Mets And Maine Begin Talking Extension

Bart Hubbach at The New York Post writes about John Maine and his desire to stay in New York:

Maine is hoping the Mets will reach out to him with a multi-year offer before he gets to the arbitration process next offseason. A source close to the 26-year-old starter told The Post preliminary talks already have begun.

"[Maine] loves pitching in New York and loves pitching for the Mets," the source said. "He's not a guy who worries about what other people are doing."

"I'm thankful for everything I make in this league," he told The Post. "It's still a lot of money, and I'm grateful to the Mets. That's just the type of person I am. I'm lucky to be doing this for a living."

A Number Of Players On The Block With The Mets Looking For Backups

Joel Sherman at The New York Times writes about the Mets and their search for backups:

According to scouts from rival clubs, Smith is part of a list of players the Mets have told other teams they are willing to trade in a desire to fill two key backup roles: a righty hitter who can play both first base and right field, and a middle infielder who can handle shortstop well.

Aside from Smith, the Mets also would consider trading Orlando Hernandez. Orlando Hernandez , Scott Schoeneweis, Jorge Sosa and Anderson Hernandez. Ruben Gotay, who was out of options and, thus, could not be sent back to the minors without facing waivers, also was on that list before injuring his foot.

No Break For Gotay

David Lennon at Newsday writes about Ruben Gotay and how his ankle isn't broken:

At last, some good news on the injury front for the Mets. Or maybe a better way to describe it would be less bad. After the Mets won their fourth straight yesterday, 6-2, over the Marlins, assistant general manager John Ricco announced that Ruben Gotay's CT scan came back negative and there did not appear to be a fracture in his lower right leg or foot.

"What they thought was a break was actually an old injury," Ricco said. "They don't think there's a break there."

Beltran And His Recovery

David Lennon at Newsday writes about Carlos Beltran and how he is worried about his recovery:

The Mets' company line is not to worry, but Beltran said yesterday that he still is not capable of "stop-and-go" running in the outfield and must teach himself how to slide again. Beltran's knees, surgically cleaned up in October, are not the problem. It's everything else involved with the recovery process.

"When you have surgery, you lose all the muscle in your quads, everything goes away," Beltran said. "Because the knees are fixed, the sensation of tendinitis I was having, I don't have anymore. But if I don't strengthen my quads, then all the pounding is going to be in the knees, and I'm going to aggravate the knees again."

Beltran has been showing up early, before everyone else, doing his exercises and taking his scheduled dips in the hydrotherapy pool, along with about a dozen other Mets. When it's time for the rest of the team to prepare for that day's game, Beltran and his injured comrades are herded off for more rehab.

Valentin Up For The Challenge

Anthony DiComo at Mets.com writes about Jose Valentin and how he doesn’t mind the challenge of getting back to playing:

"I know it's not going to be easy, pushing myself," Valentin said. "I have to work a little harder than anybody else."

It won't be easy, but that's precisely the type of challenge that ignites him. In a game full of freakishly proportioned pitchers and massively muscled sluggers, Valentin is the baseball equivalent of a runt. A nobody. He's not particularly tall, not particularly fast -- not particularly anything, in fact. In his mind, he became a 16-year Major League veteran not because of his gene pool, but in spite of it.

Church Is Back

David Lennon at On The Mets Beat writes about Ryan Church being back at Mets camp:

Ryan Church must be feeling better -- or at least good enough to make it to Tradition Field this morning. Church arrived at 8:55, but still is moving pretty slowly. Not sure what he'll be able to handle aside from eating breakfast. He's expected to talk later this morning.

Strawberry's Back

Lisa Kennelly at Ledger on Mets writes about Darryl Strawberry in Mets Camp:

The Mets just announced that Darryl Strawberry will be joining the team this season in a variety of roles, starting immediately as a special instructor this week in camp. Throughout the season he will be involved in community outreach and visiting the minor league clubs.

More Small Ball For Reyes

John Harper at The New York Daily News writes about Jose Reyes and how Willie Randolph wants him to slow down at the plate a little bit:

Such is the dilemma for the Mets this spring: Harnessing Reyes' explosive ability in an attempt to avoid the kind of meltdown that crippled the team last September, is tricky business, indeed.

As hitting coach Howard Johnson put it: "In a perfect world we'd love to have Jose hit ground ball singles every time up, but he can do so much more. So I'm just trying to make sure that he's committed to slowing his approach, that he's not getting too excited and jumping at the ball."

"The urgency to win," is what Randolph called it yesterday. "Jose tried harder, harder, harder - and more was worse for him. But we forget that he's still young, and the reality is that you're going to struggle. People are making adjustments on you, and Jose is such a free swinger that he doesn't make adjustments on the fly.

"We need to slow him down. It's hard because he's in attack mode all the time. Jose's all go-go-go, and you love that, but good pitchers exploit that aggressiveness. ... Jose knows he's a better hitter when he hits the ball down, but when you struggle the way he did last year, you don't think about those things. I think Jose will be fine."

Santana's First Spring Training Start?

David Lennon at On The Mets Beat writes about Johan Santana and his possible start date:

After finishing today's live BP session, Johan Santana suggested that his first Grapefruit League start will be Friday, Feb. 29, against the Cardinals at Tradition Field. That game will be televised by SNY. Santana is planning on one more BP for Sunday, a side session on Tuesday and then taking the mound for real (sort of) on Friday.

A Future Mets Closer?

Ben Shpigel at The New York Times writes about Eddie Kuntz and his ability as a closer:

“When I step on the mound, there isn’t a thing in the world that scares me,” Kunz said. “There’s no one better. No one’s going to touch me.”

The Mets look into the future and see the contract of Billy Wagner expiring after next season (there is an option for 2010), with two primary internal candidates to replace him: Duaner Sánchez and Kunz.

Pitchers rarely, if ever, move right from the minors to the closer role. Almost always, there is a natural progression to be followed, from reliever to setup man to closer, and Kunz will be placed on that track. He is expected to open the season as the closer for Class AA Binghamton. If all goes well, he will compete for a bullpen job next spring.

“He’ll let us know,” said Tony Bernazard, the Mets’ vice president for development. “The situation will let us know, and his performance will let us know.”

Perez Wins Arbitration Hearing

Jon Heyman at SI.com writes about the arbitration hearing of Oliver Perez:

Mets starting pitcher Oliver Perez has won his arbitration hearing and will earn $6.5 million in 2008, SI.com has learned.

The Mets submitted a figure of $4.725 million for the 26-year-old lefthander. Perez earned $2.325 in 2007, going 15-10 with a 3.56 ERA.

Call Me Picasso

Mike Rose at On the Mets Beat writes about pedro's request for a name change:

During his side session today, Pedro Martinez told his coaches, "Don't call me Pedro - call me Picasso."

That's Pedro's style now. He concedes that he's no longer a power pitcher. He's a painter now. While most of the staff already has faced live pitching, Martinez and Johan Santana haven't yet. Martinez needs one more side session, but there's been no determination on Santana.

Perez Arbitration Update

John Delcos at The Courier News gives an update on the Oliver Perz arbitration situation:

Oliver Perez wasn't in a talkative mood Wednesday with the exception of asking a clubhouse attendant for directions to St. Petersburg. The Mets and the agent for their 26-year-old 15-game winner talked during the day and could again today before Perez's scheduled arbitration hearing.

General manager Omar Minaya said it's possible, but not likely, the team could reach a settlement with agent Scott Boras.

"We'd rather not go there," Minaya said of the arbitration hearing, something the Mets haven't had since 1992 when they lost to David Cone. "But, it looks like we will."

Outside of Sabathia, Perez could be 2009's free-agent prize, so he'll be asking for a lot more than $6.5 million.

Minaya wants to avoid arbitration because in its base form the team is tearing down the player. Perez's reputation is losing focus on the mound and Minaya's concern is if he loses he might let it impact his pitching.

Does He Throw A Slider?

David Lennon at On The Mets Beat writes about Billy Wagner's live batting practice session:

It was no contest. Pitchers are clearly ahead of the hitters at this point and Billy Wagner proved that emphatically this morning. Facing the top four in the lineup, few even bothered to swing, and the hardest hit ball was Jose Reyes' chopper to second base. "That's an out right?" Wagner said smiling.

Even Carlos Beltran left the cage wondering what he was looking at. "Does he throw a slider?" Beltran asked. Pitching coach Rick Peterson assured Beltran that he did.

Valentin Makes The Difference

Ben Shpigel at The New York Times writes about Jose Valentin and his role in the club house:

If Carlos Delgado led quietly and by example and if Julio Franco consciously took on the role of clubhouse sage, then Valentín’s style sits in the middle.

“He’s a baseball guy if I’ve ever seen one,” Manuel said. “He’s the baseball equivalent of a gym rat.”

Valentín, a switch-hitter, stopped by Shea Stadium occasionally but watched the games mostly from his apartment, suffering along with them and wondering whether he would have made a difference. It is natural, he said, to think that if he were healthy, he could have done something that would have staved off the collapse. Asked to clarify, Valentín, 38, said he felt that the team, and particularly Reyes, could have benefited from his presence.

“I would have been the person who went to him to calm him down,” said Valentín, a second baseman who has played other infield positions and in the outfield.

Reyes said: “I don’t want to say for sure that he would have made a difference. But he’s a good guy, he’s always talked to me when I’ve done something wrong, and I know that everyone here likes him.”

Throwing Rustich To The Wolves

Adam Rubin at Surfing the Mets writes about today's batting practice:

The best place to be around 11:45 a.m. today will be Field 5. Due to throw batting practice are Billy Wagner, John Maine and prospect Brant Rustich. The batters: Jose Reyes, Luis Castillo, Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado and Endy Chavez.

“You pitch to those guys, you can pitch to anybody,” Maine said as he read the schedule on the bulletin board this morning in the clubhouse.

Alou And His Fountain Of Youth

Anthony DiComo and Marty Noble at Mets.com writes about Moises Alou and how he feels rejuvenated:

"I don't know what happened to me," Alou said. "Maybe New York is the fountain of youth. Seriously, the past three years I've been looking forward for the season to be over, for me to go home and retire. But now I'm looking forward to having a good season, so they can ask me to come back and play another year."

Those thoughts of retirement are gone. Now Alou's worried about winning a title, about anchoring the middle of the Mets' lineup, about staying healthy enough to amass 500 at-bats. The guy who seriously considered retiring after last summer has vanished.

"I really had a great time in the offseason -- hunting, fishing, going to the beach," Alou said. "But that's not what I like doing the most. Playing baseball is what I like doing the most, and I would love to do that hopefully for another year, another couple of years."

Sanchez Becoming The Teacher's Pet

David Lennon at On the Mets Beat writes about Duaner Sanchez and how he has made a complete 180 in his attitude:

Not only is Duaner Sanchez healthy again, he's done a great job fixing his damaged reputation. A year after getting kicked out of camp, he's practically the teacher's pet. Sanchez showed up today with his curly hair chopped down to a buzz cut, and when Fred Wilpon saw him, the owner took his hat and rubbed his head.

Long Shot For Register

Ben Shpigel at The New York Times writes about the Mets Rule 5 draft choice Steven Register and how he views his chances of landing in the Mets pen:

Register, a right-handed reliever who in four professional seasons has never pitched above Class AA, joined the Mets in December by way of the Rule 5 draft, whose rules stipulate that he must begin and end the season on the Mets’ 25-man roster or be offered back to the Rockies for $25,000, half his cost, before he can pitch in the minor leagues this season.

In other words, with only one slot seemingly open in the Mets’ bullpen, Register must prove that it is he and not, say, Matt Wise, Ruddy Lugo or Brian Stokes, who most deserves that honor.

“I don’t know what the odds are, but I know they’re not good,” said Register, who turns 25 in May. “But I have to hold on to the fact that people stick sometimes.”

Humber OK With Santana Link

Phil Miller at Twin Cities.com writes about Philip Humber and him being alright with his name being linked to the Johan Santana trade:

What he did was establish himself as a big-league prospect, a power pitcher with the nerves of a winner. It set him off on a course that provided a handful of other baseball thrills, one frightening

Twins pitcher Phil Humber throws a pitch from the mound duirng the first day of spring training workouts for pitchers and catchers Monday, Feb. 18, 2008 in Fort Myers, Fla. (Luis M. Alvarez) (St. Paul Pioneer Press)setback, and a permanent new identity: the guy the Twins got for Johan Santana.

No, Humber isn't the only one, but as the most polished of the four prospects swapped by the New York Mets for Santana, the lanky Texan is a decent bet to arrive first in Minneapolis, giving skeptical Twins fans a close-up look at what a two-time Cy Young Award winner gets you these days. He's not nervous, though. His collegiate breakthrough — that complete-game 14-2 national title clincher against Ryan Garko and Stanford — gives him a good understanding of how to operate under pressure.

"I don't feel any. I mean, how can you get equal value for Santana? I don't know about that, but I feel like the four of us are going to make a differencehere," said Humber, who is even occupying Santana's old locker in the Twins' spring clubhouse. "I really think the Twins got a great group of guys to come over. I know I've worked hard and I'm ready to contribute."