John Maine started the second game of the season for the Mets, but he hit the disabled list with shoulder weakness following 39.2 innings of 6.13 ERA, 1.82 WHIP ball. He is currently on a rehab assignment and is close to returning to the team, but manager Jerry Manuel seemed to indicate that there was no spot for Maine during today's pre-game press conference.
"I won't take [Hisanori Takahashi] out of rotation," said Manuel. "I don't see [Maine] as a candidate for the bullpen." Both quotes come courtesy of SNY's Kevin Burkhardt (Twitter links). David Lennon of Newsday believes the team may opt to simply designate Maine for assignment once his rehab clock expires (Twitter link).
Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey, and Jonathon Niese front the Amazin's rotation, while Takahashi and R.A. Dickey have been holding down the back end during the last few weeks. Takahashi has a 3.15 ERA in six starts, while Dickey has been even better, posting a 2.82 ERA in his six starts.
Maine's velocity has been down noticeably since his string of shoulder issues began in 2008, and he simply hasn't been effective since. He is owned just a touch under $2MM for the remainder of the season, but also has one more year of team control ahead of him.
Yes please. He’s had plenty of time to show what he is, and I think we know now. I hate to say it but Maine = pain + perpetually lame.
maine needs to be rebuilt, they need to pretend that he was never a major league player ever and start all over. Spend a couple of years in the minors, no pressure, can rest when he needs it, i really believe Maine can still help some teams
I disagree with the rebuild him part, but putting him somewhere low stress for a while might help. But I kinda think he’s still injured, his career has been a series of flashes of being good and derailments by injury.
im thinking kind of what the Red Sox are trying to do with Matsuzaka. Just cut your losses and take him down to the minors, give him a year of fundamentals, days off when he needs them, missing some starts in interest of maintaining the shoulder and see if you cant get something useful out of him later. It seems to have worked with Daisuke, expect for this minor speed bump which really was just being over cautious with the DL stint
Why not put him in the bullpen in mop-up and send Jennry Mejia down?
I wouldnt even like seeing him come in then. He’d just load the bases on 12 straight pitches. I always liked Maine, but at this point he’s hurting the team. I agree they should send Meija down tho.
Because sending Mejia down is so logical, the front office can’t bring themselves to do it.
Maine is a head case just like Ollie, notice the difference in the team since these two buzz kills have been gone……..coincedence….I think not!!
Maine will eventually come back 100% from shoulder issues… Just like Mark Mulder.
mariners should pick him up, maybe a new league, new team, out of the big NY might snap him back in shape, I see that he has a upside but he also could turn out to be a Chuck James, Remember him on ATL, he had like 2 big years and now he is serving burgers down the block.
“…Maybe a new league, a new team…”
You mean back to the old league. Maine started out in Baltimore with the O’s, and his performance there wasn’t promising either.
Unlike Ollie Perez, the Mets could just DFA Maine and eat the money that’s left over for this year. However, someone will pick him up- Dodgers, Cardinals, Nationals come to mind.
I’d give Maine a chance out of the ‘pen, but that would require him staying in the minors to stretch him out for a ‘pen role. It’s pretty harmless if they do it in the minors, at least.
Does Maine have minor league options?
I don’t know but during today’s game the Mets broadcasters indicated they believed optioning him to the minors was among the possibilities.
I say the Dodgers take a flier. Why not? Ely’s struggling a little bit, and he could be a cheap back end option. If he doesnt work out, its not much money