Mets promote Sean Henn

The Mets announced that they have purchased the contract of pitcher Sean Henn from Triple-A Las Vegas, and added him to the 40 man roster. 

Henn posted a 2.81 ERA in 51 2/3 innings for the 51s this year. In his Major League career, he has a combined 7.56 ERA in 81 innings with the Yankees, Padres, Twins and Orioles. His last Major League appearance came during the 2009 season. 

Alderson is not happy with Ruben Tejada

Ruben Tejada has had a lost season with the Mets, and his general manager is not happy with him.

"One of the problems with Ruben Tejada is it's like pulling teeth," Sandy Alderson told Mike Francesa of WFAN. "It's extra batting practice, extra this, extra that, it doesn't happen, necessarily, unless someone is insisting on it. We need to see a commitment to improvement. He's going to have to earn it."

Alderson also added by saying that the team did consider promoting him on September 1 when the rosters expanded, but because the Las Vegas 51s are playoff-bound, the team said they need Tejada on the team for now. 

The 23 year old Tejada hit .209/.267/.262 in 50 games with the Mets this season. With the 51s, he has hit .288/.337/.379 in 60 games. 

I remember from a few years ago when Tejada showed up late to Spring Training, and Terry Collins gave him a hard time about it. It was the year after the Mets let Jose Reyes walk in free agency, and Tejada really needed to come to camp early to get in shape. However, after not showing up on time the organization seemed to grow frustrated of him. 

It is nice to see Alderson angry over this subject, even though I am a Tejada supporter. Alderson is a smart guy, he knows that at the end of the day it is all about production. Tejada's production, or lack thereof, has not helped the team in any way, and is really making his future cloudy with this team. 

Tejada will be in the Majors when the Triple-A playoffs are over, and I do expect that he will get a fairly good amount of playing time at shortstop. However, when your general manager takes a shot at you like this, it cannot make him feel good about his long-term future with this organization. 

Mets sign Harang, assign him to Triple-A

The Mets have signed pitcher Aaron Harang to a minor league deal and assigned him to Triple-A Las Vegas. Harang, 35, had a 5.76 ERA in 22 starts this year for the Seattle Mariners. He was designated for assignment by Seattle last week and released a few days ago. 

Harang did have a good with the Dodgers in 2012, posting a 3.61 ERA in 179 2/3 innings (31 starts.)

Terry Collins recently told reporters that he expects Harang to be used as insurance in case the team shuts down Zack Wheeler before the end of the season. Collins also said it is likely that Harang will be used to one game of the team's double-header against the Marlins on September 14. 

Before this season, Harang was a decent #4 or #5 starting pitcher. He has had a relatively consistent track record, not walking too many batters but giving up his fair share of home runs. He has always been on the Mets' radar, but at age 35, he seems to be burning out.

Harang will likely be promoted once Las Vegas' season ends, and like Collins said, he'll likely eat up some innings in place of Zack Wheeler. Also, the Mets could now move Carlos Torres back to the bullpen, or even release Dice-K due to his struggles. 

Byrdak, Lutz, and Black have been promoted

The Mets announced that they have promoted pitchers Tim Byrdak and Vic Black, and infielder Zack Lutz. The rosters expanded on September 1st, so the Mets will not need to make corresponding roster moves. 

Both Black and Lutz are on the 40 man roster, which Byrdak's contract has been purchased from Triple-A Las Vegas.

Lutz will likely replace Ike Davis, who was recently lost for the season with a strained oblique. The 27 year old infielder hit .293 with 13 home runs and 80 RBI in 111 games with the 51s this season.

Byrdak inked a minor league deal with the Mets over the winter, but was expected to miss most of the season due to a serious shoulder procedure. Byrdak played for the Mets from 2011-2012, posted a combined 4.08 ERA in 128 relief appearances. In 2013, he had a 1.27 ERA in 21 1/3 minor league innings. In-fact, he did not allow a run in his 11 appearances with the Las Vegas 51s.

Black was recently acquired by the Pirates in the Marlon Byrd trade. The 25 year old hurler had a 2.51 ERA in 53 games with Triple-A Indianapolis this season. He was ranked the 16th best prospect in the Pirates organization heading into the season.

Once the minor league playoffs are over, the Mets will certainly call up more players. 

Lutz has always shown the ability to be a natural hitter, but he hasn't been able to stay healthy in the minor leagues, and unfortunately is blocked by David Wright on the depth chart. I'm assuming he'll be all around the diamond in these final weeks of the season, whether it would be at first base, third base, or either corner outfield spot. At 27 years old, I don't think Lutz will become a full-time player, but if he has a strong showing in September, he could earn himself a bench spot in 2014.

As for Byrdak, he is definitely a great story. I did not expect to see him play for the Mets this year, but with his hard work and determination he is finally getting his chance to continue his career. Perhaps if he has a strong month, the Mets could re-sign him to a minor league deal in the off-season, given their lack of depth of lefties in the bullpen. 

Finally, with Black, I have high hopes for him. Despite being known as the player to be named later in the Byrd trade, I think he has high upside as a possible setup man. His 100+ mph fastball is his plus pitch, and he does have a work-in progress breaking ball. If he manages to figure out his control, he could be a dominant setup man for years to come.

Mets sign Cory Wade

The Mets have signed relief pitcher Cory Wade to a minor league deal. The righty will immediately report to Triple-A Las Vegas. 

Wade last appeared in the Majors during the 2012 season with the Yankees. The 30 year old posted a 6.46 ERA in 39 relief appearances. Despite the rough ERA, he had a strong 1.8 BB/ ratio. 

The year prior, he had his strongest season to date. He had a 2.04 ERA in 40 appearances with the Yankees. He signed a minor league deal with the Rays in 2013, and had a solid 2.17 ERA in 30 Triple-A appearances. 

This is a solid low risk pickup. Wade has a history of success, and at this point the Mets are looking for veteran relief arms. Wade will likely stick with the 51s until their postseason is over, then he'll earn himself a look with the Major League team in September. 

Davis injures oblique, probably out for the year

Ike Davis left last night's game early with a strained oblique. He appeared to injure himself during a swing that he took in the third inning. After the game Terry Collins told reporters that he expects Davis to miss the remainder of the season. He also said that Davis will most likely not go on the disabled list due to the rosters expanding on September 1st. 

If this does mark the end of Davis' season, it'll officially mark the 2013 campaign as a disappointment. The 26 year old hit .205 with 9 home runs and 33 RBI in 377 plate appearances. He also had 101 strikeouts. 

Davis had a horrible start to the season, hitting .161 with just 5 home runs in his first 55 games. On July 10th, he was demoted to Triple-A Las Vegas, where he hit .293 with 7 home runs in 21 games. Since returning from his stint in the minors, he played slightly better. While his .267 batting average was nothing to brag about, he had a strong .429 on-base percentage.

Davis earned $3.13 million this season, and will continue to be arbitration eligible when this season comes to an end. Despite his weak season, he will likely earn a small salary bump. If he does avoid arbitration, expect his salary to be around $4-5 million.

The Mets have a decision to make though. Have they seen enough of Davis to non-tender him, and allow him to go elsewhere to rejuvenate his career? 

Personally, I am a supporter of the Mets non-tendering Davis. He has shown his flaws as a player, and from a fan's perspective, that gives him a cloudy long-term future with his team. The Mets are trying to shed payroll, and wasting at least $4-5 million on him would seem pointless.

There are other first-baseman out there, most notably Justin Morneau and Kendrys Morales. Neither of them would demand a pricey contract.  

Of-course there is a concern that if Davis goes elsewhere, he would be able to find himself relatively quickly. As a former first round pick, he has all of the potential, and raw power in the world to become a solid first baseman. If the Mets let him walk and he finds himself in, let's say Colorado or Cleveland, he could become a Chris Davis 2.0, who has found a home in Baltimore.