I May Be Wrong, But…

1. I sadly hope that Adam Rubin is correct about Angel Pagan leaving. I have enjoyed Pagan during the time he has been a Met, but I’m committed to the 2013-2014 plan and he just isn’t in it. I have been more disappointed in his defensive…err… skills this season and he just isn’t the center fielder that is needed to cover CitiField. There’s no reason to spend $5mil in 2012 on him when the solution to this problem is either still in the pipeline (Matt den Dekker, Kirk Nieuwenhuis) or on the 2013 free agent list (Michael Bourn, Matt Kemp, B.J. Upton). First, I would play Nick Evans somewhere on a winter ball team and cut a deal with them to play him only in CF. After that doesn’t work, go sign someone in the $2-3mil range to hold the fort down for one year, while Evans stays up as a utility OF/3B/1B.

2. As I understand it… and feel free to correct me if I’m wrong… but the Madoff –mess judge has ruled that the MAXIMUM amount that the Mets could owe those that are suing, is $83mil, which was based on profits over a 2-year period. I assume that could also be paid over a 2-year period, which would be $41.5mil per year. Continuing on this, I also assume that both parties could settle this right now for around $30mil a year for 2-years. So, if Cot says the 2011 payroll was #143mil, then the team could operate 2012 and 2013 at $110mil and be done with this by 2014. Kewl… oh… just read they could owe close to $340mil… err… never mind.

3. Wednesday might have been the most outstanding night of baseball… ever.  Four teams trying to get in the playoffs and most of them go into extra innings… are you kidding me? There is no way to beat what we watched late into Thursday morning. This is why we watch baseball. This is why some of us write about it. Unbelievable.

4. Should the Mets try and resign 40-year old Miquel Batista? I mean, a two-hit shutout to finish the season? I can’t see anyone giving him a multi-year deal so why not bring him back for the 2012 season while the kids mature down in Buffalo?

5. We’ve added another great writer here at Mack’s Mets. Frank Gray, of The Bleacher Report, has joined us and will start off by posting twice a week, Monday and Thursday, at 2pm EST. Our goal here is to continue to bring you the best information on the New York Mets, by the best independent writers out there on the Internet. Welcome Frank.

Cutnpaste: Brandon Moore, Reese Havens, Miquel Batista, Josh Thole, Terry Collins

9-16-11: - http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110916&content_id=24774440&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_milb  - (Brandon) Moore, 25, was a South Atlantic League All-Star in 2010 with Class A Savannah when he had a 3.49 ERA in 14 outings for the Sand Gnats. He pitched at three levels in 2010 before spending all of this season at Double-A, where he finished 10-8 with a 4.47 ERA in 26 outings (25 starts). The Crawfordsville, Ind., native was New York's 14th-round pick in the 2008 Draft out of Indiana Wesleyan University and has also pitched for Kingsport, Brooklyn and St. Lucie over the last three years.

9-17-11: - Reese Havens (Mets first-round pick in 2008): The second baseman, taken four picks after Ike Davis, has suffered through one injury after another practically since the day he was drafted after playing every single game of his career at South Carolina. But it would be a stunner if the Mets chose not to protect a player that could become their long-term answer at second base as soon as next season. Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/mets/yankees_mets_must_make_key_decisions_5aKoxsOfZQzXf4dhd226oK#ixzz1YErc8tpG  

This 40-year-old Dominican pitcher doesn’t have any higher learning on his résumé. So how is it he finds himself on this list of the nine smartest players in baseball? By being a published author, that’s how. Batista has had a book of poetry entitled Sentimientos en Blanco y Negro (or Feelings in Black and White) published, as well as a thriller novel about a serial killer called The Avenger of Blood. I have no idea if these works are any good, but not just any old dummy can sit down and write a book. So for a baseball player, I’d say Miguel is of above average intelligence. Wouldn’t you? - http://www.totalprosports.com/2011/09/16/9-smartest-players-in-major-league-baseball  

Though (Josh)Thole has had the challenge of handling knuckleballer R.A. Dickey for most of the season, he said that is no excuse for his NL-leading 16 passed balls. That number has partly obscured Thole's throwing improvement and steady game-calling this year Offensively there have been fewer questions, even if Thole's .266 average with three homers and 36 RBIs in 312 at-bats haven't exactly evoked images of Mike Piazza. But the Mets will remain patient with the 24-year-old Thole, whose role could become more pronounced next season if veteran Ronny Paulino isn't re-signed -- the team could go with a tandem of Thole and Mike Nickeas behind the plate. - Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/mets/getting_defensive_gx39RsY8mPcZg7oa8EpG4N#ixzz1YHrP4wxG  

It has nearly been a year since Terry Collins was introduced as the Mets manager and declared, "I’m not the evil devil that a lot of people have made me out to be." And his words have rung true as he has been a non-stop whirlwind of energy and enthusiasm, cherishing the days on the field after an 11-year absence from a spot on the bench. He has shed the reputation as a too-intense explosion waiting to happen. At least he had until Thursday when he blew up publicly, ripping his team for appearing to have folded up. But when he finally erupted, his team didn’t turn on him. There was no anonymous sniping and really little disagreement with his words. Even Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen took to Twitter to back up Collins. But there was really nothing to defend him from. - http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/mets/post/_/id/34978/mets-morning-briefing-9-18-11  

Cutnpaste: - Adrian Rosario, Josh Stinson, Joan Decena, Miquel Batista, Davey on Mets

9-3-11: - nypost  - (Adrian) Rosario has the significantly higher upside of the two pitchers. The 21-year-old from the Dominican Republic entered the season as Baltimore's 30th overall prospect, according to Baseball America, after the Orioles selected him in last winter's Rule V draft, earning that ranking thanks to a low-90s fastball and good changeup. But after struggling this spring with Baltimore, Rosario was sent back to the Brewers, and assigned to High-A Broward County in the Florida State League. There, Rosario struggled with his control, walking 33 in 66 1/3 innings and earning himself a demotion to Low-A Wisconsin in the Midwest League

For those of us used to experiencing Mets' bullpen experiences the same way we embrace a root canal, watching (Josh) Stinson pitch gave me the sensation of lying on a fluffy cloud with chocolate bars floating by for the taking. Stinson is a serious revelation ... not the revelation that he's going to set the world on fire and become the greatest closer since sliced bread, but the revelation of what you already knew: Enough of bullpen by patchwork, bullpen by overpriced free agent (and you can't spell overpriced without "Carrasco"), bullpen by finger crossing and prayers. It's time for the Mets to develop bullpen arms that'll make people swing and miss without breaking a sweat. Think about it this way: Even when Ryota Igarashi, who actually pitched well on Friday, was going good for about a month in 2010, he looked like every ounce of energy he had was going into every pitch. And that's fine, but isn't it nice to see a guy from your own farm system come up and throw hard while looking like he just rolled out of bed? Isn't it nice to see a guy approach mid-90's without having to set his hair on fire to do it? - http://www.metstradamusblog.com/2011-articles/september/where-have-you-been-all-my-life.html

8-23-11: - DSL 2011 End of Season Wrap-Up - http://www.nyfuturestars.com/community/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=35808&sid=e8719b8eddffd9bc033d0ab708d8aff5  - Joan Decena, 19, OF - In his 3rd year with the Mets Org, Decena hit .264 with 3 homers and 30 RBIs. While playing mainly RF for the Mets 1 squad, he had 8 OF assists.

Not to be outdone by the Yankees recent Derek Jeter 3,000 hit marketing extravaganza, the Mets have unveiled a line of merchandise commemorating last night's outstanding noble achievement of Miguel Batista. Early this morning, the Mets marketing department released this statement: By throwing 6 quality innings of six-hit ball, Miguel Batista pitched his way into history and joined the exclusive 100 win club. We salute Mr. Batista and honor him with this line of exclusive merchandise that we can produce cheaply and mark up considerably. Hopefully we will make some money on these so that in the future we will be able to afford better pitchers than Miguel Batista - http://www.readtheapple.com/2011/09/mets-release-line-of-merchandise-to.html  

(Davey) Johnson, who was named Nationals manager in June after Jim Riggelman quit during a contract dispute, didn't want to venture a guess as to whether or not the Mets are ready. He named David Wright, Justin Turner, Lucas Duda and Ike Davis as players the Mets should be excited about, and said re-signing Jose Reyes should be a priority this winter - http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/mets/davey_in_doubt_TiLCxRZ6bq8TkF7aE8R1aK#ixzz1WtS98c00