Valentin And Lawrence Declined

From Ed Ryan at Mets Fever (Network Member):

Pitching aside, one of the biggest differences between 2006 & 2007 was Jose Valentin. In the field he was able to keep Reyes in the game and at the plate he had a number of big hits. Valentin hurt himself by not having the recommended surgery, attempting to rehab the knee only to come back and break a bone in the leg. It was never determined whether the leg injury was just a freak happening or from compensating for the knee. Because Valentin waited it is unclear when he'll be healthy and where he'll be at (physically) come spring training. The are expected to decline his option and at best if he doesn't catch on with another team he'll get an invite to spring training. Starting pitching Brian Lawrence's option is also expected to be declined.

By tomorrow, the Mets plan to decline team options on Jose Valentin ($4.3 million) and Brian Lawrence, making both free agents. The Mets won't rule out Valentin returning, but because it's uncertain whether he will be fully recuperated from knee surgery by spring training, it's expected he would only be invited to Port St. Lucie on an nonguaranteed, minor-league deal at most. source Daily News

Lawrence's Next Start

At Rotoworld they write about Brian Lawrence and his next start:

Due to Monday's day off Brian Lawrence, who was scheduled to start Wednesday's game against Atlanta, will now start Friday against the Marlins.

The Mets will go with Oliver Perez in Tuesday's series opener, followed by Orlando Hernandez on Wednesday and John Maine on Thursday.

Rotation Shuffle

Mark Hale at The New York Post writes about the re-order of the Mets pitching rotation against the Braves:

The Mets have altered their scheduled rotation for the Braves series, a three-game set starting tomorrow at Shea. Instead of going with Oliver Perez, Brian Lawrence and Orlando Hernandez, the Mets will go with Perez, Hernandez and John Maine. Because the Mets are off today, nobody will have to pitch on short rest.

The Number 54

Marty Noble at Mets.com writes about Brian Lawrence, the number he was assigned and the significance of it:

Lawrence was assigned No. 54, which has been assigned almost exclusively to coaches in Mets history. Rube Walker, Gil Hodges' pitching coach who served through Joe Torre's time as manager, is the primary No. 54 in Mets history. Rick Down, dismissed as batting coach last month, also wore 54.

The only player other than Lawrence to wear 54 was Mark Clark, who won 22 times for the Mets in 1996 and 1997.

Mets Take Series On Easley's Legs

Marty Noble at Mets.com writes about the Mets 12-4 win over the Brewers yesterday:

With David Wright and an atypical cast of characters making significant contributions, the Mets rolled over the fading Brewers. Wright was routinely productive, collecting four hits, including his 19th home run, and scoring three times in the 12-4 victory. But consider the names of his collaborators -- Brian Lawrence, Damion Easley and Jorge Sosa. Hardly bizarre, but not the usual suspects either.

Lawrence, the winning pitcher, hadn't pitched in a big-league game since the '05 playoffs; Easley, who had three hits, two RBIs and two runs while playing right field, is an understudy; and Sosa was bounced from the rotation. Anyway, his biggest contribution was made with his bat.

And to make it all a tad more uncommon, there was the home run Easley hit in the sixth inning that turned the game in the Mets' favor for good. What, in the game, is more out of the ordinary than inside-the-park?

View the BOX SCORE

Lawrence To Start Today

At Rotoworld they write about Brian Lawrence and his start today against the Brewers:

The Mets will call up Brian Lawrence to start Thursday against the Brewers.

Jorge Sosa was used in relief last night and is expected to remain in the pen for a little while. Lawrence, who had the worst velocity of any right-handed starter in the majors before hurting his shoulder, struggles to break 80 mph now. He's a weak bet to help the Mets.

Delcos's View On Lawrence

John Delcos at Lo Hud, writes about the signing of Brian Roberts and how he views the deal:

The Mets continued stockpiling pitchers with the signing of veteran Brian Lawrence yesterday to a minor league contract. The 30-year-old Lawrence, released by Colorado in late April, will report to the Mets’ Port St. Lucie, Fla., complex for extended spring training.

From 2002-2005, Lawrence was one of 19 major league pitchers with at least 40 victories, 800 innings pitched, 120 starts and 70 quality starts with an ERA of 4.50 or lower. The Rockies released Lawrence, April 26, after giving up seven runs on 15 hits in 14 innings.

Lawrence is a reclamation project in that he missed the 2006 season after undergoing surgery on his right shoulder.

A Little On Lawrence

At Wikipedia, they have a biography on starting pitcher Brian Lawrence. Here's some notes:

The 2001 season was the only one in which the Padres used him extensively in a relief role. By 2002, he had established himself in the Padres' starting rotation, and he made at least 31 starts with the Padres in each of the next four seasons. For three consecutive years - 2002 to 2004 - he logged more than 200 innings pitched, and he won at least ten games in each of those seasons.

On June 12, 2002, Lawrence struck out three batters on nine pitches in the third inning of a 2-0 win over the Baltimore Orioles. Lawrence became the 24th National League pitcher and the 33rd pitcher in Major League history to accomplish the nine-strike/three-strikeout half-inning. However, in 2005, his record was just 7-15, and his ERA 4.83 - his highest-ever ERA in the majors.

That offseason, the Padres traded Lawrence to the Washington Nationals for third baseman Vinny Castilla. The righty would never have an opportunity to take the mound in Washington. Following his first day of spring training for the 2006 season, team doctors discovered a torn labrum and a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder shelving the righty for all of 2006. The Nationals subsequently declined their 2007 option on Lawrence that October.

The five year veteran, with 934 career innings pitched, continues to recover from his surgeries. He was signed by the Colorado Rockies on January 21, 2007, but was released early in the season.

On May 6, 2007, he signed a minor league contract with the New York Mets.

Mets Sign Brian Lawrence

At MLB Trade Rumors, they write about the Mets signing starting pitcher Brian Lawrence:

Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post spoke to Lawrence's agent, and he's signed with the Mets. Omar is just stockpiling arms.

Is it just me, or has there been a ton of interest in Brian Lawrence, dating back to this offseason? He was admittedly a decent innings eater for the Padres for four years, but he missed all of '06 and couldn't crack the Rockies' rotation.

Nonetheless, the Tigers have offered Lawrence a Triple A contract. I suppose there's nothing to lose here except a million bucks or so. The Tigers have received excellent work from their front three starters, but are rightfully concerned about Chad Durbin and Mike Maroth eating up 40% of the starts until Kenny Rogers returns.