The Mets concluded their brief two game set against the Oakland A’s and yet again, walked away with a split.  To quote ACDC’s late Bon Scott, “I’m hot, and when I’m not, I’m cold as ice”.  That pretty much sums up this series, this season and this team.  Below is a 3 up/3 down review of how the Mets performed out in California the last two days.

3 Up

1. Lucas Duda blasted his 23^rd bomb of the season dead to center field in yesterday’s matchup.  He is now tied for 4^th in the National League in home runs.  Among National League 1^st basemen, he is 2^nd in homers and 3^rd in WAR (3.2).  It’s also noteworthy to mention that as far as flashing the leather goes, Lucas is tied for 2^nd, along with Albert Pujols, Justin Morneau and Adrian Gonzalez, in fielding percentage (.997).  While The Hulk has struggled to hit for average in August, he once again proves that slugging at a high rate (.625 in this series) can cure a lot of offensive woes for a struggling lineup.

2. Eric Campbell gets souped to play baseball.  The rookie utility man went 4 for 7 in this series (.572) and he was the first to get the Mets on board during yesterday’s onslaught by launching his third home run on the season to center field.  Campbell has quietly produced at a high rate despite inconsistent playing time, coming up with clutch hits, all while manning several positions defensively around the field.

3. Zack Wheeler bounced back against the A’s.  We all remember the last time Zack faced Oakland on June 25^th at Citi Field, turning in arguably the worst performance of his young career.  He gave up 6 hits and 6 earned runs before being pulled with only 2 innings of work.  Wheeler once again showed maturity and grit, despite some borderline comical defense behind him.  This outing, the young gun went 5 2/3 innings and allowed only 2 earned runs (two others were scored on Daniel Murphy’s fielding error on a routine ground ball).  As Anthony DiComo of MLB.com noted, Wheeler is 6-0 with a 2.12 ERA since June 30^th.  The Mets have now won 7 of Zack’s last 10 outings.

3 Down

1. Dillon Gee continues to struggle since returning from the disabled list on July 9^th, including Tuesday’s loss, which was his fifth straight.  Gee is by no means overpowering, he relies heavily on his command and his high baseball IQ to maneuver the ball in and off the plate and keep hitters off balance and guessing.  Prior to his DL stint, Gee was one of the best pitchers in all of baseball, posting the 4^th best ERA among pitchers with at least 175 innings as of May 30^th, 2013.  Since his return, he is 1-5 with a 5.06 ERA.

2. Juan Lagares is slumping and he needs to bust out.  The Mets are lethargic in a lot of their decision making, but one thing they are quick to do is bench Lagares when he goes into a minor slump.  He is an unbelievably talented player defensively and has shown such vast improvements offensively from last year.  I fear that one bad streak will land him on the pine and derail his development through the end of the season because Terry Collins feels the need to choose someone else and “get them going”, or whatever generic phrase he uses in lieu of a specific, analytic response.  Lagares went hitless in Tuesday’s loss and didn’t get any at bats on Wednesday, hitting .107 in his last 10 games combined.  Hopefully it’s just a bit of fatigue and the rest will have him back to producing at a respectable clip.

3. Curtis Granderson is equally as responsible as David Wright for this teams power outage.  Granderson hasn’t hit a home run since July 26^th and he’s slugging an abysmal .179 in the month of August, producing only 1 double and 0 triples.  He has been given ample opportunities to thrive, even owning the lead-off spot for an extended period of time in order to get his production up, but in reality he was paid to come here and protect Wright in the cleanup spot.  I can appreciate his professionalism, but fans can also appreciate seeing the team’s high rollers put some wood on the ball.

Lets.Go.Mets.

The post 3 Up, 3 Down: Bay Watch appeared first on Metsmerized.

Enrique Rojas of ESPN is reporting that Cano and Mariners agreed to a 10 year deal worth $240 million dollars. That is an ungodly amount of money.

Earlier this morning, it was reported that talks had broken down after Seattle made an offer of nine years and $225 million, according to Mark Feinsand and Bill Madden of the Daily News. Reportedly, Cano’s agent Jay-Z was pushing for a deal closer to $252 million, but the M’s didn’t budge – and rightfully so.

And with that, Cano’s career with the Yankees comes to an abrupt end – at least for now. I can envision the Mariners eating 25% of the contract in a year or two and giving him away to the Bombers. Admit it… You can see that happening too…

By the way… I heard early this morning on WFAN, that if the Yankees get shutout on Cano, they would go hard after Brandon Phillips in a trade with the Reds, according to Mark Malusis.

Photo credit: Paul J. Bereswill

The Miami Marlins have agreed on a one-year deal with free agent Rafael Furcal reports Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports,

The Mets were considering the veteran shortstop according to many reports but were wary of his health. Furcal, 36, last played 121 games with St. Louis in 2012, but missed the 2013 season due to Tommy John surgery. He’s a lifetime .281 hitter in 13 major league seasons.

12/5 – Reliever Edward Mujica and the Boston Red Sox have agreed on a two-year, $9.5 million deal, sources told Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports. The deal is pending a physical, which Mujica is taking Thursday.

Mujica spent almost all of last season as closer for the St. Louis Cardinals, writes Passan, before losing his job to Trevor Rosenthal in September. The 29-year-old right-hander saved 37 games with a 2.78 ERA for the Cardinals.

12/5 – The Milwaukee Brewers announced that they have traded outfielder Norichika Aoki to Kansas City Royals in return for LHP Will Smith.

The Mets were rumored to have had discussions with the Brewers for Aoki in exchange for Ike Davis, but those talks never went anywhere and it all went out the window anyway once the Mets settled on signing Chris Young instead.

Aoki, 32, batted .286/.356/.370 with eight homers and 20 stolen bases last season.

Jon Heyman says that the Royals like Aoki as a leadoff option and believe he can play center field for them. Also, they are not done dealing and are still very much interested in Carlos Beltran.

12/4 – Yahoo’s Jeff Passan reports that the  Mariners, Dodgers, Angels, Pirates, Rangers, Diamondbacks and Blue Jays are among the teams with serious interest in dealing for David Price. He believes that Seattle is in the strongest position to acquire Price, given their impressive core of young and presumably tradeable talent.

The former AL Cy Young winner and three-time All-Star is still just 28 years of age, and he’s not eligible for free agency until after the 2015 season. He’s coming off a 2013 season in which he pitched to a 3.33 ERA (114 ERA+) and a 1.10 WHIP in 186.2 innings.

12/3 – The Rockies have agreed on a two-year deal worth $13 million with Justin Morneau, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.

Morneau, a former MVP, batted .259/.323/.411 this season with 36 doubles, 17 homers and 77 RBI while playing for for the Pirates and Twins. He’s no longer the slugger he once was, but the 32-year old should give the Rockies some adequate offense at first base in place of Todd Helton.

And with that, the Mets lose a trading partner for Ike Davis.

The post Mariners Seal The Deal With 10-Year, $240 Million For Cano appeared first on Metsmerized.

I’m not going to sit here this morning and preach patience like everyone else is. Those feelings that were running deep inside your veins last night was a sign that you have a pulse… A sign that you may be an extreme die-hard fan of the New York Mets…  You are exactly our kind of Mets fan… Don’t be afraid to let it all out… That’s what real fans do…

Don’t suppress what you really are… Don’t hold in all your passion… Stop listening to your brain and start listening to that heart that’s beating wildly inside you… You’re a baseball fan… You’re a baseball fanatic… You’re tired of seeing the team you love being relegated to the brunt of jokes at the hands of other teams and other fans…

Don’t be afraid to be what you are… Don’t hold it in… Scream it out loud… You’re a die-hard Met fan and you’re ready to explode… Go Crazy Folks, Go Crazy…

Hope you had a good scream…

Okay, now that we got that out of our system, lets get down to what I really do around here and share some truths about the Mets and the reality you probably won’t read anywhere else this morning…

• As I’ve told you again and again. This Mets are in dire straits financially. They owe well over a billion dollars and as much as they want you to believe that everything is okay, it’s not. The banks and lenders are not going to allow the Mets to spend what it would take to turn this team around. It’s not going to happen. They will not spend more than $100 million on any player, and you can bet that payroll will not exceed $85 million dollars.
• What you saw last night when the Yankees signed Jacoby Ellsbury, was the exploding outfield market break freely for Carlos Beltran, Shin-Soo Choo and Curtis Granderson. They will all get paid a lot more today than they would have a month ago. This is the new reality in baseball – embrace it. Either you learn how to survive in this market, or you can pack your bags and go home. Either you can act like a major league team, or you can disband and join the Pioneer League. It’s put up or shut-up time for Sandy Alderson. As I sad way back in September, I don’t believe he has the stomach or the wherewithal to survive the coming free agent apocalypse. The old ways of doing business in this game have been declared dead on arrival.
• The Mets GM made some interesting remarks only two weeks ago that bear repeating. Remarks that I said were hazardous to the Mets’ health. “I do think there will be a combination of more proactivity internally as well as a willingness in some instances to wait and see whether the market changes and what’s available to us later. Inevitably there will be people available later. A couple of our best signings last year were players who were available later – Marlon Byrd and LaTroy Hawkins.” That is absolutely nuts and proof-positive that he is clueless as to what the market is. Does he not heed my warnings? Did I not say that every single freaking team has about $25 million in new money to spend including the cost-conscious Mariners, A’s, Astros and Royals? Wake the hell up, Sandy. Reality is on the phone and wants to talk to you.
• One of the Mets biggest trade partners for Ike Davis just blew up in smoke last night when the Rockies signed Justin Morneau to a two-year deal. Two more teams are on the verge of adding first basemen as well. Corey Hart and Mike Napoli are about to go off the boards. Meanwhile, back in Flushing, our astute GM decided it might be best to wait until January to deal Davis because as he put it, “we believe it may be better to hold off until a later time when his market will be higher.” Oh my God…
• This team is broke, my friends… And Sandy is at the helm of a very sinkable ship. This offseason is Sandy’s iceberg. It’s his fourth Winter at the helm of the Mets and so far it doesn’t appear he’ll be able to sweet talk his way out of this one. No way. We won’t allow it to happen. It’s time for action and after five straight losing seasons, most of them by him, it’s time for some results. Mets fans deserve a team they can be proud of and a GM that is capable of delivering one.
• “I don’t think our payroll is going to be below what we saw last year,” Alderson said. You don’t think? “And as far as where it will finally land, let’s defer that question until all precincts have reported.” Sorry Jack… In this country, when all the precincts have reported it means the election is over and a winner is declared… And you sir, don’t have the electoral votes to keep you in office. If anyone needs a last minute comeback, it’s you… Do something, or grab your topcoat and go home…

Sorry for the brutal honesty, but if I don’t give it to you straight, who will…

The post About Last Night… Go Crazy Folks, Go Crazy! appeared first on Metsmerized.

Nats Get Doug Fister From Tigers

The Washington Nationals have acquired starting pitcher Doug Fister in a trade with the Detroit Tigers for infielder Steve Lombardozzi, left-hander Ian Krol and minor league lefty Robbie Ray.

Fister, 29, went 14-9 with a 3.67 ERA in 33 games last year in his third season with the Tigers. Fister was tied for the American League lead in getting batters to ground into double plays. He allowed 0.6 home runs per nine innings, second best in the AL.

“This is an exciting day for the Washington Nationals,” said Washington GM Mike Rizzo in a statement. “We feel we’ve added a talented, young veteran to our starting pitching corps. Doug is battle-tested through playoff experiences, and the depth he brings to our staff is exceptional. We are thrilled to welcome him aboard.”

Great deal for the Nats and what a way to bolster the rotation as he promised fans after the season. The Tigers will replace go with Drew Smyly in the rotation in place of Fister.

Beane Signs Former Mets Top Prospect

The A’s and Scott Kazmir have reached an agreement on a two-year, $22 million contract, according to Jim Bowden of ESPN.

Kazmir, 29, pitched for the Indians last year, going 10-9 with a 4.04 ERA. He was particularly impressive in the second half with Cleveland, going 5-5 while lowering his ERA from its first-half level of 4.60 to 3.38. Along the way, Kazmir brought his strikeouts up while lowering his walks. Kazmir won’t require the A’s to sacrifice their first-round pick.

The $22 million deal is $1 million shy of Tim Hudson‘s two-year, $23 million deal with the Giants. Beane set out to add a starter to the rotation and he completed his mission before the start of the Winter Meetings.

Twins Sign Hughes To Three-Year Deal

The Twins have agreed to a three-year, $24 million deal with Phil Hughes according to LaVelle E. Neal III of the Star Tribune who cites an anonymous source. A source with knowledge of the talks tells Neal that the Twins are expected to announce the deal after Hughes passes his physical.

When the free-agent meat market opened, Phil Hughes was a pitcher the Mets were very interested in, however, a month into the Hot Stove season and they bowed out on the former Yankees starter. The 27-year old was young and his flyball rate made him a perfect fit for Citi Field. Poor Metsies, those big 2013 spenders, they’re on the outside looking in again… Predictably… Well… Predictably for some… (11/30)

Cano and Yankees Still $100 Million Apart

According to a report by Ken Davidoff of the NY Post, during last week’s meeting with the Yankees, free agent Robinson Cano was seeking a nine-year contract for between $250 and $260 million. The source told the Post the Yankees countered with a seven-year deal for between $160 million and $175 million, putting the two sides nearly $100 million apart. The two sides are scheduled to speak again on Monday.

Davidoff says that the Yankees have been adamant they won’t sit and wait for Cano to fully navigate free agency, with so many other holes to fill. The Yankees have already held discussions with free-agent outfielders Carlos Beltran, Shin-Soo Choo and Jacoby Ellsbury and infielder Stephen Drew. (11/30)

Hanley Ramirez” src=”https://metsmerizedonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/hanley-ramirez-350×218.jpg” width=”350″ height=”218″ />

Hanley Dodging Free Agency?

The Dodgers are discussing an extension with Hanley Ramirez reports Dionisio Soldevila of ESPN Deportes. Ramirez, 29, is under contract for next year, but he has had ongoing extension talks with the Dodgers,

“We are negotiating something, but we are going step by step,” Ramirez said while declining to discuss the salary and length of a potential deal. The shortstop/third baseman is currently completing a six-year, $70 million deal he signed while with the Marlins.

Last season, Ramirez slashed at .345/.402/.638 with twenty home runs and ten stolen bases in 336 plate appearances. Despite missing time with injuries he posted an incredible 5.1 WAR ranking 25th among field players according to MLBTR. (11/30)

O’s To Deal Johnson?

The Orioles are willing to listen to trade offers for closer Jim Johnson, according to Buster Olney of ESPN. One of the top closers in the league, Johnson is expected to earn as much as $10.8 million in arbitration. That’s more than the entire Mets bullpen combined.

The Baltimore Sun reports that after talking to people within the organization, the trade talk for Johnson definitely has more legs than previous reports that the Orioles were open to dealing shortstop J.J. Hardy or catcher Matt Wieters this offseason.

Johnson, 30, led the American League in saves with 50, and tied Atlanta’s Craig Kimbrel for the Major League lead. In 2012, Johnson had 51 saves giving him 101 over the last two years – the best mark in the Majors. (11/29)

Way To Go Joe

The Angels made it official and announced that they have signed free-agent reliever Joe Smith to a three-year deal worth $15.75 million.

Smith, 29, had a 2.29 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 54 strikeouts in 63 innings last season. Over the past three seasons, the former Met sidewinder has compiled a 2.42 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in 197 innings in the 2011-13 seasons. He’s also been very good at stranding inherited baserunners the past two seasons, allowing only 15 of his 70 inherited runners to score. (11/29)

Oh Ricky You’re So Fine

According to Chris Cotillo of the MLB Daily Dish, the Minnesota Twins have reached an agreement with free agent right-hander Ricky Nolasco. The deal is for four years and $48 million, with a 5th year option for $13 million with a $1 million buyout.

While pitching for the Marlins and Dodgers, Nolasco posted a solid 3.70 ERA, 1.21 WHIP in 199.1 innings with 165 strikeouts and 45 walks allowed.

The Twins have been on the hunt for two pitchers and in the 30-year old Nolasco they get one with a solid track record. That said, he could be very pricey and some project a four-year deal in excess of $50 million dollars.

When this offseason started, Sandy said he had about 25 pitchers on his wish list. I would have to think that list is down to 17-18 now. (11/28)

Morneau To The Rockies?

Troy Renck of the Denver Post is reporting that Colorado Rockies are ever so close to landing first baseman Justin Morneau. Morneau, a former MVP, had a disappointing season after slashing at .259/.323/.411 in 635 plate appearances. But the new trend is to target players like him who are coming off a bad season. That was why the Mets went hard after Chris Young. Morneau has missed a lot of time to injuries over the last three seasons.

The Mets lose a potential trading partner in Colorado who may have been a good landing spot for Ike Davis. There’s not that many teams in search of a first baseman this season, so this one may sting a little bit for Sandy. But I’m sure there’s at least 3-4 teams who will be intrigued by his power potential. (11/28)

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I don’t know about most of you, but a few of us on MMO let out a collective sigh of relief when we read the following from Andy Martino of the Daily News:

The Mets don’t love Mark Trumbo and they’ve never shown any interest in Peter Bourjos.

I see Trumbo as an Ike Davis with more consistent power, but a worse glove. I couldn’t imagine giving up a Jon Niese for someone like that… Especially when you consider that he’ll likely take a big hit hit offensively by playing half of his games at Citi Field.

What a disaster that could end up being…

No thanks…

Original Post

As the realization slowly sinks in that Shin-Soo Choo and Jacoby Ellsbury will be too costly for the still downtrodden Mets, the talk inevitably shifts to trading for a legit outfielder instead.

Of course trading for any player who can provide the type of offense the Mets are looking for means that what you don’t shell out in tens of millions, you’ll end up paying for with elite prospects.

Baseball is a give and take business and quality begets quality. There’s no team out there looking to take broken down parts like Ike Davis and Jordany Valdespin off of our hands in return for a big cog. Ain’t happening… The real world does not operate as it does during sportstalk call-in segments.

MLB Trade Rumors wrote today that Mark Trumbo could bring the Angels a nice pitching haul if they decide to move him. Los Angeles is bent on bolstering the rotation with MLB-ready arms. That doesn’t mean Rafael Montero, Darin Gorski or Noah Syndergaard, it means Zack Wheeler or Jon Niese.

MLBTR said the Halos fielded calls from the Mariners, Pirates, and Royals in July and the Marlins showed interest in Trumbo last December. If he is available, and most baseball analysts say it’s a certainty, he’ll garner plenty of interest.

At 27, Trumbo has averaged a 2.6 WAR over the last three seasons, and in 2013 he had career highs of 34 home runs and 100 RBI. However, his batting average dipped to a .234 and his on-base has rarely hovered above .300. Still, if you’re desperate for right-handed power, Trumbo’s your guy.

Michael Branda wrote something for us on Trumbo a couple of months back in which he assessed the current Mets situation at first base.

The Mets find themselves in a real tricky spot heading into 2014. Whether we like it or not, what we thought was a sure thing – is now far from it. The Mets have no answer at First Base anymore. It’s a rare moment when a franchise goes from thinking they have a cornerstone franchise type player to build around, to having nothing good to hope for.

Look, I really have no problem with Josh Satin – but he’s not an everyday big league first baseman. I’m not willing to wait until June 2014 to see if Ike Davis is the guy we all thought he could be. No matter what he does from this day forward, we’ll know absolutely nothing about Davis until next summer – and I don’t think the Mets can afford to do that. So, unless the idea of Wilmer Flores at first base is a reality, the Mets need a first baseman for next season and beyond.

In his article, he correctly tabs Trumbo as a one-dimensional player – something most Met fans have been accustomed to for a very long time.

Trumbo is now hitting arbitration for the first time, and he’s expected to get somewhere in the neighborhood of $4.5 million.

I recently asked another of our writers, XtreemIcon to share his thoughts, to which he replied:

We’ve all heard of five tool players, but Trumbo is a one tool player. He has huge, prodigious, Hammer of the Gods type power, but you cannot trade Thor for him or any starter that projects to crack the rotation in any regard, let alone a top-of-the-rotation type starter.

Trumbo is a very poor major league ballplayer. He’s at best a platoon DH, given his terrible fielding, limited speed on the bases and career OBP under .300. I say “at best” a platoon DH because he actually doesn’t have any significant platoon splits. He’s a bad hitter from both sides of the plate. He’d be worse than Jason Bay in many aspects. Bay, to his credit, was a disciplined enough hitter during his prime, and Bay only cost money.

So it would seem the consensus here at MMO would be that Trumbo is most certainly not the player the Mets should be targeting once their attempts to target Choo and Ellsbury prove futile.

What are your thoughts on the matter?

The post Mets Don’t Love Mark Trumbo appeared first on Metsmerized.

The Mets find themselves in a real tricky spot heading into 2014. Whether we like it or not, what we thought was a sure thing – is now far from it. The Mets have no answer at First Base anymore. It’s a rare moment when a franchise goes from thinking they have a cornerstone franchise type player to build around, to having nothing good to hope for.

Look, I really have no problem with Josh Satin – but he’s not an everyday big league first baseman. I’m not willing to wait until June 2014 to see if Ike Davis is the guy we all thought he could be. No matter what he does from this day forward, we’ll know absolutely nothing about Davis until next summer – and I don’t think the Mets can afford to do that.

So, unless the idea of Wilmer Flores at first base is a reality, the Mets need a first baseman for next season and beyond.

One of the names being tossed out there as potentially available is Mark Trumbo.

If it happens, I’ll support Trumbo – but I really hope he isn’t the perceived answer.

To me, Trumbo is a very one dimensional player. He has plus power, that is undeniable, but he’s slow, plays below average defense and strikes out a ton. I don’t want to see another 1B who is all or nothing – that’s why Ike Davis and Lucas Duda are not the answers!

With Trumbo’s current contract situation (just hitting arbitration), and his power numbers, I think the Angels would hope to get rich by trading him. They are in a lot of trouble with their roster due to guys like Pujols, Hamilton, and Wilson.

So trading a guy like Trumbo may be an avenue they take but only if it helps them out significantly. I’m not willing to trade high value for Trumbo.

I know that the follow up to this is inevitably, “if not Trumbo, then who?”

I truthfully do not know the answer. I’d consider taking a run at Justin Morneau for a short term solution, but I think the Mets really need to find a real long term solution at first base, and fast.

To me, Wilmer Flores could be that guy, not Mark Trumbo.

The post Saying No To Trumbo appeared first on Metsmerized.

IN HOUSE: There appears to be at least a few reasonable options if the team decides to go with players who are already part of the organization. At the major league level, the pending return of Lucas Duda will create a bit of a logjam now that left field has effectively been ceded to Eric Young. If Davis is not offered a contract by the team, Duda would be his logical replacement, either full time or as part of a platoon with Josh Satin. At AAA, it would appear that Wilmer Flores’ bat should earn him a shot at one of the slots on the right side of the infield, something that may have an impact on Daniel Murphy’s future as well. At the AA level, Allan Dykstra’s offensive emergence will probably ticket him as heir apparent to the first base slot in Las Vegas, but he will likely earn a spring training invite and at least get a chance to show if his apparent blossoming is for real.

FREE AGENT MARKET: The group of upcoming free agent first sackers (as presently comprised) is a mixed bag of mostly older spare parts or stars past their prime (Todd Helton, Eric Hinske, Xavier Nady, Paul Konerko, Lyle Overbay, Carlos Pena, Kevin Youkilis) mixed in with a group of 30-ish types of varying talent levels who could provide some intriguing alternatives (Corey Hart, Mike Napoli, Casey Kotchman, Adam Lind, James Loney, Kendrys Morales, Justin Morneau, Mike Morse, Mark Reynolds). Of this group, Hart, Loney, Kotchman, and Morneau can all acquit themselves well in the field while the rest are best regarded as DH candidates. Hart, despite missing this season with a knee injury, projects as a steady25-30 HR type who can also cover a corner outfield position if needed.  He will be 32 at the start of next season but with the right deal could be a decent choice to plug the gap during the next 4-5 years. Loney and Kotchman have been primarily regarded as good glovemen (who both seem to hit well in a Tampa Bay uniform), but don’t stand out as the kind of productive bat the Mets need to add. Morneau has had great years in the past, but is brittle and appears to be on the downside of his career.

The trade market always remains a possibility but there are no obvious fits here. Unless a fire sale of the type that netted Carlos Delgado from the Marlins ahead of the 2006 campaign happens, I wouldn’t expect the team to be able to import an established slugger via this route. If the long-term answer is expected to come in the form of recent draft pick Dominic Smith, the Mets will still need to fill the likely four-year span until his arrival with an eye toward competing well before that happens.

As a team that plays in what still must be considered a “pitcher friendly” park even after recent renovations, the Mets can certainly follow a model of an earlier, successful incarnation, that of the ’86 champions. That team, of course, featured Keith Hernandez at first, a fine hitter but certainly not the kind of prototypical masher that most envisioned manning his position. Yet he figured as a central force on two championship teams and won an MVP while finishing in the top 20 of that award’s voting on six other occasions, all without ever hitting more than 18 home runs in any given season. The key to his success lay in his ability to hit in the clutch but especially in his ability to get on base, as evidenced in the nine seasons in which he played at least 100 games and walked more than he struck out and in his lifetime OBP of .384.

While the Mets do not have anyone who projects as a Keith clone waiting in the wings (who does?) many of the organization’s first base candidates mentioned before profile in some ways as sharing some similarities, at least from an offensive standpoint. Duda, Satin, and Flores have all been lauded for their ability to get on base, and Dykstra flaunts a gaudy OBP of .462 as of this writing (albeit in AA).  While none of these players project to be the overall defensive/offensive package that Hernandez was, they may yet surprise with what they can bring to a lineup. We have already seen an uptick in the team’s run production over the past month thanks in part to changes at leadoff (Young) and the contributions of Josh Satin.

The situation at first for the Mets will continue to evolve during the balance of this season, into the offseason, and may not be resolved until the end of 2014’s spring training. I’m sure we will all be watching with interest.

The post Who’s On First? A Look At A Mets Position That’s Still Up In The Air appeared first on Metsmerized.

If you’re the kind of baseball fan that still loves a good old-fashioned pitching duel like thrill of a Tom Seaver vs. Steve Carlton matchup, then tonight’s contest between the Washington Nationals and the New York Mets will be right up your alley.

As I said last week, every time Matt Harvey steps onto a mound it is must-see TV, but tonight’s contest comes with the added thrill of a marquee matchup as Stephen Strasburg squares off against Matt Harvey in what promises to be a pitchers duel like no other at Citi Field.

Strasburg, who is 1-2 with a 2.95 ERA and 15 strikeouts this season over 18.1 innings of work, may very well be the underdog in this contest – and no, that’s not the Met fan in me saying that.

His mound opponent, Mets phenom Matt Harvey, takes the hill with a 3-0 record and a 0.82 ERA while striking out 25 over 22.0 innings pitched this season. He is the clear favorite.

Both starters are former first-round picks. The Nationals selected Strasburg with their first overall pick in the 2009 Draft, while the Mets selected Harvey a year later with the seventh overall pick in the 2010 Draft.

Harvey, fresh off of being named the NL Player of the Week, has been nothing short of phenomenal this season so far this season. One of the most mind boggling statistics that pops out at you is that he’s allowed just six hits in his 22 innings of work. Let the enormity of that sink in.

In his last start against the Minnesota Twins, Harvey took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and got the first two outs before being tagged by a Justin Morneau home run. Whenever he takes the hill something special happens and on that night in particular, Harvey was electric.

Mets manager Terry Collins says Harvey will be armed and dangerous for tonight’s contest and gets amped up for moments like these.

“What we saw on the mound, his demeanor and everything else has changed. I know he’ll be ready, because he’s facing one of the best teams in the game.’’

“He loves the big stage, and that’s what he’s on,’’ Collins said yesterday. “He’s got a big challenge and if you look at some of the games he’s had to pitch, they have been against some pretty impressive guys, and he’s getting another one.’’

I’ve been waiting all week for tonight’s game.

I’ve had no problem calling Matt Harvey the best player to come out of the Mets draft since Dwight Gooden. Barring injuries, by the time his stellar career is over, Harvey may end up being the best Mets draft selection ever.

The Mets right-hander in no longer just a Mets sensation, he is now a baseball sensation and a national treasure.

All eyes will be watching baseball’s signature event tonight. Matt Harvey is now Prime Time  He really is The Real Deal.

The post Tonight’s Dream Matchup: Strasburg vs Harvey appeared first on Metsmerized.

The Mets took both games of a weather shortened series against the Minnesota Twins this weekend, with a pair of games that offered something for everyone. If you prefer watching the Met’s offense, Friday night’s game was the game for you as the Mets trounced the Twins 16-5, highlighted by scoring five runs in both the first and second innings. If pitching is more your preference, then Matt Harvey delivered in a big way delivering a stellar performance on Saturday afternoon. Here are the 3 & 3 from this series…

Matt-Tastic: Taking a cue from Joe D., how else can we describe Harvey’s outing on Saturday. He carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning and got two outs before giving up a home run to Justin Morneau. Harvey also pitched a personal best eight innings. We are quickly running out of superlatives to use on Matt… He truly is Matt-tastic.

Offense Returns: After looking lackluster in Philadelphia, the Mets offense returned with a vengeance on Friday night. The Mets scored sixteen runs, highlighted by who else, but catcher John Buck who hit a grand slam in the second inning. On Saturday, Marlon Byrd got the offense started with a home run, part of seven consecutive base hits that plated four runs. A good sign here is the Mets are scoring lots of runs despite getting pretty much nothing from Ike Davis.

Murph’s No Smurf: I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Daniel Murphy is a big-time major league hitter. He’s also a pretty decent second baseman now too. On Friday night Murphy had four hits to go with four RBI. Then on Saturday, Murphy was two-for-four with another RBI.

Baby It’s Cold Outside: The snow was flying prior to the start of Friday’s game, and we did see some flurries all during the game. I believe Saturday’s game time temperature was 34 degrees which broke long-standing MLB record. Keith and Gary said that Minnesota baseball fans voted for an open stadium. Be careful what you wish for. The Twins also gave the fans free coffee and hot chocolate on Friday night. Maybe I’m getting old, but I don’t even go to Met games in April because it’s too cold, I can’t imagine watching baseball during a snowstorm.

The Silly Overhang: What’s the deal with that overhang in right field? It’s just like a little shelf hanging over the playing field. It doesn’t provide extra seating, and it just looks dumb. It’s almost as dumb as that silly hill the Astros have in centerfield.

The Reyes Injury: Last week we reported that former Met starter R.A. Dickey was off to a rough start in Toronto. Well, it got even worse for the Blue Jays on Friday night when Jose Reyes injured his ankle sliding into second base. The Jays expect Reyes to be out at least until the All-Star break, and that’s a shame. Get well soon Jose, and Met fans take heart, we aren’t the only team to have trades and free agent signings backfire.

It’s off to the frozen tundra that is Colorado for a four-game set with the Rockies, before the Mets return back home next weekend. As usual, Let’s Go Mets!

The post 3 Up & 3 Down: Deep Fried Err… Frozen Twinkie Edition appeared first on Metsmerized.

Last night, former Mets’ righthander Dwight Gooden tossed out the idea of coming up with a nickname for current great righthander Matt Harvey. Doctor K suggested we go with Matt “The Real Deal” Harvey.

As is usually the case when I get inspired, I immediately took to Photoshop and went straight to work and this is what I came up with.

Hey Matt… This one’s for you….

MATT–TASTIC!

Matt Harvey hurled a career-high 8.0 innings yesterday and did not allow a hit until Justin Morneau slugged a solo home run with two outs in the seventh inning. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Harvey is the first pitcher in modern major league history (since 1900) to win each of his first three starts of a season, with at least 25 strikeouts and six or fewer hits allowed over those three games.

Harvey now has 95 strikeouts through his first 13 career starts, the third-most in team history after 13 games. He trails only Nolan Ryan (103) and Dwight Gooden (96). Harvey’s 25 strikeouts this season are tied for the fourth-most in the majors.

Additionally, Harvey became only the third pitcher since the end of World War II to open a season with three straight starts of seven-plus innings and three or fewer hits allowed, joining Nolan Ryan and Jim Rooker as the only other pitchers to perform that feat, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

WOO HOO! On Saturday, MMO smashed it’s all time single day record for unique visitors and hits! Exactly 20,345 different users visited our site yesterday and we had over 1.2 million hits. Of course, our Sandy Alderson interview being on ESPN, FOX Sports, Yahoo Sports, MetsBlog and even a few mentions on WFAN, sure didn’t hurt! Whatever it takes… Thanks everyone!

The post Matt “The Real Deal” Harvey – This One’s For You, Kid… appeared first on Metsmerized.