While this free agent class is overshadowed by the big fish on the market, Juan Soto, there is still a future first ballot Hall-of-Famer on the marker. On Wednesday, it was reported that the Houston Astros are “having conversations” with Justin Verlander on a potential return to Houston in 2025, per Astros GM Dana Brown on ESPN’s Baseball Tonight podcast. The former Met posted his highest ERA since his 2005 rookie season, where he threw only 11 1/3 innings, in his 2024 campaign with the Astros. 

Between injuries and poor play, Verlander’s market is not as large as one would think, making a return to a familiar place on a one-year deal quite possible.

Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports

Latest Mets News

Francisco Alvarez continues to show videos of him putting in work during the offseason.

Offseason work for Francisco Alvarez 💪

(via franciscoalvarez.13/IG) pic.twitter.com/O5fwINkMiy

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) November 23, 2024

Latest MLB News

Texas Rangers reliever Josh Sborz had a shoulder debridement procedure last week, per Evan Grant of Dallas Morning News. Sborz will miss 2-3 months of the 2025, but he and the club still agreed to a deal for the 2025 season.

The Cincinnati Reds have hired former World Series champion Mike Napoli for an unspecified role within the organization, per Rob Bradford of WEEI. Napoli was previously the Chicago Cubs first base coach.

Former St. Louis Cardinals close Giovanny Gallegos is signing a minor league deal with a spring training invite with the Los Angeles Dodgers, per Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors.

Right-handed relief pitcher Yunior Marte signed a minor league deal with a spring training invite with the Seattle Mariners, per Francys Romero.

Former 2018 sixth-round pick and right-handed pitcher Codi Heuer has re-signed with the Texas Rangers on a minor league with a spring training invite, per Matt Eddy of Baseball America. 

The Los Angeles Dodgers have had “preliminary dialogue” with NLCS MVP and utility man Tommy Edman on a potential contract extension, per Jon Morosi of MLB Network. Edman will become a free agent after the 2025 season.

Latest on MMO

Get to know potential Mets starting pitching target Matthew Boyd.

Chris Bello gave a look at some non-tendered players the Mets should go after.

On This Date in Mets History

2005: The Mets acquire Carlos Delgado from the Florida Marlins in return for first baseman Mike Jacobs and prospects Yusmeiro Petit and Grant Psomas. Delgado hit 104 home runs with New York and finished top-15 in MVP voting twice. 

Born On This Date: Jason Jacome (1970), Bob Friend (1930).

The post Morning Briefing: Astros ‘Having Conversations’ With Verlander appeared first on Metsmerized.

If you polled a majority of Mets fans on whether Carlos Delgado or Lucas Duda were better during their time with the Mets, I assume most would probably answer Delgado.

I wouldn’t blame them. Delgado was part of a robust Mets offense that included the magical 2006 National League East champion team. The Puerto Rico native also had some big seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays in the ’90s and early ’00s as well, prior to joining the Mets. He hit 40+ home runs twice three times with Toronto, and hit at least 30 eight times.

Over his 17-year big league career, Delgado hit 473 total home runs and owned a .282/.392/.556 triple slash, with 44.1 fWAR.

While he had some monster seasons with Toronto, including a 2000 campaign that saw him put up 7.4 fWAR, was Delgado truly better than Duda during their respective times with the Mets?

It might just be the history that came with Delgado, or the fact that Duda played on some bad Mets teams, but the comparison is not an egregious one.

Let’s start with Delgado’s time with New York.

After whiffing on signing him prior to the 2005 season, the Mets kept their eyes set on the first baseman, and struck a deal with the Florida Marlins to bring Delgado to Queens in the 2005-06 offseason.

The Mets sent first baseman Mike Jacobs, pitching prospect Yusmeiro Petit and minor league infielder Grant Psomas along with $7 million to Florida for Delgado.

By the time he arrived in Queens, Delgado was 33-years-old going on 34, but still gave them some production in the middle of their batting order.

In 2006, Delgado launched 38 home runs, hit to a .265/.361/.548 triple slash, had a 128 wRC+ and .377 wOBA, and had 2.8 fWAR over 144 games.

That year, he also reached the playoffs for the first and only time in his career. Between the NLDS and NLCS, Delgado hit .351/.442/.757 with four long balls.

The following season was a bit of a down year for Delgado. He hit 24 home runs, had a triple slash of .258/.333/.448, but his wRC+ was just 101 and his wOBA regressed to .336. He finished the year with just 0.5 fWAR.

2008 would be Delgado’s last full season as a Met, and he played nearly every game, appearing in all but three for the Mets. He put up similar production to his ’06 season with the team, as he had 2.4 fWAR, and again hit 38 home runs. His wRC+ improved to 123 and he raised his wOBA to .366.

What bogged Delgado down during his time with the Mets was his fielding. Over the span of four seasons with the team, he had -16 defensive runs saved (DRS) and a -8.9 ultimate zone range (UZR).

Overall, Delgado was worth 6.1 fWAR over four seasons with New York.

Lucas Duda debuted with the Mets in 2010. For his first few seasons, however, the team bounced him around the diamond.

With Ike Davis holding down the fort at first base, Duda spent a lot of time out of position in the outfield.

From 2010-14, Duda played nearly 2,000 innings in the outfield for the Mets, compared to just 635.1 at first base.

Going into 2014, with Davis struggling to match his success from earlier in his career after suffering from valley fever, the team went into the season with a tandem of Davis and Duda at first base.

However, Davis was shipped off to the Pittsburgh Pirates early in the 2014, as the Mets chose to go with Duda at first base.

Once Duda started getting regular reps at his natural position, he began to settle into his game.

That 2014 season, Duda hit 30 home runs, had a .253/.349/.481 triple slash, a 135 wRC+, .361 wOBA and had 3.1 fWAR.

The following year, Duda matched his 2014 performance with another 3+ fWAR season, 27 more long balls, a .244/.352/.486 triple slash, a 135 wRC+ and a .361 wOBA.

After an injury-laden 2016 season, Duda started 2017 strong, appearing in 72 games for the Mets and clubbing 17 home runs before he was shipped off to the Tampa Bay Rays for pitching prospect Drew Smith prior to the trade deadline. He had 1.1 fWAR at the time of the trade.

In the field during his time with the Mets as a first basemen, Duda was a serviceable defensive player. While not spectacular, he wasn’t a liability. From 2014-17, he had nine DRS and a 0.7 UZR.

Overall, from 2014-17, the first baseman logged 7.5 fWAR.

The two big knocks on Duda during his time with the Mets were his errant throw in Game 5 of the 2015 World Series, and that he only hit “meaningless” home runs.

For the first point, I think it’s unfair to judge a player on an isolated incident. It’s like blaming Mets all-time great Carlos Beltran on striking out looking in Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS. Or blaming Bill Buckner solely for the Red Sox losing Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. Like anything else, baseball is a team sport and there are many reasons why teams don’t win.

The 2006 Mets struggled in the NLCS that year offensively, and were rolling out a decimated pitching staff. The 1986 Red Sox bullpen blew the game when they had the Mets down to their final strike multiple times and also had a Game 7 to redeem themselves. And the 2015 Mets cooled off after sweeping the Cubs in the NLCS, and fell victim to the relentless Kansas City Royals who exposed the Mets weaknesses around the diamond. Also, the team’s bats went silent.

As for the “meaningless” home runs, let’s take a look.

Since 2014 and 2015 were Duda’s two full seasons as a Met manning first base, I have included his clutch stats from those years, courtesy of Baseball Reference.

First, here is 2014.

And here is 2015.

While it would be unrealistic to say Duda was the most clutch player as a Met, he certainly wasn’t as bad as he’s made out to be.

Since I have used Duda’s two full seasons as a first basemen, I have decided to see what Delgado did during his two best seasons as a Met, in 2006 and 2008.

Here’s 2006:

And here’s 2008:

Overall, both Delgado and Duda had their strength and weaknesses as members of the Mets.

However, the difference isn’t as far apart as folks may think.

Delgado finished his tenure with the Mets with 6.1 fWAR, while Duda over his four seasons as a first baseman had 7.5 fWAR.

The post First Base Face Off: Carlos Delgado vs. Lucas Duda appeared first on Metsmerized.

Photo Credit: Robert Sabo of New York Daily News

Mike Jacobs made his major league debut on August 21, 2005. In his first major league at-bat, he hit a three-run home run off Esteban Loaiza of the Washington Nationals, in a game the Mets would lose 7-4.

Jacobs did not stop there. hitting a total of four home runs in his first four games, including two in the Mets game on August 24 against Arizona. Jacobs helped propel the Mets to a five-game winning streak, that saw them crawl to within a half game of the wild card lead in the National League (though they would get no closer that year). You can see his first at-bat home run in the video below.

Overall in 2005, Jacobs played in 30 games, logging 100 official at-bats. He belted 11 home runs, drove in 23 runs, and slashed .310/.375..710 for an OPS of 1.085 and a stellar OPS+ of 180.

After the 2005 season, the Mets traded Jacobs to the Florida Marlins as part of a deal that brought Carlos Delgado to New York. Delgado was a highly productive Met, hitting 104 home runs over four years with the team. He had an OPS of .867 and an OPS+ of 122 as a Met.

Prior to the 2010 season, Jacobs signed as a free agent with the Mets for a return engagement in Flushing. He played in just seven games for the Mets that season, and his contract was sold to the Toronto Blue Jays in July. He did not play in a game for the Blue Jays. After missing the 2011 season, Jacobs played briefly with the Diamondbacks in 2012. For his career spanning seven seasons, Jacobs hit 100 home runs and slashed .253/.313/.473.

Jacobs was one of four Mets to homer in their first at-bat with the club. The others are Benny Ayala (1974), Mike Fitzgerald (1983), Kazuo Matsui (2004).

While Mike Jacobs will not go down in history as a great Met, he certainly made quite an impression in his rookie season with New York. It’s interesting how the other three Mets to hit home runs in their first at-bats also had relatively short and modest tenures with the team.

The post Amazin’ Memories: Mike Jacobs Bursts onto The Scene appeared first on Metsmerized.

With the current New York Mets just playing out the string in a second straight disappointing season I thought it would be fun to get peoples thoughts on their favorite obscure/part-time Mets players on Twitter.

Given the strong response and awesome names brought up by numerous people I decided to put together an obscure Mets team.

For criteria I decided to go with players that played less than 162 MLB games with the Mets. Should also note that I was born in 1987 so the team will have some recency bias. Also tried to limit myself to players no longer active and leave guys off that had strong major league careers like Gary Sheffield.

Here are my position players:

• C: Omir Santos – Obviously quite a few names I could’ve went with here but his game-winning homer off Jonathan Papelbon in 2009 endeared him to me. He would hit .260/.296/.391 that season with seven homers and 40 RBI then spend the next season in the minors for the Mets before leaving in free agency.
• 1B: Mike Jacobs – Few players have ever had the type of start to their Mets career than Jacobs did  in 2005. He blasted four homers in his first four MLB games and had a 1.085 OPS in his first pro season (30 games). He was traded in the package for Carlos Delgado in that offseason though he return to the Mets for seven games in 2010.
• 2B: Anderson Hernandez – I decided to go defense with this choice and that his superman catch will always be engraved in my brain. The slick fielding second baseman had 5 DRS in the majors at the position. The Mets traded Hernandez in August of 2008 to only get him back from the Nationals less than a year later in a trade. Both Damion Easley and Jose Valentin had too many games played to fit by bill, but obviously two names that come to mind.
• SS: Mike Bordick – This one has a personal connection for me given he played baseball in my home state of Maine (very rare for anyone with Maine connections to make majors). He did homer in his first at-bat as Met though that was one of very few highlights with the 2000 team. Melvin Mora (who could also be in this spot) was traded for Bordick and had a fine career.
• 3B: Mike Hessman – You might have completely forgotten his time with the Mets given it was only 32 games in 2010. The minor league home run king hit 433 in the minors, 14 in majors and 7 in Japan.
• OF: Tommy Davis – The Brooklyn native slashed .302/.342/.440 with 32 doubles and 16 homers in his one season with the Mets in 1967. At the time, he set a team single season record with 577 at-bats, 174 hits and 32 doubles. That offseason he was traded in a package for Tommie Agee and Al Weis.
• OF: Jason Tyner – Pretty obscure player despite being a first round of the Mets back in 1998. The speedster would play in only 13 games with the Mets before being traded to the Rays in in 2000 as part of the package for Rick White and Bubba Trammell.
• OF: Marlon Byrd – I remember the lazy, “Going to the World Series” reactions when the Mets gave him a minor league deal in 2013. All he did was hit .285/.330/.518 with 21 homers and 71 RBI before trading him with John Buck to the Pirates for Vic Black and Dilson Herrera.

This bench group was so tough to put together with the Mets using tons and tons of random guys off the bench from failed prospects to old veterans way past their prime.

• INF: Ruben Gotay – Dude hit .295/.351/.421 over 211 plate appearances in 2007 for the Mets, what’s not to like? The Mets got him in trade from the Royals for another guy that I had on my original tweeted list, Jeff Keppinger.
• OF: Chris Jelic – The former second pick of the Royals has the distinction of being the only Met player in franchise history with their only hit being a home run. He went 1-for-11 with the Mets in 1990 and was released that offseason. The home run is his only major league hit and it came in his final at-bat.
• C: Joe Hietpas – His Mets major league career consisted of catching one inning on October 3, 2004. That one inning ended up being the last of the Montreal Expos.
• OF: Eric Valent – Bet most fans wouldn’t remember Valent posting a .782 OPS during his 350 plate appearance Mets career. I’m sure most would remember when he hit for the cycle in 2004 against the Expos.
• INF: Desi Relaford – The switch hitter only played in one season for the Mets but it was the best year of his 11-season career with a 2.1 WAR and .836 OPS. He also pitched a perfect inning with one strikeout.

Plenty of other players that could’ve been on this list like George Theodore, Robinson Cancel, Harry Chiti, Doug Mientkiewicz, Omar Quintanilla, Xavier Nady and Collin Cowgill to name a few. Should note that Endy Chavez and Mike Baxter both played over 162 games as Mets though both of them were popular responses from fans on Twitter.

The second half of my Obscure Mets Team will feature pitchers next week!

The post My Obscure Mets Team: Position Players (Part 1) appeared first on Metsmerized.

Good morning Mets fans! The New York Mets (56-71) split their four-game series with the San Francisco Giants (63-66) as they dropped the final game of the series yesterday by a score of 3-1. Despite Jacob deGrom‘s (8-8, 1.71 ERA) 18th consecutive quality start, some bad defense, luckluster offense and a missed call helped cost him yet another game. DeGrom’s pitching record now stands at an unremarkable 8-8, even though he leads MLB with a sparkling 1.71 ERA.

Latest Mets News

The Mets continue their seven-game homestand as they host the Washington Nationals (64-63). Jason Vargas (3-8, 7.67 ERA) will start things off for the Mets as he will take the mound against Gio Gonzalez (7-10, 4.51 ERA). The game will be broadcast on WPIX and 710 WOR, with first pitch scheduled for 7:10 p.m. EDT.

Kevin Kernan of the New York Post wrote about how the Mets may have found their next Daniel Murphy in the form of Jeff McNeil.

Devin Mesoraco left Thursday’s game early due to some neck stiffness.

Latest MLB News

In an article for ACTA Sports, Mark Simon took a look at Strike Zone Runs Saved which is a stat that measures a catcher’s ability to get more strikes for his pitcher than the average catcher. The six teams that lead in that statistical category combine for a .578 winning percentage while the seven teams that rank the lowest in that category combine for a .439 winning percentage.

Sheryl Ring of Fangraphs made a case as to why minor leaguers should be included by the MLBPA.

Billy Hamilton was claimed off waivers by an unknown team, but Jon Heyman of Fancred.com notes that a trade is unlikely as he won’t be a free agent at the end of the season.

Jayson Stark of The Athletic wrote about why a pitch clock is widely unpopular in baseball, especially among what he calls “slowpoke hitters.”

Latest NL East News

The Philadelphia Phillies made a few roster changes yesterday morning. Andrew Knapp and Luis Avilan were both added to the 25-man roster while Justin Bour and Edubray Ramos were both placed on the 10-day disabled list.

Ronald Acuna Jr. got some revenge against the Miami Marlins on Thursday for hitting him on August 15. In his first game since the event, he hit a 432-foot home run in his second at-bat of the game.

Audrey Stark of Federal Baseball wrote about why the Nationals’ trade of  Murphy and Matt Adams showed a lack of self-awareness within the front office.

Latest on MMO/MMN

Matt Mancuso covered the news about Luis Santana and  Guillermo Granadillo both being named to the Appalachian League’s All-Star team.

Matt Musico wrote about Robert Gsellman and what has been a roller coaster of a season thus far.

Jack Hendon broke down deGrom’s tough-luck loss on Thursday.

Michael Mayer shared Mets Minors‘ updated Top 30 Prospects list after the additions of Franklyn Kilome and Will Toffey and after the graduation of Corey Oswalt from having prospect status.

This Day in Mets History

2005: Mike Jacobs became the first player to hit four home runs in his first four games to start off a major league career.

2013: Matt Harvey and Max Scherzer made history as it was the first time that All-Star Game starters had faced each other in the same regular season.

Birthdays: Butch Benton turns 61, Bartolome Fortunato turns 44 and Jamie Callahan turns 24.

The post Morning Briefing: Vargas To Start Things Off Against Nationals appeared first on Metsmerized.

This Bud’s For You…

Barring injury, 2014 will be the 10th consecutive Opening Day start for David Wright, tying Tom Seaver with 10 consecutive Opening Days (1968-1977 + 1 additional start in 1983) and one short of Bud Harrelson‘s 11 consecutive openers (1967-1977).

While we know the names and histories of the players who played in multiple Opening Days, there were plenty of One Start Wonders who only started one Opening Day as a New York Met.  Since 1980, there have been 55 players who have started one Opening Day.  Some were pretty obsure.  Some are surprising.  There were some players who started just one game at one position, but started other openers at a different position.

Since 1980 (34 seasons), what positions saw the most one-time wonders?

First Base – 5
Second Base – 7
Shortstop – 4
Third Base – 1
Left Field – 3
Center Field – 9
Right Field – 10
Catcher – 6
Pitcher – 10

But who are the most Obscure of the Obscure Mets Opening Day Starters since 1980?  Of the 46 non-pitchers, these 10 players have played the fewest games in a Mets uniform:

10 – Karim Garcia – Karim was the Opening Day Right Fielder in 2004, his only season with the Mets . In 62 games with the team, he hit .234 with 7 HR and 22 RBI.  He was traded to the Baltimore Orioles on July 19th, 2004 for relief pitcher Mike DeJean. Karim played parts of 10 seasons in the Majors with the Dodgers, Diamondbacks, Tigers, Orioles, Indians, Yankees, and Mets.  He appered in 488 MLB games from 1994-2004 and hit .241 with 66 HR and 212 RBI.

9 – Mike Marshall – Mike was the OD First Baseman in 1990, his only season in New York.  In 53 games as a Met, he hit .239 with 6 HR and 27 RBI.  He was traded to the Boston Red Sox on July 27th, 1990 for Paul Williams, Ed Perozo, and Greg Hansell.  Mike played 11 MLB seasons (1981-1991) with the Dodgers, Mets, Red Sox, and Angels, appearing in 1035 games and hit .270 with 148 HR and 530 RBI.

7 (tie) – Mike Howard – Mike was the OD Right Fielder in 1983, the same year that Darryl Strawberry was called up.  Mike went 1 for 3 on Opening Day, collecting an RBI Single off Steve Carlton in the bottom of the 7th, driving in Dave Kingman.  His hit on Opening Day off the Hall of Famer was the final hit in the final at bat in the final game of his MLB career.  In 48 MLB games (1981-1983), all with the Mets, he hit .182 with 1 HR and 7 RBI.

7 (tie) – Tony Fernandez – Tony was the Opening Day Shortstop of the 1993 team.  The 5 time All-Star and 4 time Gold Glove winner played in only 48 games for the Mets before being traded to the eventual World Series Champion Blue Jays on July 11, 1993 for Darrin Jackson.  With the Mets, Tony hit .225 with 1 HR and 14 RBI.  In 17 MLB seasons (1983-1995, 1997-1999, 2001) with the Blue Jays, Padres, Mets, and Brewers, he hit .288 with 94 HR, 844 RBI, and 2276 base hits in 2158 career games.

6 – Gary Matthews – Gary was the Opening Day Center Fielder in 2010.  Gary appeared in 38 games with the Mets (36 in 2010), hitting .190 with 0 HR and 1 RBI.  2010 was his second stint with the team, after also appearing in 2 games in 2002.  After being released by the Mets, he signed with the Reds on June 24th, but never returned to the Majors.  Gary played 12 seasons in the bigs (1999-2010) with the Padres, Cubs, Pirates, Mets, Orioles, Rangers, and Angels, playing in 1281 MLB games, batting .257 with 108 HR and 484 RBI.

5 – Mike Jacobs – Mike was the OD First Baseman in 2010 prior to Ike Davis being called up, his second stint with the Mets.  Mike played in 37 career games with the Mets and in 2010 he appeared in just 7 games, hitting .208 with 1 HR and 2 RBI.  In 7 MLB seasons (2005-2010, 2012) with the Mets, Marlins, Royals, and Diamondbacks, he played in 569 games, batting .253 with 100 HR and 312 RBI.

4 – Ricky Gutierrez – Ricky was the 2004 OD Second Baseman who appeared in 24 games with the Mets.  In 2004, he hit .175 with 0 HR and 5 RBI before being released by the Mets on May 25th.  Ricky played 12 seasons in the bigs (1993-2004) with the Padres, Astros, Cubs, Indians, Mets, and Red Sox.  He played in 1119 games, hitting .266 with 38 HR and 357 RBI to go with 967 big league hits.

3 – Collin Cowgill – Collin was the 2013 Opening Day Center Fielder who played 23 games in his Mets career, all in 2013.  He hit .180 with 2 HR and 8 RBI as a Met.  After being designated for assignment on June 25th, he was traded to the Angels for Kyle Johnson.  In 3 MLB seasons (2011-2013) with the Diamondbacks, A’s, Mets, and Angels, Collin has played in 147 games, batting .236 with 6 HR and 34 RBI.

2 – Tim Spehr – Tim was the Mets OD Catcher in 1998, the same season Mike Piazza arrived and was the starter that followed Todd Hundley‘s 6 OD starts behind the plate from 1992-1997.  1998 was Tim’s only season with the team, appearing in 21 games and hitting .137 with 0 HR and 3 RBI.  Tim played 8 seasons in the majors (1991, 1993-1999) with the Royals, Expos, Braves, and Mets.  He played in 363 MLB games, batting .198 with 19 HR and 72 RBI.

And the most Obscure Mets Opening Day Starting Position Player since 1980 is…

1 – Brad Emaus – Brad was the Mets 2011 Opening Day Second Baseman who was acquired in the Rule 5 Draft from the Toronto Blue Jays prior to the season.  He won the starting job in Spring Training, but was designated for assignment on April 19th.  He was returned to the Blue Jays on April 21st and traded to the Rockies the following day.  In 2011, Brad appeared in 14 games with the Mets, batting .162 with 0 HR and 1 RBI.  His 14 games with the Mets were his only 14 in the Majors.

The post The Most Obscure Mets Opening Day Starters Since 1980 appeared first on Metsmerized.

So what trades have the Mets made with the Enemy over the last 15 years?  It’s only happened 19 times and remarkably, it hasn’t happened in four years…

February 6, 1998 – Robert Stratton, A.J. Burnett, and Jesus Sanchez were traded to the Marlins for Al Leiter and Ralph Millard.

March 20, 1998 – Brandon Villafuerte and a Player to be named later (Cesar Crespo) were traded to the Marlins for Robert Stratton.

May 22, 1998 – Geoff Goetz, Preston Wilson, and Ed Yarnall were traded to the Marlins for Mike Piazza.

November 20, 1998 – Jorge Fabregas was traded to the Marlins for Oscar Henriquez.

July 23, 2001 – Todd Pratt was traded to the Phillies for Gary Bennett.

July 27, 2001 – Dennis Cook and Turk Wendell were traded to the Phillies for Adam Walker and Bruce Chen.

December 7, 2001 – Robin Ventura was traded to the Yankees for David Justice.

March 24, 2002 – Lou Collier was traded to the Expos for Jason Bay and Jimmy Serrano

April 5, 2002 – Bruce Chen, Luis Figueroa, Dickey Gonzalez, and a PTBNL (Saul Rivera) were traded to the Expos for Phil Seibel, Scott Strickland, and Matt Watson.

July 16, 2003 – Armando Benitez was traded to the Yankees for Ryan Biconda, Jason Anderson, and Anderson Garcia.

December 3, 2004 – Mike Stanton was traded to the Yankees for Felix Heredia.

November 24, 2005 – Grant Psomas, Mike Jacobs, and Yusmeiro Petit were traded to the Marlins for Carlos Delgado and cash.

December 5, 2005 – Dante Brinkley and Gaby Hernandez were traded to the Marlins for Paul Lo Duca.

November 20, 2006 – Matt Lindstrom and Henry Owens were traded to the Marlins for Adam Bostick and Jason Vargas.

August 6, 2007 – Player to be named later to the Marlins for Chad Hermansen. (Baseball Reference does not reflect if the PTBNL was later sent).

November 30, 2007 – Lastings Milledge was traded to the Nationals for Ryan Church and Brian Schneider.

August 17, 2008 – PTBNL (Anderson Hernandez) was traded to the Nationals for Luis Ayala.

July 10, 2009 – Ryan Church was traded to the Braves for Jeff Francoeur.

August 6, 2009  – Greg Veloz was traded to the Nationals for Anderson Hernandez.

The post Trading with the Enemy appeared first on Metsmerized.

Over the course of 502 plate appearances, a 12% walk rate (the minimum number of appearances needed to qualify for a MLB batting title) would yield 60 walks.  550 appearances – 66 walks.  600 plate appearances – 72 walks.  72 walks would place a batter into the top 25 of that particular category in the majors in 2013.

After hopping in my DeLorean, firing up the flux capacitor, and speeding up to 88 miles per hour, I found myself back in 2005.  The faithful knew that this would be Mike Piazza’s last season in Queens.  Pedro Martinez was throwing 200+ innings with an ERA under 3.00.  Kris Benson would be traded in the offseason and along with him we were rid of the wild Anna.  And there were 13 Mets prospects that walked at a 12% rate.

Why 2005?  Because this upcoming season will be the 10^th since that magical year.  Surely that plate discipline produced many productive Major Leaguers, even if not outright superstars, right?

Survey says…. X

So who were these 12 percenters?

Jon Schemmel – 21.3% rate.  Jon was a rookie in 2005 who signed as an undrafted free agent and spent that season in Rookie ball with Gulf Coast League Mets.  He didn’t hit for power, but he hit for a high average that year to go along with his walks.  While the sample size was small and he only appeared in 34 games, he hit .347 with 0 HR, 20 RBI, 5 doubles, 2 triples and 35 base hits to go with a sparkling .504 OBP.  Jon played 4 seasons of professional ball in the Mets and Padres organization (2005-2008), reaching as high as AAA and played in 248 games, collecting 215 career hits, batting .272 with 3 HR and 83 RBI.  His career OBP was .381 with a career walk rate of 12.1%.

Jon Malo – 19.0% rate.  Jon was drafted twice by the Mets, first in the 40^th round of the 2002 draft and again in the 48^th round pick of the 2003 draft. He played for 7 years in the Mets (2005-2011) organization beginning in 2005 (yes, 2005), making it as high as AAA Buffalo.   In 2005, Jon played with the Brooklyn Cyclones (A-) and the St. Lucie Mets (A+) batting .222 with 2 HR and 17 RBI in 51 games with 32 hits.  With the Mets, he played in 639 games, hitting .233 with 26 HR and 195 RBI to go with 436 base hits.  In his 7 seasons in the organization, he had a career walk rate of 7.3%.  After 2011, Jon moved onto Indy ball where he played 2012-2013 with the Quebec Capitales of the Can-Am League.

Ivan Naccarata – 17% rate.  Ivan played two seasons in the Mets organization (2005-2006), reaching as high as the St. Lucie Mets.  He briefly played in the Dodgers organization in 2007 before continuing his playing days in Indy ball with the Quebec Capitales of the Can-Am League (2007, 2009-2012).  Ivan played 2005 with the Brooklyn Cyclones, appearing in 55 games and batting .234 with 5 HR and 20 RBI.  In 119 minor league games, Ivan hit .262 with 10 HR and 42 RBI.  In an additional 259 games in the Indy Leagues, he hit .316 with 16 HR and 158 RBI.

Greg Cain – 16.4% rate.  Greg was a 6^th round pick of the Mets in 2005 and played two seasons in the organization, both with the Gulf Coast League Mets.  In 58 career games, Greg hit .194 with 1 HR and 23 RBI.  He had 35 professional hits to go with 36 professional walks and a 15.7% career walk rate.

Josh Thole – 15.4% rate.  Ah… finally someone who made it to the Major Leagues.  In 2005, Josh was in his rookie season with the Gulf Coast League Mets where he hit .269 with 1 HR and 12 RBI.  Josh made it to the Mets in 2009 and has played 5 seasons in the majors (2009-2012 with the Mets, 2013 with the Blue Jays).  In 353 career MLB games, Josh has hit .251 with 8 HR and 95 RBI with 260 hits.  Josh’s walk rate in the majors has bee 9.0%.

Junior Contreras – 14.7%.  Junior was an undrafted free agent out of the Dominican Republic who spent 2005 with the Gulf Coast League Mets and played in 46 games, hitting .291 with 8 HR and 31 RBI.  He spent 1 more year in professional ball and played 100 career games, batting .287 with 11 HR and 56 RBI to go with 100 professional hits.

Caleb Stewart – 14.0%.  Caleb was picked by the Mets in the 22^nd round of the 2004 MLB draft and played 8 professional seasons from 2004-2011 (6 seasons in the Mets organization, reaching as high as AAA, and two additional seasons in the Can-Am League with the Sussex Skyhawks and the Newark Bears.  As a professional, he played in 644 games with a career batting average of .268 with 84 HR and 370 RBI.

Grant Psomas – 13.8% rate.  Grant was a 15^th round pick of the Mets in 2004 and spent the 2005 season with the Hagerstown Suns (A) and the St. Lucie Mets (A+).  In 2005, he played in 133 games, batting .301 with 20 HR and 69 RBI with 141 hits, 77 walks and a .399 batting average.   As a third baseman in the Mets organization that was stuck behind David Wright, he was expendable and after the 2005 season, he was traded to the Florida Marlins along with Yusmeiro Petit and Mike Jacobs in the trade that brought Carlos Delgado to Queens.  He lasted in the Marlins system through 2008, reaching as high as AAA before playing one more season in the independent Frontier League with the Washington WildThings in 2009.  In 6 professional seasons, Grant played in 592 games batting .258 with 79 HR, 306 RBI, 532 base hits, 137 doubles and 12 triples.

Yunir Garcia – 13.4% rate.  Yunir was an undrafted free agent out of Venezuela that spent 5 seasons in the organization (2002-2006), reaching as high as AAA.   The catcher spent 2005 with St. Lucie (A+) and Binghamton (AA).  In 292 career games, he hit .200 with 20 HR and 91 RBI to go with 162 professional hits.

Jose Mateo – 13.1% rate.  Jose was an undrafted free agent from the Dominican Republic that played two seasons in the organization (2005-2006) and never rose above Rookie ball.  In 84 career games, he hit .262 with 8 HR and 36 RBI to go with 60 hits, 13 doubles, a career .372 OBP and a 13.4% career walk rate.

Matthew Spath – 12.9% rate.  Matthew was a 12^th round pick of the Mets that played two professional seasons in the Mets and Astros organizations, never rising above the Rookie level.  In 71 career professional games, he hit .229 with 1 HR and 27 RBI and 50 professional hits.

Dante Brinkley – 12.6% rate.  Dante was a 23^rd round selection of the Mets in 2003 and spent 6 seasons in the Mets and Marlins organizations, reaching as high as AAA.   After the 2005 season, Dante was traded to the Florida Marlins along with Gabriel Hernandez to complete the trade that brought Paul LoDuca to the Mets.  In 579 career games, Dante hit .272 with 54 HR and 253 RBI to go with 529 professional hits.

Sean Henry – 12.3% rate.  In 2005, Sean spent the season with the Kingsport Mets (Rookie) after being selected in the 20^th round of the 2004 draft.  Sean played 8 professional seasons in the Mets, Reds and Braves organizations before playing one more season in the Independent American Association, playing his last game in 2012.  In 790 games over 9 seasons, he hit .283 with 62 HR and 378 RBI with 798 hits.

So there you have it.  Unequivocal proof that a 12% walk rate isn’t an indicator that a player will have Major League success.  The proof is in the pudding.  Just ask Matthew Spath.

The post The Twelve Percent Solution? The 2005 Edition appeared first on Metsmerized.

Ah it’s that time of year again…  A time for new beginnings, a time for change, and for most it is a time for optimism. Yes, it’s time for that kooky year end ritual otherwise known as the Hot Stove Season – or as many Mets fans in the past five years like to say – PURGATORY!!!

Once again, many Met fans have bought in to ownership’s promises of the team spending more money than it did last season and guess what, they have. With the signing of our new left fielder Chris Young they have surpassed their $5 million dollar spending spree from a year ago.

All I know is that at this juncture I don’t have the warm and fuzzy feelings I used to get around this time of the year – but I’ll hold the right to reserve my total venom until I see how this Mets roster shakes out by the start of Spring Training.

But anyway, here are my five songs that best describe the Mets Hot Stove so far:

5. State of Shock by the Jackson’s  – Because we now know when Jeff Wilpon saw how much money even the middle-tiered free agents were asking for, they all needed smelling salts to revive them!

4. Bringing On The Heartache by Def Leppard – Pass me the Rolaids.

3. Money Changes Everything by Cindi Lauper – Because when it comes to this teams finances it seems like Sandy Alderson always has to do more with less.

2: Slip Slidin’ Away by Simon and Garfunkel – Because if this team doesn’t even remotely try to improve itself the fan base will keep slipping away until Citi Field has less life in it than the city morgue.

1. Death On Two Legs by Queen – Because if the Mets ownership doesn’t show that it has the willingness or discretionary spending to try to field a competitive team this upcoming season, fans’ sentiments will mirror the lyrics to this song.

So do you agree with my choices ? Are there songs that you feel summarize the Mets Hot Stove better than the ones I listed? Feel free to post your lists in the comment section.

And with that said…. HERE COMES THE INFAMY!!!!!

Mets alumni celebrating a birthday today includes:

One time Mets minority owner, G. Herbert Walker would have been 108 today (1905). Walker was not only the grandfather of president George W Bush, but he was also the Mets Executive Vice President from 1962 until his death in 1977.

Spot Starter/middle reliever from the ’66 season, Bob Friend is 83 (1930).

Starting pitcher from ’94-’95, Jason Jacome turns 43 (1970). In his 2 seasons with the Mets, Jacome started 13 games, going 4-7 with an E.R.A of 4.80.

Some other notables include:

Sadly on this date the Mets lost two members of their extended family. Hall of Fame (not as a Met) left-handed pitcher Warren Spahn in 2003, and third base coach from the ’77 season, Tom Burgess  in 2008.

The New York Mets traded reserve first baseman, Dave Gallagher to the Atlanta Braves for starting pitcher, Pete Smith on November 24, 1993.

The New York Mets traded  first baseman/catcher, Mike Jacobs, along with pitching prospects Yusmiero Petit and Grant Psomas to the Florida Marlins for power hitting first baseman, Carlos Delgado in 2005. This in my opinion was one of the best trades from the Omar Minaya era.

Mo Vaughn has been so distraught by the Mets hot stove so far that he lost his appetite….. That lasted all of a half hour!!!

The post This Day In Mets Infamy with Rusty: 5 Songs That Describes Mets Hot Stove So Far appeared first on Metsmerized.

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..

The post Featured Post: New York Mets and the “Cardinal Way” appeared first on Metsmerized.