I also think he was correct about Ruben Tejeda. He’s not likely to get alot of time and the arbitration clock begins. The only explanation I can make is that the Mets had some roster problems and couldn’t keep Russ Adams.

As it is now, along with Tejeda, Mike Jacobs, Jenrry Mejia, Frank Catalanatto and Hisanori Takahashi have to be added to the 40-man roster. This would put them at 2 over. With Figueroa coming off, it would still leave them with one over. I wonder if the last one will be Omir Santos.

I’m going to depart from Joe on Mejia. I think he’s ready and in the role he needs to be in. He won’t get the 8th inning yet. That will be Pedro Feliciano’s for now. Maybe Fernando Nieve’s. The Mets wanted for Ryota Igarashi to take this in camp, but he didn’t.

The Mets seem to be saying that Feliciano will have this role early on, but I just don’t feel he gets right-handed hitters out well enough. Unlike Bobby Parnell, Mejia has a second pitch. Mejia can be that guy.

Of course all of this is moot if the Mets starters don’t keep the club in the game. Aside from Johan Santana and Jon Niese, the other three didn’t pitch this spring as if they would. So it will come down to the questionable rotation that Omar Minaya failed to bolster in the off-season. They will have to be better than they were in the spring or the clock will begin ticking on both Minaya and Jerry Manuel.

Oliver Perez finally has a healthy knee, but spent most of the spring serving up batting practice to opposing hitters, inspiring little confidence that he is about to get his act together and have a breakout year. Perez wasn’t wild, but didn’t fool many people, either.

Perez’ face can be posted in Websters by the definition for “enigma”. I’ve always hoped that Perez would one day find his inner Sid Fernandez. He never has and only rarely given anyone hope that he would. Fairness dictated that last season was a wash as he was saddled by an injured knee. Reportedly, he is in good shape after a productive off season.

But as Puma indicates, Perez wasn’t very good this spring. So it begs the question of just how long will the club go with him if he struggles.

The Mets won’t tolerate any Perez drama this year. He’ll probably get three starts to show what he can do. Two members of the bullpen are there now in Hisanori Takahashi and Fernando Nieve that they won’t hesitate to put in there.

But what then with Perez? The Mets may attempt to get him to go to Buffalo, but his agent Scot Boras won’t let that happen. The Mets may then attempt to deal Perez with the stipulation that they would pay the bulk of his remaining salary. There aren’t likely to be many takers as there weren’t when Perez was a free agent. Omar Minaya was probably bidding against himself in the first place. As Jeff Wilpon will be looking to be as drama free as possible, the Mets might just cut their losses and let Perez go in the event he struggles.

In many ways, Perez future is similar to that of Minaya and Jerry Manuel. Poor play over an extended period will prompt Wilpon to take action.

…in regards to the pitchers Sherman mentioned, Garland was always destined for the west coast, unless of course a team like the Mets blew him away with an offer, but i think people would’ve been equally as critical if they had done that with Garland or Davis, because neither are talents any team should overpay for because neither talents can transform a franchise…the Mets were in on Pineiro but ultimately, the Mets wouldn’t increase their offer, and for a guy who i believe will not succeed outside of St. Louis, i’m not going to jump on Omar Minaya for that either…

Baron was using Joel Sherman’s column for talking points. He makes the good points that Mets are not the same destination it once was. The club was going to have to overwhelm most free agents to be in the picture. The talent in this market – save Jason Bay and John Lackey – did not warrant that. The Mets would have upped their offer to get Bay. Lackey’s health should have been a question of concern that kept them out of a bidding war with the Red Sox.

But Baron makes another point that I have been making in that Jason Marquis was the best fit that never seemed to be considered. Unlike other players, the New York native made it known he wanted to play for the Mets. If Marquis has a good season for the suddenly improved Washington Nationals, the non-signing will prove to be another hammer of media segues.

Still, the relative one-year bargains that Doug Davis, Jon Garland, and Bengie Molina are non only indicative of the market the Mets likely predicted but were also just that -bargains. Its easy to feel that the Mets could have “over paid” or easily made a offer worthy of accepting.

You can be assured that the team that ultimately the Mets are compared to in the Yankees would have paid the price to get a player they either wanted or needed. Yet the Mets did not make any of those determinations, and it reveals they better be thinking in other ways as I commented on a few days ago.

What ever the plans, the Mets are committed to it now. They have to bank now on the return to form of Oliver Perez and John Maine. Mike Pelfrey will have to improve. The Omir Santos – Henry Blanco catching tandem has to suddenly compare favoritably to the Nationals acquisition of hall of famer Ivan Rodriguez as Dan Warthen was public in his condemnation of last year’s catching. The bashing of Luis Castillo by his own club needs to have not been accurate.

It’s alot to hope.

More telling were his quotes regarding the Mets intensity. Fans will agree with that. Darryl’s characterization of the 86 Mets’ moxie is similar to my own. It’s not so easy though. Frank Cashen referred to it as “fire in the belly” on the day he fired Davey Johnson in 1990.

By that time, a different set of players were around. No Ray Knight. No Roger McDowell. No Lenny Dykstra. No Jesse Orosco. No Mookie Wilson. A far different chemistry existed in the Mets clubhouse. A different formula for success was in place that didn’t work as well. The club didn’t play as well as it had because it wasn’t as good. Cashen unfairly took that to mean that the team wasn’t playing as hard or cared as much. Bobby Ojeda took exception to Cashen’s statement and spoke to both him and Buddy Harrelson who shared similar views.
Harrelson was gone before the end of the next season. Cashen sceeded control to Al Harazin and Jerry Hundsicker a few days later.

Essentially it has little to do with caring or intensity. Chemistry in a positive sense spawns from winning combination of players. To be sure negative influences can cause harm . See Gregg Jefferies, Eddie Murray, and Tony Bernazard.

I’m hopeful that a subtle change can occur in these Mets’ clubhouse. With the departure of a subdued Carlos Delgado, a new hierchy will emerge among everyday players. The example of intensity will come from David Wright, Jeff Francouer and Jason Bay. A healthy Jose Reyes, the lovable foil.

And if the pitchers can get enough outs we just might see some of that “fire in the belly”.

We are now seeing one of the hidden problems that last seasons crushing amount of injuries resulted in. They had no chips to commit to trades.

Billy Beane thought that Ben Sheets was worth the gamble. Omar Minaya needs for Beane to be wrong.

Baseball Crank :

Not a terrible move, but symptomatic of Omar Minaya’s defective thought process and lack of imagination.

Buster Olney quotes one team:

Matthews is a player to be avoided. Slow bat. Declining range. And above all else, a player who wants to be a regular and will be an unhappy distraction in your clubhouse when he’s not in the lineup every day.

On, that’s just perfect. All the Mets need is another malcontent that they can’t get rid of.

With apologies to LBJ referencing Walter Cronkite. But when the Mets have lost the Blogfather, they’ve lost significant fan base.

The thing is, that isn’t what concerns me; because, who knows, maybe Matthews is ‘in the best shape of his life,’ which I am sure someone will write this Spring, and maybe he becomes an outstanding fourth outfielder. The move is weird, but I understand how the team justifies it. Nevertheless, he’s not the issue.

The issue, to me, is: how does acquiring Matthews fit in to the overall plan to be better? Actually, come to think of it, what is the overall plan to be better?

I can’t say that I blame any of them and naysayers will turn out to be correct if Matthews cannot contribute in a significant way or becomes a problem.

Justification exists when considering the potential power that Matthews -unlike Cory Sullivan or Jeremy Reed – represents if he is on the roster. Furthermore we must remember that extras Chris Carter and Nick Evan cannot play center field . Mathews can. The oft-injured Fernando Martinez needs to play in Buffalo and should not be looked upon as a back-up to Angel Pagan.

This is the sort of move a club makes if they are planning on contending.

Now go out and get another starter. Or maybe even two.

I kind of liked having Brian Stokes around as he seemed to be a bit of a staff saver, but they Mets needed to do something about center field and they got a veteran in Matthews. In the event Beltran returns successfully, Matthews provides some fair depth.

I think that Pagan is a better player right now and that Matthews seems to have alreay had his best years. But certainty in CF defense at Citi Field is important. Hence the understandable trade.

Give Omar Minaya credit for taking care of a need quickly. I just hope that they were multi-tasking and looking to get a starter at the same time.

1. The moves in the bullpen signal a clear philosophy. Low investment with the potential for high yield investments in Kelvin Escobar and Ryoto Igarashi may represent 8th inning alternatives. The Mets must also believe that Bobby Parnell can be the same, otherwise they would have sent the talented righthander home this offseason with instructions to prepare to start.

2. The Mets are always making noise about wanting another lefthander to complement Pedro Feliciano. They brought in numerous lefties last year but kept playing roster whack-a-mole with them all. If they have really been serious about needing to fill this role, they would have actively pursued former Met Darren Oliver whom ultimately signed a one-year deal with the Texas Rangers. They also made no move for Mike Gonzalez who probably wanted to close anyhow. So I don’t think that the Mets really want to pay alot for someone for this role.

3. I believe there is a reason that 2B Orlando Hudson has not signed with anyone yet. He’s waiting on the Mets to get rid of Luis Castillo. Maybe there’s even some back room conversations. Now that the Mets have filed the left field hole, some certainty exists for Minaya. He can now move Castillo and sign Hudson. Unless there’s something else going. See #4.

4. All’s been quiet on the rumors that the Reds were trying to move some big salaries. Earlier this month, there was some speculation at MLBTradeRumors about Bronson Arroyo and Aaron Harang being moved. Other high salaried Reds mentioned were Arthur Rhodes, Brandon Phillips and Franciso Cordero. There are some matches there, especially if other clubs get involved. It is from this scenario that Minaya can acquire a starter, a lefty reliever, a set-up guy or an upgrade an 2B. Stay tuned.

4. I don’t believe the Mets have ruled out contending, but they know that they are banking on a healthy return to form by Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran. With them plus Bay, David Wright should be better. Wright found out what George Foster did in his first season when it was just him. It’s unlikely that Carlos Delgado will not be returning. It would be nice if Daniel Murphy became at least a Dave Magadan circa 1991. To be fair, it’s really been Minaya’s only viable option to pursue with respect to the line-up.

5. Dan Warthen needs to be right in that whatever the final upgrade in catching matches a some sort of improvement in Oliver Perez, Mike Pelfrey and John Maine. Whomever they group with Henry Blanco, they won’t be counted on for offense, but it will be ok if Murphy and Jeff Francoeur are hitting sixth and seventh.

6. Last season was an aberation with respect to injuries. The Mets made no changes in their sports medicine team, and it shouldn’t have. Admittedly I have a soft spot for these guys, but I do not communicate with any of them. I’ve always maintained that a communication problem existed and that the presence of Tony Bernazard poisoned this as well.

7. There were some changes to the coaching staff. I hope they were based mostly on Jerry Manual’s wishes and not Omar Minaya’s prejudices fueled by Bernazard’s manipulations. Firing a manager’s coaches makes a manager impotent. The beginning of the end began for Davey Johnson and Willie Randolph when the front office dismissed some of their staffs.

Spring training is just 6 weeks away. Minaya has been signalling that the team will be better at that time. He’s wisely let the market come back and has saved the Wilpn’s some money they may have to spend later in the event the Mets actually do contend. With more positive moves, Minaya will haveweathered the media firestorm that surrounded him and it will pay off once camp opens.

No drama.

Only hope with a dash of reasonable expectations.

Omar Minaya says the Mets are pursuing Matt Holliday. I think like Jason Bay, the free agent is more than happy to use the Mets as a beard.

All’s fair in negotiations. But if Minaya lands either Bay or Holliday at this point, he and the Mets will begin to gain some much needed credibility.

Adam Rubin’s report this morning that the Red Sox are considering getting back to Jason Bay is immeasurable in its potential to embarrass and further weaken Omar Minaya.

With the Wilpons staying in the background this off-season, and in perception they are making Minaya own the club’s future. This is potential political suicide on their part. If not corrected in some manner it will get worse before it gets better. And if Bay is lost, Minaya will have to move quickly to improve his 25 man roster. It’s the only way now.

They’ve set themselves up for this by giving the public face of trying to improve the club. If an unknown Plan B emerges because of an off-season of failure, it will not sit well with the fan base. A rebuilding plan that emerges suddenly in December will lose the Mets even more credibility in a town that doesn’t tolerate a lack of candor well. A decison to rebuild from the beginning would have been an easy sell after the last three seasons.

For an organization that’s always been obsessed with what’s on the back page of it’s city’s tabloids, they’ve never realized that they cannot have it both ways. On one hand, you cannot seek to spin the bad news while not doing enough to create good news on your own. Since the 2007 slide, this has been the Mets operational model.

Neither Minaya nor Jerry Manual have enough personal capital to protect the club from the negatives that will come from a disasterous off-season once spring training starts. There are just too many holes in the roster to overcome a juggernaut of unfavorable attention that will come with inconsistent play.

Much will be learned about the future of the Mets during the next few days.