Blogging Mets

Dave Kingman (1975-1977, 1981-1983)

Kingman was notoriously prickly with the media with the Mets. Things got worse when he left, once sending a rat in a box to a  female sportswriter when he was with the A’s. Read this really good article by Joe Posnaski on his feelings about Kingman. Despite it all, he’s still  one of my favorite all-time Mets.

Darryl Strawberry (1983-1990)

Another one of my all-time favorites, but you’ve got to admit, he was kind of a jerk. Famously punched Keith Hernandez while taking a team photo. After going through a lot of trials (literally) and tribulations, he has rehabbed his image and is now back in the Mets’ good graces.

Kevin Mitchell (1984, 1986)

Lets see, he allegedly fought with Strawberry during a basketball game in 1982 shortly after both were drafted and signed. He allegedly decapitated his girlfriend’s cat (he denies it). He was allegedly making plane reservations during the famous Game 6 comeback in the 1986 World Series before being called on as a pinch-hitter. In 1999 he was arrested for assaulting his father. And as a minor league manager in 2000, he was suspended for punching the opposing team’s owner in the mouth during a brawl.

Lenny Dykstra (1985-1989)

Dykstra earned his jerkdom for his post-baseball career. He earned lots of media attention for his business acumen, accumulating tens of millions of dollars. He started an investment fund for athletes that charged exorbitant fees. Now he’s bankrupt, and blames everybody else for his troubles. Check out this excellent article on Dykstra’s rise and fall.

Gregg Jefferies (1987-1991)

Jefferies came up to the Mets as a 20-year-old with a lot of hype. And apparently he believed it all. He was seen as extremely immature, and by all reports was hated by his teammates. 

Vince Coleman (1991-1993)

He injured Dwight Gooden’s arm by stupidly swinging a golf club in the clubhouse early in the 1993 season. Three months later, he threw a firecracker into a crowd of fans outside Dodger Stadium. An all around nice guy.

Bobby Bonilla (1992-1995, 1999)

His jerkdom has been well documented in these pages. No need to repeat. But man, was he a jerk.

Bret Saberhagen (1992-1995)

In 1993 Saberhagen sprayed bleach into a group of reporters. When he was found out, he apologized and donated one day’s pay to charity. So maybe he wasn’t a total jerk.

Jeff Kent (1992-1996)

Here’s my favorite Kent story. After coming over from the Blue Jays in a late-season trade along with Ryan Thompson for David Cone, the Mets staged their annual rookie hazing, in which the young players wear women’s clothing. Thompson went along, but Kent smugly refused, saying he had already done it earlier in the season in Toronto. Can you believe he’ll be in the Hall of Fame someday? Boy, those early 1990 teams were certainly jerky!

Lastings Milledge (2006-2007)

I actually had no problem with his high-fiving fans as he took the field after hitting his first home run. But the rest of his act quickly wore thin with his teammates, culminating with someone (reported to be Billy Wagner) hanging a note on his locker that read “Know your place, rook.”

Mug Shots Courtesy Ultimate Mets Database, http://ultimatemets.com/mugshots.php

The Mets have reportedly resigned Fernando Tatis to be half of a platoon with Daniel Murphy at first base. If this sounds familiar, it should — last year the duo started the season sharing left field. How did that work out?

Tatis actually finished 2009 with respectable numbers: .282, 8 homers and 48 RBIs in 340 at bats. But he grounded into 473 ground plays — all in key spots — in those at bats, and got off to a horrible start when the Mets really needed him.

The New York Post reports the deal will pay Tatis less than the $1.7 million he made last season, but with incentives, he could approach that level. The deal means the Mets career of Carlos Delgado is over. That is probably for the best.

I had to laugh Wednesday when reports said the Mets and Tatis were in “deep negotiations” on a new deal. How “deep” could those negotiations have been? I imagine they went something like this:

Omar Minaya: Hey Fernando, you want to play for us this season?
Tatis: Sure.
Minaya: Okay. Here’s some money.
Tatis: Thanks, amigo.

Is this really the best the Mets could do? A 35-year-old who is clearly on the downside of a career notable only for hitting two grand slams in the same inning, and winning Comeback Player of the Year for the Mets in 2008? Sadly, that answer appears to be yes.

Speaking of sad, Newsday is reporting “increased momentum” on a deal that would bring John Smoltz to Queens. I ask again — is this the best the Mets can do? Having to root for Tom Glavine was bad enough, but at least he had something left. Do we have to watch another former Brave who may well be washed-up?

If Smoltz signs, that’s nearly 80 years worth of living (Smoltz turns 43 in May) on the Mets roster in just two players. I guess Minaya didn’t learn anything from the previous senior signings of Julio Franco, Moises Alou, Aaron Sele, and Orlando Hernandez.

By the way, I am withholding comment on Minaya’s performance this winter until spring training starts because more deals could happen. Please, please, let more deals happen.

News Tuesday that is distressing to Mets fans and the team’s starting rotation — Ben Sheets and Jon Garland signed with other teams. The A’s locked up Sheets for a guaranteed $10 million plus incentives, while Garland came to an agreement with the Padres for $4.25 million.

While I advocated signing both of them, I do think the Mets were smart not to go as high as $10 million for Sheets. That’s a lot of money for a guy who just missed a season because of injury. Of course, if he is indeed healthy, $10 million is a bargain. I would have taken a chance in the $5-$7 million range, with a ton of incentives.

As far as Garland, the Padres got themselves a huge bargain. For less than $5 million, they get a guaranteed 200 innings. They may not be spectacular innings, but Garland knows what he’s doing out on the mound, and will give his team a good chance to win. There were reports Garland wanted to stay on the West coast, and the Mets, knowing that, never made a serious push for him. Too bad. Perhaps Garland could have been swayed by a couple of more million bucks.

So where does that leave the Mets? Barring a big trade (which, as I’ve said repeatedly, I can’t imagine Minaya isn’t working on), reports say the Mets have decided the best alternative may be John Smoltz (left). And that’s a sad commentary on where the Mets are at this point in time. When a nearly 43-year-old pitcher who tormented them for more than a decade when he pitched for their hated rivals is the best alternative, well, that just ain’t good. Smoltz managed just 15 starts last season with the Red Sox (which released him), and the Cardinals, finishing 3-8 with a 6.35 era. What makes the Mets think he’ll do any better when he’s a year older?

So what to do? As far as pitching, I have no idea (barring that mystery trade). What the Mets could do is just finally sign Orlando Hudson. Reports say the Nationals are interested, but only at around $3 million. The Rays are said to be kicking the tires on Hudson. But just like with the Nats, Hudson would have to substantially lower his $9 million asking price. The Mets could obviously outbid either of those teams. If they could get Hudson for, say, $5 million, that bargain price would soften the blow of having Luis Castillo’s $6 million sitting on the bench.

One piece of good news — Johan Santana threw off of a mound in Port St. Lucie on Tuesday (left). He said he felt good, that the elbow from which bone chips were removed did not give him any problems. “I felt pretty good, the ball was coming out pretty good, I feel like I did my mechanics with no problem and I didn’t feel anything in my arm.” The Mets will need a  healthy Santana all season if they have any hope of contending in 2010.

Oliver Perez also threw. But really, who gives a crap?

The Mets on Friday acquired Gary Matthews, Jr. from the Los Angeles Angels for reliever Brian Stokes. Matthews is expected to compete with Angel Pagan for the center field job until Carlos Beltran is ready to come back from his controversial knee surgery.

Matthews signed what is considered to be one of the worst contracts in baseball history (from the team’s perspective) following a career year in 2006 — five years, $50 million. There is $23 million and two years left on the deal. The Angels are sending along $21 million to cover almost all of the contract. This is the only thing that makes this deal even remotely decent for the Mets.

For $2 million, they take a chance that Matthews (left, making the catch that made him famous in 2006) can fill in admirably for Beltran, then settle in as a fourth outfielder. They lose Stokes, who is a good, solid reliever, but not a difference maker. I would have been much happier if it had been the horrible Sean Green (why is he still on the team?) going to L.A., but losing Stokes will not be the difference between contending and not contending in 2010.

There had been reports the teams were considering a Matthews-Luis Castillo swap, with the Mets getting less money back in the deal. That would have allowed the Mets to sign Orlando Hudson. But alas, Castillo is still a Met.

On another front, the Mets are said to be serious about signing Ben Sheets. They were apparently impressed with his throwing exhibition earlier this week. The Mets are in a position to outbid any other team for Sheet’s services. But as witnessed with Bengie Molina and Joel Piniero, the Mets’ money may not be good enough. Even if they sign Sheets, as I’ve said in the past, I would also sign Jon Garland. I don’t want a rotation that relies on Maine, Pelfrey and Perez. Two of them, fine, but not all three.

One more thing. I wrote more than a month ago that I think Omar Minaya is working on something big. Nothing has happened so far, but I still think he is. Minaya has to know that he can’t go into the season with this roster — basically the same roster that has failed to make the playoffs for the past three seasons. I still think it will involve the Reds and some combination of Bronson Arroyo, Aaron Harang or Brandon Phillips. Reports say the Reds are desperate to trade Harang. But they want a top prospect in return, and not many teams are biting. To save money, they may turn to Plan B and deal Arroyo and his contract. That’s when I think the Mets, and other teams, will jump in.

There was a lot of Mets news Tuesday, so let’s get right to it.

First off, apparently you really can leave your heart in San Francisco (left, the classic photo). That’s where Begnie Molina’s was. The catcher who was said to be destined for Queens spurned the Mets, and resigned with the Giants. The deal is reported to be one year, $4.5 million. By all accounts the Mets offered one year upwards of $6 million, with an option for year two. Molina was holding out for a guaranteed second year, and when the Mets wouldn’t bite, he hopped the next trolley for San Francisco.

I say good riddance. Obviously he didn’t want to play for the Mets, and was just coming here for the money. Who needs that? Besides, Molina is not a game changer. He’s really no great loss.

Now they are reported to be pursuing Yorvit Torrealba. Yes, this is the same Yorvit Torrealba whom the Mets nearly signed a few years ago, only to back out of the deal at the last minute. The same Yorvit Torrealba who filed a grievance against the Mets. Yeah, he’d really be motivated to wear the blue and orange (and black, for some reason).

What I think the Mets should do is go with Henry Blanco and Omir Santos, and put that $6 million towards someone else. There are many options here. Since they were going to spend the money anyway, why not spend it on the long-coveted Orlando Hudson? He would add a much needed spark to the lineup, as well as to the clubhouse. That would leave Luis Castillo a $6 million benchwarmer. Better to have $6 million on the bench with Hudson and Blanco or Santos in the lineup, than with Castillo and Molina on the field.

Or the Mets could sign two, maybe three more pitchers. Which leads us to our next news item: Ben Sheets (left) throws for scouts in Louisiana. The Mets were among more than a half a dozen teams who attended the audition. Several scouts said they were looking at “the old Ben Sheets.” That would be “the old Ben Sheets” who was 25-14 in 2007 and 2008 before missing all of last season following elbow surgery.

Sheets is said to be seeking $12 million dollars for 2010. That’s entirely too much for a pitcher who missed a season with injury. Several “experts” predict he’ll eventually get the same contract Brad Penny got from the Cardinals — $7.5 million. At that price, I would give Sheets a shot. If he’s healthy, and that’s a pretty big “if,” Sheets is an ace who would fit in very nicely behind Johan Santana in the Mets starting rotation.

I’ve been saying all winter that the Mets should sign two starters. I like Jon Garland, a workhorse who always manages a winning record. But reports say the Mets are seriously considering Joel Piniero. Many fear he could be a one-year, Dave Duncan wonder. And he reportedly wants a three-year deal. I wouldn’t take a chance. A rotation headed by Santana, a healthy Sheets, and Garland, followed by the two best of Mike Pelfrey, John Maine, Jon Niese or Oliver Perez would be pretty formidable.

Now that Molina isn’t coming, if the Mets sit pat with their catchers, they could use the money to sign a third pitcher. John Smoltz’s name has been bandied about. He could start or be the eighth inning bridge to Francisco Rodriguez. I’m not too excited about signing a pitcher who’ll turn 43 during the season, and who spent most of his career with the Braves, but if he comes cheap, it could be worth a shot.

Now onto Jason Bay and his knees. A report in the New York Post says the Red Sox backed away from resigning Bay last July because of a disagreement over the diagnosis of Bay’s knees. The first thing to know is that the information comes from Peter Gammons, so there’s a very good chance, like virtually everything he writes, that it’s absolutely false. However, it concerns Gammons’ beloved Red Sox, a team he reports on breathlessly. The Sox could have indeed leaked him the information, but because it came from the beloved Sox, he never tried to confirm it independently.

Anyway, Gammons said on NESN, “The MRI showed some problems with both knees. Ownership wanted (to give him) two years and he had to prove that he was healthy to be able to make it four years, and he wouldn’t sign.”

The Mets countered, a spokesman telling the Post,  ”(Bay) had a physical and everything is fine.” Given the Mets medical history, it remains to be seen, but I can’t imagine they would have given him a big money, four-year deal if an MRI turned up knee trouble. But Gammons said the Red Sox doctors are “probably the best in any sport.” Of course he said that.

Now some good news. The Mets announced they will induct Darryl Strawberry, Dwight Gooden, Davey Johnson and Frank Cashen into the team’s Hall of Fame. It seems like the Mets are listening to their fans who want the team history acknowledged in a bigger way at Citi Field. The actual Hall of Fame is being built and will open during the season.

Strawberry and Gooden are interesting choices, since they left the Mets under dark clouds. But again, management is responding to the fans, who cheer Strawberry and Gooden at every turn.

Maybe now they will retire a few more numbers. Keith Hernandez’s 17 definitely should. And so should Mike Piazza’s 31. I read somewhere that the Mets want to wait to retire Piazza’s number until they see what cap he wears when he enters the Hall of Fame. It said the Mets would be embarassed if they retired his number, then he wore a Dodgers hat on his Hall of Fame plaque. What would be embarassing about that? The Mets would be honoring him for his great years in Flushing, and the Hall would be honoring his entire career, half of which was spent in Los Angeles. The Cubs retired Greg Maddux’s number last year, the season after he retired, and it’s almost certain he will go into the Hall of Fame as a Brave. Why should the Mets wait on Piazza?

2009’s injury bug has hit the 2010 Mets, and the season hasn’t even begun yet. Carlos Beltran had surgery on his right knee Wednesday, and is expected to return to baseball activities in 12 weeks, meaning he will likely miss the start of the season. But just like everything surrounding the Mets, this is not without its controversy. Apparently the Mets were not on board with this procedure. That’s evident in the statement the team made:

Carlos Beltran had worsening of osteoarthritis of the right knee during the offseason.  He had not been experiencing pain following the conclusion of the season and into his early offseason conditioning. The symptoms returned to the point where pre-spring training conditioning became too painful.  He elected to undergo arthroscopic clean out of the arthritic area of his knee by Beltran’s personal physician Dr. Richard Steadman today in Colorado.  He is anticipated to return to baseball activities in 12 weeks.

Notice it says “he elected…” And notice the procedure was performed by “Beltran’s personal physician,” not Mets team physician Dr. David Altchek. The New York Post quotes a person familiar with the situation, who said the Commissioners Office and the Players Association have been alerted that “the Mets are claiming this was done without clearance and that the Mets are threatening to take some form of action. There is a potential issue out there.”

But according to the Post, the Mets probably don’t have much of a case. A friend of Beltran’s tells the paper that Beltran was under Altchek’s care from October through December. It was only in December when he could not perform that Beltran went to see Steadman. And the friend said Mets doctors and trainers were kept abreast of the diagnosis in Colorado, even if the Mets did not agree with the remedy.

On the field, Angel Pagan will most probably see the bulk of the playing time in center in Beltran’s absence. He performed well when he filled in for Beltran last season. Perhaps Fernando Martinez will get a look. But both Pagan and Martinez are injury-prone themselves. 

The bright side is that 12 weeks from today is April 7th. The season starts two days earlier, so if all goes well, Beltran might only miss the first couple of weeks, maybe a month, following a minor league rehab assignment.

But the bottom line is that the Mets might have a “potential issue” with one of their star players. Great way to start the new season.

It’s a staple of Mets message boards and I assume sports talk radio (I don’t listen) — that Omar Minaya favors Latino players over non-Latinos. There is certainly circumstantial evidence to back up that claim. The Mets have perhaps more Latinos on their roster than any other team. Minaya has made some questionable deals that netted Latinos in exchange for non-Latinos — Brian Bannister for Ambiorix Burgos, Matt Lindstrom and Henry Owens for Jason Vargas are two examples. Then of course there was Anna Benson’s (below, any excuse to use her picture) contention that Minaya was “putting together an all-Latino team.” Who better to help make your point than Anna Benson?

But is any of it true? On the surface, it seems ridiculous. Minaya was hired to build a baseball team, not a Latino social club. But then there’s this 2008 quote from Minaya himself:

“Diversity has always meant a lot to me. Growing up in New York as a kid, diversity was important, and it has always been important to me and to our organization, and ownership, too.”

While it shows Minaya has a social conscious, it’s no proof of some kind of secret agenda. The only way is to look at the deals Minaya has made, and see if there is a pattern. So I analyzed (and when I say “analyzed,” I mean counted) all of Minaya’s transactions since he became Mets GM in September 2004. A special thanks to the good folks at Ultimate Mets Database, which lists, among other things, every transaction in Mets history. If you haven’t visisted the site, do it. But be advised — this will cost you many, many hours of your life as you travel through franchise history.

I broke this down into two categories — trades and free agent signings, and players Minaya released or those who left as free agents. I counted the comings and goings of Latino and non-Latino players. And here’s what I found:

In Minaya’s time as Mets GM, he acquired 62 Latino players. But guess how many non-Latino players he got? — 64. So the idea that Minaya is going out there collecting Latino players at the expense of non-Latinos just doesn’t add up. But here’s where conspiracy theorists have a point — in all of the trades Minaya has made, he dealt away 35 non-Latino players, and only sent 17 Latinos to other teams.

And then there are the players released or who left as free agents. 63 non-Latinos departed the team, while just 40 Latinos were sent away.

So what does all of this mean? You can make the argument Minaya has no bias, pointing to the fact that he actually acquired two more non-Latinos than Latinos. But he traded away or allowed to leave considerably more non-Latino players (98) than Latinos (57). So both sides of the argument have numbers to back up their claims.

As for me, I can’t imagine ethnicity has anything to do with Minaya’s player personnel decisions. I think there is that perception because of a few bad minor trades, and the major acquisitions of such high profile players as Pedro Martinez, Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, Johan Santana and Francisco Rodriguez.  Indeed, these players are Latino, but they were also the best players available when the Mets acquired them, Latino or not. Who cares where they are from as long as they perform well? That is what I think Minaya believes.

Then there are a couple of individual instances. Prior to the 2006 season, when Minaya was shopping for a catcher, he reportedly made identical offers to Latino free agents Bengie Molina and Ramon Hernandez, and waited for one of them to take it.  He eventually rescinded the offers and traded two players (one of them Latino) for Paul Lo Duca — a white guy.  And don’t forget the big 10 player J.J. Putz trade, in which four of the seven players the Mets traded away were Latino, in return for three non-Latinos. If Minaya truly had a bias, he never would have made these deals.  

Having said that, I’m sure Minaya doesn’t mind having a strong Latino presence on the team. And I think if Minaya has any bias at all, it’s when it comes down to the final few roster spots. If there is a choice between a Latino or non-Latino player for, say, a backup infielder job or the last spot in the bullpen, Minaya might favor the Latino player if both players are at a similar talent level. I have no evidence to back this up. It’s just a  feeling I have.

In any case, it’s all about winning. If the Mets had won a couple of World Series during the Minaya years, no one would care if the players were all white or black or Latino or whatever. Winning is the greatest diversity plan of all — fans become color blind, and the players are simply called champions.

In November I wrote a column predicting the results of this year’s Hall of Fame ballot. And I’m proud to say that I was just five votes short of being 100% correct, confounding all of the so called experts.

I correctly predicted Andre Dawson (left, with fellow former Expos Hall of Famer and Mets hero Gary Carter) would get in. I also thought this was finally Bert Blyleven’s year. He missed by those five votes. I also said while Roberto Alomar and Barry Larkin were eventually going to be Hall of Famers, they wouldn’t get in on the first ballot. Well, I was right again. Alomar just missed with 73.7%, and Larkin got  a surprisingly low 51.6%. Two other first-timers on the ballot, Edgar Martinez and Fred McGriff, received tepid support at best, just as someone I know predicted.

But wait, there’s more. In December, I wrote a column about suspected steroid users and the Hall of Fame, in which I advocated that except for players who failed drug tests, they should all be allowed in because no one knows for sure if they were using. I said Mark McGwire deserves to be elected, but that he wouldn’t, and that his support would remain in the usual 25% range that he got in his three previous elections. Guess how much support McGwire got this year — 23.7%

“Baseball experts” Peter Gammons, Bob Costas, Jon Heyman, Ton Verducci and Ken Rosenthal all appeared on MLB-TV Wednesday morning in the hour leading up to the Hall of Fame announcement, and they all virtually guaranteed that Alomar and Larkin would get in. “No doubt about it first ballot Hall of Famers,” they said, especially about Alomar. They even had a live camera set up at Alomar’s house in Queens (interesting that Alomar stayed in Queens after his horrible stint in Flushing). Anyway, afterwards they all expressed shock that Alomar and Larkin didn’t make it. And by the way, they never went back to Alomar’s live-shot. It would have been interesting to see his reaction.

So yeah, I was right. Now that I’m on a streak, let me make some more predictions:

– The Mets trade Luis Castillo for Albert Pujols
– The Mets trade Oliver Perez for Tim Lincecum
– The Mets sign Babe Ruth, who emerged from the grave in his prime

So much for Peter Gammons’ claim that Jason Bay would “rather play in Beirut than Queens.” Tuesday the Mets introduced Bay as their new left fielder at a news conference at Citi Field (left). He said, “this is where I want to be.” Here are some highlights from the news conference:

Why the Mets?

“First of all, the chance to win. Regardless of what happened last year, you look at the players on this team and it’s a very good team. I think coming in, I offer a little bit of a fresh perspective as an outsider. I don’t really know what went on last year. I know a lot of guys got hurt. But from a straight talent standpoint, it’s a very good team. That was big — a chance to win. I was in a situation in Pittsburgh where I enjoyed my time, but we didn’t win. Then I went to Boston, and really found that winning was a big part of that. And the market and meaningful games (editor’s note-how about that nod to Fred Wilpon’s favorite saying?!), being in Boston, kind of feeling that, having that . . . the window for me to play is very short. If you don’t take advantage of it now, you may never get that. New York is one of those places that, regardless of what sport you play or what you do, it’s the center of everything. Like I said, there were a lot of reasons.”

Any concerns about hitting in spacious Citi Field?

“For those of you who don’t know, and I’m sure most of you do, Pittsburgh is very spacious as well, and you play half your games on the road. I’m not really concerned. It’s something that’s there, but you go out and I’m confident in the type of player I am. Ballpark or not, I’m still going to do what I do. So that had zero factor in anything in my decision.”

What about his supposedly suspect defense?

“Defensively, in Pittsburgh it was big there as well. The first few years there, I felt like I was a good outfielder. I got banged up a little bit in ‘07, then I went to Boston. There ain’t a lot of room to run around. It’s a challenge to go out there and prove to everyone that I can play pretty good defense. I’ve said before, I’m by no means Torii Hunter out there. I know that. But I still think I’m pretty good. It will be a chance to show everyone that I can be.”

Any concerns about coming to New York?

“There were no concerns. Obviously, right when the season ended and you get the free agency (exclusivity) period and all of a sudden that ends, the Mets were the first team, right from the get-go. My agent actually flew to New York and met with them. Very good, positive meeting. They were all along, after the Winter Meetings, there wasn’t probably a 48-hour window or something where we didn’t talk. So right from the get-go, they were very persistent. They wanted me. I really appreciated that. And then, basically, after the Winter Meetings, it probably seems like it took a long time, but after the Winter Meetings it took less than maybe a week or 10 days or something. We actually had agreed in principle before Christmas. There was a myriad of reasons — I don’t think any of us were even in the country; I was just in Canada, so it wasn’t that far — but to try to get this all done. It probably looks like it took a lot longer than it did. But in reality, it didn’t.”

What did you think of Gammons’ statement?

“I kind of heard about that around the way. It’s funny, maybe to my own detriment a little bit, we kind of cut off all contact until this was done. Basically, if I addressed everything that was false, I’d just be addressing that and not addressing the things that were true. There was a lot written. Where you come up with Beirut, I don’t know. … That’s the funny thing. No one refuted it. I never talked to anybody. No one knew my position on anything except for my family and my agent. People have opinions — that’s fine. To say those were my opinions and that’s the way I felt, that hurts a little bit. But, once again, you can’t control it and it couldn’t be further from the truth.”

(If I may just editorialize for a moment — why does anyone even listen to Gammons? He is lauded as the top baseball writer in the country, but have you ever really read his stuff? It’s unreadable. I’m not the only one who thinks so. Check out this 2001 article from the New York Press. And he makes these predictions and bold statements (like the Bay thing) that more often than not turn out completely wrong. Does Gammons just make this stuff up and pray he’s right? And I won’t even mention his Red Sox bias, because his Boston leaning often results in anti-Yankee bias, and there’s nothing wrong with that! Gammons is just awful).

Anyway, now that Bay is officially in the fold, maybe Omar Minaya can concentrate on other moves. The starting rotation is still in shambles, and Luis Castillo is still at second. There are conflicting reports as to whether the Mets and Red Sox spoke about a bad-contract swap of Castillo for Mike Lowell. It doesn’t make sense for the Sox — the money is the same, and they have Dustin Pedroia at second base. And whom would you rather have on the bench as a possible pinch hitter – Lowell  or Castillo? The move wouldn’t be bad for the Mets. Lowell could play some first (although he hasn’t ever in the past), and spell Wright at third. Also, it would allow the Mets to finally sign Orlando Hudson, which would give the lineup a really nice power boost over the weak-hitting Castillo.

BEST:

Casey Stengel (1962-1965), 175-404

It doesn’t matter that Stengel’s .302  winning percentage is the worst in Mets history. The greatest showman in baseball history made the Mets relevant when they were simply awful on the field.

Gil Hodges (1968-1971),  339-309

Everybody who played for Hodges revered him, saying he was the driving force behind the 1969 Miracle Mets. It would have been nice to see how far he could have taken the franchise.

Davey Johnson (1984-1990), 595-417

Johnson’s .588 winning percentage is the best in Mets history. He led the team to the 1986 World Series title — a team should have won more than one, but it wasn’t Johnson’s fault.

Bobby Valentine (1996-2002), 536-457

Valentine is still beloved by Mets fans who are hoping he will some day return to the dugout in Flushing. His personality sometimes rubs people the wrong way, but he has a brilliant baseball mind.

Willie Randolph (2005-2008), 302-253

Yeah, I’m surprised, too. But you can’t ignore the fact that Randolph’s .544 winning percentage is second best in team history. It also shows how checkered the Mets managerial past is.

WORST:

Joe Torre (1977-1981), 286-420

Torre will go into the Hall of Fame as a manager, but not because of his work with the Mets. He was in way over his head. In Torre’s defense, he went right from the field to the dugout, and had to learn as he went.

George Bamberger (1982-1983), 81-127

Bamberger was like your kindly old uncle who wasn’t a very good baseball manager.

Jeff Torborg (1992-1993), 85-115

Torborg was pretty much clueless during his two years at the helm at Shea.

Dallas Green (1993-1996), 229-283

Green wasn’t much better, and he was kind of a jerk. That’s why he made the list over Joe Frazier.

Art Howe (2003-2004), 137-186

Ah, Art Howe. A nice enough guy by all accounts, but just a listless manager whose teams played with little fire. But hey, at least they battled.

Mug Shots Courtesy Ultimate Mets Database, http://ultimatemets.com/mugshots.php