The Mets started to make their initial free agency signings Wednesday as they added depth to both the starting rotation and the infield. They started the day by bringing in a player who spent his first eight season in the big leagues just a borough over, as they signed former Yankee Luis Severino to a one-year deal. The former Yankee is expected to be more of a middle-to-backend  piece for the Mets rotation as they continue to fill out their staff, but has some potential upside if he can rebound from a poor 2023 season. For a more in-depth look into the signing, click here!

Next, the Mets added some infield depth as they agreed to a one-year deal with former Marlins utility infielder Joey Wendle. Wendle, who can play many spots around the diamond, has garnered the reputation of being a reliable glove throughout his career. Despite having career lows in almost every offensive category last season, Wendle has shown the ability to be a good contact hitter when he is right and will hopefully fill the role that recently released Luis Guillorme was in. For a closer look into the Mets signing of Joey Wendle, click here!

Luis Severino. Photo credits USA Today

Latest Mets News

The Mets are reportedly going “full bore” in trying to land Japanese pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shōta Imanaga, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Sherman adds that the Mets are “not messing around” and might not have it in them to completely fold to a year or two turn around. 

Luis Severino seems to be just the beginning of the Mets pitching signings as they are reportedly interested in former Tigers lefty Eduardo Rodríguez, per Mike Mayer of Metsmerized Online. To learn more about the report, click here!

Latest MLB News

Former Minnesota Twins reliever Emilio Pagán signed with the Cincinnati Reds, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. The two-year, $16 million deal (the second year is a player option) makes Pagán the highest-paid player on the Reds. For more on the signing, click here!

The Reliever of the Year Awards were announced for both leagues Wednesday night as Devin Williams of the Milwaukee Brewers won in the National League and Félix Bautista of the Baltimore Orioles won in the American League. 

Nelson Cruz has found himself a new job as he is joining the Los Angeles Dodgers organization as an advisor, per Tenchy Rodriguez of Z Digital. The recently retired slugger stays in baseball after playing for 19 seasons and being the Dominican Republic’s general manager for their past World Baseball Classic run. 

Trade talks circulating around Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Dylan Cease have started to heat up in the last 48 hours according to a report by Jon Morosi of MLB Network. Morosi noted that some sources believe a deal could be done prior to the start of the winter meetings and that the Atlanta Braves are among the finalists. For more information on Cease, check out our trade profile on him!

Ryan Flaherty is expected to be named the Chicago Cubs’ new bench coach, per Brett Ghiroli of The Athletic. Flaherty was in the mix for the Padres head managing spot before they chose Mike Shildt, so he will now move to Chicago to join new manager Craig Counsell‘s staff in the same role he was in with San Diego. 

The Kansas City Royals agreed to a one-year, $2 million deal with utilityman Garrett Hampson, per Robert Murray of FanSided.com. Hampson played in 98 games for the Marlins last season after spending five years in Colorado and has proven to be a plus defender in several positions. 

Former Mets and Padres pitcher Seth Lugo‘s market is heating up and the Dodgers are one of the teams interested, per Ari Alexander of KPRC2 of Houston. Alexander mentions how 2/3 of the league has shown interest in Lugo and that the Houston Astros are not one of those teams. 

Right-handed Reliever Penn Murfee and the Atlanta Braves came to an agreement on a major league deal, per Jeff Passan of ESPN. Since being waived by the Seattle Mariners, Murfee has been claimed and waived by the Mets and claimed and non-tendered by the Braves prior to agreeing to this deal. 

Bob Klapisch of the Newark Star-Ledger reported that any deal that would take place for San Diego Padres outfielder Juan Soto would be a one-year rental. He added that an MLB executive told him, “Scott Boras clients don’t do extensions.”

Veteran right-handed pitcher Jaime Barria agreed to a minor-league deal with the Cleveland Guardians, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Barria spent his first six seasons in the big leagues with the Los Angeles Angels before being granted free agency last month. 

The Major League Baseball Players Association elected two Minor League Association Player Representatives and two Alternate Association Player Representatives to serve two-year terms, per MLBPA. The elected Association Player Representatives are Cameron Junker of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Williams Simoneit of the Oakland Athletics; the alternate selections are A.J. Lewis of the Colorado Rockies and Jake Walters of the Miami Marlins. 

Liam Hendriks was selected as the recipient of the 2023 Tony Conigliaro Award, per Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe. This award is given out by the Red Sox to the “major leaguer who has overcome adversity through the attributes of spirit, determination, and courage that were trademarks of Tony C.”

Latest on MMO

Michael Mayer previewed the next matchup in Mets Madness as the 1973 Mets take on the 2007 Mets. 

Check out the update on Juan Soto’s trade situation between the Padres and Yankees. 

On This Date in Mets History

2012: David Wright signs an eight-year, $138-million extension with the Mets, which was the highest paying deal in team history at the time. 

2007: The Mets trade Lastings Milledge to the Washington Nationals and receive Brian Schneider and Ryan Church in return. 

Birthdays: DJ Stewart (30), Matt Lawton (52), Juan Berenguer (69), Craig Swan (73)

The post Morning Briefing: Mets Make First Major Offseason Additions appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

David Wright made his Mets debut 17 years ago today, July 21, 2004.

The Mets drafted Wright 38th overall in the 2001 draft, out of Hickory High School in Chesapeake, VA. The pick was a compensatory pick, with Mike Hampton having left the Mets for the Rockies via free agency after the 2000 season. Hampton preferred hitter-friendly Colorado because there are no good schools in the tri-state area, but I digress.

Wright stepped in the box at Shea in the bottom of the second inning against John Patterson of the Montreal Expos, and was retired on a foul pop to catcher (and future Met) Brian Schneider. Wright would end the Wednesday night with no hits in four at-bats. The Mets won the game by a score of 5-4.

The next game was a Thursday matinee at Shea, and Wright collected his first major-league hit, a double in the bottom of the fifth against Zach Day. You can relive the future captain’s milestone in the video below.

Wright proceeded to become one of the most storied players in Mets’ history. Not only did he solve the Mets perpetual revolving door at third base, but he also ended his career as the franchise leader in runs scored (946), hits (1,777), total bases (2,665), doubles (390), RBIs (970), walks (761), and extra base hits (541).

Here are a few of Wright’s other career accomplishments:

• Seven-time all star
• Two-time gold glove winner
• Two-time silver slugger winner

Wright holds a career bWAR of 49.2, with 242 home runs, a .296 BA, an OPS of .867, and an OPS+ of 133. His best year, as measured by bWAR, was 2007 when he had a bWAR of 8.3. That year, Wright blasted 30 home runs, drove in 107 runs, and had a BA of .325.

While Wright has given us Mets fans so many great memories, perhaps the moment that stands out most is his walk-off hit against Mariano Rivera on May 19th, 2006. This one never gets old. Take a look at the video below.

Wright was the face of the franchise through 2014 and became dubbed “Captain America” during the 2013 World Baseball Classic. You may recall that in 2011, Wright played most of a game with a broken bone in his back. The injury occurred when he attempted to tag a runner on a wet and cold night at Shea. Wright would miss significant time in the 2011 season because of the injury.

In 2015, Wright left an early-season game with an apparent back injury. He was later diagnosed with spinal stenosis, which would ultimately end his career. David came back late in 2015, and made a grand reappearance, launching a massive home run in his first at-bat in Citizen’s Bank Park.

Wright was able to be part of the Mets’ magical romp through September of 2015, as they vaulted themselves to a division championship and subsequent NL championship. Though the Mets lost to the Royals, Wright was able to play in the 2015 World Series, an honor he richly deserved.

Wright would once again go down to injury in May of 2016. He attempted to return that year, and in 2017, to no avail. As 2018 moved along, it became obvious that David’s career had been short-circuited due to spinal stenosis. In ceremonial fashion, he played half of one last game next to Jose Reyes on September 29th, 2018.

Many believe that David Wright is the best position player in Mets history. He is definitely one of the most popular, and clearly, one of the classiest to ever don the blue and orange.

Wright remains tied to the Mets organization. He will always be one of the iconic faces of the franchise.

The post OTD 2004: David Wright Makes His Mets Debut appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

David Wright made his Mets debut 16 years ago today, July 21st, 2004.

The Mets drafted Wright 38th overall in the 2001 draft, out of Hickory High School in Chesapeake, VA. The pick was a compensatory pick, with Mike Hampton having left the Mets for the Rockies via free agency after the 2000 season. Hampton preferred hitter-friendly Colorado because there are no good schools in the tri-state area, but I digress.

Wright stepped in the box at Shea in the bottom of the second inning against John Patterson of the Montreal Expos, and was retired on a foul pop to catcher  (and future Met) Brian Schneider. Wright would end the Wednesday night with no hits in four at-bats. The Mets won the game by the score of 5-4.

The next game was a Thursday matinee at Shea, and Wright collected his first major-league hit, a double in the bottom of the fifth against Zach Day. You can relive the future captain’s milestone in the video below.

Wright proceeded to become one of the most storied players in Mets history. Not only did he solve the Mets perpetual revolving door at third base, he ended his career as the franchise leader in runs scored (946), hits (1,777), total bases (2,665), doubles (390), RBIs (970), walks (761), and extra base hits (541).

Here are a few of Wright’s other career accomplishments:

Seven-time all star

Two-time gold glove winner

Two-time silver slugger winner

Wright holds a career WAR of 49.2, with 242 home runs, a .296 BA, an OPS of .867, and an OPS+ of 133. His best year, as measured by WAR, was 2007 when he had a WAR of 8.3. That year, Wright blasted 30 home runs, drove in 107 runs, and had a BA of .325.

While Wright has given us Mets fans so many great memories, perhaps the moment that stands out is his walk-off hit against Mariano Rivera on May 19th, 2006. This one never gets old. Take a look at the video below.

Wright was the face of the franchise through 2014, and became dubbed “Captain America” during the 2013 World Baseball Classic. You may recall that in 2011, Wright played most of a game with a broken bone in his back. The injury occurred when he attempted to tag a runner on a wet and cold night at Shea.

In 2015, Wright left an early-season game with an apparent back injury. He was later diagnosed with spinal stenosis, which would ultimately end his career. David came back late in 2015, and made a grand re-appearance, launching a massive home run in his first at-bat in Citizen’s Bank Park.

Wright was able to be part of the Mets’ magical romp through September of 2015, as they vaulted themselves to a division championship and subsequent NL championship. Though the Mets lost to the Royals, Wright was able to play in the 2015 World Series, an honor he richly deserved.

Wright would once again go down to injury May of 2016. He attempted to return that year, and in 2017, to no avail. As 2018 moved along, it became obvious that David’s career had been short-circuited due to spinal stenosis. In ceremonial fashion, he played half of one last game next to Jose Reyes on September 29th, 2018.

Many believe that David Wright is the best position player in Mets history. He is definitely one of the most popular, and clearly one of the classiest to ever don the blue and orange.

Wright remains tied to the Mets organization. He will always be one of the iconic faces of the franchise.

The post Amazin’ Memories: David Wright’s Mets Debut, 16 Years Ago appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

New York Mets backstop Wilson Ramos is no defensive whiz — this is not news — but he’s trying to change that.

The 32-year-old Venezuelan product had a fine first year in Flushing, especially at the plate, slashing .288/.351/.416 with a glowing 13.2% strikeout rate — 12th among all qualified MLB hitters; go ahead, read it again — and a respectable 105 wRC+ with 14 homers, 19 doubles and 73 RBIs over 524 plate appearances.

The Buffalo’s offensive output in 2019 was not his problem. Ramos’ defensive inefficiencies behind the dish — most glaringly his subpar framing skills — were. They may not have necessarily set this team back last season, but it certainly didn’t do that pitching-rich roster any favors.

Per Baseball Savant, Ramos was among one of the worst defensive catchers in the majors last year. His -4 runs via extra strikes ranked 50th out of 64 qualified backstops and his 46.8% strike rate on all pitches ranked 47th. Not great.

The Big Fella’s individual zone metrics behind the plate shine an even more disturbing light on the situation.

On pitches low but just out of the strike zone, Ramos’ 33.1% strike rate was worst in MLB and his strike percentages on the low corners — 16.5% bottom right, catcher’s perspective; 22.6% bottom left — ranked third-to-last and last, respectively, among that same group.

For reference, 44% of Noah Syndergaard‘s pitches last season were thrown below the middle of the strike zone with whiff rates of 47% and 62% on the bottom left and right corners (catcher’s perspective), respectively.

Same goes for Marcus Stroman (56% below the middle of the zone; 29% and 55% whiff rates in the lower left and right corners, respectively) and Jacob deGrom (40% in the bottom of the zone; his whiff rates elite across the board, does it really matter?).

Seems like Wilson Ramos improving this specific facet of his defensive game should be at the top of his and new Mets catching instructor Brian Schneider‘s list this offseason.

As per reports coming out of Port St. Lucie on Monday, Ramos has already begun to address the issue.

“It was hard to get [low pitches] a little bit because I’m a big guy. This spring, I would like to work more with my knee on the ground,” Ramos told the team’s press corps (quoted via Tim Healey, Newsday). “That will help me to get that low target to my guys.”

As for Syndergaard — who infamously requested to pitch to Rene Rivera down the stretch last season, possibly due to a hesitation to pitch low to Ramos; who knows? — Ramos appears to have put this work in with the hulking right-hander in mind.

“It’s more about communication, because I already know how [Syndergaard] likes to throw, how he throws,” Ramos said (via Mike Puma, New York Post). “He likes a good target, so I will be working more with my low target to get him happier and comfortable on the mound.”

Great news. A more happy and comfortable Thor makes for a more happy and comfortable team, front office and fan base.

The post Wilson Ramos Working To Remedy Glaring Issue appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The New York Mets announced on Friday afternoon that Brian Schneider will be the new quality control coach. The position was created prior to the 2019 season with Luis Rojas holding it. Rojas was elevated to manager last month after the Mets decided to part ways with Carlos Beltran.

Schneider, 43, will serve on the club’s major league field staff as a conduit between the front office, coaching staff and players on issues including game preparation, strategy and analytics. Schneider will also take on the catching instruction, a role that Tony DeFrancesco was going to do in 2020. The former big league catcher spent four seasons as the Marlins’ catching coach.

The former Met was hired earlier this offseason to be the manager of the Triple-A Syracuse Mets.

DeFrancesco – Triple-A manager for the Mets over the last two seasons – was named the Mets first base coach in December of 2019. With Schneider taking over catching instruction, DeFrancesco will now assume outfield coaching and baserunning instruction duties.

The post Mets Name Brian Schneider New Quality Control Coach appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

James Kratch of NJ Advanced Media reports the New York Mets have hired St. John’s head coach Ed Blankmeyer to replace Edgardo Alfonzo as the manager of the Brooklyn Cyclones.

He will also be the Mets extended Spring Training coordinator.

Blankmeyer, 65, is an either time Big East Coach of the Year, and he has led the Red Storm to 10 NCAA Regionals. Overall, in his 24 years at St. John’s, he has amassed an 829-499-4 record.

He is the coach in St. John’s history, and he is the winningest coach in Big East history. In 2017, he was inducted into the ABCA Hall of Fame.

While at St. John’s, he has coached future Major Leaguers like Craig Hansen, Joe Panik, and Cody Stashak. When he was an assistant at Seton Hall, he had the opportunity to coach Craig Biggio, Mo Vaughn, and John Valentin.

While coaching Panik at St. John’s, he had the honor of managing the first ever game played at Citi Field. In that game, Panik was 2-for-4 with two RBI in a game Georgetown won 6-4.

In terms of his coaching, he told Inside Pitch Online, “We don’t talk. We just play hard. There are expectations in our program of how you prepare, how you work, how you compete. Competing is not talking, it’s ‘show me.’ Let your actions speak, not your words.”

While this may sound like an old school approach, Blankmeyer is well versed in analytics and incorporates them into his coaching. For example, as detailed in Torch Online, St. John’s has Rapsodo and has incorporated it into its pitching instruction.

The Mets have recently hired Brian Schneider to be their Triple-A manager and Lorenzo Bundy to be Double-A manager. Chad Kreuter will return to manger St. Lucie and we have yet to hear about Single-A Columbia.

The post St. John’s Legend Ed Blankmeyer Named Brooklyn Manager appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Hired/Returning

Manager: Carlos Beltran

Beltran is the set to be the leader of the Mets in 2020. This will be his first coaching role of any kind, however, don’t underestimate him. Beltran has a long history as a clubhouse leader from his playing days and spent the last two years in a front office role with the Yankees.

He spent that time learning about analytics and how to communicate as a boss rather than a peer. Beltran’s communication skills are hailed as his best skill and should help him win over the clubhouse fairly quickly. Getting the players to buy into his and the coaching staff’s vision is a huge early challenge for Beltran, but he should be up to the task.

It’s still unknown how Beltran will handle the in-game tactics that come with a manager, but if the impressive baseball IQ he displayed as a player is any indication then he’ll excel in that role.

Hitting Coach: Chili Davis

Davis is set to return to the coaching staff after helping turn the Mets’ offense around in 2019. The team improved across the board offensively from 2018 to 2019 and Chili Davis was a part of that. The team in general had better situational hitting. There is a question of how much Davis really contributed to that compared to the improved personal.

Whatever the case Davis is returning to the Mets in 2020 after signing a two-year deal this offseason. He will bring with him his old-school approach to hitting that seemed to resonate with the team. He is the only coach on the staff known to stand by his old-school tactics and show a particular dislike of the new-school analytics.

Pitching Coach: Jeremy Hefner

Former Mets’ starting pitcher Jeremy Hefner is set to return to the team in 2020, this time as the pitching coach. Hefner is an incredibly young coach at just 33 years old, he has only two years of coaching and front office work under his belt. He was an advance scout with the Twins in 2018 and the Twins assistant pitching coach in 2019.

Hefner is seen  as one of the most advanced analytic pitching coaches in MLB. He has dedicated his post-playing career to learning about analytics and how to implement them. Adding him to the Mets staff should be seen as a boon for the pitchers. He will bring an analytic side to them that they haven’t previously had under their previous coaches. Though Phil Regan is a more  analytically driven coach then his age suggests.

Bench Coach: Hensley Meulens

Hensley Meulens is yet another new face joining the Mets 2020 coaching staff. He has a decade of major league coaching experience behind him with the San Francisco Giants. He was their hitting coach from 2010-2017 and their bench coach from 2018-2019. He worked with Beltran in 2011 after the Mets traded him to the Giants.

Meulens is well known for his communication ability. He is the only coach in MLB who can speak five languages English, Spanish, Japanese, Dutch, and Papiamento. He should be able to help Beltran communicate with his players early and often.

He also has some managerial experience having made the Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic in 2013 and 2017. He should be able to bring some of that experience with him to help Beltran with in-game decisions.

Unknown Role: Gary DiSarcina

DiSarcina is set to return to the coaching staff in 2020, but his role is still unknown. DiSarcina has been a major league coach since 2017 having held various roles. He’s been a a third base coach, first base coach, and a bench coach. He was the Mets’ third base coach in 2019.

DiSarcina was once seen as a future major league manager. He has interviewed for multiple manager jobs over the years. With DiSarcina at third base in 2019, the Mets’ overall base running grade took a huge hit dropping from 2.6 to -17. Ranking wise the Mets dropped from 14th to 29th.

It’ll be interesting to see if DiSarcina will keep his base coach job in 2020 despite this steep drop in base running.

Expected to return, but not confirmed

Luis Rojas

Luis Rojas was the Mets’ quality control coach in 2019. He was in charge of relaying information from the front office to the players. He was often in charge of relaying analytic information to the players and turning it into easily digestible information.

He was good at his job and has a connection with many of his players. Robinson Cano openly campaigned for Luis Rojas to get the Mets’ manager job. He has also managed half of the current roster during their minor league careers.

He seems to be in-line for a promotion this season, but it’s not yet known if he is returning or what his role would be if he did.

Jeremy Accardo

Accardo has been with the Mets’ organization since 2017 when he was hired as the Gulf Coast Mets’ pitching coach. He was promoted in 2018 to the bullpen coach of the Las Vegas 51s. Last year he made his way to the major league coaching staff as the team’s pitching strategist.

His job was to work with the pitching staff to build strategies for how to attack opponents. When Accardo got the job mid-season the pitching staff saw a turn around after a rough beginning to the season.

It’s not known yet whether or not Accardo will return to the team in 2020 or what role he would have if he did.

Ricky Bones

Ricky Bones has been the Mets’ bullpen coach for a long time. He took over the job in 2012 and kept it until 2019. He was replaced by Chuck Hernandez who was fired in June, and Ricky Bones returned to the role. It’s not known whether or not Bones will return to the team for 2020.

Role needed to be filled

Base Coaches

The Mets need to figure out who their base coaches are going to be for the 2020 season. There are a few members of the coaching staff who fit this role. Namely, Luis Rojas and Gary DiSarcina.It’s likely that at this late stage of the season the Mets will fill these roles internally. If they do go out of the franchise to make a hire expect it to be a former catcher who takes the role, so he can also double as the catching coach.

Catching Coach

The Mets are in need of a catching coach. The role was held by Glenn Sherlock last season, but he will not be returning to the team in 2020. One name to look at is former Met Brian Schneider. Schneider was the Marlins catching coordinator from 2015-2019. Schneider has connections to the Mets franchise, Carlos Beltran, and Omar Minaya.

Considering how heavy an emphasis the Mets have seemed to put on prior relationships with the organization in coaching hires this offseason Schneider makes a lot of sense.

The post Meet the Mets 2020 Coaching Staff appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

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.

So, just how important is the ingredient of clubhouse chemistry to the relative success of a team? My feeling is that the degree of significance is in opposite proportion to the on-field success of the player involved. One former Met whose flinty personality rubbed people the wrong way everywhere he played was Jeff Kent, yet his undeniable offensive prowess (in more ways than one, I guess) led to a HOF-caliber career which included several seasons in the same lineup as Barry Bonds, no paragon of social niceties himself. In retrospect, the Mets trade of Kent for Carlos Baerga was a total clunker as Kent’s level of production exploded to All-Star level just as Baerga’s went into the tank. But at the time, Baerga was an All-Star who was younger than Kent and who carried none of the baggage associated with Kent, whose primary offense in a Met uniform was refusing to participate in a rookie ritual that involved wearing a ridiculous outfit for a team trip.

Team management saw the opportunity to swap a player they saw as having a somewhat negative effect on team harmony for a proven performer and they went for it. History has shown this to be one in a litany of bad trades that Met fans would just as soon forget, but you can’t argue with the logic at the time.  Add to this the fact that Indians management saw nothing wrong with spinning Kent off in the trade that landed him in San Francisco (where stardom followed) and you can’t really jump on poor Joe McIvaine’s case too hard. Once in Giant livery, Kent reeled off a string of tremendous seasons that culminated in arguably one of the greatest careers of any second baseman in MLB history. But he was still regarded as a major-league prick. I guess most teams would have put up with that aspect of his game as long as the rest of it was intact.

Another interesting chapter in the DSM of Metdom involved one Randall K. Myers and wunderkind batsman Gregg Jefferies. Jefferies, as you undoubtedly recall, was perhaps the most heralded Mets hitting prospect ever outside of Darryl Strawberry. Fans were regaled with tales of his incredible switch-hitting talents, honed through a variety of batting drills such as the semi-weird “swinging underwater in a pool” routine that the sports press of the time delighted in recounting. Upon his arrival, young Gregg looked to be the real thing, ripping off an impressive month at the end of the 1988 season and challenging the team to find a way to fit him into the same infield as Howard Johnson, the incumbent at Jefferies preferred position of third base.

After shifting the rookie across the diamond to second, the team received satisfactory offensive performance from him over the next two seasons, including a league leading 40 doubles in 1990. But prior to that campaign, the team had seen fit to trade Myers, a fireballing lefty reliever, to the Reds for his veteran counterpart and future Mets Hall-of-Famer John Franco. Not a terrible swap in retrospect, but at the time many wondered why the Mets would exchange a talent of Myers’ ilk for a player two years older who relied primarily on a deceptive change-up as an out pitch. The role of closer was one that most felt was better served by the blazer of young Randall K., and so inquiries as to the motivation of management with respect to the trade were made.

Revelations were forthcoming to the effect that the clubhouse friction between Myers and Jefferies was such that it was deemed best for all concerned to “keep ‘em separated,” to borrow a song lyric. Jefferies had been noted as being especially fussy about his bats and other equipment, and had garnered a reputation as a bit of a prima donna due to his helmet flinging episodes following strikeouts. Following reports that Myers had conspired with fellow bullpen denizen Roger McDowell to saw several of Jefferies bats in half and perhaps bring the youngster down a peg or two, it was made clear that the front office preferred to remove elements of controversy from the clubhouse. The element chosen was the self-styled cowabunga warrior Myers, a change that management hoped would help the more sensitive Jefferies flourish.  He did, ultimately, making the All-Star team and challenging for a batting title in 1993-for the St. Louis Cardinals. Prior to that, he had been part of the trade package put together to bring Bret Saberhagen to New York after his various peccadilloes had become less bearable in light of his merely competent level of production.

Another notorious bête noire of Met clubhouse history was former first-rounder Lastings Milledge whose escapades are still relatively fresh in the mind of the average Met fan. Now consigned to showing up opponents and teammates in Japan, the young Mr. Milledge arrived in 2006 with a reputation for trouble already established but with his talent still largely a promise of things to come. After two seasons in the Orange and Blue, he was sent packing to Washington for Ryan Church and Brian Schneider, worthy enough role players but lacking any star power of the type hinted at by some aspects of Milledge’s game.  When his potential for stardom failed to materialize after that, he drifted to Pittsburgh, then on to the south side of Chicago before opting for the Far East. Still only 28, he may have finally found himself as a player with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. One can only hope that he has overcome the habits that lead to the posting of the infamous “Know Your Place, Rook” sign in his locker by Met teammate Billy Wagner.

A more unusual aspect of the “player as clubhouse distraction” syndrome was noted during the 2004 and 2005 seasons when Anna Benson, the wife of the contrastingly low-key Met pitcher Kris Benson, arrived on the scene.  The combination of Mrs. Benson’s startlingly frank pronouncements on virtually everything with behavior such as appearing as a va-va-voom version of “Mrs. Claus” at the Met annual Christmas charity function combined to lead to a trade with Baltimore sending her husband out of town after a season and a half. That the male Benson’s apparent talent level was that of an eminently replaceable back-of-rotation starter probably contributed to his exit as well. Had he displayed more in the way of dominant pitching skills, the team’s tolerance for the more “colorful” aspects of his spouse’s persona might have been greater.

So, what of the Mets’ current bad boy? I expect that as long as whatever contributions he makes on the field outweigh the perceived negative effect of his extra-curricular antics, he will stick around. At this point, the team hasn’t done a lot to enhance his trade value anyway.  Considering the organization’s history though, I imagine that if circumstances conspire to raise his baseball value in the estimation of any general manager not named Alderson, he could be on his way somewhere in the relatively near future. Maybe someone will be enticed to take him for a “’Spin?”

The post Prima Donnas and Clubhouse Chemistry: A Met Perspective appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

A sheet of notebook paper, with the words, “Know your place, Rook … signed, your teammates,” was taped over Lastings Milledge’s locker in the Mets’ clubhouse in old RFK Stadium. This, in the late summer in 2006.

The Mets were en route to the playoffs and a veteran laden team was rubbed the wrong way by Milledge’s brashness and arrogance. Then-manager Willie Randolph – who reprimanded Milledge several times that summer – ripped down the sign, but knew he hadn’t ripped away the problem.

The Mets labeled it a misunderstanding, and Randolph called Lastings Milledge “a good kid,’’ but this clearly was not a misunderstanding with a teammate. It was the accumulation of several incidents that rankled several teammates.

Milledge burst upon the Mets, hitting over .300, was dazzling on the bases and showed a strong arm. He was going to be the next “fill in the blank.’’ Willie Mays? Roberto Clemente?

However, things quickly cooled after his first career homer, when on his way to the outfield he high-fived fans down the right field line in Shea Stadium. Randolph sensed how the Giants seethed in their dugout, especially since he saw some of his own players do the same.

Randolph reprimanded Milledge on the unwritten laws in baseball, but it didn’t take. There were ground balls he didn’t run out and times he didn’t hustle in the outfield. He was flash with the jewelry swinging wildly on the field, but in the clubhouse he often sat buried in his locker wearing headphones or playing a video game.

He came off as sullen and angry and clearly couldn’t be bothered by getting to know his teammates. Or, a baseball legend for that matter. During spring training then-GM Omar Minaya brought Milledge to the Nationals dugout to meet Frank Robinson, but Milledge was came off as being in-different.

Finally, he arrived in the clubhouse in Philadelphia an hour before a day game. Although it was early, the veterans made it in on time. David Wright had enough when Milledge strolled in with sunglasses and an iPod as if he owned the place and told him this wasn’t acceptable.

Wright wouldn’t belabor the issue Opening Day, only managing to say “seniority is big in this game,’’ which is the politically-correct translation for Milledge hadn’t earned his stripes.

Milledge popped into my consciousness today when I learned it was his 28^th birthday, an age when he should be in the prime of his career. Instead, Milledge is one of hundreds of baseball prospects given the label of “can’t miss, but eventually did.’’

Seven years ago – the career lifetime of a select few – the Mets had three prized outfield prospects in Milledge, Carlos Gomez and Fernando Martinez. One by one they arrived, fizzled to the point of exasperation and were traded. Not one of them hustled like journeyman outfielder Collin Cowgill.

After turning down several proposals for Manny Ramirez, the Mets eventually traded Milledge to Washington as part of a trade that brought Ryan Church – he of the concussion fiasco – and catcher Brian Schneider. Milledge had his coffee to go with Washington, then Pittsburgh and finally the White Sox before heading to Japan. Milledge had his head-scratching moments in each place, but basically stopped hitting.

At 28, Milledge is still young. It’s about discipline in Japan and if Milledge comes back with a changed attitude perhaps he’ll get another chance. It’s a long way to Japan, and perhaps an even longer route back to the major leagues.

The post How It All Went Wrong For Lastings Milledge appeared first on Metsmerized Online.