Kuzul

July is just around the corner, and in the baseball world, that only means one thing: The trade deadline.

As the first half of a season enters the home stretch ahead of the All-Star game, teams and their GMs start plotting in earnest for some of the most important few weeks of the season.

While some teams will be looking to unload salary or pick up prospects for someone they think they will otherwise lose for free at the end of the season, others will be looking to acquire the pieces to push them over the top this postseason.

Those who are in a position to make a splash will be trying to strengthen their rotations, upgrade their bullpens, and add depth to their lineups. The big movers and shakers have cash, most have prospects, and all have a plan to get what they want.

With an eye on the movers and shakers in baseball, here are some tell-tale signs your club is a big splash buyer at the trade deadline.

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On Tuesday night I was fortunate enough to get the chance to speak with a number of the New York Mets about the 2010 season and their expectations for the second half of the year.

I spoke with Jason Bay about his power outage, Ike Davis about life as a rookie, and David Wright about the “Gaga for Wright” promotion at Citi Field to try and get him to the All-Star game.

You can read about what the players think about the return of Carlos Beltran here, check out the stars’ expectations here, or read about what Santana, Wright, Bay, Francoeur, and Co. think about trading for Cliff Lee and Roy Oswalt here

With those links out of the way, here are some other news and notes from batting practice with the Mets.

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While talk around the baseball world is whether the New York Mets will make a trade for a top-end pitcher like Cliff Lee or Roy Oswalt, the players themselves are taking somewhat of a laissez-faire approach to the whole rumor mill circus.

While everyone acknowledges what another ace like Lee or Oswalt could do for the rotation, the players on the field are somewhat more muted in their expectations, saying the team will continue to play hard and challenge for National League honors with or without a trade.

Just 24 hours after Johan Santana reportedly said he’d like to see the Mets progress a big name hurler to help strengthen the pitching staff, Santana took a step backwards on Tuesday by saying he is happy with the state of the club as it is, and that it’s entirely up to the front office.

“I never said they are going to [deal for a pitcher],” Santana said during pre-game warm ups. “If the front office wants to improve the team there’s nothing wrong with that; it’s always good when you improve your team. We feel good with what we have right now.”

Santana’s thoughts were echoed by left fielder Jason Bay who said that while every team in the league wants to get better and improve, it’s not going to be a deal-breaker when the final standings start to take shape in late September.

Bay added: “I think any team in the big league wants more pitching, there’s no doubt about it. Any team would probably like a little bit more, so if you can get a premier guy like that it will make us that much better.

“I think a lot was made of wanting another guy, but that doesn’t mean it has to happen. We’re doing well with the guys we have. The guys we have right now are doing pretty well and that’s no slight to them. They are a huge reason why we’re here. Without those guys filling in—not just the numbers they have, but the innings they’re giving us—we wouldn’t be here, so they deserve as much credit as the Johans and the Pelfs.”

The players know the decision rests firmly with the management and owners, and most seem content to let the trade dealing scenarios play out in the background.

“It’s up to them,” first baseman Ike Davis said.  “Anything that they feel will help the team is up to them. Right now we’re playing pretty well and…the GM will do what [he] needs to do.”

With so many rumors swirling around in the media, Jeff Francoeur says it often detracts from what the current crop of players are doing on the field. Still, Francoeur—as he always seems to do—lightened the mood in the dugout Tuesday afternoon when he said with a smile, “Bring them both,” referring to Oswald and Lee.

“We’d love to see them both, but that’s managament’s job. But the way we’re playing I’m sure they’re going to give us something. I’m sure they’ll boost this team up and give us something to work with and go forward, but until then we got a great team with what we’ve got, and you keep fighting with what you’ve got.”

“If we’re able to land one of those guys that’s great because it’s only going to help us, but if you worry too much about that you get off beat with what with we’re doing here. Right now that’s winning games with the team we got and the players we have. If it happens, good we’ll welcome it, but until then we’ve got to keep going.”

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The New York Mets improved to 40-30 on Tuesday night, gaining ground on the Atlanta Braves and moving back to within 1.5 games back in the NL East.

After a successful 7-2 road trip which included back-to-back sweeps, the Mets are now on a roll and they are looking to finish the first half of the season strong.

I caught up with several Mets (David Wright, Johan Santana, Jason Bay, Jeff Francoeur, and Ike Davis) before Tuesday’s victory against Detroit at Citi Field to gauge the expectations among the players about just how far this team can go in 2010.

From Santana saying the Mets have assembled a team good enough to win it all to Bay saying the team hasn’t even hit its best form yet, there is certainly a vein of confidence running through the heart of the team.

This is what the players had to say about the expectations heading in to the All-Star break.

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Carlos Beltran will begin his minor league rehab assignment with the St. Lucie Mets tomorrow, and the atmosphere and expectations within the team can’t be any higher.

Beltran will have to be activated to the big league roster by the time the season resumes after the All-Star break, and players just know the boost that the outfielder will bring to the team when he is back patrolling centerfield and hitting in the heart of the lineup.

The Mets announced Beltran’s timetable yesterday, prior to the first of three home games against the Detroit Tigers. As the news spread around the team during batting practice and pre-game warmups, there was a collective agreement that his return would be a massive boost.

Jason Bay told me it would be similar to trading for an All-Star, and David Wright called Beltran “special”. As much as the Mets can’t wait to welcome him back, the overwhelming feeling was that the Mets should not push Beltran too hard the day he rejoins the big club.

Angel Pagan leads the club with a .304 batting average, and only Jose Reyes has more stolen bases. It’s an understatement to say Pagan has simply “filled in” for Beltran, and he reminded front room staff that he shouldn’t be overlooked when he fell a home run short of the cycle on Tuesday night.  His effort hasn’t been lost among his peers either, who said they have been impressed with just how well Pagan has embraced the challenge of starting full time.

“Carlos Beltran is a special player, but with that being said, Angel Pagan really deserves a ton of credit for doing what he’s been able to do this year. He’s not only held the fort down, but really excelled and he’s been a very valuable player for us this year,” said David Wright. 

“It will be exciting to see what Carlos does in his rehab, but it’s also been a blessing having Angel here doing what he’s been able to do.”

Pagan has only sat out two games this season for the Mets, and it has been his performance that has left some to question whether it should be Jeff Francoeur who moves to the bench after the All-Star break when the Mets travel to San Francisco on June 15.

Francoeur didn’t speculate on who would become the fourth outfielder three weeks from now, instead highlighting how important Beltran is to the team and the need to ensure he’s 100 percent healthy when he returns.

“Obviously it’s one of those things where he’s a great player,” Francoeur said.  “Hopefully he’s healthy and we are going to welcome him back, but until then we have to play with what we’ve got and that’s what we’ve done all season.

“The last thing you want to do is get him back and then have hum hurt his knee two days later. So hopefully he can keep rehabbing and getting better, and I’m sure when he gets back it will be a huge boost.”

The outfielder least likely to lose his starting job, Jason Bay, said the importance of Beltran’s return cannot be overestimated.

“I think it’s almost like making a big trade,” the left fielder said, standing next to the Mets dugout on Tuesday. “You don’t have a guy and all of a sudden, boom, you get him back. It’s like acquiring a guy.

“Carlos isn’t just an average guy. I mean, he’s one of the better plays in the game and like I said, it’s like picking up a huge piece for us and it can’t do anything to help us, that’s for sure.”

As well as giving the team a huge morale boost, an upgrade at the plate, and Gold Glove defense in the outfield, Beltran will bring that winning mentality to the club, Johan Santana said.

“He means a lot to this team. He’s been around for a long time and he knows how to win games. It’s definitely going to be a plus for us, but at the same time we want him to be 100 percent to help us out. It’s going to take time to get back on track into baseball activities, but definitely the sooner the better.” 

Pundits said the Mets would be lucky to tread water until Beltran returned, and that was when the front office thought he might be back much sooner. The Mets, 10 games above .500, have done more than stay afloat, and now they are primed to get a massive cog back in their lineup.

If Beltran has even part of the impact his peers expect, the Mets could become a very serious contendor in the National League in 2010.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

On this day 23 years ago, one of the greatest players in baseball history hung up his cleats one final time, announcing to the world that he had no more competitive pitches left in his arm.

Despite being a near unanimous first-choice Hall of Fame inductee and one of the all-time greats, Tom Seaver does not get the recognition he deserves.

His 311 wins only barely gets him a spot in the top 20 list of career victories and his total of 3,640 strikeouts is topped by five other pitchers, including one who has 2,000 more Ks to his name.

Six more Hall of Famers have more than Seaver’s 61 shutouts, and his career 2.86 ERA is a full run higher than that of other pitchers who had a distinguished career. With only one World Series ring and just a lone no-hitter to his name, many overlook Seaver when they are talking about the best in the business.

But today, June 22, it’s time to remember Seaver’s career for the wonderful things he achieved.

Tom Terrific is not mentioned as often as it should be when people discuss the greatest pitchers of all time. People rightfully list guys like Cy Young, Nolan Ryan, Walter Johnson, and Lefty Grove, but in my opinion, Seaver should be ranked right up there with the all-time greats.

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For the third time this season, Johan Santana served up a home run with the bases full, as C.C. Sabathia and the Yankees took the rubber game of a three-game set in the Bronx.

Santana had only surrendered two grand slams in his career entering the 2010 campaign, but Mark Teixeira did what Josh Willingham and Shane Victorino did earlier this year in helping the Yankees to a 4-0 victory.

The Mets were laregly ineffective against the Yankees ace, and while one big swing from Teix was the difference in the game, the fact is that Santana was anything but sharp. But where did the problems come from?

Santana was often pitching from behind in the count early on, and his fastball didn’t seem to fool anybody. His changeup was by far his best pitch, but because he was unable to locate his fastball with consistency, the Yankee hitters were able to either sit on his off-speed pitches or capitalize on mistakes.

Santana did keep the Mets in the game and he only gave up runs in the one inning, but the difference between his two main pitches was stark.

He got Nick Swisher to pop up a fly ball on a changeup at the knees after a diet of high fastballs in the first inning. Teixeira swung through a changeup away after peppering low 90s fastballs inside, and Derek Jeter looked lost on a changeup at the knees the second time up despite beating out an infield single.

A-Rod got fooled on a changeup that resulted in a check-swing dribbler down the right field line in the second inning, and he rolled over a changeup down and in when he came to bat in the third. Cervelli, too, couldn’t handle the changeup down and away after a bunch of fastballs up and in during his first at-bat, and he chopped a low changeup into a double play in the fourth.

The problem came when he was pitching out of the stretch or when he got into hitters’ counts.

He fell behind six of the first 14 batters he faced, and he was forced to throw a lot of pitches in the early stages, including 25 in the second inning when the Yankees were unable to score.

While his changeup looked good, it was his fastball that seemed more hittable than normal, lacking the normal movement we have seen in the past. When a fastball comes in flat at 89 MPH, good hitters will not miss it.

He left a fastball middle in to Posada for the Yankees’ first hit and the gave up a leadoff single to Gardner on a fastball down broadway to lead off the third. He also missed his location on a pitch to Curtis Granderson on another fastball, but the damage was minimal because of the double play that followed. The biggest mistake, however, came on a 1-1 middle-in fastball to Teixeira that he took for a grand slam home run and gave the Yankees their 4-0 lead.

Despite giving up eight hits in six innings, Santana did look better when he started mixing in his slider during the second and third times through the order. His changeup had gone from 77 MPH and darting to 81 MPH and normal, so the slider was essential for keeping hitters off balance.

By then, though, the damage had already been done and Sabathia was able to do the rest.

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People can keep telling themselves “oh, it’s only one game,” but soon the doubters will have to accept the fact that the New York Mets are a legitimate threat in 2010.

They shut out the Yankees for their third straight victory over their cross-town rivals on Friday night, and the Mets are putting more weight behind the idea that their road sweeps in Baltimore and Cleveland were no fluke.

Every time the Mets have been challenged lately, they have shone. After winning seven in a row at home in mid-to-late April, the Mets struggled on their travels and critics pointed to their 4-10 record over the previous two road trips which included being swept in four games against the Marlins.

Detractors said that if they couldn’t win against the Marlins and Nationals, what chance did they have against the two teams coming into town next who had faced one another for the World Championship last October?

The Mets responded by taking the first subway series at Citi Field two games to one and then shutting out the supposed cream on the NL East in three consecutive games.

Okay, so the Mets were still rolling at home, but they would never be good enough to challenge for the National League crown because they were terrible on the road, right?

Six games on the road later and the Mets had extended their new winning streak to seven games, moving into second place in the division and cutting the gap to just 0.5 games behind the Braves.

“Pfff,” people scoffed. “Do that against a team with a winning record on the road.”

Well, doubters, is a victory over the Yankees good enough for you? The Mets pitched beautifully and got the big hits when they were needed. They handcuffed the Bombers who have been struggling the most and they found a way to get a lead to their bullpen. Hisanori Takahashi was fantastic again, Pedro Feliciano was perfect, and the Mets were able to wait out Javier Vazquez to get to Boone Logan.

Sure, it was an adventure with Raul Valdez and Francisco Rodriguez, but when isn’t it?

The Mets are doing everything right at the minute and they are playing solid, fundamental baseball. They are getting more than anyone ever expected from their rotation, and guys like Ruben Tejada, Angel Pagan, and Ike Davis have contributed more than their fair share.

This was a team that everyone liked to rip on. It was a team with a massive payroll and mediocre expectations; a pitching staff in tatters with a manager on what seemed like a permanent hot streak. Their franchise player was leading the league in strikeouts, they had the worst road record in baseball, and their All-Star center fielder may or may not ever play again.

Don’t look now, but the Mets are the hottest team around. Yes, they’ll be streaky, and yes, there will be lulls. But this Mets team has figured out how to win with what they have, and they have met every challenge head on.

If they continue to roll and sweep the Yankees, maybe all of this talk about having to beat an elite team on the road will stop.

Then the doubters will just have to think of yet another excuse to explain why the Mets aren’t for real.

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The last time the New York Mets played the Cleveland Indians in Ohio, George W. Bush was in his second year of office, Emma Watson and Caroline Wozniacki weren’t even teenagers, and Sammy Sosa was still bla…no, whi…no. Never mind.

In fact, the last time the Mets played in Cleveland was the first time the Mets played in Cleveland. Heck, it was the first time they had played Cleveland.

The scheduling Gods have only ever pitted the Mets against the Indians six times across two series, even though the two clubs have played more than 24,000 combined games in their joint history. The first time they met came in 2002, and the second was two years later at Shea Stadium in 2004.

There is only one team the Mets have played fewer times than the Indians and that is the White Sox, who they have played just three times.

The Mets have won both series against Cleveland—both 2-1—and they will look to maintain their momentum against the 25-37 Indians following a three-game sweep of the Orioles tonight with Johan Santana on the hill.

In the six games these clubs have played, only one game has been determined by one run. The two games the Mets have lost have been by the scores of 8-3 and 9-1. Don’t expect a repeat of that today.

Santana has faced the Indians more than any other team in his career (30), but he won’t exactly have great memories about facing his old AL Central nemesis.

He picked up the loss in four of his last five outings against the Tribe, including an 11-strikeout performance in May 2007 where the Twins lost 2-0. No run support for Johan? Sound familiar?

Still, you have to feel pretty confident as a Mets fan going into this one. Even though Santana gave up four runs against the Padres last time out, he has been spectacular over the last month, posting a 1.91 ERA in seven starts since the blowout in Philly. Over those seven games he recorded five consecutive starts with two earned runs or fewer. On three occasions he kept his opponents—Florida, Milwaukee, and San Diego—off the board completely.

It’s going to be a familiar Santana squaring off with a familiar foe, even if the names on the fronts and backs of the jerseys have changed.

No current member of the Indians with more than four at-bats against Santana have hit better than .167 against him, and only Travis Hafner has more than one extra-base hit against the southpaw.

Feel for Johnny Peralta though who is 3-for-28 lifetime (.107) with 22 strikeouts against Santana. He has fanned 20 times in his last 23 at-bats against him. He has only sat out three games this season, but tonight might be a good idea to make that four.

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Stephen Strasburg has lived up to the hype in Washington through his first two starts, but don’t forget about some of the other young stars who have gotten their first taste of the Major Leagues in 2010.

Jason Heyward dazzled the Braves out of spring training to earn his spot on the Opening Day roster and Ike Davis has filled in for the Mets’ injured Daniel Murphy admirably since getting called up.

Mike Leake, Buster Posey, and Mike Stanton also arrived in the Bigs with much fanfare, and all look set to have promising careers full of seven-figure contracts and awards.

But who’s next? There are still dozens of talented players down on the farm just waiting for their chance to shine on the biggest stage of all. For some, they might impress so much that the organization can’t hold them back any longer. For others, the big club might want to see how they fare under the most intense media scrutiny and expectations of 30,000 screaming fans. It may even come down to an injury for an everyday starter.

Here are the next 10 prospects to keep an eye on who I believe will be called up by Sept. 1.

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