Update: 5:18 PM – The Mets Just Released this statement The New York Mets today announced the team has agreed on a one-year contract extension with lefthanded pitcher Tim Byrdak. Byrdak, 37, has appeared in 68 games in relief for the Mets this season, going 1-0 with a 2.95 ERA (12 earned runs/36.2 innings pitched). [...]

We can debate the merits of Curtis Granderson or Robinson Cano when it comes to the American League MVP award, but no Yankees player will win it. Why? It has nothing to do with Jose Bautista‘s stats or the fact that three Red Sox are having MVP-caliber years. Its institutional bias against the Yankees by the baseball writers. Take this [...]

Freakonomics conducted a  Quorum. We rounded up a handful of sports economists and asked them the following question: What proposed realignment changes seem to make the most sense from a competitive and economic standpoint for Major League Baseball? The answers varied, which you could read for yourself at their site, but Dave Berri, a sports economist and [...]

Buster Olney updated us today on bullpen arms that could be available. One that has piqued the Yankees interest is a former Yankee, Randy Choate. The Yankees have asked the Marlins about Choate’s availability. During the offseason he was probably among the top tier of situational lefties available that included Pedro Feliciano and Arthur Rhodes. [...]

Brian Cashman always gives an interesting nugget when interviewed. He didn’t let anyone down this week when he appeared with Mike Francesa on WFAN. When Francesa asked him about Pedro Feliciano Cashman admitted he is not counting on the former Mets lefty to contribute this year. As a matter of fact, it sounded like Feliciano [...]

No, I am not Nostradamus, but it didn’t require me to go to medical school in order to express concerns about the utilization of Pedro Feliciano. Now that Feliciano is likely headed for surgery I wonder how this shoulder issue didn’t show up during his winter physical. I reached out to an MLB source that [...]

While the Yankees complained this weekend about the Mets sending them “damaged goods” in Pedro Feliciano, there was a lefty that appeared healthy and effective on display. Unfortunately, former Yankees prospect Michael Dunn was lighting up the radar gun for the Marlins instead of coming out of the Yankees bullpen. If you remember Dunn was [...]

Much was made about the quotes by Brian Cashman on Saturday regarding the abuse of Pedro Feliciano. I am not sure why since this was a topic discussed here a couple of weeks ago. Anyone with average baseball acumen had to see the Mets didn’t properly manage Pedro Feliciano the last three years. Even worse, [...]

The free agent market was saturated with left handed reliever this winter. MLB Trade Rumors Free Agent Tracker counts 28 southpaw relievers that were free agents this winter. When the dust settled only Brian Fuentes, Arthur Rhodes, and Scott Downs were paid more per year than Pedro Feliciano ($4 million AAV) with the Yankees. When [...]

One of the more infuriating pieces (or lack thereof) reporting this spring has been the Mets competition for a left handed specialist. It actually shouldn’t be a competition (I don’t believe it really is), as Tim Byrdak should be given the same respect and consideration that Pedro Feliciano did throughout his tenure. All spring you [...]

I might be dating myself, but as a kid there used to be this series of books called “Choose Your Own Adventure.” For those in the audience unaware, you basically were given choices throughout the book. Depending on what you chose, the story would end a different way. Obviously, some endings were better than others. [...]

Take a look at the 2010 numbers for the potential Yankees bullpen in 2011: Mariano Rivera Year Age W L W-L% ERA G SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA+ WHIP BB/9 SO/9 Awards 2010 40 3 3 .500 1.80 61 33 60.0 39 12 2 11 45 238 0.833 1.7 6.8 AS Provided [...]

The biggest surprise of the offseason has been the amount of A level spending on B and C level talent. Put aside the contracts of Carl Crawford and Jayson Werth, but focus more on the bullpen, which I believe is the most risky commodity in baseball. It was just last year that Houston GM Ed [...]

It appears the “Perpetual Pedro” era is over as Pedro Feliciano declined arbitration on Tuesday. Although Feliciano has been a valued member of the Mets bullpen (career .580 OPS against LH), he was discovered off the scrapheap in 2006. That is what the Mets are going to have to do in order to fill his [...]

After the Yankees lost to Texas I pointed to the lack of a second lefty in the bullpen as a primary problem for the ballclub. Although it wasn’t the main reason for losing in the ALCS, it didn’t help late in ballgames. The loss of Damaso Marte was extremely punishing, especially a year after he [...]