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According to Jayson Stark at ESPN.com, the Mets continue to show interest in RHP Claudio Vargas, adding:
“Their plan would be merely to add him to their Triple-A inventory, along with Tony Armas Jr. and Brian Stokes…There are no indications, meanwhile, that the Mets are pursuing any of the other unemployed or dfa’d starters out there: David Wells, Jeff Weaver, Robinson Tejada, etc.”
…a pedro contingency plan should be the team’s highest priority right now, and i bet omar’s blackberry is on 24/7…
…thanks once again to Peter Wade for the link…
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clearly it’s early in the season to be saying this, especially without seeing the staff perform for a couple of months, but i can’t help but think pedro could be more valuable to this team coming out of the pen than in the rotation – if, of course, it would be beneficial for his health – ie, if he provides more value of the pen, maybe it makes sense… of course, the pen might be fine, and possibly a strength this year, we’ll see, but i feel like it’s a 50/50 shot that considering pedro’s iffy status and el duque/pelfrey/fig/(revolving door??) one becomes a distinct strength and the other a distinct weakness, or maybe simply i still have sept07 in the back of my mind when pedro would have gotten us to the playoffs coming out of the pen
Pedro didn’t get hurt because he’s constitutionally unable to be a starting pitcher; he could just as easily have hurt his hammy if he were coming out of the bullpen.
Starting pitchers are extremely valuable. It’s always better to use a guy as a starter unless he simply doesn’t have the stuff to get through lineups three or four times.
So is this fact or a rumor?????
It probably makes the most sense to give him a deal like Bartolo Colon got. That is, a minor league contract where if he’s not on a big league roster after a certain date, he’s free to negotiate with other teams. Obviously, that date would probably be about the expected return time of Pedro, plus maybe a week or two.
That is an option to bring pedro from the pen, but it may not be effective. You have to remember he is a starter and needs his warm up pitches w/o 40 or so he may not be on his game.
Maybe if Pedro is going to be out for months and not weeks (god i hope not) the best pitcher to take a chance on from the three above, i think, would be Weaver.
He has good stuff and can be effective from the 4th spot. Hopefully, we won’t have to come to this and pedro comes back healthy and ready to win.
What do you guys think about Jeff Weaver? He really wasn’t that bad when he was in the NL and I know you guess remember what he did to us in 2006.
not guess but guys*
if Vargas will sign a AAA contract, then wrap him up. S/T, he replaces Figgy at AAA. And if he pitches like the first half of last year, he might end up helping the big club.
Sure you need talent, but a ML season is almost like a war of attrition against a pitching staff, so you do need volume too.
Weaver makes me sick to my stomach just thinking about him taking the mound for the Mets. But sometimes desperate measures are required!
Based on his last stay in NY, no thanks
Mike Hampton did not start tonight due to “Damp conditions”
what a woman
Maybe we should treat Pedro the same way. No pitching in moist conditions.
It was a strained left pectoral muscle.
I think that’s just a front. He was really at a Parent-Teacher conference at his kid’s school.
he had a gyno appointment
Hopefully they crush the guy starting in his place and the Braves have to use up all of their bullpen
Could Vargas be the next trash heap starter we pick up and turn into a great pitcher, a la Perez and Maine? I say let’s find out.
Vargas will be 30 this year, so he’s a bit older.
Not to mention this will be his 8th year in the majors, and his career ERA is 4.96.
I’d say Tejada would fit this bill more. Only 25, good velocity, but with control issues.
niese pitched tonight for double a: 5ip 1h 1bb 5k’s 0r
el duque still pitching for single a: 3ip 3h 1bb 4k’s 2r
I honestly say if El Duque goes down again soon…give Niese a chance…we keep givin Big Pelf the ball…so give this kid a shot….bcuz lets face it …now that Petey got hurt again..I doubt we will resign him….and Oliie is gonna test the FA waters and prob not return (although I hope he does) so that leaves us with Johan ,Maine, Pelf, #4? #5?? ….and then we need a LF (im hoping its Fmart) and 1st base..anyone have a list of the FA pitchers after this year?
Neise nailing down a spot in the rotation next year would be a big lift, especially since only Santana and Maine are really locked in (and of course Pelfrey if he finally shows he belongs this year).
Then they only need 1 guy brought in for the rotation, and even have a lefly to replace OP if he leaves.
Isnt Ben Sheets a FA next year…or A J Burnett???
Sheets or Burnett would fit nicely into Pedro’s role as “good when not on the DL”.
Neise I think has a chance to be real good, especially since he is a lefty. ANd if he keeps pitching like that, he just might be a late season option this year.
For Duque, I would be a great help for the Mets if he can imporve in each of these starts, and get his stuff/control back up to major league standards. If he can just get back to where he was last year, and can be pitching for the Mets by late April, they really might not miss Pedro much.
Then of course he will break down right about the time Pedro is ready to come back…
Key of course will be whether Pelf can step it up and show he belongs.
If we think Niese can be real good, then why should we rush him and possibly hinder his development by doing so, like we possibly have already done with Pelfrey. Let Niese continue to develop, if he looks good, then maybe give him a shot come August-September. But not before then.
that is why I said if he pitches this well all year, he could be a late season option!
You have to balance development time with getting use out of the player. TOo much time in the minors is just as bad (or at least more wasteful) than bringing him up too soon.
IMO, once they have shown that they have they have mastered what they need, then they should be ready to get called up. Of course, expecting them to learn on the job is probably counterproductive.
I agree. I like Niese and the other kid Parnell. One of these two should stick. I hope.
I hope Parnell. He likes the pressure. After watching Cueto AA pitchers can make the jump if the have right mentality.
I’d love to see them pick up Robinson Tejada. He is about 25 or 26 with lights out stuff. – definitely worth the risk fo a AAA contract.
For those not familar with Tejada, he has a mid-90’s fastball and a decent change-up and curve. He defintely needs to refine his secondary pitches to be more effective, but the potential is there.
I know Pedro is hurt now but I still think signing Freddy Garcia is a no-brainer. He will give us insurance for at least the second half of the season and potentially a solid 4 or 5 next year. He will cost us next to nothing. You would have to think at some point in the second 2/3 of the season Duque and/or Pedro will both be on the DL and this guy could slot right in. If he sucks, drop him but I think his upside is much higher than Jeff Weaver, Claudio Vargas or any of the other clowns still out there.
And he may still be an option later. We are really talking about replacing 1 spot in the rotation when it may be 2 spots in the rotation later. All depends on Elduque and Pelfrey. I would pick up Vargas or Tejada just in case.
I think we should consider Weaver too.
Claudio Vargus + Minor League Contract = do it