We sit here every day waiting for the next… no wait… the FIRST trade of the Hot Stove season, while every other team in baseball seems to be able to pull their respective trigger
We also comment every day if Sandy has turned off his telephone. Does he have a telephone? Are our players made of kryptonite?
I wonder at this point if we might not end this season with the same team we have now. Is that possible? Would it be all that bad?
Let’s play my game… no trades… no free agents… what do we have next year?
1B – There are no big secrets here. Dominic Smith will take over starting job from Lucas Duda, whose contract ran out. Exit $7.25mil and enter less than $600K. Big savings here as well as big shoes to fill. No one expects Smith to produce the kind of power Duda has in the past (though he has hit 15 HRs this year in AAA), but I look for better overall hitting results as well as superb defensive skills. The backup here will be discussed later in my choices for utility infielders.
2B – On ‘my team’, I need a 2018 baby sitter until Luis Guillorme makes the pipeline jump, latest opening day 2019. I have no desire to discuss a renewal of the $17.2mil paid this year to Neil Walker. Instead, I have a fully capable second baseman in Astrubel Cabrera, who I can renew at $8.25mil. This is over a 50% savings in previous team payroll.
SS – Another non-secret. Amed Rosario will be my starting shortstop, at around $575K. More savings. More talent. A no-brainer.
3B – I wish I could type ‘David Wright’ here, but that isn’t going to happen anymore. Jose Reyes would not be on my team. My choice for starter is Wilmer Flores.
Utility Infielders – T.J. Rivera has proven to me this year that he can play at this level. He also can play all four infield positions, so he’ll get plenty at-bats during the season. My second utility infielder would be Gavin Cecchini, who deserves the opportunity to play an entire season at the level to prove the value of picking him first in the draft.
Catcher – Nothing new here… Travis d’Arnaud as the starter and Rene Rivera brought back as the backup. If an affordable deal can’t be made for Rivera, Kevin Plawecki is ready to ride the plane for the 2018 season.
Outfielders – Yoesnes Cespedes and Michael Conforto are established starters. Brandon Nimmo and Juan Lagares will once again be two of the five outfielders. I go QO on Jay Bruce in hopes he agrees to it. If he doesn’t, I start Lagares in center and promote Travis Taijeron as the fifth outfielder (this would obviously be my weak link which may not be upgraded until the 2018 Hot Stove season.
Pitching - My strength on this team would be a healthy rotation.
My first choice would be d'Grom, Syndergaard, Matz, Flexen, and Lugo and I would move guys like Harvey, Wheeler, and Gsellman to the pen.
Pitching - My strength on this team would be a healthy rotation.
My first choice would be d'Grom, Syndergaard, Matz, Flexen, and Lugo and I would move guys like Harvey, Wheeler, and Gsellman to the pen.
Conclusion – A lot of money has been saved here, all of which could be used either during the season to sign and re-negotiate a 2018 expiring contract, or save it for the very talented 2018 free agent market.
Great team? No. Decent plan? Best I could do.
Great team? No. Decent plan? Best I could do.
I was thinking about this on the way to work today. If Sandy doesn't make a trade before the deadline, I think it's an indication that we may have all overvalued our position players - and that this season's outcome isn't quite as shocking as it feels.
ReplyDeleteWeird season - Mets 9 out of Wild Card, nine weeks to go. If you got Thor and Familia back in, say, 2 weeks and Cespedes stays healthy, why couldn't this team go on a tear? Heck, Flexen may be a lot better than Wheeler too, not to put pressure on the Flex.
ReplyDeleteMove Duda, Cabrera and Grandy now, if possible, regardless of WC.
Man, Dom Smith has heated up - .393/.438/.742 in July and a great hitting season last year after June - so he is clearly ready!!!!
I hope Duda gets traded ASAP, despite best hitting ever as a Met. Yanks can give us a package. If Duda leads them to the playoffs, oh, well.
Rosario will equal Cabrera, or better, right now. Get this done.
I don't keep Walker or Cabrera for 2018 - an article I do later this week on the Mets' 2018 infield gets into why.
I'd let Cabrera walk for $2 million and hand the starting job to T.J. Rivera at 2B. That saves $6 million. I'd almost rather have Jose Reyes in a TRUE utility role (not a starter) than Cabrera starting. He adds a dimension of speed.
ReplyDeleteAs for your exercise:
ReplyDelete* Would it really be so bad to bring back Reyes on a one-year deal at a reasonable number? If he's willing to accept a bench job, he's an effective fifth infielder. I would give Flores first crack at 3B with Rivera second in line, but having Reyes backing up Rosario and getting some at-bats at third against high-platoon split righthanders would be useful.
* I would be willing to try a Nimmo/Lagares platoon in CF if Bruce doesn't sign and the trade/free agent market makes unreasonable demands.
* deGrom and Thor are the only two sure things for me. I'd take the other six guys you mentioned, tell them they are competing for three spots in the rotation, and move the losers into the bullpen. (Except for Flexen - let him continue to develop on the farm if he doesn't win a starter's job.)
Plenty of other teams trade players every year. The players the Mets have to trade are every bit as good and in some cases better than what other teams trade every year (including this one)
ReplyDeleteAs has been discussed in previous years, it is entirely possible that General Managers of other teams are put off by Alderson's ways of doing business in trades.
Other teams are tired of Alderson trying to win every trade in which he is getting rid of somebody. They are tired of his pushing always for one more and drawing hard lines. They are tired of his slow movement as he drags everything out.
Plenty of other teams trade players every year. The players the Mets have to trade are every bit as good and in some cases better than what other teams trade every year (including this one)
ReplyDeleteAs has been discussed in previous years, it is entirely possible that General Managers of other teams are put off by Alderson's ways of doing business in trades.
Other teams are tired of Alderson trying to win every trade in which he is getting rid of somebody. They are tired of his pushing always for one more and drawing hard lines. They are tired of his slow movement as he drags everything out.
question really is if they were all available at the current salary and anyone could pick them up would they... I believe teams would... the real questions is value back... Is sandy asking (or known to be asking too much) he has a reputation of wanting to win deals... maybe sandy is the problem... as in no one wants to deal with him...
ReplyDeleteTo echo Eddie's sentiment, if Terry Collins was a managerial free agent would anyone sign him other than the Mets?
ReplyDeleteAll -
ReplyDeleteIMO, a lot of factors here.
1. No one likes to trade with Sandy Alderson. He asks for too much.
2. All of the deals done so far in baseball are for better players at the the key positions we are looking to upgrade.
3. The rest of the league knows that most of these guys could easily be arranged for in August.
I truly believe nothing will happen here.
Mooooooose for third
ReplyDeleteAnthony, Moustakas' agent is Scott Boras...would he expect 5 years $100 million? More? Would he be that much better than TJ Rivera? Might TJ eventually match Moustakas' homer power, being about the same size? Moose was light on power his first few years, then ramped up...TJ might too. TJ might be $15 million for the next 5 years.
ReplyDeleteMack, before anointing Guillorme for 2019, the amazing Andres Giminez might be ready to push Luis aside and step into that role himself at age 20. I mean, .288/.342/.367 at age 18 in Columbia?
If he stays healthy, he could have 700 more plate appearances to grow as a hitter before 2019.
This kid is 12 for 26 with 3 walks in his last 6 games! Man, that is eye-catching. .320 in July...9 of 11 steals in June and July. And considering his age, he is doing a very good job at SS this year, too.
Rosario had almost as good #'s at that age, but it was in Brooklyn, so this kid Giminez is ahead of Amed's pace. Amazing.
Tom I am all about Gimenez... Hoping he takes over at SS and Rosario to 3B by 2019/2020...
ReplyDeleteWas that our new press secretary leaving a message here???
ReplyDeletetwo things:
ReplyDelete1. If you added some bullpen help with all that extra money after arb raises and a second baseman, this team is pretty good and would be fun to watch. id like an outfield of cespedes-nimmo/lagares-conforto, they'de be fun.
2. the mets will not add a big money third baseman to this team until they are sure david wright will be retiring.
strangely, 3rd base and catcher are currently the two positions almost e very mlb team wants to upgrade if they dont have an all star there.