You're Cut

[ashie62]

Costa Tweets than Kelvim Escobar will stay behind in FL looking for a May return and the Post has Jose Reyes taking 39 pitches in BP and not being ruled out for opening day.

[MFS62]

Didn't see this anywhere on the CPF, but among all the cuts, I noticed that the Mets re-signed my one-time adoptee Henry Owens.
Welcome back home, kid.
I kept the light on for ya'.

Later

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Pat, we'll Misch ya. Now scram.

[bmfc1]

Adam Rubin is tweeting again for his new employer. He tells us that F. Martinez and Santos have been sent to AAA and Manny Acosta has been claimed on waivers from Atlanta and sent to AAA.
AdamRubinESPN

[ashie62]

I suspect martinez will be back soon. I don't inderstand Blanco over Santos.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Lefty-killer Ryan Garko apparently headed for the freebie-bin. Interesting.

[ashie62]

Interesting indeed. I believe he can catch. I believe this "highly touted" prospect has been treated for a nervous disorder.

[nymr83]

Ashie62 wrote: I don't inderstand Blanco over Santos.

Blanco is considered superior defensively and almost equal at the plate

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Ashie62 wrote: Interesting indeed. I believe he can catch. I believe this "highly touted" prospect has been treated for a nervous disorder.

He "can catch" like Jacobs can catch, or Tatis can catch, or Pat Misch can catch. Garko was a college catcher, but the Indians took the padded glove away, in much the same way you might take a knife away from a toddler-- so as to keep him from hurting himself and/or others.

He does, however, have options left; if they want to pick him up, he's stashable.

I have no idea about the nervous disorder business.

[ashie62]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Ashie62 wrote: Interesting indeed. I believe he can catch. I believe this "highly touted" prospect has been treated for a nervous disorder. He "can catch" like Jacobs can catch, or Tatis can catch, or Pat Misch can catch. Garko was a college catcher, but the Indians took the padded glove away, in much the same way you might take a knife away from a toddler-- so as to keep him from hurting himself and/or others. He does, however, have options left; if they want to pick him up, he's stashable. I have no idea about the nervous disorder business.

You are correct.

Joey Votto was institutionalized for depression and anxiety at the start of the 2008 season. For some reason I always confuse these teo.

[seawolf17]

If he has options, why would the Mariners have waived him? You'd think they'd just stash him themselves, unless they think he really has nothing to offer. And considering the history of guys the Mariners don't want but the Mets do (see: Putz, JJ and Green, Sean), maybe I'll pass. He just gets in the way of Carter and/or Davis.

[metirish]

I tend to agree with Wolf here , and to me Garko is one of those players Mets fans covet but in actuality would probably suck if he ever got here.

From The Seattle Times

Sources said the Mariners placed Garko on waivers Tuesday, having been largely unimpressed by his glovework since the start of spring training. The team had initially hoped Garko, earning just $550,000, could be a first-base platoon partner for Casey Kotchman, but instead wound up considering him and Sweeney to be vying for the same right-handed designated hitter's job. Sweeney's reputation as a player of tremendous character may have been the tipping point.

[Guest Edgy DC]

seawolf17 wrote: And considering the history of guys the Mariners don't want but the Mets do (see: Putz, JJ and Green, Sean), maybe I'll pass.

I object. You left out Jeremy Reed.

I'm often wrong about who has options, but I can't picture a scenario where he does. If he wants to be a Bison, I've got no issues. His numbers suggest he's a decent platoon candidate, and maybe he can take the Buffalo slot that would have gone to Chris Coste.

If not, whatev. The Mets obviously have a bunch of first base options, but not a lot of righthanded choices.

Sweeney's one of those fat(ish) white guys without a position but manages to always hack his way into the lineup somewhere.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

If he has options, why would the Mariners have waived him? You'd think they'd just stash him themselves, unless they think he really has nothing to offer.

Since he was signed to a ML deal (however paltry), he was taking up 40-man space, and they had to make room on the 40-man, for Sweeney and some of the young bullpen/bench folk. (Same reason the Braves waived Acosta.)

Garko can still be sent down once without the waivers/player approval song-n'-dance.

Also, another interesting bit from the Seattle Times article: SaberJack talks grit?

"No matter whether you're a sabermetrics guy, or a traditional scout, it always gets down to evaluation," Zduriencik said. "And the evaluation part of it is not sitting here and telling you whether Matt Tuiaososopo can play four or five positions on the baseball field. That's part of it. But the other part of evaluation is what's inside of his heart and head. "I mean, when you bring people in to work with you, that's an important aspect."

[bmfc1]

The Indians waived LHP Jeremy Sowers. His numbers against lefties last year weren't very good so as desperate as the Mets might be for a complement to Feliciano, he doesn't look like a good alternative.

http://mlb.mlb.com/stats/individual_player_splits.jsp?playerID=460265&statType=2&splitSet=1&c_id=cle&sitSplit1=lb

[MFS62]

Jacobs is starting at first base today.
Manuel has noted that Jacobs "can catch", but he hasn't done that for years.
Carter has been played a lot of OF in ST, including one game in center field.

IMO the decision on keeping them will boil down to where Jerry feels he has the most backup need.
And (I hope) the optioning of Martinez may open that OF spot for Carter.

Later

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Pack a few extra layers, Pat Misch-- you've cleared waivers and are headed to the land of hot wings and fancy mozzarella*.

*I know where buffalo mozzarella really comes from.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Carter and...

[metirish]

Calero , Parnell, Figgy, Dessens and Adams

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Holy hell.

Carter
Calero
Parnell
Dessens
Figueroa
Adams

That means Tejada and Mejia have made the squad. Along with both Japanese pitchers, Nieve and Green.

[metirish]

The Mets did the cuts behind closed doors late at night far from NY

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

metirish wrote: The Mets did the cuts behind closed doors late at night far from NY

Just like school on Saturday. No Class.

I. Cannot. Believe. Meija. Made. It.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

They are still up one extra pitcher, it could come down to Green or Valdes. What a story Valdes would be.

[metirish]

I'm not surprised that Mejia made it , and that's not now knowing that he did but everything Jerry was saying indicated that he wanted him bad.

[seawolf17]

I thought Green was already ticketed for Buffalo?

Let's go Jenrry!

[Valadius]

Yeah, I thought Green got sent down already. Or was that an Adam Rubin tweet that was flat-out wrong?

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

So, we've got...

1) Keep Jacobs over Carter, hands-down... and Catalanotto over him, as well. Well, Carter has options-- there's your rationale (or a portion of it). So you're aiming at keeping a competitive team, but the move's more about flexibility-- within the 25-man and in general-- and holding onto assets. Not win-now, but more "hold."

2) Keep Green over Figueroa. Letting go of the more useful pitcher, and potentially losing him to another team/merc work abroad. over sending down a less-useful guy, A GUY WITH OPTIONS. I don't know what this is.

3) Then, Calero cut for Mejia to do bullpen work and stick with the hard stuff. So, Mejia's likely going to be a Super Two directly, and for the benefit of early-season work for a (likely) non-contending team. A win-now, fuck the future (at least a little) move.

That's three moves at once, ranging from "sorta-dumbshit" to "wicked fucking stupid," and each indicating a slightly different aim in roster construction. Let's Go Mets!

[Valadius]

What this indicates to me is that Jerry Manuel has way too much influence over roster moves. He should be planning to use what players he's given, not fucking around with our future for his short-term woodies over Mejia's fastball.

[seawolf17]

OR Mejia becomes a dynamite short man, bridging the gap between a six-inning starting staff and Fodriguez, and the Mets put together a run early, then get Reyes back for a boost, then Beltran back for another boost, make some noise in the division with a bit of a lead, then trade the entire farm system for a washed-up bat in July, and finish three games out of the playoff picture.

(Wait. I liked the way I started that, then I fell off at the end.)

Seriously, though, maybe he's part of the answer? Why wait, if you can try to win some games now?

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Yeah, I guess you have to look at the upsides, it will be exciting to have a 20-year-old phenom hanging around. The other compelling argument was that it wasn't just Jerry that liked him, but that, accordign to the writers, it was plainly obvious to the players that he was good enough to belong. I could give a rat's ass about Super Two. Bring it on. I mean really, this is not something the Mets ought to let be a dealbreaker.

All that said, I really thought they wouldn't have done it.

If Figueroa passes through waivers for the 6th time, will fans stop having heart attacks every time he gets sent down?