Before the Links, yesterday the wife of one of Mack’s Mets
best writers, Reese
Kaplan, posted a note in Mack’s open thread yesterday. Reese is recovering from an injury and “in
inpatient rehab. and is receiving PT, OT and Speech Therapy.” Our hopes and prayers are with Reese and his
family and hope he gets well soon.
Now the links:
The MLB contraction of Minor League cities just seems to
keep getting worse.
Minor
League Baseball released a memo responding to MLB’s proposal that Baseball
America detailed. If you
can’t read it on the Baseball America website, you can read it
on Twitter feed. Biggest
takeaways in my opinion: “few, if any, facilities deemed to be noncompliant”; “MLB
teams review and approve all travel itineraries for all MiLB affiliates”; Proposed
“Dream League” is not feasible; “MLB’s stance that they are subsidizing MiLB
teams is wildly inaccurate”;
NBC
Sports reported that Major League Baseball responded to MiLB’s memo by
threatening to walk away from Minor League Baseball entirely. MLB “threatened to simply drop any agreement
with Minor League Baseball and, presumably start its own minor league system
bypassing MiLB entirely”.
I keep going back to what Bill
Madden of the NY Daily News previously wrote: the action will result
in tons of bad will for baseball, lawsuits, hurt growth of the sport, all for
“the total savings for MLB from top to bottom would be roughly a $20 million in
an industry that grossed in between $11-12 billion in 2019 – or less than a
fifth of 1%.”
In
Today’s NY Daily News Bill Madden said: “Either way, the “120 plan” as
presently constituted or a whole new system would be absolute chaos. Another
directly-involved official summed it up this way: ‘What’s really going on is
that Manfred wants to control everything in baseball, from T-ball, to
international, to the Hall of Fame, and the minor leagues are standing in his
way.’” In the same article Bill talks
about pitch counts and how Cole and Strasburg received big contracts with hardly
ever throwing a complete game.
The
Albany Times Union had a recent story on the contraction that includes photos
from the old Albany-Colonie Yankees games.
“Our team (the Tri-City Valley Cats), as it turns out, seems to be a
rare winner in all this, moving from its current short-season schedule to one
that plays the full length of the baseball season – although I could argue that
nobody wins when baseball is played upstate in April.”
In Other news/posts this morning:
Metstradamus,
one of the best in the business, says the Winter meeting could have been a lot worse
for Mets fans. “Take Rick Porcello
for instance: Porcello was a one-year $10 million signing to be the fifth
starter. Considering that this signing could have been a two year deal not
unlike the ones signed by Todd Frazier, Jason Vargas and Jed Lowrie, I’ll take
what Porcello signed for.”
Rising
Apple Grades the Mets Winter Meetings. Michael Wacha signing C, Rick
Porcello signing B-, not adding a relief pitcher D.
Ken
Davidoff had the winners and losers at the Winter Meetings. Winners: Scott Boras, Yankees, Phillies, Josh
Donalson, the Hall of Fame. Losers:
Dodgers, Astros, Cubs, Yoenis Cespedes, English majors.
Tim
Healy of Newsday says the Mets are counting on a lot of “ifs” to improve the
bullpen. “The Mets’ bullpen, as it stands now, has enough talent to be good
— but that is based on a lot of ifs. If Diaz and Familia bounce back. If Lugo
and Justin Wilson don’t regress. If Brad Brach looks more like his 2012-18
self. If Gsellman pitches better than his 4.45 ERA the past two seasons. If any
of the Mets’ less experienced relievers establish themselves as legitimate
major-leaguers.”
Elite
Sports NY says the Rick Porcello signing is an incredible risk. “the Mets would have been unable to address
their concerns within their bullpen, thanks to the signing of Porcello...Given
the Mets’ current payroll restrictions, Van Wagenen is taking a huge risk in
Porcello. The 30-year-old is coming off the worst season of his career and is
scheduled to earn the third-highest salary within the Mets’ starting rotation.”
Amazing
Avenue looks at Dellin Betances for the Mets. “Don’t let the injury scare
you away: Betances is still an elite reliever who can provide tremendous
results at a potential bargain. He was a four-time All Star from 2014-2017 and
has a career 14.6 K/9. In his career, he owns a 2.36 ERA, a 2.31 FIP, a 1.04
WHIP, and a career 11.6 bWAR in 381.2 innings.”
Metsmerized
had an interview with Left Handed Binghamton Rumble Ponies Pitcher, Kevin Smith. It is possible he could be on the Mets
sometime in 2020 and will probably start the season in Syracuse.
The Mets Police had his take on the Cespedes reduction.
To make Mets Fans panic, Forbes.com had an article how Steve Cohen may give the Wilpons $1.5 Billion and never take control as the majority ownership has to be approved by MLB.
As Yahoo Sports reported, the sale is likely to be approved by MLB.
The Mets Police had his take on the Cespedes reduction.
To make Mets Fans panic, Forbes.com had an article how Steve Cohen may give the Wilpons $1.5 Billion and never take control as the majority ownership has to be approved by MLB.
As Yahoo Sports reported, the sale is likely to be approved by MLB.
Last night In the Dominican league.
Adonis
Uceta, after not pitching since November 7th, was back in
action for the Leones
del Escogido.
The Syracuse Mets and Binghamton Rumble Ponies pitcher
continued his great winter record with another scoreless inning in an 8-2 loss
(box)
to the Tigres
del Licey. Coming in to pitch
the top of he 9th with his team down 8-1, Adonis induced two
straight popups to the second baseman, gave up a single and then struck-out the
final batter to end the inning.
In total this Winter, Adonis
Uceta is 1-0; 0.00 ERA; 9 games; 7.1 innings; 3 hits; 2 unearned
runs; 6 walks; 7 Ks.
One of Mack’s picks to keep an eye in the Dominican League,
Adonis last year in Binghamton secured 7 out of 9 save opportunities, going 5-3
with a 1.44 ERA. Like a number of the
Binghamton pitchers, he struggled when he was called up to Syracuse giving up 5
hits and 5 runs in 1.1 innings pitched.
In that same game, playing for the
Tigres
del Licey was 2019 Syracuse Mets Arismendy
Alcantara. Arismendy hit a
homerun and is hitting .271 in 34 games in the Dominican. He was one of my favorite Syracuse Mets last
year and is currently a minor league free agent.
No Mets Pitcher appeared last night in the Toros Del Este where Phil Regan is the pitching coach. Daniel Zamora has been the most active there. Tyler Bashlor and Chris Mazza have also appeared as well as new Mets minor leaguer Pedro Payano.
No Mets Pitcher appeared last night in the Toros Del Este where Phil Regan is the pitching coach. Daniel Zamora has been the most active there. Tyler Bashlor and Chris Mazza have also appeared as well as new Mets minor leaguer Pedro Payano.
Mack’s
Mets blast from the past comes from December 2010: Dave
Rubin has an extensive review of top 2010 Baseball Books.
Born on this date:
- Art Howe (1946)
- Mo Vaughn (1967)
- Scott Copeland (1987)
Transactions:
New York Mets traded Lee Walls to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Charlie Neal and Willard Hunter on December 15, 1961.
New York Mets traded Lee Walls to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Charlie Neal and Willard Hunter on December 15, 1961.
New York Mets traded Tommy
Davis, Jack
Fisher, Billy
Wynne and Buddy Booker to
the Chicago White Sox for Tommie
Agee and Al
Weis on December 15, 1967.
New York Mets traded John
Pacella and Jose
Moreno to the San Diego Padres for Randy
Jones on December 15, 1980.
New York Mets traded Bob
Ojeda and Greg Hansell to
the Los Angeles Dodgers for Hubie
Brooks on December 15, 1990.
San Francisco
Giants signed Edgardo
Alfonzo of the New York Mets as a free agent on
December 15, 2002.
New York Mets traded Rey
Ordonez to the Tampa Bay Devil
Rays for Russ Johnson and Josh Pressley on
December 15, 2002.
Mets drafted Eric
Valent from the Cincinnati Reds on
December 15, 2003. (FYI, Eric is one of the few Mets to hit for the cycle.)
Pittsburgh Pirates signed Roberto
Hernandez of the New York Mets as a free agent on
December 15, 2005.
Want something else tracked here each day?
Please leave a comment below.
5 comments:
MLB looks like heartless money grabbers with MILB, but we’ll see how it goes.
Amazing Leathersich signed with Cubs 4 years ago already - time flies. He showed you that Ks in minors don’t always mean much.
Cespedes salary reduction gives Mets wiggle room? Yes, sign Betances.
I am leading off Monday with a post on Reese.
Hi,
I just wanted to let you know I read your article every morning and I enjoy it very much. Thanks.
Thanks Raw.
Mack
I just read your prognostications for 2020 and agree with most. However, we have to remember that this team has more than one key younger player that can play multiple positions and that in all fairness these jobs (for once) could be won in spring training via competition, which is every team's ideal.
Here's my own thoughts on starters and backups.
1B Alonso/Smith
2B McNeil/Cano (a sort of platoon with Robinson Cano playing here maybe a couple of games each six game cycle, because he did really well last season with suitable rest and he could also play a game each week on third base resting that position's starter and be a superb pinch hit batter in key game situations. The team needs that.
SS Amed (Totally agree with you here.)
3B JD Davis/McNeil It's a position JD prefers and why he was brought in here to begin with, so let's see in ST.
LF Smith/McNeil Dominic Smith deserves the first shot at left field. Dominic can obviously hit, and with power that should only grow.
CF Nimmo/Conforto Brandon has not yet established his talent ceiling and to give up on him would be most foolish. He simply gets on base at a very high rate, and his glove is better than he gets credit for.
RF Conforto/Nimmo
C Ramos/ Ali Sanchez
It's the same basic players really as you had mentioned, just where I might prefer seeing them start. I do not see this team's 25-man team as finite yet, because there could conceivably even be more trades to come.
So what's left here perhaps?
Believe it or not the 2020 NY Mets are in very good shape. The Rick Porcello (2015 CY Young Award Winner) and Michael J. Macha were tremendously good acquisitions that really stengthen this 2020 Mets team, I concur. But Mack, there could potentially be another trade involving another starter, because the Mets do need to get younger soon in the pitching department point and the Mets could do this.
I think the idea of acquiring Dellin Betances makes wonderful sense, as it has too been mentioned on a lot of websites lately.
With the Porcello and wacha acquisitions, both Gsellman and Lugo will probably be able to remain in the Mets bullpen, where they have shown quite strongly the past two seasons. I hope to maybe see both lefty starters Kevin Smith and Tom Szapucki with invites to the NY Mets 2020 ST.
All looks exceedingly bright here. Happy are these Holidays for certain! Play Ball!
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