Jordany Valdespin’s Controversial Tweet; Ryan Ludwick Re-signs With Reds

It keeps getting harder to root for Jordany Valdespin. The 24-year-old has run into multiple problems with his Dominican Winter League team, as he most recently was suspended by Licey for two games because he didn’t run a ball out, followed by creating a problem once he was pinch-hit for the next day. Now, it gets even worse, as he used good ol’ social media to enrage Mets fans.

Adam Rubin reported that Valdespin tweeted a picture of himself with a Miami Marlins hat on. If you want to see the picture, you can see it here. I also noticed it looks as though he’s packed on a couple of extra pounds since the end of the season. This is just the latest in a long list of reasons why some Mets fans are not in favor of him being part of the future of this franchise. He has a world of talent, but his immaturity continues to show it’s ugly head whenever he does something like this.

Aug 5, 2012; San Diego, CA, USA; New York Mets second baseman Jordany Valdespin (1) singles during the sixth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Darren Meenan of The 7 Line said it best on twitter in regards to this news: “I’ve have worn other teams hats in the past. News flash though, I’m not ON the Mets. So disappointed right now.”

Meanwhile, if R.A. Dickey is dealt this winter, Adam Rubin said the Mets would give Jenrry Mejia the first chance to make the rotation out of Spring Training, and there’s virtually no chance Zack Wheeler would make the rotation out of Port St. Lucie. I think this is a good move; even if Wheeler has a dominant spring, he needs to prove himself at the Triple-A level first, just as Matt Harvey did through the first half of 2012. New York’s top pitching prospect has to cut down on his walks before he gets his first call to The Show (4.4 BB/9 IP in 33 IP w/ Buffalo in ’12). In regards to Mejia, Michael Baron of MetsBlog made a good point; the Mets need to find out what they have in Jenrry, what he can offer to the organization, and make a decision.

Yesterday, we learned the Mets could acquire top prospect Mike Olt from the Rangers in a trade for R.A. Dickey, but only if Texas loses out on Zack Greinke. Well, it looks like Greinke is on the verge of heading to Arlington, as Jim Bowden of ESPN tweeted the pitcher was blown away by what Nolan Ryan and company had to say. Once he goes off the board, there is a huge drop off in talent when it comes to free agent starting pitchers, so market for R.A. Dickey could heat up. I only see the potential of a deal getting done with either Kansas City or Toronto, but since the Royals have reportedly already gone over budget, the Blue Jays seem like New York’s most compatible partner for a deal to be done. These two teams have been talking for quite some time now, so if nothing happens between them, I’ll be shocked.

There were a couple teams purusing free agent outfielder Ryan Ludwick, but reports point to him agreeing to re-sign with the Cincinnati Reds, which seemed to be his preference the entire time. It’s a two-year deal with a mutual option in place for 2015. The Mets had an interest in Ludwick and were willing to commit between $6-$7 million a season for two years, but never seemed to be serious players even though he would have been a good fit in Flushing. A player with similar credentials and still available is Cody Ross, who is currently seeking a three-year deal, but that could change now that Ludwick has set the market for players like him.