Thoughts on A.J. Burnett, Pedro Feliciano, and the State of the Yankees

Did you know that A.J. Burnett has more wins than the entire Boston Red Sox team does? Talk about a fun fact!

I missed watching much of last night's game, due to another project I'm working on. But I still have a few things to squawk about::

* I am kind of doubting we will see Pedro Feliciano pitch this year -- the latest news isn't good. Aside from the ridiculousness of Brian Cashman blathering about the Mets' abusing Feliciano, I'm wondering about a few things. Like exactly what kind of physical exam did Feliciano get before becoming a Yankee? And why did it take a month between the two MRIs he had -- one in spring training, one this week?

* I read some chatter online about how Jeter is out of his slump, because he had two hits last night. Whoopee. Is that how low the bar has gone for the captain? It was only two years ago that Jeter had 66 multi-hit games out of the 153 he played in. And in 21 of those games, he had three hits or more. Now, people are flipping out with excitement because he had his second two-hit game of the year?

* I thought it was interesting that the Yankees will give everybody who had tickets for last night's game a pass for another game. That's something the team used to do when attendance was much smaller, and I can't remember the last time the team has done it. (I sat through worse conditions and delays at the new Stadium for an April 2009 Red Sox game, and we didn't get anything for our troubles!)

What do you think? Tell us about it!

Sorry, Brian Cashman, Mets Don't Always Do the Wrong Thing

Nobody knows better than Met fans that the team has been guilty of a string of ridiculous moves in recent years. But even a stopped clock is right twice a day. And sometimes, especially now that there's a new regime, when a Pedro Feliciano is not re-signed or a Luis Castillo is cut, there's a good reason.

As Squawker Lisa wrote yesterday, Cashman apparently failed to grasp that Feliciano led the majors in appearances the last three seasons, which was why the Mets and most other teams did not want to give him a two-year deal.

For Cashman to accuse the Mets of "abusing" Feliciano would be as if Phillies' GM Ruben Amaro Jr., after signing Castillo, blamed the Mets after discovering that Castillo was over the hill.

The perception of the Mets' incompetence appears to extend beyond that of rival GMs. When Castillo was released, ESPN's Buster Olney wrote:

Luis Castillo may have lost his support among New York Mets fans by the time he was placed on waivers Friday, but he has long-standing connections around baseball, established through his past success. Which is why he will almost certainly have a new job within 24 hours after he clears waivers today at 1 p.m.

Olney implied that Castillo was cut primarily to appease the fans (a theory Sandy Alderson was guilty of encouraging by admitting the fan factor). He went on to list the Phillies, Rockies, Cubs and Marlins as potential suitors for Castillo's services. Olney concluded:

None of that personal history will matter, of course, if Castillo struggles in his next job. But in baseball -- as in a lot of industries -- it's about who you know, and Castillo, a respected veteran with 15 years, a .290 lifetime average and 370 career steals, will be employed again very shortly.

Olney was right - Castillo quickly landed with the Phillies. But is this the way the rest of baseball really views Castillo - a "respected veteran" with "370 career steals"? Was it only disgruntled Met fans who saw a broken-down player who often had trouble walking without a limp, let alone running?

But the Phillies bought into that "respected veteran" tag, and doubtless also saw a way to stick it to the Mets, by signing Castillo. After all, another Met castoff, Wilson Valdez, filled in ably for Jimmy Rollins last year and now will be filling in for Chase Utley.

Ultimately, the Phillies spent a few days in spring training to discover what the Mets already knew - Castillo wasn't worth it. So they let him go. But some news outlets such as the Sports Network continued to spin the notion that Castillo was worthy of a roster spot:

As expected, the Philadelphia Phillies have placed second baseman Chase Utley and reliever Brad Lidge on the disabled list to start the season.

In related but unexpected news Wednesday, the club released veteran second baseman Luis Castillo.

Unexpected? Is Castillo now the Cliff Lee of spring free agents? How many more times must Castillo fail before people concede that it was a smart baseball decision for the Mets to let Castillo go?

At least even the Mets' detractors haven't been able to find a way to criticize the release of Oliver Perez.

Brian Cashman Shocked to Find Out that Pedro Feliciano Got Used a Lot

I just saw that Brian Cashman is apparently the last person in New York to notice that the Mets rode pitcher Pedro Feliciano pretty hard when he was with the team. What's next? Cashman professing shock that A.J. Burnett is a little flaky? Brian being surprised that John Sterling makes some over-the-top home run calls? Cash wondering why Gary Busey acts so wacky on "Celebrity Apprentice"?

Here's the story on Feliciano. YES Network reporter Jack Curry sez on his Twitter feed today that Cashman complained today about the way the other team across town used him, griping, "He was abused." Feliciano led the big leagues in pitching appearances over the last three years, Curry notes.

You know, in an era where most baseball players don't have good nicknames any more, Feliciano has not one but two. And both are related to being used all the time: Everyday Pedro and Perpetual Pedro. That should have been a clue that there might be an issue here.

The fact that Feliciano ended up on the disabled list before the season even began shouldn't be shocking to ANYBODY. Especially a GM who works in the very same town as the Mets do. This wasn't exactly some obscure fact here!

I mean, doesn't Cashman remember The Torre Years? He should know what happens when a manager overworks bullpen arms -- ineffectiveness, time on the disabled list, and ultimately Tommy John surgery.

Besides, complaining about Feliciano being "abused" by the Mets is just obnoxious. Yes, they overworked him. And didn't re-sign him, even though Feliciano did a good job for them. That should have been a clue to the smartest GM in baseball. It's like spending an evening with Charlie Sheen, and wondering why he can't just stick to drinking milkshake and playing tiddlywinks while watching "Matlock" reruns.

Instead, with Feliciano, Cashman had one of his "clap your hands if you believe in fairies" wishful thinking moments. Like when he was willing to take a chance -- again -- this winter on Carl Pavano, the worst Yankee signing in history. He actually offered him $10 million to pitch (or more likely, not pitch) for the Yanks in 2011. Imagine if Pavano had agreed to it. American Idle would be on the disabled list for a hangnail injury, and Cash would find a way to blame it on the Twins or something. Good grief.

Curry said Cashman told him he signed Feliciano because, as Curry writes, "there was limited market for lefty relievers." Oh, boo bleeding hoo. Sorry, but signing a pitcher the winter after he was only the fifth reliever in history to make 90 or more appearances in one season, and then complaining about the Mets abusing him, is just ridiculous. That would be like bringing back Javier Vazquez after he gave up a grand slam to the Boston Red Sox in the worst loss in the history of the franchise or something. Oh, wait.

What do you think? Tell us about it!

Seven of Nine: Relieving is Futile

I'm all for Seven of Nine when it comes to former Borg drones, but for Met relievers, not so much. I did not get to see the Met game tonight because I was at the Yankee game (more on that later). I did watch the postgame, where the big topic was Pedro Feliciano's workload. Feliciano has now appeared in seven of the last nine games, which could have something to do with him giving up the game-winning homer to Aubrey Huff.

First of all, how thankless is it to be a middle reliever? It's like being a field goal kicker who only kicks in the third quarter. You never get to win the game, but you sure can lose it.

Feliciano is entitled to give up a run or two now and again. After tonight, his ERA is 2.60, behind only Francisco Rodriguez in the pen.

But there's no way that pitching seven times in nine games can be a good thing. Jerry Manuel is managing as if he's still the interim manager. Just because the Mets fired the manager a year ago this week does not mean it will happen again. Jerry is certainly safe until the end of the year, and probably beyond that. But he may not be so safe if, by the time September rolls around, he has burnt out the bullpen.

And let's not hear anything about how the Mets have no choice but to use their only good lefty reliever all the time. There is always a choice. Maybe not a good one, but a choice nonetheless.

Despite the problems finding healthy and successful starters, nobody is suggesting that the Mets go to a four-man rotation to maximize the number of starts by Johan Santana and Mike Pelfrey. The Mets would never risk overworking their top starters like that. Feliciano and the other setup guys should get the same respect.

***

As for Huff, his second audition went a lot better than his first, except for him bizarrely getting tackled during his interview with Kevin Burkhardt.

Maybe the Orioles thought that the Yankees' postgame awarding of a wrestling belt to the player of the game was supposed to involve actual wrestling.