The newest members of baseball’s hall of fame are Scott Rolen and Fred McGriff. They will be enshrined in Cooperstown this summer. A preview of the 2024 hall of fame candidates shows a few former Mets on the ballot, as well as one former star who seems to be a lock to be elected in his first year of eligibility.

Adrián Beltré

Let’s start with Adrián Beltré, the former Dodger, Mariner, and Ranger (who also spent one season with the Boston Red Sox in 2010). He had 3,166 hits, 477 home runs and 93.5 Wins Above Replacement (WAR)–third-most among third basemen behind only Mike Schmidt and Eddie Mathews.

While it’s not common for a player to receive the necessary 75% of the vote in his first year on the ballot, Beltré dominated at his position for many of his 21 seasons. He was a four-time all star, and won five gold gloves. He likely will get the votes for induction in 2024.

Billy Wagner

One former Met to watch when the 2024 votes are counted is closer, Billy Wagner. Wagner jumped from 51% of the vote in 2022 to 68.1% in 2023. The fireballing lefty from Virginia was one of the dominant closers of his era with 422 saves, a 2.31 ERA and 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings. He will be in his ninth year on the ballot next year, meaning he has two chances remaining at election. Wagner ranks sixth on the all-time saves list, and from the late 1990s through 2007 was one of the best in the game.

Todd Helton

Todd Helton, the former Colorado Rockie, barely missed getting “the call” in 2023, netting 72.2% of the vote.The Rockies’ great slugging first baseman, who had 369 home runs and 2,519 hits, was a .316 lifetime hitter, and the 2000 MLB batting champion. He needs only 2.8% more of the vote in his sixth year. With 11 more ballots with his name next year, and he’ll be in. Helton, despite “Coors Field bias”, deserves to be in Cooperstown and will likely have his day next January.

Carlos Beltrán, David Wright, José Reyes

Three of the core players from the mid-2000s Mets will be up for election in 2024, with Carlos Beltrán in his second year of eligibility, and David Wright and José Reyes both in their first year. Beltran had nine all-star seasons, 435 home runs, 2,725 hits and a cumulative 70.1 WAR as great switch-hitter. In 2023, he received 46.5% of the vote. His connection to the Astros’ cheating scandal clearly factored into this percentage, but as time goes on, the sign-stealing caper may fade more into history, and Beltrán may be able to secure his rightful spot in the baseball shrine.

Wright, the sentimental choice of Mets fans, had a very good career that was cut short by spinal stenosis. Wright was a seven-time All-Star, two-time Gold Glove winner, and two-time Silver Slugger who hit .296 with 242 home runs. He head a career WAR of 49.2. Had Wright been able to play at full strength from 2015 (when he was first sidelined and missed most of the season) through 2020 (when he would have turned 38 years old), he would have had a very good chance at induction in Cooperstown.

Reyes, though he will be on the ballot, will not have a chance at being elected into the hallowed hall. Reyes had 517 stolen bases, and posted a 37.5 career WAR. He won the 2011 batting title while he with the Mets. He left via free agency after that season, and returned in 2016 after stints in Miami, Toronto, and Colorado. Reyes also was involved in a domestic violence incident, which contributed to his release by the Rockies.

Other Notables

Alex Rodriguez, who belted 696 home runs and had over 3,00 hits, received just 35.7% of the vote in 2023, his third year of eligibility. A-Rod, who had multiple issues with performance-enhancing substances, is active in baseball, working on ESPN Sunday night telecasts with Michael Kay. He seems to be in decent standing with MLB, but not so with the writers who hold his Hall of Fame fate.

Joe Mauer and Chase Utley (ever popular with Mets fans) will be on the ballot for the first time in 2024. Mauer’s achievements include three batting titles, three Gold Gloves, four All-Star selections and the 2009 AL MVP award. Mauer was a .306 career hitter, with a 55.2 career WAR. His WAR number ranks favorably against that of other catchers in the hall.

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Jackson Holliday, Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Baseball America has released their latest mock draft, and they see the New York Mets selecting two bats with their first round draft picks. As is typical with the Mets organization, the focus has been on shortstops and center fielders, i.e. more athletic players at the top of the draft.

The Mets looking to take bats shouldn’t be that much of a surprise. On that point, Baseball America points out the draft “board is shaping up to be hitter heavy at the top, thanks to an above-average group of bats in the top tier of the class as well as an abysmally unlucky year for college pitching health among the most talented arms in the country.”

On that later point, the Mets have two first round draft picks because they did not sign Kumar Rocker last season. As a result, they will have the 11th and 14th picks in the first round. Moreover, they are going to have three picks in the top 52, and they will have seven over the top 150.

As a result, the Mets will have the third highest bonus pool to offer draftees. This is how Baseball America projects the Mets will use their top two picks:

11. Jackson Holiday, SS

Holiday is a high school shortstop out of Stillwater High School (Oklahoma). Baseball America notes he “has made tremendous strides with his physical strength which in turn has exponentially improved all of his tools.”

Jackson is the son of former big leaguer Matt Holliday.

14. Chase DeLauter, CF

DeLauter is 20-year old junior from James Madison whose draft stock is at least in some question due to a broken foot. Baseball America calls his “track record as a hitter among the best in the class” while also noting he has the “physicality and tools and plays center field surprisingly well.”

Of course, this is just a mock draft with much subject to change between now and June. On that front, the draft board is a bit in disarray because Dylan Lesko, who was projected to be one of the top picks, underwent Tommy John surgery. In some ways, that makes him this year’s Rocker. To wit, if he were to fall, it would be surprising to see the Mets use their Rocker pick on a prep arm who just underwent surgery.

One interesting note here is Baseball America does believe the top 10 picks likely would not have seen surprises before Lesko. That makes the Mets picking at 11 all the more interesting because one of the top 10 talents may fall to them at 11. How the Mets pivot and react to the draft board will be a very interesting development.

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It looks as though the Mets’ offseason plans will be largely contingent on whether Yoenis Cespedes opts in or out of the two remaining years of his contract.

If he opts in, then the Mets retain their best hitter for at least another season. But if he opts out, he will become one of the most sought-after free agents in an otherwise weak class– virtually guaranteeing a nine-figure multiyear deal.GM Sandy Alderson’s reluctance to ink players to big deals likely means that Cespedes is a gonner if he opts out– which ESPN’s Adam Rubin said the team expects him to do.

Cespedes said in August that he was not planning on opting out He has made very clear that he loves playing in New York– something the Mets undoubtedly have going for them– but it makes little sense from a financial standpoint. Cespedes could be walking away from at least $100 million– and possibly up to $200 million– if he decides against free agency.

The Mets already seem to have two of their outfield spots locked up. Curtis Granderson is under contract for next year and Jay Bruce has a $13 million team option for 2017. So to fill that final spot, Mets seem to have three of courses of action they can take this offseason if Cespedes signs elsewhere. They can sign an immediate replacement in the outfield, stay internal and start Michael Conforto in left field, or do a mixture of both. Here’s a rundown of the three options:

Free agent replacements: If the team is emphasizing winning and improving the team for 2017 over long-term player development, they have a few solid shorter term options on the market.

The biggest name in this category is Jose Bautista. “Joey Bats” missed 46 games this season with a knee injury and had a down year by his own lofty standards– batting  .234/.366/.452 with 22 home runs and 69 RBIs. Given these factors and Bautista’s 36 years of age, a four-year deal of about $80-100 million seems to be fair for him. He’d essentially be a more expensive version of what Curtis Granderson was when he signed with the Mets three years ago.

Matt Holliday also makes sense in this situation. He’ll be 37 in January and has missed 141 games over the last two years, so it’s unlikely he’ll get more than three years from anyone. But he has still hit effectively when he has been healthy; he hit 20 home runs in 381 at-bats this season and was an All-Star in 2015. He still looks like he has some good baseball in the tank on a team-friendly deal.

Rajai Davis could work here too. The 35-year-old outfielder led the AL in stolen bases this year with 43– one more than the Mets had all season. For a team that needs a natural center fielder and able runners on the basepaths, an aging Davis would be someone who can provide both. And given his age, probably won’t demand a huge contract either.

Other outfielders that could work on short-term deals include Brandon Moss (28 home runs), Michael Saunders (24 home runs), and Carlos Gomez (.284/.362/.543 in 33 games with the Rangers).

Internal: The Mets could simply put all of their faith into Michael Conforto and give him a starting job in either left or center. To say this is a gamble would be an understatement.

Conforto has shown promise in the minor leagues and during his time in the majors in 2015, but had a nightmarish 2016. He batted .174/.267/.330 in 230 at-bats after May 1. He may have shown flashes of potential in the past, but it would be unwise to hand him a starting job given how he played this year.

They could also presumably use Juan Lagares in center if they wanted to, and hope he returns to the form that made him a Gold Glove winner and tolerable hitter in 2014. But that seems to be a stretch for a lineup that desperately needs to produce more runs.

The mix: 

Another option that could possibly work is to sign a middle-of-the-road veteran to a one or two-year deal to compete for the final outfield spot, and act as a safety net should Conforto struggle. This seems sensible if the Mets have strict budgetary constraints this year, or want to develop Conforto.

Austin Jackson is one player who fits this bill. He signed a one-year deal with the White Sox before the season, and will likely be looking at a one-year (or minor league) deal this year since he played in just 54 games in 2016. He is unlikely to cost more than a few million dollars, and has periodically shown flashes of talent in the majors.

Matt Joyce is another player who could be at play here. He was impressive as a part-time player with the Pirates this year, batting .242/.403/.463 with 13 home runs and 42 RBIs in 231 at-bats. Joyce also has pennant race and playoff experience from his years with the Rays, and his high on-base percentage is something that Alderson seems to like.

Other free agents who are of this description include Franklin Gutierrez (14 home runs in 248 at-bats for the Mariners), Seth Smith (16 home runs in 378 at-bats for the Mariners), and Gregor Blanco (.344 lifetime on-base percentage with the Giants).

Cespedes has until five days after the end of the World Series to opt out of his contract. Let’s hope he doesn’t pull a LeBron and decide on ESPN.

The post Here Are the Mets’ Options if Cespedes Opts Out appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

For the second straight day the Mets grabbed the elusive RISP brass ring, only to have it fall on the carousal floor Wednesday night after the Cardinals rallied for two runs in their 5-4 win.

Jeurys Familia stepped onto the mound in the top of the 9^th holding a one run lead in his trusty right hand, and did what he hadn’t done in 52 consecutive outings.  Blow a save.  In fact the Mets were 48-0 when leading after 8 innings.

The prolific closing act of this offensively struggling team flirted with danger one time too many when he issued a one out walk to the pesky Jedd Gyorko, the guy that hurt the Mets with a two-run homer in the first game of their double-header on Monday.

Yadier Molina, who broke New York’s heart during Game 7 of the NLCS nearly a decade ago, delivered a game tying RBI double, then Kolten Wong brought him home with the streak-ending dagger double to left field.

“I just tried to get a ground ball,” Familia said of his pitch to Molina. “I left it a little bit in the middle and he had a good swing.”

Fair to say that Yadier is still public enemy number one in Flushing.

The Mets drew first blood in the top of the 2^nd with a double to left by James Loney and an RBI single by Neil Walker’s recently awoken bat.

Logan Verrett couldn’t close the door with two outs in the bottom of the inning, surrendering back-to-back deuces to Matt Holliday and Matt Adams giving St Louis a 3-1 lead.

But then in the In the 7^th, it seemed like the makings of a modest two game winning streak was on the menu when consecutive singles by Travis d’Arnaud and Alejandro De Aza, a wild pitch by Adam Wainwright and a two-run shot by Yoenis Cespedes gave the Mets a one run lead.

Addison Reed retired the side in order in the 8^th, setting the stage for Familia’s 53^rd save which never came to fruition.

“You know it’s eventually gonna happen,” Wilmer Flores said of Familia’s inability to come through. “Nobody’s perfect. He made a pitch Molina was ready for. Some hitters would try to pull that ball. Molina didn’t.”

The loss meant the Mets still haven’t won consecutive games for nearly three weeks.

“It’s definitely a tough one to swallow since we came back,” Wilmer Flores said of his teammate Familia. “What can you do? We’re still right there. And we still believe in him.”

“Nobody’s perfect. He made a pitch Molina was ready for. Some hitters would try to pull that ball. Molina didn’t.”

The collateral damage that was done tonight put the Mets 5.5 back of the Nationals and in 4^th position of a wild card spot, a half game behind the Cardinals, and 1.5 away from the Marlins and the surging LA Dodgers. It’s suddenly getting pretty crowded around here.

Regardless of the result, kudos to Familia for an incredible record-setting run. His 52 consecutive saves in the regular season dating back to August 1, 2015, is the third-longest streak in major league history. And his 36 consecutive saves to open this season are a Mets franchise record. Shake it off, big guy.

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An MMO Fan Shot by Steven Pacchiano

Call me old fashioned, call me a dinosaur, I’m 39 years old BUT I still have 20/20 vision. I understand the concept of WAR and all the stats that go into it, but I really prefer to look at the classic numbers and watch the player play in order to decide if one player is better than another.

WAR supposedly is a stat that determines the value of a player’s total contributions to their team. It is claimed to show the number of additional wins a player would contribute to a team compared to a replacement level player at that position, usually a minor league player or bench player. It is an attempt by the sabermetric baseball community to summarize a player’s total contributions to their team in one statistic. An example would be, saying that Player A is worth 3 wins and player B is worth 6 wins.

I think it’s a very interesting idea for a stat and would love to be able to put a “number” on a guy like this. But I think there is something flawed somewhere in the calculations. Maybe there is too much weight for one stat over another or maybe they are missing a value or two, because to me something just doesn’t add up.

So lets relate this to Stephen Drew since he’s still in the headlines. Drew had a WAR of 3.1 in 2013 for the World Champions Red Sox. He had a batting average of .253, 13 HR and a .333 on base percentage. He played in 124 games in 2013. Let’s pretend and say the Mets do sign him, with the current roster where would he on opening day? Sixth or seventh?

Lets take a look at some players with a lower WAR than Drew and consider where they would hit in our lineup for comparison:

Norichika Aoki, who had a lower WAR 3.03 (not by much), who hit .286 with a .356 OBP, 20 SB and 80 Runs scored in 155 games on a Bad MIL team. (Would be a great leadoff hitter if the Mets had him)

Matt Holliday had a WAR of 2.66, Matt hit .300 with 22 HR, & 94 RBI with a .389 OBP, in 141 Games. (Would hit clean up in our lineup)

Justin Upton had a bad year (for him) and had a WAR of 2.64 BUT he still hit, .263 with 27 HR, 70 RBI, 94 Runs and a .354 OBP. (Would hit clean up in our lineup)

Domonic Brown, Had a WAR of 2.51, He hit .272 with 27 HR, and 83 RBI in 139 Games. (Would hit clean up in our lineup)

Allen Craig, Had a 2.25 WAR, Allen hit .315 with 97 RBI and a .373 OBP (Allen would hit 3 or 4 in our lineup)

Now WAR or no WAR, I would much prefer any of these guys on my team than Drew. ,Their numbers BLOW his away. Most of these players are big difference makers. Please look over their numbers again for yourselves. Yes, yes I know WAR also takes into consideration what position a player fields, so lets look at a few shortstops…

Alexei Ramirez, had a 2.58 WAR, but he hit .284, 39 doubles and 30 SB. In 158 Games (He would leadoff if he was on the Mets)

Jose Reyes (A name we all know) Had a WAR of 2.55. Yes, he did only play 93 Games (31 less than Drew), but Jose hit .296 with 10 HR, with a .353 OBP (Jose would take back his leadoff spot in our lineup)

Jed Lowrie Had a WAR of 2.27, And he hit .290 with 15 HR, 45 Doubles, 80 Runs scored, 75 RBI and a .344 OBP. (He would hit second in the Mets lineup)

I do know that Drew is a better defender than these other shortstops, Lowrie and Alexei committed a lot more errors BUT Reyes only had one more error than Drew. But the way I see it, committing an error doesn’t always lose you a game. Sometimes it doesn’t even cost you a run. Maybe there is a bit too much weight on defense?

Hey, if GM’s thought WAR really determined the value of a player’s total contributions to their team in games won, than we should sign Drew and trade him for one of those other guys I mentioned. Maybe they would think they were getting a good deal?

* * * * * * * *

This Fan Shot was contributed by Steven Pacchiano. Have something you want to say about the Mets? Share your opinions with over 25,000 Mets fans who read this site daily. Send your Fan Shot to GetMetsmerized@aol.com. Or ask us about becoming a regular contributor.

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Responding to a report by Tim Brown that the Cardinals and Rockies were discussing a trade for Troy Tulowitzki, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports spoke to one GM who told him:

“The current message from the Rockies is that their two superstars — shortstop Troy Tulowitzki and left fielder Carlos Gonzalez — aren’t going anywhere.”

That GM said he has been told Gonzalez is “definitely” not available and was left with the impression that Tulowitzki isn’t being traded either.

A Rockies person also suggested that no Tulo trade is in the cards.

Heyman correctly asserts that while many team will inquire or even make offers for CarGo and Tulo, there’s no evidence that the Rockies will do anything more than listen and decline.

Original Post

Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports is reporting that the St. Louis Cardinals and Colorado Rockies are expected to meet at the GM Meetings and discuss parameters of a potential trade involving shortstop Troy Tulowitzki. Sources with knowledge of the situation told Yahoo that the two teams have already had informal talks about a deal for Tulo.

The Cardinals have also asked the Rangers about the possibility of trading for Elvis Andrus or Jurickson Profar, writes Passan.

St. Louis has made shortstop a top offseason priority much like the Mets, but the two teams are on opposite sides of the spectrum as the Cards are looking at top-shelf options while the Mets are sticking to middle-tier choices.

Last week, Rockies ownership said they had no intentions of trading their team’s best player, but Passan says that privately Colorado continues to the weigh advantages of freeing itself from the final seven years and $134 million remaining on Tulo’s contract.

First base prospect Matt Adams could be one player the Rockies would get as they seek to replace Todd Helton. And while pitching phenom Michael Wacha is going nowhere, the Cards are willing to move righthander Shelby Miller along with Adams and two other players to get Tulowitzki.

Tulo has a no-trade clause, but is good friends with former teammate Matt Holliday and the opportunity to join a winning franchise may be enough to sway him.

When the Mets grow up I hope they’ll be just like the St. Louis Cardinals…

The post GM Meetings: Tulo and CarGo Are Not Going Anywhere appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Although many might believe that kind of success is the stuff of a sustained run, Kepner explains how the Cardinal magic is actual the result of two different runs. runs ignited by two contrasting management philosophies.

From 2000 to 2006, the Cards built their championship teams around acquiring star quality players through trades. A major part of the ‘Cardinal Way‘ at that time was to use young minor league prospects as trading chips to bring in more established stars.

Interestingly, the Mets utilized a similar ‘big star’ strategy during that era incorporating both trades and free agency as their primary tools of acquisition.. Carlos Delgado did arrive in New York in 2005 in a trade for Mike Jacobs, Yusmeiro Petit, and Grant Psomas. Paul Lo Duca came by trade during a Marlin purge. “El Duque” was added in 2006 in a trade for reliever Jorge Julio, and Shawn Green joined the Mets in a trade for pitching prospect Evan MacLane.

The Mets were active in the free agency hunt for baseball talent as well. Big name players like Cliff Floyd, Carlos Beltran, Mike Cameron, Pedro Martinez, Tom Glavine, Billy Wagner, and Kazuo Matsui were all procured through free agency signings.

Baseball’s new labor agreement and the advanced ages of many of their baseball stars helped the Cardinals change their management philosophy. That shift evolved slowly over time beginning about 2003-2004. Anticipating the consequences of aging stars and the new labor agreement, rather than try to obtain high octane baseball talents from other teams, the Cardinals made a concerted effort to start developing that talent through their own minor league system. For example, rather than give up future draft choices in trades for established talent, the Cardinals stockpiled draft choices for development in their own system.

The majority of Cardinals advancing to the World Series this fall are home grown. For the most part, only Carlos Beltran and Matt Holliday came by signing or trade. Kepner adds that the Cardinals have used seven home grown pitchers in post season play this month that weren’t on the roster two years ago. Neither were three starting infielders; Mike Adams at first base, Matt Carpenter at second and Pete Kozma at third.

Kepner leaned heavily on comments from Dodger catcher A.J. Ellis in his piece. “They’ve got a system and it works. They have an organizational philosophy that’s obviously successful, and these guys keep coming in waves and waves and waves,” Ellis told him.

Ellis says the Cardinals look for young players with a similar make up, often college position players, sprinkle in a few high school prospects and go after young power pitchers they can develop.

Michael Wacha, the young Cardinal pitcher who has electrified the baseball world this fall, was a compensation draft pick the Cards picked up when Albert Pujols signed with the Angels.

As I read this fascinating article, I couldn’t help but draw parallels between the “Cardinal Way” and what appears to be the “Met Way.” The steps the Mets have made over the past three years share many similarities with those already put into place in St. Louis.

The Mets, too, have adopted an organizational philosophy of developing baseball talent from within. Like the Cardinals, the Mets have concentrated first on stockpiling power pitching arms they can develop. And, taking another page from the Cardinal management book, the make up of the prospects they select is a priority consideration.

One big missing piece for the Mets front office so far is the ability to execute the maneuvers needed to bring in those two or three position players who are difference makers, guys like Beltran and Holliday for the Cards. Many underestimate the impact two or three key bats can have on a lineup.

I’ll never forget the unbelievable start the Mets had in 1972 and then how they plummeted like a rock after Rusty Staub broke his wrist diving to make a catch in right field. Prior to Staub’s injury the Mets lineup produced. After Rusty went down the lineup was a powder-puff and promising pennant winning hopes evaporated into thin air. One or two added accomplished major league hitter’s can make the entire lineup better, even a lineup like the one employed by our Mets.

St. Louis owner, William DeWitt Jr. told Kepner that it’s one thing to have a plan and an entirely different matter to execute it. That’s a brilliant observation and one the Met management should consider seriously.

The addition of two or more ‘difference making’ bats in the line-up over the off-season will accelerate the Met rebuilding plan, a plan much like that used by the Cardinals built around home grown talent. Off-season moves of that sort would also be symbolic, a signal to an increasingly despondent fan base that the baseball improvement they have been promised is more than a plan, it’s a multi-faceted strategy that will result in competitive baseball and serious contention for post season play, now rather than later..

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Bill Madden of the Daily News with the sobering reality most Met fans probably don’t want to hear:

There were 21,747 gluttons for punishment at Citi Field Sunday for the conclusion of another Mets-Marlins series, which now qualify for the worst baseball on the planet. Not satisfied with having tortured their fans for 20 innings of record-tying ineptitude the day before, the Mets lost in similar fashion — just not so long in doing it — and when it was over, when they had gone another 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position, on top of the 0-for-19 the day before that equaled the worst performance of clutch hitting by a team in the last 50 years, and gotten one infield hit after David Wright’s two-run double in the third inning, it was as if Alderson and Collins couldn’t wait another minute to start shipping the bums out of here.

I was asked what I thought about the moves and as I asserted in my report on it yesterday this won’t change anything in Flushing.

This is not the cavalry coming and it’s more like bringing in a few pallbearers to put the 2013 season to rest. None of the players coming in can be classified as upgrades.

As Madden also pointed out in his article, the problem is, the changes made Sunday are all internal changes and, internally, the Mets don’t have any players at Triple-A who are much better than the ones they’re sending out.

Since the end of last season I’ve been harping on the Mets needing to bring in at least one position player from the outside for the rebuild process to work. The Mets have no outfielders that are close or that you would call a keeper. Even top pick Brandon Nimmo is still in A-Ball since being drafted in 2011 and the word is that’s exactly where he will stay for the rest of this season. Gavin Cecchini is still in extended spring training and awaiting short season baseball to begin. The Mets took another position player in last week’s draft in Dominic Smith and he’ll be at least 4-5 years away – with all due respect to his mother who has much higher aspirations. Such is the love of a mother.

Anyone who thinks we can be a playoff contender on the strength of pitching alone and a purely homegrown roster is misguided, misinformed and are clueless as to the dearth of position players in our system even after three Sandy Alderson drafts.

The San Francisco Giants wouldn’t have won a World Series without Angel Pagan and Hunter Pence. The St. Louis Cardinals wouldn’t have a 2011 World Series banner without Matt Holliday‘s seven year mega-deal and wouldn’t be the best team in baseball today without giving Carlos Beltran $13 million a season.  No need for me to mention the 2009 Yankees, the 2008 Phillies, and the 2007 Red Sox, and how all three won their World Series, right?

It takes quality to get quality. We don’t get Zack Wheeler if lets say a player like Collin Cowgill or Andres Torres was the return. It took an all star caliber talent like Carlos Beltran to land him. It took a reigning Cy Young winner to bring in Travis d’Arnaud. You don’t get something for nothing…

It’s going to take a Zack Wheeler or someone like him to bring back the legitimate bat in the outfield that this team so desperately needs. Get that into your heads.

(Photo Credit: Ron Antonelli)

The post The Worst Baseball On The Planet appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Lately, it seems the only thing the Mets excel at is finding ways to lose.

Shaun Marcum had his first quality start as a Met, going 6.2 innings allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits while walking one and punching out three. He threw 96 pitches, 65 of which for strikes, however fell to 0-4 on the year in easily his best effort for the Amazin’s this season.

After matching goose eggs with the Cardinal’s young phenom Shelby MIller, things got rocky in the bottom of the fourth. With Matt Holliday on first and two out, Jon Jay roped a double to Mike Baxter in right that went to the wall. Seeing that he didn’t have a play on Holliday, who came around to score, Daniel Murphy threw to third and pinned Jay in a run down. Apparently giving up, Jay stood almost still in front of Wright for a routine play to tag him. Wright went to lay the tag on, but dropped the ball. As it skidded into the infield, Jay was able to safely make it to third base, costing Wright just his third error on the year. Tony Cruz would follow up with a knock to make it a 2-0 ballgame.

Looking overmatched at the plate, the offense was completely anemic against Miller who did not have his best stuff today. He held the Mets off the board through 5.2 frames before being relieved by Randy Choate for the last out of the sixth. In the seventh against Seth Maness, John Buck got himself on base with a one out single, setting the table Rick Ankiel. On the seventh pitch of the at bat with a full count, Ankiel took a 90mph sinker deep to center to tie up the ballgame at two. Maybe the Mets luck is finally starting to turn around right?

Wrong. In the bottom half of the frame, Marcum got the first two outs but got himself into trouble with runners on first and third. After which he was lifted for this year’s go-to lefty, Scott Rice. Rice came on to face the former-Met Ty Wigginton, and on the first-pitch of the at-bat, threw a breaking ball that careened off John Buck and to the backstop, scoring the lead run in Daniel Descalso.

After the end of the seventh, the life was sucked out of the Mets. Carlos Beltran walked to lead off the eighth. Matt Holliday grounded into what would be a routine double-play, but the throw from Murphy sailed into the home dugout, allowing him to go to second. Allen Craig would also be walked to create a nice opportunity for Yadier Molina, who came through with a base hit to drive in the insurance run and make it 4-2.

After the wild pitch from Rice, the offense showed little fight as they went down 1-2-3 in both the eighth and ninth to end the game.

John Buck had a nice day at the plate, but a horrible one on the basepaths as he was doubled off on a Ruben Tejada liner that was caught, then made a boneheaded steal attempt, resulting in the slow-footed backstop being picked off at second. That plus the key wild pitch, and it was overall a night to forget for Buck.

The offense continues to be ice cold. Ike Davis and Lucas Duda both had 0-fers in this game.

The Mets just aren’t playing good baseball, it is as simple as that. They are giving opposing teams extra outs with sloppy D and giving away at-bats with an inept lineup.

Two positives to take away from this one however was the encouraging start from Marcum, and the solid offensive effort by Rick Ankiel.

The Mets have now lost six-games in a row for the second time this season and are 8-18 in their last 26 games. They now have the third worst record in baseball at 14-23, nine games under .500. Only Houston and Miami are worse.

Jonathon Niese (2-4, 5.93 ERA) opposes right-hander Adam Wainwright (5-2, 2.30) in the series finale on Thursday at 1:45 PM. The Mets look to avoid a four-game sweep at the hands of the Cardinals which last happened in 1982 when Keith Hernandez played for St. Louis.

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Scott Atchison, who experienced numbness in his fingers while pitching Monday, has been placed on the disabled list according to Assistant GM John Ricco.

Atchison was examined Tuesday in New York by team doctors who said there is “no new structural damage.”

The 37 year old veteran reliever opted not to have Tommy John surgery last year despite a ligament tear in his right elbow.

Collin McHugh has been promoted from Triple-A and is in St. Louis. He will work out of the bullpen while with the team.

In eight starts for Las Vegas, McHugh was 3-2 with a 2.74 ERA and 1.25 WHIP. In 49.1 innings, he’s walked nine and struck out 36.

Originally Posted at 9:00 AM

Mets reliever Scott Atchison took the mound pitched last night at Busch Stadium with numbness in the fingers of his right hand, which he classified as a side effect of his torn elbow ligament.

The Mets plan to send Atchison for tests on his elbow, although the reliever is not sure what that will accomplish. He has been pitching with a torn ligament since at least 2009, according to MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo.

“It’s documented, obviously, with my elbow,” Atchison said. “Some of it’s, ‘What can I handle?’ I feel like I’ve been managing it pretty good all year, and today for whatever reason the tingling came back.”

Atchison, 37, missed more than two months last season after experiencing similar numbness, but opted against Tommy John surgery.

In 19 appearances spanning 18.0 innings Atchison has a 4.50 ERA and allowed 20 hits, 6 walks, six strikeouts and a 1.44 WHIP.

He said he could not feel his fingers last night when he failed to get an out and gave up three hits including a two-run homer to Matt Holliday.

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