Four file for free agency

Four 2009 Mets have filed for free agency in the two days after the World Series.

Carlos Delgado and Brian Schneider filed on day one.  Alex Cora and Ramon Martinez filed on day two.

Of those four, Cora is the only one possibly returning.

Mets DL trips

This list was put together by reader and friend David Cancel.  It lists the date, the player, the injury and where it took place.  It’s long and excruciating.  Take a look.

• 8/5 Jon Niese (Torn hamstring) - 8/5 @ Citi [Added]
• 7/25 Gary Sheffield (Strained right hamstring) - 7/17 @ ATL
• 7/20 Fernando Nieve (Torn right quadriceps - out 6-8 weeks) - 7/19 @ ATL
• 7/9 Fernando Martinez (Right knee inflammation) - 7/1 @ MIL
• 6/22 Carlos Beltran (Bone bruise, right knee) - bruise first mentioned between LA and BOS (5/21), finally out after OF slide 6/21 @ Citi
• 6/12 John Maine (Right shoulder fatigue) - last pitched 6/7 @ WAS
• 6/5 J.J. Putz (Right elbow surgery - out 8-10 weeks) - 6/3 @ PIT
• 6/3 Ramon Martinez (Fractured left pinkie finger) - slide 6/2 @ PIT
• 6/1 Angel Pagan (Strained right groin) - 5/31 @ Citi
• 5/26 Ryan Church (Strained right hamstring) - 5/22 @ BOS
• 5/26 Jose Reyes (Right calf tendinitis) - complained of stiff right calf after 5/13 game @ Citi, rested 6 days, re-aggravated @ LA on 5/20
• 5/18 Alex Cora (Torn right thumb ligament) - slide @ SF on 5/17
• 5/16 Carlos Delgado (Right hip impingement) - slide @ Citi on 4/26, rested for 5 games, played 7 games, then shut down.
• 5/7 Oliver Perez (Right patellar tendinitis) - last start 5/2; was complaining about it since Spring Training
• 4/17 Brian Schneider (Strained back muscle) - @ Citi
• 4/5 Angel Pagan (Right elbow sugery - out 2-3 months) - bone spur, prolly from Winter ball
• 4/5 Tim Redding (Right shoulder fatigue) - spring training

Yikes.

Thanks, David!

Jose Reyes pulled from extended spring training game; Martinez needs surgery [Updated]

Jose Reyes, whom the Mets expected back on Friday, was pulled from his extended spring training game today.  He will fly to New York City to see team doctors to re-evaluate his calf injury.

Update – 5:30 p.m.: Jerry Manuel was just on WFAN and said Reyes could return Tuesday if all goes well.  I wouldn’t hold my breath, Mets fans.  Not much has been going well in the injury department as of late.

Oh, you thought the Mets were just getting good injury news today with their star players?  Ha!

Reyes, who hurt his calf nearly two weeks ago, stayed on the roster as he tried to recover from the injury on his own time.  The Mets opted to put him on the DL and were ready to welcome him back on Friday.

Alex Cora and Wilson Valdez will likely continue to split time at shortstop.

** *** **

Meanwhile, in other shortstop news, Bart Hubbuch just tweeted that Ramon Martinez will need surgery on his dislocated pinky and will be out at least six weeks.

I’d be scared if I was anywhere near the Mets team right now.  Cover yourself in bubble wrap or something.

Beltran back, Brown up

Originally, Carlos Beltran was out of the lineup tonight against Pittsburgh.  He has since arrived at the stadium and has declared himself ready to play.  Beltran will bat third in the order.

Emil Brown, recently acquired from the San Diego Padres, has been promoted reports Adam Rubin.  Brown will take the place of Ramon Martinez on the roster, who will head to the DL after dislocating his pinky in last night’s game.

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.

Mets must be asking, ‘Who’s next?’

Add Ramon Martinez to the growing list of victims of the injury bug.

Martinez, filling in for the injured Jose Reyes, had to leave Sunday afternoon’s game with back trouble.

Here is an updated list of injuries on the Mets…

Injured and have gone on the DL:

• Brian Schneider – Back and calf strain
• Oliver Perez – Right knee tendinitis
• Carlos Delgado – Right hip impingement
• Alex Cora –Torn ligament in thumb

Injured and have not gone on the DL:

• Jose Reyes – Tendinitis in calf
• Ryan Church – Sore hamstring
• Carlos Beltran – Sore right knee
• Ramon Martinez – Bad back

It gets better.  Church may be heading to the disabled list with a bum hamstring.  That could, and most likely would lead to a promotion of top prospect Fernando Martinez.

Probably a little rushed, but what else are the Mets to do?  They need bodies.

Reyes will not start tonight and Martinez is still a question mark, so my money is on Fernando Tatis. 

Mr. Ed Ryan over at Mets Fever pointed out that Mark Kiger, an infielder was promoted to Triple-A Buffalo.  Could he be moved there to take over for a player heading up to the big leagues?  We’ll just have to wait and see.  (If anyone, it would be Jonathan Malo.)

So far in 2009, the Mets have had significant injuries at: Catcher, first base, shortstop, center field, right field, pitcher(s).

Wonderful.

Who’s next?

The most exciting 9th inning in a long, long time

Via Yahoo! Sports:

Top 9th: NY Mets

- J. Papelbon relieved J. Beckett
- G. Sheffield walked
- D. Wright struck out swinging
- J. Reed struck out swinging
- O. Santos homered to deep center, G. Sheffield scored
- R. Martinez lined out to third

2 runs, 1 hits, 0 errors
NY Mets 3, Boston 2

  Bottom 9th: Boston

- J.J. Putz relieved P. Feliciano
- K. Youkilis walked
- J. Bay grounded into fielder's choice, K. Youkilis out at second
- J.D. Drew lined out to right
- M. Lowell grounded out to shortstop

0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors
NY Mets 3, Boston 2

The Omir Santos home run was just absurd.  I’m not sure who was yelling louder: me or Omir?

Then the defensive masterpiece in the bottom of the 9th.  The David Wright snag and Luis Castillo stretch for the first out.  Then the Ramon Martinez diving grab and subsequent throw for the final out.

The most exciting 9th inning this year, for sure.

Game Recap: Mets 5 – Red Sox 3

The Mets scored runs.  The Mets pitched well.  The Mets realized this is how to win baseball games.

The New York Mets (23-19) beat the Boston Red Sox (25-18) by a score of 5-3.

With Johan Santana on the mound, the Mets actually gave him some run support.  The Mets got on the board early with a Gary Sheffield home run off the foul pole in left field in the second inning.

Jason Varitek got it right back with a solo home run of his own in the bottom half of the inning.

The Mets then picked up three RBI singles in the fourth inning, from David Wright, Omir Santos and – wait for it – Ramon Martinez.

In the bottom of the fourth, Martinez gave two runs back when his fielding error allowed two runs to score.

Angel Pagan added an insurance run in the 7th inning with an RBI single.

Santana scattered seven hits and allowed three runs (two earned) over seven innings.  He struck out eight.

Bobby Parnell and Francisco Rodriguez each pitched 1-2-3 innings, one to earn the hold and one to earn the save.

Mets lineup for Boston; Murphy leading off [Updated]

With the Mets usual leadoff hitter, Jose Reyes, on the bench with tendinitis, one would expect Luis Castillo to take over as the first man in the order.  Think again. 

Tonight, Daniel Murphy will be the first batter Daisuke Matsuzaka faces in the Mets lineup.  Ramon Martinez will fill in at shortstop once more.

UPDATE – 5:55 p.m.: Beltran, Sheffield and Reed have all be shuffled.  Batting order stays the same, though.  Beltran is apparently suffering from “right knee soreness.”  And it begins.

1. Daniel Murphy – 1B
2. Ryan Church – RF
3. Carlos Beltran – CF DH
4. Gary Sheffield – DH LF
5. David Wright – 3B
6. Jeremy Reed – LF CF
7. Omir Santos – C
8. Ramon Martinez – SS
9. Luis Castillo – 2B

I also like Church batting second.  He had a good run of it last year before the concussions.  The lineup really drops off after Wright, though.  Reed is not someone that should be protecting Wright.

How to fix the Mets

Yesterday, I asked my Twitter followers for two internal roster moves they would make as general manager.  Today, I’m expanding on that to a few more moves and trading some players.

Here’s my plan to get the Mets back on the winning side of things.

Put Jose Reyes on the DL

Tendinitis or no tendinitis, the man is in pain.  I may not be a doctor, but I know the basics of being an athlete.  Ever stub your toe, then limp around on the other leg for a while?  Doesn’t that other leg start to hurt more from the added effort?  Think of that, but multiply it by 100. 

He’s better served to the Mets sitting out for two weeks in May than two months.  They would be able to call up another player, preferably one with pop and not named Fernando Martinez.  Javier Valentin, who only has seven hits after signing last week, also has two home runs in his short stint.

Don’t call up F-Mart

Unless the top prospect is going to get into five games a week, it’s not worth it.  Having to compete with Ryan Church, Fernando Tatis, Gary Sheffield and Angel Pagan for playing time is unfair for all the players.  The outfield is already overstuffed with players.  Don’t throw another name into the mix.

Trade J.J. Putz

This one might be a little drastic, but hear me out.

The Cleveland Indians need a closer (Kerry Wood’s 7.71 ERA just isn’t cutting it) and the Mets fancy Mark DeRosa.  The contract numbers are fairly similar, with Putz owed $5 million this year and DeRosa earning $5.5 million.

Putz does have a team option for next year, another reason the Mets would probably land another player as well.  Putz should be able to return at least another major league player, and maybe two decent minor leaguers.  I could see the Mets getting two major leaguers and two B-level minor leaguers for Putz.

The Indians have a few players that could be up for the taking, such as Victor Martinez, Cliff Lee and Kelly Soppach.  Obviously, to snag Lee, the Mets would have to sweeten the deal with F. Martinez and a few other very good players (Jon Niese, Eddie Kunz, Nick Evans).  V. Martinez is intriguing as he can play both catcher and first base.  He has seven home runs this season and is batting .400 over 42 games. 

Bobby Parnell would take over in the 8th inning for the Mets.  This means the Mets would have no backup option if Francisco Rodriguez did suffer an injury, but I think it’s worth the trade.

If the Mets could somehow land DeRosa and Martinez, a lot of answers would be solved.

Send Ramon Martinez packing

He can’t hit, can barely field and is a waste of a roster spot.  I’d rather see a player with a much better glove (Argenis Reyes) trying to learn a “new” position and stinking at the plate over a player who is bad on both sides of the ball.  Promote A-Rey in place of R-Mart.

Keep Daniel Murphy at first base

Say the Mets do land Martinez from the Indians, let him be the backup at first base and catch most of the games.  Begin grooming Murphy for his future role at first base or keep him there as a showcase if you plan on trading him this season.  I think Murphy could be a very good first baseman, but power needs to be found elsewhere in the lineup.

Play a consistent roster

With Interleague Play coming up, stick Sheffield at DH, batting fourth, for the whole shebang.  Play Church in right field for the next 15 games.  On the other side of the outfield, play Pagan for the next 15.  Consistency helps players and the constant roster shuffling is nauseating.

Jeremy Reed is a late-game defensive replacement and not much else.  Fernando Tatis is the super-utility player.  Let him come in every two weeks for a start, have him pinch hit (even is he’s pretty awful at it) and keep the same seven fielders fielding, day in and day out.

These are just a few fixes that you may or may not agree with.  I think if the Mets brass pulls a few of these moves (or non-moves) the team would be in better shape.

What to do with Jose Reyes?

Put him on the DL immediately.

Calf injuries are one of the toughest injuries to overcome.  Even when they feel healed, the slightest over-exertion will bring the pain right back.

Jose Reyes will travel with the team to Boston, then he and trainer Ray Ramirez will fly to New York City for tests.  Reyes, without a doubt in my mind, will end up on the disabled list and will be there for more than 15 days.

The question for the Mets is: Who will take his place?

• Ramon Martinez.  Called up to take Alex Cora’s spot on the roster, but has gone 0-12 with three strikeouts.  He also has committed two errors in the three games.
  Verdict: Not the answer.
• Argenis Reyes.  Mostly a second baseman, Reyes is hitting .272 with Triple-A Buffalo.  He has played only 20 games at SS in his pro career.
  Verdict: A possibility.
• Jose Coronado.  Recently demoted to Double-A Binghamton after hitting just .141 with Buffalo.  He’s hitting .500 with Binghamton in four games, if that means anything to you.  Most importantly, he’s actually a shortstop.
  Verdict: Probably the best option.
• Jonathan Malo.  Another second baseman that would have to be converted.  A Jerry Manuel favorite who is batting .290 with Binghamton and .174 with Buffalo in ‘09.
  Verdict: Another possibility.

Obviously, there is also the possibility of a trade.  Mark DeRosa would probably be the best option for the Mets and is available.

The Mets need to make a move to fill in the hole that will be vacated by Reyes.  He needs to spend enough time on the DL to fully heal before he comes back.  Reinjuring the calf is way too easy to do.

Cora to DL; Ramon Martinez called up

Alex Cora has landed on the disabled list with a torn ligament in his thumb. Ramon Martinez has been called up and will start at shortstop.

Cora injured his thumb sliding into second base during the first inning of Sunday night's game in San Francisco.

Martinez made a handful of starts for the Mets at the end of the 2008 season had been with Triple-A Buffalo before being called up.

Someone really doesn't trust Luis Castillo

Because the Mets just signed another possible backup.

Ramon Martinez, the star of the last seven games of 2008, has been signed to a minor league deal and will be in spring training with the team.

With Jose Valentin also back in the fold, it seems the Mets brass is very worried about Castillo's health. Or they just like to stockpile aging, middle infielders.