Jeff McNeil & a Prospect to the Reds for Luis Castillo?

28 Dec

Jeff McNeil

Word has it that McNeil is officially on the trading block. I like McNeil a lot and would hate to see him go, especially since I think he’s got a lot left in him. But with my feelings on the Mets desperately needing starting pitching help to back up DeGrom and Scherzer, if they could get a front-line starter like Luis Castillo for McNeil and a prospect, I’m all for it. And the Reds make the most sense as McNeil can play 3rd base, thus giving Cincinnati the option of moving current 3rd baseman Eugenio Suarez (31 HRs, but a whopping 171 strikeouts and a .198 BA in 2021) to DH since in all likelihood the NL will be using the DH next year.

Buck Showalter Full Introductory News Conference

21 Dec


Analytics comes up way too much in this press conference. Like Showalter didn’t know what he was doing before analytics arrived? Just let the guy manage the team how wants to manage them and let his win-loss record determine if he wins or fails. I mean if the baseball nerds who love analytics so much knew what they were doing, then why haven’t we had a repeat champion since the 2000 Yankees?

RELATED: MLB’s obsession with analytics is killing what’s great about baseball

Mets Name Buck Showalter As Team’s New Manager

18 Dec

Buck Showalter
ESPN.com:

The New York Mets have hired Buck Showalter as their new manager, team owner Steven Cohen announced Saturday on Twitter.

Showalter, 65, takes over for Luis Rojas, who was fired after a season in which the team held on to first place for 103 days but ultimately finished 77-85 and missed the playoffs.

Great hire! Showalter is experienced, has a great work ethic and is always prepared. In other words, we’ll never lose a game because we were out-managed.

What Should The Mets Do With Dominic Smith?

16 Dec

Dom Smith
NYDailyNews.com:

Smith deflated while serving as the team’s primary left fielder and getting into 145 games. He hit .244 with a woeful .363 slugging percentage and went from being better than league average to 14% worse. He also made nearly 300 more plate appearances than he ever had in a season, leaving much more opportunities to get exposed.

“Whatever happened this year is not going to define me as a player, as a person,” Smith told the Daily News in September, a month he started with a 4-for-19 stretch that included eight strikeouts. “I know I still have a lot of years in this game. I have a lot of years to improve and get better. I’m obviously going to take that challenge like I’ve taken every challenge and just work. That’s all you can do. There’s a lot of things I want to work on. I don’t worry about my future. I just take it day by day. I live in the present.”

Smith was having a so-so 2021 until he got benched by Luis Rojas in September. That said, the Mets need to trade him. Other than being a full-time DH, he has no position here. Trade him for a starting pitcher and call it a day.

Can The Mets Just Hire Buck Showalter Already?

13 Dec

Showalter Quatraro Espada
MLB.com:

The Mets have whittled their list of manager candidates down to three, inviting Buck Showalter, Joe Espada and Matt Quatraro for second-round interviews, a source told MLB.com on Sunday. The Mets did not confirm the list as they are not commenting on the ongoing process.

Team owner Steve Cohen, who sat out the first round of interviews, is expected to take part in the callbacks.

It’s so typical of the Mets to be taking this long to hire a manager. Now they’re down to 3 finalists? Who cares! Just hire Showalter already. He’s the obvious pick, with experience, success, fans love him and having already done it, we know that he can handle managing in NY. All the various pundits that matter have already endorsed Showalter and nobody even knows (or cares) who Joe Espada or Matt Quatraro are. Hire Buck and if Curtis Granderson is really interested in being a manager one day, then make Curtis Buck’s bench coach. It’s not complicated. Just get it done already.

Gil Hodges Finally Gets in the Hall of Fame

5 Dec

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjCVBToxwLI

Looking at his playing career alone, Gil was a Hall of Famer what with 8 All-Star appearances, 3 Gold Gloves and 9 HOF caliber seasons. But managing the ’69 Mets to a World Series championship should’ve put him over the top and in the Fame a long time ago. Either way, congratulations to the Hodges family and all the Mets/Dodgers fans who long campaigned for Hodges to get in the HOF along the way.

Marcus Stroman Signs 3-Year, $71M Deal with Cubs

2 Dec

Marcus Stroman
NYPost.com:

Marcus Stroman is leaving New York for the Windy City.

The 30-year-old right-hander signed a three-year, $71 million contract with the Cubs that includes an opt out after the second season, according to ESPN. According to the report, he will make $25 million in 2022, $25 million in 2023 and $21 million in 2024, and the deal also includes $2 million escalators for 160 innings pitched in ‘22 and ‘23.

We’ll miss Stroman, but $24M a year for your 3rd starter is steep. That said, I’d still give Zack Greinke’s agent a call.

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

Should The Mets Keep Robinson Cano?

13 Nov

Robinson Cano
Cano is 39yo and has been busted for PED’s twice now. He also has two years and $48 million remaining on his contract after sitting out 2021. However, with Cano’s old legs and the National League likely bringing on the DH in 2022, I say keep him as your full-time DH as well as a mentor to the younger players (yunno, after he apologizes to the team/organization/fans for missing last season). Better than that having a backup 2nd baseman making $20M on the bench.