Putz or Wagner in 2010?

OK Mets fans, you have two setup guys here that want to close.

Each costs approx $8M in 2010 (Wags is a hair cheaper).

Who do you keep, and why?

For my money the call is easy: Keep Putz.

He's younger, his stuff "can be" better, and I just have the sneaking suspician that Wags is one bullpen warmpup toss away from being totally done.

That said, Wags looked great last night, and he is a lefty.

Omir Santos Takes Papelbon Deep--Mets Win!

Mets win 3-2 with JJ Putz on the hill to close it out and some great defense.

What a phenomenal win.

If the Mets can sweep the series tomorrow, they return to Shea with a ton of momentum to face the Nationals and Marlins.

Papelbon is still crying in the dugout.

NY Mets AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG Murphy, 1B 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 .248 Pagan, RF 4 0 0 0 0 2 0 .316 Beltran, DH 4 1 1 0 0 1 0 .364 Sheffield, LF 3 1 1 1 1 0 0 .260 Wright, 3B 4 0 0 0 0 2 2 .353 Reed, CF 4 0 1 0 0 1 1 .317 Santos, O, C 4 1 2 2 0 0 0 .270 Martinez, R, SS 4 0 1 0 0 1 2 .100 Castillo, 2B 2 0 0 0 1 0 2 .274 Totals 33 3 6 3 2 7 9 BATTING HR: Santos, O (2, 9th inning off Papelbon, 1 on, 2 out). TB: Beltran; Sheffield; Reed; Santos, O 5; Martinez, R. RBI: Sheffield (10), Santos, O 2 (15). 2-out RBI: Sheffield; Santos, O 2. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Murphy; Castillo. Team RISP: 1-for-4. Team LOB: 5. BASERUNNING SB: Martinez, R (1, 2nd base off Beckett/Varitek). FIELDING DP: (Castillo-Martinez, R-Murphy).		Boston AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG Ellsbury, CF 4 1 1 0 0 0 1 .298 Pedroia, 2B 4 1 2 0 0 1 0 .327 Ortiz, DH 3 0 0 0 1 2 4 .201 Youkilis, 1B 3 0 1 2 1 0 1 .388 Bay, LF 4 0 0 0 0 1 2 .287 Drew, RF 4 0 0 0 0 1 2 .250 Lowell, 3B 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 .281 Varitek, C 3 0 1 0 0 2 0 .248 Green, N, SS 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 .303 Totals 32 2 6 2 2 7 12 BATTING TB: Ellsbury; Pedroia 2; Youkilis; Varitek; Green, N. RBI: Youkilis 2 (23). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Ortiz. GIDP: Green, N. Team RISP: 1-for-3. Team LOB: 5. BASERUNNING SB: Pedroia (5, 2nd base off Pelfrey/Santos, O), Ellsbury (18, 3rd base off Pelfrey/Santos, O). FIELDING E: Beckett (1, pickoff).
NY Mets IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA Pelfrey 7.0 6 2 2 1 6 0 4.31 Feliciano, P (W, 1-1) 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2.65 Putz (S, 2) 1.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3.75		Boston IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA Beckett 8.0 5 1 0 1 5 0 5.01 Papelbon (BS, 1)(L, 0-1) 1.0 1 2 2 1 2 1 1.80
Pitches-strikes: Pelfrey 111-70, Feliciano, P 13-8, Putz 15-9, Beckett 117-78, Papelbon 15-9. Groundouts-flyouts: Pelfrey 12-3, Feliciano, P 1-1, Putz 2-1, Beckett 8-11, Papelbon 0-1. Batters faced: Pelfrey 27, Feliciano, P 3, Putz 4, Beckett 30, Papelbon 5. Umpires: HP: Joe West. 1B: Ed Rapuano. 2B: Chad Fairchild. 3B: Paul Nauert. Weather: 55 degrees, clear. Wind: 8 mph, R to L. T: 2:49. Att: 37,871. May 23, 2009

Hypochondriacal

Noun (plural hy·po·chon·dri·acs [ hypəkən dri ək'l ])

Definition:

somebody with imaginary illness: somebody who is unduly preoccupied with personal health and believes that illness is nearly always present or imminent

adjective
Definition:

1. believing in nonexistent illness: excessively preoccupied with health and persistently believing in a nonexistent illness, or relating to the attitudes or state of mind of somebody with this condition

2. anatomy of hypochondrium: relating to, involving, or typical of the hypochondrium

I was just glancing through MetsBlog and read about the latest installment of "What in the world, is wrong with JJ".

Matt Cerrone writes:

Last week, on WFAN, Putz said he is having a difficult time finding adrenaline pitching in the eighth inning, instead of the ninth, then missed two games with a bone spur in his right elbow, which he told reporters has not been issue since receiving an anti-inflammatory shot.

Last night, Putz told reporters he is now dealing with a stiff neck, which he described as a ‘nagging thing,’ according at the Daily News.

…whatever it is, whether adrenaline, his elbow, his neck, whatever, something is off, and has not been right for a while…

In his last seven outings, Putz has allowed 10 hits and walked six batters in seven innings pitched, during which four runs scored.

It just keep getting better.

Thank God for off days.

NL East Bullpens: Just the Stats

As an update to our earlier piece, "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse", that featured Bobby Parnell, Sean Green, JJ Putz, and Frankie Rodriguez, here are the current NL East bullpen stats.

Team	W	L	ERA	G	SV	SVO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	HBP	BB	SO
Mets	1	2	1.80	11	3	3	35	30	10	7	1	1	12	33
Marlins	4	0	2.39	10	2	3	37.2	34	14	10	2	1	16	35
Nationals	0	4	5.97	10	0	2	37.2	42	27	25	7	4	17	37
Phillies	2	2	6.29	10	3	5	34.1	28	24	24	8	1	15	35
Braves	1	2	7.75	11	2	4	33.2	48	31	29	2	4	21	35

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

For Mets opponents, the revamped 2009 bullpen has been a nightmare of biblical proportion--quite a change from seasons past.

Now it's: "get to the starters or suffer your fate".

All told, the Mets have the best bullpen ERA in baseball at 1.80 (Seattle is second at 2.34 and the Yankees are fourth from last at 7.50). You can click here for the sortable major league bullpen stats.

The primary reason for this early success rests on the shoulders of four men.

First seal is opened : a white horse appears, its rider held a bow (conquest)

The Mets first horseman is Bobby Parnell. He throws hard; he challenges you; he wants the baseball. Having JJ Putz and Frankie Rodriguez tutoring him is a dream come true for this up and coming star.

2009 Season Stats
SPLITS	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	W	L	SV	HLD	BLSV	WHIP	ERA
Season	6	0	0	5.1	4	1	1	0	3	3	0	0	0	2	0	1.31	1.69
Career	12	0	0	10.1	7	4	4	0	5	6	0	0	0	2	0	1.16	3.48
Projected	88	0	0	74	59	15	15	0	44	44	0	0	0	29	0	1.31	1.69

Second seal is opened : a red horse appears, its rider holds a sword (war)

The second horseman is Sean Green. When the big trade was made, I wrote about Sean Green and our good fortune for getting him. He is Aaron Heilman and Joe Smith x 10. Green is another filthy reliever who simply got burned out last season. With 2 Holds already on the season, Mets fans have experienced what it's like to have a 7th inning guy who gets after hitters and doesn't mess around nibbling. His 8 Ks against 2 BBs is excellent.

2009 Season Stats
SPLITS	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	W	L	SV	HLD	BLSV	WHIP	ERA
Season	6	0	0	6.1	7	2	2	1	2	8	0	0	0	2	0	1.42	2.84
Career	166	0	0	185.1	198	96	88	8	85	138	9	7	1	35	7	1.53	4.27
Projected	88	0	0	88	103	29	29	15	29	118	0	0	0	29	0	1.42	2.84

Third seal is opened: a black horse appears, its rider holds a pair of scales (famine)

The third horseman is JJ Putz. Putz has stuff that rivals any closer in the game. He throws a 97 mph fastball and mixes in the best splitter I have ever seen (and that includes Mike Scott's). Moreover, he is selfless and has taken on his "Pre-Closer" role with the kind of grace and style that has already endeared him to both his teammates and the Mets faithful.

2009 Season Stats
SPLITS	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	W	L	SV	HLD	BLSV	WHIP	ERA
Season	7	0	0	7.0	3	1	1	0	3	3	1	0	0	3	0	0.86	1.29
Career	315	0	0	330.0	273	116	111	32	107	340	23	15	101	32	24	1.15	3.03
Projected	103	0	0	103	44	15	15	0	44	44	15	0	0	44	0	0.86	1.29

Fourth seal is opened : a pale horse appears, its rider is called Death

The fourth horseman is Frankie Rodriguez, and he is death to opponents. He loves his role as the Closer, and gives max effort and concentration against every batter. For all the talk from naysayers about his "K/9 and WHIP", he looks to be every bit what the Mets wanted--a dominant stopper with balls of steel. The guy looks like he was born to close in New York.

2009 Season Stats
SPLITS	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	W	L	SV	HLD	BLSV	WHIP	ERA
Season	6	0	0	5.2	2	0	0	0	2	9	0	0	3	0	0	0.71	0.00
Career	414	0	0	457.1	307	130	118	34	200	596	23	17	211	34	33	1.11	2.32
Projected	88	0	0	74	29	0	0	0	29	133	0	0	44	0	0	0.71	0.00

Good Morning Mets Fans!

The 2009 Mets got off to a flying start despite nearly being grounded by the weather.

Johan Santana, the best pitcher in New York, did what Aces do: give their team a solid chance to win every time they take the mound.

Johan started the game with strikeouts and walks--in fact he walked 3 of the first 6 batters he faced and struck out Jerry Hairston, Jr and Darnell McDonald to open his 2009 campaign.

But it was vintage Santana all the same. He didn't allow a hit until the fourth, and surrendered his one and only run of the game in the sixth.

Jerry Manuel, sensing the moment had come, pulled his Ace with a 2-1 lead and a runner on second.

And so it began--Mets Bullpen version 9.0.

Newcomer Sean Green was summoned to the hill to begin the process of preserving the win and immediately set to his task. He induced a liner that Daniel Murphy jumped all over and the Reds threat was ended. He then pitched his version of a perfect inning in the 7th: 3 up, 3 down, all on ground balls.

Next up was JJ Putz in the 8th.

Putz has a devestating arsenal of pitches and makes the opposition look foolish at times. His fastball moves, his splitter dazzles, and he can bring the heat. I'm no major league hitter, but I cannot imagine how anyone could step in and feel comfortable against Putz with the amount of movement he has.

Putz did walk one batter in the inning, but was otherwise flawless.

To finish the affair was KRod, or Frankie Rodriguez as he prefers.

Frankie looked like a man against boys in the 9th. Three up, three down, and a game punctuating strikeout of catcher Ramon Hernandez.

The bullpen, simply put, was masterful. 3.1 innings, 1 walk, 2 Ks, and no hits. It was "boringly beautiful" and comfortable to watch.

"Our bullpen may be one of our best assets," David Wright said. "They were lights-out the first game of the season. They really didn't give them one chance."

Johan was thrilled with his new bullpen and pointed to Green when asked who saved the game. Sometimes the save does come in the seventh. "They deserve all the credit," Santana said. "That's when the game was won."

The Mets had other contributions as well. Daniel Murphy was the hitting star of the day, driving in both runs and hitting the club's first dinger of the year.

"He is such a good young hitter," Manuel said, still marveling at Murphy hitting a 3-2 pitch for a home run after falling behind 0-2 in the count. He went as far to compare Murphy with Frank Thomas.

Additionally, both David Wright and Ryan Church made defensive gems.

Church was particularly impressive and saved a run on a diving catch that resulted in a double play. Sliding to keep the ball from bouncing past him, Church, tapped the ball to himself like Jerry Rice, made the reception, bounced up and fired to first for the double play--it was truly a great athletic play, one that Gary Sheffield could never make these days.

David Lennon of Newsday has a nice piece on Ryan Church making a statement.

All in all it was a solid game, a great start, and hopefully, a foreshadowing of things to come in 2009.

And you know what else? I like this team, and the way this team is built, a lot. Good guys, hard workers, and certainly more pieces in place to start the season than we had in 2008.

As Ed Ryan from Mets Fever asks: Could It Have Been Scripted Any Better?

Enjoy your coffee!

Off the Field: Spring Training Food Choices

As anyone who has been to Port St Lucie knows, there are limited food choices available--mostly fast food and a few local restaurants.

Our spring training spies have seen a few Mets players over at McDonalds, and we think we know why.

Mickey D's has just unleashed a new food campaign to compete with Burger King's Angry Whopper.

Let us present...

The new McSad Deluxe!

Are You in the Pedro or Redding Camp?

It's been a fun off-season to be a Mets fan.

First we had the KRod signing--quick, to the point, Mets get their man, fair contract, etc. Good times.

Then, on December 10th, Omar came off the top rope and put together a trade that netted JJ Putz, Sean Green and Jeremy Reed. Yes we lost Aaron Heilman, Joe Smith, Mike Carp, Jason Vargas and Endy Chavez, but overall it was a brilliant move.

Mets fans will love Sean Green....trust me on this.

Lately all us blogger types have been vacillating on which free agent starting pitchers the Mets will (or won't) sign, what the contracts will (or won't) be, which teams are (or aren't) involved, and more.

While that's all well and good, let's take a look at a "potential" 5th starter and see where the two stack up. Both men have their fans and their detractors, so the conversation, I hope, will center around past performance as a measure of potential in 2009.

Tale of the Tape

Pedro Martinez #45 SP

2008 STATS
ERA	W-L	SO	WHIP
5.61	5-6	87	1.57

Full Name Pedro Jaime Martinez Birth Date October 25, 1971 Birth Place Manoguayabo, Dominican Republic Weight 193 lbs.

Height 5-11 Bats Right Throws Right Experience 16 years

College Ohio Dominican Salary 2008: $11,813,351

Tim Redding #17 SP

2008 STATS
ERA	W-L	SO	WHIP
4.95	10-11	120	1.43

Full Name Timothy James Redding Birth Date February 12, 1978 Birth Place Rochester, NY Weight 218 lbs.

Height 6-0 Bats Right Throws Right Experience 6 years

Drafted 20th round draft pick Salary 2008: $1,000,000

OK, this doesn't tell us much--we know Pedro had a rough 2008--injuries, death of his father, came back from rehab, not much pop on his fastball.

Redding had the second best year of his career. He pitched a solid 182 innings and was something of a workhorse for a terrible Nationals team.

Let's dive a bit deeper in the stats.

Pedro:

2008 Pitching Splits
Overall	ERA	W	L	SV	SVO	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	AVG
Total	5.62	5	6	0	0	20	20	0	109.0	127	70	68	19	44	87	.294
As Starter	5.62	5	6	0	0	20	20	0	109.0	127	70	68	19	44	87	.294
Opponent Batting	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	HBP	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Total	432	70	127	25	1	19	64	44	6	87	15	2	.294	.359	.488	.847
By Breakdown	ERA	W	L	SV	SVO	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	AVG
Home	5.00	1	3	0	0	8	8	0	45.0	41	27	25	5	22	33	.244
Away	6.05	4	3	0	0	12	12	0	64.0	86	43	43	14	22	54	.326
Day	4.07	2	1	0	0	6	6	0	31.0	34	15	14	1	10	19	.283
Night	6.23	3	5	0	0	14	14	0	78.0	93	55	54	18	34	68	.298
Grass	5.62	5	6	0	0	20	20	0	109.0	127	70	68	19	44	87	.294
Right / Left	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	HBP	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
vs. Left	230	44	70	13	0	11	39	23	3	42	7	0	.304	.366	.504	.871
vs. Right	202	26	57	12	1	8	25	21	3	45	8	2	.282	.351	.470	.821
By Day/Month	ERA	W	L	SV	SVO	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	AVG
July	4.40	1	0	0	0	3	3	0	14.1	13	7	7	4	7	13	.232
April	10.80	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	3.1	4	4	4	2	1	1	.308
June	6.67	2	2	0	0	5	5	0	27.0	38	21	20	2	10	20	.330
August	3.83	2	1	0	0	7	7	0	42.1	41	19	18	9	14	33	.263
September	7.77	0	3	0	0	4	4	0	22.0	31	19	19	2	12	20	.337
Pre-All Star	6.25	3	2	0	0	9	9	0	44.2	55	32	31	8	18	34	.299
Post-All Star	5.18	2	4	0	0	11	11	0	64.1	72	38	37	11	26	53	.290

Redding:

2008 Pitching Splits
Overall	ERA	W	L	SV	SVO	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	AVG
Total	4.95	10	11	0	0	33	33	1	182.0	195	110	100	27	65	120	.275
As Starter	4.95	10	11	0	0	33	33	1	182.0	195	110	100	27	65	120	.275
Opponent Batting	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	HBP	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Total	709	110	195	40	1	27	93	65	7	120	13	7	.275	.338	.449	.786
By Breakdown	ERA	W	L	SV	SVO	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	AVG
Home	5.61	6	7	0	0	18	18	0	94.2	117	67	59	15	30	55	.305
Away	4.23	4	4	0	0	15	15	1	87.1	78	43	41	12	35	65	.240
Day	3.44	3	1	0	0	6	6	1	36.2	36	15	14	3	9	25	.261
Night	5.33	7	10	0	0	27	27	0	145.1	159	95	86	24	56	95	.278
Grass	4.95	10	11	0	0	33	33	1	182.0	195	110	100	27	65	120	.275
Right / Left	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	HBP	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
vs. Left	358	54	99	25	1	13	47	38	2	54	8	3	.277	.346	.461	.807
vs. Right	351	56	96	15	0	14	46	27	5	66	5	4	.274	.329	.436	.765
By Day/Month	ERA	W	L	SV	SVO	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	AVG
April	3.55	3	2	0	0	6	6	0	33.0	25	19	13	4	14	22	.203
May	3.86	3	1	0	0	6	6	0	35.0	33	16	15	4	14	22	.250
June	5.19	0	0	0	0	6	6	0	34.2	42	21	20	5	9	21	.296
July	4.82	1	3	0	0	5	5	1	28.0	38	15	15	1	5	19	.339
August	5.46	2	2	0	0	5	5	0	28.0	31	17	17	8	11	19	.277
September	7.71	1	3	0	0	5	5	0	23.1	26	22	20	5	12	17	.295
Post-All Star	6.82	3	8	0	0	13	13	1	67.1	80	53	51	14	27	45	.303
Pre-All Star	3.85	7	3	0	0	20	20	0	114.2	115	57	49	13	38	75	.258

Hmmmm, several flags for both.

Redding had a solid start to his season: 3.85 ERA, .257 BAA, 6-3 in April and May. But look at the rest of the season--he reverted back to "Redding normal", which is a pitcher who has trouble getting out of his own way.

ERA in the last 4 months of the season: 5.19, 4.82, 5.46, 7.71. That is awful. He finished the year with a pitiful 89 ERA+, which is one point higher than his career ERA+. How about 13 HRs allowed in his last 51 innings pitched? Flag!

And what of Pedro? We all saw his fastball topping out between 87 and 89 mph, with the very occassional low 90s on the gun. His pitches were up, he didn't have the same control, and his motion looked different.

The number aren't pretty either. 7.77 ERA in September when the team needed him most, a .326 BAA on the road, etc.

So play GM--which man would you prefer if it comes down to one of them for the 5th spot?

My money is still on Pedro--I've just never been a fan of Redding, and he was awful last year after May. Pedro actually had a very good August, and I believe that is the pitcher he is capable of being in 2009.

If Redding decides to take the Mets offer, and we haven't heard the details, hopefully Pedro will come to camp and fight.

Pedro wants to be a Met, and as this excellent article in the NY Post points out, he has some unfinished business.

At the end of the day I still trust Pedro a heck of a lot more than Tim Redding.

Derek Lowe, Oliver Perez and the $150M Budget

Walk with me for a minute Mets fans.

First, let's take a stroll through Citi Field. My apologies for the weather.

Look at the fences...look at the dimensions...look at the beautiful architecture.

Is this a dream? Are Mets fans really deserving of all this largess?

Now close your eyes for a moment....think of the warm Florida breezes in February and March. Think about the hiss of the fastball and the popping of the glove. The crack as bat meets ball. The infield and dugout chatter. Now picture opening day and a beautiful 2009 in this new cathedral in Queens.

They are the sweet sounds and smells of baseball.

Now think about a Mets starting rotation of:

Johan Santana
Derek Lowe
Oliver Perez
John Maine
Mike Pelfrey

How truly wonderful would that be? Could it be a reality? If so, what would it take? Think about that rotation, together, for the next 3+ years.

Can the Mets afford to add another $25M to the payroll? Didn't they have a ton of money come off the books from the $138M they spent last year?

Haven't they lost the services of Pedro Martinez and his $12M a year? Moises Alou at $7.5M a year? El Duque at $7M a year? Jorge Sosa and his $2M a year? Scott Schoeneweis and his $3.6M a year?

Sure they locked down KRod and JJ Putz, and that cost $18M a year, but is there not room for more?

Was $138M last year really the most the Mets will spend?

If you could have those 5 starters--3 power pitchers, 3 righty's and 2 lefty's, a wonderful mix of youth and prime, fastballs, slider, curveballs, changeups and sinkers, locked up for 3+ years, would you do it? Could you do it? Should you do it?

The answer is yes, and the possibility is more real than the papers would have you believe.