Daily Archives: February 10, 2010
Mychael Urban of Comcast San Francisco says the Giants have signed free-agent RHP Todd Wellemeyer.
Last week, Jon Morosi of FoxSports.com said the Mets had been considering Wellemeyer.
According to Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post, Wellemeyer recently told a St. Louis Radio Station that the Mets were one of the teams interested in his services.
In 28 appearances and 21 starts, Wellemeyer went 7-10 with a 5.89 ERA and allowed 57 walks and 19 home runs in 122 1/3 innings, all while earning just over $4 million in 2009 with St. Louis.
However, in 2008, he was 13-7 with a 3.71 ERA in 191 innings in 32 starts for the Cardinals.
In a post to his blog for 1050 ESPN Radio, Rich Coutinho wonders who will the Mets starting catcher, saying:
“Some Met pitchers also expressed concern about the way Omir Santos handled a game and, although he improved as the season went on, this is too important a defensive position to train someone on the job. The same can be said about Josh Thole.”
Similarly, Ed Leyro from Mets Merized Online wonders if Santos can be a legit starting catcher for the Mets.
…in either case, i actually think Henry Blanco will end up getting the bulk of the starts, because i think the team will end up needing his defense, more than they’ll need omir’s minimal offense… and, frankly, it’s not like omir was that much better at the plate last season than blanco anyway… at the very least, blanco can start against left-handed pitchers, while santos can start against righties…
Blanco threw out 40 percent of base runners attempting to steal on him last season; he threw out 45 percent in 2008; 27 percent in 2007; and 43 percent in 2006.
…this cannot be undervalued, as it will help keep the double play in order, something of particular interest to Mike Pelfrey, let alone the rest of the pitching staff…
The Mets picked up Pridie, 26, on waivers from the Twins yesterday.
In a post to his Mets Minor League Blog, Toby Hyde takes a closer look at Mets 24–year-old LHP prospect Roy Merritt.
According to Hyde, “Merritt is murder on lefties. He could well turn into a very effective situational left-hander.”
In 56 relief appearances for Double-A Binghamton last season, Merritt was 4–5 with a 3.45 ERA, during which left-handed batters hit .225 against him, while striking out 25 percent of the time.
He held left-handed hitters to a .231 average in Winter Ball, while striking out five of 13.
…i remember talking with someone last spring who felt merritt could have been called upon to help the major-league bullpen towards the end of last season, but that never happened, which is odd considering how badly they needed another lefty in the pen… the Mets do like him a lot, and see him as another Pedro Feliciano… what’s more, for a reliever, he has very good command…
Merritt was drafted by the Mets in the 29th round of the 2007 draft.
To see video of Merritt, who was Binghamton’s Most Valuable Pitcher in 2009, go here.
Speaking of relief pitchers…
David Lennon of Newsday says newly acquired Mets relief pitcher Ryota Igarashi’s flight to New York has been delayed due today’s blizzard.
…obviously, these are a bit odd for an adiult to collect, but i think it’s a cool way to promote baseball to kids, Little Leaguers and future ballplayers… clever…
In a report for Fox Sports.com, Ken Rosenthal and John Morosi write, “The Mets are out of money,” according to major-league sources, which is keeping them from signing free-agent C Rob Barajas.
…i can’t say whether this is true or not; but, it is peculiar that the team had earmarked $12 million for Joel Pineiro and Bengie Molina, yet, since the two players signed elsewhere, there has been talk of the team being unable to spend on players like Ben Sheets or even Yorvit Torrealba or barajas, who would cost only a million bucks or so…
…that said, i do not think money is reason for not signing John Lackey or pineiro, or molina, all of whom i think they had a set value on, and refused to go beyond… i understand how this could be viewed as being cheap, but i think it’s actually a matter of not overvaluing mediocre talent…
…in regards to lackey, the Mets, and most every other team, had concerns about his elbow, and refused to exceed a certain amount of years… also, because his contract was impossible to insure, most every team wanted guarantees in the deal, to protect against injury, and the Red Sox were the only team willing to take the risk…
In the Daily News, Adam Rubin quotes a team official as saying, “We are pretty much done.”
This week in Port St. Lucie, Keith Hernandez helped Daniel Murphy and Nick Evans with their defense at first base, conducting two one-hour sessions on Monday and Tuesday.
To read a recap of Hernandez’s conference call with reporters, go here; to see video of him working with Murphy and Evans, go here.
“The way he works, and as aggressive as he is, I expect him to be more than adequate,” Hernandez told reporters, regarding Murphy. “For Dan last year, in midseason, to have to move over to first base and basically learn on the job at the major-league level, that’s a lot to ask; and I just thought that he really did admirably. I was surprised at how he played first base. It was much better than I expected.”
For more on Hernandez and Murphy, read Marty Noble on MLB.com, Ken Belson in the New York Times, Mike Puma in the New York Post, David Lennon in Newsday, Adam Rubin in the Daily News, and Steve Popper in the Bergen Record.
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