From John Maine to Jonathan Niese? NY Mets Look for Help in the Minors

The troubles for the New York Mets seem to be never-ending.

The latest distressing news is that John Maine is being put on the 15-day disabled list again. Management is scrambling to try to figure out what to do.

Here’s one solution: Shut him down for the year.

I agree with Omar Minaya when he said he does not want to risk Maine’s career for a pennant race. With the bone spur in his pitching arm, he might need surgery to get it removed. It is common for athletes to get these, especially pitchers and quarterbacks, because they are repeatedly moving their arms over their heads.

Reports are saying that rest cannot help, but it can help. If the joint in his shoulder is swelling, that’s what is causing the pain because it is scraping against the spur. Rest and cortisone shots can benefit him and still manage to keep him around for the season.

My concern is that he has been on the DL already for this. So I feel surgery would be his best option. This way you do not risk damaging the nerves in the arm. The Mets feel shutting him down for two weeks without pitching or workouts would be best, so he is able to come back by mid-September.

What happens in the meantime if the Mets do shut Maine down for the year? The obvious solution: bring up Jonathan Niese.

The Mets feel he is ready to come up. They are just waiting for the opportunity. Well, there is no greater opportunity than now. Plus, they can keep him through September call-ups.

Preferably, I would like a bigger lead in the division before bringing in the kid pitcher. Unfortunately, they do not have that luxury. There are off days, which would benefit Mike Pelfrey, whom management is most concerned about because of the number of innings he has logged.

Right now, the Mets are going to have to get by with just four starters. They did it in 1973 and took the division. So why not now?