Winter meeting updates on the anniversary of one of the Mets
worst winter meeting trades – Nolan Ryan (and others) for Jim Fregosi.
Brodie
Van Wagenen met with the Media and SNY.TV had video. Quick highlights: On Jake Marisnick: “Center
field, left field, right field, he's a plus defender in all three.” On
Cespedes: “He started his running progression. He started his throwing and
obviously his hitting, and hopefully he can continue to move forward.” Zack
Wheeler: “…over the course of the last six weeks it started to become more
clear that the price point was going to go beyond how we valued him." The offseason started in July: “I think that
part of our offseason strategy started in July. We traded for Marcus Stroman
recognizing that starting pitching was going to be expensive and difficult to
acquire…”.
About
Jake Marisnick, Mack’s Mets Tom Brennan asked yesterday: “Is Jake Marisnick
Really Just Keon the Second?”
The
NY Daily News also had how Cespedes is progressing asking: “Is it still too
soon for fans to start dreaming of a lineup that consists of Cespedes and
2019’s MLB home run leader in Pete Alonso? For these 2020 Mets, it’s all about
dreaming big.”
The
NY Post’s Kevin Davidoff says Brodie is letting the Mets fall behind. As noted “Until the Mets’ imperfect savior
arrives, though? As Cosmo Kramer once advised, look away. They’re hideous.”
USA
Today had a story listing the GM’s on the hot seat at the winter meetings. Brodie was not included!
From
MLB Trade Rumors the latest news in the NL East is how the Nationals retained
Steven Strasburg. “It’s a stunning seven-year deal that guarantees the
Scott Boras client a whopping $245MM, per Jeff Passan of ESPN.com.”
MLB
Trade Rumors also had that the Mets signed catcher David Rodriguez to a minors
pact with an invitation to MLB camp, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. Rodriguez, 23, spent his first seven professional seasons
in the Rays’ system, making it to the Double-A level in each of the past two
years. He hit .225/.303/.366 with seven homers over 295 PA in 2019.
SNY.TV’s
John Harper had three potential Dominick Smith trades. John had him going to the Red Sox with
Familia for Nathan Evoldi and Brandon Workman; going to the Blue Jay for Ken
Giles and Simon Woods-Richardson; Going with David Peterson to the Tigers for
Buck Farmer and Tarik Skubal.
Syracuse.com
had more on Tony DeFrancesco’s promotion to NY. “DeFrancesco said his
responsibilities in New York will include working with the catchers and base running
instruction.”
SNY.TV
said David Wright called Carlos Beltran “one of the smartest baseball men I
have been around.”
Lohud
says that Hensley Meulens goes from one extreme to another (working with
the Veteran Manager Bruce Bochy to new manager Carlos Beltran).
Mets 360 looked at how
the Mets minor leagues may stack up after teams are reduced in 2021. In the writer’s opinion “baseball could
likely get rid of either the Advanced Rookie League or the Short Season A
league and not greatly impact the development process.”
MLB.com
has a great preview of the Rule 5 draft coming up this Thursday. We will have more about this later in the
week. The article lists the
following Mets minor leaguers are potential targets - Shervyen Newton, INF; Patrick
Mazeika, C; Desmond Lindsay, OF; Luis Carpio, 2B/SS. I would include Matt Blackham and Harol
Gonzalez as well.
No Games in the Dominican Republic last night due to the
All-Star break. Ex-Met Jordany
Valdespin was named player of the week in the Dominican after
hitting .471 last week.
Faith
and Fear in Flushing had Jordany as their #57 top 100 Mets of the decade. “It’s
been a while since they made Characters of the Game like they used to, but in
2012 and ’13, Jordany Valdespin presented himself as a throwback, whether he
meant to or not. At bat, he was lightning in a bottle, setting the Met season
record for pinch homers (5) as a rookie…By the middle of 2013, the lightning in
the bottle was losing its fizz and after a testy exchange of NSFW words with
Terry Collins, Jordany Valdespin could be termed an ex-Met right now.”
UltimateMets has this
date in Mets History:
Born on this date:
- Doc Edwards (1936)
- Ted Martinez (1947)
- Doug Henry (1963)
- Mel Rojas (1966)
- Dan Wheeler (1977)
- Victor Diaz (1981)
Transactions:
New York Mets traded Nolan
Ryan, Leroy Stanton, Francisco
Estrada and Don
Rose to the California
Angels for Jim
Fregosi on December 10, 1971.
From
National Pastime.com: In one of the worst deals in franchise history, the
Mets trade Nolan Ryan and three prospects to the Angels for six-time All-Star
third baseman Jim Fregosi. The fireballer from Texas will set the all-time
strikeout record (5,714) and will become a member of the Hall of Fame, while
their new 30 year-old infielder (.232, 5, 32) plays less than two full seasons
in New York, providing little help for the team.
New
York Mets traded Mike
Scott to the Houston Astros for Danny
Heep on December 10, 1982.
New
York Mets traded Hubie
Brooks, Mike Fitzgerald, Herm
Winningham and Floyd Youmans to
the Montreal
Expos for Gary
Carter on December 10, 1984.
St. Louis
Cardinals drafted Clint
Hurdle from the Mets on December 10, 1985.
New
York Mets traded Hubie
Brooks to the California
Angels for Dave
Gallagher on December 10, 1991.
New
York Mets signed free agent Frank
Tanana of the Detroit Tigers on
December 10, 1992.
New
York Mets traded Marc Kroon and Randy Curtis to the San Diego Padres for Frank
Seminara, Tracy Sanders and Pablo Martinez on December 10, 1993.
New
York Mets traded Chuck
McElroy to the Baltimore
Orioles for Jesse
Orosco on December 10, 1999.
Pittsburgh
Pirates signed Derek
Bell of the New York Mets as a free agent on
December 10, 2000.
New
York Mets signed free agent Kaz
Matsui on December 10, 2003.
Texas Rangers signed Richard
Hidalgo of the New York Mets as a free agent on
December 10, 2004.
Washington
Nationals signed Paul
Lo Duca of the New York Mets as a free agent on
December 10, 2007.
New
York Mets signed free agent Francisco
Rodriguez of the Los Angeles
Angels on December 10, 2008.
Want something else tracked here each day? Please leave a comment below.
9 comments:
I would like to trade Dom Smith for Ken Giles and Simeon Woods Richardson. We just saw how much mid to top tier free agent pitching costs. Giles would help the pen and SWR could join the Mets rotation in 2021 or 2022.
Brodie on Jake Marisnick: “Center field, left field, right field, he's a plus defender in all three.” I imagine BVW said the same exact thing this time last year about Keon.
I guess we will now soon know if Cespedes will be an asset for 2020, or remain a mirage.
Tom. Good points. Maybe Blake Tiernan could be this year's Ken Giles. A pitcher on the scrap heap that has a big rebound from last year.
I miss my 'blast from the past' link.
It will be back tomorrow Mr. Mack.
Here's your blast Mackster.
Derrick Cole deserves a lot more than just $40,000,000 a year from the Bronx bombers. How can anyone live on just that? Even the cost of milk keeps going up I tell ya'!
There is always a lot of press criticism on NY sports team's player personnel moves or even lack thereof.
I remain optimistic actually. Here's why.
The Mets are close to being the contender that they and every other MLB team wants to be in 2020. They have a really nice young nucleus that I felt came together very well second half of 2019. They aptly proved themselves and got noticed, and they are a force now to be reckoned with.
I don't see any one of them slipping backwards in 2020 because they are too talented.
This nonsense about trading JD Davis is to me absolutely ridiculous. JD is the real deal and can play third or left field. He has leadership qualities as well. Ideally, I'd like to see him on third starting in 2020. There is no reason why he couldn't be.
I think GM Brodie absolutely sees what needs to be done.
To me, I think adding a keen lefty starter, and one more really good reliever, preferably left handed but not necessarily so. I would not mind seeing three right handed starters and two lefty starters this season.
The GM is not going crazy so far making trades because I think that he sees this as so very close now that it is not necessary to shake the whole roster up to land 31+ year old free agent superstars who may not be so good come year 4 or 5 of a new contract.
In an ideal world.
Maybe just one well thought out trade would help considerably, like with Oakland for lefty starter AJ Puk, a 24 year old starter with a lot of promise and a 97 mph fastball. And then an up and coming MLB righty reliever perhaps like Miguel Romero.
Or a trade with Boston, for lefties Darwinzon Hernandez (who throws really hard but is not yet a finished young pitching product) but who could be quickly groomed with a little work. And then kid lefty starter Daniel McGrath, who showed much success in 2019 at the MiLB level.
Why I am emphasizing lefty pitchers so much?
For two reasons, the Mets lefties (namely Szapucki) may not be totally ready come Opening Day 2020, and because really good and hard throwing lefties (especially) are so very hard to find in today's MLB game.
With Steven Matz, we have all seen that he has the stuff to be a top-end starter here (which the Mets really need now) but his consistency still remains a bit of an issue. The Mets could really use a true number two slot lefty starter to go between deGrom and Syndergaard. This would allow Matz to assume the four slot, and another righty the fifth. It's the balance.
Kismets!
And then finally this too.
I am fine with the outfield as assembled, especially with the return of a healthy Yoenis Cespedes added back in.
This would give the Mets hopefully Yo', Nimmo, and Conforto to start and then if injuries did happen you also would have Dominic Smith s the fourth guy, with McNeil and Davis with decent enough outfield experience as well. Although to me, McNeil should start on second base and JD third base to open the season.
The Mets have Marisnick already off the bench as well. So I do see the Mets outfield as good and competent right now. However, the addition of a healthy Yoenis Cespedes would be outstanding for this team heading into 2020.
ST Invites
Tom Szapucki, Ali Sanchez, Kevin Smith, Harol Gonzales to begin with.
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