Projecting the Mets 2009 Opening Day roster

The 2009 off-season is so far successful for the New York Mets. With a handful of new players arriving for their first stint in a Mets uniform, and even more players being shipped away, I figured it's time to take stock of the locks, possibles and wild cards in the Mets 2009 25-man roster.

Starting rotation
Johan Santana
John Maine
Mike Pelfrey
Oliver Perez / Derek Lowe / Randy Wolf
Jon Niese / Randy Wolf / ???

The first three are pretty easy here. The other two are still way up in the air. Maine and Pelfrey could be flipped, if you think Pelfrey will be that effective this season. History is not on his side. Brandon Knight is actually listed as the Mets 5th starter on the depth chart.

Outside of the ones we know, I hope the Mets start to stockpile pitching. They're going to need starters when the injuries start, and we all know they're inevitable. I'd like to see Lowe over Perez and Perez over Wolf. I'm scared to hand the starting role to Niese. He needs someone to compete with through spring training.

Bullpen
Closer: Francisco Rodriguez
Set up: J.J. Putz
Duaner Sanchez
Pedro Feliciano
Brian Stokes
Sean Green
Bobby Parnell
A left handed reliever

That's my best guess. The first two are shoe-ins. I believe the Mets will give Sanchez another go-around. If he can prove his worth in spring training, he's back on the team. Hopefully his arm can hold up this time around.

Parnell is a total guess. I don't think the Mets want to use him as a reliever, but they will. The Mets still need another lefty out of the 'pen after trading away Scott Schoeneweis. Maybe, just maybe, they'll get a guy who can throw at least one inning. The lefty specialist role is really wearing on me.

Update: I'm dropping Parnell from this list. He won't make the team out of the gate, but will almost definitely make it up to the big leagues during the season.

Infielders
1B: Carlos Delgado
2B: Orlando Hudson
SS: Jose Reyes
3B: David Wright
Alex Cora
Daniel Murphy
Marlon Anderson

The corners are locks, as is shortstop. Yes, I think the Mets will find a suitor for Luis Castillo (Kansas City? Cincinatti?) and will sign Hudson. Though I expect Hudson to get injured (Hudson is only two years younger than Castillo, and has also spent significant time on the DL) I think Mets fans will just be happy that Castillo is gone -- even if the Mets have to eat part of his albatross of a contract.

I think they will sign Cora, or someone to his degree to fill in for Reyes, Hudson and maybe even Wright when needed. Anderson, who better get his pinch hitting knack back in '09, can fill in at first, though I'd like to see the Mets try out Murphy there from time to time. I still think he's best suited as a first baseman.

Outfielders
LF: Fernando Tatis / Murphy
CF: Carlos Beltran
RF: Ryan Church
Jeremy Reed
Nick Evans

No way, no how do the Mets spring for Manny Ramirez. The Tatis / Murphy combo will be decent at best. Tatis will not hit like 2008 all over again. Beltran is a mainstay, and I couldn't be happier with him. Church, if he can stay healthy, will put up similar numbers to his entire '08 campaign.

Reed and Evans will likely be the fill-ins for Church, with Reed getting the ned for CF when Beltran needs a day.

Update: Evans was dropped in favor of a catcher.

Catchers
Brian Schneider
Ramon Castro

Rumors are swirling that the Mets want to sign Jason Varitek and move Schneider elsewhere. I can't see it happening. People were upset with Schneider's hitting last season, I doubt they'd put up with V-Tek's .220 average. I'd love to see Castro get more time behind the plate if Schneider does stick around. The chemistry between Santana and Castro in undeniable.

(Thanks, James K.)

So there you have it. Not a stretch by any means, but that's how I see the Mets shaking out for the rest of the season. Three more "big" signings or trades -- two for the rotation and one for the bullpen. A tiny signing for the utility playerHopefully a ton more pitchers are brought in "just in case."

To break it down even more...
Pitchers: Santana, Maine, Pelfrey, Lowe / Wolf / Perez, Niese, Rodriguez, Putz, Sanchez, Feliciano, Green, Stokes and some other lefty. (13)
Infielders: Delgado, Hudson, Reyes, Wright, Anderson, Cora, Murphy. (7)
Outfielders: Tatis, (Murphy), Beltran, Church, Reed. (5)
Catchers: Schneider, Castro.

Again, nothing extensive. Castillo is gone, the Mets sign a starter or two, add a lefty in the bullpen and bring on a utility guy. Other than that, the players are already here.

I'll keep track as the season approaches to see which ones I nailed and which ones I missed.

Links: Two of my non-Mets related writings

In the spirit of the off-season, I'll link you to some of my non-Mets related tirades.

The first is from The Quinnipiac Chronicle, the newspaper at my school of which I am a part of. This article focuses on my distaste for the song "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus." It is entirely tongue-in-cheek (except for my actual hatred for the song).

The second comes from a friend of mines blog, J Schil's Blog (one L), run by the admirable Jeremy Schilling. I guest posted about my feelings for tomatoes.

Please enjoy.

Buffalo Bisons unveil new logo

The Mets new Triple-A affiliate unveiled their new logo today and all I have to say is it trumps the Citi Field logo, by a lot.

From the press release:

The Bisons new logo was produced by Phoenix Design Works, who last year designed the inaugural logo for the Northwest Arkansas Naturals -Rich Baseball Operations' Double-A team in the Texas League. For their new design, the Bisons 'modernized' a popular alternate logo from recent seasons that had a standing bison inside a black and white baseball. This new adaptation shows a bison charging out and adds a new dynamic, multi-dimensional feel to an old logo.

Much better than this Domino's ripoff. Maybe they'll change their creepy mascot too.

According to the press release, the Bisons have played in Buffalo for 123 seasons. That's a long time in the Queen City.

Thanks, Howie!

Sign Tim Redding

On my personal quest to find the Mets another starter, Tim Redding came across my computer screen.

Recently non-tendered by the Washington Nationals, Redding is now a free agent.

The man would easily be the fifth starter at best, if the Mets decided to take a chance with him. Last seasons he went 10-11 in 33 games with the Nats. 182 innings pitched and a 4.95 ERA later, Redding could be a nice fit to challenge Jon Niese in spring training.

But the real reason I think the Mets should sign him, according to his Wikipedia page, he is the nephew of Joyce Randolph, who is famous for playing Trixie Norton on The Honeymooners.

I can see it now...

• Every time he comes out to the mound, they play "Hamana-hamana-hamana-hamana." The crowd echoes it.
• If he ever pegs someone in the head, or gives him a little chin music, they would play "POW! Right in the kisser!"
• If he ever hits a home run, they play "One of these days, Alice...Bang! Zoom! Straight to the moon!"

He's also from Rochester, New York. He appeared in one game for the New York Yankees in 2005, pitching one inning and surrendering six earned runs for a 54.00. Not the best stat ever, but he's a fifth starter!

A minor league deal, with incentives. Time to stockpile pitchers, Omar Minaya.

Link: Rollie Fingers and his 'stache

Head over to Big League Stew to check out a hilarious story about Rollie Fingers and his amazing mustache.

"I was in Chicago at the airport and there was this couple in front of me and they've got a little 5-year-old girl. She keeps turning around and looking at me. And all the sudden, she turns around and kicks me right in the shins. Her parents turn around and say, 'Honey, what are you doing!' and she looks up at me and says, 'Why were you so mean to Peter Pan?' She thought I was Captain Hook. It was right around the time that movie, 'Hook' came out. I just started busting out laughing. I was just glad she didn't have pointed shoes."

Amazing.

J.J. Putz as a set up man

J.J. Putz was an All Star closer only two years ago. Now he'll be the primary set up man for another All Star closer. Coming off of seeing years of Billy Wagner sometimes pitching in a non-save situation, I must say I'm a little worried.

Mel Stottlemyre seems to agree with me.

Anthony McCarron talked to Stottlemyre about Putz, since he was Seattle's pitching coach last year.

His mentality is that of a closer," Stottlemyre said. "If I had any question marks about how he handles New York, it's adjusting to the new role. J.J. will have to find himself comfortable as a setup man. He has the pitches and the capability.

"I've always questioned people who are closers for a long time, how they adapt to the new role. And he likes to be the guy. He gets an extra bit of adrenaline going when he's pitching the ninth inning. But the fact that he's going to a club expected to win and that has every capability to win with that lineup, that'll ease the situation for him."

I can remember times with Wagner coming in to a game when the Mets were up by four or five, and then having to sweat out the last few outs because he let in three runs already and there was a player standing on second base.

Hopefully Putz can translate well into the set up role, because it'd be a shame to watch the leads disappear in the 8th inning instead of the 9th next season. Maybe he was paying attention to the NL East last season, and knows how dire the Mets need is for a solid bullpen, so he'll step it up in the 8th inning. You never know!

Putz will be introduced on Thursday, with Francisco Rodriguez being welcomed in on Wednesday at the Christmas Party with Mike "Santa" Pelfrey.

Randy Wolf and the Mets have mutual interest

The Randy Wolf-to-the-Mets train is gaining steam. Are you on board?

Marty Noble throws some coal into the engine with his latest article. Here's what Noble has to say:

The Mets appear to be beyond the connect-the-dots stage with the veteran pitcher. Wolf himself acknowledged as much Monday night during a telephone conversation. The Mets, he said, have been in contact with his agent, Arn Tellem, and, in Wolf's words, "have shown some interest."
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The Mets have some appeal to him, seemingly the same appeal the Yankees would have -- they are likely to be a competitive team, and they play in the Northeast. "I like the intensity of the fans in the Northeast," Wolf says.

Since the Phillies fans "borrowed" Ya Gotta Believe!, I think it's fair to say that Mets fans are more than allowed to have their own Citi Field Wolf Pack if he's on the team in 2009.

Could the Mets make a play for Andy Pettitte?

Andy Pettitte is a free agent who we all know can handle pitching in New York. Could the Mets be making a play for the longtime Yankee?

According to Jon Heyman, an unnamed team supposedly has a three-year, $36 million offer on the table for Pettitte.

Hopefully, that team is not the Mets.

I would take Pettitte on a one year contract worth $8 million, though he likely won't sign for that. How about a two year deal worth $14 million? It's a bit off from this suggested $12 million a year he's supposedly getting from Team Anonymous (which I suspect doesn't exist). Pettitte also supposedly turned down a one-year, $10 million offer from the Yankees.

Last year, he was on the mound for 204 innings. The three years before that he threw 215.3, 214.3 and 222.3 innings respectively. Don't expect his ERA to dip below 4.00, the last time that happened was in 2005 with Houston when he put up a spectacular 2.39 for the year.

The Mets need at least one more starter, and it could be Pettitte. Again, Jon Garland is still higher on my list, especially because he's seven years Pettitte's junior. I'm not sure if I could deal with that creepy stare Pettitte always has while pitching.Yeah, that's the one.

Mets Rumor: Randy Wolf

With the end all but sealed up, the Mets now need to focus on who will be starting some of those games.

According to Anthony McCarron in the Daily News, the Mets have turned their sights to free agent Randy Wolf. I believe the Mets made a tiny run at him during the 2008 season, but he instead went to the Houston Astros.

Here's what McCarron had to say:

The Mets are interested in re-signing Oliver Perez, something GM Omar Minaya has said is "50-50." Lefty Randy Wolf, who has a career mark of 11-5 with a 3.34 ERA in 28 starts against the Mets, is another strong possibility. Wolf is likely to sign faster than Perez, which would solve the Mets' rotation riddle sooner.

McCarron also notes that Wolf is represented by Arm Tellem, a person Omar Minaya and Jeff Wilpon have come to know lately, since he also represent Francisco Rodriguez.

Wolf spent eight seasons with the Phillies before moving on to the Dodgers, San Diego and Houston. His best seasons came between 2000 and 2003 when he went 48-39. Since 2002, he hasn't posted an ERA below 4.23.

In 2005 and 2006, Wolf combined to pitch only 130.7 innings. In 2007 he pitched 102.7 and last season he threw 190.3 between the Padres and Astros.

If the Mets do sign him, I hope it's cheap and incentive laden. He's the kind of guy that can break down very easily.

Who did it better?: K-Rod's player photo

I was pretty underwhelmed with the job MLB did on putting Francisco Rodriguez in a Mets uniform, so I decided to take matters into my own hands. (Actually, I was challenged to do this in the comment section.)

Here's what I came up with...There's a bit of red leaking out from under K-Rod's cap, but it's his hat, not someone else's pasted on his head. I didn't quite get the Mets blue correct, but at least it looks like he's wearing his own hat and shirt (because he is!) instead of an XXL uniform and hat that is way too big for his head.

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