If the Mets fail to improve during their upcoming six game road trip, not only will Jerry Manuel, their manager, feel half-hearted about a season that has started off slowly but Omar Minaya, their general manager, will also be made to ponder his decisions. Among them, was the trade for right-hander J.J. Putz that included former pinch hitter Jeremy Reed and reliever Sean Green.
Green, who was recently placed on the disabled list with a strained rib muscle, and has not yet lived up to his billing. He could very well be the impetus in placing a “Case Closed" stamp on the blockbuster deal that took place after the completion of the 2008 season. Made to bolster the Mets torrid bullpen that year, Putz was projected as the ultimate set-up man…an eighth-inning guy with closer’s stuff.
Unfortunately the scruffy right-hander was unable to bring his A-game due to a sore elbow in his pitching arm. He did, however, sing like a canary to a Chicago-based beat reporter prior to this season stating that the Mets medical staff told him to keep his mouth shut about his injury. Reed, who contributed very little during his short tenure with the ballclub, was released at the end of last season. The Mets, on the other hand, were made to dispose of long-time fan favorite, Endy Chavez, and first base prospect, Mike Carp.
If Minaya was to be prematurely sent to pasture along with his staff, the deal for Putz and Green will most likely be seen as a noticeable stain on the general manager’s checkered resume.
For further reading, check out Keeping Up With the Putz'
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