Ramon Martinez latest casualty

Ramon Martinez, who got the start at shortstop, had to leave the game after sliding into home plate in the fourth inning.

As I was watching, I saw Martinez look at his hand after he slid home, scoring the Mets first run.  As he walked to the Mets dugout, his left pinky was sticking out the side of his hand.

Martinez stumbled into home and his hand hit the dirt awkwardly.  My guess: He dislocated it.  The finger was sticking out sideways on his left hand.  That looked like a dislocation to me and hopefully isn’t broken.

Update – 8:44 p.m.: Confirmed as a dislocated left pinky. 

He was replaced in the game by Wilson Valdez.

With Carlos Beltran out of uniform, the Mets now only have recently-activated Alex Cora, Daniel Murphy and Brian Schneider on the bench.  Talk about playing short.

Also, with Jose Reyes expected back Friday, what do the Mets do here?  If they put Martinez on the DL, they’ll have to call someone up for two days or play very short on the bench.

A right-hand bat or a left-hand arm?

The Mets may be targeting Rich Aurilia, according to Ken Davidoff.

Aurilia has seen time at all four outinfield positions over the last few years, with the bulk of his time being at first base with his range and speed now diminished. Last season with the San Francisco Giants, Aurilia hit .283, had an OBP of .332 and slugged .413.

He'd be a nice addition, but with all the people the Mets have brought on this off-season, where's that extra arm they so sorely need?

Davidoff goes on to note that they have some interest in the available lefties (Will Ohman, Joe Beimel, etc.) but believe they can fill the role internally, possibly with Casey Fossum or Tom Martin.

Though they shouldn't lean on either of those guys, hoping for a full, productive season out of them, the possibility of mixing and matching could work. It may not be the best move, but it's better than nothing.

Fernando Tatis re-signed by Mets

The Sporting News' NL Comeback Player-of-the-Year will come back for another year with the Mets.

Fernando Tatis agreed to a one-year deal with the New York Mets, worth $1.7 million.

Tatis hit .297 in 92 games last year, with 11 home runs and 47 RBIs.

Tatis, who injured his shoulder near the end of the season, will not require surgery and will be ready for spring training.

He filled in both LF and RF when Moises Alou and Ryan Church were out for an extended period of time. In 2009, he will most likely fill a much smaller role.

I like this move. Helps solidify the bench, as he can play a few positions and pinch hit. Good signing.

I was down on Fernando Tatis

From a post of mine, published March 30:

Again, I don't get why Fernando Tatis is so wonderful. Sure, he can play pretty much any position besides center field if need be, but he doesn't play any of them especially well. We already have two guys in Marlon Anderson and Damion Easley who can play the entire infield and two guys in Endy Chavez and Angel Pagan who can play the entire outfield. So why do we need a guy who can do all of those, but none well? Brady Clark will be much more lasting and consistent, I feel, and that's why I want him to make the team.

Boy, was I wrong.

Tatis came through for the Mets again, in the 12th inning, again. He hasn't been dominant, but he's been more than capable in his fill in position.

I love his hustle. Tatis always seems to leg everything out, even the routine ground ball. He never takes anything for granted. As Gary Cohen said on the broadcast on Saturday, "It seems as though Tatis got a second lease on life and is going to make the best of it."

The bench has been invaluable in the last few games, helping the Mets really from behind and rally for wins late in games. 2006 saw the bench come through in the clutch time and time again, and now we're seeing a sample of that in 2008, spearheaded by Tatis & Co.

If the glove don't fit...

From Yahoo!:

The New York Mets have scouted Detroit Tigers first baseman/outfielder Marcus Thames so much this spring that they could be accused of stalking according to the Boston Glove.

Hmm...I've never heard of that newspaper before.

Either way, say the Mets trade away a guy like Scott Schoeneweis for Thames, which I don't see happening, who takes the hit and loses his spot on the bench?

Ramon Castro or Raul Casanova (if Castro starts on the DL) - Safe. You always need a backup.
Damion Easley - Safe. Can play all the infield positions.
Marlon Anderson - Safe. Way too valuable as a pinch hitter.
Endy Chavez - Safe. He'll see a lot of time filling in for Carlos Beltran and Ryan Church.
Ruben Gotay - Goner. He'd be the odd man out here, so if this deal does come to fruition, maybe the Mets can toss Gotay in and get something back in return, you never know.

Still, I don't see the Thames deal going down, at least not with the Mets, but it's just something to keep your eye on.