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9/14/20

Reese Kaplan -- The End is Near (Thankfully!)



We're heading into the final two weeks of the so-called regular baseball season and it would appear that despite the many permutations of lineups, pitching rotation, bench and bullpen that the Mets will once again be watching October baseball from the comfort of their sofas.  For some of us that result is aggravating, for some it is depressing, but for others it is an acceptable end to the watered-down, wasteful, wobbly and wretched Wilpon era in Queens.  Remember that this debacle is their last hurrah and for that historical significance we should all be lighting up smokes of our choice and downing copious amounts of adult beverages not in disgust but in celebration that the losing era should be coming to an end.  

Right now it's difficult to figure out what needs to change most for this ballclub, but the starting pitching keeps sticking out like a sore thumb on otherwise healthy pitchers.  Going into 2021 the Mets have Jacob deGrom, maybe Seth Lugo, maybe Steven Matz, maybe David Peterson, maybe Franklyn Kilome...  Wow, that's not exactly going to made hearts aflutter among the offensive members of the opposition (past deGrom and Lugo).  



The main thing we all have to realize is that a new owner isn't a guarantee of instant contention for the postseason.  There are so many holes in the Mets beyond starting pitching such as defense, speed, centerfield, catcher, middle infield decisions and third base -- that no magic wand filled with ill-gotten gains is going to fix it overnight.  It's going to take more than words like abracadabra or Simon says to make things right with the Mets.  

I know I sound like a broken record, but it would seem that the right option to approach success is rebuilding the horrific minor league system.  Now the development of players is only one aspect that needs to be addressed.  It would seem that a lot is going wrong down there as witnessed by the mostly mediocre results that have been eventually pushed up the ladder out of necessity due to injuries (or this year opting out).  

However, changing coaches or development routines is only part of the matter.  They also need to embrace the fact that good players exist all over the world and using high draft picks for relatively solid contact hitters without power or speed is not a formula for long term success.  Where are the Mets' versions of Bo Bichette, Juan Soto and other YOUNG ballplayers with strong skills and the ability to deliver when they are mere babes under 27 years of age?  



The other approach that needs significant change is the pitching choices the club makes.  Somehow velocity seems to overwhelm every other aspect of their choice of hurlers.  Who here remembers the skinny but gasoline firing Gerson Bautista who was a part of the package that went to Seattle?  He has an abbreviated major league career with an ERA of 11.48 that would make Rick Porcello and Michael Wacha look like Cy Young contenders by comparison.  Just as I've always advocated small ball for hitters, I am a much bigger fan of strong control and low WHIPs for pitchers.  You can't blow a fastball by a good hitter, but you can leave his bat frozen on his shoulder when you're capable of working every crevace of the strike zone.  

The other question related to the minors is who is working on the players down there.  First came the firing of popuar Edgardo Alfonzo and then the promotion of Luis Rojas into the managerial role.  Regardless of how the latter has done with the lineup pencil in his hand, the fact remains when you remove strong personnel from where they've succeeded it makes sense that the lower levels of the minors are going to suffer as a result.

However, it's not just the lower levels that are questionable for the Mets.  When was the last time the upper levels have been strong contenders with solid rosters?  I've seen quite enough of the AAA entry when they used to be in Las Vegas and would venture here into El Paso.  I don't see them from the stands now that they're closer to home in Syracuse, but the results are equally bad.  Again, fixing the minors is a necessary step to ensuring future major league success.



Of course, to most fans, they want to see big dollar contracts offered to J.T. Realmuto, Trevor Bauer and George Springer.  Yes, these additions will help in the short term but is the club really looking for a one-year-at-a-time approach or should they be thinking more about long term solutions?  If you play Steinbrenner reincarnated and attempt to buy the pennant, it could work, but it could also represent the second edition of Jason Bay and Oliver Perez (as a starter).  

I'm happy there will be changes coming.  I'm reserved in my opinion of the likely buyer, Steve Cohen, until the November approvals take place and he actually gets to sit in the big chair at business meetings concerning the team.  I'll be more impressed if he looks at the club as more than what happens in Queens and tries to improve it overall.  However, I'm not holding my breath.  The junior Steinbrenner approach will likely happen and will give him instant good publicity until/unless the expensive players acquired inhibit the club from future moves due to payroll excesses and we wind up seeing new versions of Eric Campbell, Ruben Tejada and Anthony Recker filling out the roster.  

17 comments:

  1. "Where are the Mets' versions of Bo Bichette, Juan Soto and other YOUNG ballplayers with strong skills and the ability to deliver when they are mere babes under 27 years of age"

    Well you have Kelenic in Seattle in the near future but arent McNeil, Smith, Conforto, Alonso, Nimmo those players? Gimenez is looking strong too. I feel like the Mets have done an amazing job drafting and signing guys that are now in the majors or close to it (some of them just with other teams because of bad trades).

    The Mets arent out of it just yet. Their offense can keep them in this thing. They certainly need to stop with the baserunning gaffes and get a little more out of their starting pitching.

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  2. Good moves not knee jerk moves are needed. Just remember. A minor leaguer who had strong control and low WHIP was Paul Sewald

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  3. Good moves not knee jerk moves are needed. Just remember. A minor leaguer who had strong control and low WHIP was Paul Sewald

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  4. Is Jeff going to release a version of him singing "My Way"? I've loved, laughed and cried
    I've had my fill, my share of loosing...But we did play meaningful games in September...I did it My Way...

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  5. Yes hopefully come November the Wilpon Hex is over. We are all great loyal fans and I feel our purgatory days are almost over.

    Hopefully he brings in our version of Brian Cashman that built balance up and down the system. I’m just praying that none of these PTBNL BVW recently traded away Aren’t any one of significance. He already did way too much damage that set us back 4 years.

    Hopefully he spends his money wisely and gosh darn it, can we once in awhile sign the top international young free agent instead of getting the 10-20Th ranked player?

    My wish list for free agents are

    1) Realmuto
    2) Liam Hendricks
    3) stroman or Bauer

    Also since we are almost out of it can you please put Rosario in Centerfield the rest of the way and see how it goes? If not he should join Nimmo as trade bait going forward for whatever we may need.

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  6. Unlike most Mets fans I know, I am not in favor of going after major FAs. Realmuto is a fine catcher, but will probably get offers of 4 or 5 years at $25 mil per as he enters his 30s. I'd rather trade for the Gary Carter/Keith types with 2 years or so remaining on their contracts.

    As I expressed here pre-season, my biggest concern was the lack of SP depth. I was content with Jake, Thor, Stro, Matz and the better of Porcello/Wacha. But in every season, for every team, injuries happen, and we had no proven reserves.

    Unfortunately, my concern became reality. No one could have expected both Thor and Stro to miss the whole season, AND Matz to fall apart totally, but even if "only" one or two missed "only" part of the year, we might have gotten by.

    Peterson was a very pleasant surprise, and Lugo has been fine since joining the rotation, but more were needed. And the "usual suspects" (Oswald, Sewald, et al) were not sufficient.

    I would re-sign Stro, keep Peterson, hope for the best with Thor. Lugo looks more than capable, but we need more.

    If we had our original rotation, with the "good" Matz in it, we'd likely be at the top of the division. But failure to back them up has us struggling to make the post-season. And that, to me, is Brodie's biggest error.

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  7. I have to respectfully disagree with those wanting to sign Stroman. He gave up on the team and fans. You might want to give him the benefit of the doubt due to covid but I know I wouldnt want to risk my money on a guy who seemingly would quit on the team when he gets his payday.

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    1. He did not "quit on the team" or "get his payday". He put his family first, and I can't blame anyone for that.

      He actually COST himself money, because entering FA in a few months he will not be paid as an unknown quantity. Had he pitched as well as he did after joining the Mets last year, his value as a FA would've shot through the roof. Instead, like the song in "Mama Mia, he's now asking teams to" take a chance on me".

      IMO a short term deal such as 1 year + option, with incentive clauses, would be a win-win for both him and the team.

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  8. Bill, we can re-signStroman, but his bailing out cost the Mets this season. That makes me unhappy with him.

    I heard Realmuto left a game with hip discomfort. Beware bad hips, says Bo Jackson.

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  9. A new GM should be channeling Frank Cashen. It took him about six years to take a laughingstock Mets team into a World Champion. That was after Doubleday-Wilpon took over from the Paysons.

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  10. Agree that signing Stroman might not be the best idea. Major needs are 2 SP's, CF & 3b. Can get by with a defensive first catcher with avg hit tools Think we have good trade chips in Nimmo, Gimenez & Davis. Trading Rosario would be a huge mistake. We need more right hand hitting.

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  11. Conern about the farm system is overblown. Many good prospects at the lower levels. Clearly wish we had mlb ready pitching prospects but not the case. Holes can be filled in via FA and trades

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    1. I agree. Our lower level teams are well - stocked, especially with the two drafts in the Brodie era. And our ML team is young, the only regulars over 30 being Cano and Ramos, so it's not like we have gaping holes with aging-out players who will be gone in a year.

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  12. "He did not "quit on the team" or "get his payday". He put his family first, and I can't blame anyone for that."

    Have to agree to disagree. I don't buy that for a second. This reads to me as a ploy by his agent to avoid risk of getting hurt. He knows the market for SP demand will be VERY high with the lack of quality free agents. Three million bucks will be a drop in the bucket.

    You can look at the mans Twitter from the height of the epidemic, hanging out in groups without masks seemingly unconcerned about the virus until he had enough games to qualify for free agency. The optics are bad here sorry. If you could point out direct family (child/spouse) that are immunocompromised then I could probably be on board with you. From what I can tell he isnt married and doesnt have kids. He has a young younger brother.

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  13. Yes, we will have to agree to disagree. Whatever you feel his reason for sitting out is, I cannot imagine any player (or his agent) feeling that he is better off sitting in his FA year than playing in hopes of hitting the jackpot as a young, very talented pitcher. When he injured his calf in ST, he insisted "it's nothing. I'll be fine". This is not a guy afraid of injury.

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  14. I don't see the family protection thing with Stroman. He could have stayed away from family for a few months, constituting one less avenue for someone in the family to get COVID. Nope, I think it was an excuse, for reasons cited above. And it hughly hurt this team. If they miss the playoffs, he will be reason # 1.

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  15. You nailed it Tom. There is a very good chance the Mets miss the playoffs by a game or two because we were starting Gsellman(among other unqualified players) instead of Stroman. Our starting pitching is so incredibly thin it makes a huge difference.

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