Mets Today - The Hot Stove Edition

So now it’s official: Aaron Heilman is in the bullpen, supposedly for the good of the team. I don’t buy it.
How is this good for the team when you have Zambrano and Trachsel still in the rotation? I understand the Mets’ need to make up for the Kazmir deal and keep throwing Zambrano out there [...]

For those wondering what a LOOGY is, it’s not a gooey expectoration of the throat. Rather, it is a Lefthanded One Out GuY.
There seems to be concern in Mets’ camp over who wil retire lefthanded batters. Not sure why, other than the stupid thinking that you need a lefthanded pitcher to get lefthanded batters out. [...]

There was a great John Lennon song, it went: “… all we are saying, is give Heath a chance …”
OK, maybe those weren’t quite the words, but if they were, they would be very fitting. And, I’d play the song non-stop, 24 hours a day, within earshot of Willie Randolph and Omar Minaya.
What’s wrong with [...]

The big dogfights this spring were supposed to be Xavier Nady vs. Victor Diaz for right field, and Boone vs. AHern vs. Kepp vs. Matsui for 2B. It looks like RF is settled with the X-man, and Anderson Hernandez will be the Opening Day second baseman. So what’s left to settle? The fifth starter in [...]

The way he’s been hitting this spring, it’s pretty clear that, barring a remarkable turn of events over the next two weeks, Xavier Nady has won the right field job for the Mets. Which is fine, because that’s what Omar and Willie want, and Victor Diaz might be better off spending a few more months [...]

Mets lost 6-1 to team Puerto Rico … who cares, the game means nothing and I should hope the PR All-Stars can beat a Mets’ split squad that is further decimated by players gone to WBC teams.
One good thing about the loss, is the fact that Carlos Beltran looked good and drove in a few [...]

The path to the pennant is guided by pitching — every year, for every team, in every league that doesn’t use a metal bat. That said, there certainly is concern when looking at the Mets’ pitching staff; there seem to be a lot of question marks, gambles, and finger-crossing.
Even before the questionable trades of Kris [...]

Yesterday, Bret Boone tearfully announced that he was retiring from baseball, citing that the sport had become a job, and he had lost his passion for the game.
Passion, eh? So that’s what they’re calling steroids these days. I guess I’m a little behind the times.
I have mixed feelings about Boone’s retirement. On the one hand, [...]

The Mets entered spring training in February 2002 with high hopes … based on an offseason makeover of remarkable proportions. Looking to add lefthanded power to the lineup, 34-year-old Mo Vaughn, a perennial 35+ HR threat, had been obtained to play 1B and bat cleanup. Former Mets farmhand Jeromy Burnitz, who had hit 30 or [...]

Willie Randolph plans on “platooning” Xavier Nady and Victor Diaz — two righthanded hitters — in right field. Hmmmmm…. seems to go against Jeff Torborg’s doctoral thesis on the subject of the righty-lefty platoon.
The logisitics behind the plan is the fact that Nady kills lefthanded pitchers, but is abysmal against righthanders. Meanwhile, Diaz is fairly [...]