Marlins Sign Jose Reyes

The Miami Marlins and Jose Reyes have agreed yesterday to a 6 year $106 million dollar deal. Reyes was one of the best players to play for the Mets, and had an amazing season last year. Reyes was called up by the Mets in 2003. Reyes claims that the Mets never even offered him a contract. Reyes has a career .272 AVG. with the Mets, and also has 370 stolen bases. The Mets are currently in re-building mode, and therefore did not re-sign Reyes.

Former Mets Manager Bobby Valentine Signs With Red Sox

Yesterday, the Red Sox hired Bobby Valentine, who managed the Mets from 1996-2002. Valentine led the Mets to the world series in 2000, which resulted in a loss to the Yankees. Valentine is replacing Terry Francona, who got fired in September, after the Red Sox had a big collapse. Aside from the Mets, Bobby Valentine has also managed other teams whether MLB, or Japanese league. He managed the Texas Rangers from 1985-1992, he managed the Chiba Lotte Mariners in 1995, and managed them again from 2004-2009. Valentine has been a very successful manager, and hopes to be successful with the Red Sox.

What Will Mets Roster Look Like Without Reyes?

Now that it is likely that Jose Reyes is done with the Mets, the Mets roster will look very different. These are who would've been the Mets leaders in 2011 without Reyes:

2011 With Reyes: Without Reyes:

Avg. leader: Reyes - .337 Pagan - .262

Runs leader: Reyes - 101 Pagan - 68

Stolen Bases leader: Reyes - 39 Pagan - 32

Hits leader: Reyes - 181 Murphy - 125

Doubles leader:Reyes - 31 Beltran - 30

Triples leader: Reyes - 16 Pagan - 4

That is a big difference! The Mets need to re-sign him. Also, without Reyes, Pagan led the Mets in most stats, and Pagan is also likely to not be on the Mets next year.

Mets Top 5 Games of 2011

These are what I think were the Mets top 5 games this season:

5. April 27 - Mets 6 Nationals 3 - The Mets were down 2-1 in the eighth inning when Jose Reyes hit an extra base-hit into the gap. Reyes tried to turn it into a triple, and beat out the throw, but was called out after over sliding the base, but it appears that it was a bad call, and Reyes was safe, but the call wasn't over turned. One batter later, Daniel Murphy pinch-hit for Justin Turner, and Murphy homered to tie the game. With the Mets down 3-2 in the ninth, Chin-lung Hu hit a sacrifice fly. Later in the inning with the Mets up 4-3, Murphy hit a two-run double to make the lead 6-3.

4. September 22- Mets 8 Cardinals 6 - The Mets were down 6-2 in the ninth inning, but didn't give up. With the score 6-4 with one out and the bases loaded, Ruben Tejada hit a two-run double to tie the game. Later in the inning, Willie Harris hit a go ahead two-run single to put the Mets up 8-6. In the bottom of the inning with two outs, Jason Pridie made a great catch to end the game.

3. July 20 - Mets 6 Cardinals 5 (10) - The Mets came back a 4-0 deficit, and in the fifth with the score 4-2, Carlos Beltran hit a game tying two-run homer. With the score 5-4 in the eighth, Josh Thole hit a game tying RBI single. Then in the tenth, Angel Pagan hit a walk-off homer.

2. June 2 - Mets 9 Pirates 8 - The Mets had an unbelievable 7-0 comeback. The rally started in the third inning with the Mets down 7-0, Carlos Beltran hit a three-run homer. In the sixth, Ruben Tejada scored on a wild pitch to tie the game at 7. In the ninth, K-Rod allowed one run, but the Mets hung on to win 9-8.

1. July 3 - Mets 3 Yankees 2 (10) - The Mets were down 2-1 with two outs and two strikes with Ronny Paulino facing Mariano Rivera, and Paulino hit a game tying RBI single. In the tenth inning, with the game tied at two, and the bases loaded, Jason Bay hit a walk-off single to win it 3-2.

Mets 2011 Report Card

Here is my 2011 Mets report card:

JOSE REYES - A - Reyes had a great season, and won the batting title. The only reason I didn't give him an A+ is because he went to the DL twice.

DAVID WRIGHT - B+ - At the beginning of the year, I thought Wright would have a great season. Wright started off strong, but then hurt his back in May, went to the DL, and didn't return until after the all-star break. After Wright returned, he was decent.

IKE DAVIS - B - Davis was off to a hot start, until he collided with David Wright on May 11, and missed the remainder of the season.

DANIEL MURPHY - B+ - Murphy did a good job taking over for Ike Davis. He was on a hot streak before getting injured on August 10, and was out for the remainder of the season. I would've gave Murphy an A-, but he made a few fielding and base running errors.

RUBEN TEJADA - B+ - When Tejada was called up, he wasn't hitting well, but toward the end of the season, he started hitting well, and he was great in the field.

JUSTIN TURNER - B - After a hot streak in late may, Turner cooled down. He became the first rookie ever to have an RBI in seven consecutive games, but he didn't hit well towards the end of the season.

CARLOS BELTRAN - A- - Beltran was red hot before being traded to the Giants. Beltran hit 22 homers this year, 15 with the Mets.

ANGEL PAGAN - B - Pagan had a bit of quiet season. He briefly went to the DL in May, but he wasn't able to make any noise with the bat.

JASON BAY - B- - Bay had a disappointing season, Although he hit 10 homers, and two grand slams. He had a little hot streak in late August, but otherwise he didn't have a good season.

JOSH THOLE - B+ - Thole had a decent season. He had 3 homers and 40 RBIs.

RONNY PAULINO - B- - Paulino didn't have a great season. He began the year on the DL, but after that, he didn't hit well.

LUCAS DUDA - B+ - Duda had a good season. He began the season with the Mets, and didn't hit well, and then got sent to the minors. In June, he was called up again, and hit very well. Duda ended the season with 10 homers.

PITCHERS:

MIKE PELFREY - C+ - Pelfrey didn't pitch well this year. He ended the season with a 4.74 ERA.

R.A. DICKEY - B+ - Dickey didn't pitch as well as last year, but still pitched well.

DILLON GEE - B+ - Gee became the first Mets rookie ever to start his season 7-0. Gee finished the season 13-6.

JON NIESE - B- - Niese had a few good starts this season, but otherwise he didn't have a great season.

CHRIS CAPUANO - B+ - Capuano was the Mets best pitcher this season. He had a two-hit shutout on August 26.

MANAGER:

TERRY COLLINS - A- - Eventhough the Mets were under .500 this year, Collins did a great job in his first year with the Mets.

OVERALL: B - The Mets were 8 games below .500, but they had a decent season. I will continue to blog this off-season about the Mets.

Mets End Season With 77-85 Record

Today, the Mets beat the Reds 3-0 in their season finale. I was satisfied with the way the Mets played this year. A 77-85 record is good considering that they didn't have Johan Santana all year, Jose Reyes went to the DL twice, David Wright missed over two months with a back injury, Ike Davis injured himself in May and didn't return, and Chris Young got surgery in May and missed the remainder of the season.

Today, the Mets played their season finale, and won 3-0. Miguel Bautista had a two-hit shutout, and Mike Baxter hit his first career home run. Jose Reyes is in a tight competition with Ryan Braun for the batting title. Reyes hit two homers yesterday, and has a small lead. Braun is playing tonight, and he will try to win the batting title. Reyes had a bunt single in the first inning, and then left the game. Reyes said after the game that he asked Terry Collins to leave the game. Reyes may have played his last game on the Mets today. I will do a season report card in a few days.

Mets Get Swept By Nationals In Four Game Series

The Mets struggles have continued this week against the Nationals. They got swept in a four game series, and their record is now 71-79. They lost the first two games by a score of 3-2, lost the third game 2-0, and lost the fourth 10-1. The total score was 18-5, and in this homestand, the Mets were 1-8. I hate to say this, but the Mets season in over. They have 12 games left this year, and are 27 games behind first place, and 15 games behind the wild cart. Maybe if all their good players stay healthy next year, they could do a little better.

Isringhausen Should Be Mets Closer

Since K-rod was traded to the Brewers, the Mets have been in need for a closer. For now, Bobby Parnell and Jason Isringhausen are competing for the closer spot. At first Isringhausen was closing out games, but now Parnell is the closer, and he's been blowing a lot of games, including the game on Saturday night against the Nationals. I think that Isringhausen should be the closer, because he's been playing better, and he has much more experience. Parnell is in his second year, and all he does in throw heat, and Isringhause already has 300 saves. In a few years, I think Parnell will be a good closer, but now, he's inexperienced. I would let Isrighausen be the closer, and put Parnell in the bullpen, until Parnell proves that he is good enough to be the closer.

Updates on Mets Injuries

Here is an update on all of the Mets current injuries:

Jon Niese - Niese left the game last night after the 4th inning with a right intercostal strain. It has been hurting him for a while, but he felt good in a bullpen session before the game. He started feeling the injury during an at bat with Hunter Pence. Niese was placed on the DL. Mike Nickeas was called up to take Niese's spot on the roster.

Ronny Paulino - Paulino will get x-rays on his toe, which may be broken. For now, Paulino is only available to pinch hit.

Scott Hairston - Hairston hurt his rib cage yesterday in an at-bat, and was sent back to New York for an MRI. Hairston may need to be placed on the DL.

Jose Reyes - Reyes re-injured his hamstring a few weeks ago, and was placed on the DL. He will play three rehab games in Port St. Lucie starting tomorrow, and hopes to return to the Mets on Monday.

Johan Santana - Johan tore his interior-capsule last September, and needed to have surgery. He has so far missed the whole 2011 season, and is currently playing rehab. It is unknown if Santana will still pitch this year for the Mets.

Mets Drop to 6 Games Under .500

The Mets now have a 6 game losing streak after getting swept by the Brewers. On Saturday, the Mets lost to the Brewers 11-9, on a 9th inning comeback. With that loss, the Mets record dropped to 60-66. They're now 21.5 games behind the Phillies for 1st place, and they're also 15 games behind the Braves. There are only 36 games left in the regular season. I want to be optimistic, but I don't think the Mets have a chance in making the postseason. The Mets are 1-9 in their last 10 games. The Mets will begin a three-game series against the Phillies tonight.

Mets Come From Behind to Beat the Padres 9-8

Last night, the Mets were down 8-4 in the 8th inning, and won 9-8 on a walk-off single by Lucas Duda off Heath Bell. David Wright, Jason Bay, and Angel Pagan each homered, and Mike Baxter hit an RBI double in his Mets debut. Mike Pelfrey pitched 6.1 innings, allowed 4 runs on 9 hits, and Tim Stauffer started for the Padres, and pitched 7 innings, allowed 4 runs on 6 hits.

The Mets are back at .500, as they're 57-57. This was game 1 of a 4-game series. Tonights probables are Will LeBlanc and Chris Capuano. Capuano is 9-10 with a 4.44 ERA, and LeBlanc is 0-2 with a 4.98 ERA. The best hope to get the best from their lineup, because they're playing their second game without Daniel Murphy and Jose Reyes, who both on the DL after hurting themselves on Sunday.

Mets Trade Beltran To Giants

The Mets have agreed to trade Carlos Beltran to the Giants for Zack Wheeler. I think this was a good trade because Wheeler is one of the top prospects, and the Mets probably aren't going to go that far this season. So the Mets traded Beltran, who only has two months left on his contract, for a top pitching prospect.

Now that Beltran is gone, the only concern is that the Mets won't have a strong line-up, but they are 2-0 without him, and they swept the Reds. The Mets scored eight runs yesterday, and nine runs today. David Wright has been playing very well ever since returning from the DL, and Reyes and Murphy have been hot for a while. So we'll see how their offense plays without one of their best hitters. Lucas Duda will take over at right-field.

Pagan's Walk-off Helps Mets Beat the Cardinals 6-5

Last night, Angel Pagan hit a walk-off homer in the 10th inning, and the Mets came from behind 4-0 to beat the Cardinals 6-5.

- R.A. Dickey didn't pitch well over the first few innings, but later in the game, he was better. He pitched 6.1 innings, and allowed four runs on eight hits.

- Jason Bay left the game in the 3rd inning with a tight hamstring. It's unknown how long he will be out for. He was replaced by Willie Harris.

- Carlos Beltran hit a 2-run homer in the 5th inning to tie the game. He is likely to be traded next week.

- One night after becoming a dad, Josh Thole had two RBIs, including a clutch game-tying single in the 8th inning.

After the big win last night, the Mets went back over .500. The Mets look to sweep the Cardinals today at 12:10.

Mets First Half Report Card

The Mets are currently going into the all-star break with a 46-45 record. Here is my Mets report card for the the first half.

Pitching - B - The Mets are playing without their ace Johan Santana. Mike Pelfrey has not been pitching well, and R.A Dickey's knuckleball hasn't been as effective as last year. Dillon Gee is 8-3, but has not been very accurate. Capuano and Niese have both been decent.

Infield - B+ - Ike Davis was good until he went to the DL, and David Wright was decent until he hurt his back. Ruben Tejada and Justin Turner both started off hot, but have recently cooled off. Daniel Murphy has done a good job filling in for Davis.

Outfield - A- - Carlos Beltran has stayed healthy, and been good. Jason Bay started off cool, but has recently been starting to hit well, and Pagan was on the DL for a major part, but otherwise has been solid.

Coaching - A- - Terry Collins has been better than Jerry Manuel, and he is very inspiring. Mookie Wilson is a good first base coach, and Chip Hale has held up many runners, when they should've been sent home.

Overall - B+ - The Mets have been streaky, but are over .500.

The Mets Should Keep Reyes

If Jose Reyes gets traded, the Mets will be a terrible team. Now that Wright and Davis are both injured, Jose Reyes is the only player on the Mets that has been hot. He currently is probably the hottest hitter in the National League. The only player as hot as Reyes is Adrian Gonzalez on the Red Sox. Reyes leads the NL in batting average (.338), hits (107), Runs (56), and triples (13). He is 2nd in the NL in stolen bases (26), and total bases (162), and he is tied for 2nd in doubles (20). Carlos Beltran is tied for 1st in doubles with 21. If the Mets want to be anywhere near .500 at the end of the year, they need to keep Reyes.

Mets Lose to Braves 9-8, on a Balk by Carrasco

Last night, the Mets lost 9-8 to the Braves in 10 innings, as DJ Carrasco balked in Diory Hernandez. The Mets came back from a 6-2 lead, on a 3-run homer by Scott Hairston. The Mets were winning 8-6 in the bottom of the 9th inning when Bruce Conrad hit a game tying 2-run homer off K-Rod. In the 10th inning, DJ Carrasco was called for a balk by umpire James Hoye.

The Mets started off the game .500, and wish they won yesterday, to give themselves a winning record. If they would've lost normally, they would've been upset, but if losing on a walk-off is the worst. The Mets hope to make up for their bad loss this weekend against the Angels.

Beltran is Day to Day With A Leg Injury

On Sunday night vs the Braves, Carlos Beltran left the game in the 2nd inning after fouling a pitch off his knee. After the foul ball off his leg, Beltran stayed in the game and struck out, and then was replaced by Willie Harris. Carlos Beltran took x-rays on his leg, and fortunately, the x-rays were negative. Beltran has been listed as day to day. At-least he won't join David Wright and Ike Davis on the DL.

Mets Beat Pirates 9-8

After coming off two bad losses vs the Pirates, the Mets beat them 9-8 in the last game of a 4-game series. Until the bottom of the third inning, the score was 7-0 Pirates, when Carlos Beltran hit a three-run homer. K-Rod collected his 16th save of the season.

Most Mets fans think that the Mets pitching is really bad, which is true, but their offense has to also improve. The Mets lost 5-1 on Tuesday, and they could have won if the Mets scored more than one run. Yesterday, Mike Pelfrey didn't pitch well, but the Mets offense scored nine runs, and the Mets won. The Mets will play the Braves this weekend, and hope to keep up their offense.

Mets vs Yankees Recap

The Mets started inter-league play this weekend with a subway series in Yankee Stadium. The Yankees won 2 out of 3, improving their record to 25-20, and they're now tied with the Rays for first place in the AL East. On the other hand, the Mets won on Friday night, making their record .500, but lost the next two games, making their record 22-24, and they're in 4th place in the NL East.

On Friday night, the Mets won 2-1 on a 6th inning home run by Daniel Murphy. The only Yankees run was on a home run by Mark Teixeira, which probably would've been a routine fly ball in Citi Field, and almost any other MLB ballpark. R.A. Dickey had a strong start, and he picked up his second win of the year, he is now 2-5.

Yesterday, the Yankees won 7-3, and Capuano did not pitch well. He pitched 5.1 innings, allowed 6 runs, and 6 hit, including 4 home runs. Despite Capuano's poor start, Justin Turner broke a record for most consecutive games with an RBI for a rookie. He had an RBI in his last 7 games.

Today, the Yankees won 9-3, and the Mets didn't play well. Firstly, the Mets had many opportunities against Ian Nova, but couldn't get runs home. Also, they were winning 3-1 going into the bottom of the 7th, when the Yankees had an 8 run inning. The Mets will try to bounce back on Tuesday vs the Cubs.

Carlos Beltran Hits 3 Home Runs to Help the Mets Beat the Rockies 9-5

Last Thursday, The Mets beat the Colorado Rockies 9-5, and Carlos Beltran hit 3 2-run homers. -David Wright got the day Thurday off due to a sore neck and back, was in the lineup Friday night, and hit a 2-run homer to put the Mets in the lead, and the Mets came back from a 4-0 deficit to beat the Astros 6-4.

-Ubaldo Jiminez got the loss. He hasn't had a win sinse September 17, 2010, and he 0-5 in this streak. Jiminez only lasted 3.2 innings on Thursday, and hasn't pitched more than 6 innings this season.

- Ike Davis, who left the game on Wednsday in the 5th inning after a collision with David Wright, was placed on the 15-day DL on Friday.

- Jon Niese pitched good, he pitched 6.1 innings allowed 5 earned runs including 2 homers. One to Jonathat Herrera, and one to Todd Helton.

Lets hope Belran could continue swinging a hot bat, because the Mets have to rely on him now that Ike Davis is on the DL.

David Wright is Struggling

David Wright started off the 2011 season hot, but has cooled down over the past 2 weeks. He hasn't homered since April 24, and hasn't had an RBI since April 28. Wright had a recent neck injury, and Terry Collins thinks that's why Wright has been in a slump. I don't think this is something to worry about, because the exact same thing happened last year. David Wright started off hot, struggled in May, but then bounced back and had an amazing June, and was voted into the all-star game. This year, he's off to the same start as last year, so I think he'll have a good June.

Mets Suffer a Bad Loss to the Giants

The Mets went into last night coming off a 14 inning win vs the Phillies on an emotional night. The fans at Citizens Bank Park started chanting "USA" after the death of Osama Bin Ladin. The Mets won 2-1, and it was a big win. The Mets had an off day on Monday, and lost 7-6 to the Giants last night.

In the 1st inning, the Mets jumped off quickly on a 3-run homer by Carlos Beltran. The Giants quickly responded with 4 runs in the 3rd, but in the bottom of the inning, Ike Davis hit a 2-run homer. In the bottom of the 6th, the Giants were up 6-5, but Jose Reyes hit an RBI single to score Jason Pridie, and tie the game at 6. But in the top of the 10th, Aubrey Huff homered to give the Giants a 7-6 lead. And Brian Wilson finished off the Mets in bottom of the inning. Jason Bay was placed on the paternity leave due to a baby, and Lucas Duda will be filling in for him. The Mets still have a chance to beat the Giants today and tomorrow, and win the series.

Mets End 7 Game Losing Streak, and Have a 6 Game Win Streak

The Mets responded to their 7 game losing streak, and have a 6 game win streak. They won the last game against the Astros, swept the D-Backs, and won 2 vs the Nationals. Jason Bay is a big part of this win streak. He made his debut in the first game of this big win streak.

Yesterday, the Mets were down by one in the top of the 9th inning, got 4 runs, and went on to win 6-3, and a big part is that everyone is playing well, and yesterday the Mets got 11 hits, and their pitching has been much better. Daniel Murphy had a clutch 2-run double, which put the Mets up by 3. Jose Reyes got called out at 3rd base on a bad call by Marvin Hudson, which could have changed the game. The Mets hope to make the streak 7, tonight vs the Nationals.

Mets 7 Game Losing Streak is Their Biggest Since 2005

The Mets have lost their last 7 games, and lost 10 of their last 11. They lost a game against the Nationals, got swept in a 4-game series against the Rockies, and lost a double-header yesterday vs the Braves. Also, the Mets sent their most accurate pitcher Chris Young to the DL. Mike Pelfrey is pitching horrible, he only started in 4 games, pitched 16 innings, and has a 9.72 ERA. On the bright side, if your going to play this bad, it should be at the begining of the season, so you could still fight back, and make the play-offs, but that most likely won't happen to the Mets. I think they're going to be bad for the rest of the season. We'll just have to hope that they could fight back tonight vs Atlanta at 8:30.

Mets Win Opening Series vs Marlins

This weekend, the Mets won the series against the Marlins. Despite the season opener, and the first inning of the second game, the Mets played well. Mike Pelfrey didn't have the best start, but Niese and Dickey were great. Although the Mets lost the season opener for the first time since 2005, they still managed to win the series. The Mets won a series on the road on their opening series, and last year the Mets won their first road series in mid-June vs Oriels, but the Oriels were the worst team in the MLB.

In the first game, Mike Pelfrey was getting rocked, and it started getting worse after John Buck's grand slam. Marlins pitcher Josh Johnson shut down the Mets. He had a no hitter until Willie Harris hit a double in the seventh inning. Speaking about Willie Harris, he and Lucas Duda did a good job filling in for Jason Bay, who is on the DL due to a rib injury, and Bay hopes to return on April 9th. The Mets went on to lose 6-2.

On the second game, Jon Niese gave up two quick runs, but after that he was very good. David Wright hit a homer, which was the first home run of the season for the Mets, took a 3-2 lead late in the game, but K-Rod blew the save in the 9th inning. In the 10th inning, the Mets took a 6-3 lead, and went on to win 6-4, and Blaine Boyer got the save.

In the third game, R.A. Dickey was great, as he had 7 strikeouts, Ike Davis and Willie Harris both went deep. The Mets crushed Javier Vazquez, who was making his Marlins debut, but didn't even last 3 innings. He pitched 2.1 innings, and allowed 7 runs (4 earned runs) as the Mets won 9-2. If the Mets continue to play this well, they could end up having a great season.

Mets Release Perez And Castillo

Last week, the Mets dropped 2B Luis Castillo and P Oliver Perez. Perez and Castillo were not good players, but the money is an issue. The Mets still have to pay them, and they're both getting big money. The Mets gave them unreasonable contracts, and now they're getting paid, and they're not even on the team anymore.

Ollie refused to go down to the minors which was not smart, because he should have known what was going to happen to him. I think the Mets cut him a little too late. They should have cut him last year when they saw he was not pitching well. Castillo, didn't play much, because he went to the DL a few times. However, the biggest reason Castillo was let go was because off his errors. He made a lot of errors, but I think his errors are overrated because of his one error vs the Yankees in 2009. I also think it's funny that they were both 2 of the 3 players that didn't show up at the Walter Reed Hospital last year. Even-though they still are getting paid, I think it was worth it because they were not good players.

My Thoughts on K-Rod Situation

Mets closer Fransisco Rodriguez has a contract for 37 million dollars, and if he pitches more than 54 games this year, the Mets will have to pay him an extra 17 million, which will be a disaster after what happened with Madoff. Rodriguez is entering the final year of his 3 year contract. Over the years, the Mets bullpen has been blowing many good starts by the starting pitcher, and without K-Rod, it can only get worse (even though he has blown games before). Dan Warthen should make sure to save his time for the end of the season, because if they let him pitch over 15 games in April, his 54 games will be over in mid-August. Also, they should bring him in the 8th inning if the Mets are up by 3 or less runs, to maximize his time. I f he goes one inning over 54 games, the Mets will have to waste 17 million dollars. Lets hope the K-rod could make the most out of his 54 games.

Beltran switches positions to right-field

Last weak, Carlos Beltran switched positions with Angel Pagan. This season Beltran will play right-field and Pagan will play center-field. Terry Collins moved him because in center-field, there is more ground to cover, and Carlos Beltran has a bad knee, so center-field is not good for his knee. If Beltran injures his knee in right-field, then Willie Harris will replace him. Because Beltran moved to right-field, I'm confident about his fielding but the only problem is, I'm not so confident about his hitting. With his bad knee, I don't think he'll get many base hits, but I do think he'll hit power. I think that if he doesn't go to the DL all year, he could hit up to 20 home runs. Beltran is making his spring training debut tomorrow against the Red Sox, so we'll see how he does in his new position.

Mets Tie Braves 5-5 in Sprring Training Opener

Yesterday, the Mets tied the Atlanta Braves at 5, in 10 innings. Fernando Martinez and Willie Harris both hit homers. Jenry Mejia pitched 2 strong innings giving up an unearned run, and struck out 3. The Mets opening day starters played the first few innings, and then the prospects came in, and some have to prove the Mets a lot this Spring Training, because obviosly everyone wants an opening day spot, and only 25 players could.

I thought that the prospects did well, and if they could continue this way and someone gets injured, they could get called up, and do well. I see some of these players as rising stars. I don't think this will be a bad season, even after the whole Wilpon-Madoff issue.

Mets 2011 preview

The Mets are coming off 2 consecutive seasons with a losing record, and made some small moves this off-season. They lost pitcher Pedro Feliciano, but signed pitchers Chris Young, D.J Carraso, and Chris Capuano. They also signed outfielder Willie Harris, and his reputation is being a good fielder, and catcher Ronnie Paulino.

Over the last 2 years, their main problem was injuries. Due to injuries, they lost Carlos Beltran, Johan Santana, Jon Niese, Jason Bay, and David Wright for about 15 days. Those are 5 good players that spent time on the DL. I think that if their good players stay healthy, they could have a decent season. We already know that Johan Santana will miss the begining of the year, he is scheduled to return in June.

I think a good lineup for this year would be:
1. Jose Reyes-SS
2. Angel Pagan-RF
3. David Wright-3B
4. Jason Bay-LF
5. Beltran/Harris-CF
6. Thole/Paulino-C
7. Ike Davis-1B
8. Luis Castillo-2B

And the rotation could be:
1. Mike Pelfrey
2. R.A Dickey
3. Jon Niese
4. Chris Young
5. Chris Capuano
And when Johan Santana returns, he'll move to the #1 spot, everyone will shift over a spot, and Chris Capuano will move to the bullpen.

My prediction------- Final record: 82-80

Ollie Has One More Chance

This is a very important spring training for Oliver Perez. He met today with Sandy Alderson and Terry Collins about his future. Adam Rubin of ESPN says, " Perez will get an opportunity to get a spot in the starting rotation".
He threw a bullpen session today, and it was a big improvement compared to the last two years. Pitching coach Dan Warthen said that Ollie was throwing better today, than at any point last year. Perez said he came to Port St. Lucie to improve, and not to get released.
He played in winter ball, but he didn't look much better. He pitched 33 innings, walked 23 batters, and had a 5.18 ERA. Ollie really wants a spot in the starting rotation. I'm happy he is showing intensity for a starting spot, because he didn't last year. He sat in the bullpen, and made 12 million dollars. The Mets will give him one more chance. Hopefully, he'll take advantage of this chance, and show improvement.

Wilpons may have to sell entire team

Two years ago, Bernie Madoff stole around 300 million dollars. The Mets got some of the money back, but they weren't supposed to. Last Thursday, Moody's Investors Service sued the Mets up to 1 billion dollars.
Two weeks ago, they said they were going to sell 25% of the team. After they got sued they might now need to sell the whole team. I think the Wilpons should sell the whole team, and so do all Mets fans. Ever since the Madoff investing, Jason Bay was the only really good player the Mets signed.
Also, if the Wilpons don't sell the Mets, they'll raise the ticket prices to make more money. Then less people will attend games at Citi Field. This is three months after the Mets cut their prices 25%. Now, if the Wilpons don't sell the team, they'll have to raise it. The last two seasons, they had losing records, both those seasons they got no amazing players, because they lost money from Madoff. Weather they have the Wilpons own them or not, I hope the Mets could get a few all-stars.

Wilpons want to sell 25% of the Mets

Last week, Mets owner Fred Wilpon announced he was going to sell 25% of the team. The reason why Fred/Jeff Wilpon chose to make this big move is most likely because they lost about $300 million dollars 2 years ago from Bernie Maydoff. Martin Luther King lll is interested in buying them, so he may split the job with former Met Ed Kranpool. Hopefully, they'll get someone with a lot of money, so the Mets could get some good players.

Mets Close To Deal With Chris Young

The Mets announced that they're intrested in 31 year old right-handed pitcher Chris Young. Young spent last year with the Padres, but missed most of the year with a shoulder injury. I think this is a great signing for the Mets, because now that Johan Santana will miss the first few months of the season with an torn anterior capsule, the Mets could at least have a complete 5 man pitching rotation. The rotation could be: R.A Dickey, Mike Pelfrey, Chris Young, Jon Niese, and then Chris Capuano. If one of them get injured the Mets could call up Dillon Gee, who had a few solid starts in September with the Mets, and in the middle of the season when Johan returns, they could send Capuano, or Niese to the bullpen. Chris Young could really turn out to be a big addition for the Mets.

Mets off-season update

Coming into mid January, the Mets have so far had a big off-season mainly by selecting Sandy Alderson as GM, and Terry Collins as manager. They have also done a few minor moves such as signing pitchers D.J. Carrasco, and Chis Capuano, and they've also signed catcher Ronnie Paulino. Also, Pedro Feliciano declined arbitration with the Mets, then ended up signing with the Yankees.