Cutnpaste: - Jason Bay, Brian Bannister, Taylor Buchhotz, Juan Carlos Gamboa, Juan Lagares

Jason Bay: You must be joking. People are saying all the time that the Mets should trade Bay. What planet are they on? Bay has not played well since signing as a Met; he’s been injured and has a hefty contract. Can you see the line forming now? The Mets have two hopes for him: 1) he stays healthy and meets expectations to salvage the final two years, or 2) if that doesn’t happen, then he doesn’t get the necessary at-bats and games for his option to kick in. Two more years. http://www.newyorkmetsreport.com/2011/10/25/mets-have-precious-few-pieces-to-trade

11) Brian Bannister -  His fastball hovered in the upper-80s and he lacked a killer out pitch, but Brian Bannister parlayed an arsenal of average stuff into an eight-year pro career which paid him nearly $5 million. He not only understood advanced statistical metrics, but he applied them on the field, developing a cutter, revamping his curveball, and generally using numbers to try to stay one step ahead of his competition. But ultimately, a propensity to give up the long ball and an inability to get strikeouts brought Bannister’s feel-good story to an end. —Jeff Euston  http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=15364

found it interesting that the Mets activated Taylor Buchholz from the 60 day disabled list.  After losing almost the entire season to depression the team could have easily justified out-righting him and hoping to resign  on a minor league deal or even moving on altogether.  The 29 y/o right hander will cost the team under 1M to keep and maybe showing him the support they have, will help him on his road to recovery.  Not only is it decent move, morally but it may also turn out to be beneficial to the club.  In 2009 Buchholz was a dominant set-up man for the Rockies posting a 2.17 ERA in 63 games  ( 2010 mostly lost to injuries) and last year he posted a 3.12 ERA with 8 game finishes in 32 appearances.  I've linked this article before but I wanted to again, to remind us all of Taylor's struggles and the rapport he has with the Mets... http://www.metsfever.com/2011/10/more-on-buchholz-and-mets.html

10-26-11: - http://www.metstoday.com/7132/mets-minors/a-look-into-the-future-top-shortstop-prospects   -  Juan Carlos Gamboa DOB: 4/18/1991  Birthplace: Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico  Height: 5’7”  Weight: 152  L/R - Gamboa was not on anyone’s radar prior to this season and he is still not on anyone’s radar. He’s your “little engine that could” story. The first thing that jumps out is his height: 5’7”. Right away, you might think of Jose Altuve, the dynamic second basemen for the Houston Astros who proved everyone wrong this season. But this is Gamboa’s first real season. He’s got a ways ahead of him. With his height, you cannot project power. He jumped between 4 leagues this season, starting out in Mexico (no idea there was a team there), to Gulf Coast, to Kingsport, to Savannah. In a combined 61 games, Gamboa hit .293 with 5 homeruns, while driving in 25 runs. He struck out 41 times in 191 at-bats, which is worrisome, but he’s only 20 years old.

 10-26-11: - http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/10/26/colemans-corner-mets-position-players-shining-in-arizona-sun   - We’ll start with Juan Lagares, a gap hitter and likely corner outfielder. Lagares split time between Single A St. Lucie and Double AA Binghamton this past season. At St. Lucie he hit .338 – which led the Florida State League when he was promoted – with 7 HR and 49 RBI in 82 games, but at Binghamton he performed even better – in 38 games, Lagares batted .370 with 2 HR and 22 RBI while also stealing 10 bases. His combined average of .349 was the 4th best overall in the entire minor leagues. And Lagares has not disappointed thus far in Arizona. He’s hitting .393 with 2 HR and 9 RBI and an OPS of 1.128. Last Saturday, he went 3-5 with a HR, triple and 4 RBI. That extended his hitting streak to 6 games and his RBI streak to 4 games. Lagares also has 4 multi-hit games out of 6 games and ironically, a righty hitter, he’s batting .500 (11-22) vs. righthanders and is 0-6 vs. lefties.

Cutnpaste: - John Olerud, Pedro Beato, Juan Lagares, 2012 Bullpen, Jason Bay

To call John Olerud’s baseball life charmed is no first baseman’s stretch.  Let’s see – two World Series rings, possibly the greatest college season in history, an American League batting title, membership in the exclusive straight-to-the-majors club and a shotgun seat on the Seattle Mariners’ magic-carpet-ride 116-victory season. And mixed in there somewhere: a brain aneurysm. OK, so sometimes charm takes a holiday. Or a U-turn toward the scary/tragic. This, of course, occurred during his junior year at Washington State University, after he’d Roy Hobbsed his way into the national baseball consciousness. First there were the headaches and then the collapse during practice, then the swift diagnosis and surgery, Olerud the whole time cocooned in the youthful ignorance that “there couldn’t be anything wrong with me,” while his father, John, a doctor, sweated out the reality. http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2011/oct/25/oleruds-baseball-career-nothing-short-of-amazing

There was talk from Collins that Beato might be better suited to a starting role, and I have to agree. While I was impressed with Beato’s bullpen work, I don’t see him as a closer, but more importantly, he looks to have the potential to throw three “plus” pitches — a hard sinker, overhand curve with good 12-6 bite, and fading change-up. As a reliever, the max-effort approach may not be suited to him; partially because I’m not sure he can be effective through 60-75 games a season doing that, but also because his four-seamer is fairly straight. Though it’s a slightly slower pitch, his sinker is effective, and if he can gain consistent command of either the curve or the change-up, he’ll have enough to be at least a back-end starter at the big-league level. The best and fastest way to gain that command is through repetition, and he can do that more effectively logging 120-150 innings as a starter than he can 50-60 as a reliever. Even if he doesn’t pan out as a starter, his sinker, four-seam fastball, and one more secondary pitch will make him a valuable asset in any bullpen — he could turn out to be an effective tweener like Ramiro Mendoza was for the Yankees in the late 1990s / early 2000s. The big decision for the Mets will be whether to let Beato develop his repertoire as a starter in AAA in 2012, or to use him again in the big club’s bullpen. It might seem like a no-brainer to have him work on his stuff in the minors, but we don’t know how badly the Mets will need relievers next spring — and often, the “now” takes precedence over the “later”. http://www.metstoday.com/7123/2011-mets-evaluations/2011-analysis-pedro-beato

10-25-11: - http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=15358 - Juan Lagares, OF, Mets - Lagares quietly had a breakout season for the Mets in 2011, splitting time between High- and Double-A and hitting a combined .349/.383/.500. A 22-year-old Dominican who began his career as a shortstop, Lagares never found a defensive home in the infield, and his time chasing fly balls has only proved that he's stuck in a corner for the long term. What he can do is hit, but it doesn't come with much else; Lagares has below-average power and isn't a big fan of working the count. He's 11-for-28 in Arizona, and he'll need to keep hitting to improve his prospect stock. The hit tools trumps all, but there has to be at least something to go with it.

Bullpen: This is an area that we can all expect some major changes/additions to. The bullpen was exposed this season because the starters rarely went deep into games, but nonetheless it was an extreme weak point. The No. 1 question is who will be the closer? Bobby Parnell showed flashes, but was inconsistent; he had six saves and six blown saves, yet still possesses the best stuff of anyone in the 'pen. In relief, New York sported an unimpressive 4.33 ERA and 1.45 WHIP. Their best reliever was Taylor Buchholz, who had his season cut short after 26 innings because of depression. Francisco Rodriguez -- traded to Milwaukee midseason -- was their second-best, and even Manny Acosta was better than expected, finishing with a 3.45 ERA in 47 innings. This will be an area will Alderson will prioritize, yet he will not be pigeon-holed into taking the ill-fated long-term deal. http://newyork.sbnation.com/new-york-mets/2011/10/25/2512284/new-york-mets-offseason-jose-reyes-sandy-alderson

No one thought it would be this bad. Sure, everyone everyone hated the Jason Bay contract for various reasons but a 100 OPS+ and 18 home runs in his first two seasons as a Met? Only the most pessimistic anti-Canadians among us could have predicted it. Whenever Bay is in the batter's box, all I see is a giant Publisher's Clearing House-type check for $16 million. And this is what a trip to Bay's Baseball-Reference page feels like. Bay's season had a "one step forward, three steps back" feel to it. Every time he strung together a few good games after weeks of suckage, the fanbase always seemed to respond with hopeful "maybe he's figuring it out?" sentiments. And without fail, he would immediately slide into a 4-for-30 funk. Bay finished with a strong September (.313/.392/.563) so maybe he's figuring it out? Doubtful, but he's still not completely ancient at 33 years-old so perhaps he can rebound. More time removed from the concussion he sustained in 2009 is also reason for modest optimism. Even an OPS of .800 would be welcome at this point. - http://www.amazinavenue.com/2011/10/25/2494933/2011-postmortem-left-field

Cutnpaste: Mark Cohoon, Chris Schwinden, Manny Acosta, Bobby Parnell, Juan Lagares

9-3-11: - http://metsmerizedonline.com/2011/09/prospect-pulse-buffalo-2012-help-on-the-way.html  - SP5: Mark Cohoon - What can you say about the season that the Mets’ 2010 Minor League Pitcher of the Year, has had to endure? He has really, really struggled. Just when it seems like he is on the verge of finding his old form, he gets his brains beat out by International League hitting. Since joining the Herd rotation, in mid-May, the south-paw has been remarkably ineffective. In 17 AAA GS over 88 IP, he has a dismal record of 4-10, with an ERA of 6.01. He has been raked for 110 hits, 59 ER’s, 9 HR’s, 38 walks and only 49 K’s, and opponents are hitting .316 against him. Now some would say, “this guy is awful just get rid of him!” But what are we actually talking about here? The 5th rotation spot on the Buffalo Bisons? If you don’t live in Buffalo, then who cares? After all, he was pitcher of the year last year, he is left-handed, and he is breathing. Cohoon has shown himself to be a resourceful pitcher before. Last year when he first joined Bingo, he got his lunch eaten a few times, but he managed to make the necessary adjustments to succeed there. With luck he can possibly do the same thing again next year, but he needs the opportunity first, so lets give him a couple months worth of starts, and see if he can do more than just hold down the fort until Mejia returns around mid-season. As for helping the Mets next season? It ain’t gonna happen, but if he does pitch well for the Herd in 2012, he could be in this conversation for real, this time next year.

9-14-11: - http://www.minorleagueball.com/2011/9/14/2423353/prospect-of-the-day-chris-schwinden-rhp-new-york-mets  - (Chris) Schwinden was undeterred however, and ended up having a fine season this year for Triple-A Buffalo, with a 3.95 ERA and a 134/48 K/BB in 146 innings, allowing 138 hits. He was promoted to the majors for this month and gave up eight hits and five runs in five innings in his first start, though he walked just one and fanned four. There is nothing special about his velocity, his fastball is just in the 86-90 range. He mixes in a cutter, curveball, and changeup, relying on sharp command of his secondary pitches to succeed. He has little margin for error and needs a strong defense behind him, but there are pitchers with worse stuff who have made careers for themselves due to superior command, and he's shown the ability to make adjustments to higher level competition. Schwinden really snuck up on us this year, but I don't see him as a total fluke. I think he projects as a fifth starter or long relief type as long as his command remains strong.

As for underappreciated players, there are a few who come to mind on the 2011 Mets. The circumstances surrouding the players and the Mets certainly differ from those of the A's at the turn of the century, but acquiring or retaining underappreciated players can only be a good thing for any organization. If a player can be had at a price below the value he'll provide, he will benefit the team. (Manny) Acosta was a Braves castaway when the Mets picked him up on waivers early in the 2010 season, but he's been nothing short of a very good reliever in his time with the Mets. Although the "Acostalypse" nickname created in his Braves days has stuck with him, Acosta has struck out 84 in 79.2 innings of work, a rate of 9.5 per nine innings, while posting a 3.05 ERA. Control has never been Acosta's speciality, but over the same span he's walked 3.4 per nine innings. Both numbers are a marked improvement from his time with the Braves. His splits show an ability to handle left-handed hitters without issue, and his salary is quite low by major league standards. Acosta rarely gets credit, but he's a great fit for medium-to-high leverage situations out of the bullpen. - http://www.amazinavenue.com/2011/9/14/2423158/the-moneyball-mets-underappreciated-players-on-the-2011-team  

The question never is, should (Bobby) Parnell be closer or not. It isn’t a binary choice. If not Parnell, someone has to close. And clearly, there are plenty of relievers who wouldn’t be likely to perform as well as Parnell next season, closer or otherwise. But there’s a decent chance the Mets can find someone better, too. Meanwhile, as he struggles late in the season, let’s not pretend it says anything other than that Parnell sometimes struggles. Look no further than Ryan Madson in Philadelphia, a pitcher talked about as effective but not, somehow, closer material. He’s saved 30 games this year. And unfortunately for the Mets, he’s a much better pitcher than Parnell. And that has nothing to do with role. If the Mets can get a pitcher like Madson, he should close. If not, Parnell is a good bet to be a middling, Leo Nunez-type closer. And when the Mets are ready to contend again, Parnell should be a mid-level bullpen contributor. - http://mets.lohudblogs.com/2011/09/14/who-is-bobby-parnell  

9-14-11: - http://www.metsminorleagueblog.com/juan-lagares  - Defensively, (Juan) Lagares can play both left and right field, and also is a good enough athlete to play some center-field in a pinch. While Lagares would not be a liability in centerfield, he is not an everyday centerfield type mainly due to lack of foot speed. Lagares shows good instincts in the outfield to go along with smooth clean actions. Lagares does not fit the mold of a starting corner outfielder in the big leagues (on a championship type team). His lack of power is the biggest reason for this. Lagares would need to hit a ton in order to make up for the lack of power to be an everyday corner outfielder. The closest comparison I can see Lagares becoming is perhaps a Jose Tabata type. Lagares looks the part of a solid fourth outfield type. His ability to play all three outfield positions to go with his ability to hit, gives Lagares a chance to be a future solid bench contributor to the Mets organization

Cutnpaste: Juan Lagares, Gnats Baseball Cards, John Franco, Lucas Duda, David Einhorn

9-3-11: - http://metsmerizedonline.com/2011/09/prospect-pulse-buffalo-2012-help-on-the-way.html   - Juan Lagares - 2011 has been a breakout season for Lagares in the truest sense of the word. After totally demolishing the Florida State League in the first half, with a .338/.380/.494 slash line, he went to Bingo and started hitting even better, to the tune of .376/.397/.523. He is off to the Arizona Fall League after the regular season, and barring a total meltdown, should be starting in LF for the Herd next year. This guy is coming very fast now and has a well-rounded game. It may sound like a broken record, but there is no reason why he can’t break-in at Citi sometime next year too.

The Savannah Sand Gnats are the Mets’ Single-A affiliate in the South Atlantic League. They made the playoffs, though they will be trying to stave off elimination after their defeat last night. Multi Ad Sports produced their 36-card team set, which also includes 35 regular cards as well as a blank-back logo card. The fronts are glossy; the backs are printed in black and white with green highlights. They include a cropped version of the photo from the front, stats and biographical information. The photography in this set is among the best I’ve seen on minor league baseball cards. If you were collecting in the early 1990s, think of Topps Stadium Club vs. everyone else. It’s that good. - http://randombaseballstuff.com/2011/09/08/minor-league-baseball-card-review-2011-savannah-sand-gnats

John Franco wouldn't mind trying to pick up another save for the Mets. The franchise's all-time saves leader yesterday said he would love an opportunity to tutor Bobby Parnell for the remainder of this season and beyond, if the Mets ask Franco to help. The right-handed Parnell has struggled in his audition for the 2012 closer's job. "He's a young kid and he's still figuring things out," Franco told The Post before the Mets beat the Cubs 5-4 last night at Citi Field. "It's like on-the-job training for him. If you go into a season with the mindset 'This is my job,' and you have the right tutoring -- someone like myself can come along and maybe help him out and talk to him day in and day out." - http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/mets/franco_says_he_volunteer_to_tutor_e76txaZOlQy1YRfu9IGXVM?CMP=OTC-rss&FEEDNAME=  

Lucas Duda: I'll come right out and say it: I really like Duda. All of a sudden, the last three weeks of a season are meaningful for a team that will be going nowhere because the Mets have become very cost conscious. Thus, young players can stake a claim for a spot next year. The No. 1 young player performing his way into a starting role next season is right fielder Lucas Duda. The 25-year-old has been given a shot and has been doing what he did in the minor leagues: hit, and hit both lefties and righties. Duda has a .279 average, nine home runs and 46 RBI on the season. Since the All-Star break, he has really found comfort in constant playing time: with a .307/.385/.548 line and all nine of his homers. This is the type of guy the Mets need to excel with their lower-than-normal payroll. His defense may be subpar, but he's got an advanced hitting approach and will come at a cheap price next season. Plus, he's settled in nicely at the No. 3 spot in the order in front of David Wright. - http://newyork.sbnation.com/new-york-mets/2011/9/9/2415542/five-reasons-to-watch-the-new-york-mets-jose-reyes-lucas-duda-johan-santana  

(David) Einhorn won’t invest if he doesn’t believe that the future will benefit him. (He has a good track record, famously shorting Lehman Brothers before the firm went bankrupt in 2008.) What stuck in his craw was an apparent attempt by the Wilpons to get language removed from the agreement which would provide an automatic road for Einhorn to get approval from other major league owners, to allow him to take over the Mets. (Automatic approval itself is prohibited by baseball’s rules.) He explained: “It wouldn’t make sense to invest $200 million into a team and then be denied the ability to exercise a negotiated option [to buy the team] down the road due to the inability to obtain the required vote of other major league owners at that time.” - http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/why-einhorn-jilted-the-mets