Category Archives: Ex-Mets

Jerry Blevins Agrees To Minor League Deal with A’s

4 Feb

Jerry Blevins
ESPN.com:

Left-handed reliever Jerry Blevins has agreed to a minor league contract with the Oakland Athletics, a source confirmed to ESPN.

The deal includes an invitation to major league spring training.

The news was first reported by the New York Post.

It’s a homecoming for the 35-year-old Blevins, who pitched for the A’s from 2007-13 and was 13-6 with a 3.30 ERA and two saves during that span.

I’ll miss those epic Blevins vs. Harper matchups.

Red Sox Sign Jenrry Mejia To Minor League Deal

31 Jan

Jenrry Mejia
Yahoo.com:

We’ve reached the point of the baseball offseason where Jenrry Mejía has a job with a major-league team and Bryce Harper and Manny Machado do not.

This time last year, Mejía was “banned for life” by Major League Baseball after three failed tests for performance-enhancing drugs. Turns out the “for life” part wasn’t as definitive as it sounded, because Mejía was reinstated for the 2019 season by the league and Tuesday agreed to a minor-league deal with the Boston Red Sox.

On the field, Mejía, 29, most notably saved 28 games for the New York Mets in 2014. Otherwise, his big-league career has been a mess. He was suspended in February 2015 for PEDs, then again in July. In February 2016, he was suspended for a third and final time — making him the first player ever “banned for life” under the league’s drug rules and three strikes approach. That made him one of only four living people banned for life by MLB. The other three are Pete Rose, Chris Correa (the ex-Cardinals exec who hacked the Astros) and John Coppolella (the ex-Braves GM who broke international signing rules).

At one point, the Mejía saga got so ugly that his lawyer was threatening to sue MLB, alleging that he would uncover years of corruption inside the league. That never happened and eventually, Mejía applied for reinstatement as MLB’s policy allows. He was granted that last summer, allowed to return for the 2019 season, but he was released by the Mets.

Considering how the ludicrous amount of $$$ they’re each seeking on the market, Manny Machado and Bryce Harper are bad comparisons. How about any other still unsigned major leaguer who played regularly last year? All of them have a right to be upset about Mejia getting yet another chance.

Mets Are Done With Gavin Cecchini

29 Jan

Gavin Cecchini
NYPost.com:

Three weeks after trading one 2012 first-round pick, the Mets have gotten rid of another.

First it was Kevin Plawecki being shipped to Cleveland, and now it is Gavin Cecchini being designated for assignment to make room for reliever Justin Wilson on the 40-man roster.

Cecchini, the 12th-overall pick out of high school, played in just 36 games in his Mets career, batting .217 in stints in 2016 and 2017. He missed most of last season, which began in Triple-A, with a foot injury. Before going down on May 9, the righty infielder slashed .294/.342/.468 in 30 Las Vegas games.

“4 months of rehab and hard work to get myself back healthy and back on the field,” he wrote on Instagram in August, before playing the season finale with Single-A St. Lucie. “It’s been a grind physically and mentally. But it’s only made me stronger. Can’t wait to get back out there soon and finish the season strong with my boys! #GC2 #godstiming.”

Cecchini is the victim of a Mets roster stuffed with infielders, as they have added Robinson Cano, J.D. Davis and Jed Lowrie this offseason.

Getting rid of two 1st-round picks in 3 weeks doesn’t speak well to your scouting department, much less Sandy Alderson.

Wilmer Flores, Diamondbacks Finalize $4.25M, 1-Year Contract

21 Jan

Wilmer Flores
NYPost.com:

This time, Wilmer Flores is actually leaving.

The infielder, who has spent his entire career, dating back to 2008, with the Mets, agreed Wednesday to a one-year deal with the Diamondbacks with a team option, according to ESPN.

Since 2013, Flores had been a Mets fan favorite, posting a .262 batting average and being a reliable right-handed bat, oftentimes off the bench.

The 27-year-old famously cried on the field during a 2015 game when he believed he had been traded. The deal fell through, and it only endeared him more to the fanbase.

This time around, it might not be just Flores’ tears flowing.

I’m happy Wilmer got a new deal, but I still think we could’ve found some way to keep him here.