On the Mets beat

METS ACQUIRE LHP’s JASON VARGAS and ADAM BOSTICK FROM FLORIDA

The New York Mets today acquired two, 23-year-old lefthanded pitchers, Jason Vargas and Adam Bostick from the Florida Marlins in exchange for a pair of righthanded pitchers, Henry Owens and Matt Lindstrom.

“We think Vargas and Bostick are two promising lefthanded pitchers and we’re happy to have them in the organization,” said Mets General Manager Omar Minaya.

The 6-0, 215-pound Vargas began the season in the Marlins rotation. He was 1-1 with a 5.70 ERA over five starts allowing 24 hits, 15 earned runs, 20 walks and 14 strikeouts. As a reliever, he went 0-1 with a 9.31 ERA, 10 walks and 11 strikeouts. In 2005, Vargas started 13 games for Florida going 4-5 with a 4.14 ERA, 28 walks, and 50 strikeouts. In four relief appearances, he went 1-0 with a 2.84 ERA.

Vargas started 13 games at Albuquerque (AAA) of the Pacific Coast League in 2006 going 3-6 with a 7.43 ERA. He struck out 51 batters and walked 28 over 69.0 innings pitched. In the Dominican Winter League, he has appeared in four games and not allowed a run in 6.1 innings, with two walks and five strikeouts.

The 6-1, 220-pound Bostick split the year with Carolina (AA) of the Southern League and Albuquerque in 2006. In Carolina, he pitched 115.0 innings allowing 100 hits, 58 runs, 45 earned, with 67 walks and 109 strikeouts. With Albuquerque, he gave up 39 hits, 20 runs, 14 earned, with 13 walks and 30 strikeouts over 27.0 innings pitched.

Bostick also pitched in the Arizona Fall League in 2006 with the Peoria Javelinas. In 20.2 innings, he surrendered 24 hits, 14 runs, 13 earned, with 10 walks and 16 strikeouts.

Owens, 26, made four appearances with New York in 2006. He did not surrender a run in three of those four appearances. In four innings pitched, he gave up four hits, four earned runs, while walking four and striking out two.

Owens was named to Team USA’s 24-man roster that won the Gold Medal in the 2006 Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Havana, Cuba. He appeared in six games, working 4.2 innings and earning three saves during the tournament.

Lindstrom, also 26, started the year in St. Lucie (A) of the Florida State League before being promoted to Binghamton (AA) of the Eastern League where he spent the majority of the year. He was only scored upon in two of his 11 outings at St. Lucie, allowing 14 hits, seven runs, five earned, while walking seven and striking out 16.

With Binghamton, he allowed only five earned runs in his last 18.2 innings for a 2.41 ERA. In those 17 games, he gave up 14 hits, five walks and 26 strikeouts while earning four saves. Lindstrom, the 10th round pick of the 2002 First Year Player Draft also pitched in the Futures All Star Game pitching a scoreless inning with two strikeouts and a save.

Ryan Howard is the National League MVP. Here's the balloting from the BBWAA. First-place votes are in parantheses. Carlos Beltran recieved one second-place vote.

Ryan Howard Philadelphia Phillies .... (20) ............................... 388
Albert Pujols St. Louis Cardinals ........(12)................................ 347
Lance Berkman Houston Astros ............................................... 230
Carlos Beltran New York Mets................................................... 211
Miguel Cabrera Florida Marlins ................................................... 170
Alfonso Soriano Washington Nationals ..................................... 106
Jose Reyes New York Mets ........................................................ 98
Chase Utley Philadelphia Phillies .................................................. 98
David Wright New York Mets ....................................................... 70
Trevor Hoffman San Diego Padres ...............................................46
Andruw Jones Atlanta Braves .....................................................29
Carlos Delgado New York Mets ................................................... 23
Nomar Garciaparra Los Angeles Dodgers ................................... 18
Rafael Furcal Los Angeles Dodgers ..............................................11
Garrett Atkins Colorado Rockies ....................................................10
Matt Holliday Colorado Rockies ......................................................10
Aramis Ramirez Chicago Cubs ........................................................5
Freddy Sanchez Pittsburgh Pirates .................................................5
Chris Carpenter St. Louis Cardinals ................................................ 4
Chipper Jones Atlanta Braves .........................................................3
Mike Cameron San Diego Padres .................................................... 2
Jimmy Rollins Philadelphia Phillies .................................................... 2
Bronson Arroyo Cincinnati Reds .................................................... 1
Jason Bay Pittsburgh Pirates .......................................................... 1

Just skimmed through a couple of the posts this morning, and with the Mets finishing up on Moises Alou, I thought it might be a good time to chime in myself on a few subjects.

Jason, you've got to be kidding me about Shea Stadium. I don't know how many ballparks you've been to around the league, but Shea's antiquated facilities, along with so much pointless noise from the PA system, put that place at the very bottom of the list. Fenway Park? Yankee Stadium? You're talking about two of the most historic stadiums in any sport, and you can't compare the experience with attending a game at Shea. Be serious. With so many new ballparks popping up in places like Pittsburgh, San Diego and even Philadelphia, Citi Field is long overdue.

For the record, I grew up going to Schaefer-Sullivan-Foxboro Stadium because my father had season tickets to the Patriots. Sure, I had great memories sitting inside that building, but I never said it was a good stadium. It was a dump and everyone was happy to see it finally replaced.

As for the Glavine posts, I'm starting to agree with simbone and Robert Cintron. When the season ended, I thought Glavine coming back was a slam-dunk, and he definitely made it sound that way. I understand his conflicted feelings about wanting to stay home in Atlanta, but the Mets will be the better team, and certainly will pay him more. If Glavine does decide to return to the Braves, he could at least do the Mets the favor of deciding sooner rather than later.

The lack of conversation recently between the Mets and Tom Glavine is becoming a bad sign. Team officials were confident they would have Glavine back in the fold by mid-November, at the latest. But with Monday's deadline to pick up the Mets' $14-million option for 2007, it looks like Glavine could easily be a free agent, and perhaps turn his attention more seriously toward signing with the Braves. Obviously, that is not a good development for the Mets, who are under the impression that Glavine will make a decision before baseball's winter meetings,which begin Dec. 4.

Here are the highlights:

Opening Day Monday, April 9 vs. Phillies;

Subway Series May 18-20;

AL Central Champion Twins, AL West Champion A’s, and World Champion Cardinals June 18-28;

NL West Champion Padres and NL Wild Card Dodgers August 21-26

The defending National League East Division Champion New York Mets, who won a National League-best 97 games last year, will open their 2007 home schedule Monday, April 9 against the Philadelphia Phillies at Shea Stadium at 1:10 p.m.

Manager Willie Randolph’s Mets will continue their series versus the Phillies on Wednesday, April 11-Thursday, April 12. Both games will start at 7:10 p.m. The first homestand of the season concludes with a weekend series, Friday, April 13-Sunday, April 15, against the Washington Nationals, now managed by former Mets’ third base coach, Manny Acta.

In Interleague play this season, the Mets will face all three American League Division winners at home. On Friday, May 18-Sunday, May 20, there is a three-game set against the Yankees, champions of the East. The Minnesota Twins, winners of the Central, play at Shea from Monday, June 18-Wednesday, June 20. The West Division Champion Oakland Athletics visit for three contests, Friday, June 22-Sunday, June 24.

The World Champion St. Louis Cardinals, featuring Albert Pujols, follow the A’s in for four games, Monday, June 25-Thursday, June 28.

The Padres, who won the NL West crown, will be at Shea from August 21-August 23 while the Dodgers, winners of the NL Wild Card last year, will appear at Shea on Friday, August 24-Sunday, August 26.

The Atlanta Braves, who had their streak of 14 consecutive division titles snapped by the Mets last season, make their first trip of the year to Flushing for a weekend set, Friday, April 20-Sunday, April 22.

The Mets visit Detroit on Friday, June 8-Sunday, June 10 to play the American League Champion Tigers. New York’s other road Interleague series is across town at Yankee Stadium from Friday, June 15-Sunday, June 17.

Randolph’s club will begin the season on the road. The Mets play the first game of the major league season, an 8:05 p.m. game on Sunday, April 1 in St. Louis .The contest will be televised nationally by ESPN.

It will mark the seventh time in franchise history that the Mets have opened a season against the Cardinals (1962, 1963, 1985, 1989, 1992, and 1996) and the third time they have done so on the road (losing 11-4 in the team’s inaugural game in 1962 and winning, 4-2 in 10 innings in 1992). New York is 11-10 when opening the season on the road (including 0-1 in Japan) and 28-17 all-time on Opening Day.

The Mets and Cardinals also have night games on Tuesday, April 3 and Wednesday, April 4. The road trip concludes with a weekend series in Atlanta.

Regular starting times will be 7:10 p.m. for night games and 1:10 p.m. for day games, with the exceptions of Thursday, July 26 against Pittsburgh at 12:10 p.m. and Thursday, August 9 against Atlanta also at 12:10 p.m. Television commitments with FOX and ESPN leave most Saturday and Sunday dates with undetermined starting times that will be announced at a later date. The 2007 Mets schedule is subject to change.

As expected, Joe Girardi beat out Willie Randolph for NL Manager of the Year, despite finishing with a 78-84 record and getting fired by the Marlins. Girardi received 18 of the 32 first-place votes and 111 overall. Randolph, who led the Mets to the NL's best record (97-65) their first division title since 1988, earned eight first-place votes and 81 points.

Here's a statement from Randolph:

“Congratulations to Joe. I couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve accomplished in my two years with the Mets. We went from 71 wins to 83 wins to 97 victories, and a Division title and the best record in the National League this year. We achieved a lot in 2006, but, we won’t be completely satisfied until we reach our ultimate goal which is a World Series title.”

Here's the team's official release:

The New York Mets today acquired outfielder Ben Johnson and righthanded relief pitcher from the San Diego Padres in exchange for righthanded relief pitcher Heath Bell and lefthanded relief pitcher Royce Ring.

“Ben Johnson is a versatile outfielder who can play all three spots, has speed and shown some power. He is just 25-years-old and we feel he has yet to reach his potential,” said Mets General Manager Omar Minaya. “Jon Adkins has had success on the major league level and can pitch multiple innings. He’s another quality arm to add to our bullpen staff.”

Johnson, 25, batted .250 (30-120) with 19 runs scored, five doubles, two triples, four home runs, 12 RBI in 58 contests with the Padres in 2006. Ben also hit .268 (53-198) with 35 runs scored, 11 doubles, one triple, seven home runs and 22 RBI in 51 games with Portland (AAA) of the Pacific Coast League.

The 6-1, 220-pounder constructed a .341 (15-44) batting average away from PETCO Park last season.

Ben hit .213 (16-75) with eight doubles, one triple, three home runs and 13 RBI in 31 games with San Diego in 2005. He went 0-2 in two games during the Division Series against the Cardinals.

Johnson was named the Padres Minor League Player of the Year in 2005 after batting .312 (129-414) with 79 runs scored, 27 doubles, 25 home runs and 83 RBI in 107 games with Portland.

Johnson has compiled a .236 (46-195) batting average with 13 doubles, three triples, seven home runs and 24 RBI in 89 major league games.

Adkins, 29, went 2-1 with a 3.98 ERA in 55 games for the Padres last season. In 54.1 innings, he allowed 55 hits, 26 runs, 24 earned, with 20 walks and 30 strikeouts. He also was 1-0 with seven saves with a 1.38 ERA in 13 appearances with Portland (AAA). In 13.0 innings, he surrendered 12 hits, two runs, earned, with three walks and 11 strikeouts.

Jon appeared in five games for the World Champion Chicago White Sox in 2005. Adkins spent most of 2005, starting for Charlotte (AAA) of the International League. He was 4-9 with a 5.37 ERA in 23 games, 21 starts. In 127.1 innings, he allowed 148 hits, 81 runs, 76 earned, with 43 walks and 92 strikeouts.

The 6-0, 200-pounder was 2-3 with a 4.65 ERA in 50 contests with the White Sox in 2004. In 62.0 innings, he permitted 75 hits, 35 runs, 32 earned, with 20 walks and 44 strikeouts.

Adkins is 4-5 with a 4.63 ERA in 114 major league games. In 134.0 innings, he’s yielded 151 hits, 74 runs, 69 earned, with 51 walks and 78 strikeouts.

Bell, 29, was 0-0 with a 5.11 ERA in 22 games with New York in 2006. In 37.0 innings, he yielded 51 hits, 25 runs, 21 earned, with 11 walks and 35 strikeouts. Heath also constructed a 3-3 mark with 12 saves and a 1.29 ERA in 30 contests with Norfolk (AAA) of the International League. In 35.0 innings, he allowed 27 hits, seven runs, five earned, with eight walks and 56 strikeouts.

Ring, 25, went 0-0 with a 2.13 ERA in 11 games with the Mets last year. In 12.2 innings, he permitted seven hits, three runs, earned, with three walks and eight strikeouts. In addition, Royce was 2-2 with 11 saves and 2.97 ERA in 36 contests with the Tides. In 39.1 innings, he surrendered 30 hits, 14 runs, 13 earned, with 15 walks and 40 strikeouts.

With Daisuke Matsuzaka now officially off the market, thanks to the Red Sox' $51.1-million posting fee to the Seibu Lions, another round of bidding may begin soon on Kei Igawa. The 27-year-old lefthander has yet to be posted, but the Hanshin Tigers already have stated publicly he will be made available.

I watched Igawa pitch against a team of MLB All-Stars a week ago in Osaka, and here's the report I filed after his so-so performance.

-- UPDATED --
Sorry guys. A not so slight misunderstanding on the El Duque deal. His two-year contract, which should be announced later today, is for a total of $11 million, not six. I could see one year -- maybe -- but two? Seems very, very risky. El Duque is listed as 37 in the team's media guide, but his actual age is closer to 43, and that's dangerous territory. With Hernandez getting a deal like this, it's definitely a seller's market. The Mets better dip into that Citigroup slush fund if they hope to lock up Barry Zito this winter.

Now that I'm finally over my jet lag from Japan, it's time to get back to what's going on with the Mets stateside.

Let's start with the new stadium, or as it's now called, Citi Field. I was at Monday's groundbreaking and have to admit I'm a big fan of the ballpark currently under construction. As for those upset by the Wilpons selling the naming rights -- $20 million annually over 20 years -- I have this mesage: Get real.

That's the way the business of building stadiums is done in the 21st century, and give the Wilpons credit for shouldering a large share of the financial burden themselves. They also did the right thing by naming the entry rotunda for Jackie Robinson, as well as planning for a statue and museum dedicated to the Dodgers pioneer.

And the bottom line is this: The sooner Shea is knocked down, the better. Nostalgia be damned, the Mets play in the worst stadium in the major leagues.

FUKUOKA -- The talk on the field before tonight's Game 5 at the Yahoo! Dome is that the posting price for Daisuke Matsuzaka will be significantly below the early projections of $20-$30 million. Teams have until 5 p.m. Wednesday EST to submit their blind bids, with the anonymous winner to be turned over to the Seibu Lions, and it sounds like the number will be much closer to the Mariners' bid that won Ichiro Suzuki's negotiating rights -- $11 million -- back in 2000.

FUKUOKA -- Even on the other side of the planet, I find it interesting that the Mets have not closed the door on disgraced reliever Guillermo Mota, who was suspended for 50 games last week for violating MLB's drug policy (see Ken Davidoff's story here). In the past, the Mets have strenuously avoided such players, fearing the public backlash. This represents a change in philosophy for the organization under general manager Omar Minaya, and we'll have to see how turns out.

*****

The MLB all-stars look for a sweep tonight in the finale of their five-game tour at the Yahoo! Dome in Fukuoka. It's been a successful trip, but many of the players are yearning to head back to the States. The Hard Rock Cafe, the nearest restuarant to the team's hotel here, also appeared to be the busiest for lunch today with many players seen making a beeline for the entrance.

OSAKA -- Ryan Howard tied Barry Bonds' record with his fourth home run of the Japan All-Star Series and David Wright added his second as the MLB All-Stars rolled to a 7-2 victory Tuesday night at Kyocera Dome.

John Maine, pitching in relief of Chris Young, allowed two runs in the sixth inning as Japan tied the score at 2. But the MLB stars answered with six runs in the eighth, including a two-run single by Jose Reyes.

Howard broke the 2-2 tie with a towering home run deep into the first deck of centerfield. Wright led off the fourth inning by smacking the first pitch from Japan starter Kei Igawa over the leftfield wall. Igawa, who could be posted by the Hanshin Tigers in the coming days, allowed two runs and five hits in six innings.He walked six and struck out four.

OSAKA -- Bobby Valentine, former Met manager and current skipper of the Chiba Lotte Marines, strolled onto the field before tonight's game at the Kyocera Dome and immediately was swarmed by photographers. Valentine hugged Jose Reyes, chatted with Julio Franco and shook hands with David Wright. Before heading upstairs for dinner with the U.S. consul general in Japan, he also chatted with reporters. Here's a transcript of that interview.

Q -- Did you think David Wright and Jose Reyes were going to be can’t miss prospects when you were manager of the Mets?

BV -- You never know. But they were my picks to click. But it wasn’t just me. David was a guy that I didn’t get to see. When Tom Robson was fired (as batting coach) he was a special assignment guy. We were going to have a draft, and a scout did a good job of finding [Wright], but there are questions about different guys and that was Robby’s assignment – go out and see if David Wright could hit. That was my thing with David Wright. Robby came back and was like, ‘Don’t let them draft anyone else. Don’t let them draft anyone else.’ And Jose I just love. He came to my spring training camps and I remember throwing batting practice to him as a switch-hitter when we were first making him a switch-hitter. People didn’t think he could hit lefthanded. You go ask him. I said he could hit lefthanded.

Q -- What do think of Daisuke Matsuzaka?
BV -- If he’s stays healthy, he’ll be just fine. He’s a world-class pitcher.

Q -- You know what it’s like in New York. Can he handle all of that stuff?

BV -- Well, I don’t know. He’s been the biggest star of his team in his league since he was 15 years old. So the thing he might not be able to handle is not being the biggest star. But I don’t think expectations are going to be a problem. He’s legendary. He’s the [Hideki] Matsui of the pitching world. The pitcher-prodigy.

Q -- What do you think about Hanshin Tigers lefthander Kei Igawa?

BV -- He’s in the other league. But I favor lefthanders anywhere in the world. I saw him four years ago and he was a lot better than he is now. But he’s still good.

Q -- I know you’re happy here, but every time you see a managerial opening in the States, are you intrigued by the idea of that?

BV -- No. I think people understand that when the Dodgers talked to me last year and I didn’t wind up there, that was it.

Q -- You don’t have any desire to go back?

BV -- Not right now.

Q -- What do you enjoy most about it?

BV -- I’m not good at mosts and worsts comparison stuff.

Q -- What do you like?

BV -- I like the salary. I like my team, I like the job that I have to do. I have more vision and hope to build international play than other people. I hope that if I talk about it enough, it can come to fruition because I think it’s needed both economically and for our fan base.

Q -- What do you want to do for international play?

BV -- That it should truly be international play. Not exhibition play. It should be championship team against championship team. That’s what I’d like to see. I’d like to see this league, with good players leaving, still maintain a status. This country happens to be the only country in the world where baseball is the No. 1 sport -- the only major country in the world. If they lose their major-league game, there will be no country in the world where baseball is the no. 1 sport. It’s in everyone’s interest for Japanese baseball to be as good as it can possibly be. I’ll just see if people were listen and do things a little differently and make the benefits a little better for the players, make the fans understand the relationship they should have a little better. Do some things that we did after the strike, where our game took off. I’d like to see that happen here on this island.

Q -- How much has the level of play improved since you were here for the first time?

BV -- Immensely. Five-fold. Everything’s better, except for the players’ conditions and all of those things. It’s getting better. This kid [free-agent first baseman Michiro] Ogasawara will get $7 or $8 million. When those salaries come up, it will make the team more business oriented.

Q -- Do you think they can get to the point where there’s not as much status to play in the Major Leagues?

BV -- Yeah, if the conditions are the same. They’re not going there because there’s some gyro-pitch they think they have to try to hit, that’s not thrown over here. That’s not the case. They can play with these guys. They guys go over there and are successful. See those guys (points to the White Sox’ Tadahito Iguchi and Mariners Kenji Johjima). The second baseman wasn’t even the star of his team. The catcher wasn’t even the star of the team. They played on the same team. You know? The money’s better and the conditions are better. The economy here is pretty good – the second economy in the world. So the conditions could be better here. They could do more TV and more sharing.”

OSAKA -- Would have had this entry up sooner, but our trip from Kyoto was delayed because manager Bruce Bochy was dressing like a samurai at a place called Movieland, Japan's version of Universal Studios. It seems Bochy wound up at the back of the line to get his photo taken and that held up our three-bus convoy for roughly 30 minutes.

Of the Mets players, only John Maine signed on for the Kyoto excursion, with Jose Reyes and David Wright opting for the later bus. Maybe they needed to sleep in and watch some football. Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan, still has temples dating back to the age of the shoguns because it was spared the massive bombing by Allied forces during World War II. The photo above is the Ryozen Kwannon, the tribute to the unknown soldier, and the giant concrete statute is in commemoration of those Japanese who sacrficed themselves in the war and for the establishment of a peaceful Japan.

Still, one of the most photgraphed sights on the trip -- at least by Japanese tourists -- was Ryan Howard in his throwback Johnny Unitas jersey.

TOKYO -- The MLB all-stars continued to make the Tokyo Dome look small on Sunday night as Joe Mauer, Ryan Howard, Andruw Jones and David Wright all went deep in an 11-4 victory over Japan that clinched the best-of-five series here with two more games to play in Osaka and Fukuoka.

For Howard, it was his third homer in two games, and he's hitting .700 (7-for-10) with six runs scored and six RBI. Wright hit his second of the week, with the first coming in an exhibition game against the Yomiuri Giants, but he's been awed by the Phillies' slugger.

"He’s amazing," Wright said. "It was just a continuation of the regular season for him. He’s pretty special and he’s going to do a lot of damage over the course of his career. He just has so much power to all fields. It doesn’t matter if there’s a guy from the major leagues on the hill or a guy from the Japanese leagues on the hill, he’s going to put good swings on the ball. It’s fun to watch. In the dugout, just when you think you’ve seen it all from him, he does something that’s absolutely incredible."

Jose Reyes has yet to make an impact so far in this Japan All-Star Series, but he still seems to be one of the more popular players among Japanese fans. Before Saturday's game, there was a young boy holding up a Jose Reyes No. 7 sign and another one that simply said, "Jose." There also were a few Dominican flags in the same section, and the Mets seem to have more signs than other major-league teams.

Rafael Furcal started at shortstop for Game 3, alongside David Wright, with the MLB all-stars looking to already secure the best-of-five series before heading to Osaka for Tuesday's Game 4.

Ryan Howard delivered the quote of the series after swatting his second home run Saturday. "When I hit my first home run, I got a little flower," Howard said, "so I thought I might get a bouquet if I hit another one."

After each home run, players are greeted by two little kids with flowers once they cross the plate. On the first night, the MLB all-stars were caught off guard, but eventually they warmed to the tradition.

That's not the Metrodome you're looking at. It's Tokyo Dome, also known as the Big Egg, where the Japan All-Star Series began tonight. And here's something you don't see back in the States. After Jermaine Dye's two-run homer tonight, two little kids holding flowers chased after him. Dye didn't see them until he was near the on-deck circle, then turned to accept the bouquet. He also high-fived the woman accompanying the kids as their escort.

Another amusing anecdote: Before the first two games, when the Canadian national anthem was played, the Jumbotron screen in centerfield has focused on Lyle Overbay standing at attention -- and trying hard to stifle a grin. While it's true Overbay plays for Toronto, he was born in Washington state. The Orioles' Eric Bedard, also on the team, is an actual Canadian. He's from Navan, Ontario.

TOKYO -- It used to be the Mets couldn't get an audience with the mayor of their own city. But here in Tokyo on Thursday, a contingent of David Wright, Jose Reyes and John Maine visited with Japan's prime minister, Shinzo Abe, in his downtown office. Abe donned a pinstriped Mets jersey -- No. 1 -- and talked a little baseball with the trio.Wright even asked if he could help in the recruitment of Seibu Lions ace, Daisuke Matsuzaka.

"I asked him if he could make a couple phone calls for us and maybe persuade him," Wright said. "We could use another quality starting pitcher next year. He said he’d look into it for me."

At the moment, the MLB All-Stars are losing to the Yomiuri Giants, 6-4, in the bottom of the sixth inning here at Tokyo Dome. Ryan Howard and Andruw Jones both went deep in the top half.

Wright and Reyes didn't start tonight, but both are now in the game.