25

Tonight the Mets travel to Denver to take on the Rockies and second baseman Kaz Matsui, who missed the first series at Shea this year due to (what else) back spasms.

I just might be a softie but I’ve always felt bad for how poorly things went in New York for Matsui. The organization completely biffed the entire acquisition, unnecessarily installing him at shortstop while they already had a popular, accomplished and exciting incumbent there, then leaving Matsui at short to become a target of fan abuse when it was obvious he lacked the range of the man he displaced. Frequent injuries — a source of frustration for fans and his manager — followed and when it was clear that Jose Valentin was a better bet to serve out the year than Matsui the Mets anxiously shipped him to the Rockies, along with all the money they’d need to pay him, for washed-up reserve Eli Marrero.

Still no word on what number Shawn Green turns up in, but MBTN reader Michael points out it probably won't be 25 as foolishly suggested below (that's Pedro Feliciano's these days). His guess: 9, for the odds-on favorite to be released to make room for him, Ricky Ledee, but we've thought it over and suddenly realize it could be 20, for Victor Diaz, the guy whose place on the 40-man roster disappeared overnight because of Green.

Green by the way will become the 45th Met this year, and the 797th of all time. While the 1967 record of 54 different players is probably safe, there's a strong possibility that the all-time Metland population reaches 800 sometime in September. Back in 2003, when Tom Glavine became the 700th Met, we ran the following chronology of Milestone Mets and their Debut Dates:

100: Jimmie Schaffer (July 26, 1965)
200: Bill Sudakis (July 11, 1972)
300: Phil Mankowski (April 11, 1980)
400: Randy Milligan (Sept. 12, 1987)
500: Kelly Stinnett (April 5, 1994)
600: Lenny Harris (July 4, 1998)
700: Tom Glavine (March 31, 2003)
800: ???

Roberto Hernandez promised writers he'd be wearing his old No. 39 for tonight's game -- and sure enough, he did. The veteran relief pitcher had been assigned 49 when he joined the Mets Tuesday but evidently was successful in prying the digits from Pedro Feliciano, who switched to the vacant 25 and summarily ended Chase Utley's hitting streak. The news here is Feliciano becoming the latest member of the exclusive Three-Number Club -- he previously suited up in 55 and 39.

Also this evening, word arrived that backup catcher Mike DiFelice has returned while Ramon Castro 11 hit the disabled list. No word yet on DiFelice's jersey, but it won't be the 33 he wore last year: That belongs to John Maine.

Sayonara (June 10): The sad Met saga of Kaz Matsui has come to an end. The Mets traded the dislocated second baseman, along with a sack of cash, yesterday to the Colorado Rockies for veteran utilityman Eli Marerro, thus ending one of the more regrettable and confounding stories in recent Met history. Acquired with great fanfare in the 2003-04 offseason, Kaz was presented with the No. 25 jersey and proclaimed "I love New York," but the city -- and his team -- didn't much love him back. An incredibly poor decision in '04 to use him at shortstop did no favors for him, the Mets or displaced teammate Jose Reyes, and managed to turn the fans, particularly the mook contingent at Shea, against him. Since then he seemed to have frustrated his manager with frequent injuries and subpar hitting, and thoughout appeared unable to overcome a massive cultural and communication gap, yet remained respectful and sportsmanlike until the end and that -- along with his opening-day homers -- is something we'll always admire about him. And while we take no pleasure in seeing him go, his most recent struggles, and Jose Valentin's emphatic claiming of the second base duties, left him a man without a second country and called out for the kind of

April 20: Kaz Matsui 25 made his return as the Anderson Hernandez Experiment ended due to injury, not an inability to hit.

April 17: Underutilized stick Victor Diaz 20 was told to play all he wants -- in Norfolk. Lefty Pedro Feliciano 39 takes his place on the roster.

Still finishing extensive site update. Thanks for your patience...

Opening Day! (April 3):MBTN.net officially welcomes the following 12 players to the All-Time Met roster:

Omar Minaya returned from the Winter Meetings with a new catcher, Paul LoDuca, acquired from the Marlins at full retail -- pitching prospect Gaby Hernandez, and minor-league outfielder Dante Brinkley. LoDuca is likely to dress in his familiar No. 16, vacated by 2004's disappointing first-base experiment, Doug Mientkiewicz.

In other moves, the Mets made official minor-league contracts and spring training invites for lefty Matt Perisho, formerly of the Marlins and Jose Valentin, the former Brewer and White Sock infielder most recently with the Dodgers. Valentin has worn No. 22 most often in his career, but was 10 last year. Both are theoretically available as both Royce Ring 22 and Shingo Takatsu 10 have been booted from the 40-man roster.

Finally, the Mets bolstered the bench by handing an astonishing two-year contract to elderly pinch-hitter Julio Franco, who is so old they need two baseball cards just list his stats. Should Franco survive until opening day, at 47 he'd become the oldest Met ever (Warren Spahn in 1965 held the old record, followed closely by John Franco, who were both 44). Julio-down-by-the-boneyard has played for 7 MLB teams (one twice) and in Mexico and Japan in a variety of uniforms. Over the last five years with the hated Braves, he wore No. 14, not available here. We'd suggest 47, but that belongs to Tom Glavine. (We're joking with all the old-guy cracks, by the way, and know we'll be sick of them before long. As long as he can still hit, we're happy to have him aboard!)

 

The Mets today announced they would acquire slugging first baseman
Carlos
Delgado and 7 million U.S. Dollars from the Marlins, giving up promising
young hitter Mike Jacobs 27 and alleged phenom pitcher
Yusmeiro
Petit in return. That this is a dynamite deal for the Mets should be
obvious: Delgado fills the need for another threatening bat in the lineup
and they didn't need to cough up Lastings Milledge to get him. This
of course isn't the first time the Mets have picked up luxury goods on
the cheap in a Marlin liquidation: The 1998 sell-off produced
Dennis
Cook 27, Al Leiter 22 and Mike Piazza 31, all key players in the last
respectable Met era.

Considering
the strenous attempt to land Delgado last off-season, we expect the Mets
will provide Delgado with all the comforts he deems necessary, which means
Kaz
Matsui 25 might find a new jersey hanging in his locker this spring
(presuming it says "Mets" on the front, that is). We argued back in '03
that Matsui should have been issued 77 and would still like to see it.

Speaking
of Marlin giveaways, the Mets quietly provided X-Marlin lefty reliever
Matt
Perisho with a minor league contract and invite to Spring Training.
Perisho wore 46 with the Marlins last season.

The Mets have recalled Victor Diaz 20 to fill Cameron's spot. Earlier this week, Kaz Matsui 25 returned from the disabled list while Doug Mientkiewicz 16 took his place.

Jae Seo 26 was recalled from Norfolk to replace Kaz Ishii 23 on Saturday, and for the second time this year, pitched considerably better than him. As with his first recall, whether Seo stays in the rotation depends in part on what the Mets intend to do when an injured starter makes an expected return to the rotation: In May, it was Kris Benson; this time, it's Steve Trachsel, expected back shortly and whose injury led to acquiring the frustrating Ishii in the first place: He was sent to the minors for the first time in his MLB career. The Mets are also expecting a return from Kaz Matsui 25 any day now. Thankfully, they're on the road.

Still smarting form an embarrassing whupping out West, the puzzling Mets announced a series of roster moves Monday. As brittle second baseman Kaz Matsui 25 hit the disabled list for the 15th time, the Mets promoted Gerald Williams, the elderly outfielder from Norfolk. And while oddball lefty Dae Sung Koo 17 was recalled from the disabled list, Mike DeJean 35 was DeSignated For Assignment, ultimately failing to make a Met career any more distinguished than that of the man he was acquired for, Karim Garcia. Williams, by the way, toiled for the Mets last season wearing Nos. 6 and 21. So much for The New Mets...