From The Desk – Any Free Agent You Want, Farm System Rankings, Kameron Misner, Cubs, Dirty Laundry

Good morning.

Your Favorite Baseball Team Can Afford Any Free Agent   It Wants –

Players that have accomplished as much as Harper and Machado do not typically hit free agency at such a young age, but also players like Harper and Machado are atypical by definition. At some point, some team will pay them both a lot of money, and it will likely be one of the four or five teams that ever sign star free agents. At that point, and possibly only at that point, the market will begin to develop in earnest for the players in the tier just below them. That could happen in a few weeks, or it could happen in late February. You already know this.

Mack – I sometimes have a very difficult time understanding the suits in Flushing.

You have an opportunity to own one of the top three or four players in the game and the best outfielder you will ever have over the next eight years in your outfield.

You worry about year nine and 10 where his body may be breaking down. Do you still think the NL won’t have a DH by then?

And… there will not be any better outfielder in baseball that will come your way during these years.

Does it really matter that it is going to cost you $40mil a year?

Bleacher Report's  Updated Farm System Rankings at the Start of 2019 –

                  

     The New York Mets have a top-heavy system with a clear-cut top eight prospects and then a significant drop-off.

Andres Gimenez and Peter Alonso can be considered "1" and "1A" in these rankings. One is a precocious middle infield prospect with tremendous upside, the other is a first base-only slugger who looks ready for the majors after logging an .849 OPS with six home runs and 27 RBI in 27 AFL games.

Not far behind is Mark Vientos, who posted an .878 OPS with 11 home runs in rookie ball. He'll be 19 for the entire 2019 season and still has plenty of room to add strength to his 6'4", 185-pound frame.

Don't be surprised if Simeon Woods-Richardson is the top pitching prospect in the system by the end of the year. The Mets went over-slot to sign him to a $1.85 million bonus at No. 48 overall, and he posted a 1.56 ERA and 26/4 K/BB over 17.1 innings in his debut.

There's a lot of high-ceiling international talent to keep an eye on—led by Ronny Mauricio, Shervyen Newton, Freddy Valdez, Adrian Hernandez and Francisco Alvarez.

            Mack – B/R had the team ranked 23^rd out of 30 teams.

            That’s about right.

MLB.com – OF Kameron Misner   -

                      

  Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 55 | Run: 60 | Arm: 60 | Field: 55 | Overall: 55

Misner showed glimpses of talent at Poplar Bluff (Mo.) High and got drafted by the Royals in the 33rd round in 2016, but no one envisioned him blossoming into potentially Missouri's first position-player first-rounder ever. He has the best all-around tools in the 2019 college crop and a track record of performance, but he hasn't gotten as much hype as he deserves. He fouled a ball off his right foot and broke it last spring, costing him the final two months of his sophomore season and all of last summer.

Misner's bat speed, strength and the leverage in his 6-foot-4 frame give him huge raw power that he's just beginning to tap into. He's a polished hitter with a sound left-handed swing, good balance and a mature approach that had him leading NCAA Division I in walks when he got hurt in 2018. He also has plus speed and the aptitude to steal bases, making him a 20-20 threat.

Though Misner played mostly left field as a freshman and a lot of first base as a sophomore, he has the quickness and strong arm to patrol anywhere in the outfield. He has a chance to play center field in pro ball and definitely profiles well in right. Scouts love his makeup as well.

Mack – I will continue to tout Misner like I did Beer last season… as if anyone is going to listen to little ole me.

  Do the Cubs   have enough to keep up in baseball's toughest division? –

                                

   Search "Cubs" on any social media platform these days, and you're not going to find the same vibe that existed after the 2016 World Series. A team coming off a disappointing finish -- combined with a quiet winter so far -- is starting to feel the heat from an expectant fan base.

More important, the Cubs are feeling the heat from a division they seemingly owned at this time a year ago. That hold has faded. Milwaukee overtook Chicago for the NL Central title in 2018, and St. Louis and Cincinnati have been as active as anyone this offseason. The gap is closing in a division without a rebuilding team. That's a rarity in baseball these days, and there will be no easy wins.

Mack – See? It doesn’t matter how good your team is. Writers and fans are going to give you a rash of shit in the off season.

Lastly…

          

Simply put, we need additional writers here at Mack’s Mets.

            We try to guarantee our readers at least two posts a day, but It is getting difficult with the loss of writers and increased medical issues from our current staff.

Please email me at: macksmets@gmail.com and I will email you back the details of the gig.

           Thanks and LGM.