John From Albany - Breakfast Links 11/22/2019

Some Mets Minor Leaguers made their debut in the Australian League yesterday and today.  We will get to that later in the winter ball updates.

One time Mets Catching target, Yasmani Grandal signed a four-year, $73MM contract with the Chicago White Sox. 

MLB.com looks how the signing will affect the catching market.

MLB.com looked how this impacts Wilson Ramos.  “I hear a lot of bad things about me this year behind the plate,” Ramos said Thursday, after delivering a Thanksgiving dinner to a Queens family as part of the team’s “Metsgiving” initiative. “But I’m focusing on working to get better.”

SNY.TV has video of Ramos talking about learning the Mets pitching staff last year. 

Metsmerized says Wilson Ramos is working hard to improve this off season.

MetsBlog’s Matt Cerrone  looked at three possible alternates to Ramos.  Robinson Chirinos, Travis d'Arnaud, and Salvador Perez (coming off Tommy John surgery).

FYI, One of the things I like to look at for Catchers is Catcher’s ERA – Here are the figures for the Players in question last year - Robinson Chirinos 3.57; Tomas Nido – 3.79; Wilson Ramos – 4.34; Travis d'Arnaud with the Rays – 3.90; Travis d'Arnaud with the Mets – 7.13 (only 9 games); Salvador Perez – did not play. 

Rising Apple has a great piece on what would make this a disastrous Mets Offseason.  They make a great argument for the Mets to go for it now.  If you missed the Mack’s Mets post last week from Tom Brennan, it makes for good companion reading with this. 

The Empire Writes says Cano must go and suggests 4 possible landings spots: Blue Jays, Marlins, A’s, Rangers.

The NY Post (and other sites) discuss the Mets’ first offseason signing, ex-Yankee Lefty Chasen Shreve to a minor league deal.  Turning 29 next July, Chasen pitched just three games for the Cardinals last year spending most of the year at AAA Memphis going 2-2, 3.45 ERA, 60 innings in 51 games, 68 K’s, 26 walks, 1.183 WHIP. 

Elite Sports NY lists three relievers that can help the Mets: Will Harris, Dellin Betances, and Drew Pomeranz.

NBC Sports Philadelphia looks at Phillies Third Base Target, Anthony Rendon.

They also think that Zack Wheeler could get $100 Million.

They also discuss changing Free Agency Some good points.

SNY.TV had how the next Mets Pitching coach will jump into the 21^st century.

Yahoo Sports details how Rob Manfred says that MLB will expand sign-stealing investigation of Astros beyond 2017 season.

Yahoo Sports also has Manfred’s discussion about Labor negotiations.  Here is the takeaway quote from Manfred: “not going to be a deal where we pay you in economics to get labor peace.”

Mets Daddy says the Mets Farm system may take a hit in this year’s Rule 5 Draft. He lists Ryder Ryan, Shervyen Newton, Matt Blackham, Harol Gonzalez, and Patrick Mazeika as players the Mets may lose.

213 Miles from Shea has a list of Players playing winter ball that Mets fans may be interested.

In Winter Ball Last night:

The one game in the Dominican where most of the Mets and Ex-Mets are playing was rained out.

However, the Australian Baseball League is now under way!

So far two Mets Minor League players have seen action, Jeremy Vasquez and Rule 5 eligible, Hansel Moreno.

In two games so far, Jeremy, who played first base for St. Lucie and Binghamton, is 0 for 5 with one walk, one strikeout.

Hansel Moreno has 1 hit, a double, in 5 at-bats in two games with one walk, one strikeout.  Hansel split time at shortstop for St. Lucie and Columbia in 2019.

We will continue to keep an eye on these players and all the Mets players this winter.

UltimateMets has this date in Mets History:

Born on this date:

• Sandy Alderson (1947)
• Rich Chiles (1949)
• Lee Guetterman (1958)
• Gene Walter (1960)
• Jay Payton (1972)
• Ricky Ledee (1973)

Transactions:
Baltimore Orioles signed Sid Fernandez of the New York Mets as a free agent on November 22, 1993.

New York Mets signed free agent Mike Remlinger on November 22, 1993.

Colorado Rockies signed LaTroy Hawkins of the New York Mets as a free agent on November 22, 2013.

Mack’s Mets Blast From the Past - With the signing of Yasmani Grandal yesterday, I thought it would be fitting to look at Mack’s post from November 2009 that looked at the catchers in the (at that time) next June 2010 Draft.

Want more?  Check out https://sportspyder.com/mlb/new-york-mets/news. 

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