Big news from late night/early morning: Jeff Passan of ESPN reported that the San Francisco Giants signed third baseman Matt Chapman to a six-year, $151 million extension. Chapman will be under contract with the Giants through the 2030 season.

Chapman was likely to opt-out of his contract this offseason to become a free agent, but now leaves the expected third basemen market this offseason to Alex Bregman and not much else.

The Mets came into Wednesday night’s matchup looking for a clean three-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox, and they came up big. Jesse Winker started the game with a boom as he hit a first-inning grand slam to put the Mets up 4-0 early. Tylor Megill went four-plus innings while giving up three runs in his start, but the Mets’ bullpen was stupendous, going five innings of shutout ball. The Mets pulled away late as the Red Sox bullpen lost all control, conceding four runs in the eighth inning, ultimately resulting in an 8-3 Mets win. Click here for a full game recap.

The Mets have now won their seventh game in a row, the longest active streak in MLB, and will have Thursday off as they prepare to host the Reds over the weekend. Sean Manaea is slated to open the series on Friday against the 67-73 Cincinnati Reds.

Wild Card Update

The Mets did not gain any ground on the third and final Wild Card spot on Wednesday as the Braves handled business against the Rockies. They remain a half game back.

The Padres and Diamondbacks both won as well. The Mets are 3.5 and 3.0 games behind them, respectively.

Latest Mets News

Kodai Senga, who has been on the IL with a left calf strain, threw 25 pitches off a mound with “noticeably increased intensity,” per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. DiComo added that Senga mentioned that he was transitioning his focus from leg rehab to getting his arm back in game shape.

Staying on Kodai Senga, Andy Martino of SNY.com reported that the Mets organization is increasingly optimistic that Senga will be able to return as a starting pitcher in 2024.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said that the Mets expect to get starting pitcher Paul Blackburn back from the IL during their Blue Jays series early next week.

1969 World Series champion Cleon Jones joined the “Erik Sherman Show” podcast to detail the 1960s Mets’ rise from losers to champions.

Mets outfield prospect Drew Gilbert blasted his sixth home run in his last 13 games for Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday night.

Mets assistant GM Ian Levin will be leaving the organization at the end of the season after 20 years with the club, per Andy Martino of SNY. 

The Mets continue to honor former chief photographer Marc Levine, who suddenly passed away on July 4. On Wednesday, Jay Horowitz announced that the club dedicated the first base well to Levine.

Noah Syndergaard joined the “Terry Collins Show” podcast to catch up with his old manager and talk about their memorable times in Queens.

Latest MLB News

MLB released the schedule and club assignments for the 2025 Arizona Fall League, by Brendan Samson of MLB.com. Mets prospects will play for the Scottsdale Scorpions, with the season starting on Oct. 7.

The Chicago Cubs placed former All-Star pitcher Justin Steele on the 15-day IL with left elbow tendinitis, retroactive to September 1. The Cubs’ ace southpaw said he vows to return before the end of the season.

The Cubs also placed former Mets RHP Jorge López on the 15-day IL with a right groin strain, retroactive to September 3. 

Japanese star pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto will make his return off the IL on Tuesday, according to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. Yamamoto has been on the injured list since June 16 with a right triceps injury.

Cubs pitchers Shōta Imanaga, Nate Pearson, and Porter Hodge combined to throw a no-hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night. Imanaga started the game with seven no-hit innings before handing the ball to Pearson and Hodge after throwing 95 pitches.

The Texas Rangers placed star shortstop Corey Seager on the 10-day IL with right hip discomfort.

Elvis Andrus will officialy retire as a Texas Ranger on Friday, per Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News. Andrus spent 12 of his 15 big league seasons with the Rangers, and will be honored on Friday as he will be throwing out the first pitch as the Angels and Elvis’ first big league manager Ron Washington will return to Texas.

Latest on MMO

Francisco Lindor continues his roaring MVP level pace.

The Mets’ bullpen has been lights out during their winning streak.

A Kodai Senga return continues to look more likely.

On This Date in Mets History

2015: Bartolo Colón makes a jaw-dropping behind-the-back toss to throw out Justin Bour at first base. In this start, the 42-year-old Colón became the oldest Met to pitch a shutout and extended his scoreless inning streak to 25.

1969: Tom Seaver throws a complete game en route to becoming the first Met to win 20 games in a season.

1963: The Mets sign outfielder Ron Swoboda for $35,000. Swoboda would end up being a key piece to the Mets 1969 World Series team; hitting .400 in the World Series while making a miraculous grab in game 4 and driving in the game-winning run in game 5. 

Born on This Date: Pablo Reyes (1993), Chris Young (1983), Matt Watson (1978), Rod Barajas (1975)

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Mickey Callaway isn’t the Mets only problem, far from it. That said, he has been a disaster for a second straight season. The talk about firing Callaway has quieted after the Mets big turn around in July, but it shouldn’t.

These Mets are a playoff team, or at least they should be. Callaway has mismanaged the bullpen, lineup construction, pinch hitters, and double switches all year. It’s cost the Mets multiple games, and it’s not hard to see the Mets as running away with the second wild card if they had a competent manager. These Mets are dragging Callaway to a record above .500, but that shouldn’t save his job.

There’s been multiple public issues that have come out of a Mickey Callaway overseen locker room. Whether it was Jason Vargas nearly punching a reporter, Noah Syndergaard‘s numerous confrontations with him, or Jacob deGrom calling out the team for their handling of Devin Mesoraco there has always been something with this team. Something needs to be done to fix this situation in 2020 because this team is too talented to spend another year out of the playoffs. That leaves just two questions for the offseason; Will the Mets fire Mickey Callaway, and if they do who will replace him?

The Wilpon’s have a history of being fiercely loyal to employee’s they like. According to Adam Rubin formerly of ESPN, they didn’t want fire Omar Minaya, but rather reassign him, Minaya even said “The fact is that it’s not fair to give me another role. If you’re going to bring in another GM — first of all, I don’t think the GM would want to have me aboard, and vice versa. Whoever the GM is, I would have to make the decision if I want to work with that person.”

Then the Mets replaced Minaya with Sandy Alderson, on the recommendation of Bud Selig, again according to Adam Rubin. They Let Terry Collins hang on for years too long. They let Willie Randolph hang on after the collapse of 2007.

Mickey Callaway might be another example of this. According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the only reason Mickey Callaway wasn’t fired halfway through the season was due to him being the cover guy for the Mets front office and ownership, and at the time of his writing, it was still believed that Mickey Callaway would be fired in short order, he wasn’t.

It’s very possible that the younger Wilpon will do the same this offseason. He’ll likely make an argument that the Mets finished the year over .500 and the players rallied behind their manager when they were at their worst. That would not be truthful based on all the reports from multiple reports this year.

If the Wilpon’s trust in Brodie Van Wagenen then it’s possible Mickey gets fired. Brodie had been leading the charge against Mickey earlier in the season, even reportedly throwing a chair in a meeting with Jeff Wilpon and Callaway due to his frustration. Anyone who has watched the Mets this year would understand that Mickey Callaway is not capable of being an MLB manager at this time. Mistake after mistake has been made and it’s cost the Mets their season. If this was any other franchise Mickey Callaway would be fired after a second straight disappointing year created by his own mismanagement. However, the Mets aren’t any other team and often disregard common sense.

With all of that said, it’s not possible to say the Mets will fire Callaway at the end of the season. The only way they do so would be because they have a manager ready to take his place that they feel comfortable with.

Potential Replacements

If the Mets do fire Mickey Callaway there are plenty of men ready to replace him. Some of them have a history with the Mets and the Wilpons, many don’t. No matter what though, they are all more qualified to run an MLB team than Mickey Callaway has shown to be.

Joe Girardi

Let’s start with the highest-profile candidate. According to multiple reports, Joe Girardi and the Mets had been doing research on each other as far back as May. Joe Girardi is a well thought of manager in MLB circles and is regarded as one of the highest-profile names in the game. His star rivals that of legendary managers like Joe Madden and Bruce Bochy.

It all started in Miami for Girardi, who became the Marlins manager in 2006, the Marlins finished the year just 78-84. Despite the poor record Girardi was named Manager of the year for his work with the young, and poorly thought of Marlins. He had very quickly become a rising young star in the managerial circuit. That wasn’t enough for the Marlins who fired Girardi at the end of the year.

After being fired in Miami Girardi became selective of his next job. in June of 2007 Girardi was offered the Orioles manager position, but turned it down. It was in the following offseason that the most prestigious job in baseball became available. The Yankees interviewed just three people for the job Girardi, Don Mattingly, and Tony Pena. Girardi got the job and quickly won a world series. In 2009, just his second season with the club, The Yankees won their 27th title. Girardi would hold the Yankees job until the end of the 2017 season. He finished over .500 in all 10 of his season with the Yankees. Overall he was 910-710 with the Yankees.

When you look at the numbers and the name this seems like a slam dunk hire, but it might not be. The big problem with Girardi as his Yankee’s career wound down was in the locker room. Girardi is not a player’s manager and didn’t know how to connect to the younger Yankees. If that’s true it might not be wise to bring him into the Mets clubhouse. This Mets team is dominated by it’s younger players. Guys like Pete Alonso, Michael Conforto, Noah Syndergaard, Amed Rosario, Brandon Nimmo, and Jeff McNeil make up the Mets core. If Girardi can’t connect with those guys and becomes stand-offish as he did with the Yankees it could breed discontent and ruin a great young core for the Mets.

Joe Girardi would also be as anti-Wilpon as they get. He will likely require a large salary and a large amount of control over his lineup and roster. Both things that the Wilpons have been very reluctant to give up before. Joe Girard would be a name that excites the fan base and would certainly promote Brodie Van Wagenen’s win-now mentality, but it doesn’t seem like the right fit for these Mets. Still, If he’s hired you can’t be too mad considering his history of winning and his qualifications.

Buck Showalter

Like Girardi, Buck Showalter was a name that came up in reports earlier this year. Showalter is a long-time student of the game, and one of the longest-tenured managers in baseball. Showalter is well known for his ability to connect to players. He is known to be one of the best locker room managers in baseball. The issue is his lack of winning.

Showalter’s managerial career started in New York with the Yankees. He took over as manager in 1992 and would remain in that position through 1995. He as the manager who had finally brought the Yankees back to relevance. After not having been to the playoffs since 1981 Showalter managed the Yankees to the best record in the strike-shortened 1994 season, and finally got them back to the playoffs in 1995. 1995 would be his last year in New York, by choice. George Steinbrenner had offered Showalter a contract extension after the season, but Showalter decided to leave the Yankees instead of fire his hitting coach Rick Down as Steinbrenner wanted. The Yankees hired Joe Torre and the rest is history. Overall Showalter was 313-268 with the Yankees.

After leaving the Yankees Showalter agreed to become the first manager of the Diamondback in 1996, two full years before the franchise came into existence. Showalter and the Diamondbacks quickly made an impression on the league. In 1999, just their second year in the league, the Diamondbacks won 100 games but lost to the Mets in the NLDS. The Diamondbacks regressed in 2000 winning just 85 games, and Showalter was fired. Like with the Yankees the Diamondbacks won the World Series the year after Showalter left. Overall Showalter was 250-236 with the Diamondbacks.

Showalter would become an analyst on ESPN until 2003 when the Texas Rangers dragged him back into the dugout. Showalter’s stay in Texas was an uneventful one. In four years Showalter failed to make the playoffs. He also failed to get the team to finish better than third place in the four-team AL West. After going 319-329 in four seasons the Rangers moved on from Showalter.

Midway through 2010, the Orioles came calling and once again Showalter was a manager. Showalter’s career in Baltimore is one of the most up and down you will ever see. Showalter came in and the Orioles finished the 2010 season as the fourth-worst team in baseball. Just two years later in 2012 Showalter had the Orioles competitive again. They had made the playoffs for the first time since 1997, the Orioles lost in the ALDS. After a disappointing year in 2013, the Orioles won the AL East in 2014, this time getting to the ALCS before bowing out. In 2016 Showalter would get the Orioles back to the playoffs once again. This time in the wild card game, though they lost. That was the end of the good days in Baltimore. The Orioles finished last in the AL East in both 2017 and 2018. Overall Showalter was 669-684 in Baltimore.

He’s won the manager of the year three times for his efforts. The issue is that he can never get his team over the hump. He’s only won one playoff series in his long career. Maybe he’s the guy to reestablish a winning culture in the Mets locker room, or maybe he’s simply not good enough to help this get over the hump.

Dusty Baker

Along the same lines as Buck Showalter is Dusty Baker. His defining characteristic is his ability to bring a clubhouse together. That didn’t work out well for the Nationals, but they did perform better under him than they did under any manager previously. He’s still the only manager to lead the Nationals to a back-to-back division titles. That’s still true if you include the history of the Montreal Expos. Overall, Baker was 192-132 in his two years in Washington. That’s right, despite setting that record, he was fired for his inability to win a playoff series.

Prior to the Nationals, Dusty had been the manager of three other teams. The first of which was the Giants. Baker became the Giants manager in 1993, and he would hold the position for nine years. While with the Giants, Dusty won three manager of the year titles. He had a record of 840-715 with the Giants, but that’s not the story with Dusty. Like Showalter, Dusty has failed in the playoffs. Baker won just two playoff series in three trips to the playoffs. He won both of them in 2002 when the Giants went to the World Series. The Giants lost that series in seven games. The loss has been put on Dusty and his poor ability to manage his starters and bullpen. Specifically his decision to remove Russ Ortiz in game six despite only allowing four hits. After the World Series, Dusty and the Giants decided not to work on a contract extension.

In 2003, Dusty found work in the Cubs dugout. In his first year in Chicago, Dusty led the Cubs to their first division title in 14 years. That was the year of Steve Bartman and the infamous fan interference. The Cubs wouldn’t make the playoffs again during Dusty’s time there. Overall he was 326-322 in Chicago.

After taking a year off in 2007, he came back to baseball to manage the Reds in 2008. After two disappointing years in 2008 and 2009, the Reds made noise in 2010 by winning the division. That was the Reds first playoff appearance in 15 years. The Reds would win another division title under Dusty in 2012, though this time losing the wild card game to the Pirates. With a record of just 2-7 in the playoffs, the Reds had seen enough. Baker was fired after the 2013 season. The Reds have not won more than 76 games since they fired Dusty.

Dusty suffers from much of the same deficiencies about winning in the playoffs that Showalter does. Like with Showalter you could overlook it if you thought he could pull the team together and make the right decision to give you a chance. However, Dusty has the biggest of red flags on his resume. That’s the fact that he hates analytics. He is as old-school as you get, he pushes starters until they break, he hates playing prospects over established veterans, he’s also known to shrink and overwork his bullpen. One quote from Baker tells you all you need to know about him, while talking to the Cincinnati media in 2015 Dusty Baker famously said “putting men on base can be unimportant and merely clogging up the bases.” The Wilpons love them some old-school managers, but this might be going too far even for them.

The Mets have made an effort to become more analytically conscious the last few years, and hiring Dusty Baker would be a step back in that aspect. However, he has a long history of winning despite this. If the Mets hire, Baker you can at least take solace in knowing that he is a better manager than Mickey Callaway, though that’s not saying much.

Luis Rojas

The Mets quality control, Rojas has been in the Mets organization since 2006. He began his career with the DSL Mets for 2006 and 2007. He was brought stateside in 2008 to coach the GCL Mets. After two years in the GCL, Rojas was promoted to the A-Ball Savannah Sand Gnats in 2010. He would stay there for just one year before being sent back to the GCL. In 2012, he would be called back up to Savannah. This time he stayed there for three years. In 2015, Rojas became the manager in St. Lucie and after two years there, he became Binghamton’s manager in 2017.

Rojas may not have ever played in the majors, but he has connections who have. Rojas is the son of Felipe Alou, making him former Met Moises Alou‘s brother. Moises Alou came to the Mets in 2007, one year after the Mets hired Rojas.

According to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, many in baseball including the Mets, view Rojas as a future manager in the league. The 37-year-old knows baseball and does his best to bridge the gap between the old-school baseball his father taught him, and the new school sabermetric methods he’s learned. Rojas was Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil’s manager in Binghamton when they both broke out in 2018. He was also Amed Rosario’s manager during his break out year in the minors in 2015. He managed Brandon Nimmo from A ball through AA. He knows this young Mets core better than just about anyone and orchestrated their break out years.

If anyone on the current Mets coaching staff is going to replace Mickey Callaway, it’s going to be Rojas. It remains to be seen whether or not he’s ready to be a major league manager, but he paid his dues in the minors and to great success with the Mets top prospects.

David Wright

This is the longest of long shots. Wright has shown time and again that he can connect with the young players. He did it time and again as a player, and he made it a point to mentor Pete Alonso during spring training this offseason. Still, Wright has said on multiple occasions that he has no interest in being a manager, rather he enjoys the front office side of baseball. He is currently stationed in the Mets front office as a special assistant to Brodie Van Wagenen.

If Wright were to come down to the clubhouse he could offer something nobody else can. He has a glowing relationship with the Wilpons, knows most of the players on the roster, and most importantly has played today’s baseball. he knows what today’s game is about. That’s something that can’t be understated. Of the 12 managers either in the playoffs, or currently fighting for a playoff spot, six of those managers were players in this century. Of the six teams winning their division four of them played no later than 2004, and three of them played in 2009. It’s clear that managers who have played in modern baseball have an advantage when managing in modern baseball. It doesn’t guarantee success, but it does set them up for it. Wright would have that advantage.

He’s too perfect a fit for the role on paper to not even ask him if he would have interest in the job.

Picture courtesy of the Brooklyn Cyclones Twitter account

Edgardo Alfonzo

The star of the Mets minor league system. Edgardo Alfonzo has been the Brooklyn Cyclones manager since 2017. Alfonzo led the Brooklyn Cyclones to their first New York-Penn League title this year. He has shown that he has the ability to manage young players, and help first-year players transition to professional baseball. Remember, the players in Brooklyn are often players who had just been drafted, and it’s up to Alfonzo to help them transition to their new lifestyle. He is the only manager other than Joe Girardi on this list to have won a title as a manager at any level of baseball.

Like Wright, Alfonzo has the connection to the modern game playing until 2006. He also has a connection with the organization and fans that not many can match. With the Mets manager position possibly becoming available, Alfonzo feels like a choice that offers the best of both worlds to the Wilpons. They get to trot out a big-ticket name that would get Mets fans in seats, but also provide them with a manager who has a winning pedigree in his coaching career.

Ideally, you’d like Alfonzo to work his way through the minor league system like Rojas, but there’s no guarantee that he’ll still be available the next time the Mets need a manager. A similar situation happened with Clint Hurdle. Hurdle had worked his way up the Mets minor league system as a manager prospect only to be scooped up by the Rockies in 1997. Hurdle has since become one of the longest-tenured managers in baseball with the Pirates, and led the Rockies to a World Series. Hopefully, the Mets learn from their mistakes and name one of their two rising managerial stars in Alfonzo and Rojas to a high profile job soon, or risk losing them before they can make their mark for the Mets.

Matt Quatraro

It’s become a tradition now for the Rays bench coach to become a manager. Matt Quatraro is the latest Rays bench coach to become a managerial candidate. The Rays continue to win despite a low payroll due to their advanced understanding of analytics. Like the Astros, the Rays just understand the modern game better than everyone else does. Quatraro has spent the majority of his career learning in that organization. He spent only four years of his 15-year coaching career outside of the Rays organization, from 2014-2017 he was in Cleveland. That’s a pretty good track record of organizations to work in.

Quatraro is likely to come with a great understanding of analytics, and his work as a hitting coach and base coach prior to his bench coach job have likely given him a wide understanding of how to work with position players. Quatraro’s biggest downside is his lack of recent managerial experience, having not been a manager since 2009. Quatraro also never played major league baseball. Those are the two biggest knocks on the guy. If you are willing to take a chance on a potentially innovate mind from one of the most innovative franchises in baseball, Quatraro is as good as it gets.

Omar Vizquel

Vizquel has been interviewed for a few managerial positions since he transitioned to coaching. Namely, the Tigers, White Sox, and Rangers have interviewed him. While he hasn’t gotten any of those jobs it is worth noting that he has been a managerial candidate before. Vizquel is one of the greatest defensive players of all-time having won 11 gold gloves, second all-time at SS behind only Ozzie Smith. He also had nearly 3,000 hits. Vizquel is a borderline hall-of-fame player, and that carries weight in the locker room.

Vizquel began his coaching career with the Los Angeles Angels. There he was an infield coach for a single year after the 2013 season ended the Angels chose not to renew his contract. The Tigers quickly hired Vizquel to become their first base coach, infield coach, and baserunning coach. Vizquel held all three of those positions until 2017 when Brad Asmus was fired. It was then that Vizquel got his opportunity to interview for the manager position, but lost out to Ron Gardenhire.

After that Vizquel was determined to be a manger. He left Detroit and went back to the White Sox organization becoming the manager of the A+ Winston Salem team. In 2018, Vizquel was promoted to Double-A to manager the Birmingham Barons. He was there again this year. Out of the former players listed here, Vizquel best fits the mark of modern player transitioning to coaching. He has experience with minor league managing and major league coaching. If the Mets want to take a shot at a former big-ticket name with a ton of coaching experience at different levels Vizquel is the guy to look to.

Rod Barajas

Let’s wrap up the list with another former Met. Barajas has found success in coaching after his playing days have ended. In 2014, Barajas was named the manager of the Arizona Fall League Padres. The next year Barajas had been promoted all the way up to Double-A to manage the San Antonio Mission. Another year later Barajas became the Padres manager of El Paso, the Padres Triple-A team. Barajas would stay in AAA until this season. Prior to this season, Barajas was promoted to  the Padres bench coach. His rapid ascension through the Padres minor league coaching system is impressive, to say the least.

Unlike the other former players on this list, Barajas doesn’t have name recognition. Many fans might not even remember that he played for the Mets in 2010, or even know who he is at all. Despite all of that Barajas looks like the best future manager. His rapid ascent paired with his work as a manager is impressive. His resume screams future manager.

It has become a trend in recent years for teams to reach out to former players who have become hot managerial candidates to take the job. The Dodgers and Dave Roberts, the Brewers and Craig Counsell, the Twins and Rocco Baldelli, the Yankees and Aaron Boone, the Red Sox and Alex Cora. Barajas returning to the Mets to become a manager would fit that trend. If his track record is any indicator of the future he will join that list as one the better managers in the MLB sooner rather than later.

The post Who Should Manage the Mets in 2020? appeared first on Metsmerized.

If you are a Mets fan, you know that David Wright is still with team, or that Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran are in Toronto and St. Louis, respectively. But what happened to guys like Nick Evans or Rod Barajas? We have the answers.

11 Players who made it into a game in 2010 with the Mets, are still employed by the team. That would be the aforementioned David Wright, Ike Davis, Ruben Tejada (Although he is currently with Triple-A Las Vegas, he is still on the Mets payroll), Lucas Duda, Justin Turner, Jon Niese, Pedro Feliciano (Although he made another stop in the Bronx, he is with the Mets once again), Bobby Parnell, Dillon Gee, Johan Santana, and Jenrry Mejia.

10 players are employed by another Major League team. That would be Jose Reyes, Angel Pagan, Beltran, Josh Thole, Henry Blanco, Joaquin Arias, Mike Pelfrey, R.A. Dickey, Francisco Rodriguez, and Oliver Perez.

As you may know, Jose Reyes was traded from the Miami Marlins to the Toronto Blue Jays this past offseason in a blockbuster deal involving Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, and now former Met, John Buck. Reyes now puts on his uniform in the same locker room as R.A. Dickey and Josh Thole, who were traded together this past offseason from the Mets for Travis d’Arnaud, Buck, and Noah Syndergaard (don’t forget Wuilmer Beccera!). Angel Pagan was traded to the San Francisco Giants prior to the 2012 season for outfielder Andres Torres and pitcher Ramon Ramirez who have both since played again for the team they were traded from.

Carlos Beltran was traded at the deadline in 2011 to the Giants for Zack Wheeler, but has since made his home in St. Louis playing for the Cardinals, where he has enjoyed a couple of very nice seasons, including an All Star appearance this summer. Henry Blanco, who served as the Mets backup catcher in 2010, beat out Josh Thole for the same position on this year’s Toronto Blue Jays team, but was released and then signed by the Seattle Mariners who made the corresponding move by releasing 2012 Met alumni, Kelly Shoppach. Blanco played in Arizona for the Diamondbacks in 2011 and 2012.

Joaquin Arias, of whom the Mets received for Jeff Francoeur late in the 2010 season, played for the Kansas City Royals in 2011, and was then given a championship ring after serving as Pablo Sandoval‘s ninth inning defensive replacement in 2012 for the San Francisco Giants. He has been a key hitter off the bench for the Giants in 2013. Mike Pelfrey, after failing to play a month in the 2012 season, was signed by the Minnesota Twins, where his 5-10 record and 5.06 ERA is good enough to keep him in the starting rotation.

Francisco Rodriguez was traded to the Brewers in 2011 for Daniel Herrera (yes the 5-6 guy) and a minor leaguer, but was traded to the Baltimore Orioles at the deadline this year, downgrading from a closer to a setup man. Finally, Oliver Perez signed a two-year deal with the Seattle Mariners in 2012 and is proving to be an effective arm out of their bullpen. You would think that Perez’s ERA of 9.72 with Henry Blanco behind the plate would be the highest among catchers who have caught the Mexican native, but no. That award goes to Josh Thole, who provides Ollie with a sparkling 16.20 ERA.

Eight players are in the minor leagues with another organization. They are Mike Nickeas, Mike Hessman, Luis Hernandez, Mike Jacobs, Nick Evans, Hisanori Takahashi, Fernando Nieve, and Pat Misch.

Mike Nickeas, who was in the same deal that sent R.A. Dickey north of the border, is currently with the Blue Jays Triple-A team, the Buffalo Bisons, a team Nickeas has played for many times when they were the Mets affiliate. Nickeas has failed to make the Majors this season, playing 55 games in Buffalo. Mike Hessman, who is seven home runs shy of 400 for his minor league career and one shy of 15 for his Major League career, is currently a member of the Louisville Bats, the Triple-A team of the Cincinnati Reds, where he is teammates with base stealing extraordinaire, Billy Hamilton. Hessman played in Japan in 2011 for the Orix Buffaloes, and was with the Astros Triple A team in 2012.

Luis Hernandez, who played all of 17 games for the Mets, is with the Indians Triple-A team, after playing in the Texas Rangers organization in 2012. Nick Evans is the only 2010 Met alumni playing in Double-A. Evans, who is a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks affiliated Mobile Baybears, was a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates organization in 2012. Mike Jacobs was the placeholder at first base until Ike Davis came up in 2010 but he is now with the Diamondbacks Triple-A team. Jacobs also stopped in Colorado Springs, Toronto, and Mexico. Hisanori Takahashi, who has 12 games started and 21 games finished as a Met, has played in the Majors with the Angels, Pirates, and Cubs. He is now a member of the Colorado Rockies Triple-A team. Fernando Nieve hasn’t played in the Majors since 2010, but he has played with the Astros, Dodgers, Indians, and currently the Athletics, all in Triple-A. Finally, Pat MIsch has seen time with the Phillies and Tigers Triple-A teams.

Five players are not currently with a Major League organization. The names are Jeff Francoeur, Rod Barajas, Jason Bay, John Maine, and Sean Green.

Francoeur was traded to the Rangers for Joaquin Arias in August of 2010. He spent the rest of the year there. Frenchy played in Kansas City during 2011 and 2012, but was released midway through the 2013 season. The Giants picked him up, where he played 22 games. Francouer was designated for assignment of August 20th, and released two days later. Barajas played with the Pirates in 2011 and 2012, before being signed by the Diamondbacks. He ultimately lost the bid to be Miguel Montero‘s backup, as the DBacks went with Wil Nieves instead.

Jason Bay, who was released after the 2012 season much to the delight of Mets fans, was signed by the Mariners for the 2013 season. He hit a home run in his first spring training at bat, but after a disapointing season, was released of August 6th to make room for Mike Morse. John Maine spent 2011 in the Colorado Rockies minor league system, and pitched for the Scranton/Wilkes-Bare Yankees for all of 2012. He played for the Miami Marlins in April of this year, but was released on April 22. The sidearmer, Sean Green pitched with the Brewers in 2011, before playing with the Texas Rangers’ Triple A team in 2012. He also pitched with the Somerset Patriots in 2012 of the Independent Leagues but has not found a team since.

Six players have officially retired. They are Luis Castillo, Alex Cora, Fernando Tatis, Gary Matthews Jr., Frank Catalanotto, and Tobi Stoner.

Luis Castillo was released by the Mets at the same time they released Oliver Perez. Castillo signed a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, but after a disappointing spring training, he was released, at which time he retired. Alex Cora was released by the Mets in August of 2010, and he played the rest of the year with the Rangers. He played with the Washington Nationals in 2011, and was signed by the Cardinals in the spring of 2012, which didn’t work out. He is now a baseball analyst for ESPN (his brother Joey does the same work for MLB Network). Fernando Tatis was injured of July 4th of 2010. He was placed on the DL the next day and was transferred to the 60-day DL 10 days later. That turned out to be his last major league game as he retired after the season.

The “Son of the Sarge”, Gary Matthews Jr., was released by the Mets on June 15th, 2010. He signed with the Reds on June 24th and played the rest of the year with their Triple-A team, before retiring. Frank Catalanotto was designated for assignment of May 10th, when the Mets brought up Chris Carter. After failing to sign with another team, he retired in March of 2011. Finally, the German-born Tobi Stoner was released by the Mets in March of 2012. During that season, he played in the Independent Leagues with the Bridgeport Blue Fish and the Somerset Patriots. He retired before the 2013 season.

Four players are currently playing in foreign countries. Chris Carter, Manny Acosta, and Ryota Igarashi are playing in Japan, and Jesus Feliciano is playing in Mexico.

Carter (no not the former A’s prospect) played in the Tampa Bay Rays and Atlanta Braves Minor League system in 2011 before moving to Japan to play with the Seibu Lions in 2012 and 2013. Carter is 3-26 (.115) with three RBI in nine games this year. He is teammates with Kazuhisa Ishii. Manny Acosta pitched for the Mets through 2012 but signed with the Yomuri Giants in 2013 after being released. In 14 games he has an ERA of 5.54. His teammates include former major leaguers Scott Mathieson and John Bowker.

Ryota Igarashi played with the Mets until 2011. He then played in the minor leagues with the Yankees and the Blue Jays in 2012 though he pitched in the majors with both teams. He is now pitching with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks where he sports a 2.15 ERA in 36 games. He is teammates with with Vicente Padilla and former Mets minor leaguer Wily Mo Pena. Jesus Feliciano, who has signed with the Mets four different times in his career, played in all of his 54 career games with the Mets in 2010. He played with the Buffalo Bisons in 2011, the Durham Bulls in 2012, and he is now playing in Mexico with the Rojos del Aguila de Veracruz. He has only played in three games with one hit.

One player is currently a coach. Elmer Dessens is the assistant pitching coach for the AZL Reds in the Arizona League (The Arizona equivalent to Florida’s Gulf Coast League). And here’s a fun piece of information. The manager of that AZL Reds team is former Met, Eli Marrero who the Mets received in 2006 when they traded Kazuo Matsui to the Rockies.

Well, now you know what happened to the 2010 Mets. Next week we’ll look at the players from Citi Field’s inaugural year, 2009.

LGM

The post The 2010 Mets: Where Are They Now? appeared first on Metsmerized.

The Mets this season have fielded about 15 players who have actually contributed – a far cry from the normal 25 man roster. Let’s reminisce and go back to early Spring – Port St. Lucie – when hope was abundant – when we all thought Oliver Perez was rip roaring and ready to hit the ground at CitiField running, repaired “injured” knee and all.

The Mets were unable – or unwilling – to land a starting pitcher this past off season. The Mets were forced to enter the 2010 season with Johan Santana leading a staff of Mike Pelfrey, John Maine, Oliver Perez and Jon Niese or as I always liked to call it – One man and a little hazy.

How pathetic in retrospect is that rotation? Santana aside, Pelfrey and Niese were the only two usable arms in that cadre and as the year progressed we had the opportunity to see Hisanori Takahashi start as well as the emergence of knuckleballer R.A. Dickey. Even with the surprisingly productive year of Dickey, the Mets at times this year, were just getting by with 3 reliable arms – sometimes even less.

The lineup envisioned by the powers that be included the bats of Rod Barajas, Luis Castillo, Jason Bay, Jeff Francouer and returning from injuries Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran.

At times this season, Jerry Manuel’s lineup card might as well been partially left blank since more times than not there were at least four slots in the Mets lineup virtually unproductive. No team can compete for a championship with a handicap like that.

Take Rod Barajas who started the season on a torrid pace blasting 11 homeruns in his first month in Queens alone. After that glorious month, a picture of Rod Barajas’ Louisville slugger found it’s way on the side of milk cartons in local area bodegas. He hit an appalling .225 with 12 home runs, 34 RBI and a .677 OPS until being claimed off waivers by Los Angeles.

Luis Castillo. What can we say about Louie that hasn’t been already? He’s regressed worse than Chevy Chase’s career with a decaying range at second base that at this rate I bet Betty White can out-field our second baseman – but he found the stones to demand a trade for lack of playing time. Good idea Louie Louie and we gotta go, hey hey hey hey.

The outfield for the Mets this year has been a mishmash of players getting and returning from injury. Francoeur, a former “Natural” standout player with a great personality that has unfortunately seen his best days pass him – was sent packing from Atlanta last year and recently was traded to Texas. Francoeur’s numbers as a Met – .225 BA, 10 HR, 41 RBI, and a .836 OPS. A good guy who gave 110% – too bad it was 110% of Jeff Francouer baseball. There was a reason Bobby Cox let him go. Still doubt his baseball acumen?

Jason Bay was brought in with the intention of powering the offense. A poor man’s Matt Holliday – if you want to call a $66 million dollar contract poor – Bay has never seemed quite comfortable in the confines of CitiField. An assessment of Bay’s production last year showed that the majority of his round trippers were dead pull shots at Fenway. Considering left field at Citi fares no worse than Fenway- in fact slightly better considering the lack of the Green Monster – it was safe to assume Bay would do quite well at CitiField.

Of course Jason decided to become more of a gap hitter at Citifield thus ending that assumption. Bay’s numbers this year, .259 BA, 6 HR, 47 RBI and a .749 OPS. To add injury to insult, Bay ingloriously ended (perhaps?) his 2010 season when he slammed his head into the outfield fence in L.A., catching a fly ball, earning a concussion. Somewhere Ryan Church is popping an Excederin in solidarity.

Here is a list of players whom the Mets could have simply gotten by without –

1. Luis Castillo

2. Rod Barajas

3. Fernando Tatis

4. Alex Cora

5. Mike Jacobs

6. Gary Matthews Jr.

7. Jeff Francoeur

8. Jason Bay

9. John Maine

And last but certainly not least in all our hearts….

10. Oliver Perez

So Mets fans, stand up and give your team some credit here.  With the group of players ownership has given them to work with this year it’s absolutely a shock that the Mets have the respectable (albeit losing) record they have – so far.  Here’s to finding the silver lining and to hoping that the Mets keep bucking the trend through the remainder of the season.  Hopefully they can salvage what little baseball is left for them.

The post The Best 15 Man Team In Baseball – The New York Mets appeared first on Metsmerized.

@KBurkhardtSNY Barajas claimed by the Dodgers. Jesus Feliciano will replace him.

Barajas, 34, was hitting .255 with the Mets this season with 12 homeruns and 34 RBIs. He was hitting well during the first half of the season before falling into a slump and going on the DL.

Feliciano, 31, with the Mets is hitting .292 with two RBIs, a stolen base, four doubles and one triple.

The post Barajas Claimed By Dodgers, Feliciano Called Up appeared first on Metsmerized.

Game Summary

Pat Misch started tonight against the Houston Astros in his second start of the season. He started off great and was just cruising for the first six innings. At one point retired sixteen batters in a row. In those six innings only one hit was allowed. But entering the seventh inning gave up back-to-back hits, followed by giving up a three run homerun to give up the lead. The soft tossing lefty was bound to get hit hard and just came at a bad time. Still pitched great. Expect to see him in another start. Misch went 6+ innings pitched, gave up three runs on four hits and that one homerun in the seventh inning. He walked none and struck out batter. Misch receives his second loss.

Manny Acosta came into relieve Misch in the seventh and got his three batters out, including one strikeout. Pedro Feliciano came into the eighth and faced a couple of right-handed batters. He got one batter out but gave up two hits before taking his exit. Ryota Igarashi was called in to pitch in the eighth inning. He hasn’t pitched with the Mets since July 4th. He struck out the two batters to face him.

Mets offense had one inning of work tonight. Two runs scored in the fourth. Nothing else. A total of three hits for the Mets. And only one of those hits came from a core player, Jose Reyes. The other two by Carter and Misch.

The Mets 2-6 hitters combine for 0-17. Rod Barajas also goes 0-3 with a K. Welcome back!

Not much to say about this offense. Swinging at 0-2, 0-3 pitches. Swinging at pitches out of the zone. Just trying to get away with any swing of the bat.

Angel Pagan stole his 30th base of the season.

Ollie sighting: Was warming up in the bullpen during the ninth inning. Wasn’t used, thankfully.

Turning Point

That three-run homerun by Carlos Lee in the seventh inning off Pat Misch to take the lead and win away from the Mets.

Game Ball

Game ball goes to a World Series champion by the name of, Ron Darling, who turns 50 today! Happy birthday!

Up Next

The Mets head to Pittsburgh to begin a three game series against the Pirates. Mike Pelfrey will start the first game for the Mets, as he looks for his twelfth win of the season. The Pirates will have Jeff Karstens (2-9) on the mound for them. Karstens hasn’t won since June 19th. Game time is 7:05 PM.

The post One Small Mistake For Misch, One Giant Loss For Mets-Kind. Astros Win 3-2 appeared first on Metsmerized.

As the Mets face a decision over how long to retain three catchers.

Josh Thole has earned the majority of the starts lately with his solid play, but Barajas could cut into Thole’s playing time, with Henry Blanco basically serving as the seldom used third catcher.

Andy Martino of the Daily News opens up the possibility that the Mets could trade Barajas and eliminate the logjam.

A major league source said that the Mets had placed Barajas on waivers, which could lead to another team claiming him and/or a trade being facilitated. So we’ll keep our eye on that.

Incidentally, Martino also writes that Fernando Martinez will be sent down today to make room for Barajas, with Mike Hessman remaining with the team for now.

If you hadn’t noticed Jerry Manuel never seemed very pleased to see F-Mart get promoted during Bay’s absence, and played him very sparingly. Martinez batted .167 during his cup of coffee with the Mets in 2009, and this year he fared no better batting .176 in just 18 at-bats.

The post Barajas Returns From DL And Could Be Traded, F-Mart Demoted appeared first on Metsmerized.

The Mets offense goes back to being silent as they lose game three of the series, 3-2 in the thirteenth inning on a James Loney walk-off homerun. The game became a battle of the bullpens as both pitchers only went five innings each but the game ends with James Loney, who hit his first career walk-off homer off of Oliver Perez in the 13th inning.

Game Summary

Mike Pelfrey continues to have rough starts as he only went five innings for the Mets. He didn’t give up too many runs though as only two runs came across to score on six hits off of him. He walked a pair and struck out a pair as well. Mike Pelfrey’s dead arm continues to plague him as he hasn’t gotten more than five innings pitched in his last five starts. Pelfrey walked away with a no decision.

Raul Valdes, Manny Acosta, Pedro Feliciano, Bobby Parnell and Elmer Dessens combining for 6 1/3 strong innings in relief. They combine for two hits, five strike outs, and two walks.

Oliver Perez was the losing pitcher in the 13th inning as he gave up the walk-off homerun to Dodger first baseman, James Loney. He only gave up one hit in an inning pitched, but the one hit was the costly homerun.

Rod Barajas, who exited in the sixth with a right oblique strain and is day-to-day, and Jose Reyes delivered all the Mets runs with a pair of RBI singles in the sixth inning.

Jason Bay continues to improve his hitting, getting two hits on the day. He also scored a run, walked once, but struck out twice as well.

Angel Pagan and David Wright both struck out twice as well, but Pagan also had two stolen bases on the day.

Carlos Beltran was the only Mets starter to walk away without getting a hit, going 0-5 with a walk.

Game Ball

Game ball goes to the five bullpen pitchers who didn’t allow a single run to score before Perez gave up the game ending homerun.

Up Next

RA Dickey goes out for the Mets as they play the final game of the four game series versus the Dodgers. Clayton Kershaw (9-5) will pitch for the Dodgers. Kershaw hasn’t given up more than five runs in his last five starts, he has killed lefty hitters this season (.175) and leads the Dodgers in strikeouts with 135 K’s. Game time is 4:10 PM.

The post Mets Fight To The 13th, But Fall 3-2 On Walk-Off Blast appeared first on Metsmerized.

Matt Cerrone of MetsBlog.com, received slack from Mike Francesa (which he explains HERE) for stating that he was “proud of Pelfrey”. At Metszilla we agreed with Matt and dubbed Pelf  “The Pride of New York.”

Well here we are in mid July and it looks as if Pelf has resorted back to his old ways.  After the shortest start of his career (1 1/3 IP, 6 ER) all that was missing was the constant hand licking that inspired “I lick Myself” by WFAN’s Al Dukes (if you have never heard this song before I highly recommend you click on this link).

This isn’t the first time Pelfrey has shown glimpses of dominance only to return to mediocrity.  In 2008, Mike had a stretch of 17 starts (June-August) which he allowed 38 ER over 110 2/3 IP (3.09 ERA) while posting an 11-2 record.

In September of  ’08 he was 0-3 (5 starts) with a 4.06 ERA (14 ER, 31 IP).  Pelf is starting to show similar inconsistent results once again in 2010.  After starting the season 8-1 (13 starts) with a 2.23 ERA, he has since gone 2-4 (7 starts) with a 6.96 ERA.  His ERA has risen from a Cy Young like 2.23 to a pedestrian 4.01 over the last couple of months and his K/9 rate has consistently dropped each month.

As Jay Robotham mentioned in his Z-Cap (click HERE to read) it was very noticeable to see the Diamondback hitters lay off Pelfrey’s splitter with two strikes.  They repeatedly worked from behind in the count and eventually capitalized on very hittable fastballs:

1st Inning

• Kelly Johnson: 0-2 count, KJ eventually doubles off the bottom of the right field wall and drives in Arizona’s first run
• Justin Upton: 0-2 count, Upton eventually walks
• Gerardo Parra: 1-2 count, Parra eventually singles to center to drive in a run

2nd Inning

• Chris Young: 0-2 count, CY singles to leadoff the inning
• Justin Upton: 1-2 count, Upton doubles to right to drive in Young

It’s almost to the point where opposing batters seem to have Pelfrey right where they want him when he works in a ‘pitchers count’.  So why can’t Pelfrey finish guys off?  Why are they now laying off his split finger?  Rod Barajas weighed in after last night’s debacle:

Any position that you play when your doing well the confidence is off the charts, you feel good about yourself you feel confident about every outing that your gonna go out there and do what you can do to be successful.  When you struggle doubt comes into the back of your mind now your not to sure of your ability and your chances to go out there and make good quality pitches. I’m not in Mike’s head but can definitely be a factor.”

Over his last 4 starts (0-3) Mike has been unable to escape the 4th inning, allowing 15 ER in 13 1/3 IP (10.15 ERA).  As manager Jerry Manuel stated last night, mentioning his name alongside other dominate young starters like Phil Hughes, Josh Johnson, and Ubaldo Jimenez, is no longer the case:

Mike Pelfrey is a power pitcher that at times we could say Johnson, Jimenez, Pelfrey and we can’t say that right now.  That’s what he’s got to get back to and he can do it.”

So what is wrong with Pelfrey? What has happened to the mature starter who was starting to fulfill the teams expectations they had upon drafting him in the first round of the 2005 MLB draft. Manuel and Pelfrey both seem to think its the lack of establishing his fastball that has plagued him as of late.

Manuel:

Well I think what Mike is going through a little tough period right now. As far as what he needs to do is to get back to establishing his fastball.  That’s not what we are seeing. We need to see a high percentage of fastballs thrown as compared to sliders, split fingers anything such as that. I think that’s what we will have to see out of him next outing.”

Pelfrey:

I’ve gotten away from establishing fastballs I feel like I’m trying to establish 3 or 4 pitches at once all early in the game. That’s not who I am. I have to get back to using the fastball establishing that and it will make the other pitches better.”

I wanted to believe this stretch of bad starts was due to a case of dead arm and that a couple of days off from the All-Star break would have him well rested and ready to return to dominance in the second half.  Obviously, the problem at hand is much deeper than that.  Ron Darling of SNY seems to think Pelfrey is dragging his back foot and not pushing off the mound, thereby getting no drive or movement.  Darling also believes he has lost confidence and is aiming the ball so it’s like pushing and not throwing. He’s been through this before and can draw on his past experience.  The maturation of the 26-year old shows, to an extent, in that he recognizes his mistakes and does not deny or hide from them.  One thing is for sure, is if this team has aspirations of making the playoffs they will need Pelf to right the ship and return to the dominate starter we saw through April and May.  I believe it will happen but it will take more than Pelfrey just owning up to his mistakes, he will need to go that extra step to correct them.

To read more of my thoughts on the Mets, head to Metszilla.com

The post Reacting To The Thrashing: What’s Wrong With Pelf? appeared first on Metsmerized.

Here’s the truth, the Mets are an average team in 2010. You have to tip your cap to Omar Minaya, (prediction: few bad comments for this.) Last year was one of the most forgettable years as a Mets fan in the 2000’s, but he stuck to his guns and he put together a team that would play competitive baseball. We (the collective Mets fan) didn’t buy in.

I laugh when I see those commercials (BENNNNN HUUUUR) no not that commercial…the one where the Mets are thanking the fans for their home field advantage.

That commercial campaign really should be, “Come see what you’ve been missin!” Because in all honesty, we’re getting our money’s worth when they play at Citi Field.

Do you realize the Mets are filling the stadium at a lower capacity than Milwaukee, and Colorado? The Mets are 11^th in attendance percentage based on capacity, and 12^th in total attendance.

That’s embarrassing, and you know what? Yeah 2009 was awful, but why should the Mets and their brass go out and get a big time pitcher? It’s not like we the fans are giving them a reason to go spend more money. Are we?

Is there some petition going around that says if the Mets acquire Roy Oswalt, the attendance will increase to at least crack the Top 10 in MLB? I didn’t think so.

With all that being said, I think the smartest thing Omar Minaya and the Wilpon’s can do is ensure that the future of this franchise is not thrown away for a long shot chance at the post-season. I’m not saying rebuild, and I’m not saying this team cannot pull off a nice streak and get back into it. 

I am saying they shouldn’t sell 2011 for the sake of 2010. If this were a 1 team race, then maybe. You can’t tell me Philadelphia isn’t poised for a summer run like they always do. You also can’t tell me the Braves are going to lose steam.

With that said, I think the Mets need to continue to carry 3 catchers for now, and then say thank you and goodbye to Rod Barajas or Henry Blanco prior to 2011. The talk of Josh Thole being a part of some deal that doesn’t bring a legitimate #2 starter into this rotation for more than 1 season has to be thrown away.

Thole has proven that he belongs in the major leagues, he clearly has more to learn about managing a game, but he’s not going to learn any more than he has in the minor leagues. For those of you who absolutely are smitten with Barajas, I’m not going to get into this discussion about his value anymore. 

He hit some big HR in April and early May, but he has driven in 2 runs since June 1^st. He’s playing *exactly* how the back of his baseball card dictates he would’ve. He doesn’t get on base, and I don’t care how nice of a guy you are, or what fingers you put down between your legs so a pitcher can see, if you cannot get on base; you’re not a starter. With a minimum of 100 AB’s as a catcher, Barajas is last in on base % in the NL.

That means 19 other catchers are better at getting on base than he is. That’s awful. And please do not say it’s a slump. If it’s a slump, then his entire 2009 season must’ve been a slump, plus 2008. I think he did a great job early on with the pitchers, but now it’s time to teach while sitting on the bench.

Josh Thole is 23 years old, and plays a position that most teams covet due to the fact there are not many good starting catchers under the age of 30 in Major League Baseball. Name them…

Joe Mauer, Brian McCann, Russell Martin are the first 3 that come to mind. Then you’ve got Wieters, Doumit, Napoli and Yadier Molina based on his defense. Throw in Buster Posey, and that’s really it. Doumit is 29, so cross him off your list for 2011.

I’m not saying Josh Thole is Joe Mauer, but what I am saying is he plays a position that very few teams can say they are set at for years. He plays a position that teams are constantly in the free agent market for. If the Mets don’t have to go into 2011 looking for a catcher, then that allows them to focus their time and efforts on other problems.

So first things first, Josh Thole needs to become this teams everyday catcher and Rod Barajas and Henry Blanco need to teach him whatever it was they were able to do early on to guide this pitching staff.

If you take an honest look at the 2010 Mets, they need to let 2010 run it’s course and focus on next year. Consider 2010 a rebound year after the disaster that was 2009. Will it be awesome if they find a way to make the playoffs? Absolutely.

I used to be that guy who said, go for it. Make 2010 happen.

But, I just don’t feel like it’s smart to go all in right now when you have 2 division teams to leapfrog or 3 NL West teams plus an NL Central team to jump over. It may seem like the right idea to us fans who want to see a winner, but if you believe guys like Thole, Tejada, and Mejia are big leaguers; then this franchise needs to keep them in their system and not spend $ for the sake of spending $ and still finishing in 3rd place.

This has been one of the most likeable Mets teams in a pretty long time. I don’t think that has to change. I think if they wind up .500, I’ll still enjoy watching them play.

2011 Opening Day could have Thole-Davis-Tejada-Reyes-Wright in the infield. 5 guys, all brought up through the organization leaving the Mets with no worries regarding their infield for several years.

The post Thole Needs To Stay; Focus on 2011. appeared first on Metsmerized.