According to Adam Rubin: Source: Mejia to start again in minors
“is expected to head to the minors to resume being used as a starting pitcher. That could be timed with R.A. Dickey’s activation before Wednesday’s start, a team source told ESPNNewYork.com.”
“The Mets will have Dickey face the Washington Nationals on Wednesday and use Hisanori Takahashi in place of Niese on Friday.”
How long it takes Mejia to be stretched out and how effective he will be remain to be seen. Obviously this is the right move. The Mets bullpen is not the problem and is scheduled to get stronger with Iggy on his way back. I also don’t expect Ollie to be in there for long, opening up a spot for a guy like Misch who is still pitching quite well. Misch would be my pick to take Taka’s role in the pen.
77 comments
metsfan4decades
5/18/2010-8:22am at 8:22 am (UTC -4)
I agree about Misch. Or Mish to the starting rotation and Taka back in the BP.
I can’t imagine that anyone disagrees with Mejia going back down to work on his development.
rustyjr
5/18/2010-8:24am at 8:24 am (UTC -4)
Yeah I think everyone here since day 1 has been in agreement that it’s best for him to get starting work in AAA
njstuckintx
5/18/2010-8:52am at 8:52 am (UTC -4)
pinch me. is this really happening?
njstuckintx
5/18/2010-8:56am at 8:56 am (UTC -4)
Also, listening to the Houston radio, they mention that basically the whole team is up for being traded. Not that it would, but they mentioned Myers being available. I think he could be had for relatively little. That could be an option…
DNDJohan aka kistics
5/18/2010-10:00am at 10:00 am (UTC -4)
Not sure if Myers is a good fit. But then anything is better than Ollie…
njstuckintx
5/18/2010-10:05am at 10:05 am (UTC -4)
I’m not sure either, but he’s serviceable, good with the ladies, and probably could be had for much less than an oswalt or something similar would cost.
DNDJohan aka kistics
5/18/2010-10:14am at 10:14 am (UTC -4)
I wonder if Wandy is available. I think he’s going into his last Arb season in 2011. He’s probably not available as he’s only getting paid $5M this season.
never mind….
njstuckintx
5/18/2010-10:17am at 10:17 am (UTC -4)
Do you really want Ollie part deaux?
DNDJohan aka kistics
5/18/2010-10:43am at 10:43 am (UTC -4)
Wandy? He walks far less people than Ollie. Okay so he had one good season, but when looking at the numbers briefly, his numbers seem better than De La Rosa who also had one good season.
njstuckintx
5/18/2010-10:59am at 10:59 am (UTC -4)
Is Wandy better than Ollie? yeah. Is Wandy a one year wonder, I’m thinking so. His numbers this year aren’t good. Is De La Rosa a one year one, so far. It’ll depend on how he comes back from injury, as his last year’s worth of starts he’s like 18-3.
Kingman 26
5/18/2010-9:37am at 9:37 am (UTC -4)
From Costa this morning:
“They could have met with Manuel earlier in the day at the ballpark or even at the team hotel. But by holding the meeting in Manuel’s office when the clubhouse was open to reporters, they made a public spectacle of it. At one point, pitching coach Dan Warthen, bullpen coach Randy Niemann and trainer Ray Ramirez were also summoned into the office. It was hardly an ideal space for an organizational meeting. The room is so small that Ramirez had to sit on the floor. But apparently, Barnum and Bailey didn’t have any tents available….
“Jerry and Omar both know what’s expected and they’re both working at it,†Wilpon said. “We’re 38 games into the season. If I was going to make a change this quick, I should have made it last year, and we didn’t do that. So we’re working towards getting this thing right.â€
————————————————————
A meeting of team brass in the manager’s office in an open clubhouse on the road, with the trainer sitting on the floor? The picture of this, with the caption being Jeff making the remarkably idiotic remark “If I was going to make a change this quick, I should have made it last year” is, for me, the very final piece which definitively solves the puzzle of whether the problems on this team are still organization-wide.
YES.
Doubleday really was right about the Wilpons.
njstuckintx
5/18/2010-9:51am at 9:51 am (UTC -4)
And the Wilpons have the ego’s to never sell, ever. Sigh. At least they aren’t Marge Schott. Then again, Mussolini wasn’t as bad as Hitler, if you want to split hairs.
fongy2
5/18/2010-10:10am at 10:10 am (UTC -4)
Yeah, not even close!
ceetar
5/18/2010-10:03am at 10:03 am (UTC -4)
screw Costa then. why is that remark idiotic? Why shouldn’t they have a meeting, include whoever they want to include? why does the size of the room be a knock on the Mets?
Jeff’s right when he says that it’s virtually impossible to have a ‘secret’ meeting, so instead they chose to do it in the open. That’s fine. what’s the big deal?
fongy2
5/18/2010-10:11am at 10:11 am (UTC -4)
Clown show!
Kingman 26
5/18/2010-10:15am at 10:15 am (UTC -4)
It was funny, but not “ha-ha” funny….
Kingman 26
5/18/2010-10:14am at 10:14 am (UTC -4)
You are right! I am sure IBM and Exxon and Microsoft have team officials sit on the floor during meetings.
And I am also sure they have their “private” meetings on the road with reporters right outside the doors.
And I am sure there was no other place in the city of Atlanta where they could have met which might have had enough chairs and a little privacy.
You don’t drink the Kool Aid Ceetar, you live embalmed in an ocean of it.
njstuckintx
5/18/2010-10:18am at 10:18 am (UTC -4)
Yeah, I’m leaning your way on this, King. A little dog and pony show, for sure.
ceetar
5/18/2010-11:16am at 11:16 am (UTC -4)
i certainly don’t drink the kool aid, it’s more a matter of not drinking the gatorade on the other table just because I don’t like the color of the kool aid.
My company isn’t exactly IBM or a big place, but going into a meeting that they invited too many people to is not an uncommon occurance. Especially when circumstances call for change of venue. Ramirez chose to sit on the floor. big deal. He wasn’t in the originally meeting, but someoen mentioned something interesting, and Jeff responds with “Well, why don’t we get these guys in here and talk about it with them?” The word picture costa paints is what makes it seem bad.
As for where they had it, well they didn’t have it until the afternoon, so at the ballpark makes the most sense. I’m sure there was a little dog and ponyness to it, but that may have been part of Wilpon’s message.
metsfan4decades
5/18/2010-10:19am at 10:19 am (UTC -4)
I have to agree with this. They obviously needed to have a meeting to discuss the pitching situation, among other things. Doesn’t make much difference where/how they did that.
Kingman 26
5/18/2010-10:25am at 10:25 am (UTC -4)
Don’t you think after the circus of ridiculousness which has followed this team for the last year-plus, that maybe they should not have had their BIG meeting in the Braves’ stadium, with reporters outside the door, and with the trainer sitting on the floor?
They are a laughingstock.
I used to disagree, not any more.
trs86
5/18/2010-10:27am at 10:27 am (UTC -4)
I honestly don’t see a problem with where the meeting was. I am not sure why it’s a bid deal. They could do it in a closet for all I care.
fongy2
5/18/2010-10:36am at 10:36 am (UTC -4)
you don’t see a problem
w/any thing that goes on
in happy,happy Met
land TRS
You sound like me.
When I was 12.
metsfan4decades
5/18/2010-11:10am at 11:10 am (UTC -4)
I really don’t. That meeting didn’t produce the results we were all hoping for (clean sweep?) so makes no never mind to me where they held it or how.
I’m wondering if anyone would have had a problem with they way they conducted this meeting if the results were the coaches were fired…
trs86
5/18/2010-10:26am at 10:26 am (UTC -4)
Agreed and I also have no problem with Wilpons comments. He is right the time for change was last off-season and they will not make a managerial change until after Memorial Day. You either believe in a manager or you don’t. If they believed in him enough to let him keep the job (as dumb as that may be) then they should stand by him a little more than 40ish games.
asod75
5/18/2010-4:14pm at 4:14 pm (UTC -4)
The thing is, I don’t read his quote as meaning last offseason. I take it as meaning during the year last year, which is really puzzling, since the team actually played fairly well until all the injuries struck. 27-21 and in first place June 1st. Wilpon should NOT be handling any baseball decisions. Sigh…..
DNDJohan aka kistics
5/18/2010-10:37am at 10:37 am (UTC -4)
I think the media made a big deal out of this, but I also think the Mets could have avoided the whole circus as well. Why have the meeting in front of the entire media when you know exactly what will happen?
Kingman 26
5/18/2010-10:40am at 10:40 am (UTC -4)
Because, as hard as it is to believe and as much as they have spent, the Wilpons are COMPLETELY out of tune with what much of the fan base, media, and general public think of them.
They could care less.
DNDJohan aka kistics
5/18/2010-10:48am at 10:48 am (UTC -4)
Or they just don’t care about what the public/media thinks. But from what I know, the Mets are very very sensitive about their image. So… again, something doesn’t make sense here.
Kingman 26
5/18/2010-10:56am at 10:56 am (UTC -4)
Three words:
Jeff
In
Charge
Fred is a VERY different person than his son.
fongy2
5/18/2010-10:24am at 10:24 am (UTC -4)
Brock,I should find out in the next couple of weeks which tix I can score for Mets/Phils.
I turned down Flyer/Hab tix for tonights gm2. Too busy painting,etc…
AND no Rangers—No interest in driving 2+hrs to Philly in the rain.
metsgirl31
5/18/2010-10:33am at 10:33 am (UTC -4)
I don’t see a problem with the venue of the meeting. The fact is that no matter what they do they get criticized. If they held it in a “secret” location they would have been criticized for being too “CIA” so they should just do whatever they want at this point.
trs86
5/18/2010-10:35am at 10:35 am (UTC -4)
Agreed.
fongy2
5/18/2010-10:37am at 10:37 am (UTC -4)
Of course…..
Happy,happy Met land!!
metsfan4decades
5/18/2010-11:11am at 11:11 am (UTC -4)
I have to disagree with your assessment here Fongy. I had no problem with where/how this meeting was conducted. Doesn’t in the least mean I agree with how this team is being run right now….
trs86
5/18/2010-11:26am at 11:26 am (UTC -4)
Agreed…
asod75
5/18/2010-4:16pm at 4:16 pm (UTC -4)
I agree too that it doesn’t matter where the meeting was held. Maybe the timing was off (making a spectacle since it was when the clubhouse was open to reporters) but maybe that was the best time for everyone. Bottom line, I’m happy about a few decisions that seemingly have come out of it: Mejia back to the minors to start, Carter to play a bit more, Dickey to come up for a spot start and fill a long man role, which he did quite well for a few months last year with the Twins.
Kingman 26
5/18/2010-10:38am at 10:38 am (UTC -4)
“The fact is that no matter what they do they get criticized.”
And what, in about the last 12 months, would be seriously worth praising?
fongy2
5/18/2010-10:39am at 10:39 am (UTC -4)
Back to the off-white pinstriped uni’s????
Kingman 26
5/18/2010-10:42am at 10:42 am (UTC -4)
Making Citi Field actually look like a home for the Mets rather than a shrine to corporate America?
And of course, even this was done way too late, totally insincerely, and as a cheap option to appease the fans rather than increasing payroll.
fongy2
5/18/2010-10:46am at 10:46 am (UTC -4)
True my friend.
The lone time I saw it in person,my brotherinlaw/yankee fan
said it best.
“It looks like one
of those
Parks in Japan”.
It seems like almost every first thought
or move is always the wrong one….
AND THEN
they figure it out.
Why is it that
most,even die-hard fans dont know who
owns three quarters of the other teams AND dont know who
half the other GMs are???
metsfan4decades
5/18/2010-11:12am at 11:12 am (UTC -4)
Not much, no argument there.
Other than not overpaying for mediocre FA pitching during the off season
asod75
5/18/2010-4:18pm at 4:18 pm (UTC -4)
Yeah not spending a lot of money for a guy like Marquis was a good move. Although a one-year flyer on Jon Garland may have been wise.
njstuckintx
5/18/2010-10:43am at 10:43 am (UTC -4)
It’s more the point of having some class, for lack of a better term. Professionalism, maybe? I’m not sure I’m pulling the right word out, but this hierarchy seems to lack focus and poise. And what they are allowing the media to have access to, run with is baffling. The media doesn’t run the team, and it seems to me that management does way to much to attempt to get good media, and in doing that, they are showing themselves to be Bozo, Homie and Krusty.
Kingman 26
5/18/2010-10:50am at 10:50 am (UTC -4)
All part and parcel of having a silver spoon heir in charge. Simple as that.
Jeff has never had to earn a single thing, work a single day, take a risk, face a consequence, etc, and no matter what happens, he will be a rich man’s son and an owner as long as he lives.
Steinbrenner was much the same way; but he was able to spend his way out of his endless bad, boorish, idiotic behavior.
fongy2
5/18/2010-10:57am at 10:57 am (UTC -4)
See: James Dolan
DNDJohan aka kistics
5/18/2010-10:53am at 10:53 am (UTC -4)
I don’t agree with that. It’s perfectly understandable to have “closed door” meetings after the weekend. But what’s not understandable is the fact it was carried out like a spectator show.
I don’t think the media would’ve jumped all over this if it was a conference call, or a meeting at a hotel, or wait till the team gets back home on Friday.
I just don’t see the necessity to have the meeting at that place at that time.
Mr North Jersey
5/18/2010-10:44am at 10:44 am (UTC -4)
OK so let me see if I got this right.
Mets at the end of Spring Training decide when breaking camp to:
1. Bring Mike Jacobs instead of Ike Davis.
-result: Realize Jacobs was a mistake call Davis up.
2. Bring Frank Catalonotto instead of Chris Carter.
-result: Realize Catalonotto was a mistake call up Carter.
3. Decide to bring Mejia up to pitch in the pen rather that stay in Minors and start.
-result: Mejia (if true) will be going to minors to learn to be a starter.
What does all these moves have in common?
-answer: All these moves were reactions to the team’s struggles.
I am happy that Mejia will (if true) be finally sent down to minors to start. I don’t expect Mejia to be back anytime soon unless the kid really just blows everyone away down in the minors.
According to the Mets they felt Mejia wasn’t ready to be a MLB starter because he really only had one pitch. Unless that has changed I expect him to still need to develop his secondary pitches and how that will go I have no idea.
The Mets did the right thing for the wrong reasons but at least Mejia is back on course toward seeing if he is a MLB Starter and not a middle of the rotation reliever.
njstuckintx
5/18/2010-10:52am at 10:52 am (UTC -4)
I understand the need of the media and the hand in hand relationship they have, but doing move after move to placate the media instead of realizing, “hey, we are the EXPERTS here, maybe we should go with what we know is right and make the BEST decisions here”. If they had done your 1-2-3 in the beginning, I can’t say if it would have had amazing results for the better, but it would have been the smart moves to do. Smart moves tend to get better results than the non-smart ones.
Mr North Jersey
5/18/2010-11:01am at 11:01 am (UTC -4)
The idea that any of these moves were done to placate the media is a theory that is hard to accept.
GravediggerHebner
5/18/2010-11:23am at 11:23 am (UTC -4)
To me they show in these instances you lay out an ability to recognize mistakes and an attempt to rectify them, and I find it hard to lambaste them for that, especially since I criticized them for some of the mistakes initially so it would seem rather absurd to me to then criticize them now for seeing the mistakes and trying to correct them.
Mr North Jersey
5/18/2010-11:42am at 11:42 am (UTC -4)
Agreed
Kingman 26
5/18/2010-10:46am at 10:46 am (UTC -4)
And while we are at it, what exactly was accomplished by Mejia’s time in the bigs?
Had he started the year starting in the minors as he should have, he would be coming up now very possibly instead of the comically awful Dickey.
Someone–TRS or Ceetar–please give me a serious explanation of what the hell Mejia was doing in the pen the last 8 weeks?
fongy2
5/18/2010-10:49am at 10:49 am (UTC -4)
Having the clock-tic of service time so that we’ll eventually lose him even earlier to FA!
Kingman 26
5/18/2010-10:51am at 10:51 am (UTC -4)
Great point!
And yes Fongy, you can email me through the site anytime I think, and I would still LOVE to come down to Philly for a game!
fongy2
5/18/2010-10:55am at 10:55 am (UTC -4)
Will let you know as soon as I get word on the tix.
Haven’t been able to spend much time here
lately since I’ve beenquai-remodeling the exterior and now interior of
my house.
metsfan4decades
5/18/2010-11:19am at 11:19 am (UTC -4)
Nice. Can you come paint my house now Fongy? Good painters are hard to come by…..
darknova306
5/18/2010-11:00am at 11:00 am (UTC -4)
That’s the argument I’ve had all season with a guy I follow on twitter. He was a hardcore supporter of Mejia’s ST earning him a spot in the pen because “a playoff team needs a lockdown 8th inning guy, and Mejia has the stuff to be that guy”. Honestly, that very well could have been the thinking that Jerry had when fighting to bring Mejia up north. Either way, it was an idiotic move.
ceetar
5/18/2010-11:03am at 11:03 am (UTC -4)
I don’t hate that theory, if Mejia had proven to be a well above average reliever. but he hasn’t. I suspect the Mets realize that, and were just waiting for Iggy.
ceetar
5/18/2010-11:06am at 11:06 am (UTC -4)
The pen was a question mark coming in. They knew they’d signed guys that could work out, but they hadn’t proven it yet. Bringing in Mejia throwing gas seemed like a possible good thing, and it’s not unprecedented in the bigs (like Joba or Papelbon or whoever you want). They thought he could have serious success and help the team more than any other reliever they could replace him with. This started to be not the case, but then Igarashi got hurt, and I think they still felt they’d rather Mejia than whoever the 9th or 10th depth guy was (not a real big fan of Acosta, and who knows who would’ve been behind him). Now that Igarashi is coming back, and Mejia isn’t lights out, they’ll end the experiment.
It’s probably not a coincidence that yesterday we got good news on Iggy, and today Mejia is probably going down.
trs86
5/18/2010-11:34am at 11:34 am (UTC -4)
I think in theory, although I don’t agree with the theory, they saw a kid that had a lot of excitement around him and thought his presence would both energize the club AND feel a need. We can disagree with it but ultimately I think that is the answer to your question.
Also, your point on him being called up instead of Dickey, most likely not. I am not sure the Mets would have one felt like he was ready for the starting rotation AND they had a very set in stone plan for his innings this year. He was not going to pitch more than 100 innings this year and then pitch winter ball. Thus if he was called up say today he would have already had about 5 minor league starts and be out of innings in about 11 MLB starts (assuming he could pitch 6 innings).
stickguy
5/18/2010-11:13am at 11:13 am (UTC -4)
some of you poeple are getting a little silly about this. WHoever pointed out above that they are making changes to address issues was right. And that seems to be an organization that evaluates and adapts. You make choices coming out of ST based on what you think the team needs and will work best. It the needs change, or players bomb, then make adjustments.
ANd certainly they needed to meet now, to figure out how to address being short 2 SPs, and a come to jesus given the recent struggles. So that group meeting had to happen now.
So sorry they didn’t choose a location that would have made you feel bette. The room was small? BFD. ANd since they all needed to be together (and who knows when Jeffy arrived), it probably had to be at the ball park to get done before the game.
Just because fans, bloggers and media ran wild with false speculation doesn’t meen the theam should care. They said it wasn’t for that, and it wasn’t. Before and after the meeting that was said.
some people just want to be the opposite of Kool aiders, which is bashers.
metsfan4decades
5/18/2010-11:17am at 11:17 am (UTC -4)
That’s two of us….
Kingman 26
5/18/2010-11:24am at 11:24 am (UTC -4)
Sorry buddy—what I have seen on the field for the last year has led me to realism.
I am the last to be a “basher.”
I much prefer the other side.
But realism simply does not allow that right now.
trs86
5/18/2010-11:38am at 11:38 am (UTC -4)
Here’s my thing, how do we know that Jerry did not request the meeting at the location given? Perhaps he wanted to be at the field instead of leaving his team for this top secret meeting. Perhaps they wanted it out in the open. I have no frigging clue. I can’t see why it’s an issue.
That’s not Kool aid to me that’s just don’t care aid.
metsfan4decades
5/18/2010-11:16am at 11:16 am (UTC -4)
Just cause I think my opinion got lost in the shuffle here….
Why is it the mindset here this morning was:
1. Had no problem with the meeting AND have no problem with the way the team is being run.
or
2. Had a big problem with the way the meeting was conducted AND have a problem with the way the team is being run.
My opinion was neither. I’m more of the mindset that:
I had no problem with where/how the meeting was conducted AND I still have a problem with the way the team is being run.
I might be the lone person with that opinion but there you have it.
stickguy
5/18/2010-11:19am at 11:19 am (UTC -4)
no you are not the only one
trs86
5/18/2010-11:38am at 11:38 am (UTC -4)
Yup.
njstuckintx
5/18/2010-12:07pm at 12:07 pm (UTC -4)
Good summing up. That’s needed from time to time.
For me, I had a issue with how the meeting played out. By played out, i’m meaning with all the media close enough to basically throw out a play by play via tweet. The sit downs are sometimes needed, but to me, all that was said could have been done via phone or conference or something and out of the public eye. Have some control in all of this.
I think the team is headed in the right direction, and the talent is there and in the minors. (Bring on 2011!.
) I wish we had a new management team, but would stick with Omar thru 1 more manager. You can’t deny that we’ve not had a minor league system for quite a long long time, so I don’t want a new GM coming in here and start shaking the trees just yet. As for the General Gangster, old uncle Warthen and the rest of the bunch, they can jump off something high and land on something sharp.
That’s my 2 cents.
GravediggerHebner
5/18/2010-11:18am at 11:18 am (UTC -4)
I have no problem with the meeting area. I understand and respect that some people don’t like how it was handled but here’s the way I see it:
The owner met with his employees in his employees’ environment. He didn’t “summon them” to his suite, or private conference room. He didn’t make them put on a suit and pay their respects. He sat down with them in their workplace and had a discussion with them about their work.
Is there some play-acting and attention grabbing involved? Sure, Jeffy likes to speak with the reporters in their environment too. The most important thing I took from yesterday was not where or how the meeting took place. The most important thing I took from it (other than this potential Mejia to the minors to start thing) was Jeff’s statement “if I were going to fire these guys this few games into the season I should’ve done it last year.”
I wholly agree with that concept. I agree that he should’ve done it last year, but he didn’t, and I see little benefit to doing it now. If they did it now I would react to that the way many of you are reacting to this meeting. I would think it a circus run by attention whore fool clowns. But the fact that “the boss” sat down with his “regional managers” on the latter’s turf, I have no issue with.
metsfan4decades
5/18/2010-11:26am at 11:26 am (UTC -4)
+1
Hey, I work for the Federal Government. I can’t begin to tell you the places in my 30+ career I’ve been summed to meetings by management. That would include the bosses garden, hotel rooms where I had to sit on the floor, dank basements, old meeting rooms with ceilings torn out, chow halls, bars – and the list goes on. Quite possibly why the venue of this meeting didn’t even make a dent on my radar……
trs86
5/18/2010-11:40am at 11:40 am (UTC -4)
Agreed. As a coach I have had coaches meetings in offices with 5 guys on a couch.
trs86
5/18/2010-11:39am at 11:39 am (UTC -4)
Agreed. There will be no firings before Memorial Day, if you supported him at the beginning of the season you need to support him now. Like it or not.
tkfj
5/18/2010-12:26pm at 12:26 pm (UTC -4)
Finally, the Mets FO has seen the light. Too bad it took an injury and SP call-up for them to realize Mejia should have been in the minors from the beginning.
Lets see
Mike Jacobs now in minors: 0-1
Catalalalalanatto in minors/contemplating retirement: 0-2
GMJ should be in minors: 0-3
Mejia should have been in AA/AAA: 0-4
Looks like all of the roster decisions to break camp failed or are currently failing. I guess ST wasnt so meaningless after all, if only you know the Mets looked at performances in ST and used some common sense and discretion. Sad when a majority of fans can tell you it is/was a bad move.
tkfj
5/18/2010-12:28pm at 12:28 pm (UTC -4)
Also, please don’t rush this kid.
trs86
5/18/2010-12:35pm at 12:35 pm (UTC -4)
Well Mejia looked good in ST didn’t he? LOL
But thing is yeah none of those decisions worked out for the Mets but teams have those kind of issues all the time and I am very pleased to see the Mets so far be so proactive in basically admitting their mistakes and fixing them… well 3/4 anyway.
tkfj
5/18/2010-12:37pm at 12:37 pm (UTC -4)
I can’t disagree here. Shoot we could still be stuck with Jacobs and Nato.