Mack’s Morning News – 5-24-15 – Random Thoughts

We’re getting closer to the third time that Miami Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria blows the lid off his team again. He decided earlier this month to fire his manager, and since he’s still already paying now two ex-managers, he replaced him with the General Manager that hasn’t ever played or coached a baseball game in his life. We all remember what Loria has done in the past and how long are existing contracts like the ones that exist for 3B Martin Prado, 1B/OF Michael Morse, LHP Michael Dunn, LF Christian Yelich, and, of course, RF Giancarlo Stanton going to stand?

Whatever future that was/is being built for this team has been around contracts for Yelich (through 2022) and Stanton (through 2028). A Yelich deal could probably get Miami three ‘under control’ minor leaguers that would be paid the minimum. A Stanton deal could bring in an Army division.

It’s not a matter of if or when. This blow-up is going to happen sometime this season.

Photo by Mack Ade 

David Wright has been diagnosed with spinal stenosis in his lower back. This does not go away. I had to be operated on my lower back for this around 15 years ago and my entire lower region had to be re-built into a cage-like device.

I now suffer from the same stenosis in my neck which caused me semi-retire from this site. 

Many sports stars have had to retire early from this. 

One was the Mets Lenny Dykstra. 

Another was ex-New York Giants running back David Wilson.

Stenosis doesn't go away. It's basically genetic and limits one ability to perform for the remainder of your life.

This is very bad news for the Mets and, frankly, it's time to right now start looking for both a long and short term solution to this problem.

It would seem to me that team officials need to sit down Wright and see what he feels about season ending surgery. Forget baseball. This is a person's life we are talking about.

I would also move Daniel Murphy to full time third baseman for the remainder of the season. 

Next, I would consider promoting Alex Castellanos (3B, 1B, LF, RF - .301) from Las Vegas He currently leads the team and is 7th in the league with nine home runs.

Long term, I'm in a fog right now. Nothing seems to be going right for these guys. What's next, d'Arnaud get hit by a truck?

Thank God Alderson and Company kept his excess pitching. He's going to need all these guys to get, or stay, healthy, and then market some of them for, possibly, a new long term third baseman.

I'd like all of us to discuss what this team should do right now...  not panic? Trade a pitcher? Fire whoever know that Wright had this problem?

And where do we go from here now that the team looks like it is out of gas?

Let's talk about this today.

The Sand Gnats sent this statement out earlier this week:

  "Today we announce that 2015 will be the last season of professional baseball in Grayson Stadium."

This was followed by Michael Baron:

"The Mets and Savannah Sand Gnats announced they will move their South Atlantic League affiliate to Columbia, South Carolina for the 2016 season."

This has been a rocky relationship since it began in 2007. I remember sitting in the press table next to the radio announcer and the then owner (always drunk) show up with his son and make the booth guy turn the mike over to him for the play-by-play.

I'm not sure how a baseball team can speak for the entire baseball world, but that's what General Manager John Katz is like. Plus, sending this statement out in the middle of the season is sort of stupid. Maybe the team should direct their energy to piss poor record this team is churning out.

My guess is the team winds up in Columbia where they have played before.

Look, let's face it. This is an entirely different team when either Jacob deGrom or Matt Harvey is pitching. You never have the feeling that you're going to lose those games, even when they have to come out of the game without a lead.

We have this kind of expectation for Noah Syndrgaard, as we did for Zack Wheeler when he first came up. Steven Matz is supposed to be the next one to make us feel this way. 

Thursday's game seem to open up once Lucas Duda hit his second home run of the game. The next two batters, Daniel Murphy and Michael Cuddyer, singled. Even John Mayberry got on base.

I'm telling you, everybody plays this game better when you have quality 'bats' hitting just before you and right after your spot in the lineup.


Michael Scannell asked - 

What's more important to the Mets, Lagares' defense or having d'Arnaud and Plawecki in the lineup?

While there's no denying what Juan brings to CF, I worry about his ability to be a run producer over the long haul.  The pitching staff is so good that I think they could live with a decent CF if it meant having a more productive lineup.

They obviously need runs.  They're 16-2 when scoring 4 or more runs.  Travis has the look of a 20-25 HR hitter with 85-90+ RBI.  I worry about having one of our best hitters playing such a dangerous position.  With Plawecki, not only can he handle the catching position he's only shown flashes of the hitter he can be.

I believe d'Arnaud has the athleticism to move to a corner OF position, potentially squeezing Lagares out with Conforto and Nimmo on their way up (I'm a much bigger believer in both than it seems many are).  I'd love to have all 3 (Travis, Plawecki, Lagares) but with our pitching being as strong as it is I wonder if a d'Arnaud/Plawecki duo is better for the team overall than Lagares/d'Arnaud.  I wonder about the potential for a Conforto/Nimmo/d'Arnaud OF.

I'm a traditionalist but this is one instance where I'd welcome the DH.

Michael -

I no longer worry about Lagares. I worry about the players the Mets surround him with.

I don't think that Lagares has the ability to be a big run producing outfielder, but that's okay in my book. I have to have his defense on this team of sub-par defensive players.

On 'my team', baring injuries, and not considering pitching) I have a catcher (d'Arnaud), first baseman (Duda), third baseman (Wright) and a centerfielder (Lagares). That's four of the eight starting positions.

I 'think' I have a second baseman (Herrera), but it will take the year of 2016 to confirm this.

I still don't know what to make of when it comes to Flores, Granderson, and Cuddyer. I do think they all would be very much more valuable if d'Arnaud and Wright were playing every day and hitting somewhere in the 2-6 slots in the lineup.

Regarding Plawecki, I've said this a number of times. There simply isn't that many talented catchers in baseball. They move off this position early in their college career. In addition, you don't see a lot of high school catchers drafted high. Injuries and bad knees dominate this position.

If you refused to deal one of the 'big four' starters in your system (Harvey, deGrom, Wheeler, Syndergaard) than Matz and Plawecki are your number one and two trade bait players. 

You have to give something to get something.

No, I love Lagares, and you could get a couple of very good players for him in a trade, but I would keep him on my team.