Q&A with Adam Rubin of the Daily News

By Matt Himelfarb
Posted Sunday, July 27, 2008

With the trade deadline fast approaching and other various questions surrounding the Mets these days, Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News was nice enough to answer some questions for us. Adam has been the Daily News Mets beat writer since 2003 and is the author of the book, Pedro, Carlos, and Omar: The Story of a Season in the Big Apple and the Pursuit of Baseball's Top Latino Stars. You can also check out his excellent blog, Surfing the Mets

Matt Himelfarb: It seems quite obvious that the atmosphere in the Mets clubhouse and team chemistry is far improved from when Willie Randolph was still at the helm earlier in the year. Would you say this is more so because the media frenzy is finally over with Willie's firing and there is no longer any lingering sense of doubt over who will lead this team the rest of the way, or is Jerry Manuel bringing a fundamentally different attitude to the ballpark everyday?

Adam Rubin: The atmosphere in the clubhouse is lighter, but I wouldn't say the "team chemistry" has changed that much. The primary factor is the resolution of Willie Randolph's status, which had been a persistent line of questioning that wore on players. Jerry Manuel has done a nice job, regardless.

MH: Aside from the most bullish of fans, most people are dying to know how many more chances is Marlon Anderson going to be given to prove his worth, and why, by extension, is Nick Evans spending so much time on the bench?

AR: Jerry Manuel acknowleged he's done a poor job of involving Evans, though obviously the production hasn't been there for the rookie since a three-double debut during his first call-up. Manuel wanted to get Marlon Anderson some at-bats so he'll be sharp when he's called upon as a pinch-hitter.

MH: On July 3rd, when asked about his thoughts on Valentino Pascucci, you quoted Jerry Manuel as saying, "I'll be honest with you, who is he?" As someone that is around Mets management on a day-to-basis, would you say this reflects an utter lack of interest in promoting Pascucci, and if so, why?

AR: Manuel didn't know Pascucci because the minor-leaguer wasn't in spring training, and I can't imagine Manuel was reviewing minor-league reports while bench coach. I asked Ken Oberkfell about Pascucci, and got the sense that the organization views him as a "4A" player. He can hit Triple-A mistakes, but you don't get those mistakes nearly as often in the majors.

MH: When it comes to trade rumors, how do you sort the wheat from the chaff? And how much to do competitive pressures, i.e. the worry about getting scooped by the Post or Newsday, or worse, some Internet site, color your decision making as to which rumors to report on and which to discount?

AR: You just have to trust your sources. It's funny, though, when you hear that 10 scouts watched a Binghamton-Trenton game and it's hyped as a big deal. When I go to minor-league games, there are routinely that many scouts in attendance. That's what scouts do -- go to games ... every day. For instance, I happened to be at the Binghamton game at Connecticut when Moises Alou got injured. Some of the scouts I saw there, just off the top of my head: Duane Larson (Braves), John Morris (Reds, and Mepham High School's best baseball product), Jaymie Bane (Red Sox). And there were probably a half-dozen more.

MH: What type of sources do reporters such as yourself have when it comes to matters such as trade rumors- i.e. Mets front office personnel, scouts, opposing scouts, etc.? Who would you say are generally the most reliable?

AR: Certainly firsthand info is better than third parties, such as teams not involved in the trades, since it's more rumor from the latter sources. It comes from everywhere, though. Agents, scouts, front-office execs from both organizations involved, execs from uninvolved teams, etc.

MH: As far as chemistry and morale go around this time of year, during your tenure of reporting, have you ever seen the mood of certain players change in the days leading up to the deadline, especially if there's been rumors that they might be traded? Also, does the team itself ever seem "let down" when the deadline comes and goes without a big acquisition?

AR: The Mets haven't been sellers since the Mo Vaughn/Jeromy Burnitz days, so it's not really that relevant here. I think players are into their own roles and are generally unaware of what's swirling around anyway. I'm sure, say, Brian Fuentes with Colorado is much more keenly aware of what may be going on, since it's a question of where, not if.

MH: Reports throughout the media seem to suggest that the Mets are balking at including Fernando Martinez and Jon Niese in any deal. Particularly in the case of Niese, do you think the Mets would be less reluctant in trading either of them if there was more depth in the farm system, or do the Mets truly believe they are that good?

AR: With Niese, I would hope the Mets recognize that they have just three starting pitchers under their control beyond this season: Johan Santana, John Maine and Mike Pelfrey. I know they'll bring in a couple of free agents if, say, Oliver Perez walks. But don't you need to bring someone to spring training from the system, too? And if Niese is traded, who else other than Bobby Parnell might that be? Michael Antonini was just promoted to Double-A (he'll start for the first time Friday) and won't be a factor come spring training.

MH: Speaking of F-Mart, the buzz as of late seems to indicate that the Mets plan on promoting him at some point in August or September to start in left field if they do not make any move for an outfielder. Given the fact he has not exactly torn up AA this year even (.285/.326/.415), what exactly makes the Mets so confidence in bringing him up so young, and why not just give the job to Evans or Mike Carp at that point?

AR: Neither Evans nor Carp is a legit outfielder, and neither has the upside of Fernando Martinez. From what scouts tell me, Martinez may not be ready yet, though.

MH: Given what you know now- that the Mets would be having so much trouble in the corner outfield positions, Dustin Martin's success, Luis Castillo's knee problems, etc.- would you have pulled the deal for Castillo last July, and subsequently re-signed him this winter, or given Ruben Gotay a chance?

AR: I'm not going to get worked up about trading Dustin Martin and Drew Butera, but I do think the flurry of trades like that is what's depleted the system, not the Johan Santana trade. Knowing what is now known about Castillo's knees, of course he shouldn't have been signed. But the initial contract objection was more based on the number of years (four), especially since it didn't appear the Mets were exactly bidding against anybody. And look how little David Eckstein ended up signing for.

MH: Even with Mike Pelfrey's vast improvement as of late, he still throws a predominant amount of fastballs in his starts. Has Dan Warthen and the rest of the Mets coaching staff been emphasizing that he must change this, or are they too afraid to tweak with anything right now?

AR: I wouldn't mess with anything right now. His four-seam fastball has been emphasized as a way to get ahead in counts, but he still has a two-seam fastball and slider.

MH: On June 11th of this year, you wrote, "The [Mets] dependence on free agency coupled with the lack of a farm system also raises the question: Has Minaya failed to recognize a seismic shift in the MLB landscape?" In an email exchange we had last year, you mentioned that, "I think Omar and his group, while armed with data, is much more into what they see with their eyes over numbers." Given the rising importance of statistics and the ever-improving metrics out there, do you believe the Mets may sometimes overlook the importance of stats?

AR: No. The Mets have plenty of statistics-based employees. I would also dispute that stats are rising in importance. I think the pendulum is swinging back toward old-school GMs, rather than stats-driven execs. Look how long Paul DePodesta lasted with the Dodgers.

MH: In addition to your job as a reporter, you also seem to occasionally offer some of your own analysis on your blog. Do you aspire to being a columnist at some point?

AR: I'm on the road 160 days a year, so certainly at some point something that offers a little more time at home would be welcome.

In addition to his work for the print and Web-based Daily News, Adam Rubin has a blog, which he and other DN staffers update regularly — with news from the ballpark as it happens.