It’s becoming pretty clear that Oliver Perez is enjoying being a Met as much as the fan base has enjoyed his last two seasons in blue and orange.  Also, it’s also pretty obvious that there is a faction of the fan base and media that cover the team that swapping Ollie’s “bad contract” for a similar “bad contract” is how the Mets will address the $12 million left on the left-hander’s deal that ends after the 2011 season.

There had been speculation that the Mets and Cubs had been discussing a deal that would send Perez to Chicago in exchange for Carlos Zambrano, but with the retirement of Lou Pinella, and the subsequent return of a calmer , gentler Zambrano to the rotation, it’s hard to imagine that deal being revisited.

If the Mets are going determined to go down this silly road (remember how that Kevin Appier-Mo Vaughn deal worked out?), I propose the following; deal Perez and his contract to the Angels for another struggling left-hander with a big contract; Scott Kazmir.

From The LA Times:

The Angels believe they have the makings of a very good rotation in 2011, with Jered Weaver, Dan Haren, Ervin Santana and Joel Pineiro either under contract or club control. Including Wednesday, Kazmir will have five more starts to show he belongs; though if he continues to struggle, he would be virtually impossible to trade next winter because of his contract.

If the Angels release Kazmir before 2011 they would have to swallow $14.5 million, because the 26-year-old has a $13.5-million club option for 2012 that can be bought out for $2.5 million.

I say this for two reasons, none of which is to recoup the stupidity of the Black Friday deal in 2004 that had more to do with complete amateurish disregard of value than current reality. First off, Kazmir is a known commodity to the Mets, for better or worse. Though he is a TV analyst, Bob Ojeda has a great rapport with Kazmir, one cultivated in the minors when Ojeda was a minor league pitching coach. The presence of Ojeda, who could be considered (and is expected to inquire) to serve as the big club’s PC if the Mets make the expected move and fire Jerry Manuel (and staff), could be an inducement for Kazmir to push for such a deal if the Angels concur that it might b best for the two sides to part ways.

“The major leagues is always a proving ground, whether you’re Torii Hunter or Peter Bourjos, whether you’re Scott Kazmir or Ervin Santana,” Scioscia said. “It’s a proving ground every day, a challenge to show that position is yours, that you can help [the] team win.

“We have confidence in Scott’s ability to get to a higher level, but certainly, if options come along that will make you better, you have to consider them.”

He has not reached the heights expected of him by the Mets fans that followed him from his teenage years, the sound of 95-mph fastballs cracking the catcher’s mitt in Coney Island. Though far better than the fellow he replaced in Tampa, the southpaw was dealt away to the Angels at the trade deadline last year, sporting a ERA of nearly six. He responded, with some ironic tutoring from former Mets pitching coach Rick Peterson, and produced a sparkling 1.73 ERA over six starts to finish out the season.

He is younger than Perez, does not possess the perceived mental softness that many believe have soured his teammates, and is remembered fondly by the majority of the Mets hierarchy.

Basically, to this writer, trading for Kazmir this time seems much less iof a gamble then trading him away six years ago.

As the trying days of September lie ahead, the New York Yankees need to finish strong down the stretch in order to fend off the young Tampa Bay Rays and secure their second straight AL East title. Their title defense starts with the return of Andy Pettitte.

After throwing a 25 pitch bullpen session today at about 75 percent, the veteran left-hander has continued to try and battle back from a left groin injury that has seen him sidelined since July 19.

“I didn’t have any discomfort at all. For me, that’s a positive,” Pettitte said. “I feel like this thing is healing. I feel like now it’s just a matter of building the strength back up in there, and the only way to do that is to get on the mound and throw pitches.”

Getting on the mound is as big a concern for the Yankees’ pitching staff as it is for Pettitte’s recovery,  considering New York’s starters recent woes. With Javier Vazquez and A.J Burnett struggling of late, only the consistent excellence of ace C.C Sabathia and a potent Yankee’s offense has allowed the Yankees to battle through the last month.

Pettitte, who was 11-2 with a 2.88 ERA before landing on the DL, could be back for the final two weeks of the season, which would guarantee him three starts. Pettitte’s health directly affects the Yankee’s place in the standings, especially with Tampa Bay keeping the race for 1st place tight, as his presence will help bring consistency to what has become an erratic Yankee team.

Because of his age and overall wear-and-tear, Andy’s groin injury will be treated with kid gloves. If any setbacks flare up, Yankee’s management may decide to shut Pettitte down until October where the all-time playoff wins leader will ultimately make his biggest impact.

With the Yankees officially shutting down Nick Johnson for the season, basically ending his New York career, Austin Kearns’ role just got a bit bigger.

Mainly being used as the first outfielder of the bench, Kearns also spell Curtis Granderson against tough lefties. On a bench devoid of a homerun threat when Lance Berkman’s in the lineup, the big bat of 6’4 righty allows the Yankees to introduce power in late inning scenarios.

Although a right-hander, Kearns hits righty pitching statistically better this year (.286 to .264) than left-handers. Blessed with plate discpline, albeit not as strong as Johnson’s, Kearns has always been able to bring the threat of the long ball to every at-bat. Hampered by injuries in recent years, the former Cincinatti Red prospect has topped the 15-homerun plateau four times in his career reaching a high of 24 in ’06.

Switching between his platoon with Granderson and pinch-hitting duties, Kearns has been able to shake off a rough start to his Yankee career by racking up 5 RBIs in the past week. With two homers in limited duty the past month, the Yankees’ fourth outfielder has provided a presence in a lineup that has scored 9 runs or more four times this week.

As September approaches and legs tire out, the addition of Austin Kearns will be a boon for the Yankees down the stretch. In October as well, Kearns platoon role will help fortify a lineup of power hitters.

With the status of Francisco Rodriguez’s career as a member of the New York Mets still in limbo, the question now becomes who should inherit the closing mantle?

Using a bullpen by committee, Jerry Manuel has been slow to name the heir to the closing spot since K-Rod’s departure from the club. Having that issue coincide with a losing streak has been Manuel time to consider his options for September, but the time to nominate a replacement draws near. While Takahaski has filled in solidly of late, his interim in the 9th inning is tenuous at best.

As the Mets look toward the future (See: Thole, Josh), the only logical choice for New York’s problem is 25-year old flamethrower Bobby Parnell. Dubbed “Bobby 100″ for his electric fastball that occasionally touched triple digits, the former Met prospect has lost that label and has been teetering on the brink of anonymity in the Mets’ organization.

Even though Parnell has been talked about for the last few years, he still only turns the ripe age of 26 in September. Combined with a consistent effort since his June call-up, his age and talent leave the organization with very little choice in the matter.

With a month left to go in what has amounted to a wash of a season, the New York Mets can help mount a comeback year in 2011 by giving their younger players more opportunity to grow. Just as they have been grooming young talents such as Ike Davis and Jon Niese along since April, September represents a key time for New York to explore more of their internal options for the future.

Installing Bobby Parnell as the closer for the rest of the season puts the Mets on a road toward building a brighter future for their ballclub.

With the recent waiver wire deal that sent veteran Rod Barajas to the bright lights of L.A, the New York Mets have ushered in the Josh Thole Era behind the plate. Thought of as the catcher of the future, Thole has given every indication of being a serviceable, if not All-Star caliber, catcher for years to come.

In platoon duty this year, Thole has put up excellent numbers for a 23-year old catcher. After supplanting Henry Blanco as the back-up catcher, and becoming Rod Barajas’ replacement against most righties, Josh has enjoyed his success at the plate as his current slash line rests at .305/.376/.371.

Although Thole only has five extra base hits, his timely hitting has allowed him to garner nine runs batted in 42 games (only 26 of which he started). In twenty at-bats with men in scoring position, Thole has accumlated nine hits that have resulted in 8 of his 9 RBIs and his batting average in High Leverage (or late inning, clutch) situations is a scorching .394.

Besides his clutch hitting, Josh’s biggest asset to the Met ballclub has been his ability to get on base consistently. With a .376 on-base percentage, Thole has shown above average plate discipline for a young player and ranks highly in OBP among other starting catchers.

As ESPN Insider Keith Law points out, “A catcher who can put up OBPs in the high 300s is a really valuable player.”

Even though the knock on Josh has been his average defense, including a below-average arm, the Met organization has enough faith in his athletic ability behind the plate to have stationed him as R.A Dickey’s personal catcher. Although his defense may leave something to be desired, Josh has been working hard to develop a good rapport with the pitching staff both in-game and during bullpen sessions.

Having been handed the keys to the starting job, Thole knows that the pressure to continue his pace has increased exponentially. Using the end of the season as experience, Josh will try and lead a resurgent New York club back to relevance in 2011.

With the Met organization behind him, Josh will be given ample opportunity to produce for New York in the next few years, and only time will tell if Thole represents the future of the Mets’ backstop.

Before the Staten Island Yankees came north this past June many Yankee fans were excited as it was expected that 2009 first and second round draft picks Slade Heathcott and J.R. Murphy were expected to join the team.  However the Yankees decided that the duo will skip the New York-Penn League and join the roster of the Charleston RiverDogs.

Even without the two top draft picks from last year the Baby Bombers have seen some very exciting prospects step onto the field at the Richmond County Bank Ballpark.

Ranking at number one on the top five prospects on the team is none other than the young, talented catcher Gary Sanchez who just recently joined the Staten Island Yankees after spending the majority of the season with the Gulf Coast Yankees.  Sanchez who has three hits in four games with Staten Island has demonstrated a good arm behind the plate and good speed for a guy of his size.  With the Gulf Coast Yankees he batted .353 with 42 hits over 119 at bats, six of those hits were homeruns while eleven were doubles.  Sanchez posses one of the purest bats to ever put on a Staten Island Yankees uniform and has drawn comparisons to fellow Yankees prospect Jesus Montero.

Coming in at number two on the top prospects with the 2010 Staten Island Yankees is non-other than centerfielder Eduardo Sosa.  The young Venezuelan outfielder has earned tremendous reviews from his teammates on the aggressive defense he plays in the field, Sosa posses above average speed and a good bat that has earned him praise from the Yankee coaching staff on his hit ability.

The number three prospect to put on a Staten Island Yankees jersey this season is non-other than 2010 first-round draft pick Cito Culver who was just recently promoted to Staten Island.  Culver has impressed the Staten Island coaches with the constant contact he has made with the bat though he has only one hit.  The biggest impression he has made though has been with his defense.  He is a plus defender in the field and advanced for his age

The fourth highest prospect on the list is Baby Bombers reliever Tommy Kahnle who was a fifth round draft pick for the Yankees this past June.  Kahnle routinely sits at 95-96 MPH with his fastball out of the bullpen and has touched 97 this season.  His only downfall would be the face that he has some minor control issues but that has not hurt him so far this season.

Rounding things out at number five is another recent addition to the Staten Island Yankees in the person of Rob Segedin.  Segedin was the third round draft pick in the 2010 draft and made his debut with the Gulf Coast Yankees while the Baby Bombers hosted the NY-Penn League All-Star Game.  Segedin’s defense is what has earned him a spot on this list as he has impressed fans and coaches alike with how he mans the hot corner, a position that has had problems for Staten Island this season.

Just below the top five prospects are Kelvin De Leon, Mikey O’Brien, Dan Burawa, Chase Whitley and Preston Claiborne who have all contributed greatly to the Staten Island Yankees this season.

Defense was the key to the game for the Staten Island Yankees as they limited the Aberdeen Ironbirds to just one run allowing 16 runners to reach base, ten via the walk.

2010 first round pick Cito Culver and third rounder Rob Segedin were in the middle of the action making great defensive plays throughout the game.  The 17 year old Culver was able to ease into his new assignment as there was just an intimate crowd of 1,503 fans in attendance.   “I just try to play defense how I know how,” he said after the game, “Defense is going to be defense wherever you go, maybe its hit a little bit harder but I just try to play like I was taught.”

The Baby Bomber offense was lead by Kyle Roller who was 2-for-4 with a monster three-run homerun that cut through the heavy winds.  Shane Brown, Rob Segedin, Gary Sanchez, Cito Culver and Kelvin Duran counted for the other five Yankee hits.

Staten Island was the first to get on the board when they put a three-spot up in the bottom of the fourth inning.  Shane Brown started it off with a walk but was quickly erased when Casey Stevenson laid down a hard hit bunt that the pitcher fielded and went to second for the force out.  Stevenson went to second after Rob Segedin singled to center and both runners would score on the hard hit homerun to right field by Kyle Roller.

In the bottom of the fifth the Yankees added another run to their lead.  Mike Ferraro had a one-out walk and then went to second on a wild pitch before moving to third on a single by Kelvin Duran.  Ferraro came home to score when Shane Brown hit a ground out to the shortstop.

Staten Island starter Nik Turley earned the win throwing 79 pitches over five innings allowing just two hits but walking six and striking out four.  Turley sat between 88-91 MPH with his fastball throughout the night.  He was followed by Richard Martinez who walked two and allowed a hit in his two innings of relief work.  St. John’s University product Dan Burawa followed on the mound allowing a run on three hits and walk in the eighth inning and sitting between 94-96MPH with his fastball.

In the bottom of the eighth inning the Staten Island Yankees plated another run.  With two-outs in Rob Segedin was hit-by-the-pitch before moving to second on a passed ball.  He scored when Kyle Roller legged out his third triple of the season.

Notes: Left-handed pitcher Matt Jernstad is making a spot start tomorrow for Staten Island.  Jernstad was 4-2 with a 2.23 ERA over 40.1 innings in six games for the Windy City Thunderbolts of the Frontier League.  All six were starts and he went a minimum of six innings in each start and going seven innings four times.  Right-handed relief pitcher and All-Star Preston Claiborne earned a promotion to the Florida State League as he was sent to the Tampa Yankees after the game.

Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde? The curious case of Mike Pelfrey continues to puzzle Metropolitan fans who are getting all too used to trying to guess which version of their pitchers will show up. Just when you think that Mike Pelfrey is going to go the way of John Maine and Oliver Perez, “the good Pelfrey” shows up again.

Friday in Pittsburgh, Pelfrey worked into the eighth inning allowing just one earned run. This is Pelfrey’s third straight good start, and after a month of July that saw him sport an ERA of 10.02 and a WHIP of 2.66 he has turned it around again and has a 2.36 ERA with a WHIP of 1.13 in August.

While 2010 is sure to be Pelfery’s best overall season statistically, it isn’t the first time he has shown flashes like this. In 2008, Mike had 17 quality starts in his final 23 winning 11 of those games. After that great second half, Pelfrey followed it up with an abysmal 2009 that saw his ERA balloon over 5 so predicting what Pelfrey will do next year is anyone’s guess.

But the fact that he was teetering on the edge in the month of July, and has seemingly turned the corner and re-found his stuff again bodes well for the 6’5” right-hander former first round pick, who has always been blessed with the physical gifts needed to be successful at the major league level. It’s the mental part of the game that Pelfrey must conquer in order to avoid going the way of his teammates Maine and Perez.

Nevertheless, the way Mike Pelfrey finishes his campaign will be a key point to monitor as we watch the team struggle toward the finish line in 2010. The players haven’t given up as Jerry Manuel continues to mix and match his lineup in an attempt to find a hot group that can save his job. Unfortunately, it seems no amount of mixing and matching can save the man that seems to be the fall guy for the bunch of underachievers that are the 2010 Mets. And Mike Pelfrey will become the Mets’ next manager’s headache to endure.

Hawk Drobnis is a co-host of Gotham Baseball LIVE, and a contributor to gothambaseball.com

You can reach him at TheHawkisWatching@yahoo.com

In front of a sold out crowd at the Richmond County Bank Ballpark the Brooklyn Cyclones came from behind to earn a season series split with the Staten Island Yankees.

The Cyclones were the first to get on the board plating four runs in the first inning off of Yankees starter Mike Gipson.  After Darrell Ceciliani grounded out to second Wilfredo Tovar singled to short, stole second before Jeff Flah singled.  Jon Bonfe then sent a fly ball to left for an RBI single before J.B. Brown cleared the bases with a three-run homerun.

Gipson went two and two-third inning allowing four runs on four hits and walk while striking out four of the fourteen batters he faced.  He was relieved by Richard Martinez who went an inning and a third striking out three.

In the bottom of the third the Baby Bombers took advantage of some bad Brooklyn fielding to take the lead.  Kelvin Duran started it off with his first base hit with the Staten Island Yankees, a double to center.  He came around to score when Shane Brown singled to right and then advance to third on a throwing error by the right fielder.  Brown then scored when Casey Stevenson singled before Kelvin De Leon struck out.  Kyle Roller then reached on a failed force attempt when the shortstop committed a throwing error that allowed Stevenson to be face at second.  Newcomer Gary Sanchez then got his first base hit and RBI for Staten Island with a single that goes up the middle and bringing home Stevenson.  New third baseman Rob Segedin then double to center for his first Staten Island Yankees hit and RBI, scoring Kyle Roller while Gary Sanchez moved to third on the play.  Sanchez then scored the go ahead run when Luis Parache grounded out to the second baseman.

Daniel Burawa made his professional debut, the right-hander out of St. John’s University threw a shutout inning in relief allowing just a walk before Bryant Cotton took over on the hill.

Brooklyn would tie it up and take the lead in the top of the seventh inning.  James Schroeder started it off with a fly ball single to left and then went to third on a double to left by Darrell Ceciliani.  Bother would come around to score when Wilfredo Tovar singled to right field, giving the Cyclones a 6-5 lead.

Cotton was touched for just those two runs on four hits and a walk.  He struck out two of the ten batters he faced.  Andrew Shive took over for the eighth inning pitching a perfect inning in relief before allowing a run in the ninth on a hit and two walks.

Casey Stevenson led off the ninth inning for the Baby Bombers and on the fourth pitch he saw he launched the ball to the right of the Richmond County Bank Ballpark batter’s eye for a homerun.  After Kelvin De Leon popped up to the catcher before Kyle Roller worked a walk on five pitches.  Designated hitter Gary Sanchez struck out on a check swing before Rob Segedin grounded out to second to end the game.

Bryant Cotton took the loss for the Staten Island Yankees while Brooklyn pitcher Wesley Wrenn earned the win.  Friday night Staten Island travels up to Connecticut to face off with the Connecticut Tigers in a three-game series.  Zachary Varce, Shane Greene and Mikey O’Brien are expected to make the starts in that series.

Jay Ferraro and Hawk Drobnis, talk Yankees-Mets, fantasy baseball and New York sports on a brand new edition of Gotham Baseball LIVE! Jay Ferraro is the Assignment Editor for Gotham Baseball and Executive Producer of Baseball Digest LIVE. He is also the Fantasy Editor for BaseballDigest.com and Gotham Gridiron. Hawk Drobnis is a senior columnist for Gotham Baseball. Jay is a Yankees Fan, Hawk is a Mets Fan, and neither can hit a curveball!

Jay and Hawk are more than just New York baseball! They cover all of Major League Baseball’s hot topics in the “Teepee Talk” segment, all New York City sports on their “Around The Apple” segment, and what it all means for your fantasy teams in “The Waiver Wire Abyss” and “TGIFantasy Baseball & Football”.

Please click the link to listen live or to past shows:  Gotham Baseball LIVE

Jay Ferraro is the Executive Producer of Baseball Digest LIVE and Gotham Baseball LIVE.  He is also the Fantasy Editor for Baseballdigest.com and Gotham Gridiron. As well as a columnist for Baseball Digest Magazine and Assignment Editor for Gotham Baseball. You can reach him at Jay_Ferraro@Juno.com , follow him on Twitter , add him on Facebook and check out his Official Website.