On Wednesday, Bloomberg released an article stating that PGA Tour signed a $3 billion investment deal with the Strategic Sports Group, which includes the Fenway Sports Group and Mets owner Steve Cohen. The deal will include an initial investment of $1.5 billion and is for a new for-profit entity which values PGA Tour Enterprises at $12 billion. LIV Golf is not initially involved in the deal, but The Saudi Public Investment Fund will provide additional money if PGA and LIV Golf reach an agreement on a merger. The group includes numerous other owners including Arthur Blank of the Atlanta Falcons, Tom Ricketts of the Chicago Cubs, and Wyc Grousbeck of the Boston Celtics. 

Steve Cohen. Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Latest Mets News

Six Mets prospects break into the ESPN top 100 prospects list: Jett Williams, Drew Gilbert, Luisangel Acuña, Ronny Mauricio, Ryan Clifford, and Christian Scott. Click here to see where they landed on the list. 

The Mets announced their promotion schedule for the 2024 season as well as a different start time for Saturday games, check out Metsmerized’s article on it to learn about all the important dates and information!

Former Mets reliever Joe Smith is calling it a career after 16 major league seasons, per his agency Excel Baseball. Smith appeared in a whopping 866 games throughout his career while racking up 228 career holds. 

Mets radio announcer Keith Raad joined FanGraphs‘ “Beat the Shift Podcast” to talk about his career path and answer some questions about this years Mets club. 

The Mets’ Double-A affiliate, the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, announce that their old persona — the “Binghamton Mets” — will return for select games during the 2024 season. 

Latest MLB News

Left-handed relief pitcher Wandy Peralta agreed to a a four-year, $16.5 million deal with the San Diego Padres, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The deal includes three opt-outs. Click here to learn more about the signing. 

The Baltimore Orioles released an official statement as the Angelos family agrees to sell control stake in the Baltimore Orioles to David Rubenstein and his group, which includes Cal Ripken Jr. The release, which was posted to Twitter by Dan Connolly of Sportsnaut.com, says that John Angelos will stay on as a senior advisor and the Angelos family will keep over 30% stake. 

RHP Wily Peralta signed a minor league deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates, which includes an invite to spring training, per Robert Murray of FanSided. The veteran relief pitcher put up a 2.93 ERA in his two seasons with the Detroit Tigers. 

Former Met Robert Gsellman signed a minor league deal with the Washington Nationals and will make $900k if he is in the majors with the club, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post. 

Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reported that the guarantee on James Paxton‘s one-year deal with the Dodgers will be lowered due to an unspecified health concern. The guarantee will be lowered from $11 million to $7 million but still has a maximum potential value of $13 million. 

The Boston Red Sox claimed utility man Romy Gonzalez off of waivers from the Chicago White Sox and in turn designated RHP Zack Weiss for assignment. 

The Houston Astros announced that they are acquiring IF/OF Trey Cabbage from the Los Angeles Angels and are sending RHP Carlos Espinosa in return. 

Latest on MMO

Patrick Glynn ranked all five projected NL East starting third baseman for the 2024 season. 

Take a look at the Mets’ promotion schedule for the 2024 season!

See where the Mets’ top prospects landed on ESPN’s top 100 prospect list. 

On This Date in Mets History

2013: The New York Mets sign Marlon Byrd to a minor league deal. Byrd would go on to bat .285 and lead the team with 21 home runs before being traded to the Pirates later in the season.

Birthdays: Steve Gelbs (37), Austin Jackson (37), Rich Becker (52), Joe Vitko (54)

The post Morning Briefing: Steve Cohen Group Invests in PGA Tour appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Carlos Beltran is arguably the best center fielder this team’s ever had. In franchise history, he ranks fourth in OPS, sixth in home runs, and sixth in runs batted in. His 41 homers in 2006 were a single-season record shared with Todd Hundley until it was broken by Pete Alonso two years ago. The third-highest bWAR among position players (31.1), Beltran also collected three Gold Gloves.

And the finest display of his defensive ability during his six-and-a-half seasons in Queens came on July 7, 2007 — a play that on its own would be spectacular but earned additional merit for the situation in which it occurred. 

The Houston Astros had runners on first and third with two outs in the bottom of the 14th.

Luke Scott launched a fly ball that sent Beltran to the deepest part of the ballpark. And not just any ordinary part. One of Minute Maid Park’s unique features at the time was the now-defunct Tal’s Hill — an incline just in front of the straightaway center field wall. 

It’s quite the challenge for a visiting center fielder to navigate, but Beltran had some experience. While a member of the Astros for the second half of 2004, he regularly practiced tracking balls up the steep hill in straightaway center field but never got the chance to scale it.

Now he had his opportunity. As Beltran reached the slope — simultaneously tracking the ball, sensing the fence, and trying to find his footing — he managed to stay upright long enough to stick his glove out while looking back. Falling to the grass, he completed the over-the-shoulder grab. Inning over. 

Beltran got a huge greeting from his teammates on the field and in the dugout, but nobody was more thankful than pitcher Joe Smith — who got out of the inning and avoided the loss after surrendering a hit-by-pitch and a walk.

The game pressed on for two scoreless innings before — who else? — Beltran knocked in what turned out to be the game-winning run. David Wright followed with another RBI single. 

Beltran’s heroics rewarded a valiant effort from a host of relievers. Seven Met pitchers entered after starter Tom Glavine, the last being closer Billy Wagner — who warmed up nine separate times before entering in the bottom of the 17th. In all, the bullpen tossed 10 shutout frames and allowed just five hits.

But the five-hour, nine-minute game will always be remembered by Beltran’s 10 seconds of acrobatics in center.

The post OTD in 2007: Carlos Beltran’s Heroics Lead Mets Past Houston appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

J.J. Putz had a solid 12-year MLB career as a right-handed relief pitcher. Like most relievers he experienced up-and-down years, but when he was at his peak in 2007, he was one of the best relievers in baseball.

The Seattle Mariners, Chicago White Sox and Arizona Diamondbacks all received some production from the Trenton, MI native, but the New York Mets received arguably his worst season and paid a price for their mistake.

Putz’s Rise In The Evergreen State

Putz was drafted three times before signing on with a major league organization. He was drafted by the White Sox in the third round of the 1995 MLB Draft, by the Minnesota Twins in the 17th round of the 1998 MLB Draft and by the Mariners in the sixth round of the 1999 MLB Draft.

For Putz, age was a factor in not signing with the White Sox in 1995.

“The ’95 one was kind of easy: I just didn’t think I was really ready to be kind of on my own, own,” Putz told Mathew Brownstein in an MMO interview from March 2020. “When you go to school you’re kind of on your own, but you have parental figures around especially playing a sport in college. I didn’t think I was ready to be on my own at that age.”

Putz also shared that health was a factor in not signing three years later with the Twins.

“When I got drafted by the Twins I was coming off a knee surgery and I wasn’t really 100 percent, so I didn’t want to start pro ball not 100 percent,” said Putz. “That was kind of another no-brainer just to go back and play my senior year.”

Putz returned for his senior year of college at the University of Michigan and later signed with the Mariners after being drafted in June 1999. He then started his professional career at the age of 22 with the short-season Single-A Everett AquaSox of the Northwest League.

Putz spent parts of five seasons in the minors from 1999 to 2003. During that time he was primarily a starter. However, the Mariners converted him to a reliever in 2003 while he was in Triple-A which led to an eventual MLB call-up on August 11, 2003.

“It ended up being a great move, that season is the year the Mariners’ starters didn’t miss a start so I probably would have not got called up,” said Putz. “I had some success out of the bullpen in Triple-A that year and got called up and never really looked back.”

He only ended up pitching in three major league games in 2003, but spent the majority of his 2004 campaign with the major league club. In 2005, Putz stepped up his pitching even more and in 2006 established himself as one of the top relievers in baseball.

The 2006 season was when Putz became the Mariners’ closer. He took over for southpaw Eddie Guardado, who was traded to the Cincinnati Reds on July 6, 2006 after closing out games for Seattle since 2004. Guardado had a big influence on Putz in his successful transition to closer.

“I was very fortunate to have guys like Eddie around, Shigetoshi Hasegawa, Jeff Nelson, Arthur Rhodes, etc.,” said Putz. “They kind of taught me the ropes in the bullpen and definitely a guy like Eddie, who had closer experience, obviously was a guy I would lean heavily on from the mental part of it.”

In 2006, Putz set career-highs in appearances (72), innings pitched (78 1/3), strikeouts (104), saves (36), ERA (2.30), WHIP (0.919), FIP (1.73), bWAR (2.8) and fWAR (3.4).

Putz proved he was not a one-year wonder as he dominated again in 2007. He made 68 appearances, pitched 71 2/3 innings, struck out 82 batters and posted career-highs in saves (40), ERA (1.38), WHIP (0.698) and bWAR (4.0). The 30-year-old finished 13th in the American League MVP voting, was recognized as an All-Star and won the Rolaids Relief Man Award.

Putz’s 2008 season was affected by rib cage and elbow injuries, and his overall production while healthy was more similar to his 2005 campaign rather than his 2006 or 2007 campaigns. He was still considered one of the top relievers in baseball by many, including the Mets who proved that at the end of the year with a statement trade.

The 12-Player Trade

On December 11, 2008, the Mets acquired Putz in a 12-player, three-team trade with the Mariners and Cleveland Indians. In addition to Putz, the Mets also received OF Jeremy Reed and RHP Sean Green from Seattle.

The Indians received RHP Joe Smith from the Mets and INF Luis Valbuena from the Mariners, while they sent OF Franklin Gutierrez to the Mariners.

In addition to sending Smith to the Indians, the Mets sent 1B Mike Carp, OF Ezequiel Carrera, OF Endy Chavez, RHP Maikel Cleto, RHP Aaron Heilman and LHP Jason Vargas to the Mariners.

The Mets needed to address their bullpen heading into 2009 and general manager Omar Minaya did that by signing RHP Francisco Rodriguez on December 9, 2008 and trading for Putz two days later.

Putz’s Time In New York

However, the Putz trade did not turn out well for Minaya and the Mets. Putz developed a bone spur in the summer of 2008 that the Mets knew about. While it was deemed that he did not need surgery after the 2008 season, Putz’s elbow worsened in May 2009 and he needed surgery in June.

The Aftermath Of The Trade

The Mets let Putz walk in free agency after one poor and injury-filled season in Queens. While the move made sense at the time considering how his 2009 campaign turned out, the White Sox ended up with a quality reliever at a low price when they signed Putz to a one-year, $3 million contract on December 11, 2009.

Putz had a bounceback 2010 season in which he pitched to the tune of a 2.83 ERA, 1.037 WHIP and 2.52 FIP in 60 appearances. He also had 65 strikeouts in 54 innings.

The one season with Chicago was not a fluke either. Putz later agreed to a two-year, $10 million deal with the Diamondbacks on December 6, 2010. He went on to have a great three-year stretch with the Diamondbacks from 2011-13, highlighted by a 2011 season in which he saved a career-high 45 games.

The Mets’ trade for Putz was handled poorly from beginning to end.

In terms of value received, Putz struggled and neither Green nor Reed provided additional value in his absence. Green ended up giving the Mets a total -0.2 bWAR and -0.3 fWAR from 2009-10, while Reed gave the Mets -0.7 bWAR and -0.7 fWAR in 2009.

In terms of value traded away, the Mets did not exactly lose a player that would come back to haunt them in the same way that many before and after have done. However, Vargas did end up having a few solid seasons in the not-too-distant future with the Mariners from 2010-12 and some later with the Los Angeles Angels (2013) and Kansas City Royals (2014, 2017).

Also the Mets lost out on Smith who was already a solid reliever in Queens, and has stayed consistent throughout his 13 MLB seasons and counting. In those 13 seasons, he has never had a year where his bWAR was negative nor where his ERA was higher than 3.83.

Furthermore, had the Mets approached Putz’s injury differently, better scenarios could have ensued. They knew about the injury and could have went a different route to address their bullpen in the offseason. If they still thought it was worth it, they could have at least monitored it better.

According to Putz in a January 2010 interview with Comcast SportsNet, the Mets did not examine his bone spur until he got to spring training in February and he pitched in discomfort in both April and May.

“When the trade went down last year, I never really had a physical with the Mets,” said Putz. “I had the bone spur [in the right elbow]. It was discovered the previous year in Seattle, and it never got checked out by any other doctors until I got to spring training, and the spring training physical is kind of a formality. It was bugging me all through April, and in May I got an injection. It just got to the point where I couldn’t pitch. I couldn’t throw strikes, my velocity was way down.”

Different actions by the Mets before and during the season may have helped Putz possibly pitch more and possibly pitch better. At the least it could have led to a better relationship between Putz and the team for a deal to be worked out for 2010 when Putz returned to his usual self.

In the end, the Putz trade was another transaction in Mets history that did not work out in the team’s favor, nor in the player’s favor.

The post Amazin’ Mistakes: Mets Whiff On J.J. Putz Deal appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

By John Sheridan

Even with the Mets missing out on the Wild Card by three games, we will actually see some Mets in the World Series. Technically speaking, there are former Mets players in the World Series. So, in that sense, no matter who wins the World Series, we are going to see a Mets player get a ring.

Houston Astros

Joe Smith – The 2006 third round pick was a valuable member of the Mets bullpen for two years before getting traded in the ill-fated J.J. Putz trade. As luck would have it, Smith was the best reliever in that deal. In fact, Smith has had a very good career as a reliever with a good stretch in the postseason. In recent years, he’s tried to stay as close to his Ohio home as possible to be near his mother who is suffering from Huntington’s Disease. On that note, he has spent much time promoting awareness of this disorder through HelpCureHD.org.

Collin McHugh – The Mets never quite knew what they had with the 18th round pick of the 2008 draft trading him for Eric Young Jr. The same could go for the Rockies who designated him for assignment. McHugh rose above it all being one of the first pitchers to truly benefit from this Astros front office effect on pitchers. While he’s been a key part of the team’s recent run, he’s been sidelined this postseason with injuries.

Brent Strom – Strom was actually the third overall pick of the 1970 draft, but due to injuries, he would never quite make it either with the Mets, who eventually traded him to the Cleveland Indians. After his Major League career, he’s found his footing as a coach, and during his tenure as the Astros pitching coach, he’s become one of the more noteworthy pitching coaches in the game.

Gary Pettis – Pettis served as the first base and outfield coach under Art Howe.

Washington Nationals

Asdrubal Cabrera – The Mets signed Cabrera as a free agent, and his second half of the 2016 propelled them to the Wild Card Game. His play in that second half, along with that iconic bat flip, made him a fan favorite even through the issues regarding his trade demands. As much as fans loved him, Cabrera loved being a Met with his being traded and not re-signed breaking his son’s heart. Cabrera would have his chance to return, but with Brodie Van Wagenen not calling him back after the team signed Jed Lowrie over him, Cabrera opted to go to Washington instead.

Tim Bogar – Bogar spent four years as a Met as a utility player who was best known for his pre-game segments on Diamondvision. After his career was over, he had a decorated career as a minor league manager, and he’s been a respected coach leading to him being the National’s first base coach. With him being on the short list on the Mets managerial search, he may have a return to Queens after this World Series.

Chip Hale – Hale is a respected longtime coach who served as Terry Collins‘ third base coach in 2010 – 2011. In terms of team history, he goes down as one of the best third base coaches they have ever had.

Kevin Long – Long was the Mets hitting coach from 2015 – 2017. During that time, he was credited for players like Daniel Murphy and Yoenis Cespedes taking their offense to new heights, which was one of the reasons the Mets won the 2015 pennant. Partially due to his work as a hitting coach, he was a favorite to replace Collins as manager. When the Mets hired Mickey Callaway over him, he would leave for the Nationals organization where he has led young hitters like Juan Soto to the World Series.

Henry Blanco – Blanco had a reputation as a defensive catcher who spent one year with the Mets as a backup to Rod Barajas. After his playing career was over, he has followed a similar career path to Dave Duncan going from defensive catcher to pitching coach with Blanco having been the Nationals bullpen coach for the past two years.

In the end, no matter who wins, there will be former Mets players who will have rings. As a fan of those players and coaches during their time with the Mets, we can take some sense of satisfaction when they get their ring. Of course, being happy for a particular player and being happy a certain team won are two completely different things.

The post Former Mets in 2019 World Series appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The Chicago White Sox are not only a surprise suitor for the Manny Machado but are also seen as one of the early favorites according to multiple reports including Bruce Levine of WSCR-AM.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today also reports that the Baltimore Orioles are starting to move aggressively in working out a trade for their star third baseman. Nightengale hears that the St. Louis Cardinals, who recently acquire outfielder Marcell Ozuna, have a strong offer for Machado.

Along with the White Sox and Cardinals, the New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies have all made offers for Machado.

Dan Black of TBLDaily thinks the White Sox could acquire Machado to flip him to the Yankees. Multiple reports suggest that the Orioles won’t trade Machado to another AL East team.

The three-time All-Star is coming off of a year in which he batted .259/.310/.471 with 33 home runs, 95 RBI but was just a 3.5 WAR player after seeing falls in OPS+ and DRS.

Machado will be a free agent after the 2018 season.

The San Diego Padres have become the clear-cut favorite for free agent first baseman Eric Hosmer according to Nigthengale. The Red Sox remain interest though their focus seems to be on slugging outfielder JD Martinez.

Hosmer, 28, had a career-season in 2017 when he hit .318/.385/.498 with 31 doubles, 25 doubles and 94 RBI for the Kansas City Royals. He also posted a career-high 132 OPS+ and played in all 162 games. He’s a career .284/.342/.439 hitter in seven major league seasons.

Other MLB News and Notes

Former Met Joe Smith signed a two-year, $15 million with the Houston Astros. The Mets had been linked to the reliever before signing Anthony Swarzak.

The Washington Nationals had interest in signing Matt Albers to a two-year deal before they inked Brandon Kintzler. Earlier this offseason, it was reported that the Mets had interest in the veteran right-hander.

The San Diego Padres have inquired on Miami Marlins outfielder Christian Yelich according to Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune. At this time, the Marlins are unlikely to trade Yelich.

After acquiring Marcell Ozuna the Cardinals have been looking to deal an outfielder with the Oakland Athletics showing significant interest in Stephen Piscotty.

Former Mets prospect Cesar Puello has signed a minor league deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks according to Nick Piecoro of AZCentral. Puello made hsi major league debut in 2017 going 7 for 34 combined for the Angels and Rays.

The Texas Rangers are making a strong push for Royals reliever Kelvin Herrera per Nightengale. Numerous teams have also expressed interest in Royals left-handed reliever Danny Duffy.

As the Cubs look to replace closer closer Wade Davis they have talked to the Orioles about lefty Zach Britton.

The post MLB Roundup: White Sox Early Favorite For Machado appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Steve Cishek

Position: Reliever

Bats: Right- Throws: Right

Born: June 18, 1986 (31)

Stats: 3-2, 49 G, 44 2/3 IP, 41 SO, 14 BB, 2.01 ERA, 0.896 WHIP, .167 AVG, 1 SV, 3 BS

Most people probably remember this submarine reliever from his days with the Miami Marlins as their closer. After securing the job over the course of the 2012 season, Steve Cishek went on to record 88 saves in 98 attempts over a three-year span through 2014.

That all changed though in 2015 when he struggled to the tune of a 4.50 ERA in 32 innings of work and lost his closer’s job in April. He was eventually traded away to the St. Louis Cardinals where he would actually finish the year strong with a 2.31 ERA in 27 appearances.

Cishek continued his success in 2016 with the Seattle Mariners and became a key reliever in their bullpen with a solid 2.81 ERA in 64 innings that season

In 2017, he started the year on the disabled list and struggled when he returned in May in his first five outings as he allowed three runs in 4 1/3 innings. As the season went on though, he continued to improve and was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in July for Erasmo Ramirez.

In Tampa Bay, Cishek would have a 1.09 ERA in 26 appearances and combined with his 3.15 ERA in Seattle, he would finish the season with an incredible 2.01 ERA and 0.896 WHIP.

Contract: 

Cishek is likely looking at a contract in the two year, $15-$20 million range. While he is one of the more consistent relievers on the market this offseason, he is very comparable to pitchers like Pat Neshek, Bryan Shaw, Joe Smith, etc. He is below the closer-tier of Greg Holland and Wade Davis which just by that standard lowers his overall value. Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports Network predicted he would receive a three year, $21 million contract.

Recommendation: 

If the Mets could get Cishek at a reasonable price, like the ones listed above, it would be wise to sign him. He has shown the ability to maintain consistency over his short career so far. Consistency is often a question with relievers, but in the case of Cishek that should not be a problem.

For a team that struggled with their bullpen this past season, the Mets should really try to get a reliever of this caliber on the cheap. So, in all likelihood, they will sign the one of the previously mentioned crops of relievers. The decision on a pitcher like Cishek will likely come down to which reliever they could get the cheapest. However, Cishek stands out the most in terms of upside and he should be very affordable which makes him a great fit for the 2018 Mets.

The post MMO Free Agent Profile: Steve Cishek, RP appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Manny Acta

Current Position: Mariners Bench Coach, Aguilas Cibaenas Manager

Age: 1/11/1969 (48)

MLB Managerial Experience: 2007-2009 Washington Nationals 158-252 (.385); 2010-2012 Cleveland Indians 214-266 (.480)

One of the most respected coaches on Willie Randolph‘s staff was noticeably missing during the 2007 and 2008 collapses that doomed not just the Mets, but also Randolph. The person missing was third base coach Manny Acta.

Much like we saw with Alex Cora this season, Acta was a hot commodity back then because he was widely considered the next big manager. Acta was respected for his intelligence, baseball acumen, and his ability to communicate with players. That went double for young and Hispanic players.

In fact, the Washington Nationals president Stan Kasten said this to Sports Illustrated of Acta, “Manny is so intelligent, and so articulate. And he’s very good with players. He’s very active. He was out there hitting fungos (while managing the Nationals). He has a lot going for him.”

That’s a remarkable thing to say about a manager. It’s all the more incredible when you consider that was said when they fired him.

Because Acta is well respected and because people believe he’s an intelligent man who continues to educate himself, he keeps getting jobs. After failing with the Nationals, he was hired by the Indians. After failing with the Indians, he was hired by Baseball Tonight. After a well received Baseball Tonight stint, he was hired by the Mariners to serve as their third base coach, a position which he holds today.

Considering how well respected he is, it makes you question why he never worked out as a manager. For starters, he’s never really had good teams. When we thing of the current Nationals who are one of the best teams in baseball, you think of Stephen Strasburg, Max Scherzer, Bryce Harper, Anthony Rendon, and Ryan Zimmerman. In his Nationals tenure, Acta only got to manage a young Zimmerman.

In Cleveland, he had a difficult situation with the old players getting old fast, and the young players not being quite ready. Players like Johnny Damon and Derek Lowe were hanging on while Jason Kipnis and Corey Kluber weren’t what they are now. As many will note, even the best of managers cannot win without talent.

But with Acta, it might have been more than just a lack of talent. In a MASN article, Acta was described as being unable to relate to players. As bad as that might be, an AP article was even more damning of Acta as a manager with Indians players feeling as if Acta did not have their back. There were other reports suggesting Acta was rigid in his ways, and that he was unable to motivate his players.

What the Players Say:

Joe Smith: “Our team, for whatever reason, didn’t seem motivated to play. It’s sad when you say that about a bunch of guys that get paid to play a game. You shouldn’t need somebody else to motivate you to play this game. At the end of the day, it’s on us, but when it came that time to motivate us, there wasn’t a whole lot of it there.” (MLB.com)

Josh Tomlin: “He said that’s how he managed, that’s how he won in the Minor Leagues and that’s how he was going to win in the big leagues — by being himself. You have to respect a man for that, that he wasn’t going to change who he was.”

Recommendation:

It is interesting to see Mike Puma’s recent New York Post article on the subject of Acta’s candidacy. Ultimately, it highlighted the best points of Acta that leads to teams continuously trying to bring him into their organization. However, that same piece highlighted his weaknesses, notably his inability to “handle controversy.”

What we don’t know from with Acta is if he’s grown from the issues that held back his career in Washington and Cleveland. If he hasn’t then hiring him should prove to be a disaster much in the same way hiring Art Howe or Jeff Torborg was. The Puma article does little to quell those concerns.

However, if Acta has grown and has learned from his mistakes in the clubhouse like we have see from Terry Collins during his Mets managerial career, you will have a smart baseball person who is hard working. In life, you can never go wrong with smart and hard working.

Ultimately, any decision on Acta should begin with long and honest conversations with David Wright and Asdrubal Cabrera. Both are veterans who Acta has coached/managed. If both endorse Acta, it’s possible he’s the right man for the job. That goes double when you consider most of the praise directed at Acta comes from front offices and not players. If Acta doesn’t receive glowing endorsements from Wright or Cabrera, it should be an easy decision to look in a different direction.

The post MMO Managerial Profile: Manny Acta appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The Toronto Blue Jays have have agreed to a one-year deal with right-handed reliever Joe Smith, according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports who reported the news via Twitter late on Saturday night.

Free agent relievers have been literally flying off the board in the last 48 hours at an incredible pace leaving the likes of Joe Blanton and Travis Wood as the current remaining top options. Not a knock on them, but just to illustrate how different the landscape has changed in two days.

The New York Mets had shown interest in the side-arming Smith according to an earlier report by Rosenthal, but they took care of business early in the day by signing Tom Gorzelanny to a minor league deal Saturday morning and then following that up with a 1-2 punch, locking down veteran relievers Fernando Salas and Jerry Blevins to complete their bullpen shopping list with just eight days to spare before pitchers and catchers report to camp.

Smith, 32, has been one of the most reliable relievers in the game since 2009, appearing in 503 games (7th among Major League relievers), with a 2.80 ERA, 146 holds (5th), 1.151 WHIP, and 203 runners stranded (6th). However, he is coming off a down 2016 season plagued by oblique and hamstring injuries.

The former Met started the season with the Angels before being traded to the Cubs in August in exchange for Minor Leaguer Jesus Castillo.

For his career, Smith has fared much better against right-handed hitters, holding them to a .215/.286/.305 slash line, compared to lefties who have slashed .244/.337/.369.

Smith is at his best when he induces ground balls, currently at a 56.2% rate for his career. When batters hit ground balls off of Smith, the results are rarely in their favor, as he has held them to a .210/.210/.220 slash line in 920 at-bats.

I always loved Joe Smith from the moment he first made his debut with the Mets, and I was sad to see him get dealt in that awful J.J. Putz deal that completely blew up in our faces. You may remember Putz was damaged goods and we never had him take a physical.

And the worst part was that we had just signed K-Rod so we didn’t really need to make the deal, it was unnecessary and Joe Smith had shown enough the previous season to give him a shot at that 7th or 8th inning role.

Unfortunately for us, Smith would go on to be everything we hoped Putz would be and he had himself a pretty impressive major league career, with at least three seasons that were arguably All Star caliber in my opinion. Ergh….

Site Note:

Psst… As we begin our 13th season of covering the Mets, I could just post the details of this news in about 5-6 sentences like everyone else and spare you all my incessant blabbering. 🙂 Believe me, it would be a lot easier for us, but we love adding in our Mets point of views when we can, as well as providing some extra detail.

That said, if you prefer the condensed version on news and notes, just let me know in the comments and I will make sure to spread the word to all our writers. I understand that digital media and reporting is always evolving and changing, so each year around this time I like to check in with our readership to see what your likes and dislikes are. Thanks for the feedback. We love you guys and gals….

The post Blue Jays Sign Joe Smith To One-Year Deal appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Here we take a look at the top-10 remaining free agent relievers. The Mets certainly have a need in the bullpen with the possible suspension of Jeurys Familia, so these free agents are options for Sandy Alderson to consider if he doesn’t want to address the need via trade.

Jerry Blevins – Blevins was as steady as they come in 2016, pitching to a 2.79 ERA over 73 appearances. The southpaw accumulated 42 innings while pitching to a WHIP of 1.21. He had success against both right-handed and left-handed hitters, while at times just being used against lefties. The 33 year-old is searching for a three year deal this offseason.

Greg Holland – In 2013 and 2014, Holland was one of the most dominant closers in the game, saving 93 games and pitching to a 1.32 ERA. In 129.1 innings he struck out 193 batters and pitched to an 0.889 WHIP. When his average fastball velocity took a downward turn in 2015, from over 96 MPH to 93.6 MPH, it was discovered that he had actually torn his ulnar collateral ligament late in the 2014 season, and it surely affected his performance. It will be 17 months since his surgery when 2017 spring training arrives, he could be an option for the Mets.

Sergio Romo – Since 2008, Romo has been one of the most consistent relievers in the game for the San Fransisco Giants. He sports a career 2.58 ERA and 2.71 FIP to go with a 0.8 HR/9, 1.8 BB/9, and 10.2 K/9. He has plenty of closing experience, having saved 84 games in his career, so he could be pursued by teams needing a closer, driving up his price tag.

Santiago Casilla –  At first glance, Casilla’s 69 saves over the last two seasons make him an appealing target. However, the 36 year-old has telling peripherals, mainly a career 3.89 FIP, much higher than his 3.19 ERA. While there are better targets out there, there are also worse options. He could be a decent addition to the Mets’ bullpen in the 7th inning.

Neftali Feliz – The 2010 Rookie of the year averaged 96 MPH on his fastball in 2016, reaching as high as 99.9 mph. These are far better numbers than anything he has put up since 2011, as his fastball velocities from 2012-2015 were 94.6, 93.7, 93.6, and 94.6 MPH. Now at 28 years-old, he is a solid option for the Mets bullpen after posting a 3.52 ERA in 53.2 innings with 61 strikeouts for the Pirates in 2016. He seems to be on the up-and-up, so now could be a great time to bring him aboard.

Fernando Salas – The 31 year-old had a Reed-like impact on the Mets after he was acquired from the Angels on August 31. In 17 appearances, he was 0-1 with a 2.08 ERA, a 0.635 WHIP, and a 9.9 K/9. Salas completely took over the seventh inning role, and he allowed both Reed and Familia some rest down the stretch. He could continue to be an effective weapon for the Mets going forward if they were to bring him back.

Joe Blanton – Since moving to the bullpen full-time in 2015, Blanton has been very effective. In 2016, he went 7-2 with a 2.48 ERA (3.33 FIP) with a 1.013 WHIP. The journeyman has finally found a home in the bullpen and should certainly be an option for the Mets.

Joe Smith – Since 2009, Smith has been one of the most reliable relievers in the game, appearing in 503 games (7th among Major League relievers), with a 2.80 ERA, 146 holds (5th), 1.151 WHIP, and 203 runners stranded (6th). Smith’s best overall season came in 2014 as a member of the Angels, where he posted a career best 1.81 ERA, tied his career high in wins with seven, pitched a career high 74.2 innings, had a career high 68 strikeouts, and posted his best WHIP at 0.804 (6th in the majors).

Travis Wood – Once a full time starter, Travis Wood was an important cog in the Cubs’ bullpen during their World Series run. He was extremely effective against lefties in 2016, holding them to a .128/.208/.239 slash line. Overall, he went 4-0 with a 2.95 ERA. He has also been used as a pinch hitter, as he has nine career home runs.

Drew Storen – The 29 year-old had a down year in 2016, going 4-3 with a 5.23 ERA (4.21 FIP) and a 1.335 WHIP. However, from 2010 to 2015 he was an integral part of the Nationals bullpen, serving as their closer at times. He would be a nice addition to the Mets bullpen in front of Addison Reed and Jeurys Familia.

The post Top 10 Remaining Free Agent Relievers appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Joe Smith
Position: Relief Pitcher
Bats: Right – Throws: Right
Born: March 22, 1984 (Age 32)

A familiar face emerges on the free agent market this winter for Mets fans, as reliever Joe Smith looks for a new home after his three-year, $15.75 million contract with the Los Angeles Angles comes to an end. He finished the 2016 season with the World Champion Chicago Cubs, as he was traded right before the August 1 deadline. Smith was not carried on any of the Cubs’ postseason rosters however.

The sidearm throwing Smith was originally drafted by the Mets in 2006 in the 3rd round (94th overall pick), and made his Major League debut in 2007 with the Amazins’. He appeared in 54 games, posting a 3-2 record in 44.1 innings with a 3.45 ERA and 9.1 SO/9.

Smith followed up that solid rookie campaign with an impressive 2008 season, where he was tied for third in the majors in games (82), a 62.6% ground ball rate (8th), and posted a 6-3 record with a 3.55 ERA.

After the ’08 season, Smith was shipped off as part of the 12-player, three-team trade with the Seattle Mariners and Cleveland Indians that brought J.J. Putz, Jeremy Reed, and Sean Green to the Mets.

Since 2009, Smith has been one of the most reliable relievers in the game, appearing in 503 games (7th among Major League relievers), with a 2.80 ERA, 146 holds (5th), 1.151 WHIP, and 203 runners stranded (6th).

Smith’s best overall season came in 2014 as a member of the Angels, where he posted a career best 1.81 ERA, tied his career high in wins with seven, pitched a career high 74.2 innings, had a career high 68 strikeouts, and posted his best WHIP at 0.804 (6th in the majors).

For his career, Smith has fared much better against right-handed hitters, holding them to a .215/.286/.305 slash line, compared to lefties who have slashed .244/.337/.369.

Smith is at his best when he induces ground balls, currently at a 56.2% rate for his career. When batters hit ground balls off of Smith, the results are rarely in their favor, as he has held them to a .210/.210/.220 slash line in 920 at-bats.

When Smith was initially traded to the Cubs this August, he got off to a rocky start, appearing in six games and allowing three runs on six hits and four walks in 3.2 innings pitched, resulting in a lopsided 7.36 ERA.

The Cubs placed Smith on the 15-day disabled list on August 17 due to a left hamstring strain, the same issue he was battling with the Angels in June before they placed him on the 15-day disabled list as well.

Once Smith was activated in September, he made a complete 180 turnaround and posted a 0.93 ERA in 9.2 innings pitched, striking out 12 while holding opponents to a .156 batting average against.

Contract:

Smith should have a bunch of suitors this winter, including the Mets, Yankees, Red Sox, Mariners, and Cardinals. Jon Heyman at FanRag Sports predicts Smith would sign a two-year, $8 million deal, which would be a steal for a guy that routinely appeared in 70 plus games between 2011-15.

His price tag took a hit due to his two hamstring injuries last season, and could be viewed as a great low/risk high reward option for a team searching for bullpen help. Plus the fact that Smith is a sidearm reliever, which Joe Maddon referred to as “funk in the bullpen” upon his arrival from Los Angeles, adds intrigue to teams looking to give right-handed hitters a tougher time at the plate.

I could envision a two or three year deal for Smith, with an average annual salary around $5-6 million.

Recommendation:

The Mets should be looking into the Joe Smith market, along with a bevy of other relievers on the free agent and trade markets. Smith’s ties to the organization should make it a smoother transition if he were to return to the team that drafted him.

The Mets could use his services, especially with the prospect of Jeurys Familia facing a considerable suspension to start the 2017 season due to the simple assault charges stemming from his arrest.

Smith also comes with a lowered price tag compared to his counterparts available in free agency, such as Mark Melancon, Kenley Jansen, and Aroldis Chapman. Smith would definitely be a welcomed addition the Mets’ pen, but they might be better suited trying to find a replacement for the left hander Jerry Blevins, if not resigning him.

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