Could It Be the End of an Era On SNY?

Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News is reporting that there is some speculation going around that the SNY announce trio may not be back in full next season.

Raissman, who always does a stellar job covering the network, reveals that there are some rumblings going around that Keith Hernandez may not be back in the booth next season. This speculation is fueled by comments made by the former All-Star first baseman following Sunday's game win against the Houston Astros.

Following the game as Gary Cohen was addressing Mets fans one last time before the off-season, Hernandez stated that, "I've enjoyed the four years and, hopefully, I'm in the middle of negotiating my new contract, hopefully I'll be back. If not, it's been a great four years."

To me that sounds more like a final farewell then just a simple goodbye for a few months.

The news, according to Raissman, also seemed to take his broadcast colleagues by surprise, especially Ron Darling, who was dumbfounded that Keith would publicly discuss his contract situation on-air.

When approached by Raissman, SNY executives stated that they it is corporate policy "not to comment on contract status or negotiations". It seems to indicate to me that the door is being left open for the possibility that Hernandez will not be back in 2010.

He did, however uncover that Darling has multiple years remaining on his contract and that Gary Cohen "ain't going nowhere".

The often quirky, Hernandez is no stranger to notable on-air moments. In 2006, he drew the ire of then-San Diego Padres manager, Bruce Bochy, for stating that women do not belong in the dugout. It was later revealed that the woman he was referring to was actually one of the team's trainers.

Still though he comprises one third of arguably one of the best MLB broadcast teams in the game today. He brings a great sense of humor, but at the same time outstanding knowledge of the game, which cannot be said for many announcers in the game today.

This is certainly something to watch over the next few months or so. It would be hard to imagine SNY not making a great effort to retain Hernandez, who is quiet the most popular broadcaster not only in the booth, but on the network as a whole.

Raissman theorizes that the negotiations over the contract maybe over the number of games called for next season, but acknowledges that in the end it all comes down to money.

The network couldn't have been too thrilled that Keith took his grievances to the airwaves Sunday afternoon. In the end though, I doubt that will have an effect on whether or not the beloved, Keith Hernandez, will be back.

A Blast From The Mets Past Could Help The Team In 2010

Flash back to August 21st, 2005. It was a hot late-summer afternoon at Shea Stadium where the Mets were hosting the Washington Nationals.

By the fifth inning, the Mets found themselves trailing 7-0. All appeared to be lost until a rookie came to the plate by the name of Mike Jacobs.

Jacobs, a highly ranked Mets prospect, made his major league debut and promptly hit a three-run home run on the first pitch he saw. The Mets went on to lose that game 7-4, but Jacobs continued his torrid hitting streak and homered in each of the next three games.

After only 100 at-bats in 2005, Jacobs finished with 11 home runs, which is a rather incredible feat. It appeared that the 24 year old would be anchoring the right side of the infield for many years to come.

However, that was not the case and in an effort to improve the team’s playoff chances for 2006, Jacobs was shipped to the Florida Marlins along with Yusmeiro Petit in exchange for Carlos Delgado.

Here we are nearly five years latter, and the Mets find themselves, again, searching for a first baseman to help them secure a playoff spot in 2010.

Now with the Kansas City Royals, Jacobs is coming off quite possibly his worst season in the big leagues. In 128 games last season, Jacobs hit only .228.

The bright side is he did hit 19 home runs and drove in 61 RBI’s. Nonetheless, numerous media outlets have reported that Jacobs is an almost guaranteed non-tender candidate given his lackluster performance combined with $3 million-plus salary for next season.

Assuming he hits the open market, the Mets would be crazy not to at least entertain the idea of bringing back the slugger. Keep in mind, this is not an unproven player. Jacobs is only one year removed from a season in which he hit 32 home runs to complement the 92 RBI’s.

I see a little bit of Jeff Francoeur in Jacobs, in the sense both are gritty, hard-nosed players.

These are exactly the kind of players the Mets want to fill the locker room with next year. Maybe their style of play will rub off on their teammates as well.

Jacobs has a passion for the game that rivals even the most dedicated players in the sport today. It is worth pointing out that despite what has only been a brief stay in Kansas City, the first baseman made quite the impression on Kansas City beat writer, Joe Posnanski.

Posnanski, citing Jacobs’s superb work ethic, went as far as calling Jacobs his favorite Royals player, even though he struggled greatly throughout the year.

This speaks volumes, especially when you consider that the probable AL Cy Young award winner, Zack Greinke, is also a member of the Royals.

Signing the slugger to a one year deal worth $4 million or so would be beneficial for both parties

For Jacobs it would be an opportunity to establish himself as a big time bat, and to help justify a club signing him for big bucks down the road.

For the Mets, Jacobs would be a good bat in the lineup, who could help them increase their home run totals and provide the trio of David Wright, Carlos Beltran and Jeff Francoeur with some added protection in the lineup.

His presence would also allow prospect, Ike Davis, to adequately develop in the minor leagues, instead of being rushed up to the major league level.

Obviously, Jacobs comes with his flaws. His defense needs improvement. Also, along with his powerful free-swing approach comes the tendency to strike out a bit.

Am I suggesting that Mike Jacobs is the solution to the Mets offensive woes? Of course not.

What I am suggesting is that signing Jacobs for a reasonable amount of money could allow the Mets to allocate more resources to pursue a slugger for the outfield or a number two pitcher. Both of which are areas where the Mets could use vast improvement.

The National League East: Final Weekend

The MLB regular season comes to a grinding halt this Sunday after 162 grueling games and some will say that in the NL East everything has gone according to plan.

The Phillies have clinched their third straight division crown. The Nats have put together two back to back 100 game season losses. The Marlins and the Braves fought for a wild card position into the last week of the season and the Mets lost over 90 games, the first time they did that since 2004.

They did what?

Yes the Mets, the preseason co favorite with the Phillies in the NL East, had what many dire Mets fans are saying was the most disappointing season in the history of the franchise.

Personally I wouldn't go that far. 1987 was the stinker of all time. Remember the 86 club won 108 games and bullied their way through the National league. Then they played what some people still feel was the greatest division series of all times against the Houston Astros. Then the miracle ending to game 6 against the Boston Red Sox in the World Series. The rest was history.

1987 was set up as the continuance to the Mets dynasty. What happened that year was that injuries took out the entire Mets starting rotation for a good part of the year ending any thoughts of a repeat performance.

2009 for the Mets also got bit by the injury bug. no, let me ref raze that. The Mets got swallowed by the injury monster in 2009. Every member of the so-called Mets core missed a good portion of the 2009 Mets season.

Carlos Delgado coming off a brilliant second half of the 2008 season started off the year like he never had a winter break. By May he was gone for the year. Jose Reyes, who I had to remind another Mets reporter this morning, who said they should cut ties with him, that in his history with this club when Reyes gets on base, the Mets winning percentage is close to .700. By June, he was gone for the year. Carlos Beltran was only having the best year of his stellar career in 2009 went down with a leg injury in June and finished the year appearing in only half the games played this year.

Even at the all star break, this team still had positioned themselves within striking distance of the Phil's because at that time the Phillies just couldn't seem to win at home and their starting pitching was in disarray.

However the Mets problems continued to grow. Their starting rotation consisted of an unsteady Johan Santana, later we would learn why, and four to ten other guys who couldn't find home plate with a infra ray night scope. By the way, the Mets pitching this year lead the entire MLB in walks by about a trillion.

So the "B" Mets stumbled the rest of the year at a less than .400 pace. Johan Santana went down with chips or something like that floating in his elbow and the final blow to the Mets core happened when David Wright's head came into direct contact with a Matt Cain 93 mph fastball.

One concussion later, a 15 day trip to the DL and a .220 average upon his return certainly was the topping to this not so brilliant season for the Metropolitans.

In future articles about the NL East, we will follow the Phillies quest to repeat as World Series Champions, something a National League team has not done since the Big Red Machine of the 70's. I actually like their chances but more about that Sunday when we review the first round Division Series that starts next week.

After the season we will look back at all the teams in the NL East. We will evaluate their year and look into my famous crystal ball and see what moves if any are going to have to be made by each team to make a run at the Phillies once again in 2010.

Being a life long Mets fan I can really be very objective about this division simply because with the Mets, I love the team but despise the organization. This way no one may accuse me as being a homer.

My congratulations to the 2009 Philadelphia Phillies. They have fought through a lot of problems and obstacles this year, the least of which has been the complete meltdown of Brad Lidge, more on him this Sunday as well, but they have prevailed and deserve all the accolades they are getting.

With that said, however, I don't think they are getting as much respect as I hear that the Cardinals will be the solid favorites in the NL to go to the World Series.

Slow down folks, not so fast, they don't call them the Fightin' Phil's for nothing.

At An Organizational Crossroad, How Do The Mets Improve For 2010?

As we approach the final four games of the 2009 regular season, any hope of spinning a positive ending to an otherwise dreadful season is pretty much lost.

Despite the writing being on the wall since mid-Summer that the Mets would not be involved in post season play for the third straight year, Mets fans clung to the hope that they would at least get a glimpse of the team’s future.

However, like the stars they were replacing the young guns, themselves began to drop off of the radar due to injuries.

By the end of September, the only two bright spots on the team were getting a sneak peek at the potential future catcher, Josh Thole, and the privilege of watching Jeff Francoeur make strides at becoming the star player he once was in Atlanta.

Before the Mets begin wheeling and dealing this off-season, a meeting must take place between the Wilpons, Omar Minaya and Jerry Manuel.

On paper the team will have three glaring holes at catcher, first base and left field. Those needs alone will be hard to fill, especially if the estimate that the team will only have between $15 to $25 million to spend on free agents.

On top of the three vacant positions already mentioned it is safe to assume that the team will also be in the market for another starting pitcher and an arm or two for the bullpen.

From there, a determination must be made on whether this team can be competitive next year given the limited financial resources or is it time to rebuild. Personally, now is the worst time to attempt to deal any members of the core, especially David Wright, Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran.

For starters, all three are coming off down years in terms of production. Also, each spent at least 15 days on the disabled list. Trading them now would be selling very low.

Assuming the team chooses to go for it in 2010 they will need to be creative in filling all of their voids.

The key for Omar this off-season will be to not get caught up in buying high on players. This applies directly to the free agent catcher’s market where every available catcher is at least over the age of 32.

This is a position that the Mets should not commit more than a year or two to, especially with Thole and Santos waiting in the wings.

Moving on to the first basemen and outfielder’s market, outside of the superstars (Matt Holliday and Jason Bay) there is nobody to build a team around. Thus, the Mets must take a similar approach and only offer players one year incentive-laden deals and possibly include some sort of option for 2011 that vests when the player reaches certain milestones.

Unfortunately, guys like Bobby Abreu and Russell Branyan, who accepted one year deals last year, will be commanding more years and a bigger chunk of change after the solid years they put up in 2009.

Another intriguing position that the Mets will have to make a decision on is second base. If they are comfortable that this year was not an aberration then they should be set, otherwise they’ll have to look for a replacement. For more information on the market check out my colleague Dave Landon’s superb article, in which he looks at who the Mets should and shouldn’t pursue at second base.

Lastly, the Mets have to entertain the idea of bringing in a starting pitcher, preferably a number two starter, as their entire projected 2010 staff has a question mark over it. This is an area where the Mets really need to come up big in my opinion.

They already have numerous league average pitcher. They need a stud in the rotation, who can take some of the pressure off of Johan Santana. They need a pitcher like John Lackey or Brandon Webb to help anchor the rotation.

The dilemma is that signing a pitcher of this caliber would almost surely deplete most, if not all of the financial resources for 2010, if the monetary estimates are indeed correct.

Would adding solely a number two starter be enough to cure the Mets woes? The answer is probably not, but it certainly would make them more of a threat in the National League.

Beyond additions to the team there are a few potential contract extensions that could take place over the next three months. One of them involves Jeff Francoeur, who is rumored to have been offered a three-year deal.

This is a tough call. On one hand Francoeur has done an admirable job during his short time with the Mets and really has a passion for the game. Yet, this is the same player, who hit .239 in 2008 and .250 in the first half of 2009.

It would best suit the Mets to give him another year in the Big Apple to ensure that he doesn’t regress. If he performs well next season then it would make sense to approach him with a two to three year deal.

Another player rumored to be getting a contract extension is Pedro Feliciano. Feliciano has been a rock in the Mets bullpen ever since he returned to the team in 2006. 2010 will be Feliciano’s final arbitration year, after which he will hit the free agent market.

It wouldn’t be unreasonable for the Mets to offer Pedro a two year deal to cover his last arbitration year, as well as one year of free agency. Keep in mind that if such a deal were made, Pedro would be 35 years of age by the contract’s end. This is around the time that some player’s arms begin to wear down. This is definitely a concern, especially for a guy who has appeared in 86 games in back-to-back seasons.

Thus, if Feliciano were willing to go with a two year deal then it would behoove of the Mets to lock up one of the game’s best middle relievers.

With the Mets’ off-season beginning in only five days, it should be interesting to see how they construct their team for 2010.

Chris Carter To The Mets... Not So Fast

The word around baseball is that Chris Carter, whom the Mets were allegedly going to receive as the player-to-be-named-later in the Billy Wagner trade has been designated for assignment. This is significant because if you can recall, Carter was previously placed on waivers over the summer with the intent of shipping him to the Mets.

However, the Yankees claimed him in an effort to cause roster management issues for the division-rival Red Sox. Being that this is the second time, the Red Sox only have two options.

They can either release him, which would make him a free agent or they can put him on waivers.

If the Red Sox took the first route then the Mets would have just as good of a chance of acquiring him as the other 28 MLB teams, potentially vying for his services.

If Sox were to take the latter route, which involves placing Carter on waivers. The Mets would have to wait for every team in the American League, as well as National League teams with a worse record then theirs to pass on a waiver claim.

Either way there is no guarantee that the Mets will be able to get him.

This seems to indicate one of two things to me. Either Carter was never actually involved in this trade or Omar Minaya made yet another roster management blunder. More details regarding the situation should be made available within the coming days.

To be honest, while I do not endorse making poor trades, the truth of the matter is that this trade was done solely to shed Wagner’s remaining salary.

No offense intended to Carter, but the career minor leaguer is not all that great of a player and probably wouldn’t have fit into the Mets’ 2010 plans anyways. However, it certainly wouldn’t have hurt such a depleted organization to have some depth at the Triple-A level.