Blogging Mets

In his meet and greet with season ticket holders Wednesday night, Sandy Alderson said the Mets were never really in on Justin Upton because he refused to part with either Matt Harvey or Zack Wheeler, as the Diamondbacks apparently demanded. That was probably a good idea — young potential aces are hard to find.

Justin Upton was never close to being a Met.

I wonder if Arizona knows something about Upton that no one else does. They seemed so determined to trade a 25-year-old power hitter who has already demonstrated superstar possibilities and is signed to a reasonable contract.

That feeling intensified Thursday when the Diamondbacks signed Martin Prado, the main man in the trade, to a four-year, $40 million deal. Upton is owed roughly the same amount over the next three seasons. Prado is a fine player, a .300 hitter, but he doesn’t have close to the upside of Justin Upton. Why would Arizona want to pay the same money to Prado that it would have paid to Upton, who is also four years younger than Prado?

The four other players the Diamondbacks got, with the exception of Randall Delgado, are not particularly highly regarded, so it’s not like they got a haul of top prospects for Upton.

There is talk that Arizona was not thrilled with Justin Upton’s overall effort, that the team prefers high-energy type players and Upton was more of a cool customer. But still, you can put up with that in exchange for the numbers he produces. It just makes me think that there is something else going on here.

In any case, he is not on the Mets, and they go into the season with an outfield consisting of exactly zero major league-caliber players. Well played, Sandy Alderson.

On Wednesday night, Sandy Alderson told season ticket holders that the Mets “will be as deep as we have ever been in the bullpen.” He probably means quantity, not quality, as the Mets continue to bring washed-up veterans into camp, signing 40-year-old LaTroy Hawkins to a minor league deal.

LaTroy Hawkins — latest Mets bullpen savior.

LaTroy Hawkins was reasonably effective last season with the Angels, pitching to a 3.64 ERA in 48 games. Still though, how much left can the well-traveled Hawkins (the Mets would be his 10th team)  have in the tank?

The one aspect of Sandy Alderson’s strategy with which I agree is that he is not spending a lot of money on these guys. I was critical of Alderson last off season for spending too much on bullpen help, mostly because the players on whom he lavished the money (Frank Francisco, Jon Rauch and Ramon Ramirez) were not much better than the guys he could have picked up on the scrap heap. There is always mediocre relief pitching available; no reason to spend big on it.

However, it does pay to spend big money on the top-notch relievers — the Mariano Riveras and Jonathan Papelbons of the world. But we know the Mets won’t spend to get those types of pitchers.

Alderson is reportedly looking to sign more relievers. I can’t wait to see who he brings in next.

Sandy Alderson met with season ticket holders at Citi Field Wednesday night, and it appears the Mets GM continues to spew his lies and nonsense.

Sandy Alderson: The lies just keep on coming.

A report from ESPNNewYork.com uses quotes from people who tweeted what Alderson said, so perhaps the statements are not accurate, but I’ll bet they are.

Alderson’s biggest lie is that the decision not to spend a dime this off season was his and his alone.

“The reason we haven’t spent the money is not because of Fred Wilpon,” he said. “It’s because of me.”

If this is true, and it is absolutely not, it means that Alderson has no interest in the Mets winning this season. Think about it — Alderson claims he could have spent money to improve the team, but he simply decided not to.

(In Alderson’s defense, Mets GMs have a history of lying for their boss; Steve Phillips’s famous “24 and one” quote about not pursuing Alex Rodriguez was just a cover for Wilpon, who didn’t want to spend $25 million per year on a player.)

Alderson promised that he will spend money soon.

“Am I going to recommended that we sit here in New York City and function like the Oakland Athletics for the next 10 years? No I’m not… I’m not asking you to believe me until you see some manifestation of that, which I hope is sooner rather than later.”

If Sandy Alderson has free rein as he claims, why does he have to “hope” that it “is sooner rather than later”? Why can’t he just do it?

Alderson has apparently learned his lesson and has stopped spinning bad tales about the anemic outfield.

“I’m not telling any jokes about the outfield. We’ve got lots of guys coming into camp and we’re in the running for a free agent (Michael Bourn?)… I can speculate the outfield won’t be a strength for us this year.”

So the question remains: why didn’t Alderson do anything about the weak outfield? He talks as if his hands were tied, but don’t forget, not spending money was allegedly his idea.

Sandy Alderson talks out of both sides of his mouth, not to mention another part of his body. He just can’t tell the truth.

The Mets formally announced the Shaun Marcum signing on Wednesday — $4 million, with a chance to earn $4 million more if he meets all of his incentives.

Shaun Marcum hopes to have healthy season with Mets.

Marcum’s acquisition was made necessary by the trade of R.A. Dickey. Marcum was quick to point out that he is not a replacement for the Cy Young Award winner.

“As far as filling R.A. Dickey’s shoes, I think that will be tough to fill, having one person do it,” Marcum said, according to ESPNNewYork.com. “I think if all five starters go out there and do their jobs, stay healthy, get to the goal of 200-plus innings, then I think that will fill R.A.’s shoes in itself — having those five guys make 30-plus starts.”

He said a healthy rotation is the key to a successful season.

“The teams I’ve been on that made it late in the season, where we were still in the playoff race, we didn’t use that many starters. Everybody stayed healthy and everybody made their starts. If we can do that, that’ll be able to help replace the hole that was left when R.A. was traded.”

Marcum has something of an injury history, which is probably why he was still available at this late date. He missed all of 2009 following Tommy John surgery and a back issue, and was out nine weeks last season with tightness in his right elbow. That problem is now in the past.

“We did MRIs, all that stuff. Nothing alarming,” Marcum said. “We did another one this winter to make sure. And there was nothing alarming. I don’t know what exactly it was, but the main thing is it wasn’t a flexor tendon or a ligament or anything like that.”

Shaun Marcum was 7-4 with a 3.70 ERA in 21 starts for the Brewers last season. Those are good stats, but he threw 124 innings, which means he lasted a little less than six innings per start. That is not a good stat and could become something of an issue.

Johan Santana and Dillon Gee are recovering from injury, which could limit their pitch counts. The Mets might be careful with Matt Harvey and limit his innings pitched. All of this could lead to an overworked bullpen, which we have seen in the past is not a good thing for the Mets, considering they are a bit thin in that department.

But overall this is a good signing. Shaun Marcum gives the Mets depth in the rotation, even if he turns out to just be a placeholder until Zack Wheeler is ready.

MLB.com released its list Tuesday night of the top 100 MLB prospects, and the Mets landed two in the top 10 — Travis d’Arnaud and Zack Wheeler.

d’Arnaud is ranked the sixth best prospect in all of baseball; Wheeler placed eighth. The Mets were the only team with two players in the top 10.

Noah Syndergaard finished 29th. The Mets joined the Mariners as the only teams with three players in the top 30 of MLB prospects.

d’Arnaud and Syndergaard, of course, came over from the Blue Jays in the R.A. Dickey deal. Not a bad haul for a 38-year-old pitcher, albeit one who just won the Cy Young Award. The Mets got Wheeler from the Giants, who surrendered him for two months of Carlos Beltran.

Sandy Alderson’s fate rests on whether these three MLB prospects can deliver on their considerable promise. If they do, he’s a genius. If not, well, not.

Daniel Murphy and the Mets have avoided arbitration, reportedly agreeing to a one-year deal Tuesday night for $2.925 million. Man, the Mets really didn’t want to give him $3 million.

Daniel Murphy is now a millionaire!

After making $512,196 last season (man, the Mets really didn’t want to give him $513,000), Murphy was asking for $3.4 million. The Mets countered with $2.55 million.

Now that he is making the big bucks, the Mets will probably be less forgiving of his mistakes at second base. Daniel Murphy made great strides in 2012 in the field, but every ball hit to him is still something of an adventure.

Murphy also needs to pick it up a bit in the power department. He hit all of six home runs last season. Daniel Murphy is by no means a power hitter, but he did have 40 doubles last season, which means he hits the ball with authority. He should be hitting closer to 15 homers per season.

The Mets are now done with arbitration after earlier settling with Ike Davis ($3.125 million) and Bobby Parnell ($1.7 million).

The Mets are masters at avoiding arbitration hearings. Before Oliver Perez won his hearing in 2008, the Mets had not had to go that far since 1992, when David Come beat them.

Hold on to your hats — the Mets have signed Scott Atchison, the latest in a string of no-name, little accomplishment players Sandy Alderson is bringing in to fill out the roster.

Scott Atchison, latest addition to Mets.

The righty reliever inked a minor league deal that would pay him $700,000 plus $150,000 in incentives if he makes the big club. Atchison had some pretty good numbers for the Red Sox last season — 2-1 with a 1.58 ERA in 42 games. He did miss two months with forearm tightness but did not require Tommy John surgery. Knowing the Mets, he’ll likely need the operation the moment after he makes the team and signs that guaranteed major league contract.

Atchison, who will be 37 years old once the season starts, didn’t make his major league debut until he was 28, and has logged six pedestrian seasons.

Speaking of relievers, there are reports that the Mets are still out there looking for bullpen help, “perhaps even a closer,” according to Jon Heyman. That is a pipe dream. The Mets will not spring for a closer, not when Frank Francisco is making $6.5 million in 2013. That was an excellent signing, Sandy Alderson. Yeah, you really needed to go two years for that stiff.

With a few weeks to go before pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training, let’s take a look at where the Mets payroll stands. In early December, I predicted that the payroll would be lower than 2012′s $94 million, possibly even lower than $90 million. It looks like I will be partially right.

The Mets payroll will be slightly above $90 million — they actually took on a little bit of salary in the R.A. Dickey deal, I wasn’t expecting the Shaun Marcum signing, and the Mets arbitration players (Davis, Murphy and Parnell) got more than I expected.

But the Mets payroll will still be lower than last season’s, assuming Sandy Alderson is done making acquisitions. And as much as he talks about getting new players, you know he will come up empty, just like his promises.

Anyway, here’s how we stand:

Johan Santana: $25,500,000 (actual)
Jonathon Niese: $3,050,000 (actual)
Dillon Gee: $750,000 (estimate)
Matt Harvey: $500,000 (estimate)
Shaun Marcum $4,000,000 (actual)

Frank Francisco: $6,500,000 (actual)
Bobby Parnell: $1,700,000 (actual)
Josh Edgin: $500,000 (estimate)
Robert Carson: $500,000 (estimate)
3 relievers: $1,500,000 (estimate)

John Buck: $6,500,000 (actual)
Backup catcher: $500,000 (estimate)

Ike Davis: $3,125,000 (actual)
Daniel Murphy: $3,000,000 (estimate)
Ruben Tejada: $750,000 (estimate)
David Wright: $11,000,000 (actual)
Jordany Valdespin: $500,000 (estimate)
Justin Turner: $750,000 (estimate)

Kirk Nieuwenhuis: $500,000 (estimate)
Lucas Duda: $750,000 (estimate)
Mike Baxter: $500,000 (estimate)
Collin Cowgill: $500,000 (estimate)
Backup outfielder: $500,000 (estimate)

Jason Bay: $18,125,000 (actual)

The actual money owed is $79,500,000 (thanks Cot’s Baseball Contracts). That includes Bay’s salary, but does not include his and Santana’s 2014 buyouts. Nor does it include the money deferred from the contracts of Bay, Santana and Wright. I’ve estimated $12 million for the rest of the team, bringing the grand total of the Mets payroll to $91,500,000.

This could change if the Mets sign Michael Bourn (which they won’t) or Alderson decides to bring in a couple of veteran relievers (which he won’t. Well, maybe one guy making around a million bucks).

It is absolutely disgraceful that the Mets payroll just keeps going down, especially since Alderson is constantly insisting that he will acquire new players and increase the payroll. Is it any wonder why they keep winning fewer games?

Sandy Alderson said on Sunday something that we’ve suspected all along — the Mets will probably not be acquiring a new outfielder, giving them a grand total of zero major league-caliber outfielders.

They’ll stop laughing once season begins.

Via Mets Blog, this is what Alderson told Jim Bowden and Jim Duquette on SiriusXM’s MLB Network Radio:

“There’s not a lot left on the shelf. At some point, we have to realize the outfield is not the strength of our team. But at least going into Spring Training, we maybe looking at what we have, and not being able to make an addition.”

Alderson makes it seem like he and the Mets are victims of a lack of supply of outfielders. But when there were plenty of players “on the shelf,” Alderson did nothing to try to get them. Instead, he danced all winter with Scott Hairston and now he’s making a half-hearted attempt to land Michael Bourn which is destined to fail.

Alderson is an embarrassment. It is unfathomable that he is allowing the Mets to go into the season with an outfield of Lucas Duda, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Mike Baxter, Collin Cowgill and Andrew Brown. Not a proven player among them. Oh, and possibly Justin Turner and Zach Lutz, who have never played the outfield in their lives.

Alderson also said something very curious that I don’t quite understand. Bowden tweeted:

Alderson told us had Scott Hairston signing with Cubs & Upton trade to Braves had happened in opposite order…there might hv been chance.

I believe “might have been a chance” refers to the Mets resigning Hairston. This implies that the Mets were in on Upton because Alderson was saying all along that he was looking for someone better than Hairston, and if that were to happen, it would impact Hairston’s playing time, forcing him to sign elsewhere.

This is just more of Alderson’s deception. If he really wanted Hairston, he could have signed him months ago. And are we really to believe that the Mets had any real chance of trading for Upton?

I understand the Mets are in a difficult financial position and are building for the future, but you have to take care of the present as well. Alderson admitted on WFAN last week that rebuilding should not take long, and that the team is not where he thought it would be when he took the job two years ago. Whose fault is that?

Alderson is simply awful, and I don’t think the Mets will ever win anything while he is the GM. I would be very happy to be wrong about this, but I don’t think I will be.

There is a report Saturday that Bobby Valentine could have a role on Mets broadcasts this season. If so, at least part of the season will be fun to watch.

Bobby Valentine returning to the Mets family?

The Daily News reports that the folks at SNY have reached out to Valentine about whether he would be interested in working on Mets pre-game shows. The story says it would only be for about 20 games, the important ones like the Subway Series, and, uh, any other important games the Mets  might somehow play in 2013.

The Mets are part owners of SNY, which means that if network officials have already approached Valentine, then the Wilpons have signed off on it. That is a bit of a surprise because Valentine is not one to pull his punches, even when it comes to biting the hand that feeds him.

Perhaps the Wilpons know how popular Valentine still is with Mets fans, and he knows it could lead to higher ratings, which would mean more money in the Wilpons’s empty pockets.

Valentine managed the Mets from 1996-2002, leading them to the 2000 World Series. He could not get another major league job until finally landing with the Red Sox last year, but was fired after one disastrous, last place season.

Terry Collins must be thrilled with this possible development. How soon will the cries for Bobby Valentine to replace Collins in the dugout  be heard if the team gets off to a lousy start, with Valentine second-guessing the manager’s sometimes questionable strategies?