Daily Archives: June 16, 2009
The Mets begin a three-game, inter-league series against the Orioles tonight in Baltimore.
There has been some buzz of late, at least among fans and opinion columnists, linking the Mets to the O’s and Aubrey Huff, who is batting .261 with eight HR and 41 RBI this season.
I think a lot of people are intrigued by Huff because a) there is no way the O’s make the post season this year, and so he’s probably available now, b) he hit 32 home runs last season, and c) he could play first base now, but is capable of playing left field when Carlos Delgado returns from the disabled list.
So, I asked Matt Sadler, O’s fan, and writer of Right off Russell, to help fill me on Huff, who I am not very familiar with, outside of what I see in the boxscore.
In a report for FOXSports.com, Bob Klapisch looks in to a reunion between the Mets and Bobby Valentine could one day be a possibility.
According to Klapisch, “Despite having fired him in 2002, Met ownership has no hard feelings toward Valentine. In fact, he and GM Omar Minaya remain close friends… Does that mean Valentine is next in line to succeed to Jerry Manuel? It depends on whether the Mets survive September, not to mention October. But there’s no question a coup is coming if the Mets fail to catch the Phillies — starting with a new manager.”
According to Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald, “Pedro Martinez has been 
working out six days a week in the Dominican Republic… with scouts from major league teams stopping by to take looks.”
Silverman believes, if Martinez is able to sign a deal with a new team by the end of this month, he’ll be ready right after the All-Star break.
…it’s so tempting… in my heart, it’s not the right move for the Mets… i have no problem with what he’ll want as a contract, or what i think he’ll deliver in terms of results… my concern is Omar Minaya may lack the guts to cut martinez if he is struggling… is he capable of looking pedro in the eye and telling him to beat it… it’s one thing to just not re-sign him as a free agent… it’s a whole other thing to actually cut him… and, the last thing the Mets need is for pedro, and all his pomp and circumstance, and all his legacy, and reputation, etc., to stink, and then, in the middle of a pennant race, omar must babysit his ego at the expense of the rotation… on the other hand, if he pitches well, how great of a show would that be… the return of pedro… like i said, it’s tempting…
In a poll from MetsBlog.com on March 16, 60 percent of people said Martinez was not worth a one-year, $5.5 million deal.
…based on an educated guess, i bet he signs with either the Cubs or Astros…
Tagged Pedro Martinez |
To watch today’s edition of The Nooner, go to TheNoonerBlog.com.
Over on TheJetsblog.com, hear head coach Rex Ryan’s daily rant. Today, a message for the fans.
For SNY’s predictions on the 2009-2010 Big East Basketball season, check out ZagsBlog.com or read the full article at SNY.tv
Lastly, check out 2009 potential first round pick PG Brandon Jennings latest comments to the media on The Knicks Blog.
Tagged News |Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com believes the 
Rangers have discussed trading for Nationals 1B Nick Johnson.
Johnson is batting .305 with 16 extra base hits, 30 RBI and a .417 OBP in 60 games for the Nationals this season.
…from what i recall, the Nationals have been and will continue to seek pitching… last i heard, a few weeks ago, they were talking about a pitcher like Bobby Parnell, which is laughable… i bet, as it gets closer to the deadline, that price will come down, although it doesn’t help the Mets that there is possibly another suitor…
Speaking of pitchers…
The entire NL East had a day off on Monday.
Today the Phillies host the Blue Jays, the Nationals are in New York to face the Yankees, Atlanta travels to Cincinnati, and the Marlins head to Boston.
In other news…
Tagged MetsBlog, News |
This morning, at Mets Minor League Blog, Toby Hyde recaps all of yesterday’s Mets minor-league action, including strong performances for OF Wily Mo Pena and 2B Argenis Reyes, who both went 2-4 in a win for Triple-A Buffalo.
Reyes, who has now hit in 10 straight games, is batting .359 over that span and driven in five.
Pena has now hit in 18 of his last 20 games and is hitting .333 in June.
RHP Eddie Kunz also went two shutout innings for the Bisons, recording two K’s.
For more, check out Toby’s Mets Minor League Blog.
Tagged News |“The Mets now say Gary Sheffield will continue to play on his sore right knee after an exam by team doctors Sunday at Yankee Stadium showed the 41-year-old slugger didn’t need an MRI exam,” writes Bart Hubbuch in the New York Post.
…the thing i don’t get is, how can the MRI 
hurt… you’d think the Mets would have one of these machines in the clubhouse at this point… you know, game over, shower, MRI, go home…
Speaking of injuries, in a recent report for FoxSports.com, Ken Rosenthal says people within the organization wonder if Jose Reyes’s leg injury might be from switching shoe companies, going from Nike to Under Armour, at the start of spring training.
According to Rosenthal, “Under Armour is preparing a special model for Reyes, but it was not ready for the start of the season.”
In a post to his blog for ESPN.com, Buster Olney lists five potential trade targets for the Mets, such as Nick Johnson, Aubrey Huff, Jorge Cantu, Dan Uggla and Mark DeRosa, and ‘why they make sense.’
However, according to Baseball Prospectus, there are only 10 teams in MLB who, as of today, have less than a 10 percent chance of making the playoffs.
…hat tip to MLB Trade Rumors for the link…
The thing is, on that list, there are plenty of teams like the Mariners, Astros and Braves, all of whom, according to Baseball Prospectus, may have little statistical chance of making the playoffs in June, but who also have strong fanbases, who buy tickets and jerseys and watch their teams on television every night.
Tagged News |
In a report for Newsday, David Lennon wonders if Jerry Manuel should be looking over his shoulder, like Willie Randolph roughly one year ago.
…the mood around the Mets, regarding jerry, is nothing, nothing like it was one year ago with willie… that was brutal, be it at Shea, at SNY, in the clubhouse, or on the streets… that said, i think if a team is forced to even consider firing a manager for the second straight season, it’s probably time to start looking at the players, and the guy who put those players on the roster, instead… i mean, same players + new manager = same results, would make the players the constant, not the manager…
That said, last weekend, SI.com, FoxSports.com and the Washington Post all reported that the Nationals may soon fire manager Manny Acta, who was a bench coach for the Mets in 2005 and 2006.
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