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Meeting with reporters at Citi Field yesterday, Mets GM Omar Minaya said that Orlando Hernandez will be a starting pitcher 
next season, while Jorge Sosa is expected to pitch from the bullpen.
…first, this suggests that the team will offer arbitration to sosa…second, yes, i am sure hernandez is considered a starting pitcher today, but, from what i understand, the team has discussed whether he could be more effective from the bullpen, and they are not against the idea of him being bumped from the rotation should other, more viable options be acquired between now and spring training…but, sure, as of now, they have no choice, el duque is a starter…
Lastly, according to Minaya, RHP Duaner Sanchez has been throwing 88–90 mph from a mound in Port St. Lucie.
…added to by Chris Mazzone…
…i’d love for hernandez and sanchez to be healthy for an entire season and perform at the level we’ve seen from them in the past, but i don’t want to go into the season relying on both of them in order to be successful…i suspect minaya feels similarly and is just trying to seem less desperate about the state of the team’s pitching…
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do you guys ever sleep? posting at 3:37 A.M….craziness…
I like it.
“…i suspect minaya feels similarly and is just trying to seem less desperate about the state of the team’s pitching…”
Aye yaye yaye…. I hope your suspicions are accurate, as a starter on geritol and a middle reliever who had his share of ups and downs last year coming back is certainly a reason to be in a state of desperation……
Matt, my sympathies. Must have been a crazy coupla days for you with the tech problems and just now at 3AM are you getting to the posts I’m sure you wanted to put up at a more comfortable hour. Our buddy YB reminded me with humor of you mentioning we’d have a surprise this week and how maybe this was it.
And Matt and Chris, all excellent points on this post. I’m especially hoping that Duaner can come back and for him to focus on the field. The newspaper report on him sure makes him sound (hard to say if this was real or spin – I’ll take it as true and sincere) like he has been working super hard, cooking his own dominican food, staying in and watching DVDs in boring Port St. Lucie – sort of going through what could be called acts of baseball contrition. I will also state for the record that I’m not sure if it has been confirmed that he has done anything more wild than going out for late-night ethnic food and showing up late for a few spring training practices. Loved the guy when he was healthy – maybe the best reliever we had in years when he was on that roll.
Of course Minaya is going to say this. Otherwise every team in baseball knows we need 2 Starters instead of just one, and would likely raise their asking prices hoping to get more. It doesn’t mean that if Minaya can get his hands on 2 better pitchers that he won’t though.
I’m not sold on El Duque to the pen. He was one of our most consistent starters last season, and I believe it was Wagner that suggested his arm couldn’t handle a full season in the pen. He needs his 5 days rest. I would agree with him. It’s one thing to see him shine late in the season and post-season with the White Sox, it’s another to do that for a full season.
Jorge Sosa ia coming back? We’re depending on Mr Injury in the rotation, AGAIN? Uhm, I loathe Minaya.
Juuu, you can’t let everyone go. As we have seen lately, it isn’t that easy to get decent pitchers to add!
I’m starting to think that th best plan for Duque is maybe to start him in the rotation, but have his understudy waiting in the wings.
He is stong when healthy (OK, between DL stints). And on the last year of his conract. So, why not role him out as the 5th starter, and just use whatever he can give you? If it is 1/2 a season, take it, put him on the DL, then to the pen if (when?) he comes back.
If they do hang onto prospects, Duque is better than Livan, and probably most of the other innings eaters being considered. Let Humber of Mulvey start in AAA, and if they are doing well, bring them up when Duque goes down.
Or, put the extra guy (Pelf or Humber) in the pen to get work, and be ready to step in for an injury.
Sosa, Humber, Pelf – one of those guys (or a surpirse one) can cover the uque role in the pen, which I assume is the long man (old Sele/oliver role?)
Now Sanchez could be big. If he is healthy and close to what he was, it is like trading for a dominant set-up man/future closer, and giving up absolutely nothing. Same with Pedro actually if he can put together a full season.
Unfortunately Minaya is not dealing from a position of strength to secure a front-end guy, nor is he in a comfortable position for a 5th starter. The team still needs to showcase and/or develop several guys who are doing the AAA-MLB shuffle (Pelfrey, Humber, Vargas) or who should/could be at that position this coming season (Mulvey, Bostick).
I think it only makes business sense to view Duque as a 5th starter until someone takes it from him.
You never want to act out of desperation. Many of the chips Minaya thought he would be able to dangle either had unimpressive seasons or were injured (Duaner Sanchez). Omar’s going to need to pull one rabbit out of his hat this offseason. But it’s probably unreasonable to expect two.
ugh, el duque would solve a lot of bullpen issues if we get another star starter to replace him
bringing sosa back sucks.
he was okay but then he just blew important games for us.
nice to hear about dauner.
If Sosa can duplicate last year, warts and all, he may serve one of two purposes for the Mets:
1. Becomes a viable trade chip (in a package) at the deadline.
2. If he remains in the bullpen, he may qualify as a type A or B free agent and allow the Mets to receive draft pick(s) when he signs with another team.
This move, IMO, was a near no-brainer.
Duaner is throwing 88-90? Didn’t he usually get into the low 90’s?