Amazin' Stories

Maine Avoids Arbitration Hearing

And then there was one.

Pedro Feliciano is the last Mets player still facing an arbitration hearing now that John Maine reached an agreement on a $2.6 million deal for the 2009 season.

Maine can also earn a $25,000 bonus for pitching 200 innings - a far cry from the incentives being handed out, even by the Mets who promised Freddy Garcia approximately $6 million in incentives for reaching a similar number of innings.

Maine earned $450,000 last season after the team renewed his contract, unable to come to an agreement.

UPDATE: Here's the official release from the Mets:

The New York Mets today announced that they have signed 27-year-old righthanded pitcher John Maine to a one-year contract at a salary of $2.6 million, avoiding arbitration.

The Mets have signed five of the six players who were eligible for arbitration: Duaner Sanchez, Ryan Church, Jeremy Reed, and Angel Pagan.  Pedro Feliciano has yet to agree to terms.

 

“I feel great and ready to go,” said Maine.  “I have been throwing bullpen sessions for a month now and things couldn’t be going better.  I can’t wait to get to Spring Training.”

 

Maine, who was 10-8 with a 4.18 ERA in 25 starts in 2008, underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder, last September 30. The 6-4, 200-pounder was fourth in the National League with a .226 opponents’ batting average against at the time of his last start (August 23).

 

The Mets acquired Maine from the Baltimore Orioles in a trade along with righthanded pitcher Jorge Julio in exchange for righthanded pitcher Kris Benson on January 21, 2006.  In 84 major league games, 81 starts, Maine has a career 33-27 record with a 4.18 ERA. 

More Signings Who Aren't Manny

The Mets added four more veterans to the already crowded locker room in the major league clubhouse at Port St. Lucie. Here's the Mets' release:

METS INVITE FOUR TO MAJOR LEAGUE SPRING TRAINING

 

FLUSHING, N.Y., January 29, 2009 – The New York Mets announced today that they have signed outfielder Bobby Kielty, righthanded pitchers Tony Armas, Jr. and Matt DeSalvo, and lefthanded pitcher Valerio de los Santos to minor league free agent contracts and have invited all four to major league Spring Training next month.

 

Kielty, a career .254 hitter, spilt last season between Boston and Minnesota’s organizations, playing in a combined 49 games. The 32-year-old switch hitter last appeared in the majors in 2007 with the Red Sox, hitting a pinch-hit home run in his only World Series at-bat during Boston’s championship run. He also played for Minnesota, Toronto and Oakland during seven major league seasons.

 

Armas, Jr. pitched in three games with the Mets last season, winning his only start, July 1^st at St. Louis. A veteran of 10 major league seasons, the 30-year-old righthander owns a 53-65 career record and a 4.65 ERA. He made his major league debut in 1999 with Montreal, before stops with Washington (2005-2006) and Pittsburgh (2007).

 

The 36-year-old de los Santos spent last season between Colorado, where he made two starts, and the Rockies’ Triple-A club, the Colorado Springs Sky Sox. Originally signed by the Milwaukee Brewers in 1993, the lefthander is 9-13 with 4.57 ERA in nine major league seasons.

 

DeSalvo, the Yankees’ Triple-A Pitcher of the Year in 2007, made his major league debut that same year with the club. He pitched two games out of the bullpen for Atlanta last season, and spent the rest of the year with the Braves’ Triple-A affiliate in Richmond. The 28-year-old righthander is 1-3 in 29.2 major league innings.    

 

At present, the Mets have 22 non-roster players in spring training.  Previously announced non-roster players are righthanded pitchers Nelson Figueroa, Michael Antonini, Dillon Gee, Tobi Stoner, Kyle Snyder and Freddy Garcia, lefthanded pitchers Adam Bostick, Casey Fossum, Tom Martin and Jon Switzer, catchers Rene Rivera, Omir Santos and Josh Thole, infielders Andy Green, Michel Abreu, and Jose Coronado and outfielders Fernando Martinez and Rob Mackowiak.

 

Who Could Be No. 5? No. 45?

While the Mets are still chasing a front of the rotation - well, falling in line behind Johan Santana - starting pitcher, a curious story moved Wednesday night from the Dominican Republic.

The Associated Press story said - vaguely - that Omar Minaya had met with Pedro Martinez in the Dominican and assured Martinez and his agent Fern Cuza that the Mets are interested in bringing Martinez back for a fifth season in New York.

The Mets have made it clear from the start of the winter that Martinez was not a priority and Martinez has made it clear that he would like to return to New York. While that - combined with the Mets signing of Freddy Garcia and Tim Redding - would seem to make for an unlikely reunion, maybe it's not over yet.

A Mets' official confirmed late Wednesday night that the two sides are continuing dialogue, which might be more than you'd expect right now. But a lot of things seem curious. Why was Minaya out of the country on what a team official called, "a scouting mission?" Why was Minaya meeting with Martinez? And why are the Mets continuing dialogue?

I've advocated bringing Pedro back - to the dismay of some of our readers. I just think in the fifth spot in the rotation with backups available, I'd take a shot on Pedro to recapture some of his magic and impart some of his experience.

Does this story mean that it will happen? A lot of things come out of the Dominican Republic that have little truth in the light of day. Are the Mets being polite? Are they helping keep interest in Martinez when the market seems to have shown little?

Hard to say but in light of the dismal market for some of these veterans, might it be worth it for Martinez to return at a very low guarantee? That might make him certainly more appealing than Garcia and Redding.

Who Won't Be Helping the Mets

The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced today that Minor League infielder Kyle Suire of the New York Mets organization has received a 50-game suspension after testing positive for metabolites of Stanozolol, a performance-enhancing substance, in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. The suspension of Suire will be effective at the start of next season. Most recently, Suire played for Single-A Brooklyn of the New York-Penn League.

A Fond Farewell

In the rush of news at the Winter Meetings when the Mets signed Francisco Rodriguez and dealt for J.J. Putz, we never really had a chance to say goodbye to those departing players - other than Lou Brutus's painful, tearful parting with Joe Smith.

But I got a reminder this week that I wanted to pass along. Few Mets fans seem to miss Aaron Heilman, but those of us who dealt with him on a daily basis will miss him - not for ruining our running game stories, but for being helpful and professional in the clubhouse.

We have a program for the BBWAA Dinner - a very nice glossy magazine with all sorts of ads sold from teams or agents honoring their players who are being honored. And the one ad in there that didn't have a reason came from Aaron.

On Page 39 among a few ads for David Wright winning the Joan Payson Award for charity work, Aaron took out an ad that read:

An Appreciation

Playing at Shea
before you folks
was an experience
I always will savor

Thank you for support

-- Aaron Heilman

Congratulations to all award winners this evening

Now, that is not exactly the message that fans would have sent to Aaron on his departure. But I think it says something about Heilman, that he could absorb the abuse he did during his time here and still stand up with class and offer up a reasonable goodbye and thank you to the fans.

Now that doesn't mean that the fans aren't right to feel what they felt. I just think sometimes it's nice for fans to see the other side of the man that they are booing.

UPDATE: I guess I should have gotten to this earlier this winter. Heilman was dealt from the Mariners to the Cubs today, which is a happy ending to the story since that hometown territory for Heilman.

Manny Is Not Coming - And That's Okay

A few of us met up with Jerry Manuel today as he was helping out at a soup kitchen in Manhattan and the topic of discussion almost immediately turned to the Mets and their desperate need for Manny Ramirez. Okay, that was our words, not Jerry's.

Face it. No matter what Jerry says, no matter what I say, no matter what you say, Manny is not coming to the Mets. They didn't pursue him other than a cursory look at the trade deadline last year and they have not pursued him this winter. They are going to spend some more money, but it's not going to be on Manny.

Will they regret that this season? Maybe at some point in a three-game losing streak when we remind them and point out what Manny is doing, likely for the Dodgers. But for now, the chase of Oliver Perez is the priority - as well as whoever Omar Minaya is scouting today, on a scouting trip out of town that I have not been able to narrow down just who he is looking at (but it's not in the United States - does that help?).

Manuel didn't just talk about Manny though. He talked about Oliver and how he could help. And he also talked about what he already has.

Jerry believes that the Mets are already a better team than a year ago just because of the bullpen improvement with the acquisitions of Francisco Rodriguez and J.J. Putz.

And he believes that the Mets will be better - and could handle Manny in their clubhouse - because of a growing maturity. And it might surprise you where Jerry thinks that leadership can come from. Not just David Wright - and Manuel said he won't be naming a captain - and not just Carlos Delgado or Johan Santana or Carlos Beltran.

Manuel expects leadership to come from Jose Reyes - and he said he will push for that to come now.

"I think that’s the next level for him, to add responsibility to him," Manuel said of the 25-year-old shortstop. "That to me is maturation. You can be 50 years old and have no responsibility so you never mature. But if you have some responsibilities than the maturation process takes over. I think the more responsibility he has, obviously the more maturity he has the better player he becomes."

Not many people seem to view Reyes that way and I guess it's with good reason. He plays hard. He has fun. But he also seems to be a target of a lot of the blame that goes around for the Mets troubles and little credit for just how much he has already accomplished on the field.

He's a two-time All-Star, has finished in the top 30 in the MVP balloting in each of his four full seasons and led the National League in hits last year. He is a stellar fielder and a constant threat on the bases.

But there always seems to be something missing. Maybe Manuel will pry that out of him this year. And maybe that will be what the Mets need more than what they won't get.

Outsmarting Boras?

It doesn't happen very often, and maybe it won't this time either, but could the Mets have outsmarted Scott Boras?

It didn't seem like it, not when Boras steered Derek Lowe to the Braves (with an assist from Chipper Jones and the defection of John Smoltz). That put Oliver Perez in line for the Mets, uniting a need once again with one of his clients.

The only problem is that the economy and the game of musical chairs seems to shifted the advantage back to the Mets. As the names have come off the board, the most recent with Andy Pettitte heading back to the Yankees, more importantly, it means another potential suitor for Perez is off the board.

So while the Mets have contingency plans if Perez decides to take his every-other-start performances someplace else - although no one seems able to find another team willing to bid on him, especially at a price anywhere near what the Mets have already put on the table - then the Mets can fall back to Ben Sheets or Randy Wolf or Jon Garland, less expensive options that might not be that far talent-wise from Perez.

The odd twist to this though is, just how patient will the Mets be in waiting out Perez and Boras? One Mets' official said last week that the latest offer had an expiration on it - informing Perez that if he didn't come to a deal shortly that the team would move on. But another said Sunday night that they are willing to be patient.

You can be certain that there is no wavering on Boras' part - although it might hard to tell that to the newlywed Perez.

Can Ben Sheets Attend?

If a little preventive medicine can make the difference, maybe the medically-troubled Ben Sheets ought to take a little time out to attend this event and meet up with Mets' Medical Director and co-Chief of the Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service at Hospital for Special Surgery, Dr. David Altchek...

Leaders in Sports Medicine Host Preseason Discussion About Baseball Injuries

 

Event:             Treatment, Rehabilitation and Performance Enhancement of the Baseball Player. 

To help athletic trainers and physical therapists understand the latest surgical advances and rehabilitative techniques available for pitchers and throwing athletes, Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City will host an educational event drawing on the expertise of its sports medicine and shoulder service

Date:               Friday, January 30, 2009

Time:              9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Place:              Hospital for Special Surgery's Richard Menchel Education Center

                        535 E. 70^th Street, Second floor

                        New York

Personnel:      David W. Altchek, M.D., co-Chief of Special Surgery’s Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service and Medical Director of the New York Mets.  

Michael “Mickey” Levinson, PT, CSCS, Clinical Supervisor of the Sports Medicine, Performance and Research Center at Hospital for Special Surgery

Jenny Susser, Ph.D., Sports Psychologist at Hospital for Special Surgery’s Women’s Sports Medicine Center

Details:           “As pitchers and catchers report to training camp on February 14, physical therapists and athletic trainers will, once again, need to become well-versed in the myriad of potential injuries that may occur over the course of the season,” said David W. Altchek, M.D., Co-Chief of Special Surgery’s Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service. Dr. Altchek, who is also Medical Director of the New York Mets, will keynote the event and will discuss "Management of Ulnar Collateral Ligament Injury in Throwers."  The topic focuses on what the sports world knows as "Tommy John Surgery" and Dr. Altchek will discuss advances he has made to this type of elbow surgery and review his outcomes.        

Also on the agenda is Michael “Mickey” Levinson, PT, CSCS, Clinical Supervisor of the Sports Medicine, Performance and Research Center at Hospital for Special Surgery.  Mr. Levinson, who works along side Dr. Altchek on the Mets’ medical team as a physical therapist, will discuss “Rehabilitation of the Throwing Shoulder.” 

Considering the talent and financial pressures that go hand-in-hand with professional sports, it becomes easy to understand the pressures being placed on the team physicians to return the players to top form.

“The outcome measurement is very precise,” Dr. Altchek notes. “If these athletes fail to return at or above the same level as they were prior to injury, it’s a disaster, and it’s not acceptable.”

“Regardless of the athlete’s condition, returning to play after an injury is a very graduated process,” continued Dr. Altchek. Mickey and his team introduce specialized therapy and functional exercises and constantly monitor the athlete’s progress and comfort level. After these steps, they practice at low levels, and eventually, they begin to play at low levels. Pitchers, for example, require extra caution, as they take a longer time to return to pitching at the same level in a game situation.

                        “It’s much different than pitching in the bullpen,” Mickey remarks.

Other highlights include HSS Sports Psychologist Jenny Susser, Ph.D., who will discuss the mental aspects of overcoming injuries and enhancing performance.  Additional topics will include functional training for baseball players and tips for physicians on what to tell patients experiencing throwing-related injuries.

For more information, please follow the link: http://cmetracker.net/HSS/Files/Brochures/600795.pdf

Awards are Announced - Mets pitchers are not

Just got back from the Baseball Writers Association of America's New York Chapter dinner and it was a great affair with our own Bob Klapisch drawing a standing ovation - bigger applause than David Wright, really? - from the packed room at the New York Hilton.

Between the handing out of the MVP, Cy Young Awards and the  rest of the hardware, I managed to talk to a few people and see that one thing that was not about to be announced was just who the starting pitcher will be that the Mets will sign - eventually.

It certainly sounds like it's going to be Oliver Perez with one baseball official stating that the Mets will be patient - just days after another team official said that the offer on the table had an expiration date and it was coming quickly. The Mets are still looking at a pool of pitchers - a pretty large pool still this late in the winter - and Perez is their No. 1 choice, but not their only choice.

The team has still been in talks with Arn Tellum, the agent for Randy Wolf, and there is still interest. But even Wolf admitted to FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal that it seems like he's clearly a fallback.

"They've been honest with everyone," Wolf said. "Their priority, pretty obviously, is Oliver Perez. I understand. It's their guy. They know him better than anyone. They see the potential that could be there with him."

Of course, there is the other side of Ollie that the Mets have seen plenty of. When I mentioned to a Mets' official tonight that they should be the last team to overpay him, having seen his flaws close-up as often as the flashes of potential, I just got a shrug of the shoulders in return.

The darkhorse is Ben Sheets, who the Mets remain in discussions with, but are also hesitent to offer up any sort of guarantee for. The Mets won't give a two-year guarantee right now and if someone will, he's going to be off their radar.

The deal for Perez is obviously longer and for bigger dollars, despite the fact that he threw four less innings that Sheets last year. But Sheets remains a health risk the Mets don't appear willing to go on a liimb for.

Baseball In New York for a Night

A last chance reminder - it's 17 degrees at Citi Field as I type this and it's still seven days until David Wright arrives in Port St. Lucie, Florida as the (likely) first Mets veteran in camp. But you can see Wright and a bevy of other baseball high society tonight at the BBWAA Awards dinner at the New York Hilton, where all of the MLB hardware will be handed out (MVPs, Cy Youngs, etc.) and the honorees of the local New York chapter will be recognized.

In addition to those recipients -- the complete list appears below -- Bernie Williams will perform his rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" off his upcoming album. The Mets also will give away a pair of Shea seats (value $869) to one lucky purchaser of the evening's Scorebook program (cost $5) that will be on sale before the dinner.

Among the honorees are our own baseball columnist, Bob Klapish, who will receive the Milton Richman You Gotta Have Heart Award for his dedication to the game - on and off the field, chronicling it in the Record and still playing it at, well, let's just say an advanced age. It's been written here many times, but Klap suffered a severe eye injury this past season when he was hit in the face with a one-hopper rifled back to the mound. But he has already made it back to the pages of the Record and likely won't be kept off the mound.

Tickets are still available (as well as at the door) and the price is $225. For more information, contact Phil Pepe at the Hilton New York at 212-586-7000. Cocktails are at 5 p.m., the dinner follows at 6.

Here are the honorees:

NY Chapter BBWAA awards:

Sid Mercer -Dick Young Player of the Year – BRAD LIDGE
Ben Epstein- Dan Castellano Good Guy – JOHNNY DAMON
William J. Slocum-Jack Lang Long and Meritorious Service – GREG MADDUX
Casey Stengel You Can Look It Up – MIKE MUSSINA
Joe DiMaggio Toast of the Town – JOHAN SANTANA
Milton Richman You Gotta Have Heart – BOB KLAPISCH
Willie, Mickey and the Duke – BERNIE WILLIAMS/ED KRANEPOOL
Babe Ruth World Series MVP – COLE HAMELS
Joan Payson – DAVID WRIGHT

MLB AWARDS:

AL MVP – DUSTIN PEDROIA
NL MVP – ALBERT PUJOLS
AL Cy Young – CLIFF LEE
NL Cy Young – TIM LINCECUM
AL Manager – JOE MADDON
NL Manager – LOU PINIELLA
AL Rookie – EVAN LONGORIA
NL Rookie – GEOVANY SOTO