Let’s do this thing. This is a Home Team Advantage set, hence the medallion on the cards.

Missed most of 2003. Continues to be terrible.

Had a 71 OPS+ in 70 games. Still a jerk.

Didn't even play in the majors in 2003.

Played every game that year; only year above a 100 OPS+

Played for the Giants in 03; had a 118 OPS+ in 110 games at age 42.

Tony Armas, Jr.
2005 Topps Nationals #8
Category: Nationals Also-Ran
Position: SP
Bio/Summary: Haha, check out those sneaks. I never had a really positive impression of Armas, but that didn’t stop me from, year after year, hoping that he would turn a corner. He never really did. Oh, and let’s not forget he was part of the trade that sent Pedro Martinez to Boston. Sigh.
Card Rating: 6/10 -Gotta give some props to those shoes. But the card is boring otherwise.

Endy Chavez
2005 Topps Nationals #21
Category: Nationals Also-Ran
Position: OF
Bio/Summary: Ah, Inning-Endy. Man was this guy frustrating to watch. He had great speed and could field well, but he knew how to kill a rally like nobody’s business. I was a bit surprised when he popped up on the Mets as a star, but he wore out his welcome there, too. He seems to have found his niche with the Mariners, though, and I wish him well there.
Card Rating: 4/10 - This whole set has some serious late afternoon shadows. I guess you can at least see his face. 

Luis Ayala
2005 Topps Nationals #19
Category: Nationals Lynchpin
Position: RP
Bio/Summary: Man this guy was good in the bullpen. Just look at those ERA+s! Over 130 all the way up until 2007. He was never quite the same after an arm injury, and is currently stinking up the joint in Minnesota.
Card Rating: 9/10 – This is the only card with an action shot in this entire set. I have to give a good rating just for that. On top of that, I think it’s a pretty decent action shot, even if the shadows are still a problem.

Esteban Loiaza
2005 Topps Nationals #41
Category: Nationals Star
Position: SP
Bio/Summary: This guy’s so weird. He seems to bounce from really good to really bad. Thankfully, his time with the Nationals was really good, so I have some fond memories of him. I see why he bounces around so much, though – who could deal with that inconsistency on a regular basis?
Card Rating: 4/10 – I just noticed (I don’t know why it took me so long) how big the players’ last names are at the top of these cards. I’m not really crazy about it.

So far, so good…we only have 15 cards left.

The Mets picked up 1B Carlos Delgado’s option for 2009 today. Nobody would have bet on them doing that back in April or May. After his second-half performance, though, the move was kind of a no-brainer.

I don’t know if Delgado is capable of putting up those numbers again in 2009, but there’s little to lose by giving him a shot. And the Mets could still try to sell high and trade Delgado to address some of their other needs, though I do expect him to be the first baseman when CitiField opens next April.

Six more Mets filed for free agency today: Pedro Martinez, Moises Alou, Luis Ayala, Ricardo Rincon, Tony Armas Jr., and Ramon Martinez.

There’s really no one on that list that I want back, but I wouldn’t be upset if Ayala, Rincon or Armas were brought back on minor league contracts. 

Pedro is a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer, but his days as a dominant starter are over. He could probably hang on for another year or two as a number five starter, but I don’t think he’ll ever be able to take to that role in New York. More importantly, the Mets can’t afford five-inning pitchers. As we’ve seen over the past two seasons, those kind of starters kill a bullpen.

Alou is a borderline Hall-of-Famer, but he’s proven that his health can’t be relied on. Ayala, Rincon and Armas failed to impress in their chances this season, but it never hurts to have pitching depth at AAA. Ramon Martinez was pretty much a non-factor.

 I was approached by Dave Doyle of the metsreport.com with a crossblogging opportunity.  We presented questions to one another about each of our respective teams.  I have posted my questions below along with his answers.  You can view my answers to his questions about the Philadelphia Phillies at metsreport.com.

With the firing of Willie Randolph does there seem to be a change in the Mets club house?  Will the Mets finish the remainder of the 2008  season with Jerry Manuel at the helm?  If not, are they seeking out a new skipper?

  Jerry Manuel has been told by Omar Minaya that he’s the manager for the entire season. No doubt about it. They very well may seek out another manager at the end of the year though. Early rumors are that they’re interested in Yankees third base coach Tony Pena for 2009. There’s also been some radio talk show banter about bringing in Larry Bowa. But if Manuel makes it to the playoffs, he’s pretty much guaranteed to return next year and beyond. There has been a change in the clubhouse. You’ll see a few tangible things this weekend. Randolph ran a really tight ship, and Manuel has relaxed the rules for the players. Now the players can have facial hair. They couldn’t under Randolph. Also, Manuel started a new thing where pitchers that get pulled from the game wait on the mound and hand the ball to the incoming pitcher as a show of support. Manuel doesn’t take the ball from the pitcher. The Mets used to do pre-game stretching within their small groups (relief pitchers, starters, infielders, etc.) and Manuel changed that so everyone stretches together. There are little things like that to promote team unity. Manuel also isn’t averse to calling out veterans in the media that aren’t performing. He’s had plenty of comments about Luis Castillo and his inability to play every day.

 How do the Mets fans feel about Jose Reyes?  He has enormous potential to be an oustanding shortstop and a large contributer to the team, but has his level of maturity affected his game

  Mets fans have had a lot to say about Reyes’ outbursts on the field. Jerry Manuel has made it a point to address those situations immediately with him. Randolph benched Reyes in Houston last season for one of his outbursts and their relationship wasn’t very good after that. Manuel has taken a more big brother/fatherly type of role with Reyes. We’ll see what happens with that. But Mets fans generally haven’t liked what they’ve seen from Reyes when his childish tantrums erupt on the field. Manuel has made it a point to try to get Reyes to keep his head in the game when things go wrong for him but that’s a work in progress. I wrote a post on my blog about this topic. He’s such a talented and dynamic player that these behavioral indiscretions are tolerated much more than if anyone else did it.

 Do the Mets have anyone in mind as the trade deadline approaches?  If so are they seeking pitching or a position player to replace Castillo or Alou?

  You’re right on with that. The Mets have been hurt badly by Moises Alou’s absence this season. He’s an incredible hitter when he’s in the lineup but he’s hurt so often he’s like a ghost for the Mets. The Mets would love to get their hands on a right-handed hitting outfielder that can also play some first base. They talked to the Tigers about Marcus Thames before the season but couldn’t agree on a deal. Mets fans really want Xavier Nady back. He was a fan favorite in his short time here and would be a perfect fit for the Mets this season.  Don’t get me started about Luis Castillo… But we’re stuck with him for the next three and a half years. He’s not going anywhere unfortunately. Damion Easley has played a good second base off the bench though. We’ll be seeing plenty of him in the lineup. Castillo’s contract is consistently discussed by Mets fans as evidence that Omar Minaya hasn’t put together the right players for this team.  Starting pitching could be a need as well. Pedro Martinez has been terrible since he missed two months with a hamstring injury. Oliver Perez has struggled badly for most of the season as well. The Mets have been linked to Freddy Garcia would could be ready to play next month. They’ve already had multiple starts from Nelson Figueroa, Claudio Vargas, and Tony Armas, Jr. Those aren’t pitchers that you want to see on the mound in the second half of the season. I guess they’re still holding out hope that El Duque will be back at some point but I think that’s a long shot.

 Have the players rebounded from last year’s meltdown?  They seem to play as though something is weighing heavily on their mind.  Not sure if it was last year or the departure of Willie Randolph?

  ”The Collapse” has absolutely carried over into this season. The daily speculation about Willie Randolph’s job security was a distraction as well. Randolph consistently said that “The Collapse” was behind the team. But Jerry Manuel has said that it’s impacted the team into this season and the only way to get the monkey off their backs is to win. The home fans have boo’d the Mets excessively at times this season, even Johan Santana in his first start. To me, that’s the carry over from last season. Since the debacle occurred at the end of the year, we didn’t get to completely express our displeasure. So it’s being displayed this season. We may be beyond that now. But it was clearly evident for the first two months of the season. Randolph was boo’d mercilessly in his last few weeks as manager. His firing was a major step in the direction of letting go of last season.

 Is there any sadness about the loss of Shea Stadium?  or are the Mets fans just looking forward to the new Citi Field and all of it’s ammenities? 

 That’s a great question. I think most Mets fans, myself included, have some terrific memories of Shea. The ‘86 team and for some older fans the ‘69 team are the top of the list. Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry electrifying the stadium in the 80’s as well are unforgettable. But let’s face it. Anyone that’s been to Shea knows that it’s the worst stadium in baseball now that RFK is gone. Everyone is curious to see how Citi Field is going to play though. Nobody wants it to play like Citizen’s Bank Park. I’m not sure how Phillies fans feel about that. But Mets ownership has publicly said they want Citi Field to be a pitchers park like Shea is. That was a major factor in their design of the stadium.

Tony Armas Jr. is the newest New York Mets player. Last night, despite a rocky start, Armas made a good impression. After giving up three runs in the first two innings, Armas managed to stay in the game through six and limit the Cardinals to just one additional run en route to his first Major League victory of the year.

Armas has spent parts of 10 seasons in the big leagues, most of that time with the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals. With last night’s victory, Armas has a 53-65 career record with a 4.63 ERA.

The autographed card at right, a 2005 Fleer Tradition, was obtained through the mail during spring training this year.

Hot Foot is reporting that a minor leaguer will start for the Mets on Wednesday against the Nationals. This says something about Willie’s trust in Jorge Sosa, who would have been the in-house candidate to start that game. The move might not be necessary, because tonight’s game will probably be rained out tonight. This could bump Nelson Figueroa to tomorrow and John Maine to Wednesday, both pitching on 6 days of rest. If this doesn’t happen, look for Tony Armas Jr., Claudio Vargas, Brian Stokes, or Adam Bostick to make the start.

-Jonathan Kraft

Moment #19 – Paul Lo Duca and Endy Chavez rehab in Trenton
August 25 and August 26, 2007
Trenton, NJ

It’s amazing how two different players can handle the same situation so differently.

Four-time Major League All-Star catcher Paul Lo Duca and outfielder Endy Chavez, a folk hero after making “The Catch” in the NLCS a year earlier, both rehabbed for the Mets on the road in Trenton back-to-back days.

Waterfront Park has seen a handful of rehab assignments from players on the opposing squad — Tony Armas, Jr. comes to mind as perhaps the most recent besides these — but none of the players had such a high profile as Lo Duca and Chavez.

Lo Duca had just rehabbed in his hometown with the Brooklyn Cyclones, and was initially expected to spend two days in Trenton.  Fans hoping for an autograph, a smile, a wave, or anything resembling an acknowledgement of their presence on Earth were probably glad he cut his stay short.

The former Dodger and Marlin was all business during his stay, going straight to the bullpen to catch starter Jose Sanchez after leaving the visiting clubhouse, and going right back into the dugout to exchange a few fist pounds with his teammates for a day after returning.  Fans who lined the third base side of the field hoping for an autograph from one of their favorites would go home disappointed.

He was greeted with a warm round of applause from the large Saturday crowd, many of whom were decked out in Mets apparel.  He got almost as loud of a reaction when Thunder starter Chase Wright struck him out swinging in his first at-bat.

Lo Duca made two more plate appearances that day, collecting a single in Binghamton’s 7-0 loss to Trenton.

Following the game, Lo Duca kept his comments brief to the regular group of reporters in Trenton — no Mets writers came to cover the event.

“I feel great, I’m ready to go,” Lo Duca said.

“There were no tweaks at all, it’s just a matter of getting the rust out a little bit, but I felt good.”

As I mentioned, Lo Duca was initially expected to play in the next day’s game, but told us after the game that his hamstring felt good enough to skip the game, and that he’d be going straight to Shea Stadium.

For Wright, who’d get called back up after the season had ended, it was a good experience to face his first big league caliber hitter since he briefly appeared for the Yankees in April.

“I talked to him in the tunnel after the game, and he said that I did a good job and had good stuff,” Wright said.

“It’s exciting when you get to face a guy like that who’s been in the big leagues and knows how to hit. It’s a good challenge.”

With Lo Duca gone, it came as a surprise when I arrived at the ballpark to learn that the Mets had sent Chavez to rehab with their Double-A squad.  While Lo Duca’s appearance was expected, nobody had thought Chavez was coming.

He was also recovering from a hamstring injury, and looked good after reaching base twice while playing about half of the game that the B-Mets won in 14 innings.

He also got some rather loud cheers, perhaps thanks to his taking about ten minutes before the game to sign autographs for some happy Mets fans.

Mike Ashmore, mashmore98 AT gmail.com

Another righty was added to the Pittsburgh Pirates’ predominantly left-handed rotation when they picked up free agent Tony Armas Jr. on Thursday, signing him to a one-year deal with a club option for 2008. No word on how much he will make, but he raked in $2.26 million last season with the Washington Nationals.

Three years after undergoing rotator cuff surgery, 28-year-old Armas went 9-12 with a 5.03 ERA in 30 starts in 2006, increasing his workload a bit and showing a little improvement each season.

The native Venezuelan has a wide pitching range, hurling a sinking fastball as well as a slider, changeup and curveball. However, he will most likely have to vie for the fifth rotation spot with fellow righty Shawn Chacon.

Armas made his Major League debut with the Montreal Expos in 1999 and is 48-60 with a 4.45 ERA in 151 starts in his eight-year career.

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette