The Mets continue to 'reach out' with their counterparts on the Pirates for the availability of 2B Josh Harrison. Harrison will play 2018, his last contracted year ($10.25mil + an option year), as a 30-year old.Last season, with 486 at-bats, he hit .272, 16-HR, 47-RBI
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And last year in just 336 ABs there's a guy who hit 18 HRs and drove in 52 with a .271 AVG who happens to already be on the roster and wouldn't require giving up any of the dubious chips you have to trade. (He's also slated to earn less than half that amount, too.) That seems rather foolish (and Metsian) to pay more than double and give up assets on your roster to get a .001 increase in batting average. Wilmer "Rodney" Flores don't get no respect at all :)
Harrison would be a nice addition so long as the cost in player personnel is reasonable.
Reese,
I get the Wilmer love, I like him myself, but I think they can use another versatile infielder that brings plus defense at 2b and 3b. I like Wilmer best at 1b based on advanced stats on D. He can get plenty of ABs there and at 2b or even 3b. This is why I prefer a low cost journeyman OF as Conforto insurance, and spend whatever available funds on a Harrison type and adding more pitching.
They need to trade Cabrera and the Relief pitcher Ramos for Kipnis. Put Kipnis at 2nd and have Wilfredo and TJ cover 3rd base.
Sign Alex Cobb 5 year 75 million
Sign Bruce 4 year 52 million
Sign Ben Revere 2 yr $10 million
The Mets don't need another 2B because they already have Flores, TJ Rivera, Cecchini, Guillorme. They can always bring back Reyes as well.
They also don't need another 1B because they have Smith, Flores, TJ Rivera, Plawecki and some depth in the minors as well.
Why this idiotic organization keeps trying to plug the holes it already has solutions for and not 3B where they have a gaping hole is beyond me. The Mets don't need another 2B or 1B, they need a 3B but Sandy keeps ignoring that fact.
Sign Frazier and this team is already 4 or 5 wins better. Keep Flores at 2B all year and they will be very happy with the numbers he will put up. I also think Lagares and Smith will have very good years if given the chance to play everyday.
I would argue that they have holes at 2B AND 3B.......Flores and Cabrera would be excellent bench pieces that can play across the infield and give your starters a break (or pinch hit, pinch run, etc), but I don't like either of them as the full time solution.
TJ is a nice player, but I don't see him as a full time player at either spot and he is still recovering from surgery. Guillorme hasn't made it out of the minors (yet) and may not have the bat to be a regular.
You listed a bunch of players that will be in the mix, but we could use upgrades at both positions, IMO.
Harrison is a nice player, but not someone I would trade valuable assets for. If we are making deals, go all in for someone like Brian Dozier who would be an UPGRADE.
You don't care how many runs Wilmer's alleged Defense allows? I do.
I hope and PRAY that some AL (or even NL) GM likes Wilmer as much as you do, and will overpay for him.
Do you really think that the only difference between him and Harrison is one BA point?
Sign Frazier AND play Wilmer every day? While paying Cabby $8.5 mil to sit on the bench? 😨
The Nationals who are head and shoulders a better team than the Mets play a similar player at 2b. Maybe you heard of him. Borderline glove with great bat. I think he used to play for the Mets too.
That the Mets are paying Cabrera 8.5m is the resident Genius fault. Why keep a malcontent player on the roster?
Cabby is FAR from a malcontent. He was upset when he was first moved off SS, but soon reverted to his positive attitude in the clubhouse.
His numbers in his 2 Mets years make him a STEAL at $8.5 mil.
How much would you pay for a FA who hits. 280, Switch Hits with close to 20 HR power, and is solid in the field, though with limited range?
If he stays reasonably healthy this season, he will get a lot more as a FA.
While I can kill the Mets for many things, I can cut them some slack regarding the 3b issue. While Wright is an extreme long shot to return, he has every right to try again this spring. The Mets are in limbo regarding 3b and $20 million of salary. Cabby is here for that reason, he is a pro, and $8.5 million is very affordable for his expected production.
It seems the Mets think his defense plays better st 3b. I’ll take their word. Find a 2b that can provide plus defense and get on base and they will be in decent shape. An OF of Cespedes-Lagares-Conforto can be plus in each spot. Put Rosario with a strong defender at 2b and they start to be very good defensively. Wilmer provides solid 1b defense, unlike elsewhere on the infield, and Smith should revert to his track record of strong defense at 1b. Put another strong arm in the pen and suddenly they can be near the top of the NL in run prevention. Any team among the best in run prevention is a playoff contender.
"How much would you pay for a FA who hits. 280, Switch Hits with close to 20 HR power, and is solid in the field, though with limited range?"
How much would you pay for a FA 2B who hits. 270, Hits 25/30 HR power, and is solid in the field, though with limited range?
Is a matter of perspective Bill. The Mets don't owe Cabrera anything but they owe it to themselves to find what Flores can do if he plays the entire year at 2B or 1B or switching between the two.
Cabrera has a minus rating at shortstop, 2B and probably 3B. Most errors Flores made were at 3B because his throws tend to sail. Put him at 2B or 1B and that problem goes away. Is hard for a young player to concentrate when you are being switched all over the field.
Have you watched Wilmer try to turn a DP, either at the start or in the middle? There's no stat that I know of for getting only 1 out, or none, aside from official EWrrors, but on a team expected to be built around "runs prevented", aka Pitching/Defense, his weakness is glaring. And that doesn't even include his lack of range.
As I've said before, I only wish an AL GM sees the value in his bat that his supporters here do.
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