The Mets started to make their initial free agency signings Wednesday as they added depth to both the starting rotation and the infield. They started the day by bringing in a player who spent his first eight season in the big leagues just a borough over, as they signed former Yankee Luis Severino to a one-year deal. The former Yankee is expected to be more of a middle-to-backend  piece for the Mets rotation as they continue to fill out their staff, but has some potential upside if he can rebound from a poor 2023 season. For a more in-depth look into the signing, click here!

Next, the Mets added some infield depth as they agreed to a one-year deal with former Marlins utility infielder Joey Wendle. Wendle, who can play many spots around the diamond, has garnered the reputation of being a reliable glove throughout his career. Despite having career lows in almost every offensive category last season, Wendle has shown the ability to be a good contact hitter when he is right and will hopefully fill the role that recently released Luis Guillorme was in. For a closer look into the Mets signing of Joey Wendle, click here!

Luis Severino. Photo credits USA Today

Latest Mets News

The Mets are reportedly going “full bore” in trying to land Japanese pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shōta Imanaga, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Sherman adds that the Mets are “not messing around” and might not have it in them to completely fold to a year or two turn around. 

Luis Severino seems to be just the beginning of the Mets pitching signings as they are reportedly interested in former Tigers lefty Eduardo Rodríguez, per Mike Mayer of Metsmerized Online. To learn more about the report, click here!

Latest MLB News

Former Minnesota Twins reliever Emilio Pagán signed with the Cincinnati Reds, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. The two-year, $16 million deal (the second year is a player option) makes Pagán the highest-paid player on the Reds. For more on the signing, click here!

The Reliever of the Year Awards were announced for both leagues Wednesday night as Devin Williams of the Milwaukee Brewers won in the National League and Félix Bautista of the Baltimore Orioles won in the American League. 

Nelson Cruz has found himself a new job as he is joining the Los Angeles Dodgers organization as an advisor, per Tenchy Rodriguez of Z Digital. The recently retired slugger stays in baseball after playing for 19 seasons and being the Dominican Republic’s general manager for their past World Baseball Classic run. 

Trade talks circulating around Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Dylan Cease have started to heat up in the last 48 hours according to a report by Jon Morosi of MLB Network. Morosi noted that some sources believe a deal could be done prior to the start of the winter meetings and that the Atlanta Braves are among the finalists. For more information on Cease, check out our trade profile on him!

Ryan Flaherty is expected to be named the Chicago Cubs’ new bench coach, per Brett Ghiroli of The Athletic. Flaherty was in the mix for the Padres head managing spot before they chose Mike Shildt, so he will now move to Chicago to join new manager Craig Counsell‘s staff in the same role he was in with San Diego. 

The Kansas City Royals agreed to a one-year, $2 million deal with utilityman Garrett Hampson, per Robert Murray of FanSided.com. Hampson played in 98 games for the Marlins last season after spending five years in Colorado and has proven to be a plus defender in several positions. 

Former Mets and Padres pitcher Seth Lugo‘s market is heating up and the Dodgers are one of the teams interested, per Ari Alexander of KPRC2 of Houston. Alexander mentions how 2/3 of the league has shown interest in Lugo and that the Houston Astros are not one of those teams. 

Right-handed Reliever Penn Murfee and the Atlanta Braves came to an agreement on a major league deal, per Jeff Passan of ESPN. Since being waived by the Seattle Mariners, Murfee has been claimed and waived by the Mets and claimed and non-tendered by the Braves prior to agreeing to this deal. 

Bob Klapisch of the Newark Star-Ledger reported that any deal that would take place for San Diego Padres outfielder Juan Soto would be a one-year rental. He added that an MLB executive told him, “Scott Boras clients don’t do extensions.”

Veteran right-handed pitcher Jaime Barria agreed to a minor-league deal with the Cleveland Guardians, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Barria spent his first six seasons in the big leagues with the Los Angeles Angels before being granted free agency last month. 

The Major League Baseball Players Association elected two Minor League Association Player Representatives and two Alternate Association Player Representatives to serve two-year terms, per MLBPA. The elected Association Player Representatives are Cameron Junker of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Williams Simoneit of the Oakland Athletics; the alternate selections are A.J. Lewis of the Colorado Rockies and Jake Walters of the Miami Marlins. 

Liam Hendriks was selected as the recipient of the 2023 Tony Conigliaro Award, per Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe. This award is given out by the Red Sox to the “major leaguer who has overcome adversity through the attributes of spirit, determination, and courage that were trademarks of Tony C.”

Latest on MMO

Michael Mayer previewed the next matchup in Mets Madness as the 1973 Mets take on the 2007 Mets. 

Check out the update on Juan Soto’s trade situation between the Padres and Yankees. 

On This Date in Mets History

2012: David Wright signs an eight-year, $138-million extension with the Mets, which was the highest paying deal in team history at the time. 

2007: The Mets trade Lastings Milledge to the Washington Nationals and receive Brian Schneider and Ryan Church in return. 

Birthdays: DJ Stewart (30), Matt Lawton (52), Juan Berenguer (69), Craig Swan (73)

The post Morning Briefing: Mets Make First Major Offseason Additions 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.

So, just how important is the ingredient of clubhouse chemistry to the relative success of a team? My feeling is that the degree of significance is in opposite proportion to the on-field success of the player involved. One former Met whose flinty personality rubbed people the wrong way everywhere he played was Jeff Kent, yet his undeniable offensive prowess (in more ways than one, I guess) led to a HOF-caliber career which included several seasons in the same lineup as Barry Bonds, no paragon of social niceties himself. In retrospect, the Mets trade of Kent for Carlos Baerga was a total clunker as Kent’s level of production exploded to All-Star level just as Baerga’s went into the tank. But at the time, Baerga was an All-Star who was younger than Kent and who carried none of the baggage associated with Kent, whose primary offense in a Met uniform was refusing to participate in a rookie ritual that involved wearing a ridiculous outfit for a team trip.

Team management saw the opportunity to swap a player they saw as having a somewhat negative effect on team harmony for a proven performer and they went for it. History has shown this to be one in a litany of bad trades that Met fans would just as soon forget, but you can’t argue with the logic at the time.  Add to this the fact that Indians management saw nothing wrong with spinning Kent off in the trade that landed him in San Francisco (where stardom followed) and you can’t really jump on poor Joe McIvaine’s case too hard. Once in Giant livery, Kent reeled off a string of tremendous seasons that culminated in arguably one of the greatest careers of any second baseman in MLB history. But he was still regarded as a major-league prick. I guess most teams would have put up with that aspect of his game as long as the rest of it was intact.

Another interesting chapter in the DSM of Metdom involved one Randall K. Myers and wunderkind batsman Gregg Jefferies. Jefferies, as you undoubtedly recall, was perhaps the most heralded Mets hitting prospect ever outside of Darryl Strawberry. Fans were regaled with tales of his incredible switch-hitting talents, honed through a variety of batting drills such as the semi-weird “swinging underwater in a pool” routine that the sports press of the time delighted in recounting. Upon his arrival, young Gregg looked to be the real thing, ripping off an impressive month at the end of the 1988 season and challenging the team to find a way to fit him into the same infield as Howard Johnson, the incumbent at Jefferies preferred position of third base.

After shifting the rookie across the diamond to second, the team received satisfactory offensive performance from him over the next two seasons, including a league leading 40 doubles in 1990. But prior to that campaign, the team had seen fit to trade Myers, a fireballing lefty reliever, to the Reds for his veteran counterpart and future Mets Hall-of-Famer John Franco. Not a terrible swap in retrospect, but at the time many wondered why the Mets would exchange a talent of Myers’ ilk for a player two years older who relied primarily on a deceptive change-up as an out pitch. The role of closer was one that most felt was better served by the blazer of young Randall K., and so inquiries as to the motivation of management with respect to the trade were made.

Revelations were forthcoming to the effect that the clubhouse friction between Myers and Jefferies was such that it was deemed best for all concerned to “keep ‘em separated,” to borrow a song lyric. Jefferies had been noted as being especially fussy about his bats and other equipment, and had garnered a reputation as a bit of a prima donna due to his helmet flinging episodes following strikeouts. Following reports that Myers had conspired with fellow bullpen denizen Roger McDowell to saw several of Jefferies bats in half and perhaps bring the youngster down a peg or two, it was made clear that the front office preferred to remove elements of controversy from the clubhouse. The element chosen was the self-styled cowabunga warrior Myers, a change that management hoped would help the more sensitive Jefferies flourish.  He did, ultimately, making the All-Star team and challenging for a batting title in 1993-for the St. Louis Cardinals. Prior to that, he had been part of the trade package put together to bring Bret Saberhagen to New York after his various peccadilloes had become less bearable in light of his merely competent level of production.

Another notorious bête noire of Met clubhouse history was former first-rounder Lastings Milledge whose escapades are still relatively fresh in the mind of the average Met fan. Now consigned to showing up opponents and teammates in Japan, the young Mr. Milledge arrived in 2006 with a reputation for trouble already established but with his talent still largely a promise of things to come. After two seasons in the Orange and Blue, he was sent packing to Washington for Ryan Church and Brian Schneider, worthy enough role players but lacking any star power of the type hinted at by some aspects of Milledge’s game.  When his potential for stardom failed to materialize after that, he drifted to Pittsburgh, then on to the south side of Chicago before opting for the Far East. Still only 28, he may have finally found himself as a player with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. One can only hope that he has overcome the habits that lead to the posting of the infamous “Know Your Place, Rook” sign in his locker by Met teammate Billy Wagner.

A more unusual aspect of the “player as clubhouse distraction” syndrome was noted during the 2004 and 2005 seasons when Anna Benson, the wife of the contrastingly low-key Met pitcher Kris Benson, arrived on the scene.  The combination of Mrs. Benson’s startlingly frank pronouncements on virtually everything with behavior such as appearing as a va-va-voom version of “Mrs. Claus” at the Met annual Christmas charity function combined to lead to a trade with Baltimore sending her husband out of town after a season and a half. That the male Benson’s apparent talent level was that of an eminently replaceable back-of-rotation starter probably contributed to his exit as well. Had he displayed more in the way of dominant pitching skills, the team’s tolerance for the more “colorful” aspects of his spouse’s persona might have been greater.

So, what of the Mets’ current bad boy? I expect that as long as whatever contributions he makes on the field outweigh the perceived negative effect of his extra-curricular antics, he will stick around. At this point, the team hasn’t done a lot to enhance his trade value anyway.  Considering the organization’s history though, I imagine that if circumstances conspire to raise his baseball value in the estimation of any general manager not named Alderson, he could be on his way somewhere in the relatively near future. Maybe someone will be enticed to take him for a “’Spin?”

The post Prima Donnas and Clubhouse Chemistry: A Met Perspective appeared first on Metsmerized.

While it is conjecture Wright might have done something to aggravate his condition, the question can’t help be asked. Seriously, is winning a game in April worth losing Wright for a period of time? That’s the perception today and considering the Mets’ history in handling injuries, it is warranted.

The Mets played fast and loose with injuries to Carlos Beltran, Ryan Church, Pedro Martinez, Johan Santana and Wright in the past several times only to have it come back to bite them. Perhaps I am being an alarmist, but following the Mets does that to a person.

“I would say it’s better now than it was when I woke up this morning, which is a good thing,’’ Wright told reporters in Miami after the Mets’ 15-inning loss to the Marlins. “So I think the treatment that I got on it during the day helped and was beneficial. I’ll wake up tomorrow and see how it feels. I’d like to play as soon as possible, so we’ll see.’’

That the Mets used Wright when they didn’t have to only indicates the panic mode the team – and manager Terry Collins? – must be in with their losing streak now at five.

The Mets’ heretofore lousy bullpen blew two leads last night. Sure, it is semantics to say Shaun Marcum is a reliever, but he was used in that role. First Bobby Parnell, who had been the Mets’ only reliable reliever, and then Marcum.

Blame the pen if you want, but the Mets went 1-for-18 with runners in scoring position and stranded 26 runners.

Compounding matters, the Mets not only wasted numerous opportunities to win the game, but squandered a Matt Harvey outing, one in which he threw 121 pitches to boot.

The Mets can’t afford to waste games pitched by Harvey and Jon Niese, but that’s what they’ve done the last two times through the rotation with them, winning only Harvey’s no-decision last Wednesday against the Dodgers.

While not as bad as it was for a month stretch last summer, the Mets’ offense is in tatters.

* Ike Davis struck out three more times last night and is on pace to fan 196 times this season. That’s more than once a game. He has more strikeouts (29) than walks (12) and hits (13) combined, and there are no signs of him breaking out of his funk.

* Speaking of funks, after hitting over .300 for most of April, Daniel Murphy is on a 5-for-31 slide (.161 average with only one walk in that span).

* Wright’s on-base percentage is up, but needs to produce more than two homers and 19 RBI.

* Overall, the Mets have scored just ten runs in their last five games, and on the season have scored four or fewer runs in 13 of 25 games. They are averaging 8.5 strikeouts per game.

Thoughts from Joe D.

I guess a five game losing streak is a great time to clear the air. If not now, then when? Is it too early? Sure it’s early. but what does that have to do with some of the bad decisions we’ve been getting recently from Terry Collins? Is there a stat that shows Collins is a better strategist in July than he is in April? Do managers have slumps like players? Or are they just good or God Awful? Excuse me for going with the latter in Terry’s case. Sorry, Skip…

To begin, I think the concept of of bringing in a defensive replacement is lost on him. He substituted Collin Cowgill for Juan Lagares on Sunday and then got burned when Cowgill got a late break, a bad read, and watched a Ryan Howard shot sail over his head for a two-run double. He went with Cowgill again last night against the Marlins and left the better defender Lagares on the bench. On cue, Cowgill misplayed another flyball that translated into a Marlins win come-from-behind win.

And what’s the fascination with career utility outfielder Mike Baxter who has now made defensive miscues in three consecutive games?

Does he know that that the goal of a defensive replacement is to put in the player best equipped to bump your defense and not one who does the complete opposite?

Is someone telling him he HAS to play Cowgill and Baxter? Is it a clause written into their contracts? Because I don’t quite get the fascination – especially for Cowgill. He should be the next outfielder the team cuts and has no use to this team at all – offensively and defensively.

Yesterday, I blasted Collins for how he mishandles the bullpen, is too quick with the hook on starting pitching and then has the nerve to complain about them not going deep during his press conference. Both Jon Niese and Shaun Marcum admitted they wanted to stay in the game and had plenty left in the tank.

This is what happens when you’re a lame duck manager. It’s like trying to get work done while your boss looks over your shoulder. You make more mistakes, you slip up in areas you were once good at, you lose focus. Collins used to have a defender in me, but he looks like a dead man walking to me now.

The post Wright Questionable For Tonight, But Not As Questionable As Collins’ Recent Moves appeared first on Metsmerized.

A sheet of notebook paper, with the words, “Know your place, Rook … signed, your teammates,” was taped over Lastings Milledge’s locker in the Mets’ clubhouse in old RFK Stadium. This, in the late summer in 2006.

The Mets were en route to the playoffs and a veteran laden team was rubbed the wrong way by Milledge’s brashness and arrogance. Then-manager Willie Randolph – who reprimanded Milledge several times that summer – ripped down the sign, but knew he hadn’t ripped away the problem.

The Mets labeled it a misunderstanding, and Randolph called Lastings Milledge “a good kid,’’ but this clearly was not a misunderstanding with a teammate. It was the accumulation of several incidents that rankled several teammates.

Milledge burst upon the Mets, hitting over .300, was dazzling on the bases and showed a strong arm. He was going to be the next “fill in the blank.’’ Willie Mays? Roberto Clemente?

However, things quickly cooled after his first career homer, when on his way to the outfield he high-fived fans down the right field line in Shea Stadium. Randolph sensed how the Giants seethed in their dugout, especially since he saw some of his own players do the same.

Randolph reprimanded Milledge on the unwritten laws in baseball, but it didn’t take. There were ground balls he didn’t run out and times he didn’t hustle in the outfield. He was flash with the jewelry swinging wildly on the field, but in the clubhouse he often sat buried in his locker wearing headphones or playing a video game.

He came off as sullen and angry and clearly couldn’t be bothered by getting to know his teammates. Or, a baseball legend for that matter. During spring training then-GM Omar Minaya brought Milledge to the Nationals dugout to meet Frank Robinson, but Milledge was came off as being in-different.

Finally, he arrived in the clubhouse in Philadelphia an hour before a day game. Although it was early, the veterans made it in on time. David Wright had enough when Milledge strolled in with sunglasses and an iPod as if he owned the place and told him this wasn’t acceptable.

Wright wouldn’t belabor the issue Opening Day, only managing to say “seniority is big in this game,’’ which is the politically-correct translation for Milledge hadn’t earned his stripes.

Milledge popped into my consciousness today when I learned it was his 28^th birthday, an age when he should be in the prime of his career. Instead, Milledge is one of hundreds of baseball prospects given the label of “can’t miss, but eventually did.’’

Seven years ago – the career lifetime of a select few – the Mets had three prized outfield prospects in Milledge, Carlos Gomez and Fernando Martinez. One by one they arrived, fizzled to the point of exasperation and were traded. Not one of them hustled like journeyman outfielder Collin Cowgill.

After turning down several proposals for Manny Ramirez, the Mets eventually traded Milledge to Washington as part of a trade that brought Ryan Church – he of the concussion fiasco – and catcher Brian Schneider. Milledge had his coffee to go with Washington, then Pittsburgh and finally the White Sox before heading to Japan. Milledge had his head-scratching moments in each place, but basically stopped hitting.

At 28, Milledge is still young. It’s about discipline in Japan and if Milledge comes back with a changed attitude perhaps he’ll get another chance. It’s a long way to Japan, and perhaps an even longer route back to the major leagues.

The post How It All Went Wrong For Lastings Milledge appeared first on Metsmerized.

So sometimes I feel disconnected and rely on friends or my dad to fill me in on things.  I also noticed that anyone outside of New York thinks of the Yankees first and the Mets as an after-thought.  I realize it’s been this way for decades, but I don’t think I realized it as much until I left New York.

Lately, too, it’s been worse than ever.  Since the Mets’ two collapses in 2007 and 2008, respectively, and since the injury plague of 2009, it’s almost like the Mets have become a joke to everyone else’s fans.

I remember going to my gym here in Nashville last year, and my trainer introducing me to another member and former Cincinnati Reds pitcher.  At that point it was like May and the Mets were not looking good (before all the injuries hit).  So I asked this guy if he could tell me what was wrong with the Mets.  Instead of offering an answer, he just kind of chuckled.  I don’t know if that’s because he didn’t know the answer, or because, well, the Mets have become the Phillies’ and Yankees’ punching bag.

This week I was e-mailing with a fellow colleague in the music business, and we were talking about the NL East.  I’m a Mets fan, he’s a Braves fan.  But the first thing he says when I tell him I’m a Mets fan is this…”Ha, Jeff Francouer.”  That’s right, “ha.” Of course, I can counter with “Ha, Ryan Church.”

On the other hand, another music writer I know who is an avid baseball fan said he thinks the Mets have a “scary” lineup, and he meant that in a positive way.

Still, the Mets seem to get no love in the national press, and with the Yankees winning it all and the Phillies winning it all the year before, we continue to wallow in red-headed-step-child-edness.  Or something.  Boy, do we ever need to start winning again and reverse this trend.  I hope it’s before my two year old boy starts rooting for the team with me.

The post Are Mets Becoming The Forgotten Stepchild? appeared first on Metsmerized.

When the Mets traded Ryan Church for 25 year old left fielder Jeff Francoeur, the Braves as well as every saber-head in the universe said the Mets got hosed. Lately, they don’t chirp as loudly as they once did. I think they are lying in wait for one false move by Francoeur so they could jump out and proclaim, “You see! I told you so!”. I also believe they have a long wait ahead of them.

I never really understood why all that animosity that was hurled his way. At the time it was just a swap of two average players who needed a change of scenery, but the reaction was as if the Mets traded Fernando Martinez and Jenrry Mejia for Francoeur instead of Ryan Church, who incidentally was subsequently released by the Braves. Could you even imagine the Mets releasing Jeff Francoeur now?

The former first round pick immediately showed up and added a much needed offensive jolt to the lineup and a positive determination that had been missing for most of the 2009 season. In 75 games he batted .311 while collecting 32 extra-base hits and finishing with a .498 slugging percentage. It was enough to silence his detractors for the time being, but they still shrug their shoulders and say “small sample size” under their breaths.

Francoeur spent his offseason dedicated to improving as a hitter and becoming a more dominant run producer. He spent some time with Howard Johnson this winter where they focused mainly on pitch recognition and improving his patience at the plate.

All of that aside, Francoeur has been one of the most outspoken and vocal Mets this offseason. He believes in this Mets team… and he wants all of us to believe in them too.

Yesterday, Francoeur told reporters that he is “sick and tired of 2009” and he believes the Mets have as much of a chance of going to the post season as the New York Yankees.   

“At this point, who cares what happened last year? Even though the Yankees, they won it, but it really doesn’t matter at this point. It’s a new season. Besides Carlos Beltran, you look at everyone is healthy that is supposed to be healthy, and that is huge. We have no excuses now. We’ve got everybody we need here. We’ve got one more guy to get back hopefully in May, and if we can’t win with that, then it’s our fault.”

We need more of that kind of attitude around here. We need that kind of swagger. 

Francoeur has had a positive effect on David Wright who suddenly ditched his choir boy image and now looks and talks a lot like his old friend Paul LoDuca (without the crazy eyes). There are other good reasons to be encouraged this season.

• Jason Bay was lauded by former Met Dave Magadan as a huge presence in the Red Sox clubhouse who motivated everyone on the team. 
• Johan Santana seems determined to make both Oliver Perez and Jose Reyes stand up and deliver the best performances of their careers this season.
• Mike Pelfrey is leaner and oh is he ever so meaner too. Pelf is a man on a mission. 
• I believe Barajas and Blanco will get the most out of our pitching staff after enduring a season where Omir and Schneider got the worst out of them.

Sometimes all you need is one guy to stand up and deliver a solid performance and back it up with a confident swagger. According to all the experts, Francoeur was a zero and someone who would make the Mets worse and not better. They were all wrong. Jeff Francoeur almost immediately began changing the culture of the Mets clubhouse from the day he first got there. He still is.

I’m sure people thought that Ron Swoboda in ’69 and Tug McGraw in ’73 were crazy too. But that’s the thing about swagger… It’s the confidence to believe in yourself even when nobody else does. Soon your teammates start believing in you too, and before you know it they start to believe in themselves as well. We’ve seen it before Mets fans.

Aren’t you sick and tired of 2009 too? Aren’t you sick and tired of hearing and reading how bad we are? Or how terrible out prospects are? Or what a terrible offseason we had? 

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to start believing again.

The post Jeff Francoeur Leads The Charge appeared first on Metsmerized.

Church, 31, hit .273 with four home runs and 40 RBI’s while splitting time as a member of both the Mets and Braves last season.

This news is somewhat surprising as it was rumored for weeks that the Pirates were looking to sign another free agent outfielder by the name of Rick Ankiel.

However, as Kovacevic notes that Ankiel’s agent, Scott Boras, is still touting his client as a starting outfielder.

Last season, Ankiel hit for a dismal .231 average and hit only 11 home runs, which is nearly half the amount he hit in 2008 (25).

While Ankiel may have a more powerful bat, the Pirates do not want to put themselves in a position of having to block one of their top prospects, Jose Tabata, when he gets called up from the minor leagues.

I think Ryan Church would be a solid pickup for any team, especially for the role of a reserve outfielder. He brings to the table a strong arm for the outfield and a bat that could potentially hit 20 home runs.

The post Pirates Looking to Sign Ryan Church? appeared first on Metsmerized.

It looks likes this trade has the fan base far more divided than the Lastings Milledge trade, with both sides either loving it or hating it.

I took a spin around a few Braves sites, just to see what they were saying. Here is some of what I found:

Another stupid trade. Frenchy is a much better player than Church is. They could have got more in return than Church and they gave the Mets money like they needed it. Another front office blunder. I hope they don’t ever win another game and the Mets flourish.

Francoeur has 235 more hits than Ryan Church in one fewer season in the big leagues .. He has significantly more runs batted in, more triples, more doubles, more of everything that counts ..

Picture Frenchy trying to hit a homer at Citi Field, LOL Someone tell the Mets no-givsies-backsies.

Mostly, they were split down the middle, but those that hated the trade were more ticked off that he went to the Mets rather than a team outside the division.

Most needlessly poor move I’ve ever seen by a GM in baseball. Honestly, if you must trade him (which I’m certainly not convinced is the case), you don’t trade him to the Mets. Give him to the Royals for a bag of balls and bats. Not the Mets. Not ever. Frank Wren has handled his GM duties regarding team chemistry with all the grace and care of a grenade in a phone booth. It’s becoming hard to watch. The guy is a putz. Period.

I don’t think this trade merits all the doomsday scenarios that I’ve read, especially among many of my Mets friends and fellow Mets bloggers. Please let me explain…

We gave up Ryan Church who couldn’t maintain an everyday job with the Washington Nationals. After the Mets got him, we saw one amazing month in 1 1/2 seasons. In that time, the Mets also came to the conclusion that Church was not an everyday player, and he only played in two-thirds of the team’s games this season. He never hit more than 15 homeruns in his career and he was on pace to hit 4 homeruns this season. I loved his defense and he had a great arm, but he was clearly out of favor with the organization. He was a marked man and his days were numbered. Everybody knew that.

I’m sure the Mets tried to get the most that they could for Church. But let’s be real… We weren’t going to get Carlos Lee or Alex Rios for him. We weren’t going to get Matt Holliday or Roy Halladay for him either. The best the Mets could hope for is acquiring another rightfielder who might have a chance to become a decent everyday player in the future. And that’s exactly what they got.

There is no reason to over analyze all the anagrams, and agonize like it’s the end of the world.

Regardless of what you may have heard or read, Jeff Francoeur is a low risk/high reward type player.

Also, lets not forget that Omar Minaya has developed a penchant for finding those diamonds in the rough; John Maine, Duaner Sanchez (before the car accident), Xavier Nady, Omir Santos, etc.

At the age of 24, Francoeur already had two 100 RBI seasons under his belt coming into this season, compared to zero for Ryan Church. Church had a career high 70 RBI in 2007, and never had more than 50 in any other season.

As Gary Cohen pointed out last night, baserunners are so aware of his powerful arm, that they no longer even test him. You won’t see many runners digging for third base like you did against Ryan Church twice in the the recently completed Dodgers series. (Both of Church’s throws were off line and late.)

Since his rookie year in 2005, the former Braves first-rounder leads the major leagues in outfield assists with 66. There are none better. While some may argue that Ryan Church gives you gold glove caliber type defense, Jeff Francoeur is the only one of the two that actually won a gold glove. 

Francoeur has had an interesting start to his career…

In his first game with Atlanta, Francoeur made his debut a memorable one when he launched a dramatic 8th inning 3-run homer, his first Major League hit.

In 2006, Francoeur hit .260 with 29 homers and 103 RBIs in his first full season in the majors. He also played in all 162 games, and in May of that season he hit a walk-off grand slam against the Washington Nationals.

In 2007, Francoeur batted .293 with 19 homers and 105 RBIs. He led the league in outfield assists with 19 and earned his first Gold Glove. Francoeur also played in all 162 games for the second consecutive season.

In 2008, Francoeur was mired in a 4 week long slump that saw his batting average drop to .234, and the Braves responded by demoting him to the minor leagues. Francoeur was devastated and embarrassed and he went public with his feelings and criticized the organization, a move that didn’t sit well with GM Frank Wren and manager Bobby Cox. The Jeff Francoeur who thrilled Braves fans for 2 1/2 seasons would never be seen again.

This winter, Francoeur drew the ire of the organization when in an attempt to correct his swing went to Texas to work with Rangers hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo. All Francoeur wanted to do was improve as a hitter, and he had it in his head that the Braves had given up on him. In any event and whatever the reason, it was the last straw.

If there was ever a more convincing case of a player that needed a change of scenery and a fresh start this is it.

We are talking about a young player who has already tasted a lot of success before the age of 25, and yet he is very willing to better himself even seeking out the help of another team’s hitting coach. I gotta tell you, that says a lot about a guy. I’m with Omar on this one…

I like Ryan Church, but I like Francoeur’s potential a heck of a lot better.

The post In Defense Of Jeff Francoeur appeared first on Metsmerized.

As you’re all well aware, Jeff Francoeur will be the Mets new everyday rightfielder.  The reaction on this site and all over the blogosphere has been quite vocal, to say the least.  I have noticed a share of fans panning the deal, despite the fact that Francoeur has yet to play his first game in a Mets uniform.  I will not attempt to compare Ryan Church to Francoeur in this post.  I will leave that to other writers on this site.  Instead, I will attempt to give you a different perspective on Jeff Francoeur and hope that you will accept him as your new rightfielder.  After all, the name on the front of his jersey now says “Mets”, so we should support him as a member of our team.

In New York, in addition to getting the job done, fans demand a hard worker on the field day in and day out.  This is why fans loved players such as Ty Wigginton.  He never put up All-Star caliber numbers, but he was a hard-nosed player who did the little things to help the team win.  From bowling over a catcher while attempting to score a run to challenging the outfielders by taking the extra base, Wigginton was loved by Mets fans during his short stay in New York.  His best season for New York came in 2003 when he led the team in games played with 156.  Wiggy batted .255 with 11 HR, 71 RBI and 73 runs scored.  He also struck out 124 times while drawing only 46 bases on balls.

Wigginton’s 2003 season was eerily similar to Francoeur’s season in 2008, a year in which he was briefly sent down to the minors by the Braves.  Francoeur hit .239 last season, with the same 11 HR and 71 RBI Wigginton had in 2003, while playing in 155 games.  Frenchy scored 70 runs while striking out 111 times and drawing 39 walks.  By the way, Francoeur is now 25.  How old was Wigginton during his 2003 season?  You guessed it – 25.

The fans who loved Wigginton surely weren’t applauding his stats, as they were less than spectacular.  They were able to see his grit and determination to help the team win by any means necessary, even if his contributions did not show up in the boxscore.  Francoeur can be that same type of player.  He’s certainly showed his durability by playing in all 162 games twice in his career.  No one is better at throwing out runners trying to take an extra base, as he has more outfield assists than anyone else in baseball since he made his debut in 2005.  If he fails to drive in a run while batting, he will go all out to prevent the opposing team from adding a run with his strong and accurate arm.

Francoeur has also made great strides to cut down on his strikeouts.  Although he is still a free swinger, he is now making much better contact, as evidenced by his decreasing strikeout totals.  Since his first full season in 2006, he has reduced his strikeout totals from 132 to 129 to 111 last season.  This year, he has only whiffed a total of 46 times in 304 at-bats.  Although he is only hitting .250, the lack of strikeouts suggest that he is more likely to raise his average than lower it.  After all, you can’t get a base hit by striking out.  You can only raise your average by making contact, which is something Francoeur is certainly making more of this year.

Mets fans, I know some of you loved Ryan Church.  I also know some of you are claiming that this is just a trade for the sake of making a trade.  You say the Mets could have gotten more than Jeff Francoeur and you might be correct.  However, this is what I say.  Did any of you really think Ryan Church was going to be a permanent fixture in right field?  Francoeur certainly has more of a chance than Church to be more than just a stopgap player in right.  Also, the Mets did not have to lose any of their minor league trading chips to acquire Francoeur.  If Omar is going to continue his attempt to make this team better before the trade deadline, he’s going to need those minor leaguers in order to get major league talent in return.  A potential trade suitor is not going to take Ryan Church for one of their high-salaried players that they’re willing to deal.  They will take cheaper minor leaguers that they can control for a longer period of time, players with the potential to help the team for more years than a Ryan Church could.  If he so chooses, Omar can now use some of those minor leaguers that weren’t used to acquire Francoeur and turn them into an Alex Rios or a quality starting pitcher.

Before panning this trade, take a look at all the variables in the equation.  As with all trades, this could be a bust or a godsend for the Mets.  At the very least, give Francoeur a chance.  If you’re going to Citi Field tonight, cheer him on when he comes to bat.  You never know.  He might give you plenty of reasons to cheer for him in the future.

The post Meet The Newest Met: Jeff Francoeur appeared first on Metsmerized.