Edgy MD

Of course he does. And the bullpen coach. And various people in the front office. But Otto is indicting Mendoza. That does not make him wrong, of course, but if I am doing the interviewing, my first followup question is going to be about Jeremy Hefner, Desi Druschel, José Rosado, Jack Bredeson, Jono Armold, etc. — to find out where the culture is working and where it is breaking down, so we have a full picture of who we might want to exile and who we might want to bank on. Does he really want to see the whole pitching side of the organization burned or is his beef with Mendoza? If the latter, how much of that beef is about policy and how much about personality? It seems a little of both with Adam. And in a game where both teams want to win, and injuries fall like snow upon the living and the dead, good policies and good intentions can still produce bad outcomes. It is challenging to hear voices in 2025 decry onerous workload burdens, when I cry out that managers are working with neurotic obsession trying to spare pitchers the sort of workloads that could help them win. But as long as games still have nine innings, when you spare one guy, somebody at the other end has to pick up the slack. it all depends on what side of the golden handshake you live on. That said, I fully believe that bullpenning is a less onerous life if guys are called on for longer appearances less frequently. Two to three innings twice a week gets more out of a guy than one inning four times a week, while (to my thinking) taxes him less.

Adam does, it seems. I imagine he would cite more than those two cases, but even after factoring in the Kranicks and the Buttós, it still may be a tough case to make.

Great offseason fodder. I have no great respect for Carlos Mendoza and his running of the team, but I do not see the rash of bullpen injuries that Ottavino is referring to — at least, not greater a 'rash' than any team. I certainly do feel that lifting starters ever earlier is a recipe for failure, and when that failure comes to fruition, it is the bullpen guys left unfairly holding the bag. And I feel that the thinking that led them to use more pitchers than any team in history (?) this season was absolutely lazy-minded and counterproductive. Still, I didn't really see that as a cause or effect of a rash of injuries. Obviously, Minter and Young going down early was a damaging thing that they never seemed to recover from. Was that Mendoza's fault? Was that part of a disproportionate pattern? Dunno. Also, while I hardly have a front-row seat for what goes on in the clubhouse, Mendoza does not strike me as aloof from his players. But relating to guys in the bullpen is always a different animal, when you have no contact with them during the game, so for all I know, they may come and go, live and die, without an ounce of acknowledgment from Mendoza. So Mendoza makes for a soft target after a lousy second half, and Otto clearly has an axe to grind. Whether the dots all line up is another matter.

That Nancy Seaver candidacy isn't going to fuel itself.

Oh, ****. J.P. Arrencibia has also been promoted from Syracuse bench coach to take over as the Mets catching coach. A reward for any defensive improvements that they credit him to adding to Álvarez' game, one may guess. Recent announcements have not designated anybody as taking over Antoan Richardson's portforlio as baserunning coach. It may be assumed that assignment falls to Gomez along with the first base and outfield coaching duties he inherits from Richardson, or maybe that gig goes to new bench coach Kai Correa, or possibly quality assurance coach Danny Barnes. Arrencbia brings the Mets one step deeper into the Caucus of the Disgusting, being married to gross Fox commentator Tomi Lahren.

This is the nature of offseason storytelling on days when no other action is there to report. I hear the Mets might sign John Rocker. I have a source, and he is a totally sourcey source.

Cool. Brandon Nimmo.

I believe that image was released on social media by Los Tigres. Gilbert has both played for and managed the team.

2025 Championship Ring Recipient-to-Be Michael Conforto.

It looks like the Mets have the final additions to the coaching staff. The new first-base and outfield coach will be Gilbert Gomez. Gillie is still crazy young — he will turn 34 during spring training. He is mostly a Mets lifer, having played for the team from 2009-2015, peaking in AA. He had a brief indy ball phase in 2017 before returning to the organization on the instruction side. He spent the last two years managing The Brooklyn Cyclones, leading them to a 72–59 / .550 finish in 2025, and piloting them to the South Atlantic League championship. [FIMG=450]https://lasverdades.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/GilbertGomezCampeonCyclones.jpg[/FIMG] The new assistant pitching coach will be Dan McKinney. Dan, only somewhat older than Gillie, continues the organization's waxing trend of bringing in instructors and development personnel from increasingly obscure backgrounds, his highest level as a performer being 86 innings at Division II Southeast Oklahoma State. He also did some catching while suiting up for the Savage Storm. It is his fourth season in the organization, having spent the last two as pitching coach for Binghamton, where he developed a rapport working with some of the Mets' highest-profile prospects, including Jonah Tong, Nolan McLean, and Brandon Sproat. Bingo, lest it go un-noted, also won a championship. Mets Roster Central has not been able to find any information confirming or disproving any relationship to former Mets outfielder Billy McSkinny, or former softball star/current Mississippi State pitching coach Taryne Mowatt-McKinney, but there may be something there. Dan appears to be rather camera shy, but see here a great shot of him arriving late to practice.

Heff McNeil.

Or it is just a report citing anonymous sources, absent a ton of important context.

Dave Magadan.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pKuaKcr1esQ/VUjo7d0cQzI/AAAAAAAA3oE/IY1KG-LxvDY/s1600/hubie-brooks.jpg

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Hey, that is consecuguessing! Minus 50 points! Dock his per diems or something!

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Ken Singleton.

Jones had an informal coaching gig, just putting an ad in the local papers for any kids who wanted instruction. One of his protégés was a 12-year-old Barry Zito, who would also won a Cy Young despite a below-average fastball. I have seen no cause of death, but had been very public about being a cancer survivor, linking his throat cancer to his liberal use of chewing tobacco.

There are a lot of Gallaragas — guys who show up to spring training at the end of their storied career, with a lottery ticket of a non-roster contract, looking to make perhaps one more lap around the track. They fill out their uniforms nicely and show off their massive guns in the Florida sun, but by the end of camp they have demonstrated they have no defensive maneuverability, and despite their jacked physiques, are only limber enough to swing the bat with any precision perhaps once a week. But occasionally these guys stick around to break camp — usually due to an injury, but occasionally, between training and PEDs, they briefly convince the team that the illusion is real. I knew there was a Gallaraga that belonged on the list still out there. There was, and Adrian Gonzalez was he.

Glad to miss. I didn't want to suspect I was cheating. Jay Bell and John Valentin are slowly fusing into the same person in my head, so Imma go with Mo's Red Sox buddy John Valentin.

Shmuh! Starling Marte!

Seaver, it can be argued, finished his career with the Mets as he donned the uniform and worked out for a comeback for a short while in 1987, before packing it in after a less-than-impressive simulated game. Similarly, it can be argued that Bartolo Colón finished his career as a Met. These, of course, would be really tedious arguments to make, generating multiple eyerolls and perhaps a punch in the face, so I totally will not make them.

Did I mention that this is a great quiz? This is a great quiz.