Also, good morning to any Knicks fans out there!

A good Wednesday for the guys in blue started in Arizona where the Mets took the rubber match against the Arizona Diamondbacks by a score of 7-1. Despite having some control issues early on, Kodai Senga found the range and went six innings of shutout ball, lowering his ERA to 1.16 on the season. Along with that, Juan Soto had his second multi-homer game of the season, going 2-for-4 with two long balls and three RBIs. Click here for a full game recap!

The Mets have an off day on Thursday and will start a three-game set against the Chicago Cubs on Friday at Citi Field. The projected starters are Clay Holmes, Tylor Megill and Griffin Canning. 

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Latest Mets News

The Mets signed veteran left-handed reliever Colin Poche to a minor-league contract and he will report to Syracuse. Click here for more on the signing. 

Padres’ Jose Iglesias was ‘totally shocked’ he didn’t receive contract offer from Mets in the offseason, per Anthony Rieber of Newsday.

Latest MLB News

The Baltimore Orioles acquired RHP Luis F. Castillo (not the All-Star) from the Seattle Mariners for cash considerations. 

The Los Angeles Dodgers announced Evan Phillips is on the IL with right forearm discomfort, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.

Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino announced he will be playing for Team Italy in the 2026 WBC, per his X page.

Former Mets relief pitcher Stephen Nogosek signed a contract with the Kansas City Royals, per player agent John Shinn.

Alex Bregman launched his 200th career home run over the Green Monster on Wednesday night.

Breggy Bomb No. 200 💥 pic.twitter.com/E0QPmJ47lE

— MLB (@MLB) May 7, 2025

Colorado Rockies manager Bud Black told reporters that Kris Bryant is undergoing an ablation procedure on his lower back on Thursday.

The Cincinnati Reds placed on the 10-day injured list IF Noelvi Marte, retroactive to May 5th, with a left oblique strain. 

The Chicago White Sox placed outfielder Andrew Benintendi on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to May 5th, with a left calf strain.

Latest On MMO

The Mets sign a veteran lefty reliever.

Soto goes deep twice in the Mets’ win.

Mets have three players in Baseball America’s updated top 100. 

On This Date In Mets History

2010: Henry Blanco hits a walk-off home run to beat the Giants.

1961: New York’s National League expansion team announces that they will be known as the “Mets.” 

Born on This Date: Sean Gilmartin (1990), Adrián González (1982), John Maine (1981).

The post Morning Briefing: Mets Grab Rubber Match Over Arizona appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The Mets had a golden opportunity to clinch a series win and an above .500 record on their West Coast swing last night. However, their bullpen let them down again. With two outs in the eighth inning and a runner on first, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza decided to go to Edwin Díaz to get a four-out save. Unfortunately, Díaz’s command was erratic again, leaving him in a bases-loaded situation with Corbin Carroll at the plate. Having to throw a strike, Edwin hung a slider over the middle of the plate, and Carroll gave the D-Backs a three-run lead with his second homer of the night. 

While 2022 Edwin Díaz might still be in there, the Mets $100 million closer has blown six saves on the season and has been especially unreliable lately. Díaz and Butto, perceived as the Mets most potent duo, also blew another game on their road trip against the Padres on Sunday. If the Mets’ back-end, particularly their former “reliever of the year” closer, cannot be relied upon, they will continue throwing away crucial games amid a heated wild card race.

To put the icing on the bullpen-mess cake, right-hander Dedniel Núñez was unavailable on Wednesday because of forearm tightness. Mendoza said the high-leverage reliever is currently day-to-day. Núñez has only pitched in one game, 1 2/3 scoreless innings on August 24, since returning from the injured list because of a right forearm strain.

The final game in Arizona will be a showdown between David Peterson (8-1, 2.85 ERA) and Ryne Nelson (9-6, 4.29 ERA) at 3:40 P.M. EDT.

Wild Card Update

The Mets created more distance between themselves and the three wild card teams with their loss last night. With Arizona’s win over the Mets last night, they increased their lead over the Mets to seven games. The Padres losing to the Cardinals also helped Arizona, putting them a full game in front of San Diego for the first wild card spot. The most consequential result for the Mets on Wednesday night was the Braves winning again, as they swept the Twins and are now 8-2 in their last 10 games. New York is four games behind Atlanta for the final wild card spot.

Latest Mets News

Luis Severino told reporters that he felt a lot of pain after getting hit in his foot by a come-backer in last night’s loss. However, Luis said that the x-rays returned negative and he is “100% sure” he will make his next start.

Mets 2024 first-round pick Carson Benge continues to rake. Benge hit his second home run in two days on Wednesday, bringing his OPS up to 1.106 in his seven games for the St. Lucie Mets. 

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza mentioned “speed and versatility” as two attributes that will be valued when the Mets expand their roster on Sunday, August 1st, per Mike Puma of The New York Post. That sounds like prospect Luisangel Acuña, who is on the Mets’ 40-man roster. 

Jon Heyman of The New York Post reported on a Bleacher Report “Walk-Off” stream, that Orioles starter and soon-to-be free-agent Corbin Burnes will be on the Mets radar this off-season. Click here for more information on the report.

Latest MLB News

Fans were lined up outside of Dodger Stadium 7 hours before first pitch for Shohei Ohtani bobblehead night on Wednesday.

Excitement level for Shohei and Decoy. 📈 pic.twitter.com/54viWyFYBY

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 29, 2024

The Kansas City Royals placed RHP Michael Lorenzen on the 15-day IL with a left hamstring strain. Lorenzen, who is on his fourth team in the past two seasons, pitched to a 1.85 ERA in his 24 1/3 innings with Kansas City since being traded from Texas.

The 7th pick in the 2023 draft and one of the Cincinnati Reds top prospects, Rhett Lowder, is expected to make his major league debut on Friday, per C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic Cincinnati. 

The Houston Astros sent former starting center fielder Chas McCormick down to Triple-A, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic. This move comes a day after the Astros signed veteran OF Jason Heyward off waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Oakland Athletics manager Mark Kotsay told the media that Miguel Andujar will be undergoing a season-ending core muscle surgery, per Martín Gallegos of MLB.com. Andujar is under control through 2025, Oakland hopes to have him back next season.

Veteran INF Thairo Estrada and left-handed relievers Tyler Matzek and Taylor Rogers were all placed on waivers by the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday, per Grant Bisbee and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Unlike being DFA’d, the players will continue to play for the Giants until the resolution of their waiver process.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde told the media that utility man Jorge Mateo will undergo season-ending surgery to repair the UCL in his left elbow. Mateo, known as one of the fastest players in the league, originally injured his elbow in late July and was hoping to make a return later in the season before the surgery.

Latest on MMO

Pete Alonso continues to climb the Mets all-time leaderboards.

See how the Mets and Braves schedules compare down the stretch run.

Could the Mets pursue Corbin Burnes to be their ace in free agency?

On This Date in Mets History 

2016: Yoenis Cespedes hits a walk-off solo home run to beat the Marlins 2-1.

2008: Carlos Beltrán launches a ball deep into right field for a go-ahead grand slam in the top of the ninth inning, giving the Mets a 5-2 lead over the Marlins.

Birthdays: Noah Syndergaard (32), Anthony Recker (41), Henry Blanco (53), Bill Latham (64), Rusty Tillman (64)

The post Morning Briefing: Dedniel Núñez Dealing With Forearm Tightness appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Well I don’t know about you but all that hot stove action yesterday gave me a serious case of whiplash as well as extreme nausea . It is not out of the ordinary for many deals – whether it is trades or free agent signings to get done before the winter meetings, but so many big names came off the board last night – capped by the cross town Yankees completely blowing up the free agent market. So it’s understandable why I felt so queasy – especially when word from Mets sources admitted that there aren’t any pending deals in the hopper.

If you’re a Mets fan this news doesn’t make you happy – I know it doesn’t make me feel all warm and fuzzy. But as the obvious names keep being erased off of front office whiteboards when is the right time for us Mets fans to start panicking? Well in my opinion if you haven’t put your head in the oven, or started to tying the noose to your ceiling, I would wait until at least next Friday after the Winter Meetings conclude and Sandy Alderson has not filled any of the glaring voids on our roster – that is if you don’t have the wherewithal to wait until Spring Training starts in February.

I admit with the events of yesterday I am getting very antsy, I am sure the front office is almost about to go after and make an admirable run at  Curtis Granderson and Nelson Cruz – but with the Ellsbury contract you have to wonder if the Mets will have the stomach to strike a deal with either two players since obviously their stock has skyrocketed.

The Met front office as well as ownership seriously and woefully underestimated the market, and if there isn’t major changes by Opening Day on March 31st they will be panicking more than us over all the empty seats at Citi Field!

And with that said ,,,,, HERE COMES THE INFAMY!!!!!

Mets alumni celebrating a birthday today includes:

Utility infielder from the ’83 season, Tucker Ashford is 59 (1954).

Reserve outfielder from the ’86 season, Stan Jefferson is 51 (1962).

One time up and coming Mets outfielder, Carlos Gomez is 28 (1985). He is currently a star with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Other notable transactions include:

The New York Mets traded middle reliever, Jack DiLauro to the Detroit Tigers for minor leaguer, Hector Valle on December 4, 1968.

The Kansas City Royals signed middle reliever, Dan Schatzeder of the New York Mets as a free agent on December 4, 1990.

The Boston Red Sox drafted middle reliever, Joe Crawford from the Mets  on December 4, 1995.

The New York Mets traded outfielder,  Butch Huskey to the Seattle Mariners for pitching prospect, Lesli Brea on December 4, 1998.

The New York Mets traded reliever, Willie Blair to the Detroit Tigers for  outfielder/ first baseman, Joe Randa on December 4, 1998. Randa never played one game for the Mets.

The New York Mets signed free agent reserve catcher, Gustavo Molina of the Baltimore Orioles on December 4, 2007. And of course the Mets sign the wrong Molina – Stupid Mets !!!

The New York Mets signed free agent reserve catcher,  Raul Casanova on December 4, 2007.

The New York Mets signed free reserve catcher, Henry Blanco of the San Diego Padres on December 4, 2009.

Mo Vaughn  gets extremely violent cases of explosive diarrhea whenever he starts to panic!!!

The post This Day In Mets Infamy: “When Is The Right Time To Panic” Edition appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

If you are a Mets fan, you know that David Wright is still with team, or that Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran are in Toronto and St. Louis, respectively. But what happened to guys like Nick Evans or Rod Barajas? We have the answers.

11 Players who made it into a game in 2010 with the Mets, are still employed by the team. That would be the aforementioned David Wright, Ike Davis, Ruben Tejada (Although he is currently with Triple-A Las Vegas, he is still on the Mets payroll), Lucas Duda, Justin Turner, Jon Niese, Pedro Feliciano (Although he made another stop in the Bronx, he is with the Mets once again), Bobby Parnell, Dillon Gee, Johan Santana, and Jenrry Mejia.

10 players are employed by another Major League team. That would be Jose Reyes, Angel Pagan, Beltran, Josh Thole, Henry Blanco, Joaquin Arias, Mike Pelfrey, R.A. Dickey, Francisco Rodriguez, and Oliver Perez.

As you may know, Jose Reyes was traded from the Miami Marlins to the Toronto Blue Jays this past offseason in a blockbuster deal involving Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, and now former Met, John Buck. Reyes now puts on his uniform in the same locker room as R.A. Dickey and Josh Thole, who were traded together this past offseason from the Mets for Travis d’Arnaud, Buck, and Noah Syndergaard (don’t forget Wuilmer Beccera!). Angel Pagan was traded to the San Francisco Giants prior to the 2012 season for outfielder Andres Torres and pitcher Ramon Ramirez who have both since played again for the team they were traded from.

Carlos Beltran was traded at the deadline in 2011 to the Giants for Zack Wheeler, but has since made his home in St. Louis playing for the Cardinals, where he has enjoyed a couple of very nice seasons, including an All Star appearance this summer. Henry Blanco, who served as the Mets backup catcher in 2010, beat out Josh Thole for the same position on this year’s Toronto Blue Jays team, but was released and then signed by the Seattle Mariners who made the corresponding move by releasing 2012 Met alumni, Kelly Shoppach. Blanco played in Arizona for the Diamondbacks in 2011 and 2012.

Joaquin Arias, of whom the Mets received for Jeff Francoeur late in the 2010 season, played for the Kansas City Royals in 2011, and was then given a championship ring after serving as Pablo Sandoval‘s ninth inning defensive replacement in 2012 for the San Francisco Giants. He has been a key hitter off the bench for the Giants in 2013. Mike Pelfrey, after failing to play a month in the 2012 season, was signed by the Minnesota Twins, where his 5-10 record and 5.06 ERA is good enough to keep him in the starting rotation.

Francisco Rodriguez was traded to the Brewers in 2011 for Daniel Herrera (yes the 5-6 guy) and a minor leaguer, but was traded to the Baltimore Orioles at the deadline this year, downgrading from a closer to a setup man. Finally, Oliver Perez signed a two-year deal with the Seattle Mariners in 2012 and is proving to be an effective arm out of their bullpen. You would think that Perez’s ERA of 9.72 with Henry Blanco behind the plate would be the highest among catchers who have caught the Mexican native, but no. That award goes to Josh Thole, who provides Ollie with a sparkling 16.20 ERA.

Eight players are in the minor leagues with another organization. They are Mike Nickeas, Mike Hessman, Luis Hernandez, Mike Jacobs, Nick Evans, Hisanori Takahashi, Fernando Nieve, and Pat Misch.

Mike Nickeas, who was in the same deal that sent R.A. Dickey north of the border, is currently with the Blue Jays Triple-A team, the Buffalo Bisons, a team Nickeas has played for many times when they were the Mets affiliate. Nickeas has failed to make the Majors this season, playing 55 games in Buffalo. Mike Hessman, who is seven home runs shy of 400 for his minor league career and one shy of 15 for his Major League career, is currently a member of the Louisville Bats, the Triple-A team of the Cincinnati Reds, where he is teammates with base stealing extraordinaire, Billy Hamilton. Hessman played in Japan in 2011 for the Orix Buffaloes, and was with the Astros Triple A team in 2012.

Luis Hernandez, who played all of 17 games for the Mets, is with the Indians Triple-A team, after playing in the Texas Rangers organization in 2012. Nick Evans is the only 2010 Met alumni playing in Double-A. Evans, who is a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks affiliated Mobile Baybears, was a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates organization in 2012. Mike Jacobs was the placeholder at first base until Ike Davis came up in 2010 but he is now with the Diamondbacks Triple-A team. Jacobs also stopped in Colorado Springs, Toronto, and Mexico. Hisanori Takahashi, who has 12 games started and 21 games finished as a Met, has played in the Majors with the Angels, Pirates, and Cubs. He is now a member of the Colorado Rockies Triple-A team. Fernando Nieve hasn’t played in the Majors since 2010, but he has played with the Astros, Dodgers, Indians, and currently the Athletics, all in Triple-A. Finally, Pat MIsch has seen time with the Phillies and Tigers Triple-A teams.

Five players are not currently with a Major League organization. The names are Jeff Francoeur, Rod Barajas, Jason Bay, John Maine, and Sean Green.

Francoeur was traded to the Rangers for Joaquin Arias in August of 2010. He spent the rest of the year there. Frenchy played in Kansas City during 2011 and 2012, but was released midway through the 2013 season. The Giants picked him up, where he played 22 games. Francouer was designated for assignment of August 20th, and released two days later. Barajas played with the Pirates in 2011 and 2012, before being signed by the Diamondbacks. He ultimately lost the bid to be Miguel Montero‘s backup, as the DBacks went with Wil Nieves instead.

Jason Bay, who was released after the 2012 season much to the delight of Mets fans, was signed by the Mariners for the 2013 season. He hit a home run in his first spring training at bat, but after a disapointing season, was released of August 6th to make room for Mike Morse. John Maine spent 2011 in the Colorado Rockies minor league system, and pitched for the Scranton/Wilkes-Bare Yankees for all of 2012. He played for the Miami Marlins in April of this year, but was released on April 22. The sidearmer, Sean Green pitched with the Brewers in 2011, before playing with the Texas Rangers’ Triple A team in 2012. He also pitched with the Somerset Patriots in 2012 of the Independent Leagues but has not found a team since.

Six players have officially retired. They are Luis Castillo, Alex Cora, Fernando Tatis, Gary Matthews Jr., Frank Catalanotto, and Tobi Stoner.

Luis Castillo was released by the Mets at the same time they released Oliver Perez. Castillo signed a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, but after a disappointing spring training, he was released, at which time he retired. Alex Cora was released by the Mets in August of 2010, and he played the rest of the year with the Rangers. He played with the Washington Nationals in 2011, and was signed by the Cardinals in the spring of 2012, which didn’t work out. He is now a baseball analyst for ESPN (his brother Joey does the same work for MLB Network). Fernando Tatis was injured of July 4th of 2010. He was placed on the DL the next day and was transferred to the 60-day DL 10 days later. That turned out to be his last major league game as he retired after the season.

The “Son of the Sarge”, Gary Matthews Jr., was released by the Mets on June 15th, 2010. He signed with the Reds on June 24th and played the rest of the year with their Triple-A team, before retiring. Frank Catalanotto was designated for assignment of May 10th, when the Mets brought up Chris Carter. After failing to sign with another team, he retired in March of 2011. Finally, the German-born Tobi Stoner was released by the Mets in March of 2012. During that season, he played in the Independent Leagues with the Bridgeport Blue Fish and the Somerset Patriots. He retired before the 2013 season.

Four players are currently playing in foreign countries. Chris Carter, Manny Acosta, and Ryota Igarashi are playing in Japan, and Jesus Feliciano is playing in Mexico.

Carter (no not the former A’s prospect) played in the Tampa Bay Rays and Atlanta Braves Minor League system in 2011 before moving to Japan to play with the Seibu Lions in 2012 and 2013. Carter is 3-26 (.115) with three RBI in nine games this year. He is teammates with Kazuhisa Ishii. Manny Acosta pitched for the Mets through 2012 but signed with the Yomuri Giants in 2013 after being released. In 14 games he has an ERA of 5.54. His teammates include former major leaguers Scott Mathieson and John Bowker.

Ryota Igarashi played with the Mets until 2011. He then played in the minor leagues with the Yankees and the Blue Jays in 2012 though he pitched in the majors with both teams. He is now pitching with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks where he sports a 2.15 ERA in 36 games. He is teammates with with Vicente Padilla and former Mets minor leaguer Wily Mo Pena. Jesus Feliciano, who has signed with the Mets four different times in his career, played in all of his 54 career games with the Mets in 2010. He played with the Buffalo Bisons in 2011, the Durham Bulls in 2012, and he is now playing in Mexico with the Rojos del Aguila de Veracruz. He has only played in three games with one hit.

One player is currently a coach. Elmer Dessens is the assistant pitching coach for the AZL Reds in the Arizona League (The Arizona equivalent to Florida’s Gulf Coast League). And here’s a fun piece of information. The manager of that AZL Reds team is former Met, Eli Marrero who the Mets received in 2006 when they traded Kazuo Matsui to the Rockies.

Well, now you know what happened to the 2010 Mets. Next week we’ll look at the players from Citi Field’s inaugural year, 2009.

LGM

The post The 2010 Mets: Where Are They Now? appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Last week, when I saw those words in my title leading off a paragraph about Kevin Plawecki, the first thing that came to my mind was that the author was obviously frequenting too many of the the wrong sites. Had he come to Metsmerized for the dope on Plawecki, he may have been talking about him for as long as I have.

That said, Nathaniel Stoltz of FanGraphs puts Plawecki on his list of five sleeper catching prospects and had the following to say about him:

Meet the best catching prospect that nobody’s talking about. You’d think he’d come up in prospect discussions more–Plawecki was picked 35th overall last year out of Purdue and has raked at a .322/.397/.485 clip between Low-A (.314/.390/.494) and High-A (.346/.418/.457) this year, but he remains largely unnoticed by non-Mets fans and hardcore prospect aficionados.

Plawecki has the distinction of being the one player on this list who projects as a legitimate above-average defensive catcher in the big leagues. He sets himself apart from most A-ball catchers with very soft hands and good receiving skills. He’s also gunned down 32% of basestealers this season. Defense will not impede his ascent to the majors–if he hits, he’ll find a catching gig. Sure, d’Arnaud is ahead of him in his current system, but two-way catchers don’t just rot on the vine.

And Plawecki is a legitimate two-way catcher, pairing that defensive ability with all-around offensive skills. He’s a big guy who ropes doubles–he has 30 (!) in 88 games–all over the park, and he has the size to be a potential 15-HR guy (he has seven this year). Plawecki makes an impressive amount of contact (11.4% K%), and could be a high-average hitter; he’ll also draw a decent number of walks.

You don’t need me to tell you that a high-contact player who hits a lot of doubles and a fair amount of homers at the catcher position is quite valuable. Plawecki has a lot of skills in place to make that happen already, and he’s just 22. He could be a fast riser on prospect lists over the next couple of months as people take stock and begin to appreciate his accomplishments and skillset.

Kevin Plawecki strikes pose for MMO during his interview with us.

After the Mets 2012 draft, my first reaction was that I loved the Plawecki pick more than I did Cecchini. After dealing with the likes of Josh Thole, Mike Nickeas, Henry Blanco and Omir Santos, I was ecstatic that at last we had a top rated catcher in our system that scouts loved and that would move fast through the system.

In a later analysis after the Dickey trade, Mitch Petanick wrote:

Plawecki is a guy that makes excellent contact. Through his college career, he had a very low strike out rate, and as stated earlier, had a 1:1 K/BB ratio at Brooklyn last season. I have read a couple of scouting reports that have noted his swing was a little long, but his swing is actually very compact, and he gets his hands through the hitting zone very quickly when he keeps them close to his body.

He has a very level swing, which will lead to a ton of line drives, but it does not generate a ton of backspin on the ball when contact is made, which is why he won’t be a big home run threat. However, he does have solid to gap-to-gap power. T

Everyone has been completely enthralled with the addition to Travis d’Arnaud, but Plawecki is a guy that fans should keep an eye on over the next couple of years. With questions of d’Arnaud’s durability arising, Plawecki is definitely a guy that could find himself behind the plate at Citi Field within the next couple of years.

My view of Plawecki has always been high. I was disappointed that the Mets chose to start him in Savannah rather than St. Lucie as most of you will remember. I wanted him to finish this season in Binghamton, start 2014 in Triple-A and have him on the big league roster by the middle of next season. I still feel that way.

I see in Plawecki as a Paul Lo Duca in his prime and I’m not just talking about his bat – his intensity and demeanor should not be underestimated, nor should his defensive skills behind the plate. I’m so confident in his ability that if I felt we could get a 30+ home run hitting outfielder for Travis d’Arnaud, I’d have no problem pulling the trigger and going with the tough as nails Kevin Plawecki as our catcher of the future. And I said as much in a post before this season ever got underway.

The post Meet The Best Catching Prospect That Nobody Talks About appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

 
The Mets have agreed to sign Ronny Paulino to a one-year deal worth $1.3MM plus incentives, according to Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com.

The deal is pending a physical which should take place in New York either today or Thursday.

Mark Simon of ESPN, did some number crunching this morning and has some glowing remarks for the Mets new backup catcher.

The right-handed Paulino hits left-handed pitching like few others in the big leagues. His .338 career batting average against lefties rates sixth-best among those with at least 300 career plate appearances against lefties. His on-base percentage against lefties (.390) is a little low for a guy who hits them that well due to a low number of walks, but it’s still a good number nonetheless.

Paulino’s presence against the lefties will give the Mets a huge improvement over what they had in 2010. Thole, Rod Barajas, Mike Nickeas and Blanco had a .155 batting average, .194 on-base percentage and .427 OPS against lefties last season.

His defensive numbers, while not as good as Henry Blanco’s, don’t raise any statistical red flags. He throws out about 25 percent of baserunners attempting to steal, a number slightly better than the major league average for catchers (22.7 percent).

Paulino, 29, hit .259 with four home runs, 37 RBIs and 31 runs scored in 316 at-bats last season.

This seems like a solid pickup for the Mets.

Original Post 10:30 AM

According to Jorge Arangure of ESPN, a source has told him that the Mets are closing in on a deal with free agent catcher Ronny Paulino, formerly of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Paulino, 29, batted .259 last season with with four home runs and 37 RBI in 91 games for the Marlins.

He is currently suspended for using performance-enhancing drugs and violating the MLB Drug Policy and still has games remaining on his 50 game suspension, so he would not start the season immediately on Opening Day.

Paulino is a career .273 hitter, bats right handed, has some gap power, and should fill the bill as Thole’s backup catcher, but defensively he’s not in the same mold as Henry Blanco. He can hold his own although he has no arm so expect opposing teams to start running wild when he’s in the game.

The post Ronny Paulino Is Thole’s Ideal Statistical Partner appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The third September call-up will join the Mets here on Thursday. His name is Mike Nickeas. He is a 27-year-old catcher who began the year in Double A.

To make room for Nickeas on the 40-man roster, the team transferred John Maine to the 60-day disabled list. Maine underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in July.

He is likely to be non-tendered at season’s end.

Nickeas will provide some insurance for starter Josh Thole and backup Henry Blanco. He was batting .279 with Binghamton and Buffalo this season.

The post Add Mike Nickeas To Mets September Callups appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Yesterday while making my daily trek to MetsBlog, I saw a post referring to a post by Ted Berg on Josh Thole. He writes:

No one is accusing Thole of being the next Mike Piazza, but he can hit a bit. After a brutal start to the season in Triple-A, he posted a .410 OBP in May and June before his call-up. Though he lacks home-run power, it’s not unreasonable to suggest Thole is a better hitter than Barajas right now. He’s certainly more likely to get on-base. And he hits left-handed, which could add to the righty-heavy lineup a bit of that balance that Jerry Manuel loves so dearly.

The only things that should prevent Thole from playing more often are difficult ones to measure: Leadership, game-calling, defense behind the plate.

I don’t doubt that they’re important; Mets pitchers have been praising Barajas and Blanco all season for their approaches to opposing hitters. I just wonder how much they’re worth compared to an extra 50 points of OBP. In other words, does Barajas’ superior ability to handle pitchers overwhelm Thole’s superior ability to get on base?

He makes some good points in it, but when it comes to catching, I do believe that leadership, game-calling and defense are very important. I’m not convinced that Josh Thole is more deserving of playing time than Rod Barajas right now

Matt Cerrone, seemed to take a different tact looking at Blanco instead of Barajas as the potential odd man out.

…i wonder if the Mets will soon consider keeping Josh Thole over Henry Blanco… i know they love Blanco, and, right now, i guess he’s the team’s back-up third and first baseman, which is crazy in and of itself…

Again, good points, but I’m not entirely sure I agree.

We talk about team chemistry a lot on this site, and now that it seems we have some, I don’t understand why the sudden urge to change or upend it. I’m proud of what the Mets have accomplished thus far and many of those who doubted this team or had no faith have since changed their tunes. I wonder where the Mets would be  right now if not for the efforts of Henry Blanco and Rod Barajas?

I think it’s remarkable how from the very onset of Spring Training, Blanco and Barajas fit right in with this team. It didn’t take them long to join a Mets inner circle that included David Wright, Jose Reyes and Jeff Francoeur among others.

Reading the quotes after each game or listening to some of the post game comments from our starters, our pitchers have done nothing but rave about both of them, and do I have to point to the team’s 3.83 ERA this season as compared to 4.45 last season, to plainly see what an impact they have made in the staff’s performance?

Last night I believe I heard Gary Cohen say that the Mets now lead the Major Leagues with twelve shutouts… Twelve Shutouts!

Barajas and Santana were an incredible tandem Tuesday night, working together in perfect harmony as they confounded the Reds incredibly formidable lineup which is currently ranked number one in the league?

Berg refers to Thole’s Catchers ERA as being 3.00 this season and aptly cautions the small sample size of just three games, so let me add that is was 4.10 last season in 17 games.

Thole’s caught stealing percentage over his two limited seasons is 25%. Small sample size? I’ll add in this lesser know fact… In 48 games for AAA-Buffalo this season, baserunners stole a whopping 41 bases on Thole and he only caught six runners for a scary 18% CS rate. Can you imagin how he’ll be exploited once word starts spreading around the league? Thole was hardly lighting it up for the Bisons when he was called up batting .267 with 17 RBIs. He had more passed balls, six, than all the other catchers put together.

Sure, Thole has a higher on-base percentage than Rod Barajas, but does OBP have to be the end all in every single comparison between players?

I’m not knocking Thole, and I’m not knocking OBP either, I’m just saying lets look at the whole picture before making a judgment call on player valuation and not just focus solely on on-base percentage.

Do we really want to rely on young Josh Thole and his limited receiving skills to carry this staff through the heat of battle in what is shaping up to be a fierce divisional pennant race?

Look, I like Thole, but most of the scouts see Thole as nothing more than a platoon or backup catcher type… sorry to break all my fellow Mets fans hearts. Thole’s power is Rey Ordonez-esque at best, and just because he’ll have 10-15 more singles or walks over the course of a full season than Barajas or Blanco, it doesn’t make up for his deficiency in the one major area that all catchers should be judged by; his ability to perform defensively as a catcher.

I’ve seen enough of Blanco and Barajas to know that they are now fully meshed into the fabric of this team, and now is not the time to start tearing through that fabric with a machete.

We knew Blanco and Barajas were never going to break the .400 OBP barrier… or .350… or .300… Catchers who hit like that go for $12 million a season, not $500K.

Our catchers are a gift… They have exceeded all expectations… Their impact on Santana, Niese, Dickey and Pelfrey cannot be understated.

Last season when Dan Warthen and Jerry Manuel blamed the catchers that included Josh Thole, Omir Santos and Brian Schneider for the demise of the rotation, I thought they were nuts. You know what? They were right.

Thole was never part of the equation for the 2010 Mets, neither was Omir, that’s why the Mets signed a half dozen catchers to ensure that they would not have to be relied upon this season.

That was good plan, and it turns out that Blanco and Barajas were more than enough.

I know that the internet and blogging has made GM’s of us all. One night on Twitter or Facebook will provide plenty of evidence to support that claim, but lets be astute enough to realize that our ramblings are the stuff of legend and fiction, and not based in the reality of a real GM’s thinking and philosophy.

When the Mets activate Carlos Beltran from the disabled list on July 15, there should be no debate about who gets cut… Minaya will make the right decision on that day, and it won’t be based on emotion, bloggers opinions, or OBP alone. Oh, and afterward, please spare me the tears on poor Josh Thole.

The post I’m Not Ready To Show Barajas or Blanco The Door Yet appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Anthony McCarron of the Daily News is reporting that the Mets recalled left handed reliever Raul Valdes from Triple-A Buffalo and that he will be available for tonight’s game.

Valdes was 0-1 with a 3.68 ERA in 29.1 innings pitched this season.

The post Mets DL Fernando Tatis, Recall Raul Valdes appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Thole has struggled in AAA posting a .203 AVG with 1 HR and 10 RBI in 21 games for Buffalo. It will be interesting to see if Thole gets a start in this series versus Washington, one would assume if he does, it’ll be Wednesday afternoon.

No word yet on the reasons for Blanco’s leave of absence but we hope all is well with Henry and his family.

The post Thole Called Up; Blanco on Bereavement appeared first on Metsmerized Online.