Daily Archives: July 24, 2009
According to SNY’s Kevin Burkhardt, Billy Wagner could begin a rehab assignment next week.
…i had heard wagner is growing frustrated in PSL, feeling he is ready, knowing he is missing a) time to help the team, and b) prove what he can do, with regards to a contract for next season…
Burkhardt also says Gary Sheffield said he could have started tonight.
Lastly, Carlos Beltran will have his knee re-examined in the next few days.
…like i said the other day, from what i understand, surgery is still an option for carlos… the thing is, even of he could magically begin rehabbing tomorrow, it would still b two to three weeks before he wa back in the Mets lineup…
Tagged News |
Yet again, Gary Sheffield will not be in tonight’s starting lineup, as he continues to rest with a cramp in his hamstring.
Meanwhile, Alex Cora will again be out the lineup, as he re-aggravated his injured thumb earlier this week.
…i don’t understand why this team insists on always playing short… if Carlos Delgado and Jose Reyes return, i wonder if they’ll just all play with one hand tied behind their backs, you know, just to make it difficult… ugh, already…
…SNY’s intern, Adam Rotter, just said, ‘Can’t they just forfeit already,’ which made me laugh out loud…
…at this point, i wonder if David Wright is hoping he too ends up on the disabled list, just to get it over with already…
Angel Pagan will bat leadoff tonight, followed in order by Luis Castillo, Wright, Jeff Francoeur, Fernando Tatis in left, Daniel Murphy at first, Omir Santos behind the plate and Angel Berroa at shortstop.
Johan Santana will be tonight’s starting pitcher.
The Mets announced LHP Jon Niese will be 
promoted from Triple-a Buffalo to start Saturday against the Astros.
In a start for the Mets on May 13 against the Braves, Niese allowed five earned runs and seven hits in 4.2 innings pitched.
He then returned to Triple-A, where he went 5–3 with a 2.23 ERA, while striking out 54 batters.
MLB Home Run says MLB Network are reporting the Phillies may be close to a deal that will bring Roy Halladay from the Blue Jays to the Phillies.
…i have had MLB Network on, and do not see anything on their news scroll… but, halladay going to Philadelphia is seeming more and more likely every day… well, here’s to soon watching Johan Santana vs. Roy Halladay…
Update, 4:20 pm:
In a post to Twitter, MiLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo says, “I’m hearing Halladay to Philly is nowhere near being done; Not saying it doesn’t happen, but it’s not close.”
Meanwhile, also on Twitter, Will Carroll of Baseball Prospectus says a source told him there is a No. 32 jersey in the Phillies clubhouse.
Update, 5:03 pm:
Jon Heyman of SI.com says a deal is not close, but the Phillies still remain the favorites to acquire Halladay.
According to MLB.com, GM Ned Colletti said the Jays want two or three major-league pitchers from the Dodgers, as well as additional prospects.
Danny Knobler of CBS Sports says the Brewers are essentially no longer involved in talks for Halladay.
Tagged Roy Halladay |
Jon Heyman of SI.com believes the Padres are not talking to teams about 1B Adrian Gonzalez, though the Red Sox continue to ask.
…well, if the Padres do not find a package from Boston interesting, they certainly will not be enticed by the Mets…
Speaking of the Red Sox…
The Sox designated OF Mark Kotsay for assignment.
The 33–year-old Kotsay is batting .257 with three extra base hits in the 27 games this season since returning from injury.
To keep up with the rest of the league, in the lead-up to the July 31 Trade Deadline, check out MLB Trade Rumors.
Here is the latest New York Baseball Today, from SNY.TV, during which I talk with Alex Belth about comments from MetsBlog and Bronx Banter about Roy Halladay and Mark Teixeira.
To watch this edition of NYBT, click below:
This morning, Kate Strang from Newsday reported John Maine will be visiting Dr. James Andrews to get a second opinion on his injured shoulder.
The Yankees confirmed similar news about Chien-Ming Wang, according to MLB.com.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post wonders if their teams will offer Maine and Wang contracts for 2010, or instead non-tender them.
Maine is eligible for arbitration in 2010 and 2011, after which he can be a free agent for the first time in his career.
…it stands to reason maine will earn roughly $4 million in arbitration next season, up slightly from this season…
Sherman writes, “Both teams could conceivably work out deals where the players are non-tendered and then re-sign at reduced rates with the chance to recover salaries in full if they pitch all year.”
…maybe… i don’t know… it’s not like he’s going to earn $10 million in arbitration… but, it is real money being hogged up that could be better used elsewhere… so sad… i like maine… i hate to think this is how his story could end here in New York… i hope he does well at the doctor, gets back and proves himself…
…that said, the reality is, he has pitched just 36 starts during the last two seasons, and he has not been the same since the summer of 2007…
In a report for Newsday, David Lennon paints a picture of how the Mets players are acting, as the team falls in the standing, writing:
“Each afternoon, eight players were immersed in card games as they waited for BP. Another group was behind closed doors in the theater room watching concert videos, the music thumping so loudly through the walls that it could be heard clearly in the manager’s office as Jerry Manuel gave his daily media briefing – on camera… For the five or so players actually in the clubhouse, three were hunched over a laptop laughing over videos – presumably not of that night’s starting pitcher for the Nationals.”
…this sort of story was inevitable it seems… why is it the Mets can never just lose… there always has to be controversy, stories of apathy, poker and upheaval in management… i sometimes think it is just a product of a 24–hour news cycle in a city with dozens of reporters, media and columnists, talk radio, etc., flocking around the teams in need of something to talk and write about… i can’t imagine the Royals or Pirates deal with the same pressure and dynamic… at the same time, there is controversy, stories of apathy, poker and upheaval in management, and so it must be reported, it’s disheartening to hear, and it must be dealt with…
Tim Kurkjian of ESPN.com believes the Cardinals are close to acquiring OF Matt Holliday from the A’s for 3B prospect Brett Wallace, RHP Shane Peterson and OF Clayton Mortensen.
Holliday, who will earn $6 million the rest of this season, is hitting .287 with 11 HR and 54 RBI.
MiLB.com writes of Wallace, “An All-Star-caliber bat… he’ll never win a Gold Glove, but he can stay at the hot corner and his bat will play in the big leagues soon.”
…i never expected the Mets to be a player for holliday… a) there is zero chance hi agent Scott Boras allowed him to sign a contract extension in Citi Field, especially if he must settle for a three-year deal, and b) Omar Minaya has been pretty clear he is not in the market for this sort of rent-a-player…
Update, 12:15 pm:
Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse quotes a Cardinals source as saying, “It’s going down. Finalizing as we speak.”
Update, 12:19 pm:
Buster Olney of ESPN.com is reporting the deal is done, with the A’s picking up roughly $1.5 million of Holliday’s salary.
Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse says the Rays may look to move Scott Kazmir, which, according to other reports, could free up money to help them acquire a pitcher like Cliff Lee or Roy Halladay.
Buster Olney of ESPN.com believes the Angels are interested in acquiring Kazmir.
…i have been getting lots of e-mail from fans who are worried Omar Minaya will make a trade like in 2004, when the Mets panicked and sent Scott Kazmir to Tampa Bay for Victor Zambrano, because, when seven games back of the Wild Card, like now, the team thought it would contend for the post season… instead, they traded a young arm in kazmir, missed the playoffs and hopefully have been regretting it ever since…
…how bizarre would it be, when in the same situation, essentially, the Mets traded to get kazmir back… i have no reason to think this will happen, and i am pretty much sure it will not, but it would an interesting twist of fate…
Kazmir had been 25–17 with a 3.49 ERA in 358 innings, during which he struck out 405 batters.
However, this season, in which he has spent time on the disabled list, he is just 4–6 with a 6.69 ERA, and just 58 strike outs.
The 25–year-old Kazmir will earn $20 million through 2011, after which he could become a free agent.
Tagged Scott Kazmir | ← Older posts
