he landed on the DL with an injury this season, he was moments away from being demoted after hitting just .209 with a .267 OBP over 50 games. So it was no surprise he was assigned to Las Vegas immediately after being activated from the disabled list.

The 23-year-old Tejada is hitting .281 overall in 56 minor league games this season, with 33 runs scored and 22 RBIs. But that isn’t nearly enough to supplant the 31-year old journeyman Omar Quintanilla, who is hitting .222 with a .596 OPS. Quintanilla is very high on Collins’ fave list and they are now BFFs.

There is no real logic in continuing to play Quintanilla over Tejada, who batted .284 and .289 in his two previous seasons and clearly has more upside. But when you have a lame duck manager playing for his job, they say logic and rational decision making are the first things to go.

Tejada will likely rejoin the Mets on September 1, when the rosters expand, but that doesn’t mean Collins will play him.

As for next season, your guess is as good as mine.

My hope is that they try to acquire someone like an Alexei Ramirez, but nobody really knows how this offseason will play itself out. We all wait with bated breath to see if they are really going to spend the money it will take to improve this team as they’ve been touting for nearly a year now.

The post Alderson Frustrated With Tejada, Says He Doesn’t Show A Commitment To Improving appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

While we have spent much time debating over whether to trade for Elvis Andrus or Jurickson Profar, the word out of Arlington is that neither Profar or Andrus will be dangled this offseason. Rather, Ian Kinsler is the player the Rangers would prefer to trade. Profar is 21; Andrus is 24; Kinsler is 31. Therefore, Kinsler’s future is a lot shorter than the other two. Now, while Andrus or Profar can be traded, the Rangers will look to get a mega-player back (i.e.: Giancarlo Stanton). If one of these two younger players get traded, the Rangers are preparing to put Luis Sardinas at 2B down the road as they have had him play 2B in the minors as well as SS.

The Rangers will make Kinsler available in order to fill a need for a left fielder for next year. We will put them in order of preference, as there are several options:

1. Trade Kinsler for a left fielder, preferably a lefty stick.
2. Sign a Carlos Beltran / Shin-Soo Choo to play left and balance out the righty bats of Rios, Beltre, Andrus, Kinsler, Martin.
3. Put Kinsler at first and Moreland in left field.
4. Resign Nelson Cruz.

The top two are the preference because Kinsler has no experience playing first and the Rangers are in “win now” mode, but it is expected that Kinsler can handle first. However, is he a better first base producer than the average first baseman? Re-signing Nelson Cruz is another issue. His outfield defense has been declining and Cruz will turn 34 next year.

One name to surely be available is Asdrubal Cabrera. Cabrera is 27, and will be a free agent after 2014. The Indians have the #1 prospect at SS in Francisco Lindor according to Jonathan Mayo. While Cabrera’s numbers haven’t been very good in almost two years, he represents a middle of the order type hitter, or at least a #2 guy.

Another name will be Dee Gordon. Gordon will be 26 early in the 2014 season, and he has not shown the Dodgers that he can be a viable SS option. His lone offensive asset is speed, but as we know with many speedsters (i.e.: Joey Gathwright), you can’t steal first. Defensively, Gordon has shown the range to play SS but his fielding percentage has gone the wrong way since he came up in 2011.

Lastly, a SS that was available this past July was Alexei Ramirez. Ramirez has shown himself to be a 15/15 offensive player and is 29. His defense rates as plus, and the Wite Sox have no pitching depth.

With regard to free agents, Stephen Drew, Jhonny Peralta, and Yunel Escobar are the most attractive names. Drew has his injury history, but represents solid bat potential as a double digit steals and a home run bat and a solid batting average. Peralta has had an up and down career, with steady reliable fielding but has shown flashes of power with sometimes very low average. However, his Biogenesis association will keep his market lower than normal.

Escobar has a very good glove and with the Braves from 2007 – middle 2010 was a good offensive performer. Since being traded to the Blue Jays during the 2010 season, his offensive numbers have tumbled. All three are similar in age, but Escobar has a $5MM team option. The Rays have Hak-Ju Lee ready at SS to step in, so keeping Escobar may not be an option.

If the Mets trade, expect to see Alexei Ramirez as a primary target because the two teams match-up well. If they opt to go the free agent route, it’s still hard to say. Escobar had a reputation as being difficult to deal with when he was traded; wonder if that changed. Drew gets hurt quite often. Peralta is not too exciting, but is solid and reliable.

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This Fan Shot was contributed by MMO reader Gus Livaditis (TexasGusCC). Have something you want to say about the Mets? Share your opinions with over 22,000 Mets fans who read this site daily. Send your Fan Shot to GetMetsmerized@aol.com. Or ask us about becoming a regular contributor.

The post MMO Fan Shot: Examining The Shortstop Market For The Mets appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Anyone watching this team would notice that we are in dire need of a shortstop. With no one in the minors close to the majors, and Tejada and Quintanilla not getting the job done, are there any quality shortstops that the Mets can realistically acquire?

Alex is right about what we have now. While I wouldn’t be so quick to give up on the 23 year-old Ruben Tejada (I would let him play the season out), neither him nor Omar Quintanilla have provided much in the way of offense. Even when they’re hitting for a high batting average, it’s a pretty empty average, with little in the way of power and neither of their On-Base Percentages are very high either. Even in the Mets’ lineup, they are limited to the seventh or eighth spots.

If the Mets are going to make a deal, it’s going to be for someone significantly better than Tejada. However the market for shortstops is very thin at the moment and could get thinner as teams who were looking like sellers early on may now become buyers. Here is an overview of some of the big-name trade candidates.

• Hanley Ramirez– Ramirez was a much more likely trade candidate a few weeks ago, but the Dodgers have caught fire and are now right back int eh thick of the NL West race, so Ramirez is likely to stay in Los Angeles. He has also been arguably their best player this month (even better than Yasiel Puig), hitting .406/.448/.729 in 31 games after returning from a hamstring injury, which had sidelined him for the first two months of the season. Ramirez has knocked seven home runs and stolen four bases during that span. Ramirez would give the Mets a rare power threat at shortstop. He is owed almost $24 million (about $8 million left this season and $16 million next year) through the end of the 2014 season.
• Alexei Ramirez– This Ramirez is far more likely to be traded than Hanley, as the White Sox are in all-out sell mode, ready to deal just about anybody on their roster. Alexei Ramirez is having a down year, so his price will be far less than what it was three years ago. The 31 year-old’s power has dropped dramatically over the past two seasons. He was once a perennial 15 to 20 home run hitter, but has just one in 84 games this year. His slash line is a very empty .280/.309/.346 with a .286 wOBA, which is five points below average for shortstops, and 30 points below average for non-pitchers. He is owed about $24 million over the next three years, so he could be a potential salary dump for the White Sox.
• Starlin Castro– A few years ago, Castro looked like a cornerstone piece,so the Cubs paid him handsomely, locking him up to a seven-year, $60 million deal. That doesn’t seem like a ton of money, but Castro hasn’t even been worth that this season. Hitting just .234/.269/.327 this season, Castro has seen his whiff rate increase and his walk rate drop, always a bad sign. The Cubs, too, are in all-out sell mode as a part of Theo Epstein’s rebuilding process, so Castro could definitely be moved.
• Elvis Andrus– The Rangers have a logjam in the middle infield, with Ian Kinsler and Jurickson Profar locking up second base and shortstop. Elvis Andrus looks like the odd man out. Although Profar has been practicing in left field and could move there eventually, the Rangers might be more comfortable just trading Andrus and allowing Profar to play his natural position. Andrus is a solid shortstop with some speed with an average walk rate. He has had a down year, hitting just .243/.296/.284 in 84 games. Here is the issue: the Rangers extended Andrus to a monster eight-year $118 million contract in April. Frankly, I didn’t see the reasoning behind it then, and I still don’t see it now. Andrus is only a slightly above average shortstop offensively. Although he does bring solid defensive skills to the table (7.1 career UZR/150), he probably amounts to nothing more than a 3-3.5 win player, not at all worth that contract. Unless the Rangers are willing to absorb, I wouldn’t even think about a deal, and I doubt the Mets would either.

That’s it for the big candidates. I only included these four names because as I said earlier, if the Mets are going to upgrade at shortstop, it only makes sense to upgrade significantly, which these four players would be.

Have any other suggestions? Tell me in the comments section!

The post Featured Post: What Shortstops Are On The Market For The Mets? appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

White Sox 5, Mets 4

The Mets lost the series opener to the White Sox tonight by the score of 5-4 on a walkoff single in the ninth at U.S. Cellular Field.

Zack Wheeler made his second start of the season and didn’t fare very well, working out of trouble throughout his stint and having command issues all night. Wheeler lasted just 5.1 innings, allowing four earned runs on four hits, a home run, three walks, a wild pitch, a hit by pitch, and just one strikeout. For some reason he eased back on his fastballs and threw way too many changeups and offspeed stuff. He wasn’t pounding the zone and it seemed like almost every batter had a 3-2 count.

It was apparent right from the start that Wheeler’s explosiveness was not there. The damage could have been worse if not for some great defensive plays by Marlon Byrd, Juan Lagares and Jordany Valdespin. Wheeler will start again on Sunday when he makes his home debut against the Washington Nationals.

Carlos Torres worked 1.2 scoreless innings and Josh Edgin pitched a scoreless eighth out of the pen.

The Mets scored a pair in the first inning when Eric Young doubled to start the rally and scored on a sac fly by Marlon Byrd. David Wright walked, stole second, and scored on an RBI single by Josh Satin. The Mets scored their third run on a solo homer by Andrew Brown who has three home runs in his last six at-bats. I see another start in his future tomorrow.

In the ninth inning, the Mets came back to tie the game at 4-4 when a popup by Daniel Murphy that should have been the final out of the game, fell between infielders Conor Gillaspie and Gordon Beckham. David Wright, who had singled and stole second, came around to score the tying run.

But the White Sox quickly put runners on first and second with nobody out in the bottom of the ninth off righty LaTroy Hawkins. It looked like hawkins would work out of the jam, but Alexei Ramirez singled home the winning run for the 5-4 win.

White Sox ace Chris Sale was lights out and held the Mets to just three runs and four hits while striking out 13 batters in 8.0 innings pitched.

The Mets wrap up the two game series on Wednesday with Shaun Marcum (0-9, 5.76) taking on John Danks (1-4, 5.40) in a 8:10 PM start. Lets Go Mets!

The post White Sox Edge The Mets 5-4 After Walk-off Single In Ninth appeared first on Metsmerized Online.