Mets Rumors: K-Rod, Fuentes, Vazquez, Garland

Im sure their Type A status may play a role, but I am sure mets are not just goingto add a closer and think their pen is fix....

The Mets have several LOOGY types. One of Feliciano/Show is staying. They don't need Beimel.

What do the Mets have that the Rays would want for Edwin Jackson? Ryan Church doesn't really make that much sense (Rays have Gabe Gross, and Church isn't a major improvement).

"Vazquez and Getz for Castillo, Fernando Martinez, and a low level prospect?"

The Mets have money. In other words, they shouldn't trade top prospects for salary relief. Fernando Martinez alone can net more than Vazquez and Getz, don't drop his value in exchange for salary relief.

Garland is an Aaron Heilman who got the chance to come into his own in the rotation. Garland had years that mirror Heilman's rookie season.

So one hack writer writes the Mets won't go after middle relief and everybody freaks out? philsWS.... was Pat Gillick an idiot for not overhauling the Phillies crap bullpen? No. He traded for Lidge, traded for Romero, who couldn't hack it at the time, and stuck in failed starters like Durbin. The Mets could feasibly have the same bullpen next year and outperform the Phils pen. It isn't like building a pen is an exact science.

playmaker-

I'm going to go off on a limb, since my Mets knowledge is limited, and say that the 2007 Mets bullpen was the same as the 2006 Mets bullpen, and the 2006 pen was good.

The 2008 pen, although it needs help, was interesting. You had guys *clearly* underperforming their abilities, in Feliciano, Sanchez, Ayala, and Heilman. You had guys overperforming in Stokes (although BABIP can somewhat explain his horrid 2007 numbers).

Although, the Mets do need a couple more non-"specialist" types, since the majority of the pen is more suited for specialist (LOOGY/ROOGY) roles than anything.

"Although, the Mets do need a couple more non-"specialist" types, since the majority of the pen is more suited for specialist (LOOGY/ROOGY) roles than anything."

I really think this was a big issue for them. It seems like so many of their relievers had clear platoon splits that Jerry Manuel had to switch relievers like four times a game to get through 2-3 innings. The Mets just really need some guys that can strikeout both lefties and righties, and pitch for more than 2-3 batters at a time.

I do think that Minaya will do a decent job of figuring it out though, the bullpen's of '07 and '08 can basically be blamed just as much on bad luck as on poor construction.

scribbletone,

I agree 100%. To me Manuel went nuts with his changes and I think hurt his pitchers with an assumed lack of confidence (which many times was warranted) Where I live I get SNY and couldn't understand all the changes. The Mets had to lead the league in pitching appearances by relievers.

I also think their best candidate for improvement is Heilman. Their worst, Feliciano. I think he's done, but with some confidence, Heilman can have a turnaround similar to what Ryan Madson did for the Phillies this past year.

i agreed with you all the way up until you said don't sign beimel or cruz.

if i were them, I'd sign Beimel to replace Feliciano and then call it a day. that is after you signed K'rod.

''To me Manuel went nuts with his changes and I think hurt his pitchers with an assumed lack of confidence (which many times was warranted) Where I live I get SNY and couldn't understand all the changes. The Mets had to lead the league in pitching appearances by relievers.''

It wasn't Manuel's fault. The lefty/righty splits were absolutely ridiculous for most of the members of the bullpen. I'll never forget the visual that they played on SNY during almost every single game that was decided by the bullpen (look below). I mean really, look at Game 162 - Fredy Gonzalez brings in Wes Helms to hit against Schoeneweis after Manuel tries to go lefty-on-lefty, and Helms smacks a game-winning homer against him. Manuel had no choice but to play situational ball all year because his bullpen couldn't get guys out batting from the other side of the plate AT ALL.

Feliciano - .357 against righties, .210 against lefties

Smith - .192 against righties, .320 against lefties

Schoeneweis - .333 against righties, .178 against lefties

Heilman - .222 against righties, .308 against lefties

Sanchez - .268 against righties, .200 against lefties (a lot better than most people would think)

Stokes - .250 against righties, .316 against lefties

(Both righties and lefties hit a healthy .285 and .288 off Ayala).

If you want to keep some of these guys for situational pitching then fine, but to keep this bullpen intact is just ludicrous. Jerry Manuel will lose his mind by May with all the pitching changes he will have to make again.

Bottom line is, we need a power pitcher in the 8th inning. Juan Cruz is the perfect fit for this bullpen - type A pick and all. I'm sick and tired of this mix-and-match bullpen crap - the Mets need a power arm to blow guys away at 98 in the eighth inning and most importantly, to keep them in for the whole inning with a 1 or 2 run lead.

The numbers don't lie - this bullpen is a disaster. Keep a few of the guys from last year if you want, sign a few retreads (most notably, Juan Rincon or Dennys Reyes come to mind), but I highly recommend picking up a closer and a fire arm as a setup man (and not Joe Beimel - Melonis is right, we don't need another LOOGY). This bullpen simply cannot stay the same for the most part as last season.

I get it - the Mets had a solid bullpen in '06, let guys like Bradford (still a big mistake in my book) and Oliver go, tried to run with the same guys in '07 and it was effective until September, and then it all came crashing down for six full months in '08. TIME TO SWITCH IT UP.