Everyone knew that the Yankees were going to trade top catching prospect Jesus Montero. But no one knew it would simply be a one for one swap.

Brian Cashman took a gamble in trading the mighty Montero for Michael Pineda, a good pitching prospect, but one who has yet to prove himself as Major League ready.

As a Mets fan, by nature it is hard for me to say anything positive about the Yankees, and I laughed when I first heard about this trade, thinking, “Wow, Cashman is a fool.” But after looking further into it, this may have been the move of the decade for the Yankees.

With a starting rotation that was less than stellar in the last few seasons, the Yankees have been looking to get younger with regards to starting pitching, as they have been letting Ivan Nova pitch more than expected. The Yankees kept this train of thought by trading for Pineda, the 6’8 290 pound right hander from the Mariners that makes CC Sabathia look like Steve Urkel.

The question is, who will have a bigger impact in 2012, Pineda on the mound for the Yankees? Or Montero at the dish for the Mariners? Montero showed massive power in his short stint with the Yankees, making the short porch in right field his friend rather quickly. It was a tough call to trade Montero at all due to his strong swing, but most fans knew it had to happen in order for the Yankees to upgrade their rotation (not to mention dumping AJ Burnett off on the Pirates).

The Yankees also are not lacking in the power department. With big bats like Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano, and Alex Rodriguez holding down the heart of the order and Curtis Granderson providing a spark no matter where he is placed in the lineup, Brian Cashman felt that Montero was worth giving up for a good pitching prospect, and they got a good one.

Pineda has been clocked in the high 90’s, even topping 100 mph on his fastball several times. Many scouts say he has the potential to make an immediate impact this season for New York, and could even end up being the team’s number one starter by season’s end. CC Sabathia might have something to say about that, of course, but the fact that Pineda has a similar build and a very live fastball could create one of the best 1-2 pitching punches in the American League. With new free agent Hiroki Kuroda, Ivan Nova, and either Phil Hughes or Freddy Garcia behind them in the rotation, the Yankees pitching staff could be poised to help the Bronx Bombers to the World Series for the first time since 2009, when they defeated the Philadelphia Phillies for their 27th championship.

Overall, Pineda appears to be the real deal. Trading proven hitting talent for pitching is always a gamble, as pitching is never a sure thing in this day and age, but the Yankees appear to have reeled in an ace.

In 2006, the future of the New York Mets seemed to be bright. But after 2 consecutive seasons of relinquishing the division lead at the end of the season, followed by a year plagued by injury in 2009, the Mets hopes of winning have dimmed dramatically.

The Wilpons finally cut GM Omar Minaya loose after the 2010 season, and brought in Sandy Alderson, whose resume is quite impressive from his time in Oakland. But the Mets only made small moves in 2011, and the team finished below .500 yet again.

This past offseason, Mets fans’ worst nightmare came true. Jose Reyes signed with the Marlins as a free agent, bringing to an end the idea of he and David Wright leading the Mets to a World Series. Although this was a devastating loss, one can’t help but understand Alderson’s reasons for not resigning the star shortstop. The team is in massive debt, and even with Reyes on the roster, the Mets still could not find a way into the playoffs for four consecutive seasons.

Now that the dust has settled, it is time for the Mets to look to the future. 2012 could be a surprising season in Flushing, as the starting rotation appears to be pretty solid heading into spring training. Coupled with some big bats in the lineup and some new arms in the bullpen, the Mets could have the potential to make some noise this season.

The acquisition of Frank Francisco as the new closer was a huge move, and the rest of the bullpen is relatively set, with arms like Jon Rauch, Tim Byrdak, Ramon Ramirez, Bobby Parnell, and Jason Isringhausen. This group could provide the Mets with some much needed help late in games, a problem that has plagued the team over the past 4 years.

The starting rotation is shaping up to look like one that could contend. With Johan Santana returning from an injury that kept him out for all of 2011, the rotation immediately gets an injection of talent. Behind Santana, the Mets will start Mike Pelfrey, Jon Niese, R.A. Dickey, and Dillon Gee, all of whom now have significant tenures in the major leagues, and could certainly pitch the Mets to a solid number of victories this year.

But they won’t be able to do so without run support. This is the biggest question for the Mets entering 2012. Will they be able to score? Moving the fences in at Citi Field will help, but it will also help the opposition, so what should we expect to see? The answer is unclear, but the offense currently on the roster certainly has potential to score.

Andres Torres most likely will lead off, replacing Jose Reyes in the order and Angel Pagan in center field. Torres is a fast runner who can get on base consistently. David Wright should be back to his old self once again, and we can expect him to hit at least 30 home runs with 100 RBIs. The question marks lie behind him in the batting order, however. Young first baseman Ike Davis is coming off an injury, but his power certainly should not be overlooked. The man has put several balls onto Shea Bridge in right center field, and will only get better with experience. If he can hit well in the cleanup spot, it should give Wright some pitches to hit.

Behind Davis, the struggling Jason Bay will need to find his offense again in order for the team to be successful. If he can regain even close to the production that we saw during his time in Boston, the Mets could have the opportunity to sport quite a dangerous hitting attack.

At the end of the day though, they are still the Mets. They still have many pieces to add in order to fill out the lineup, but the farm system looks promising and the future may not be as dim as many fans once thought.

Serious question. I just want to know where we stand right now. I also don’t want to be the first to throw in the towel if we still think a miracle is possible and we can finish above .500 this year. On the other hand, I’m slowly starting to lose track of how many players we have on the disabled list, and I’m recognizing less and less of the players that are taking the field for us every week. As a side-note, the Mets would absolutely dominate the all-injured MLB Playoffs if they started today. No question. David Wright? Ike Davis? Chris Young? You might as well throw Carlos Beltran in there — he’ll be back there any day now. There’s also that pretty decent pitcher you might have forgotten about. Johan Santana? I think that’s his name. Now that’s a dominant team. They’d probably sweep every series on their way to the DL Championship. I don’t know about you but all I’m hearing right now is parade.

On a more serious note, whether the Mets (and their fans) are still hoping the team can right the ship and at least contend with the Marlins and Braves or stay within 10 games of the Phils, the truth remains that some significant changes will be made to the team in the very near future. Or at least they should be made.

For starters, why Jason Bay is scheduled to make $16 million next year is completely beyond me. If it wasn’t for the ridiculous amounts of injuries we’ve had, and the bad luck that has made it so that Bay hasn’t been one of those injuries, he probably wouldn’t have played in half of the games he has so far this season. In fact, nothing would make me happier than to see Bay get sent down to the minors. And not Triple-A; I’m talking Class-A Short Season. Aberdeen Ironbirds if possible. That’s how hard it is to watch this guy play right now. While I’m at it I’m going to encourage you to buy this Jason Bay bobblehead. It’ll be worth a ton in a few years when Bay is out of the majors, and I’ve been told $2 of each sale goes directly to him, which he’ll probably need after he has to give back his salary from the last few years after failing to hit 20 total home-runs in 3 seasons. Please help him out.

Sadly, nothing I have said above about Jason Bay will actually happen. What is going to happen, however, is that the Mets will trade one of their key pieces, if not a few of them. It seems like the favorite to be traded, whether mid-season or in the off-season, is shortstop Jose Reyes. Reyes has been the only bright light in what has been a bottomless pit of darkness of a season so far (okay maybe not. Justin Turner has definitely been a nice surprise), and could even be in the early MVP discussion if he was on a better team. He also represents the player New York would probably get the best value for, as a handle full of teams would be interested in his speed, defense, and hitting. Even David Wright, the Mets poster boy and management’s very favorite has been rumored to be on the trading block, as it’s believed that Wright’s poor hitting would significantly improve in another ballpark (not too convinced about that one…) and on a team where he wouldn’t be expected to be “the guy.”

Personally, I’d rather see Wright go, as I think (and think that most would agree) that what Reyes offers at the plate and in the field is irreplaceable. Wright on the other hand — a talented hitter who seems to go through more slumps than your average “star” player and isn’t terribly clutch — can be replaced. It goes without saying that I would also like to see Beltran go. We could even package him in with Wright as a free giveaway. With a “please take this off our hands before it crumbles in a heap of dust” sign attached to him. Unfortunately, I think Reyes will in fact be the one to be traded. Which is why I just ordered this signed baseball that I plan on keeping in my pocket for the rest of my life, no matter how weird it makes my pants look. Most importantly, what I hope the Mets do is make up their mind about what direction the team is going in. If management wants to rebuild, I am all for that. We have some good young players to build around, and obviously a few pieces we could trade for more prospects and young talent.

What I’m most tired of is this team giving huge amounts of money to injury-prone, washed-up, or underachieving players while our “star” players sit on the bench injured all year while a bunch of no-names run around losing to the Pirates and making me the laughing stock of my Yankee-fan friends. Can you feel the frustration yet?

Doc Gooden Mets/Yankees Superstar Upcoming Signing – 7/24/2010 Here are the details: Where: The Tunnicliff Inn When: 7/24/2010 Phone: (908) 258-7228 All Orders and Mail-Order need to be received by: 7/16/2010 Prices: Flats & Balls: $35 Caps, Equip, Bats & Jerseys: $45 Inscriptions: $15
Place a presale order for the Doc Gooden Signing or check out   a full list of Upcoming Memorabilia Signings.

New York Mets Sports Memorabilia
and other New York Mets Gifts and Collectibles
Below are links to memorabilia available for Doc Gooden.

Come to Team-Superstore.Com for all of your Father’s Day needs! By entering in “DADSDAY15″, you can get 15% off all orders until 6/25/10!

New York Yankees Mens Apparel
and other Yankees Gifts

New York Yankees Credit Card/Money Clip Holder

Mark Teixeira Yankees MLB Prostyle Player T-shirt

New York Yankees Heater III Crew

The New York Yankees have completely dominated the Minnesota Twins at home since 2002 with a record of 25-3 before Sunday afternoon’s game. It looked like the Yankees were going to win again yesterday afternoon when the unimaginable happened.

The game was in the bag, Mariano Rivera was summoned in the bottom of the eight inning to record a four out save. Rivera has been perfect all season, he didn’t let up any runs in all his save oppurtunites… until yesterday. Viewers might have thought they were dreaming, but it is true, Rivera facing Jason Kubel with the bases loaded let up a grand slam! Rivera has only let up four grand slams in his career and the last time Rivera let up a grand slam at home was back in 1995! With Kubel’s grand slam, he stopped Rivera’s consecutive save streak at home with 51, tied with Eric Gagne.

In the bottom of the 9th inning the Yankees tried to rally back. Teixiera got up as the tying run with two outs and a runner on first and second and struck out looking on a pitch that was clearly inside but ruled a strike. The Yankees haven’t brought out any pies yet this year, they had a chance yesterday to bring their walk-off magic of last year back, but they fell short.

Rivera is not a machine, he is human. It was bound to happen sometime. Sometimes he is so dominate it is completely shocking when he fails, especially in the fashion that he did yesterday. Every year this happens and fans think, “Oh no, he’s falling apart! Is he at the end of his line?” Then by the end of the year fans forget that his few early season mishaps even happened. Rivera may have a few more bad games to come but his good games will outweigh the bad ones so much that they will be forgotten like usual.

The Twins finally got the monkey off their back defeating the Yankess 6-3. (Yankees.com)

by Eric Heyer at the Sports Fan Blog Network

Lenny Dykstra 1986 Mets WS Champ Upcoming Signing – 5/15/2010 Here are the details: Where: Westchester County Center When: 5/15/2010 Phone: (908) 258-7228 All Orders and Mail-Order need to be received by: 5/7/2010 Prices: All Items: $25.00; Free Inscription
Place a presale order for the Lenny Dykstra Signing or check out   a full list of Upcoming Memorabilia Signings.

New York Mets Sports Memorabilia
and other New York Mets Gifts and Collectibles
Below are links to memorabilia available for Lenny Dykstra.

The Mets got exactly what they expected out of Johan Santana in their season-opening win over the Marlins on Monday.

Now comes the hard part: Seeing what the other four-fifths of the starting rotation will give them.
And that starts tonight, when John Maine takes the mound against Florida at Citi Field after yesterday’s off day.
“You always want to get the year started off strong,” Maine said. “It’s the same thing every season. Your first couple of starts, you’re anxious and you want to get off on the right foot. No matter what you’ve been through to get there, that doesn’t change.”

Click here to read the full article – By DAN MARTIN of New York Post

New York Mets T-Shirts
and other Mets Apparel

New York Mets Womens In the Dust V-Neck Fashion Top Shirt

New York Mets Cooperstown Classic Ringer T-Shirt

New York Mets Momentum authentic childrens onfield tee

All-Star shortstop Jose Reyes has been told to rest and refrain from athletic activity for two to eight weeks until his thyroid levels normalize, another blow to the New York Mets before Opening Day.

Center fielder Carlos Beltran already is expected to miss the first month of the season following right knee surgery Jan. 13. Reyes likely will be starting the season on the disabled list as well.

“It doesn’t look good right now.” Mets general manager Omar Minaya said Thursday. “We will have to prepare for that.”

Reyes has been diagnosed with an overactive thyroid, and his levels were elevated after he exercised Monday and Tuesday. Although he initially thought he might be able to return after a few days, he will have to stop working out and will remain at home.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

New York Mets Sports Memorabilia
and other New York Mets Gifts and Collectibles
Below are links to memorabilia available for Jose Reyes.

All-Star closer Francisco Rodriguez returned to New York Mets camp on Monday after being hampered by conjunctivitis for more than two weeks.

Rodriguez had been told to stay away from the team until the pink eye cleared, but the contagious infection took longer than expected to improve. He was sick when he reported to New York’s spring facility, but it went undiagnosed until just before full-squad workouts began Feb. 25.

The right-hander said he went to the doctor on Friday and was cleared to return Monday, although he still is infected. He continues to take eye drops and isn’t allowed to wear contacts yet.

“It feels much better,” Rodriguez said. “It’s still a little uncomfortable, but it’s good to be around. I was cleared to be around the guys, so it’s fine.”

While away from the team, Rodriguez was limited to playing catch with his brother, Edward, in the driveway of the closer’s home. But Rodriguez is not worried about his progress. He said he probably only needs one bullpen session before pitching in a game, and is looking forward to getting back into a regular routine.

Rodriguez last stepped on a mound about a week ago when he emerged from hiding for a light bullpen session.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com