1.
After watching SS Andres Gimenez go bonkers in the Winter League this
month, I would send him to an additional winter assignment in one of the Caribbean
League, but with specific demand to play at a different position. It looks like
Gimenez is close to ready for the jump to the majors and, if other teams can
play their 18-year old future stars there, I see no reason why we can’t promote
this 21-year old, but not at the expense of not playing our current shortstop.
2.
I think we need to get this new
manager thing done before the free agent and trade season begins. My guess, the
new positive culture in the Mets clubhouse, created by our own ‘Gang Of Four”
(Conforto, Alonso, McNeil, Rosario) will be highlighted even more with the addition
of a new, exciting manager. Players that will be a free agent soon may actually
want to play here in the future.
3.
Look, we all know that we all want
both Pete Alonso and Jeff
McNeil on this team for a very long time. They collectively are the face
of the ’new Mets’. I also know that we always start moaning that the team (and
the players) wait too long to work out an extension for players that hit the
free agency market (Zack Wheeler) or those that
are coming close to becoming eligible (Michael Conforto).
So I ask, why not approach our own version of The Bash Brothers and lock them
up for the remaining years in their 20s?
4.
I also wonder why the Mets can’t clean
out the failed members of the Mets bullpen that are on the 40-man roster?
Hopefully, a healthy Drew Smith and Luis Avilan will be back to join an unfinished new pen
that will include Justin Wilson (2.54), Seth Lugo (2.70) and Brad
Brach (3.68). This doesn’t include two others that will also be back (Edwin Diaz, Jeurys Familia)
but they both have to prove to me in the spring that they are ready to fortify
the back end of our pen.
5. And lastly, I wonder, after our very successful
Brooklyn Cyclones manager was told that his contract would not be renewed and
the ‘new guys’ (Boys From Boston?) wanted one of “their guys” in this job, will
this minor league leadership cleaning out continue? Brooklyn was our must
successful 2019 minor league team. If that doesn’t earn you a renewal, what
about the other managers in the system?
(but, what do I know…)
Gimenez should bulk up like Jeff McNeil - if he can do that AND play winter ball, I am for it. Put him in CF, I guess.
ReplyDeleteSign quality dudes, period.
I just wonder if this was a legit 96 win team, rather than 86, how many more fannies would make it to Citifield seats. The Mets draw at least 700-800,000 less than Yanks - would a 96 win squad cut that gap by 500,000? That would pay a lot of extra salary.
If it blows up in their face, sell the team to someone else. They'll get billions no matter what.
Did you read that they may get rid of the NYPenn league?? MLB talking about removing 40 minor league teams...sad. I live near Troy where the Astros(ValleyCats) short season A ball plays and baseball here seems very successful. They need to pony up and pay them more. I was reading about Sewald almost quitting because he couldnt really afford it. You wonder how many MLB players left the game early because the grind on no pay was too much. The Jays doubled their minor leaguers pay. One of the recent hires in the Mets analytics department wrote a whole piece on it (before he was hired) and how much WAR teams were probably losing to minor leaguers that left because of $$. You would think that would get the Mets to take advantage of that current inefficiency.
ReplyDelete"Sign quality dudes, period." I mean that is kind of obvious I guess, but how do you find the quality dudes? There were plenty of duds this last off season that were vastly overpaid for performance. Kimbrel, Machado, Harper, Pollack, Miller for example. Mets fans were clamoring to sign those guys and they all look like busts so far. Machado and Harper were ok, but they are getting paid to be just ok, they are paid to be super stars.
The Yankees found lots of undervalued quality guys and paid very little to do so (DJ LeMahieu was the crux of their whole season!). BVW, Guttridge and team need to pull out some more JD Davis and Matt Allen moves this offseason and less Cano/Diaz/Kelenic ones.
Dallas
ReplyDeleteIt would be just our luck if the only team we have that won the championship not only losses their manager but also their affiliation
I will add to Dallas that what I meant by "signing quality dudes, period" is the extreme ineptness of the subs and scrubs the Mets have tried to get by with at the back end of the 25 man roster - really poor production from cheap cost players.
ReplyDeleteI realize that signing the Cespedes, Wright, and Ellsbury types of signings have been painful gambles.
But if it is not a quality move, and the team resorts instead to lots of cheap filler, most times, it will get burned.
In 2015, the Mets got miserable production out of their back up hitters. So they were really incredibly fortunate that, when they got Cespedes, Uribe and Johnson, plus a hot Murphy, they catapulted.
Relying on cheap luck is a large reason why they have been in the playoffs just 5 times in 30 years.
There is no replacing quality if you want to to win. 162 games usually reveals flaws that result when you cut corners.
JD Davis, I saw as an excellent move - and he panned out better than I thought. But they lost at least several games by trying to get by with what turned out to be lousy subs and scrubs, the kind the Yankees only very rarely turn to..
Sign quality players wow what a thought and one that we as a team were forced to abandon after the Madoff debacle when MLB didn't remove the owners like they did when they removed McCourt of the Dodgers after his missteps (lucky us) so now being a franchise worth roughly 2 and a half BILLION our only thought as fans is will this be more about the money than ability which of course is very sad. Now the other subject for me is about signing players who make a difference and that's where Rendon comes in and I know this is a LONG shot at best but he's a difference maker unlike Harper and Machado to name 2 and thoughts of a lineup with some combination of Nimmo, McNeil, Alonso, Conforto, Rendon, Cano, Ramos and Rosario is scary in a good way and we still have Smith and J.D. and Guillorme on the bench. I'm just amazed they let Rendon get to this point because his addition to our lineup and removing him from the Nats is huge although a dream I know.
ReplyDeleteMack
ReplyDeleteRead your article on the MiLB Mets just now. Was wondering what is your take on Kevin Smith? Could he have a shot sometime in 2020 for the parent club? He had an interesting 2019 and is a lefty., as you know.
I agree with Brach, Wilson, Diaz, and Lugo all coming back for the Mets bullpen. Could bring Gsvllman as well but my instincts tell me that because he is both known and good that other teams may want him via a trade. Like Mack, I would bring Matt Blackham to ST. I too do not understand why he has not been given a look up with the Mets. His stat sheet is really good! Anyway, it is worth a shot with Matt and maybe also Nogosek for ST this season. A cure for the bullpen looms.
ReplyDeleteI think Gimenez is perfect trade bait with Rosario and Mauricio onboard.
ReplyDeleteI try to come up with different scenarios for a Red Sox trade, obviously. Both teams have what the other one needs right now possibly, so...
Red Sox send Darwinian Hernandez a lefty starter/reliever. Mets need both things. They also send 3B Bobby Malbec to the Mets. Bobby is log jammed with Devers entrenched at Red Sox third base, same as Michael Chavis is there. Maybe one could get a look at first base possibly in Boston, but not so sure. I think Dalbec would be my first choice for Mets 3B. They also send kid lefty starter Daniel McGrath to the Mets. I think McGrath could be a three or four starter in short time. He looks solid.
NY Mets could send to Boston the second baseman that they need so very much there now, Andres Gimenez. Boston has so very little else within that they could play at second, with Marco Hernandez (age 27) and maybe Brad Holt (31). The Mets would also send either Marcus Stroman or maybe Steven Matz and then possibly Robert Gsvllman to round out this trade idea.
Kelenic and Dunn finished with a really good 2019. I think Kelenic is definite, Dunn could be, but in watching video on him recently, he looks like a possible weight problem. But still, he throws hard and all.
ReplyDelete(See Sid Fernandez back in the mid eighties. Now Sid is slimmer than Mack even, I tell ya", and that's slim!)
On Machado and Harper from above posting.
ReplyDeleteSimply this, be careful what you wish for because it could turn out not so good.
We have seen it here before. The big name star player later into their twenties or early thirties. Comes in all smiles and waving to fans. Then once the money is deposited into their bank account, they turn into Bruce Jay with the hefty .214 BA and 22 homeruns before they go IR and on vacation to the Caribbean someplace to get a tan.
I still favor building a team that is 80% developed from within. The only acquisitions being made, the ones that are absolutely necessary. Like Ramos and JD Davis were.
In a dream world.
ReplyDeleteGerrit Cole, Bobby Dalbec, Jorge Soler, and some lefty closer type guy for 2020, like a younger Andrew Miller. Then the rest from within, although the Mets bench does need to be upgraded as well.
I like Houston myself for the WS. But this Nationals team is good and feisty. So Houston in seven.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it somewhat interesting that the Astros lose Morton and the Nationals big shot Bryce, and both are sitting pretty right now in the big dance of all. I tend to think the Nationals sort of came more together as a unit, when Bryce left town. But just guessing from observation. It allowed other really good players to take centerstage in his absence.