Edgy MD

Came up directly from AA along with Daniel Murphy and asked together to nail down leftfield somehow. Murphy flourished, then didn't, then kinda did. Evans never found his groove. Omar told us of the latent power that would come. And maybe it still will. Rubbery good looks, but usually with a tinge of sadness. Nick's disappointments spanned three managerial tenures. He now heads out to Pittsburgh and the prettiest park in the majors.

Lefthander bouncing between the rotation and the bullpen, Between Buffalo and Citi. First great shuttle rider of the CitiField/Buffalo Bisons era, I think. Had a sharp bone structure, vaguely (if only vaguely) reminiscent of Dennis Cook --- a good leftyface. Pat Misch, heading down the highway to Phillie. Get that patch off the side of your hat.

A Thanksgiving week starving for Mets news ends with two longtime bubble players heading to other addresses. Signed Away By PhiladelphiaSigned Away By Pittsburgh Starting Pitchers Infielders =#0000FF]48 Pat Misch DoB:8/18/1981 =#0000FF]6 Nick Evans DoB:1/30/1986 Your Projected 2012 Mets (Orange Indicates Players Have Options) Starting Pitchers =#0000FF]43 R.A. Dickey DoB: 10/29/1974 =#FF8000]35 Dillon Gee DoB: 4/28/1986 =#0000FF]49 Jonathon Niese DoB: 10/27/1986 =#0000FF]34 Mike Pelfrey DoB: 1/14/1984 =#0000FF]57 Johan Santana DoB: 3/13/1979Relief Pitchers =#0000FF]46 Manny Acosta DoB: 5/1/1981 =#FF8000]27 Pedro Beato DoB: 10/27/1986 =#0000FF]40 Tim Byrdak DoB: 10/31/1973 =#0000FF]77 D.J. Carrasco DoB: 4/12/1977 =#0000FF]19 Danny Herrera DoB: 10/21/1984Relief Pitchers Catchers Infielders =#FF8000]64 Josh Stinson DoB: 3/14/1988 =#0000FF]39 Bobby Parnell DoB: 9/8/1984 =#0000FF]9 Ronny Paulino DoB: 4/21/1988 =#0000FF]30 Josh Thole DoB: 4/28/1986 =#FF8000]29 Ike Davis DoB: 3/22/1987 Infielders =#0000FF]28 Daniel Murphy DoB: 4/1/1985 =#0000FF]11 Ruben Tejada DoB: 10/27/1989 =#0000FF]2 Justin Turner DoB: 11/23/1984 =#FF8000]62 Jordany Valdespin DoB: 12/23/1984 =#0000FF]5 David Wright DoB: 12/20/1982 Outfielders =#FF8000]23 Mike Baxter DoB: 12/7/1984 =#0000FF]44 Jason Bay DoB: 9/20/1978 =#FF8000]21 Lucas Duda DoB: 2/3/1986 =#FF8000]26 Fernando Martinez DoB: 10/10/1988 =#0000FF]16 Angel Pagan DoB: 7/2/1981 Also on 40-Man Roster Starting Pitchers =#FF8000]50 =#0000FF]Robert Carson DoB:1/23/1989 =#FF8000]46 =#0000FF]Jeurys Familia DoB:10/10/1989 =#FF8000]32 Jennry Mejia DoB: 10/11/1989 =#FF8000]66 Armando Rodriguez DoB: 1/28/1988 =#FF8000]63 Chris Schwinden DoB: 9/22/1986 Catchers Infielders =#FF8000]13 Mike Nickeas DoB: 2/13/1983 =#FF8000]1 =#0000FF]Wilmer Flores DoB:8/6/1991 =#FF8000]12 =#0000FF]Reese Havens DoB:10/20/1986 =#FF8000]65 Zach Lutz DoB: 6/3/1986 =#FF8000]3 Josh Satin DoB: 12/23/1984Outfielders =#FF8000]13 =#0000FF]Juan Lagares DoB:3/17/1989 =#FF8000]11 =#0000FF]Kirk Nieuwenhuis DoB:8/7/1987 =#FF8000]22 =#0000FF]Cesar Puello DoB:4/1/1991 Also in Camp InfieldersOutfielders =#0000FF]15 Val Pascucci DoB:11/17/1978 =#FF8000]44 =#0000FF]Vinny Rottino DoB:4/7/1980 Free Agents Starting PitchersRelief Pitchers =#0000FF]47 Miguel Batista DoB: 2/19/1971 =#0000FF]38 Chris Capuano DoB: 8/19/1978 =#0000FF]55 Chris Young DoB: 5/25/1979 =#0000FF]18 Ryota Igarashi DoB:5/28/1979 =#0000FF]45 Jason Isringhausen DoB: 9/7/1972 Infielders Outfielders =#0000FF]7 Jos� Reyes DoB: 6/11/1983 =#0000FF]12 Scott Hairston DoB: 5/25/1980 =#0000FF]22 Willie Harris DoB: 6/22/1978 Minor League Free Agents: Starting PitchersRelief Pitchers =#FF8000]28 Boof Bonser DoB: 10/14/1981 (AAA in 2011) W-L:0-0 Saves:0 G:1 GS:1 ERA2.45 IP:3.67 BB:2 SO:4 =#FF8000]93 Manny Alvarez DoB: 12/18/1985 (AA/AAA in 2011) W-L:0-2 Saves:1 G:9 GS:0 ERA8.10 IP:10.00 BB:0 SO:2 =#FF8000]10 Ricky Brooks DoB: 7/18/1984 (AA in 2011) W-L:2-8 Saves:1 G:53 GS:1 ERA3.95 IP:82.00 BB:21 SO:58 =#FF8000]33 Taylor Buchholz DoB:10/13/1981 (MLB in 2011) W-L:1-1 Saves:0 G:23 GS:0 ERA3.12 IP:26.00 BB:7 SO:26 =#FF8000]46 Gustavo Chacin DoB: 11/4/1980 (AAA in 2011) W-L:3-7 Saves:0 G:39 GS:10 ERA6.39 IP:81.67 BB:8 SO:10Relief Pitchers =#FF8000]39 Jos� De La Torre DoB:10/17/1985 (Rk/A-/AAA in 2011) W-L:2-2 Saves:0 G:22 GS:0 ERA0.99 IP:27.33 BB:16 SO:29 =#FF8000]63 Justin Hampson DoB: 5/24/1980 (AAA in 2011) W-L:3-3 Saves:1 G:52 GS:0 ERA3.41 IP:58 BB:16 SO:56 =#FF8000]49 John Lujan DoB: 5/10/1984 (AA/AAA in 2011) W-L:3-7 Saves:9 G:51 GS:1 ERA2.73 IP:69.33 BB:21 SO:66 =#FF8000]58 Brian Sweeney DoB: 6/13/1974 (AAA in 2011) W-L:5-5 Saves:1 G:32 GS:8 ERA4.34 IP:84.00 BB:22 SO:67 =#FF8000]57 Taylor Tankersley DoB: 3/7/1983 (AAA in 2011) W-L:1-1 Saves:0 G:48 GS:0 ERA5.79 IP:56.00 BB:37 SO:72Relief Pitchers CatchersInfielders Infielders =#FF8000]25 Gabriel Zavala DoB: 5/14/1987 (A in 2011) W-L:2-5 Saves:1 G:32 GS:0 ERA4.70 IP:44.00 BB:29 SO:36 =#FF8000]19 Raul Chavez DoB: 3/18/1973 (AAA in 2011) G:80 PA:256 HR:1 RBI:22 AVG:.199 OBP:.214 SLG:.253 OPS:.467 =#FF8000]6 Salomon Manriquez DoB: 9/15/1982 (AA/AAA in 2011) G:87 PA:265 HR:6 RBI:34 AVG:.268 OBP:.315 SLG:.396 OPS:.711 =#FF8000]32 Dusty Ryan DoB: 9/2/1984 (Rk/A+/AA/AAA in 2011) G:49 PA:191 HR:5 RBI:23 AVG:.252 OBP:.353 SLG:.442 OPS:.794 =#FF8000]92 Jose Coronado DoB: 4/13/1986 (A+/AA in 2011) G:76 PA:213 HR:1 RBI:11 AVG:.197 OBP:.289 SLG:.247 OPS:.536 Infielders Outfielders =#FF8000]3 Luis Figueroa DoB: 2/16/1974 (AAA in 2011) G:110 PA:442 HR:1 RBI:30 AVG:.294 OBP:.351 SLG:.369 OPS:.720 =#FF8000]25 Chin-lung Hu DoB:2/2/1984 (Rk/AAA/MLB in 2011) G:48 PA:112 HR:0 RBI:3 AVG:.160 OBP:.234 SLG:.180 OPS:.414 =#FF8000]71 Jonathan Malo DoB: 9/29/1983 (AA/AAA in 2011) G:94 PA:264 HR:3 RBI:16 AVG:.226 OBP:.290 SLG:.315 OPS:.604 =#FF8000]94 Niuman Romero DoB: 1/24/1985 (AA/AAA in 2011) G:75 PA:273 HR:0 RBI:23 AVG:.231 OBP:.294 SLG:.261 OPS:.555 =#FF8000]10 Bubba Bell DoB: 10/9/1982 (AA/AAA in 2011) G:81 PA:229 HR:2 RBI:23 AVG:.239 OBP:.292 SLG:.325 OPS:.617Outfielders =#FF8000]34 Jason Botts DoB:7/26/1980 (AAA in 2011) G:59 PA:201 HR:3 RBI:19 AVG:.268 OBP:.383 SLG:.405 OPS:.788 =#FF8000]97 Jesus Feliciano DoB:6/6/1979 (AAA in 2011) G:121 PA:437 HR:4 RBI:39 AVG:.268 OBP:.328 SLG:.334 OPS:.662 =#FF8000]21 Fernando Perez DoB:4/23/1983 (AAA in 2011) G:116 PA:414 HR:4 RBI:25 AVG:.223 OBP:.307 SLG:.310 OPS:.618 Coaching Staff ManagerBench CoachBatting CoachPitching CoachThird Base Coach =#0000FF]10 Terry Collins DoB: 5/27/1949 =#FF8000]57 Bob Geren DoB: 9/22/1959 =#0000FF]52 Dave Hudgens DoB: 12/5/1956 =#0000FF]59 Dan Warthan DoB: 12/1/1952 =#FF8000]81 =#0000FF]Tim Teufel DoB: 7/7/1958First Base CoachBullpen CoachBullpen CatchersHead Trainer =#FF8000]55 =#0000FF]Tom Goodwin DoB: 8/27/1968 =#FF8000]56 =#0000FF]Ricky Bones DoB: 4/7/1969 =#0000FF]53 Eric Langill DoB: 4/9/1979 =#0000FF]54 Dave Racaniello DoB: 10/15/1981 =#0000FF] Ray Ramirez =#BF8080].Assistant Trainer =#0000FF] Brian Chicklo

David DeJesus to the Cubs for two years, ten mills.

Vic Sage wrote: you said: the initial plus on Santana over Capuano, if that's how it shakes out, would be $1.5 million to spend elsewhere and i'm saying "no", it won't be spent elsewhere. its money coming off the budget and instead of going back into the team, it'll go to service the wilpon debts. so its NOT a plus for the team... just for Fred. Yeah, I know what I said.

metirish wrote: Finn not a fan , geez http://www.boston.com/sports/touching_all_the_bases/2011/11/five_thoughts_on_bobby_valenti.html That's some awful work organized kind of awfully.

How could Chass have so much juice? He's writing a blog on a personal website, for cripe's sake.

Farmer Ted wrote: Toddler Ted will be bummed. Misch was her favorite Met. I always think of her as "Farmer Girl."

The drop in the payroll, like the obligation to Santana, seems to be something that happens either way.

Well, the initial plus on Santana over Capuano, if that's how it shakes out, would be $1.5 million to spend elsewhere --- meaningful money, I think, on the Austeritymets.

Well, the Japan job was nothing to sneeze at. I hope he knows who Scutaro is this time.

Frayed Knot wrote: Edgy DC wrote: Well, jeez, I hope nonetheless. And that's fine. It's just that MLB's anti-trust exemption has been so watered-down over the years that it barely matters and it's long been my contention that the threat of it's removal remains a vastly over-played card. The protection could disappear tomorrow and I doubt much if anything would change now that we're four decades into the unionized era. And the draft would still be bogus. And we're far more than four decades into unionized ball. I haven't played a card. It's Sage who brought up the anti-trust exemption.

Terry wasn't keen on trying to isolate him against lefties. I would have liked to have given him those seventh-inning matchup at-bats for a little while. He instead caught the righties as the last guy off the bench in the ninth. Then he was suddenly the starting firstbaseman.

Well, sheesh, it's wrong and I nonetheless hopes that the system collapses.

Sure, but it may be Reyes' money.

They got all that in Vinny Rottino. Third-string catcheriness. Multi-position flexibility. Puncher's power. And he comes on a minor-league deal and without the OBP impairment.

The money is his whether we like it or not, so it's best to put that thought aside. Right now, it's just a matter of whether he's healthy enough to give the team more than Chris Schwinden or Dillon Owen. You don't have to be deliriously hopeful to think that he should. Though he certainly might not.

That the anti-trust exemption is mounted on a bogus foundation and should be thrown out by a court, as MLB continues to use it to rob amateurs of their rights to shop their talents on the open market. And now, by capping draftee salaries, they're expanding that anti-competitive open conspiracy.

Wait. You don't think it's worth zero additional dollars to see if Santana can perform better than the last guy on the roster, because roster spots are too expensive? If he's not performing at all to any effectiveness whatsoever, it'll likely be treated as injury related and he'll be placed on the disabled list and bother nobody. Under any circumstances, something from Santana is better than the nothing they got, unless you're confident the Mets will ride him for 20-plus starts to a 7.30 ERA or something, which doesn't seem like a likely scenario.

I hope the top five picks of 2012 all declare themselves free agents.

You don't have to believe in Johan Santana's "comeback." You get anything out of him, and it's an improvement on 2011. You're already paying, so relative to last season, anything you get is free.

metsmarathon wrote: i'd look into having a mentor around, but not reaching for one financially. i think we can wait for one to come to us in that regard. I support this, though Met fans are gonna go nuts with Alderson coyly playing markets by letting them come to him --- particularly with his own shortstop. What a time to do it.

I think folks have been way too quick to cash in their chips with Thole in 2011. To me, that's more or less what first-time, full-time catchers look like, and if the rest of the lineup hadn't fallen apart, he would have flown under the radar. (He's pretty analogous to Murphy in 2009, in that regard.) He hit about average for a catcher and caught sub-average, but he's young, cheap, and learning the ropes. If they can find him a better tandem partner than Paulino, I'm cool with seeing the project through. I liked that story. I thought the specifics were enough and the story held together. I'm curious about Chris Snyder. How's his back? Has he signed with anybody yet?

Short Cuts is a good reference, because a Robert Altman could have made something of this kind of material --- dark ensemble comedy, drenched in American pathos, featuring game performances by musicians Huey Lewis (and scenes by forgotten players like Angie Dickinson). That's where Altman lived and he was probably Paltrow's model. But where Altman gives us hard to swallow realism, you just get distasteful gag lines. Where Altman cuts deftly between various interweaving story lines --- extending a film to three hours if necessarily, here we get ham-fisted editing leading to incoherent unseen jumps in character development. Sober characters become addicts offscreen. Estranged characters reconcile offscreen. Characters on a hateful course find their inner decency without that all-important Rocky scene where they look in the mirror and wonder what they've made of themselves. You're most common exclamation during this movie will be "When did that happen?" Most offensive part is that Andre Braugher --- and when I say he's the only minority character in this film, I may have missed somebody, but I'm counting walk-ons and cameos and extras --- turns out to be the noblest of noble savages.

He's game, playing against his genial type as a real jerk. It's a real disaster. If this film was a karaoke performance, it would be drunk sorority girls screeching out "Brown-Eyed Girl." Bruce Paltrow, who had spent most of his career as a TV director, gets the big chair here by bringing his star of a daughter along for the ride. She was 27 at this point, but appears to be playing a teenager. He should have shot a White Shadow cast reunion movie instead.