The New York Mets (89-72) were no-hit by Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer on Saturday night, losing their fifth game in a row in the process by a score of 2-0.

Scherzer dominated the Mets all game long. New York’s only baserunner came in the sixth, when Kevin Plawecki reached on an error by Yunel Escobar. Scherzer struck out 17 batters, including nine in a row. But with two outs in the ninth, Curtis Granderson popped out to preserve Tom Seaver‘s MLB record of 10.

Scherzer’s no-hitter was his second this season, a feat last accomplished in 1973 by Nolan Ryan with the California Angels.

Matt Harvey pitched very, very well for the Mets. Harvey allowed one unearned run in six innings, allowing four hits, striking out 11, and walking none while throwing 73 pitches. However the Mets offense did nothing to support his stellar performance.

The Nationals got an unearned run in the top of the sixth when Michael Taylor reached on an error by Kelly Johnson and later scored on a sacrifice fly from Wilson Ramos. Dan Uggla added an insurance run with a solo shot off of Hansel Robles in the 7th.

Erik Goeddel and Carlos Torres pitched scoreless innings of relief for the Mets.

The Dodgers will host the Mets in the NLDS.

That was awful. But at least that might wake them up. Let’s see if they can at least grab a win tomorrow to avoid heading into the playoffs on a 6-game losing streak, and crack 90 wins while they’re at it.

The offense has been putrid for the most part ever since the middle of September. With nothing but aces in the Mets’ future, it’s going to be hard to change that. Hopefully they can get some timely hits, and hopefully their starting starters can pitch this well in the postseason— and deeper.

On Deck: The Amazins wrap up the series on Sunday with Jacob deGrom (14-8, 2.60) on the mound to try and end the regular season on a high note for the Mets. He will oppose Tanner Roark (4-7, 4.63) for the Nationals in a 3:10 PM start.

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The New York Mets have acquired right-handed reliever Tyler Clippard from the Oakland A’s in exchange for minor league RHP Casey Meisner according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.

The Mets are reportedly receiving $1 million in cash as part of the deal. So Clippard ends up costing approximately $2.5 million dollars to the Mets. Quite a coup for Sandy Alderson.

To make room for Clippard on the 40 man roster, Erik Goeddel has been transferred to the 60 day DL.

Clippard, a two-time All-Star, has held lefties to a .100 (7-70) mark this year and a career .183 mark. He led MLB with 40 holds in 2014.

Clippard immediately takes over as the Mets setup man, although Adam Rubin is speculating he should take over as the teams closer.

According to several reports, Clippard was also reportedly being sought after by the Washington Nationals and the New York Yankees. (Sorries)

There is also sufficient buzz that the Mets are not finished yet and still continue to shop for a bat.

* * * * * * * *

According to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, the Mets and A’s are making progress on a deal that would send closer Tyler Clippard to New York.

Other teams are still in play, Rosenthal reports, but a “deal [is] expected soon.”

Clippard, 30, has saved 17 games for Oakland this season, owning a 2.79 ERA in 37 appearances. He has struck out 38 batters over 38.2 innings and walked 21. He has proven to be a very consistent and effective back-end bullpen option in his time with both Oakland and Washington. Over the past five seasons, Clippard owns a 2.53 ERA in 341 innings.

In January, Clippard was traded to Oakland in exchange for Yunel Escobar. He avoided arbitration with Oakland by signing an $8.3 million deal in February, and will reach free agency after the season. He is owed roughly $4 million the rest of the season.

Thoughts from Joe D.

The addition of Tyler Clippard would be huge in my estimation, and it appears the Mets are pushing real hard on this.

Given the fact that we are veering ever so closer to a playoff spot, and considering the fact that Jenrry Mejia is ineligible to be on a postseason roster, the addition of a late inning reliever like Clippard can’t be understated.

Some of the names I’m hearing range from Rafael Montero to even Jenrry Mejia himself as far as what the Oakland A’s can get back. Either way, it’s a win for the New York Mets.

Thoughts from Connor O’Brien

Keith Law made an interesting point on Twitter upon seeing news of this trade. He criticized the Mets “for giving up a legitimate prospect for 20 innings of a reliever.” Casey Meisner is definitely a “legitimate prospect,” certainly among the top ten or 20 overall in the Mets system.

Losing Meisner admittedly stings a bit. He’s had tremendous success in the minor leagues so far, and the scouts like him. However, the odds of him becoming a great (or even good) pitcher are incredibly low. Think about this: the top ten prospects in all of baseball, as rated by Baseball America, bust 60 percent of the time. What does that say about Meisner, who wouldn’t even crack the top 200?

I love prospects. I’ve always said that unless your team has unlimited money, you cannot win without homegrown, core players. I still believe that and I still think the Mets should be extremely frugal with the young talent they have. That being said, we have been lulled by a lack of major trade acquisitions over the past few years into dramatically overvaluing our prospects. The reality is, this is the benefit of having the strong player development system that the Mets have built over the past few years (which has gone from 25th in the league in 2010 to 5th this year).

Losing Meisner hardly puts a dent in the depth the Mets have accumulated in the farm system. And more importantly, this brings the Mets that much closer to the playoffs.

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Charlie Monfort, co-owner of the Colorado Rockies, smiled when The Post told him of the many Mets fans who would love to see Troy Tulowitzki get traded to Citi Field.

“It’s not happening,” Monfort responded.

Ken Davidoff says the Rockies’ leaders, with both their actions and their words, have displayed how reluctant they are to deal their franchise player, and that Monfort only re-enforced that notion Thursday at the Major League Baseball owners’ meetings.

“I can’t speak for him, but yeah, we want him,” Monfort said. “I think he’s strong and he’s worked hard and he’ll be back. He’ll be Tulo of old.”

Also, Nationals GM Mike Rizzo said Ian Desmond is his shortstop for 2015. He told reporters at the MLB Owner’s Meetings that he acquired Yunel Escobar from the A’s to be his second baseman.

“Desmond is the leader of our team,” he added. “He’s one of the best shortstops in all of baseball.”

It’s true what they say about everything happening in threes. The Mets aren’t getting Yunel Escobar. The Mets aren’t getting Ian Desmond. The Mets aren’t getting Troy Tulowitzki.

Say Cheese…

The post Troy Tulowitzki or Ian Desmond to the Mets Not Happening appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

According to John Heyman of CBS Sports, the Nationals have acquired shortstop Yunel Escobar from the Oakland Athletics. This is the second time Escobar has been traded in the past several days. On Saturday, the 32 year old shortstop was traded from the Rays to Oakland in exchange for catcher John Jaso and two prospects.

William Ladson of MLB.com reported that the A’s will receive relief pitcher Tyler Clippard in return. Cilppard posted an excellent 2.18 ERA and 0.99 WHIP last season for Washington. During his seven seasons with the Nationals, Cilppard owns a 2.68 ERA and a 10.3 K/9.

Escobar batted .258 this season with 7 home runs. Many fans speculated that he would be a possible trade target for the Mets this off-season, but there were never any credible rumors connecting him to New York.

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Here’s a couple of new Mets links I dug up… Jim Bowden of ESPN ran down all 30 MLB teams and points out what he see’s as each team’s missing link.

“The Mets are satisfied with Wilmer Flores as their Opening Day starter at shortstop despite his lack of range and slow feet. Flores should hit better than most people think, but playing next to another below-average defender in Daniel Murphy isn’t the best formula for getting to the postseason.”

“Ruben Tejada will probably get the starts when ground ball pitchers such as Jon Niese take the mound, but for the Mets to get to October baseball, they’ll need a longer-term solution at short.”

He lists the following eight players as potential solutions for the Mets either now or down the road: Troy Tulowitzki, Erick Aybar, Starlin Castro, Addison Russell, Elvis Andrus, Yunel Escobar, Ian Desmond, and Jean Segura.

Meanwhile over at SB Nation, Grant Brisbee says the Mets had the most baffling offseason in baseball.

“The offseason started in an unusual fashion. The Mets stood on a mountaintop and screamed that they wanted a player. ..This was new. This was exciting. The Mets were spending again. Forget that the player in question was Michael Cuddyer, who is one of the worst defensive players in baseball, and has been for years. Forget that he’ll be 36 when the season starts (red flag) and missed most of last season with an injury (red flaaaaaaaag). Forget that Baseball-Reference tells us he hasn’t been worth two wins above replacement since 2009, and that the Steamer projection system suggests he’ll have a .315 on-base percentage for the Mets. Forget that they had to give up the #15 overall pick in the 2015 Draft to get him.”

“Forget about all that. The Mets were active. Right away, they made a statement. Don’t sleep on the Mets. They have the pitching. They have a plan. Then they sat the rest of the offseason out.”

Brisbee doesn’t sound like a very big Michael Cuddyer fan, does he? Agree? Disagree? Discuss it among yourselves.

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A team official told Adam Rubin that Ruben Tejada is planning to return this month to a fitness and nutrition program near Ann Arbor, Mich. on Jan. 13. The 24-year old infielder spent four weeks in November at the program.

With the increasing likelihood that Tejada enters camp this Spring as the everyday shortstop, I asked some of our writers how they would feel about that scenario playing out.

What are your thoughts on Tejada as the starting shortstop in 2014?

Jim M. – I know there may not be a lot of Ruben fans, but unless the Mets are willing to pay big money for Stephen Drew I would be fine with him getting a second chance. He had a career low BABIP and also had his lowest K% in his career so I believe he will bounce back like he did after his poor 2010 season that had similar numbers.

Peter K. – I would rather give Ruben Tejada one more chance to shine at shortstop than sign Stephen Drew to a three year deal that he will NEVER live up to. I was happy to see the front office call him out for what seemed to be a player who was resting on his laurels from the previous year. Will it motivate him? Time will tell. But he is young enough, has not reached his prime, and could yet become a serviceable piece to the team.

Big Mets Fan – I’d be OK with having Ruben be the opening day shortstop. He was good two years ago before regressing last year. This is a make or break year for him, so he’ll be plenty motivated. If he’s not, he shouldn’t be here. And there’s nothing to say that if the Mets are in contention, they won’t upgrade mid season like pretty much every other contender out there.

Gerry – I believe that Reuben Tejada is young enough and has enough potential to take another chance on as a shortstop. I think some players simply need to mature in order to appreciate the opportunities they are given, and given his tools the Mets could do worse than to give him another flyer.

Andrew – Tejada has not done enough to warrant a starting role, but he might be our best option at SS nonetheless. Mets fans had to be excited when they heard the recent Stephen Drew whispers, but I’m still not buying it. Tejada has the skillset to be better than he played last year, so even if we don’t envision him as a long term answer I think it’s better to build up his value than it is to sell low. Best case scenario, Tejada hits .290 with decent defense and either cements himself as a starter or builds up his trade value. Worst case scenario, he’s still a decent backup middle-infielder.

Matthew B. – Yes, but he needs to be on a short leash. Here’s the thing about Rubin, last year, he didn’t hit much but the big issue was his fielding, which was awful. I can live with him not hitting a ton if he fields his position well, which I believe he’s capable of as long as he stops trying to “bulk up.”

Joe S. – I believe in second chances but you have to wonder why almost all of last season even after he was cleared to play after his injury, why the team chose to start a 30-something journeyman over Tejada? That speaks volumes about his work ethic I would assume and like Alderson has said recently not all decisions are financially based. But again, if Alderson wants to move Tejada and get the most for him, do you announce to the league that he’s lazy? I would prefer Asdrubal Cabrera but he may be too rich for the Mets’ blood.

John G. – Well the Mets haven’t done anything to really address this position so it looks like it will be Tejada’s. I haven’t really been sold on him entirely so I still say there is time to make a move to upgrade. I would suggest an early arrival at Spring Training so he can prove to the team that he is ready to be the guy.

Barry – The Mets need at least someone to compete with/push Tejada for the shortstop job. I wouldn’t give up on him, but the Mets can’t go into spring training with no alternative if Tejada doesn’t show enough to merit the full-time job.

Tom W. – Well, absent the budget or the will or the creativity to bring in a major league shortstop, Tejada on a second chance is probably the best move.

Jessep – With Tejada to me, it’s all about the glove and who is playing next to him. I don’t mind the guy if his glove keeps him in the lineup and his 2B counterpart is providing enough of a balance to make the middle formidable. My issue with him is his bat is nowhere near as good as Daniel Murphy and he hasn’t shown enough with his glove. I think he deserves a chance in Spring Training – but to pen him in as a starter in 2014 to me is a mistake.

Zack – For me, the question is not whether Ruben Tejada has done enough to be the starting shortstop, but rather who else if not him? If the Mets don’t add a shortstop (I hope they do), there isn’t much standing in Tejada’s way. Wilfredo Tovar has an outside chance but probably needs to start the season in Triple-A.

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It sounds like the Mets won’t be adding Stephen Drew to hold down the shortstop position next season. Sandy Alderson also noted that Ruben Tejada could be the Mets’ shortstop when the season starts in 2014. Mets’ Twitter broke out into a panic when this news broke at around 6:15pm on the first night of Winter Meetings.

I’m a bit of a throwback. There are certain positions on the diamond that I feel should be glove-first positions. At the top of that list for me, is shortstop. I would rather have a light hitting shortstop that is a solid defender manning the middle infield. Of course, if you can get a heavy hitting shortstop, you do it. But a shortstop’s true value comes with his glove.

The Mets are in a predicament at shortstop heading into 2014. Do they stand pat, and hope Tejada regains his form from 2012? Or do they bring in some insurance? If Tejada is the starter, then who is the backup? Do they look internally, like they did in 2013, if Tejada starts to falter?

These are very real questions for there is a very real answer.

That answer is Clint Barmes.

Barmes isn’t going to hit, but he is the second-best defensive shortstop that is available this winter, and best defensive shortstop available right now (Yunel Escobar already signed). The problem with Barmes is that he was probably one of the worst offensive shortstops available. Check out the chart below for comparisons.

Barmes would provide the Mets with an insurance policy if Tejada doesn’t return to his 2012 form. Tejada will be penciled into the No. 8 hole in the lineup, which is exactly where Barmes would be hitting. Would you rather get more offensive production, or defensive production from your eight-hitter? Not only could Barmes be an insurance policy for the team, he could win that job out of Spring Training.

As I noted earlier, I would prefer having the solid defense from the shortstop position, and that’s exactly what Barmes would giving the Mets. Adding Barmes would give the Mets one of the strongest up-the-middle defenses in the National League—Barmes at short, and Juan Lagares in center.

The question is, can the Mets afford to dish out about $6 million for a light-hitting shortstop when they have other holes to fill?

The post The Mets Should Look To Tighten Up Defense At Shortstop appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Omar Per asks MMO…

Why are so many fans panicking over the shortstop position this offseason when next winter Hanley Ramirez, Jed Lowrie, J.J. Hardy, Yunel Escobar, Asdrubal Cabrera and Jimmy Rollins will all be entering free agency?

Joe D. replies…

Great question and the short answer is that Met fans, including myself, are clearly frustrated with the team’s performance over the last three years and are ready for some change. Losing lowers morale and creates a disconnect which has already manifested itself in declining attendance, listernership and viewership on a massive scale.

As to the point of your question however, you are right. There certainly appears to be a bumper crop at shortstop and even if one or two are resigned by there teams, there should still be more than the two quality shortstops that were available this offseason.

I suspect that the pick of the litter, Hanley Ramirez, will most likely never make it to free agency unless his demands are in the Robinson Cano range. If the Dodgers don’t have an extension in place by the trade deadline, I suspect he’ll be traded for an incredible haul of talent and the new team will get a negotiating window to get a deal done.

I think Cabrera, Lowrie and Hardy could be good fits for the Mets, and who knows any of them may also become available at the trade deadline if their teams become sellers.

Thanks for the question…

Email your questions to GetMetsmerized@aol.com or tweet them to @Metsmerized.

The post Why Panic Over Shortstop With Hanley, Lowrie, Hardy, Escobar Available Next Winter? appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

After introducing new manager Brad Ausmus to the press on Sunday, Detroit Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski told reporters that the club will not make any qualifying offers to players eligible for free agency, including All Star shortstop Jhonny Peralta. It means that any team can now pursue Peralta without worrying about draft pick compensation.

Although Peralta had a very solid season in 2013, the Tigers have made it clear that Jose Iglesias is their shortstop of the future, and despite a strong postseason performance it wasn’t enough for Dombrowski to consider bringing the veteran Peralta back.

Peralta, 32, was the second most productive player in the Tigers lineup prior to his 50 game suspension for violating major league baseball’s joint drug agreement. He batted .303/.358/457 this season and his strong first half earned him a spot on the All Star team.

His 3.6 WAR still ranked second among Tigers position players – right behind Miguel Cabrera – and before serving out his suspension, he led all American League shortstops in WAR. An average season for Peralta would like .290 with 35 doubles, 15 home runs, 80 runs, and 80 RBIs.

MLB Trade Rumors predicted yesterday that Peralta will likely manage a three-year deal in the $30 million dollar range, given the limited market at his position. They list the Cardinals as the favorite to land him and believe that the Yankees, Mets, Dodgers, and Pirates could all have some interest as well.

I prefer Peralta to a Stephen Drew or Yunel Escobar, but I count at least three highly-motivated, big spending teams in the market for him and he’ll probably go to the one that’s willing to overpay the most while also offering a good shot at the postseason.

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Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times is reporting that the Rays have exercised their 2014 option on shortstop Yunel Escobar who will earn $5.0 million next season.

It was believed that the Mets would have pursued Escobar had he become a free agent based on what a front office official told Andy Martino of the Daily News last month.

Escobar, 30, batted .256/.332/.366 for the Tampa Bay Rays in 507 at-bats with 27 doubles, nine home runs, 61 runs scored and 57 RBIs.

I must admit that I’m glad he’s off the table as I was very skeptical about how he would fit into the Mets clubhouse given his past controversies.

Escobar is a player who alienated his entire clubhouse in Atlanta and then made headlines buy putting gay slurs on his eye black when he played for Toronto.

The enigmatic shortstop has also ticked off his manager Joe Maddon on more than one occasion this season with Tampa Bay for showboating twice after hitting a home run.

And I haven’t even mentioned his PED suspension this season.

To me Escobar is overrated offensively and defensively. Given all his baggage, mental lapses, and his overall volatility, bringing him to the Mets was probably the worst thing they could have done this offseason.

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