SB Nation - Pedro Feliciano

Marlins to Play Mets in Puerto Rico?

GameFish — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:28:14 -0000

Joy of joys, the Marlins are once again entertaining the idea of playing one of their home series in Puerto Rico next season. Yes, we've heard this particular rumor before, but according to reports, the series is a lot closer to happening than the one that was being negotiated for the 2008 season:

Major League Baseball is considering a proposal for the Marlins to host a series against the Mets at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in June or July, according to a Marlins source.

The Marlins’ 2010 schedule has Florida hosting the Mets at Land Shark Stadium June 28-30 but not in July. The Marlins also host the Mets May 13-16 and Sept. 21-22.

Normally I would be excited by anything and everything that would keep Mets fans a nice stretch of ocean away from Land Shark Stadium, but not in this case. As much as I loathe being crowded by blue and orange-clad New Yorkers at home, the Marlins-Mets series are the most popular and well-attended home series of the season, and as such, it doesn't make sense to move one of them.

I will never be in favor of something that short-changes Fish fans three home games, especially not three of the most popular home games of the season. And, as much as I like to see them suffer, this isn't exactly going to please all the transplanted Mets fans, either.

For all their complaints about attendance, the Marlins certainly aren't helping their own cause here.

Then there's this:

The Mets would be a particularly attractive draw because of the team’s Puerto Rican presence, including Carlos Beltran, Pedro Feliciano, Angel Pagan and Omir Santos. The Mets also are investigating re-signing Alex Cora, who hails from the island, and won’t rule out bringing back Carlos Delgado, a native of Aguadilla, P.R.

If the Mets are such an attractive draw in Puerto Rico, let them give up a home series to play there.

Justin Maxwell Hits A Walk-Off Grand Slam!!! Washington Nationals Win 7-4, Sweep New York Mets.

Ed Chigliak — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:15:20 -0000

More photos » by Manuel Balce Ceneta - AP

2 months ago: Washington Nationals' Justin Maxwell cleans the shaving creamfromn his face after hitting a grand slam in the ninth inning against the New York Mets in a baseball game Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009, in Washington. The Nationals won 7-4. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

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SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!!!

• Justin Maxwell works the count full with the bases loaded and two down in the ninth with NY ahead 4-3, and J-Max takes the Mets' high-priced closer Francisco Rodriguez deeeeeep to left and GONE for a walk-off Grand Slam in the last home game of the season in Nationals Park...DO YOU BELIEVE!!!!

Miss The Game? The DC Faithful Were Watching...

See How The Mets Fans Took It At: Amazin' Avenue.

Check Out the Post Game And The Full Game Report (You Know, For The Completists), AFTER THE JUMP!!!

• Shadows from the stadium lights and the upper deck of Nationals Park are stretched in a large swath across the field of play from the left field grass, over third, the mound and wrapping around first as DC lefty John Lannan starts the final home game of the season against the New York Mets with a scoreless frame that Mets’ starter Tim Redding matches.

• Jeff Francoeur thinks for a moment that he’s hit a two-run HR to left off John Lannan in the top of the second, but it’s ruled a double upon further review, though the two runners who would have scored if it had been called correctly as a HR cross anyway when Fernando Tatis follows with a sac fly to right and Omir Santos hits an RBI single. 2-0 NY after two.

• Mets’ right-hander Tim Redding retires the first ten batters he faces before Elijah Dukes singles up the middle with one down in the fourth. Redding strands Dukes, but the Nationals finally get on the board in the fifth. Josh Willingham hits a leadoff single to center, moves to second when Josh Bard walks, third when Ian Desmond grounds out, and the Hammer comes home on a sac fly by Alberto Gonzalez to make it 2-1 NY after five.

• E: 140, 141...Angel Pagan hits a weak grounder to short with one down in the sixth, and Ian Desmond misplays what should have been the second out. E: 140. One out later, David Wright rrrrips a grounder to third, and Ryan Zimmerman sidesteps it and tries to snatch it with his glove and misses, E: 141. OUTCOME: Two on, two out. Carlos Beltran singles to center to score Pagan, 3-1 Mets’ lead after five and a half.

• THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!! Ryan Zimmerman gives the DC Faithful reason to believe with a solo shot to center off Mets’ reliever Bobby Parnell in the eighth inning. Zimmerma---THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!! THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!!! hits his 33rd of ‘09 to make it 3-2 NY.

• E: 142. Ryan Zimmerman’s always had a habit of side-stepping hard hit grounders and trying to snap it up with his glove, but he’s missed two tonight and it might be time to start getting in front of them, cause his 17th error costs DC another run. OUTCOME: Jeff Francoeur reaches on the Zimmerman error and takes second. Fernando Tatis singles Frenchy over to third, and Omir Santos puts a perfect hit and run single behind the runner at second to score Francoeur for 4-2 NY lead...

• And Now The Epic Bottom Of The Ninth...

The New York Mets gave Francisco Rodriguez to a 3-year/$37 M dollar deal to close games for them, and the hard-throwing right-hander, who set the Major League record for saves last season, was called upon in the ninth tonight with the Mets desperate for a win against the pesky Washington Nationals who were threatening to sweep and seriously embarrass New York. Rodriguez, who'd converted 34 of 40 save opportunities this season, started Alberto Gonzalez with a 91 mph heater for a called strike and followed with a change that Gonzalez ripped to short and beat to first, sliding in headfirst ahead of Wilson Valdez's throw. Pinch hitter Mike Morse worked the count full in the next at bat and lined a K-Rod change back up the middle. Willie Harris fouled off one bunt attempt before getting a successful sac down to move Gonzalez and pinch runner Jorge Padilla into scoring position for Elijah Dukes, who worked the count full and took a gutsy ball four to load the bases for Ryan Zimmerman. Zim K'd swinging on the third pitch he saw, (curve for a called strike, fastball fouled off and an 0-2 change), to bring up Adam Dunn. The Big Walky battled K-Rod to a full count and took three straight out of the zone for a bases loaded walk and a one-run game which NY still led 4-3. Enter Justin Maxwell:

• Justin Maxwell...(1) Took a curve for ball one from Francisco Rodriguez then watched as a (2) second curve dropped in and the veteran hit the low outside corner with a (3) fastball for a called strike two. A four-seam fastball followed (4) that Maxwell took for ball two, 2-2, and then fouled off a fastball (5) and took a change outside (6) and looow to work the count full against K-Rod. 4-seam fastball up high (7), fouled off, four-seam fastball down low, (8) fouled off, and then a third straight fastball (9) that gets LAUNCHED TO LEFT AND GONE!!! GRAND SLAM!!! GRAND SLAM!!! Justin Maxwell wins it with a walk-off Grand SLAM!!! Nationals win, 7-4!!!

FULL GAME REPORT:

New York Mets At Washington Nationals. Game 158 Of 162.

Josh Willingham takes a knee to catch a low line drive from Angel Pagan. Anderson Hernandez makes Willingham spring to his left and leap up for a second hard-hit line out. David Wright flies to right and Elijah Dukes stares into the sun and makes the catch...Jeff Francoeur catches the first out for Tim Redding off Willie Harris’ bat. Elijah Dukes goes the other way with a high fly to right. Ryan Zimmerman swings through a high fastball to end the first inning.

Carlos Beltran walks to start the second and Jeff Francoeur lines one off the very top of the wall for what might be a HR? They’re taking a look. It’s ruled a double. Fernando Tatis flies out to right, Elijah Dukes tries for a throw home, but has no chance, 1-0 NY. Francoeur takes third on the bad throw. Omir Santos scores Francoeur with a single to center. 2-0 Mets. Lannan gets the DP grounder from Wilson Valdez, Alberto Gonzalez to Ian Desmond to Adam Dunn, double play...Adam Dunn flies out to left field for the first out of DC’s second. Josh Willingham grounds weakly to short. Josh Bard pushes Angel Pagan back to the track to end the bottom of the frame.

Tim Redding starts the third against Lannan with a ground ball to third for the first out. Angel Pagan lines out to Ian Desmond. Anderson Hernandez sends Elijah Dukes breaking back but he makes catch to end the Mets’ third...Ian Desmond’s grounder to short is cut off by David Wright, who fires to first. Alberto Gonzalez grounds out to short. John Lannan is the ninth-straight Nationals’ batter retired.

David Wright skies one to Dukes in right. Carlos Beltran’s way out in front of a two-strike change. Jeff Francoeur grounds to third, Zimmerman snaps it up and throws to first to end NY’s fourth...Willie Harris hits a high fly ball to center, Carlos Beltran makes the catch. Elijah Dukes singles up the middle to break up Redding’s streak of ten-straight set down. Jeff Francoeur avoids the stands that stick out into right and catches a foul ball from Zimmerman. Adam Dunn just pulls a long fly foul and ends up lining out to first to end the fourth.

John Lannan throws a high two-strike fastball by Fernando Tatis. Omir Santos grounds out Ian Desmond at short. WIlson Valdez rolls the first pitch out to third and Ryan Zimmerman’s throw ends the Mets’ fifth...Josh Willingham starts DC’s fifth with a sharp single to center. Josh Bard works a walk. Ian Desmond hits a swinging sac bunt toward first to advance both runners. Alberto Gonzalez flies out to center to score Willingham from third, 2-1 NY. John Lannan slaps a two-out single through short. Willie Harris K’s swinging through a fastball outside to end the fifth.

Tim Redding K’s in the first AB of the sixth. Angel Pagan grounds to short, and Ian Desmond gets a bad hop and misplays it. E: 140. Anderson Hernandez pops out to Dukes in right after a long AB. David Wright rips a grounder through Zimmerman at third. E:141. Carlos Beltran singles up the middle to score Pagan from second, 3-1 New York. Jeff Francoeur flies out to right...Elijah Dukes drops a surprise bunt down the third base line and David Wright can’t make a play. Ryan Zimmerman pops out unproductively. Adam Dunn's up when a wild pitch moves Dukes to second. Dunn flies out unproductively to center. Josh Willingham swings at the first pitch and grounds out to end the frame.

Fernando Tatis lines to left and beats the throw to second for a leadoff double. Omir Santos flies out to right field. WIlson Valdez takes a two-out walk and Gary Sheffield gets pinch hit intentionals to bring up Angel Pagan. Pagan grounds to Ian Desmond, who takes the force at second...Bobby Parnell vs Bard. Bard battles for 10 pitches and eventually walks. Ian Desmond grounds into a force at second in the next AB. Desmond avoids a ground ball from Alberto Gonzalez and Anderson Hernandez tries to get the force at second, but his toss is late. Two runners safe. Pinch hitter Cristian Guzman pops out unproductively to third. Willie Harris works the count full. Willie Harris grounds out to second to end the seventh.

Zach Segovia’s on to pitch the top of the eighth. Anderson Hernandez K’s swinging to start the inning. David Wright grounds out to third. Carlos Beltran pops out to the infield and Ian Desmond’s catch ends NY’s eighth...Elijah Dukes gets jammed and grounds out to the mound. Parnell vs Zimmerman. Ryan Zimmerma--THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!! THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!!! HR to straight center, 3-2 NY. Pedro Feliciano comes on to face Dunn. Adam Dunn pops out. Sean Green vs Willingham. Josh Willingham grounds to third, David Wright fields and throws...by first, Hammer is safe, and he takes second. Justin Maxwell runs for the Hammer. Josh Bard works another walk to put two on for Ian Desmond. Desmond grounds up the middle, Anderson Hernandez gets there and tosses to second for the inning-ending force.

Jeff Francoeur vs Segovia in the ninth. Francoeur grounds sharply to third that Zimmerman can’t come up with, Zimmerman drops it and throws way over first, E: 142. Frenchy takes second. Fernando Tatis lines a single over short. Omir Santos smacks a hit and run single through second to bring Francoeur home, 4-2 NY. Wilson Valdez grounds back to the mound. Segovia gets one out at first. Ron Villone replaces Segovia and gets a weak grounder toward first from pinch hitter Daniel Murphy grounds out to first. Ryan Zimmerman throws out Angel Pagan to end the Mets’ half of the ninth...Alberto Gonzalez singles to short, deep in the hole and Gonalez beats Wilson Valdez's throw to first. Mike Morse makes a pinch hit appearance, and he singles to center!!! Jorge Padilla comes on to run. Two on for Willie Harris. Harris gets a sac bunt down. Second and third for Dukes!! Dukes works the count full and walks. Ryan Zimmerman K’s swinging through an 0-2 slider. Adam Dunn works the count full, and walks in a run!! 4-3 ballgame. Justin Maxwell works the count full, fouls off two fastballs, and then OH LORD!! IT’S GONE!! J-MAX takes K-ROD Deeeeeeeeeeep to left and GONE!! GRAND SLAM!!! GRAND SLAM!! GRAND SLAM!!! THE NATIONALS WIN!! THE NATIONALS WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 7-4 final. Francisco Rodriguez is on to end it. Alberto Gonzalez reaches safely on a grounder deep in the hole at short.

Nationals now 55-103!!!

Elijah Dukes Will Run Through Walls. Washington Nationals 4, New York Mets 3.

Ed Chigliak — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 04:20:27 -0000

More photos » by Manuel Balce Ceneta - AP

2 months ago: Washington Nationals' starter J.D. Martin, pitches during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2009, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

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We've learned two things about Elijah Dukes this year:

1) You don't run on Dukes.

2) Elijah Dukes will run through walls.

If David Wright didn't know that second one already he found out as he came around first and watched Elijah Dukes run full speed into the out-of-town scoreboard in right to rob Wright of a potentially game-tying extra base hit with two out in the top of the ninth tonight in DC's 4-3 win over New York. Dukes' catch gave Mike MacDougal his 18th save in 19 opportunities a half-inning after Washington took the lead with the help of two errors from NY's middle infielders. The Nationals take their second straight over the Mets and set themselves up for the sweep in the last home game of 2009 tomorrow afternoon. (ed. note - "And I'm telling you right now...Teddy Roosevelt will win tomorrow, buy your tickets so you can say you were there...") (ed. note - "The previous opinion is in no way based on facts, just gut feelings, like Riggleman!!")

BACKPAGE:

• Martin v Pelfrey.
• Elijah SSSSSUPER DUKESSSSS!!!! F.O.D.&D. Rejoice! Desmond Does It Too!!!
• Adam Dunn Gets The Beyond The Box Score Treatment.

• Miss The Game? The DC Faithful Were Watching...

• Check Out the SB Nation's NY Mets Blog: Amazin' Avenue OpenThread.

• LINK: Game 157: Enjoy 2B Next Year, Guz..." - Doghouse.

• For The Completists, Full Game Report After The JUMP...

Nationals now 54-103. (Countdown To 100 Losses, Over For Days Now).

BACKPAGE:

• Martin v Pelfrey. J.D. Martin gets himself in trouble early, giving up a leadoff double to Angel Pagan and letting Luis Castillo reach base on a sac bunt attempt. David Wright walks to loaded the bases and Carlos Beltran walks too to force in the first run. 1-0 NY. Martin gets a line drive to short, a fly ball to short center and an out at second to escape further damage, but he gets right back in trouble in the second. Wilson Valdez doubles to start the frame, moves to second on a sac bunt by the Mets' starter and scores on an Angel Pagan single for a 2-0 lead. David Wright doubles Pagan in, 3-0 Mets.

• Mike Pelfrey retires the first eight batters he faces before allowing a bloop single to the opposing pitcher in the bottom of the third. The Mets' right-hander throws four scoreless for NY, holding DC to just a walk and a single, but the fifth starts with "Pinch Hittin'" Pete Orr singling on an 0-2 fastball up and out over the plate. Ian Desmond's up next and the Nationals' rookie shortstop gets a 1-2 fastball from Pelfrey that doesn't quite make it inside, Desmond explodes on it, launches it to left and GONE!! Two-run HR, 3-2 NY. Two outs later, still in the fifth, Willie Harris and Elijah Dukes hit back-to-back singles and Mr. Gold Glove Himself, the one and only Ryan Zimmerman gets two straight and I mean "straight" fastballs inside, the second of which is lined to left for Zim's 103rd RBI and the 3-3 tie.

• J.D. Martin ends up throwing four scoreless after the rough start, and leaves after 6.0 IP, having given up 7 hits, 3 ER and 2 walks, but the win ends up going to DC reliever Tyler Clippard who throws 2.0 scoreless, the second of which I still can't believe he escaped. Clippard gave up back to back singles to Carlos Beltran and Daniel Murphy, then walked Jeff Francoeur to load the bases with no outs and the score tied at 3-3 tie in the eighth. Former Nationals' catcher Brian Schneider (Call us, Brian?) does Washington a solid by popping out unproductively and pinch hitter Jeremy Reed lines to second, Alberto Gonzalez catches it, throws to first, Francoeur's out, (where was he going?) DOUBLE PLAY!! Clippard's one lucky reliever...

• Mike "Danger" Morse walks with one down in the Nationals' eighth, Justin Maxwell takes over on the basepaths, and pinch hitter Cristian Guzman follows with what should be a double play, but Anderson Hernandez fields at short and tosses one low to Luis Castillo, and right by second, both runners safe. Ian Desmond follows with another DP grounder, Anderson Hernandez gets to it behind second, tosses to Castillo, Castillo fires wide of first and out of Daniel Murphy's reach, Desmond's safe. Maxwell scores from second, 4-3 DC!!

• Top Of Ninth...Mike MacDougal comes on to close it. Cory Sullivan K's swinging. Angel Pagan...singles, (3 for 5), but MacDougal paints the outside corner to get Luis Castillo looking with Pagan still at first. David Wright, works the count full and destroys a 96 mph MacDougal heater. Wright drives it to right, Elijah Dukes sprints toward the wall, and runs into the out-of-town scoreboard as he makes the grab, Dukes bounces of the wall, falls back and rolls to his feet, then jumps up pounding his chest!!! SSSSSUPER DUKESSSS Runs through walls! Nationals win, 4-3 final.

LINK:

• Adam Dunn Gets The Beyond The Box Score Treatment.

Walter Fulbright has an article up at Beyond The Boxscore, the SB Nation's "Saber-Slanted" blog, entitled, "The Two Sides Of Adam Dunn: Graph Of The Day", in which Mr. Fullbright determines that Adam Dunn is, "...still a superstar, just playing out of position because he no longer has one," and recommends that fans, "...start a letter writing campaign to see if we can find the Nationals an American League trading partner." Dunn ranks dead last on Mr. Fulbright's league-wide UZR chart and the BtB writer's description of the nation's capital's favorite first baseman is at odds with most of what I've heard from the DC Faithful:

"Adam Dunn can't hide his failings at the cold corner. Whatever advantage he has for reaching to balls above his head (a pretty low percentage play anyway) are absolutely obliterated by his inability to scoop balls in the dirt, either from throws or from ground balls. He's so completely top heavy that he has an inherent disadvantage to those born with the virtue of just being closer to the ground. This is a pretty definite trend, he has roughly the same power off the bat as when he was 23, only with 60-70 more pounds packed on, his defense has gone from pretty bad to awful to absolutely unacceptable."

Check out Mr. Fulbright's article HERE or in the title link above to see how he reached his conclusions. Let him know what you've seen from Dunn...

GAME REPORT:

New York Mets At Washington Nationals. Game 157 Of 162.

DC right-hander J.D. Martin takes a deep breath, stretching his jaw as he does, then he exhales and fires the first pitch home to Angel Pagan. Pagan ends up doubling to right off the out-of-town scoreboard to start the game with a runner on second. Luis Castillo bunts to third and J.D. Martin cuts Ryan Zimmerman off to field and not throw to first. First and third for David Wright. J.D. Martin walks the bases loaded and goes 3-0 to Carlos Beltran, hitting the outside corner for 3-1 and getting a foul for another full count. Then Martin walks Beltran and walks in a run, 1-0 New York. Daniel Murphy lines toward short, Ian Desmond catches and holds it. Jeff Francoeur flies out to short center, and Willie Harris catches it coming in to hold Castillo at third. Brian Schneider lines to Pete Orr to end the threat with just the walked in run scoring...Willie Harris pops out to left to start the bottom of the first. Mets’ righty Mike Pelfrey gets a weak grounder to third from Elijah Dukes. Ryan Zimmerman grounds out to short.

Wilson Valdez doubles over short to start the second. Mike Pelfrey bunts to Adam Dunn, who can only throw to first. Angel Pagan singles to score Valdez and it’s 2-0 New York with one out in the second. Luis Castillo pops out to left. David Wright doubles off the base of the wall in left, Pagan scores from first, 3-0 Mets. Carlos Beltran grounds out to first, Adam Dunn fields it and hustles to first...Dunn leads off DC’s second with a swinging K on a bender off the plate. Mike Morse grounds out to Wilson Valdez at short. Pete Orr grounds to Castillo at second and it’s 3-0 NY after three.

Willie Harris has to run way into left to catch a line drive off Daniel Murphy’s bat. Francoeur flies out to Elijah Dukes in right. Brian Schneider grounds out to first and Dunn tosses to Martin to end the Mets’ third...Ian Desmond flies out to right field. Mike Pelfrey gets off the mound quickly to field a dribbler toward third and throws a strike to Daniel Murphy at first to get WIl Nieves. J.D. Martin sends a bloop single to center for the Nationals’ first hit. Willie Harris walks. Elijah Dukes rolls the third out to short.

Wilson Valdez grounds out to Pete Orr. Mike Pelfrey’s groundout rolls over the first base bag to Dunn. Angel Pagan sends Mike Morse sprinting back to make an overhead catch for the final out of the Mets’ fourth...Ryan Zimmerman grounds to short, Wilson Valdez double-pumps and throws to first. Adam Dunn flies out to deep center. Mike Morse grounds out to short, Pelfrey’s got four scoreless.

Willie Harris takes two steps back and catches a line drive off Luis Castillo’s bat. David Wright pulls a bender over third and into left for a one-out double. Carlos Beltran grounds weakly to second. Daniel Murphy flies out to Mike Morse and it’s 3-0 NY after four and a half...Pete Orr smacks a single through short. Ian Desmond goes deeeep to left on a high inside fastball and it’s GONE!!! Two-run HR, 3-2 NY. Wil Nieves grounds out to WIlson Valdez at short. J.D. Martin K’s swinging over a two-strike sinker. Willie Harris sneaks a grounder under a diving Luis Castillo at second. Elijah Dukes singles to center, but Willie Harris holds up at second. Ryan Zimmerman gets a fastball before it gets inside and singles to center to score Harris. 3-3. Adam Dunn grounds out to first, tied after five.

Jeff Francoeur lines to left, Morse misjudges it but hustles back to make a leaping catch. Brian Schneider throws his bat at a fastball and singles to center. Wilson Valdez sends a fluttering line drive out to Willie Harris. MIke Pelfrey flies out to right...Mike Morse grounds out to third. Pete Orr grounds to Daniel Murphy at first. Ian Desmond slides in safe at second on a one-hopper to third that gets by David Wright and rolls out to left. Wil Nieves lines out to right.

Tyler Clippard starts Angel Pagan with three balls and then blows Pagan away. Ian Desmond throws out Luis Castillo. Clippard gets Wright on a called strike three, 3-3 in the seventh...Alberto Gonzalez grounds to Murphy at first. Willie Harris flies out to center. Elijah Dukes grounds one through Pelfrey’s legs for a two-out single. Ryan Zimmerman flies out to right, 3-3 after seven.

Carlos Beltran singles to center to start NY's eighth. Daniel Murphy rips a grounder by Dunn at first, Beltran takes third. Jeff Francouer walks to load the bases for Schneider. Brian Schneider pops out foul of third. Pinch hitter Jeremy Reed hits a broken bat liner to second, Frenchy gets doubled up!!...Adam Dunn K’s and Pedro Feliciano’s out after one batter. Mike Morse vs Sean Green. Morse walks, Justin Maxwell on to run. Cristian Guzman will hit. Guzman grounds to second, Anderson Hernandez tosses it but Castillo at second, both runners safe. Ian Desmond grounds to second, Anderson Hernandez knocks it down, tosses to second, Castillo....throws it wide of first, Maxell scores, Desmond's safe. 4-3 NY. Francisco Rodriguez comes on. Desmond takes third without a throw. Angel Pagan makes an underhand catch on a line out by Alberto Gonzalez.

Mike MacDougal vs Cory Sullivan. Angel Pagan lines off Zimmerman’s glove and into left. Luis Castillo takes a called strike three for out No. 2!!! David Wright flies to deeeep right, Elijah Dukes tracks it and catches it as he hits the wall at full speeeeed. SSSSSUPER DUKESSSSSS!!!!!!!! Sets up the sweeeep!!!!

Nationals now 53-104.

Pedro Martinez Is Still Good: Phillies 1, Mets 0

Eric Simon — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 03:02:17 -0000

More photos » by Matt Slocum - AP

Looked like the Pedro of old. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

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Not that it really matters much to point fingers, but without a doubt we can hang this loss on the offense. Tim Redding held the Phillies to just one run on three hits and a couple of walks, finishing six innings and pitching about as well as could be expected agaist a very good team in a very tough ballpark. Sean Green and Pedro Feliciano each contributed a hitless inning of relief.

Unfortunately for the Mets, Pedro Martinez looked like the Pedro of 2005-ish, allowing six hits and two walks while striking out seven in eight innings. Phillies manager Charlie Manuel left Martinez out there for 130 pitches, and even tried to take him out with two outs in the eighth but was Grady Littled back to the dugout. This one worked out better than Little's rebuff, as Daniel Murphy was thrown out trying to advance to third on a ball in the dirt, ending the Mets' eighth inning threat.

Ryan Madsen allowed just one baserunner -- a one out single to Brian Schneider -- in shutting the Mets down in the ninth. The Phillies took three of the four games in the series, though the Mets remain in seventh place overall in next year's draft standings. The teams ahead of them are world class losers, so the Mets will really have to pull together over the season's final three weeks if they want to out-suck the Diamondbacks and Orioles of the baseball world.

Monday is an off day as the Mets travel south to take on the Braves beginning Tuesday. Pat Misch will take on Atlanta rookie Tommy Hanson.

Haiku by Howard Megdal

Vintage performace
Sees only heartless abstain
from vote for Pedro

SB Nation Coverage

* Traditional Recap
* Boxscore
* Amazin' Avenue Gamethread
* The Good Phight Gamethread

Win Probability Added

Big winners: Tim Redding, +18.7% WPA, Anderson Hernandez, +12.1% WPA
Big losers: Cory Sullivan, -21.2% WPA, Jeremy Reed, -15.8% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Wright leadoff double in sixth, +9.6% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Francoeur strikeout in ninth, -9.5% WPA
Total pitcher WPA: +26.6% WPA
Total batter WPA: -76.6% WPA
GWRBI!: Chase Utley

Game Thread Roll Call

Nice job by MetsFan4Decades; his effort in the game thread embiggens us all.

Num	Name	# of Posts
1	MetsFan4Decades	35
2	fxcarden	30
3	Mex_17	20
4	Evan_S	9
5	metsguy234	5
6	Eric Simon	4
7	dcrockett17	3
8	Jsz	2
9	James Kannengieser	1
10	firejerrynow	1

Is The World Baseball Classic To Blame?

Eric Simon — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 10:00:33 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Roberson - AP

He Hurt Me. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)

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The World Baseball Classic seemed like a good idea at the time. The goals of the tournament have been modest: to ostensibly bring together the best players the world over in an effort to a) promote baseball around the globe, and b) establish national pride in the sport and its players, in some ways replacing the Olympics, which no longer award medals for baseball. The salient difference between the Olympics and the WBC is that while the former emphasized the contributions of amateur athletes, the success and publicity of the latter would fall primarily on the shoulders of professionals, many of which would come from the well-paid ranks of Major League Baseball.

For the 2009 WBC, the Mets sent fifteen players in all, nine of which were locks for the Opening Day roster. Johan Santana would have made the tally an even ten if the Mets hadn't insisted he pass on the tournament after offseason knee surgery. There has been plenty of debate over whether the WBC is actually good for MLB; it's hard to argue that it isn't good for baseball as a global entity, but there's plenty to be said for withholding a team's precious commodities from highly-competitive play before their bodies may be ready to do so. An argument can be made that the level of exertion in Spring Training games isn't all that different from that of the WBC. Stamina is certainly a concern, though, as regulars often play partial games early in the spring while typically playing a full nine innings in World Baseball Classic action.

The Mets sent more players than any other big league team to the WBC this year and, whether by causality or mere coincidence, their regular season made haste towards the toilet before too long. I'd like to think the two have nothing to do with one another, but take a quick look at the nine big leaguers the Mets lent to the World Baseball Classic:

Jose Reyes
Oliver Perez
Pedro Feliciano
Alex Cora
Carlos Delgado
Carlos Beltran
J.J Putz
David Wright
Francisco Rodriguez

Only three of the nine -- Wright, Feliciano and Rodriguez -- have had what could be reasonably described as healthy seasons. Reyes has been out since May 20. Delgado has been gone since May 10. Putz since June 4. Beltran had been out of action since June 21 before returning last night. Cora, for better or worse, missed the second half of May and, after returning for two months, has been out since August 12. Perez made just one start in May and hasn't pitched since August 23.

Feliciano has been fine, so there's that.

Though comparatively healthy (notwithstanding Rodriguez's early season back spasms), Wright and Rodriguez have arguably had the worst seasons of their respective careers. Wright has done a fine job getting on base, but his power has been nonexistent. Not an awful season by any stretch, but given his career arc and the fact that he's nearing his prime years we can only blame Citi Field so much for his lack of pop. Rodriguez, meanwhile, is likely to post the lowest strikeout rate, highest walk rate, lowest WAR, highest tRA, and lowest LOB% of any of his seven full years as a pro, and this after moving to what should be the weaker offensive league.

I'm not sure the WBC is much to blame for the Mets' misfortune this year; we could still be looking at an historically awful convergence of luck, perhaps mixed with a dash of poor medical advice (though the medical/training staff make logical scapegoats, I think it's unfair to paint all of the Mets' injury problems with their brush despite their inept handling of Ryan Church's concussion last year, among other incidents). I do think it's fair to suggest that the WBC may have played a role in this lost season, though; whether we can ever know for sure is another question altogether.

We won't have to deal with the World Baseball Classic for another four years, and while I won't suggest the Mets sit it out entirely, I would advise them to hedge their bets a little next time by perhaps placing a cap on the number of players they make available to the world rosters. The Mets have given fans little to cheer for in 2009, and if the WBC had anything to do with it that'd be a shame for all involved. Personally, I had only tepid interest in the World Baseball Classic when it aired, and would usually be happier watching a meaningless Mets Spring Training game than a meaningless WBC matchup between the USA and Venezuela. Maybe I'm just crying over a little spilt milk, but would it be too much to ask for a do-over and see if things would have turned out differently?

Wild Green Blunder: Diamondbacks 3, Mets 2

Eric Simon — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 17:00:50 -0000

I'm not sure how often the best play of a game immediately precedes the worst, but it happened for the Mets in last night's eighth inning. After retiring Stephen Drew on a groundout to end the seventh, Pedro Feliciano stayed on to begin the eighth, allowing a leadoff single to center by Gerardo Parra. Sean Green was summoned to spell Feliciano and quickly showed everyone that he had nothing, hitting Justin Upton and then walking Mark Reynolds to load the bases. Miguel Montero, who earlier had launched a prodigious blast off the right-field facade for his tenth homerun of the year, pulled a Green offering to Daniel Murphy at first, who fired home for one out and scampered back to first to retrieve Omir Santos's return throw to complete the 3-2-3 double-play. Murphy pumped his blue-collared fist, congratulated Green on a job well done, and gave the ball back to his pitcher to finish out the inning. Green chucked the next pitch wildly toward the plate, and Santos, unable to corral it on one bounce, scampered after it while Upton glided home to give the Diamondbacks the 3-2 lead that would be their ultimate margin of victory.

Offensively, the Mets drew six walks and collected four hits off of Doug Davis but managed to score just two runs on solo homeruns by Murphy and David Wright. They stranded seven runners in Davis's six innings, including two in the fourth and three in the sixth. The latter began with Wright's blast, and sprinkled around outs by Jeff Francoeur and Omir Santos, Fernando Tatis doubled and Murphy and Alex Cora each drew walks. Jerry Manuel made the proper move by pinch-hitting for Livan Hernandez with the bases full and the game tied 2-2. Manuel went with Angel Berroa, who is terrible, and I guess Manuel's only defense is that Berroa is righty and Davis is lefty. He could have gone with Cory Sullivan, who is also terrible but probably not to the extent that Berroa is. He could also have gone with Jeremy Reed, who has only seven at-bats against lefties this season but nevertheless has four hits -- two more than Berroa has in his 18 total at-bats this season. Sullivan was probably the better choice, but not obviously so. So Manuel went with Berroa, who grounded the first Davis offering to short to end the threat. The Mets would have just one baserunner over the final three innings and never really threaten again.

Now's as good a time as any to ask the obvious question: Why is Nick Evans in Triple-A? He would've been the obvious pinch-hit candidate in the sixth, and, while he was by no means assured of coming through in that situation, he'd have been a much better choice than Berroa, Sullivan or anyone else. Reed is the late-innings defensive replacement, so why exactly is Sullivan still with the team when Evans has the brighter future and is actually the better player right now? Roster management fail.

I couldn't help but laugh sadly to myself when the SNY broadcast team went on about how Davis had been a ".500 pitcher" (Keith's words) from 2004 through 2007, when he posted 12-12, 11-11, 11-11, and 13-12 seasons in succession, as if implying that Davis bore the brunt of the responsibility for his records those years. Not a moment later, Gary remarked at how Davis's record had taken a turn this year -- just 5-10 so far -- but that it was hardly his fault because the Diamondbacks' offense gave him very little run support. So frustrating that he seems to get that pitcher wins and losses are really team stats, yet won't hesitate to pray at the alter of those same wins and losses when evaluating any starting pitcher in any other context.

Oliver Perez and Max Scherzer square off at 7:10pm tonight at the Citi.

Swag Contest

Swag contest results can be found here and the next game's swag form already available. You can read more about the swag contest here.

SB Nation Coverage

* Traditional Recap
* Boxscore
* Amazin' Avenue Gamethread
* AZ Snakepit Gamethread

Win Probability Added

Big winners: David Wright, +16.6% WPA, Cory Sullivan, +9.9% WPA
Big losers: Angel Pagan, -32.6% WPA, Jeff Francoeur, -15.8% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Montero 3-2-3 double-play in eighth, +27.4% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Upton scores on Green wild pitch in eight, -22.1% WPA
Total pitcher WPA: +3.1% WPA
Total batter WPA: -53.1% WPA
GWRBI!: None

Game Thread Roll Call

Nice job by Jadden Hopkins; his effort in the game thread embiggens us all.

Num	Name	# of Posts
1	Jadden Hopkins	73
2	fxcarden	57
3	itsmetsforme	56
4	Schmidtxc	54
5	KeithsMoustache	54
6	MetsGod	50
7	Abstract NYC	36
8	Kepler	35
9	MikeSilvaNYBD	32
10	Pat Andriola	26

Long Way To Go: Mets 4, Rockies 0

Eric Simon — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 03:40:30 -0000

Dogs and cats must be living together somewhere because the Mets have reeled off four straight wins and suddenly look like a respectable team. They now trail the Rockies by 5.5 games for the Wild Card with like 47 teams in between them, but any hope is good hope as the season makes a mad dash for August. Good hope could quickly become bad, bad hope if Omar Minaya wakes up tomorrow and trades Brad Holt and Josh Thole for Jason Marquis, what with the Mets teetering on the brink of pseudo-contention now.

Mike Pelfrey had a strong start tonight, but it was decidedly un-Pelfrey-esque. His was throwing gas -- hitting 96 on the stadium's carnival radar gun in the seventh inning -- but his sinker didn't have it's usual sink, leading to six groundball outs to eight flyball outs. He did get two timely double-play grounders (plus two important pop-outs from Clint Barmes with two outs and the bases loaded) and managed to keep his nose clean despite allowing eleven baserunners in 6.1 innings. The overpowering fastball led to five strikeouts and an 8.7% swinging strike rate, well above his 5.3% season mark.

Pedro Feliciano was the pitching star of the day, though, as he retired all five batters he faced, three via strikeout. Sean Green closed out the night with a scoreless ninth to secure the Mets' 4-0 win and their seventh shutout of the season (they've been shut out nine times).

On the offensive side, Luis Castillo reached base twice and saw 26 pitches in four trips to the plate. Jeff Francoeur drove in a run with a second-inning single and saw 7 pitches in four plate appearances (including a hit-by-pitch). Seven-In-Four: a new nickname is born?

Daniel Murphy picked up a single, a double and a walk, raising his on-base percentage to a still-not-respectable-especially-for-a-first-baseman .313. Alex Cora collected a pair of singles but was erased trying to stretch one into a double and I hate him.

Including Cora, the Mets gave away three outs on the basepaths, as David Wright and Jeremy Reed were both caught stealing, Reed on the front end of an awkwardly botched double-steal. Castillo would've been a fourth if not for a propitious call by home plate umpire Larry Vanover in the bottom of the eighth.

Yup, four straight wins with Johan Santana going on Wednesday. It could all come crashing down in a heap of smoldering wreckage at any time, but the games have actually been worth watching these last few days which is something I couldn't say for most of July.

Swag Contest

Swag contest results can be found here and the next game's swag form already available. You can read more about the swag contest here.

SB Nation Coverage

* Traditional Recap
* Boxscore
* Amazin' Avenue Gamethread
* Purple Row Gamethread

Win Probability Added

Big winners: Mike Pelfrey, +30.1% WPA, Pedro Feliciano, +10.9% WPA
Big losers: Angel Pagan, -6.8% WPA, Cory Sullivan, -6.4% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Castillo RBI single in third, +9.1% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Sullivan GIDP in second, -6.6% WPA
Total pitcher WPA: +42.5% WPA
Total batter WPA: +7.5% WPA
GWRBI!: Jeff Francoeur

Game Thread Roll Call

Nice job by Jadden Hopkins; his effort in the game thread embiggens us all.

Num	Name	# of Posts
1	Jadden Hopkins	102
2	Abstract NYC	99
3	fxcarden	52
4	Kepler	52
5	lstorie1971	25
6	firejerrynow	25
7	mets81	24
8	MetsGod	22
9	itsmetsforme	20
10	blueandorange4life	16

All Fired Up: Mets 7, Rockies 3

Eric Simon — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 05:37:30 -0000

The good news for the Mets is that the epic fail that was the front office's handling of the Tony Bernazard situation will be softened somewhat by the team's come-from-behind win against the Wild Card-leading Rockies on Monday night. They got another passable pitching performance from Oliver Perez, who allowed three runs and nine baserunners in five innings, walking four and striking out five. He threw just 58.3% of his 103 pitches for strikes. Fortunately, Brian "Socks" Stokes tossed two scoreless innings of relief, followed by a scoreless frame apiece by Pedro Feliciano and Francisco Rodriguez. None of the Mets' relievers walked even a single batter, and no one took his shirt off and berated the rest of the team for being p!@#$ies, so all in all a good night for the bullpen.

On the offensive side of the ledger, Jeff Francoeur drew a walk! Okay, it was an intentional walk, but it's a baby step. He didn't swing at any of the pitches, so that has to be considered some kind of progress. He also pulled an outside pitch over the left-field wall for his eight homerun of the season and third with the Mets. He also didn't fall down or duck out of the way of any flyballs. A primo night for Frenchy.

Luis Castillo picked up a couple of singles and a walk, pushing his on-base percentage to .402. Not counting tonight's action, Castillo has hit .339/.433/.394 in 34 games since his game-costing gaffe against the Yankees on June 12. Maybe it'll last, maybe it won't, but for now Castillo is earning his money and is quite a ways down on the Mets' list of problems they need to address.

Omir Santos, Alex Cora and Angel Pagan did nothing, surprising no one in the process.

Fernando Tatis provided the offensive play of the game, swatting a pinch-hit grand slam in the bottom of the eighth to break a 3-3 tie. It was the eighth pinch-hit grand slam in team history and the first since Todd Pratt did it on 5/30/2000 against the Dodgers. Hawk Taylor was the first to accomplish the feat, doing so on 8/17/1966 against the Pirates. Steve Henderson, Tim Teufel, Dave Gallagher, Joe Orsulak, Todd Hundley and Benny Agbayani have also done it.

Mike Pelfrey takes on Jason Marquis on Tuesday night at 7:10pm.

Swag Contest

Swag contest results can be found here and the next game's swag form already available. You can read more about the swag contest here.

SB Nation Coverage

* Traditional Recap
* Boxscore
* Amazin' Avenue Gamethread
* Purple Row Gamethread

Win Probability Added

Big winners: Fernando Tatis, +21.1% WPA, David Wright, +19.5% WPA
Big losers: Omir Santos, -11.8% WPA, Oliver Perez, -9.6% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Tatis grand slam in eighth, +21.1% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Tulowitzki homerun in second, -15.8% WPA
Total pitcher WPA: +16.0% WPA
Total batter WPA: +34.0% WPA
GWRBI!: Fernando Tatis

Game Thread Roll Call

Nice job by Abstract NYC; his effort in the game thread embiggens us all.

Num	Name	# of Posts
1	Abstract NYC	112
2	Jadden Hopkins	96
3	Mex_17	64
4	fxcarden	57
5	Kepler	50
6	njmetfan12	29
7	anonymous	29
8	aparkermarshall	24
9	Syler	22
10	FireOmar	22

2009 Trade Deadline Preview: New York Mets

Brendan Scolari — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 04:35:50 -0000

More photos » by Jeffrey Boan - AP

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Buyers or sellers?

The Mets are five games under .500 with a 46-51 record. They are 10 games behind the Phillies in the NL East and 6.5 games behind the Rockies in the Wildcard race. The team really isn't in a position to contend this year but it sounds like the front office might try to make a push for the playoffs by adding players anyways. This week should be key in determining which direction the Mets will head this season.

Short-term need

The Mets have a few great players but most of the rest of the team has been mediocre at best and there are a lot of spots that could use an upgrade. Neither Omir Santos nor Brian Schneider is the answer at catcher. Carlos Delgado has begun swinging off a tee but nothing is imminent and in the meantime the club doesn't have a solid option at first base. Second baseman Luis Castillo has provided decent production but nothing special.

Carlos Beltran is still amazing when healthy but the rest of the outfield leaves much to be desired. Gary Sheffield can hit but can't field, Jeff Francoeur can field but can't hit, and Daniel Murphy can't do either. The Mets just don't have starting-caliber corner outfielders other than Beltran, unfortunately similar to their infield outside of Jose Reyes and David Wright.

The pitching is in similar condition. Johan Santana is still very good and Mike Pelfrey has been solid but after that there are question marks all over the place. Livan Hernandez has been predictably mediocre, John Maine has only made 11 starts, and Oliver Perez has been an absolute bust so far. The bullpen features Francisco Rodriguez who has a sparkling ERA but his peripherals have been declining for years and it isn't certain whether he will remain an elite closer. J.J. Putz is hurt and was ineffective when healthy and Billy Wagner is still rehabbing from arm surgery that has kept him out the whole year. If those two could get healthy and find their old form the bullpen would be a huge strength but that is unlikely.

Long-term need

For the long term the Mets will have to look to fill most of the same needs they have in the short term. Fernando Martinez should eventually be the full-time right fielder and Beltran will stay in center but neither Jeff Francoeur nor Daniel Murphy has shown much of a reason to be given the other outfield spot.

David Wright and Jose Reyes will man the left side of the infield for the forseeable future but there is no one to play the right side. Carlos Delgado and Luis Castillo are getting old and Nick Evans is unexciting. The same thing goes for the catcher position, where the Mets don't have anyone they can trust for the long term.

The pitching rotation should be the same next year save for Jon Niese stepping in for Livan Hernandez but that may not be a good thing. Johan Santana has lost enough velocity that he isn't quite the pitcher he used to be, Mike Pelfrey hasn't lived up to huge expectations, John Maine has only thrown 150 innings or more once in his career, and Oliver Perez has been worth a grand total of 2.2 wins above replacement since his awesome 2004 campaign. Despite making fixing the bullpen a priority in the offseason it still isn't very good so the Mets will need to look for some power arms that won't be as expensive in terms of prospects or dollars as K-Rod and J.J. Putz were.

The Mets have exciting prospects from Latin America that should eventually be able to fill some of these holes but they aren't going to be ready for a while so the Mets will just have to be patient.

Big leaguers on the market?

If the front office decides that this is not the Mets year, some role players like Gary Sheffield and Pedro Feliciano could be on the market. The Mets could also trade Brian Schneider if some team becomes desperate for a catcher, but otherwise there shouldn't be too much movement. All the big names on the team figure to stay no matter what happens. If the Mets are buyers they could trade someone like Bobby Parnell or Jon Niese depending on what they are looking for but don't expect them to make a big move.

Minor league strength

The Mets don't have a lot of players ready to play in the majors this year but there is some good talent just a year or two away. The Mets have spent lots of money in Latin America and have gotten good returns, but they haven't been the best at finding talent in the draft.

Fernando Martinez is only 20 years old but already has 100 PA in the big leagues. The outfielder could find himself in New York to stay by next year. Shortstop Wilmer Flores is currently struggling in Single-A but has huge upside and isn't even old enough to vote yet. Third baseman Jefry Marte is another young player who is currently struggling but has lots of room for growth. Only 18, he has the power and athleticism to eventually become a fixture at the hot corner. Right-handed pitcher Jenrry Mejia is only 19 but is already in Double-A. He currently has a 3.74 ERA with 24 strikeouts and only 9 walks there. Brad Holt is a college draftee from the 2008 draft with a good fastball but weak secondary pitches. He was thriving in High-A and has good peripherals at Double-A but has allowed too many homeruns (7 in 34.2 innings).

Take on short-term money to win?

With their financial strength the Mets should be able to add a contract at the deadline if they find a suitable trade partner. The real question is whether the Mets want to go for broke and try to win this year even though they've struggled so far.

For more coverage of the Mets, check out Amazin' Avenue.

It's Time To Sell Pt. 1

Sam Page — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 10:00:15 -0000

More photos » by Paul J. Bereswill - AP

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3.96507%. That's the PECOTA-adjusted probability the Mets make the playoffs, according to Baseball Prospectus. While a few weeks ago the Mets needed to hang on for dear life until the offense got off the DL, they are now in "Ya Gotta Believe!" territory. While miracles happen, and are an important part of Mets history, they are just that-miracles- and can't be considered in any rational decision-making process.

Basically, I'm giving up on this season, probably well after the rest of you. In a year when seemingly every team is competitive, the Mets have managed to drop out of the race with the highest payroll in the National League. That last sentence isn't an invitation to tell me how injuries make Omar blameless, it's a genuine opportunity for this team. The Mets are sellers in the most buyer-heavy market in recent memory.

Not everyone on the Mets, however, is available. Despite what Mike from Mineola says, trading one of Wright or Reyes doesn't make much sense. The Mets should look to trade impending Free Agents for whatever they can. Some people think the Mets should focus on arbitration eligible 20-somethings, like the much-mythologized Xavier Nady. Really, prospects are just as, if not more, valuable to this franchise. While the Mets will look to win next year, getting major league players back at the deadline doesn't necessarily help that cause and may, in fact, hurt it, if say someone like Jeff Francoeur ends up with a starting job next spring. That all being said, here is the short-list of players the Mets could trade, ranked by the priority it should be to trade them:

1. Gary Sheffield

Contract Status: Owed 400K by the Mets this year, free agent after the season. Had the ability to block trades to 10 specified teams in his original deal with the Tigers, and it's unclear whether he retained that ability when he signed with the Mets. Either way, he'd probably waive it to go to a contender.

Free Agent compensation status: Type B

Value: Sheff has been worth .8 WAR in just 240 PA, a $3.4 million value. With a .380 wOBA, he's been the third most productive hitter on the team behind Wright and 'Tron. He's been expectedly bad in the field (-7.0 UZR), but won't make an embarrassing error out there. His ZiPS rest-of-the-season wOBA projection is .344, which assumes a massive drop in average. I'll take the over on that number, since he's posting a career-high 87.5% contact rate, made possible by very meticulous pitch-selection.

Why He's Ranked Here: Sheffield provides an instant injection of offense into any lineup. Without sounding too much like a salesman, I think I can say Sheffield's super-selective approach at the plate can change the entire pace of a game, especially when the rest of the lineup is sputtering. Due just 400K this season, any team can afford him, and the Mets could just as easily agree to pay the money. For a team trying to stay in the race with an anemic offense (re:Giants) that doesn't care too much about modern notions of defense (re:Giants), Sheffield could step in and bat third or fourth right away. An AL-team with DH troubles like the Mariners could also be a fit, but I'm rooting for a Giants trade.

Verdict: Sell. If the Mets get a good major-league player or a decent package of prospects in return, it far outweighs the likely return of a compensation pick. Granted, I can see a scenario where no one bites, so the Mets can't be too picky.

2. Brian Schneider

Contract Status: He's owed $4.9 Million dollars this season, and is a pending free agent.

Free Agent Compensation: Type B

Value: Schneider's bat and glove have graded above-average this year. His .328 wOBA is pretty good for a catcher, and really good for Brian Schneider. While that number won't last, Schneider's offense should make him at least a .5 WAR player down the stretch, with regular playing time. He controls the running game well and Baseball Prospects values his defense at +1 run above average. (Omir Santos is 3 runs below average, for reference).

Why He's Ranked Here: James already talked about why Schneider is a sell-high candidate. Considering the offensive black hole he'd likely replace on an interested team, he'd be well worth any money he's owed. If money's an issue, the Mets would be wise to just eat the remaining $2M or so. Brian's will likely be a type-B free agent after the season (he has "clinched" B already, A is unlikely), which according to a great piece by Sky Kalkman, is worth approximately $2.6M in draft picks. The prospect equivalent is one of John Sickel's C-grade pitchers, which the Mets could probably get in pairs for Schneider. There's also the issue of whether he'd accept arbitration, and honestly I don't want Brian Schneider on the Mets any longer, despite his relative adequacy.

Verdict: Shop. If you get any players considered prospects, sell.

3. Alex Cora

Contract Status: Owed $2M with a possible additional $1M in playing time bonuses (blech). Pending free agent.

Free Agent Compensation: None

Value: Well the sell-high ship sailed, as Cora's .291 wOBA is probably just about he's true talent level. He's been a horrible defensive SS (-5.0 UZR), and has a -0.2 WAR. Still, he's grissiony and has a reputation as a "professional hitter" and "sure-handed defender". Shortstop is another one of those positions where teams field giant offensive black holes, so Cora could feasibly start, at least part-time, on a contender.

Why He's Ranked Here: While certainly not as valuable as some other trade candidates, Cora's poor play makes him totally frivolous on this roster and his contract a waste. If the Mets can somehow sell Cora as DeRosa-lite and get anything useful for him, it'll be a total coup. I don't think he needs to stay around to talk to Jose Reyes about being a good player. I assume by now Jose's taught him all he can.

Verdict: Sell. Sell. Sell.

4. Pedro Feliciano

Contract Status: Owed $1.6125M over the course of the season and is arbitration eligible next season.

Free Agent Compensation: Type B currently, but not yet eligible to file.

Value: Fighting off LOOGY status, Feliciano rebounded from a sub-par 2008 with a strong first-half in 2009. While 3.55 tRA is the best of his Met-career, his ERA is even shinier and would make a good sell-high. For the contending team with the shaky bullpen, he's left-handed and a set-up man, something even the Red Sox could use.

Why He's Ranked Here: The second-best player in terms of pure value behind Sheffield, Feliciano is a tough case, because he's still under team control next year. Relievers are fungible, and if the Mets got a good return for Pedro, they could replace his production with some savy moves this offseason. Sadly, I don't really trust the Mets to do that. Feliciano figures to get a raise in arbitration this year, but that's not a big deal, especially knocking on the door of Type-A status.

Verdict: Shop. If a package involving a good prospect turns up, strongly consider it.

5. Livan Hernandez

Contract Status: $1M base with up to $1M in additional unspecified bonuses. Pending free agent.

Free Agent Compensation: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Value: He's worthless. Despite a tRA approaching 6, he's managed to lower his ERA under 5 again, thanks to the Nats. He's not going to keep this act up, especially with the current state of the Mets' defense. Just getting him off the team and replacing him with a Brandon Knight-type is an instant improvement.

Why He's Ranked Here: Decent ERA+meaningless "inning-eater" label=every year someone bites. In other news, Nelson Figueroa re-accepted a minor-league deal because he's a Mets fan, and has posted a 3.43 tRA in AAA.

Verdict: Abandon ship!

These fellows are the most talked about names, but I'll be ranking 6-10 soon. Part 2 will include players who are much less likely to be traded, but are interesting possibilities nonetheless.