Category Archives: Free Agency

Javier Baez Signs $140M Deal With Tigers

1 Dec

Javier Baez

ESPN.com:

Javier Baez hopes he’s a big part of a turnaround with the Detroit Tigers, too.

Baez celebrated his 29th birthday Wednesday by signing a $140 million, six-year contact to play shortstop for the revitalized Tigers.

“This is a turning point for the Tigers undoubtedly, signing a player like Javy. I think sends a message to the baseball world, to our fans, that the Tigers are here to compete,” CEO Christopher Ilitch said.

As intriguing and even exciting as the possibility of Francisco Lindor and Baez playing together and holding down the middle of the infield for years to come was, watching Baez play for the Mets for the short time he did while statistically above par, it was often reckless. And that would’ve been a huge concern for any Mets fan.

Max Scherzer, Mets Agree to Record Three-Year, $130 Million Deal

29 Nov

Scherzer is arguably the best pitcher in the game. But $40M per year for 3 years when you could’ve gotten Stroman and Baez for around the same just seems ludicrous to me. And what about the rest of our rotation? There’s no guarantee that DeGrom will be 100% ready by the start of the season. Walker is a lock to start, but he had an awful 2nd half of 2021. I like Tylor Megill a lot, but how much can he give you over a full season? I’d definitely bring Rich Hill back to be a 5th starter. That said, I’d call Zack Greinke’s agent and see how much he wants.

Mets Sign Starling Marte to Four-Year, $78 Million Deal

27 Nov

Starling Marte
YahooSports.com:

Getting spurned by Steven Matz didn’t deter the New York Mets from diving back into the free agent pool face-first. The Mets pulled off a Black Friday heist, picking up Mark Canha, Eduardo Escobar and Starling Marte on Friday.

Marte is the biggest prize of that trio. The 33-year-old agreed to a four-year, $78 million deal with the team, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Marte — considered one of the best outfielders on the market — hit .310/.383/.458, with 12 home runs last season. He added 47 stolen bases, and was caught just five times. The right-handed Marte hasn’t traditionally been the most patient player at the plate, with a career walk rate of just 5.3%, but that ticked up to 8.2% in 2021.

This move definitely strengthens the outfield. But the biggest concern for the new GM should be the starting pitching staff. BTW, we’re still lacking a manager too.

Aaron Loup Signs with Angels

23 Nov

Aaron Loup
NYPost.com:

Aaron Loup has decided to celebrate one of the best seasons by a reliever in Mets history by going to Disneyland.

The lefty reliever Monday reached agreement with the Angels on a two-year contract, the club announced. An industry source confirmed it’s a two-year deal worth $17 million with a team option for 2024.

Loup, 33, pitched to a 0.95 ERA in 65 appearances for the Mets last season. It was the lowest ERA in the major leagues by a pitcher who logged at least 50 innings last season. The Mets had signed Loup to a one-year deal worth $3 million last winter after they had missed on lefty Brad Hand. The veteran Hand was claimed off waivers by the Mets in August.

Yeah, $17M for two years is a lot to pay for a reliever. But Loup literally had a historic year in 2021 and allowed just 1 HR all season. In other words, not signing him sounds like something the Wilpons would do and I’m almost certain that we will regret it.

Mets Looking At Japanese Slugger Seiya Suzuki For Outfield Spot

22 Nov

Seiya Suzuki
NYPost.com:

The Mets are at least “entertaining” the idea of adding an outfielder and there’s a new free agent about to hit the market.

Seiya Suzuki, a 27-year-old slugger, is set to be posted by his current team, the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, on Monday.

As of now, the signing deadline for MLB teams would be Dec. 22, but that figures to change once the collective bargaining agreement expires on Dec. 2.

Of course, when it comes to Japanese stars on the free agent list, the Mets track record hasn’t been great. But what the heck, this guy can’t possibly have a worse season than Michael Conforto did last year, right?

Noah Syndergaard Leaves The Mets…For The Money

16 Nov

Noah Syndergaard
ESPN.COM:

Right-hander Noah Syndergaard and the Los Angeles Angels have agreed to a one-year, $21 million deal, pending a physical, sources told ESPN on Tuesday.

Syndergaard, 29, spent the first seven seasons of his career with the New York Mets, making one All-Star team and displaying perhaps the nastiest array of pitches for a starter in the major leagues. Having pitched only two innings since 2019 because of Tommy John surgery, Syndergaard will join an Angels rotation that was among the worst in the big leagues last season.

Hey, the Mets get a draft pick from the Angels and avoid paying a $18M to a guy who’s pitched all of 2 innings for the last two years. Syndergaard was a fan favorite and we’ll miss his tweets and tenacity on the mound, but I’d much rather the Mets sign Marcus Stroman to a 5-year deal and take a flyer out on Justin Verlander for 1 year to improve their starting pitching.

RELATED: Noah Syndergaard’s Signing Signals an Active Market for Starters

The Mets Can’t Let Aaron Loup Go To The Phillies

12 Nov

Aaron Loup
Signed to a one-year deal, Aaron Loup (6-0, 0.95 ERA, 1 HR allowed) had a phenomenal 2021. And now, GM or no GM, the Mets need to resign him. He’s already gone on record stating that he loves being in New York and wants to stay a Met, so this shouldn’t be complicated: give the guy a 2 or 3-year deal already, before God forbid the Phillies or someone else in the NL East grabs him up.

Scott Boras: Michael Conforto Is the ‘King of Queens’

11 Nov


Boras is Conforto’s agent so you expect him to spout hyperbole like this. But coming off a season where he only hit .232 with 14 HR’s and 55 RBI’s in 406 at-bats, does Conforto really warrant the kind of longterm deal he’s seeking? Probably not. Still, I’ve always liked Conforto and want to see him back. He’s a streaky hitter and has battled one too many DL stints for a guy his age. But he’s a home grown Met, an above-average right-fielder, was an All-Star in 2017, hit 2 HR’s in a game during the 2015 World Series, never gets into any trouble on or off the field, his teammates seem to love him and he can carry the team for like a month when he gets hot at the plate. But baseball being a business and Conforto about to hit his prime as a player, of course he’s going to want to get as much money that he can while he can. And that’s why he declined the Mets qualifying offer and sadly, won’t be back.

Gio Gonzalez Signs With Brewers

24 Apr

Gio Gonzalez
NYPost.com:

On a day the Mets trot out Jason Vargas to the mound, a potential replacement fades away.

Gio Gonzalez is signing a one-year, $2 million deal with the Brewers, The Athletic first reported Wednesday. It’s a major league deal that also includes performance bonuses. It’ll be a reunion for the free-agent starter, who came to Milwaukee in a deadline deal from Washington last offseason.

Milwaukee reportedly was more attractive than other suitors because he can slot right into the rotation, whereas the Mets may have wanted him out of the bullpen, too.

The Mets, according to The Post’s Mike Puma, viewed Gonzalez as a marginal upgrade at best over Vargas. They did not want to eat his money if he flopped.

My guess is that with the Mets in first 1st place and deGrom’s MRI coming back ok, there just isn’t a pressing need to sign a starting pitcher.