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11/30/14

The Morning Report – November 30 – Wuilmer Becerra, Addison Russell, Jackie Bradley Jr., Rule 5



David Wright's .389 batting average in the All Star game is 9th highest in #MLB history (min. 15 PA).
7 Under The Radar Mets Prospects You Should Know - 

          Wuilmer Becerra: The Mets acquired the 20-year-old outfielder in the R.A. Dickey trade and he has earned positive reviews after two years in their system. He hit .300 with an .819 OPS in 58 games in the Appalachian League this past season and was named the 18th best prospect there. http://www.nj.com/mets/index.ssf/2014/11/7_under_the_radar_mets_prospects_you_should_know.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter


Fangraphs put out their top five Chicago Cubs prospects and we got ourselves another shortstop[i]

4. Addison Russell, SS: The Cubs are loaded with talented young shortstops with the likes of Starlin Castro, Javier Baez and Arismendy Alcantara already with MLB experience notched on their belts. Russell, who turns 21 in January, could have as much or more talented than any one of the trio above. He has a chance to play very good defense, hit for average, slug 15+ home runs and also steal 15+ bases. The big question is how much he’ll get on base after seeing his walk rate drop from 12.1% in 2013 to 4.1% after the trade from Oakland to Chicago in 2014.

My guess is this is the guy that will eventually become the starter. Alcantara is being converted to the outfield, leaving both Castro and Baez available to other teams via trades.

A baseball executive[i] –

“this might be the worst time in history to be out in the trade market with pitching. No free-agent starters have signed [except A.J. Burnett]. You have the potential to trade for Cole Hamels or Ian Kennedy or a bunch of other really good starters, maybe even Johnny Cueto and Jordan Zimmermann. And every organization now thinks it has pitching. Maybe not as much as the Mets, but more than in the past. No one can find bats. I just think the teams with bats are king right now.

Mack – The article went on to agree that the Mets will eventually trade one of their pitchers, but probably at the end of this free agency period.
I agree.

The Mets are not going to participate in some ‘blockbuster’ trade because that would take them giving up one of their highly talented team 
controlled starters. It’s not going to happen nor does it have to happen.
We’ve said this a number of times… Harvey, deGrom, and Wheeler are safe… Thor and Matz will begin the season in the minors… this leaves Montero, Colon, Gee, and Niese to fill two starting slots.

At least one of these will depart in some trade at the back end of the off season.

I still hope the Mets recognize that the best long term direction Montero should go is in the pen, first as a possible middle to long man reliever until the all-star break, and then a back end reliever from there.



The Oakland A’s traded 3B Josh Donaldson to the Toronto Blue Jays for IF prospect Franklin Barreto, LHP Sean Nolin, RHP Kendall Graveman and 3B Brett Lawrie.

            Donaldson – 28/yrs – 608-AB, .255/.342/.456/.798, 29-HR, 98-RBI – ARB-1

            Barreto –     18/yrs – A- level:  289-AB, .311/.384/.481/.865, 6-HR, 61-RBI

            Nolin –        24/yrs, AAA:  17-appearances, 4-6, 3.50, 1.25, 87.1-IP, 74-K

            Graveman – 23/yrs – 5-appearances, 0-0, 3.86, 0.86, 4.2-IP, 4-K

            Lawrie -   24/yrs – 259-AB, .247/.301/.421/.722, 12-HR, 38-RBI – ARB-1

Mack – Reminds me a lot of the R.A. Dickey trade though no one here is in their mid to late 30s.

This is one of those trades that you won’t know if it was the right thing to do for around five years, but I have to give it to Oakland for trading away one of the true stars of the game. They get back four young players that includes a time tested third baseman (Lawrie) and a probable future star of the game (Barreto). 



Then we have Jackie Bradley Jr., just a couple of years removed from being a top prospect in baseball, to deal with. Bradley came up in 2013, struggling in limited plate appearances. With an OPS of .617 and limited plate appearances in his first year, it was enough to wave away as small sample size in effect, but Bradley saw 423 total plate appearances in 2014, putting a better perspective as to his true offensive ability. During the course of two Major League stints (432 plate appearances) with the Red Sox, Bradley managed to post an OPS of just .531 and an abysmal wRC+ of 47. Bradley was actually sent back to AAA in August, seeing 69 plate appearances before being called back up on September 5, 2014. After being called back up, he had just one hit and drew no walks to end the season on a whimper. Defensively, he is a good center fielder, but that does not make up for his anemic offense and the center fielder with a massive contract, Rusney Castillo. Bradley could very well fit the role of utility outfielder/fourth outfielder if his stock has tanked as much as it appears.[ii]


bobby emailed -

Let the Mets be BOLD! The Mets should give 2 spots to Rule 5 draft picks that are too young to be in the Major Leagues, but have more talent than anyone they have in AA or above. One is A 21 year old LHP from Miami Jarlin Garcia. Another is a 20 year old SS from Atlanta  Johan Camargo. Lastly,  a 21 year old SS Marco Hernandez from the Cubs. check back in 3 years, and tell me I was wrong. The Mets can get a wildcard spot, AND keep re-building at the same time. No one can tell me Ruben Tejada at over 2 Mil $ next year would be better than getting one of these 2 Shortstops, who may be worse than Tejada NEXT year, but look to me to become far better down the road. I would also like to add 2 RHP'S Jordan Swagerty from St. Louis, and John Stilson from Toronto. Both lost A Lot of time due to Tommy John, but as we have seen with Steve Matz... 2 years is a magic # with T.J. surgery.

          Mack – Very well thought out.

          Comments?

on 21 comments:

11/29/14

Reese Kaplan - An Empty Ballpark Equals Empty Bank Accounts

Over this Thanksgiving weekend there has been some discussion on Macks Mets comment threads about whether or not the Wilpons are cheap.  Many people would respond with a resounding “Hell yeah!” without looking to bring up any verifiable data to back up their assertion.  Defenders will point to the payroll levels in the pre-Madoff days as an indication that they are not penny pinching Scrooges after all.  The truth, as it so often happens, probably lies somewhere in between.

However, let’s take a look at the basic economics of baseball in terms of attendance.  It can be said that losing makes ticket sales doubly challenging.  (Ask recently fired VP of Ticket Sales Leigh Castergine how difficult a task it is selling seats on the Titanic). 

One of the things that came up during the previous season was the base canard that the Mets would be open to spending more when they saw more people in the ballpark.  That one was downright insulting to the fans.  After all, people who are loyal to the team were still trickling into the ballpark despite a lineup featuring such luminaries as Omar Quintanilla, Aaron Laffey, Rick Ankiel, Anthony Recker and Jose Valverde. 

Take a look at the attendance record of the Mets over the past several years and you’ll see a trend.  The team crossed the 4 million threshold in the final year of Shea Stadium’s existence in 2008.  Part of that record setting pace likely had to do with the final chance to see the old ballpark but a large part of it also had to do with the fact that the team was indeed playing meaningful baseball in September – finishing with an 83-79 winning record, but 3 games behind the division leading Phillies.

2009 marked the opening of the House of Horrors known as CitiField.  The team plummeted to a 70-92 record under Omar Minaya and Jerry Manuel.  Despite the high curiosity factor of a few ballpark, the fact remains that losing drives people away in droves and attendance dropped by 25%.  It fell another 20% in the following year and then another 20% the following season where it pretty much leveled off at the 2.1 million level during the whole Sandy Alderson/Terry Collins regime.  Of course, we all are painfully aware that the team has also played sub-.500 ball during these four years, too.

So what does this history lesson have to do with economics?  Let’s get overly simplistic and modest in our revenue projects and take a look at how far they’ve fallen.  They current stand 50% below the high water mark in attendance for 2008.  Now it’s unlikely to get to that level again anytime soon, but let’s set the modest goal of returning to 2009’s 3.1 million fannies in the seats.  What would an extra 1 million people mean to the team’s finances?

Well, you can’t go by me as I live out in the hinterlands of West Texas and don’t attend games anymore, but I’ll use the most modest estimate I can for revenue projection.  Assuming a ticket, some food, souvenirs and a share of the parking amounts to $70 per person to attend the game, then the extra revenue generated by another million fans in attendance is $70 million. 

Think about that for a moment -- $70 million added to the current payroll would put the Mets back to where they were before their Madoff demise.  What would $70 million buy you?  Well, for starters you would have Jose Reyes playing shortstop and leading off.  You would have had money to have gotten in on the Cuban sweepstakes that have taken place over the past several years while the Mets sat on their hands.  You would have money available to lock up players like Matt Harvey and Jacob de Grom by buying out their arbitration years. 

Do you think the team would win a few more ballgames with these changes to the roster than they have by shopping for minor league deals, lightning-in-a-bottle Chris Young type contracts or having to settle for short term deals for older players as a hedge against limited payroll resources?

As we sit around and ponder what still needs to be done to the roster, the truth is that the team is still operating under the short sighted vision of “getting by” rather than investing to win.  As attendance shows, winning makes people want to come to the ballpark.  Even the crosstown rivals have seen attendance decline as a result of them missing the post season for each of the past few years. 


In terms of current roster composition, does this analysis mean I think the Mets should trade off every prospect in the system for an oft-injured and expensive Troy Tulowitzki?  No, it does not.  However, it is insulting to the fans’ intelligence to say “Player X is too expensive for the Mets”.  No one is.  The Mets need to change their philosophy.  
on 14 comments:

The Morning Report – November 29 – Outfielders, Sammy Solis, Wendell Kim, Daniel Murphy



Last year, Sandy Alderson jumped early in the free agency market and signed OF Chris Young. We all know how that turned out.

This year could look like another premature signing of Michael Cuddyer, which once again is early and far ahead of how the market was going to work out.
Take Boston.

Cot baseball[i] already lists Hanley Ramirez as a left fielder. Boston also had Shane Victorino, Rusney Castillo, Yoenis Cespedes, Allan Craig, Daniel Nava, Jackie Bradley Jr., and Mookie Betts to fill the other two slots in the starting outfield.

My guess is Castillo and Betts are the ceilings while Victorino is the foundation. The rest (that are left) all seem to be expendable.

Even if Cespedes winds up in Cincinnati (as rumored) one must ask if trading a back end starter for either Craig or Nava would have been a better deal than 2-years for Cuddyer and the loss of the 15th pick in the draft.



Another 5th OF candidate could be ex-Met Ezequiel Carrera, who elected free agency after turning down a triple-A assignment by Detroit. Carrera hit .261/.301/.343, 73-PA last season and has a lifetime .253-BA. He has good speed and has played all three outfield positions.



Would divisional rivals, the Washington Nations, consider filling the Mets need for a second lefty in the pen this season?

Fangraphs [ii] had a Thanksgiving feature on the Nats top 5 prospects, which included LHP Sammy Solis at number five:

5. Sammy Solis, LHP: This former second round draft pick (2010) has a lot of potential but injuries have derailed his promising career and he’s missed much of the past two seasons due elbow injuries (both before and after Tommy John surgery). The burly southpaw also missed time last year with a back injury. If he’s healthy, Solis could help the Nationals in 2015 but it might come from the bullpen in an effort to keep him out of the infirmary.

Seems to me a Gee for Solis deal would be one talented pitcher with an injury history for another.



Wendell Kim, 64, a long-time major and minor league coach should be spending his days playing golf near his home in Arizona, like many others in his profession. He had a long career with the San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, and several minor league clubs. Instead he is in a silent world of his own--all by himself. The world of Alzheimer’s Disease. And--according to a friend of his-- he's not coming back. [iii]



And lastly…

Sandy Alderson has now told reporters that 2B Daniel Murphy will be back for the 2015 season and he expects big things from him. The good news here is the fact that, at least, there seems to be some closure here. I always was a big fan for an extended contract here, which doesn’t seem to be an option anymore. I’ll just be happy he will be around for a pennant race in 2015.

on 21 comments:

11/28/14

Trade - Marlins/Kansas City



The Marlins acquire RHP Aaron Crow from KC in exchange for minor leaguers Brian Flynn and Reid Redman

 2014:

 Crow: 67-G, 6-1, 4.12, 1.29, 59.0-IP, 34-, 24-BB

 Flynn: 2-6, 0-1, 9.00, 2.14, 7.0-IP, 6-K
AAA - 25 starts, 8-10, 4.06

 Redman: AA: 9-G, 1-0, 1.38, 13.0-IP, 10-K
A+: 35-G, 4-1, 2.22
on No comments:

Tom Brennan - CALL TO ARMS - VOL.9 - WHAT ABOUT OUR MINOR LEAGUE BULL PEN DUDES?






A CALL TO ARMS – VOL. 9 - WHAT ABOUT OUR MINOR LEAGUE BULL PEN DUDES? By Tom Brennan


Hey folks, in Volumes 1 through 8 of my CALL TO ARMS series, I noted that the Mets, in my opinion have 34 starting pitchers or prospects of varying degrees of potential.  Give or take a few.


Let me recap my list of 34 starters before I proceed to discuss my top 10 relievers:


THE MAGNIFICENT 7:


Seven current big league starters: Colon, Harvey, deGrom, Wheeler, Niese, Gee, and Montero. 


TWO NIPPING AT THE HEELS:

Two uber-prospects who on many other teams could be in the starting rotation in April 2015: Thor and Matz. 

THREE LURKING IN THE SHADOWS:

Three dudes who have made quite the case as to being major league ready, or nearly so: Logan Verrett, Matt Bowman, and Tyler Pill. (Volumes 1, 2, 3 of my series).

THREE MORE LURKING IN THE SHADOWS:

Three pitchers (well, 4, as it was a tossup on the last 2, so you pick 1 of them), who are a step further down from those above: Erik Goeddel, Gabe Ynoa, Darin Gorski and Greg Peavey.  These were covered in Volumes 4, 5 and 6.

SIX WHO ARE DISAPPOINTING OR HURT:

Volume 7 includes 1 guy (Luis Mateo) whose high promise ran head on into Tommy John, and 5 guys who have, to me, been slightly, or more than slightly, disappointing: (Michael Fulmer, Domingo Tapia, Matt Koch, Luis Cessa, and Rainy Lara). 

 TWELVE GUPPY STARTERS OF PROMISE:

In Volume 8, I covered 12 more guys from mid A Savannah southward.  Marcos Molina, Rob Whelan, Miller Diaz, John Gant, Robert Gsellman, Logan Taylor, Corey Oswalt, Casey Meisner, Martirez Arias, Andrew Church, Blake Taylor and Chris Flexen.

Simply put: we have more starters than a Peps Boys warehouse!

Now surely some of those will falter, and some of those will end up (like Jeurys and Jennry) as pen arms.  But while 34 starters sounds crazy, if you projected this organization’s 7 minor league teams’ records over 162 games, the 7 teams AVERAGED 92-70.  And it was mostly because of the bumper crop of starter arms.

But what about guys already trained as relievers? 

Which ones might be useful in 2015 and beyond?

Let me, in this Volume 9, cover my 5 reliever favorites above rookie ball – Cory Mazzoni; Jack Leathersich; Miguel Sokolovich; Akeel Morris; and, in a 5th place tie, Cody Satterwhite and Jeff Walters.

In my next volume, Volume 10, I’ll take a crack at my top 5 Guppy Relievers from the rookie ball teams of Brooklyn, Kingsport and the GCL.

Volume 9 – Top 5 Relievers:

#1 Cory Mazzoni: some of you who read my Volumes 1 through 8 of starters may have asked, where is Cory Mazzoni?  Well, he has mostly started, but I see his future as a reliever more than a starter.  Maybe that is unfair, since he has been exclusively a starter since 2012.  A power righty arm, 2nd round 2011 righty Mazzoni has dealt with injuries, limiting him to 52 starts and 287 innings over the past 3 years, with most (36) of those in AA or above.  So his #’s have to be viewed through the lens of a guy who was rushed along and who also has been slowed by several injuries.  His most meaningful stretch was his 12 Vegas starts in late 2014 (5-1, 4.67, 1.27, 49 Ks in 52 innings).  His last 6 starts there were impressive, with 41 Ks and just 2 walks in 38 innings. A 4.67 ERA is more like a mid-3’s ERA in a normal environment, so I could easily see Cory as a member of the Mets’ pen in 2015 if there is room. And a starter in a pinch.

 #2 Jack Leathersich – this lefty, selected 3 rounds after Cory in 2011, is oft maligned for his relative wildness and struggles against lefty batters, but over the past 2 seasons, righties slugged just .292 against him, and hit .192.  Against lefties, he showed improvement in 2014.  And he has struck out 334 in 197 innings, which is insane, how else to put it.  He has struggled mightily with Vegas but let me note that in his last 9 Vegas outings, he allowed 2 runs on 5 hits in 8 innings and K’d 15, so maybe the Vegas struggles are being put behind him.  Is he ready for the Mets pen in 2015?  Up to Jack to show it.

#3 Miguel Sokolovich – a hard throwing 28 year old righty with 16 major league innings to his credit, he had a 3.64 ERA in 51 Vegas games, and struck out 68 in 59 innings.  But he also allowed 68 hits and walked 19, but Vegas offensive #’s are inflated.  He also has been very impressive in winter ball so far. He missed 2013, but in the AAA International League in 2012, he had a 1.90 ERA in 52 innings.  I’d say he is an arm to call up in a pinch.  With this Mets franchise loaded with pitching, one wonders if the “in a pinch” days are over, though.  Apparently, the Mets felt similarly, as Sokolovich is now a free agent.  My guess is another team will nab him (and sure enough, the Cardinals did after I wrote this).

#4 Akeel Morris – hard throwing righty who just turned 23, who was the MILB fans’ choice as minor league reliever of the year in the entire minors.  Allowed 3 hits per 9, 3 of his 4 earned runs came on a single pitch, and 14 K’s per 9 in Savannah.  Nearly perfect in save opportunities in 2014, Morris could well be a stalwart in the Mets’ pen starting in late 2015 or 2016.

#5 (tie) Cody Satterwhite and Jeff Walters – a tie for 5th to 2 former Tommy John arms.  Satterwhite was a high level guy in the Tigers organization (2nd round 2008) who missed a lot of time with injuries.  Mets scooped him up and he was very solid with Binghamton in 2014 at the age of 27, with a 2.33 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 63 Ks in 58 innings, with 15 of 18 saves.  A few bad late season games pushed his ERA above 2.00, but he was then excellent in the playoffs (5 innings, 3 hits, a walk and 9 Ks).  He could turn some heads in 2015.

Jeff Walters had a terrific save year (38) in Binghamton in 2013, which is why I left him on this list.  But he sputtered in Vegas in early 2014, most likely due to arm discomfort that eventually required TJ surgery after 21 innings.   Now 27, he’ll have to show he is fully recovered in mid-2015 to get back onto the Mets’ very crowded pitching radar screen.

Oh, and I should have included Dario Alvarez in my top 5, but since he had a NY Mets cup of coffee in 2014, I will leave the list to others who have not yet pitched from the Citifield pitching mound.  Oh, and frankly, Paul Sewald has been terrific - he is in my Top 5, even, well, if that makes it more than 5.  He is struggling a bit vs. higher Arizona Fall League competition, but 17 of his first 29 outs there have been by K...that makes me sit up and take notice.

NEXT UP: Volume 10 – my top 5 rookie ball relievers
 
on 3 comments:

Does Anyone See any Black Friday Deals Out There for the Mets?



  Well, it's that time of year where many of us race out and spend money we don't have, to obtain items we don't really need, simply because its on sale.  Sounds fun, though, don't it?  Well, anyway, I don't even shop on Black Friday.  I don't have the time, money or energy (and my daughter is still too young to guilt trip daddy into waiting in line for the latest craze).
  But what about the Mets?  They kind of mimicked what they did last year.  They quickly signed Cuddyer this year to kind set a tone, of sorts. The Mets jumped in preparation for what they believed would be more of a crazed state of inflation, rather then a see of discounts, as the winter moved on.  And, low and behold, we all just witnessed 'above-average' players (not elite superstars) all recently head into Thanksgiving with $18mil+ deals.  Yes, I'm a huge Mets fan, and not a huge follower of other teams, but I feel like somebody else should be surprised that some dude on the Mariners  I've never heard of got $100 mil.  A recently often injured Ramirez got about $20 mil/year and a man called Panda pretty much is due $100mil himself in the next 5 years.  Did I miss something?
  To this day, some in Mets universe are still complaining about the contract given to David Wright.  You know, our captain. You know, the face of the franchise, the face of MLB (well, it was a cute twitter contest but still counts), and he pretty much will end up with every Mets position player/batting record that matters when he hangs up his cleats.
  Now, look where stand today.  Granderson, at $15mil a year for a veteran who still showed power despite long drought of a poor BA last year, probably looks almost like a steal at this point. And this years guy Cuddyer, for all we know, is now officially the true definition of a Black Friday Deal.
  However, is there anyone else out there, for the discount the Mets are looking for.  Maybe, maybe not.  Hey, I've heard that some due named Drew might be a discounted shortstop (please ignore/avoid/move on from/nothing more to see here).  Hey, Nelson Cruz may eventually end up not getting what he wants (you know, like last year).  Hey, will that hot, sexy seemingly new toy (Andrew Miller) appear to good to pass up? (how many 3-4 year deals you see relievers getting these days?)
  Maybe the Mets will still be going in different directions here.  Joking or not, we kinda know darn well that our Wilson's love their bargain shopping (sorry, I know its the holidays, but I couldn't help myself).  And since they kind hired Sandy Alderson to be the kind of bargain hunting, that might be plan. Now, to be honest, I'm still starting to wonder if the Mets, like the dad writing this post, will going ahead and end up telling their kid (fans) that we already got what we need this year.  Now that we've used an old toy in a new way (Wilmer at Short) he can once again have value, and may seem fresh again to play with.  And if you're simply looking for a replacement toy to back up your main toy (utility infielder) why not dip into your current toy chest and pull out Matt Reynolds (what would a Mets article be without a pro Reynolds mention).
  Then, there's always a chance the Mets play barter and trade with others to get the toy they want.  First and foremost, everyone please stop talking about Tulo to the Mets.  He's owed more money then anyone not named Wright. He's injured more then...... nevermind I'll stay nice about everyone this holiday season...... And in my ongoing humble non-expert opinion, he is NOT worth giving up Syndergaard, deGrom or Wheeler.
  As far as the Cubs, no matter how many darn shortstops they have, their GM Theo is not giving them up for anything on the cheap. So again I say.. blah blah blah, in my opinion, blah blah blah, I'm not parting with Syndergaard, deGrom or Wheeler.
  You wanna know what I'm willing to give up? I'm willing to give up the belief that the Mets can't  compete for a division title simply with what they already had the day before Black Friday (I know, technically stores opened the day before now, but I like the reference).
  I guess we can always discuss low level Walmart Shopper discount shortstops the Mets can obtain, as well as a few behind the shelf, just fell down there, sleeper toys that may become your kids new favorite for the next year. However, I believe, comparing this to the last 2 rounds of a fantasy baseball/football draft, no matter what we get, there's chance of knowing if those players will even be on the roster by the time the season starts.
  So, for me, amongst the madness and hoopla of Black Friday, I will be relaxing on my couch (well, technically I'm also on my Black Fridayish 2013 surface pro tablet writing this post).  But hey, along with the discount given during this time, I also got to use another person's student ID, which Microsoft store then gave me an additional 10% off because of......... hey Wilpon's I'm available for hire because I know how to save.
Go Mets !!!!!!!!  Happy Shopping.

 
on 9 comments:

The Morning Report – November 28 – Sully-Chat, Luis Cessa, 2nd Draft Pick



A few words about this Morning Report.

Some of you have asked me why I quote so much from Fangraphs and the writers over there.

The main reason is simply… it’s the off-season and there just isn’t that much being written about the Mets right now. The Q and A over there gives me an opportunity to post a subject about a Mets player, give you my quick thoughts, and then open it up to all of you in the report for comments.

Consider the Morning Report here as just the vessel that gets things started here every day. You don’t have to keep on subject and are welcomed to ask anything you want. It’s a watering hole for loyal readers.


We really need some more active writers to keep the site humming. Right now, Thomas Brennan, Reese Kaplan, and Ernest Dove are punching out a combination of five posts a week. We need nine more per week to cover the period of 8am-2pm.

           Please consider joining the site as a writer. Also, please pass on our needs to your friends out there that would love to be heard.

           Tom is a perfect example of the growth from silent reader to comment maker to infrequent writer to feature writer. And, it’s fun.

           (and… to those of you that have been Mack’s Mets writers in the past, be them still within the system (see list of writers on the right side column of page one) or those of you that have moved on… we’d love to have you back again and active.

           Email me:  macksmets@gmail.com   to discuss.


Sully-Chat -

Comment From Bret - Why do the Mets seem to think Ruben Tejada is the worst? I know he’s not perfect, but he’s young, cheap, and reasonably productive. Seems like a lot of teams would be satisfied with that, but with the Mets he’s a giant black hole.

Jeff Sullivan: He hasn’t developed, he’s had some off-field concerns, and while he’s an adequate defensive shortstop, he’s not great and he definitely doesn’t hit, and now he’s getting expensive. He’s not a *problem* but he’s not starter material

Mack – Wow, it’s been a long time since anyone has brought up the name of Tejada.

Bret is obviously not a Mets fan and hasn’t gone down the dead end road that Ruben traveled. I think Sully has him tagged very well and I really like him as a utility infielder, but nothing more than that, ever again please.

Comment From Alex - Mets send: Jacob deGrom, Kevin Plawecki, and Daniel Murphy. Rockies send: Troy Tulowitzki . Who says no? What’s added to each side? Do you think the Mets try to push for Tulo?

Jeff Sullivan: Rockies say no to that

Mack - Mets fans keep trying to revisit any possibility of securing the services of Tulo, while, at the same time, offering less than he’s worth.  I’m not sure the Mets have a player right now that could anchor a trade for a player of this status. Matt Harvey maybe if he wasn’t coming off TJS but definitely not simply the ROY and a couple of prospects. And, we’re talking about someone currently on the disabled list.

Everyone needs to move on from this subject also.


Baseball America put out a feature on key players available in the Rule 5 draft[i]… one, under the section called ‘flame throwers’ was:

                       Luis Cessa, rhp, Mets: Another conversion project, Cessa has been a slow-mover as he’s been used as a starter. He has an athletic delivery, with a big arm (93-95 mph fastball) and a fringe average breaking ball and changeup, and he throws a lot of strikes (1.78 BB/9 in 374 IP).

Check out the entire article… it’s a good primer on around 50 players available in the Rule 5 process and features a handful of other Mets as well



Sandy Alderson said on Wednesday that he was not opposed to giving up a second draft pick “if a player is available toward the end of the offseason at a discount.”

It also has been reported that the Mets will keep their eye on the situation in Boston and SS Xander Bogaerts. "It’s not like we’re knocking down their door to see if [Bogaerts] is available," the source said. "But we’ll wait and see how things shake out."

My thoughts on this are not to read much into what comes out of Alderson’s mouth. He loves to be cute about subjects like this and will jump from one side of the fence to the other. I love how he says the Mets would be interested if a player like Nelson Cruz came available at a discount. 

 Hey Alderson. That was last year, remember?
on 31 comments: