John From Albany – Mets Breakfast Links 2/6/2020

The Players are arriving into Spring Training camps and those spring training quotes are starting.  Also, Jordany Valdespin had a big night in the Caribbean Series but the big news is still the Sale/No Sale of the Mets to Steve Cohen. 

Per the NY Times: “For years now, fans and followers of the Mets — and even residents of the New York region with no interest in baseball — have grown accustomed to seeing team agreements that seemed like sure things change significantly at the last minute. So when word began to circulate on Tuesday night that a deal to sell the team to Steve Cohen, a billionaire hedge fund owner, was in danger of collapsing, there was a certain familiarity to the reports.”

Faith and Fear in Flushing says: Maybe Not, Virginia. “Believe in Santa Cohen? You’d be better off believing in Polar Bears, Squirrels and Buffaloes. At least you’ve seen those.”

About the Cohen sale saga - Metstradamus said: ”Did anyone really believe that the Wilpons willfully leaving the Mets behind after a sale was going to happen? Really???...THAT is why you never get excited until the ink is dry on the contract. If you were one of those people, then I feel bad for you. But if this is your first time figuring this out, then you haven’t been a Mets fan very long. I feel bad for you, because you are now just realizing how disillusioned you really are. And if you don’t feel that way now, then either you’ve become numb like me, or I really feel bad for you.”

Per Deesha Thosar of the NY Daily News: “According to a source familiar with the situation, the Wilpons wanted team control beyond the five years they agreed to and also wanted to extend their control of SNY, the Mets’ cable network, for longer than the 20-year rights deal. The Wilpons’ desire for extensions late in the process caused Cohen to walk out of the deal. Cohen is still willing to restore negotiations, but only if they are under his terms and possibly only if those discussions involve immediate control as majority owner, according to a source.”

Per Elite Sports NY: Steve Cohen hopes Wilpons call him back to finish New York Mets sale.

Also per Elite Sports NY: “Luis Rojas believes Jake Marisnick will ‘help them win games’. “He’s going to help us win games. He is a great asset, a great outfielder and he’s got so much potential with the bat and I know we are going to maximize it because we have great hitting coaches [in Chili Davis and Tom Slater].”

Per the NY Post: Brodie Van Wagenen has a new strategy to restore Mets glory – “One of the many learning lessons I had from 2019 is the small marginal difference between winning and losing,’’ Van Wagenen told The Post. “Good teams capitalize on the small things and teams that lose games miss out on execution of the small things.”

Matthew Cerrone of MetsBlog has: 3 reasons why Mets' Noah Syndergaard is primed to dominate in 2020.  1) He'll have a new pitching coach - I'm sure Dave Eiland, who was fired last summer, is a nice, smart man, but I have zero doubt Syndergaard had an issue working with him. 2) He'll be reunited with Rene Rivera.  3) He has momentum and more support.

SNY.TV had video of Jeurys Familia saying "Our bullpen is the best bullpen right now in the big leagues," said Familia. "If everybody's healthy, I think we're going to do something special this year, to win a lot of games."  Same link has Edwin Diaz talking about working with Pedro Martinez lower on that page.

Kevin Kernan of the NY Post interviewed Edwin Diaz who said: “My head is good,’’ Diaz told The Post of the challenge of pitching in New York. “It’s going to be different this year. It’s going to be much better. I love New York. It’s the Big Apple and this year I am ready. I am so excited for the season.’’

SNY.TV had video with the sights of Spring Training. Two videos on this page including Yoenis Cespedes taking a stroll.

Amazing Avenue One last Move: Collin McHugh.

Rising Apple asks: “Could Brodie Van Wagenen get anything back in a Tomas Nido  trade?”

Per the NY Post: Mr. Met will be on hand to pitch the opening of the Bloomberg campaign’s new office at 39-36 Bay Boulevard in Bayside, Queens Thursday night.

Last Word on Baseball discussed a new divisional alignment where the Mets and Yankees are in the same division.  This has been brought up from time to time.  No thanks. 

12up.com says: “Red Sox Have Been Completely Cursed Since Some Idiot Broke Their 2018 World Series Trophy With a Beer Can.”

The Ringer.com discussed the utter disgrace of the Mookie Betts trade. “This is a salary dump, and not from some woebegone Midwestern also-ran, but from the Boston Goddamn Red Sox. The most successful franchise of the past 15 years—a business concern that appreciates in value year-by-year run at a grotesque profit by hideously wealthy men—has announced that it won’t make a credible effort to compete, in the hopes that a public blinded by regional partisanship and hatred of player wealth will believe that it is in fact too poor to compete. The average ticket price at Fenway Park is going up next year, by the way.”

Per Yahoo Sports: “Why even own a baseball team if you’re going to trade Mookie Betts?”

Brian Joura of Mets 360 looked at the Mookie Betts trade thinking about the man the Mets almost hired as GM, Chaim Bloom.

213 Miles from Shea continued the 2019 Prospect review with number 20, Eric Hanhold. "Eric Hanhold was DFA’d by the Mets in September to make room for Donnie Hart, a move widely regarded as poor roster management. Eric Hanhold was then picked up by the Orioles who then DFA’d him this winter but no one else picked him up (the Mets let this opportunity to un-do their previous move slip by) so Hanhold is now off the Orioles roster and has an NRI to spring training."

Per MLB Trade Rumors:

Yankees left-hander James Paxton Out Three To Four Months Following Back Surgery.

MLB Trade Rumors had 4 Interesting Buy-Low Starters: Taijuan Walker; Matt Harvey; Danny Salazar; Aaron Sanchez.

The Phillies claimed ex-Mets righty Deolis Guerra off outright waivers from the Brewers/designated right-hander J.D. Hammer for assignment.

The Phillies have re-signed right-hander Blake Parker to a minor league contract.

The Braves have won their arbitration hearing against right-handed reliever Shane Greene, the Associated Press reports. He’ll now earn the $6.25MM salary figure submitted by the Braves rather than the $6.75MM salary for which he filed.

Veteran catcher Nick Hundley Intends To Play In 2020.

Rockies Sign Ubaldo Jimenez, Tim Collins To Minor League Contracts.

MLB Trade Rumors had how “On Feb. 5, 2014, the Dodgers agreed to a minor league contract with third baseman Justin Turner.”

Winter Ball:

Yesterday was day five of the seven day Caribbean series in Puerto Rico. 

Venezuela beat Panama 2-0 (box).

Mexico over Columbia 4-0. (box).

The Dominican Republic beat Puerto Rico 5-4 (box).

Jordany Valdespin went 2 for 4 with five RBIs on a three run homer and a double that drove in two more. 

Raul Valdes started for the Dominican Republic went 3.2 innings giving up 6 hits, 4 runs, with one strikeout.

Ramon E. Ramirez got the save with a scoreless ninth inning, one hit, one strikeout.

Venezuela, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic now each are 4-1 in the series.  Puerto Rico is 2-3, Panama is 1-4 and Columbia is 0-5.

The semi-finals are today with the finals on Friday.

Mack’s Blast From the Past comes from February 6, 2012 – Mack Looked at the Flushing 14 - These are the prospects that need to step up beginning this April and return the Mets to a playoff team by 2014.  Included in the list: Matt Harvey.

Per Ultimatemets.com:

Died on this date:

• Ralph Kiner (2014)

Transactions:
New York Mets traded A. J. Burnett, Jesus Sanchez and Robert Stratton to the Florida Marlins for Al Leiter and Ralph Milliard on February 6, 1998.

New York Mets signed free agent Nelson Figueroa on February 6, 2008.

New York Mets signed free agent Dale Thayer of the Tampa Bay Rays on February 6, 2011.

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