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The New York Mets have reportedly declined the option of Jonathon Niese, ending the player’s second stint with the franchise, per Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball and Matt Ehalt of the Record.

New York will pay a buyout worth $500,000, and Niese will be a free agent.

The Mets traded the left-handed pitcher to the Pittsburgh Pirates last offseason for Neil Walker, a move Pirates general manager Neal Huntington admitted he regretted. He was then sent back to New York for Antonio Bastardo.

Unfortunately, he struggled in both locations, posting a 4.93 ERA in Pittsburgh before allowing 14 earned runs in 11 innings with the Mets.

It was altogether the worst full year of his career, ending with a 5.50 ERA with an FIP of 5.62, per Baseball-Reference.com.

While the 30-year-old pitcher has had better days in the past, including a 13-win season in 2012 when he posted a 3.40 ERA, he clearly wasn’t worth the $10 million it would have cost to keep him on the roster.

Niese is now a free agent and will hope to take advantage of a light pitching market around the league. He has been a quality starter in the past, posting a 4.07 career ERA in 211 appearances (197 starts) with a 69-68 record.

If given a chance, he can provide depth to a team’s rotation or a long reliever out of the bullpen.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

With the Pittsburgh Pirates suddenly having an abundance of starting pitchers to choose from, Jon Niese is emerging as a potential trade candidate.   

Continue for updates. 

Niese on Trade Block

Thursday, July 14

According to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune, the Pirates are “trying to move Niese and/or [Jeff] Locke” to make room in their starting rotation. 

News of Niese’s availability is hardly a surprise. Biertempfel reported on July 6, one day before Tyler Glasnow was called up from Triple-A, that the Pirates “quietly contacted” other teams around the league to gauge their interest in the 29-year-old. 

Niese has been a disappointment in Pittsburgh this season after being acquired in a trade with the New York Mets. He owns a 5.13 ERA with 124 hits, 20 home runs allowed and 71 strikeouts in just 101.2 innings pitched. 

The Pirates were forced to stick with Niese in the rotation because they didn’t have other options available or ready, but that’s quickly changing. Glasnow, who was sent back down to Triple-A on July 8, was not listed in the Indianapolis Indians‘ rotation on Wednesday, per Biertempfel. 

They also have Gerrit Cole coming off the disabled list for a start Saturday. They called up Jameson Taillon last month. Francisco Liriano and Chad Kuhl are slated to start in the first series with Cole out of the All-Star break. 

At 46-43, Pittsburgh is 1.5 games out of a playoff spot. It doesn’t have time to wait for Niese to figure things out, with teams such as the Los Angeles Dodgers, Miami Marlins, St. Louis Cardinals and Mets in the wild-card mix. 

Niese’s contract holds two team options for 2017 and 2018 with a $500,000 buyout, per Baseball-Reference.com. His lackluster performance this year will make it hard for those options to get picked up, but his experience would provide some insurance for a team in need of rotation depth to make it through the rest of 2016 without burning through a young arm.

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New York Mets assistant general manager John Ricco said the team is open to trading starting pitcher Jon Niese, per Adam Rubin of ESPN.com.

Continue for updates.

Crowded Rotation Could Mean Niese Is Odd Man Out

Monday, Dec. 7

Rubin said the Mets have made it clear that starters Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz, who pitched the team to a 2015 World Series appearance, aren’t going anywhere. Neither is Zack Wheeler, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Ricco didn’t mince words when talking about the possibility of moving Niese, though, per Rubin.

“We haven’t been actively shopping him, but other than the four guys [Harvey, deGrom, Syndergaard and Matz], we’re going to be looking for ways to improve the team,” he said. “If there’s a deal that involves him and makes us better, I think we would definitely consider it.”

This isn’t shocking, considering the talented quartet outpitched Niese during the regular season (although Matz made just six starts) and was nearly untouchable during the first two rounds of the postseason.

Wheeler is four years younger and considerably cheaper than the 29-year-old Niese, whom the team owes $9 million in 2016 with $10 million and $11 million team options in 2017 and 2018, respectively.

The 6’3″, 220-pound left-hander posted a 4.13 ERA in 2015 with 113 strikeouts and 55 walks in 176.2 innings.

Although Wheeler will not return until June or July, Ricco said he is confident the team would be able to fill Niese’s spot in the rotation if it trades him, per Rubin:

We do feel good about where Rafael Montero is health-wise, and I think he’d be a candidate for that. But we have other guys that we like. Sean Gilmartin has started in the past, and I think he’s shown he can get major league hitters out. So he’d be another consideration. And then we have some other young pitchers who would be in the mix there.

It makes sense for Ricco to at least put out some feelers for a potential Niese deal. A move could save the team some money and allow younger pitchers to gain experience at the back end of the rotation.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The February 15 spring training report date for the New York Mets is right around the corner, which will officially kick off their mission of becoming a winning baseball team in 2014.

Unlike recent winters, Sandy Alderson and his staff have been active in the free-agent market, handing out multi-year deals to Curtis Granderson and Bartolo Colon. The organization also inked Chris Young to a one-year deal and handed out a few minor league contracts to free-agent starting pitchers.

As we prepare to watch the Mets take the field for the first time in months, let’s take a look at scouting reports and statistical projections for the pitchers and catchers expected to fight for an Opening Day roster spot in Port St. Lucie.

All player statistics and advanced statistics courtesy of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs, respectively.

Begin Slideshow

If the New York Mets are going to have any chance of finishing over .500 this season, then they are going to need to get a lot of outstanding performances from their starting pitchers.

The Mets’ rotation is set entering the season, but they still have a number of questions about the health and abilities of their starters.

It is very possible that the Mets’ rotation looks a lot different at the end of the year. Pitchers may be dealt and prospects may come up from the minors to replace ineffective starters.

Begin Slideshow

Throughout the offseason, some of the moves GM Sandy Alderson made were in attempt to bolster the Mets starting staff.  He’s acquired pitchers Chris Capuano, and more recently, Chris Young.  Here’s a look at what the Mets starting rotation might look like in the 2011 season.

1. Johan Santana (LHP)

Once Santana arrives back from his injury, he’ll most likely take over the No. 1 spot.  The left-hander shouldn’t rush back from injury, as the Mets will need him to be effective if they plan to make a run at the playoffs. 

Prediction: 12-7, 2.90 ERA

2. Mike Pelfrey (RHP)

Last season, Mike Pelfrey turned in a solid year.  He was plagued by inconsistency.  He started off the season amazingly, then had a rough go for a few weeks.  He went back and forth between pitching well and pitching poorly. 

If “Big Pelf” can stay consistent this year, and pitch like he did at the beginning of last season, he’ll be a sturdy, reliable No. 2 starter, who will eat up a lot of innings for the Mets

Prediction: 17-10, 3.05 ERA

3. Jon Niese (LHP)

Jon Niese was a young, reliable lefty last season—the perfect complement to Johan Santana.  He’s showed way more bright than dull spots.  He almost pitched a perfect game last season; a double, the only chink in his armor.  Niese has shown he’s reliable, with a solid performance throughout last season.  Still young at the age of 24, he’ll get even better with age. 

Prediction: 15-11, 3.50 ERA

4. R.A Dickey (RHP)

R.A Dickey was a very pleasant surprise for the Mets last season, with a very nice 2.84 ERA.  What’s more is that he’s a knuckle-baller, and a very crafty and unconventional one at that.  He was able to stifle many offenses last season, almost  throwing a perfect game against the Phillies, only allowing a hit to the pitcher Cole Hamels.  Dickey should be able to give the Mets another solid season as long as he stays crafty and tricky. 

Prediction: 16-8, 3.09 ERA

5a. Chris Young (RHP)

The Mets acquired Chris Young from the San Diego Padres in the offseason.  Young, with a career 3.80 ERA, is a nice bottom-of-the-rotation pickup for the Mets.  If he stays healthy this year, he’ll be able to win a few games for the Mets, and pitch effectively. 

Prediction: 10-11, 4.01 ERA

5b. Chris Capuano (LHP)

Another move Alderson made was acquiring Chris Capuano from the Milwaukee Brewers.  Capuano, with a decent 4.35 career ERA, is coming off an injury plagued season.  Capuano should still be able to give some support to the bottom of the Mets rotation.  Either him or Young will probably get demoted to the ‘pen once Johan Santana comes back from his injury. 

Prediction- 8-12, 4.38 ERA

Possible/Honorable Mentions

Some other Mets candidates for the rotation may be young guns Jenrry Mejia and Dillon Gee, both RHP.  It depends on their performance, along with the rotations.  The Mets may not have the best rotation in the league, but they do have a solid one.

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In a year where we saw ‘Prevention and Recovery,’ hirings and firings, and even some crazy top 10 plays, our New York Mets couldn’t put together a winning ball club and now our eyes are set on the promising future.

With a new regime in place that stands for almost everything opposite from the last boss, we take one last look at 2010 with the knowledge that our team will improve in 2011 and years to come. 

Begin Slideshow

The Mets were officially eliminated from playoff contention on Tuesday. However, with 10 games left in the season, fans should not stop supporting the team. I am completely aware that it is football season and there are two exciting teams in New York. The Jets, behind Rex Ryan (you either love him or hate him), are looking to improve on last season’s AFC Championship game appearance.

Meanwhile, the Giants are looking to return to the playoffs. With this, there appears to be no reason to continue following the Mets. However, as a recently displaced Mets fan, I can tell you that there are still many reasons to keep up with the team. Here’s a list of seven relevant reasons to keep rooting for the home team.

1. Following the Youth Movement

The Mets have many young and exciting players on their roster. Ike Davis, Josh Thole, Ruben Tejada, Lucas Duda, Jon Niese, and Dillon Gee are all players that fans should be excited about. While Davis and Niese have already locked up their roster spots for next season, the rest of the group will begin spring training next year fighting for jobs.

2. You Don’t Want to Be Considered a Bandwagon Fan

Yes, you supported the Mets in the past when they were terrible, but giving up on your team gives your friends (read: Yankee fans) another reason to make fun of you. The reason that we love the Mets is because of our strong attachments to them. You know you will be following all of their moves during the offseason, so don’t give up on them now.

3. Because Football is Only on Sundays

I know that the Mets are not currently an exciting team to watch but what other sports are on during weeknights? Sure you can just watch replays of the World Series of Poker all night on ESPN2, but that’s no fun. Commit to watching the Mets for at least six nights out of the week until the season is over. I completely understand watching an NFL game instead once a week.

4. The Lines at Shake Shack are the Shortest They’ve Ever Been

With less than 20,000 fans showing up at the home games now, less people are in line for concessions. Instead of wasting up to three innings in line waiting for burgers (been there, done that), you can get in line and get your food in under an inning. This is an opportunity that cannot be missed.

5. Buy Cheap Seats and Move Down

We all know that going to a ballgame is very expensive. However, with the limited number of fans showing up, there is a great solution. Buy cheap upper deck seats and move down to the lower levels around the second inning. With so many empty seats, no one will even take notice that your there.

6. Because They’re Still Your Team

You’ve stuck with the Mets before and you should do it again. What are your other options? Root for the Yankees? The Long Island Ducks? Having moved out to St. Louis and dealing with Cardinals fans has made me realize that you can’t just give up on your team because they are having a bad year. The Mets are a part of me and since you’re reading this blog I am assuming they’re a part of you too.

7. There Will Be Big Changes This Offseason

Changes are coming to both the roster and the front office. Your going to want to keep close to the team as we could begin to start hearing hints about what may occur in the near future.

To read more Mets articles written by myself and others, check out Mets Gazette.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

As the fantasy baseball trade deadline approaches, its getting closer and closer to the time when you need to lock-in your rosters. As always, benching the bad and starting the good can keep your team atop the standings for your stretch-run into the playoffs. Let’s take a look at some players you can acquire through trades or just through free agency.

Start ‘Em

David Murphy |Texas Rangers| 12.8% :  Over the last three years Murphy has hit .417 with 3 HRs 10 RBI in only 36 at-bats at Camden Yards, one of the parks he’ll see this week.  Against the other team he faces this week, Tampa Bay, Murphy has hit .345 with eight of his 19 hits for extra-bases.  His current hot streak should help propel him into a strong upcoming week.

Pedro Alvarez |Pittsburgh Pirates| 25% :  The ever increasingly hot rookie is poised for a big week. All week long he will have the benefit of home field where he’s hitting .287 with a .352 OBP. At home, nine of his ten home runs have been hit there, his average is 100 points higher and his OPS is a whopping 422 points higher!

Mike Stanton |Florida Marlins| 39.2% :  The upcoming away series at Houston should be great for Stanton owners. He has hit 140 points higher on the road (.327 avg. /.398 OBP / 1.081OPS away!!!). Those stats and his current hot streak in addition to the seemingly regular poor performances of the Pittsburgh pitching staff, should equate to a great week.

Sit ‘Em

Ike Davis |New York Mets| 28.1% :  Davis has been cold of late and this upcoming week shouldn’t warrant you taking any chances on this Met.  Both of his games this week come away from Citi Field.  On the road Davis is hitting .223 with a .288 OBP.  Further dowsing the fire is his .227 avg. since the All-Star break.  Leave him on the waiver wire where he belongs.

Brett Gardner |New York Yankees| 99.7% :  Gardner has been horrid since the All-Star break.  He’s hitting .174 with a .296 OBP in the 69 at-bats since.  Adding to his problems is his combined stats against the Tigers and Mariners, next week’s opponents.  He’s hitting a combined .219 and going two for three in steals in 32 at-bats against those teams.  Hitting 15 points higher at home might help him out, but don’t count on it.

Two-Start Pitchers To Use

Jonathon Niese |New York Mets| 15.5% :  The two teams he faces in the upcoming week have very limited at-bats against him and are batting .067 against him in this limited sample.  The main reason for Niese’s strong upcoming week is both Houston and Pittsburgh’s stats against left-handed pitching.  Houston is the fourth-worst team in the NL against lefties (.250 avg., .306 OBP) and Pittsburgh is the second-worst hitting team against lefties in all of baseball (.244 avg., .312 OBP).  Look for Niese to keep his WHIP low and hopefully score some wins for the reeling Mets.

Brett Anderson |Oakland A’s| 81% :  Next week Anderson faces a few teams that have some pop in there lineup.  Don’t be timid though, every major power threat on both the Blue Jays and Rays is a right-handed batter.  His career mark against righties is .239, and this year he has continued to lower it by keeping them to a .208 avg.  Two more facts will help keep the balls in the park against Anderson.  He has one of the best ground to fly-ball ratios in the majors this year (1.34) and both games will be at home in the Coliseum, the third-worst park for homeruns in the majors.

Two-Start Pitchers To Avoid

Jon Garland |San Diego Padres| 55.1% :  Garland’s career numbers at Wrigley exhibit a 5.50 ERA and a 1.67 WHIP.  Mix that with his numbers this year away from spacious PETCO Park (4.52 ERA and a .267 BAA) and you have a recipe for a benching.

Rich Harden |Texas Rangers| 39.4% :  Those of you hoping for a turnaround in the oft-injured Harden should keep hoping for a new week.  His career numbers against the Rays are bleak: 32 innings of 5.01 ERA and 1.42 WHIP.  Considering both of his starts are away this upcoming week it’s also advised to take note of his ERA outside of the Ballpark in Arlington this year (6.40 ERA and 11 HRs in only 45 innings), ironic for being such a hitter-friendly park.

Hind Sight

Here we take a look at last week’s decisions and whether they might have paid off or not.  All hind sight stats are through the end of games on Friday, August 13^th.

Start ‘Em:

Bill Hall |Boston Red Sox| : .235 avg. .250 OBP 2 Runs 2 HRs 4 RBI.  The batting average isn’t stellar but if you picked him up for the power and RBI production then you have reaped the benefits so far.

Chris Johnson |Houston Astros| : .429 avg. .467 OBP 2 Runs 4 RBI.  Chris Johnson continues to stay hot.  With trade deadlines approaching, now is a great time to get him if he’s still available in your league.

Jon Jay |St. Louis Cardinals| : .333 avg. .368 OBP 3 Runs 1 RBI.  So far it has been a great decision if you did pickup/start Jay.  The guy can rake and even though he can’t help in every category, he’s an asset to the one’s he can help.

Sit ‘Em:

Jack Cust |Oakland A’s| : .333 avg. 5Ks in 12 ABs.  This is a small sample size through the week so far, yet the four strikeouts is a lot in only seven at-bats.  Overall, this was a so-so sit, better if your league has a strikeout category for hitters.

Jay Bruce |Cincinnati Reds| :  .333 avg. in 9 ABs with 1 HR 3 RBI .  Of course he hits one out right before I submit this article.  Thanks for making me look bad.

Pitchers To Use:

Max Scherzer |Detroit Tigers|:  7IP 4H 1ER 4BB 2K

Ervin Santana |Los Angeles Angels|:  6.1P 6H 3ER 1BB 3K

Pitchers To Avoid:

Jair Jurrjens |Atlanta Braves|:  7.1IP 6H 1ER 1BB 3K

Edwin Jackson |Chicago White Sox|:  6IP 6H 1ER 1BB 7K

All Statistical Information was obtained through ESPN.com

Written exclusively for TheFantasyFix.com by James Bryce.  James is a Grad student at UCSD and is currently in his 13th year of fantasy sports.

Got a two-start pitching candidate for week 20?  
Leave a comment and let us know, or reply to us on twitter @TheFantasyFix

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PHILADELPHIA—After what the Mets did in their finale against the Braves, you’d think everyone was getting axed.

Instead, Mets owner Fred Wilpon came out yesterday and declared GM Omar Minaya’s job safe for next season and beyond.

It’s really a head-scratcher. Why announce this after the team suffered what basically was a knockout punch from their worst rival?

It’s just the way the Mets operate these days. They never go the extra mile to bring players in, and they never let go of someone after a crisis.

So now, knowing who’ll be running the team for the foreseeable future, the Mets limp into another house of horrors, Philadelphia. They’ll begin a three-game weekend series tonight, attempting to at least play spoiler if nothing else.

After all, with the Mets now eight games back in the NL East, all they can do is try to put a crimp in the Phillies’ chances.

There are many players trying to rebound from poor efforts. The whole Mets team is, but so is tonight’s starting pitcher, Jon Niese.

In his last start against the Diamondbacks, with the Mets needing to win the series at home, Niese blew up after a solid start.

He hadn’t allowed a hit through the first 3.1 innings, but then allowed the first of two three-run home runs to Adam LaRoche. He lasted only 4.1 innings, allowing seven runs (six earned) on seven hits.

Niese hadn’t allowed more than three earned runs in a game since June 22 against the Tigers, but that was a game in which he got thrown off by a prolonged rain delay. So he actually hadn’t given up more than three earned runs because of his own doing since May 11 against the Nationals.

That’s how good Niese has been in his rookie season. Niese pitched a heck of a game in Philadelphia on April 30. It was a win that extended a Mets win streak to eight games. He’ll have to be just as good to get the Mets off on the right foot tonight.

Pitching for the Phillies will be Joe Blanton. He has had a terrible season, pitching to an ERA close to six. He has been extremely inconsistent while giving up 130 hits in 106 innings.

In his last start against the Nationals, he got roughed up for four runs and nine hits in six innings.

This series may be the Mets’ last important one of the season. If they were to lose two of three, or even get swept, they would be too far behind this late in the season to keep playoff hopes alive.

The good thing is, they’ll miss out on newly acquired Roy Oswalt in this series. The bad thing is, they’ll have to face both Cole Hamels and Roy Halladay after tonight.

It’s a shame that this series doesn’t mean a little more to the Mets in August (like the Yankees-Red Sox series) but at least they can play spoiler. Or, they can shock everyone and make a huge statement.

Jon Niese vs. Philadelphia (April 30)

Win, 7 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 7 SO

Joe Blanton vs. New York (May 26)

Loss, 5.1 IP, 5 ER, 6 H, 4 BB, 2 SO

2010 season series (New York vs. Philadelphia)

April 30: New York 9, Philadelphia 1
May 1: Philadelphia 10, New York 0
May 2: Philadelphia 11, New York 5

May 25: New York 8, Philadelphia 0
May 26: New York 5, Philadelphia 0
May 27: New York 3, Philadelphia 0

Mets lead series 4-2

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com