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May 25, 2005
D-E-A-D
Five out and falling fast… I know its silly to say that a team hovering around the .500 mark is out of the playoff picture in late May, but with the way both the Marlins and the Braves are playing, I’m almost certain this team is not going to the playoffs this year. With that in mind, what should the Mets do? Should they stand pat and hope for a quick bounceback? Or should they start fielding calls about their veteran players and start thinking about next year? 60 Responses to “D-E-A-D”Leave a ReplyYou must be logged in to post a comment. |
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I really don’t think the Mets have to be out of it. The Marlins and Braves are both mediocre teams, I still think the Phillies will win the division.
If the Mets get Zambrano and Ishii out of their rotation, I’m not sure that they wouldn’t be the best team in the division.
That being said, I really think that they should try to trade Floyd. He’s likely to keep declining, but I’m sure that some team would be willing to overpay for his left handed bat. I have visions of Brandon McCarthy, but Anaheim would probably be the best trading partenr for either Floyd or Piazza. Kotchman would look awfully nice at first.
If Willie Randolph continues to manage as poorly as he has been, this team is finished - once again - David Wright 2 more hits - including a double, batting over .500 for over 10 games is batting 7th in the line-up. What the f@#$ does that kid need to do to move up? Maybe if he hit .800 for three weeks he would?
These decisions directly cost us games like these - look at the box score - Floyd, Piazza and Anderson left a combined 8 runners on base - Wright left NONE! Why because he never batted with anyone on!!!! You all can skewer Minky all you want, but I tell you Floyd is killing us! His average has dropped over 100 points in the past three weeks! WHy is he and Piazza hitting ahead of Wright!?!?
As far as I am concern Willie Randolph is a Yankee spy who has come to the Mets to destroy the team and we should send him back!
I can’t believe we were actually over .500 late in May.
“Yeah that’s a lot of meat.”
If Anaheim trade’s Kotchman for Piazza or Floyd their idiot’s,keep dreamin homeboy. They HAVE to move wright up the order to third tomorrow, call up royce ring and put heilman back in the rotation for the future.If piazza keeps hitting like this they have to atleast consider sitting him down because runner’s walk to the next base now,whos going to trade ANY player in the minors for a washed up catcher?
Damn sweetlaw you on your period or something man?Lets not get crazy,did you expect to win in atlanta?
If you can, raise the white-flag and try and trade Floyd, Piazza, Glavine and Ishii. Get what you can for them and do it immediately before their value comes down any further. Get some nice prospects, relief and possibly young hitters who may be able to duo with Diaz/Mientkiewicz.
There are too many moves within the organization itself that can be and need to be made. It’s not even worth thinking about it now.
Can Victor Diaz catch?
Matt, can you elaborate? I’m a little curious what you think should be done. (Serious, not saying this in a smart-ass kinda way)
Zambrano came up as a SS before converting to a pitcher. Maybe we can put him at 2B?
Matt, can you elaborate? I’m a little curious what you think should be done. (Serious, not saying this in a smart-ass kinda way)
Sure. I’m sort of looking at the picture with what the Mets currently have.
David Wright is 11th in the Major Leagues (9th in NL) in OPS. Never again in his Major League career should he bat behind Marlon Anderson, Chris Woodward or Doug Mientkiewicz. I would bat Wright leadoff starting tomorrow and put Reyes second.
At least one of Zambrano and Ishii needs to be moved to either the bullpen or Norfolk. I’ll settle for one now - just as long as it gets Heilman back into the rotation for another chance to properly evaluate his progress.
Eric Valent is below replacement level as a fourth (mostly fifth) outfielder. He needs to go. Who cares if he has no options left? He’s left-handed and won’t play for Floyd on days he sits out against lefties. He’s absolutely worthless for the 2005 Mets.
Manny Aybar may be good as a long man, but you want to talk about a waste of a roster spot? He can pitch when the Mets are comfortably behind. The past week, we saw that he can’t even throw effectively with the Mets comfortably ahead. Why do you save a roster spot for that?
Mike DeJean has been the most ineffective reliever for the Mets in 2005. They need to cut their losses while they can with him. There’s no replacement in Norfolk that exactly jumps off the page, but Juan Padilla has been extremely effective as the closer.
The pitching staff should stay at 12 as a cushion for Willie’s lack of knowledge on how to manage a bullpen. They need two lefties to save Randolph from misusing Koo, who ideally should never pitch to a righty again. Royce Ring should still be on the team and deserves a spot in the pen as the second lefty.
Carlos Beltran’s doctors have told him to rest for three weeks. He won’t do it. For all of our sakes, put him on the disabled list. Recall Diaz to take his spot.
Stick with Mientkiewicz for now, but only because he is the lone option at first. Never move him from the eight hole (even if it means batting Kaz seventh) and pinch-hit for him late in the game. Willie took a step in the right direction tonight when he did just that. Doug has 0.9 defensive Win Shares in 2005. Nothing special, nothing terrible. Replaceable in the late innings.
Move Petit up to Norfolk immediately. Someone in the Game Chatter suggested bringing him up for a spot in the bullpen on the big club, but I wouldn’t have him skip AAA just yet. His K/BB ratio is once again spectacular, but the HR/AB is a bit disconcerting. Move him to Norfolk and prep him for a call-up later on in the 2005 season (before September).
Food for thought. Not over by any stretch, but the Mets have a plethora of flaws that have been fully exposed in the last four excruciating days. Extremely disappointing that they’ve been playing with a roster of 25 guys that is not the best the organization can put together.
Thanks Matt (wow, that was like getting a free article!). Here’s a few addendums I’d like to add myself.
One thing that really irks me is the brass saying everyone’s job is set in the bullpen as their reasoning for not bringing up Strickland. Ummmm… hello?! DeJean job in the bullpen must consist of eating butt, cause that’s all he seems to do. I’d much rather take a flier on Strick the next few weeks to have him get to speed than keep relying on DeJean out there.
Willie’s lineups. Cairo bats second every game he plays in, while Matsui bats eigth with similar stats. And the (mis)use of Wright is starting to get quite bothersome. “He’s a baby.” Then what the hell is Jose Reyes that allows him to sit at the top of the lineup every god damn game?!
I can deal with keeping Heilman in the bullpen for now… But maybe they might wanna think about, you know… actually using him? Just maybe?
Bleh… this team is very hard to root for sometimes.
And the (mis)use of Wright is starting to get quite bothersome. “He’s a baby.” Then what the hell is Jose Reyes that allows him to sit at the top of the lineup every god damn game?!
Absolutely. Very well put… I’ve heard that Wright has to “earn his chops” or something like that. When did Reyes earn his to get the leadoff spot?
Kotchman would look really nice at first… but I’d be surprised if the Angels did anything like that. They do need another bat, though, so maybe there could be something with that.
Without a doubt, this has been the absolute best posting on this blog yet. And even better is that I agree with virtually every opinion here.
Shades of Art Howe reared horribly in tonight’s blowout. (Yes, despite a mere 3-0 score, it had the feeling of a hopeless situation.) Willie’s horrible, pointless management of the bullpen tonight was vintage Howe —
* why the heck did he pull Heilman with two out in the 7th???
* Why is Zambrano even in the rotation, when Heilman has demonstrated his resurrection this season?
* Why is Wright batting #7 and Reyes batting leadoff? And why isn’t Reyes being ordered to do 20 push-ups every time he pops a ball in the air, or swings for the fences, making his speed worthless?
* Why is Cameron batting #3?
* Why isn’t Beltran on the 14-day DL? And since he batted today, knowing full well he couldn’t run, the move can no longer be retroactive. Kirk Gibson he ain’t.
And here I thought we were finally looking forward to a good team. Instead, I see nothing but the Ghost of Art Howe. Brrrr.
Yeah, I’m frustrated too.
It’s still early to give up, but, if the Mets decided to dump some payroll, free up some $$$ to spend on free agents, and give some prospects a chance to play, I would try to trade Cameron because he’s at his peak right now, and its better to sell high while a player is performing above what’s expected. Many other teams are rumored to have interest in Cameron. Try to package Cameron with a second player that’s harder to move (Piazza, Glavine, Matsui, Aybar, DeJean, Valent, etc.)and if another team will take a player + Cameron, make it obvious that taking two or more players improves the odds of acquiring Cameron.
Great stuff here. The most important item is Beltran. DL him immediately. Let him give up three weeks now to become Carlos Beltran, rather than have him be ineffective for the rest of the season - and possibly do some lasting damage.
I can add one thing that nobody has mentioned - Jeff Keppinger. He’s batting .347 in Norfolk, playing second base. He’s got 12 walks in 176 ABs, but only 9 Ks. He doesn’t have much HR power (2 homers), but he’s got 10 doubles and 3 triples.
Lead-off hitting second baseman?
I agree with much of what Matt had to say, I just cannot understand why it is so difficult for the Mets organization to see some of the same things. Some are just completely obvious, why do they think they are smarter than everyone else or know something that no one else knows. Can’t they just rely on the facts and what they can see right in front of them?! A 6-year old could figure out that Marlon Anderson should never be batting before David Wright. I absolutely love the idea of Wright batting 1st. The misuse of the hot hand in Heilman is troublesome as well. Just doesn’t make any sense. I also am in agreement on Aybar, he brings absolutely nothing to the table. The one thing I do not agree on is Mike Dejean. I believe that he has pitched better recently and at least has a history of success that warrants still getting a chance. The history on Zambrano and Ishii is not as impressive as they have struggled with control their entire careers. Ishii was brought in to replace Trachsel but Heilman has proven that for now he can do it so Ishii is useless. If Heilman were to falter then Seo is hot as well. Banish Zambrano to the bullpen and tell him to get his shi* together.
One other thing I disagree on is giving up. As Met fans we all have the right to be frustrated but let’s relax a little. They are one game under .500 and that could really go either way. It is not like the Braves and Marlins are so dominating that the Mets should just give up. A little tinkering, getting everyone healthy and they are right back in it. If they go on a 5 game winning streak right now you all will be saying how the Mets can win the division. The season is a marathon boys not a sprint. Things can turn around.
No I am not having a period (post #5) but my wife is, maybe its contagious!
As far as Matt’s post #11, I agree with most of it, but I think you missed a couple of things.
1) DeJean has only given up an earned run in 4 out of 22 appearances - which is pretty damn good. His ERA is high becuase he gave up 4 in his first appearance and 3 one other time. He has been better than most think, I do not think we have a better in house candidate - the problem has been his use. He should not be relyed on as a set-up man. (Again Wille Randolph is a crappy manager).
2) Just as you do not hit you best hitter 7th, you do not hit your best hitter lead-off either. Did anyone else notice how much better Reyes was hitting with Cammy batting in the two-hole? Does anyone thing it a coincidence that Reyes immediately cooled off when Cammy moved to third?
Also, in the two spot, whenever Reyes gets on, Cammy will see a lot of fastballs - he is one of the best fastball hitters in the line-up. And for those of you point to his strike-outs, also note that he will walk about 70 times a season (way more than Kaz).
Besides, with the highest slugging and the most extra base hits, Wright should be hitting cleanup (with Beltran 3rd w/o). Tell me who wouldn’t salivate over a Reyes-Cammy-Beltran-Wright line-up there is so much speed and power in that first four it is unbelievable.
3) I think Victor’s past two performances indicate that he has turned the corner - he deserved to win last night - which is Wright had been batting 3rd or clean-up, he might have (see post #2). Ishii is too damn streaky and needs to be moved in a trade or to the pen - cut our loses and build for the future.
4) Dougy looks to be turning the corner also - hang with him, and he will get back to .250-260, which I will take.
And not as a response to Matt, but in general, I think we need to ban any calls for Cairo to play over Kaz - if the past week hasn’t convinced you, you need the same damn therapy as Willie.
And too show you haw desperate I am about the very rapidly slipping away season —
FREE BOBBY V!!!!!!
Article in KC said Bobby would listen if they called. He has taken that last place team to first place btw. I see red every time I see Steve Phillips.
Last night’s 0-3 loss saw the Mets’s 4&5 hitters go 0 for 8 with 3 strikeouts.
Absolutely unacceptable.
I never was on the Piazza whipping bandwagon, but I am now convinced. Homeboy is done, finished, kaput, broken. He has fallen off the great catcher’s cliff in the sky. Too bad we don’t have any decent backups who can ameliorate this hole in the lineup and defense. Where’s Goggles now? (.287/.341/.418 in LA, that’s where)
I’d sooner keep zambrano in the rotation than Ishii. When Kaz 2.0 walked the opposing pitcher with the bases loaded… he lost any and all credibility in my eyes. Double ugh. Give Heilman Ishii’s spot already. It’s painfully obvious that Heilman deserves to be in the rotation. The key word there being ‘painful’.
Jae-Wong Seo is a AAAA pitcher. Hot at the moment maybe, but over-rated. Look at his career numbers; anything he’s doing this year makes you suspect plexi-glass aberration. In other words, he’s perfect trade bait. Ship him off with Cameron.
As I’ve already said, why is a team with an over 100 million $ payroll that’s expected (by its fans, at least) to compete, living with a manager who’s learning on the job? The setting of lineups (Wright hitting 7th, behind Mr. Automatic Out), and use of the bullpen (40-year old R. Hernandez pitching 4 or 5 days in a row), are almost comical sometimes. I haven’t given up on Reyes, but he needs, at the very least, to be moved to 7th or 8th in the order, maybe even sent down for awhile. Mientkiewicz is a double play machine, and always seems to hit into one at the worst possible time. Zambrano has to be sent down or put into long relief. As far as listening to trade offers, the only people I would consider untouchable (on the current major league roster) are: Beltran, Wright…that’s it. Anybody else should be up for grabs, if the price is right. I’m not saying trade everybody and give up on this team for the next five years, but make any trade that could make them better for next year, because this current team is going nowhere.
Truth be told, we are not a legit playoff contender.
I say play to win, but build for next year at the same time. This team has a few solid pieces to build on, specifically: Wright, Reyes, Heilman, Bell, Diaz, Beltran, Pedro, and Benson. That said, to think that one is lost down in AAA and one is a starting pitcher lost in the bullpen, means that 2/8 of our future is being under utilized and underdeveloped, which is underexeptable.
Players who we should look to move if at all possible: Floyd, Piazza, Glavine, Ishii, Zambrano, Matsui, DeJean, Valent, and Aybar (the last two can be cut today for all I care). Can we honestly say that any of these players will be on Mets playoff team in 2006 or 2007. No. Any package of 2 or 3 for a young catcher, first baseman, and/or starting pitcher would be a plus. Your telling me there aren’t teams out there that wouldn’t love a starting lefty or a DH?
I guess the biggest problem is that the aforementioned tradeable players are all playing like crap. The only player that we could really get a value for is Cameron, who for the right price should be moved.
In my opinion, this is the team that the Mets should be fielding (health aside), and one that could at least be an f-in game below .500:
1 - Minky
2 - Keppinger
SS - Reyes
3 - Wright
OF - Diaz, Beltran, and Cameron
C - Piazza
Bench - Cairo, Woodward, Anderson, Castro, and Floyd
SP - Pedro, Benson, Heilman, Seo, and Glavine
Pen - Looper, Hernandez, Ishii, Bell, Ring, Koo, and who ever else can be called up from Norfolk.
And Ishii and Koo are ONLY allowed to face leftys.
I think part of the growing frustration is that the fans no with minor tweaks this team could be much better and compete in a very down-cycled division.
But on the other hand, we all know that this team will be much more of a world series challenger next season. I can understand the need to keep Floyd, Zambrano and Ishii in their current roles to hope they can hit a hot streak and generate trade interest. If Floyd starts hitting like he did a month ago in June - teams will be beating the door down to trade for him.
Maybe that is what Omar is thinking — but it still does not excuse Willie crappy managing and decision making. My 10 month old son could fill out a better line-up card!
Great Reading, guys!! As soon as Omar sent goggles for Ishii I knew it was a panic move. I agree to get Petit his AAA inings, then call him up later on. Zambrano was a SS? he cant even throw to 3rd. And Piazza NEVER was an athlete, and is declining FAST, I’m surprised no one stole home off him. I agree, time for a big lineup shake up 1-8.
You guys rock!! Keep it up. -Ray
I don’t think they’re a playoff team, but I *do* think they’re capable of hanging around throughout most of the summer.
BUT - this team needs a healthy Beltran to carry them in the WORST way. It’s no coincidence that the offense reverted back to 2001-2004 form without him. I know he’s injured and there’s not much you can do about that, but we’re paying Beltran a fair amount of money to be The Guy. We need dividends on that investment - and soon.
After watching a couple of innings of Braves games the last three nights, I kept getting this feeling that there was no way the METS were going to win any of the games. That’s pretty sad. A team that I hoped would be entertaining, makes me so aggravated that I want to stop watching them. I have been a huge METS fans for over 30 years, but this is one frustrating team. This team does test your allegiance. While there have been some bright spots, (Pedro, Wright), lately the team has been non-exciting. I don’t know if it is the combination of aging players and a rookie manager, or just stupidity on the way this team is being managed. Zambrano should be sent to the “pen.” Hielman should be see more action. Piazza has seen better days and Looper is a loss waiting to happen. While it may be a toss up between Kaz and Cairo, I say move Kaz if you can get some pitching in return. The same is true with Cameron. I think all of the posters here have made great points, to which most I agree. I think the one thing that we all share is a big case of anxiety right now. This team has some very good players, but as with any good jigsaw puzzle, the major objective is to get all the pieces to fit together. Willie is a good man, we just need to give him time to develop. Maybe the baseball Gods are just trying to test our patience.
I agree with all the points made here. My feeling on Randolph is that he is managing the Mets the way Torre manages the Yankees. The Yankees have stars throughout their lineup and such a potent offense that Torre can be patient with players that are in a funk. Willie learned from Torre to be patient and stick with a plan. But Willie is not managing the Yankees. He is managing a seriously flawed team. He has to deal with Piazza being over the hill, he has to deal with Minky not having hit since he hit .300 with Minnesota two years ago, he has to deal with the fact the Cameron and Floyd are notoriously streak hitters and he has to deal with various issues of both the starting pitchers and bull pen. Willie clearly doesn’t seem to want to make waves with the front office. So expect Ishii and possibly Zambrano to stay in the rotation. Omar traded Strickland when Omar was the GM for the Expos so I didn’t think he was going to make much of an effort to hold on to him now. There just seems to be so many issues with this club now from Beltran not being put on the DL, the reluctance to make changes to the bull pen, the reluctance to embarrass Piazza by dropping him below Wright, etc., etc. If this flux continues I can see this club dropping to the bottom of the division.
I can’t believe how hysterical everyone has become …… get a hold of yourselves for cyin’ out loud. Guys, relax, we’re not even in June yet - this is no time to be talking about dismantling the team or waving the white flag. I just think this is a frustrating week of baseball here - the yankees series, followed by the sweep in Atlanta. But let’s get a grip guys, there’s a lot of baseball to be played - the Met’s have had to deal witht here share of injuries and frankly some bad breaks - but let’s see how this thing plays out.
is anyone in the media asking why wright isnt batting higher? forget batting above Piazza (which I think should be done) how about batting above Minky or Anderson? It just seems so obvious especially the way Wright is hitting. the lack of SB’s from Beltran tell me something has been wrong with him all year and he played the first 40 games so im sure he has pride and doesnt want to let the fans down and i think the reason they didnt DL him was because they thought he might be available for a game or two in either the Atlanta or Florida series but they were wrong so now for the good of the team long and short term…sit him down and call up Diaz. Diaz has proven himself a capbable replacement. The way they are treating Heilman, I hate to say it but he smells like trade bait. somebody earlier was mentioning what value does an aging catcher have, i do think Piazza would have some value as a DH, i think he would hit better if he didnt have to catch all the time and you wouldnt have to worry about his defense. the only question is what would you put to replace him, nothing that enticing. i think piazza isnt hitting where he should but he still is a threat to go deep or smack a double and thats more than any replacement. the mets shouldnt panic. wait a month and assess it then. this is a streaky both with hitters and wins (look at the start of the season, look at now). they are so frustrating because they have shown some flashes of being a really good ball club. when you think of all the injuries and position changes, they really are doing ok. willie can be extremely frustrating at times but i think its too early to panic. keep in mind, it was the bad end of the rotation vs. the braves, i think they can split with the marlins. ultimately, i think this team will flirt with wild card and end up at or just above .500. we all know next year is key, they are stuck between wanting to compete now with some aging veterans and costly decisions from the past and going with youth and competing for the future. i think the delgado decision was a key component to them not contending this year, they needed one more bat. take that and trachsel going down and youve got a recipe for frustration. keep in mind there has to be some pressure to fill the seats and keep the team competitive. if they give up and rebuild, fans will stay away in droves. we’re 4 days removed from one of the biggest series draws in shea stadium history and you know why that happened? cuz the mets were competitive with the yanks. we all need a little patience. i think as frustrating as some of the decisions are and as obvious as they are to us now (Wright batting order, Aybar on the team, Zambrano/Valent in the ML’s, Ishii, Minky etc.) all that will become even obvious to the manager at some point. As bad as it is (and this last 5 days was the worst), its not as bad as last year when there was no hope or future.
awesome discussion here.
i’m a little surprised no one has talked about piazza’s defense (or lack thereof) yet. i think it was 5 stolen bases for the braves last night? with that kind of track record, it’s open season for any team with speed. you throw a combination of zambrano’s walks and piazza’s defense and it’s like guaranteed manufactured runs for anyone who gets the leadoff runner on in any given inning.
any thoughts?
Matt, well-written post (like a free article, but they’re all free…). One thing I’m not sure I agree with — why does everyone think Ring is the best option as the second lefty in the pen? He’s supposedly got good stuff, ok, but his performance record has never been as good as Blake McGinley’s, and it’s not as good this year, either.
I’d be a little more cautious with Petit, too. Remember, he’s not a “stuff” guy; he makes his living on deception and hiding the ball. That seems like the kind of guy I’d want to go through a league a couple times just to make sure that the hitters aren’t figuring him out, before I move him up a level. I’d probably bring up Keppinger to see what he can do.
I’d agree that I’d try to move Floyd or Piazza now, and try to get guys who are close to ready or already in the majors. Adam Kennedy would be a nice upgrade, if a small one, at 2B. Placido Polanco, too. I wouldn’t move Cameron unless I got blown away by a GM overreacting to his early-season performance. Newsday has Omar on record calling Cameron a “core player”, for whatever that’s worth.
BP’s latest adjusted standings have the Mets in second, two adjusted games behind the Marlins. Most of it is that huge difference between runs allowed and equivalent runs allowed — basically, the Mets’ pitching has been giving up their walks/hits in bunches. Some of that is luck, and some of it is poor managing (leaving the starter in too long, bringing in the wrong reliever, etc.). Expectations now should be pretty much what they were at the beginning of the season: this is probably a .500 team or slightly better, and if everything breaks right, could be in the race.
It’d be helpful, though, if the front office and the manager could at least try and help things break the right away by putting the best players on the field.
By the way, Strickland is now a free agent, but Dejean is still on the team. Mystifying.
It seems as if enough of us agree on issues. Lets pitch in and take out the Wilpons.
Let’s be honest, the nature of these blogs is to over analyze all details of the topic team and jump the gun on important moves.
Yes, the Mets have shown glimpses of being an entertaining, competative, exciting team, with loads of upside.
Yes, the Mets are saddled with a handful of aging (fast) key position players and are at the mercy of their declining skills.
Yes, we are watching day-by-day what it looks like to learn how to manage a big league ball club.
And yes, going 1-5 against are two biggest rivals compounds everything 100-fold.
But, lets all say it together - The 2005 Mets are not, and were never, going to win the 2005 World Series. OK, now that we have that off the table, doesn’t it feel better. (yea, yea, shut-the-f-up, Dr. Phil).
But we have David Wright - can you remember the last time we had a homegrown kid living up to expectations (Gregg Jeffries), if not exceeding them (Doc). And since the topic has been beat into the ground here already and no one has tossed out this idea - maybe, just maybe, Willie (being a former major leaguer, which sorry to say none of us are) knows that a 22-year-old kid in his first year of full-time play and on the hottest tear of his short career, might not benefit yet from the added pressure of being moved to the top of the line-up, let alone clean-up.
Also, we have Jose Reyes, who is 21-years-old, finally running healthy and playing the position he was born to play.
Yeah, it KILLS me too when those kids committ errors, but it comes with the territory. I have posted before, they will both, very soon, be starting for the NL All Star team for years to come.
Admitedly, our pitching situation at times begs for a quick and painless death. What compounds my frustration, if not all of ours, is this underlying fear that every Pedro start wasted is one less down the road. At 32, he could play out his 4-year contract healthy, but I think we all question that and, hence, are forced into a “this year or bust” mentality.
A bright spot, though it feels like we haven’t seem him on the bump in forever, is Looper. Since his second appearance of the year (April 9), he’s 10/11 (9/9 since April 16) in saves, given up 2 ER (ignoring the 2 he gave up to PHI, but still managed the save), walked only 2, and pitching with confidence, at least he was. When was the last time we had a 9th inning save opportunity for him, you may ask, well that would be May 17 (or, once in the last 11 games!)
Let’s take 3/4 from FLA!
Matt, well-written post (like a free article, but they’re all free…). One thing I’m not sure I agree with — why does everyone think Ring is the best option as the second lefty in the pen? He’s supposedly got good stuff, ok, but his performance record has never been as good as Blake McGinley’s, and it’s not as good this year, either.
It is an interesting dilemma. Blake’s numbers have been killed by the Tides using a reliver as the fifth starter every so often this year. Five starts out of 13 games that he’s appeared in. The K/BB ratio is still decent and he’s been the victim of a boatload of unearned runs. A ton of HR allowed too.
I suppose the allure around RR would be because he came over in the Alomar deal, but also due to his sudden resurgence in 2005. Sure we’re looking at a small sample size, but the control has come back and he hasn’t allowed a HR yet this year.
Both are viable options. Ring is on the 40, which makes his recall much easier, but both deserve shots.
“I don’t just go with stats and stuff”
Willie Randolph.
Ok, so if he doesn’t go with stats, what kind of standard is he using to make these ridiculous lineup decisions? One thing is for sure, its not quality of ABs or quality of hitters.
I think its evident to everyone that this is not a playoff team. The sooner the Mets realize this, the better. A sweep by the Marlins, for example, wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. Am I rooting against the Mets? Never. But I’d rather lose this week than wonder why we traded the next Scott Kazmir for the next Victor Zambrano. If I’m Omar, I’m definitely exploring what teams would be willing to offer for Floyd, Looper, Cameron, Hernandez, etc. Obviously, the Mets don’t need to engage on a firesale, but if a team is willing to offer a guy who could be part of the next Mets’ playoff team, there is no reason not to do that trade. Sure, the team could stand pat and do nothing, but what’s the point of doing that?
With Pierre and Castillo (if healthy) patrolling the basepaths tonight, it could get very ugly with Mrs. Sam Champion behind the dish. The organization is still starting Zambrano because of how embarrassing it would be to demote the guy that Tight Pants Peterson could fix in 10 minutes. The main problem internally is that everyone is mediocre or worse…it’s not like Jeff Keppinger is an outright stud that needs a shot, all these guys are fringe prospects at best. Willie has some interesting lineups but lets not forget that we dont exactly have a juggernaut lineup and pitching staff to work with here.
When the Mets opened the season by getting swept — everyone freaked out. But they bounced back. Let’s calm down folks. The Mets were a couple of plays away from sweeping the Yankees — but they didn’t. That is what happens with young teams and the players who made mistakes in that series were guys like Wright and Reyes. It is no surprise to me that the offense tanked with Beltran out — he is the type of player that they have not had in awhile that makes everyone around him better. You have to pitch to someone. Floyd and Cammy benefited from that. I am not his doctor so I dont know about him on the DL. All of that having been said some moves are just automatic at this stage:
Valent = gone.
Diaz = up. That switch is a no brainer.
Drop Aybar and bring up Daubach and let him play first from time to time and see if that helps the offense stay steady.
Get Heilman in the rotation for Ishii.
Bat Wright third with Beltran out and second with Beltran back.
Done
It is only June — time for tweaking not panicing.
Where’s Goggles now? (.287/.341/.418 in LA, that’s where)
Who cares where he is now, it’s not like he would have really played anyway with Willei as the managing the way he does.
Problem: Mikey looks completely listless and confidence-free at the bat and behind the plate.
Solution: Let Mikey grew the beard back, Willie!!!
It’s the same thing every year, give the young players time, let the manager learn how to manage; it’s getting old. Teams with 100 mil. payrolls shouldn’t have to wait for their manager to learn. Wright will become a very good if not great player, but Reyes is still worrying me, and even at his best, he’s not a lead-off hitter. Not to mention that, for as fast as he is, he seems pretty easy to double-up (two just last night). Anyone who thinks this team is close to being a serious Series contender is just a little too optimistic. With the exception of that small window from ‘98-2000, this team has sucked for nearly 20 years, so why should I believe that we’re just a few pieces away? Another thing that won’t help is this teams stubborn belief that they’re “in the race” until they’re about 30 back in the wild card. We all know that if they are even possibly in the wild card hunt at the end of July, that they will pillage the farm system to add another over-rated guy like Zito or Urbina. I will always be a Met fan, but it’s getting damn hard.
to me its pretty simple, if beltran is out and floyd, piazza, and minky are struggling with the bat, the mets are going to lose. the pitching has been that bad. the lack of offense lately from those three killed them. “If I’m Omar, I’m definitely exploring what teams would be willing to offer for Floyd, Looper, Cameron, Hernandez, etc” sounds like a firesale to me. they are 5 games out. if he starts trading people now, it would seem like a panic move. dont do anything hastily, its freaking june…. dont trade for someone hastily or trade someone hastily. its not finger on the trigger time folks. “maybe Willie (being a former major leaguer, which sorry to say none of us are) knows that a 22-year-old kid in his first year of full-time play and on the hottest tear of his short career, might not benefit yet from the added pressure of being moved to the top of the line-up, let alone clean-up.” then why does it work for 21 year old reyes??? and aside from the thought of batting wright leadoff, would moving him up to at least 6th increase all that much pressure?
also i havent seen anything this year from pedro which makes me think that he wont be competitive next year and that this year is win or else without him. i dont agree with that at all. thank god the mets have pedro this year, think what they would be without him! two notes on willie good and bad from the ny post today….
about Beltran’s pinch hit, he said “He didn’t hurt himself any more, so that’s good,” if you are saying that, its time to put someone on the DL. Beltran also said he was running at less than 50%. call up diaz and ice carlos until he’s 80%, 90% so he can be carlos when he gets back.
also i previously criticized randolph for the decision to sit floyd in a streak. i guess i was wrong, i stand corrected….
Cliff Floyd entered last night in a 7-for-60 slump, a funk that began right after he didn’t play on May 5 despite having a 20-game hitting streak. But Randolph said yesterday that while “according to certain people, I put him in the slump because I sat him down,” in reality Floyd did not play that day “because he said his leg was bothering him. “Why would I give a guy with a 20-game hitting streak a day off?” Randolph said. Floyd went 0-for-4 last night. His average, which was at .391 before this slump, is down to .272
ps i meant the last few days, the pitching HASNT been that bad
I honestly think Wille keeps batting Wright behind Minky et al because he’s about the only hitter in the lineup right now who can provide some protection. Imagine what kind of pitches the bottom 3rd of a Minky/Matsui/Pitcher lineup are going to see. That said, it’s still senseless. Wright needs to hit 2nd, 5th (if you can demote Piazza again) or 6th. He’d be a great leadoff hitter, but we need his bat to drive in runs.
Seo a AAAA pitcher? I don’t think so. I admit I am biased somewhat, but throw out the year Peterson f***ed with his motion against his will (last season) and you have a pitcher who was better than league average in his first season in the majors. By the way, he throws a cutter now. While he had previously just relied only on his control to get people out, know he’s striking out more than one batter per inning with Norfolk. For those of you who think that Peterson made Seo improve this season, Seo attributes his increasing K-rate to Tides pitching coach Dan Warthen, with whom he’s had a long-standing relationship, teaching him how to throw a cut fastball. This story is quite different from the Peterson-slider scenario proposed by many others, presumably a result of the PR spin by the Peterson camp. Moreover, Warthen reports that his phone’s been ringing off the hook from scouts who want info on Seo. It seems like their teams are getting ready to sucker Omar into a bad trade. Whoever thinks that Seo is worth trading for will know that he’s undervalued. As such, that GM will not overpay for Seo. I have to believe that Peterson remains the greatest obstacle to Seo’s promotion. It’s no secret there’s no love lost between them. It’s frustrating to know that this guy could win 12-15 games for the Mets per season but is being painted as a quadruple-A guy because of one bad season that was precipitated by Peterson’s power trip.
Definitely, calling Seo a AAAA guy is unfair. The guy obviously knows how to pitch, and deserves to be with the MLB club. Of course, that’ll never happen since Peterson is a complete jackass who continues to believe Ishii and Zambrano are better.
Peterson’s philosophy, it seems, is that pitchers should simply overpower hitters with Stuff (with a capital S). That’s what he tried to do with Seo in 2004; force him to throw harder with more breaking motion on his pitches. That’s when Seo’s control went to hell. Notice that when you throw out 2004, Seo has a 406-117 K-to-BB ratio in 568 innings as a professional (minors and majors). It would be laughable that some people think he has no concept of the strike zone because of 2004 if it weren’t sad. The guy is a control artist. He pounds the strike zone and walks very few people. I don’t know if anyone has noticed, but that’s one of the few Really (with a capital R) proven strategies in professional baseball. Pitching coaches like Maddux or Mazzone would absolutely love Seo’s style. Not Peterson. Just so that it’s clear that Peterson’s an all-around jackass, he’s the one who screwed up Heilman, too. Yup. Why did Heilman struggle so much the last few years? The Answer: The Mets made him throw overhand, which often results in more speed and motion on pitches but also is a harder motion to control. Does that sound like Peterson’s work (Answer:yes). While the press seems to think that the Mets made him throw three-quarters again, that was actually a decision Heilman made on his own. This is one of the reasons Seo respects Heilman and is not jealous of him being in the majors. In fact, Seo has insisted to the Korean press to stop being critical of Heilman because he feels like they are kindred spirits, having been victims of the same system. Yes, the Korean press has at times called Heilman nasty names, saying that he’s been Peterson’s white “monkey” who does what master tells him to do. Seo put a stop to that emphatically by saying that this was not true at all and that they’re all just chasing the same dream of being big league ballplayers. It’s a good thing Seo and Heilman are independent thinkers. Otherwise, Peterson might have ruined two perfectly fine assets of the Mets’ organization.
I believe that the Mets problems revolve around their commitment to playing guys because their salaries are high. Matsui keeps Keppinger down. Glavine has had it. Piazza is shot. But they make a lot of money so the team has not sought quality replacements and management insists they be thrown out there. There is no commitment to play the best 8 starteres or to have the best 25 in the clubhouse. As bad as Ishi has been, he did not have a stretch of futility like Glavine did. Neither has Zambrano. And we all know what Glavine’s second halves have looked like the last two seasons. Piazza is killing us behind the plate. Tie game late—do you want Piazza back there unable to throw out Carlos Delgado if he decides to run?
Also, he is keeping David Wright in the 6 or 7 hole.They just won’t let Piazza slip to 7 where he belongs in this batting order, if he belongs there at all. Finally Matsui, who I think has some offensive talent. He is our Ed Whitson. The fans brutalize him and he continues to fail defensively. He needs a change of scenery. But he was Wilpon’s sign so…..
Fact is, Glavine and Matsui were bad signings. Time to admit you were wrong, Mets Brass. If you don’t you pay Glavine 10 mil next year. I say swallow a chunk of the 10 mill this year and you still come out ahead. If you cannot trade him make damn sure he does not reach his innings option. Trade Matsui if humanbly possible. Promote Keppinger. He does not walk or strike out because he does not allow himself to be in the batter’s box for long but he is productive. And try to pick up a decent catcher who can split time with Piazza. Blasphemy? I know, but that is the way it is. Unlike Matsui and Glavine, Piazza was not a bad sign. But the brass knew he would be slipping by years 6 and 7 of his contract and they have sat around without a contingency plan all this time. I know they want to get Ramon Martinez in the off-season. But they need something now.
Great series of postings, especially Jim, Charlotte, and Chris from Boston. Let’s start from the premise that we’re not winning anything this year.
But even given that, even though mgmt has changed, it’s still like last year in that I don’t get where mgmt is looking to take this team. If they’re looking to play meaningful games later in the year, the roster makes no sense, b/c like everyone else has said, they’re not using the best available players.
I would rather look toward next year, when I think they can win. I agree that Beltran should bat 2nd, Wright 3rd, trade Floyd, bring up Diaz ASAP regardless, who cares if they lose Valent.
I don’t understand the fascination w/Cairo. Matsui has much more offensive talent and his fielding IS improving. Cairo’s a solid backup.
I’d be happy to dump Ishii. You have to admit Zambrano’s pitching fairly well lately. His stuff is great, so I can understand sticking w/him, especially since we’ve proven we’re not winning anything this year.
Heilman in the bullpen? Fine, but USE him and Bell as the guys supplementing Hernandez. Great point as to DeJean’s runs coming in a few games. I like his stuff, but he’s at the back of the bullpen b/c he gets behind the count on batters.
I have no problem trading one of Seo/Heilman/Traschel later in July to fill our needs, especially w/Humber/Petit/G. Hernandez coming on in the minors; let’s get next year’s catcher. Also, I like what someone said about bring up Daubach and dumping Aybar.
About Heilman:
Supposedly Peterson wanted to change his delivery last year but was afraid since it was a new team. I even read that here I believe.
I like Peterson more than most, so perhaps I’m just seeing what I want to see, but I thought I’d note that virtually all the guys from last year’s draft, from Humber on down, throw from a 3/4 arm slot. If Peterson really does have as much say in the organization as some believe, it seems strange not to give him at least some credit for converting Heilman back to a 3/4 arm slot.
More on topic, it’s interesting to note that BP currently has the Mets at an adjusted record of 28-21 (mostly due to a huge adjustment in runs allowed), best in the NL, with a 40% chance of making the playoffs. I’d expect those numbers to regress somewhat after facing Willis and Beckett, but I don’t think this team is dead, not by a long shot.
Of course, I said this last year too, and apparently the Mets management took note right before the trade deadline, so being in adjusted-contention might not be the best thing ever…
so after winning the first 3 from Florida, are you panickers still wanting a firesale?
Only the combination of Jeff Wilpon and the laughingstock that is Rick Peterson could have made the decision that it would be OK to have both Zambrano AND Ishii in the same rotation. The “braintrust” that has empowered Peterson to make major decisions for the team, is now seeing the results of Peterson’s out of control ego, which must have reared its head when they acquired Ishii and claimed to be able to “fix” his problems too. 10 minutes are up. So is the myth that Hudson and Mulder needed anything from Peterson in Oakland.
So is the myth that Hudson and Mulder needed anything from Peterson in Oakland.
Don’t be so sure.
Take a look at the dramatic decline in K/BB ratio for Mulder once he stopped working with Peterson.
2000 88K/65BB (rookie year)
2001 153K/51BB
2002 159K/55BB
2003 128K/40BB
2004 140K/83BB
2005 41K/19BB
Hudson’s decline isn’t as dramatic, but he did have a serious decline in innings pitched.
Neither of these pitchers have been able to take advantage of the transition to the NL by taking a big step forward, and neither pitcher went to a club that is substantially weaker defensively than Oakland (if not better defensively).
Zito has also been a totally different pitcher since Peterson left. This is the second year where his ERA is around a run and a half higher than in the Peterson years.
I haven’t seen the same Big Three since Peterson stopped working with them. And they all have nothing but positive things to say about him.
Maybe it’s a coincidence. But I’m not ready to kill him as a pitching coach. I can’t even say it’s impossible to figure out Zambrano on a total of 63.3 innings. Yes, I’d prefer Heilman in the rotation, but I also think Aaron’s a bit over his head. It’s not like he hasn’t had his share of poor starts this season, and he was far from spectacular in 2003 or 2004.
Note to everyone: You may not like Rick Peterson but he doesn’t make personnel decisions, HE IS A PITCHING COACH. so regardless of whether or not a coach says he can fix someone, he can’t pull the trigger. if he was the only one in the organization who felt that way, the deals wouldnt get done, plain and simple. so quit blaming him for decisions made by the GM. he is not the GM. you guys are all looking for a fall guy. If you fired him, I would gather you’d still have the same staff. I am sure he has input but he doesnt make the decision.
Wow, I love what everyone has to say here. I find myself nodding in agreement with most of you. Here are a few of my faves:
Deiseke: *Why is Wright batting #7 and Reyes batting leadoff? And why isn’t Reyes being ordered to do 20 push-ups every time he pops a ball in the air, or swings for the fences, making his speed worthless?*
D - could not agree more. Love the Major League reference there too ;). My boyfriend and I always say that he should be doing push ups after swinging in the dirt.
Ryan - *BUT - this team needs a healthy Beltran to carry them in the WORST way. It’s no coincidence that the offense reverted back to 2001-2004 form without him. I know he’s injured and there’s not much you can do about that, but we’re paying Beltran a fair amount of money to be The Guy. We need dividends on that investment - and soon.*
Ryan, I respectfully disagree with you here…sort of ;). I think the Mets managed to “battle” (sorry for the Howe-ism) fine w/o Beltran in the lineup…taking 3 of 4 from the Fish w/o him? I think that’s pretty commendable. I mean, not my preference or anything since I want Beltran back yesterday. But it’s a good sign this isn’t a one man team.
Which leads me to Eliot’s post: **The most important item is Beltran. DL him immediately. Let him give up three weeks now to become Carlos Beltran, rather than have him be ineffective for the rest of the season - and possibly do some lasting damage.** THAT is what I agree with. I’m willing to take one in the proverbial a$$ in order to have a 100% healthy Beltran with us again.
Oh I forgot one more! ! From Matt Gelb, *Food for thought. Not over by any stretch, but the Mets have a plethora of flaws that have been fully exposed in the last four excruciating days. Extremely disappointing that they’ve been playing with a roster of 25 guys that is not the best the organization can put together.*
The Mets, I’m sure most agree, have been EXTREMELY lucky b/c of the weak or tight (depending on how you look at it) teams in their own division. Promising that they took 3 out of 4 from Marlins, but losing two straight to the hated Squaws (Braves) is enough to make you scratch your head like…what exactly is driving this team?
What about free agents, I know that its a little early but I’d love for the mets to go out and get AJ Burnett, and Ramon Hernandez for next year.
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