The following are a series of clues, for you to guess three different ex-Mets:

Player #1 (easy):

• This 2B was traded from the Indians to the Mets in December of 2001 for among others Mets’ top prospect OF Alex Escobar.
• In his career, he had 10 gold gloves and made 12 All-Star appearances.
• The Mets later traded him to the White Sox for Royce Ring and two other minor leaguers.

Player #2 (medium):

• This OF played 144 games for the Mets in 2001.
• His glory days were spent with the Houston, where he had two 100+ RBI seasons in 1996 and 1998.
• In a blowout, he pitched an inning for the Mets, allowing 4 earned runs.
• He finished his career in 2001 with the Pirates, and since has been arrested on charges centered around the possession of cocaine.

Player #3 (hard):

• This OF was a first round pick of the Marlins in the 1998 amateur draft.
• He logged 3 ABs for the Mets last year, going 1-3 overall with an RBI.
• After being dealt to the Royals, he made his debut in 2005.
• He is now a member of the San Diego Padres.

Post your guesses in the comments section, the answers will be put up in this same post later today.

Answers are:

Roberto Alomar

Derek Bell

Chip Ambres

According to the AP, the Blue Jays have released OF Reed Johnson. Shannon Stewart appears in line for the starting LF job for the Jays after signing a minor-league contract with the team.

Johnson, only played 79 games last year due to a herniated disc, but in 2006 batted .319 with a .390 OBP in 134 games.

Johnson has a .308 batting average with a .833 OPS lifetime against left handed pitching.

He’s a righty, something we really need and I’ve always liked him a lot. I really hope Omar takes a look, especially considering our need for righties. He’s a solid fielder, gritty player that will hit for decent average and get on base.

According to Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes, the Tigers and Miguel Cabrera have reached an 8 year extension worth $153.3 million.  According to Rojas’ source, the deal will be complete upon Cabrera taking a physical.

Cabrera, along with SP Dontrelle Willis were traded to the Tigers this winter for various prospects including LHP Andrew Miller and OF Cameron Maybin.

Jeez, that’s a lot.  Makes me feel fortunate for the great contracts we have Wright and Reyes signed to.

Former Atlanta Braves C Javy Lopez has called it quits, after being assigned to minor league camp for the Braves.  Lopez was competing for the job to backup two-time All-Star Brian McCann.  Lopez played 12 seasons for the Braves, and in his career he hit 22 HRs against the Mets, with a .292 avg in 343 ABs.  The three-time All-Star finished out his career with the Orioles and Red Sox and was trying out for the Braves as one last hurrah. 

Lopez had a career year in 2003 when he hit 43 HRs and drove in 109 RBIs for the Braves. 

For Fox Sports, Dayn Perry breaks down the best rivalries in baseball. His top four in order are: Red Sox-Yankees, Dodgers-Giants, Cardinals-Cubs and Mets-Phillies.

For the Mets-Phillies, he writes:

Here’s the most ascendant rivalry in the game right now. You’ve got all the ingredients for hatred: proximity, same division, a healthy percentage of sub-moron fans on both sides, and a recent history of beery indiscretions.

What’s held this one back is that fact that rarely have the Mets and Phillies been worth a crap at the same time. Now, however, there’s actually something at stake. Throw last year’s white-knuckled race and this winter’s smack-talking into the mix, and you’ve got quite the nifty rivalry. Sure, it lacks the veneer of age that the match-ups above have, but the intensity and importance are there.

At this point, we could hand out a few consolation prizes, but that would be abandoning our standards for great rivalries. So four — and only four — it is. Miffed that your team doesn’t have a spot on the list? Start punching opposing fans more often.

This is really starting to irk me. It frustrates me how short-sighted people are being about rivalries, and granted I cannot tell anybody how much they hate a team, or who they root against the hardest. Yet, the Braves-Mets rivalry has been going on longer. It has been competitive for longer. It is also classy. I want to smack the hell out of them when I play them, but as an organization and a team, I really respect the Braves, they are a class act. The Phillies on the other hand came out and have been trying to artificially create a rivalry because they don’t have one, and they are dragging us into it. They came out, made a cocky guarantee (that unfortunately turned out to be true) and now all of a sudden they are our biggest rivals? No, they are a third wheel that is desperately looking for a date but they can’t find one. So, they ask somebody who already has a significant other, and try to weasel their way into a date. Don’t fall for it, we rival the Braves people!

According to Tracy Ringolsby of the Rocky Mountain News, Atlantic League President Joe Klein has offered OF Barry Bonds a chance to play in the Atlantic League, in order to stay in shape for the MLB.

Players such as Jose Conseco, Ricky Henderson and Jose ‘It’s’ Lima ‘Time’ have all played in the Atlantic League.

This would seem fitting, only adding to the circus that has become the Barry Bonds saga.

In a video for Fox Sports, Ken Rosenthal previews the NL East.  For the Mets, he predicts a strong season for Johan Santana, however he wonders whether their fragility will haunt them throughout the year.

Rosenthal also questions the pitching for the Phillies, with Brad Lidge barely healthy.  Rosenthal likes the overall depth of the Braves, and the fact that they are a well-rounded team.  He also thinks that the Nats have some nice hitting, yet their pitching isn’t up to calliber.  Rosenthal thinks that Marlins rebuilding practice might eventually pay-off, but as of now they are no where close to competing.

In a surprise move, the AP is reporting that the Nationals have cut SP John Patterson.  After being the Nats opening day starter last year, Patterson only pitched in seven games due to injury.  However, after being seemingly healthy this spring, he was supposed to be in contention for a rotation spot this year.

Yet, after being knocked up for six runs in four innings in his last start, the Nats decided to move in a younger direction.

This really surprised me, and if he is willing to sign a minor-league deal I’d sign him in a heart beat.  He is talented and I’d rather have him fill in than Tony Armas Jr.

With the NCAA tournament starting today, I thought I’d point out that Aaron Heilman attended Notre Dame, which is a 5 seed. Also, Scott Schoenweiss attended Duke, a 2 seed in this year’s bracket.

For more about the players and their picks, head over to Metsblog.

If anybody cares, my final four is Georgetown-UNC and Duke-Pitt