Saturday, September 30, 2006By Mike Steffanos
From the AP:
The New York Mets will be missing ace Pedro Martinez for more than just the postseason.The Mets right-hander will have rotator cuff surgery next week and be out eight months. The injury is expected to sideline him from any baseball activities until at least June.
Martinez, who turns 35 this month, was already out for the playoffs because of a torn tendon in his left calf. The Mets won the NL East and start the playoffs next week at home.
The Mets said it was not known when or how Martinez hurt himself. He went 9-8 during an injury-filled season that was slowed by ailments to his hip, right calf and toe.
This only reinforces the need for the Mets to restructure their starting pitching for next season. They shouldn't count on anything from Pedro next year, giving him as much time as he needs to come back as healthy as possible. The gloom and doom crew in the media should have a field day with this one.
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Comments (2)
Sort of sounds like Humber and Pelfrey will be getting their mail in Arizona this winter, don't it? They should both be eligible for the Arizona Fall League, I would think; neither of them has that much service time.
November will be time to start rebuilding the Mets rotation, practically from the ground up. Assuming Maine holds down one spot, and that Tom Glavine wants to collect his 300th win as a Met (or, alternately, that the Braves would prefer to concentrate on their own rebuilding issues rather than take an extended trip down memory lane with Glavine), I see the need for three starters. Which means, can/do the Mets resign El Duque? And can Pelfrey/Humber in tandem fill one of the other slots?
Assuming good outcomes to those two questions, the revamping would come down to two questions: who is out there available by trade or via free agency; and do the Mets reconsider Aaron Heilman's role?
Goodness, the staff could, might, be put back into place with no more than one new face from elsewhere, and the rotation could still be an overall strength. The amazing part, for me, is that Glavine is still a viable option at this late date. I remember him telling Mark Lemke "You think hitting's hard? Try getting major league hitters out throwing 84 miles per hour" about twelve years and a zillion wins ago.
BTW, I agree with you and Joe Sheehan 100% regarding grand jury testimony.
Posted by dd | October 1, 2006 10:25 AM
I've already read that both will pitch in AZ. I agree with you that the Mets don't need to go crazy bringing in new arms, even if Glavine doesn't re-sign. I would at least try to get El Duque back one more year.
Posted by Mike S. | October 1, 2006 12:38 PM