The Seattle Mariners, for instance, know treasure when they see it, don’t they?
They scooped up Flexen/Sewald “trash” which became 24-9 GOLD in 2021.
By comparison, Tom Seaver in his best year was a similar 25-7.
The Mets in the past deposited a couple of infielders in the trash.
They promptly became other teams’ treasure.
You know who…
Think “ Daniel Murphy.” Think “ Justin Turner.”
The combined post-Mets’ stats for these two stars are almost HOF caliber. In fact, Turner for LAD and Murphy with the Nats combined for 5,068 plate appearances and hit .307/.380/.513, with 197 HRs and 719 RBIs. How do you spell Cooperstown?
Now, a bunch of Facebook fellas and fillies are ready to leave JD Davis and Jeff McNeil at the curb for pick up.
Feels a little "Turner/Murphy Deja Vu" to me.
Both current Mets catch a little (or more than a little) spit for their degrees of lack of fielding prowess, for one thing.
JD Davis, though?
As a Met, in 893 plate appearances, he is an impressive .288/.373/.472. In 2021, he was a very solid .285/.384/.436 despite a hand injury requiring surgery.
Sure ya want to toss him? If he did that well with a bad hand…
And Jeff McNeil?
He hit .329, .318, and .311 in 2018, 2019, and 2020. So, he hit .311 or better 3 straight years. Quick, off the top of your head, name the 10 guys who also did that over the same stretch. You can't because...they don't exist.
So, what, the Squirrel has an off year in 2021 and he gets left curbside by enraged and disgruntled Mets fans along with the recycled bottles and cans?
Let's see, please help me here, he can’t hit .300+ again in 2022 because….?
Too old? Nope.
League caught up to him after 4 years, which is the minimum timeframe it always takes for opposing teams to figure out other hitters? Nope.
He's too lackadaisical? Nope. Anyway...
While neither of them qualified for federal stimulus checks, both remain relatively inexpensive salary-wise. Jeff made $642,000 in 2021, Davis rung the register at $2.1 million. How much could they cost, combined, in 2022? It seems the estimates are a total of $5.5 million to $6 million. That’s pocket change in 2022 baseball.
So, think long, think hard, before expunging these two would-be mounds of trash from the Mets’ home.
They may be 2022 treasure. Big time treasure. Murphy and Turner treasure. Why not? Me?
I hold them, and perhaps consider a mid-season trade if they are under-performing then, or if for once the team has a surplus and can sell high.
P.S. "Oh, happy day"...
Arizona Fall League ball starts today, and several Mets, including one of my dark horse favorites, fireballing Brian Metoyer, will be throwing in relief against some of the minor league's best talent, a big upgrade from his recent opposition in High A ball. The big Mets name there? Brett Baty.
I hope to keep you posted as to how they are doing as the several week AFL season progresses. I have loved the AFL since Joe Namath starred in that 1969 Super Bowl season, just to be clear.
21 comments:
Have a link to AFL preview at 2pm.
Nice, Mack - I can't wait for the AFL.
A player to add to that list is Dom Smith. For two years with Chili Davis, Smith had a .937 OPS. Then, he does interviews all winter long, does the Cookie thing for SNY, and gets hurt early in the year. So, lack of focus + early injury = bad year. I would hold on him.
Oops, thought I put my name on that Smith comment above.
Smith needs to get focused. Freddy Freeman is focused. Be like Freddy.
The Mets need to master the concept of buy low and sell high. Right now they would appear to attempt to sell low on high candidates and buy high on free agents that play positions they don't need.
If you want to get into that kind of game, then look at folks who had good years and see what they would garner in trade. That includes Pete Alonso. That includes Brandon Nimmo. That is called selling high. Then you rebuild with the ones who are low, like McNeil, Smith and Davis.
Unfortunately some of the sell high candidates are not Mets property right now such as Aaron Loup, Jonathan Villar, Marcus Stroman, Michael Conforto and Javy Baez. You're losing more talent this off-season than almost any other in Mets history. They need VOLUMES of new faces and thinking you'll find them in the DFA scrap heap or 3rd level free agents is ill conceived. Yet that's what most folks seem to want to do.
Right on, Tom!
Good article Tom.
Here's how I see all this for the off season.
1. Just unload all the Mets free agents from 2021 with the exception of Noah Syndergaard and Aaron Loup. Aaron was the most successful NYM reliever in team history. And Noah for is Thor.
2. White Sox were eliminated by TB. Twenty-eight year old Carlos Rodon, a "lefty starter" (hello!), is a free agent now. He's current contract with CWS was five seasons at a total of $11.0 million. If the Mets can offer him a five-year deal using the monies they save by not re-signing any of the current free agents not named Syndergaard or Loup, it could work. The Mets actually do really need (badly) one more top-end starter for their #2 guy in their rotation, and Rodon would be so perfect for this.
Then the Mets could use a couple of players from their MiLB teams for bench roles in 2022, along with whomever has already proven their worth utility role wise here the past two seasons.
3. See where Dellin Betances is really at physically, and if all of his prosthetics are working correctly. However, if really on schedule for a return to the bigs (and who knows), offer him the league minimum. Why not he already owes this organization beaucoup bucks.
Dellin Betances (33) really was totally awesome reliever when on the NYY from 2014 to 202018. He had a 98 mph curve ball pitch. Not kidding. Could do things back then that no other relievers I know of could. Anyway, after a physical, a doctor's approval, and a green light first, maybe offer him something reasonable in a contract for one more season here. Nothing huge though because he is still a question mark arm.
4. Make a choice on either Jeff McNeil or JD Davis for the LF open outfield position, and either Javier Baez or Robbie Cano for second base. They have guys like K. Lee that also could factor into the outfield equation, and Carlos Cortes for middle infield in 2022.
Overall summary.
The Mets "have to get" another established top-end starter because they have not yet filled Zachary Wheeler's loss there, and it clobbered the Mets second half of 2021. Zach could have stepped up for deGrom's loss then, I believe anyway. A lefty starter would be ideal with this acquisition. Carlos Rodon would be OMG!
The have adequate bench depth already here and also at Syracuse/Bing. Utilize them in 2022, and don't chase more "old goats like they've done here every of recent season past. Thank you.
Anonymous, you should use your name, or even a pseudo name. Makes it easier to respond to. I would entertain a strong Rodin bid. I still would like to see Cohen strong-arm Cano if he can do so legally. Cabo’s two suspensions indicate a history of PED use. Now 18 months older than last seen once OD 2022 arrives, and in-enhanced, Cano might be mediocre at best. And less than envisioned under his current onerous contract. Maybe the real Cano without PEDs is a 50 cents on the dollar talent.
Squeeze Cano. That way, keeping JDD and the Squirrel is much more doable.
No more chances with Betances.
Paul, thanks. Looking much forward to your next article.
We have Alvarez, but check out this catcher: - Kansas City Royals prospect MJ Melendez launched 41 home runs to claim the Joe Bauman Award as Minor League Baseball’s 2021 home run king.
Melendez began the season by hitting 28 home runs in 78 games with the Double-A Northwest Arkansas Naturals before an August 9 promotion to Triple-A Omaha. Melendez didn’t miss a beat following the promotion, hitting 13 more homers in 44 games for the Storm Chasers.
Tom if Alvarez is the top 10 prospect where is Melendez ranked?
I am all for bringing any promising MiLB Met to 2022 ST, providing they have shown already an ability to excel in skills including C Francisco Alvarez. I'd definitely have P Brian Metoyer on that list for certain too. A team can never have enough fireball pitchers.
The reason I was somewhat disappointed with the trade of Ahmed Rosario to Cleveland last off season was because I believed in the "youth movement" here for a few seasons that had included him in it. I liked his zeal and his skills were upgrading when we traded him away.
Now, if the NY Mets had deGrom healthy all of 2021, then this trade for Lindor from Cleveland would have looked brilliant. But things did not workout this way. I don't think that there was a single veteran Mets fan anywhere who did not think that the correct player to acquire later on was not 2B Javier Baez for the Mets run, but rather a really good starter instead. Second base was fine as is, but the rotation was limping.
To me eye (cycloptic) after Jake went down to be added on top of the Syndergaard loss, there was no number one, two, or even a three starter remaining to start games here. To me, people overestimated Marcus Stroman a little bit and Walker was banged up slightly after the ASG and rookie Megill was probably either arm weariness from a longer season than MiLB, or he was being read better by opposing team's batters who had to study him more because he had been so very good just prior. Baseball is a game of pitching and hitting adjustment. As such, the Mets limped thru the second half, only to be eaten by pretty much every team that they played. Like cyclops' finger food I tell ya'!
So to me, the 2022 NYM season was a failure in more than one way, and this should (I believe) all be corrected by the end of this one off season. I still have faith in this team. But many of the more difficult decisions needed to be made here are really not simple ones. Cutting ties with several of the second half players (mostly veterans) that did not come through to help, I think needs to be accomplished.
We can all ask ourselves now which veteran that regressed has the highest probability of improving in 2022 to their former status? But there is risk associated with this too. Sometimes ownership and team management (not just the fans) overestimate their players. The wiser move (in some cases) may be to just use them in trades while the team still can, or let a couple on the free agent list just simply walk. In this way, the monies saved by the team not re-signing some or all with the NYM could be used to actually improve the team overall and attain a needed partial youth movement.
It will take serious thought.
Completely agree Anon, they didn’t need Baez. How they thought they had enough pitching was beyond me. And they gave up a top prospect to get something they didn’t need, to please Lindor? Problem is, it was Cohen pushing for that trade. He needs to calm down.
Another great article, Tom. How about adding Matz & D'Arnaud to the Mets throwing away great talent?
Personally speaking, I cannot see Brett Baty up on the NYM until 2023 at the earliest. Many are assuming things here with him based on hope. He's still an MLB work in progress but a really good one.
My gut feelings on third base for 2022 is either Mark Vientos grabs it for his own or JD Davis returns there. I could see either thing happening.
As far as the NYM Mets pitchers in AFL ball at current, I see none probably making the Mets for quite sometime yet. The list includes Tom Hackimer, Jesus Reyes, and Colin Holderman. The AFL is a let's get a first time look at a player.
Of all the players there from the NYM, I think Carlos Cortes may have the best chance to land a utility role with the 2022 NYM. I think Luis Guillorme will probably be traded since he has had his time in the sun with this team and did not grab 2B as a starter. I personally think that a move for him now, would benefit his chances of that dream. This would be how Cortes makes the 26 man.
How do you MM fans like this 2022 NYM Rotation? Be honest.
1. Jacob deGrom (R) 2. Carlos Rodon (L) 3. Noah Syndergaard (R) 4. Taijuan Walker (R) 5. Tyler Megill (R) 6. Steven Matz (L)
Yes six.
Why?
Because the NYM invest a lot of money in the starter rotation and the idea of giving them each an extra day off (each six starter game cycle) makes sense now.
Do you realize how repetitive injuries second half have become. This phenomenon may not end completely in 2022, who knows really, but with six active starters and maybe two more good starters down at AAA Syracuse the NY Mets should gain a handle on it.
They absolutely have to take another hard look at this and see what benefit the six could do.
This team crashed and burned in 2021 after Jake went down. Lessons are good things to observe and learn from.
TexasGusCC:
Well said above regarding the Javier Baez acquisition. He hit what .265 or something on the year? Big deal.
Javier is perhaps a little bit "overly enthusiastic" out there as a player, for my blood. Is this the right way to describe it? Who knows. Just let your game be your statement, not your lip flaps. These mouthy players in sports annoy me to no end, and as an example here, I can barely watch the NBA anymore. It's like a rip rap party with dunks at either end of the court, and we are all supposed to be so impressed with it. A light show.
Just play the game and shut up. Let your game speak for you.
To answer Anon's question above about the starting six, I'm good with it until you get to #6. We have a recent #1 draft pick left pitcher in David Peterson who should be maturing into a solid #6 guy here any time now. No need to spend good money on Matz.
I like the idea of adding Rodon, unless he has a Q.O. which is a good possibility. For 2022, I am sticking with my draft picks. I'd hate to lose the #14 pick at this point.
Gary, I think Melendez was in the mid 50s as an overall MLB prospect. He seems great at throwing guys out and his hitting was so much better in 2021 than in 2019. He almost seems like he s/b an MLB Top 10 guy. I guess we'll see how he gets upgraded this winter. Lefty bat - Yankees must be drooling over this guy
R 1969, I think we need to give Peterson another chance as a 6th starter. If every season's pattern holds true, he'd move from 6th into the 5 man when someone goes down with a boo boo.
Rodon picked a great time to have a superior year. Big problem is he will want many years - will he be durable? He could certainly be a prominent starter in my rotation.
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