The Mets introduced Francisco Rodriguez to reporters yesterday, prior to the team’s annual Holiday Party, during which Mike Pelfrey dressed up as Santa Clause and John Maine served as his elf.
During the event, Jerry Manuel told reporters that Rodriguez and J.J. Putz will share the closing duties next season – with Rodriguez getting the majority of opportunities.
…as he should…i think this will be a great situation, especially since K-Rod has shown himself to be only a one-inning pitcher…i’m sure some newspapers will try to spin this in to an unnecessary ‘quarterback controversy,’ but in reality this is nothing but a good thing…
Putz will be introduced to today in an informal Q&A with reporters, during a walk around Citi Field.
To read quotes from Manuel, as well as other details from the event, check out the New York Post, the New York Times, the Bergen Record, and Newsday, who quotes Pelfrey as saying:
“As a starter, your job is still to go as deep into the game as possible, but you only have to go seven now… You give the ball to those guys in the eighth and ninth and you know pretty much that they’re going to shut the door.”
…by the way, according to the Times report, rodriguez had, ‘K-Rod,’ stitched in to the sleeves of the dress shirt he was wearing with his three-piece, pinstriped suit…slick, buddy…
{ 65 comments }
What Time?
If I learned anything from last year, it’s that Manuel says whatever he wants whenever he wants and means little of it.
great job by manuel becoz he knew this question will be asked. also, it gives k-rod an occasionnaly day off or some extra rest.. also, matt.. manuel is a great leader who i got confident in
This is more amazing news….the pen will be even better if Jerry is flexible and keeps everyone fresh.
Cannot wait for next year.
The 8th and 9th innings may actually be fun again!
phonics
pitching is great…but it dont mean a thing without that batting bling…as in MANNY. believe it.
THE NEW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS OF THE WOOOOORLD!!!
does this not feel like the longest off season already? it’s only been 2 months, but it feels like 5 months already…
They’re not getting Manny. Are you dense?
My excitement meter for KRod’s first save is probably at an 11 out of 10.
Manny ain’t happening…even I can accept that.
And Nostradamus—if you just reversed your sentence, and it read that “HITTING don’t mean nothing without PITCHING” you would be on to something.
Study the 2008 Mets for exhibit A.
im not sure if i like that manuel is coming out and sayign this now. all its going to do is give these lame a$$ writers a chance to start brewing up a “closer controversy”.
lol, wow, ppl, if anybody here thinks we’re getting manny we should respect their opinion, i’m getting tired of ppl crititsizing others when they say we’re getting manny or get manny.. if you don’t like when someone ask for him move on to the next comment.. we can all dream.. i wanted tex. if somebody wants manny good.. as long as we as fan want what’s best for the team.. another thing is, manny is STILL a free agent so is not like is out of the question..
even better his first save at home…hopefully it’ll come opening night at citi
#10:
My excitement for the first time Thunderstruck plays over the PA is an 11 out of 10 also..
I’ve been avoiding watching any Met games on SNY and such, but after listening to Thunderstruck about 12 times in the past 3 days, I am ready for some baseball..
109 DAYS TO GO!
It’s really a balance of both Kingman.
If we can get 2 quality SP then I have no problem with our offense.
If we are going with 1 quaility pitcher and 1 scrub then we need one decent upgrade on offense.
If we are going with 2 scrub pitchers then we need either one major upgrade on offense or 2 decent upgrades on offense.
A lot of offseason left.
alex, you are enlightened bro
109 days?? Really??? Thats not as bad as i thought.
Example:
A) 2 of Lowe, Perez, Sheets, Garland/Wolf
B) Lowe/Perez/Sheets, Marquis/Redding and Molina.
C) 2 of Garland/Wolf/Redding/Marquis and Manny/Dunn/Burrell/Abreu
D) 2 of Garland/Wolf/Redding/Marquis, and
Molina, River.
Is no offense to anybody, but i think we all are entitle to have our opinion, is all fun and games.. we as fan can make a comment, sometimes is dumb or irrelevant but i think we are entitle to.. after all this is america..
with that being said, here’s the rumors for manny as a met:
“Hoping the Yankees sign Manny Ramirez? Ken Davidoff of Newsday gives it about a 20% chance, and only if they find multiple ways to save clear payroll first. As for Manny signing with the Mets, Davidoff gives it no chance.”
only about 60 days till pitchers and catchers
TRS, that goes back to the idea that every year you have to go with what the market gives you.
If there is a glut of RPs, load up. if FA Sps are rare and overpriced, stay away.
If a hitter falls into your lap cheap, take it, even if it means having to trade someone to make it fit (Tex, while not cheap, falls into this catagory!)
Or if a rare talent is there to be plucked, pluck him! Figure out what to do with the excess talent later.
Heck, if you end up with 2 top 1Bs say, and still need a SP, then trade a 1B for a SP. Not everything has to be done directly via FA, or by trading top prospects.
Say Delgado could bring back a legit SP + a C or 2B prospect. And you can sign Dunn for less than market value 9and less than CD would be making).
Well, Dunn + #3/4 Sp + prospect >>> CD for 1 year.
Just an example of course, but the logic makes sense.
Wolf – only as a 5th starter
Garland – eh just as good as Maine
Marquis – a bit worse than Maine
Perez – when he’s on he’s great, when he’s off he’s awful
Lowe – costs alot, not dominant, very effective, consistant
Sheets – injury prone, when healthy easily the best pitcher available
Molina – what will it take to get him?
alex242, is it not also America where one is allowed to dissent? Democracy baby!
Oleo, I am guessing that IF we traded Schnieder for a prospect then traded that prospect, Castro, and Evans?
more on topic, I have no issue with the concept of closer A & closer B, and I have no problem with the manager verbalizing it. I prefer this manager’s “in the now, open to change as things unfold” commentary to the previous mananger’s “I trust my guys” and ” the champagne will be sweeter” commentary.
thereal: I agree with the concept but not necessarily the names.
Suppose, however, the Mets bring in just one pitcher? If they bring in Lowe or Perez and leave Niese/Parnell/Figueroa to battle it out with spring training invitees (think of the Tony Armases of the world) what kind of other moves would you expect?
I doubt they go for guys like Burrell, etc. I could see a trade for a guy like Thames first.
Honestly, the bench concerns me as much as anything else right now. Anderson is useless, Reed can’t hit, and the Alex Cora rumors don’t inspire confidence because he can’t hit either. Nick Evans is better served at AAA then sitting on the bench. That would leave only Tatis/Murphy as serviceable bench players because the backup catcher won’t be used.
“pitching is great…but it dont mean a thing without that batting bling…as in MANNY. believe it.”
We scored exactly the same number of runs as the Phillies did last year. The difference is in the pitching. Good pitching beats good hitting the vast majority of the time.
trs
i would do that, would SF?
personally i’m not high on Evans, i dont think he’s going to be an everyday major leaguer
I saw Maine and Pelfrey last night at the Nets game, they were right behind the Nets bench.
Matt, K-Rod has only shown he can pitch 1 inning because he’s only had to pitch 1 inning. The Angels have had Scott Shields setting up for him since he’s been the closer.
The number of runs can also be misleading. It also matters when the runs are scored. Consistent run production will win many more games than the occasional outbursts that pad the totals.
The Bench will work itself out.
Right now it’s
Tatis, Pagan, Reed, Castro, Evans. I don’t see Marlon being around and I don’t see Pagan and Reed. So we have some spots open. Including a spot for a ulility IF.
As for your question about just Lowe and going with just Niese. I don’t think Omar would do that. He will bring in someone to compete with Niese. But that plan would follow the same as D. You would need 2 offensive upgrades or one really good upgrade.
By the way Thames is a FA.
Of course Putz is going to get save chances. There are going to be times K-rod will throw three nights in a row and won’t be available the fourth, so it’ll be Putz’s chance to get a save. Even before Wagner got hurt last season, he didn’t have every one of the team’s saves. I can see Putz getting 8-10 saves.
TRS–Yes, of course…I guess I am maybe being overly optimistic, as I think with the new bullpen Johan may win 25, and Pelf can be a serious weapon, as can a healthy Maine. And I think our offense will instantly be better as is, without worrying that every lead of less than 7 runs is not safe. And if Church is healthy all year, that will add a lot as well.
But yes, we probably need to sign Lowe, and/or Ollie, and an innings-eater as well.
(25)
lmao!!! your crazy man!!
wanny backstra
which is exactly why i feel Dunn should be brought in. Sure he’s an upgrade at LF but will he get a hit in a big spot??
i dont think so. I’d rather spend that extra money on other needs such as getting Lowe over Garland and getting a 2B
Oleo, I could not understand why SF would not. They would get 2 prospects and a cheaper catcher for the year. We might have to throw in some low level fill ins.
I think they would be interested in Sanchez too if we are willing to part with him.
should not be brought in
bkfitz
With K-Rod’s velocity issues (I know he says it a non-issue), I would rather have the option to rest him occasionally than push him to go multiple innings or back to back (to back…etc.) games. We have Putz too, might as well use him.
(33) Obviously that is true, but consistent pitching can do more with less run production…
trs
I would trade Castro, Evans and Kunz/ a pitching prospect for Molina.
trade Schneider to the Red Sox for a decent prospect or two. (Schneider would be a great fit in Boston)
and sign Javier Valentin as the backup or even let Cancel or any of the other minor leaguers battle it out…
I still don’t get the reputation that Dunn is not clutch. He does what he does even in clutch situations.
With RISP last year he had a .929 OPS
With RISP 2/O last year he had a 1.091 OPS (WOW)
All of his clutch stats he had an OPS of over .874 most over .950. Including an OPS of 1.044 in high leverage situations.
Also, you can go back and look at how he has faired against top pitchers and their is no drop off their either.
bkfitz: K-Rod averaged more than one inning per appearance during his first two seasons. Last season, he averaged last than one inning per appearance.
thereal:
I am pretty certain Thames is not a free agent and is not arb eligible until next season.
also, anderson has a major league contract for this season. I can’t imagine he’s not sticking around. I forgot about Pagan. I’d prefer Pagan over Reed, as long as he’s healthy. Of course, he was playing over his head last spring before he got hurt and I don’t expect that same production.
the bench concerns me because Church, Castillo, Delgado and LF platoon are all players with significant question marks.
oleo:
I’m not a Dunn proponent because of his defense. With Johan Santana on the mound (and possibly Oliver Perez), we’re going to need some defense in that big outfield. Unfortunately, Tatis/Murphy are probably no better.
However, with regard to runs, I’m not necessarily talking about hitting in late game situations or anything like that. I’m talking about consistent run production day in and day out from a deep lineup. A guy like Dunn with good on-base skills and home run power would probably help in that department.
But I’d rather see an offensive improvement at 2B or behind the plate. Schneider is an abysmal hitter and Castillo, even at his best, is lucky to hit the ball out of the infield.
Question for all:
Santana pitches 8 innings and 120 pitches (he’s done). The Mets lead 3-2.
The Cisco Kid (KRod) comes in and allows a single and a walk to the first 2 hitters.
Do you do what most teams do, and let their closer get out of it, or do you bring in Big Putzie??
Wanny, Thames was nontendered. Get with it buddy.
As for Marlon, I just don’t see Omar going that route this year. He will be dumped for something. If nothing else he will have to fight for his spot in AAA. With Murphy around there is NO use for Marlon.
trs
My issue with Dunn isn’t that he isn’t clutch, it’s that he’s ridiculously susceptible to LHP.
With RISP vs LHP he had a .576 OPS
In general he’s most useful in a platoon, which we already have.
Depending on the contract, I still might sign Dunn and trade him for a SP, 2B, etc.
trs
sure when Dunn hits the ball it goes far but the problem is he doesnt hit the ball very often.
the mets have no problem scoring runs its the scoring runs when you need them that they have failed.
i just dont see Dunn doing anything but walking or striking out in a big spot and what good is walking when Luis Castillo is on deck…
(46) Probably leave K-Rod in to get out of it. I wouldn’t want to actually create a battle over the closer role. Of course this depends on the severity of the game, fatigue on K-Rod/Putz, etc.
Was watching SNY last night, and a viewer suggested this 2 closer idea, and the guys laughed him away with the ridiculous idea. I guess it’s not so crazy now.
CaseStreet – I’ve been suggesting the 2 (or 3) closer idea for a couple of years now!!
On the Mets message board, other fans thought I was crazy too. But I’m a big believer in ‘As the game changes, so must the gameplan’.
In other words, with starters going less innings on average from year to year, the importance of locking down the 7/8/9th innings greatly increases.
It’s kind of hard to have 100 RBI’s when you don’t drive anyone in?
Instead of using Putz as a closer, use him to get the key out.
Mets up 5-3 in going into top of 6th against Braves. Perez pitching and walks lead off hitter and second batter reaches as infield squibb eludes Luis C. Chipper marches to plate.
That’s where you give him Putz. If you wait until the 8th, the game may be out of hand.
K-Rod can close, Putz can “key.”
trs86
he’ll give us 100 RBI but can he hit the ball when Lidge or Romero is on the mound?
this team has had no problem scoring runs, its scoring runs when the game is on the line and Dunn does nothing to help us there…
Oleo
Lidge yes, Romero no. I’ve said it before, Dunn will hit righties in all situations and NOT hit lefties in all situations.
Last year in 3 AP vs. the 2 he had 2 walks. That’s not driving in the run but that’s more than what we would get if we had any other matchup out there.
By the way for his career he has a .909 OPS vs. Lidge and a 1.000 OPS vs Romero.
The guy has a lot of knocks like he can’t play defense. But to question his ability to get on base against ANY pitcher is foolish.
Depending on where you put him in the lineup as he is not slow, you could really maximize his OBP.
If we use putz as closer also, then we need another BP arm for the 8th for him
trs
suppose Dunn cost 10 mil a year.
i would rather take that 10 million and spend the 6 of it on getting Lowe instead of Garland and the other 4 on getting Castillo out of town.
then sign Eckstein, a UI like Aaron Miles, a 5th starter like Pedro or Penny and a lefty bullpen guy like Ohman, Takahashi etc. and a Juan Rivera type for LF.
Reyes, Eckstein/Murphy, Beltran, Wright, Delgado, Rivera/Murphy, Church/Rivera, Schneider/Castro
let’s hope that k-rod get off to a good start. i’d hate to read a thousand comments whining that putz should be closing.
I thought Putz was having an intro today at 11? that was according to gary apple on SNY?
“great job by manuel becoz he knew this question will be asked. also, it gives k-rod an occasionnaly day off or some extra rest.. also, matt.. manuel is a great leader who i got confident in”
Alex,
Okay, let’s try that in ENGLISH.
“That was a great job by Manuel because he knew that just such a question would be asked. This strategy would give K-Rod some extra rest by getting him an occasional day off. Also, Matt, Manuel is a great leader in whom I have confidence.”
I tell you, between Alex, Eduardo and Nostradamus, I feel like Lisa Simpson’s “Linguo” grammar robot right before he exploded due to an overload of poor English spoken by Fat Tony and his goons.
zen (60),
That is the only possible drawback in this situation. Nobody wants to see a “we want the Putz!” chant while Frankie is struggling.
gipper, agreed.
i hope mets fans won’t ruin this. i’ve wanted two closer for two years. i screamed about getting nathon last year. this is a great situation.
zen,
All in all, it is a good “problem” to have!
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