Biggest story yesterday was news that the Mets
want to dump bad contracts.
Centering
around a Jon Heyman tweet, and Ken Rosenthal article in the Athletic, Metsmerized
and the Bleacher
Report had how the Mets are thinking about giving up Dom Smith to dump the of
the Jeurys Familia or Jed Lowrie contracts.
Bleacher Report goes on to say: “With little money to spend, Rosenthal
reported that the Mets are considering an in-house concept that would include
matching bad salaries with other low-cost players: ‘As the Mets try to clear
money for other moves, here's a concept they are considering, according to
major league sources: Trading infielder Jed Lowrie and/or reliever Jeurys
Familia by packaging him with a low-cost, zero-to-three year player such as
first baseman Dom Smith.’”
Mets
Daddy put all the blame for the Mets payroll problems on last year’s Robinson
Cano trade: “Robinson Cano Trade May
Cost Mets Dominic Smith.” He goes on to
say “The Cano trade has so far meant the Mets do not get to see Jarred Kelenic
play in Queens. It has meant the Mets will not be able to just replace Zack
Wheeler in the rotation with Justin Dunn while using their money to fill other
needs. One of those needs is now the fifth starter spot, and right now, Wheeler
is not going to be a part of that equation.”
Esteemed writes, please stop offering up J.D. Davis in
trades. As
noted previously, “In 2019, JD Davis
had the best year in Citi Field’s 11 year history hitting .354 with 16 HRs and
33 RBIs in 206 at bats. Furthermore,
while most Mets hit far better on the road, JD hit almost 100 points less on
the road, .260 with 6 HRs and 24 RBIs. Compare
that for instance to Pete Alonso who hit .297 on the road in 2019 to .218 at
Citi Field.”
Reflections
on Baseball says that the quiet Mets winter makes you wonder. “Is the eerie
quiet a buildup to something big – or does indecision once again stymie them…”
The
Empire Writes back thinks some former Yanks can help the Mets: Dellin
Betances, Austin Romine, and Brett Gardner.
Joel
Sherman of the NY Post said that the new free agents may help Mets with their
creative strategy.
MLB Trade Rumors broke
down the skills of the recently non-tendered pitchers: Hardest Thowers
- Blake Treinen, RHP: 96.7; Top Strikeout Arms - Yimi Garcia:
26.7 K%, 9.53 K/9; Fewest Walks - Josh Osich:
5.5 BB/9, 2.00 BB/9; Best Groundball Rates - Alex Claudio:
57.4; Least Hard Contact - Alex
Claudio: 30.2.
MLB.com
broke down 9 of the recently non-tendered players, potential Mets target Blake Treinen is included.
The
Mets Police has a post comparing past Cubs and Red Sox Baseball Conventions
(with lots of pictures and details of those conventions) to the upcoming Mets
baseball convention. Real quick, those
are way better than what the Mets plan to do.
In Winter League games last night:
After starting in his last two appearances, Chris
Mazza came in relief to pitch two innings and get the win in a Toros
Del Este, 8-2 win (box). He went 2 innings giving up 1 run on 1 hit, no
walks, two Ks.
Entering in the top of the fourth, the first batter reached
on an error, then Chris Mazza gave up a single with the runner moving to third,
the next batter hit into a double play which allowed the runner to scrore. Chris struck out former Marlins and Red Sox Hanley
Ramirez to end the inning.
In the fifth, Chris faced the minimum with a strikeout and
two ground outs.
Overall this winter, Chris Mazza is 1-1, with a 3.38 ERA, 5
games, 10.2 innings, 15 hits, 5 runs, 4 earned runs, 2 walks, 10 Ks.
As
North Jersey.com reported this past summer: “Mazza spent eight long years
in the minors before debuting for the Mets earlier this season, then spending
more time with the club recently. With all we hear about long bus rides, low
pay and the other drawbacks of that not-so-glamorous life, it seems incredible
that someone would do it for so long.”
The Mets picked up Chris from the minor league portion of
the rule five draft last winter. In this
phase the player is not required to be added to the major league roster. With the current Mets roster filled at 40,
this may be an option for the Mets in next week’s draft.
UltimateMets has this
date in Mets History:
Born on this date:
- Tucker Ashford (1954)
- Stan Jefferson (1962)
- Carlos Gomez (1985)
Transactions:
New York Mets traded Jack DiLauro to the Detroit Tigers for Hector Valle on December 4, 1968.
Kansas City Royals signed Dan
Schatzeder of the New York Mets as a free agent on
December 4, 1990.
Boston Red Sox drafted Joe
Crawford from the Mets on December 4, 1995.
New York Mets traded Butch
Huskey to the Seattle Mariners for Lesli Brea on
December 4, 1998.
New York Mets traded Willie
Blair to the Detroit Tigers for Joe Randa on
December 4, 1998.
New York Mets signed free agent Gustavo
Molina of the Baltimore Orioles on
December 4, 2007.
New York Mets signed free agent Raul
Casanova on December 4, 2007.
New York Mets signed free agent Henry
Blanco of the San Diego Padres on
December 4, 2009.
Want something else tracked here each day? Please leave a comment below.
McNeil article makes a good point - the salary structure is unfair.
ReplyDeleteHe won't be a free agent until age 33 - there probably should be a rule that any player becomes a free agent if 31 years of age by the end of the season, since baseball performance is so utterly age-limited.
If Dom Smith got included in a salary dump deal involving Familia or Lowrie, it would be another ripple effect of the Cano trade. The calculus of the Cano deal HAD to be that year one would be GREAT and justify the trade. Now, Cano is a year older, and Diaz had a bad 2019, so the GREAT season was a bad one.
ReplyDeleteShort of a miraculous and sustained turnaround by Cano and Diaz, the trade will be remembered as a ripple effect disaster.
Agreed Tom. But feel Brodie's biggest mistake was firing Fonzie. Pitching, speed, and defense wins and it is cost effective. Fonzie showed what can happen when you do those things and Brodie dismissed it though the evidence was right in front of him.
ReplyDeleteTrading Smith to get another team take your bad contracts is an utter disgrace.
ReplyDeleteI hope I'm wrong but BVW seems more and more like he trying to be the smartest guy in the room to make up for no prior GM experience and of course we've also tried that same formula with Callaway and now Beltran instead of going with experience and I hope it's not just for financial reasons but us fans know better. Look the amazing seasons of Alsonso and McNeil saved his ass (can I say that here?) but the Cano deal will hurt for years.
ReplyDelete"Cohen in serious negotiations to buy 80percent of the Mets?" I usually believe the opposite of what the truth whore ny times says, but let's hope!
ReplyDelete