Are the first 10 games a precursor of things to come? Normally you wouldn’t think so since the baseball season is 162 games long. It represents exactly 6% of the total schedule. There are, however, some trends in how a team performs the last decade. ACTA Sports produced this analysis in their latest “Stat of […]
Both Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez marveled at the prescient Ron Darling last night. In the first inning, Darling had noted how it would be a good time for Mets starter Mike Pelfrey to fake a pickoff throw to third and first in order to possibly get Ryan Zimmerman starting too early on the 3-2 […]
Valley Fever, strained rib cages, declining payroll and the Madoff clawback lawsuit have been much talked about topics around Port St. Lucie this spring; especially the last week. There will be plenty of time for gloom and doom this year, but yesterday Johan Santana gave the Mets and their fans a ray of hope in an otherwise […]
All offseason we debate the merits of acquiring different players. Sometimes, we don’t understand why a team brings a veteran into camp when there are cheaper replacements that could do the job just as well, or even better. The Mets were accused of this when they held on to expensive veterans such as Alex Cora […]
I have travelled to an opposing ballpark to watch the Mets play. I purchased Red Sox tickets in 2006 when the Mets were in Beantown. In 1999 and 2002 I went to the old Veterans Stadium for a Phillies/Mets series; I did the same in 2006 for an August series against the Nationals at the old RFK. […]
More than a week ago, New York Mets GM Sandy Alderson finished his long drive down to Port St. Lucie, FL for spring training. A week ago Saturday he held a gathering with reporters, answering questions on the state of the Mets organization. There was no truth to the rumor that Alderson was late for […]
The Ryan Zimmerman contract extension sent shock waves throughout baseball. Anytime a player is awarded a deal north of $100 million, its big news. The biggest waves, however, reached the shores of Port St. Lucie, despite the fact that David Wright and the organization downplayed the impact. You know the drill by now. David Wright has a $16 million […]
We couldn’t get through a week of spring training without off-the-field news. During tonight’s show I will discuss the fallout from the Ryan Braun failed drug test and how the media, MLB and Braun all come out losers in this situation. I will also give my thoughts on the Red Sox banning alcohol from their […]
It is common knowledge among the electorate the 2012 New Mets aren’t going to be that good. Without a deep starting pitching staff and not even a true ace, Mets GM Sandy Alderson has attempted to follow the lead of the Arizona Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers by building up a solid bullpen to improve their […]
We’re at the time of year now when the various media outlets and fan blogs start releasing their minor league top prospect lists for 2012. Baseball America is clearly the industry standard leader in this venture, popping out their Top 100 lists every year since 1990. (Their number one Number One? Braves left hander Steve Avery). Whether you […]
You know the story about the Mets and their inability to add much, if any, payroll. What once was supposed to be about $120 million dollar budget has slide all the way down to around $90 million. That’s why it came as no surprise that one of their rumored targets- Rick Ankiel- signed as minor league […]
In recent months I have discussed the dangers of long-term deals, specifically when it came to the Mets signing Jose Reyes. The years, more than the dollars, is usually the problem. Long-term contracts lead to teams paying premium dollars for players past their prime. The average annual value is often skewed because you have situations (see […]
Last night was the deadline for teams to offer arbitration-eligible players a contract. Those that weren’t, were non-tendered, which now makes them a free agent. The Yankees are searching for bench help and a situational lefty. The Mets need a backup infielder, second lefty, and more starting pitching. Both teams 40-man rosters are completely full, […]
The Yankees elected to select Washington RHP Brad Meyers during this morning’s Rule 5 draft. The likelihood of Meyers sticking with the Yankees the entire season is slim (Rule V picks have about a 30% success rate), but it’s a solid pick and I could see them attempting to work out a deal for him (see Jamie […]
The Mets finally made some noise in Dallas as they signed Jon Rauch (4.85 ERA, 11 saves in Toronto last season) to a reasonable 1 year/$3.5 million dollar deal, but the real coup by Sandy Alderson was bringing in two players- RHP Ramon Ramirez and CF Andres Torres- for Angel Pagan, and signing RHP Frank Francisco. Pagan had fallen out of […]
