FanHouse Tim Redding

NEW YORK -- The Mets may have put an end to one of the more unusual careers in recent memory when they released right-hander Livan Hernandez Thursday.

The 1997 World Series MVP, who in recent years had come to define the term "innings-eater," was 7-8 with a 5.47 ERA for the Mets.

"[I have the] utmost respect for Livan Hernandez," said Mets manager Jerry Manuel, who was a coach on the 1997 Marlins. "In 1997 he put a World Series ring on my finger.

"We as an organization and as a team felt it was time to move in a different direction."

For a guy who only has a .695 OPS over the past two seasons, Julio Lugo still looks like a wanted commodity -- at least now that the Red Sox had to designate him for assignment. There are at least two teams rumored to be connected with Lugo at the moment.

The strongest rumor seems to have Lugo landing in New York, with the Mets. He'd fill in at shortstop until the injured Jose Reyes returns to the lineup. The rumors are circling because the Mets reportedly are looking to cut ties with Tim Redding.

Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.

Troy Tulowitzki was the runner-up for the 2007 Rookie of the Year, but he followed it up with a rough 2008. And a rough beginning to 2009. All of a sudden, though, the kid has caught fire. Not coincidentally, the Rockies have as well.

After trouncing the Angels Monday night, the Rockies have now won 15 of their last 16 games. After going 0-2 in the first game of the streak, Tulowitzki has gone 20-for-48 (.417) with 5 home runs, 11 RBI, 15 runs, 4 doubles and 5 stolen bases. Again, that's in 15 games.

There are some pretty good two-start pitchers going in week seven of the fantasy baseball season. Chad Billingsley and Dan Haren lead the list of "Must Start" pitchers, while I'm not sure which option would be riskier between Dontrelle Willis and Tim Redding this week.

There are 47 two-start pitchers in all and you'll need to lock your lineup by 1:07 PM ET on Monday as that's first pitch between the White Sox and Blue Jays.

Must Start
Dan Haren , Diamondbacks - Monday at FLA (R. Nolasco) and Saturday at OAK (J. Outman)
Derek Lowe , Braves - Monday vs COL (J. Marquis) and Saturday vs TOR (S. Richmond)
Jair Jurrjens , Braves - Tuesday vs COL (J. Hammel) and Sunday vs TOR (B. Tallet)

Three years, $36 million dollars. Regret much, Mets?

Oliver Perez, the man who signed the above juicy contract this past offseason, has been simply brutal this season. In four starts, he's allowed 23 hits, 20 earned runs and 15 walks in only 19 1/3 innings. Considering he's throwing less than five innings per start, he's putting the Mets in huge holes early in the game in addition to over-taxing the bullpen.

Apparently the Mets aren't going to let his colossal contract stand in the way of the betterment of the team. According to the New York Post, Perez had a "lengthy meeting" with manager Jerry Manuel and general manager Omar Minaya following his latest stinkbomb.

'Eye Spy' details first-hand Spring Training notes and observations from a fantasy baseball perspective.

After a long trip from Atlanta to Jupiter, Florida Wednesday night / Thursday morning, who could think of sleep when the Red Sox were playing the Cardinals? The game was sold out (all Red Sox and Yankees games are in Florida, I hear) but the nice scalper told me he'd do me a favor (he hates breaking up tickets for singles) and sell me a ticket for twice face value. Hmmmm. Josh Beckett was pitching, but the only other regulars were Jason Varitek and Jed Lowrie in the lineup on Friday. I opted to decline the nice man's offer and waited to head up to Tradition Field and see the Mets.

The Mets are currently holding a competition for the team's fifth starter spot in camp between guys like Livan Hernandez, Freddy Garcia, Tim Redding, and Jonathan Niese. There are some decent arms in there, sure, but none of them are exactly screaming "World Series here we come!" Which is why there are so many Mets fans out there who are wondering when the team is going to sign Pedro Martinez.

Well, those fans are going to be waiting for a while. More accurately forever, because according to ESPN's Buster Olney, there is "not a chance" that the Mets are going to bring Pedro back. They're happy with what they've got.

While Pedro Martinez was spinning three scoreless innings against the Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic, his former team was busy watching a parade of ineptitude compete for the fifth and final starting rotation spot.

As outlined in the New York Post, all the candidates for the fifth starter spot are having a rough go as of late. Tim Redding -- the front-runner -- was knocked around by the University of Michigan, as was Freddy Garcia. Bobby Parnell allowed five baserunners in five batters faced against the Nationals. Meanwhile, Pedro threw three scoreless frames for the D.R.

Fantasy baseball draft season is coming, so you best be prepared by delving through every major player on each team. Fantasy FanHouse is here to help with a quick once-over.

Meet the ...
Chokers. Sorry, folks, but until they can actually close out a regular season, that's the label they're getting. Fortunately for us fantasy folks, we don't really care about total team performance in the regular season, provided it doesn't impend on individual players' abilities to post statistics. And in that sense, the New York Baseball Mets are quite the enjoyable team to watch. They have a slew of top-tier players on the squad and generally almost always provide a ton of fantasy value. Not much will change in terms of that this year, although you may be surprised as to where it will come from.

First things first, Mets fans: There is no reason to panic. The Mets continue to negotiate with both Derek Lowe and Oliver Perez, seemingly to ensure they get one of them.

Anyway, Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Mets are on the verge of signing free agent pitcher Tim Redding to a one-year, $2.25 million contract today. Redding posted a 4.95 ERA last year for the Nationals, compiling a 10-11 record.

As a fifth starter on a good team, though, I like Redding for the Mets. He was pretty good in 2007, and had a solid start in 2008. For his first 20 starts, Redding went 7-3 with a 3.85 ERA in 114 2/3 innings. He fell apart in the second half, with dreadful numbers across the board.