Daily Archives: July 6, 2009
In report two days ago for the Daily News, Bill Madden wrote:
“I’m told that Assistant GM Tony Bernazard, whom Willie Randolph found to be an intrusive influence in the clubhouse, especially with the Latin players, has been no less undermining with Jerry Manuel. For whatever reason, Bernazard seems to have the Wilpons’ ears, even more so than Minaya, and in organization meetings he’s never reticent to suggest areas where the manager might be doing a better job. I’m also told the Met high command ordered Manuel to tone down the not-so-subtle pleas for help in his pre and postgame mediafests and his periodic candor about his team’s deficiencies.”
In a October 2007 report for the Daily News, Bill Madden said Bernazard is the ‘real power in the front office,’ adding:
“I’m also told that all of the Mets’ minor league Latin players have Bernazard’s cell-phone number with the understanding they should call him any time if they encounter problems either off the field or with club officials.”
Last season, reports suggested Bernazard played an active role in the firing of Willie Randolph, which you can read more about in this post on MetsBlog.
…frankly, i don’t really know what to make of this…
…i used to think this was a problem… and, i want to think it still is… however, tony b’s role on the Mets didn’t stop the team from going 43–25 at one point last summer, post-randolph… it didn’t keep them from starting this season 28–22… that said, this sort of over-reaching is probably the kind of thing that only makes matters worse when they’re not going well, like now… in other words, i suspect this is not the last we’re going to hear about this subplot…
Tagged Tony Bernazard |According to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com, 
the Mets, Phillies and Giants also had interest in OF Scott Hairston, who was traded from the Padres to the A’s this past weekend in exchange for two minor-league pitchers.
The 28–year-old Hairston hit .299 with 10 HR and 14 doubles in 197 at bats for San Diego this season.
Speaking of the trade market…
According to MLB.com, “The Phillies will watch free-agent RHP Pedro Martinez throw Monday or Tuesday in the Dominican Republic.”
The Indians are looking for young, major-league ready, zero-to-three pitchers, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
That said, the Indians are asking the Giants for their top pitching prospect, Madison Bumgarner, plus additional talent, in a deal for Victor Martinez, reports the San Jose Mercury News.
Bumgarner entered this season as the third-best pitching prospect in all of baseball, according to MiLB.com.
The A’s have no intention of trading OF Matt Holliday, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com, as he’d rather acquire two compensatory picks for next year’s amateur draft.
Lastly, Buster Olney of ESPN.com believes the Red Sox, Brewers, Dodgers and A’s could match up well with the Braves, if they look to trade either RHP Javier Vazquez or SS Yunel Escobar.
For more trade rumors, check out MLB Trade Rumors.
Last week, in an interview on ESPN Radio, ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark said the Mets are most interested in acquiring a left-handed hitting first baseman.
…the buzz in baseball last month had been that the Nationals were 
asking the Mets for Bobby Parnell, among other prospects, in a deal for left-handed hitting 1B Nick Johnson…
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “The Pirates and Giants have had trade talks regarding 2B Freddy Sanchez and, to a lesser extent, 1B Adam LaRoche.”
…i can’t help but wonder if laroche is a fit for the Mets, since he will be a free agent at the end of this season… he’s a left-handed hitting first baseman, though, and i can’t think he will cost all that much in trade…
The 29–year-old LaRoche is hitting .268 with 11 HR and 37 RBI in 73 games for the Pirates this season. He ended the last two seasons with at least 21 HR, 85 RBI and a .341 OBP, while batting at least .270.
LaRoche hit 32 HR for the Braves in 2006, after which he was traded to the Pirates in a deal for reliever Mike Gonzalez.
…i know very little about laroche, outside of what i have seen in the few times the Mets play the Pirates, so i e-mailed Pirates fan Tom Smith, blogger from RumBunter.com, to ask some questions…
Matthew Cerrone: Do you think the Pirates will trade LaRoche? If so, what type of talent are they typically looking for?
Tom Smith: Hell yeah, the Bucs are going to move Adam…
“Mets 19–year-old RHP Jenrry Mejia has the chance to be a No. 1 or 2 starter and his Major League career will very likely begin before his 21st birthday,” predicts Marc Hulet of Fan Graphs.
By the way, Mejia has been placed on the disabled list with an injured finger, according to Brian Moritz of the Press & Sun Bulletin.
Mejia had been 0–3 with a 3.74 ERA in four starts since being promoted to Double-A Binghamton, during which he has 24 strike outs in 21.2 innings pitched.
Speaking of minor-league pitchers…
According to MiLB.com, Mets Triple-A LHP Jon Niese was named International League’s Pitcher of the Week.
Niese pitched a complete-game shut out in his last outing in Triple-A, during which he allowed five hits, walked two and struck out 10.
Niese is 4-1 with a 1.04 ERA in his last six starts in Triple-A.
According to the New York Times, in 52 at-bats with Carlos Beltran out of the lineup, David Wright has hit .212, with one HR and three RBI.
This morning on WFAN, Darryl Strawberry said he believes Wright is 
dropping his back shoulder when hitting, and he has asked Howard Johnson to work with Wright on standing taller in the batter’s box.
“He just happens to be in one of those streaks, he’s been streaky all year,” Jerry Manuel told reporters, following yesterday’s loss to the Phillies. “Things are just not going right for him at the plate.”
…he has been streaky… i have been saying this for a while, in that wright has worked within 15 to 20 game swings all season long… he’s up, then he’s down, up then down, up, down…
Wright is batting .125 in his last 10 games. He hit .446 in the 19 games before that, and .260 in the 15 games before that.
Wright has played in 80 of the team’s 81 games this season.
Manuel said, given the Phillies, it didn’t make sense to rest Wright this weekend, because the team needs his presence in the lineup.
…frankly, it didn’t sound like manuel would rest wright during the Dodgers series this week either, noting that today is an off day, and hopefully it would be enough to revive wright…
…i just can’t find it in me to rip wright, because he’s seemingly shouldering the load of losing Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado and Jose Reyes, all while getting a steady diet of pitches outside the strike zone… maybe darryl’s right, or maybe he’s pressing because of the injuries, or maybe wright just needs a day off… that said, he was had his slumps when delgado, beltran and reyes were in the lineup as well…
“Those are the cards we’ve been dealt,” David Wright said, according to the Bergen Record, when asked if he is pressing due to the absence of Delgado, Beltran and Reyes. “It is what it is. We have to go out there and find a way. I’ve said all along, nothing’s changed. We have to go out there and do the little things right, not make mental errors and try to limit the physical ones and hopefully some good things happen.”
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David Wright and Carlos Beltran were voted in to the All-Star Game as starters by fans around MLB, while Johan Santana and Francisco Rodriguez were selected by fellow players.
The four players going to the All-Star Game for the third-place Mets are the most for any team in the National League.
Santana told reporters that he will pitch in the All-Star Game if asked by Phillies manager Charlie Manuel, pointing out that the day the game is played will technically be the day he throws a bullpen session between starts.
David Wright said, regarding the game, according to the Daily News
“It’s obviously an incredible honor to be an All-Star… But… the All-Star Game is not something I’m focused on right now. I’ll go there. I’ll enjoy it. I’ll have a good time. And I’ll hopefully have some good experiences. When it’s all said and done, we have to find a way to fix what’s going on here and turn this thing around.”
Speaking as a Mets fan…
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In a post to his blog for 1050 ESPN Radio, Rich Coutinho writes, “Well, 
Met fans you have now seen what life is without the core and it has not been a pleasant ride.”
…well, yes, but, if the Mets were to break up the core, they’d also acquire new players in trade and sign other free agents to fill in… so, yes, this is life without the core, but it’s also life without replacing the core…
In a post to Mets Merized Online, Joe D wonders if the Mets, again, are the worst team money can buy, noting, “Even with the $80 million dollars worth of product on the field, they still make more than two-thirds of the teams in their league.”
Similarly, Adam from Brooklyn Met Fan thinks this may be the worst Mets team ever, saying, “Taking into account our new stadium, lots of all-stars, and a resolve to beat the Phillies, this year was supposed to be quite a ride… instead what do get? Snake-eyes.”
There are 82 games left in the season, yet Jason Fry from Faith and Fear in Flushing is ‘throwing in the towel.’
Andrew Beaton of Hot Foot looks at the team’s stats at the half-way mark.
John from Metstradamus writes of this weekend’s sweep by the Phillies, “Forty years ago, the Mets beat the likes of Dave McNally, Jim Palmer, and Mike Cuellar in the World Series. Forty years later, the Mets can’t touch Rodrigo Lopez, Jamie Moyer, and Joe Blanton. Your predecessors must be proud. I know I am.”
In a post to Mets Fever, Ed Ryan argues that acquiring just one bat can make a difference, despite popular opinion.
…well, of course it can make a difference… the thing is, how much of a difference… is one bat enough to overcome three missing bats…
Lastly, our old friend D.J. Short got a gig writing for NBC Sports, where, today, he lists five breakthrough first-half performances from around MLB.
By the way, in case you missed it from earlier today, to vote in this week’s Fan Confidence Rating, click here.
According to SNY, Fernando Martinez will have his sore right knee examined today at New York’s Hospital for Special Surgery
Frankly, I have a feeling the Mets may end up sending 
martinez back to Triple-A, while promoting Angel Pagan, who is getting closer and closer to being ready for action.
Jerry Manuel told reporters before yesterday’s game that Martinez is feeling better than he did on Friday or Saturday.
Meanwhile, Jose Reyes is still not running the bases, despite being able to hit, catch and throw in St. Lucie.
There is still no hard rehab schedule for Carlos Beltran, who, from what I can gather, is still feeling pain in his bruised knee.
John Maine has yet to throw from a mound, as he continues to rest his shoulder and nurse his way back from a pinched nerve.
Lastly, as far as I can tell, Billy Wagner may be back playing for the Mets this season before J.J. Putz or Carlos Delgado.
Mets manager Jerry Manuel talked to reporters after yesterday’s 2–0 loss to the Phillies, and had the following to say regarding:
The lack of offense, as the Mets scored just three runs in three games against the Phillies, and had no extra hits on Saturday and Sunday:
“Well, we have to continue to pitch as Johan pitched today… There will come a time when we get those hits. I believe we have the guys who can get those hits at the right time. But, we have to pitch well and play good defense, we did those things but came up short… Right now, that’s just the way we’re built.”
…everytime jerry says, ‘That’s just they we’re built,’ i hear it as shot at Omar Minaya, since, technically, omar is the builder…
The team maybe being demoralized:
“No… I think when you start to see errors, people not laying down bunts, those types of things, then there’s a reason to be concerned or discouraged.”
…ummm, that is what i’m seeing…
Treading water, .500, and being four games out of first place:
“Well, I think, there’s a lot of baseball left, a lot of baseball left. I do believe it’s going to take pitching and defense, I do believe that. I think we are, hopefully, getting that on order. We’ve gotten some decent outings from some people, and as long as we keep that in order I think we have a chance to win every night, and it gives them the chance to got hot and that can carry us a long way.”
By the way, in case you missed it from earlier today, to vote in this week’s Fan Confidence Rating, click here.
Yesterday, in a loss to the Phillies, Johan Santana pitched seven innings, allowed two runs, struck out three and walked two.
Following the game, Santana told reporters:
“I’m just trying to do my job… It’s been tough, because we came here playing a couple games where we felt we had a chance to score some runs and win some games, and the reality is it didn’t happen. I did everything I could to help and they were better… They did everything the right way throughout the whole series and that’s how you win games.”
…there are times when i read his patented, ‘I’m just trying to do my job,’ and it sounds to me like he’s saying it isn’t his fault the team’s losing, which sounds selfish… but it also doesn’t mean he’s wrong…
…the first home run he allowed, to Jimmy Rollins, was off an 89–mph fastball… 89… not good… the Phillies were being aggressive, and he adjusted well, though, and Chase Utley connected later in the game for the game’s only other run, also a home run… santana just hasn’t looked well over the last month or so, but he still fights through… the thing is, he may as well allow one run or 100 runs, because with the way the offense is playing it doesn’t really matter…
The Mets have lost five of his last seven starts.
By the way, in case you missed it from earlier today, to vote in this week’s Fan Confidence Rating, click here.
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