10-21-12 – Post Schedule, First Big Trade, Wright-Dickey Options, Dustin Lawley, Jordany Valdespin

The comments portion of the site is fixed. 

For now, I will have a daily morning post regarding my thoughts on the Mets. I will add additional posts of any questions are emailed to me (macksmets@gmail.com). Lastly, I will add my draft posts and like them to my work at www.bigleaguefutures.com.  

Wally Murphy and Reese Kaplan returns as a Mack’s Mets writers. Wally will begin his 9^th year of attending all Savannah Sand Gnats home games and he will post the results of these the following morning. Reese will write whenever he has the time from a busy international schedule. Welcome back, Wally and Reese. 

Natalie DiDonato joins us as a new Mack’s Mets writer. As she said in here email to me: “As a follower of your Blog for two years, I am happy to hear you're better and welcome the return of the site. I am a 61 year old Mets fan since 1965. Prior to then, I was a Yankee fan. If you ever decide to hear from others about why thy made that switch, that would make for an interesting topic. I would love to give you a few paragraphs about the switch. Hang in there and keep on truckin!” 

The first big trade is done. The Miami Marlins, who seem to try and turn over their team every season has shipped off ex-Met RP Heath Bell (3-yr/$27mil… Marlins will pay $8mil future) to Arizona. The Diamondbacks also received IF Chris Pennington in this three-team deal, and then traded OF Chris Young to Oakland, who sent (still with me?) sort-of prospect IF Yordy Cabrera to Florida. I guess Florida is trying to clear payroll, the exact opposite they did last off-season. Bell was a big bust and needs to get out of new-Havana. Florida winds up paying $19-mil for one bad season, but does save money in the long run. Cabrera will play 2013 as a 22-year old and hasn’t risen above A+. Lifetime .230 hitter. Hoo-rah. What does this mean for the Mets? Well, Oakland now has three centerfielders and you have to think that Coco Crisp just became expendable (starting outfield looks to be Yoenis Cespedes, Young and Reddick). 

I’ve done a lot of thinking about the whole Wright-Dickey resigning and, no matter how I spin this, it comes out only one way in my head. Forget the option year. If the Mets aren’t successful in getting either of these guys signed to a new long term deal before the season starts, it’s time to cut fish. I love these guys and I want to build the 2014 team around them, but, it’s a business first, and if either player approaches this negotiation as an opportunity to pad their pockets elsewhere, Sandy Alderson needs to turn this into as much of a positive as he can. Wilmer Flores in no John Kennedy, but he will hold his own at third base in 2014 and just may hit more home runs that Wright would have. Zack Wheeler, Matt Harvey, Jon Niese, and Dillon Gee is not a bad rotation going into the season before we even know the players the Mets would get in these deals. My guess there would be a minimum of four excellent players and I’d bet money at least one players is an outfielder (probably two), another was a top prospect starter, and probably a catcher. I can’t believe I just wrote this.   

 

3B Dustin Lawley continued to impress in the Arizona Fall League (AFL) He singled in two more runs in the first inning of Saturday’s game, raising his batting average to .304. It seems to me that Lawley is cementing a starting role in St. Lucie come spring 2013 and we can’t forget that has still played more games in the outfield than on third. He showed great power (14-HR, 66-HR), though most came outside the confines of the dead trap known as Grayson Stadium. Me? I’d put him back in left field post haste.  

 

 

“2B” Jordany Valdespin continues to play in the outfield in the Dominican Fall League and went into Saturday night’s game at a .417/.563/.667/1.229 clip. The sample is small (12-AB), but the start is impressive. I’ve never been sure how much the Mets control what position a player plays in fall and winter leagues. My guess is they have some say in Arizona but start to lose it as soon as a player flies to another country. Either way, Valdespin’s future with the Mets looks to be a 2013 utility player, spelling Daniel Murphy and Ruben Tejada in the infield and being the 5^th guy in the outfield.