The Mets have placed outfielder Trot Nixon on the 15-day disabled list with a groin injury. Nixon has played in 11 games for the Mets this season and he is 6 for 35 (.171 avg, .579 OPS) with 2 runs scored, 1 homer and 1 RBIs. The Mets have activated Ryan Church off the D.L. to replace Nixon on the roster and this should give the Mets’ offense a nice boost. Church has played in 50 games for the Mets this season and he is 54 for 180 (.300 avg, .887 OPS) with 35 runs scored, 10 homers and 35 RBIs.

The Mets have claimed 31-year old righty swinging 1B Andy Phillips off waivers from the Reds. He played in 15 games for the Reds this season and he is 3 for 21 (.143 avg, .407 OPS) with 1 run scored and 4 RBIs. Phillips has now played in 218 games in his major league career and he is 124 for 500 (.248 avg, .667 OPS) with 66 runs scored, 11 homers and 64 RBIs. This move likely won’t help the Mets too much.

The Mets have designated righty reliever/starter Claudio Vargas for assignment. Vargas pitched pretty well for the Mets this season so this was a surprise. Vargas pitched in 11 games (4 starts) for the Mets this season and he was 3-2 with a 4.62 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. The Mets have recalled Carlos Munoz from AAA to replace Vargas on the roster and in the bullpen. Munoz has pitched in 6 games (0 starts) for the Mets this season and he is 0-0 with a 5.14 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP.

The Angels’ bullpen could use a second lefty in it behind Darren Oliver and they have a couple of extra players (Juan Rivera, Reggie Willits) to get a minor trade done. A perfect fit would be with the Mets. They need outfielders due to massive injuries they have suffered there. The thinking here is that the Angels could get either Scott Schoeneweis or Pedro Feliciano for Rivera. The Angels would probably prefer Feliciano because they have already had Schoeneweis in the past and he did not pitch well for them. Both teams would be happy with this kind of trade as they would both be dealing for a need from a position that they have depth. Juan Rivera is struggling right now because he’s buried on the Angels’ Depth Chart but he came into this season with a career batting average of .291 with a .813 OPS. He would fit in nicely in the middle of the Mets lineup.

The Mets fired manager Willie Randolph at 3 a.m. eastern time this morning. Randolph has been under fire due to the Mets underperforming this season and for the historic collapse last September when the Mets blew a 7 game lead in the National League East in the final 17 games of the season. The Mets are currently tied with the Atlanta Braves for third place in the N.L. East, 6.5 games behind the Phillies with a 34-35 record (.493 W-L%). Randolph finishes his career with the Mets with a 302-253 record (.544 W-L%) during the regular season. He also has a post season record of 6-4 (60%) with the Mets. The Mets also fired pitching coach Rick Peterson and first base coach Tom Nieto. The Mets have a team ERA of 4.14 (8th in N.L.) with a 1.37 WHIP. Aaron Heilman and Oliver Perez’ pitching this season had a lot to do with this decision.

Jerry Manuel will be the new interim manager of the Mets. He has six years of managerial experience with the White Sox from 1998-2003. Manuel compiled a 500-471 record (51.5% wins) during the regular season and he was 0-3 in the post season with the White Sox. Only time will tell if this move helps or hurts the Mets.