Mack Ade – Morning Report – 11-6-13 – Free Agents, WOR-AM, Curtis Granderson, Brandon Nimmo, Johan Santana

The following minor league Mets are now free agents:

RHP: Giancarlo Alvarado (AAA), Greg Burke (AAA), Matt Fox (AAA), D.J. Mitchell (AAA), Dylan Owen (AA), Armando Rodriguez (AA), Daryl Thompson (AAA), Cory Wade (AAA)
LHP: Justin Hampson (AAA)
C: Jeyckol De Leon (SS), Francisco Pena (AAA)
1B: Rhyne Hughes (AA)
3B: Richard Lucas (AA)
SS: Brian Bixler (AAA), Brandon Hicks (AAA), Josh Rodriguez (AA)
OF: Jamie Hoffmann (AAA

 

The New York Mets sign a 5-year deal with WOR-AM.

                Mack – This is not a victory. The Mets were kicked off their flagship radio station to make room for the crosstown Yankees. How embarrassing is that?

                The official press release came out on Monday morning just before the Hot Stove season debuted on MLB-TV. What was missing in the official press release was the names of the guys that will announce the games. It would have been nice to see that issue off the table and all the current staff being hired by Clear Channel.

                I was Senior Vice President of Capstar Broadcasting (NYSE: CPR) in 2001 when it merged with Clear Channel. They fired me the day before the merger and denied me my stock options. I wish them nothing but transmission problems and bad karma.

 

Matt Brown (Granderson’s agent) -

“People kind of forget about him being that premier home run guy, with those two freak injuries this year,” Brown said. “I tell people all the time — here’s my agent-speak — you’ve got 40 home runs, 100 runs scored, 100 RBI. That’s a pretty elite guy. It’s going to be interesting to see if clubs say, ‘Yeah, he got hurt, missed 100 games after getting hit in the hand, so we won’t be that interested.’ But at the same time, the numbers I have on him are no surprise to any team. They have them, too.”

Mack – I’m working well ahead due to my multiple Doctor Appointments and procedures this week, so ‘my bad’ if any of this is out of date when it posts up.

The first time I saw Granderson’s name attached to Mets rumors was on MLBTR this past weekend. We all know about the injury history and the 214 at-bats last season; however, let’s not forget the 43 home runs in 2013 and 41 more in 2012.

Can he still warrant $15mil, the amount the Yankees paid him in 2013? The Mets wouldn’t have to play him in centerfield he would slot in perfectly behind David Wright in the lineup.

Yeah, I could do this for $15mil a year, for 3-years, but I’m not Sandy Alderson and we know what he thinks about giving up draft picks.

 

Jessica Quiroli -

Brandon Nimmo, Coverage 2012, Brooklyn Cyclones- How do you get that good at baseball without a high school program? Nimmo figured it out (and was captain of his HS football team), making his highly anticipated short-season debut in 2012. He played in 69 games, an exhaustive effort that wore on him by season's end. But along the way the outfielder got 66 hits, 40 RBI, and worked 76 walks. His plate approach continued to develop and improve to the very end. He debuted in Class-A Savannah in 2013. http://www.highheelsonthefield.net/my_weblog/2013/11/the-ten-best-minor-leaguers-ive-covered-.html

                Mack – Someone asked recently who I thought would have a breakout year in 2014. My guess is Nimmo, if he stays healthy. He had a wrist injury last year that cost him a number of gaes, plus there were a number more that he played but was still working on his wrist strength. Trust me, the ball coming off your bat is bupkis if your wrist isn’t 100%.

All I can tell you is that, when Nimmo was healthy in 2013 (same with Gavin Cecchini, BTW), his numbers were off the charts. He’s a strong kid who had a bad luck injury and I expect big things in 2014, starting in St. Lucie.

One caveat. I never saw the so-called projected pop, though I do feel Nimmo has the potential to lead the league in doubles. This is potentially a Daniel Murphy who plays good outfield defense and, trust me, if Murphy played good defense anywhere, he’d be signed for years.

I don’t expect a fact track here, but he will finish the year in Binghamton.

 

 

Sam Maxwell -

Johan Santana gets it. He understands what it means to be a Mets fan. He has used the word, “believe” on numerous occasions, clearly paying homage to what he knows is a rallying cry for this franchise. After he threw the no-hitter, he kept saying, “Believe it!!!” A fun twist on the 40-year-old term. He has had to believe, because his career as a Met has had its ebbs and flows just like the 50-year history of this team. http://risingapple.com/2013/11/04/ode-johan-santana/

                Mack – I always liked this trade. At the time, I thought the Mets had paid dearly in prospects, but, in my opinion, there wasn’t a better pitcher in baseball at the time and he was ours.

It didn’t work out, and cutting ties with him last week was the right move, but when there were highs, they were really up there. I participated in a couple of press gaggles in past spring trainings and he was always a gentleman to each reporter.

He was a slow healer and accused more than once (including me) of dogging it, but that was how he handled injuries. It reminded me of Carlos Beltran who supervised his own healing process rather than leave it to the Mets staff.

In the end, he was an absolute class act that will be missed.