Daily Archives: July 21, 2009
The Nationals defeated the Mets 4-0 tonight in Washington.
For a full recap and box score, click here.
The Least You Should Know:
The Mets offense was absent once again, scattering just six hits against Long Island Native John Lannan, who stymied the Mets once again in a complete game shutout.
Oliver Perez did not distinguish himself once again, walking six batters and allowing four runs on four hits in six innings.
The Mets had a good chance to score in the third inning, but Nyjer Morgan made a fantastic catch in deep center field to rob David Wright of an extra base hit and a couple of RBI.
Tonight marked Fernando Tatis‘ 12th double play he has grounded into this year.
Other Observations and Notes:
This was the second time that Lannan has thrown a complete game against the Mets this year, both coming in Washington.
It doesn’t matter what team he plays for, but Nyjer Morgan seems to kill the Mets every time he plays them.
Perez has now walked 17 batters in 17 innings since returning from the disabled list, and on the year he has earned $155,454.55 per walk so far.
Since being acquired from Atlanta, Jeff Francoeur is hitting .364 with 1 home run and 7 RBI in eight games.
Luis Castillo has hit in 13 out of 15 games in July, and he has hit .362 with 17 hits over that span.
The Mets will conclude their series against the Nationals tomorrow night with Mike Pelfrey facing Craig Stammen.
In case you missed it, last night, Jon Heyman of SI.com said Mets GM Omar Minaya rejected a deal from Blue Jays GM JP Riccardi for RHP Roy Halladay, in return for OF Fernando Martinez, Bobby Parnell, Jon Niese and 17–year-old SS Ruben Tejada.
Later, in a post to Twitter, ESPN’s Keith Law said Heyman’s report is ‘bogus,’ having been ‘shot down by multiple sources.’
This afternoon, Law was a guest on 1050 ESPN Radio, while Heyman was a guest on WFAN in New York.
…before joining ESPN, law spent four years with the Blue Jays as a special assistant to the general manager…
Heyman told WFAN he stands by his report, saying the Mets flat-out rejected the deal offered to them by the Blue Jays.
However, during his discussion with ESPN, Law said the Jays would never present a deal to the Mets without asking for 19–year-old Double-A RHP Jenrry Mejia, who is now considered the team’s top pitching prospect.
…personally, i still believe this story was pushed from toronto to try and bait the Phillies in to parting with Kyle Drabek…
…it seems to me, the best way to spook the Phillies would be to make them think the Mets could have halladay at any moment…
To listen to Law’s interview on ESPN Radio, click here.
To listen to Heyman’s interview on WFAN, click here.
To read additional notes from Law’s interview, including a statement about Ricciardi’s future with the team, click below…
Tagged Roy Halladay |
Again, Gary Sheffield will not start tonight, missing his fourth-straight game with a cramp in his hamstring.
Instead, Fernando Tatis will start in left field and hit fifth.
Angel Pagan will bat leadoff, followed in order by Luis Castillo, David Wright, Jeff Francoeur in right, Tatis, Daniel Muprhy at first base, Omir Santos behind the plate and Alex Cora at shortstop.
Oliver Perez (2–2, 7.99 ERA) will start tonight for the Mets. He allowed seven runs and nine hits in just 4.1 innings against the Nationals in Citi Field during late April. He is 1–0 with a 4.09 ERA in his last two starts, against the Braves and Dodgers.
Update, 4:50 pm:
David Lennon of Newsday said on Twitter that Sheffield could end up on the disabled list if he does not improve by Friday.
…really… wow… i mean, you don’t say… i’m shocked…
Meanwhile, also on Twitter, WFAN reports Jose Reyes ran ‘under control,’ while John Maine pitched in a simulated game today.
…from what i can gather, reyes only ran down to first base, and has yet to go 100 percent around all four bases… best case scenario, though, he’s still two to three weeks away from a possible return…
For other pre-game notes, follow Lennon on Twitter, click here.
To follow the Mets crew from WFAN, click here.
Jon Heyman of SI.com said today he believes the Indians may be more inclined to trade C Victor Martinez than RHP Cliff Lee.
However, according to Ken Rosenthal, in a report for FoxSports.com, the Red Sox are unlikely to trade RHP Clay Buchholz in a deal for Martinez, who will most likely cost pitching.
This afternoon, in the same report, Rosenthal said the Rockies have been reluctant to trade OF Ryan Spilborghs.
According to Rosenthal, the Rockies rejected an offer from the Phillies, ‘who offered two quality pitching prospects for Spilborghs.’
In an early July, on ESPN.com, Peter Gammons listed the Mets among teams who have interest in Spilborghs.
Spilborghs is eligible for arbitration each of the next three seasons, and can be a free agent after 2012.
…to learn more about spilborghs, click here, in which i talk with Rockies fan Russ Oates, blogger from Purple Row…
Alex Speier of WEEI.com is not convinced soon-to-be free-agent infielder Julio Lugo will sign with the Mets.
…hat tip to MLB Trade Rumors for the link to WEEI…
In case you missed it, last Friday, the Red Sox designated infielder Lugo for assignment.
According to yesterday’s Boston Herald, the Mets, Cardinals and Cubs have all expressed interest in Lugo, who is due $4.5 million through the rest of this season, plus $9 million in 2010.
Adam Rubin of the Daily News said yesterday he believes the Mets will sign Lugo when he becomes a free agent toward the end of next week.
…according to eyewitnesses, lugo has been working out at the Mets baseball academy in the Dominican Republic… however, from what i can gather, this is not totally uncommon…
Update, 2:33 pm:
Speaking of aging, middle infielders…
Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com believes the Mets are interested in acquiring A’s SS-2B Orlando Cabrera, as are the M’s, Cardinals, Rockies and Reds.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post believes 
the Mets and Yankees are not seriously pursuing Blue Jays RHP Roy Halladay.
Sherman quotes a Toronto team official as saying there is ‘absolutely nothing’ going on with the Blue Jays and Mets, and that there is no truth to Jon Heyman’s report in SI.com that said Omar Minaya rejected a four-player deal to get Halladay.
…of course, this will not stop people from assuming he did, thus slamming him for rejecting a deal that never occurred…
…also, i love those old Blue Jays hats…
To learn what the Blue Jays are asking in return for Halladay, scroll to the end of Sherman’s post.
…frankly, the more i look around today, from what I can tell, the Mets are still trying to acquire young position players who are good, not great, under contract with a ton of potential, and who are arbitration eligible, like the case with Jeff Francoeur… and they are not looking to bring on a rent-a-player, like Matt Holliday; or even Roy Halladay, who is a free agent following 2010…
Speaking of young players, under contract…
According to Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com, Indians GM Mark Shapiro said he has been ‘extremely busy and active,’ though he has ‘zero idea’ if he will make a deal before the July 31 Trade Deadline.
In the end, Castrovince believes Victor Martinez, Cliff Lee, Jhonny Peralta and Ryan Garko are more likely to be traded in the off season.
Tagged Roy Halladay |Gary Sheffield missed his third-straight game yesterday with a cramp in his hamstring, which he attributed to a lack of electrolytes.
Jerry Manuel said Sheffield will not start today, against a left-handed starter, though he will be available to pinch hit.
…from what i can gather, sheffield is nursing a potential hamstring issue that could keep him out of the lineup until some time this weekend… however, how much do you want to bet he pinch hits, then ends up on the disabled list the next day… anyone… anyone…
Prior to last night’s game, Omar Minaya was asked if any of his injured players will be back before the July 31 Trade Deadline, to which he responded:
“We’re hopeful… I don’t expect Carlos Delgado to be back before July 31… The other guys, it’s gonna be close, it’s gonna be very close, you know what I’m saying. If we get one or two of those guys back I’ll be happy.”
Minaya said Reyes recently hit and ‘had a good day running.’
…for what it’s worth, i keep hearing from people connected to the Mets that surgery is still an option for Carlos Beltran and reyes… i do not expect either player to go under the knife, but it will not surprise me if they do…
…at any rate, again, until i see beltran and reyes on a field, in a rehab game, playing full speed, i will continue to assume i will next see them playing in 2010… it’s just easier that way…
In case you missed it, last night, Jon Heyman of SI.com said Mets GM Omar Minaya rejected a deal from Blue Jays GM JP 
Riccardi for RHP Roy Halladay, in return for OF Fernando Martinez, Bobby Parnell, Jon Niese and 17–year-old SS Ruben Tejada.
However, today, in a post to Twitter, ESPN’s Keith Law says the trade rumor is ‘bogus,’ having been ‘shot down by multiple sources.’
Similarly, I talked with a baseball person in Philadelphia, an agent, and two people connected to the Mets, and all four believe Minaya would have accepted such a deal had it been actually presented to him, i.e., maybe the Jays and Mets talked, but no hard offer was made.
I mean, I know I would have done it; and, according to a recent poll, 75 percent of people who read MetsBlog.com would have done the deal as well.
What’s more, in the Daily News, Adam Rubin writes, “Ricciardi ought to be fired on the spot for proposing it. And Minaya ought to be fired for rejecting it.”
Yet, the report is out there…
The thing is, I believe Heyman is great at what he does, he’s not senationalistic, and he’s trusted and respected all across the sport.
So, I’m left confused, wondering what this all means…
I wonder if Riccardi leaked this to spook the Phillies, who some baseball insiders feel are the only legitimate suitor for Halladay?
I mean, how better to milk the Phillies for top prospects than for Riccardi to make it seem like the Mets could get Halladay at any moment?
On the other hand, if Halladay-to-Philadelphia is inevitable, how better for Minaya and Riccardi to get the Phillies to overpay then to make it seem like the Mets could easily be involved?
Or, maybe the Mets are trying to raise the value of their own prospects by suggesting Niese, Parnell and Martinez are worth more than Halladay?
Or, perhaps Minaya did reject it, just like Heyman said, and, instead, is still working with Riccardi on something more expansive, which could be why he would not confirm or deny the report when asked about it yesterday?
Who knows? The point is, nothing is ever as simple as it seems…
In any case, we’ll find out at some point in the next 10 days, at which point it will be a lot more easier to judge this.
Tagged Omar Minaya, Roy Halladay |In a post to Hot Foot, Andrew Beaton focuses on Jerry Manuel’s use of the sac-bunt, writing, “When the Mets have such a thin lineup, as they do now, the first inning isn’t a time to be playing for only one run.”
…i feel like, because the lineup is so thin, that is when you sac bunt to score early, especially against a team like the Nationals… and they’re bunting with Luis Castillo… it’s not like he’s bunting with David Wright in an RBI situation…
…by the way, in case you haven’t noticed, Castillo is batting .291 with a .388 OBP in 80 games for the Mets this season…
Sam Page of Amazin Avenue explains why Omar Minaya should be a seller, by moving Gary Sheffield for ‘a decent package of prospects.’
…there is a slight chance the Mets could get one prospect for sheffield, maybe, but there is zero chance of getting more than that… from what i can gather, the only veteran player with much value to other teams is feliciano, and even he would only return a mid-level minor leaguer… the dream of selling is just a dream… like a former agent told me, ‘it isn’t 1999 any more.’…
In a post to Mike’s Mets, NostraDennis writes about Zen and the Art of Being a Mets Fan in 2009.
Lastly, according to Joe D of Mets Merized Online, acquiring Roy Halladay is the first step on the road to victory.
Update, 6:27 am:
Omar Minaya told reporters prior to last night’s game that he will continue to talk other clubs, when asked if he will be a buyer at the July 31 Trade Deadline.
“We’re gonna continue to talk to other clubs and see if there’s a fit and we’re gonna try to improve the team,” he said. “Does that make us buyers? Yes, we’re gonna continue to talk to clubs.”
Minaya would not comment on the rumored deal, below, about rejecting an offer for Halladay.
Original Post:
Jon Heyman of SI.com believes the Mets rejected a deal from the Jays for RHP Roy Halladay, in return for OF Fernando Martinez, Bobby Parnell, Jon Niese and 17–year-old SS Ruben Tejada.
“The Mets responded with a resounding no,” according to Heyman.
…that is pretty steep… it is… that said, Johan Santana and Roy Halladay is just so damn tempting… i mean, think about that for a second… of course, it means nothing if the Mets can’t score… but, let’s assume this season is a wash, next season you’d have a reloaded offense, two aces in a pitcher’s park and K-Rod in the back of the pen, all while hanging on to Brad Holt and Jennry Mejia… like i said, tempting… plus, i wonder if Alex Rios could have been put in there some how… hmmm…
…i initially said i could go either way on this… however, now that i think about it, i think i would have done it… regardless of a contract extension… i mean, being able to keep holt and mejia, and Wilmer Flores, among others, and pairing up the two best pitchers in the league is just too much to resist… not to mention, it would re-engage fans enough this season to save ratings and ticket sales, etc., while building hype for next year… oh well…
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