On his blog at 1050, Coutinho gives odd on who will be closer for the Mets next season.

No real surprises, but an interesting read.

A sample:

“If K-Rod’s entourage would accept a three year deal with a club option I tend to think this could get done. The reason is if the Mets want to insure the contract, companies only insure the first 3 years of baseball contracts these days but there are more issues here. Some people have indicated K-Rod has lost a bit off his fastball and worry about all the innings he has pitched the past 2 seasons. I am not one of those people. His 1.29 WHIP coupled with the fact AL DH lineups hit only .216 against him confirms his pedigree as one of the top 3 closers in the sport.”

Posted under New York Mets

For all the talk of the thrill of Game 7, let us not forget, the appetizer is Game 6, and history has graced us with a lot of great memories of that game. The Buckner Game and the Marathon in the Dome are two you must surely remember.

Perhaps well have another tonight. How healthy is Beckett? That’s a major storyline for tonight. The reports are he’s lost up to four mph. off his fastball. The Rays handled him earlier in the ALCS.

However, the key to me is scoring early for the Rays. If they let the Red Sox get out to a big lead it will only fuel the momentum they created by stealing Game 5. The Red Sox believe they can come back as they did against the Yankees (2004) and Indians (2007), and the Rays have to quash that belief.

The Rays know they let Game 5 get away. They know this series should be over. But, it isn’t. They lost and must not lament. If they do, they’ll play again tomorrow, and that’s not to their advantage.

Posted under New York Mets

Morning folks. There were some interesting comments after I logged off last night. Let’s get to some of them:

-Casey Blake is an excellent suggestion. The concept of a roving starter is unique and worthy of exploring. Why not have somebody start four or five games a week at a different position. You’d give everybody more time off. It’s out-of-the-box thinking. But, even if you don’t go that way, Blake would be good for this team.

-As far as bench players are concerned, I wouldn’t be opposed to Rich Aurilia or Mark Loretta. It’s an upgrade over what they have now.

-Rocco Baldelli is worth exploring. You might get him for less because of his injury history. But, the guy has skills. I saw him score from first on a muffed pop-up vs. Chicago. He can run. Put him in left and have Daniel Murphy at second and your line-up is set.

-Sure Pat Burrell would drive everybody crazy. He does in Philly. But, I still like him. In the end he’ll hit 30 homers and drive in close to 100 runs. What’s wrong with that? And, does it really matter if he’s a career Phillie? The guy can go deep.

-Mark Prior is probably done. However, the Yankees did this with Jon Lieber and got some production. Sign him and stick him in rehab. If it works, great. If not, you haven’t lost much because you’ll do it for a minor league deal.

-You would have to look a Cruz and Marte. With what’s in the pen, how can you not explore any option? Even Gagne’s flat fastball is worth a look in spring training.

Look for this every morning. If you’re going to post, I’ll respond.

Posted under New York Mets

The Mets blew 29 save opportunities so far this season, and with them, perhaps a chance at the playoffs. Adding a top notch closer such as Francisco Rodriguez would improve the bullpen, but not put it over the top.

Billy Wagner blew seven save opportunities, but even worse was the bridge leading up to him. It was more than just a bad season.

Here’s how I see the pen:

-Billy Wagner: Won’t pitch for the Mets again. No brainer. However, he will get paid $11 million by them, and that will inhibit what they do this winter. I don’t see them paying both Wagner and Rodriguez.

-Aaron Heilman: They’ve resisted trading him the past two winters. They should pull the trigger if they get an offer this time. Heilman wants to start and since the Mets won’t give him that opportunity, they should try to get what they can. If they wanted to give Heilman a chance at being the fifth starter, I’d entertain it because it is clear this bullpen thing isn’t working out.

-Scott Schoeneweis: I can’t believe they gave him three years. (I mistakenly said he was done after this year. He’s signed through 2009).

-Joe Smith: Has his moments, both good and bad. Will be brought back.

-Pedro Feliciano: I’ve always been cool on him for some reason, even when he’s pitched well. I think they’ll bring him back.

-Luis Ayala: He saved a few games. Big deal. I don’t see him as the answer at closer. I do see him coming back.

-Carlos Muniz: Wouldn’t miss him.

-Ricardo Rincon: Ditto.

-Duaner Sanchez: He doesn’t have his fastball anymore. Certainly not a set-up man or closer type anymore. Not a loss if they don’t bring him back.

-Brian Stokes: More good appearances than bad. I’d like to see him back.

-Nelson Figueroa: Feel good story early this season. Very hittable.

-Brandon Knight: Pitched decently. Long man?

-Bobby Parnell: Can bring the heat. Let’s see what he can do in spring training.

Posted under New York Mets

Well, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that if you don’t get any runs you’re not going to win. Nothing gets by be. You have to write it off as one of those things.

No game today, which gives Pedro Martinez an extra day of rest. It couldn’t hurt.

Frankly, I’m a little bit worried about Martinez. It’s just not there for him with his fastball. He says he doesn’t care about velocity, but if I can outrun the pitches to the plate there’s a problem.

Should the playoffs start tomorrow, would Martinez be in the rotation? Performance and his physical questions say no. His experience and the hope to lightning in a bottle says yes.

Posted under New York Mets