Davis being promoted by the Mets

According to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York, the Mets will promote Ike Davis, and he will re-join the team for Friday's game in Milwaukee.

 In 21 games for Triple-A Las Vegas, Davis hit .293 with 7 home runs and 13 RBI. Before his demotion, Davis was hitting .161 with 5 home runs in 55 games for the Mets.

During Davis' absence, Josh Satin took his place and made the most out of the opportunity. The 28 year old hit .353 in 18 games for the Mets.

This was my immediate reaction to this move

This sends a horrible message to the organization. Satin was given a chance to succeed and he took advantage of it. However, this tells the players that hard work and success doesn't necessarily earn everyday playing time.

Do I think that Satin is the future first-baseman for this team? No. But you need to play the hot hand and get the fans excited. What if Davis comes back and continues to struggle?

From what I've heard from others, Davis will become the primary first-baseman, and Satin will start against tough lefties. That's all fine and dandy, but Davis needs to be more than a platoon player. He needs to get out there and learn how to face left handed pitching. You either play him everyday, or don't play him at all.

From a long-term point of view, it's important to see what the Mets have in Davis. If he manages to find success in the second half of the season, package him out of New York, because he has too many flaws in his game.

Mets recall Burke, Lyon DFA

Update 7/10/13: The Mets have placed Brandon Lyon on unconditional release waivers. If he goes unclaimed, he will become a free agent.

The Mets have designated Brandon Lyon for assignment to create roster space for Greg Burke, who has been recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas.

Lyon had a 4.98 ERA in 34 1/3 innings for New York this season. Over the winter, the team signed Lyon to a one-year, $750,000 Major League contract. In his first 33 appearances, Lyon had a 3.16 ERA in 31.1 innings. However, he put up a 24.00 ERA in his last four appearances. 

Lyon got off to a great start in 2013, but really struggled as of late leading to his demotion. I honestly thought that, if he could maintain an ERA of 3 or so, that he would be shipped at the deadline for a decent prospect, because there is always a market for relief help. Up until a week or two ago, he had a decent ERA, and it seemed like his roster spot was safe. Obviously, his last few appearances have severely changed the front office's opinion about him. 

He'll most likely get claimed by another team -- possibly Philadelphia or Detroit--. Lyon has the ability to bounce back, and could be a low risk gamble for opposing teams. The Mets will just have to move on, and add him to the list of underachieving relief pitchers that include: Blaine Boyer, D.J. Carrasco, Aaron Heilman, and others. 

As for Burke, this guy needs to stick in the bullpen. He's been flip-flopping between Vegas and New York quite a bit lately, but is arguably one of the better bullpen arms that the Mets have. During his brief stint with the Mets earlier in the season, he posted a 3.86 ERA in 22 appearances. As a low risk pickup, Burke should be used quite often, and the team should see if they could raise his trade value. 

Mets recall Germen, demote Lutz

The Mets have recalled pitcher Gonzalez Germen from Triple-A Las Vegas. Germen, 25, has posted a 5.70 ERA in 34 relief appearances for Las Vegas in 2013. 

To make room for Germen on the 25 man roster, the team has optioned Zack Lutz to the minor leagues. Lutz was 1-for-4 with the Mets this season, and before his promotion, was hitting .284 with 8 home runs in 54 Triple-A games.

Germen's role for this team is still unclear, but I feel like he'll be simply serving as a long-man in the bullpen. Unless he has great success in his brief stint right now, I can see him being the first player to go down when the Mets need to clear a roster space.

As for Lutz, of-course he didn't get a fair shot with the Mets. What is the point of bringing up a player to give him four at-bats and send him back down? If the guy can hit, keep him up in the big leagues and send down someone else. At age 27, the best Lutz may be is a bench player.

With Buck struggling, Mets need catching depth

John Buck got off to an incredible start to the season, hitting .290 with 7 home runs in his first 17 games. However, since that point, he has hit .177 with 6 home runs in 52 games. Overall, Buck is hitting .205 with 13 home runs and 39 RBI. Fatigue has clearly gotten to Buck, as it was not expected that he'd be the primary catcher for this long. The original plan was to have catching prospect Travis d'Arnaud, promoted to the Major Leagues by this point, but a foot injury has kept the 24 year old backstop on the shelf for most of the season so far. 

The Mets' other catching option is Anthony Recker, who has been riding the bench for most of the season. Terry Collins recently said that he had not yet decided if he will begin playing Recker in more games. Recker  has hit just .157 in 51 at-bats for the Mets this season. 

With d'Arnaud on the disabled list, the Mets have had former top catching prospect Francisco Pena playing in his spot with Triple-A Las Vegas. Pena, a 23 year old catcher, has hit .239 with 6 home runs in 32 games this season at the Triple-A level. With that being said, he likely won't be promoted anytime soon.

If d'Arnaud had not gotten hurt, he would have been the team's starting catcher at this point, with Buck as his mentor/backup, and Recker likely in Triple-A. However, d'Arnaud's injury has thrown that plan out the door. 

It's a shame to see Buck struggling so much right now, especially given his hot start. The heavy workload has clearly fatigued him, and it is unclear how much longer he'll be able to handle it. If the Mets want to shop him at the deadline, they'll need to stop playing him everyday before his value decreases even more.

Recker hasn't done much with his playing time, but should still be considered for more playing time.

I personally think that the Mets should make a trade to bring in a veteran catcher. That would take some weight off of John Buck's shoulders, and give the team much needed catching depth. According to mlbtraderumors.com, the current free agent catchers include: Rod Barajas, Henry Blanco, and Kelly Shoppach, all of whom have played for the Mets at one point in their respective careers. 

The Mets should NOT acquire Alexei Ramirez

The Chicago White Sox recently announced that they will be sellers at this year's trading deadline. Anyone on the team's roster not named Paul Konerko or Chris Sale is available. Last week an MLB executive suggested to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com that the Mets may be a good landing spot for shortstop Alexei Ramirez. 

I like Ramirez, he's been relatively underrated throughout his career. He has a good combination of power and speed, and his defense is splendid. However, I would not like the Mets to target him next month. 

I'd be lying if I told you that I don't think the Mets should look for a new shortstop, but there are better options than Ramirez. At age 31, there is no point of bringing him in as he would not be part of the team's future plans. 

Let's put things in perspective: Ramirez is currently hitting .280 with ONE home run in 311 at-bats for the White Sox this season. He has clearly lost his power stroke, and that alone is concerning. He seems to be slowly digressing his game, and I do not want the Mets stuck with yet another overpriced, under performing veteran. 

I think Sandy Alderson is smart enough to stay away from Ramirez. Ramirez probably wouldn't cost too much, but financially do the Mets really want to commit to him? I would imagine that Sox would kick in some money in a potential deal to get a better prospect, but I still do not want any part of Ramirez.

I know people may disagree, but Ramirez is not an option for the Mets right now. His diverting skills and sudden loss of power are extremely concerning, and at 31 years old he really would serve as a stopgap at best. 

Collins intends on exposing young players to the big league level

Terry Collins recently told reporters that he intends on exposing some of the younger players in the organization to the big league level in the second half of the season. Collins said he is unsure what Sandy Alderson has planned as far as trades and acquisitions go, but the team will certainly look at other players from the minor leagues. 

"We want to show our fans that the future is close," Collins said.

Collins also added that the team will look to finish the second half strong while trying to evaluate the future as well. 

Collins certainly did not do this in the first half of the season. He played veterans like Rick Ankiel, Marlon Byrd, Omar Quintanilla, and others. Of-course, playing Byrd has paid off and will most likely net the Mets a decent prospect at this year's trading deadline. However, playing Ankiel over someone like Juan Lagares was highly criticized when Ankiel was with the Mets. 

This team has incredible young talent, and this year shouldn't be put to waste. Call up the kids and see what they can do at the major league level. It's the obvious thing to do while a team is rebuilding. 

So, to make this article easier to read, I'll organize what I think the Mets should do during the second half of the season regarding their prospects down in the minor leagues.

Give Lagares the every-day centerfielder job

Lagares is fantastic defensively, but his offensive struggles have kept him out of the lineup. Right now he's hitting a mere .230 in 43 games with the Mets, but I'd really like to see if he can turn that around. His gold-glove defense is good enough to make him a bench player, but if he could get his bat going he could end up being a long-term solution out in centerfield. 

Call up Wilmer Flores

I truly believe that Flores is being kept in Triple-A on purpose to preserve his trade value. He's currently hitting .309 with 10 homers in 78 games for Las Vegas, and should be promoted in the second half of the season. At 21 years old, he could be a real nice piece for the Mets moving forward if they hold onto him. Of-course, he is one of their biggest trading chips, so calling him up in the second half could be risky. 

Call up d'Arnaud whenever he is healthy

Travis d'Arnaud has been sidelined for the majority of the season with a foot injury, and is currently rehabbing. However, whenever he is ready for baseball activities, I'd think about calling him up. John Buck, the team's current primary catcher, got off to a scotching hot start, but has severely cooled down ever since then. Buck is a trade candidate next month, and sooner or later the catchers position will open up for d'Arnaud. Why not call him up when he's fully healed, and see what he can provide to this team moving forward? 

Call up Rafael Montero

I'm a big Rafael Montero supporter, and I firmly believe that he is major league ready. He's been one of the more underrated pitching prospects up until about a year ago, where he finally was made a name for himself. At age 22, he could possibly have a long-term spot on this team, assuming he doesn't get traded. I'd really like to see the Mets call him up in the second half of the season. Like Flores, this is sort of a risky move because if he struggles, it may tarnish his trade value.

Trade Marlon Byrd, call up Cesar Puello

Marlon Byrd is as good as gone next month due to his success this season. Puello has been a watched-over prospect of the Mets for years now, and is really making a name for himself with Double-A Binghamton in 2013. He's hitting .333 with 14 homers and 52 RBI in 61 games this season. He also has 18 stolen bases, which means he's a threat on the basepaths as well. Puello is easily the best big league-ready outfielder in the Mets organization, and should definitely be called up sometime before season's end. The guy is 22 years old, and could potentially be a five tool player.

Trade/release Scott Rice, call up Jack Leathersich

Scott Rice was unbelievable at the start of the season. However, as predicted he started to burn out when Terry Collins used him, from what it seemed, almost every game. Now that Rice's ERA has bloated up to 4.50 ERA, the Mets will need to turn to a new left handed specialist. Two words... Jack Leathersich. The 22 year old lefty has been unbelievable in the minors, and should get every opportunity to prove himself at the major league level. He recently was promoted to Triple-A, so the organization is keeping a close eye on him. Stay tuned...We may see more of Leathersich and his (current) sparking K/9 ratio of 16.4.