Brian Schneider missed his third straight game last night due to a knee injury.
…the buzz from Citi Field yesterday suggested he would be back in the starting lineup either today or tomorrow…
…in addition, the Mets may activate Gary Sheffield from the disabled list this weekend, as well…
…it could not come at a better time, because the bench is super weak…
Last night, Angel Berroa pinch hit for Livan Hernandez and grounded out with the bases loaded in the sixth.
Following the game, Hernandez said, ‘I think we made a bad decision,’ regarding Manuel’s choice to pinch hit Berroa.
…ouch… but, he might be right… i mean, manuel’s bench has been so weak of late, livan has been taking batting practice every day because he, a starting pitcher batting .135, is consider a legit option for offense from the bench…
{ 19 comments }
I thought when Manuel decided to pinch hit for Hernandez that we would lose. Berroa is a less than .200 hitter and Hernandez only had thrown about 83 pitches. To me if Hernandez is being considered as a guy that can pinch hit then there is no reason to take him out for a guy that is no better.
Tough call, its not as though the bullpen is overworked and can’t handle three innings. 6 innings of keeping the team in the game from your #5 starter is a good time to pull him before he messes it up. Green needs to be better, that’s all.
Berroa has been playing lately, so he should have a better feel at the plate than Livan, who bats twice a week lately. I can see it both ways.
YAY Schneiders back…
I hate Berroa
you mean former AL Rookie of the Year winner Angel Berroa? The same Angel Berroa who recently hit one of the luckiest triples ever? Are you saying you hate the same Angel Berroa who came of the bench in a clutch situation last night and blindly swung at the first pitch from a struggling pitcher known for control issues??! Is that whom you mean sir?
Surely, you jest!
lmao, Ya think just maybe the Yanks might have know what they were doing when they released him ? lol Oh the humanity!
It’s sad when Schneider coming off the DL is considered “news.” Chalk this season up to injuries fellas…give our boys some credit for hanging in there as long as they have. Really, they have done all they can to stay afloat, and it’s hard to believe they still have a shot at the wild card if Tran, Gado, and Jose come back.
Plan for 2010. Re-sign Delgado to a one-year deal since we have no other options at first base, and it really isn’t fair to him because he got hurt and never had a chance to prove 2008 wasn’t a fluke. Also, if Putz isn’t a type-A FA (which he likely won’t be), pick up his option. We can afford it, and if there is one thing we should NOT touch at all this offseason, it’s the bullpen. They have been nearly perfect.
Here’s what I’d go with in 2010:
Lineup:
Jose Reyes, ss
Orlando Hudson, 2b
Carlos Beltran, cf
Carlos Delgado, 1b
David Wright, 3b
Jason Bay, lf
Jeff Francoeur, rf
Omir Santos?, c
Rotation:
Santana, Pelfrey, Duchscherer*, Perez, Niese
*Duchscherer is coming off surgery and is rehabbing in the minors, where he is said to be on-track with his recovery. Why not take a chance on the guy?
If we could get Bay, which I don’t think we can, I could live with Murphy at first. I think he’s going to be an above-average defensive player and is showing signs of coming back around at the plate. Unless Delgado is willing to come back for a 1 year deal at less than $5 mil. I just think we’re going to have to offer Bay a ridiculous contract to pry him away from the Sox.
I threw Bay in there because I think he is the best option. A guy I would also look at is Rick Ankiel…he could fit great in that lineup as well, and can hold LF down for a year until F-Mart gets more experience in AAA. We are clearly rushing the poor kid, and I think he needs another season or so in AAA (unless he just crushes the ball in ST).
Either way, this team can make a couple of minor adjustments and be a WS contender if healthy.
As for Delgado, I’d give him the same amount of money he’s making this season because he deserves another shot at his option year. No need to get ridiculously cheap on a guy who can hit around .280 with 25-30 HR and 100 RBI. Not to mention he is still a great mentor and can really help guys like F-Mart, Davis, Murphy, and even Flores. Heck, he has an influence on veterans like Wright, Reyes, and Francoeur as well.
I think it’s a no-brainer. Let him hold down first base for another year while Ike Davis breaks camp with Buffalo. Who knows, he may become an interesting trade piece next July.
I like Delgado and think he’s a class act but that’s just crazy. He’s going to be 38 and coming off of hip surgery. It’s not like he isn’t collecting his $12 mil this year. His market value isn’t anywhere near $12 mil and we can’t be paying above market for anyone. We already did that with Ollie. We have other needs that the money needs to go to.
I like that lineup though if they could swing Halladay plus Rios (and $8-10M of his salary) for F-Mart and 2-3 prospects I wouldn’t complain. They should be able to have a 72 hour window for negotiation with Halladay during the offseason.
If Delgado came back for somewhere around $6-8M, then I guess they could keep Murphy as back up 1B, or invite Nady to ST and see what he has left (or sign Aubrey Huff). In any case, they would definitely need someone to sit Delgado a 2-3 games/week.
i think holliday is more likely just because i dont think the sox are gunna let bay get into FA, they are already planning on talking extension…and i agree…if u get holliday you could live with murphy at first…and if murphy fails next year then maybe davis is ready….as far as that rotation….they need a better starter then duchscherer…they need a bonafide #2
10-8, 2.54 ERA, 141.2 IP, 107 H, 11 HR, 34 BB, 95 K, 0.955 WHIP
Is that good enough for a #2? Those are Duchscherer’s numbers in 2008 in 22 games. If he can come back to form (there’s no reason to doubt he can), he and Pelfrey are solid in the #2 and #3 holes. I still think Pelfrey hasn’t reached his potential, and Duchscherer was an All-Star last year.
Why trade for a guy like Halladay when you could scour the FA market? Other options include: Randy Wolf, Rich Harden, Jason Marquis, Joel Pineiro, and Jarrod Washburn.
Guys with options: Jon Garland, Josh Beckett, Tim Hudson, Cliff Lee, and Brandon Webb.
There are some good names there, but I think Duchscherer is probably the best option available. If you haven’t seen this guy pitch, don’t pass judgement. He’s an absolute stud…imagine Pelfrey with incredible command (2.2 BB/9) and without giving up a ton of hits (0.995 WHIP)…he also strikes out a decent number of hitters (6.0 K/9).
I don’t want to give up on guys like Davis, Holt, Mejia, and F-Mart, especially when they are all doing pretty well in the minors and could become a part of this core when guys like Delgado and Beltran are gone.
We don’t need to get another bat at the trade deadline–we have Angel Berroa!
Sheesh. Another great non-move Omar.
Now tell me again that Reyes, Beltran and Delgado are coming back “soon.”
First it was right after the all-star break.
Then it was end of July.
Now it’s mid-August.
I think the Wilpons sent Omar a memo–”Whenever somebody asks for a specific date, just add 7-10 days to whatever day it is right now. WE HAVE TO KEEP SELLING TICKETS.”
(I’m really cranky today…)
What do you want him to do? Over pay for a one year guy? With so many of our key players on the DL, Omar is in ZERO position to negotiate because teams know we are desperate. This was the right move by Omar because there is no need to even further cripple our farm system. In the next year or so we will have what we didn’t have this year: depth in AAA. Guys like F-Mart, Holt, Mejia, Davis, Duda, Havens, etc. will all be at AA or above and more MLB ready than ever.
Had it not been for the injuries this season to basically our entire productive core, we would probably be in first place right now and NOBODY would be complaining. Great teams are built with patience. Look at the Phillies; they sucked for many years, but then Rollins, Howard, Utley, Victorino, Hamels, etc. all came up through their system and have become great players. Who’s to say the same can’t happen with F-Mart, Flores, Holt, Mejia, and Davis?
Where in my post did I say “overpay?”
Look, yesterday on Loud Mouths, they were claiming the Mets could have had Victor Martinez for F-Mart and another prospect.
That IMO, is NOT overpaying in a trade. True, F-Mart may still turn out to be something, but then again, that “something” may turn out to be Alex Escobar.
And Victor Martinz could help us win NOW, as I really think one more bat could make a huge difference with this team. Just look at how much better they’re playing after the Church/Francoeur deal.
First of all, Loudmouths is awful. Anybody who listens to the garbage on NY sports radio is asking for false garbage to be spewed into their ears.
Secondly, any trade for a guy like V-Mart, Holliday, Halladay, Lee, etc., would have cost more than they were worth. Any time the other team says the negotiations start with Holt, Mejia, and F-Mart, it’s just too much for one player. Don’t kid yourself; the Indians were not going to trade away V-Mart for F-Mart + 1.
Why do we need to sacrifice our future to win NOW? Why? I just don’t get it. Sometimes I feel like I’m the only sane Mets fan left. I’m okay with chalking this season up to injuries if it means we preserve our farm system and remain contenders for the next 5-10 years. To me, that’s the goal right now. We lost our high level prospects when dealing for Santana, so obviously our system needs time to recover. Let’s not deny it that time to recover.
Some people forget, if we trade away F-Mart, Niese, Holt, Mejia, Flores, etc., what happens when we encounter a few injuries again next season? Who steps up to fill the void? NOBODY. We are having this same exact argument again, and are wishing we hadn’t traded away so many prospects for just one player.
Great post. It’s too bad it will fall on deaf ears. Too many people on here apparently were naive enough to think they were going to get back in the race, healthy and have a miraculous finish to this season. I like to dream too but you have to be a realist. You can’t keep giving up the farm every year and expect to compete over the long haul. Anyone who follows the business of baseball understands that when you’re not in the race, you don’t give up prospects and over pay for spare parts. i.e. Orlando Cabrera. Sure, he’d be better than Berroa. But is he worth a prospect when you’re 11gb or 6 in the wc w/ 7 teams ahead of you? Of course not.
And why overpay now for a V-Mart or Halladay or even Crawford when the price may come down in the off-season or when you can make moves via free agency and not lose the prospects you already have. The Yankees showed restraint by not dumping prospects for Santana or at the deadline last year and instead signed CC and kept the prospects. It’s working out pretty well for them this year.
dwight5:
We will just have to agree to disagree (and NICELY, btw). You still think we would be overpaying for V-Mart. Do you think Brian Schneider is still going to be around next season? V-Mart could have helped this season and next. You say that the trade suggestion they spoke about on Loudmouths is BS. Maybe, but you and I will never know for sure.
And Don Logan:”Too many people on here apparently were naive enough to think they were going to get back in the race, healthy and have a miraculous finish to this season.”
Are you old enough to remember the ‘73 season? If not, you can look it up. And if you are old enough and you still had this same pessmistic attitude way back then, I guess you had to eat a lot of crow that October. YOU GOTTA BELIEVE! LOL
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