Welcome back and thank you for continuing to read this
Initial Operations Manual that we’ve prepared for you. We know you have a short
memory, which is what it takes to get the specters of Jeff and Fred Wilpon out
of your mind, in spite of their continuing to hold 5% of your organization.
In this portion of your manual, we are going to briefly
review your most important on-field assets, your major league roster and minor
league organization. In part three of this manual, you will learn about your
current on-field management team (Manager, Coaches, etc) as well as your most
vital asset, your rabid fanbase!! For now, let’s move forward and discuss your
players, because after spending so much money and winning the ownership bid,
and after digesting the team’s financial state (gulp!!) it’s now vital for you
to know what you have actually purchased!!
CURRENT 40-MAN ROSTER
When you purchase a new car and find out some hidden gadget
that you didn’t know the car had, or learn that the estimated mileage is
actually even better than what the manufacturer promised, you get that great
feeling of having received even more than what you thought you were buying!! Or
when your daughter all of a sudden starts singing at the age of 6 and you learn
she has the voice of an angel, adding even more to the great love you already
have for her! Well, guess what??? Neither of those feelings will be yours when
you see your 40-Man Roster in person.
Now don’t get buyer’s remorse, as there
is plenty to be happy about in both the composition of this roster as well as
the ability to supplement it pretty easily. Again, it’s gonna take Money!
Money! Money! to make that happen, but as we’ve discussed, you haven’t come
this far and spent this much to get feet of clay now. So, in order to properly
perform your evaluation, we need to look at this in 6 parts – infield,
outfield, catcher, starting pitching, bullpen and bench. We will look at the
minor league side in the second part of this manual entry, so don’t jump ahead.
Infield
You’ll be happy to know that your infield is, and will
potentially remain, a great strength of your roster. Jeff McNeil, who can be
comfortably slotted in a second base or third, is the mainstay of your infield,
and we recommend your keeping him there. It would necessitate moving Robinson Cano to a more permanent DH role, but would result in a far better
defensively-aligned infield and outfield, as McNeil hasn’t looked more than
serviceable in left field. We will talk about his back-up, one Luis Guillorme,
in the bench portion but just be aware that Luis has amazing talent in the
field and, if given the chance, we believe he will prove to be more than
adequate at bat as well.
Moving on, shortstop is going to be a position you
will need to make a determination about, not just for the coming season but for
a number of years into the future. You see, both BVW and his predecessor, Sandy
Alderson, invested quite a bit of draft and international free agent capital on
the signing and development of players who call shortstop home, including the
puzzling incumbent Amed Rosario. Rosario had a helluva great second half to the
2019 season, and a lot was expected of him moving into 2020.
Whether it was the
long delay or whether 2019 was a mirage, we don’t know, but Roasrio once more
looks over-matched so far in 2020. His bat has not been a plus, while his
defense remains somewhat of a strength, particularly his throwing arm. And that
is where the big question mark comes in – do you keep him at shortstop,
especially with young Andres Gimenez performing so well and so smoothly in his
first taste of the bigs, or do you try him out this offseason in centerfield,
his arm and speed potentially serving him well in the position change?
This is
a question that we are more than happy to help you with, should you agree to
hire us on in a more permanent role, but it’s one that you’re just going to
have to make a decision on because, not only is Gimenez already here, but
within a short period of time you’re going to see 4 players, Ronny Mauricio,
Brett Baty, Mark Vientos and Shervyen Newton in play for 2 positions, shortstop
and third base, not including incumbents Rosario, Gimenez and JD Davis at
third. We will discuss these prospects in the next part of our Manual, but this
is truly an embarrassment of riches that is going to need some skillful
decision-making, and fast.
Continuing our tour of the infield, first base is in the
most capable of hands, in fact, not two of them but FOUR of them!! In Pete Alonso, the Rookie of the Year in 2019, and Dom Smith, a former first round
draft pick with potentially the best all around bat in the organization, you
have two players that could crack the line-ups of almost every team in the
majors. Pete brings a super power-bat to the table, as well as much-improved
defense and his enthusiasm and clicking with the fanbase provide a great marketing
asset that the team has already seen a great return-on-investment in so far.
With Smith, who finally was receiving some much-deserved playing time in left
field in 2019 saw his season end due to injury, robbing him of regular playing
time upon his return. Thankfully his ’19 performance and weight loss left a
great impression on the organization, as he quickly became a semi-regular at
the start of the ’20 season, leading them in home runs and RBI’s as late as
August 18th of 2020 (this manual was created in late August 2020, in
order to give your new ownership group a jump on 2021 so we based this on
numbers current with that time.)
Smith provides a steady hand at first in
Alonso’s absence, and should you plan to provide Alonso with more time at DH,
Smith would prove to be an upgrade in the field in spite of Pete’s great
strides. Smith is also a great teammate, as even though Alonso received the
lion’s share of playing time in ’19, Smith was his biggest cheerleader and he
cemented a great place in the clubhouse with his genuine enthusiasm and big
heart. And he’s proven the naysayers wrong, particularly one Keith Law, as he
showed that he could indeed, should the need arise on a more permanent basis,
the ability to play a good and possibly very good left field, provided he
receive the practice time.
Finishing off the tour of our infield, we end with one JD Davis at third, last but not least of this impressive unit. Davis, a steal of a
deal for BVW, has shown improved defense at his natural position, third, and
with a strong arm and better than expected athleticism his huge bat plays well
at this position for at least the near future, or until one of Baty, Vientos or
Mauricio moves him off of the hot corner. Davis was a truly present surprise in
2019, a vital part of the line-up in 2020 and hopefully a long-term cog in this
excellent machine.
Finally, the old vet of the bunch, Robinson Cano, remains
the most volatile of subjects in this group. He looked older than his 36 years
during most of 2019, with injuries robbing him of his two hot streaks and him
appearing in the second least games of his career, 107, only one year after
appearing in THE least games of his career, 80, the year before, due to a
suspension for steroids.
That suspension cast a huge cloud over his
once-assured hall of fame career, as there have been few second basemen with
over 1200 runs, 2600 hits, 565 doubles, 328 homers, 1285 RBI’s, a .303 batting
average and a .353 OBP. He was a rookie-of-the year runner-up, 5-time silver
slugger, world series champion, 2 time gold glove winner, 2 time defensive
player of the year award, received many MVP votes over the year, 8 all-star
appearances and a one-time anchor of the Yankees infield. Now, at 37 and
dealing with another injury, Cano has looked far more like his award-winning
old self and far less like the diminishing old star of last year.
How long will
that continue? Especially without the benefit of steroids? That’s anyone’s
guess, but with so much talent on hand and so much more coming up, his days as
a full time second-sacker are well behind him. Now the question is, can you get
enough at-bats for him and Smith/Alonso at the DH spot in 2021? If not, your
only choices are trading him, which, with his contract is NOT going to happen,
or release him and pay him a fortune to no longer play for you.
Look, you’ve
spent upwards of two billion dollars on this purchase (don’t worry, we won’t
disclose any of the bidding info nor the real, final purchase price unless you
do, first) so writing off another thirty or forty mil at this point will give you
at the least a tax write-off. Unless, of course, Cano’s stabilizing influence
and his existing skill-set make a case for you keeping him on the team. To that
end, your spending cap will definitely be something you’re going to worry
about, but at least his acquisition will be attributed to the old regime
(should you move on from BVW) or a mistake due to the former owners wanting to
win now at the cost of the future. Whichever way you go, it’s the lesser of two
evils. We recommend not holding onto this asset after the 2021 season,
regardless of how much money his buy-out will cost you.
In summary, infield good now, can be very good; long-term
infield prospects look good, probably very, very good and eventually this could
rival the much-beloved 1999 infield that is historically one of the best of
all-time!
Recommendations: Keep McNeil, Smith, Alonso and Davis in place, explore a trade for Rosario, move Gimenez into the shortstop role for now and figure out the paths for the many Infielders about ready to come up. Release Cano either now or at the end of 2021 if you don’t want to eat that much of the contract. Find a way to get Guillorme more innings at second and more at-bats.
Make sure
you do NOT trade Smith, and get him more playing time so he gets 500-plus
at-bats. Value defense far more than the current or prior regimes, as Gimenez
is the closest to Rey Ordonez defensively that we’ve ever seen, including Reyes
in his prime. He’s got to play every day, so if Rosario cannot move to center,
he’s got to be moved, even at a discounted rate. Most of all, keep this unit as
a strength and continue to develop top quality hitters and fielders at all
positions. Harder than it sounds, but pretty damn exciting to see the quality
of players coming up in the future here. It’s going to be a great problem to
have!!
Outfield
Talk about a mixed bag! You’ve inherited a player in
Michael Conforto who has all the talent in the world, who has been less than
consistent, and will be a free agent after the 2021 season. He is a very good
defender in right, and when he’s on a hot streak, his bat can carry a team. The
problem is those hot-streaks are followed by cold-or-lukewarm streaks and the
team needs him to be more consistent in order to keep him long-term. We are in
favor of signing him to a long-term deal (think 4 years with a fifth-year
option) in order to establish some consistency in your team’s weakest spot.
There are only 4 outfielders in your top 30 prospect ranking, and the highest
ranked, Pete-Crow Armstrong (number one pick in 2020) is only 18 and probably 3
years away from the bigs, at the very least. Therefore, it’s imperative that
Conforto anchors this unit for the next 4-5 years to come, Consider him your
first in-house signing.
In left field, and also sometimes in center (perhaps way
too many times) we present Mr Brandon Nimmo. Nimmo’s strength is his uncanny
ability to get on base, whether via a hit or a walk, and he does it all with a
joy that’s rarely seen on the ballfield. He has deceptive power, and his
outfield play in left is quite a bit better than his work in center. However,
with no real full-time choice at that position, Brandon, the great teammate
that he is, continues to go out there and play hard every day, as is his way. He’s
a prototypical lead-off hitter from the 80’s, and his great ability to get on
base is only minimalized by his team’s inability to drive in runs! Certainly
not his fault, Nimmo is a core player who deserves to be in that line-up every
day, batting lead-off, for many years to come. Signing him long-term will not
break the bank, and will send a great message to the players and fanbase alike.
That’s why it very well may take a
position change for a major legue-ready player to cover this spot now, at least
until 2023 when Crow-Armstrong will be ready to take over the spot for,
hopefully, 7 years plus.
Recommendations: Since
you cannot wait that long, with Rosario being tried in center with no
guarantees, we still need to think about possible replacements from outside the
organization. There is one attractive free agent Outfielder capable of playing
center, and he is Houston Astro George Springer. He’s a power bat and a decent
fielder with a great arm, and if you sign him to a 4 year deal with a 5th
year option, he can either move over to rightfield once Crow-Armstrong is
ready, or he could be trade bait at that time.
The only centerfielders who
might be able to be pried away via trade, and at a cost most probably greater
than you should be prepared to pay, are the Athletics Ramon Laureano, the
Indians Oscar Mercado or the Rangers Danny Santana. None of the three have a
need to trade these players, but if they were receiving the right package of
youngsters, all three have been known to wheel and deal, especially the
financially challenged A’s. These would again all be short-term fixes, but
would certainly be a better fix than having Nimmo playing out of position and
relying on flawed platoon players like Marisnick or Hamilton. You’re going to
need to pray every day that not only does Crow-Armstrong reach the heights
expected of him, but that he stays healthy and finds a way to develop fast
without the benefit of a 2020 professional season. A lot to ask for, but it’s a
key position and one the team needs desperately to fill.
Catcher
The current starter, Wilson Ramos, has been a quality player
for a number of years, but was never known for his athleticism nor speed. The
years haven’t been kind to him, as his body seemed to break down more and more
as the 2020 season unraveled. He has an option for 2021, but it’s not one that
you’re going to want to pick up, as while his quality of play decreases, the
play of back-up Tomas Nido increases.
Nido’s bat was at one time an asset, as
he won a minor league hitting title. That was seemingly dozens of years ago, if
you went by his prowess at the plate in 2019. Fast forward a year, and while he
will never be confused with Mike Piazza, his strong defense and improved
offense certainly has cemented his place as the back-up catcher for a number of
years. The future of this position is definitely going to be in good hands,
with top prospect Francisco Alvarez ready in or about 2023. His bat is very
advanced for an 18 year old, and the organization is working on his defense,
something that looks to be a plus by the time he hits the majors. He’s a great
future answer, but with 2021 coming fast, we will provide a strong
recommendation for you.
Recommendation: Sign JT Realmuto – period! BVW was his agent, and was desperate to land him via trade with the Marlins but wasn’t able to complete that transaction and he was moved to Philadelphia. He’s had an amazing season in 2020, and as a free agent will demand a large, probably 5-year deal. As the best two-way catcher in baseball, he’s worth it, and he would be a fantastic teacher for Alvarez when he’s ready to move up to the bigs. Again, you’ve spent the money to land this team, and this is one of three areas (Centerfield, catcher and starting pitching) where the only way to get into contention in 2021 is to buy your way there. It won’t be a permanent fix, but thankfully your team has enough really good young talent in the pipeline that, like the Dodgers, this will be a one-time, large expenditure.
Rotation
In 2020, the reality was that the days of an impactful,
homegrown rotation is very much a thing of the recent past. Matt Harvey and
Zach Wheeler are long gone, Noah Syndergaard is out from TJ Surgery until at
least July of 2021 and then becomes a free agent at the end of the season,
Steven Matz has proven to be too unreliable and that leaves the one and only
(in more ways than one) Jacob deGrom.
When Marcus Stroman opted out of the 2020
season after injuring himself, it left the Mets no choice but to bring up lefty
prospect David Peterson, who made an excellent accounting of himself until
coming up with some aches and pains that left him on the 10 Day Injured List
(still getting used to saying that). For 2021, that leaves the following
choices: Jacob deGrom (ace), David Peterson, Robert Gsellman (should be a long
reliever), Franklyn Kilome (needs a LOT of work on repeating his motion and
getting more out of his length), Walker Lockett (should NEVER be a starter, let
alone be on a major league roster), Matz (needs to be traded elsewhere to see
if he can perform away from his hometown crowd), Corey Oswalt (again should
never be counted on in the rotation),
Thomas Szapucki (still hasn’t spent a day in the bigs and continues his
recovery from TJ Surgery) and Kevin Smith (again, still no major league
experience).
So basically, it’s deGrom and Peterson and possibly Syndergaard in
late July/August. That leaves a LOT of room for improvement, improvisation, and
opportunity. Let’s get right to the recommendations.
Recommendation: Okay- a lot needs to happen here, but there are some answers. First, speak with Marcus Stroman, see if he wants to continue to pitch in his hometown, and if so, lock him in with a 4-year deal. Next, decide upon bringing back either Michael Wacha or Rick Porcello, with the preference being Wacha due to him seeming to have moments of regaining his stuff.
Moving forward, and needing
another veteran arm, and something more than just a placeholder, you have 2
options. If the Rangers decline his option (doubtful), you can sign Corey
Kluber to a 2-3 year deal. Or, if you prefer to make a bigger splash, and add
some additional risk, you can go strong after Reds pitcher Trevor Bauer and
know in advance that he comes with his outspoken personality and know-it-all
façade. How that plays in New York will prove very interesting, but if you add
him to the top of the rotation next to deGrom and Stroman, you should really
have a good, solid rotation for a number of years to come.
It’s not like the
organization is overflowing with MLB-ready arms now, but in 2-3 years, when the
likes of Matthew Allan, J.T.Ginn and Josh Wolf are ready, again probably 2023, you
will have that youth infusion once more. Jacob will still be on the team, and
hopefully still at the top of his game, albeit now in his mid-30’s at that
point. However you decide to go, this is one area that MUST be one of strength,
not just because it’s necessary but because it’s a huge part of the team’s
culture since winning their first World Series.
Finally, failing all else, you can look to add a very solid arm to the bullpen and stretch out Seth Lugo, something he’s desperate for, and add him to your rotation and make him a very happy camper. In fact, regardless of whether or not you sign Bauer and/or Stroman, we would strongly advise sending Lugo to the Arizona Fall League and getting him some starter innings, and one of your priorities in the Spring should be continuing to stretch Lugo out so by the time the 2021 season begins, he’s ready to go a solid 5 and move up from there.
Remember, though, in his previous attempts at starting, he
averaged around 5 innings per start; you need to ensure that he will be able to
go beyond that, or you’ll be stuck with yet another version of Matz. Remember - whatever your GM does, you MUST have 7 starters ready to go, NOT including Thor, who won't be ready until July or August, at best.
Bullpen
This has been a Dr. Jeckyl/Mr Hyde area for the team for 2
years now, generally due to the failings of one Edwin Diaz. The centerpiece of
the deal that sent Kelenic out of town, Diaz failed miserably in his first
go-round with the team in 2019. A lot was expected of this one-time dominant
closer, and as 2020 progressed, we learned that Diaz told the team that he
needed to pitch more in order to keep to the form that had made him so
successful. He didn’t seem to look much better as the 2020 season finally
began, but that soon changed as he was moved away from closing in order to both
allow Seth Lugo close for a spell and allowing Diaz an opportunity to get his
confidence back.
He pitched well in a number of appearances in a row, and
here’s hoping that this will be the start of his return to the form he showed
in 2018. The team desperately needs it, because you don’t have much in the way
of future closers in the minors and you have a ton invested in Diaz in the loss
of Kelenic. Diaz brings exactly NO guarantees, but due to that huge investment,
he’s got to be given at least 2021 to figure things out. His fastball still
hits 98 – it just needs to go back to avoiding bats.
The rest of the bullpen has been a pretty impressive group so far this season, led again by Lugo, receiving nice performances by Justin Wilson, Jarod Hughes and especially the surprising Chasen Shreve; a mixed bag from Dellin Betances and Jeurys Familia; a late start from Brad Brach due to COVID-related illness, and less than satisfying performances by Paul Sewald and Drew Smith.
Most teams have this kind of inconsistency with their bullpens from
year-to-year, but before COVID and the start of the season, many experts were
predicting that the Mets would have one of if not the best bullpen in the game.
It was in the running, but far from the best mostly due to the inconsistencies
of Diaz. That can easily change, with some added support for 2021.
Recommendations:
Diaz has shown a lot
of improvement over his 2019 performance, and whether or not he can keep that
up in front of fans in 2021 remains to be seen. We recommend adding at least 2
arms to the bullpen competition, in addition to bringing back Brach for one
more season, plus Wilson, Betances, Familia, Shreve and Hughes. Add in Lugo if
he’s not going to be added to the rotation and Gsellman in long relief, and you
almost hve a complete unit once more. We recommend adding Alex Colome to the
mix, and you will have a number of less expensive additions to sort through to further
enhance this unit.
If you follow our recommendation of having Lugo in the
rotation, Colome will replace him as a set-up person with Diaz moving back to
his old closer role. You will need to re-sign both Wilson and Betances, and they are both worth keeping with at least 2 year deals.
Bench
The pandemic provided MLB just cause to expand roster sizes,
first to 30, then down to 28 and finally to 26. Here’s hoping that the expanded
size is extended indefinitely, to coincide with the addition of the DH to the
National League. 28 would be a good, solid number, allowing for both an
extended bullpen as well as an adequate bench. The Mets possess a lot of
positional flexibility, with swiss army knife-like production from the likes of
Guillorme, Gimenez, Davis, Smith and McNeil. With a bench of Nido, Marisnick,
Hamilton, Guillorme, Gimenez and Nunez (if he comes back) there is quite a bit
of versatility and not a ton of drop-off, as there has been in the past.
One
thing BVW has done a very good job of is ensuring that there are a number of
players that are major league ready for this crazy season. That being said,
they’ve already lost Matt Adams to the Braves before the season began and
recently DFAed Brian Dozier, so there aren’t a lot of major league-ready
hitters waiting in Brooklyn anymore. So the bench they have now, including Rene
Rivera being out for probably the season after having his elbow operated on for
bone chips, is the bench that will finish out the year. It’s going to be what
it is, but moving forward this particular season has shown how vital it is to
have numerous options available to account for injuries and poor performance.
Gimenez coming up was a perfect example of being in the right place at the
right time as injuries happened. He and Guillorme received their first extended
playing time and both showed that they need to be considered for regular roles
in the line-up – a great problem to have.
Recommendation: So, whether BVW or a new person is the GM, you need to ensure that your bench and your AAA team are stocked with flexible hitters, to ensure that when injuries do happen, and they will, you’re prepared and not having to move minor league talent for a short-term fix.
FARM SYSTEM
Before we even address the farm system, moving forward, there will be one hard and fast rule - no more mentioning Jarred Kelenic or Scott Kazmir! It's bad enough that the media won't let go of either, like a rabid dog with a bone; if you keep going back to these deals, the team and the system will never move forward. Now, on to our review of the Farm System:
First thing you need to do- ignore Baseball America, Keith
Law, and all the pages that review farm systems. There have long been
prejudices against this organization because of the Wilpons poor treatment of
everything baseball-related. The Angels recently went from one of the
worst-rated systems in the game, and rightly so. They’re currently in the top
15, based largely on the backs of 2 top prospects in Jo Adell and Brandon
Marsh.
Your farm system may not have a guaranteed star like Adell, at least not
yet, but you are the proud owner of a farm system that is deep in valuable
talent, at least 15-deep, and quite frankly if the 2020 minor league season had
been played, you would have seen some great strides made under the guiding hand
of Jared Banner and team. In fact, these farm system-specific sites would have
watched players like Ronny Mauricio, Francisco Alvarez, Brett Baty, Matthew
Allen, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Mark Vientos, Josh Wolf and Kevin Smith take the
next steps in their development, with at least 2-4 of them breaking into
everyone’s top 100 lists.
The reality is, even with the unfortunate trade of Kelenic,
this system is laden with some talent that will really pay great dividends by
2023 at the latest. We recommend following the Dodgers excellent lead and
spending heavily on the minor leagues and especially international free agents
while also spending heavily on the major league team simultaneously.
Eventually, the young talent pipeline will pay such great dividends that you
won’t need to look outside the organization except to either supplement what
you already have, or grabbing that once-in-a-lifetime free agent that will put
you over the top.
Recommendation: Stay
the course with your minor leaguers. They are obviously capital that can either
be used to plug holes directly at the major league level, or as trade capital
to acquire what you need from another organization. Right now, you need to
treat your entire minor leagues as untouchable, until you and your organization
are in lock-step with how you want to proceed in the future. Don’t be hasty,
and don’t let a GM try to keep their job and stay in contention by making a
move that will pay off a bit now for a big future sacrifice.
That’s not the way
to properly oversee this huge investment that you have made. Remember this when
and if you face this situation. And don't interfere with Jared Banner- let him continue to develop these players, as he's been successful in 2 organizations now - don't mess with what is working so well!!
In Part Three of our Operations Manual, we will take a look
at the last, critical parts of your new team: the state of the on-field
management team, and your rabid fan-base.. Until then, we still recommend getting
some sleep, staying hydrated, and remember to start transferring over some of
those millions to the team’s coffers – with free agency and the Rule V draft
coming up, you’re going to have to start spending some of that cold, hard cash
very soon.
For Part One of this series, click here.
For Part One of this series, click here.
7 comments:
David
Morning.
Great stuff as usual.
It is had to argue with anything you said. My top priority if I was a new owner would be:
1. A real +bat, +glove CF
2. A quality starter
3. Realmuto
I also would go after Springer.
Can't wait for part three.
One of the best articles I've seen on the state of the Mets whether it be this year or any other year. Great work
Mack- a "real" CF is the hardest thing to find in the entire game right now. Springer would represent the ONLY possibility in the FA market, and it's sadly not like any team is going to give us their CFer unless we break the bank. That's why getting Crow-Armstrong was so vital to us in the draft. Until then, Springer can take it and then if he was still here could move to RF once C-A is ready.
I think my priority list would be:
Realmuto
Starter
Starter
Starter
Springer
Colome
Holmer - I'm speechless. Cannot thank you enough for your kind words.
Mets fans are the most loyal and wonderful, IMO, in the game, and by FAR the most knowledgeable. Don't lie to us, treat us with some dignity and respect, and we will show this new ownership group TENFOLD in return.
Please keep reading our blog, and please stay tuned for part 3 on Wednesday morning. Would love your thoughts on the last in this series.
david - thou art comprehensive indeed.
Cano - I think on him, it is hard to prognosticate. We'll have to see what Mr. Dontcha Know still has left in the tank.
His trade protege, Edwin Diaz - love the Ks, I am willing to give him more slack than they gave Hansel Robles.
On that note, gotta run.
David, is a soon-to-be 31 year old SPringer better overall than Nimmo?
I would consider signing Springer as a free agent and trading Nimmo or Conforto for real quality.
As I wrote recently, Nimmo (if you take out his neck injury period of playing hurt from mid-April until he was IL'd) has a top 5 in majors OBP, and good power.
Conforto has to be very attractive, and is getting more expensive.
With Smith, Nimmo, Conforto and McNeil all being lefty hitters, I think Springer would give the OF needed L-R balance.
So wehther Nimmo or Conforto got dealt, I'd want major value back or forget it.
Tom:
I would rather deal Conforto, an upcoming free agent that Boras will not let come back, possibly even with a new owner, and keep Nimmo in left as his on-base percentage and ability to hit lead off are almost unparalleled in this game right now. I'm reading Rod Carew's recent autobiography and it's amazing how a hitter that great wouldn't be allowed to keep his sweet swing as they'd muck with it to have him use an uppercut approach. Nimmo is the kind of old-school player like McNeil whom I love and value far more than a one-true outcome performer. All things being equal, Springer can move to right when Crow-Armstrong is ready for center and Nimmo in Left on days Smith is DH or at first.
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