This Team Makes No Sense

Put Ruben Gotay on waivers. Watch Ruben Gotay get claimed by the Braves. .318 against RHP - a great bat to have coming off the bench, a great bat to be able to fill in for the middle infielders. A Brave. An Atlanta Brave.

I don't think anyone expected Gotay to be a .296 hitter again, but he was a young player that could come in off the bench and fill in and hit against righties - how is he not on the Opening Day roster?

PECOTA's got him at .261/.329/.408 for 2008. His probable replacement (if he ever gets healthy) is Jose Valentin. PECOTA's got Valentin at .240/.312/.395. And to make it even better, Gotay actually wanted to be on this team.

Another probable replacement will be (again if he ever gets healthy) Damion ".252/.326/.417 in 2008" Easley.

Don't get me wrong. I love 'Stache and I love Easley - but Gotay deserved to be on this team, especially after what he did last season. Yes, he couldn't hit lefties. Yes, he didn't play an OF spot. But with Castillo at 2B who would need a rest probably once a week, what's the problem with having Gotay in there to start against RHP?

To exacerbate the problem, we all know that 'Stache can't hit lefties either - as evidenced by his .211 BA in 2006 and .226 in 2007 (as compared to .288 and .275 against RHP respectively). It would be cheaper - and probably safer - to keep Gotay on to platoon with Easley.

I'll be scratching my head if anyone needs me.

Sometimes It's Better To Keep The Old Mouth Shut

Keith Hernandez is a prophet. Jimmy Rollins is going to have to hit .400/50/150 to back up his mouth at this point. (Photo swiped from Adam Rubin's Surfing the Mets Blog)

Update: LoDuca goes yard in the top of the first, Delgado drops a routine toss from Jose "Pink Panther Moustache" Valentin on the first hitter in the bottom half and Glavine promptly walks Renteria on 4 pitches...Chipper pops up and I cross my fingers.

"You Know, I Won 18 Games in 2000!"

<-- Possibly the worst Christmas present...ever.

I've never been happier that Chan Ho is so upset. David Lennon is reporting in Newsday that Mike Pelfrey has all but been named the fifth starter. Mr. Ho Park isn't too thrilled with the news.

"To be honest, I feel more comfortable as a starter," Park said. "That's who I am. I've been here 13 years. Yes, I have experience as a reliever and have had some success with it.

"But I came here looking for a job as a starter, that's for sure. If they ask me to be a reliever, honestly, I'm unhappy. I'm not happy. I have to figure out what is best for the team."

If you discount last season's 4.81 ERA in San Diego's HR graveyard, Mr. Ho Park has not posted a sub-5.00 ERA since 2001...But, yeah, he's allowed to complain after his stellar 14 IP, 9ER, 14 H, 7 BB, 6.57 ERA spring campaign.

But the good news is our favorite Korean mop-up man will have some veteran company in the Mets' class of the NL...eh frighteningly suspect bullpen....Oh, and Filthy Sanchez had a "precautionary" MRI on his surgically repaired, "what was that popping sound," right shoulder.
The 2007 Mets! Your Season (with a paper-thin bullpen and suspect rotation) Has Come!
----------------------------------------------

In other news...Pelfrey cruised through the first two innings before having a rough third. Overall he still looks better in that #5 spot than Chan Ho Sele.

The bright side? Jose Valentin is not dead. He smoked a two run double to the fence in left-center before collapsing of exhaustion at second base...Mets team doctors defused any worries by explaining that a player's first physical exertion of the spring may result in similar phenomena.