The Mets’ bullpen is often considered one of the team’s biggest weaknesses. However, they have had some great seasons from relievers that seem to get overlooked. Whether they’re from journeymen or from guys who fell down the organizational depth chart, these five guys deserve recognition for these seasons they put together.

LaTroy Hawkins, 2013

The 2013 Mets had very low expectations, but they came through with their second straight 88-loss season.

In January of that season, they signed Hawkins to a minor league contract with an invite to spring training. The Mets were the 10th MLB roster the well-traveled righty was a part of, and in his age-40 season, he was very effective. Hawkins appeared in 72 games, pitching to a 2.93 ERA/3.06 FIP with a 1.146 WHIP and 55 strikeouts in 70.2 innings (7.0 K/9).

After Bobby Parnell was shut down for the season due to injury, Hawkins assumed the closer’s role, finishing the season with 13 saves (including converting his last 10 save opportunities of the year). This was Hawkins’ only season in Flushing though, as he signed a one-year deal with the Rockies following the 2013 season.

Buddy Carlyle, 2014

A former second-round pick, Carlyle couldn’t find sustained success in MLB for any team he played with. The Mets signed him to a minor league contract in February of 2014, and he initially didn’t crack the big league roster. Carlyle was called up on May 31, but he was designated for assignment just a few days later. He was recalled to the bigs on July 6 but was DFA’d again two weeks later despite his strong performance. After he went unclaimed once again, Carlyle was called back up on July 26, and he finished the season in Flushing.

In between those stints in the minors, Carlyle had the best season of his career. He appeared in 27 games, turning in a stellar 1.45 ERA/2.65 FIP and a 0.903 WHIP with 28 strikeouts in 31 innings (8.1 K/9). The Mets rewarded him with another one-year contract for the 2015 season, and he recorded his first career save in an opening day win over the Nationals. Unfortunately, Carlyle’s season ended due to a torn labrum in his hip and he never again pitched in MLB.

Josias Manzanillo, 1994

After spending nearly a decade in the Red Sox organization, Manzanillo bounced from the Royals to the Brewers to the Mets in a span of 14 months. In 1994, Manzanillo had a prominent role in the Mets’ bullpen, registering a 2.66 ERA/3.22 FIP with a 0.993 WHIP and 48 strikeouts in 47.1 innings (9.1 K/9). In 1995, Manzanillo was unable to keep the good times rolling, allowing 14 earned runs in 16 innings before getting released.

He returned to the Mets in 1999 but struggled to a 5.79 ERA in 18.2 innings. After he retired, Manzanillo was mentioned in the Mitchell Report in 2007, putting that great 1994 season into question.

Aaron Heilman, 2005

Heilman isn’t necessarily a forgotten name in Mets history, but he’s a player that lives in infamy among Mets fans. Before his notorious blowup in 2006 though, Heilman was the Mets’ most reliable reliever in 2005.

The former first-round pick made seven starts before becoming a full-time reliever, finishing the season with a 3.17 ERA/2.97 FIP and a 1.148 WHIP with 106 strikeouts in 108 innings (8.8 K/9). Heilman was particularly dominant in the second half of the season, allowing just three runs and striking out 45 batters in 40 innings, and assuming the closer’s role late in the year.

When Heilman returned to Flushing as a visitor in 2009, he was booed relentlessly by fans, but it can’t get overlooked that he did show flashes of greatness in orange and blue.

Hisanori Takahashi, 2010

After a 10-year run with the Yomiuri Giants, Takahashi came stateside in the 2009-10 offseason, inking a one-year contract with the Mets. He made 12 starts for the Mets, having some ups and downs and eventually moving the bullpen permanently by August.

Overall, the southpaw finished the year with a 3.61 ERA/3.65 FIP and 1.303 WHIP to go with 114 strikeouts in 122 innings (8.4 K/9). However, Takahashi had a 2.04 ERA and a 1.134 WHIP in 57.1 innings as a reliever. Over the last two months of the season, Takahashi allowed just four earned runs in 27.1 innings and racked up eight saves after taking over the closer’s role. This was Takahashi’s lone year in Flushing, however, as he signed a two-year contract with the Angels following the 2010 season.

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There are times when it’s tough to be a Mets fan. Perhaps you remember when the Mets held a commanding seven-game lead with 17 games to play in 2007, and then collapsed to their rival from down the Turnpike.

Or perhaps you recall 2008, when the Amazin’s held a 3.5 game lead in September with only 17 games to play, before becoming the first team ever to blow a 3.5-game lead in consecutive Septembers. Those heartbreaking collapses only heightened the disdain Mets fans held for those Phillies teams that featured Chase Utley and Ryan Howard.

However a few years later, there was one series that was particularly special for Mets fans, in the midst of an otherwise uneventful season. During a three game-set against the Philadelphia Phillies, the 2010 Mets got revenge and made history in the process.

For just the second time since the franchise’s inception, the Mets swept a series by pitching three-straight shutouts. The first time this took place was in 1969, when Jerry Koosman, Tom Seaver and Gary Gentry blanked the Phillies in Philadelphia down the stretch.

After years of struggling against their division rivals, the Mets vindication against the Phillies began on May 25. In just his second start with the Mets, R.A. Dickey led a whitewashing of the Phils at Citi Field. Dickey threw six scoreless innings, while the Mets scored eight runs to even their record for the season at 23 – 23.  The victory was Dickey’s first win for the Mets.

Omar Minaya’s reclamation project would finish that season 11 – 9 with a 2.84 ERA. Two years later, Dickey would win the Cy Young Award, going 20 – 6 with a 2.73 ERA, leading the league in innings pitched (233.2), complete games (5), shut outs (3), and strikeouts (230). He was then traded the following off season to the Blue Jays with Josh Thole and Mike Nickeas in exchange for John Buck, Travis d’Arnaud, Noah Syndergaard, and minor leaguer Wuilmer Becerra.

In the second game of the series, rookie sensation Hisanori Takahashi started for the Mets and blanked Philadelphia for six innings, striking out six without issuing a single walk. Takahashi served Mets manager Jerry Manuel as a swing man in 2010, finishing 10 – 6 with a 3.61 ERA and eight saves. The Mets won the game 5 – 0, behind the three RBIs provided by catcher Rod Barajas, and Jose Reyes‘ home run and two RBIs.

In the series finale, the Mets finished their sweep, behind the starting pitching efforts of Mike Pelfry, who pitched seven shutout innings to improve his record to 7 – 1 to start the season.  Pelfrey had the best year of his career in 2010, finishing 15 – 10 with a 3.66 ERA. Francisco Rodriguez pitched the ninth inning for the Mets to record his ninth save of the season and push the Mets to two games above .500.

The three-game sweep was the high-water mark for the Mets in 2010. They went on to finish 79 – 83, in fourth place, 18 games behind the Phillies. Minaya and Manuel both got fired after the season and were replaced by Sandy Alderson, and Terry Collins. That duo would ultimately help lead the Mets to the 2015 World Series.

The post Amazin’ Memories: Mets Blank Phillies in Series of Shutouts appeared first on Metsmerized.

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.

Oliver Perez left the Mets complex this morning and was not told what was next for him, according to Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal. Costa also says that we should expect a decision by Monday.

Pitching coach Dan Warthen said this morning that no decision has been reached yet on Perez, but there will be a meeting of the minds with Terry Colllins and Sandy Alderson on Monday.  – JD

Original Post 3/19 10:00 PM

Yesterday many Mets fans received the 4 words we’ve been praying for. METS CUT LUIS CASTILLO. How can life get better? Oh wait that’s right Oliver Perez still exists. So Sandy, your supposed to be this Anti-Omar, wizard of a GM. Why is Oliver Perez still on the team? Well if Sandy had any last thoughts on the matter, they have likely faded away after today’s performance.

Oliver Perez’s line vs. Nationals today – .2 IP..3 hits..2 ER..1 BB..and a big fat 8.38 ERA for the spring.

I’m sure someone is erasing Oliver Perez’s name from his Digital Domain parking spot as we speak. Likely by tomorrow the news will come down from upper management to go ahead and do the inevitable – Cut Ollie Perez. Sadly this is the best moment Mets fans like I have had to enjoy in awhile. But the facts were plain and simple. Oliver Perez is not worth a roster spot.

My guess was the Mets were only keeping him around for the chance he could be Terry Collin’s desired Long Reliever/2nd Lefty. Similar to Hisanori Takahashi last season except his name is Oliver Perez. The experiment is clearly not working.

The post Decision On Fate Of Ollie Perez Could Come Monday appeared first on Metsmerized.

The Philadelphia Inquirer (as per Rubin) is speculating that the Phillies may now have strong interest in Hisanori Takahashi who was released by the Mets after they were unable to work out a new contract with him.

Takahashi,  35, is reportedly seeking a three-year deal worth about $15MM after a successful rookie that saw him work as both a starter and various relief roles including closer after Francisco Rodriguez went on the DL.  

Takahashi had a 3.61 ERA in 122 innings pitched.

There’s really not much we can do if the Phillies end up signing Takahashi. Right now I’m actually more concerned with signing and keeping Pedro Feliciano.

We’ll know more very soon about where we stand with Feliciano, as teams have already begun offering arbitration or non-tendering their players. Pedro Feliciano is a Type B free agent which earns the Mets a compensation pick if they offer arbitration and he refuses and opts for free agency.

The last day for teams to offer salary arbitration to free agents in order to preserve their right to draft-pick compensation is November 23rd, while the last day for free agents to accept salary-arbitration offers is a week later on November 30th.

The post Phillies May Pursue Takahashi, Feliciano Status Still Unknown, Arbitration Deadlines appeared first on Metsmerized.

Takahashi, 35, was said to be looking for a 3-year deal worth $15 million dollars. What lefty specialist Pedro Feliciano will be looking for has yet to be determined, but some reports having him signing a 3-year deal for no less than $12 million dollars, a hefty price tag indeed.

The Mets will most likely offer Feliciano arbitration which he will either deny earning the Mets a supplemental pick in next June’s MLB Draft, or he could accept and fetch approximately $4 million dollars. I think I’d rather have the draft pick, but even if he accepts arbitration, I wouldn’t be crushed by the decision as Feliciano is a heck of a specialist.

Even if Feliciano returns to the Mets next season, the team must still find a suitable replacement for Takahashi who in addition to his versatility and effectiveness, was also the second lefty in the bullpen.

While scanning the free agent list which kicks in about two hours from now, one name jumped out at me that would seem to be a perfect fit for the Mets. Let me see if you can guess which left-handed reliever I’m talking about. I’ll give you some hints…

• He held left-handed batters to a .202 batting average, better than either Takahashi or Feliciano.
• He led the AL with 85 appearances, and only allowed six extra-base hits to LH batters in 2010.
• His K/BB rate was an amazing 4.5 versus lefty hitters, better than either Takahashi or Feliciano.
• His overall WHIP of 1.29 complete blows Feliciano’s 1.53 WHIP out of the water.
• He earned $700K last season compared to $2.9MM for Feliciano.

Give up?

It’s former Yankees draft pick and current Rays’ reliever Randy Choate.

It’s not a big or sexy name, but there is no doubt he gave the Tampa Bay Rays some major relief coming out of the pen last season.

If you think his season was a fluke, think again. In 2009, Choate made 61 appearances and posted a 3.47 ERA and 1.073 WHIP.

Some have estimated that Choate could sign a one or two year deal and fetch as much as $2.5 million dollars annually. 

He’s definitely one of those low risk/high reward type guys that Omar Minaya used to love going after, and I think he would be a nice reliever to target whether Pedro Feliciano comes back or not.

What are your thoughts?

The post Who Replaces Takahashi? This Reliever Is Worth A Look. appeared first on Metsmerized.

Dickey is eligible for arbitration and Takahashi is a free agent, with the deadline to negotiate with Takahashi fast approaching. When the Mets signed Takahashi, they didn’t really know what they were going to get from the Japanese lefty. However, he pitched so well in spring training that the Mets had to carry him on the 25-man roster.

His role early on was more as a long reliever, but he eventually cracked the starting rotation. In his first 12 innings as a starter, he did not give up a run, and that was against the Yankees and the Phillies.

He hit a rough patch for awhile but later settled very nicely into the back end of the bullpen. He even converted on all eight of his save opportunities, further adding to his value.

He finished 10-6 overall with a 3.61 ERA and eight saves. Not bad for a 35-year old rookie.

But that’s the thing: He’s 35. Can the Mets count on Takahashi getting the job done for another two years?

Plus, there have been rumors that Takahashi wants a starting role. If the Mets cannot guarantee this, there might be another team that can.

Based on his year, I’d like to see Alderson offer Takahashi a one-year deal with an option for 2012. So far, the Mets have just offered a one-year deal. Maybe the option would sit better with Takahashi.

He can be a valuable member of our pitching staff, whether as a starter, long reliever, eighth inning guy or even closer. Hopefully, Sandy and Hisanori can come to an agreement.

Now onto Mr. Dickey. Dickey had a stellar year for the Amazin’s. But how long can his success continue?

Dickey finished 11-9, but if the Mets could have given him some more run support, his record could have been better. He posted a 2.84 ERA and had two complete games, including his memorable one-hitter of the Phillies on August 13.

Since the Mets could use some stability from their starting staff, they’d be wise to offer Dickey a new deal. But is a two-year deal too much?

Dickey, like Takahashi, is getting up there in age as well. The thing they have going for them is that their style of pitching may not factor into longevity issues. Takahashi relies on hitting spots and changing speeds while Dickey relies on baffling opposing hitters with the knuckleball.

Just like with Takahashi, I’d like to see Alderson offer a one-year deal with an option to Dickey. Hopefully, the Mets have learned their lesson about signing pitchers who have been inconsistent over their entire career to multi-year deals (Oliver Perez ring any bells?).

I’m not comparing Takahashi or Dickey to Perez in any way, shape or form, except I guess that both Perez and Takahashi are left-handed.

If it comes down to it that only way to retain these players is with guaranteed two-year deals, I’d say go for it. They won’t command extremely large salaries and have already proven their worth to this organization. To be two of the only bright spots from a year with very few bright spots to begin with is saying something.

So get it done, Sandy: Stabilize the pitching staff by bringing back Takahashi and Dickey. Pitching wins championships as we witnessed with the San Francisco Giants.

Pelfrey, Niese, Dickey and a healthy Santana do not exactly compare well to Lincecum, Cain, Sanchez and Bumgarner (Barry Zito is a big joke; good thing the Mets didn’t sign him when they had the chance).

But with experience, this staff has plenty of potential, especially if Takahashi gets a few spot starts along the way.

The post From Left Field: Are Takahashi And Dickey Worth Two-Year Deals? appeared first on Metsmerized.

What that means to the Mets is that Feliciano just picked up a whole lotta leverage this offseason.

If he had been classified as a Type A free agent, as many thought he would, Feliciano would have had a hard time getting a deal from another team this offseason because most teams would have been reluctant to part with their first round pick just to sign a lefty specialist, even one as good as Feliciano.

So here is how it works for the Mets…

If the Mets offer arbitration to Feliciano and he ends up signing with another team, the Mets would pick up a supplemental pick between the first and second rounds. Had he been a Type A, the Mets would have gotten the supplemental pick PLUS the signing team’s first round draft pick.

This year, Feliciano earned $2.9 million dollars, and he could fetch as much as $4 million in arbitration. It doesn’t sound like much, but for a team that already has $130 million dollars earmarked in payroll already for 2011. it’s kind of a big decision.

If the Mets decline to offer arbitration, of course the Mets get nothing and Feliciano simply signs with a new team and will get a multi year deal. As an example, last offseason Jeremy Affeldt signed a two-year $9.5 million deal with a $5 million dollar option for 2012.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The other prominent southpaw in the Mets bullpen this year was Hisanori Takahashi. On Wednesday we reported that Takahashi switched agents. Less than 24 hours later, new agent Arn Tellem, indicated that the October 31st deadline to re-sign Takahashi could be extended.

This tells me two things,

1. The Mets are very interested in retaining Takahashi and are possibly considering a two-year deal with him which is what he is looking for.

2. Takahashi is open to remaining with the Mets even knowing full well that the chances he gets a spot in the rotation are slim to none.

I consider this good news, and I would expect that signing Takahashi will be Sandy Alderson’s first official undertaking, as far as players go, this offseason.

Images courtesy of the world wide leader in sports, ESPN.com.

The post Feliciano Is A Type B Free Agent, Takahashi Extends Deadline appeared first on Metsmerized.

According to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York, Hisanori Takahashi has switched agents from Ed and Peter Greenberg to Arn Tellem. Tellem represents several Japanese players, including Hideki Matsui.

As Ed mentioned below, the Mets have until October 31st, four days, to sign Takahashi to an extension, at which point he can become a free agent and will not be able to re-sign with the Mets until May 15th of next season. – JD

Original Post 10/23 9:00 PM

In February, the Mets signed Hisanori Takahashi to a one-year minor league deal, not expecting much from the 35-year-old left-hander from Japan.  However, Takahashi made the team out of spring training and was a strikeout machine coming out of the bullpen over the first month and a half of the season.

In his first 15 appearances, all in relief, Takahashi struck out 33 batters in 26 innings, while holding opposing hitters to a .234 batting average.  During one stretch from April 13 to May 8, the lefty was practically unhittable, punching out 27 batters in 17.1 innings.  He also picked up three victories against no defeats in that lights-out stretch.

After pleasantly surprising the team with his impressive performances out of the bullpen, injuries to starting pitchers led to the insertion of Takahashi into the rotation.  His unexpected run of success continued in his first two starts, as he held the high-octane Yankees and Phillies’ lineups scoreless through a combined 12 innings of work.  Unfortunately, Takahashi came crashing down to Earth in this third start, giving up six runs and eight hits in four innings of work against offensively-challenged San Diego in an eventual 18-6 thrashing by the Padres.

Takahashi remained in the rotation until July, making nine more up-and-down starts, before returning to the bullpen in early August.  After Francisco Rodriguez made his unsuccessful boxing debut on August 11, Takahashi became the Mets’ closer, where he once again became dominant.  In 20 appearances after the disqualification of Frankie Knuckles, Takahashi went 3-0 with 8 saves (no blown saves).  His ERA was a microscopic 0.81 and opposing batters hit .200 against him.

Although Takahashi had always said that he preferred to be a starting pitcher, Ken Davidoff of Newsday reported that Takahashi would accept staying in the bullpen.

There is no question that the Mets could use Takahashi as one of their primary relievers and occasional spot starter. although looking at his splits, Takahashi would serve the Mets far better as a reliever (6-2, 2.04 ERA, .206 batting average against) than as a starter (4-4, 5.01 ERA, .291 batting average against).  The only question is whether the Mets can sign him in time.

In today’s New York Times, David Waldstein reported that Takahashi can become a free agent after October 31, due to a clause in the contract he signed with the Mets in February.  Because Takahashi could not get any team to offer him a major league deal last winter, he agreed to sign a minor league contract with the Mets, but only if he could be released by October 31 so that he could explore signing with other teams.

According to a rule regarding major league contracts [Rule 8 (i)(2)], if a player is released between midnight on August 31 and the start of the following season, that player cannot sign another major league contract with the team that released him until May 15 of the following season.

Since Takahashi’s contract would call for his release by next Sunday, the Mets would have to sign him by then or not be allowed to sign him again until May 15, 2011, meaning that Takahashi would surely go to another team.

Although negotiations with Takahashi and his agent, Peter Greenberg, have been ongoing, there is still no indication as to whether or not the Mets will be able to sign him on time, especially since the Mets still do not have a general manager in place.  Greenberg had this to say when asked how far the talks regarding his client’s contract status had progressed.

“We have been talking.  Hisa loved his time in New York, and hopefully, something can be worked out.  If not, then he will have to look elsewhere.”

With the Mets still searching for a general manager to replace the departed Omar Minaya, assistant GM John Ricco has been in charge of negotiating with Takahashi and his agent.  However, who’s to say if potential GM candidates Sandy Alderson or Josh Byrnes would agree to having Takahashi on the 2011 Mets?  Therein lies the problem of having such a short window of time to negotiate with Takahashi when the Mets still don’t have a permanent GM in place to make these decisions.

Personally, I think the Mets would be fools to not re-sign Takahashi.  He became the first Mets pitcher in the 21st century to win 10 games in his first season in the major leagues (Jae Seo won nine games for the 2003 Mets in his first year in the majors) and he was a valuable contributor to a bullpen that needed another quality left-hander to complement Pedro Feliciano.  Plus, with Pedro Feliciano becoming a free agent and teams already expressing interest in his services, the Mets might have to prepare for life without Perpetual Pedro, who for the third consecutive season led the league in appearances (breaking his own franchise record with 92 appearances in 2010).

The Mets have one week to sign Hisanori Takahashi.  If they don’t. they will surely lose him to another team, perhaps one of their main rivals.  The new general manager will have plenty of items on his plate once he takes over the team, including finding a new manager and trying to acquire a quality starting pitcher, especially with the uncertain status of Johan Santana.  If the Mets pass on their opportunity to sign Takahashi…well, let’s just say that the GM’s plate will be overflowing.  The Mets need plenty of help this off-season.  Finding a pitcher to replace one of the pleasant bright spots of 2010 shouldn’t be one of them.

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Takahashi is a free agent this winter and wants to be a starter, and those starts against the Yankees and Phillies only reinforce that thought in his mind. His numbers are superior coming out of the bullpen than as a starter. However, they are representative numbers that could improve if he worked at that role. He gave the Mets just under six innings when he started, which undoubtedly would improve if he’s stretched out.

The soon-to-be-departed regime likes him out of the bullpen, and whether he stays or goes could be dependent on what the incoming regime believes. If the new GM and manager are adamant with Takahashi out of the bullpen, I can see him bolting for the bucks, and with the year he’s had, he’ll get them.

However, if the new team is willing to try him as a starter and promises him a shot in spring training, the Mets might be able to retain him.

Personally, I agree with Minaya and Manuel and like him out of the pen. He’s excelled in every role the Mets have tried him at and he’s uniquely valuable. He gives the Mets a versatile presence they haven’t had since Darren Oliver, who was one of the most important members of the 2006 staff.

When he started he usually was strong the first time or two through the order, but the opposition figured him out. That’s Manuel’s concern and it is a valid one.

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