12/20/12

Mack Stuff – Pedro Beato, Randy Fontanez, Brandon Nimmo, Bobby Parnell, Chris Young




Red Sox Designate Pedro Beato For Assignment


LF Jordany Valdespin -  0-2, .278
LF Cesar Puello  -  0-0, .185 – getting minimal winter play with this team
C Francisco Pena  -  1-4, 1-R, 2B, .260
LF Juan Lagares  -  0-2, 1-R, 2-BB, .314
RP Gonzalez Germen  -  0.1-IP, 0-R, 1-K, 6.23


RP Randy Fontanez  -  5.1-IP, 0-R, 6-K, 0-BB, 2.89

                This was a very nice outing for Fontanez and easily was the longest he pitched in any outing including the entire 2012 season for Savannah (28-G, 60.2-IP) and St. Lucie (1-G, 3-IP). For now, he’s pitched in 10 winter games, with 19-K in 18.2-IP. Only 2-BB and a 2.89-ERA. Is he being stretched out? And why, since there’s no place to slot him?  As I have written before, I’m not sure if the Mets have any control over their players and how they are used in winter games. It’s my understanding from two of the Mets players that they cut their own deals with teams in the VWL and PRWL. If that’s true, you sure as hell have to play where that team tells you to play. St. Lucie already has on the board Michael Fulmer, Noah Syndergaard, Luis Mateo, Domingo Tapia, Jake deGrom, Alex Panteliodes, Jim Fuller, and Tyler Pill… and that’s if Rafael Montero bumps to Binghamton.


C   Juan Centeno  -  0-3, 1-BB, .306

SP Mark Cohoon  -  0.1-IP, 1-K, 4.01  -  ???  Started and pitched to only one batter, who he struck out.


photo by Christopher Gregory
The Mets also have some intriguing hitters. Brandon Nimmo is a bit of a head-scratcher. He has a passive approach and trouble with breaking pitches but does project to have plus power. Brooklyn was an aggressive assignment for him given his background as a raw and inexperienced ballplayer. 2012 looks good on paper due to his massive walk rate, but I don’t see a mid-teens walk rate continuing against good pitching. With more experience he should improve against breaking balls and his contact rate should increase. Another worry that he’ll have to move to a corner.. BB


Sources suggest the Dodgers are considering a variety of relievers, and could also make a play for either Indians closer Chris Perez or Mets reliever Bobby Parnell instead.

                -Yeah, I know… the last thing the Mets need is less relief pitching, but let’s put that aside for a second and see if there is an outfield alternative here.

                As of today, the Dodgers have under contract:

                                LF – Carl Crawford - $142mil thru 2017
                                CF – Matt Kemp - $160mil thru 2018
                                RF – Andre Ethier - $85mil thru 2017

                In addition, they have Jerry Hairston (also plays 2B) for $3.7mil in 2013, prospect Yasiel Puig $42mil thru 2017), and prospects Alex Castellanos and Scott Van Slyke.

                Puig is a Cuban defector who had only 82-AB last year combined for the Dodgers rookie/A+ team. The 21-yr. old’s stat line: .354/.442/.634//1076, 5-HR. Earliest ETA would be 2014.

                Castellanos is right up Alderson’s alley. Hit .328/.420/.590/1010, 17-HR, 52-RBI in AAA last year. And, he’s a righty.

                Castellanos for Parnell. Oh yeah… fuck relief.



According to a team insider, the Mets are still considering whether to re-sign free-agent RHP Chris Young, Andy Martino reports in the Daily News.

                I mentioned him a couple of times as an option for the first half of 2013. He’s Mets friendly and knows his way around the clubhouse. He also averaged close to six innings per start in the 20 times he took the mound. Young has very strong ties to the Mets brass and finished last season going 1-2, 2.73 in the month of September. I’m not sure we all saw the best of Young last season. He seemed to get stronger as the season went on, which is normal for pitchers coming off TJS. 

We could do worse.

2 comments:

Greg b said...

I saw where espn picked the met with 66 wins in 2013.if we can pick up a somewhat descent outfielder and with Davis having a better season and hopefully the catching position helps out offensivley plus with the pitching we have coming up who knows maybe we suprise. I rember in the spring of 1984 marv Albert said its going to be a long season for the mets.we suprised everybody because we suprised everybody because we had does young pitching. So maybe the same thing could happen in 2013, look at the giants and Tampa.

David Rubin said...

Mack- Van Slyke was DFAed by Dodgers about 10 days ago or so. I haven't seen that anyone has picked him up. If he's a FA, he'd be a good no-cost grab. Regarding Chris Young, it wasn't TJS- it was shoulder issues, torn labrum and a shoulder surgery. Supposedly he's now healthy and only wants a "true" major league contract" so figure $5 mil+. The parnell-capuano trade rumors made sense, except, as you said, then we'd really have no bullpen. I could see us grabbing Capuano for prospects, since he's familiar with the team and has only 1 year remaining on his contract at around 5.5 mil or so. The Grady Sizemore rumors have come up again today- that makes just about a year or so that he's been on fans' radar, except Kevin Burkhardt tweeted about it today, so maybe this time there is some truth to it?? I haven't heard the validity of the rumor yet. At least the off-season has finally gotten interesting.

Oh- and one more thing- how come no one is posting about the fact that the Marlins traded a perennial 200-inning/gold glove pitcher, a top proven arm, a former batting champion shortstop, a solid utility-man and a power-hitting decent catcher to the Jays and got back a very mixed bag of 4 prospects, none of which were top level (a defensive-minded shortstop!!), and a major league shortstop (and short-term firestarter with the eye-black incident) who has since been traded, then the Mets take a single 38 year old starter, albeit one who just won a Cy Young Award, and get one of the 5 best minor league hitting prospects who is also the best catching prospect in MILB, a top pitching prospect (altogether #1 and 3 in their prospect list) and a potentially great latin ballplayer 1.5 years off of a $1.35 mil signing, and no one brings THIS point up!!!! Sandy did such a great job of getting value for Dickey that it almost took the hurt away- and I can't believe I'm saying that!! Well, now you have your Grandal-comparable catcher!!