Good Morning. Happy Birthday Eric Hanhold. Mets to extend Marcus Stroman qualifying offer, and 2 positive COVID tests shut down Mets Instructional Camp.
Section Links: Mets Links, MLB Links, Asian
Baseball, Winter Baseball, and This Day in Mets History.
SNY.TV:
Mets reportedly shut down minor-league instruction after positive coronavirus
tests. Tests show just two positives.
Per sources, Mets have shut down their minor-league instructs for a few days because of a pair of positive tests for COVID-19. Additional tests have not revealed any more positives at the moment.
— Tim Britton (@TimBritton) October 31, 2020
SNY.TV:
Mets expected to extend qualifying offer to Marcus Stroman: report. Qualifying
offer set at $18.9 million.
SNY.TV:
Brad Brach exercises option to stay with Mets for 2021. Reliever owned 5.84
ERA in 2020 season. Brad Brach's salary will be worth $2.075
million next season.
Dellin Betances is expected to exercise his $6M player option rather than take the $3M buyout and become a free agent
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 1, 2020
Source: Dellin Betances is leaning towards accepting his player option. He still has time but seems to want the security and to be home in New York.
— ๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ต๐๐ฑ๐ฎ ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ต๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ (@yaschwa30) October 29, 2020
Dellin Betances will be exercising his $6.8M player option with the Mets for 2021, per source.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) November 1, 2020
MLB
Trade Rumors: Mets Front Office Expected To Include President Of Baseball Ops,
General Manager.
NY
Post: Steve Cohen set to end Mets’ tradition of free-agency penny-pinching.
Mike
Vaccaro NY Post: George Springer should be at center of Steve Cohen’s Mets overhaul.
Rising
Apple: Best Mets center fielder candidates: Ranking five of the most enticing
options. 5) Amed Rosario; 4) Brandon Nimmo; 3) Byron
Buxton; 2) Jackie
Bradley Jr. 1) George Springer.
Mike
Puma NY Post: Mets potential free agent targets: Masahiro
Tanaka is possibility.
Prime
Time Sports Talk: Four Players Steve Cohen Should Target Aside From Trevor Bauer or J.T. Realmuto. Brad Hand,
Corey
Kluber, Liam
Hendriks, and Charlie
Morton.
Metsmerized
Online: Mets Offseason Wish List: Four Potential Free Agent Signings. J.T. Realmuto, Masahiro
Tanaka, Blake
Treinen, and Mike Minor.
Metsmerized
Online: Once Free Agency Opens, Mets Shouldn’t Overspend on Brad Hand.
Metsmerized
Online: Steve Cohen Brings More Than Money to Mets.
Metsmerized
Online: Mets Leaning Toward Well-Structured Front Office Under Cohen.
Forbes.com:
New York Mets Owner Steve Cohen Could Spend Big, Shake Up Front Office.
Amazing
Avenue: Michael Conforto would be a great player for Steve Cohen’s Mets to
extend.
As the author, this is the closest you will get to an autobiography. Many hours of interviews with a Hall of Fame player and person. We shared a few glasses of wine too. https://t.co/M02z64bgXx
— billmadden1954 (@bmadden1954) October 31, 2020
Bill Madden’s
Book about Tom Seaver ‘A Terrific Life” will be available
November 24th. You
can read an excerpt here.
Newsday:
Tickets for 2021 MLB games: It's buyer beware.
Phil
Mushnick NY Post: ‘Ridiculous’: Mets fan gives up season tickets as teams get
greedier.
Mike
Vaccaro NY Post: Examining best and worst of New York sports teams owners.
#LGM pic.twitter.com/ST1otMR0gb
— Bill Neidhardt (@BNeidhardt) October 30, 2020
ICYMI Yesterday at Mack’s Mets:
Reese
Kaplan -- The Brave New World of Ownership Economics.
METS
CLAIM RHP NICK TROPEANO & RHP JACOB BARNES.
Scouting
Report - OF - Benny Montgomery.
Scouting Report - OF - Braden Montgomery.
You absolutely HAVE to listen to this. As a broadcaster I’m always amazed at Bob’s ability to speak extemporaneously without hemming and hawing; almost as if reading from a script. But in this piece he hits every right note in the aftermath of the end of the WS. He just nails it. https://t.co/08L5rQ7GS3
— Howie Rose (@HowieRose) October 31, 2020
MLB.com: Bauer
to Jays? J.T. to Mets? 7 bold predictions. They also have George Springer
going to the Phillies, and the Braves trading for Kris Bryant.
NY
Post: Tomoyuki Sugano, Japan’s top pitcher, could be headed to MLB.
MLB.com:
9 of the most horrifying games in history. This includes Worst defense:
Giants at White Sox, World Series Game 5 - Oct. 13, 1917. Line: Nine errors
combined between both teams.
MLB
Trade Rumors: Pirates To Explore Josh Bell Extension.
MLB
Trade Rumors: Quick Hits: Winter Meetings, Revenue Sharing, CBA Talks. “both
the Winter Meetings and the annual owners’ meetings have both been changed into
virtual events rather than in-person gatherings.”
MLB
Trade Rumors: Cubs Exercise Anthony Rizzo’s 2021 Option.
MLB
Trade Rumors: Cubs Decline Daniel Descalso’s Option.
MLB
Trade Rumors: Tommy Kahnle Elects Free Agency.
MLB
Trade Rumors: Nick Castellanos Doesn’t Opt Out Of Reds Contract.
MLB
Trade Rumors: KBO’s SK Wyverns Sign Wilmer Font, Artie Lewicki.
In the
Mexican Pacific League Last Night -
Tomateros
de Cuilacan 6 Caneros de los Mochis 0 (Box Score). Mets Catching Prospect Juan Uriarte pinch hit and was 0 for 1. He is hitting
for a .270 this winter. Sebastian
Elizalde, who the Mets signed as a minor league free agent last winter but
was released before the season started, 2 for 5 with a HR, double, run scored
and an RB, .339 batting average this winter.
Here is the full Mexican Pacific
League Scoreboard.
The KBO Playoffs
start today with the Wild Card round. Aaron Altherr’s 1st Place NC
Dinos and Chris Flexen’s Doosan Bears both made the playoffs. Drew Gagnon’s Kia Tigers did not.
ESPN.com:
Next stop, MLB? Five players to watch in the KBO playoffs.
Here is how
the ex-Mets fared in the regular season in the KBO:
Aaron
Altherr 132 games .274/.347/.524 - .872 OPS, 29 HR, 105 RBI, 148K, 44 walks.
Chris
Flexen: 20 games, 7-4, 3.19
ERA, 110 innings, 94 hits, 39 earned runs, 6 HR, 30 walks, 122 Ks.
Drew
Gagnon: 27 games, 11-7, 4.15
ERA, 154 innings, 152 hits, 5 HR, 71 earned runs, 63 walks, 137 Ks.
CPBL
Stats: Uni-Lions Win G1 of Taiwan Series With Pinch-Hit Home Run.
Here is how
some ex-Mets are doing in Japan:
Nori Aoki
Through 98 games .318/.421/.567 - .987 OPS, 18 HR, 48 RBI, 49 K, 55 walks.
Gabriel Ynoa 9 games,
0-3, 10.13 ERA, 24 innings, 45 hits, 8 HR, 27 earned runs, 10 walks, 15
Ks. Japanese Minors – 1-3, 3.50 ERA, 36 innings, 31 hits, 14 earned runs, 9 walks,
19 Ks.
Ryota
Igarashi 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 game, 1/3 innings. Japanese Minors - 1-0, 5.16
ERA, 23 games, 22.2 innings, 25 hits, 4 HR, 13 earned runs, 9 walks, 13 Ks.
Yakult Swallows pitcher Ryota Igarashi who is retiring this season, was called up for to pitch one last at bat at Jingu Stadium https://t.co/DUipzSjP8Q #npb
— NPB on reddit (@NPB_Reddit) October 25, 2020
Here
is the Japan Baseball Scoreboard.
Today
in Mets History Per Ultimatemets.com:
Born on this date:
- Jose Moreno (1957)
- Eric Hanhold (1993)
Transactions:
New York Mets traded Danny
Frisella and Gary
Gentry to the Atlanta Braves for Felix
Millan and George
Stone on November 1, 1972.
Ed Kranepool granted free agency on November 1,
1979.
Todd Zeile granted free agency on November 1,
2004.
Orlando Hernandez granted free agency on November
1, 2008.
Fernando Tatis granted free agency on November 1,
2010.
|
2005 |
A bronze sculpture capturing the
friendship of Pee Wee
Reese and Jackie
Robinson is unveiled at Brooklyn's KeySpan Park, home of the Mets'
Single-A team. The William Behrends sculpture captures the moment when the
Dodger captain showed support by putting his arm around his black teammate's
shoulder, hushing an unruly crowd hurling racial slurs at his teammate at
Crosley Field in 1947. |
|
2006 |
Guillermo
Mota is suspended for fifty games after testing positive for a
performance-enhancing substance. The 33 year-old Mets reliever becomes the
third player penalized under the stricter guidelines implemented this season,
joining teammate Yusaku Iriki and Diamondback right-hander Jason Grimsley. |
|
2015 |
In Game 5, the Royals beat the
Mets in 12 innings, 7-2, winning the World Series for the first time in 30
years. Kansas City, trailing the Citi Field contest entering the top of the
ninth, tie the game with two runs off starter Matt Harvey, who insisted on
trying to complete the game despite having thrown over 100 pitches. |
|
2019 |
The Mets tap their one-time player
Carlos
Beltrรกn to replace recently-fired manager Mickey Callaway, who compiled a
163-161 (.503) record during his two years at the helm. The 42-year-old
former slugger, with no managerial experience, inks a three-year deal with a
club option for 2023. |
Want
more? Check out https://sportspyder.com/mlb/new-york-mets/news.
Let’s hope the Instructional League COVID interruption is very brief. These guys need the playing time.
ReplyDeleteEvery off season has been a disappointment. This one will be a disappointment too, if it doesn’t earn an A+.
Aaron Altherr just strikes out too much. Maybe he should continue in Korea.
Flexed May have earned a return to stateside baseball.
Once again, John, it's astonishing how much effort you put into this -- and it shows.
ReplyDeleteMy prediction is that the Mets first big signing will be George Springer. He fits in so many ways. The CF glove they need, the RH bat, the star power. Most of all, I see him as the type of power hitter, with good plate discipline, that Sandy so admires.
I've thought about this, was originally tepid on it, but now I see the logic of this particular signing to be irrefutable.
I don't know how many big moves the Mets will make this offseason, but they will absolutely make at least one. This is it, IMO.
Given COVID and cost cuts across MLB, it strikes me that Steve Cohen could be getting into the market at a very opportunistic time. Relievers all over the place, teams looking to save money. When everybody zigs, it's time to zag.
Jimmy
Thanks Jimmy. I agree 100%. Springer has to be the priority free agent. Let the Phillies get Realmuto after the Mets drive up the price. Let the Phillies live with that contract and Harper's contract for the backside of those deals.
ReplyDeletePhillies will also be looking to upgrade their pen - but it is, as you say, a perfect time for Cohen to sag as other zig. You can blame Jeff if you want but Sandy has had a mixed record of bringing in relief pitchers in the past (see Franks Francisco and Antonio Bastardo). Antonio is on the same winter league team as Phil Regan - he could be interesting to watch.
Getting back to your 7 inning idea on another post - I may just get the Australian Winter League package as their games are 7 innings, and 6 Mets prospects including Francisco Alvarez will be featured.
As Bob Costas' rant above discusses - pace of play is important. Baseball needs to figure this out or they are in trouble. I just hope they can do it without 7 inning games.
Tom -I agree that Chris Flexen appears that he could come back to the states next year. Both Chris and Gagnon have a big advantage on every other 4A pitcher - they actually got to pitch this year in real games.
ReplyDeleteAs I think Texas Gus has said here, Chris Flexen was brought up too soon from Double A, then was shifted back and forth between bullpen and starter and MLB and Triple A. It seemed he never got the opportunity to just go out there every 5th day for an extended period. I think he would have been better than Porcello and Wacha.
John, I agree with Jimmy on all the work it takes to put up these superior posts.
ReplyDeleteI am all for Springer - great fit.
One Mets goal should be this right now: BEST BULLPEN IN BASEBALL IN 2021. Spend and make it a reality.
I disagree on one Flexen point. I think he was better off against softer Korean competition this season, to get development time under less pressure. Look at how Wacha, Porcello, and Matz got blitzed. Now that Flex had that year of pitching consistency, and was successful (if not dominant), he may be truly ready to be an MLB SP 5.
That said, I want the Mets to do better than that for our SP 5. I want this team in 2021 to be 100 win caliber.
Wow John! I can’t believe you still remember that and who it was! I barely remember, LOL! I still feel Flexen has the ability to be a usable pitcher as maybe a #5 guy/swing man. He throws 94 with three good pitches.
ReplyDeleteI also echo Jimmy’s comment on the amount of work shown here each and every day; it’s incredible how much is in this post each morning. Great job John and I wonder where you find the time and energy to find all this stuff (because the Spyder doesn’t have all this) and the ability to do it every single day. Hats off to you sir!
Lastly, that Howie Rose post from the Rich Eisen show when Eisen interviewed Bob Costas, was absolutely legendary. I tend to get annoyed with Costas’ pro-Cardinals romance and some of his mushy stuff, but that interview by Eisen was a grand slam.
One more last thing, how stupid was that contract to Betances? Giving a playe optionr rather than a mutual option to a guy that hadn’t pitched in over a year and was coming off an injury? It’s the same logic that I think would work against giving Stroman a QO. After all, the guy has a lifetime 3.76 ERA and hasn’t pitched in a year! I don’t think he’s going to get the money he thinks he’s worth. I believe BVW did Stroman a favor, and it would be ironic if Stroman refused it. Ironic and hysterical!
That contract to Betances was crazy. BVW's initials should be changed to BOP Brodie Over Pays.
ReplyDelete