Not surprisingly, John Maine and Sean Green are out. But so is Chris Carter. The same Chris Carter we gave up Billy Wagner and (what turned out to be) two draft picks for. Just another Minaya mess Alderson is cleaning up.
photo: amazinavenue.com
Big Chris Carter fan here, hate to see The Animal go.
Looking ahead to the offseason, I have totaled up the numbers of the contracts for players that are on the books for next season. The most interesting part of it is the fact that it only takes seven players for the Mets to exceed the $100 million mark.
Johan Santana: $22.5 million
Carlos Beltran: $18.5 million
Jason Bay: $16 million
David Wright: $14 million
Oliver Perez: $12 million
Francisco Rodriguez: $11.5 million
Luis Castillo: $6 million
The Mets total payroll for 2010 was only about $126 million!
Not only is this a starting point for the offseason, but the Mets still have to figure out what to do with four key players in Jose Reyes ($11 million club option, $500,000 buyout), Pedro Feliciano (FA), Angel Pagan (Arb. Eligible), and Mike Pelfrey (Arb. Eligible).
Whether it be Omar Minaya or a new general manager, they are going to have the huge task of finding ways to remove some of these high-priced veteran players that should not be on the team (Perez, Castillo, etc).
The Mets can choose to non-tender Jeff Francoeur, as he earned $5 million in 2010 in arbitration and will again be arbitration eligible this year. John Maine’s $3.3 million will almost certainly be off the books next season as well. The Mets also still owe $1 million to Gary Matthews Jr. in 2011.
It’s quite simple. The Mets have their work cut out for them this offseason. Fans are demanding changes and something will need to be done.
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Ron Darling, on John Maine leaving today’s game after one batter. You can’t make it up, folks. |
It’s basically a tale of two pitchers. Originally a couple of “throw-ins,” one looks like he’s on his way back to relative normalcy, the other continuing to do nothing but struggle.
John Maine, a guy who is by no means a world beater, is also a guy that the Mets needed to stabilize himself after missing so much time to injury. He posted an 8.64 ERA after his first four starts, with 16 runs and 10 walks in 16.2 IP. He had lost the life and velocity on his fastball and everybody was starting to think that he was on his way to being finished. Then, his last two starts happened. Were they dominant? Not at all. Were they a bit gutsy and a lot hope-inspiring? Yes. His last two starts saw him giving up 3 earned runs in 12 innings pitched, with 15 strikeouts and 5 walks. He’s not exactly Cy Young out there, but those last two starts make you hope that he’s on his way back.
Listen, he’ll never be an innings eater - he went 6 innings both of those starts - but as long as he gives the team a chance to win, I can live with what Maine gives the team. Ideally, I still believe he’s a bullpen guy, but the team clearly isn’t inundated with quality starting pitching, so to keep him in his role is to keep hoping he can give you what he has the last couple of starts. For that improvement, he’s my Man-Crush of the Week.
Honorable Man-Crush mentions: Rod Barajas continues to be clutch, Mike Pelfrey bounces back nicely, and Henry Blanco hits the Mets second walkoff homer in as many nights.
Speaking of garbage starting pitching (oh, did I not actually mention garbage?), Oliver Perez. I - and many other Mets fans - have been calling for Perez’s contract to be eaten since last year, and he’s still here, doing nothing but—
Oh, what’s that? He walked someone else just now?
For anybody who took their mom out to Citi Field to watch the game for Mother’s Day, good for you! Also, you better make up for that with a nice dinner or something, because she hated watching this guy watch 7 batters in 3.1 innings, and let’s be honest - so did you. That the Mets even had a chance to win the game at the end was an utter miracle after that disaster. Watching Oliver pitch is like watching a car wreck in slow motion. The Giants could’ve just left their bats in the dugout, because all they had to do was stand there while Ollie struggled against the wind, and against his own footing, as he wasn’t anywhere close to the zone.
Ollie’s previous start was one that gave me zero hope, even if it was a “quality start.” That game, he went 6 innings and gave up only 2 runs and 4 walks, which for him is excellent. It gave me zero hope because from game to game, and inning to inning, Perez has shown anything but consistency. Can management just get over the fact that Perez simply isn’t a good pitcher, and that he will never, ever, ever… match that great 200+ K season he had with the Pirates. Ever. Forget Resident. He’s the damn Dog House Landlord.
Other people belong in the House with him, including David “Strikeout” Wright, Jason Bay, who’s allergic to RBI, Bengie Molina, who needs a Wahmbulance, and Jerry Manuel, who’s bullpen will have to throw with their opposite arm when their throwing arms fall off by Independence Day.
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John Maine, to reporters after his start last night in Colorado. (via Metsblog) The quote of the night, which I find disturbing. If you asked me, I’d say something more like “I hate everything that’s going on with the Mets right now.” I believe that, right this moment, Maine is not good enough to start in the Major Leagues. Another start like that, and he might just find himself in AAA. Speaking of next starts, Kevin Burkhardt posted the following to his Twitter last night: Based on nothing but my gut: John Maine won’t be making his next start Sunday in St Louis. He’s in a bad place right now. |
It’s funny. We were 3 games into the season and already there was panic amongst the Met fan base. And can you blame them? After an utterly lost 2009 season, the Mets needed to get off to a fast start, and so far it hasn’t looked like that was going to happen. Citi Field’s been described as a morgue by many last night, and the crowd tonight appeared to be sparse as well. The Mets needed a shot in the arm, and didn’t get one. They got 3. Here’s what I took out of tonight:
The 3 shots in the arm, the performance by Pelfrey, the power hitting, and Reyes making his first appearance are what I hope helps this team find, what Willie Randolph would call, a “nice little rhythm.”
Submitted by Dave Rosado
Very simply, the following is the internal argument that I, and I’m sure many other Mets fans, have been engaged in during last night’s heartbreaking-in-August-but-not-so-bad-in-April loss to the Marlins:
Such is being a Mets fan. Optimism prevails until a rally is killed in new, clever ways.
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Those incredibly encouraging words were spoken by John Maine, as quoted by the New York Post. So I guess he was really into those first 2 outs he got, then? Not all that interested in the 3rd? I get that we’re not all that into watching spring training games, but I didn’t think it was naive to assume that guys who should have a chip on their shoulder would be chomping at the bit to show a little energy, even if it’s March. |
