Mets Bullpen

The Mets will take on the Red Sox today as they send Johan Santana to the mound at 1 PM at Tradition Field. Let’s Go Mets!

Our Mets almost had McNamee as part of their training staff back in 07.  Probably a good decision to stay away from this guy and his controversy.

“I went to Willie and Willie went to Omar, and it was nixed,” Down said Tuesday, according to the Post. “I think it was nixed because of the Tampa incident [in which McNamee was questioned by St. Petersburg police, but never charged, in connection with an alleged rape]. There really wasn’t much further discussion on it. The Mets didn’t want adverse publicity, and in retrospect they were right.”

Carlos Beltran walked in the first day of camp on Saturday, and already the heated Phillies-Mets rivalry went underway.

“To Jimmy Rollins- we are the team to beat”

Last year, Jimmy Rollins came out into the year saying the Phillies were the team to beat. Although that statement turned out to be true, Mets fans will always remember him as the jerk who said the hated Phillies were going to diminish the Mets in the 2007 race for the world series. He may have been right, but that’s not the point Mets fans were trying to reach.

Carlos Beltran fought back. Added some more heat to the already burning-tension between the Phillies and Mets. And what exactly do I think of it?

I love it.

We are the team to beat. Jimmy Rollins can’t stop that. Talk all you want, in the end you will have to talk the talk, and not walk the walk.

With the memories of 2007 in the back of our heads, and the last year of Shea, Johan Santana, and a new beginning in front of us, we can’t stop thinking about a World Series. Although these words are just words, and no games have been played - I can already feel some summer-time magic.

Here’s to the beginning of the Mets season, and the official start of Mets Bullpen activity.

Let’s go Mets.

A lot of Mets fans collect classic baseball cards. Baseball Card Shows can be an excellent place to shop around for great deals and obscure cards, such as that 1981 Topps Mookie Wilson Rookie Card. BigCardShows.com offers calendars of upcoming card shows, is free to use, and requires no registration.

Baseball card shows can also be a great place to look at unusual sports memorabilia you haven’t seen before and haggle with dealers over cards nobody else cares about.

If you’ve got a few hours to waste this off-season, find yourself an Upcoming Card Show in your city and bring home a box of classic cards for only a few bucks.

According to Matt Cerone at Metsblog.com, it is now official: Johan Santana has apparently signed a contract for 6 years, worth around $137.5 million, which if I am correct is more than any player in the majors currently other than Alex Rodriguez.

What can I say, I am thrilled. If Pedro is at full health, and pitching well, we are looking at a very reliable first 4- Johan, Pedro, Maine, Oliver Perez, with the number 5 pitcher likely being Mike Pelfrey. Now that may not be a pitching rotation comparable to the Boston Red Sox, however I would consider it one of the elite pitching rotations in the league.

Let’s go Mets. The 2008 team is here.

Last year, the New York Mets had 3 of the top prospects in baseball. Everything was planned out. Milledge in right, Fernando Martinez in center, and Carlos Gomez in left. Now, after the stupid trade with the Nationals, and the Johan Santana trade, our future in the outfield is left up to one guy - being Fernando Martinez.

Why did we trade Milledge? Everyone had to be thinking when we sent away Gomez to the Twins. It just doesn’t make sense. But it is something we will have to move on and look at the future.

Gomez is gone. There probably isn’t a Mets fan in the world  who cried to sleep last night because Gomez was gone. We have Johan Santana. The best pitcher in baseball. But, was Gomez going to be a future star?  We don’t know that.

Will Fernando Martinez live up to his hype and be a star?

In my opinion, it is too early to tell. Martinez, who is not even 20 yet, isn’t expected to be in the big leagues until 2011 or 2012. Is there too much reliance on him? Because at this point, there is really no way of telling the way he is going to play in the big leagues. Last year, Martinez only hit .265  with 4 homers and 21 RBIs. Not really “star” type playing. However, I think that F-Mart has a lot of time to continue working on his game in the minor leagues, and once he wears the Mets jersey, stepping on to Citi Field, the time will be his.

Usatoday.com reports about the Mets landing Johan Santana:

“The deal is pending the Mets and Santana reaching agreement on a six- or seven-year contract extension and that Santana passes a physical; they have been granted a 48 to-72-hour window to do so. Santana has a no-trade clause that he will waive if agreement is reached on a contract extension.

The Mets paid a high price in prospects to land Santana, agreeing to send the Twins outfielder Carlos Gomez and pitchers Phil Humber, Deolis Guerra and Kevin Mulvey.”

Wow. I can’t believe it. The Mets got Johan Santana. I really don’t believe it. I can’t even put it into my own words how much my expectations have gone up about the Mets this year already. Sure, we lose Gomez, Mulvey, and Humber, all top prospects in the organization, but Johan Santana is one of the best pitchers in baseball and Mulvey, Humber, and Guerra don’t beat that.

Omar finally made a good move. Finally.

Anthony DiComo at Mets.com writes about the Mets being close to getting Livan Hernandez:

NEW YORK — The chase for Johan Santana may remain stalled, but the chase for starting pitching assuredly isn’t. According to a report Friday in the Rocky Mountain News, the Mets are “close” to a deal for free-agent starter Livan Hernandez, who could provide a boost for their rotation.

Hernandez, 32, finished 11-11 for the Diamondbacks last season, posting a 4.93 ERA. While he’s the half-brother of current Mets starter Orlando Hernandez, he shares none of El Duque’s durability issues. And that’s precisely where his value lies.

Over the past decade, Hernandez has eclipsed 200 innings nine times — and in the one season he didn’t, he finished just one-third of an inning shy. With 43 career complete games to his credit, he’s a throwback to an era when bullpens were used, not abused.

Well, this is a good player to have - someone with a lot of experience, maybe will help us down the stretch. He’s a solid pitcher and would most likely be our number 5starter if he ends up signing with us.

Sorry for the lack of updates lately, I’ll be back on track soon.

Andy at theropolitans.com writes about the latest mets trade:

The Mets have traded for Angel Pagan for RHP Ryan Meyers and OF Corey Coles. Pagan is coming back to the Mets from the Cubs, where he was traded back in 2006 for cash considerations.

Pagan, age 26, batted .264 with 4 home runs and 21 RBI in 71 games last year.
Meyers spent time at Savannah and St. Lucie last year, going 1-4 with a 2.79 ERA. He logged 13 saves.
Coles batted .286 at three different minor league levels, tagging one home run and driving in 31 RBI. 

It’s good to have this kind of a player back on the Mets. My guess is that he will be backing up Ryan Church and having the Endy Chaves kind of a role on the Mets.

The user, “motle” at the Sports Evolution forums, writes about how the Mets are looking into John Leiber:

The New York Daily News reiterated the Mets’ interest in free agent starter Jon Lieber this morning. Liebs turns 38 in April. He’s probably just as good as Livan Hernandez, but less durable. The Mets’ interest in Lieber was previously reported by Jayson Stark on December 5th.

Other teams connected to Lieber - the Reds, Royals, Astros, and Rangers.

Peter Botte and Roger Rubin name Lieber as one of many free agent options for the Mets if they fail to trade for a frontline guy. Kyle Lohse, Freddy Garcia, and Bartolo Colon are candidates. Matthew Cerrone says the Mets have been watching Colon “quite closely as he pitches in the Dominican Winter League.”

I personally don’t think Lieber is that good, but if we can get him for our bullpen, fine.