Amazin' Stories

Mets complete Wagner trade

OUTFIELDER CHRIS CARTER AND FIRST BASEMAN EDDIE LORAACQUIRED FROM BOSTON TO COMPLETE BILLY WAGNER TRADE FLUSHING, N.Y., October 7, 2009 – The New York Mets today announced that they acquired minor league outfielder Chris Carter and minor league first baseman Eddie Lora from the Boston Red Sox as the two players to be named later in the Billy Wagner trade that was completed on August 25. Carter was added to the Mets 40-Man roster which is now at 38. Carter, 26, hit .294 (126-428) with 50 runs scored, 25 doubles, 16 home runs and 61 RBI in 116 games with Pawtucket (AAA) of the International League this year. From July 1st through the end of the season on September 7th, Carter batted .333 (67-201) with nine home runs and 32 RBI. The 6-0, 230-pounder went 0-5 with the Red Sox in four games earlier this season in April. Carter batted .333 (6-18) with three RBI in nine games with Boston in 2008. He made his major league debut on June 5, 2008 vs. Tampa Bay at Fenway Park. He also hit .300 (141-470) with 25 doubles, 24 home runs and 81 RBI in 121 games with Pawtucket in 2008. Carter was acquired by the Red Sox on August 21, 2007 to complete the trade that sent outfielder Wily Mo Pena and cash considerations to Washington. Carter doubled home J.D. Drew in the fourth inning with the first run of the contest in the Mets first ever exhibition game at Citi Field on April 3 in Boston’s 4-3 win. The lefthanded-hitting native of Concord, CA has batted .306 (850-2779) with 168 doubles, 126 home runs and 512 RBI in 726 career minor league games. He was drafted in the 17th round in the 2004 First Year Player Draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks. Lora, 20, hit .222 (22-99) with nine runs scored, six doubles, two triples, three home runs and seven RBI in 34 games with the Gulf Coast Red Sox this year. Lora, who was born in New York City and resides in Santo Domingo, DR, was named Boston’s Minor League Latin Program Player of the Year in 2008. Last year he hit .300 (36-120) with 21 runs scored, six doubles, one triple, five home runs and 26 RBI in 35 games with the Dominican Summer League Red Sox. The 6-2, 205-pounder was signed by the Red Sox as a non-drafted free agent on July 24, 2006. He cracked four home runs and drove in 19 runs while hitting .222 (48-216) in 2007 for the Dominican Summer League squad. 
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The Shopping List

Now that Jeff Wilpon and Omar Minaya have come out and said that the Mets will be players for the best and brightest on the market this year, here is the Christmas list.

Here is a projection of the Type A Free Agents, thanks to MLBTradeRumors.com, which thanks blogger Eddie Bajek. They did the math that I couldn't figure out - usually left to the Elias Sports Bureau. Anyway, they did the work and put it together - it's not official, but it's a pretty good list.

I've gotten the feeling all year that the Mets will be seeking a handful of second-tier players rather than securing the big-money pieces. But Wilpon put himself on the record - and on the ledge - with his proclamations in recent letters to season-ticket holders and then from the podium at Citi Field Monday.

No one would argue that the likes of Jason Bay or Matt Holliday, John Lackey or (via trade) Roy Halliday would be perfect fits. I just get the vibe from the Mets that the more likely scenario will be depth being added.

The Mets Day of Apologies

One day after the disappointing 2009 season came to a close, the Mets began trying to put a better foot forward - not really with any bold moves off the field, but simply by apologizing and promising to do better.

The day began with coaching changes - nothing earth-shattering, but simply a rearranging of pieces with Sandy Alomar Sr. and Luis Alicea taking the hit (yes, I agree - I don't know what Alicea does either). Razor Shines survives and surprisingly, so does pitching coach Dan Warthen - although I thought it was tough to blame him for struggling with Buffalo's rotation at the major league level.

Then, Jerry Manuel, Jeff Wilpon and Omar Minaya took turns at the microphone, each taking the blame and shifting it almost at the same time. And they all promised that 2010 will be nothing like 2009 - and that shouldn't be hard, just if the Mets get a reasonable bit of health.

Interestingly, the Mets put up their own video on mlb.com, and it not includes Jeff Wilpon's apology, but also includes my question to Omar about an openness to deal the core players and Newsday's Dave Lennon asking about bidding for top free agents. I'd imagine it's no accident that the Mets marketing people want that message out there, providing the hope of a wild winter.

The only problem with that is if you tease Roy Halladay, Matt Holiday and Adrian Gonzalez, it's tough to sell your fans on 2010 when you land Randy Wolf and point Daniel Murphy back out to first base.

Perhaps the oddest news was that there would be no changes with the Mets' training or medical staff. The only change, according to Wilpon, will be to better communicate the news of injuries to the media. That's a start, since it could hardly have been worse. But that doesn't really explain - and won't explain - why players who were expected to be out for a day wound up missing the season, how Carlos Delgado was described as not having a tear - until it was revealed he had a tear in his hip muscle.

 

A few highlights:
Jeff Wilpon describing how Jose Reyes did himself a favor by completely tearing his hamstring tendon - and how the LA Dodgers doctor was the problem:

"I think the problem came about where a lot of the injuries – or a number of the injuries – were on the road and we relied on visiting team doctors to diagnose. When Jose had a hamstring tendon that was partially torn to begin with, the doctor in LA said he was his calf. Now the radiating pain was to his calf, it wasn’t really what happened, when he came back here and got checked by our doctors, who are world renowned, Dr. Altchek, Dr. Coleman, are great doctors, work in a great hospital, they were able to diagnose it as this accessory hamstring tear, and then we thought we could wait it out, and have that partial tear heal, it didn’t and it ended up breaking fully and becoming a full tear, which was a good thing, it’s hard to understand, but that tendon is used for surgery in Tommy John surgery, they harvest that tendon, so it wasn’t a bad thing that it broke, full tore, but and then, Jose, who deserves a lot of credit in my view anyway for trying to get back, pushed himself a little bit too hard and had another hamstring injury."

Not quite an answer on what the payroll will be from Wilpon:

"We’d like to create the enthusiasm. I think our plan and Omar’s plan and the different ways he has to get there, through trades and free agents, is to create the excitement for our fans. I think with the reduction in ticket prices and the ability for more fans to be here, we’re hoping that happens. And what the payroll is, we didn’t necessarily spend well with $147 million this year, so I don’t want to say what it’s going to be. Last year we started the offseason with a $135 million payroll. It went up to $147 [million]. We didn’t have that as a plan."

Reyes finally opts for surgery

The Mets finally got the word from Jose Reyes that he will udergo surgery.

 MEDICAL UPDATE ON JOSE REYES  FLUSHING, N.Y., October 5, 2009 – The Mets today announced that shortstop Jose Reyes will undergo surgery to clean up scar tissue around the accessory hamstring tendon behind the right knee (semi tendinosis tendon).  He will not require surgery for the separate hamstring muscle tear in his right leg which he suffered in late September while working out for his return to baseball. Mets Medical Director Dr. David Altchek of the Hospital for Surgery in Manhattan has directed that the surgery be performed by Dr. Daniel E. Cooper – the leading expert in the country in the surgical treatment of the chronically torn semi tendinosis tendon in athletes.  Cooper, affiliated with The Carrell Clinic and based in Dallas, is the head team physician for the Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Stars.  Cooper trained under Altchek at the Hospital for Special Surgery. The date of the surgery is yet to be determined.  Reyes is expected to fully recover and be ready for Spring Training.
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Coaching moves

  METS ANNOUNCE 2010 COACHING STAFF CHANGES  FLUSHING, N.Y., October 5, 2009 – The New York Mets today announced that Bench Coach Sandy Alomar Sr. and First Base Coach Luis Alicea will not be returning for the 2010 season. Alomar Sr. will be offered another position within the organization. Hitting Coach Howard Johnson, Pitching Coach Dan Warthen and Bullpen Coach Randy Niemann will return to Manager Jerry Manuel’s staff in the same positions next year. Third Base Coach Razor Shines and Catching Instructor Sandy Alomar Jr. will be part of the Major League staff in 2010 in yet to be determined roles.
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The lineup - last dance

Pagan LF
Castillo 2B
Wright 3B
Beltran CF
Murphy 1B
Reed RF
Thole C
Hernandez SS
Figueroa P

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Parnell gets winter off

The Mets have repeatedly talked of sending Bobby Parnell to winter ball to work as a starter. But he just told me he is getting the winter off for, "A mental and physical break."

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The lineup

Pagan LF
Castillo 2B
Beltran CF
Murphy 1B
Francoeur RF
Thole C
Tatis 3B
Hernandez SS
Misch P

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The lineup - the last stand

Pagan LF
Castillo 2B
Wright 3B
Beltran CF
Francoeur RF
Tatis 1B
Santos C
Hernandez SS
Maine P
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At last, Good News

METS LOWER TICKET PRICES FOR 2010 Average Ticket Price Will Decrease More Than 10%;Ticket Prices in Select Locations to Fall More Than 20% 2010 Season Ticket Holder Invoices to be Less Than 2009FLUSHING, N.Y., October 1, 2009 – The New York Mets today announced across the board decreases in the price of Season Tickets for the 2010 season at Citi Field with no increase in the price of any ticket next year.The average ticket price on a full-season basis will drop by more than 10 percent with reductions in select locations in excess of 20 percent.  Every Season Ticket Holder will see a decrease in their invoice for next season.The price of the least expensive seat will remain at $11."The Mets are sensitive to the economic realities facing our fans and we have lowered our ticket prices in response to these challenging conditions," said Dave Howard, Executive Vice President, Business Operations.  "This move underscores our appreciation of our fans’ ongoing loyalty and support.  We are committed to delivering exceptional service and value to our customers at Citi Field in 2010."#  #  # 
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