Frayed Knot

10 appearances for Mejia in August: only 3 saves, but also 3 losses.

Here's what I say has to happen. The "umps" in NYC have to take the tact that if it's a type of call involving whether the pinkie is still touching or if it came off the base for a split second; or whether the ball has actually "settled" into the 1B's glove of if it's still just within the glove but not yet in the pocket; or any such other kind of ticky-tacky call, then don't overturn it. That will, at least after getting their challenges rejected a bunch of times, keep the managers in the dugout and cause them to save their challenges for only the more obvious wrongs.

... will include: RHP - Julian Hilario (24 y/o � played at PSL this year) RHP - Cory Mazzoni (24 - mostly AAA) RHP - Paul Sewald (24 - A+ PSL) IF - Matt Reynolds (23 - split between AA & AAA) OF - Brandon Nimmo (21 - A+ & AA) plus some random Pirates, Yanx & Giants

Especially since there's long been an understanding where I won't claim/block your waiver players and you won't claim mine. Now supposedly that gentlemen's agreement has broken down in recent years compared to what it used to be, but there's still a degree of tacit understanding where teams don't go throwing claims on every player that they think either they or their rivals might want to take a look at.

Colon - 3.0 Carlyle - 0.3 Torres - 0.3 Duda - 3.2 Tejada - 1.0 d'Arnaud - 1.0 Murphy - 0.6 EYoung - 0.6

Wheeler - 2.6 Black - 0.5 Familia - 0.5 Duda - 2.4 Murphy - 1.0 Granderson - 1.3 Campbell - 1.7

Not claiming him isn't necessarily the same thing as not wanting him. Lots of players slide through waivers, not just MLB's version of untouchables. Also, despite Bartolo's age and girth, his contract is quite reasonable for a league average (or better!) starter who's proven as durable as he's has, especially as it comes with just one year plus a few weeks worth of commitment. I think there'll be more than a few teams asking about him. See the linked Sherman article for starters. Now whether such teams are willing to offer up enough in exchange to entice Sandy to let him go is another story, but I'd be surprised if there weren't some talks.

And only if he's leading off an inning. I understand the whole frustration about seeing guys hitting into shifts, but if there are men on base I want that big boy swinging.

Hard to know what to think about the Braves these days. - They have a 10-12 August going so far, but that involves both an EIGHT game losing streak (began July 29) and a Five game winning streak which included a three-game sweep of Oakland - They have a positive run differential even though they score fewer runs than the Mets. - They had a ton of injuries before the season even started, but have been almost entirely intact since opening day. Only Evan Gattis (missed 19 games) among the position players has even hit the DL this season, and only the 5th spot in the rotation hasn't had an every start guy. - They've got a great bullpen but just break even (21-21) in one-run games. - They're slowly sinking out of the picture as far as winning the NL East goes, yet they always play well against the Nats (9-4 this season) and sometimes seem like they're the only team capable of beating the Nats these days.

Two-fifty shmoo-shmifty. He's walking a shit-ton, and getting on-base at a higher clip than anybody else we have, including our leadoff men, Wright, and Actual .300 Hitter Murphy. An occasional bunt might help the batting average, but if it makes him uncomfortable at all, or could potentially knock him out of whatever routine produced this, well, give me this. Also, his hit placement isn't that lopsided. According to BB-Ref, his 105 hits this season are divided thusly: 32 pulled, 60 'Up the Middle', and 13 'Oppo' (as the kids say today). And that ~12.4% to LF is actually slightly above his career norm of closer to 11% Now the 'border' between those areas is a bit hazy so, to quote NYM fan Jerry S., who knows how official any of these rankings really are. But in a year where the entire league is batting .249 (compared to LD's .255) the shifts aren't killing him too much.

Benjamin Grimm wrote: The A's probably couldn't flip Colon immediately, but I'm sure they could after the season. And the difference between now and then is only a little over four weeks of salary. That's the more logical scenario. Of course they were the ones who chose not to sign him in the first place opting for Kazmir instead (very similar contracts even). Kazmir got his butt kicked by the Angels last night although had been pitching well up to that point so I don't think it'll throw Billy Beane into panic mode. And besides, I don't think the Mets are just going to lose Bartolo via a claim without compensation.

The thing to remember about Colon is that he's not just a short-term rental, he's a year plus a short-term rental - and the fact that he's had a better than decent year and a decent price while being able to answer the bell for every start (aside from the whole mom dying thing) makes him a more valuable property, not less. I think Sandy will drive a very hard bargain if/when he does get claimed by a team actually looking to land him (or passes through completely and is free game to be dealt anywhere). IOW, no low-minors, long-term projects. Sandy wants some close to plus-in ready guys as we're certainly not in a NEED to get rid of him type of situation. Pitt's big prospect, Gregory Polanco, just got sent down after two months of struggling in his first ML exposure. Now I doubt Pirate mgmt are desperate enough to give up on him so quickly, but if I'm Sandy that's the kind of guy I'm holding out for rather than the three-years older Lambo who sounds kind of Duda-lite-ish. The Dodgers, on the other hand, strike me as a group who just might be crazy enough to talk either (AAA OF) Joc Pederson or (AA SS) Corey Seager figuring that they'll be able to go out and buy themselves a Cuban replacement at a flea market or something. I don't know if Oakland could just re-flip him so easily if they were to claim him. There might be a rule against going through waivers twice within the same time period and, even if not, they'd have to go through the whole process again with everyone knowing that they just want to get rid of him. A highly unlikely scenario IOW.

Not that this by itself is news really. Some fans get out of breath reading stuff like this as they assume it's proof positive that the team wants to get rid of the player at the first possible opportunity. But, in reality, virtually every player that can legally be traded is placed on waivers at this time of year On the other hand, everyone essentially knew going in that Bartolo was going to be under trade speculation from the moment he signed his deal here to the moment it runs out at the end of 2015. So the Mets placing BC on waivers, reportedly just this past weekend (this stuff is supposed to be secret but rarely stays that way) gets the speculators a 'speculatin'. An article at MLB.com talks about: - Angels, With the ace-like Garrett Richards going down for the year (and part of next) it puts them in a spot to explore all pitching options. The drawbacks here are two: as the team in the AL with the best record they'll get LAST dibs on him; that they have very little in the way of top prospects to deal, particularly in the just about ready for prime time types that Sandy reportedly covets these days. - Oakland. Doesn't really need him but they do have reason to want to block Anaheim and there's probably not a lot of danger of the Mets invoking the 'You claim him, you got him' tactic just to get out of the contract. - Dodgers. Seems like they'll go after every big name that isn't already nailed down costs be damned. Plus they have Beckett out and who knows about Greinke after his recent scare, etc. - Pirates. Supposedly were in on the Jon Lester sweepstakes and, at 1.5 games out of the NLC lead, they've got reasons to want to upgrade. Also these teams worked out two trades in the recent past (Byrd, Ike) with seemingly little acrimony. Pitt would get the earliest shot at him from among these listed teams.

One thing this increasingly lost season for Wright is doing as far as 'Where Mets Rank' is concerned is to postpone the previously assumed 2015 season as the year David was to pass Straw as the all-time NYM HR leader. After starting 2014 32 HRs away from tying the mark, he's still 24 back as we head to September and has hit only 26 over the last 1-3/4 seasons combined. In fact he's only hit as many as 25 once in the last six seasons meaning that what once seemed inevitable by late 2014/early 2015 is now looking like 2016 at the earliest.

Today seems to be my day for dredging up old threads. Wasn't intended that way, just a few things that have been clogging my mind lately. In this case it involves Washington GM Mike Rizzo, and specifically this: Has this guy made a bad move since taking over as GM in March 2009? Maybe so, but not many and not any big ones that I can see. Of course some of the moves were no-brainers. He inherited several Top-10 overall draft picks, and then not only had his own back to back 1/1 choices (something that didn�t even used to be possible when the 1st pick alternated leagues) but had them is years when there were once-a-decade type players available making it virtually impossible to make the wrong move. But he�s hit on a bunch of other moves as well, moves that included earlier picks that thrived under his stewardship augmented by trades and FA signings. The drafts, both inherited and since, have gone well enough that it�s allowed the Nats to deal other prospects for 3/5 of their rotation, plus their catcher & CF and still not completely deplete their farm system nor really miss any of the guys they dealt away. Drafts Steven Strasurg & Bryce Harper - the two no-brainer 1/1 picks from 2009 & 2010 Anthony Rendon - 1st round/6th overall in 2011. Rendon was considered to be the best bat all year, but an elbow injury kept him as the DH during his final year in college and that was enough to scare the first five teams off (it wouldn�t be the last time Rizzo was aggressive in drafting upside despite injuries as both his 2013 & 2014 picks were pitchers with their TJ surgeries already in the works) Rendon deserves some MVP notice in this his first full season. Drew Storen - 1/10 in 2010 - After failing to sign the pick from the year before (Aaron Crow) the Nats get two of the first ten picks and a year later have their #1 starter & their closer. Storen is now setting up. Inherited Picks: Ryan Zimmerman, 1/4, 2005 - Extended by Rizzo w/a seven year deal in 2012. Zimmerman was just 27 at the time so it made sense, although injuries may make this one look bad before it�s all over Jordan Zimmermann, 2nd Round 2007 - Survived and thrived since TJ surgery Ross Detwiler, 1/6, 2007 - Was a regular starter, now in the bullpen. Ian Desmond, 3rd Round 2004 - Thrived as a started in the Rizzo era when some (me included) thought he was too erratic defensively and too K-prone to play every day. Danny Espinosa, 3rd Round 2008 - Started for two seasons, now a bench player FAs: Adam LaRoche. Signed twice, first time in 2011 and then again in 2013. Both were for just two years at a time so they were never tied up long-term. 2014 may be the end of the line for him in DC but, aside from one year mostly lost to injury, his bat and glove more than replaced the then-popular Adam Dunn. Jayson Werth. In 2011 for Seven years. Rizzo essentially admitted that he needed to overpay for this first-ever major FA signing by the Nats and, at age 35, the final years still could get ugly. But, after an initial mediocre year that had folks saying that Werth could only be a supporting player like he was in Philly (I�ve always thought that to be a dumb argument) he�s certainly given them their money�s worth for the last three seasons and he should get MVP votes this year. - Raphael Soriano. In 2013 for two years + option. Seemed like an odd and expensive deal to some (raises hand) especially seeing how they already had two guys capable of closing. But he was good in his 1st year & even better this one, and his presence has allowed them to bump the old closers and strengthen their middle relief. I still question buying expensive closers but it certainly hasn�t hurt them. Trades: Denard Span - Prior to 2013 for 1st round (23rd) pick Alex Meyer. Meyer could still be a star down the road, but right now is only fair at age 24 in AAA and the Nats will get at least three reasonably priced seasons out of Span before he can go FA Gio Gonzalez - Prior to 2012 for a package of players to Oakland including current A�s catcher Derrick Norris. Signed to a five-year deal almost immediately after the trade (talk about aggressive) the Nats got a near-CY year the very first season and two more pedestrian seasons since. Norris is good in Oakland but the Nats were strong in catching at the time so it was a logical place from which to deal. Wilson Ramos - In mid-2010 for relief pitcher Matt Capps 750-800 OPS every year from the catching position plus good defense while Capps has been out of the majors for two years now. Only drawback is frequent injuries (plus the odd kidnapping) but just 26 y/o and under club control thru 2016. Doug Fister - Prior to the 2014 season for two minor league pitchers who could help Minnesota in the future although aren�t yet. Fister is 30 and under team control for 2014 & 2015 Tanner Roark - In mid-2010 for Christian Freakin� Guzman Roark was hardly considered a prize catch (25th round draft pick by the Rangers in 2008) and is just now getting in his first full season at age 27. But this year he�s been a legit #2 type starter since being called up just over a year ago [19-8; 2.56 in 29 starts + 9 relief] while Guzman got 7 hits for Texas after the trade in 46 ABs and then retired. Asdrubal Cabrera - The FA-to-be was acquired at this year�s trading deadline In exchange for 24 y/o potential power hitter Zack Walters to compensate for the Ryan Zimmerman injury and so as not to rely on Espinosa. Obviously too early to evaluate how this will work out for either side but, in a year where you not only hope to contend but win, it�s a move that will help in the short run. Tyler Clippard - Prior to 2008 from the Yanx for Jonathan Albaladejo This deal was actually pre-Rizzo, but how do you think this tastes for Cashman? Clippard�s now been one of the better set-up men in baseball for five seasons or so and even closed for a half-season when needed. Still under 30 and still 1+ years away from FA.

Time to dust off this thread from the pre-season as today's was Bartolo's 25th start of the year, meaning he joins the club of 41 year olds with 25 or more starts becoming the 21st pitcher since 1984 to do so. And it looks like he's on his way to 30 this season and he'd be a tough guy to bet against for next season as well (whether with the Mets or somewhere else, or a combo of the two). Previous club members PITCHER# TimesAGESPHIL NIEKRO741, 43 - 48JAMIE MOYER641 - 46CHARLIE HOUGH541 - 45NOLAN RYAN541 - 45TOMMY JOHN341, 44 - 45RANDY JOHNSON341, 42, 44DAVID WELLS341, 42, 44GREG MADDUX241 - 42DON SUTTON241, 42JoE NIEKRO241, 42KENNY ROGERS241, 43ROGER CLEMENS241 - 42DENNIS MARTINEZ141DANNY DARWIN142ANDY PETTITTE141TIM WAKEFIELD141STEVE CARLTON142JERRY KOOSMAN141TOM SEAVER141TOM GLAVINE141

Well sure. Murphy's strengths and weaknesses are hardly a secret -- they're discussed here in this thread, and by Sherman in the linked thread, and in a lot of other places. It's the high BA and number of hits vs the shaky defense plus his low walk & power totals. The lack of position could be seen by some as a positive in that a team could use him in multiple positions even if he's not going to give you GG level play in any of them.

A five-run lead was on the verge of becoming 2 or 3 (or worse) just a few minutes ago. But now, thanks in large part to Puig, it's a seven run lead that's looking a whole lot like it could be nine real soon. NYM win pct odds just nudged themselves about 60% for this game.

MFS62 wrote: Frayed Knot wrote: Met odds of winning this game just jumped to 19% with Tejada's HR I quickly hit refresh to see if that was a typo. Well if you want to check for typos later on, check on the 6th inning-ending 5-4-3-2 Triple Play Thank you Yasiel Puig for being such a chowderhead. I mean, seriously dude? That's a dumb move if you were UP by 5 runs. Down by 5 it's positively moronic.

Met odds of winning this game just jumped to 19% with Tejada's HR

Joel Sherman on dealing Muffy One thing he points out is how many long term deals for 2Bmen have gone sour in recent years: Uggla (5 yrs/$62 mil), Brandon Phillips (6/$72.5), Aaron Hill (3/$35), Richie Weeks (4/$39), with the really big deals for Pedroia & Cano still too early to read

AFAIK: - as long as the batter is fully within the box there's nothing illegal about his stance - the crouch shrinks the zone but, like you said, the ump is still supposed to call balls & strikes via his normal stance. IOW, it would take some estimating on the ump's part but the high strike would still be the same high strike even if it happens to be at hat level at that moment - batters do want to get their eye level down towards the ball when bunting but where Montero got odd was in the degree to which he got low. - as far as coaching, I think most techniques talk about starting the bat at the upper level of the zone and working downward, so to that degree Keith is right in that some strikes are going to be above where Montero's bat starts out and therefore more likely to be popped up.

The bouncer to 3rd has become our team's go-to move with runners on.

Edgy MD wrote: Here's to our bats encountering the ball against Wilson. Sometimes he feels very sad. Sometimes he feels very sad.

Fman99 wrote: Wow the Captain is scuffling these days. Scuffling? He'd have to improve ten-fold just to get to scuffling.