The best development in the minor leagues for the Mets this season isn’t Zack Wheeler. It’s Rafael Montero. To be sure, seeing Wheeler stay largely healthy, more than hold his own at Triple-A, and head to the Mets to debut this Tuesday is excellent. But really, Wheeler had already pitched… Read More →
The three replacements set to turn the season around are: Josh Satin, whose .912 OPS at Triple-A Las Vegas is very good, and actually better on the road (.926 OPS) than home (.895 OPS). Sounds like he’ll play first base regularly, where his defense isn’t great. There’s also Josh Edgin,... Read More →
The Mets designated Rick Ankiel for assignment and called up Kirk Nieuwenhuis. Since Ankiel at this point is worse offensively than the part of Nieuwenhuis’ 2012 that got him sent down, worse defensively, and much older, this is a good move. Doesn’t mean Kirk is ready to hit MLB pitching,... Read More →
In great news for people who like to see strikeouts and home runs, the Mets have signed Rick Ankiel to a major league deal. He is in tonight’s lineup; he’s going to platoon with Juan Lagares in center field, because… Ankiel or Lagares might be the center fielder of the… Read More →
How quickly we forget. Opening Day hero Collin Cowgill has been sent to Triple-A, and Andrew Brown brought up in his place. Cowgill’s grand slam was the biggest highlight on Opening Day, but it’s been a rough go since, with a .157/.173/.264 overall season line, and a defensive miscue that… Read More →
Jeurys Familia is off to Triple-A, where I wish he’d start, but probably not. Johan Santana was transferred to the 60-day DL, which is misleading; Santana is out for the year. This is to make room for tomorrow’s starter, Aaron Laffey. Given his 4.3 Ks per 9 last year, how… Read More →
Greetings from Port St. Lucie! Jon Niese looks good so far, though doing so against the traveling Astros is a limited accomplishment. In an effort to open 40-man roster, the Mets traded Elvin Ramirez to the Angels for cash. Spoiler alert: probably not a lot of it. More to come…. Read More →
“We continue to look, but I think, realistically at this point, there’s not a lot left on the shelf,” general manager Sandy Alderson said on Sirius XM’s MLB Network Radio yesterday. “So at some point we have to realize that, well, perhaps the outfield is not the strength of our… Read More →
The news that the Mets signed Andrew Brown, recently of the Colorado organization, was met by the usual array of derision and defense of the Mets that seems all too common on Twitter right now. This is not merely a Mets phenomenon: generally, criticism draws accusations of nihilist negativity, support… Read More →
Hey, preemptively: can we avoid the “Wilfredo Tovar? The World Series is ours!” sarcasm? Well-run teams get this stuff right, and occasionally it redounds to their benefit. They also don’t bleed out their star players without compensation, year after year. I get that. I’ve written extensively about that. But it… Read More →
And only five months in! No, I won’t sit here and criticize the Mets for acquiring Kelly Shoppach now, rather than before Josh Thole was forced into everyday use and Mike Nickeas/Rob Johnson played. They added the perfect righty complement to Thole going forward. Let’s hope they follow up by… Read More →
Here’s what the Mets knew last winter. Mike Nickeas, 2011 Triple-A stats: .214/.286/.304 Mike Nickeas, career MLB stats, through 2011: .190/.239/.254 Josh Thole, career against LHP: .197/.266/.268 How the Mets did not get a reasonable backup for Josh Thole, one who could hit lefties (and plenty were available for relatively… Read More →
Well, it looks like Lucas Duda won’t be hitting 30 home runs this year. Duda has been sent down to Triple-A, where he will play first base and left field. The Duda in right experiment is over. What this means for Duda-who isn’t any better equipped to play left than… Read More →
So rumors abounded over the weekend that the Mets and Rockies are in talks to bring catcher Ramon Hernandez to New York. Justin Turner, and possibly a number of of prospects, are also involved. Let’s lay this out in some easy-to-understand truths: 1. Ramon Hernandez is an absolute upgrade for… Read More →
Okay, not really, but the move to designate Vinny Rottino for assignment and promote left-handed reliever Justin Hampson from Triple-A Buffalo has significant potential ramifications for this Mets bullpen. There’s the immediate one, which is that Tim Byrdak is no longer the sole lefty in the bullpen. In a perfect… Read More →