1/15/18

Reese Kaplan -- On Motorcycles and Trading

Also at Mack's Mets:


There's a long preface necessary to make my point about Mets potential trades, but the analogy is solid.  

Back in 2013 I was involved in a bad motorcycle accident.  Well, to be truthful, it was a bad scooter accident but the motor vehicle agency gave me a motorcycle endorsement on my license so that’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it!  I broke seven ribs, a foot and a thumb when I T-boned a Chevy Aveo when the woman driving it ran a stop sign. 

After a few months of recovery I wanted to get back in the saddle but the original ride was totaled.  My wife was always against me riding at all, and now with that crash she was dead set against it.  However, when she wound up buying a car she didn’t really need I think she was feeling guilty and actually spent a Saturday shepherding me around to the various motorcycle dealers.


Now at this time I was looking to transition to a real motorcycle but what caught her eye was something called a Suzuki Burgman which the magazines and riders term a “Maxi-Scooter”.  By that they mean it is motorcyclish in power but still retains the scooter format of storage under the seat, a platform for your feet and automatic transmission.  She said, “You’ll be safer on that thing – look at the size of it!”  I didn’t have the heart to tell her that in a collision with a car, it didn’t matter if you were on a Harley Road King and you ran into a Smart Car, you were going to lose that battle.

I thought about it and realized if this is what it was going to take to get her to mentally accept I was going to continue riding, then I’d get it, use it for awhile and then upgrade.  It turned out to be a pretty nice ride, actually, capable of going 115 mph (not that I ever tested that maximum speed, Officer), and held enough under the seat that I did Thanksgiving grocery shopping one year while riding it. 


I still had the itch to learn to shift gears and ride a “real” motorcycle, so I ventured up to Albuquerque and bought a mint condition Suzuki Savage that looked as if it has just rolled off the showroom floor despite being several years old.  For people not familiar with the bike, picture a chromed-out Harley that shrunk in the dryer.  A few Sundays in a quiet industrial park area and I was fully confident in the whole new riding experience.  I sold that little Suzuki for a nice profit but still had the big Suzuki Burgman in the garage.  In fact, the running joke at the time was between the Suzuki, my wife’s Fiat and my Porsche, my garage had morphed into a museum honoring the losers of World War II.


I listed the Burgman for sale for nearly a year in multiple places and never got a bite…not a single call, text nor email showing any interest whatsoever.  During that time I’d purchased a Moto Guzzi Griso which I still ride but the Burgman was collecting dust in the garage.  Finally I hit upon a plan to rid myself of it once and for all.


I headed to what is claimed to be the world’s largest Harley dealer here in El Paso and negotiated a deal to trade it in on a Buell 1125CR sport bike with a more upright seating position (as the fractured ribs didn’t make the hunched-over position of a typical sports bike comfortable).  The idea here was to get a bike that would be appealing to flip to someone else and thus get out from under the big Burgman.  After riding the Buell for about a year, I did just that, put it up for sale, broke even and was able to recoup my investment in the Burgman that I never wanted in the first place.  As I’m in the market again right now for an additional bike, I thought about the parallels of what the Mets may want to do going forward to rid themselves of their “Burgmans”. 

A.J. Ramos and Jeurys Familia are both slated to earn a decent paycheck this year.  They have something else in common.  Both are approaching free agency in 2019.  Right now Familia’s value has plummeted between his injury and his off-the-field antics last year.  Consequently the more marketable of the two of them is A.J. Ramos.  He’s older and earns more money which also makes him more desirable for the Mets to trade away. 

Then there’s former Gold Glover Juan Lagares.  He signed what was supposed to be a team-friendly contract after his one standout year in 2014 but he’s been both unable to stay on the field and never developed offensively.  Right now the club is on the hook for $6.5 million in 2018 and $9 million in 2019.  With the 3-year deal given to Jay Bruce and the long term deal for Yoenis Cespedes, that makes Michael Conforto your man in centerfield (if not a true centerfielder).  Consequently $15.5 million for a bench player over the next two years is not money well spent. 

If I’m Sandy Alderson, what I’d be doing right now is looking for his Buell.  It may not be the ideal player he wants or needs, but he must get out from under these contracts even if what comes back in return is a bit off-center from the “plan” that we’ve all never seen.  Towards that end, he should be scouring the contract statuses of various players on other teams that are set to expire at the end of 2018 or 2019 just as he did when he acquired A.J. Ramos to help offset the impending loss of Addison Reed.  By securing Ramos he gave himself the backup position of a second year of team control (albeit an expensive one) should Familia not recover. 

By looking to move these players you make it possible to strike a deal for someone previously thought to be out of your price range.  I’m not saying it will happen, but just for the sake of argument you wanted to target Robinson Cano for second base.  He’s currently earning $24 million and getting Seattle to take back Ramos, Lagares and the never appreciated Wilmer Flores means his incremental cost is a very palatable $6 million or so.  Now it would never happen because Seattle has playoff aspirations and it’s not just a one year commitment to Cano, but that’s philosophically how you would sell your Burgman and get your Buell.  Then if things went completely south, you could flip the Buell, er, Cano to get something else. 

Now even though second base is considered a position of need (or third if you shifted Cabrera to second), the fact remains that there are a lot of Buells out there who play different positions.  Remember, the end game is get rid of what you no longer want and to get back something another club may desire.  It's time to get creative.  




37 comments:

Tom Brennan said...

Good perspective.

We need Sandy to be a wheeler dealer like never before. Trade junk for better junk. Or better yet, for treasure.

Let's hope Sandy has this team on a racing bike this year and not a broken down one with training wheels.

bgreg98180 said...

Alderson will continue to follow the same plan that has proven to be a failure.

Mack Ade said...

Wow.

Six hogs (or hog-ettes), a Fiat, and a Porche... what am I doing here?

I agree about the Lagares contract. It should now be moved what with Cespedes, Conforto, and Bruce under three year contracts or team control.

Unknown said...

Yeah getting to the world series is a fail. It took Cashen 4-5 years to turn the team around and Sandy as well before the wheels fell off last year.

Unknown said...

Disagree with trading Lagares with Cespedes and Conforto being so injury prone you need depth and the Mets have no OFers close to the majors in the farm.

Reese Kaplan said...

@Mack -- well, right now it's 2 bikes, a Fiat and a Ford Transit Connect. The Porsche was a one-time thing, bought 11 years old and driven for about a year before it needed very expensive repairs and traded in for the truck. We kind of flipped a coin on who would have the practical car and I lost.

I did purchase a used Kawasaki this weekend but will not pick it up until another long drive to Alamogordo next weekend.

bgreg98180 said...

Big picture:
1 World series &
1 playoffs (admit good fortune because of very poor play during those 2 years by the rest of the National League East)

Surrounded by very very bad losing seasons.

Icing on the cake: the minor league system and major league team is in just as bad (if not worse) situation than when Alderson took over.

But go ahead...hold on to the 1 1/2 years of success and think of Alderson as the answer moving forward.

Mike Freire said...

Excellent, Reese.......I agree with your analogy. With the recent moves, the roster is a bit out of whack, which hints ar additional moves in the coming weeks. I would like to see another solid pick up in the infield that can also lead off.......that is the biggest hole on the roster, IMO.

Unknown said...

Let's make Omar the gm again and let him piss away DeGrom, Conforto and Thor's prime like he pissed away Wright, Reyes and Beltran'a by surrounding them with dreck.

Unknown said...

Omar had a top five payroll and put together historically bad pen and crappy rotations.

bgreg98180 said...

I believe the general manager possibilities would not begin with Alderson and end with Omar Minaya

Unknown said...

Wilpons would just hire heir stooge in John Ricco and handcuff him like they have Sandy via payroll.

Mack Ade said...

The Mets wouldn't name Ricco the GM... he's already pulling the strings...

(oops... cat leaving bag...)

bgreg98180 said...

Mack...
Is this serious insight regarding Ricco pulling strings?

For how long?
Is this a result of Alderson's health scare?
Sooo many questuons....

Reese Kaplan said...

While Alderson (or Ricco) were sleeping, the division leading Nats signed career .291 hitter Howie Kendrick who happens to play both 2B and OF to a 2-year deal for only $7 million.

You can't make this stuff up.

Mike Freire said...

That's unfortunate.....he was someone I saw fitting in at 2B and the top of the lineup for a year or two, until someone like Luis Guillorme was ready to roll.

The only hope is that we need the roster spot for someone else that is coming in via trade? I see Juan Lagares and perhaps Dominic as trade bait right now........I think the NY/PIT connection may still yield something.

Mack Ade said...

Bob

Yes.

For years.

Unknown said...

Mets are going with thirteen pitchers and only 4 bench players and Kendrick can't play AS or third base, there's no fit there.

Unknown said...

Mean shortstop

Unknown said...

Kendrick really can't play second base anymore according to the metrics.

Reese Kaplan said...

@David Klein -- "can't play AS"?

Also, why would he need to play 3B when they have Cabrera penciled in there but no one to play 2B?

Moot point now that he's off the table, but just trying to understand what you meant.

bgreg98180 said...

Mack

How long have you known?

Is it a quiet, Alderson hardly realizes it, sort of string pulling?

A demanding harsh puppeteer pulling of strings?

Has it changed over time?

This is major insight I have never seen/heard in any other media outlets.

Mack Ade said...

Bob -

I have no idea if it is "harsh" or "quiet".

I've know about this for a couple of years. It's no big secret to those inside the Mets organization. Nothing is decided without Ricco's stamp of approval, who is the conduit to Fred and Jeff.

I've said enough on this.

bgreg98180 said...

Messed up power structure results in messed up results for the entire organization

Unknown said...

Shortstop and Kendricks defensive numbers at second been bad since 2015 and Cabby is injury prone

Tom Brennan said...

Frazier (for 1 year, maybe?) or Nunez. Pick one. Pick either.

bill metsiac said...

Frazier is NOT the answer. We need someone who can get on base and set the table. He is a good RBI guy, but who gets on ahead of him? Someday it might be Rosario, but not yet. Lagares was a possibility, but with Bruce here Lag will not be playing rerularly.

I see Cabby batting #2, but the guy filling the 2B hole needs to be Harrison, Nunez, Reyes, or someone we haven't heard mentioned yet.

Not a HR-or-nothing hitter.

Unknown said...

Hey Bill, I'm formerly graves9, how are you? Frazier is a three win player who plays very good defense I wouldn't have an issue signing him.Lagares and Rosario are obp sinkhole no way should they lead off.

bill metsiac said...

Hi, David. Nice to hear from you again. I'm doing well, and I hope you are, too.

I agree with you that those 2 guys shouldn't lead off for this year's team, but could develop into one in the future.

That's why I DISagree with you about Frazier. If he came here, he'd bat somewhere in an RBI spot, after 4to, Yo and Bruce. If our catchers bat 7th,and Cabby 2nd, that leaves Rosario and our 1Bman for the leadoff and #8 spots. And which one would you put at the top?

bgreg98180 said...

Frazier=another sub .230 hitter??

No thank you.

Unknown said...

I'd have no issue with Nimmo and his high obp leading off until Conforto is back and I would be fine with Conforto in the leadoff spot when he returns. Nunez doesn't walk at all and is a butcher at every position. Reyes isn't a starting caliber player, imo.

bill metsiac said...

Where would Nimmo play, now that Bruce is here? He might fill in for 4to, but if that becomes a full - year thing we're in deep doo-doo. 😣

Herb G said...

If Frazier is signed, I think you see Nimmo leading off until Conforto is back. Then he would slip into the 1 spot. At some point in the season, I think they see Rosario as the leadoff hitter of the future, so if he starts hitting well, they move him up in the lineup.

If Reyes is signed, and no one else is brought in to play 2B, he's your man.

But the ideal leadoff guy would be Harrison. The problem there is that I don't think the Pirates are in the market for any of Reese's motorcycles. I do think that an offer of Lugo or Molina, and Lindsay or Nimmo would bring Harrison to Flushing.

Unknown said...

He'd platoon in CF with Lagares until Conforto is back.

Unknown said...

Harrison has a career walk rate of 3.5%, not a leadoff hitter.

Tom Brennan said...

After some great banter on the subject, I wonder if Ruben Tejada can be had to play 2nd, Reese? LOL

Everyone's likely reaction of "oh, gosh, no" tells you all you need to know about a guy once used far too long by the Mets. Lets move on from the days when a Kirk or a Soup or a Ruben can make this team. (HMM, I THINK I WILL HAVE A SOUP AND RUBEN FOR MY LUNCH SPECIAL TODAY, THOUGH)

Reese Kaplan said...

Having him on the team wasn't the problem. Having him STARTING on the team was. And we all know who controlled the lineup pencil.