Looking at the pen …
-
- March
- 20
I have six givens in the pen:
-Lefties: Billy Wagner, Scott Schoeneweis and Pedro Feliciano.
-Righties: Aaron Heilman, Matt Wise and Jorge Sosa.
The seventh guy would be a healthy Duaner Sanchez, but he’s not going to be ready. Who then? Steve Register, Joe Smith, Brian Stokes or Nelson Figueroa are competing for one spot.
I like Register because he’s had the best spring, is young and throws hard. The problem is he’s Rule 5 and you have to keep him the entire year. The Mets aren’t in position to stockpile guys on the major league level, but that’s what it would be.
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on Thursday, March 20th, 2008 at 2:48 pm by John Delcos.
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Now finally something that is relevant.
Put Sanchez on the DL keep Register.
Stokes, Figueroa and Smith to the minors.
I think Register, just because of the rule 5 issue. I’m hoping Figueroa accepts a minor assignment. He could be insurance as a start should someone go down.
...the answer seems to be “eat Schoeneweis’s contract”.
Can we take up some kinda collection? Paypal, something like that? Enough Mets fans cough up five bucks, he’s cut and no one else’ll take him other than the St Paul Saints.
And then the St Paul Saints cut him.
Agreed. Keep Register, the others to the minors. I’m sure we’ll need them at some time.
gotta agree, and Register has looked good, so you can’t really go wrong here. As for Schoenweis, he has looked good as well this spring, i think it’s a bit early to be calling to cut him. He had bad year last year, but if the bullpen can be lined up correctly more often, because our starters will pitch more innings, then I think Show can be used in situations he’s more likely to succeed in. Even so, he’s looked good, looked healthy, I say we give him a chance.
Eat most of the salary for Sosa and Show, to send them somewhere for an OF/1B righty with pop. Use Rincon as the LOOGY replacing Show. Figueroa as the long man for Sosa. Keep Register put Sanchez on the DL.
Stokes freaking stinks. I saw his 7+ era from last year and said he can’yt be this bad. Then I saw him pitch in Spring Training…............ Considering the Mets are competely bereft of starting pitching depth any chance the Mets take a flier on John Patterson??
Ask a simple question and you get a complicated answer.
The roster on March 31 will not be the roster on April 15.
The key is trying to get down to 25 without losing anyone who has value.
Stokes and Figueroa have no value. Smith has options.
The Mets are not trading Show or Sosa before April 15 at the earliest.
All teams have trouble trying to get to 25 maybe the Mets will get lucky and pick up the Righty OF for little at cutdown time.
Mike C: remember Jorge Julio he had no value and the Mets flipped him for El Duque. Mota had no value and the Mets flipped him for Estrada ( did not have to eat the contract ).
Why are you in such a rush to dump Show. Show might have value to another team as A LOGY. Give Omar a little time.
Register.
What about Matt Wise? I’ve liked what I’ve seen of him this spring & he’s had big league experience.
I don’t trust Willie to only use Schoeneweis in situations where he can’t hurt the team, is what it comes down to… last year, he just kept bashing his head against that wall over and over and over and I see no evidence that he won’t continue with it.
I do think I see more value in Sosa than some people, though… I think he’ll be an acceptable long-reliever as long as he isn’t used as a starter for any long stretches of time.
Great? Heavens no. But acceptable.
Of course, if the Angels say “Sosa and Show and five million dollars for Juan Rivera” you definitely say “thank you sir may I have another”.
btw: Rivera has A bad shoulder and may go on the DL.
This came from my brother in LA.
Its got to be Register.
Figueroa has to go to AAA for starting depth. With Sosa in the pen and Armas just arriving there isnt anyone else.
Dauner stays in ex-ST, Smith and Rincon go to AAA until Sosa and Schoeneweis can be traded.
Rincon has been nice against lefties, but the Mets seem to think Schoe can somehow be effective against righties as well. Rincon didnt help himself by allowing 5 straight righties to get hits off him the other day.
and I still can’t grasp a good reason why Sosa hasnt been prepared as a 5th starter candidate this spring.
I don’t get all of the hatred for Show. He pitched hurt all year and was one of the most reliable guys in the pen during the collapse. It’s not Show’s fault that Willie insists on running him out there against righties. If Show is used properly (lefty specialist), he should have a pretty good year.
I have little confidence in Schoeneweis. But it might be worth it to see if he can pitch more effectively this year if used more as a LOOGY.
Last year Willie couldn’t afford to use Schoeneweiss as a LOOGY as that would have put undue stress on the other bullpen arms which were already highly stressed. But with the improved rotation which alleviates some of that stress, and the replacement of Sele and Mota with more reliable relievers, Willie might have the luxury to use Schoeneweis for just a batter or two.
John,
I think you might be confused on Rule V. From Opening Day, Register is up with the Mets or gone (to the Rockies). You make it seem as if the problem with putting him on the NY roster is he has to stay. While true, we’d lose him from the getgo if he didn’t make it. I think that makes a very strong case for carrying him. He’s the opposite of Heath Bell. We can only decide 1 time not to keep him up with the Mets.
Dave, you are off too.
As a rule 5, if the mets keep him on the 25man (or DL) all year, he is theirs. If they want to send him to the minors, he first has to be offered back to the Rockies (for a whopping 25K), but if they decline, he can be sent to the minors and the Rockies lose their claim on him.
The trick with rule 5 guys is figuring out when the old team has their 25 man roster full, with no one to drop, and try to sneak the guy to the minors.
The Rule 5 player is even more restricted than that. Before offering him back to the original club, the player is placed on waivers. Whereupon any other team can pick him up. But that new team would then have to keep Register on their roster all year as well.
So it will be very difficult for the Mets to try to keep Register other than by placing him on their active 25-man roster right out of spring training.
Anyone who thinks Mets will eat a 2 yr contract (Show) has not been paying attention.
Mets don’t eat contracts unless there is only a short time remaining on them. And short has usually been 1 yr or less.
And when you are talking 2yr/7MM, I think it is very, very doubtful that the Mets will release Show. And despite his pretty good ST, I doubt any team will take him and take his $$. He is here to stay.
And trading Sosa makes no sense with ElDuqe on his last leg, a still unknown in Pelfrey, and a possible DL stint or two for Pedro. And no backups in NO (unless you count Armas and Figueroa). Sosa will be here too.
Sanchez is not ready. Register is his replacement. If Register picthes well, then maybe they figure out a way to toss Show away.
It’s not that Show WAS hurt. He IS hurt.
They said a thousand times that his injury can’t be fixed by surgery, might re-attach naturally but probably want.
Dude’s also a confirmed juicer, lets not forget… not as dumb about it as Paul “wow, my one year as a homerun hitter synchs up perfectly with the time I was juicing most, I wonder how that happened” LoDuca… but a juicer just as much.
Oh, I don’t think the Mets WILL eat Show’s contract.
I’m saying that if they want to put the best team out on the field that they can, they HAVE to.
Of course, they also traded Milledge for two bench pieces and signed a speed-and-defense guy with one season left in his knees to a four-year contract so… clearly… the priority is not always winning first.
There is all sorts of untenable bullcrap about “respecting veterans” and “lockerroom chemistry” that is taking precedence there, clearly.
But to subtract Rocky Horror from the roster, as a player that Willie refuses to use properly, the money involved in that addition by subtraction would be more than worth it.
It won’t be worth it to the Mets (the Wilpons). D
espite opening up the purse strings I won’t believe that they will eat 7MM until they do it. The Wilpons will go w/Show until someone is willing to take on his contract even if it means that it is detrimental to the team.
Correction to stick: If the Rockies are offered Register, they only have to keep him on the 40 man roster, They don’t have to keep him on 25 man roster. A lot easier to do for the Rockies then the 25 man.
Donn: The only reason Shoeneweis was perceived as having a strong finish is because the rest of the pen imploded so badly, they surpassed him in ineptitude. He improved slightly, he didn’t pitch well or consistently, except in April…..