The pen missed Bert.....Brocail

Roberto "Bert" Hernandez pitched for the Mets in 2005, the then 41 y/o reliever did a serviceable job, making 67 appearances with an ERA of 2.58. But Omar traded for Bert in 2006 not for what he could do on the mound but what he could provide in the pen. Aaron Heilman had his best run in the second half of 2005 when he posted an ERA of 0.68 as a reliever and directly attributed his success to his relationship with Bert. Heilman wasn't the only one Hernandez rubbed off on and when Omar brought him back it was his veteran leadership more then what he had left in his arm. Bert brought a decade of getting hitters out into each and every conversation or bullpen session and unlike a coach he was still going to the mound.

Now I'm not suggesting we bring back Hernandez but I think for the last two years the pen has been missing a veteran leader. Scott Schoneweis tried to fill those shoes last year but when a player struggles and his role gets reduced to a specialist he begins to lose his clout.

Especially if the Mets are looking for contributions from younger players like Parnell, Kuntz and Muniz it will be essential to find a reliever who is still effective but has been through the wars before. The right veteran would provide leadership and have a calming effect on the pen.

The Mets put a claim in on Doug Brocail at the Deadline but the Astros who thought they were still in contention pulled him back. The 41 y/o right hander is a veteran of 14 seasons in which he has an ERA 3.99. Last season for the Astros he appeared in 73 games with an ERA of 3.93 with a record of 7-5. The Astros have declined Brocail's option making him a free agent and while they will attempt to re-sign him, it would be nice if the Mets had a reliever that didn't have the deer in headlights look when he took the mound.....

The Astros on Wednesday declined Brocail’s $3.25 million option for next season, but the righthander and general manager Ed Wade are leaving the door open on working out a deal for 2009. source Houston Chronicle