Is Brady Clark Done?
Breaking news: Brian Schneider has an infected thumb and has been sent back to New York for diagnosis (according to Adam Rubin and via MetsBlog.
Hmm … that leaves Raul Casanova as the Mets starting and backup catcher. Considering that Willie Randolph gets the hives just thinking about going the final two innings of a game without a backup backstop, my guess is there will be a roster move to make room for Gustavo Molina or Mike Nickeas — assuming Schneider’s issue is day-to-day and not something that requires 15 days of inactivity.
Looking up and down the 25-man roster, it appears that Brady Clark would be the odd man out.
With the typical game burning through 5-6 arms, the Mets can’t demote a pitcher — though if they do, one would surmise that Joe Smith is the one who would go down. And as far as position players go, the choice is among the bench guys: Endy Chavez, Marlon Anderson, Damion Easley, and Clark. I’m pretty sure Endy and the others are out of options, and the Mets wouldn’t risk placing any of them on waivers. Clark, however, would likely pass through, and if he didn’t, the Mets wouldn’t be crushed. After all, Fernando Tatis is waiting in AAA, and he is both a switch hitter and more versatile.
Personally, I don’t want to see Clark go, but at the moment he’s the most expendable man on the team. Unless, of course, he’s prepared to strap on the tools of ignorance — which is a slight possibility.
About the Author
Joe Janish began MetsToday in 2005 to provide the unique perspective of a high-level player and coach -- he earned NCAA D-1 All-American honors as a catcher and coached several players who went on to play pro ball. As a result his posts often include mechanical evaluations, scout-like analysis, and opinions that go beyond the numbers.
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Finally we have a Molina!
1. All kidding aside that sent me scurrying to the 40-man roster. Unlike last yr, Omar has built options in. At Catcher, We have Molina and Mike Nickeas (cancel is injured) and of course Castro is injured. Molina is hardly a lock to stay later when Castro is healthy (oxymoron). My interest in him goes further though; I think castro could be traded if Omar thinks he can back up Schneider with Cancel-Molina-Casanova. But right now that hardly looks tangible.
2. Brady Clark: I think this was inevitable. Brady was not a notable contributor and was going to waived at some point, whether it was when an extra arm was needed, or when Moises returned. I still regret that we dont have a true utility guy. And as much as I defgend Ahern, I am not liking his rented space on the 40man.
3. Bullpen. Given the early struggles of Feliciano, Sosa et al. I am following Collazzo and Muniz who could have value in that they provide roster flexibility, even if they essentially will only see blowout games.