35 Years of Misery & Counting
I know that Megill likes to keep it cool, but this is easily the biggest start of his career.
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The shortened spring training has taken at least one victim on the Mets rotation.
Taijuan Walker’s knee pain has resurfaced in the past week, leading up to his disappointing Tuesday start in the Mets’ 14-0 loss to the Nationals. He underwent knee surgery in January, and had been progressing nicely up until the final week of Mets camp.
And just like that we went from having ‘the best’ starting rotation in the league to possibly needing a bullpen game to start the season. SMH.
Brandon Nimmo’s stiff neck is the latest ailment the Mets are monitoring in these final hours of spring training. The outfielder was given a day off Monday, after dealing with soreness in the neck the previous day. He is also unlikely to play Tuesday’s Grapefruit League finale, according to manager Buck Showalter, giving him an opportunity for further rest.
“I expect him in there Thursday,” Showalter said, referring to the season opener in Washington.
The regular season hasn’t even started yet and Nimmo, a guy who has only played more than a 100 games in a season once in his career, is already ailing.
Miguel Castro could be frustrating at times, but all in all he had a good 2021 and I’m sorry to see him go. We definitely needed some lefty relief tho and Rodriguez will give us that.
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Starved for pitching with Jacob deGrom set to begin the season on the injured list and Max Scherzer potentially sidelined for Opening Day, the Mets have discussed a trade that could bring Padres starter Chris Paddack to New York, along with veteran first baseman Eric Hosmer. Sources confirmed the talks, though it remains unclear where the Mets’ interest level lies.
One version of the proposed trade, as first reported by The Athletic, would have Paddack, Hosmer, reliever Emilio Pagán and cash going to the Mets for Dominic Smith. Such a deal would provide the Mets with a much-needed starting pitcher, albeit one who produced a 5.07 ERA last season. The Mets would also take on the veteran Hosmer but receive money to offset part of the $60 million he’s owed over the next four seasons.
I understand how bad the Mets suddenly need pitching with deGrom going down and Scherzer now having hamstring issues, but the Mets can not make this deal. Dom Smith still the potential to be a huge star in the major leagues and in Hosmer, Paddack and Pagan you’d be receiving 3 players all coming off subpar seasons. Better to give McGill, Carrasco and Walker a couple of months to see what they can do before pressing the panic button like this so early on. By the way, do the Mets not know that vets like Johnny Cueto and Julio Teheran are still out there on the open market?
Jacob deGrom’s season is already on hold. The ace right-hander is headed to the injured list for an extended stretch, after an MRI exam on Friday revealed a stress reaction on his right scapula. DeGrom, according to general manager Billy Eppler, will discontinue throwing for up to four weeks, after which he will have to build up to pitch.
The diagnosis came less than a week before the Mets are scheduled to open their season, on Thursday in Washington. The vaunted 1-2 punch of deGrom-Max Scherzer will have to wait.
This is why I never got too excited about the vaunted 1-2 punch of degrom and Scherzer, because deGrom is just so injury-prone at this point. Now with this news I wouldn’t expected deGrom to be back before the All-Star break, if at all.
Last December, more than two dozen present and former Mets players filed into the Phoenician in Scottsdale, Ariz., to celebrate their teammate Michael Conforto’s wedding. The party, they said, was a memorable one. Since that time, most Mets have shied away from contact with Conforto, understanding the sensitivity of his situation as baseball’s most prominent remaining free agent. He is the only unsigned free agent that Fangraphs projects for more than a single Win Above Replacement in 2022.
“Obviously a confusing time [for him], probably a frustrating time,” said Conforto’s longtime teammate, Brandon Nimmo. “I’m just wishing him the best.”
Conforto only has himself to blame for remaining unsigned. In 2021 he turned down a longterm deal with the Mets, had a subpar 2021 season and still turned down a QO by the Mets because he expected that some dumb GM would sign him to a $100M-plus deal this offseason. I say at best he gets a 2-to-3 year deal no more than $50M at this point.
Another great move by Steve Cohen to respect the team’s past.
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Can’t imagine what all those unvaccinated people who lost their jobs over mandates are going through once they read this news about athletes and performers getting exceptions.
RELATED: Sources: New York City COVID-19 vaccine mandate for athletes to be lifted Thursday
First baseman Pete Alonso and the New York Mets are in agreement on a one-year, $7.4 million contract to avoid arbitration, sources familiar with the deal told ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Alonso, 27, is coming off a season in which he led the Mets in every major batting category: hits (147), home runs (37), RBIs (94), batting average (.262) and on-base percentage (.344).
Even with the COVID-shortened 2020 season, Pete Alonso has hit 106 HR’s for the Mets in 3 seasons. If he stays healthy and continues to put up 30 to 40 HRs a year, I can see a $300M long-term deal in the near future.
If he stays healthy, I truly feel like Dom’s going to have a big year.
Conforto already turned down a $100M deal from the Mets last year and now there’s all this talk about re-signing him to a 1-year deal because he’s still out there on the free agent market and there’s only 3 weeks left until the regular season starts. But screw that. While Conforto always gives 100 percent in the field and is an above-average right-fielder, he’s also way too streaky a player who had awful season last year. So while I understand the sentiment many Mets fans feel about bringing Conforto back home, if Brandon Nimmo can finally stay healthy and we get a big year from Dom Smith, with the new additions of Marte and Hanra, I think that we’ll be fine in the outfield.
