The Mets get ready for the exhibition schedule to begin

The New York Mets will play an intrasquad game on Tuesday and begin their exhibition schedule on Wednesday.  Matt Harvey threw live BP on Monday and there was a lot of talk about that.  David Wright brought a fan down for a lesson on the field, that was pretty cool for the kid.  Sandy Alderson spoke and here are some highlights of what he had to say. 

The Mets could realistically win up to 89 games this season and that is without everyone having great seasons.  Alderson said that Harvey will have a normal spring and start the season as the team planned.  Wilmer Flores will have every oppurtunity to win the starting job at SS but Alderson said there are a few guys in camp who could challenge him. 

The Mets had conversations with the Phillies about trading for SS Jimmy Rollins but couldn't get a deal done.  Rollins just said over the weekend that the Mets were his second choice behind the Dodgers where he ended up.  Alderson said trades during spring training are tough but he will keep all of his options open. 

The Mets are working to limit Juan Lagares throwing this spring, in an effort to monitor the strained elbow that ended his season early last year.  Harvey threw 26 pitches to four batters on Monday.  The four batters were Curtis Granderson, Michael Cuddyer, Wright and Daniel Murphy.  Harvey later announced that he can now throw a curveball.  Harvey said he is ready to face the Tigers on Friday and will throw 35-40 pitches in the game. 

It will be more interesting now as the games are about to begin.  The Mets though will get a intrasquad game out of the way first on Tuesday before starting the games on Wednesday.  harvey wil be a big story on Friday when he gets into his first game action since his Tommy John Surgery.   

The New York Mets opened camp yesterday and today their GM held a press conference

Sandy Alderson held the annual state of the team address this morning.  He was filling in for manager Terry Collins who is away due to the death of his father.  Here are some of the highlights of what Alderson had to say and then some other Mets notes courtesy of Matthew Cerrone at Metsblog.com. 

Matt Harvey will begin throwing to live batters soon.  He will conceivably throw 200 innings this season if the Mets make the playoffs.  Alderson did not say specifically if the Mets have a hard innings limit for the regular season.  He did say that they will make sure he pitches in the playoffs if they make it. 

David Wright is not experiencing any pain in his shoulder and is in great shape.  His shoulder was a big problem last year and the Mets need him to bounce back.  Alderson does not anticipate making any moves this spring and doesn't see the Mets using a six man rotation even though they have six starters and really they have eight or nine guys in camp who could all possibly start.  Rafael Montero is a candidate for the bullpen but not Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz. 

The Mets may end up carrying two long relievers instead of having two lefty relievers.  They could have Dillon Gee and Carlos Torres for long relief.  Kevin Plawecki who is a catching prospect could see some time at 1B in AAA.  They want him to get more time in AAA but said that he is close to ready for the majors.  Alderson said he was never interested in giving more than a minor league deal to a left- handed reliever this winter.   Bobby Parnell is expected to return from the DL in late April but that depends on how he rehabs in Spring Training. 

Wilmer Flores talked on Friday and said that he appreciates the confidence shown in him by Alderson.  He enjoyed learning other positions on the field because you never know where you might end up.  He said he has a lot to prove this season and the only way to do it is by working hard.  He believes the Mets have the ability and potential to make it to the postseason this season.  The Mets first official workout is tomorrow morning. 

New York Mets notes from spring training

Daniel Murphy received a cortisone injection in New York on Tuesday. He is listed as day-to-day. I guess we can say that we are all that. He was sent for evaluation on Tuesday after pulling his intercostal muscle. Sandy Alderson the GM said he expects him to miss about a week. 
Johan Santana threw a bullpen today. Zach Wheeler threw live batting practice to Justin Turner, John Buck, Ruben Tejada and Marlon Byrd. The reports continue to be that he is very impressive. It looks like the Mets really have something with him and Matt Harvey, they just got to keep them healthy and the future is bright.

Terry Collins told reporters he intends to bat Kirk Nieuwenhuis in the leadoff spot in the teams grapefruit league opener on Saturday. Collins said he deserves the opportunity to show what he can do from the leadoff spot first. He hit 264 in 133 plate appearances last year from the leadoff spot. He had seven doubles, one triple, five homeruns and 15 RBI with six walks and 39 strikeouts.

Jenrry Mejia age and identity have been confirmed and he will be arriving in camp in the next couple of days. He had a visa issue in the Dominican republic. Alderson said this was routine and he reported to the team’s Dominican facility for workouts.

The Mets announced they have signed right handed pitcher Andy Wells and outfielder James Roche to minor league contracts. Wells will report to minor league camp and Roche to extended spring training. Wells played with the York Revolution in the Atlantic league last season and Roche played with the Newark Bears last season.

New York Mets Spring Training Notes-Monday

Adam Rubin of ESPN reported today that the Mets are going to shop Justin Turner. He did say though that nothing is definite. He could still end up on the team for opening day. They want to create more roster flexibility for their non-roster relief pitchers in camp. 
Terry Collins said today that he will be going to team executives about naming David Wright captain. I think they might as well do it officially but he is already that even if they don’t say it. He is the face of the franchise he is the guy that has been with them and he is the guy that will continue to be with them.

The Mets announced their pitching schedules for the first three grapefruit league games. They open up at Saturday at 12:10PM against the Nationals in Port St. Lucie. Shaun Marcum will start followed by Zach Wheeler, Cory Mazzoni, Darin Gorski, Jeurys Familia and Bobby Parnell.

Sunday at 12:10PM against the University of Michigan in Port St. Lucie Jon Niese will start. He will be followed by Dillon Gee, Brandon Lyon, Hansel Robles, Rafael Montero and Carlos Torres.

Sunday at 1:05PM against the Astros in Kissimmee Matt Harvey will start followed by Jeremy Hefner, Aaron Laffey, Pedro Feliciano, Scott Atchison and Josh Edgin.

Next Monday against the Nationals in Port St. Lucie Collin McHugh will start followed by Gonzalez German, Elvin Ramirez, Greg Burke, LaTroy Hawkins, Robert Carson and Scott Rice.

The Mets have officially denied Johan Santana’s request to pitch in the World Baseball Classic. Sandy Alderson the GM announced that today. He said we know he wants to play but under the circumstances it isn’t in his or their best interest. He will make his first start on March 2^nd Terry Collins said yesterday.

Mets spring training notes

Sandy Alderson spoke on WFAN today and the owner Fred Wilpon met with the media in Port St. Lucie. 
Alderson basically said that they want to win but also thinks it is important for players to develop. He is mainly talking about Zach Wheeler, Travis D’arnaud and Matt Harvey. They are clearly the future of the franchise and the Mets want to see them develop and be the main guys in the next couple of years. Alderson said of course they want to win and won’t be happy until they have a winning season. I believe that but I do think right now it may be more important for them to develop the players. They are rebuilding and I think Alderson has done a good job with that but we will see what happens. I would fully expect Wheeler and D’arnaud to be up by the All Star Break or shortly after and the future will be at hand.

The Mets can veto Johan Santana from pitching in the World Baseball Classic, not sure if they will do so though. Jenrry Mejia is late to camp due to visa issues relating to a review of his age and identity. Alderson announced this to the press today. He is being investigated but the Mets think it was just random and it isn’t because of something he did.

Wheeler threw a bullpen and was very impressive according to the reporters who were down there. The Mets have a chance to have a really good pitching staff with him, Harvey, Jon Niese in the future. Bobby Parnell will be the closer if Frank Francisco isn’t healthy. He has an elbow problem and is shutdown until further notice.

The Mets seem pleased with how Daniel Murphy improved at second base. Tim Teufel is working with him and said he looked very good today. The Mets are mostly at the minor league complex working out, it is involuntary as they don’t have to report until Sunday. He said that Murphy looks very good at flipping the ball to second base and his pivots are better. Murphy can really hit so if he can just play adequate defense which I believe he did last year he is very valuable to the team.

The Mets have a good starting staff and good infield. The biggest problem with them is their outfield and right now catching isn’t great but D’arnaud should be the catcher of the future and someone they hope will be there for a long time. The bullpen is also a question mark but it looks like that could be better then last year also.

R.A. Dickey is traded to the Toronto Blue Jays

The New York Mets traded the ace of their staff and 2012 Cy young award winner. It seems like that wouldn’t be a good idea. I think the Mets actually did the right thing though and made out well for themselves. They got two of the Blue Jays top three prospects and they traded a 38 year old knuckle ball pitcher who is coming off of his best season. He was good in New York but never close to as good as he was last season. It is hard seeing him duplicate that performance and his value will never be higher. 
The Mets are a team that has been bad for a while, they are stocking up their farm system now and hoping that within the next couple of years they will make an impact and lead them back to the postseason and beyond. The Mets have the makings of some very good and talented players. They have a good young pitching staff and Dickey if not part of the long term future would just be blocking one of the youngsters. The Mets need some outfield help and need as much money as possible to concentrate on that. They are set in the infield and pitching staff, they could maybe use some bullpen help also but that may come from within as well.

The Mets got top catching prospect Travis d’Arnaud, major league catcher John Buck, pitching prospect Noah Syndergaard and minor leaguer Wuilmer Becerra. Here is what Mets GM Sandy Alderson had to say. “It was an extraordinary privilege for us to be part of his career over the past three years.” “The final chapter has not been written, but it has been an extraordinary career, arcing from disappointment to jubilation.”

The Mets also sent catchers Josh Thole and Mike Nickeas to the Blue Jays. The Mets catching situation was not good at all and although d’Arnaud has had injury problems he is considered the top catching prospect in all of baseball and the Mets are willing to bet he will make the team before long and be their catcher for a long time. Dickey came out on twitter and wrote a nice message to the Mets fans.

If you are wondering Dickey is the seventh Cy Young Award winner to open the following season with a new team and fourth to be traded.

New York Mets notes

The Mets defeated the Nationals 2-0 on Saturday night.  They are basically playing out the string once again.  Here are some notes from the Mets. 

Jenrry Mejia could join the rotation in September according to manager Terry Collins.  He is 4-2 with a 3.01 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 27 appearances and 11 starts.  He has thrown 74 2/3 innings so far this season. 

Johan Santana is scheduled to pitch on Thursday right now.  Terry Collins stated though that he is meeting with GM Sandy Alderson on Monday and they will make a decision then.  They could still shut him down for the remainder of the season.  He has been terrible ever since the no hitter in June. 

The Mets have the young pitching and that is something to look forward to going forward.  Matt Harvey and R.A. Dickey are reasons to watch the team and of course David Wright who the Mets have to resign.  He is a homegrown Met and I think just about everyone wants him back.  The ownership has to show the fan base something and resigning him would be a good step.  They have to get better parts around him also but locking him up first should be the priority. 

Mets GM speaks out about the owner

After tonight’s 11-1 loss to the Cubs, Sandy Alderson spoke with reporters about the comments made by Fred Wilpon about the team in the New Yorker and now there is a story coming out with Sports Illustrated and he essentially said this:



He doesn’t think Wilpon’s comments were “well chosen” in the interview with the New Yorker.

He has not spoken with the players, but intends to do so at some point.

There is no way to predict what will happen with Jose Reyes, or anyone else, based on what Wilpon said in the article.

He has not read the Sports Illustrated article yet.

The team needs to get past the article in the New Yorker before they deal with the article in Sports Illustrated.

He isn’t aware of the team’s payroll falling below $100 million in 2012, but isn’t comfortable with that notion either.

Mets vs. Nationals the Rubber Game

The New York Mets will take on the Washington Nationals this afternoon at Citi Field.  It will be the final game of the three game series.  The Mets will be looking for their second series win out of three on the season.  The Mets won their opening series two games to one over the Marlins and then lost two out of three to the Phillies.  Chris Young and Jason Marquis are the starters in todays afternoon contest.  The game is at 1:10PM on SNY.  Here are some notes and the lineup for today.

Carlos Beltran said after the game that he was elated to have a night like he did last night and it proves all the hard work has paid off.  He said he is going to stick to the plan and not play today, that it isn't about one game in April it is about making it through the whole year.  He will not play any day games after night games and take every few days off. 

His legs feel great and he will keep working on his lower body which will keep his swing intact.  In Port St. Luice yesterday Jason Isringhausen pitched in a game and Randy Niemann told Terry Collins that he is ready.  There is no timetable for him to get on the roster but I would guess it could happen soon.  Jason Bay and Ronny Paulino will take batting practice today and Paulino is done with his suspension so he will have to be placed on the DL before todays game. 

Jose Reyes got his first two RBI of the year last night and also finally got a hit with runners in scoring position.  He had been 0-10 before last nights hit with RISP.  He is hitting 297 but with only a 316 on base percentage which isn't good enough for Sandy Alderson the GM.  He wants him to get on base more frequently.  I would guess that he is going to get traded at the deadline, maybe to a team like the Red Sox who could use an upgrade at shortstop. 

Mets Lineup:Jose Reyes, Willie Harris, David Wright, Ike Davis, Angel Pagan, Lucas Duda, Brad Emaus, Josh Thole, Chris Young.