The Morning Report 10.8.2015 | Mets SPs Just As Good as Dodgers SPs, Cuddyer Providing More than Just Production, Sandy Admits Whiffing on Turner, Clippard Leading the Bullpen

Peter Botte | NY Daily News- Dodgers manager Don Mattingly heaped praise on Mets young guns, “Those guys are really good. We’ve been looking at them for the last couple of days and even before that. These are some power arms with secondary pitches. They aren’t just guys going up there and chucking the fastball. Everybody in the league now throws 96-97-98. We see it all the time. So that’s not what makes them different. It’s the secondary stuff that makes them really good. They’ve got great arms and they’re in a good position, not only now but for the future, with those type of arms."

(Chris Soto: Yes....the Mets have themselves a very tall task of trying to get past Clayton Kershaw and Zack Grienke. However, lets not forget that the Mets have their own ridiculously good arms that the Dodgers will have to contend with. In addition, the Dodgers offense has not been very good during the 2nd half of the season. The Dodgers have been below the NL average in both batting average and OPS Post All-star break and they were in the bottom 3rd offensively during the month of September.)

Mike Vaccaro | New York Post- Today seems as good a time as any to report that Michael Cuddyer is still as upbeat a presence around the Mets. Which is to say: He’s just as happy as a platoon player as he was as a regular. “I’m not naïve,” Cuddyer says. “I have eyes. I saw what was going on here. I know people roll their eyes when they hear this sometimes, but winning is more important than money. And when I saw where this team was headed, seeing what was in the forecast, it reminded me of where we were in 2001 with Minnesota: a team building, not quite there yet, that was ready to move. Turns out I wasn’t far off.”

(Chris Soto: Fans sometimes focus to hard on stat lines in relation to player's salaries. Production is not the only thing that makes a ballplayer good, especially one that is deep in a career as Cuddyer is. The Mets didn't bring the 36 yr old in to be a centerpiece of an offensive machine. Cuddyer brings veteran leadership, a solid relationship with David Wright that enhances his leadership skills, and the effort and passion that comes with playing the game right. Ever watch him in a game? He runs out EVERY groundball....that kind of 100% effort rubs off on younger players, which is something the Mets have a lot of.)

Joe D. | New York Mets Report-  Essentially, the Mets front office decided to release Turner because he was due a raise in arbitration that would have paid him $750k. Monday, Mets GM Sandy Alderson spoke about that decision, “He was always sort of a marginal 40-man roster guy. We gave him more of an opportunity than he had elsewhere, and he did a nice job for us. But you’d have to say we missed on him.” Since leaving the Mets Turner has emerged as one of the Dodgers’ top hitters slashing at .314/.384/.492 with 47 doubles, 23 home runs to go with a 145 OPS+ and 8.4 fWAR over 675 at-bats. With runners in scoring position this season, Turner is batting .322/.404/.556.

(Chris Soto: Ya know...sometimes you win, sometimes you get burned....and Sandy is aware that he missed the boat on Justin Turner. However, in fairness, who would have expected this kind of production out of him? Before 2014, Turner had never posted an OPS above .711 despite getting some pretty ample playing time. Then again, ample and consistent are two different things. Consistent playing time can make a huge difference in a player's production and when the Dodgers finally gave Turner that opportunity, he paid them back 10-fold. Congrats to him.)

Andrew Harts | Just Mets- The acquisition of Tyler Clippard has arguably been as critical of an acquisition for the Mets as Cespedes was. Clippard has stepped up as the veteran in the pen to help aid and educate the younger and less experienced relievers in the bullpen, serving as a leader and a guide to help those less experienced than him. “A lot of the younger guys have looked to me for advice as far as what to expect in the postseason,” he explained. “To be over here in this dugout and do what we’ve done this year, I never would’ve predicted it or guessed it. But that’s the beauty of baseball, and I’m really happy to have the Mets uniform on at this point.”

(Chris Soto: The Clippard acquisition has been a god send for this team with the injuries to Blevins, the prolonged recovery of Parnell, and the Mejia suspension. There was so much inexperience in the Mets bullpen that I'm not sure I would have trusted taking a SP out until the 9th inning. The addition of him, and Addison Reed as well, has given the club a reliable trio that, while still not the best, can at least be depended on most nights to get the job done. )