John Maine's season with the Mets is over, and, according to many, the pitcher's career with the organization is likely over, as well. If you're a Mets fan, you can't help but to be thinking that it's about time.
Maine, who struggled to stay healthy throughout his time with the Mets, underwent season-ending shoulder surgery to clean out scar tissue in his right shoulder. It's likely that the Mets will release him.
The Mets thought they were getting one of the next big things when they acquired the young righty from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Jan. 22, 2006. Realistically, they had no reason to believe otherwise.
Maine was dominant as he shot up through the Orioles' organization before breaking in with the O's in 2004. In the minors, Maine didn't have the greatest win-loss record, but his strikeout totals (he averaged more than one per inning throughout his minor league career) showed that he may have the stuff to be a top-of-the-rotation type of pitcher some day in the big leagues.
But for whatever reason, it never clicked for Maine in New York. He briefly showed signs of being the pitcher the Mets thought they were getting when they dealt Kris Benson for him. His 2007 season, in which he went 15-10 and posted career-high totals in innings pitched and strikeouts, gave reason for hope.
But 2007 was the exception for Maine. For the rest of Maine's stay in New York, he battled arm problems. He struggled to stay healthy throughout his time with the Mets, and when he was, he was mostly ineffective when it mattered most. During his Mets tenure, he posted a woeful 5.23 ERA in 13 September starts.
The writing was on the wall this season for Maine. His last start as a Met presented that fact loud and clear. On May 20, Maine took the ball against the Nationals, but didn't last long. Mets manager Jerry Manuel took Maine out after just five pitches, a decision Maine was not happy with at all.
The two had a heated discussion about the decision in the dugout right after. Not only that, the incident prompted Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen to say that he thought Maine wasn't throwing as hard as he could because he was hiding yet another injury. Warthen even went as far as to say that Maine was "a habitual liar" when it came to his health.
Manuel insisted that the decision was because Maine didn't look right on the mound, but regardless of the reasoning, it was a decision that didn't sit well with Maine. It was a fitting way to end what had become a pretty sour relationship for both sides.
Maine himself is almost a microcosm of what the Mets have been in the past few seasons. He's struggled to stay healthy and make his turn in the rotation, and when he was healthy down the stretch, he struggled when he's needed to be at his best. The past few seasons for the Mets have been similar to the career path of Maine with the Mets losing late-season leads in the standings while battling injury issues.
Both sides are trying to move forward, and in Manuel's eyes, that may be the best thing.
"He's finally got this thing rectified, hopefully, and be ready to come back," Manuel said in regards to Maine.
If and when Maine does come back, it most certainly won't be with the Mets, and that's probably the best-case scenario for all parties involved.
