According to Adam Rubin, the Mets have placed Fernando Martinez and Danny Herrera on waivers, to make room for Scott Hairston and Ronny Cedeno.

If this is indeed true, can someone please explain how this makes sense for both the short-term financial health and long-term planning for the New York Mets? Because I’m completely befuddled.

Yes, F-Mart has been a grave disappointment. But he’s still only 23 years old, and he’s not owed anything above the MLB minimum. Similarly, but to a lesser extent, Herrera is 27 years old and also a minimum-salary guy. Meanwhile, both Cedeno and Hairston are over 30 and will make over a million bucks.

Take all the time and words you need to explain this logic to me, because clearly, I’m too stupid to understand. Thank you.

Yesterday, the Mets placed OF Fernando Martinez and LHP Daniel Herrera on waivers to make room for the impending signings of OF Scott Hairston and IF Ronny Cedeno.  Thus ends the once-promising Mets career of Martinez, who suffered from a passel of maladies, including arthritis, all before his 24th birthday.  Meanwhile, a purported anonymous Met lashed out at the Wilpons in a New York Magazine piece.

The Blogs have cleared waivers, and have been assigned to a link dump:

• Mack has a detailed timeline that chronicles F-Mart’s Mets career.
• Tedquarters wonders if someone else should have been waived instead.
• R.A. Dickey blogs from the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro.
• 7 Train to Shea believes Mark Teahen could be a contributor off the Mets’ bench.
• Metstradamus hopes CRG is a light at the end of the tunnel, and not an oncoming train.
• Joe Petruccio depicts NY Giants coach Tom Coughlin channeling Tug McGraw.

This comment comes from loyal MetsToday visitor “Rob”:

Joe: One question that just occurred to me as I was reading your article was where is the moneyball analysis in all of these mediocre acquisitions? When Alderson was hired, it was “moneyball with money”. Now that we know that the Mets have no money, where is the moneyball? Because that’s where the strengths supposedly lay for Alderson and his brain trust. So where is the overarching plan…where is the moneyball? And while I’m asking, what the heck is moneyball as an overarching philosophy? Is it simply OPS? Is it some other statistical focus? It occurs to me that the success of moneyball is dependent upon the notion that you are signing players that no one else wants because the other teams fail to recognize the statistical value of those “castoff” players. However, now that more than half of the teams employ a sabrmatician and have GM’s that lean in that direction, isn’t the type of player that fits into the moneyball model more expensive because everyone is looking for him now? And if everyone is employing that kind of analysis, then moneyball is no longer a cheap exercise in building a team.
I’d sure like to know where the philosophy is with current management…besides saving money. Because I refuse to believe that there isn’t a long term plan that’s being employed in some way. I just don’t see it right now. I sure hope I’m wrong…

If I had an answer for Rob, then I’d be working in Flushing right now rather than Old Brookville. My best guess as to what is a market inefficiency right now is leveraging the knowledge and research of kinesiology scientists to find, keep, and teach pitchers safe and effective mechanics — while also detecting, preventing, and fixing bad mechanics. But, after seeing the signing of pitchers like Chris Young and Boof Bonser, the acquisition of Zack Wheeler, and the rehab programs of Johan Santana and Jennry Mejia, I’m guessing that hiring scientists is not part of the plan.

So what IS Sandy Alderson’s secret initiative to exploit a market inefficiency? What is it that the Mets front office sees and values that most others aren’t? Any guesses? Post them in the comments.