Wagner Deal not Popular, but Wise

I’ve been reading a lot of negativity about the Wagner deal, but I want to make a few counterpoints. I was initially mad at this too, but then I gave it more thought.

The two draft pics are crux of the negativity regarding this deal. I think draft picks are very important as well, but the value we’re placing them on might be too high.

More importantly, the chances of attaining two picks, or even one, is unrealistic in the current baseball climate.

Wagner wants to close next year. The majority of the teams looking for a closer who will take a risk on a 39 year old coming off Tommy John are unlikely to be big market teams. They’re likely to be teams near the bottom of the standings, who can afford to take the health risk at the position.

Add that to the rumors that he wants to be near his Virginia home, and you’re looking at either Baltimore or Washington signing him. Which means the Mets get a supplemental 1st round pick since the acquiring team’s #1 pick will likely be protected.

The other issue is……..will it even get to that point?

The biggest negativity on Omar this year is he hopes for the best, and oftentimes the opposite happens. He hoped Tatis can duplicate ’08, that Murphy can play left field, that Church will provide solid lineup protection, that Delgado will repeat the 2nd half of 08, that Oliver Perez will get it, that Maine will be fine coming off a new type of shoulder surgery, that Niese can take the 5th spot out of spring training, that Pelfrey can duplicate his 2nd half without succumbing to the Verducci Syndrome, that Putz can regain his old form, etc, etc, etc.

So in the case of Wagner we have 3 Optimistic Points to acquire a single pick, let alone two first rounders:

A. That Wagner will suffer NO setbacks in the next month and be completely healthy for the offseason.

B. That he’ll continue to pitch at a high level worthy of a team banking on a 39 year old as a closer.

C. That a team will value Wagner so much that they will be WILLING TO FORFEIT THEIR OWN DRAFT PICKS.

Do you really see a team, especially a low-market team that is cash strapped and needs the pick more than the Mets do, losing the pick just to sign BILLY WAGNER? I’m sorry, but that’s just crazy in this current baseball economy. Most teams would just trade for a set up man or sign a Type B free agent.

So the Mets will be on the hook for Wagner’s salary for about $5-6m after arbitration, + an addition $3.5m for this year. The Nets didn’t save $3.5m, they saved $8.5 to $9m. It’s less likely they were going to get any better prospects this winter at $5-6M trying to trade him, and they’d still have that much less to use for free agents. Also, has anyone thought that the $3.5M may end up going to sign the Latin American signings?

So you got the Red Sox willing to take the $3.5m, and take a chance on everything going right for Wagner to get the picks, and help the depth of the Mets farm a bit. GRANTED, it’s not a big help, but it is help nonetheless.

I would love to get those picks too, but i just don’t see a scenario where that would happen. You’re looking for too many things to go right. And in a year where everything goes wrong, sometimes a sure thing is better than risking it all and getting nothing.

Update: An addendum to the points above.

Ken Rosenthal points out that the Sox would have to pay $8.4M if the Sox offer arbitration. That financially will likely be the most money Wagner can possibly see this offseason. It’s very possible the Sox won’t offer it and risk having a power struggle with Wagner and Papelbon. However, the Sox may decide to keep him, have him close while they wait for closer prospect Josh Bard to develop, and either deal Papelbon or move him to the rotation.

Buster Olney says Wagner is expected to get multi years offers IF he finishes well. (Not a sure thing coming off TJ surgery). Mlbtraderumors.com points out that as a Type A free agent and a deep closer market including Jose Valverde and Trevor Hoffman, Wagner may have the same issues getting signed as Juan Cruz did this past offseason.

Posted by Robert Z

Filed under: New York Mets 2009-2010, Robert Z

ENOUGH!

I HAVE HAD IT.  Sit back boys and girls because I’ve got to blow off some steam.

What the bloody fuck has happened here?  How has it come to this where it’s not even September yet and I’m watching meaningless games?  Why is this happening?  I guess the general thing you can ask is… “What the fuck?”

 

 

Well everyone, let’s go through the official 2009 WTF List.

I can't hear you kissing back there! Kiss harder!

WTF #1:  WBC

This is what kicked off out fantastic first season at the Shake Shack.  We sent every impact player we had outside of Johan away from a proper spring training and it seems like we haven’t seen them since doesn’t it?  Lay this blame on ownership who needed to carefully lick Bud Selig’s tender hairy ass more than every other owner and ended up contributing to the biggest disaster in Mets History.

Greatest idea ever... anywhere

WTF#2: Karma  

The Mets as an organization don’t do anything half assed except when they’re physically running the bases.   It’s not good enough to win a title, we need to win 108 games and do the surreal in game 6 to get there or pull off an all time baseball miracle in 69’.  When they lose, they need to lose more than any team ever.  When every year some pitcher throws a no hitter, we have to never throw one ever.  When they make a bad trade, it has to the worst one in baseball history.  When they get hurt, they need to have the ENTIRE roster go down.  When they sign a few aging stars, the players have to throw bleach at people, threaten reporters, have “I’m not gay” press conferences or live on houseboats.  The executives can’t just be bad, they need to be fucking the secretaries, threatening to beat up the farm system or trading franchise players because of personal vendettas.  It’s half the reason we enjoy them… they embody extremism, which is what NYC is all about.

Who would have thought this concept would be a negative?

WTF#3: Omar

As a collection, we as fans don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes beyond the evidence that leaks onto the papers or the playing field.  That being said, you can usually tell chaos when you smell it in the air.  There is a reason when every player went down,they didn’t get any reinforcements when they needed them and the ship was allowed to veer this far off course.  Ultimately this is on Omar’s shoulders as he should have taken the inside information only he knows and found a way to steer the ship.   The Mets are always about chaos and he’s proven not to be able to succeed in that environment.

It's your nose, you know. Fans are funny that way, they take a dislike to things. They'll pick on a nose.

WTF#4:  Fred & Jeff Wilpon. 

In what world do two men have a billion dollar asset and insist on having non professionals involved in running it?  Well, The Yankee world was like that for years and they only developed good teams when the boss wasn’t in the mix.  Other great teams with meddlesome owners included the Reds of the 80’s, the Orioles & Marlins, late 70’s A’s… wait no, they sucked I’m sorry.

We should have signed Manbearpig and let Al Gore run the team

WTF#5: Olle, Maine & Reyes

Who would have thought that between Olle and Derek Lowe the right answer was to get neither of them?  I’ve been an Olle supporter and I have to admit I’m totally 100% wrong.  Between him & John Maine (who wants surgery desperately, but has nothing that needs a repair) the win total this year is embarrassing.  Maine needs to come back as a pen arm next year and Olle needs to go do something else for a living.

About Reyes, who doesn’t think he’s not busting it back because he knows he’ll be traded if he shows himself to be healthy?  What a disaster…

I kinda of miss Mo Vaughn, don't you?

WTF#6: Delgado & Putz

These two important players came into the year hurt and management knew it.  They had all spring to get a capable backup and chose to cross their fingers.  Not only that, they actually sent Putz to pitch in the freaking WBC!  You can’t make this shit up…

 

 

Yeah, enough said.

WTF#7: The training staff

I bought the “best in the world” line for a long time and as player after player went down I figured that management was making them play through tweaks and aggravating injuries.  Then more players went down, and then even more. Now, Johan & Frenchy are down and there is literally not a player left worth watching.  A loaded, championship caliber baseball team has been reduced to Nationals status by way of a plague of vague injuries.  I don’t even know how Reyes got hurt, do you?

“Best in the world” or not , it’s time to honestly examine the people responsible for keeping the tweaks from happing in the first place.

Stop drooling

WTF#8: Our Benitez meter

How is it on 24 and we have the record we do?  Without Krod can you imagine what the record would be?

 

 

 

What's up with that?

WTF#9: My new fancy pants

I bought some fancy pants when I was on vacation and the pocket ripped… what’s up with that?

 

 

 

Bobby V and the Mercury Mets. Never has a great idea ever worn a bad idea so well.

WTF#10: The overall product

My slingbox beamed this disaster to me, 4,937 miles away in Greece.  For three weeks I watched game after game of torture.  Yes Fred, I know you think Met fans are 2nd class, but I actually watched your pitiful product while on vacation. We do care. Can you please fix this?  Please no Ricco or any other projects that haven’t produced successfully before.  Face it, you have bad judgment when picking executives.  Get a veteran, proven baseball man to run the show and let Bobby V come in there and run the on field ship.  Please….

Thanks a lot

 

In closing I’d like to give a giant middle finger to the Texas Rangers for embarrassing me by wiggling a fat Nolan Ryan at me for 3 months and then handing him to the Daily News.   Thanks guys!  And finally Pedro…my buddy Pedro.  You should have retired after Boston my friend. 

Posted By Nik Kolidas

Filed under: New York Mets 2009-2010, Nik Kolidas

Johan Santana to Miss Start – Will Visit Dr Altchek

According to Jerry Manuel, Johan Santana will see Dr David Altchek tomorrow to check his elbow, which Santana says he’s been having discomfort with.

Now all they need is for K-rod to go down and every player who was part of the pre-season promotional packages will be on the DL.

We feel ya, Johan

Posted by Robert Z

Filed under: New York Mets 2009-2010, Robert Z

Frenchy – Torn Ligament in Thumb

Yep, another Mets player, arguably the best hitter left in the lineup, might be shelved. He’ll try to play with the ligaments torn.

Corey Sullivan will replace him in the lineup for today’s series matinee.

If you don’t know how this will end you haven’t been watching the Mets this year. I just hope this is for good Karma coming up, and not some we already used.

Posted by Robert Z

Filed under: New York Mets 2009-2010, Robert Z

Triple Play and the Three Amigos

Just when you thought you’ve seen it all……

First, an apology to all the KinersKorner fans for the lack of updates. The gang here was sent to the DL, and were supposed to be out for a few hours. We missed a few days. Oops.

Oops may best describe two disastrous parts of yesterday’s game. The first being more historic and will probably cause much mirth in the Bronx, which is the Triple Play that ended yesterday’s 9-7 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. With Castillo and Murphy on 1st and 2nd and nobody out, the Mets put on a hit and run with Jeff Franceur at the plate. Frenchy, being a Met now, did something that hasn’t been done since the 1920′s: hit a game ending Triple Play. He rocketed a ball to 2B Eric Bruntlett, who stepped on the bag and tagged Murphy. Daniel, perhaps unconsciously acting out the feeling of every Met fan, threw down his helmet in disgust.

What really should have disgusted him is the performance of Ollie Perez. Oliver Perez gave up 6 runs on 2 Three-Run Home Runs (What are those? How long has it been since the Mets had a 3-Run home run?) and did not even finish the 1st inning.

In the ultimate of indignities, Jerry Manuel took out Oliver Perez mid batter after he went 3-0 on……….Pedro Martinez. That bears repeating. He went 3-0 on Pedro.

In an ironic twist, Nelson Figueroa struck out Pedro to end the inning.

Pedro was about the same in his return vs the Mets. Four runs, seven hits in 5 innings. Frankly, if I was a Philly fan I would not be encouraged, as the Mets lineup in its present state resembles a AAA lineup as much as Major league lineup.

As for Perez – we’re stuck with him. That’s the worst part. There is no way he’s not here next year. He is being paid too much to be traded, and he’s too young, too talented and too much invested into to release. You can make a solid argument that Omar could be fired for this move alone. There was no one else bidding close to the amount they paid, and the Mets could’ve had gotten better production and less years from Randy Wolf.

Crying about performance, or Laughing to Bank/

Unfortunately, as usual they succumbed to public pressure when it came to player personnel. There were too many people clamoring for Lowe or Perez, that they didn’t even allow themselves to truly consider alternatives. The worst part is if the Mets get themselves a true #2 starter, they probably don’t even need Perez next year. I think most would go into next year with Santana, a new pitcher, Maine, Pelfrey, and Nieve, Niese and Parnell battling for the 5th spot with Brad Holt or Jenrry Mejia waiting in reserve midseason.

As for the Man who signed him…..

Reports from the Daily News and Post suggest that there is no plan to remove Omar from his GM position nor Jerry Manuel from Manager, according to Fred Wilpon.

Let’s first get this easy one out of the way: Get me the same quote on October 5th.

This is the same organization that gave Willie Randolph the same vote of confidence before he went cross-country to be fired. The same organization that said Todd Hundley is Our Catcher before trading for Mike Piazza. Why should I believe anything now? What use would it be for the Wilpons, Fred or Jeff, to announce lame duck status’s for either man and just cause more controversy.

It doesn’t.

Assuming they tell the truth, and the Three Amigos of Jeff, Omar, and Jerry are kept together in 2010, at this point I really do not know how awful it is. Jeff we cannot do anything about, and Jerry is hard to judge when he esentially played short, literally and figureatively, all season.

The big issue is Omar, and as much as fans hate to say this, the injuries ARE an excuse. The lack of depth would not be so noticeable or damaging had the Mets not lost all 3 of the most significant offensive players, and 2 of the top defensive players in key positions, for such a long stretch. And maybe because I have some sort of mental defect that let’s me look at things at all angles, but I still find it difficult to blame Omar for not getting another star player midseason when (a) the doctors tell him the players will be back by the All-Star Break and (B) everyone and their mother is telling him to hold onto the farm.

In the end, considering how devastated the Mets team was by injuries, it was a good thing Omar didn’t make a panic move and trade key prospects for star players. Would Mark Derosa really make that big of a difference, and be worth Bobby Parnell?

In the end, the Mets losing the Three Amigos – Beltran, Delgado and Reyes, is what did the team in. More than the depth, more than Perez, more than anything else. If the choice is to give Omar one more shot and not be able to spend as much on the on-field talent, or to change GM’s and managers and be handcuffed, I’d rather take one more shot with this group.

What can I say? I’m a gambler.

(6 months later, as thanks from Omar after reading this post, Omar signs this guy……….)

The Gambler is Back!

Filed under: New York Mets 2009-2010, Robert Z

Wagner Back with Mets

If you had Billy Wagner in your pool of 1st Met to return from the DL back in May, you win. (SOB!)

No word yet on who will be sent down to make room for Billy. My guess would be Elmer Dessens.

Filed under: New York Mets 2009-2010, Robert Z

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH, IT’S TIME TO GRAB AN IDENTITY

It was nice to see the Mets “walk off” today, beating the Giants 3-2. It’s cool being the spoiler and playing loose, as we saw way too much of this from other teams the last two seasons. I have to admit though it is tough to get overly excited as the “face” of the franchise was knocked on his ass yesterday. The news wasn’t much better today….Even though it was not intentional, per the Giants, this is the second time in the last couple of weeks that David was flipped. This team has no identity. They have, when healthy, a contending team, but it seems like the rest of baseball sees the Mets as a soft team- NOT GOOD. It makes me think – what would the ’86 Mets do in that situation?

Regardless of whom puts on a uniform for the Mets this year, at some point they need to grab an identity. By that I mean – show the rest of the league that they are not going to take any more shit. In baseball circles this is usually accomplished by a good old fashion basebrawl. This is more than hitting one of our guys, it’s about diving over the plate and talking publicly about the Mets (didn’t Cone do the same thing with the Dodgers and it somehow propelled them to beat the Mets?). Jerry claimed to be a gangster, but it doesn’t seem like any gang that I have heard of – maybe he’s a member of the the Sugar Hill Gang!!!

Regarding DWright, I love the guy, he plays hard and he is a gamer. That said, I have had enough with his friendly attitude, patting every MLB player on the ass when they come to third. Why doesn’t anyone pat the Mets on the ass when they get to third? Do the Braves or Phillies do that? I don’t think so. David- it’s not your job to be the embassador for the game, especially since no one is crying for the Mets this year (or any of the last three years). The one young guy that might help in this area is Frenchy – I like this S.O.B. – I hated him and his horse teeth when he was a Brave, but I was wrong about him. I can see him knocking someone on their ass (and driving in 100 runs with a full lineup). H e was genuinely excited to score the game winning run today, and for that reason alone people should continue to go to Citi!

Posted by Gene Anthony

Filed under: Gene Anthony, New York Mets 2009-2010

The Wagner Question

We interrupt your regularly scheduled moping for some interesting baseball discussion……

Hi I'm Robert Z. And I'm Emily Doran.

Billy Wagner is set to make his final rehab start tonight, and barring any setback he will be activated Sunday. This will give the Mets about a week to decide what to do with him. He appears to have recovered nicely, hitting low 90s on the gun and not allowing a run thus far through his rehab. He has yet to pitch in back to back games.

Wagner reportedly has already garnered some interest from an AL team. The Mets wisely, and that phrase has been used way too infrequently this season, put him through waiver earlier this month so they’ll be free to deal him now to any team.

But is dealing Wagner the best move?

According to the Elias Rankings, Billy Wagner will be a Type A free agent. That means if the Mets offer arbitration and someone else signs him, the Mets will receive a 1st round and a supplemental 1st Round pick. With the Mets own 1st round pick likely to be protected (a team that finishes in the bottom 15 keeps the 1st Rounder no matter how many type A free agents they acquire), it would go a long way to restocking the farm system.

As an aside, it may not be as bad as many claim, as John Sickels reports.

Closers in baseball are hard to come by. If Wagner is anywhere close to what he was, a team will bite, regardless of the economy. It’s not like waiting on an outfielder or set up man for the price to drop.

Even if no one signs Wagner and he accepts arbitration, the Mets will have a strong setup man next year and a trade commodity. It is a risk at his price, but not an overly large one.

Remember, his rate on next year is reasonable for a closer, so a team on the fringe of a playoff race might take a chance for this year and activate his option for next. Most of this season is over, so the salary for 09 will pretty much be a wash for any acquiring club. Among the teams I can picture keeping tabs on Billy would be Texas, Tampa Bay, Cards, Cubs and Seattle.

It should be interesting to see what Wagner’s fate will be come August 31st.

Now here’s Ollie Williams with his Billy Wagner Prediction.

TORN ROTATOR CUFF!

Thanks Ollie.

Posted by Tom Tucker, I mean Robert Z

Filed under: New York Mets 2009-2010, Robert Z

And the walls…are crumblin’ crumblin’

I’m not sure what to say.  It’s my turn to post an update and honestly I’ve got nothing left for this team.  It’s hard to be enthusiastic when the team itself has given up on us.  I understand the injuries, the luck and the bad choices in spring training, but other teams fight through it.  Perhaps a point can be made that backups are exposed when they play too often, but how is lack of talent connected to fundamental baseball?  Why are they so absent minded and sloppy?    As the days tick by and the losses pile up, the fans grow indifferent.  It didn’t have to be this way.

If you remove yourself from the outrageous amount of impact players sent away to the WBC (all of which had ruined seasons) and put yourself back in June when the team had the chance to stick with Philly, you’ll see a fan base begging for the obvious and a front office frozen in its tracks.  They were petrified of change with a boner for the status quo.   No matter if it was Omar, Jeff or the Easter Bunny… nothing was done to give this team stability when it most needed it.  Reyes & company were never coming back and they knew it.  Hell, as much as we didn’t want to believe it, we all knew it.  We joked about it in a half horrified way.  Who hasn’t said “”I bet we see Wagner first” all the way back in June?   The front office was so afraid of making another Kazmir deal that it didn’t pull the trigger at all on anything and let the season deteriorate into what it is today.  Frankie was good idea, but it was too little too late.

I’m not giving up, because I love watching baseball.  I wait all year for these six months and as much as I’m enraged that these overpaid circus performers want to take away my fun… I’m not going to give in to it.  I’m going to watch and pretend there is something happening in Flushing.  I’ll check out the September call ups, maybe enjoy some Holt fastballs and then come November I hope that whole damn bunch of them are out on their asses.  Yes, Jerry…even you so long as Bobby V comes in.  If it’s not Valentine, then I guess the Wilpons will do what they do best and hire an inexperienced dry piece of toast.

I love how management is thinking of moving John Ricco in to the GM chair and bumping Omar into scouting or something like it.  This team never brings in fresh blood and I guarantee a Ricco/ Omar tandem is a bad idea just based on Ricco not having been a GM before.  What will it take for Fred to take the team away from Jeff and hire outside proven baseball people to fix this mess?   Can John Ricco cut his teeth somewhere else please? 

Very soon, I’m going to tick up the Benitez Meter a click based on the Johan game, but considering the week Krod has had, it’s going to be a lukewarm click.  Any suggestions for Armando’s next big adventure?

 

Posted By Nik Kolidas

Filed under: New York Mets 2009-2010, Nik Kolidas

A Tale of Two Citis vs. St. Louis

Alright everybody, let’s all just take a deep breath. There’s not much else we can do this season but laugh. Just when the Mets get our hopes up, they find new ways to let us down. And vice versa. It’s a real Tale of Two Citis…..

Tuesday 8/4: Pujolus Blasts Cards to a 12-7 win in the 10th

After 8 so-so innings pitched by Santana, the bullpen, who’d been so good as of late, came in and lost the game for the Mets. K-Rod blew a save, and the pen gave up 5 runs in the 10th – 4 of which were on a grand slam by the mighty Pujols. We’re thinking about taking away a number on our Benitez Meter, it was that bad. The game looked like it was ours but as us Mets fans know, nothing is a given.

Except, of course….injuries. Tuesday night saw a new type of off-field injury, when Castillo fell down the dugout steps and sprained his ankle. You can watch the clip below….a total America’s Funniest Home Videos blooper moment.

What Would Bob Saget Say?

I hear they're installing these in the dugouts now

It was a truly disappointing evening on many levels.

Wednesday: Mets Decide to Win One, 9-0

A day after a pathetic loss, the Mets turn around a deliver a 9-0 shutout and limit the Cards to just 6 hits. Not before, though, they lose yet ANOTHER player to injury. Oh wait, did I say player? I meant playerS.

Jonathan Niese left the game in the 2nd inning, after tearing his hamstring on a play covering first base. Nelson Figueora came in to pitch 4 1/3 innings and redeemed himself with a fine performance on the mound….and a 2-run triple to boot. Parnell pitched 3 innings, earning his first save and a potential spot in the rotation. Word came that Niese is out for the season and will have surgery on his torn hamstring.

Gary Sheffield, only a few days off the DL, aggravated his hamstring and had to come out of the game in the 6th. He doesn’t think it’s serious, but boy, have we heard that before! And of course, Castillo was out of the game today with his sprained ankle.

Maybe the Mets should try Dr. Tinycat?

So, where do we go from here? I’m afraid these Mets will continue thier bi-polar season right on through September. Last week my eyes were on the Wild Card standings. But after this week, my eyes are (cautiously) on 2010.

A 2010 prospect, perhaps? Why not?!

Posted by Emily Doran

Filed under: Emily Doran, New York Mets 2009-2010

Looks like Reyes is Done for 2009

According to Kevin Burkhardt of SNY & David Lennon of Newsday, Jose Reyes is back in NY as his discomfort in his leg is still there. Both imply that he’ll probably be shut down for the remainder of the 2009 season.

Jose Reyes is probably the best example of the ineptness of either the training or medical staff this year, or management for how they handle injuries. He hurt himself in May, was kept on the roster for several days, finally was DL’d, then while rushing his rehab back about 2 weeks later hurt his hamstring compensating.

At least this season might make Mets fans appreciate him more, as we’ve seen how much the Mets missed his explosiveness at the top of the lineup (especially when Pagan was out), his daily enthusiastic approach to the game, and above all, his defense.

I for one am very disappointed cause from a purely entertainment standpoint, and that is what sports is all about, Jose Reyes is my favorite current Met. In a bad season he’s the type of player you still tune in for. I feel cheated that we only had Reyes for 36 games, the lowest total of his career.

With that said, the best thing to do is do whatever they can to fix him up, rest him up, and get him healthy for 2010. Do what you can to strengthen those legs Jose. If 2009 showed us anything, it’s that the Mets need them.

Bye Jose

Filed under: New York Mets 2009-2010, Robert Z

Mets lose 3 out of 4 to D-backs

Sorry for the lack of updates the last few days. The KinersKorner team was on the DL. We originally went shorthanded for a few hours, then the doctors came in and said we’d miss a day. Well that day turned into a weekend plus. So it goes.

The Mets lost out of 4 to the D-backs this past weekend. The difference between the two teams is that the D-backs are a team too young without enough parts. The Mets are a team too hurt and too old. And most importantly, the D-backs pitching was simply better this series.

That is something that must be addressed this offseason. The Mets are in position to have 5 starters under contract for 2010: Santana, Pelfrey, Maine, Perez and Niese. That is just not enough for a team with playoff aspirations. Pelfrey and Niese are too young and still developing. Maine has not been able to stay healthy since 2007, nor come anywhere close to that level. Perez is Perez, which is all that’s needed to be said, but I’m sure Nik can add a lot more when he comes off the DL.

Omar, or whoever is GM, needs to address this first and foremost. Before the pen, before the offense. To have a park like Citifield and not have a starting staff who can take advantage of it is criminal.

The Mets take on Albert Pujols and the Cardinals the next two games before they go out west. Keep an eye on Matt Holliday, who will likely be the prize jewel of the 2010 free agent class.

Posted by Robert Z

Filed under: New York Mets 2009-2010, Robert Z