Michael Baron | Just Mets- It seemed so far fetched 2-3 months ago the Mets would be interested in retaining Tyler Clippard after acquiring him for pitching prospect Casey Meisner last summer. But indeed, the Mets have expressed interest in bringing Clippard back to fill their need on the right side of the bullpen in 2016. Teams are clearly recognizing the importance of having stability behind their closers in the bullpen, and are clearly willing to pay a premium to acquire those services. So unsurprisingly, Clippard is looking for a multi-year deal himself. Still, the Mets remain reluctant to offer a reliever – including Clippard – more than a one-year contract, Heyman says.
(Chris Soto: I do not blame them for being hesistant. Clippard has been one of the most used RP's in baseball during his career. Over the past 6 seasons, he has topped 70 IP every single year, and all those innings finally caught up to him this past season. His velocity dipped in September/October, his arm slot dropped, and his only plus pitch, the change-up, flattened out and started getting smoked at the end of the season. The team should be rightfully concerned about committed payroll to a guy who may be losing it.)
Randy Miller | NJ Advance Media- It's almost Christmas and Yoenis Cespedes still is on the hunt for a mega contract. The longer this goes on, maybe the right-handed-hitting slugger circles back to the Mets and re-signs with them for something both sides can live with. Noah Syndergaard, one of the Mets aces, wants Cespedes back next season. "Of course we're hoping. We all saw the tear he went on from July through the end of the season. We'd love to have that bat back in the lineup, so as long as he's out there, we're hoping for that."
(Chris Soto: My comments are more about Syndergaard then they are Cespedes here. I think we are beginning to see Thor take of more of a "face of the franchise" than Matt Harvey ever could. He is personable and friendly, but, he is a fiery competitor who wants to dominate you at the same time. More importantly, he wants what's best for the team AND he genuinely desires to be a Met for his entire career. He's also kind of snarky and fun with the media which is shown in a very simple tweet he sent out last week.
HOT STOVE REPORT (courtesy of mlbtraderumor.com)
(Chris Soto: My comments are more about Syndergaard then they are Cespedes here. I think we are beginning to see Thor take of more of a "face of the franchise" than Matt Harvey ever could. He is personable and friendly, but, he is a fiery competitor who wants to dominate you at the same time. More importantly, he wants what's best for the team AND he genuinely desires to be a Met for his entire career. He's also kind of snarky and fun with the media which is shown in a very simple tweet he sent out last week.
My bad https://t.co/S52IDAcKxV
— Noah Syndergaard (@Noahsyndergaard) December 17, 2015
I truly believe that in the near future it will be Syndergaard who assumes David Wright's throne as the team leader for the next 10+ years and we are going to love every minute of it.)HOT STOVE REPORT (courtesy of mlbtraderumor.com)
- According to Buster Olney, The Orioles have engaged Yoenis Cespedes and other “high-end” free agent outfielders in. The Angels have also been lightly linked to Cespedes, with the Tigers, Royals and Giants also being involved.
- According to Bill Ladson of mlb.com, The Nationals are on the lookout for starting pitching and their hunt has led them to at least consider free agent Wei-Yin Chen. Chen is reportedly seeking a 5 yr deal worth $100M.
Cespedes would likely love playing in the Camden bandbox.
ReplyDeleteThor rocks. Everyone else can have Star Wars. I'll take Thor.
Clippard may be fried. I'd look elsewhere.
Perhaps we should all accept the fact that cespedes, clippard, uribe and I guess even Johnson were obtained solely as rentals.......and it worked like a charm for this team in making it all the way to the world series.
ReplyDeleteJob well done. Now time to start over.
And like I've said before, Noah sounds wonderful now but lets see him grow older, possibly get even better and then have arbitration and free agency loom. We'll see how loyal he is then.
Ernest -
ReplyDeleteGetting rentals back isn't as easy as it sounds.
Guess we'll have to find some new ones.
For now, opening day needs are:
1. Platoon CF
2. Additional mid-relief pitcher
I don't see much for for right now
Add a 5th OF to your list, Mack. Mets have been linked to Ryan Raburn, who could provide great offense off the bench, but poor defense. I guess if they signed Parra or Span to platoon with Lagares, Raburn would not get much time in the field anyway. IMO, however, Kelly Johnson and Steve Pearce are also decent possibilities for the last bench position. All 3 can play 1B in addition to corner OF positions, but Johnson's advantage is he can also play the infield positions, offering a ton of versatility.
ReplyDeleteI'm wary of Clippard too. Frankly, I'd pass on him because of both the years and $$$ he would require. My choice for the pen is outside the box. I really like Seung-hwan Oh, the 33 y/o Korean closer known as "The Final Boss". He had a bit of an off year last year (2.73 ERA, 1.154 WHIP, 8.6 K/9, 2.1 BB/9 with 41 saves) but his career numbers are outstanding. (1.81 ERA, 0.854 WHIP, 10.7 K/9, 2.1 BB/9, 357 saves) He's my 8th inning guy.
I'm surprised by Thor's outspokenness. I thought he was the Quiet Man. But he is expressing the hope of all (or at least, most) of us that Cespedes will accept what Alderson thinks is a reasonable offer. The fact that they will not be meeting with Span until sometime in January means nothing is happening soon. Until then, I am hoping for a breakthrough with Yoenis. But if not him, I thank Span is my 4th choice, behind Parra and De Aza. I'm not enthusiastic about Venable at all. I don't understand why he is in contention.
Hey Herb - Happy Hanukkah
ReplyDeleteFrankly, I can live with any of the options that Mets have.
On another subject, do you have any plans on writing any posts in 2016?
I'm not familiar with Raburn, but if his D is that weak, why is he a better fit for us than Uribe?
ReplyDeleteTY Mack. You too.
ReplyDeleteUribe doesn't play the outfield. Raburn does.
I think the biggest aspect of Syndergaard's statement is that now, a player on the team is speaking up about wanting Cespedes ( or an offensive comparable) back to fortify the offense.
ReplyDeleteHe may just be one player stating it publicly, but I would assume that there are others on the team that have the same want/thought privately.
Bob, I agree. I felt same way with David Wright and original fence depth. Speak up nicely but firmly, or regret you didnt'.
ReplyDelete