Them

Someone mentioned to me that there are actually 4 other teams in the Met's division. I did some research and discovered this was true. So I decided to see what they'd been up to.

#1 Philadelphia Phillies, 16-8: The city of neighborly hatred is well known for greasy sandwiches, funny names for heroes and being across the river from the Camden Aquarium. The team, which is named so cleverly after long-time SNL favorite Phil Hartman, wears red and white in honor of their favorite color, pink. Led by a pitching staff Aced by Joe Blanton, they manage to do pretty well with the likes of Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee rounding out the rotation. Young slugger, Raul Ibanez is likely to be a franchise player and hang around in Philly for a long-term contract.

#2 Florida Marlins, 15-8: Not far from "The Birdcage" and only an hour (or so) South of Boca Woods Retirement Village, the Florida Marlins play baseball in a Football stadium. The team which is full of elderly players and inflated contracts is in dire financial trouble as they are constantly competing with heavy spenders like Pittsburgh and Minnesota. The offensive star of the team is clearly Donnie Murphy, while they rely heavily on Chris Volstad in the pressure pitching department. The team will likely try to move Hanley Ramirez for an older more expensive player as he doesn't fit the teams model for success. I hear the Yankees are interested.

#3 Atlanta Braves, 13-13: While native American's were un-abashedly wiped out of Georgia by the prison colonies that landed in the 18th century, their memory is kept alive by racist-ly pretending to scalp opposing teams and chanting a slightly less racist hymn then, "What Made the Red Man Red?" The team, which is haunted by the ghost of Bobby Cox, is known for their sure-handed defensive second baseman. Their third baseman, Larry Jones, will probably never amount to much and shouldn't make too much of a lasting impact. Thankfully Brooks Conrad is their to replace him.

#4 New York Mets, 11-13: Not so many miles from where the greatest Chinese restaurant in history once stood (Lums) is a stadium nestled into one of the safest and most friendly neighborhoods on earth. Next to that Tennis stadium and across the train tracks is Citi Field. Terry Collins is new to the team and he made himself stand out by being far whiter than the previous two managers. The change has greatly helped Jason Bay. It's rumored that all Canadians have a natural fear of skin pigmentation.

#5 Washington Nationals, 10-13: This team might have the largest fan-base in the nation. Selling out every game (against the Phillies) the Nationals enjoy the much deserved respect of a team with a long and inspiring history. When George Washington chopped down the cherry tree it was to craft a bat to play for his beloved Nationals. Coincidentally he needed wooden teeth because he used his teeth to carve that very bat. The Nationals are in last place, but it could be far worse. Thankfully their Achilles Heal, Ryan Zimmerman, cannot play currently and drag the team farther down with his awful all-around game.

8 Nights of Presents

This off season has not been Christmas for Mets fans. We didn't get one GREAT-BIG present, like the Phillies, who got Lee. The Mets got lots of smaller gifts this off-season.

Night 1 - Omar Minaya Demoted:
October 4th 2010

The Mets started their off-season with the ability to make a number of additions via subtraction. The first I credit to the Wilpons. On October 4th Minaya was demoted from his role as GM and the Mets fans knew from that moment that things would change.

Night 2 - Mets Hire Alderson:
October 27th 2010

The Mets then went out and got a GM who was skilled at working on a budget. Somebody who would not extend bloated (long-term) contracts to aging players to find a quick fix. From here on out... it was Sandy's show and I think it's been a good one to watch.

Night 3 - Mets Hire Terry Collins:
November 21st 2010

The Mets opted to not back the fan favorite Wally Backman and instead go with the more moderate Terry Collins. What do I mean by moderate? The Mets wanted someone who would inspire the Mets and get them motivated, but Backman is a little TOO fiery and lacks experience.

Night 4 - Mets Sign Ronny Paulino:
December 7th 2010

Two reasons this makes my list. 1) Paulino is a good catcher and a strong hitter. 2) This said to me that the Mets were going to let Thole become the starting catcher. I really believe that Thole will be a PLUS player and that Paulino is the right type of COMPLIMENT player the Mets needed. Had we gone with Buck or Martin then Thole is back to being a backup.

Night 5 - Mets Sign Chris Young:
January 19th 2011

I harassed Matt Cerrone for weeks begging him for word on Young. I knew that he was the best of the realistic options for the Mets this off season. He had the best floor to ceiling ratio in terms of safety and potential for large reward. Thus far he looks like he could be the #2 pitcher behind Niese.

Night 6 - Mets Release Luis Castillo:
March 18th 2011

The Mets made a tougher call then you might think releasing Castillo. They didn't have a lock on who would replace him, he had had a good spring, and they will end up paying him millions no matter what. Yet the thing Alderson needed to do was to distance himself from Minaya's mistakes and move on to new blood.

Night 7 - Phillies SIGN Luis Castillo:
March 21st 2011

Now... Castillo is probably not going to drop a pop-up vs. the Mets and turn the tide of the Phillies season into the gutter. Though... he might. What this means to me in a metaphoric way, is that the Phillies have attached themselves to a player who has a lot of negativity attached to him and limited things he can bring to the table.

Night 8 - Mets Cut Oliver Perez:
March 21st 2011

I said the day that Alderson was hired, "He has to do two things to earn respect from Met Fans. Release Ollie and Castillo." Now... where Castillo was simply no longer helping... Perez actually HURT the team with his continued presence. I'll also admit that I was one of the people who didn't think the Mets over-payed for him when they signed him. HOWEVER, I've apologized for that already and have been calling for his release since last off-season.

Up This Week:

Dream Ownership: I fantasize about some fantasitcal Mets ownership options.

Shake Your High Knee: I'll interview Carlos Beltran's bum knee and get his take on Carlos' 2011.

The Key-Master: Who is the Vinz Clortho to the Met's Zuul?

And They're Off: Maybe by Friday I'll be able to call the rest of the races?

Beast or Least of the East?

The NL East is supposed to be written in stone for 2011. The Phillies DO have 4 Aces leading off their rotation, not to mention: Howard, Utley, Victorino and Rollins. However when I look at a team as a total package it's not the Phillies I necessarily come up with as the leaders in the NL East. Don't get too excited... it's not the Mets either.


Hitting - B+
Fielding - B
Starting Pitching - A+
Bullpen - C
Overall - B+

Discussion: The Phillies rotation for 2011 embodies what an A+ rotation would look like. 4 Aces and a solid contributor. So my comparisons start there. HOWEVER, the Phillies lineup isn't exactly: Ellsbury, Pedroia, Crawford, Gonzalez, Ortiz, Youkilis, Drew, Saltalamacchia, Scutaro. (Note, I'd also rank Texas as an A+ and the Yankees as an A) Add to this a so-so bullpen and the cracks in their armor start to show.


Hitting - B+
Fielding - A-
Starting Pitching - B+
Bullpen - A-
Overall - A-

Discussion: Look at that. Won't Zak Carter be so proud of me for picking his Braves to win the division. Here's why: If I look at the Braves hitting and compare it to the Mets and Phillies it comes out even. Add that I see only one glaring hole in their defense (Dan Uggla) and that they probably have the deepest pen in the division and their well-rounded-ness makes them a cut above the rest.


Hitting - B
Fielding - B-
Starting Pitching - B
Bullpen - B
Overall - B

Discussion: The Marlins are a team that can win this division if things break right. Anytime you are throwing out young talent like Ramirez, Sanchez, Morrison, Coghlan and Stanton you can do big things. The issue is, without Uggla their offense (on paper) isn't on par with the Phils, Mets and Braves and While Josh Johnson and Ricky Nolasco are good, they lack the depth in the rotation to match Atlanta again. This team is only a few clicks behind Philly so keep an eye out.


Hitting - B
Fielding - A-
Starting Pitching - D+
Bullpen - B+
Overall - B-

Discussion: Lets not focus on the doom and gloom and simply face the fact that if rotations were essays in High School. The Phillies would get and A+ and the Mets would not pass by much. The Mets fielding and bullpen keep them in the running and their hitting is ranked below Philly and Atlanta only because I feel confident that Beltran will not play a full season. The Mets rotation COULD be much better than a D+... they just aren't on paper.


Hitting - C+
Fielding - B+
Starting Pitching - C
Bullpen - B
Overall - B-

Discussion: Imagine that Stephen Strasburg were healthy and that Bryce Harper were ready. Well... they aren't. That means the pitching staff is only about league-average and that the hitting is the worst in their division. Add to this that their SS is not exactly Ozzie Smith and that Adam LaRoche's bat usually takes a nap through the end of May and the Nationals still rank last in the NL East.

Ranking Them:
1. Atlanta Braves - Well Rounded and Wholesome
2. Philadelphia Phillies - God's Rotation
3. Florida Marlins - In Youth We Trust
4. New York Mets - Maybes and Ifs
5. Washington Nationals - Just Wait Til Next Year

It's ACTUAL Baseball

Break out your graphing calculator... baseball is back! That means I can get down to the only kind of math that I can stand doing... Saber-metrics and Box-Score Analysis. Good news is that the Mets new pitcher might be able to check my work to make sure I carried the 2.

Notes:

O' Jenrry - Jenrry Mejia looked very sharp in his spring debut but I do have a complaint. He did seem to get ahead of hitters but he seemed to consistently let them back into the at-bat by letting the count go to full. I think that the Mets will certainly be thinking about him in the rotation sooner than later.

Beato My Own Drum - Pedro Beato got into trouble but also displayed his electric stuff. I think that he's certainly someone to watch.

Attention F-Mart Shoppers - I watched Fernando look like an eternal prospect and also... turn on a pitch and take it yard. Fernando by no means needs to WIN a job this spring but he does need to prove he can be healthy. He's likely to be called up if there are injuries but the key to his season is health.


Valdespin Cycle - Jordany was the player who impressed me the most. (Besides Castillo and Hu who I'm still trying my best to hate.) Valdespin looked sharp playing 2B and at the plate he really looked like he was far more developed then I thought he'd be. I would say he looked like he was ready to be in the running for the 2B competition.

The Young and the Tall - Chris Young is tall... we get it. I'm getting a little bored with people pointing it out. Can we trade for John Rauch so people stop mentioning it? Anyway... yeah... he looked like he might be good enough to sit closer to the front of the rotation... but it's early.

Ollie Still Ollie - Perez looked bad, but nobody was surprised. I'd say he get's one more chance to start and then MAYBE two chances to relieve.

What Might Ultim-Utley Kill the Phils - Utley's knee is hurt and he's looking at a cortisone injection. This isn't like Wainwright's injury but he will put some questions in regards to an offense that some writers mistakenly deem a given. Let's look at facts: Victorino is good but not GREAT, Rollins looked like a shell of his former self last year, Utley has health concerns, Howard has some health issues (don't buy that he's declining), Ibanez is old enough to be Brown's father, Brown is ENTIRELY un-proven, Polanco is a giant health risk, Ruiz is only pretty good and the bullpen isn't the best I've seen. The Phillies are hardly as much of a lock to hit as you might think.

This Week:

Prospect Review: Let's go over some of the names in Mets camp to keep your eyes on.

Phantasy Island: Are There Fantasy Bargains on the New York Mets?

Beast of the East: Let's look at the 5 NL East teams... shall we?

The Amazing Race: Updating Everyone on the 2B, Bench, Rotational and Bullpen races

Where In The World Is Jose Reyes?

Jose Reyes is in the final year of his Team friendly contract and heading towards free agency. This is the kind of situation we constantly see the Padres faced with... wait... the Mets aren't the Padres... That doesn't change the fact that the Mets have invited a bidding war for their speedy SS after the 2011 season. Now... The Mets will have $4o Million coming off the books which is more than enough for Jose and leaves room for more. HOWEVER this is the new fiscally conservative New York franchise. God I hope the Wilpons sell soon.

The Mets Keep Reyes Long-Term:
Sandy Alderson can talk about not giving out long contracts but players in this day and age want them and the Mets can actually afford to give them. So if Reyes performs well and helps the Mets have a rebound year, Alderson will potentially pony up and Reyes will stay in Blue and Orange.

The Mid-Season Farewell:
Jose Reyes plays well but the Mets don't. The Mets cut their losses and trade Jose for some prospects and hope to form a new plan. This won't preclude the Mets from getting him back after the season but I highly doubt Jose would be begging to come back to the Mets were this the case.

Compensation Picks:
Mets hold Jose Reyes through the season and after the season Alderson balks at the price. The Mets offer Jose Arbitration and he declines and signs elsewhere... at least he's likely to be a type A.

Worst Case:
Jose is hurt, has no value and sinks to a type B or worse. If this happens the Mets might be kissing Jose goodbye for absolutely NOTHING.

Where?:

Philadelphia - Rollins is in a contract year but Jose is younger and the Phillies would love to sting the Mets yet again.

New York - Jeter just signed a contract but the Yankees need to think pragmatically about his ability to play short long-term.

Boston - Scutaro isn't an answer and Lowrie has yet to prove much. Could Boston call on Jose to fill that position? (Imagine this: Ellsbury, Reyes, Crawford as a 1,2,3... JESUS!)

Los Angeles - Furcal has been fine but the Dodgers might be looking for a new solution to an old problem.

Atlanta - Alex Gonzalez is not a long-term solution and if their prospect fizzles they might inquire.

St. Louis - Let us say that the Cards lose Pujols... might they ease the pain by acquiring Jose?

Seattle - They may try to be the Big Splash again and nab Jose to join Figgins and Ichiro for their own 1,2,3 nightmare.

This is Phlavio Phega and, if it relates to the Mets, I have an opinion.