Mets, Manuel, Minaya already in big trouble

The two New York baseball teams couldn't have had more conflicting starts to the 2010 season if they tried. While the New York Yankees came home with a 4-2 record against the toughest competitors in their league, the Mets lost four of six at home to the Florida Marlins and the woeful Washington Nationals. One week into the season, the Mets are already in big trouble.

It's not so much that they had a bad week. Good teams have bad weeks all the time, including the Yankees. In fact, they had a bad first month last year on the way to winning their 27th World Series title. But after looking so good on Opening Day behind a strong Johan Santana start, the Mets closed the home stand with their ace getting slammed and the team immediately packing it in.

The Mets were so dreadful that even their manager Jerry Manuel couldn't excuse their play. He said his team looked unprepared against aging starter Livan Hernandez and that it was his responsibility. Noble of him to take the blame and he definitely deserves a share. Sure enough, Manuel and Omar Minaya will be the scapegoats if the Mets continue down this path of futility. For Omar, it's probably a bit of karma, considering the way he jettisoned Willie Randolph.

But the Mets players are the ones out on the field. They took it for granted that they would win with their ace on the mound, and couldn't fight back when he got smacked around, couldn't recover from being down only four runs in the first inning, which speaks volumes to their collective state of mind. With that kind of poor attitude, Mets fans are in for a long season.

Yet Joe West calls the Yankees and Red Sox pathetic and embarrassing. He should have to umpire a game in Queens next time.

Thanks to Wknight94 via Wikipedia for the photo.

Things go from bad to worse for Mets, Reyes

As if things couldn't get worse for the New York Mets, now comes word that shortstop Jose Reyes will be out anywhere from two to eight weeks because of an overactive thyroid. A day after Reyes publicly proclaimed he didn't have a thyroid problem, mere hours after the Mets released a statement saying he did, comes news that he has a serious condition that's worse than doctors initially thought. His condition will prevent him engaging in strenuous physical activity, including baseball-related exercise, a real problem for a guy trying to come back from hamstring injuries.

This is the second time in several months that the Mets have been at odds with one of their players over a medical condition, following Carlos Beltran's decision to have knee surgery before the team formally gave the OK. Reyes apparently was frustrated with Omar Minaya & Co. for jumping the gun on his injury report to the media. You would think that the Mets learned from the Beltran situation and would have made sure they and their player and his people were all on the same page, but apparently some lessons go unlearned.

Aside from Reyes getting healthy again, the big concern for the Mets is figuring out who will play short in the meantime and anchor their lineup. In a widely criticized move, the Mets were planning to have Reyes hit third until Beltran returns. With both Reyes and Beltran out, the Mets lineup is completely exposed, with Jason Bay the only solid run producer. Boy, I wonder how much Bay is rethinking and perhaps regretting his decision to sign with the Mets. He should have known that for a team as dysfunctional as the Mets, things always go from bad to worse.

Thanks to alpineinc via Wikipedia for the photo.

Mets think they have fighting chance

Are the New York Mets serious or just delusional? I couldn't help but wonder during an afternoon where several baseball players and general manager Omar Minaya dropped by Mike Francesa's radio show to insist that they can compete with the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves for the National League East division.

Now it could be written off as them putting a positive spin on their situation or trying to excite and win back their fan base. But they all seemed to genuinely believe it. Check it out:

"I think this team is built to win right now," first baseman Daniel Murphy said.

"I've got a very, very good feeling about this team," said centerfielder Angel Pagan. "I think we're going to go very far."

"I think we have a club that's capable of doing some things this year," catcher Rod Barajas said.

And last but not least the general manager: "I feel good about this team," Minaya said.

Now they acknowledge that a lot of things have to go right for them to be competitive, namely that they all have to remain healthy, a major challenge as they proved last year.

I don't think their happy camper routines are going to win over Mets fans. But an April winning streak might do the trick.

Thanks to Keith Allison via Wikipedia for the photo.

Phillips: Mets moves baffling

New York Mets fans are not the only ones puzzled by the team's decision making over the last few months. Steve Phillips, taking a break from talking about his sex addiction, questioned several offseason moves and spring training decisions made by team officials.

In terms of the offseason, the signing of Jason Bay was a baseball move the Mets needed to make, but Bay is not great defensively and can't be the centerpiece of the offense that the team expects because "he's not an aircraft carrier." The Mets should have signed other players to help their team, including Bengie Molina.

Phillips found their early spring training choices equally baffling, namely the decision to bat Jose Reyes third in a RBI position rather than a run-scoring spot. "I just don't understand it," Phillips said.

The only explanation Phillips could come up with was that Omar Minaya's hands were tied, with the team running out of money after signing Bay. He was sympathetic, noting that he encountered similar problems as the Mets general manager that were made worse by playing in the same city as the New York Yankees. While the expectations are the same for both teams, the Mets can't match their crosstown rivals in tradition and resources. "I think it's the toughest executive position in sports," Phillips said of the Mets GM job.

But as much sympathy as he has for Minaya and the Mets, their moves cast serious doubt on the team's ability to win 90 games this year, which they may need to do to compete with the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves. "I just don't see it happening," he said.

Thanks to Stadium08 via en.Wikipedia for the photo.

Mets having a really bad week

I'm surprised Omar Minaya is able to get out of bed in the morning after the week he and the Mets have had. First Bengie Molina spurns them to return to the San Francisco Giants. Now comes word that Joel Pineiro, the free-agent pitcher they were targeting, is heading for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

The Mets planned makeover is taking a serious hit this week. They had success earlier signing Jason Bay to a less expensive deal than he was searching for, but they couldn't do the same with Molina. And they really needed to get some rotation help for Johan Santana and they couldn't do that either.

So what's next for the Mets? Minaya is going to have to go back to the drawing board and see who's left out there who could help. They may have to take a risk on an injury-plagued Ben Sheets to excite their base and fulfill a major need.

Thanks to Wknight94 via Wikipedia for the photo.

Ouch! Bengie Molina disses Mets

It had been a foregone conclusion that Bengie Molina would sign with the New York Mets after coming off a demand for a multi-year contract. So imagine the surprise generated all around baseball by a report that Molina chose to re-sign with the San Francisco Giants for one year at $4.5 million.

Molina was supposed to be an integral part of the Mets' makeover, hitting in the middle of the line-up with new acquisition Jason Bay and bringing stability to the backstop position. Omar Minaya was constantly fielding questions about Molina, including at the press conference to introduce Bay. Last week, the two sides were reportedly closing in on a deal. So what happened? When did it all fall apart? I'll be watching closely over the next few days to see the spin on this one.

Could the Mets recent public relations disaster with Carlos Beltran have contributed to Molina's decision? Unclear, but it probably didn't help. A free agent wants to know that the team he is choosing to play for is going to treat him well. With the Mets publicly calling out their outfielder for a supposedly unsanctioned surgical procedure, Molina could not have been too confident that things would work out for him in New York.

Thanks to Lizzy Ramone via Wikipedia for the photo.

Mets season may be over before it starts

Just when I thought Mets officials were starting to get their act together, here comes the unnecessarily public spat over Carlos Beltran's knee surgery. The Mets claim that Beltran had the surgery without their explicit permission and without giving them a chance to get another medical opinion. Beltran and agent Scott Boras claim the team doctor gave his blessing to go ahead with the procedure and general manager Omar Minaya did not object in a phone conversation with the Mets center fielder.

Who's right doesn't really matter at this point. But the Mets have reached a new level of dysfunction with this incident. The club's eagerness to publicly bash Beltran and implicitly threaten his contract is baffling. Why would a team want to alienate one of its star players? If they are serious about trying to void his contract, which doesn't make much sense from a baseball perspective, then they should have done so quietly rather than making a public spectacle.

The New York Yankees' crosstown rivals are really creating an ugly situation for themselves that will threaten their season, especially because Beltran is reportedly angry about the public spat. Team officials were on their way toward really improving their ballclub with the signing of Jason Bay (wonder what he's thinking about signing with the Mets now) and closing in on a deal with Bengie Molina. But now baseball people and probably Mets fans are questioning how they are running the team. It's a legitimate concern.

Thanks to Wknight94 via Wikipedia for the photo.

Mets could get Bay by default

Desperately needing to make a major move to excite their base, the New York Mets have made a solid offer to free-agent outfielder Jason Bay. The offer from GM Omar Minaya is reportedly for four years and about $65 million while Bay's agent apparently is holding out for a five-year deal. But the Mets should stand firm as Bay's options appear limited. Bay can't even fall back on the Seattle Mariners now that they have traded for Milton Bradley. If I were Bay, I would take the Mets offer and run, given the way the offseason is developing.

The pitchers have done quite well this offseason, led by John Lackey's $82.5 million pact with the Boston Red Sox and Roy Halladay's three-year, $60 million extension with the Philadelphia Phillies (he probably could have done even better, but opted for a quick resolution and a one-way ticket out of Toronto).

But their fielders are finding themselves mostly squeezed by economic conditions. It has become clear that most position players will not get the contracts they or their agents think they deserve. Johnny Damon, with the help of agent Scott Boras, priced himself out of the Bronx. Boras came into the offseason talking about how Matt Holliday deserves Mark Teixeira money (8 years, about $180 million). But without the New York Yankees, Red Sox or even the Mets as active bidders for Holliday, those dollars are out of reach. A favorite guessing game right now is which free agent, Holliday or Bay, will blink first and accept what are pretty reasonable contract offers.

Of course, getting Bay in this way may turn out to be a negative for the Mets. Players unhappy with their contracts have a way of moping that can drag down an entire team (Gary Sheffield during his many big-league stops). But Bay seems to be a good guy and we know he's not intimidated playing in a big market so overall I think the deal would work out well for the Mets. All they have to do is get him to sign on the dotted line. Of course, their base will say "Ok, what's next?" Minaya and company probably don't even know the answer to that.

Thanks to Keith Allison via Wikipedia for the photo.