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12/7/14

The Morning Report - December 7 - Team Controlled Players



Mike Puma - ‏@NYPost_Mets - Mets may not be as steadfast as previously that any team trading for Bartolo Colon would have to pick up the entire $11 million tab.

            Mets beat writers seem to be scrounging for stories at this point in the Hot Stove season. Look, there just isn’t that much out there in the Mets range.

            I read this morning in a Ken Rosenthal story that the Nats probably will be trying to trade RHRP Tyler Clippard, who is scheduled to earn in the $8-9mil range in his final arbitration year.

First of all, this is how the game is going. You sign someone out of the international free agent market, or the draft, and you play them in your organization up until they are about to enter their last year of team control.

Look at it this way… a player is under control for six years once he has become a member of his MLB club and what you are starting to see is an average of 18-20 of each team’s 25-man squad still either making the minimum salary level or going through the arbitration process.

The system is neither right nor is it wrong. It is what it is. But, it’s producing eight million dollar relief pitchers in a market where you can develop your own over a given amount of years and pay them the chosen player well over seven million less to fill the same roster slot.

Every team, like the Mets, will have a handful of players they extend long term, expensive contracts to, but there will be less Los Angeles Dodgers as this game progresses (in fact, new management there is already looking to shave some costs, especially in the outfield).

Take the Jonathan Niese and Dillon Gee situation...

Neither one of these would have ever been a piece in the Gregorius trade because of what they cost. All the members of that trade were minimal paid team controlled players far from free agency.


There actually could be a scenario developing where there simply is no room for these guys anymore. Teams, like the future Mets of 2016-2018, will be stocked with young starters with 5+ years of team control left in front of them. Gee and Niese just may find themselves DA'd and out of job, not because they did anything terribly wrong, but just because there is a younger, cheaper, and more talented version of them waiting in the wings.




The Rule 5 Draft starts at 10am on Thursday,December 11th.



Ex-Met P Phillip Humber has signed with the Kia Tigers in the Korea League - $600K



I don’t expect much more from this off-season and I especially don’t expect more today.


I’m going to post up… sorry for the lack of length today… and join my family at the annual Christmas parade.

14 comments:

  1. Christmas Parade today, tickertape parade next early November. Enjoy, Mack. Still hard to believe Niese or Gee won't be move for something worthwhile.

    Saw a post yesterday where Mets guy (don't get old - forget his name) raved about Marcos Molina. He was also extremely high on Matz and Morris, who he said has a devastating plus-plus change and put up video game hits-against numbers. The youths are coming.

    Hey Mack - writers can always write about Matt Reynolds when all else fails :)

    Have a great day, everyone.

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  2. Thought I'd reiterate something I wrote a few weeks ago, that the Mets should not be averse to picking up $2MM - $3MM of Bartolo's contract.

    Considering his age, his contract probably should have more realistically been $11.5MM for 2014 and $8.5MM for 2015, not the $9MM 2014 and $11MM 2015.

    They structured the contract hoping that somehow he'd replicate his great 2013, as well as to make their 2014 budget work.

    He did not - he was solid but far from outstanding. So I'd expect some other team to take him for $8MM or $9MM. Mets eat rest.

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  3. Thomas -

    I do also, but I don't expect deals like this to be formulated until after the big boys have all signed

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  4. Its as if the MLB is starting to replicate what the NBA is doing, even though baseball has no salary cap. Give out one or two max contracts, five out a few 'mid-level exemptions' and then everybody else is young and cheap.....
    That being said, add this to the list of reasons why I do not feel as though it would be good for Mets to make a 4 for 1 trade for a Tulo type player.....even if that one star player pans out, you may end up with more young and cheap guys filling up the 25 man, who aren't at least high ceiling prospects, but instead one year veterans taking up space to field a roster.

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  5. Gentlemen,
    The arb process is what is is, but no team is obligated to pay anyone except when a guaranteed contract is signed. If the arb player is projected to be too expensive, a team can non-tender him or agree to a deal and release him before the season begins with minimal monetary loss.

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  6. So you're saying that MLB is like the US economy with a shrinking middle class?

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  7. Mack hit the nail on the head. One, or maybe two, of Colon, Niese or Gee, will be moved in the days leading up to Spring Training, when the FA market for decent starters has been exhausted, and teams with asperations and a need for experienced, quality starters are still on the prowl. If Alderson is shrewd, and we all know he is, he will extract a couple of high ceiling prospects for any of them that he ships out.

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  8. Ernest -

    I have soured on the quest for Tulo over time.

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  9. Mack,
    I had a weird idea this morning while waking up.Suppose the Mets ride with Wilmer this year and he's OK - not great, not terrible, but OK. Then, next winter, Fred blows the dust out of his wallet and goes all in on Ian Desmond. A reasonable possibility?

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  10. Herb -

    Alderson may also consider selling off someone like Gee for international pool money.

    This is how the future of the game is going.

    The Mets are going to be done with pitchers like Gee regardless of whether or not someone else wants them

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  11. Steve -

    Very reasonable.

    And I do think there will be more money to spend the following year because the profit sheet will have a better bottom line.

    This pitching staff is going to put butts in the seats (sort of like boots on the ground), and Alderson will always be looking to upgrade each position.

    I'll deal with your question in tomorrow morning's report also.

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  12. I'm all for selling off two of three of Gee, Colon and Niese for pool money if it would enable the Mets to swoop in and unexpectedly make a bid on Moncada. At 19 he's not going to command the kind of money other Cuban FAs have gotten but I'm not sold on Gavin Cecchini being anything more than a utility guy and Rosario is still pretty far away.

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  13. all 3 of these pitchers have served the team well, but the Mets have to move on regardless of the return they bring (or don't bring)

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  14. Redsox are reported as waiting to see if they can get a better offer than:
    Ian Kennedy for Cespedes

    Come on Mets.... can't you beat it?

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