Daily Archives: January 14, 2010
John Maine was a guest on WFAN earlier today, which you can listen to at WFAN.com.
According to Maine, though he was raised in Virginia, he grew up a Mets fan idolizing Doc Gooden.
Updated at 11:05 pm:
Daniel Murphy will be a guest by phone at 11:05 am.
Updated at 10:26 am:
Jon Heyman of SI.com believes the D-Backs will sign free-agent 1B Adam LaRoche to a one- year deal worth around $5 million.
Original Post:
Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is hearing the D-Backs and LaRoche have agreed to a one-year contract.
Last week, Buster Olney of ESPN.com said LaRoche had been considering the Orioles or Giants, who offered him a two-year, $17 million deal, but that deal might now be ‘off the table.’
…as i said last week, i never really got the impression the Mets had interest in laroche… i just don’t feel they want to block Ike Davis in anyway… i mean, sure, if by some miracle the Mets could get Adrian Gonzalez at the trade deadline, that would be one thing… but, i don’t see the Mets signing a free agent or trading for a mid-range player who will get in ike’s or Daniel Murphy’s way…
In a report for the New York Post, Joel Sherman explains why ‘the Mets are at a contentious moment with Carlos Beltran, with the possibility of doing irreparable harm to the relationship.’
…from what i can gather, according to people close to both the team and player, this disagreement actually started last summer, when beltran felt he should have had surgery, so to begin rehabbing and be back, without doubt, 100 percent, this spring, because the necessary surgery, to him, meant a good four or five months out of the lineup… the Mets disagreed… and so, after a bit of quiet conflict, beltran begrudgingly chose to avoid surgery and begin a workout and rehab program devised by the team’s medical staff… he stuck with it, as requested, and returned to play 19 games… however, the pain in his knee returned…
…so, he shut it down and slowly started working back this off season, again, under the team’s direction… he was doing well, but the pain got worse in early January as he started increasing his workload… beltran then made several visits to the Hospital for Special Surgery while in New York, and again discussed surgery with the team two weeks ago… and, again, the team would not agree to the procedure, though i am not sure why… my guess is the Mets believed any major surgery would risk his entire 2010 season… it’s worth noting beltran has two years left on his current contract, and can be a free agent following 2011…
…it seems to me, in reading reports, and hearing what i’m hearing, either the Mets knew beltran might have surgery, but hoped he wouldn’t… or, maybe, the team was under the impression he would do one procedure, with an unsatisfactory recovery time, but, for whatever reason, beltran had something different done while under the knife, thus making his recovery time even longer than the team anticipated…
…either way, it’s pretty clear something is off here… the thing is, both beltran and the Mets might be right, in that both sides behaved in what they believed to be the best way… and that never goes well, because it would suggest a battle for truth, grievances, pointing fingers and who knows what else…
Carlos Beltran’s agent, Scott Boras, told the Associated Press that the language in Beltran’s contract requires him to get written permission only for elective surgery.
According to the report, Beltran did not get written permission from the team for yesterday’s knee surgery.
However, Boras is quoted as saying yesterday’s surgery was ‘necessary,’ in order for Beltran to do his job.
Boras also said the team’s doctor, Dr. Altchek, and Beltran’s doctor, Dr. Steadman, were in contact on Monday and Tuesday, and, ‘Steadman obtained Altchek’s consent for the surgery.’
…i assume this is the discrepancy, in that altchek is not a team official… he can consent all he wants, but that is not written permission from the team… plus, like Jon Heyman of SI.com said this morning on WFAN, despite what the Mets put in their press release, having a knee scoped because he is in pain and is unable to do his job without it, this is not elective surgery, this is not a nose job, this is, as boras point, ‘necessary,’ not elective…
In case you missed it…
Last night, the Mets announced that Carlos Beltran will need eight to 12 weeks to rehab from knee surgery he elected to have yesterday in Colorado.
To follow how the story developed, click here.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post says the Mets have contacted the Commissioners Office and the Players Association to say this was done without clearance.
According to Sherman, the Mets are threatening to take some form of action.
WFAN, as well as other media outlets, say the Mets will hold a conference call with reporters later today, during which they are expected to provide further details.
Updated at 9:00 am:
Jon Heyman of SI.com was a guest on WFAN this morning, and said he has not heard from a credible source that Beltran had microfracture surgery. Instead, Heyman believes the surgery is exactly as the team described.
According to Heyman, Beltran was feeling fine through much of the winter, but started feeling pain in his knee as he stepped up his workouts, at which point he got checked out by team doctors who determined he did not need surgery. However, Beltran’s personal doctors disagreed.
Heyman said he is not sure if the Mets were aware of the surgery, but, in either case, they did not approve of him having the procedure He believes the Mets were made aware of the surgery either at the ‘11th hour,’ or, possibly, during the procedure.
According to Heyman, though the Mets have talked with people about their options, he is certain there is no way the they can void his contract.
To listen to Heyman’s entire interview, go to WFAN.com.
The Mets are close to signing free-agent C Bengie Molina, writes John Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com.
…seriously, how much closer can they possibly be, compared to their reported closeness last week, and the week before… my, god, man… i mean, i know molina is slow, but this is getting ridiculous…
However, Morosi later asks, “You wonder how Carlos Beltran‘s surgery will affect their off-season plans overall.”
…well, that all depends on how long beltran is out… but, it does change whether or not it is smart to spend, say, $6 million on a catcher…
In a report for the Daily News, Anthony McCarron quotes Pedro Feliciano, John Maine and Mike Pelfrey about the possibility of pitching to Molina in 2010.
This morning, Mike Pelfrey will be a guest of Boomer & Carton on WFAN, which you can listen to at WFAN.com.
Yesterday, I talked for 30–minutes with Pelfrey about a variety of issues, from pitching to media relations, including the following, about his mental makeup:
Matthew Cerrone: There was a report in the Daily News a few weeks ago that basically said there are people in this organization who feel you are a ‘head case,’ what do you make of that when you hear or read something like that?
Mike Pelfrey: Actually, somebody brought that to my attention…
Matthew Cerrone: Yeah, I would think so…
Mike Pelfrey: My response was, ‘People have said worse.’ That stuff doesn’t bother me. I know people are going to say what they want to say or what they want to think. You know, being around, reading that stuff, and seeing how other people view it, and actually being a part of it, being in the clubhouse, being around the guys, and knowing what really goes on, you know that some of the stuff they write is just so off the wall, it’s crazy… There were times last year where I put my foot in my mouth. You know, maybe I shouldn’t have gone out there and said, ‘I have the yips,’ because they draw some big thing up. I should have just said, ‘I was a little uncomfortable on the mound tonight,’ which is what I should have said looking back on it.
Matthew Cerrone: Right, and then there is the hand-licking thing, and the songs they play on Boomer and Carton, which, I mean, they are pretty funny, you have to admit…
Mike Pelfrey: I’ve never heard it.
Matthew Cerrone: Seriously, come on…
Mike Pelfrey: Nope. I’m actually meeting them (Thursday).
Matthew Cerrone: Well, they’re gonna play a ton of it for you, I’m sure. It’s funny, it’s in good fun.
Mike Pelfrey: I’m gonna ask to hear it. I will. I don’t really listen to the radio, I don’t listen to what those guys say…
Matthew Cerrone: Sure, but those things begin to frame you in a certain degree, and that becomes reality to the fans, to me, you know what I mean.
Mike Pelfrey: Sure, right, I know that, and people who don’t know you start to get this image of you that could be right on or it could be totally not… I mean, like the ‘head case thing,’ anyone who sits down to talk to me would say, ‘Oh, this guy’s fine, he’s not a lunatic, or crazy.’
In my conversation with Pelfrey, we also talk about social media, the importance of the pitcher-catcher relationship, team chemistry, and statistics and team defense, all of which I will post during random times over the next few weeks.
In the meantime, to listen to Pelfrey on WFAN later this morning, go to WFAN.com.
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