— Ryan Church said he simply dropped the fly ball and that Citi Field had nothing to do with it. He turned the wrong way, Church explained, and the ball hooked away from him. “I turned the wrong way,” Church said.

— Pedro Feliciano thought home plate ump Bruce Dreckman could’ve let his sixth-inning balk slide. It ultimately allowed the Padres to score the winning run. Feliciano said he hadn’t been called for a balk like that (he started his motion, then stopped it) since the minors, and that one cost his team the game, too. However, what perturbed him was that he saw David Eckstein indicate to Dreckman that it was a balk, and that Dreckman (not any of the other umps) immediately called it.

“I think right there, 5-5, the opening day game, that’s a hard time to call a balk,” Feliciano said.

— Jody Gerut’s homer didn’t just make Citi Field history. It made history, period. ... The Elias Sports Bureau said it was the first time a player had homered to open the first regular season game at a new stadium. Ever.

— Mike Pelfrey wasn’t very complimentary of his pitching. Neither was Jerry Manuel, who said Pelfrey “hasn’t shown the same stuff yet” that he showed last year. ... Manuel will sit down with his staff and Pelfrey and try to determine whether or not there is anything wrong with Pelfrey.

— Yes, Pelfrey slipped trying to throw a pitch tonight. Yes, he was fine. And, yes, his teammates ripped him for it. “When they came out I asked if the game was on TV,” Pelfrey said. “They said it was. It was pretty embarrassing.”

— Manuel thought the Mets must get used to the park. He hadn’t talked to Church by that point, but he thought not knowing where the wall was played a role in the gaffe. “That’s the ballpark,” Manuel said. “We have to get used to it.” ... Obviously, if you saw the game, you know both Wright and Carlos Beltran hit deep drives that were caught at the wall. Here’s what Beltran had to say: “Right now, they’re not (going out of the park), but we don’t know. Maybe in the summer it’s a different story. ... I hit it good, but in that case I hit it a little of the end (of the bat). I thought it would at least get over his head.”

PADRES (5-2)
33 Gerut, CF
3 Eckstein, 2B
24 Giles, RF
23 Gonzalez, 1B
7 Headley, LF
5 Kouzmanoff, 3B
4 Hundley, C
15 Rodriguez, SS
27 Silva, RHP

METS (3-3)
7 Reyes, SS
28 Murphy, LF
5 Wright, 3B
21 Delgado, 1B
15 Beltran, CF
19 Church, RF
23 Schneider, C
1 Castillo, 2B
34 Pelfrey, RHP

Notes: Gary Sheffield will make his first Met start on Wednesday in Game 2. ... Johan Santana is in Florida with his wife. Doctors will induce labor tomorrow. It is not expected to have an impact on Santana’s next start. ... Marlon Anderson was placed on release waivers. ... Ryan Church said he asked Jeff Wilpon to install padding near the “Modell’s” sign on the RF wall and Wilpon complied. Balls bounced violently off it during the exhibition games against the Red Sox and Church said the padding helps, at least a little.

The ballpark: Obviously, Citi Field is a beautiful park. Nearly every seat is filled and it’s 20 minutes before first pitch. The site lines are terrific. The food choices are plenty. And the quirks are many.

The Mets have quite the celebration planned. The outfield and infield are lined with members of the military and the cast of the Broadway musical “West Side Story” is about to sing the national anthem. It will be followed by Tom Seaver throwing out the field ball to Mike Piazza. (We’re supposed to hear from Seaver and Darryl Strawberry later, but not Piazza.)

The introductions were interesting. A few guys were cheered especially loudly, like K-Rod, Wright and Reyes. A few obvious ones were booed, like Heath Bell and Duaner Sanchez of the Pads. But Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo were jeered a bit too. I never understood why fans boo players on opening day.

One thing I’ve talked to other writers about that is really striking when you first walk onto the field is that you don’t feel like this is a Mets game. Maybe after so many years at Shea, your mind just can’t connect the Mets to a first-rate stadium, but that’s definitely what this is. That will change soon, but it’ll take more than a game or two until this becomes home.

To the same point, Jerry Manuel told us before the game that the club won’t really feel its homefield advantage until July or so. By then they’ll know the bounces, the breaks, the wind, the grass. It’s trial by error right now. Church spent time before the game with a staff member throwing balls off the wall to test the angles. There are many, he said, with some balls bouncing toward center and others toward the right field line. Sheff can’t remember ever playing an outfield like it. That says something coming from a man in his 40s who has traveled like majors.

More on the game in a bit…First pitch is 10 minutes away…

7:19 p.m.: I’m recording a list of firsts tonight. First pitch. First strikeout. First putout. Etc. Little did I think Jody Gerut of all people would combine several Citi Field firsts into one swing. Sheesh. His solo homer to leadoff the night gave the Padres a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Pelfrey is not sharp.

7:27 p.m.: The one thing guys kept saying before the game about Citi Field: “It’s big.” David Wright hesitated for a split second rounding first, but he obviously decided to take a chance on the park’s expansive outfield. Wright beat the throw to second for a double, the club’s first hit in its new digs.

8:22 p.m.: It’s early, but the ballpark has already revealed a few of its nooks. Carlos Beltran just smoked a drive to center that Jody Gerut caught about halfway up the center field wall. The ball died in the outfield. Also, David Eckstein’s two-run double in the second angled back toward the infield. The shortstops and second basemen won’t be able to give up on shots down the line.

As for Pelfrey, it’s been both ugly and frustrating. The big righty has allowed nine baserunners through four innings. The Padres are right on his pitches.

8:30 p.m.: So is Pelfrey just a slow starter or are you worried about him? Adrian Gonzalez’s homer off the foul pole just gave the Padres a 5-1 lead.

8:51 p.m.: First goosebump moment at Citi Field. Tell me that didn’t get the blood boiling on this cold April night.

David Wright, of course, hit a three-run homer. He came through in one of those big spots that he was much criticized for not producing in last season. New park. New result I guess.

Wright smacked the ball over the wall in left after Dan Murphy had driven in Gary Sheffield on a single. The three-run homer came with two outs on a full count to drive Walter Silva from the game and tie the score 5-5.

9:11 p.m.: Check out this photo of the cat running on the field. Give Yahoo! credit though. It has already been an odd night here at Citi Field. I mean, it’s possible the Mets will lose a second straight game thanks to a dropped fly ball in the outfield. That just isn’t supposed to happen.

10:05 p.m.: This could be a tough finish to swallow. Not only did Duaner Sanchez sew up the eighth with a 1-2-3 frame, you know Heath Bell is coming in for the ninth.

10:23 p.m.: Mets lost 6-5. Sanchez and Bell were perfect.

I have two questions:
1. This seems like a good risk-reward signing. Do you agree?
2. Does this close the door on Oliver Perez, or is Garcia, like Redding, just insurance?

My contention was that if the Mets didn’t land Lowe, they then were hamstrung in talks with Scott Boras (yet again) because the uberagent can drive up the price on Oliver Perez just like he did on Lowe. So after all this time negotiating, the Mets may now find themselves in the same position, guarding against entering a competition without an opponent. But, as always, maybe their is an opponent? Boras always seems to find one.

The reader, Jason, argued that Perez and Lowe were of equal value. Some even feel Perez has greater value. You all know why — he’s younger, lefty, has a greater ceiling, etc.

Jason believed the Mets could hold at their price on Lowe, then sign Perez if they didn’t get him. But my contention was that Boras wouldn’t let them off so easily. Now that Lowe, at 36, received $60 million, won’t Boras try to squeeze just as much money out for Perez, who is just 27 and lefty?

I don’t think we’ll know immediately. What do you think will happen? Are they now desperate for Perez?

Here’s the Mets rotation with Perez:

Santana, LHP, 16-7, 2.53, 206 K, 1.15 WHIP
Pelfrey, RHP, 13-11, 3.72, 110 K, 1.36 WHIP
Maine, RHP, 10-8, 4.18 ERA, 122 K, 1.35 WHIP
Perez, LHP, 10-7, 4.22 ERA, 180 K, 1.40 WHIP
Redding, RHP, 10-11, 4.95 ERA, 120 K, 1.43 WHIP

Good, but do you think it can win them a World Series? How about a division title?

If you haven’t checked out MLB Network yet, you probably aren’t even sure whether or not you have it. You can log on to MLBnetwork.com to check the listings.

Since this is the first post of the new year, Happy New Year to everyone!

Here’s the story than ran on ESPN from the AP. If you don’t have time to read it all, basically it includes the younger Wilpon saying the Mets, SNY and Citi Field will not be affected.

And the notion that the Mets are for sale? Forget it.

(The team is) uncategorically, totally, completely not for sale. ... Not a piece of it, not a part of it, none of it.

There’s something to be said about having a nickname so universal you can have it monogrammed on all your dress shirts. One guy I remember who displayed monogrammed shirts was Chris Paul before he was drafted by the Hornets. Inside Stuff did a piece on Paul and you could tell he was kind of proud about the shirts, in the same way a rookie would find his first bobble head doll as a sign that he had arrived.

Of course, CP3 is an excellent nickname, one of the best in sports. But I’m not sure it trumps K-Rod, who had pitched just a handful of games before he adopted the name in Anaheim in 2002. Also, K-Rod isn’t showing off. It’s really who he has become. Can you think of anyone else so often called by his nickname around baseball? Maybe A-Rod, but that’s about it.

As you know, the Mets held their holiday party today at the Citi building in Long Island City. I guess they wanted to introduce K-Rod to some of the City’s finer nighttime establishments…if you’ve been to LIC, you know what I mean…

Anyway, Omar Minaya spoke early this morning with Boomer and Carton on WFAN. (Carton is a New Rochelle grad, by the way.) You can listen to Minaya’s interview here on the FAN website.

Minaya reiterated that the Mets now have their bullpen, but they must continue to pursue starting pitching. He said he likes Jon Niese and Bobby Parnell, although I think we’d all be shocked if those guys weren’t forced to beat out more experienced competition for a slot in the rotation.

Later in the morning, K-Rod tried on his new No. 75 jersey, flashing his smile, the one that bears a striking resemblence to that of Carlos Beltran.

K-Rod later spoke to reporters at the holiday party. He is gung-ho on New York. You can see audio/video of the press conference here, on the SNY website. K-Rod also answered questions one-on-one with SNY’s Kevin Burkhardt.

One of our columnists, Sam Borden, will have a piece on K-Rod in the morning in the paper and on LoHud.com so you should all be sure to check it out.

Rodriguez will highlight a list of attendees at the club’s holiday party for local kids. The party will be held at the Citi building in Long Island City.

Other attendees include Mike Pelfrey, John Maine and Jerry Manuel. Pelfrey will play Santa Claus, which, no matter what he looks like, should still prove significantly less bizarre than seeing him dressed in a one-piece swimsuit.

Anyway, K-Rod will hold a press conference around 10:45 a.m. The Q and A will be broadcast live on SNY and WFAN, so you can check it out there. It’ll also be interesting to hear about how Maine’s shoulder feels.

After the holiday party, the Mets won’t be done. Putz will meet with reporters on Thursday at Citi Field. Obviously, he’s made a few comments about pitching the eighth inning, but I’m curious to hear him expound upon what he’s already said. Plus, apparently Putz is an engaging guy, but I don’t think many fans in New York know anything about him.

The former Angels closer said he is not worried about his velocity. In fact, he expects it to increase next season. He believes it dipped last season because he refined his mechanics and worked on a new pitch, his changeup, and that to keep himself in check he couldn’t let loose.

There were many good nuggets from the call. K-Rod seems like an intelligent, thoughtful guy who wants to prove himself in New York.

UPDATE, 1:47 p.m.: The whole transcript is up. It’s long, so you can find it in its entirety after the jump…

Can you address the concerns that your velocity dipped last season?
For me it’s not a concern. I think I’m going to be fine this year. For some reason people are always looking at velocity and not worrying about what I have done. I feel pretty comfortable with it. I’m working so hard this offseason to make sure I come back to spring training and prove my velocity is back. It’s not something that I’m really concerned about right now. I think I’ll be all right.

One of the things Omar said was that you’d be worried about who would get the ball. What do you think about J.J. Putz?
First of all, I’m really happy with the acquisition of J.J. He’s a tremendous guy and a tremendous professional. Hopefully, we can work together and get our chemistry going. From what I understand right now, he’s going to be the setup guy. He’s the one who’s going to get the ball to me. I think that 1-2 punch I really like our odds. When we get back to spring training we have to sit together and establish our communication and work together. We’re not selfish guys. We don’t look at numbers. We have one goal: To get to the promised land.

You were the first reliever that Omar picked up in the offseason. Then within the last few days gone ahead and traded for three guys and gotten rid of three guys from last season. What’s sense to where the bullpen is now compared to last year and what your confidence level is in the group who will get you the ball?
I like our arms. Omar, with the moves he has made, all the trades he has made to the bullpen to make it a lot stronger. I think we have a great group of guys who can get the job done. There’s not a question in my mind that this year’s going to be different. We’re going to put zeros on the board and we’re going to get people out and go where we need to go. One thing, the first thing, is we’re going to have to stay healthy and work hard. The rest of it will take care of itself.

A lot of guys are reluctant to come to New York. You seem excited to do so.
I’m excited. It has something different than other cities have. No disrespect to other fans or other cities, but in New York the atmosphere is totally different. The fans are really passionate. That’s something special New York has. A lot of players don’t like to be on that stage. I’m the kind of guy who likes to be involved in the pressure. I’m the kind of guy who likes to be in those situations. I think the city is perfect for me. I know I have a big commitment with the city of New York, the fans and the coaching staff. I want to earn respect from the fans and make sure I enjoy my stay there.

With all the changes this offseason, do you feel like there’s a responsibility to change the atmosphere?
That’s a really difficult question because I cannot speak for guys who were there last year. Everybody knows what happens. Unfortunately they didn’t get the job done. Unfortunately, it happened. This year, you know, when you come to spring training, you have one goal. Make the playoffs, get to the second round and get to the championship. That’s the goal we’re going to have to reach. We can’t be living in the past. We have to leave that behind us and focus and start working from now to spring training. We have to make sure we’re healthy and get the job done next year.

There was some talk originally about getting a deal of four or five years. Any disappointment that you weren’t able to get a longer contract?
No, no, not at all. I think I’m happy where I’m at right now. I’m comfortable. That never came out of my mouth. And I believe it never came out of the mouth of my agent. I think I’m comfortable and happy with what I have right now. I’m really happy with the city of New York. I’m really happy with where I’m at. There’s no question about it.

How about the adjustment to the National League?
This game is about making transitions and making adjustments. Of course, I don’t know the hitters and they don’t know me a lot. It goes 50-50.

You had mentioned that you think your velocity can bounce back next season. Was there anything in your arm last year that you think contributed to your velocity dipping from where it had been in the past?
No, listen, last year was totally different. I was making some changes early in the year in spring training with my mechanics. The other thing I was putting a third pitch into my pitches with my changeup. When I was trying to let it fly, when I was trying throw hard, my mechanics were totally different than when I tried to throw the changeup. So what I figured was to have the same motion, the same everything, so my changeup can be more effective. When I let it fly last year, the velocity was there, no question. I had to lose a little bit of arm speed because I wanted to throw the new pitch with the same arm speed. To me, you guys are going to see it next year. You guys are going to see it in spring training and going forward the rest of the season. There were some changes I had to make early in the year last year and that’s why I feel like (my velocity) went down two or three miles from where it was.

How much did you feel this was a good fit with the Mets? And they also said you were involved in the negotiations. Did you think all along it was going to happen?
Everything was positive. Everything was fine. It was a totally different experience. I had the chance to be in there. You have to understand this is a business. That’s the way it is. I never had any doubt in my mind.

Where the Mets the team you had your eye on the whole time?
I was open to any conversation with any ballclub. Of course, they’re were rumors out there. ‘You’re going to go to the Mets. You’re going to go to St. Louis or Atlanta.’ But, you know, I was open to talk to anybody. The first one was the Mets and I believed that of course I wanted to be in that city. A lot of factors helped me go there. It was an easy decision to make. It wasn’t hard, no.

Being that it was your first time as free agent, how did you like that give and take? A team obviously wants you, but they put you at a certain price. You and your agent obviously had an opinion on your own value. How did you like hearing that back and forth about your value?
When I went there, I didn’t know what to think or what to say. It’s a big decision. The team is going to give you a certain offer and you’re going to ask for me. That’s negotiations. Like I said, it’s a business. It was my first time. I’ve never been on the free-agent market. ... It was a good experience. It’s something I’m going to learn from in the future. Now for next time I can know what to expect.

A lot of big-name people who come to New York as free agents find they have their performances picked apart, good or bad, over and over and over again and some of them find that experience very unpleasant. Are you prepared for that kind of an experience in New York? Do you think your personality is well suited to having your performances examined?
I look forward to that experience. I can tell you right now, one thing I cannot control is what is going to happen outside the field. I cannot control what they’re going to say in the stands. I cannot control what the writer, or media, or anybody can say. The only thing I can control is what I do on the field. That’s it. The distractions, you have to put them aside. If you take any bad outing, or what people say about you, or if people boo you, if you put that in your head then you’re not going to be able to get the job done. Right now the only think I’m really going to focus on is what I do on the field. The rest I can’t control.

Now that you’re back in Venezuela, can you get any sense of the excitement of having you and Johan pitch on the same team?
Yeah, it’s going to be nice. When I go to the mall or go get groceries — things you do in regular life — people come up to me and say, ‘Wow, you two guys, you and Johan, are going to be in New York and it’s going to be exciting to have two Venezuelans on the same team.’ It’s really nice. It’s the fans here and the people here, even my family. It puts a little bit of pressure on you because you want to perform well so you can enjoy it. Everybody knows Johan is one of the best. ... It’s going to be a lot of fun. I’m going to look forward to when spring training starts, so I can look forward to joining the guys and have some fun with the Mets fans.

How surprised were you when (Santana) called during dinner the other night?
I wasn’t surprised. It was really a coincidence. He was calling Tony (Bernazard) to say what’s up, how are you doing, so I wasn’t surprised at all. I had a chance to talk to him a little bit. He told me all the best things about New York and some of the bad things, too.

You were talking before about working on your changeup last year and that it took a couple miles an hour off your velocity. So do you think with a year’s adjustment that now your velocity will kick back up?
Yeah, it will. No question about it. Not a question at all. This year, like I said earlier, I’m going to work a lot harder and come back a lot stronger than I’ve ever been. It’s not going to be a problem. It’s not a concern for me.

There’s been a lot of talk about the Mets antics and them irritating the other teams in the NL East. Are you going to be as animated on the mound as you were in Anaheim? Is that just part of your personality and your game?
Of course. I’m never going change the way I do my job. New York, the atmosphere is totally different. It’s a totally different environment. In Anaheim, they’re more calm, they’re really relaxed watching the game. The Met fans, in the past when I played there, they feed off the noise. I try to take the energy from the crowd. The energy is going to help me get more into it. It’s going to help me.

So does it bother you if it bothers other teams?
No, not at all. Its’ something that never bothers me. I don’t think it will at all.

The Phillies have talked a lot of trash about the Mets. They are the division champions and World Series champions. How much do you look forward to joining that rivalry and perhaps winning the division so the Phillies can’t talk anymore?
That question is kind of difficult, but at the same time easy to answer. Difficult because the last two years I have not been there. I have not lived that experience with that rivalry. The easy part is of course we’re going to try to win division. Of course we’re going to try to be front runner. Of course we’re going to try to be the team to beat. I don’t want this to be a controversy. Or have another ball club in that division to take it personally. I’m a really competitive guy. I like to win. But of course, when they ask me who is going to win the National League East it’s an easy question. It’s going to be the Mets. Easy question.

Robertson hasn’t had a lot of success in the pros (he’s only tossed seven innings), but he has shown great ability as a strikeout guy in the minors. We’ll see what kind of impact he has here.

This is the release put out by the club:

METS ACQUIRE RHP CONNOR ROBERTSON FROM ARIZONA

FLUSHING, N.Y., December 12, 2008 – The New York Mets tonight acquired righthanded relief pitcher Connor Robertson from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for lefthanded pitcher Scott Schoeneweis and cash considerations.

Robertson, 27, was 0-1 with a 5.14 ERA in nine games with Arizona this past season. In 7.0 innings, he allowed eight hits, four runs, earned, with two walks and two strikeouts. In addition, the 6-2, 220-pounder went 7-4 with a 5.02 ERA in 47 contests with Tucson (AAA) of the Pacific Coast League. In 71.2 innings, he surrendered 69 hits, 45 runs, 40 earned, with 30 walks and 72 strikeouts.

“We’re happy to acquire Connor Robertson,” said Mets General Manager Omar Minaya. “He has a solid minor league track record and he’s a good addition to our system.”

Robertson is 29-13 with 24 saves a 2.82 ERA in 217 career minor league games. In 305.0 innings, he’s allowed 268 hits, 136 runs, 113 earned, with 123 walks and 382 strikeouts.

He also appeared in three games in relief with the Oakland A’s in 2007. Robertson was included along with righthanded pitcher Dan Haren in Oakland’s trade with Arizona on December 14, 2007.

Schoeneweis, 35, was 2-6 with a 3.34 ERA in 73 games for the Mets in 2008. In 56.2 innings, he allowed 55 hits, 23 runs, 21 earned, with 23 walks and 34 strikeouts.

The Mets announced their 2009 AAA Buffalo coaching staff today. They named Ken Oberkfell the manager. He, of course, joined the big league staff after Willie Randolph was fired last season.

Here’s the release sent out by the club:

World Series Champion enters 13^th Season as Minor League Manager

Bones, Natera Join Oberkfell on Bisons Coaching Staff

The Buffalo Bisons are pleased to announce that the New York Mets have selected Ken Oberkfell as the Herd’s manager for the 2009 season. The 16-year major league veteran and World Series Champion is the Bisons’ 15^th manager in the team’s Modern Era.

Oberkfell will be formally introduced at a press conference on Tuesday, December 16 at Pettibones Grille (2:30 p.m.).

Oberkfell will be joined on the Bisons’ staff by pitching coach Ricky Bones, hitting coach Luis Natera, athletic trainer Brian Chicklo and strength and conditioning coach Ken Coward.

“The Bisons are fortunate to have such a well-established leader as Ken Oberkfell to guide the team in 2009,” said Mike Buczkowski, Bisons Vice President/General Manager. “With his extensive experience as both a major league player and a minor league manager, Oberkfell has proven himself a winner on the field and off.”

Oberkfell, 52, is entering his 13^th season as a minor league manager and his fifth at the helm of the New York Mets’ Triple-A team (Norfolk Tides: 2005-06, New Orleans Zephyrs: 2007-08). In 2008, he split the season between New Orleans and New York after being named the Mets first base coach on June 17.

Oberkfell is 812-803 (.503 winning percentage) in his previous 12 seasons as a manager. He has led his team to the post season in four of his last five full campaigns, a stretch that began with a Florida State League (A) title with St. Lucie in 2003.

Oberkfell began his coaching career in 1997 in the Philadelphia Phillies organization, leading Piedmont (A) of the South Atlantic League for three seasons before moving onto Clearwater (A) of the FSL in 2000. In 2001, he joined the Mets organization to lead Capital City (A) for one season. He was promoted to St. Lucie in 2002 for two seasons before moving up to Double-A Binghamton in 2004.

Oberkfell’s 16-year major league career included eight seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals. He played 137 games with the Cardinals in 1982 and helped the team to a World Series Championship. A lifetime .278-hitter with 29 home runs and 446RBI in 1,602 games, Oberkfell also played with Atlanta, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Houston and California. He led all National League second baseman in fielding percentage in 1979 (.985) and topped all NL third baseman in defense in 1982 (.972) and 1983 (.960). Oberkfell finished with more walks than strikeouts in 13 of his 16 seasons, with career totals of 546 walks to only 356 strikeouts.

Year        Team                   Level           Record          Pct.

1997        Piedmont              A                 70-72             .493

1998        Piedmont              A                 76-65             .539

1999        Piedmont              A                 69-71             .493

2000        Clearwater           A                 64-71             .474

2001        Capital City          A                 62-73             .459

2002        St. Lucie               A                 71-69             .508

2003        St. Lucie               A                 77-62             .554   *FSL Title

2004        Binghamton          AA               76-66             .535   *made playoffs

2005        Norfolk                AAA            79-65             .549   *IL South Division Title

2006        Norfolk                AAA            57-84             .404

2007        New Orleans        AAA            75-69             .521   *PCL Am. South Division Title

2008        New Orleans        AAA            36-36             .500

Total           812-803         .503

Pitching Coach – Ricky Bones

Bones has spent each of the past two seasons serving as the pitching coach of the Double-A Binghamton Mets. Last season, the B-Mets finished 2^nd in the Easter League in saves (41), 4^th in fewest walks allowed (471) and 5^th in team ERA (4.17). In 2006, his first year coaching in the Mets system, Bones won a Florida State League Championship with the St. Lucie Mets. He was also a minor league pitching coach in the Montreal/Washington organization for two seasons, 2004-2005. Bones pitched 11 seasons in the major leagues with San Diego, Milwaukee, New York-AL, Cincinnati, Kansas City, Baltimore and Florida with a career record of 63-82 and a 4.85ERA in 375 games. He was an American League All-Star with Milwaukee in 1994 and won 10+ games in three consecutive seasons with the Brewers (11 -1993, 10 -1994, 10 -1995).

Hitting Coach – Luis Natera

Natera is entering his 18^th season in the Mets’ organization and his first as the hitting coach for the Triple-A team. Last year, he held the same position for the Double-A Binghamton Mets. Under Natera, the B-Mets finished 4^th in the Eastern League in stolen bases (109) and 6^th in team batting average (.266). In 2007, he was the hitting coach of a St. Lucie Mets team that led the South Atlantic League with a .273 batting average. Natera also spent seven seasons as a manager of the Mets’ Dominican Summer League team (1992-1997, 2002) with a combined record of 270-160 (.628). His teams never finished below second place in the division. Natera was originally signed by the Mets as a non-drafted free agent in 1984 and spent five seasons as an infielder in the organization. He hit .222 (211-949) before retiring as a player in 1989.

Athletic Trainer –Brian Chicklo

Chicklo is entering his eighth year as the Mets’ Triple-A trainer and his 10^th year in New York’s organization. Last year, he was named Pacific Coast League Trainer-of-the-Year while with the New Orleans Zephyrs. Chicklo graduated from Shenandoah University in 1995 with a BS in Kinesiology and earned an MS Degree in Sports Injury Management from UNLV in 1998.

Strength and Conditioning Coach   –Ken Coward

Coward spent the past seven seasons as the Mets assistant strength and conditioning coordinator for the minor leagues. He is certified as a strength and conditioning specialist by the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He is also a Level One United States weightlifting club coach with the US Weightlifting Association. Coward owns an online personal training company named Total Human Elevation.

A Mets official said K-Rod was scheduled to fly home to Venezuela from New York today but his flight was delayed substantially and fouled up the timing.

Here’s The Seattle Times’ Mariners blog, which caught up with Putz after the trade.

Francisco Rodriguez, RHP, closer
— The deal: three years, $37 million, agreed upon Tuesday. Here’s the story about the move.
— Age: 26
— Height: 6-0
— Weight: 175
— Fun fact: Will wear No. 75.
— Here are K-Rod’s career stats.
— Here’s a post I made last month about K-Rod’s short and long-term viability as a closer.
— The verdict: Even though every word I wrote last month is true, the Mets scored K-Rod at a far cheaper price, about half as much as his agent Paul Kinzer wanted originally ($70-75 million) and 60 percent shorter (three years rather than five). The money and the reasonable length of the deal makes the K-Rod signing much more palatable, even if he has shown signs of diminishing returns.

J.J. Putz, RHP, setup man
— The deal: acquired in a 12-player deal with Seattle and Cleveland late Wed. night.
— Age: 31
— Height: 6-5
— Weight: 220
— Fun fact: Eddie Guardado taught Putz the splitter in the spring of 2006. A few weeks into the season Putz took Guardado’s job as the M’s closer.
— Here are Putz’s career stats.
— Here’s an interesting story by SI’s Tom Verducci about the best relief seasons of all-time, one of which was turned in by Putz in 2007.
— The verdict: Putz is the hard thrower the Mets lacked. He is a major upgrade over the likes of Aaron Heilman, Duaner Sanchez and Luis Ayala.

Jeremy Reed, CF, fourth or fifth outfielder off the bench
— The deal: acquired in a 12-player deal with Seattle and Cleveland late Wed. night.
— Age: 27
— Height: 6-0
— Weight: 160
— Fun fact: Ranked 25th in 2004 and 33rd in 2005 by Baseball America among all prospects in baseball.
— Here are Reed’s career stats.
— Here’s a look at where Reed ranked in Seattle’s system in 2005.
— The verdict: Reed will probably bring a good enough glove to replace Chavez. They also have strikingly similar histories at the plate (Reed’s career OPS is .679; Chavez’s is .680). Reed is younger (27 to 30), but may not be as much of a base-stealing threat as a pinch-runner (Chavez has 78 career steals; Reed has 19, although in half as many games).

Sean Green, RHP, in competition for a spot in middle relief
— The deal: acquired in a 12-player deal with Seattle and Cleveland late Wed. night.
— Age: 29
— Height: 6-6
— Weight: 230
— Fun fact: He is not this guy.
— Here are Green’s career stats.
— Green is an interesting guy. He started off the season very strong in ‘08, with three of his first four months bordering on exceptional. But it all fell apart in August and September. If you want to see for yourself, check out his game log from the season here. It happened in 2007 as well.
— The verdict: Green, a big sidearmer, pitched well to start last season before falling apart after the break. His future with the club remains to be seen.

It didn’t take much longer than 24 hours for the Mets to revamp the back end of their bullpen. They acquired J.J. Putz tonight from the Seattle Mariners for a package that included Aaron Heilman, Joe Smith, Endy Chavez and B-Mets prospect Mike Carp.

Omar Minaya, at a late-night press conference in Las Vegas, just said he’s heard all offseason from Met fans how he needs to address one area: The bullpen.

“Well, to you Mets fans: We’ve addressed the bullpen,” Minaya just said from the Bellagio.

Putz, who closed in Seattle for the last two seasons, will presumably fill the eighth-inning role in front of Francisco Rodriguez. He provides the Mets with a strikeout guy they sorely lacked last season — the type of guy Jerry Manuel wanted, a crossover guy.

Putz didn’t come cheap. The Mets sent Heilman, Chavez and Carp to Seattle, and sent Carp, one of their top hitting prospects, to the Mariners. Carp was likely the hardest piece for the club to part with. He was the organization’s minor league player of the year in 2006. He struggled in 2007, but bounced back this year and was one of the top sluggers in the system.

I’ll have more later on the new makeup of the ‘pen. For now, here’s a look at the deal in full:

Mets acquire:
J.J. Putz, RHP, Mariners
Shawn Green, RHP, Mariners
Jeremy Reed, OF, Mariners

Mariners acquire:
Aaron Heilman, RHP, Mets
Endy Chavez, OF, Mets
Mike Carp, 1B/OF, Mets (minors)
Maikel Cleto, RHP, Mets (minors)
Ezequiel Carrera, OF, Mets (minors)
Jason Vargas, LHP, Mets (minors)
Franklin Gutierrez, OF, Indians

Indians acquire:
Joe Smith, RHP, Mets
Luis Valbuena, Mariners (minors)

Here’s the AP report.

The question now: What (or who) comes next?

Well, the City of Sin has finally brought a little excitement to an otherwise chilly beginning to the hot stove season. According to several reports, the Mets made an offer of three years to Francisco Rodriguez and met with the reps for Trevor Hoffman and Brian Fuentes. And Kerry Wood is on the agenda.

It’ll be interesting if the Mets give truth to the theory that they will offer K-Rod, Fuentes and Wood and then sign whoever accepts a deal first. That’s risky business for K-Rod, who will want a better offer but has to fear the market. He wants money and the Mets have the most moolah to offer. Essentially, K-Rod — and to a lesser extent Fuentes and Wood — will be playing a high-stakes game of poker with Omar Minaya. Except even the World Series of Poker doesn’t have hands worth between $20-40 million

Anyway, Minaya is scheduled to meet the media soon. Our man Peter Abraham is in Vegas capturing the action, so check out his Yankee blog for the latest news around baseball. I know it’s a Yankee blog, but Peter is there to cover all the news. Every little piece of the puzzle has an impact on teams in the hunt like the Mets.

METS SIGN FOUR PLAYERS TO MINOR LEAGUE CONTRACTS

FLUSHING, N.Y., December 3, 2008 – Righthanded pitcher Nelson Figueroa, who was 3-3 with a 4.57 ERA for the New York Mets last year, was one of four minor league free agents who signed with the club today. All four players, lefthanded pitcher Adam Bostick, infielder Andy Green, catcher Rene Rivera and Figueroa received non-roster invitations to spring training.

Figueroa, 34-years-old, made six starts for the Mets in 2008. He worked 45.1 innings, surrendered 48 hits, 26 runs, 23 earned, with 26 walks and 36 strikeouts. He was also 4-7 with a 4.43 ERA in 20 games (16 starts) for New Orleans (AAA) of the Pacific Coast League last year. He has a 10-20 record with a 4.64 ERA in 90 major league games, 39 starts.

Bostick, 25, had his season limited to 11 games after undergoing left knee surgery on May 27. Adam went 2-2 with a 6.04 ERA with New Orleans last season. In 44.2 innings, he allowed 48 hits, 30 runs, earned, with 20 walks and 30 strikeouts.

Green, 31, split the year between the Cincinnati Reds’ Louisville team of the International League and the Mets’ New Orleans club. He was released by Louisville on July 1 and played his first game for New Orleans the next day.

Primarily a second baseman, Green hit .233 with 15 doubles, two triples, five home runs and 19 RBI for Louisville and .331 with 10 doubles, two triples, eight home runs and 28 RBI in 52 games with the Zephyrs.

He played in the major leagues in 2004, 2005 and 2006 with the Arizona Diamondbacks and has a .199 career average in 136 games. In 2007, he played in 18 games with the Hokkaido Nippon Hamfighters of the Pacific Division of the Japanese Professional Baseball League.

Rivera, 25, had been the Seattle Mariners’ organization since 2001. Last year, he performed for two teams: Jacksonville (AA) of the Southern League and Las Vegas (AAA) of the Pacific Coast League. He hit .231 in 38 games with Jacksonville and .271 in 38 contests for Las Vegas.

Rene performed in 53 games with the Mariners in parts of 2004, 2005 and 2006 and has a .227 big league average with seven doubles, three home runs and 10 RBI.