I omitted some of the pitchers who quickly re-signed with their teams like Tim Hudson of the Braves, Carl Pavano of the Twins, and Scott Olsen of the Nationals.

Of the 29 remaining starters, more than half of them spent time on the disabled list in 2010, and 15 of them started 20 games or less. 

Latest Buzz

The Texas Rangers are considered to be the frontrunners for Jon Garland.

The New York Mets are interested in Joel Pineiro who is seeking a 3-4 year deal.

Ben Sheets is seeking a $12 million dollar deal, far more than what some other injury risks have signed for.

Tim Redding may be close to a deal with the Colorado Rockies.

The post A Snapshot Of The Market For Starting Pitchers appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

OF Cory Sullivan
OF Jeremy Reed
RP Lance Broadway
SP Tim Redding

Nothing that wasn’t already expected there, but it’s worth noting that only Sean Green remains of the trade that sent “six players” to the Mariners and Indians in the J.J. Putz deal.

Other Notable Non Tenders

The Oakland A’s have non tendered outfielder Jack Cust. Cust has led the American League in strikeouts for three consecutive seasons, including 2009 when he struck out 185 times, after a season in which he whiffed 197 times. I’ve heard some rumblings from Mets fans who see him as an opportunity, but I say no way. You have to draw the line somewhere. Besides I thought the idea of acquiring a player was to improve the team not make it worse. Two thumbs down.

Colorado has parted ways with Garrett Atkins. The 29 year old corner infielder is coming off a terrible season in which he batted just .226  with 9 homers and 48 RBIs. However, before this past season, Atkins was a solid offensive force and a key component in the Rockies offense. Between 2006 and 2008, Atkins averaged .301 with 25 homeruns and 110 RBIs. He is righthanded and would certainly add some power off the bench while filling a platoon role with Daniel Murphy at first base. Two thumbs up.

The post Mets Non-Tenders And Other Notables appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

My choice for MetsMerized Player Of The Week is…Daniel Murphy!

Daniel Murphy’s season can be summarized pretty bluntly like this : Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Most people thought he was a diamond in the rough prospect after watching him hit .313 down the September stretch last year. Now don’t get me wrong, I still think Daniel Murphy is a good player and his baseball IQ has improved after a full season. Pitchers have adjusted to him but he’s shown adjustment to them, and he has also shown that he’s slowly returning to his selective strike zone that caught the eye of alot of scouts at the MLB level. Lately, to put it in short, he’s been tearing it up.

Daniel posted a .375 AVG on the week (9-24 3 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR) and I’m pretty sure he managed another HR as I’m writing this. He struck out only once, drove in 5 runs and scored 3, and ripped 17 TB on the week. .375/.400/.708 is a great line for a week, isn’t it? If Daniel can manage to use the massive amount of real estate in Citi Field to his advantage, he can become a solid doubles hitter. He doesn’t belong at 1B, but we’ll see what becomes of that.

Daniel Murphy has been under the microscope alot this year, but I believe every once in a while we need to sit back and remember he’s just 24. Not every player develops into a star so young, and I do believe that patience will pay off with young Murphy, in more than one way. So to that, I say Kudos To Daniel Murphy!

Honorable Mentions:

Jeff Francoeur: .360 (9-25; 4 2B), 1 RBI, 13 TB, 1 SB, 6 R.

Tim Redding: 1 GS, 1 QS. W, 7.0 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 4 K.

Past Award Winners:

One Hit Wonders: Ryan Church, Johan Santana,  David Wright, Fernando Tatis

Been There, Done That Twice: Luis Castillo, Angel Pagan, Jeff Francoeur, Daniel Murphy.

Of Note 9/13-9/20

John Maine threw 5 shutout innings against the Nationals and no hit them through 4. He looked OK and he looked like he wasn’t trying to get strikeouts, but rather outs overall. I think he’s a better pitcher that way.

Tobi Stoner is a guy I’m very intrigued with. On one hand, I don’t see too much to get excited about but on the other, I like his control.

With the playoffs hopes also went Brian Stokes, who has not done so well now that the games don’t matter. Lack of adrenaline?

Someone tell me why we didn’t trade Gary Sheffield?

Josh Thole needs a year in AAA. Add Catcher to our list of needs.

The post MetsMerized Player Of The Week! 9/13-9/20 appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Redding shut down the Nats so completely that the only hit they were able to muster off him through the first six innings was a bunt single by leadoff hitter Willie Harris in the fourth inning.  He tired a little in the seventh inning, giving up the tying run on an RBI single to Adam Dunn, but the Mets bailed him out when Wright and Francoeur hit back-to-back doubles leading off the bottom of the seventh inning.  A much-needed insurance run came around to score when Adam Dunn butchered (bucknered?) a Daniel Murphy grounder to first.

Sean Green allowed the Nats to trim the score to 3-2 when he made a throwing error on what would have been the third out of the inning.  Luckily, Perpetual Pedro (has Gary Cohen trademarked that monicker yet?) came into the game and was able to retire Adam Dunn on a grounder to second.

The Mets did not even break a sweat in the ninth inning as Francisco Rodriguez pitched a 1-2-3 frame with two strikeouts.  In picking up his 32nd save, he helped give Tim Redding only his third win of the season against six losses.

Ever since Redding was moved back into the starting rotation on August 22,  he has been excellent.  In his six starts, he has given up three runs or less five times.  Unfortunately, he has been the victim of poor run support.  Other than the 10-3 Mets victory on August 27, they have scored only eight runs in his other five starts.  His ERA over those six starts has been a solid 2.72.  If Redding is making a case to be a Met again next year, he is surely not failing in his effort to do so.

Another hot player who played well today was Jeff Francoeur.  He doubled twice today, with the second two-bagger driving in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning.  He is now hitting .318 as a Met, raising his season average to .280.  Over his last ten games, he has been particularly scintillating, hitting .475 (19 for 40).  In those 40 at-bats, he has more doubles than strikeouts (six doubles, five strikeouts).  If there’s a multi-hit game to be had, Frenchy is a top candidate to grab it.

Tomorrow could be a big day at Citi Field.  With a victory over the Nats on Sunday, the Mets will clinch fourth place in the National League East.  Grab your silly string in anticipation of the celebration.  John Maine will make his second start since his return from visiting Pai Mei for all those months.  He will be opposed by Garrett Mock of the Nationals.  Game time for the potential clincher is at 1:10 PM.  I wonder if the police officers on horses will be there as well in case the crowd gets out of hand if the Mets win…

The post Tim Redding: Streakbuster! Mets Swat Nats 3-2 appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

In 2008, the Mets held a 3½ game lead over the Phillies with 17 games to play.  Pedro Martinez faced the Phillies once in September and the Mets lost that game.

In 2009, Pedro Martinez is now on the other side of the rivalry.  The Phillies are now the team with 17 games left on their schedule.  The more things change, the more they stay the same.  Pedro Martinez pitched tonight in a Mets-Phillies game and the Mets lost.

Martinez was brilliant tonight as he pitched eight strong innings and threw 130 pitches in the Phillies’ 1-0 victory over the Mets.  The loss officially eliminated the Mets from playoff contention and also guaranteed that their streak of four consecutive seasons with a winning record would not be extended.

There aren’t too many highlights to report in this recap.  There certainly was one huge lowlight.  Oh, Mr. Murphy, would you care to explain why you tried to take third base when the ball trickled away from the catcher with two outs in the eighth inning?  Have you been hanging out with Angel Pagan again?  This has happened way too many times this season and if Keith Hernandez was watching, he would immediately be calling for the proper “fundies” from the Mets.  With one out, you take that chance, but not with two.  Murphy’s baserunning faux pas (that’s French for “faux pas”) took the Mets out of their last good scoring opportunity.

Not everything went badly for the Mets in the game.  After giving up a run in the first inning, Tim Redding matched Pedro Martinez pitch-for-pitch.  Redding was brilliant in his six innings of work, allowing one run on only three hits, while walking two and striking out three.  He did not allow the Phillies to lengthen their lead and at one point, he retired 14 consecutive batters.  Unfortunately, just like John Maine lost Game 1 of the day-night doubleheader despite allowing only one run, Redding pitched even more effectively before ultimately suffering the same fate.  He was surely a hard-luck loser tonight.

But alas, this was Pedro Martinez’s night to shine.  This was the Pedro the Mets hoped to see on the day he signed his four-year deal back in 2005, when he thought he was going to take the Mets to the promised land.  Now he has a chance to take the Phillies there, while the Mets watch them playing in October.  Again.  Somewhere in the distance I can hear Alanis Morissette asking “Isn’t it ironic?  Don’t you think?”

The post Pedro Hammers The Final Nail In; Mets Lose 1-0 appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

In particular the starting pitching staff has been decimated by injuries. Three of the team’s top pitchers (Santana, Maine and Perez) are all currently on the disabled list, and only one of them (Maine) has any chance of coming back by the season’s end.

The replacements for this trio are the tandem of Nelson Figueroa, Tim Redding and Pat Misch or as Ron Darling has coined them “The Fab Three”.

Let’s take a look at these players and examine whether or not they are worthy of a role with the team in 2010.

Nelson Figueroa –

In the words of SNY personality Adam Schein, Nelson Figueroa is “my guy”.

Despite riding the Heath Bell express throughout his two years in the big apple, Figueroa has generally been reliable to make a spot start or a long relief appearance.

He maybe 35 years of age, which makes him no youngster, but Figgy has shown this year he can still pitch effectively at the major league level.

As a matter of fact in his one of his recent starts against the Chicago Cubs, Figueroa pitched one of the best games in his career when he struck out ten batters and held the opposition to only one run.

In 38 innings pitched this year, Figueroa has maintained a 4.74 ERA, which is just a hair above his career average (4.62).

One thing to keep in mind with Nelson is that he is not a lights out pitcher, and he generally does not pitch very deep into games.

What makes Figueroa so attractive is the bevy of international experience this player has. He has pitched all over the globe and has found success pretty much everywhere he has been.

Verdict:I like what Figueroa has done for the depleted ball club this year, however I would not give him a guaranteed major league deal, which he has been seeking the past few seasons. What I would offer him, though, is another minor league deal that way he could possibly help the club later on next season if injuries strike. The rest of the decision would be left in his hands.

Tim Redding –

It’s been a rough year for The Honeymooners star, Joyce Randolph’s grand-nephrew, Tim Redding. Sidelined by a foot injury in Spring Training that resulted in arm trouble later on, Redding has had a tough season to say the least. To add insult to injury had it not been for the rash of injuries, Redding would have been released a couple of months ago.

Luckily, for him he has strung together three strong outings in his past three starts, including holding the potent Philadelphia Phillies lineup to just one run over five innings. Redding brings to the table veteran experience and has had some success at the major league level with both Houston and Washington.

This year with the Mets, Redding has appeared in 25 games and started 12 of them. Over that period of time he has pitched to a 5.70 ERA with a 60:37 K:BB Ratio.

Looking solely at the stats it would appear that Redding is an easy candidate to be let go at the year’s end, but he does make a case to stay.

Despite, being ridiculed by both the fans and the media, and even being shunned by his own teammates Redding has still kept his head up and remained professional.

Also, as field reporter, Kevin Burkhardt, pointed out, Redding is still arbitration eligible, which could improve the chances of him being brought back.

Verdict: Even with a strong showing down the stretch I don’t see Redding pitching in a Mets uniform. It’s a shame because he seems like a good guy overall and a good teammate, but it is what it is. I think he will find work at as back-of-the-rotation starter on another NL team.

Pat Misch –

Pat Misch has been quite a bargain for the Mets, since they claimed him off of waivers from the Giants earlier in the year. Before joining the Mets, Misch had spent two seasons as both a starter and reliever in San Francisco. At that time it appeared Misch did not have big league stuff.

However, Pat has put all that behind him and cherished the change of scenery from one coast to the other. In his brief Mets tenure Misch has been rather impressive.

In 17 games this year with New York, Misch has posted a 2.48 ERA. This includes two appearances as a starter, both of which lasted seven innings.

Misch is not a hard thrower and doesn’t strike out many batters. As a matter of fact his K:BB ratio with the Mets is practically 1:1 (18:14). Instead of trying to baffle hitters he pitches to contact and induces many fly outs.

His pitching style fits Citi Field rather well because the ballpark does not yield many home runs due to it’s deep dimensions.

Although Misch is pitching very well as a starter right now, I do not see that being his role with the team for the long term.

As Ed Ryan at Mets Fever points out, Misch’s career numbers as a reliever (2.85 ERA) are far better than those in the twelve games he has started (6.32).

Thus, I see him as a long reliever, who can also take some of the burden off of Pedro Feliciano when it comes to getting left-handed hitters out.

Verdict: Misch should absolutely be brought back next season. He’s cheap, young and has good stuff. The Mets cannot count on him to be a starter, but I think he would be very successful out of the bullpen. In the event of an injury Misch would be available to slide in and provide the team with a player, who has the ability to pitch quality outings.

The post Should “The Fab Three” Stay Or Should They Go? appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Before the Mets came to the Mile High city, the Rockies were showing signs of wilting in the late summer heat.  They had lost five straight games and visions of a Rocktober sequel appeared to be fading.  Enter the perfect remedy for Colorado’s case of defeat-itis: the Mets.

Ubaldo Jimenez took the mound for the Rockies, hoping to keep his team in the Wild Card lead after the Giants had won earlier in the day.  Jimenez had just completed a brilliant month of August in which he went 5-1 with a 1.77 ERA.  But the Mets wasted little time in putting together a run.

Angel Pagan led off the game with a double to deep center field.  This was followed by a beautifully placed bunt single by Luis Castillo.  Daniel Murphy then hit a sacrifice fly to left field and the Mets took the early lead on the Rockies.

Tim Redding was so unfamiliar working with an early lead that he gave it right back two batters into the game.  After retiring Carlos Gonzalez to begin the first inning, Redding gave up a solo home run to Seth Smith.  The blast tied the game at 1.

The game of “you score one, I score one” continued when the Rockies took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the third inning, only to have Jeff Francoeur tie the game in the top of the fourth inning with a home run to left field.  It was his 12th home run of the season, surpassing his total for 2008, and his seventh home run for the Mets since being traded to New York from the Braves in July.

After the home run by Francoeur tied the game, the Mets were only able to manage one measly hit for the remainder of the game.  Fortunately for them, Tim Redding was able to keep the Rockies off the scoreboard until he was taken out of the game with two outs in the seventh inning.  It was his third consecutive good outing for the Mets.  However, he only has one win to show for it, despite the 2.45 ERA and .197 batting average against him in 18.1 innings pitched.  Tonight he held the Rockies to two runs on seven hits in his 6.2 innings of work.  He also added six strikeouts and walked only one batter.

With the score still tied at 2 heading to the bottom of the eighth, Jerry Manuel brought in Brian Stokes to start the inning.  It was Stokes who gave up the go-ahead three-run homer in the eighth inning to Alfonso Soriano last Friday in Chicago to turn a 2-2 tie into a 5-2 deficit.  As Yogi Berra used to say, it was deja vu all over again.

Stokes started off well by getting Todd Helton to ground out to third base.  However, the dreaded walk came back to haunt the Mets as Troy Tulowitzki drew a free pass from Stokes.  This was followed by a double into the left field corner by Brad Hawpe.  Ian Stewart was intentionally walked to load up the bases for Clint Barmes.  However, it was not Barmes who stepped up to the plate for the Rockies, but recently acquired slugger Jason Giambi.

Giambi had left his Village People cover band in New York this past offseason when he reunited with his original band in Oakland.  However, that reunion did not last long, as he was clearly not the same mustachioed marauder he used to be during his first stint with the band.  Oakland released him and the Rockies signed him to be a spark off the bench.  What a spark he provided tonight!

He lined the first pitch by Stokes over the outstretched glove of Anderson Hernandez into center field for a two-run single, giving the Rockies a 4-2 lead over the Mets.  An RBI single by neglected stepchild Yorvit Torrealba added another run, giving the Rockies their final run in the 5-2 victory.

Although the Mets will not win a series for the tenth straight time (eight series losses, two splits dating back to their last series victory in late July over the Rockies), they can still avoid a sweep with a victory in tomorrow’s afternoon affair.  They were able to avoid the broom in each of their last two series by taking the finales against the Marlins and the Cubs, respectively.

Pat Misch will take the mound in the finale against the Rockies.  He will be faced by 14-game winner Jason Marquis.  Game time for the matinee will be at 3:10 PM.

Misch pitched well in his last start against the Cubs.  He may not have a future as a starting pitcher for the Mets, but another solid performance could lead to renewed confidence and a role on next year’s team.  As long as he doesn’t pitch like Brian Stokes pitched on Wednesday night, the Mets might be able to avoid the bristles of the Rockies’ broom.

The post Mile High Meltdown: Mets Fall To Rockies 5-2 appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The Mets put on an Amazin’ exhibition of power and offense for the two fans who showed up this afternoon at Land Shark Stadium to see the Mets beat the Marlins 10-3.

Tim Redding started and allowed three homeruns, and yet somehow these Miracle Mets were able to pull off the upset victory and avoid a sweep in Miami. Redding was fortunate that all three bombs were of the solo variety. He ended up pitching 6.2 innings and allowing just the three runs on five hits, for his second consecutive decent start. For his effort, he earned his second victory of the season while reducing his ERA to 5.94. Let’s bring him back next year, or better yet, give him a three-year extension!

The Marlins cheerleaders did a great job of cheering up their two fans who had the place to themselves. As you already know, the Marlins are locked in a great battle for a spot in the post season. In Marlins fans’ defense, I’m sure at least 500 fans were watching on TV and at least twice that many were tuned into their AM radios.

Offensively, the Mets were as good as you can get. As a matter of fact, every Met hitter in the starting lineup had two or more hits. They pounded out 17 hits, 5 doubles, 4 walks, and Angel Pagan and Fernando Tatis each homered in the game. The hit total was a season high.

Not bad for a rag-tag patchwork team… Daniel Murphy had some words of wisdom afterward,

“We really were locked in at the plate. It’s one of those things that is so contagious. It just starts rolling, and everybody starts putting together really good at-bats, and all of a sudden those good at-bats are with runners in scoring position with two out, and those are backbreakers.”

Of course it’s always helpful when the opposing pitcher has a 5.25 ERA in his last 19 starts.

Hey, it’s a win right?

We’re off to Wrigley Field to take on the Cubs starting tomorrow, and Pat Misch will make his first start of the season. Hopefully, the Mets saved some of that offense for him.

The post Bang! Zoom! Mets End Skid With 10-3 Win appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The post Mets Get Reeled In By The Marlins 5-3 appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The Phillies were able to overcome being stymied by Redding through the first five innings and punished the Mets’ bullpen for four runs, eventually defeating the 2009 Miracle Whip Mets by the final score of 4-1.

The night began with an on-field ceremony that brought back many members of the 1969 World Champion Mets.  After the introduction of the players, including the first appearance of Hall-of-Famer Nolan Ryan in a Mets uniform since the team traded him after the 1971 season for “legendary” infielder Jim Fregosi (why isn’t Fregosi’s number retired on the wall?  He was supposed to be the third baseman of the future when the Mets acquired him.), Ryan, Jerry Koosman and Tom Seaver threw out the ceremonial first pitches to Jerry Grote, Duffy Dyer and Yogi Berra.

It’s too bad neither Ryan, Seaver or Koosman were available to come out of the bullpen.  Perhaps the outcome might have been a little different.

Tim Redding was acquired before the season with the hopes that he could continue his mastery of the Phillies.  After all, last year he was 3-1 against them for a lowly Washington Nationals team.  Redding was excellent against a strong Phillies lineup in his five innings of work.  He had a one-hit shutout through his five-inning, 77-pitch effort.  Unfortunately, since he hadn’t thrown so many pitches in quite some time (before the game, Jerry Manuel had said that Redding would be on a pitch count of 60-70 pitches), he was removed from the game and was replaced by Pat Misch to start the sixth inning.  Misch was called upon to protect a slim 1-0 lead.  Was he successful?  I’ll let the following picture answer that question.

Expecting the recently recalled reliever to hold the lead was certainly a “Misch-ion Impossible”, as two batters into his performance, Misch had already coughed up the lead.  A leadoff walk to Shane “The Beer ShamWow” Victorino followed by a two-run homer to Chase Utley (as seen in the picture above) gave the Phillies a 2-1 lead.

Sean Green was then brought into the game to put out the fire started by Misch.  Unfortunately, he forgot to leave his gasoline can in the bullpen.  After striking out Jayson Werth, Green gave up back-to-back doubles to Raul Ibañez and Pedro Feliz to produce the third run of the inning.

The Phillies added another run in the eighth inning off Pedro Feliciano.  A walk to Ryan Howard was followed by a Jayson Werth double and an intentional walk to Pedro Feliz.  Carlos Ruiz took advantage of the bases loaded situation by hitting a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Howard to make the score 4-1.  It proved to be the final tally of the game as the Mets could not muster a rally against the Phillies’ bullpen.

J.A. Happ continued his strong season as a leading candidate for the National League Rookie of The Year Award.  He improved his record to 10-2 and lowered his ERA to 2.59.  He has been exceptionally strong in August, going 3-0 with a 1.21 ERA.  Despite allowing ten baserunners (eight hits and two walks) in seven innings of work, Happ limited the Mets to one run, being helped by two double plays hit into by the Mets.

Tomorrow will be game three of the four-game wraparound series.  The Phillies will send Pedro Martinez to the mound in his first return to Flushing since not being re-signed by the Mets.  He will be opposed by Oliver Perez.  Game time is scheduled for 1:10 PM.

The Miracle Mets were reunited for their 40th anniversary at Citi Field on Saturday night.  Unfortunately, they could not supply any more magic to help the current squad.  I guess their miracles had an expiration date.

The post No Miracle on ’69 Night; Mets Fall To Phils 4-1 appeared first on Metsmerized Online.