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The Mets have announced RHP Nelson Figueroa and Jorge Sosa have been Designated for assignment.
The Mets have also placed OF Angel Pagan on the 15-day disabled list with a injured shoulder.
In their place the Mets have recalled RHP Claudio Vargas, RHP Matt Wise and OF/IF Fernando Tatis.
…good to see the Mets make the correct moves and field their best possible 25-man roster…i’m also happy to see Joe Smith stay with the major league club, he has pitched well and didn’t deserve a demotion…
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YES NO MORE SOSA WHOOOO (if only Mota had been given this same treatment last year… oh well… they’re learning!)
While i share your enthusiasm about sosa not being here….It opens the question about what we are going to do for long relief…….I do not know wise’s career, has he ever been a long man?
If not the starters have no choice but to step up and go longer…now more than ever
I seem to remember there being some spec. that Wise could serve as a long man, although I’m too in a rush to go swig beers before takin the 7 out to shea to check the numbers… alternatively I’d like to think Heilman could be stretched into that role, or Figgy makes his way up as a long man if/ when armas is sent down.
er vargas… chuknowhatimsayin
Who cares, willie doesn’t use a long man like that, even when we are getting blown out or blowing someone out he still goes with his inning by inning routine, changing pitchers burning through the whole pen.
Unless I’m mistaken, Figgy needs to clear wavers. Really I would’ve liked to see Sosa DFA’d and Figs shift to the pen in the long man role. I know we wanted Wise up here, but if there is an Ollie implosion or Vargas has to be pulled early who are you going to bring in?
Really hope he clears… i think he would have been a pretty good fit in long relief.
ugggg this frustrates me…I can’t believe they DFA’d Figgy, hold off on bringing tatis up until after tues then send vargas back down. Now we are depending on him. I don’t like this move at all.
Can’t send Vargas back down, once he’s up, he’s up for good or else he’d have to clear waivers…
Really? With the way Figgy has been battered the past few weeks, you want to keep him in the rotation?
Re: Matt Wise being a long reliever…
Wise came up as and pitched in the Minors exclusively as a starter. It was only after the Angels realized that a starter with no breaking pitch (Wise throws a four-seam fastball, traditional sinker, changeup, and tailing two-seam fastball) couldn’t go more than about 5 innings before the hitters figured him out. Hence his transition to the bullpen. He could handle the role, I’m sure (and was a spot starter as late as 2004).
Re: Figgy…
He was a great story. He was nice while he lasted. But I think Claudio Vargas will be better in the long term. Also, for those saying “oh, look at some of the garbage we got on the 40-man…Ruddy Lugo?” Yes, Ruddy Lugo. He’s been a reliever almost all of his career and is now exclusively starting at New Orleans. And he has an ERA below 2.70, has given up fewer hits than innings pitched, has had precisely one bad outing, and has K’ed 33 in 40 innings (while walking 10). I’d be willing to use him. And Adam Bostick? Same thing. Bostick is putting up very good numbers in New Orleans and finally has command of his fastball AND his curveball, plus he’s throwing his changeup more. He’s not in the “junky project” class like Jason Vargas. This guy really looks like he has some upside. Whilst it’s not like either of these guys will pitch better than Pedro, you can also probably expect them to give you *at least* what Figueroa gave you if not more, considering both are younger with room for more development.
I am ok with sosa being sent, but arent we risking a team claiming figgy? Maybe I am wrong on this?
give the mets credit we blasted them for thinking they would not do what was right for the team …. but in the end they made the right choice….
what you mean “we” kimosabe?
Where did the other post and its 20 comments on this topic go?
posts have been disappearing today. There was one on El Duque before that is gone now
Yes, that is very frustrating, as I made several there.
I admit I haven’t been following the farm teams very closely this season, but isn’t there someone better to call up than Fernando Tatis?
Tatis has been tearing it up down there…
Its seems like a good time to see what the old guy has left in the tank. Its only gonna be a couple games.
If you dont bring him up now, then there was absolutely no point in keeping him… Who knows, maybe he gets a 2nd wind, goes on a 2 week binge of solid play and helps up beat the yanks!
I’m not sure I’d call .242/.345/.592 ‘tearing it up’.
Sure, the OBP is decent, the slugging is great….but a .242 BA is a .242 BA. Still, he was probably the best option unless you wanted to call up newbie Val Pasucci whose hitting .308/.393/.731.
I kinda wish they would have gone bold and called up one of the kids mashing in AA…..but that probably would have been a mistake. Its just im more interested in them then I am with anyone on our AAA roster right about now.
.837 (is my math right?) OPS is plenty good. To cite OBP and SLG and then say .242 is still .242 suggests you haven’t fully accepted the OBP/SLG formula. Clearly .242 is NOT still .242.
That’s true, but BA is still important, especially if you’re trying to project major league numbers from minor league stats.
Too bad about Figueroa, but I guess he lost his cool, lost his control, and that was that. Time to give someone else a shot.
Good moves by the Mets. I’d love to see someone claim Sosa, and am looking forward to seeing if Wise can bring anything to the table.
batting average isn’t important for someone like tatis. OPS is a better indicator of offensive ability anyway.
also, that’s a .937 OPS.
Even better! Thank you for the math check!
sorry to see figgy go. but it was the right move. hopefully he ends up back in the organization but i think a team will take a shot on him.
sosa, on the other hand, LATER DUDE!
why did it have to be done??? I’m confused at this notion.
Well I’m not happy about Figgy, but I guess it had to be done.
On the other hand…thank god – no more Sosa!
true. Nice moves…
Side note – Gotta love how Gossage manages to take a shot at the Mets in his criticism of Joba. There is a link to the article on the front page of the ESPN website
Tatis could be a decent DH for the weekend
i would rather alou dh, less chance for him to hurt himself
too bad we dont see igawa then it wouldnt matter what our lineup looked like…
Exactly. Alou DHs, Endy or Marlon plays left.
man, i actually think figgy would do great in the pen.
me too. i hope he gets there eventually…….
I am surprised they did not keep figgy for long relief. Good riddance to Sosa….Way to do the right thing Omar!!
It isn’t going to be pretty on here tomorrow night if Vargas is terrible. I applaud Omar for making bold moves but I think this one goes overboard.
Why not DFA Sosa only, move Figgy to the pen, and Vargas up for tomorrow’s start and see what happens? DL Pagan and bring up Wise. We can be short 1 on the bench for a few days as we get a look at both Vargas and Wise.
Simply put, and understandably this is worst case, what happens tomorrow if Vargas goes 2.1IP, 6 ER, etc and needs to be pulled. Who is coming in?
like in every other game our starter is out early
everyone
Figgy showed no ability to get 3 guys out in an inning last night. Why keep him? Vargas gets next shot, he is younger and only needs to go 5 times maybe before Pedro is ready? Sosa has become a basket case, Wise has lots to prove and Tatis might be lightning in a bottle for 2 weeks until Pagan is ready.
Lol bingo…
While i am happy sosa is no longer here, just wonder who is gonna take his role. It was the right move to keep smith here but figgy would have been fine to take over that role. Dont know if wise can i didnt follow his career. I just hope the starters can cope with not having that safety net if the get in trouble early.
Yes easily 300 posts if vargas doesnt get the job done…….
Im sure the same people who are saying great job omar today will want his head if this doesnt work out.
Yeah, I think Figgy earned that spot. He pitched very well 1st time through and also 2 genuinely good starts.
This Matt Wise better be the second coming…
I’m unclear on the organization’s options for Figgy and also for Sosa. I know Sosa can refuse being sent to AAA and become a free agent, is putting him on waivers a precursor to that?
just one comment dirty, take one for the team. El duque did it last year against philly, but sometimes you give up a game so you dont burn the relievers. Go 5 and give up 8 but YOU ARE going to go 5. I know, I know, give up a game? ludicrous, but it has to happen some times and now would be that time. Hopefully this isn’t neccessary but if it is, then so be it. These were the right moves, well done omar.
The problem is the team is already 1 short on the bench with Castillo day-to-day. If they kept Figgy, and didn’t bring up Tatis, the bench would be Anderson, Castro, Endy, and Castillo. With Castillo hurt, and Castro not really eligible to pinch hit, you are left with two guys. Considering Endy is used as a defensive sub late in games, you technically have only got Marlon.
Vargas’s career numbers are awful. Lots of pitches per inning, not many innings per outing. I don’t think anybody ought to be excited about Vargas.
I wish we had an innings eater. I advocated getting Livan in the offseason because he throws innings.
That’s what I would have looked for in my #5 starter. Since most #5s are bad any way, look for a workhorse there. Oh well.
I’m so glad to see Sosa out of here. Just like he has throughout his career, he quickly wore out his welcome. The guy’s got some talent and has strung together some good outings at times, but he’s far too inconsistent and doesn’t seem very mentally tough out there. It’s too bad you can’t combine Sosa’s arm with Figueroa’s smarts and toughness on the mound, then you’d have something. I’m actually sorry to see Figs go. He hasn’t been very good of late, but I think he could be of some use as a long reliever. He seemed pretty calm when in a jam (and he got into many) and just knew how to pitch. Just doesn’t have the stuff to make it through several times in a batting order. Hopefully he clears waivers and heads back to AAA, he might be of some use down the line. I’m so glad Smith stays. He’s been one of the most reliable relievers and wouldn’t have sent a good message to the rest of the team (or the fanbase) had he been sent down because it would have only been for financial reasons. As for Tatis, I don’t expect too much from him, but at least he’ll be a bat with some pop on the bench and might be good against lefty pitchers.
Great moves all around.
Joe Smith > Jorge Sosa
You cant compare Sosa and Smith in that fashion.. They both have different roles in the bullpen. It just so happens that Sosa stunk at his role while Smith did well…
So for that matter if Wise is who we hope he is then…
Wise > Sosa.
Hopefully we can look back at this as a turning point in the season.
I totally agree…shake it up a little.
is figgy gonna be exposed to wavers? or since hes on a minor league contract and has less than 4 years of major league experience (i believe), can he just be sent to the zephers without wavers?
yes. right after he was just exposed to a scouting report….
LOL!
Since he was designated for assignment he if removed from the 40 man roster so he is placed on waivers. So any team that claims him (or sosa) needs to have a spot on their 40 man roster.
It becomes a major league contract when he makes the team.
Sorry to see Figgys dream end but he did have a couple of good games to remember. Sosa? Right move but darn it, he should have been much better based on his tools.
Really glad that Smith stays…he earned it.
Beyondt his it will be fun to see a little bit of Tatis and Vargas. I hope the fans are patient with them.
Gotta go with the prevailing ‘tude I see here, and I’m actually shocked to see that the Mets actually made the moves that would best benefit the team. ASod, three of the next few pitchers the Mets face are lefties (Lannan tonight, Chico Thursday, and Pettitte Saturday). Tatis may come in really handy with those. Also, we’ll be facing the Braves next week, and Glavine and Chuck James will see the Mets.
figgy lost his touch from the beginning of the year. yesterday was a day to get an easy win against the nats and he blew it.
That’s true, but I think Figs would be more effective in the longman role. The first time through the order, he’s been quite good. Plus he has a rubber arm and could save some of the other relievers from being overworked, especially in games where the Mets are up or down by a bunch. That’s probably what they wanted out of Sosa last night, except he ended up getting torched which put the game out of reach and effectively ended his Mets career.
On the Tatis move:
It may signal the club’s patience with Delgado is getting shorter and shorter. The signals have been out there for two weeks; moving him to 7th in the line-up; Willie not defending him as strongly in the press, leaked stories as to his release and contract.
Now Tatis who can play a right-handed 1st base in a platoon situation. Delgado looked terrible against the lefty last night his defense is worse and worse. I think that is why Tatis was brought up instead of Brady Clark who was hitting over .300 at AAA.
And Tatis does have extra-base pop off the bench, which is nice especially since Easley will be starting more with Castillo hurt. They’ve been playing Tatis all over at New Orleans (first, left, second, etc.) so another versatile guy can’t hurt. His average wasn’t all that great but he was among the PCL leaders with 12 homers (that’s off the top of my head, I may be off a tad).
delgado is not going anywhere…
damn, now I gotta replace Figgy with another starter in my fantasy team.
If you had figgy on your team to begin with, you have bigger problems… lol
At least he got me 2 wins and about 20k’s, lol
Why not select Darth Vader or a character from Dungeons and Dragons?
Marty Noble:
The club was trying to trade Sosa on Monday, according to a person familiar with the club’s thinking.
As recently as Sunday evening, the plan had been to summon Minor League pitcher Adam Bostick to the big leagues to start on Wednesday night and to create room for him on the big league roster by optioning Joe Smith to the Minor Leagues, despite his effective pitching.
THANK GOD SOSA IS GONE…Sorry to see Figgy go, but I understand. He was a great story, but you don’t build a team on good stories.
Hope Vargas turns out to be a solid option, I think Wise will be solid out of the pen.
All the moves made sense. I expect one or both of the Sosa, Figgy duo to be picked up by another team desperate for a short term fix in their bullpen/rotation.
As for Figgy in the pen. Granted the sample size is small and very spread out, but Figgy’s bullpen numbers are horrible compared to his starting numbers. At least I think they are.
Anyway, hopefully no one picks up Figgy and he can return to AAA and maybe get called up as the season progresses, but it might be a while.
With decent news on Martinez and El Duque the starting rotations might get pretty deep (and odd) in the next month. I’d hate to have to DFA Vargas if he performs even decently.
Wow — worrying about a crowded staff in the event Duque and Pedro can come back . . . let’s cross that bridge when we get there . . . and when we’ve built the bridge, and when the glaciers melt and the river forms.
I’m not really worrying. Just looking ahead. I don’t care if a team like the Braves or Phillies pick up Sosa, but it might be slightly a different story with Vargas.
But yes for now, not a big deal.
Maybe to save them from injury Duque and Pedro could alternate starts. :D
If Vargas pitches somewhat decently and Pelfrey continues to be up and down, it will be Pelfrey that goes since he still has minor league options left.
Well if both Martinez and El Duque return that is two starting spots. Optioning Pelf only opens up one spot. I guess the other option would be putting either Duque or Vargas in the pen while sending down Smith or placing someone on the DL.
I think if Wise pitches well enough, Smith would get sent down for a bit and Vargas or El Duque (preferably El Brittle) would head to the pen as the long man. If Wise doesn’t do the job, he could be cut loose as well.
Oy! By the time we get both these guys back, IF we get both these guys back, I’m confident the right thing to do will present itself.
Not saying they’ll do the right thing…
These moves signal that the Mets have everyone on a shorter leash than last year, and that they don’t want to carry any dead weight at all. Probably a good thing, too.
Figgy would’ve been fine as the long man in the pen, but there are many other in-house options, including, when Pedro returns, Mike Pelfrey.
I don’t think Figueroa has to clear waivers because he was signed to a minor league contract. Am I correct?
I like the shake-up and i think it does show the players and manager that everyone is on a shorter leash. it’s time to really get into the season the next few months and if you’re not doing your part your on the bench, sent down or traded. I do wish Figgy stayed on the 40-man though. i really liek how he uses a lot of different tactics to keep the hitters off-balance (i.e. quick pitch). lets hope the players now step it up and take the next three and then some. I saw Tatis play down here in Austin he was playing third and had some nice pop the other way, he’ll be nice to have on the bench for a few months, hopefully we don’t need to rely on him though, i think of him as a cardinal though and i’m sure you feel the same way about cardinals these days.
Sorry to see Nelson go, but it was the right move at this time. He made a few nice starts for the New York Mets, his family got to see him do it, and he seemed to be popular with the rest of the Mets.
Overall, if by some chance he never pitches another inning in a Mets uniform, he has done what hundreds of thousands of local kids have only dreamed of through the decades. Not a bad deal really. He’s lived his dream, and maybe there will be more to the story. I tip my cap to Mr. Figueroa.
This is fantastic news.
Gone are the days of shorting this franchise merely for sake of big-contracts and service time (veterans).
I’m sure the Wilpons aren’t happy about these moves, but everyone in the front office should pat themselves on the back, today. Gulp it and forget it…
Figgy and Sosa didn’t have big contracts at all – at least relative to what other members of the team make.
Now DFAing a guy like Delgado or someone signed to an actual big contract would be something the Wilpons don’t like. But these small contracts matter little in the grand scheme of things.
seems odd to DL pagan now, he got hurt early in the week, sat for a few days then was used once as a pitch hitter over the weekend, so he can not be retroactively(if thats even a word) til from the day he was a pinch hitter