PSA: Free Agents Aren't Free Agents Yet

FA's are gonna keep getting signed while @metsgm does nothing.
— D (@Hey_its_Don) October 22, 2013

The above tweet is not meant to mock or demean @Hey_its_Don.  I'm simply using it as an illustration of the fan base's reaction on Twitter to yesterday afternoon's news that Tim Lincecum had reupped with the Giants.  People briefly lost their minds that the Mets had been unable to acquire Lincecum, who decided to stay in San Francisco to the tune of $35 million dollars over the next two seasons.

Here's the thing... Lincecum wasn't a free agent yet folks.  No potential free agent can speak to or sign with another team until the week following the completion of the World Series.  Please store that nugget for future reference in case any one else on your radar for the Mets finds their way off the market.

Oh, and another piece of information that's worth noting.  Most free agents, especially those represented by Scott Boras (ie: Shin Soo Choo), sign prior to the winter meetings.  So lets try to maintain our sanity for the better part of the holiday season.

Carry on.

Mets Renew Their Pursuit Of The Basement

After winning four of their last six games headed into the series finale with the San Francisco Giants, the Mets finally got back on track and squandered a gem of a performance from Jon Niese.  Seven innings pitchers, allowing only two runs wasn't enough as the Mets could muster little in the way of offense against Madison Bumgarner in route to a 2-1 loss.

While its difficult to straight out root against the team, the loss is good news in terms of this upcoming free agency period.  Remember, if the team does not finish with one of the worst ten records in baseball, their first round pick in next years amateur draft will go unprotected.  Such a situation was enough to see the front office steer clear of Michael Bourn last winter.  I'd hate to see a similar excuse come into play this winter too.

As it stands after last night, the Mets are in sole possession of the 8th worst record in baseball, but its certainly not a lock that they will remain there.  They stand a mere two games from climbing out of the all important bottom ten.  Here is a look at where they stand:

We Wait On Wright

There has been much debate as to whether or not the Mets' captain and all-star third baseman, David Wright, should return to the lineup this season following the strained hamstring.  Wright was on pace for a 20/20 season with an average over .300 before the injury, which has held him out since August 2nd.

There was some belief that Wright would return to the lineup as early as last night for the start of the San Francisco series, however Jared Diamond of the Wall Street Journal would put those rumors to bed prior to last night's game.  As per Diamond, Wright will not play in the series versus the Giants and his status is unknown for the team's weekend series against the Philadelphia Phillies.

As I've said before, I realize that David Wright provide a reason for some to come to the ballpark, but I see no sense in even moderately rushing him back to play meaningless games in the last week of the season.  I fear he injures the hamstring yet again, causing concern about a reoccurring issue going into next year.  I just don't think its worth the risk.  Wright disagrees...

Stiff Shoulder For d'Arnaud

Rookie catcher Travis d'Arnaud, who had some durability concerns before ever reaching the major league level, was removed from last night's game after being struck in the shoulder with a foul ball.

d'Arnaud was struck by a ball off the bat of Giant's outfielder, Hunter Pence, in the second inning last night.  Despite staying in the game, Travis' shoulder would tighten up to the point of impacting his throws to second.  As a result he was removed from the game.

Both he and Terry Collins did not appear overly alarmed after the game and it appears he will only miss a few games going forward.  Such bumps and bruises go with the territory of being a major league backstop, however I am slightly interested to see how much time he misses after a prolonged rehab this summer from a broken foot.

Jerry Seinfeld In The SNY Booth Tonight

As if you needed another reason to watch the Mets open their series against the Giants tonight, multiple outlets have reported in recent days that comedian Jerry Seinfeld will spend some time in the SNY booth tonight.  That, along with the fact that this will be one of your final opportunities to see Zack Wheeler pitch this year almost make it must-see TV...almost.

Gary, Keith and Ron will likely welcome the reprieve that Seinfeld represents, as they've been forced to endure another awful September under the Terry Collin's reign.  We'll follow this post with a recap of Seinfeld's night, because lets face it..there is a 50/50 chance that it may be the most excitement we see!

T-Shirt Tuesday: Juan Bad Joke At A Time

The below image is a look at the t-shirt the Mets will give away tomorrow night when the San Francisco Giants come to town.  As the Mets count down the remainder of the season Juan game at a time, rookie outfielder Juan Lagares has earned himself a t-shirt night.  This is of course if the front office doesn't trade him the morning of, as they did with Marlon Bryd about a month ago.

Photo Courtesy of Mets.com

I know I poke fun at the Mets pretty much every opportunity I'm presented with (it helps my maintain my sanity), but its nice to see the organization reward a kid like Lagares with a promotion like this, no matter how cheesy it might be.

Lagares has been the lone remaining bright spot for the Mets in a second half full of disappointment.  He has emerged as one of the best defensive outfielders in baseball and has the inside line on the centerfield spot next season.  His ability to get on base will need to improve next year, as the team could likely live with a .260ish batting average, but a .295 on-base percentage simply won't get it done.  Time will tell if he is able to stick, but in the meantime its cool to see he and the Mets have some fun with his success this season.

If your brave enough to join the ten thousand or so faithful who are still venturing to Citi on a nightly basis and would like to grab one of these shirts, you can buy your tickets HERE.