Stalled Applesauce - Yanks keep Carter from Mets, centuple plays, Tim Hudson returns, Nyjer done

by Joe Budd on Aug 28, 2009 8:31 AM EDT in Applesauce

I asked for something different yesterday and the Mets delivered a win. And, as far as I know at this point, no one was injured. Wow.

Meet the Mets

The Mets' acquisition of Red Sox prospect Chris Carter has been stalled by the Yankees putting a claim on him. The move is intended to keep Carter on Boston's 40 man roster and to rob Carter of his chance to make an impact in the bigs.

Don't hate on Chris Carter yet, the typical Met bench players earns significantly more and can't hit nearly as well.

Mike Silva suggests the Mets go after AJ Pierzynski, a good idea, but for all the wrong reasons.

Jayson Stark reports that some scouts think that Francisco Rodriguez is the next Met to go down with injuries.

In other ESPN-reported news, Buster Olney lists seven candidates for the Mets GM position. Don't get your hopes up on any of these impossible ideas.

The Mets have ended their season with an incredibly rare centuple play.

Around the NL East

The Nationals are better than the Mets at this point, even without Nyjer Morgan. There is no way the Mets will take two out of three from the Cubs.

JA Happ was good, but not good enough to beat the Pirates.

Atlanta finally beat the Padres after two failed tries.

Tim Hudson will finally make his return to the Braves on Monday.

Hanley Ramirez gave a wedgie to the Marlins team president. I guess when you're that good you can do anything you want.

Around MLB

Boston made roster room for Billy Wagner by cutting Brad Penny, a second consecutive strange move by the Boston front office.

The "Chief" Chad Cordero is trying to make a comeback in short season single-A.

Brewer closer Trevor Hoffman was claimed on waivers.

Do you remember Marco Scutaro? Chalk him up as another one who got away.

Tweet Comment 19 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

More Onion awesomeness

This was the most outs recorded on a single play since the 2004 Montreal Expos were eradicated from the league after hitting into an ∞-play.

You don't cheer for the Mets. You drink for the Mets.

by Kevin H on Aug 28, 2009 8:55 AM EDT reply actions

it's not fair

The Onion comes up with ~8 out of 10 things that are funny on the planet. Their videos are consistently pitch perfect. Someone should break them up and keep them from stockpiling all the talent.

"If on-base percentage is so important, then why don't they put it on the scoreboard?"

by hotspur on Aug 28, 2009 9:25 AM EDT up reply actions

was the alfonseca story: Alfonseca leads league with 12 fingers. 398 guys finish second with 10. Wickman third with 9 1/2. jack McKeon: “Ya just have to hand it to the guy. He takes the ball, went out there, and just had more fingers than anyone else.”

by wobatus on Aug 28, 2009 10:25 AM EDT up reply actions

This will always be my favorite:

Placido Polanco Chokes Up All The Way

batting helmets. batting titles. obp.

by Durelo on Aug 28, 2009 11:26 AM EDT up reply actions

oh man, I loved that Alfonseca story

also: C.C. Sabathia, Prince Fielder Keep Imagining Each Other As Giant Talking Hot Dog, Hamburger

by JoshNY on Aug 28, 2009 11:50 AM EDT up reply actions

All-time classic.

I never fail to laugh at those pictures.

"He's definitely mixing it into his repertoire. That's French for 'repertoire' " - Keith Hernandez

by Catsmeat Potter-Pirbright on Aug 28, 2009 12:13 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

I think it's the googly eyes

Also an excellent use of googly eyes: Indoor Gardening Tips From a Man Who’s Very Scared of Plants

by JoshNY on Aug 28, 2009 4:32 PM EDT up reply actions

Scutaro was a great 2B pickup for me this year in one of my fantasy leagues.

We've got ourselves a ball club, the Mets of New York town!

by kingcritical on Aug 28, 2009 9:53 AM EDT reply actions

Scutaro/Renteria

In my league’ draft, Scutaro and Renteria were both available late. I wanted some depth for Steve Drew and picked Renteria, knowing the guy behind me had no ss yet. He then cursed me out saying I’d snagged his pick, and took Scutaro. The year before he went before me and snagged McLouth late and I had to take Denorfria as my cf (don’t ask).

by wobatus on Aug 28, 2009 10:07 AM EDT up reply actions

This is absolutely frightening

Hubbuch’s game story today is basically a paen to Santos.

http://www.nypost.com/sports/mets/mets.htm

Apparently the Mets are auditioning him now for starter next year. Auditioning? Like he doesn’t have a huge body of work already. Let’s auduion Tho-lay.

And as I thought, the pitchers love pitching to him. I always suspected that was part of the reason they dealt Castro.

Anyway, the nice front-pager on Wagner/Francouer/Murton and detailing the Met’s kinda cheapness (or squandering) has me more than ever thinking the Wilpons had a hole blown in their finances that’s pretty wide (both Madof and real estate meltdown) and they are really going the cheap route now. They are hunkering down. The Mets are a bigger chunk of their net worth than it used to be.

Steinbrenner has never gone cheap. And the funny thing is, the initial source of his wealth, ship-building, was in a huge tailspin for a long stretch of his ownership period. I think he spent like a sailor, but he really made a great deal on the yankees and it kept him an rich man. Not that the Wilpons didn’t do quite nicely on their Mets deal.

by wobatus on Aug 28, 2009 10:22 AM EDT reply actions

vomit

by JoshNY on Aug 28, 2009 11:52 AM EDT up reply actions

$600M

I’ve never made a " my cousin’s dermatologist knows her hairdresser" insider post and probably never will again, but I have a childhood friend who is a lawyer who lives in the same neighborhood as one of the Wilpons’ lawyers, and that’s how much the family (supposedly) lost to Madoff, alone.

The more they lost, they more likely they’ll be forced to sell the world’s most expensive nostalgic lunch box.

by Kepler on Aug 28, 2009 1:35 PM EDT up reply actions

fingers crossed

I’m convinced the Mets will never sustain success until the Wilpons are gone. Maybe the Madoff losses will be the liberation intelligent Mets fans have been waiting for.

Somehow, a chain of events unfolded that put Steve Phillips in a professional broadcast booth Sunday night so he could rip Carlos Beltran. Try to explain that in any other terms.

by Greenpoint Ian on Aug 28, 2009 9:34 PM EDT up reply actions

oh good lord

Santos, on the other hand, continues to intrigue the Mets with his clutch hits (Who can forget his game-winning homer off Jonathon Papelbon at Fenway Park in late May?) and his solid defense.

Clutch hitting does not exist. What does exist is Santos’ .267/.304/.400 line, which sucks. Also, I can forget the HR off of Papelsmear because the season is down the tubes and that win ended up being pretty meaningless (unless Boston misses the wild card by 1 game).

Somehow, a chain of events unfolded that put Steve Phillips in a professional broadcast booth Sunday night so he could rip Carlos Beltran. Try to explain that in any other terms.

by Greenpoint Ian on Aug 28, 2009 9:36 PM EDT up reply actions

And now Reyes

It takes them this long to realize his hamstring is and he might need surgery?

by The 'Ropolitans on Aug 28, 2009 11:01 AM EDT reply actions

Olney's list

is pure hackery. The guy can’t come up with any promising assistant GM’s from anywhere? No, let’s just list 4 successful guys and 3 managers(?) and call it a day. And I used to like Olney.

by cjmulrain on Aug 28, 2009 12:02 PM EDT reply actions

He's too busy filming BBTN commercials

that talk about how smart and in the loop he is. Who’s got time for well-researched Insider pieces that people actually pay to read?

"He's definitely mixing it into his repertoire. That's French for 'repertoire' " - Keith Hernandez

by Catsmeat Potter-Pirbright on Aug 28, 2009 12:12 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

seriously

Chris Antonetti, anyone? How come I’m familiar with the guy but the alleged baseball insider isn’t?

Also, if we’re going to poach a GM, how about Andrew Friedman? The guy seems to have much more of a magic touch these days than either Beane or Shapiro (not that I wouldn’t kill to have either of them instead of Minaya).

And I don’t know where to being with the idiotic suggestion of LaRussa.

Somehow, a chain of events unfolded that put Steve Phillips in a professional broadcast booth Sunday night so he could rip Carlos Beltran. Try to explain that in any other terms.

by Greenpoint Ian on Aug 28, 2009 9:39 PM EDT up reply actions

That list sucks hard.

Absolutely nobody is floating Bobby V, Buck Showalter, or LaRussa as GM candidates. And with Beane, Melvin and Shapiro all signed through 2012, it’s pretty unlikely the Wilpons would try to poach them. If they do change GMs, they’d be looking at scouting directors and asst. GMs like DePo or Kim Ng.

by BobbyV_Incognito on Aug 29, 2009 1:22 AM EDT up reply actions