The More Teams Change, The More The Mets Stay The Same

I try to look at the MLB Trade Rumors site as often as I can to see what the Mets and their division rivals are up to.  More often than not, I find what their fellow NL East residents are doing long before I find any new information on the Mets.  Today was no exception.

Sandy Alderson has wanted to add a new arm in the bullpen (since most of the new arms he added last off-season pitched so miserably), a new starting pitcher to replace the Cy Young Award winner he traded away, and a major league outfielder to add to the Quadruple-A players the Mets already have.

So of course, I woke up this morning hoping to find something new on MLB Trade Rumors.  I found their "Week In Review" segment and perused the list of transactions and rumors for all major league teams.  This is an example of what I found.  (Thanks to Daniel Seco at mlbtraderumors.com for his thorough work.  For the complete "Week In Review" list, please click here.)

• The Rangers agreed to a five-year, $55MM extension with Matt Harrison. The contract contains an team option for a sixth year in 2018 that can become a vesting option if Harrison pitches certain innings plateaus.
• The Nationals agreed to sign free agent closer Rafael Soriano to a two-year, $28MM contract. Soriano posted a 2.26 ERA with 9.2 K/9, 3.2 BB/9 and a 35.9% ground ball rate for the Yankees this past season.
• The Red Sox and Mike Napoli reached an agreement on a new contract. Napoli gets $5MM plus incentives for the one-year deal that could reach $13MM.
• The Mariners, Nationals and Athletics combined on a three-team trade that will send Michael Morse to the Mariners, John Jaso to the A's and a three-player package to the Nationals that includes minor league right-handers A.J. Cole, Blake Treinen and a player to be named from the Athletics. 
• The Diamondbacks agreed to sign J.J. Putz to a one-year extension that will keep him in Arizona through 2014.The LSW Baseball client will reportedly receive a $7MM salary in 2014.
• The Pirates agreed to sign right-hander Jeff Karstens to a one-year deal worth $2.5MM.
• The Rockies signed Miguel Batista to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training. Batista, 41, posted a 4.61 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 5.6 BB/9 in 52 2/3 innings for the Mets and Braves last season. 
• The White Sox agreed to sign Matt Lindstrom to a one-year contract with a club option. Lindstrom, 32, pitched to a 2.68 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 47 innings for the Orioles and Diamondbacks last season.
• The Indians signed Ryan Raburn to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training. Raburn averaged 15 home runs per season from 2009-11 and owns a career batting line of .256/.311/.430.
• The Phillies signed right-hander Juan Cruz to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training.
• The Marlins signed Austin Kearns to a minor league deal with an invitation to MLB Spring Training.

Austin Kearns, International Marlin of Mystery

I see where the defending NL East champion Nationals traded away outfielder Michael Morse to Seattle and signed closer Rafael Soriano to a two-year deal.  I also see that the Phillies signed reliever Juan Cruz and plan to invite him to Spring Training.  Heck, even the frugal Marlins signed outfielder Austin Kearns to a minor league deal.  I see many teams in the majors mentioned here.

I don't see the Mets.

Well, if you want to be technical about it, the Mets are mentioned, but only because the Rockies signed Miguel Batista off the Mets' scrap heap.

Almost every team in baseball is wheeling and dealing, signing and refining, moving and improving.  The Mets, on the other hand, are not doing anything worthy of a rhyme.  In fact, they're not doing anything at all.

Since trading R.A. Dickey to the Blue Jays on December 17, the Mets have done the following:

• Dec. 28, 2012: Signed LHP Aaron Laffey to a minor league contract.
• Jan. 3, 2013: Signed OF Andrew Brown to a minor league contract.
• Jan. 6, 2013: Signed INF Omar Quintanilla to a minor league contract.
• Jan. 18, 2013: Signed C Landon Powell to a minor league contract.
• Jan. 21, 2013: Signed LHP Pedro Feliciano to a minor league contract.

Never mind the fact the MLB Trade Rumors didn't mention anything about the Mets making a transaction last week (Landon Powell).  All the Mets have done over the last month is sign journeyman players, including a former Met who hasn't pitched since the last time he was a Met in 2010 (Pedro Feliciano).  Sure, they've re-signed some of their own players, like Tim Byrdak and David Wright, and avoided arbitration with Bobby Parnell and Ike Davis.  But that about sums up their activity.

The Mets say they're interested in starting pitcher Carl Pavano.  They would like to remain in the mix for outfielder Michael Bourn.  They gave a look-see at closer Brian Wilson.  But I wouldn't bet all the money in Papa Smirk's piggy bank that either of those players will be receiving their fan mail at Citi Field in 2013.

"Seriously, why do you call me Papa Smirk so much?"

Sandy Alderson is asking the fans to be patient.  Although he claims that he is not sacrificing 2013 for the future, he also hasn't been doing anything to make the upcoming season more than just a battle for fourth place with the Marlins.

Alderson has acquired some good young talent since he came on board prior to the 2011 season.  Through shrewd trades, he's been able to add a number of top prospects, like Zack Wheeler, Travis d'Arnaud and Noah Syndergaard, to name a few.  But the major league talent at Citi Field still leaves a lot to be desired.

Scott Hairston is a good outfielder and a fine hitter.  Against lefties, he's as good as they get.  It should be a no-brainer for Alderson to bring him back into the fold.  But he's waiting ... and waiting ... and waiting some more, just to get Hairston to bite on a one-year deal.  If Hairston really is seeking a two-year deal worth somewhere in the $8 million range, why wouldn't Alderson take that chance?

He already doled out two-year contracts to relievers D.J. Carrasco and Frank Francisco, but he can't do the same for an outfielder (a position the Mets desperately need to fill) who actually has produced during his time with the team?  As a famous entertainer once said, "what up with that?"





Say Hairston is signed by the Mets to a two-year deal worth $8 million ($4 million annually).  And say he doesn't produce as well as he did in 2012.  Given his history against left-handed pitching and the team control until 2014, as well as his relatively low annual salary, wouldn't he be a valuable trade commodity?  What team wouldn't want him at that price?  But if the Mets were to give him a one-year deal, he'd just be a rental for a potential playoff contender.

For the Mets, it should begin with Scott Hairston.  Then they should add pieces who are ready to contribute at the major league level.  Then, and only then, will I believe the Mets are doing something to make this season more than just a competition with the Marlins for fourth place.

Frank Cashen had a five-year plan for the Mets when he came aboard as the Mets general manager in 1980.  By year five, the team was competitive.  However, Cashen inherited a team that hadn't won 70 games since 1976 and needed a complete overhaul.  The current Mets, despite their shortcomings, have won at least 70 games in each of the last four seasons and have been in the playoff mix at the All-Star Break every year.  But they've fallen apart every season after the break and haven't truly shown any type of improvement in the last four years.

Year five for Sandy Alderson will be in 2015.  Will the Mets have what it takes to contend for an NL East title by then?  We know the teams around them aren't going to be steadfast with their major league rosters.  It's time for the Mets to change.  We already know what happens to them when they remain the same.

The Mets Have A Bad Case of B.O. (Bullpen Overload)

The Mets gave up a couple of touchdowns to the Toronto Blue Jays in their 14-5 loss on Friday.  But I'm not going to talk about that.  I'm also not going to talk about the whiplash Jonathon Niese must have suffered from turning his neck so quickly to watch all the home runs leaving the yard.  Here, let me just show you what I'm going to talk about.

• R.A. Dickey: 8 starts, 50⅓ innings pitched, 6.29 IP/start
• Johan Santana: 8 starts, 43⅔ innings pitched, 5.46 IP/start
• Jonathon Niese: 8 starts, 42⅔ innings pitched, 5.33 IP/start
• Dillon Gee: 7 starts, 43 innings pitched, 6.14 IP/start
• Mike Pelfrey: 3 starts, 19⅔ innings pitched, 6.56 IP/start
• Miguel Batista: 3 starts, 16 innings pitched, 5.33 IP/start
• Chris Schwinden: 2 starts, 8 innings pitched, 4.00 IP/start

• Total: 39 starts, 223⅓ innings pitched, 5.73 IP/start

Do you see the problem there?  No?  Perhaps this will help you see.  The Mets as a team have pitched 345⅓ innings in 2012.  That means more than one-third of the innings pitched (35.3% to be exact) have been pitched by relievers.

And who are those relievers?  Well, you have Manny Acosta (10.53 ERA), Frank Francisco (8.04 ERA), the recently-ousted D.J. Carrasco (7.36 ERA), Jon Rauch (4.32 ERA) and Ramon Ramirez (4.30 ERA).  Only Bobby Parnell and Tim Byrdak have ERAs under 4.00 of relievers with at least four appearances.  (That's why you're not seeing backup catcher Rob Johnson's 0.00 ERA.  Oh, you didn't hear?  He pitched one inning of relief during Friday night's debacle, doing his best Desi Relaford impression by retiring the side in order.  Here's photo evidence...)

When Josh Thole returns from the DL, Rob Johnson might still have a role on the team as a reliever.

Anytime a bullpen gives up more than a run every other inning, you have a flawed bullpen.  But when that bullpen is getting as much use as the Mets are giving them, then you have a flawed team.

The Mets are still doing better than expected, with a 21-18 record, but in the stacked NL East, that's just barely keeping them out of last place.  (The Phillies bring up the rear with a 21-19 mark.)  If the starting pitchers can't give the team a minimum of six innings, and hopefully more, then all the positivity built up from the team's strong start will go out the window.  The bullpen, as it stands, is simply not very good.  Unfortunately, they're being given too many chances to show us that.

It's time for Santana, Dickey, Niese, Batista and Gee to eat up innings for the Mets.  If they don't, it'll be the opposing hitters who will continue to feast on the bullpen.  And that will leave a bad taste in the mouths of all Mets fans.

D.J. DFA

I woke up this morning (no, those are the first five words of a blues song parody, although with the way the Mets' bullpen has been performing lately, my songwriting skills might be needed soon) and the following five letters kept scrolling in my head like an SNY sports ticker on a slow sports night:

DJDFA

Whatever could those letters mean, I asked myself?  There were several possibilities.  First, I thought DJDFA was the opening act for LMFAO on their tour.  Unfortunately, that was not the case, as LMFAO is currently not touring with another act, but they'd probably want to know who this DFA is, and if he was a good DJ.

Staying on the music front, I then considered the possibility of DJDFA being somehow related to the German industrial rock band, KMFDM, but then realized that the only reason why I was thinking of a German connection was because I had seen Hans and Simon Gruber way too much this week in repeated broadcasts of Die Hard and Die Hard with a Vengeance.

Maybe DJDFA stood for Don Johnson Doing Frankie Avalon.  After all, the man who made all thespians proud with his portrayal of Sonny Crockett in Miami Vice (and don't forget his turn in Nash Bridges) was also once a singer.  (Now that I think of it, did Johnson ever find that "Heartbeat" he was looking for?)  But no, Johnson isn't working on a album of Frankie Avalon covers.  In fact, he hasn't put out an album since 1997, when his record label put out an "Essential" Don Johnson greatest hits album.  (More like a "Greatest Hit" album, if you ask me.)

So what could DJDFA stand for?  Those aren't the initials of the obscure fan club (D.J. Dozier's Freakin' Amazing), mainly because that fan club never existed, although I think I remember Dozier hitting a walk-off grand slam in a spring training game for the Mets in the early '90s, which unfortunately did not turn into success in the regular season (Dozier hit .191 in 47 at-bats with the Mets in 1992, driving in two runs, or half the amount he had in one mighty spring training swing). 

I was about to give up guessing why those letters were taking up space in what passes for my brain.  Then I checked MetsBlog, saw one particular post, and knew immediately what the letters stood for.

DJDFA = D.J. Designated For Assignment

Unlucky No. 77.

Well, it's about frickin' time, Mr. Bigglesworth!  Over his final two games as a Met, Carrasco threw three pitches that sealed his fate:

• Pitch #1: Long home run by Rickie Weeks.  Prior to the home run, Weeks was hitting .153 (19-for-123) with 43 strikeouts.  If Ike Davis' woes can be contributed to Valley Fever, then Rickie Weeks had Valley Flu, which of course, was cured by one D.J. Carrasco meatball over the plate.

• Pitch #2: Ryan Braun gets plunked.  Intentional or not, Carrasco had no problem throwing the ball over the plate to Weeks, so why did he miss so badly on his first offering to Braun?  Carrasco got tossed from the game for his "efforts".

• Pitch #3: Deep goes Frazier!  Todd Frazier, he of the seven career home runs coming into the game, hit a monster shot off Carrasco to turn a one-run contest into a 6-3 deficit, a hole the Mets could not climb out of.  It was Frazier's second home run of the game.  Down goes Carrasco!

D.J. Carrasco signed a two-year deal with the Mets prior to the 2011 season.  Since becoming a Met, Carrasco has been awful.  He is the proud owner of a 6.11 ERA and 1.68 WHIP.  In 53 innings, opponents are hitting .338 against him and are reaching base at a .402 clip.  He has also hit seven batters, thrown four wild pitches and allowed nine home runs.

Needless to say, I can't say I'm upset to see him go.  Having him on the team was like hiring a pyromaniac to be a firefighter.

D.J. has been DFA.  Now GTFO and don't let the bullpen gate hit you on the way out.

Carlos Beltran Campaigns For Jose Reyes' Return

According to Mike Puma in today's New York Post, Carlos Beltran has expressed his desire to see Jose Reyes in a Mets uniform in 2012 and beyond.

After the Mets scorched the Pirates for seven runs over the final three innings of yesterday's 7-0 victory, Beltran had this to say about the front office and his teammate:

"They should make the effort and try to sign him, for sure. He grew up in this organization. I don't know what's in his mind, but players like him, they don't come too often. He's had nothing wrong with him. He's playing the game and having fun every day, so you want to have a player like that."

Carlos Beltran has always been a quiet leader on this team. His words are few and far in between, but when he says them, they're meant for people to listen. Beltran has been in the league for many years and knows a good player when he sees one. But Jose Reyes is more than just a good player. He's a great player, the type of player you build a team around, the type of player you win with.

Although Carlos Beltran might not be patrolling the outfield at Citi Field next season, he knows that the Mets shouldn't part with Reyes. Supposedly, Jose Reyes' agents have not been contacted by Sandy Alderson as of this time. It would behoove the Mets' GM to begin the conversation with Team Reyes soon. Any time wasted is time ticking away towards Reyes' departure from the only organization he's ever known.

Alderson might shy away from long-term deals, but we're not talking about D.J. Carrasco and R.A. Dickey here, who both got two-year contracts during the off-season. This is Jose Reyes, the "real" face of the franchise. (Sorry, David Wright, but this team is winning right now without you. The same would not be the case if Jose Reyes were on the DL.)

Carlos Beltran can see it. I can see it. Heck, Stevie Wonder could probably see it. Hopefully, the Mets' front office will see it as well. Jose Reyes should be a Met in 2012 and beyond.

Tom Seaver will always be known as "The Franchise". But Jose Reyes is "The Franchise" for a new generation of Mets fans. If the front office truly wants to do what's best for the team, they must re-sign the new version of "The Franchise". The Mets already had a dark time from 1977-1983 after Tom Seaver was let go. Re-signing Jose Reyes would ensure that the light of hope will continue to flicker at Citi Field for many years to come.