Curtis Granderson , class act and leader who spent 8 years between Flushing and the Bronx, took his aging but still potent home run swing to LA where he will be participating in yet another post season.
Mets fans, universally, wish him well.
But was this just another salary dump?
Not so fast.
The Mets picked up, hold your breathe, and actual top 30 prospect for Granderson. It seems that both Sandy Alderson and the Dodgers recognized the value of 36 year old Granderson, not only for his long ball, but for his leadership, particularly with youth. Who did we get?
RHP Jacob Rhame.
He's 24 hits upper 90s and gets lots of K's.
307 strike outs in 258 minor league innings.
Not too shabby.
With some surprises of recent years with some Met pitchers prior to injuries, such as Gselleman and Lugo, this may just work out.
************************************************** Thus far, no serious interest in A. Cabrera who, by some accounts, is considered toxic in the clubhouse in spite of a steady .260 bat and a not-so-bad adjustment to 2B. No team has even offered a 2 dozen box of baseballs.
Major grain of salt media alert:
Media reporting alarmist click baits:
a. Steven Matz "career" issues? No, it is that his elbow is still giving him concerns; enough to limit his slider and groove his pitches. With health, rest and the proper off-season strengthening, he will figure it out. He's way too smart and way too talented not to. Plus, his competitiveness gives him no personal rest. He rivals David Wright in pre game stretching and preparation. He eats, sleeps and drinks baseball. Imagine if Harvey had done that a few years ago?
b. Collins "warns 23 year old Conforto that he is not a leader."
This is another nonsense statement from the ever embarrassed Collins who showed zero confidence in Conforto, even after his .300 Spring. To date, Terry Collins remains the only living Major League Baseball employee to be "surprised" that Conforto was chosen by his peers for the All Star Game.
Collins, resistant to youth, is trying to placate a still divided clubhouse with Bruce and Granderson gone, Conforto carries the mantle of "team first", while a few others continue with "me first" or as said elsewhere, "ESPN first", holding Collins hostage.
Time for new leadership in Metsie world.
Cespedes giveth, and Cespedes taketh away. A home run blast and a too much casual lack of effort error on a routine fly ball in one game. The madness that is Yoenis. Did you see a certain pitcher's not-so-poker face when Cespedes began casual and could not catch up, and then decided not to slide to catch it, leading to a run?
It wasn't a warm fuzzy face.
Wasn't it encouraging to see a line up with some youngsters?
Brandon Nimmo,
Amed Rosario,
Dom Smith and
Kevin Plawecki
all in the line up together?
Plawecki is a man on a mission. Body language suggests he is in earnest to make a serious run at Travis D' lack of offense production and inability to throw out baserunners. .320 at Vegas, if he gets the chance to play, and it translates into .280 in MLB would mean more good things for the 2018 Mets. Collins already signaled that, at best, Plawecki only gets 50% of the playing time in spite of Travis' lack of production this year.
It is reasonable to say that we know what Travis is capable of and what his ceiling looks like.
This is a great time to see if Plawecki has it figured out and if Brandon Nimmo can be a 40 double man with a good glove. We already know what Nimmo is in the club house.
Watching Amed Rosario at short is a blast. It is no longer the boring wait to see him at bat; he's fun to watch defensively.
Watching Dom Smith look almost disinterested in the Reyes home run dance?
priceless.
The kid's bored half hearted celebration says one thing:
"I got a lot more for you. Stay tuned."
Not to mention his steady hands at first. For a large body mass, he moves well and he hustles.
The SS to 1B combo is going to be something special.
Can we get someone to take Cabrera for a case of stale leftover Jim Bouton "Big League Chew" bubble gum?
ReplyDeleteWell it should be an ideal time for Plawecki IF YC plays him after all TDA can't hit field or throw so the bar is set really low.
ReplyDeleteWelcome back Mack,
ReplyDeleteI don't mean to be disrespectful when I talk about Terry Collins but statements like "warns 23 year old Conforto that he is not a leader." is why I call him "The Imbecile In The Dugout".
I am glad you are warming up to Plawecki but unfortunately, the manager is still evaluating d'Arnaud. Surprised that a veteran is being evaluated instead? No, typical Collins.
So let me get this straight, the Genius in his own mind got more for Granderson than for Bruce? But he says that Bruce was not a salary dump?
I said if before and will say it again, the Mets will regret the contract given to "La Impotencia". Cespedes is just a lazy player, managed by an excuse making manager who holds no veteran accountable.
Here are some questions for you guys:
Do the Mets have enough to compete next year and if not, who do you see the Mets signing in order to put out a winning team next year?
If the Mets don't put a good team together next year, why not then trade both Syndergaard and deGrom for a team full of stud players and prepare instead for a 2019/2020 team that can be good and stay good for years?