UPDATE 12/29/09 - 12:19 PM PST
Things just got much more interesting in the NL East now that the Mets have agreed on a four-year, $66M deal with outfielder Jason Bay. The 31 year-old is coming off of a huge season with the Red Sox in which he posted career highs in HR's (36) and RBI's (119). If Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran can return to health and David Wright can bounce back from one of his least productive seasons, the Mets offense could be as good as any in the NL. However, the biggest question remains the starting pitching. The current group doesn't appear to be on the level of the Braves, Marlins, or Phillies. It will be interesting to see whether the Mets will add another arm or two to the middle of the rotation.
Buy at AllPosters.com
UPDATE 12/27/09 - 3:23 PM PST
The Mets added injury-prone pitcher Kelvim Escobar a week after inking 30 year-old Ryoto Igarashi out of the Japanese League. While Igarashi is unproven in the majors and Escobar hasn't pitched out of the bullpen regularly since 2002 when he saved 38 games in 76 relief appearances for the Blue Jays, both pitchers have devastating stuff and will make it very uncomfortable for teams late in games. The 33 year-old Escobar missed all of 2008 and started just one game for the Angels last season as he's battled with shoulder trouble. However, he was healthy enough to pass his physical to make this one-year, $1.25M deal official and the Mets hope that a return to the 'pen will keep him healthy all season.
UPDATE 12/17/09 - 12:01 PM PST
The team has agreed to terms on a two-year deal with Japanese right-hander Ryoto Igarashi. The 30 year-old reliever has a shot to be the primary setup man in front of Francisco Rodriguez. Click here for a scouting report. Apparently, he throws mid-to-upper 90's and mixes in a hard spliter with an occasional curve and slider.
UPDATE 11/27/09 - 11:35 AM PST
LINEUP - The Mets were snake bit by injuries as CF Carlos Beltran missed 2 1/2 months with a sore knee, SS Jose Reyes played in only 36 games before going down for the season with significant scar tissue and inflammation behind his right knee, and 1B Carlos Delgado underwent hip surgery and did not play after May 10th. David Wright posted the lowest OPS (.837 OPS) of his career and hit just 10 HR's after averaging 29 his previous four seasons. Along with Delgado, veterans Gary Sheffield (.276 BA, 10 HR, 43 RBI in 100 games) and Fernando Tatis (.282 BA, 8 HR, 48 RBI in 125 games) are both productive players that can leave as free agents. On a positive note, Jeff Francoeur hit .311 with 10 HR's and 41 RBI's after being acquired from the Braves on July 11th and Luis Castillo bounced back from a disappointing 2008 to hit .302 with 20 SB's. Angel Pagan (.306 BA, 6 HR, 11 3B, 14 SB in 88 games) is currently penciled into the LF spot and Daniel Murphy (.266 BA, 12 HR, 63 RBI in 155 games) at 1B. At catcher, Omir Santos (.260 BA, 7 HR) is #1 on the depth chart and 23 year-old Josh Thole (.328 BA, HR, 46 RBI's in AA) probably needs some time in AAA so expect the team to acquire a catcher to team with Santos.
ROTATION - The good news is that the Mets still employ Johan Santana (13-9, 3.13 ERA in 25 starts), one of the top starting pitchers in the game. The bad news is that the rest of the projected rotation can be described as inconsistent and unreliable. Mike Pelfrey appeared to have turned the corner after a strong 2008 (13-11, 3.72 ERA) but he posted a 5.03 ERA in 31 starts in '09. Opponents hit .289 off of the 25 year-old. John Maine has a 38-30 record in four seasons with the Mets but missed three months of the '09 season with shoulder weakness. He's slots in as a solid #2 or 3, if healthy. Despite witnessing lefty Oliver Perez' inconsistency over the previous two seasons, the Mets still signed him to a 3 year, $36 million deal prior to 2009. He rewarded their faith by posting a 6.82 ERA and walking 58 hitters in 66 innings. Looks like their stuck with him for the next two seasons although the 28 year-old still has plenty of talent and is capable of a turn-around. Rookie left-hander Jon Niese (5-6, 3.82 ERA in 16 starts at AAA) should be ready to claim a spot in the rotation but there are plenty of candidates that will compete for a spot in the spring. Fernando Nieve pitched well in 7 starts (3-3, 3.12 ERA) before going down for the season with a strained quadriceps and Tim Redding pitched well in eight starts (2-2, 3.00 ERA) after being re-inserted into the rotation late in the season. Nelson Figueroa, Lance Broadway, and Tobi Stoner could also get looks.
BULLPEN - Much like the rotation, the bullpen has one legitimate star in closer Francisco Rodriguez and a bunch of question marks. Besides left-handed specialist Pedro Feliciano (6-4, 3.03 ERA, 24 holds), there wasn't much to be excited about. Even Rodriguez struggled after the All-Star break (6.75 ERA in 25 relief appearances). J.J. Putz did not pitch well before elbow surgery sidelined him for the season in early June. His option for 2010 was declined and he is unlikely to return. Sean Green (4.52 ERA, 14 holds in 79 relief appearances) and Brian Stokes (3.97 ERA, 10 holds in 69 relief appearances) were both reliable relievers but probably aren't the shutdown setup men that Putz was expected to be. Twenty-five year-old Bobby Parnell struggled as a starter (7.93 ERA in 8 starts) but pitched well in relief (3.46 ERA in 60 relief appearances). He could take on a bigger role but the team probably can't afford to go into 2010 without a reliable option to set up Rodriguez.
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment