SAVAGE
VIEWS – ONE STEP AT A TIME
January 14, 2021
I’m
reasonably pleased with the direction of the Mets under the new regime. The front office headed up by Sandy Alderson
with Jared Porter as General Manager and Zack Scott as Senior VP and Assistant
General Manager looks to be in competent hands.
I expect that roster moves, free agent signings and trades will be made
for the right reasons. Porter and Scott
are both highly respected within the industry.
It’s great to know the team has finally realized we are in the 21st
century and a fresh approach is necessary.
Anyone
who has read my previous posts knows that I was not in favor of trading for
Lindor. I thought the price would be too
high. My original thoughts were to
retain Rosario and sign DJ LeMahieu and Jackie Bradley. I guess it’s still possible for them to bring
LeMahieu and Bradley on board but that seems unlikely. As it turns out the deal
for Lindor and Carrasco was made without having to surrender top
prospects. Kudos to the Alderson team.
My
prediction is that Rosario will have a better career than Gimenez. I see Giminez as a super utility guy.
I would be delighted to see them make two moves that would make them co-favorites with the Braves to win the division. One, George Springer may be expensive but I’m sure reasonable minds can come together. I’m in favor of remaining under the salary cap and there is no reason why Springer and the Mets can’t come up with a mutually beneficial deal. Whether it’s Springer, Bradley, Pillar or some other legitimate CF, there is no way we go into 2021 with Nimmo as CF. One move improves two positions.
I did not
anticipate much free-agent activity before mid-January and that’s held
true. I’m looking forward to the next
two weeks when most of the major free agents will have found a team.
The
other move would be to agree with Brad Hand on a contract. There is a serious need for a left handed
reliever on the team. Not only does he
fit the bill but he can be the missing piece in the bull-pen. His asking price of $10MM per for two years does
not seem exorbitant. I know there has been some concern about his loss of
velocity but he seems to be a risk worth taking. Bringing him on-board would give the Mets potentially
one of the best bull-pens.
While
there is a great deal of sentiment to add another starting pitcher, I am
content to go into the season with some combination of Matz, Szapucki and Lugo as the fifth starter until Syndergaard is ready to return.
Lugo has proven himself to be a great reliever but a mediocre
starter. Let him remain in the bull-pen.
To
celebrate the addition of Lindor, I just treated myself to a Lindor Truffle.
Ray
5 comments:
Lugo in pen - yes.
Szapucki - who knows? We need to see where he is at - my guess is AAA is needed for at least a few months.
Matz - 20-40 in his last 60 outings. That's gotta be bottom 5-10 out of all pitchers over a similar # of starts. Compare to a fighter like Dillon Gee, who was 40-37 as a Met. I therefore do NOT trust Matz to start for a winning team. No throwing away games in 2021. I have zero confidence in him - he will have to go a long way to earn that back.
I just posted my Matz comments on the Lindor article (probably the wrong place), but I'll just say here "Let's go Matz!".
A couple other thoughts relative to this article.
I am more bullish on Gimenez than Rosario. I believe Gimenez will turn into a very solid MLB shortstop. I think Rosario will shift to second base this year and have a decent year, but we'll check back in 2031 to see how the careers are progressing. I'll take Gimenez.
The price of relief pitchers just went up a bit with the Hendricks signing, and also Baez signing with Houston for $5M per. I think Hand will hold out for a two year deal and probably command at least $9 or 10M per. I suspect there are still several teams out there that will pay at that level. Perhaps bringing Justin Wilson back or signing Jake McGee will give them their left handed depth for less dollars.
Lastly, I am not optimistic that we'll see much more signing activity until into February, perhaps nearing spring training. There might be some pitching deals made to the lower tiers (see the mlb.com piece this morning on starting pitchers) as well as relief pitchers, but there are still too many unknowns to establish the markets for the top guys. I don't see Springer, Realmuto, Bauer, LeMahieu, or especially Ozuna signed until they figure out the DH for the National League or get closer to spring training to get any clarity on the COVID situation.
Remember 1969, I have long said that we need to see the finished portrait for this off season. My brother reminded me that the Wilpons would make a few moves and STOP SHORT. These new guys are not stopping. Which is a very good thing.
I really expect Matz to make a major return to form. Has a live arm - little to lose giving him a chance.
Still think by February 1st most of the top FA's will have settled on their teamd.
Post a Comment