Twitter responds to Matthews Jr. to Mets

People are simply piling on this GMJ to the Mets trade.  Here are my four favorite tweets this morning.

OGTedBerg: Just watch the Mets try to start Gary Matthews Jr. over Pagan next year. Just watch that. That's so going to happen.

mattcasey9: Anytime you can get a guy whose last 3 years of OPS are .742, .675, .697, and UZRs of -12.3, -9.3, -14.5 ... you HAVE to make that deal

MetsMerized: Gary Matthews Jr. misjudges flyballs, is terrible on basepaths, and dont run out grounders. Should fit right in.

dances_w_vowels: Gary Matthews, Omar? Really? Subtraction by addition, I think.

You can’t make this stuff up.  Well, they just did.

Is this the big news out of Buffalo?

Earlier today I re-tweeted a tweet from the Buffalo Bisons that mentioned a “big” announcement coming tomorrow at their Hot Stove Luncheon.

I really have no idea what qualifies as “big” news for the Bisons, but The Buffalo News’ Mike Harrington has a guess.

Click here to find out what Harrington thinks might be coming tomorrow.

I guess that’d be a cool thing.

Twitter Poll: Which free-agent starters would you like to see on the Mets?

With the starting pitchers flying off the shelves, the Mets are now left with a few injury-prone players and some that just aren’t very good.

I asked my Twitter followers which starter they would like to see on the Mets come 2010.  Here are some responses…

dtmfr: Ben Sheets, because he's got the highest reward (provided he stays healthy)

TheRealHoov: Jon Garland....he may not be glossy, but he's consistent and an innings eater

thesolomind: Wang

NYSportzNut: Sheets hands down - only starter available that has the upside to make the Mets a playoff contender.

Do you agree with these selections?  Who would you sign if you were GM?

Angels sign Joel Pineiro

According to Ken Davidoff and Jon Heyman, the Los Angeles Angels have signed Joel Pineiro.

Heyman says the deal is worth two years and $16 million.

Now that he is off the table, where do the Mets turn?  Ben Sheets has to be at the top of their wish list now.

Mets building actual MASH facility at Citi Field [Funny]

This was left as a comment on NJ.com.  I thought it was too good to pass up.

New York (AP) - The New York Mets will construct a full service hospital at Citi Field to treat injured players. The facility will include an operating room, full-body MRI and 6 bed convalescent center.

The facility will be named Hopsital For Special Surgery Annex at Citi Field, and is expected to be completed in time for the start of the regular season opener in April.

The announcement was made at a joint news conference with Mets general manager Omar Minaya, and Louis A. Shapiro, president and CEO of the Hospital for Special Surgery.

The Annex, as the medical facility will be known, is intended to reduce Mets medical costs and improve medical care for the often-injured Mets players.

"Having a hospital right at the ball park, we feel very comfortable now to go after even more injury-prone players," said Mets general manager Omar Minaya, "Carlos Delgado is at the top of our list."

"We actually approached the Mets with this suggestion," said Dr. Shapiro "because with so many Met players already injured, and with more expected during the 2010 season without a doubt, it just made sense to do this."

"Just the savings in ambulance fare into Manhatten alone makes it worth it," chimed in Minaya.

"And we can keep the players at the ball park 24/7 which virtually eliminates them going for second and third opinions," added Shapiro.

In order to maximize return on investment, the Annex will be open to fans in need of medical treatment for sports injuries, as space permits.

"It will be like fantasy camp, where fans can have the same operations as the players, by the same doctors," said Minaya. "Season ticket holders will get first crack."

"For example, you can have the Santana Shoulder Surgery, or the Reyes Hamstring Ligament Reattachment, or whatever you want."

"Anything that can extract more money out our fan base is a good thing," quipped team owner Fred Wilpon to reporters.

Carlos Beltran was reached by phone in Denver, where he is recuperating from knee surgery performed by his personal physician Dr. Richard Steadman.

Beltran was asked whether he planned to be a patient at The Annex.

"No way," replied the Mets star center fielder. "I'd rather be traded to Pittsburgh."

Well done, sec309.  Well done, indeed.

2009 Met of the Year: David Wright

Taking home 60 percent of the vote, David Wright has been named the 2009 Met of the Year.

Wright cruised through the first three rounds over Jeremy Reed, Jeff Francoeur and Carlos Beltran.  Wright beat last year’s winner, Johan Santana, for the title as this year’s MotY.

Congratulations to Wright on being named the 2009 Met of the Year.

And thanks to everyone who voted this year.  Hopefully next year we won’t be voting after such a miserable season.

Minaya leads USA Today’s ‘Worst GM in Baseball’ poll

Here are the latest results from USA Today’s “Worst GM in Baseball” voting…

As you can see, Omar Minaya leads by a wide, wide margin.

Do you agree or disagree?

(H/T My father)

Updates: Molina to SF, Feliciano and Green signed

Bengie Molina has re-signed, for less then the Mets offered, with the San Francisco Giants.

Molina signed a one-year, $4.5 million deal with the Giants.  The Mets had offered $5 million plus, according to Jon Heyman.

Whew.

***

Also, Pedro Feliciano ($2.9 million) and Sean Green ($975,000) have agreed to one-year deals with the Mets, avoiding arbitration.

Angel Pagan is the only Met without a contract.  And he now holds all the cards.

Bengie Molina rejects Mets offer?

According to Buster Olney’s tweet, Bengie Molina has rejected the Mets latest offer.

My thoughts in short: Good.  Very good.

Olney also mentions that the Mets are focusing more on Joel Pineiro.

My thoughts in short: Good.  Kind of good.

Press release from Mets regarding Mets HoF inductions

From the New York Mets…

FLUSHING, N.Y., January 19, 2010 - The New York Mets today announced that Frank Cashen, general manager of the 1986 World Champion Mets, Dwight Gooden, the 1985 National League Cy Young Award winner, Davey Johnson, manager of the 1986 club, and Darryl Strawberry, the franchise's career home run leader, will be inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame on Sunday, August 1 prior to the Mets hosting the Arizona Diamondbacks at 1:10 p.m.

"It was very important to re-establish the Mets Hall of Fame Committee," said Mets COO Jeff Wilpon, who serves as Ex-Officio for the Selection Committee. "The committee made great choices and all four inductees played a vital role in our success during the 1980s. Each individual was a unanimous recommendation and on behalf of myself and the rest of Ownership I was pleased to approve them."

Gooden, Strawberry, Johnson and Cashen made their mark on the Mets in the 1980s and were key contributors for the 1986 World Championship team. This class will be the first to be inducted since Tommie Agee in 2002.

Cashen was general manager and the architect of the 1986 Mets, drafting and overseeing the development of Strawberry and Gooden, tapping Johnson as manager, and trading for established All-Stars Keith Hernandez and Gary Carter. From 1984-1991, the Mets averaged more than 95 victories, won the World Series in 1986, and a second NL East title in 1988. Cashen remained in the Mets front office as chief operating officer from 1980-1992.

Gooden has the second most wins (157) and strikeouts (1,875) in franchise history, trailing only Mets and National Baseball Hall of Famer Tom Seaver. Gooden holds the Mets record for most shutouts in a season (8) and owns the major league record for most strikeouts by a rookie in a season (276). "Doc" electrified Mets fans for 11 seasons, finishing his Mets career with a 157-85 record and a 3.10 earned run average. The righthander burst onto the scene in 1984, winning 17 games and the National League Rookie of the Year honors. He continued his dominance the following season by winning the pitching Triple Crown - leading the National League in wins (24), strikeouts (268) and ERA (1.53) - and capturing the Cy Young Award.

Johnson transformed the Mets into winners after seven straight losing seasons and has the highest winning percentage (.588) of any manager in club history. The Mets ran away with the NL East, winning a club-record 108 games, on their way to their second World Championship in 1986. Johnson's teams won an average of 95 games from 1984-1990 and took home a second division title in 1988 with 100 victories. He finished his Mets career with a 595-417 record.

Strawberry was one of the most feared hitters in Mets history, and is the club's leader in home runs (252), runs batted in (733), runs (662) and extra-base hits (469). The former No. 1 draft pick won the NL Rookie of the Year award in 1983 hitting 26 home runs. The rightfielder was a seven-time All-Star with the Mets and hit 25 or more home runs in each of his eight years with the team. In 1988, Strawberry led the league with a career-high 39 home runs as the Mets won their second NL East title in three years.

The Mets Hall of Fame now has 25 members. The 21 previous Hall of Fame members in order of the year they were inducted are: Joan Payson (1981); Casey Stengel (1981); Gil Hodges (1982); George M. Weiss (1982); William A. Shea (1983); Johnny Murphy (1983); Ralph Kiner (1984); Bob Murphy (1984); Lindsey Nelson (1984); Bud Harrelson (1986); Rusty Staub (1986); Tom Seaver (1988); Jerry Koosman (1989); Ed Kranepool (1990); Cleon Jones (1991); Jerry Grote (1992); Tug McGraw (1993); Mookie Wilson (1996); Keith Hernandez (1997); Gary Carter (2001); and Tommie Agee (2002).

The plaques of all the inductees will be one of the main attractions at the new Mets Hall of Fame and Museum which will open this season.

The Mets Hall of Fame committee was re-formed in November. The seven-member committee is comprised of a combination of media members with long-standing connections to the club and the Mets front office staff. The members are: Dave Howard, Executive Vice President, Business Operations who has been with the organization for 18 years; Jay Horwitz, Vice President, Media Relations who enters his 31st season with the team; Tina Mannix, Senior Director, Marketing who has been with the Mets for nine years; former Mets pitcher Al Jackson, a pitching consultant who is entering his sixth decade with the Mets; Marty Noble, the Mets.com beat writer who is entering his fifth decade covering the team; Gary Cohen, the New York native and voice of the Mets on SNY who has been a Mets broadcaster for 21 years; and Howie Rose, a Queens native and radio voice of the Mets on WFAN who has covered the team for 21 years on radio and television.

Emphases are mine.