Mets update 3-11-09

I have not blogged the past few days because there was not a whole lot to comment on. A couple wins, a couple losses, a tie.  Nothing really LARGE, no big news.

Now there is some.

First up, the relatively big news. Duaner Sanchez was released, saving a million and a half in payroll. Sanchez never really recovered from his freak injury in 2006, the velocity was not there and his command was off.

To be fair, I think part of the blame for his failure to get back to speed should be laid at the feet of the man I lovingly refer to as the Village Idiot, Willie Randolph. Willie took a page out of his mentor, Joe Torre’s book (not his tell-all Yankee one, but his playbook), and rode Duaner pretty hard in the first half of 2008, not figuring that coming off ground-breaking (for a major league pitcher) surgery would mean watching the workload. Duaner pitched in around half of the games before the all star break, and the workload began catching up to him as the tank got lighter and lighter. By the second half, he was wiped out, and the bullpen implosion took him with it.

He came back this year with similar problems, velocity and location, and Omar decided to cut bait with him and save the money.

Not a HUGE surprise, but a bit of one to Jerry Manuel, who felt that Duaner may have had a bit left in the tank and said so to the press, but what’s done is done.

Now, the HUGE news. Johan Santana has had a couple of very productive bullpen sessions and will be the starting pitcher tonight against the Marlins in his first serious outing of the spring. He is back on track to start opening day.

I still think they should send him for a precautionary MRI to be 100% sure, but who am I? Just your friendly neighborhood Mets blogger.

Other news includes Jose Reyes’ return following the Dominican Republic’s elimination from the WBC and Pedro Martinez making a public pitch for consideration in the Mets’ open #5 spot.

Since Tim Redding got shelled by college kids, Freddy Garcia has looked like the fat toad he is, and Livan Hernandez has been spotty at best, a 91+ mph throwing Pedro SHOULD be a serious consideration for us, I humbly assert.

But, again, who am I to judge?

Well, let’s de what Johan does today, and as always, if you happen across Shane Victorino in your travels, a good, swift kick to the groin would be the perfect move…

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