Where the heck is Al Reyes? Redux

On Monday, I wrote:

Way back on August 20th, the Mets signed pitcher Al Reyes. He went to the minors to work back into shape before coming up in September to supposedly help the beleaguered bullpen.

Well, he's up, and he's yet to pitch.

And now he's gone.

The Mets released Reyes before he ever threw a pitch. Apparently, his performance at Double-A Binghamton before he was called up was sub-par, and the Mets decided not to roll the dice with their third Reyes.

It seems the Mets are happy using the same guys out of the bullpen, even if they are getting overworked a bit. Last night, with a five run lead in the bottom of the ninth, Scott Schoeneweis entered the game.

Why?

Where the heck is Bobby Parnell? In his one inning of work, he retired the side in order. Why not give him the ninth inning, with Schoeneweis up in the bullpen if anything goes wrong?

I love Jerry Manuel, but this is Willie Randolph-esque bullpen management. Give the kids a shot, especially with a big lead like they had last night.

Where the heck is Al Reyes?

The man has been MIA.

Way back on August 20th, the Mets signed pitcher Al Reyes. He went to the minors to work back into shape before coming up in September to supposedly help the beleaguered bullpen.

Well, he's up, and he's yet to pitch.

Reyes, who converted 26 saves for the '06 Rays, has yet to even make an appearance for the Mets since joining them roughly two weeks ago.

Meanwhile, the Mets normal bullpen staff continues to get overworked and fails to preform. The perfect combination.

Is this Jerry Manuel trying to limit the number of Reyes' on the field at once, or was he really just not worth the contract? Who knows, but he might as well get a shot. It's not like the other guys are blowing people away.

September call-ups

Joe Janish beat me to it. Check out Mets Today for a complete rundown of the call-ups and who can and can't be added.

I'm not going to put a lot of stock into Jon Niese or Bobby Parnell. There seems to be too much hype behind them, and I don't think they're going to come up and have a huge impact on the team.

Guys like Al Reyes and Ricardo Rincon should help, simply because another arm in the bullpen cannot hurt at this time. It's a crap shoot in the pen right now, and Luis Ayala worked for a few games. Lightning in a bottle could be found anywhere. Hopefully one of these guys can be a lightning rod.

Marlon Anderson will be nice to have back, as long as he can recapture his pinch hitting prowess.

Don't look for a huge help from the September call-ups, but Niese will get the start on Tuesday against the Brewers. Maybe he could do something special against the streaking Brew-crew. Wouldn't that be nice?

Post: Mets sign Al Reyes

According to Joel Sherman of the Post, the Mets have signed recent free agent, Al Reyes.

Reyes was cut free by the Tampa Bay Rays just the other day.

More on this when I get home.

5:56 pm: OK, now I'm home and I've had time to digest this signing.

I think it's time for me to make a mental switch. A few days ago, I was confused why the Mets would add a guy with a over-5 ERA in the bullpen. Now, at least in the last few days, I see what they're trying to do.

They want to catch lightning in a bottle, and the best way to do that is have as many possible lightning emitters as possible. The idea is that they will have so many pitchers in the bullpen, one of them has to get hot and perform for them.

Reyes is expected to join the Mets after the September first 40-man roster expansion.

Sign away, Omar. Anyone and everyone. Bring them on, especially if they're named Reyes.