Jae Seo allowed one hit over seven innings and was demoted to Triple-A, leaving a more positive impression about his abilities this time around. Aaron Heilman was moved to the bullpen to accommodate Kris Benson, though he had been the Mets’ best starter not named Pedro Martinez over the last three weeks. Steve Trachsel is due to return from back surgery near the All-Star break. The Mets may actually be looking at a rotation surplus that allows them to survive the long season and/or gives them some assets to trade.
“This gives us depth and more options,” Mets GM Omar Minaya said.
A former Yankee employee said the importance of the YES Network should not be ignored in explaining why George Steinbrenner will go even crazier about the team’s failure and spend even more money to try and fix the problems. “Remember that George has to appease investors now,” the former Yankee employee said. “The Yankees are not just a team, they are the key television program for the network and they just can’t be canceled if the ratings and ad rates go down.”
As a pre-emptive strike after one-time mentor Tom House spoke of his own steroid use in his playing days, Mark Prior stepped out last week to say “I have never touched a drug in my life and never will.” He added, “That ain’t me. I work harder than anyone on this team and won’t be outworked.”
Now what is the difference between that and what Alex Rodriguez said in the offseason that got so many Red Sox riled, that he is working out while most players are sleeping? I guess we should expect to hear soon that Prior is not a “real” Cub.
The draft is June 7 and B.J. Upton’s kid brother and fellow shortstop, Justin, remains the likely top pick for the Diamondbacks with Nebraska third baseman Alex Gordon the main challenger. But one executive whose club selects in the top dozen picks said the comparison with another high school shortstop taken first overall, A-Rod, “is silly. This kid is talented, but A-Rod was once-in-a-lifetime, absolutely-couldn’t-miss talent.”
An AL executive says the Red Sox are doing a much better job than the Yankees of trying to win and keeping an eye on the future. “Their farm system is much better than it was three or four years and the Yankees’ system is far worse.” This team had the Red Sox with six excellent prospects in pitchers Jon Lester, Jon Papelbon and Anibal Sanchez, infielders Hanley Ramirez and Dustin Pedroia, and outfielder Brandon Moss. The executive said his scouts only had high regard for Robinson Cano and Eric Duncan among Yankee prospects.
And the Red Sox have six of the top 59 picks in the draft. The Yanks pick 17th, their highest spot since taking Matt Drews 13th in 1993. The Mets pick ninth, and then not again until the fourth round.
