In case you haven’t heard, the Mets have traded former first-round pick Eddie Kunz to the Padres for another former first-rounder, Allan Dykstra. This news is over a day old, but I’ve been trying to develop a reaction to it.
First of all, no, Allan Dykstra is not
If the tweets of Adam Rubin and Steve Popper are any indication, Jason Isringhausen has yet to decide whether or not to accept the Mets’ “offer” of staying in warm and sunny Florida to further build up his arm.
Considering that Brad Lidge will be out for 3-6 weeks with a shoulder issue, one must wonder if the Phillies would be interested in adding Izzy to the back of their bullpen.
I had the pleasure of participating in a conference call with Mets manager Terry Collins on Tuesday night. I didn’t get home in time to record the entire call, so you may want to check out MetsBlog, which has posted an abbreviated transcript if you’d like to hear the full Q & A.
My planned question was whether Collins planned to
Contrary to reports from last night, Manny Acosta will NOT make the Mets’ Opening Day roster — he has been designated for assignment — and Blaine Boyer WILL be the final piece to the bullpen puzzle. Personally, I agree with Matt Himelfarb, in that there isn’t all that much difference between Acosta and Boyer. Though, … Read more
From all reports, it appears that Carlos Beltran will be on the Mets’ 25-man roster on Opening Day. This despite the fact that Beltran has played all of five innings — as a DH — in an MLB spring training game, and has completed 10 innings of game action in right field thus far this spring. His big test comes on Tuesday, when he is slated to start in right field in a Grapefruit League contest vs. the Nationals. If he can make it all the way through without a setback, great, but what does that mean? His ability to play nine innings of healthy baseball is not necessarily the test that needs to be passed before deeming him ready for a spot on the 25-man roster. Rather, we need to see if he can play nine innings of baseball a day after, and two days after, playing nine innings of baseball. There’s little point in carrying him at the beginning of the season if he can play only once or twice a week; why the Mets aren’t keeping him back in extended spring training for at least another week or so is mysterious (ticket sales?).
In any case, putting Beltran on the Opening Day roster means Nick Evans doesn’t make the club — he’s already been placed on waivers, with the intention of sending him to AAA Buffalo if he clears. According to Adam Rubin, we’ll find out by Wednesday whether Evans makes it through.
Will he clear, or is there a Major League team that might claim him?
According to The New York Times, the Mets have asked Jason Isringhausen to stay back in Port St. Lucie to further build up his arm strength. Additionally, they have asked Blaine Boyer to consider a minor-league assignment, rather than exercising his option to become a free agent. Earlier in the day, Pat Misch was placed … Read more
On Friday, the Mets shut down Ronny Paulino based on some issues with his blood work. Test results due back either today or tomorrow will hopefully shed more light on the situation.
NOTE: this is a post by Matt Himelfarb; please direct your comments to him.
With Pedro Beato now a lock to make the big league club, Jason Isringhausen, Manny Acosta, and Blaine Boyer are left to fight it out for the final bullpen spot.
The cold, calculating, pocket-protector-perfectionist in me says the Mets should let Izzy walk, despite his well documented Disney-worthy resurrection this spring. Why fans and beat writers alike are so overcome with nostalgia for an overrated former closer who last pitched for the Mets almost 15 years ago is beyond me. All I see is an injury risk offering little upside, and a man who hopes his Jimmy Morris impression will net him a 15-year pension (Izzy has a little over 14 years of service time) on top of the $56 million he’s already pocketed over his career. Sorry to rain on the parade of the emotionally-driven, ignorant members of boobus Americanus, but Acosta has at least some upside and a clean medical record going for him.
At the end of the day, though,
