It's full circle for Izzy

Out of baseball for over a year, Jason Isringhausen is attempting a comeback. In doing so, he's returned to the team he started with.

Isringhausen was part of the Mets' Generation K. The trio of starting pitchers (Isringhausen, Bill Pulsephiler and Paul Wilson) that were supposed to be the Mets version of John Smoltz, Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine in the mid 1990s. In the end injuries derailed all three and Isringhausen only really found big time success as a closer for the Oakland A's after being traded in 1999.

He would go on to save 293 games for the A's and Cardinals (he pitched for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2009 but didn't save any games).

Isringhausen asked the Mets for a tryout and they obliged and were pleasently rewarded. His curveball looks good and he seems healthy. If he is, the chances of him making the team is actually fairly good.

It's nice to see him in camp. I like the fact he's there and could be a nice stable arm in the bullpen. I could see him (again, if healthy) being a nice compliment to Bobby Parnell in the setup role. His experiance alone will be helpful to the youngster.

Should Parnell Be Closing?

With Francisco Rodriguez’s season over due to his scuffle with his common-law Father-In-Law and lousy right hook, the Mets have been using Hisanori Takahashi as their closer and he’s done a pretty good job. The Mets have actually picked up a game and half in the wildcard standings the last two days and are likely to keep things as they are as they try and see if they can somehow worm their way into playoff contention (as slim a chance it is) over the next two weeks.

However if things do not go the Mets way (and likely it will not, even if the Mets are able to lift their play to the level they were at in May and June) I have to wonder if the Mets would be better served by letting Bobby Parnell have a go at closing.

I think that the idea has some serious merit. I thought I was alone in the thought until I read a post saying the same thing from Matt Cerone over at metsblog.com. Parnell had a small period where he struggled not too long ago, but has been pretty spectaular since and overall has had a good season. The main thing is though, that the guy can bring some serious heat (he hit 101 in a recent game against the Houston Astros and 99 a number of times against the Pittsburg Pirates) and he’s young (only 25, compared to Takahashi’s 34). Looking at the volatile situations concerning closers these days, it would behoove the Mets to see if they have a very inexpensive alternative to close other than K-Rod or even just going forward for life after him.

At this point, it’s kind of obvious the Mets are looking to push forward with the idea of prospects and home grown players being a huge part of this team going into 2011 and beyond. Ike Davis is the 1st baseman. I think Ruben Tejada has the advantage on the 2nd base job for next year if he can show this season he can hit at least a little bit (with Daniel Murphy being more of a threat to him for next year than Luis Castillo is) . Jenrry Mejia is widely expected to be on the roster next year, either in the bullpen or give a shot to start. Kirk Nieuwenuis, Dillon Gee, Fernando Martinez and Pat Misch will all have a serious shot at making the team in 2011. Isn’t it a good idea to get at least a notion if Parnell has the ability to close and bounce back after a bad outing in a pressure situation?

It’s worth investigating the idea. If the Mets really are going to be a more thrifty team going forward and the young movement seems to be on the forefront of business, then they should see if they have an important cog now, and not wait until later. The Mets have a habit of putting themselves in a position to scramble, and it would be a good idea to avoid that.

Not What Anyone Had In Mind

The Mets needed a win last night, and getting a strong performance from their pitching staff was important. Well, Jon Niese did his part last night. Seven innings of 1 run ball was just what the Mets needed. Of course the 8th inning was a disaster, as the bullpen (most notably Bobby Parnell) allowed the first 7 batters of the inning reach base. Six would score. A 2-1 lead became a 7-2 deficit.

The Mets continue to find new and frustrating ways to lose. Time is running out very quickly. As I stated yesterday, there is no reason the Mets should not be able to beat a team with it’s starting all star 2nd baseman and 1st baseman on the DL, as well as their starting Centerfielder.

Of course, the Mets total inability to score runs is killing them. The team is hitting a combined .251 (24th in the Majors) and have scored 444 runs this season, which is 7th worst in the MLB.

Today’s match-up is Johan Santana (8-6, 3.20 ERA) and Cole Hamels (7-7, 3.56 ERA) . In all honesty… the Mets should have the advantage here… just like they had it last night.

At this point, I’d go into today’s game allowing Santana at least 125 pitches and lok to see if he can throw a complete game. The Mets need this in the worst way. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t jeopardize his health for it, but the man doesn’t need to be brought out at 100 pitches like Jerry Manuel seems to think every pitcher does.

David Wright needs to break out of the slump he’s in. After going 8 for 14 with 2 home runs and 8 RBI, Wright is just 1 for 19 with 3 strike outs, no RBI and no walks. The Mets are 1-4 with just 13 runs scored during this slump. It’s also time for Reyes to wake up and Beltran to find his stroke. Without them, this team is not going to score runs and will not win.

Inactivity Makes No Sense

The more I have looked at the flurry of trades that happened the last week or so, the more I have to wonder… what in God’s name are the Mets waiting for?

I’m going to guess the Mets have a plan in place. I’m not going to say it’s a GOOD p[lan or a smart one, but they must have one, and it must be a plan involving keeping their farm system intact and looking to promote from within and build a team of young players with some veterans to anchor them, because there is no other excuse or explanation for the total lack of activity the Mets have shown.

The fact that The Philadelphia Phillies got Roy Oswalt for J.A. Happ and two minor leaguers is insane. J.A. Happ wouldn’t be able to crack the Mets starting rotation, yet he was the big piece of a trade that has given the Phils a solid 1/2/3 starting rotation head.

The Texas Rangers, who are not even fully owned and are in BANKRUPTCY have STILL been able to trade for Cliff Lee and Jorge Cantu.

The small market Twins acquired Matt Capps.

The Angels were able to get Dan Haren from the Diamondbacks.

The Mets? Nothing. No moves at all.

Now I know the Mets really cannot add a bat here. They are pretty much set at every position except for second base and except for Dan Uggla, who hits homeruns, but strikes out a ton and has a terrible glove there are no second basemen out there to trade for.

The team needs another starting pitcher so they can put Hisanori Takahashi back in the bullpen. If they had added a Dan Haren or a Roy Oswalt the team’s starting pitching would have looked rather solid. They also could use another bullpen arm and getting a Matt Capps or a Scott Downs would solidify the bullpen.

At this point we’ve heard all about how teams are asking for Ike Davis and Jon Niese. I understand and agree with not trading Davis at all and holding onto Niese if at all possible. But Roy Oswalt would have been a heck of a guy to get and in the end the prospects and players sent in both the Haren AND Oswalt trades weren’t that great, so you;re going to tell me the Mets couldn’t have beaten those offers withut having to give up Davis or Niese?

If the Mets could have told the Astros a week ago that they would pick up Oswalt’s 2012 option you think for a second they wouldn;t have jumped at it and traded him back then when it looked like no one would be able to get him? They became desperate and gave Oswalt away for a song AND paid 11 Million of his 2011 salary. If the Mets had offered a package of say Bobby Parnell and two decent but unspectacular prospects and said the Astros only had to give them 5 or 6 Million of Oswalt’s 2011 salary, you think they would have said no? The would have saved themselves millions to help with signing someone else next year and the Mets could have had a rotation of Johan Santana, Oswalt, Mike Pelfrey, Jon Niese and R. A. Dickey.

I find it very hard to belive the Mets could not have countered the Phillies offer with a better one more based on money than prospects.

The Mets are willing to make moves. In recent years they have traded for Johan Santana, Luis Castillo (when he was still considered pretty good), Shaun Green, J.J. Putz and Carlos Delgado. They’ve signed Pedro Martinez, Carlos Beltran, Billy Wagner, Paul LoDuca, Francisco Rodriguez, and Jason Bay. The problem is, the Mets don’t ever seem to take that big step and look to make the team into a powerhouse. They always seem to do just enough to be competitive but not enough to make themselves an all-out favorite.

The inactitivity during this trade dealine season makes little sense. Just two weeks ago the Mets were 1 game out of a playoff spot. They have a good mix of youg talent and veterans. They just allowed one of their biggest rivals to make themselves MUCH better… how can they stand pat?

Any doubt that the Mets front office just doesn’t get it should be erased by now. To watch a bankrupt team get one of the best pitchers on the planet and a pretty good hitter and to watch the team that has embarrassed them the last few years to go out and get a great pitcher that the Mets themselves could have gotten if they had just spent the money is ABISMAL. At this point if NOTHING else I want Omar Minaya gone. I know he’s not the whole problem, but ANY change at this point will be welcome.