The Mets made a roster move today which was to be
expected. With Logan Verrett having
started and Sean Gilmartin having turned in two clinkers in a row, one of them
had to go. That much is understood and
smart baseball.
What’s not necessarily smart is the choice they made in
promoting right hander Seth Lugo from AAA Las Vegas. What did he do to earn this trip to the
majors? Well, his record was a mediocre
3-4. That can’t be it. His ERA is a Pelfreyesque 6.55. That can’t be it either. Maybe he’s adept at keeping people off
base. Nah, a 1.625 WHIP suggests just
the opposite. What then warrants his
promotion?
Ah, he’s on the 40-man roster! Swapping Gilmartin with Lugo required no
creative machinations. However, was he
the best choice among possibilities?
Remember Josh Edgin?
Yes, he’s also got a somewhat ugly WHIP but he’s also sporting a 1-0
record with a 2.25 ERA. That suggests he’s
been adept at getting out of jams when he creates them (unlike Lugo). You lose a lefty in Gilmartin. Why not replace him with a lefty in Edgin?
If you want to get this year’s version of the all-or-nothing
reliever, Josh Smoker is fanning 13.2 batters per 9 IP. His ERA is almost a full run lower than Lugo’s
at an unsightly 5.77. Yet he was
bypassed in favor of the 27 year old Lugo.
Then there are the starters who are having a variety of
successes and failures such as the 9-3 Gabriel Ynoa, old starter/reliever
Rafael Montero or the recently promoted Robert Gsellman who pitched to a 2.71
ERA in AA before his trip to Vegas. Any
of these options would seem to be preferable to the Lugo selection, though
options (in Montero’s case) and service time considerations (in Ynoa’s and Gsellman’s
cases) must be considered.
Of course, were the Mets to use the 40-man roster properly
by releasing Alejandro De Aza, Ty Kelly or transferring David Wright and Lucas
Duda to the 60-day DL would open up spots with superior talent. For example, 24 year old lefty David Roseboom
in AA has a 2.86 ERA with batters hitting a paltry .210 against him. How much worse could he be than Lugo? What about Luis Mateo, already 26 years old
and pitching to a 2.50 ERA (2.53 for his minor league career)?
It seems that the Mets constantly make these roster moves of
greatest convenience, least resistance or economic consideration. Putting the best team on the field continues
to be a distance priority. Don’t get me
wrong. I wish Lugo well. I hope he breathes a huge sigh of relief in
escaping the Pacific Coast League and pitches like Pedro Feliciano did in his
heyday. I’m just not banking on it.
8 comments:
Reese, think Gsellman is out, so he is a non-consideration.
Luis Mateo has been mostly good in AA and may have made sense, but he hasn't dominated there.
If Tim Peterson had more experience, he might be the one. But as stellar as he has been in 2016, his only stinker was his first game in AA. IF it was nerves, imagine his nerves getting called up to the bigs right now.
Paul Sswald had the only rough stream of his career a few weeks back, then good in his last 5 outings, and passed over despite superior career results to Lugo.so i feel terrible for Paul Sewald.
Akeel? Gone. Dario? Gone. Fulmer? Gone. Gant? Gone. Germen? Gone. Cessa? Gone. Whelan? Gone. Gee? Gone. Niese? Gone. So,choices are slim, Jim. Real slim.
We have to face the real possibility that this might be Steve Matz's last start of the season. If so, it could get amazingly ugly very quickly. Wheeler ( my guess) is 4 weeks away. All other options seem eminently hittable. This ship has a rip in its hull.
Gabriel Ynoa may get the call if Matz is down and out in Flushing Meadows.
Reese, Gabe is the last hope down there. No one else showing any sign of being able to start in the bigs. I worry about Ynoa's low K rate. PJ Conlon has been outstanding but only just got to St Lucie, so he is a long ways off. Shaun Marcum, anyone? Where is Victor Zambrano?
Let's hope that bringing up Lugo turns out to be the worst pitching roster decision they've made this week. I know that help (Wheeler) is weeks away, but I don't know about sending a kid with a long history of fragility out there with a bone spur that is very definitely bothering him. Especially a kid this young with this much potential. I know it would mean his season, and no one wants that. And maybe he gets away with it, and maybe he even pitches pretty well, but I don't know.
I agree, Adam. Seems risky even if they say it isn't. Need to be 100% ready for 2017.
I agree, Adam. Seems risky even if they say it isn't. Need to be 100% ready for 2017.
Again I totally agree. What seems to be the problem is our 40 man roster. We are supposed to win the WS or that's what we were all told so lets play the best players available or is that idea to simple? Whatever the reason logic doesn't seem to play into these decisions and as heartwarming a victory as we had last night it is startling the difference between the 2 clubs. Their pitching is better than ours now and they have quality young players coming out their ears as the futures so bright they gotta wear shades so even with last years trades the cupboard is really bare and who's to blame for that?
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