Though the Mets have already identified Billy Wagner and Trevor Hoffman as potential candidates for the closer’s role in Flushing, the NY Times’ Ben Shipgel reports that the rest of the ‘pen might see a prominent addition or two as well.
The Mets inquired about the left-handed reliever Joey Eischen, who spent last season with the Washington Nationals, Eischen’s agent, Alan Nero, confirmed yesterday.
Eischen, 35, was used primarily as a situational left-hander last season, when he went 2-1 with a 3.22 earned run average in 57 appearances, and he may have made an impression on the Mets with how he handled Cliff Floyd.
Eischen would be expected to be a situational left-hander for the Mets, and possibly work as an occasional set-up man for their new closer. It is no secret that the Mets would love for that to be Wagner, and several Mets executives visited him and his agent, Bean Stringfellow, at his Virginia home on Wednesday to prove their keen interest in him, according to a baseball executive familiar with the meeting who did not want his name used out of concern that it might affect the competition for Wagner’s services.
Christ, Gerard, where did you find that picture? And what is it with the Mets predilection for gun-nut “sportsmen” in the bullpen? I was hoping that was over and done with when Mike DeJean and his camouflage-painted pickup truck (really) hit the road last season.
David,
I often use this obscure search engine called “google”. My buddy Will at Gawker Media told me all about it. Apparently, if look carefully enough, you can use the same photos (and stories!) that have appeared elsewhere, sometimes days, months or years earlier.
Mets & weapons : Randy Myers, Mike DeJean, Turk “Nugent” Wendell, Matt Ginter….and possibly Eischen. Yeah, what the fuck is up with that? Between that and the team’s long history of indecent exposure, a psychologist could have a field day.