Beltran's Back, But Where's Jose?

After missing more than two months with a bone bruise, Carlos Beltran will supposedly make his return to Citi Field tonight in the opener of the Mets series against the Marlins. When Beltran went down in June, this marked the beginning of the downward spiral of the Mets’ 2009 season. At the time, the team was coping fairly well with the absence of Delgado and Reyes, but Beltran was on fire during April and May. With him in the lineup it almost looked as if the Mets could hang on without their regular shortstop and first baseman. Before Beltran went on the DL, the Mets had a 35 and 32 record. Since then, they have gone 27 and 42. Now granted, many other injuries have come into play since Beltran went down, but in my mind, losing the second Carlos was the straw that broke the camel’s back for this season.

Considering the ridiculous amount of injuries that have befallen this team, I look at Beltran’s return to the lineup with some trepidation. With less than a month to go in a lost season, I’m not convinced his return is the wisest move, even though the bone bruise is improving. The way the chips have fallen for the Mets this year, my fear is that the bruise will get worse by playing, the team will wait the winter to see improvement and when they don’t, Beltran will have surgery that ruins the 2010 season as well. Let’s face it; the Mets’ medical staff’s track record is pretty tarnished right now. Getting another thing wrong would just be par for the course.

But with all of this being said, I definitely commend Beltran’s effort and desire to come back and play again in 2009 - even if only for a few weeks. It takes guts, heart and commitment to do this. Many players would have just shut it down and waited for 2010. Instead, Beltran stepped up, showed leadership and did the right thing. Perhaps Jose Reyes can learn something from all of this because the silence on his part is inexcusable. The fact that Aaron Boone returned to the Astros roster after open heart surgery before Jose could return from his hamstring injury is preposterous. It makes you wonder if this is the fault of the Mets medical staff with another misdiagnosis or just the case of Jose being Jose. Somehow, I think it’s a little of both.

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The NY Mets' 2010 Agenda - To Patch or Tear Down? That is the Question!

For the Mets, the sole goal for the rest of 2009 should be focusing on what they need to do to turn this mess around next year. The team needs to evaluate every player on the roster as well as those in their minor league system. They also need to evaluate the personnel in the front office, the coaching, medical and managerial staff and figure out once and for all what changes need to made. Clearly, the winds need to shift in Flushing to remove the awful stench emanating from Citi Field.

First and foremost a decision needs to be made as to the fate of both Omar Minaya and Jerry Manuel. While I don’t always agree with Manuel’s tactics, the truth is, he has done a pretty good job of steering this sinking ship of injuries through the muck. Unfortunately for Jerry, if Omar is fired or moved to a different position within the Mets organization, he is probably a goner. And if Manuel is ultimately let go then the only person I would want to see the Mets hire as manager is Bobby Valentine. If Valentine could lead the 1999 and 2000 teams to the post-season with an outfield of Benny Agbayani, Jay Payton, Timo Perez and Derek Bell then clearly he can make this motley crew into winners. And you can bet that any “bad seed” players that have trouble following orders won’t be long for the team if Valentine is manning the helm.

If the Wilpons decide Omar needs to go or be moved elsewhere within the organization, whomever they hire for the GM position needs autonomy to build the team as he sees fit. The Wilpon meddling needs to stop. Sign the checks and shut the F$% up. Whether they promote John Ricco to GM and hire a strategist like Gerry Hunsicker or Buck Showalter to work alongside him remains to be seen, but personally, I don’t know enough about Ricco to have confidence solely in him. If he had some reputable advisors working with him, that’s another story. Another name that has surfaced recently as far as GM goes would be Oakland’s Billy Beane. Could Billy be lured away from the left coast by the Mets giving him double the player payroll to work with? It remains to be seen.

With regard to the medical staff, this is a short one. Fire everyone. Whomever you replace them with, make sure they have medical licenses to practice on humans in the United States of America. Some references would be good as well. Stay away from candidates names Kevorkian and Spacemen.

As far as the players go, now is the time to see what we’ve got from these replacements and some of the minor leaguers once the rosters expand. Clearly, the core of the team is Wright, Reyes, Santana, Beltran and K-Rod. Everyone else is pretty much expendable at this point and Reyes could be included in this group if there was a mind-blowing offer made. I’m liking what I have seen from Francouer thus far in right field so barring any tailspin you have only left field open next year. Can Fernando Martinez handle it? Unfortunately, his earliest try-out will probably be spring training. I hate to give up on a prospect so young but I have to say, from what I have seen of him, F-mart is not that impressive…maybe he just isn’t ready for the majors. It also doesn’t help that he is always hurt. The other in-house option for left field is Angel Pagan. Pagan looks good but is he an everyday player and will he hustle like one? Now is the time to find out…Otherwise, the Mets need to find someone to play left field who can hit for power. Not having a bat who can tie a game with one swing is a huge detriment that needs to be fixed.

For the infield, third and short are fine with Wright and Reyes, providing Reyes is healthy for 2010. Castillo must be commended this year for bouncing back to form so if he is at second and can be productive that is fine. First base, though, is a giant question mark. Delgado is not coming back, and as mentioned, we seriously need someone in the line-up besides Beltran with some sort of power. Can we afford to go with Daniel Murphy at first? He’s shown promise and you have to give the kid credit for sticking it out through the horrendous batting slump and learning a new position. With that being said, though, we need a bat…we really need a bat. And unfortunately, Murphy has proven his outfield skills are non-existent. He’s too young to be a bench player so I’m not really sure what to do here…I had high hopes for him but the truth is, if they can get some power at first base and can trade Murphy to an AL team where he can play first and DH then maybe that’s the best scenario for everyone involved.

As far as pitching goes, aside from Santana, the starting rotation is a mess. Pelfrey has clearly demonstrated he is not a #2 starter. He needs to use the rest of this season to prove to management and fans once and for all what he is capable of. Stop with the hand-licking, the balking and the yips and just get it done. Either that, or the Mets need to Isringhausen him so he can become a star for another team. Hey, we all know that’s what usually happens when the Mets trade home grown talent (Melvin Mora, Marco Scutaro…dare I continue?).

Oliver Perez is another giant question mark. His last outing was very good but you never know what you are going to get from him. If the Mets can possibly move him with that outrageous contract, they probably should. Doubtful but…

As far as the rest of the rotation goes, Jon Niese may or may not be a factor depending on how he heals from the hamstring injury. I would like to see him back to take Livan Hernandez’s spot in the rotation but that remains to be seen. If not Niese, perhaps Parnell will be in the rotation but I tend to think Parnell is of more value in the bullpen.

There is also some question for John Maine as well. Maine is always hurt but worth taking a chance on for a one year incentive-laden deal. Worst case scenario> With a cheap deal, if he can’t hack it you release him or try to trade him. Honestly, I trust Maine more than Pelfrey and Perez at this point. Despite the injuries you get the feeling that he gets it as far as pitching goes and he seems to not be afflicted by attention deficit order like Perez or anxiety like Pelfrey.

As far as the bullpen goes, obviously, K-Rod is the closer, though with 2 blown saves in his last 3 opportunities that can be debated. Feliciano has proven to be reliable as has Stokes. Sean Green, not so much. He is somewhat expendable though I don’t know what kind of trade value he has.

Putz’ fate somewhat depends on whether he returns this season. If he does and proves he can get people out, I would pick up his option. If the Mets don’t opt to keep him they can always trade him. Plenty of teams need closers so they might actually get something worthwhile back. The same can be said for Wagner. If he can come back before the waiver deadline and prove he can pitch someone might claim him for the stretch run.

As mentioned earlier, though, once the 2009 season is over the first thing that needs to be done is for the Mets to figure out their front office and managerial situation. This needs to be done relatively quickly. The indecisiveness and dragging stuff out can’t happen. If you are firing people, do it and move on. Hire their replacements, set a goal for 2010 as far as the direction this team is going, make a plan and stick to it. Either patch the glaring holes and try to win in 2010 or cut your losses, clean house and rebuild. There is no real middle ground. The Art Howe years proved that you can’t fence sit in New York or you will quickly continue on the path to irrelevance that 2009 kicked off.
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NY Mets 2009 - DNR Now and Save 2010

After losing three of four to the putrid Arizona Diamondbacks this past weekend, it is pretty safe to say that any hopes of a Mets wildcard berth have pretty much petered out the same way this entire season has. With only 57 regular season games left, the Mets find themselves five games under .500, ten games out of first place and eight games out of the Wildcard with seven teams ahead of them. Though mathematically still alive, let’s face it, folks, our Metsies are currently on life support along with their beleaguered GM and possibly their manager. It’s time to pull the plug and look towards 2010.

As everyone knows, injuries to so many starting players and even key back-up players played a huge role in this disappointing season. At this point, I see no real reason to even try to rush Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran back so they can play at 80% and possibly cause more damage to their fragile selves. Why not shut them down now, let both rest for 2010 and err on the side of caution? Or if Beltran does indeed need that micro fracture surgery, do it now and get it over with so that the ten months it takes to heal does not kill all of next season for him. In fact, if surgery is what he definitely needs, this should have already been done weeks ago after it was deemed the bone bruise was not improving.

As for Delgado, Wagner and Putz, if these players can come back for 2009, by all means they should. As everyone knows, both Delgado and Wagner will be free agents after this year, and Putz is playing for his option year. All three want to come back and prove they are healthy so that the cash bells start ringing in the off-season. This is a can’t lose situation for the Mets. If they can help out, that’s fantastic. If they don’t, well, it was great knowing you, good luck in the future.

The one question mark for an injured players return this year is John Maine. Ah, my adorable Johnny Maine…so young and fragile yet with so much upside...Should the Mets try to rush him back this season just to test that fatigued shoulder and see if they should offer another contract for next year, or do you let him rest, offer a super cheap but incentive-laden deal for 2010 and take your chances? Or do you just walk away for 2010?

Given the amount of money this team has wasted on bad contracts like good old Ollie P’s, I would try my best to keep Maine a Met for 2010. When healthy, he has proven to be pretty reliable for a quality start and has even shown flashes of dominance. I’d trust a healthy Maine with the ball any day over Ollie. Plus, he’s young, seems to have a good team attitude, he’s adorable (worth repeating) and can likely be had for cheap. For a million / million and a half, if it doesn’t work out, you cut your losses and move on. The Mets would probably have an easier time trading a semi-ineffective, reasonably paid John Maine than they would have unloading good old Ollie without having to pay part of his contract.

Now, with all of this being said, I can almost write the script for the rest of the Mets 2009 season…As Murphy’s Law always has it, just as fans completely give up hope and start looking ahead to 2010, this team will give us some small reason to believe that they are not actually dead in the water. Maybe they’ll pull off a string of wins against St. Louis and on their upcoming road trip. Maybe their beards will grow to ZZ Top-like proportions and they’ll make it to .500…It’s okay…Mets fans are like Charlie Brown…we’re used to the football being pulled away at the last second. This year, though, we know that’s how 2009 will end. We’ll be good sports and kick through but we won’t land flat on our backs. It’s up to the Mets front office and how they deal with Reyes and Beltran to make sure 2010 doesn’t begin that way. Read more!

A Moment of Silence

I have been putting off writing my weekly post all morning because truthfully, I don't even know what to say anymore about these Mets. They get harder and harder to watch with every passing game so I have really been adhering to my self-imposed media blackout for the past week. If they win, well, it's a nice surprise. If they lose, well, at least I didn't waste my time and energy only to be disappointed. This is a terrible way to exist but I'm not sure what else to do at this point in the season.

This past weekend's sweep by the Phillies was a complete and utter disaster of anemic hitting, atrocious fielding and general malaise. The team might as well have just not shown up at all and forfeited. I know, the injuries, blah, blah, blah. I'm so tired of hearing about the injuries. No one expects the Mets to be playing like a championship caliber team right now but they aren't even treading water. This series with the Dodgers is pretty much over before it even begins. Sorry, call me a pessimist, but at this point, not only is the glass half empty, it's cracked and my lips are bleeding profusely.

The All-Star break could not come quickly enough - just so that Mets fans get a reprieve from the daily torture of this team. At this point, it is hard to believe that they can overcome the physical and psychological damage this season has wrought. As of now, the only player that looks to be coming back from the disabled list remotely soon is Angel Pagan, and given his injury history, I'll believe that when I see it. There's no hard dates set for Reyes, Beltran, Maine or Putz. And as for Delgado, I have my doubts whether he will ever wear a Mets uniform again. If and when these players do return, it is not going to be an immediate return to all-star form for anyone. After being out for so long, it's going to take some time to shake off the rust and get going.

As for adding player(s) before the deadline, no addition great or small is going to make enough of an impact to outweigh the loss of so many key regulars. The Mets farm system is in shambles as it is. Why give up future talent to try to patch an irreparable situation with a soon-to-be free-agent rental? No Mets fan wants another Zambrano for Kazmir debacle.

As frustrating as losing is, Mets fans have to sit tight and try to ride this one out. This 2009 season does not look promising but all we can really do is wait and see how it unfolds. With the exception for the Dodgers, the NL is mired in mediocrity right now. If it stays that way, the teams that get hot towards the end will be the ones playing in October. Hopefully, after a miserable first half and the collapses of '07 and '08, maybe the Mets will get some good karma sent their way for September and October. For now, though, at 4.5 games in back of Philly and 3 under .500, I'll hang my head in a moment of silence.
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It really ain't that bad

Although the Mets haven’t lived up to the expectations set for them by Sports Illustrated at the beginning of the season, they certainly have done exactly what die hard fans expected. From Luis Castillo dropping a pop fly to Jose Reyes and his perpetually torn hamstring, true Mets fans expected this.

However, even with the loss of Reyes and slugger Carlos Delgado the Mets offense hasn’t completely laid down. In fact, they are hitting for a monstrous team average behind NL league leader David Wright. The injuries have given playing time to super prospect Fernando Martinez and Gary Sheffield has been an absolute beast thus far.

The bullpen has been steady. The loss of J.J. Putz has hurt a bit, but rookie Bobby Parnell has stepped up in a big way. Even if as a rookie he has to bring a little girls’ backpack stuffed with candy to the bullpen for every game.

The missing ingredient for the Mets is starting pitching. Omar Minaya needs to get a pitcher of at least the caliber of a Brad Penny if the Mets want to go deep into the playoffs. But with the guys on the roster now, there really is not that much need for worry. The return of Reyes alone will erase the three game lead the Phillies currently have. So as long as the infield can catch pop ups, there is no need for alarm. Baseball is a game where Steady Eddie wins the race. Once the Mets have weathered the injury storm they should be fine. Just don’t tell that to us die hard fans. We are convinced the other shoe is going to drop.

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