Amazin' Again | A New York Mets Franchise

[Youk]

Mike Scioscia: Your Next Manager
Brings Salmon As Bench Coach

 

[Youk]

Here Comes The Off-Season

Where can the Mets expect changes? Let's start behind the plate.

Catcher

Signs point to a change behind the plate. Omir Santos could possibly stay on as the starting catcher, but Santos has usually been moving between AAA and the majors. Rod Barajas has been demanding a trade since he lost his starting spot in July, so don't expect him to resign with the team.

Prediction: Mets will use Santos as the starting catcher, but will sign a backup who has the ability to take over if needed.

First Base

Daniel Murphy is going to be starting at first base this season. Ike Davis is in AA, and can be a solid replacement due to injury. Expect Murphy to be given several chances at the position, as Davis is not yet ready for a full-time job.

Prediction: Murphy will start.

Second Base

Luis Castillo went downhill fast last season after his DL stint, and the Mets are looking to quickly dump his hefty contract to a desperate team. Who could replace him? Cheaper contracts could be found in free agents Orlando Hudson and Christian Guzman.

Prediction: Castillo will be traded, and the Mets will turn to free agency

Shortstop/Third Base

David Wright and Jose Reyes will be manning the left side of the infield this season, and hopefully for many more to come. Reyes has an expiring contract after 2011, and will look for a large extension, which the Mets may be willing to pay.

Outfield

Carlos Beltran will be returning to play CF, though his contract will be expiring after the 2011 season. The Mets may look to cheaper alternatives this season and let Beltran go after the season, since he is looking for at least $21 million per season. Angel Pagan and Jeff Francouer will battle over RF, but if the Mets sign a player, expect one or both to depart, as Chris Carter and Nick Evans are waiting in AAA for a spot. Jason Bay is here to stay.

Prediction: Beltran and Bay will be around. Look at Pagan to be staying.

Pitchers

The Mets need relievers as well as starters. If they can get a starter like Brandon Webb, then Parnell, Mejia, and/or Niese can be placed in the bullpen, where they could excel. The Mets also need to look at a closer, as Bob Howry may not be able to match his stats from last season.

Prediction: Look for at least one new member of the rotation, but probably no big named relievers.

 

[Youk]

2010 FREE AGENCY

This will be just an overview post for the off-season. Each major transaction will have its own post, plus this.

TRADES

• RF Angel Pagan traded to Kansas City Royals for SP Luke Hochevar
• RF Jeff Francouer traded to Washington Nationals for SP John Lannan
• 2B Luis Castillo traded to Detroit Tigers for MR Casey Hoorelbeke and a player to be named later
• SP John Lannan traded to Kansas City Royals for C Joe Billick

ARBITRATION

• SP John Maine received a 1-year contract through arbitration worth a total of $3,000,000.
• MR Sean Green received a 1-year contract through arbitration worth a total of $900,000.
• RF Jeff Francoeur received a 1-year contract through arbitration worth a total of $4,600,000.
• SS Russ Adams received a 1-year contract through arbitration worth a total of $600,000.

KEY LOSSES

• C Rod Barajas retires.
• SP Mike Pelfrey becomes a free agent.
• SP Nelson Figueroa becomes a free-agent.
• 1B Mike Jacobs becomes a free agent.
• 3B Joe Crede becomes a free-agent.
• 1B Fernando Tatis becomes a free-agent.
• MR Pedro Feliciano becomes a free-agent.
• MR Kelvim Escobar becomes a free-agent.

OFFERED CONTRACTS

• SP Brandon Webb
• RF Jayson Werth
• 2B Orlando Hudson
• MR Mike Ekstrom
• MR Claudio Vargas
• C Luke Carlin

 

[Youk]

The First Big Fish Is In
Mets sign RF Jayson Werth

NEW YORK (AP) - After several weeks of negotiations, and a bidding war against the Milwaukee Brewers, the New York Mets have brought in the big fish of the 2010 free agent class, RF Jayson Werth on a 4 year, $67 million contract.

Why do the Mets need Jayson Werth when they have Angel Pagan and Jeff Francouer, as well as Jason Bay and Carlos Beltran? "I think this ends Beltran's Mets career after the 2011 season. Werth can play CF and will be cheaper than resigning Beltran, who will want over $20 million per season," says one Mets insider.

In the mean time, the Mets are going to need to get rid of either Pagan or Francouer, as they will be grossly overpaid if they are only backups, while the cheaper backups in Carter and Evans wait in AAA.

 

[Youk]

Been swamped by work. Have a couple updates ready to go later on.

 

[Cody]

This is amazing!

 

[Youk]

Successful Off-Season Not Enough
Mets Still 3 Games Under .500 Through End of July

NEW YORK (AP) - The New York Mets thought they brought in the extra pieces they needed. They landed two major free agents in SP Brandon Webb (5 year, $57,650,000 contract) and CF Jayson Werth (4 year, $67,344,360 contract), who looked to be key pieces in the Mets plans for the 2011 season. 2B Orlando Hudson (3 year, $7,890,000 contract), MR Claudio Vargas (2 year, $3,000,000 contract), MR Mike Ekstrom (2 year, $1,200,000 contract), and C Luke Carlin (1 year, $400,000 contract) were the other additions for the Mets in the off-season. They successfully filled a good amount of the holes on the team. An power outfield now consisting of Beltran, Werth, and Bay, plus Orlando Hudson playing second base, giving the Mets a steady second baseman. The starting rotation now led with Santana, Lee, and Webb. How could this possibly go wrong? The Mets, like usual, found a way.

Brandon Webb is projected to not even earn $1,000,000 per win this season, for starters. Currently 5-7 with a 5.11 ERA, Webb has already come close to giving up as many walks as he usually does in a season (55 this season), and only has 11 more strikeouts (66 K this season). "His control is just not where it was in the past, and his velocity has dropped a couple miles per hour this season," said pitching coach Dan Warthen. The Mets bullpen, as usual, can also take a brunt of the blame for poor performances. Only one Mets reliever has an ERA under 4.00, with Sean Green at a 2.93 ERA. The Bobby Parnell experiment at closer has been a great failure, with Parnell only picking up 8 saves with a 4.02 ERA.

Jayson Werth was supposed to come in and add some power to a Mets team that lacked home runs at cavernous Citi Field. Instead, he has a career-low .238 batting average, with only 12 home runs this season. It seems that Citizens Bank Park really inflated Werth's statistics, overvaluing him to the Mets.

Fans and reporters have been up in arms about the poor signings this off-season, and have been calling for GM Chris Eckenrod's head. When asked about Eckenrod's job status, owner Fred Wilpon said that it is "not Chris' fault that these signings have not worked out. He went out, spent the money allowed to him, and brought in key players to fill holes. He filled every hole, and stayed under budget. What else can I ask from him?" Though Eckenrod may have kept the team under budget, it has been rumored that he is being encouraged to drop payroll for next season, putting a dent in a process of creating a playoff contending team. One NL front office member did say that Eckenrod "has talked about rebuilding the Mets, but has only added payroll with age, pulling a Yankees maneuver. That will not rebuild a team, but set them back further."

In the end, it seems that Eckenrod and manager Mike Scioscia will not go anywhere after this season, but next season could be the deciding year.

 

[Youk]

MLB Standings
Through July 31, 2011

MLB Batting Leaders
Through July 31, 2011

MLB Pitching Leaders
Through July 31, 2011

Mets Batting Leaders
Through July 31, 2011

Mets Pitching Leaders
Through July 31, 2011

 

[Youk]

Major MLB Transactions
Since December 2010

• San Diego Padres signed OF Magglio Ordonez to a 2-year, $12,580,000 contract
• Cleveland Indians trade RF Jack Cust to Detroit Tigers for SP Max Scherzer
• Oakland A's trade RF Michael Cuddyer to Toronto for MR Shawn Camp
• Los Angeles Dodgers signed 3B Troy Glaus to a 3-year $5,760,000 contract
• Texas Rangers sign MR Pedro Feliciano to a 1-year $600,000 contract
• Washington Nationals sign SP Justin Duchscherer to a 3-year, $10,020,000 contract
• Arizona Diamondbacks trade CF Elijah Dukes to Chicago White Sox for SP Matthew Heidenreich
• Pittsburgh Pirates sign 3B Adrian Beltre to a 1-year $600,000 contract
• Boston Red Sox sign C A.J. Pierzynski to a 1-year, $1,180,000 contract
• Detroit Tigers sign 1B Adam Dunn to a 6-year, $61,080,000 contract
• Florida Marlins sign 1B Derrek Lee to a 2-year, $8,680,000 contract
• Seattle Mariners sign LF Carl Crawford to a 4-year, $43,760,000 contract
• Atlanta Braves sign SP Javier Vazquez to a 2-year, $22,660,000 contract
• New York Yankees sign RF Xavier Nady to a 3-year, $13,590,000 contract

Major Mets Transactions

• New York Mets sign SS Jose Reyes to 6-year, $69,000,000 contract extension

 

[Youk]

More Injuries, Again
Vargas, Mejia, Igarashi All Go Down

NEW YORK (AP) - The Mets pitching is already ailing, and now the team has lost three more pitchers.

MR Claudio Vargas, who has been the star of the bullpen this season going 2-0 with a 2.84 ERA, went down with a torn bicep and will miss 4-6 weeks. SP Jenrry Mejia, a rising Mets star, has a sprained elbow that will keep him out for two weeks. MR Ryota Igarashi has mild shoulder inflammation, and the Mets were eager to place him onto the disabled list, as he has been severely under-performing this season.

To replace Mejia, Jonathon Niese will join the rotation. Kiko Calero will replace Vargas in the bullpen, and Henry Rodriguez will replace Igarashi in the bullpen. In unrelated news, Sean Green has been moved to closer.

 

[Youk]

Mets Reach .500, Lose Werth
Bring Up Fernando Martinez from AAA

NEW YORK (AP) - In the 7th inning of the extra innings win against the Braves that brought the Mets up to a .500 record, they also lost their starting right fielder, Jayson Werth.

Werth was trying to steal a home run from Jason Heyward, and aggravated a herniated disk in his neck after the collision with the wall. Werth was looked at by trainers and taken out of the game, and was later announced to be missing at least the next 7 weeks, most likely ending his season.

This season was a disappointment for Werth, who will likely end batting .266, with 18 home runs and 49 RBI's, after hitting 37 home runs and having 99 RBI's last season.

RF Fernando Martinez, the Mets number one prospect, will be brought up to replace Werth. Martinez was rumored to have been called up on September 1 to replace an underperforming Carlos Beltran in the lineup, but it looks like the Mets will be stuck with Beltran for another month.

 

[Youk]

MLB Standings
As of September 1, 2011

MLB Leaders
As of September 1, 2011

August Results

September Schedule

Mets Batting Leaders
As of September 1, 2011

Mets Pitching Leaders
As of September 1, 2011

 

[Youk]

Mets In Playoff Hunt
4 Teams in NL East Within 2.5 Games

MIAMI - The New York Mets are still in the playoff hunt, thanks to going 31-24 in the final two months of the season. It all comes down to the final series of the season against the Florida Marlins, who are .5 games behind the first place Atlanta Braves. The Mets will need to sweep the Marlins in order to make it to the playoffs, as they are out of Wild Card contention. Here are the matchups for the final series.

@

Cliff Lee (14-9, 3.85 ERA) vs. Ricky Nolasco (13-5, 3.31 ERA)
Johan Santana (14-8, 3.31 ERA) vs. Chris Volstad (9-8, 4.58 ERA)
Jenrry Mejia(9-8, 5.62 ERA) vs. Billy Buckner (7-12, 4.98 ERA)​

 

[Youk]

Mets Blow 5-Run Lead
Eliminated From Race

MIAMI - The New York Mets were eliminated from playoff contention last night after 4-hour long game. The Mets built a solid lead, with help from 2 home runs by Fernando Martinez, but it all came crashing down in the 7th inning. Starter Cliff Lee pitched beautifully until then, but after giving up a two run homerun to Cameron Maybin and a triple to Samuel Treitz, Lee was pulled for Mike Ekstrom, who proceeded to let Treitz score, and give up two more runs himself, along with an error, tying the game at 7.

After two more innings of deadlock, David Wright hit a solo home run in the top of the 10th inning to put the Mets up 8-7. Bobby Parnell surprisingly returned for his second inning, a move decided by pitching coach Dan Warthen. Parnell then gave up a walk to John Baker, and gave up a hit to Maybin which turned into a throwing error which sent Baker to third. Parnell was then pulled for Claudio Vargas, who gave up a hit to Samuel Treitz, which scored Baker and sent Maybin to third. Vargas attempted to pick off Maybin, but overthrew Wright for an error, letting Maybin score the winning run.

"It's upsetting that errors, on and off the field, held us back from winning the game today," said manager Mike Scioscia, who was visibly upset about the errors on the field, and the errors by pitching coach Dan Warthen. A source from the Mets front office says that "though the team is upset with the decisions, they believe it ultimately rests on the manager to make these calls." This will surely be a news story to keep an eye on.

News and Notes

• The Mets plan on resting their starters for the remaining two games

 

[Youk]

2011 An Improvement
Mets Above .500, Still Work to Be Done

Final Batting Statistics

Final Pitching Statistics

 

[Youk]

Seattle Wins 2011 World Series
Beats Cincinnati for First Title

SEATTLE (AP) - The Seattle Mariners have become the second straight team to win their first World Series title, after defeating the Cincinnati Reds in 7 games. The Mariners first championship comes in the 6th playoff appearance in their 34th season. The Cincinnati Reds were looking for their first title since 1990, and sixth overall, after making the playoffs for the first time since 1995.

 

[Youk]

Final Standings

Final Leaders

 

[Youk]

Dan Warthen Fired
Bullpen Was Demise

 

[Youk]

2011 Award Winners​

American League

Cy Young

Most Valuable Player

Rookie of the Year

National League

Cy Young

Most Valuable Player

Rookie of the Year

​

 

[Youk]

League Announces Rule Change

NEW YORK (AP) - In a short press release today, MLB announced that the minimum stay on the Disabled List is now 22 days, up from 15 in the past. This is meant to deter teams from placing players on the Disabled List who do not need to be on the list.

Also, the New York Mets have announced the hiring of Angel Ledesma as their new Pitching Coach. Ledesma was the Pitching Coach for the AAA Durham Bulls last season.