Have you ever been in a really bad situation when it seemed like everything possible that could go wrong continually gets trumped by something new? A lot of Mets fans feel this way despite the team securing a new and experienced general manager, though everyone is hoping that somehow Billy Eppler has a magic wand at his disposal to address the many things that need to be done.
First there was the whole recruitment process for the front office, then the departures of Noah Syndergaard and Aaron Loup, then the unsuccessful flirtation with former Met Steve Matz. It sure seemed like you wanted something to happen before the next shoe fell and caught you by surprise.
Earlier in the week word filtered out from Billy Eppler that according to his new boss, Steve Cohen, he would have the resources available to do what needed to be accomplished to get the team moving in the right direction. To most media and fans that meant looking at the top shelf players available in free agency to see who could be bought and paid to play for the Mets to help them return to a competitive level of play.
Whether it was Javy Baez, Kris Bryant, any number of prospective stating pitchers, Starling Marte or whomever the flavor of the week was, it seemed an unbridled way for the Mets to spend like the Steinbrenner Yankees.
Right now the Mets have the whole Javy Baez situation in front of them with other teams (recently the Tigers) looking to allow him to return to his preferred position of shortstop. On the Mets he would be a second baseman alongside his buddy Francisco Lindor. While usually money or winning help determine which team a player chooses, sometimes it is a matter of doing whatever it is they truly want to do. If he feels that strongly about shortstop, wish him well and move onto other options.
Without looking outside the current roster, the Mets do still have both Jeff McNeil and Robinson Cano in need of at bats. Both have proven to perform at a very high level though McNeil's 2021 was subpar and Cano's capabilities are tinged by his twice-suspended sentences for abusing PEDs. In addition, they still have J.D. Davis and now they have newcomer Eduardo Escobar as well.
Many other premier infielders are available in the open market, though most of them would require sacrificing a draft pick as compensation which is not the team's preferred way of doing things. The fact that the new deal is for just two years and Escobar has recently shown increased power over the past several seasons suggests that this move was not a bad one. Brett Baty, Mark Vientos and Ronny Mauricio are not yet ready for the major leagues, so this type of short term deal is a bridge to the future.
Like the deal with Escobar, Canha is signing a two-year deal but for more money -- about $26.5 over the duration of that contract. He is hopefully an expensive backup plan to whatever they do with the other outfield roles which right now belong to Brandon Nimmo and perhaps Dom Smith. He's not going to replace Michael Conforto even up, but he's going to make about 33% less per season and will provide them with a professional and capable guy who they can slot in anywhere needed out there.
What came as a huge surprise was the late announcement after midnight when it was revealed that Starling Marte agreed to a four-year $78 million deal with the Mets pending a physical. That's about a 60% increase over what he had been earning. Some might quibble about the amount and term, given he will turn age 33 during the 2022 season. However, Marte is a stellar fielder, blazing baserunner and has modest power.
None of these deals is going to ensure the Mets have returned to the top 1-3 teams of the division, nor are they the kind of superstar names that fans and media hoped to hear with a new sheriff in town. Marte was most definitely brought here to be a starter whereas the short term deals for guys who likely are backup players, slightly overpaid for that role, suggests they are preparing for all variables since there's no guarantee the top ten players want anything to do with the new Mets organization.
When they spoke about spending Cohen's money on payroll, reinforcing the bench wasn't what people initially had in mind, but it's necessary to do, and an interesting, aggressive approach for an off season that could find itself ending at midnight on December 1st if there is no new CBA in place.
9 comments:
Escobar putting up 28 and 90 and an All Star appearance strikes me as the Baez alternative. Time will tell, of course.
Will we add Mad Max today? Perhaps. A healthy Jacob and Max will be something to behold.
Were pushing this to the Max which means Stevies all in.
I really didn’t understand the Canha signing. If he’s really an insurance policy, why not Pillar? But at $13MM, he’s playing! So, if he’s a starter, why not try for Suzuki? I like Canha and was the one who asked for him, but that was before Marte. I’m surprised that Suzuki’s name hasn’t been mentioned, because Marte and Suzuki is a way better combo than Marte and Canha.
But, ok so far. Still need two starters. Gausman rejected more money to go to Canada, Scherzer is playing nice with the Angels even after the Mets offered him $42MM for at least three years, maybe four. Gray got an easy deal to match at $56MM for four years; I was a bit surprised he got away. Stroman is still waiting and Tweeting about how great he is compared to the rest of the world.
I think Escobar is your primary starter at 3B in 2022 and Canha will start in whatever corner OF slot that Nimmo doesn't move to (I am guessing RF, but it could be LF).
That kind of cash equates to regular appearances, IMO. But, they would also form an awesome bench if the Mets have better alternatives for the two spots by the time Spring Training begins (I don't see anyone on the current roster who would start ahead of them, for now).
Scherzer? Not hopeful and it seems odd that it hasn't been announced yet. IF it was that close last night, anyway. I simply don't trust Scott Boras, so maybe my paranoia is based on that and that alone?
That's a ton of money, but you have to like the idea of Jake and Max at the top of the rotation, if it happens.
Hey Gus, it all came down to age - Canha is a month younger than Pillar.
Kidding aside, Canha has a substantially better OBP than Pillar. .396, .387, .358 the last 3 years, vs. Pillar's .293, .336, .277.
Mike, Scherzer would be big $$$, but imagine if he and Jake are rolling, and the Mets too. Turnstiles will be spinning madly.
Tom, I understand that, but as a sub that’s not as big a deal. Hence, he’s starting. Plus, we do not know if Suzuki even wants to consider the east coast… just saying…
I think the Blue Jays got themselves a nice deal with Gausman. The Mets were offering more money, supposedly, but were rejected. It seems fashionable to screw the Mets throughout MLB at this time. If Max signs, that will stop. If he doesn’t it may go through the winter, even with the hot air Tweeter.
My best deal to date is DiSclafani at 3 years, $12MM per year. Everyone else is just throwing money.
Gus, I cannot blame Gausman. The Jays almost have a 1969 Mets feel to them, and it is far from the NY Circus. NYS and NYC taxes don't help either, although whether they are more or less than Toronto's, I'm not sure.
TB:
Adding in a 37 year old starter here (like Max) to a 32 year old Jake sounds a little bit like risk perhaps.
Rather add in a younger lefty like Rodon (28) and one other really decent starter not too old and brittle. This second one could be via a Mets trade since those trade pieces are here for this.
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