Pages

▼

12/6/20

John From Albany – Mets News and Breakfast Links 12/6/2020

 



Good Morning.  Happy Birthday Tim Foli, Kevin Appier and Freddy Valdez. Mets minor league prospect Jaison Vilera gets into a game in Venezuela and Yasiel Puig signs with a Dominican Team.

Section Links: Mets Links, MLB Links, Winter Baseball, and This Day in Mets History.

Mets Links:

Joel Sherman NY Post: The most intriguing landing spots for MLB’s top free agents. George Springer, Mets; DJ LeMahieu, Dodgers; Trevor Bauer, White Sox; J.T. Realmuto, Mariners.

SNY.TV: Ranking the 5 biggest things on Mets' Virtual Winter Meetings to-do list. 1. Sign George Springer; 2. Find a new catcher; 3. Fix the starting rotation; 4. Add necessary depth; 5. Hire a GM.


SNY.TV: Steve Cohen asks ‘would there be anything left to talk about’ if he brought back Mets’ black jerseys.

Mike Lupica NY Daily News: Steve Cohen is having a blast so far as Mets owner, but now comes the hard part. “There has been no New York sports owner since George Steinbrenner got the Yankees from CBS nearly a half-century ago who has hit the ground running the way Cohen has…Steve Cohen now needs to start making the Mets something other than the Other Team in town, which is what they have mostly been since they last owned the town back in 1986..the first city team to ever draw three million fans in attendance. Cohen, with Alderson running point for him, has to start walking all the talk that got Mets fans so excited, and so energized.”

Deesha Thosar NY Daily News: The Steve Cohen Effect has made Mets the most interesting team in baseball. ““In the past, offseasons were always mostly just depressing. It was just an endless cycle of disappointment,” said Tiffany Hernandez, a lifelong Mets fan from Brentwood. ‘I definitely feel more excited for the upcoming season.’”

Reflections on Baseball: Steve Cohen: Your Yea-Rah Act Is Wearing Thin – Let’s See Some Action.

Mike’s Mets discusses “Free Agents, Post-Coronavirus Baseball and the Weight of Expectations.”


Mets360: Dominic Smith has arrived. “A winning organization is built on talent, character and leadership and Dominic Smith has all three of those attributes.”

Rising Apple: This is the perfect lineup for the 2021 season. “Brandon Nimmo LF; Jeff McNeil 2B; Pete Alonso DH; Michael Conforto RF; George Springer CF; Dominic Smith 1B; J.D. Davis, 3B; James McCann C; Andres Gimenez SS.”

Call to the Pen: “The New York Mets are in the market for a catcher. However, their focus on James McCann instead of J.T. Realmuto is a mistake…That is particularly true when Realmuto is on the board. He is certainly going to cost more than McCann, but it is far less questionable as to whether or not he will produce”

SNY.TV: New Mets reliever Trevor May: Valedictorian, gamer... DJ? Right-hander could make a claim for Most Interesting Man in the Bullpen.


SNY.TV: 2021 Mets ZiPS projections see bounce-back season for Pete Alonso, dominant starting rotation.  FanGraph’s projections show Pete Alonso…blasting 41 home runs with 110 RBI to go along with a .246/.339/.524 slash line.

Rising Apple: Famished Mets farm system could utilize Yoelqui Cespedes. “The 23-year old Cespedes has been described as a “five-tool outfielder with above-average tools across the board,” by MLB.com.”

MetsJunkies: Mets Desperately Need a Lefty.  They recommend Brad Hand or Justin Wilson.

Metsmerized Online: Mets Should Consider Signing LHP Jose Alvarez. “Among all left-handed relievers who completed at least 40.0 innings from 2018-2019, Alvarez finished with the 10th-lowest ERA (2.19)”

Amazing Avenue: Finding relief pitching for the Mets among non-tendered players.

Rising Apple: Craig Swan and his forgotten 1978 ERA title.

Talkin Mets with Mike Silva: When Did Winning Become Secondary?


Mets You Tube Channel: Alfonzo Turns Triple Play. 



MLB Links:

Bill Madden NY Daily News: MLB’s minor league contraction plan leaves Staten Island Yankees, many other teams out in the cold. Bill notes how “teams like Staten Island…left without an affiliation and a franchise that is suddenly worth nothing.”  In regards to the new alignment he provides: “there are apparently going to be two new six-team High A leagues — the Northeast League which will include Hudson Valley, Brooklyn and probably Cal Ripken’s team in Aberdeen from the New York Penn League, the Phillies’ Lakewood franchise formerly in the South Atlantic League, Wilmington from the Carolina League and one other team — along with a similar league of west coast teams.”

MLB.com: Juan Soto is on a Hall of Fame Track. This young star is the next Ted Williams.

MLB.com: Evaluating 7 Kris Bryant trade proposals. The Mets are one of the 7 – “Cubs get: 3B/OF J.D. Davis, RHP Matthew Allan (Mets’ No. 4 prospect), RHP Robert Dominguez (Mets’ No. 13 prospect).”

MLB.com: Here's why Schwarbs makes sense for Yanks.

Winter Baseball:

In the Dominican Republic:

Gigantes del Cibao 3 Aguilas Cibaenas 1 (Box Score). For Aguilas Robel Garcia played 2B and went 0 for 4, 1 K, .190 Batting Average this winter.

Estrellas Orientales 9 Toros del Este 5 (Box Score) Bruce Maxwell once again caught and went 0 for 3 with a walk, .129 Avg. this Winter. 

MLB.com: Puig joins Toros del Este in Winter League.

Here is the full Dominican Republic Scoreboard.

In Venezuela:

4 separate 7 inning double headers were played. 

Mets Pitching prospect Jaison Vilera saw action in the Caribes de Anzoategui 10 – 4 loss to the Navegantes del Magallanes (Box Score).  Jaison pitched to one batter and struck him out.

Here is yesterday’s Venezuelan Scoreboard.

In the Mexican Pacific League:

Tomateros de Culiacan 4 Los Caneros de Los Mochis 2 (Box Score). Juan Uriarte did not see action for his home team Los Caneros.  .221 this Winter, 77 at bats, 17 hits, 3 doubles, 2 HR, 6 RBIs, 17 Ks. 

Here is the full Mexican Pacific League Scoreboard from yesterday.

Today in Mets History Per Ultimatemets.com:

Born on this date:

Died on this date:

Transactions:
New York Mets traded Dennis Ribant and Gary Kolb to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Don Cardwell and Don Bosch on December 6, 1966.

New York Mets purchased Kevin Kobel from the Milwaukee Brewers on December 6, 1977.

New York Mets traded Randy Myers and Kip Gross to the Cincinnati Reds for John Franco and Don Brown on December 6, 1989.

New York Mets traded Gregg Jefferies, Kevin McReynolds and Keith Miller to the Kansas City Royals for Bret Saberhagen and Bill Pecota on December 6, 1991.

New York Mets signed free agent Todd Haney of the Houston Astros on December 6, 1997.

New York Mets traded Brian Bannister to the Kansas City Royals for Ambiorix Burgos on December 6, 2006.

Detroit Tigers signed Omir Santos of the New York Mets as a free agent on December 6, 2010.

New York Mets traded Angel Pagan to the San Francisco Giants for Andres Torres and Ramon Ramirez on December 6, 2011.

San Diego Padres signed Dale Thayer of the New York Mets as a free agent on December 6, 2011.

New York Mets signed free agent RHP Brad Brach on December 6, 2019.

New York Mets designated RHP Chris Flexen for assignment on December 6, 2019.

Centerfield Maz: Tim Foli: Former Mets Number One Draft Pick (1970-1971 / 1978-1979).

Centerfield Maz: Early 2000's Mets Pitcher: Kevin Appier (2001).

Centerfield Maz: Cliff Floyd: 2006 N.L. Eastern Champion Mets Outfielder (2003-2006).

Centerfield Maz: The First Short Stop Out of The Dominican Republic: Amado Samuel (1964).

National Pastime.com:

1989

The Mets and Reds swap relievers. Randy Myers goes to Cincinnati and fellow closer John Franco will finish games in New York.

2004

The Mets and Royals exchange right-handers with starter Brian Bannister going to Kansas City and reliever Ambiorix Burgos heading for the Big Apple. The son of former major league southpaw Floyd Bannister will place third in the AL Rookie of the Year voting, earning nine victories for the last-place club, and the 23 year-old Dominican will appear in only 17 games for New York, being derailed by injuries and off-the-field incidents.

 

Baseball Reference:

2013: It's a big day of transactions for the Yankees. They lose two free agents, 2B Robinson Cano, who agrees to a ten-year deal with Seattle for $240 million, and OF Curtis Granderson, who moves across town to the Mets for four years at $60 million. To compensate, the Bronx Bombers ink OF Carlos Beltran for three years at $45 million, and 2B Kelly Johnson for one year.

Breakfast Links One year ago today - 12/6/2019

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Want more?  Check out https://sportspyder.com/mlb/new-york-mets/news. 

Want something else tracked here each day?  Please leave a comment below.

on

8 comments:

  1. Tom BrennanDecember 6, 2020 at 7:41 AM

    Saw the article with Springer to Mets and Bauer and JT elsewhere. If they pass on the latter two, I hope they are making the right call.

    Whether the Mets have any shot at signing the younger Cespedes depends on how he perceived his Yoenis' treatment by the Mets. I wonder what his timetable would be for his MLB debut?

    Juan Soto is incredibly great - he is compared to Ted Williams, but unlike Ted, he won't be fighting wars for 5 years. Could be the best ever?

    It is funny that, in the game Vilera pitched in, there were two other guys named Valera.

    Good to see Juan Uriarte is playing a lot this offseason. He recently turned 23 and needs to get a lot of work in if he h=is going to reach his MLB dream.

    Tomorrow starts action week. Finally. Hopefully, Cohen realizes this team needs a lot of plugs to compete with the Braves.

    And hopefully, for all involved, a cecision as to the DH is reached.

    ReplyDelete
  2. John From AlbanyDecember 6, 2020 at 8:26 AM

    If the choice is between 2-3 years of NcCann or 5-6 years of Realmuto, I think McCann is the better choice uf ut allows them to fill holes elsewhere but it is a gamble. White Sox went and got Grandal for a reason.

    McCann also allows the Mets to go with thectwo catcher option u have advocated.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Tom BrennanDecember 6, 2020 at 9:25 AM

    John, I agree. If Francisco Alvarez is not overhyped, he will be ready by OD 2023. Probably starting catcher by 2024. He should not be blocked.

    All the Steamer projections for Mets catchers are weak hitting wise. I don't know if the Mets could also pry away Salvador Perez (probably not, as KC would want multiple top prospects) but if not, I wonder who else is out there as a number 2 catcher that is better than Nido, Sanchez, and Mazeika. We need a back up who can catch 80 games in a pinch if the starter were to get hurt.

    ReplyDelete
  4. John From AlbanyDecember 6, 2020 at 9:32 AM

    Besides the three you mentioned, I like David Rodriguez. Thought he was impressive in Spring Training last year. He will be a good depth piece at AAA. I think the Mets will lose a catcher in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 next week.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Tom BrennanDecember 6, 2020 at 10:06 AM

    If the Mets go with a fringe catcher as a back up next year, I wonder if the first choice might be Pat Mazeika? His ZIPs #'s are not that bad.

    ReplyDelete
  6. TexasGusCCDecember 6, 2020 at 10:46 AM

    That trade proposal for Bryant was written by a die-hard Cubs fan.

    McCann at 4 years or Realmuto at 5, plus the difference in money? I don’t see McCann signing so cheaply as the writers keep telling us all sorts of teams are in on him, and I don’t believe either that many teams are involved or that Realmuto will get what he wants. Usually, the best free agent comes off first, but with Boras representing Realmuto, we could be waiting until February to hear him sign.

    Lastly, Soto = Williams? LOL! Soto is off to a good start, but at his age, Williams had 100 MORE walks that strikeouts 147 walks to 27 strikeouts, and is OBP was over .500! I could go on for a while, but no slight to Soto as he’s a phenomenal talent and I wish him well, but on Baseball Reference, Williams is not mentioned as a comp but rather Frank Robinson is. Still a Hall of Famer, but not the best ever.

    ReplyDelete
  7. TexasGusCCDecember 6, 2020 at 10:49 AM

    In fact, if you are bored and need a good laugh, check out Williams Baseball Reference page and go look at how many stats Williams was first in every year he played.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Tom BrennanDecember 6, 2020 at 1:19 PM

    TexasGus, I have no doubt as to Williams' greatness. I was also thrilled that his career excellence spanned from the Ruth era to the middle of Mantle's career, showing that 1930s hitting numbers were not all that inflated.

    That said, my point is that Soto will not lose almost 5 entire years to the wars, like Ted the Patriot did. Williams plays those years? 700+ HRs, 2500+ RBIs. Greatest ever.

    I wish we could see him against today's pitchers.

    I do remember him homering off a Steve Hamilton Folly Floater. That was amazing.

    He hit one earlier off a Rip Sewell blooper pitch:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7V6a6VfPrM

    ReplyDelete