Mets Fever

RSS Feed Homepage

Articles: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Tavarez wanted in
2008-05-27 03:24:00
There was a report that veteran pitcher Julian Tavarez wanted to play with the Mets. The 35 y/o right hander was DFA by the Red Sox and opted for free agency. Tavarez has a lifetime record of 84-71 with an ERA of 4.44. He can pitch in the rotation or out of the pen, if the Mets didn't have Tony Armas Jr. pitching so well in New Orleans I could see him being brought in as insurance but Vargas and Armas have that covered. Early today MLBTR reported that Tavarez was on the verge of signing with the Brewers.Bartolo Colon is a good friend of Julian Tavarez. He said his old buddy wants to pitch for the Mets. At least that would his first preference, but there's no indication yet whether the Mets or any other team are willing to sign the free agent righty. source Boston Globe
More About: Wanted

Heilman could go down
2008-05-27 02:49:00
Adam Rubin is reporting that the Mets are considering sending Heilman down. Rubin goes on to give some examples of struggling Mets pitchers who have been sent down and have success when they returned. While I'm sure Heilman would fight the assignment and it's still not clear whether he has an option or not, it would be the best thing for him. Muniz has looked very good in AAA, if there's one spot he struggles it's against left handed hitters. Posting late tonight and as I finish this Aaron pitches two very good innings in tonights game......Aaron Heilman's struggles may land him in the minors. Mets officials havediscussed demoting Heilman and replacing him with Triple-A closer Carlos Muniz, who had three scoreless appearances with the Mets in April, the Daily News has learned.source Daily News

At least their playing consistent.....bad that is
2008-05-26 02:27:00
Another loss and another painful game to watch, these games aren't even entertaining to watch. While I force myself to watch right up to the last pitch of each and every game that I can, I have to admit that once the other team is more then a two runs behind a part of me says "game over" and the players appear to react the same way. The Mets have come back after the sixth inning one time this year and generally don't put up much of a fight once they're behind. They will now head back home losing six of their last seven, five of those losses team has scored four or less and the team is 9-13 for the month of May. With six games left in the second month of the season the team most expects picked to win the division is two games under 500 and in fourth place ( 5.5 gms out).The Mets are playing uninspired and lackadaisical baseball, each day they find ways to lose games and with every new low we wonder if this is rock bottom only to be humiliated even further. This team needs a breath...
More About: Consistent

Unaffected come through again.....
2008-05-25 15:19:00
They can say all they want that the Sept. collapse is no longer a factor and that they've put it behind them, but the fact of the matter is that for a majority of the wins this years the major contributors have been players who weren't around in '07'. Of those players Ryan Church is the only one that's a difference maker, the others are role players who can't sustain a team. The corps of this team and the fans play/react like a scorned lover who try to put it behind them but each time something reminds them they react as if it's happening all over again. So were left with Angel Pagan, Brian Schneider, and Ryan Church carrying the team. Sure Beltran, Wright, Reyes and Delgado have had their games but not like they use to. Omar really needs to bring in a power hitting left fielder to compliment Church and with those two hitting maybe the rest will feed off them to finally come out of there doldrums..So onto yesterdays game, the Mets won and in doing so snapped a five game losin...

Couple Zeph's looking good; Armas & Pascucci
2008-05-25 00:20:00
Well Nick Evans is making Omar look like a genius by hitting three doubles in his first game and making a couple nice plays in the field. It still seems like a strange call-up and I'm not sure how much to expect from a guy coming straight up from AA. If Evans does slow down, Val Pascucci continues to rack hits in New Orleans. Pascucci not only has tremendous power numbers but has be clutch in the big spot. I like to see Tony Armas in the pen instead of Aaron Heilman, Armas had another quality start last night and could be used as a longman/ spot starter.Valentino Pascucci led the Pacific Coast League with 34 home runs in an All-Star season with the Albuquerque Isotopes last season. On Friday night, he used the long ball to beat his former team.For the second start in a row, Tony Armas held the opposition scoreless on two hits over seven innings. His nine strikeouts were a personal best this season, and tied the Zephyrs' team high. The veteran right-hander has thrown 15 consecutive...
More About: Couple , Good

Has Willie lost the clubhouse
2008-05-24 19:40:00
Bob Klapisch of the record reports on how the front office views Manger Willie Randolph. If his source is correct Willie's tenure is almost over and it sounds like they believe he has lost the clubhouse. Since it's become blatantly clear that Willie's on the hot seat the team hasn't exactly played intense baseball to show their support for their beleaguered leader. It looks like most would welcome a change. You can no longer tell people to move past the '07 collapse' because it was never stopped, this is simply a continuation of last year's team wide slump, last night is a perfect example of a team finding ways to lose and sitting back on their heels waiting for the shoe to drop. I think they need some new blood and direction to lead them out of this funk..........Some insiders believe it's already a lost cause, as one higher-up said, "I think Willie's being tuned out" by the players. As much as Randolph damaged his relationship with Fred and Jeff Wilpon with his comments a...
More About: Lost

Mets re-call Nick Evans
2008-05-24 06:59:00
I thought bringing up a third catcher was a strange move but the Mets have decided to recall AA first baseman Nick Evans . Evans is having a fine season, but it's only AA and I don't see how he fits into the big pitcher of helping the team. The Mets now have three reserve infielders in Easley, Tatis and Evans with only four outfielders. According to the Binghamton Press, the injury-ravaged Mets have called up first baseman Nick Evans from Double-A Binghamton. source NY Post
More About: Call

Anderson comes up lame
2008-05-24 05:28:00
Marlon Anderson attempted to beat out a ground ball and came up lame. Anderson left the game immediately and was replaced by Fernando Tatis. Initial reports were that Anderson has a strained hamstring, my guess is that he's heading to the disabled list. I felt the team needed to obtain an outfielder when Alou went down and now I think it's imperative. I was surprised when the Mets didn't recall Val Pascucci when Alou went down but now it's almost certain that he's coming up. The big right hander is hitting .293 with a .671 Slg. pct, but he's a defensive liability which leaves the team with one defensive replacement in Endy Chavez who is only batting .167 and hasn't looked the same since he injured his hammy last year. The Mets now have Beltran, Church, Chavez, Tatis, Easley and Pascucci (probably) for the outfield which tells me they need to make a move. Metsblog reported that Jose Valentin made a rehab start and hopefully he'll be replacing Casanova soon, the team doesn't ...
More About: Lame

The Kid campaigns
2008-05-24 04:12:00
You know it's getting bad when radio talk show hosts are spending an entire show on who will replace you and people are coming out of the woodwork to take your job. According to WFAN 660am Mike Francesca had a conversation at Yankee stadium last week with Keith Hernandez in which he indicated that he would accept the managers job if offered. Gary Carter actively campaigned today by calling the club and openly expressing his desires on a radio show. Omar flew into Colorado tonight which can't be a good sign for Willie, I say put him out of his misery and be done with the inevitable.Here’s a sample of what Carter said: “… The comments that David Wright made saying that, you know, there’s no spark, there’s no fire [on the Mets]. If anything I would love to bring that to the table because you know me, guys. I love the game, have a great passion for it and you know my enthusiasm and hopefully I would be able to bring that to maybe help turn that ball club around.”Continued ...
More About: Campaigns

Not even Johan could stop this.......
2008-05-23 06:01:00
Yes; the unthinkable happened, the Mets were swept by the Atlanta Braves in a four game series. The Mets were out scored by the Braves 29-9, they were beat in all aspects of the game. The Braves simply wanted it more, they out hustled and out preformed the Mets.Once again I'm left with the feeling that the Mets just don't care; no, none of us are mind readers but we can tell the difference between a team that is beat because they're inferior and a team that mails it in. They appear to play a sloppy, lackluster style of baseball with no desire to win or determination to over come adversity to win.Tonight, Johan took the mound and was solid into the seventh when he gave up three runs. The Mets played a sloppy defensive game and the only runs they scored were on back-to-back homeruns. For a team about to be swept by their division rivals, their manager is under fire and every single player is being scrutinized they really didn't put much of a fight up......I've heard a lot of peop...
More About: Stop

Rangers DFA German
2008-05-23 05:42:00
The Rangers made room in their pen by designating Franklyn German for assignment. The 28 y/o right hander has a decent ERA but has struggled when brought in with runners on base. If he was used as a middle reliever to say start the seventh it might help his effectiveness.The club made the move despite a low 2.08 ERA in 21⅔ innings. Relief ERA, however, can be a deceiving stat. The Rangers felt they couldn't trust German in close games because of a high rate of allowing inherited runners to score. And although he pitched a career-high 3 2/3 innings Tuesday, the team didn't think he had the ability to regularly give them the long innings needed from a long reliever. German had allowed 10 of 18 inherited runners (55.6 percent) to score. Among the 82 pitchers to have inherited at least 10 runners this season, German's percentage ranks 78th. source Dallas News

Who can we get for Heilman
2008-05-23 04:36:00
Earlier this week Adam Rubin reported that the Mets are shopping Aaron Heilman, the Mets are hoping someone still sees value in the embattled reliever as a starter. The Mets are looking to find a legitimate set-up man so that the still recovering Sanchez didn't have to carry the entire load. MLBTR has a few ideas as to what we could get for him;It seems that the best fit would be with a noncontending team that would switch Heilman back to starting. The Nationals (Jon Rauch), Reds (David Weathers), and Pirates (Damaso Marte, John Grabow) might have decent relievers available. Not sure if they'd have interest in Heilman, though.Additional teams that might be willing to deal Texas, Baltimore, San Diego, Colorado and San Francisco.

Casanova back.....Why ?
2008-05-23 03:06:00
Raul Casanova did a decent job as the back-up catcher when Ramon Castro was down to start the year but that doesn't justify why he would be brought up with Alou going on the DL. The Mets need a right handed bat and Casanova can provide that but only as a pinch hitter. The team now has three players for one position and none of them can play an alternative position. It's a questionable move when you only carry a five man bench and Easley is gone on leave for his son's graduation. Especially with 1B/OF Val Pascucci hitting .291 with a .646 Slg. pct., the right hander could help in the outfield, give Delgado a day off and provide a power righty bat. If it turned out that he can't hit major league pitching, then Pagan should be returning soon and at least the team wouldn't have redundant positional players.The Mets have officially placed Alou on the DL and activated Casanova. source Daily News
More About: Back

Alou on the DL Again !!!
2008-05-23 01:14:00
Moises Alou is a tremendous hitter and if he could have stayed healthy he might have been a hall of Famer. But Alou's health has been his Achilles heel, he has played all out for so long that his body simply can't take it anymore. I was all for the Alou signing, I felt that his bat was the best available right hander and that it was worth the health risk. I was wrong, Alou's body has betrayed him and I just don't think we can rely on him any longer. After several games of spring training he was out for two months with a hernia and just 14 gms ( 47 AB) into his return he's on the DL with a calf strain. I hope he returns but I think the team needs to make a move and pick-up a full time left fielder with Alou becoming a role player if and when he returns. It might mean the end of Neise's time in the Mets organization. Nady of course will be the obvious name but here's another intriguing alternative, Milton Bradley. Texas will be a seller and Bradley is being used as a DH and bac...

Randolph in trouble with ownership & not for the double header
2008-05-21 12:27:00
The funny thing is that Willie may find himself unemployed soon and while most of us would welcome a managerial change for whats taken place on the field that might not be what brings it about. The Wilpon's and their squeaky clean image, over the years have shuffled people out for much less inflammatory comments then Willie's "of the cuff" remarks. It's funny that he linked himself to Isaiah because in fans eyes this teams lackluster performance and his profound managerial moves are very similar. If Chris Benson can be moved for his wife's comments, I'm sure Willie's aren't sitting well with an owner who made a rotunda named after Jackie Robinson.I have been writing for awhile now that I couldn't see them firing Randolph. However, I've been told ownership is really hacked off at him on this race thing. Of all teams, the Mets are the most up front when it comes to this issue. But, what Randolph said is insulting. And, the stuff about SNY. Reminds of Captain Queeg (Bogie) ...
More About: Double , Header

I guess building on something is too much to ask
2008-05-20 20:58:00
The Mets marched through their crosstown rivals and everybody started talking about them finally turning the corner. Everything was working right the offense, defense and pitching. Except for Willie sticking his foot in his mouth, there was a day off in which everybody felt positive for once. The one thing Mets fans have been looking for is the team to build on their success and not just stay in neutral. What a better way to do it then with John Maine on the mound, while facing Tom Glavine who is just coming off the DL which should have made the change-up difficult to throw.It started great the Mets got a HR off Luis Castillo, then two straight hits and a walk. The Mets had bases loaded with one run in, one out and Glavine on the ropes. But then as if someone turned off a switch the Mets who played the Nationals returned. Both Moises Alou and Carlos Delgado recorded outs without getting a run home. I wished they kept a stat on how many times this team failed to get a fly ball with a...
More About: Building , Guess

Pedro & the impact on Vargas, Pelfrey, Smith, Heilman.....
2008-05-20 15:20:00
One of the most frustrating parts of last weeks 3-1 series loss to the Nationals was the outstanding starting pitching the Mets received.Mike Pelfrey looked solid pitching 7.2 innings in which he allowed one run on three hits, three walks while striking out four. After giving up 14 runs in three starts against playoff caliber teams ( Arizona, Philly, Atl.), Pelf. bounced back with two solid performances. With his ERA hovering in the mid fours, I think it's critical for the young righty to gain experience in the majors. But he may not give the team their best chance to win against competitive teams. It's hard to allow a young pitcher to struggle, despite the value of the lessens learned when your vying for a championship.....Claudio Vargas finished spring training in the Brewers camp with a mid 3 ERA, but was cut in a salary dump move. Vargas has always had a very good SO/BB ratio but his ERA has crept up each year he's been in the league, despite the high ERA he has 23 wins over ...
More About: Smith , Pedro

Mets sign Nunez
2008-05-20 02:07:00
The Daily News is reporting that the Mets have signed Abraham Nunez to a minor league contract. Nunez spent the last two years with the Phillies but was released during the off-season. He had several offers to but chose to accept a minor league contract with the Brewers because he felt they gave him the best chance of making the team and were a playoff caliber organization. Nunez was the last cut in spring training and was re-assigned to AAA. He had an out clause in his contract if he wasn't on the major league roster by June 1st and since he was off to a slow start hitting .210 the Brewers decided to release him.Nunez is a 32 y/o switch hitter with a lifetime BA of .242, he's a solid defender who can play the entire infield, outfield and relief pitcher ( well, one out once in 2004). He's primarily a 3B but has spent just as much time at SS and 2B. In 2005 for the Cardinals in the playoffs he hit a combined .375 with an OBP .423 in seven games (23 AB). He returned to the post sea...
More About: Sign

Willie, Manuel and the call......
2008-05-19 16:21:00
First let me start by saying what a great weekend to be a Mets fan, I don't know, sometimes they say you have to hit bottom before you can get up. Billy Wagner's comments which in no way could/should be misconstrued to insinuate anything racial may have pushed this team over the edge. You could say it doesn't hurt to be playing a last place team, but this isn't any regular last place team and last I checked the Nats were in last place also. The team looked like it finally got it's wake-up call and played like we all have expected them to; good pitching, solid defense and timely hitting..... So in a city that thrives on controversy and can't accept success, the Delgado home run is the drama of the day and how Willie handled it. It's plain and simple the ump blew the call, he admitted as much after the game. Two things to say about that, don't over rule a call unless your absolutely sure and have an ump in the booth with an ear piece to home plate ump as a type of instant r...
More About: Call , The Call , Manuel

Starting to get the value of Schneider
2008-05-18 22:44:00
I have to admit when I hear someone say he's a defensive catcher or handles a pitching staff well I really never understood what that meant. The Mets have a long history of consistency behind home plate, in fact it's been our best position over the life of the team. Coming into this season in 31 yrs of the teams 46 yr existence the Mets have had six starting catchers, all six of those catchers appeared in All-star games as a Met and one is a Hall of Famer; Grote, Streans, Hundley, Piazza, Carter and Lo Duca. All except one hit for .250 or better and Todd Hundley who was a lifetime .230 hitter was a major home run threat for a few years. The Mets have a history of good hitting catchers and while I remember getting sick of watching the league run on Piazza I never really appreciated much more then their average.....So I really didn't understand why the team was going to move it's biggest chip for a weak hitting catcher and a platooning outfielder. It's not that I thought Milledge...
More About: Schneider

Another solid start by Armas
2008-05-18 06:06:00
Tonight for the Zephyrs Tony Armas Jr. pitched seven scoreless innings in which he allowed two hits and one walk, while striking out five. Armas finally got a win for his efforts and improved his record to 2-4 while lowering his ERA 2.63. Armas has the fifth lowest WHIP (1.11) in AAA and is clearly better then a AAA pitcher. It's nice to have such an arm as a back-up plan but I wonder if he'll begin to demand a release so that he can catch on with a team in need of a starter or long reliever. There just doesn't appear to be a spot on the major league roster anytime soon. The Mets aren't carrying a long reliever but there's no one to send down for him to take the spot.
More About: Start , Solid

Feels good to win
2008-05-18 05:08:00
After two losses to the Washington Nationals and a rain day in which we all completely dissected the team, it feels great to win a game. Sure some of our warts showed; Johan and the gofer ball, big two out hits with runners in scoring position and using the closer in the eighth because of pen concerns. But tonight the glass is half full and it feels good to win a game.Sure the Yankees are struggling but they're still the Yankees and we were in their house. Andy Pettitte is a tough left handed pitcher and the Mets were able to score three runs but more importantly get his pitch count up to get him out of the game. The Yanks pen is their Achilles heel and the Mets took advantage of Pettitte's early departure by scoring four runs off them. It's funny because with every start we say that Johan didn't have his best stuff but he limited the damage and now he has a 5-2 record with a 3.30 ERA ( not bad for a guy who hasn't had his best stuff yet). Today, Santana gave up three home runs...
More About: Good

Mets pick-up once top Prospect OF
2008-05-18 04:02:00
The Sun & Press-Bulletin of Binghamton reports that in the wake of the F-Mart injury the Mets have signed outfielder Eric Reed. The Florida Marlins recently removed Reed from their 40 man roster and the 27 y/o left-handed outfielder opted for free agency. Reed was once a top prospect in the Marlins organization but over two seasons (2006-2007) he was recalled several times to the major league level and only hit .100 in 61 at bats. In his defense Reed was used as a pinch hitter/extra outfielder and never saw any regular playing time. Last year he hit .285 with 30 stolen bases and 12 triples in AAA Albuquerque. John Sickel's minor league ball had Reed as high as the #10 prospect in the Marlins organization prior to the 2006 season, but by 2007 he had dropped to a notable mention. The Mets will look to drop him back down to AA and see if they can re-tool the speedster so that he can get on base more often like Jose Reyes to take advantage of his speed.......To fill Martinez's spo...
More About: Pick , Prospect

Circus comes to Shea
2008-05-17 05:44:00
Whether it was on the radio or through the Internet most of us die-hard Mets fans know every detail of what's transpired over the last 24 hours and there's no way to be happy. It appears that the last year has finally come to a head, if you look at the five stages of grieving this team maybe reaching the end. The Mets spent all of last year denying that there was a problem, at times they have expressed anger towards each other and the umps, Omar has left the core of this team in place and bargained to change the attitude of the team by bringing in Johan Santana, many of the players appear to be in a deep depression over the performance of the club and now it looks like they all may have accepted the fact that there is a bigger problem that needs to be address. Where they go from here is completely up to them, they can fix this internally amongst themselves or force Omar to change things for them....In 24 hrs the team has played one of their most apathetic games in which they looke...
More About: Shea , Circus

1B Chad Tracy Available ?
2008-05-17 05:22:00
Matt Cerrone of Metsblog reported on a Jayson Stark report that the DBacks may make Chad Tracy available when he comes off the disabled list. Tracy is a 27 y/o, left handed 1B/3B/LF with a career BA .288. Tracy is out of options and the DBacks who have the best record in the league may not want to mess with the team chemistry by moving a player to make room for him. Tracy is an up and coming player who before his injury last year was battling for playing time with Jackson and Reynolds. He would now be replacing super utility and club house favorite Chris Burke. While I'd like to have the Tracy on the bench this year and then replace Delgado next year, I'm not sure if we could come up with the prospects for a trade....In his latest Rumblings & Grumblings column for ESPN.com, Jayson Stark writes: “We continue to hear talk that Arizona will look to move Chad Tracy once he comes off the disabled list and gets back in the big league flow. But one NL executive says he can’t see ...

Mets keep an eye on Freddy
2008-05-17 05:08:00
MLBTR reports that Buster Olney of ESPN posted on his Insiders Blog that seven teams are keeping an eye on Freddy Garcia's progress. Garcia is expected back on the mound in June and game ready by the trade deadline. The Mets are one of the seven teams interested, they may have a leg up on the competition as Garica is friends with several players on the team and Omar has a good relationship with his agent ( also Santana's). Garcia would be a great addition to the staff, especially if injury and consistency problems continue to effect the rotation.Garcia remains a mystery - we don't know when he'll be ready, how much money he'll want, or how effective he'll be. source MLBTR

F-Mart on the DL for three weeks
2008-05-17 04:57:00
Top Prospect Fernando Mart inez felt a pop while running the bases, an MRI on his right leg revealed that he has a strained hamstring and will be out for three weeks.B-Mets manager Mako Oliveras said that Fernando Martinez will be out three weeks with a strained right hamstring. source Press & Sun Bulletin
More About: Weeks

Clark out for the year
2008-05-17 04:38:00
Brady Clark was on the verge of retiring when he decided to accept assignment to New Orleans. The veteran outfielder found himself on his third team in two seasons, either you could say he's a fringe player or valuable enough to keep finding work. After a solid spring that was over shadowed by Angel Pagan's meteoric start, Clark barely had a chance to prove himself before being waived to make room for Moises Alou. After only six games in New Orleans, Clark is out for the rest of the year with a knee injury.....Brady Clark needs surgery on his right knee that could sideline him for a year. source Daily News
More About: Year

Figgy makes it through waivers
2008-05-17 03:54:00
Nelson Figueroa made it through waivers and will report to AAA New Orleans. I hope the last we see of Figgy isn't his frustrated comments about girl scout chants directed at the Nationals. Figgy was a great story and looked like he could serve a purpose as a long reliever if the position becomes available. While there was good news about Figgy, there's still no word about Jorge Sosa....Nelson Figueroa has cleared waivers and is expected to report to Triple-A New Orleans, Surfing the Mets has learned. No word yet on Jorge Sosa’s fate source Daily News

Holliday for Beltran now there's a shake up
2008-05-16 04:05:00
If you go under the premise that this team as it's comprised just doesn't have the proper chemistry or leadership to win and feel that a shake is in order, because the same group of players has been playing .500 ball for over a year, then you have to decide who must go. Reyes and Wright are the core of the team; Alou, Castillo, Schneider and Delgado don't have the value for the player I'm talking about, and Church has become too valuable. There are no extra starting pitchers to trade and the relievers we're willing to give up most teams wouldn't want.That leaves Carlos Beltran, the switch hitting, gold glove center fielder might be the only chip we have to pull off a big trade. I'm not a Beltran hater ( I know they're out there) but lets face it he's too streaky and doesn't hit consistently enough to be a #4 hitter. In fact this team is lacking a clutch big time power hitter, at this point the offensive line-up looks like a bunch of complimentary players that have been thr...