Mike Jacobs Demoted, Tobi Stoner Promoted, Ike Davis on Horizon?

In the wake of last night's 20-inning marathon against the Cardinals, the Mets are shaking things up big time. Mike Jacobs has been designated for assignment (and may be claimed by other teams) and Tobi Stoner, a starter in Triple-A, has been promoted to the big league club. The big news resulting from this transaction?

Mike Jacobs second stint with the New York Mets has ended less pleasantly. And it also potentially signaled the promotion of prospect Ike Davis when the team returns to New York. -- Adam Rubin, ESPN New York

Well, surprise! I for one didn't think that designating Jacobs for assignment necessarily meant that Davis was going to be promoted... but Adam Rubin seems to have a strong feeling that it does. Personally, I would have promoted Chris Carter or let Tatis play every day because I'm still not sure Davis is the answer.

So you may be asking yourself, who is going to play first base tonight? Well... hope you don't have a weak stomach. Here an interesting tweet again from Rubin:

Sunday lineup: Reyes, Cora (2b), Wright, Catalanatto (1b), Francoeur, Matthews, Barajas, Pagan, Maine

That placement of Catalanotto in the lineup for tonight is just brutal. Does Jerry think that it's some kind of rule in the meajor leagues that the first baseman HAS TO bat cleanup?

In any event, I'm happy for Tobi that he's getting a second stint with the big league club, but I am not going to get my hopes up too high about his performance. Stoner's promotion to the majors will probably be short lived at the moment. He's been pitching as a starter down at AAA and likely he will just be around to provide some rest for our worn out major league bullpen. He's actually quite likely to make it into the game tonight for that reason.

For a little background information, Stoner has been in the system for quite a while now. He made his debut with the Brooklyn Cyclones back in 2006. As you may already know, I have a soft spot for prospects who I got to see play down there (Stoner, Gee, Ike Davis, Reese Havens). He posted a 3.96 ERA and 1.29 WHIP for Triple-A last year, and is on a similar track this year (4.32 EA, 1.44 WHIP in two starts).

So, the Buffalo-Flushing Express begins to run, with Stoner the first beneficiary. The one thing that we can draw from this, regardless of how you feel about the individual moves, is that the minors have never felt more stocked with talent. From impact guys like Ike Davis and Fernando, to guys who appear to be useful organizational pieces (like Stoner, for instance) it appears the talent is truly on the doorstep.