Tom Brennan - Once, There Were Simpler, Cheaper Times

A dime used to be plenty to buy some Carvel Heaven

Back in 1970, when I started driving, gas was around 30 cents a gallon, as it was in 1963.  Cheap.

When I started high school in 1967, it cost a nickel with a school pass to get on a bus and the subway.

When I was about 7 years old, a Carvel Flying Saucer was 7 cents.  And a Brown Bonnet was a dime.

A Hersheys chocolate bar was a nickel, and Bazooka bubble gum was a penny.

When I went to Fordham in 1971-72, as a freshman, annual full year tuition was $2,000.  Now, it's $56,000.

The U.S. national debt in 1963 was slightly over $300 billion.  Now it's 100 times as high.

In 1971, I went to an outdoor concert in the Bronx...Yes, Humble Pie, and Mountain...5 dollars.  Soon after, another trio concert - Black Oak Arkansas, Black Sabbath and Alice Cooper - 5 dollars.  Now, it costs more to see one knock-off band.

Also, nowadays, $5 does not cover the ticket processing fee.

A concert at the Fillmore East in December 1969?  $3.50.

What about Mets' baseball?  Back in the day?  Also cheap.  

You wanted a box seat?  $3.50.  Reserved seat?  $2.50.  General admission? $1.30.  I used Borden milk carton coupons and got in for free many a time.

Heck, I used to make about $12.50 a week when I started delivering a newspaper route back in late 1965.

For one week's paperboy earnings, I could have bought 5 reserved seats at Shea.

Cable costs to watch the Mets on TV back then?  Zero.  

Who needed cable when you had rabbit ears?  

And WOR 9 broadcast virtually every game for free.

Today?  Cable ain't cheap.

And I took a quick look at Met ticket prices for an April 7, 2022 night game against the Braves. 

You want "Metropolitan Field Platinum" seats? $196 each.  

Too much? Well, Metropolitan Gold seats are "only" $117 each.

Maybe I can get another paper route, where I can earn $585 in a week, so I can buy 5 Metropolitan Gold tickets.  Somehow, I don't think so.  The amount of newspapers I'd have to fling, my arm would fall off.

My suggestion?  Break out your barber's kit.  Wouldn't you like to give every player making over $5 million a 50% salary haircut?  Then,

 ticket prices could be 50% cheaper. Still would be way higher than those 1963 tickets, on inflation-adjusted terms.  But you got to start somewhere.  

Because if someone wanted to take their wife and two kids to a game in 1963 in really, really good seats, it probably cost a total of $25 for ticket, food and drink, and transportation.  Cheap.

Today, it would be $1,000, easy.  Cuckoo.

The old days.  Simpler, cheaper times.

Can you imagine, in simpler, cheaper times in the 1950s, having 3 teams - in NYC - like the Giants, Yankees and Dodgers?  And cheap tickets?  The first game I ever went to was at Yankee Stadium with my Dad and brother John.  Dad got obstructed view box seats (behind a girder) for 90 cents each, then slipped the usher a buck and we were all down 10 rows behind the dugout.  Total ticket investment?  $3.70. 

Anyway, with those 3 great teams, you were in heaven, no matter who you rooted for.  

Willie, Mickey, and the Duke.  And a whole lot more.

The old days.  Gone forever. 

It is OK if you want to shed a tear.

At least we got blaring sound effects now.

Anyway, I'll pay the first person to respond to this article a nickel.  

Don't spend it all in one place.

Reese Kaplan -- So the Mets Want Another Outfielder?

So the big debate that opened up among Mets fans is the headline this week that leaked that the team is looking to add another outfield bat to the mix.  That's an interesting and somewhat unexpected development because as it is right now they have Starling Marte, Brandon Nimmo, Mark Canha, Dom Smith, J.D. Davis and Jeff McNeil all capable of playing the outfield, as well as some occasional types like Eduardo Escobar, Khalil Lee and others.  It would seem that bringing in more outfield help suggests that some of the present crew will be wearing a different uniform come opening day.  

The first name to arise in any of these conversations is Kris Bryant.  People tend to oversell or under appreciate the man's abilities.  He has transformed from a strict third baseman to a versatile player available to play the outfield as well as first base and even logged two games at shortstop.  His Rookie of the Year award in 2015, his MVP in 2016 and fine third season in 2017 were both a long time ago.  Back then he was hitting from 26 to 39 home runs and produced between 73 and 102 RBIs.

Since then Bryant has been a solid player who serves his team(s) well, but he's going to ask to be treated like an MVP contender year in and year out.  That type of perception of his purported talent is going to command north of $24 million per year for several years.  Let's say for the sake of argument to make nice round numbers a four-year contract for $100 million.  

What will you get for that?  Well, the 2018-2021 version of Bryant was good for 13, 31, 4 and 25 home runs.  Those numbers are a bit reduced from earlier in his career, but what's a bit more concerning is that his RBI high over that four year period is just 77.  Granted, his versatility defensively is worth some buckaroos, too, but is he really that caliber of player?  As a comparison, last year's few months of Javy Baez was worth about that amount to the Detroit Tigers and he's averaging much higher production (including stolen bases and Gold Glove defense).  

The other name that rose this week was homegrown Michael Conforto.  He was earning $12.5 million in 2021 for his worst season ever.  He's shown he can produce.  In his best year of 2019 he racked up a 3.9 WAR based upon 33 homers and 92 RBIs while hitting a modest .257.  For his career he's only a .255 hitter, though the power appears real with consecutive home run totals of 27, 28 and 33.  Going into his free agent year coming off lackluster numbers (.232/14/55) he's not likely going to have a huge volume of buyers looking to wave a long term contract worth more than $20 million per year.  In Conforto the Mets know what they'd be getting but probably are not looking to ink him to a long term contract.  I'd go perhaps as high as $16 million for a one year "make good" kind of contract.  That's less than what Starling Marte will earn in 2022.  I'm pretty lukewarm about Conforto for more than a one-year fill-in type of deal.  

The third option we never hear about is the free agent Seiya Suzuki.  I'm not going to hammer this topic again, but an average season for him includes his lifetime .315 NPB (Japanese league) average along with cleanup hitter power and as many as 25 stolen bases in a season.  He is just 26 years old and the media is reporting he might sign on in the $12-$14 million per season range.  Personally, I can't help thinking $10 million per year less than Bryant for a younger guy with more speed and better defense is money well spent, but thus far it's the west coast teams who have been rumored to be courting Suzuki prior to baseball's black hole preventing contracts from being signed.  

Surely there are other good options out there, but the first two are getting a lot of play due to their familiarity and their career having already been played in the American major leagues.  A lot of folks have played here and done well, but we've also seen players on the decline after better points earlier in their stat sheets.  Given the full house of outfielders already, I'd certainly roll the dice on the youngest and most athletic of the choices for the least money.  

Tom Brennan - A Surprising # of Mets Don't Hit Better in Lefty vs. Righty, and Righty vs. Lefty, Situations

When you can't think of a good picture to use for an article on odd batting splits, use Mr. Met

Two Mets sluggers of yore, Darryl Strawberry (Straw Man) and Lucas Duda (Big Lebowski) followed the norm in hitting, that you hit better against a lefty if you hit righty, or a righty, if you hit lefty.

Lefty-hitting Darryl vs. righties was pretty lethal: .270/.376/.539

Lefty-hitting Darryl vs. lefties was much less lethal: .239/.319/.444

Likewise, 

Lefty-hitting Lucas vs. righties was tough: .249/.351/.481

Lefty-hitting Lucas vs. lefties was not good at all: .211/.282/.351 

The whole idea of lefties being tougher against lefty hitters and righties being tougher against righty hitters is a given in almost every team's approach to building an effective bullpen.

But for some reason, a lot of righty-hitting Mets seemed to struggle in 2021 more against lefties than righties, and a number of lefty-hitting Mets seemed to struggle in 2021 more against righties than lefties.

Here's a breakdown - some showed a distinct opposite of normal expectations, others were almost indistinguishable between production vs. lefties and righties:

Pete Alonso - righty hitter:

Vs. lefties: 169 ABs, .237/.342/.562, 32 RBIs

Vs. righties: 392 ABs, .273/.345/.500, 62 RBIs

Brandon Nimmo - lefty hitter:

Vs. lefties: 98 ABs, .306/.429/.398, 7 RBIs

Vs. righties: 227 ABs, .286/.389/.454, 21 RBIs

Dominic Smith - lefty hitter:

Vs. lefties: 125 ABs, .312/.367/.416, 20 RBIs

Vs. righties: 321 ABs, .218/.280/.343, 38 RBIs

Jeff McNeil - lefty hitter:

Vs. lefties: 99 ABs, .253/.327/.303, 8 RBIs

Vs. righties: 204 ABs, .251/.317/.380, 27 RBIs

Kevin Pillar- righty hitter:

Vs. lefties: 121 ABs, .240/.256/.422, 11 RBIs

Vs. righties: 321 ABs, .226/.288/.412, 36 RBIs

Even in the minors it was happening:

Mark Vientos - righty hitter:

Vs. lefties: 91 ABs, .209/.250/.418, 12 RBIs

Vs. righties: 219 ABs, .311/.391/.648, 51 RBIs

Khalil Lee - lefty hitter:

Vs. lefties: 75 ABs, .316/.490/.553, 9 RBIs.  .490?  WOW!

Vs. righties: 216 ABs, .259/.437/.418, 28 RBIs

Hayden Senger - righty hitter:

Vs. lefties: 59 ABs, .203/.266/.288, zero RBIs

Vs. righties: 165 ABs, .285/.367/.479, 14 RBIs

On the Mets, James McCann and Michael Conforto hit clearly better against opposite-side pitchers, so it did not affect every Met.

On the minors front, I was heartened to see that righty hitting Francisco Alvarez dismantled lefties, to the tune of .333/.433/.747, in 90 plate appearances.  he has the benefit of facing mostly righty pitchers, so he will have plenty of practice in getting his slugging % up to .747 against righties, too.  Also, Brett Baty has very expected lefty / righty splits, a refreshing thing.  He hits lefties reasonably well, and righties better, as one would hope and expect.

Not a lot of minor leaguers - in part, because not a lot of Mets minor leaguers hit well, so the list of key prospect Mets hitters is short.  And, of course, Ronny Mauricio and Jake Mangum are switch hitters.

Tim Tebow's stats in 2021 were identical against lefties and righties, which I find remarkable.

That's all for me now.  Time for me to split.

Mike's Mets - Shifting Tides

 

By Mike Steffanos

MLB and the Players Association have so far kept their word to negotiate every day this week. Sadly, the news out of these sessions doesn't really provide much hope that an agreement will be reached in time to get the 2022 season underway as scheduled on March 31. I started writing a piece on that subject but realized that I just wasn't feeling it. Even for folks like myself who write as a hobby rather than for a living, the golden rule is still to write about something that interests you. These CBA negotiations are the equivalent of watching Steve Trachsel pitching on a day that he didn't have it. They're proceeding at roughly the same pace as a bad Trachsel outing, too.

I know that real Major League Baseball games will be played again. I believe (knock wood) that it will happen not too far down the road. For what it's worth, I'm in agreement with pundits like the Post's Joel Sherman that we'll be near a resolution when Rob Manfred and the owners stop pushing for a Competitive Balance Tax that includes vastly inflated monetary taxes and severe draft pick penalties. As currently proposed, this would undoubtedly act as a de facto hard cap. I don't think MLB will abandon this current position until some regular-season games are lost, and the hardcore owners are satisfied they have maximum leverage over the union.

Of course, they probably realize that if they push the players too far, they won't get the union to agree to the expanded playoffs that the owners covet so very badly. That's why I have reasonable hopes for a conclusion that doesn't drag on for months. Still, I'd be surprised and overjoyed if we're playing baseball before May.

That's enough on that tired subject for now. As bleak as things look currently, I still feel reasonably confident that we'll play most of a Major League season this year. Beyond the monetary concessions that both sides will have to make, we know that we will have some rule changes that impact the way the game is played on the field.

It seems almost certain that the Universal Designated Hitter will yank those ineffective bats out of the hands of NL pitchers permanently. As much as I enjoy a unicorn moment such as Dae-Sung Koo's epic trip around the bases against Randy Johnson in 2005 or a once-in-a-lifetime home run from Bartolo Colon, I'm years beyond caring passionately about the subject. But there is a potential change that I do care about, which seems almost as likely to happen as the Universal DH: legislation against the increasingly radical shifts being deployed against batters.

The use of these extreme shifts has the obvious purpose of making it much harder for predominantly pull-oriented hitters to hit ground balls through or line drives over an infield to their pull side. It's quite common to see defenses line up with 3 fielders on the same side of second base, one of them playing well back on the outfield grass. It's a defensive alignment more reminiscent of slow pitch softball than the baseball that most of us grew up watching. It often creates an aesthetic akin to Sunday morning Beer League softball.

To finish reading this article on Mike's Mets, please click here.

Remember 1969: Who Won? Deals of History - 1988

 

Mets Trades through the years:  Who won?

November 1987 through October 1988

Notes:   It's a good thing they didn't need to make any great trades to make a great team.   1988 was one of the best Mets teams ever - certainly the best team they ever had that didn't win it.  

None of the trades they made helped them out at all.   The best deal of the year brought a good hit - no field back up catcher in Mackey Sassser.    It's really too bad that he had the throwing issues he did as he may have had a pretty decent career otherwise.  

The list: 

(1)  New York Mets traded Terry Blocker to the Atlanta Braves for Kevin Brown  (Nov 11, 1987)

 

(2)  New York Mets traded Doug Sisk to the Baltimore Orioles for Blaine Beatty and GregTalamantez  (Dec 07, 1987)

 

(3)  New York Mets traded Rafael Santana and Victor Garcia to the New York Yankees for Phil Lombardi, Darren Reed and Steve Frey  (Dec 11, 1987)

 

(4)  New York Mets traded Bill Almon to the Philadelphia Phillies for Shawn Barton and Vladimir Perez  (Mar 21, 1988)

 

(5)  New York Mets traded Randy Milligan and Scott Henion to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Mackey Sasser and Tim Drummond  (Mar 26, 1988)

 

(6)  New York Mets traded John Gibbons to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Craig Shipley  (Apr 01, 1988)

 

(7)  New York Mets traded Gene Walter to the Seattle Mariners for Edwin Nunez  (Jul 11, 1988)

Trivia:   Of all the players involved in Mets trades in the 1988 season, Randy Milligan had the highest career bWAR by far.  (I did not add them all up, but I think Milligan's career bWAR exceeded that of all the other 20 players combined). 

Reese Kaplan -- Free Agent Riches to Bolster the Bullpen

Now that we've examined the starting pitching options available to the Mets in free agency and via trades, it's now time to look at their other need from the pitching mound -- relief pitchers who can preserve the efforts of the starters.  

The Mets have seem to have employed a merry-go-round in the bullpen for the past many years with very few names placed there in consecutive seasons.  Unless there are some very surprising trade transactions in the channel that we are not aware will be happening, you can count for sure on the returns of Edwin Diaz, Seth Lugo, Trevor May and Miguel Castro.  After that there are a number of highly probables including Drew Smith and Trevor Williams.  Then there's a bastion of wannabe 5th starters as well.  It's crowded but not necessarily a brilliant collection.  

So in examining the free agent options out there, let's get the first one out of the way in a hurry, Kenley Jansen.  The soon-to-be former Dodger is no doubt an intimidating and effective closer.  During his career he has an ERA of 2.37 with a winning record of 37-26.  He has accumulated 350 saves in 701 IP and appeared in surprisingly just three All Star games.  You'd think a guy who carries a strikeout to walk ratio over 5.00 would be much more highly regarded.  He's going to want to close and will close but unless the Mets have totally soured on Edwin Diaz it's not going to be with the Mets.  His last contract paid $20 million in his last season and he's going to want more for probably 4-5 years to close out an awesome career.  Think Boston instead.

Let's instead look at pitchers who are possible emergency closers or veteran setup men who can help the Mets improve their bullpen effectiveness.  There are quite a few in free agency at least worth a look.  

Ryan Tepera is a relatively little known pitcher who has bounced between the Blue Jays, Cubs and during his seven year career.  Purely a middle reliever, he sports a 3.48 career ERA and lately has been over 10 per 9 IP in strikeouts.  For that quality last year he was only paid $800K.

A former Met coming off an awesome 2021 season is going to look to cash in.  Collin McHugh finished with a 6-1 record, a 1.55 ERA and 7 saves over 37 games (30 out of the pen).  He is a winning pitcher for his career between the rotation and the relief corps with a 64-44 record with an ERA of 3.77.  When he became a reliever in 2018 for Houston he did a 1.99 ERA.  In 2019 it was a bit of a step backwards when his usually reliable control faltered but after sitting out the COVID year he came back gangbusters in 2021.  He's earned as much as $5.8 million his last two years in Houston and then $5 million last season for the Rays.  He's going to want to get a big bump in pay so he may not be a good fit for the Mets if he's seeking say $7.5 million this season to be a middle reliever at age 35.  

Former mostly Arizona Diamondback and recently Oakland A Andrew Chafin is a lefty who the Mets should be examining very closely.  He's been in the majors for 8 years and sports a 3.30 ERA for his career.  After finishing 2022 earning $2.25 million the Cubs bought out his option setting him free after dealing him to Oakland.  For the Cubbies he pitched to a 2.06 ERA and for the A's a 1.53.  That's quality at a bargain price. Turning 32 next year he'd be a nice fit for the next few seasons.

A guy who was a late start to the majors was big right hander Richard Rodriguez who saw time with the Orioles, Pirates and Braves.  Over his age 27 debut until his age 31 season that just finished he delivered a 16-14 record with a 3.28 ERA.  Although he had a couple of high K blips, he's mostly not a strikeout master but appeared last season between two teams in 64 games with a 2.94 ERA.  He earned just $1.7 million last year.

I'll throw lefty Brad Hand into the mix but am not convinced he's a good get given his recent $10.5 million salary and his three long-ago All Star appearances.  In 2021 he split between three teams and was acceptable if not stellar.  For that effort he earned a combined $1 million.  He's likely looking for a closer's role again and if so he won't be happy in setup.  Attitude can cripple performance (witness Jeurys Familia as a good example).  I'd consider him but he's not first choice.  

Lefty Tony Watson seems to have been around forever.  During his 11 big league seasons he's been mostly in middle relief for which he sports a career total of a 47-29 record and a sparkling 2.90 ERA. For that effort last year he earned just $1 million.  His interval with the Angels was pretty meh, but he was brilliant with the Giants for a combined 62 games.  Going into his age 37 season he probably can be had for a one or two year deal for very little money.  Look at him.  

Righty Brad Boxberger twice served as a closer in the majors for the Rays and the Diamondbacks but nowadays he's a setup guy appearing in last season 71 games for the Brewers.  His career ERA is 3.52 and he was below that each of the past two years.  He earned just $100K each of the past two years, so even a jump to $2 million would set off fireworks in his household.  

Another former Met at the lower end of the salary scale is veteran Tyler Clippard.  He was not great in 2021 and now at age 37 he won't be expensive. There is a bit of a gamble that he may have hit the wall but he sports a 3.35 ERA for his entire career so he is worth some thought.  

I've advocated sidearmer Steve Cishek in the past.  He owns a 2.85 ERA for his entire career yet was paid just a combined $1.85 million which included a buyout of his 2022 year.  For that salary last season he appeared in 74 games for the Angels and finished with a 3.42 ERA.  His control was not spectacular so again you have to question if as he's turning 36 he has reached the end of the line, though 3.42 is still pretty good.  

I'll close with one more former Met who might want to end his career where it began.  Joe Smith has been around since 2007 and has put together a stellar career in middle relief.  He has pitched for 14 seasons and sports a record of 54-33 with a 3.09 ERA.  In his third season with the Astros he was not good at all, but bounced back quite nicely in his final 23 games with the Mariners where he delivered a 2.00 ERA.  He's turning 38 next month and his sidearm delivery might be a good and different look for the Mets to offer up to opposing hitters.  Though he's earned as much as $8 million in a single season, he was at $4 million last year and will likely sign for less.  Given his resume, that's a bargain price.  

Remember 1969: Who Won: Deals of History: 1989

 

Mets Trades through the years:  Who won?

(Hey, that looks like Reese and Remember about 50 years ago!) 

November 1988 through October 1989

Notes:   If anyone had any thoughts that the 1986 thru 1988 years would never end, they didn't get past the 1988-1989 trade season.   There were some sad days for Mets fans who had favorites on the team, perhaps none sadder than when Mookie was dealt.  

They were oh for seven in the trades that year.   Frank Viola had a very good year in 1990 for the Mets, but he was only around for three years, and Rick Aguilera ended up with 311 saves after being traded away.   He was one of the top closers in baseball through the decade of the 90's.   Kevin Tapani went on to win 143 games in his post Mets career.     I had forgotten he had that kind of career.   That trade was more lopsided than I remember.   It is on the list for possibly one of the five worst in Mets history.

The full damage:  

(1)  New York Mets traded Reggie Dobie to the Seattle Mariners for Chuck Carr  (Nov 20, 1988)

(2)  New York Mets traded Wally Backman and Mike Santiago to the Minnesota Twins for Toby Nivens, Steve Gasser and Jeff Bumgarner  (Dec 07, 1988)

(3)  New York Mets traded Steve Frey to the Montreal Expos for Tom O’Malley and Mark Bailey  (Mar 28, 1989)

(4)  New York Mets traded Terry Leach to the Kansas City Royals for Aguedo Vasquez  (Jun 09, 1989)

(5)  New York Mets traded Lenny Dykstra, Roger McDowell and Tom Edens to the Philadelphia Phillies for Juan Samuel  (Jun 18, 1989)

(6)  New York Mets traded Rick Aguilera, David West, Kevin Tapani, Tim Drummond and Jack Savage to the Minnesota Twins for Frank Viola   (Jul 31, 1989)

(7)  New York Mets traded Mookie Wilson to the Toronto Blue Jays for Jeff Musselman and Mike Brady  (Aug 01, 1989)

Final thoughts:   Unlike 1990, when every player in MLB trades actually played in the majors, there were a lot of career minor-leaguers involved in these seven trades.   Steve Gasser had a Mets career ERA of 19.50 in just 5 games for Single A Columbia before finishing the year and career in the Atlanta system.     Mike Santiago, the throw-in in the Backman trade, never played major or minor league ball again.   Jeff Bumgarner never got to AAA with the Mets (or ever again after a cup of coffee with Portland in the Twins organization before the trade).   Mike Brady was the last of the bunch to come over - he never made it out of Single A. 

Trivia:  Terry Leach was an anti-Tom Brennan guy as he was 24-9 with the Mets (including 18-3 across '87-'88) and 14-18 with everybody else.   

Reese Kaplan -- Top Starting Pitcher Trade Acquisition Targets

On Wednesday we explored some of the likely free agent targets for the Mets to pursue.  As stated then, it's the easiest way to supplement a roster as all it takes is an agreed upon salary and no resources from your player pool (current team members or minor league prospects).  Of course, not everyone wants to play for New York and not everyone is willing to accept a short term deal with the Mets who seemingly will spend but they want to know the maximum financial exposure 

The other way to change your roster, of course, is via the trade route.  A lot of names have been bandied about in this regard, some good, some suspect and some expensive in terms of players sacrificed or salary required.  Let's take a closer look.

Cincinnati Reds

This team has a few pitchers that would fit nicely into another team's rotation.  At the top of the list, of course, is Luis Castillo.  If Mets fans can get past their revulsion at the identical name from years past who left them wanting less, the Reds ace is a decent arm.  He's been an All Star once and generally maintains a pretty good balance between strikeouts and walks.  The problem is his ERA has been all over the place with 3.98 last season.  For his career he's better at 3.72.  His 2021 salary was $4.25 million and he's likely going to see a significant but not unconscionable bump for 2022.  Salary wouldn't be the roadblock here and he would be on the team for 2 years before becoming free agent eligible in 2024.  

Now the Reds would probably rather move the existing contract for Sonny Gray.  His career ERA is better than Castillo's at 3.61.  He had a rather poor 2021 and the receiving team would be on the hook for a 2022 salary of over $10 million and a 2023 team option would set you back $12 million.  Getting him should cost less in terms of players sacrificed given the poorer season and the much higher salary along with only one year of guaranteed placement on the Mets roster.  

Oakland A's

Here there are a number of pitchers who are worth considering.  Many would vociferously advocate for 28 year old Frankie Montas.  The big man turned in a highly effective 2021 with a 13-9 record accompanied by a nice 3.37 ERA.  He struck out over 200 and had almost a 4:1 strikeout to walk ratio.  The potential suggests he has room to build on this fine season during which he made 32 starts.  He was paid only $1.8 million last year and would be under contract for two years before hitting free agency in 2024.  His price in terms of players required in trade would be quite high.  

Slightly lower in terms of the cost to obtain would be big lefty Sean Manaea.  He was just over .500 at 11-10 last season with a 3.91 ERA and nearly a 5:1 strikeout to walk ratio.  Manaea has been a starter pretty much his entire career and would fit in nicely to the current rotation bereft of southpaws.  Unfortunately he's only slated for one year as he becomes a free agent in 2023.  Last season he earned $5.95 million.

The sleeper pick here is little known starter Chris Bassitt.  If you held a gun to the head of the average Mets fan they wouldn't even know his name.  In 2021 he had a GREAT year, going 12-4 with a 3.15 ERA.  That's not bad for an invisible man.  He's in the final year before free agency after earning just $4.9 million last year.  He would not cost as much in terms of players and prospects as would the multi year controllable Montas or the lefty Manaea.  For his career Bassitt is 31-25 with a 3.47 ERA.  That's the kind of quality I'd target if I was in Billy Eppler's chair.  At age 32 he won't be as desirable as the younger options from Oakland and for the last three years in a row he's been under 1.200 in WHIP.  He's not a big strikeout guy, but he definitely gets the job done.  He'd be my top pick here among the two Reds and three A's.  

While I'm sure there are many other unknown options on other teams who either don't want to pay up or who think their fringe pitchers are ready to break through, but these names have come up the most frequently.  Who you would have to give up depends a lot on which pitcher(s) you are targeting.  If the price tag for Bassitt, for example, was either Dom Smith or J.D. Davis plus a mid level prospect, I'd do that in a heartbeat.  They can't be demanding too much for a guy turning 33 who isn't setting strikeout records but simply gets hitters out.  

Remember 1969: Who Won? Deals through history: 1990

 

Mets Trades through the years:  Who won?

November 1989 through October 1990

 Notes:   The Mets had their last decent year for awhile in 1990, winning 91 games in Bud Harrelson's longest stint as the manager, taking over early in the year, replacing Davey Johnson.  

As far as trades go, in what started in 1987 and ran through 1991, the Mets continued dismantling their championship and powerhouse teams from '86 through '88.    Actually, it probably isn't fair to say they were actively trading 1986 players in 1990 as the only key player from the championship year dealt now was Doug Sisk.   Randy Myers got into a handful of games in '86, but was a young rookie at the time.    

The Mets probably won the Myers for Franco trade as Franco was a bullpen anchor from 1990 through 2004.  Myers went on to save 291 games after being traded away, actually besting Franco's 276 with the Mets.  

As with many years, several of the players the Mets obtained in 1990 were very near the end of their careers.  Mike Marshall, Tom Herr and Dan Schatzeter all had some ML sucess before arriving in New York, and none with the Mets. 

The trades: 

(1)  New York Mets traded John Mitchell and Joaquin Contreras to the Baltimore Orioles for Keith Hughes and Cesar Mejia  (Dec 05, 1989)

(2)  New York Mets traded Randy Myers and Kip Gross to the Cincinnati Reds for John Franco and Don Brown  (Dec 06, 1989)

(3)  New York Mets traded Juan Samuel to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Mike Marshall and Alejandro Pena  (Dec 20, 1989)

(4)  New York Mets traded Brian Givens to the Seattle Mariners for Mario Diaz  (Jun 19, 1990)

(5)  New York Mets traded Doug Sisk to the Atlanta Braves for Tony Valle  (Jul 22, 1990)

(6)  New York Mets traded Mike Marshall to the Boston Red Sox for Greg Hansell, Paul Williams and Ed Perozo  (Jul 27, 1990)

(7)  New York Mets traded Julio Machado and Kevin Brown to the Milwaukee Brewers for Charlie O’Brien and Kevin Carmody   (Aug 30, 1990)

(8)  New York Mets traded Nikco Riesgo and Rocky Elli to the Philadelphia Phillies for Tom Herr  (Aug 30, 1990) 

(9)  New York Mets traded Archie Corbin to the Kansas City Royals for Pat Tabler  (Aug 30, 1990)

(10)  New York Mets traded Steve LaRose and Nicky Davis to the Houston Astros for Dan Schatzeder  (Sep 10, 1990)

Trivia:   Mario Diaz, the first guy named Diaz that the Mets traded with the Mariners to obtain, came over mid-year 1990, played in only 16 games and is one of the few (he is possibly the only) players on the Mets to have a lower on base percentage than batting average. 

Mike Marshall became the second player with his name to play for both the Dodgers and the Mets.

Tom Brennan - If You Can't Beat 'em, Get 'em: The Mets and Mike Piazza

Francisco Alvarez - 2021 Bowman Chrome

Maybe someday, if Mets fans are real lucky, Alvarez will be the Mets' next Mike Piazza

Best catcher the Mets ever had?  

Mike Piazza has my vote (even if John from Albany votes instead for Tomas Nido).

After all, in 3.478 at bats as a Met, Mr. Piazza had racked up 220 HRs, 655 RBIs, and .296/.373/.542 from age 29 through age 36.  Insanely good hitting for a catcher.  Hall of Fame stuff.

But as good as it was to have big Mike as a Met, it was almost as terrific to get him off of the Los Angeles Dodgers roster, where he torched the Mets to the tune of:

181 at bats, .343 with 14 doubles and 37 RBIs. 

Geesh!  The Mets of course limited the slugger's damage by playing in a different division, so they did not have to face Mikey Pizza all that much before they got him.

I know the Dodgers felt there were reasons to part ways.  I don't care - they were stupid.  

How a team like the Dodgers could let a star of Piazza's caliber in his prime slip away was incomprehensible - wait, I forgot, Mets fans saw Tom Seaver leave the Mets at his peak.  You had to remind me, didn't you? This Piazza acquisition sort of made up for that Seaver trade stupidity.

Piazza in 726 Dodgers games hit .331/.393/.572.  We got him -  a guy who could do THAT - what a gift.

And not shabby for a guy drafted in the 62nd round in 1988, then not playing as a pro in 1988, followed by modest minor league seasons in 1989 and 1990 before improving and making his MLB debut a few days before his 24th birthday, a pretty late "hey, folks, I'm here" for a superstar.

Two Piazza-pounded HRs that I most loved from Mike?  One was his titanic blast against Atlanta on the first game back following the terrorist attacks of 9/11/01, which made life feel like we were back.  That ball went about 440 feet, but it really traveled around the world.

The other was when he faced an electric, pre-Mets Billy Wagner, and drove an opposite field line drive rocket off a 100 MPH fastball over the outside corner.

Piazza was terrific.

Of course, the Mets (read: Wilpons) let him go to free agency and he played two more years.  Dumb. The bat was still strong, and in 708 at bats post-Mets, he had 36 doubles, 30 HRs, 112 RBIs, and hit .280.  What a bat.  

I often wonder what his career numbers would have been had he come up and played in a less grueling position as a first baseman.  My guess?  600 HRs, 1,700 RBIs, .320. 

The bat was THAT GOOD.

Ten straight years winning a Silver Slugger award! Oh, my.

Imagine if the Mets got even the post-Mets Piazza level of offensive production out of their catchers in 2021, who didn't produce much at all.  Things could have been much different in Queens.   

Now maybe...just maybe...Francisco Alvarez will be the next Piazza.  

No pressure of course.  

Just one thing: if Alvarez turns out to be that good, don't let him go to the Dodgers! Or to any other team, for that matter.

This franchise needs a 15 year, nowhere-but-the-Mets hitter that makes it to Cooperstown - via an induction ceremony.  Maybe the inductee will be Alvarez.

Of course, when Pete Alonso and Mark Vientos both join the 500 Home Run Club as lifetime Mets someday, they'll make the Hall of Fame as Mets too.   

Why not?  Think big.

Not easy to get inducted...Straw didn't make it. Reyes didn't make it, Wright most likely won't make it.  Heck, even Ed Kranepool didn't make it.  We need some home-grown and home-retained hitters in the Hall.

Of course, the Yanks have had many Hall of Fame hitters. 

The HOF standard is high...even for catchers.

Jorge Posada has not made it, at least yet, and he had a .273 batting average, 275 home runs, and 1,065 runs batted in during his career.  Catcher Elston Howard was a 12 time all star and won an MVP - and he didn't make it.  

But if anyone can do it in Metsville, Francisco can.

Alvarez, Lindor, take your pick.

NEWS UPDATE:

1) OWNERS CONTINUE TO HOLD BASEBALL HOSTAGE.

2) RUSSIA INVADES UKRAINE.

Number 2, of course, is the # 1 news story.  401(K) owners are NOT happy today.  Neither are Ukrainians.

Tom Brennan - My # 31 Thru #50 Mets' Prospects Heading Into 2022

Many of these 20 guys below my top 30 from yesterday's article could someday be future NY Mets.

Several guys who follow easily could have been in my top 30, as opposed to just outside of it.

If you somehow missed yesterday's Top 30 article, I forgive you, of course, because forgiveness is divine, so to show you I mean it, here's the top 30 list:

1) Francisco Alvarez, C

2) Brett Baty, 3B

3) Mark Vientos, 3B/OF

4) Ronny Mauricio, SS

5) JT Ginn, RHP

6) Alex Ramirez, OF

7) Matt Allan, RHP

8) Khalil Lee, OF

9) Adam Oller, RHP 

10) Nick Plummer, OF 

11) Carlos Rincon, OF 

12) Calvin Ziegler, RHP 

13) Dominic Hamel, RHP 

14) Simon Juan, OF 

15) Robert Dominguez, RHP 

16) Carlos Cortez, 2B, OF 

17) Eric Orze, RHRP 

18) Mike Vasil, LHP

19) Jake Mangum, CF 

20) Junior Santos, RHP 

21) JT Schwartz, 1B 

22) Christian Scott, RHP 

23) Jose Butto, RHP

24) Tom Szapucki, LHP 

25) Josh Walker, LHP 

26) Cole Gordon, RHP 

27) Hayden Senger, C 

28) Bryan Metoyer, RHRP 

29) Bryce Montes de Oca, RHRP 

30) Kevin Kendall, SS 

Past my top 30 are these 20 fine fellows: 

31) Travis Blankenhorn - probably belongs higher. I dunno. Seems like AAAA to me, though, after his .246/.354/.456 hitting in AAA and his 4 for 23 as a NY Met. I like his TB initials, though.  And if he ends up someday in Seattle, he can and most likely will become the next Justin Turner.

32) Luke Ritter - Ritter was quite the hitter when not playing in Brooklyn, with a gaudy .561 road slugging %. Brooklyn was worse than purgatory for him, as his .279 slug % there attests. 

He can show us what he's really got in AA next year, when hopefully he plays in a lot more games than the mere 73 he got into due to his injury-impacted 2021 - and gets out of Brooklyn Hell.  Tough hitting into the teeth of a cyclone.  Gotta get the strikeouts down, though.

33) Jose Peroza - I had Jose higher-ranked until he slumped late in the season. Still, he had a very solid 2021, is a good RBI guy, good OBP, 6 months younger than Brett Baty, and I have high hopes for him in 2022, when he should be slugging in AA.

34) Wilmer Reyes - misses almost the whole season, returns…and hits!  Thankfully he headed to the Fall League to get more 2021 ABs.  Doing OK there so far.  Only dropped from the Brennan Top 30 due to severe lack of playing time in 2021. Get him to AA in 2022 to start.  Wilmer's biggest fan, John From Albany, will no doubt heavily scout him there.  So-so Arizona fall performance, but a healthy 2022 could rise him up the charts.

35) Colin Holderman…slowed in his career by injuries, Gus believes he’s gonna bring it in 2022, so I am slotting him here. Perhaps the righty will be well and reach his MLB dream in 2022.. 

Connor Grey - MiLB.com

36) Connor Grey - 27 years old, but the Mets picked him up in 2021 and he pitched very well.  If he picks up where he left off, he could soar up this list, and possibly even show up in Queens in 2022.

37) Jaylen Palmer - many, many good physical attributes, but when promoted to High A, the highly athletic JP fanned a jaw-dropping 65 times in 39 games. Fix the K problem, move towards the head of the class.  For many hitters, though, Ks are their Achilles heel.

Everyone else has him higher - "best athlete in Mets minors", they say - but his ultra-high 254 Ks in 167 pro games in 2019 and 2021 make me push him much further down the list than others might place him.  Somehow, that many Ks...and yet a still-solid career .356 OBP.  Head scratcher, but that gives me hope that everyone else is right and I am wrong.

38) Jack Wold - 12th round outfielder - for the Low A St Lucie Mets, in his 2021 pro debut, he notched 86 ABs, 8 XBHs, .279/.315/.442, just 17 Ks in 25 G.  Very nice career kick off at a level as high as low A, so truth be told, and not to be cold, I added Wold to the fold.  No reason he shouldn't climb fast.

39) Matt Rudick - 13th round infielder - for the FCL squad, the 5'9" OF generated a nifty .303/.404/.447 in 76 at bats, 6 for 6 in steals.  Nice!   Might he grow into being a Carlos Cortes with speed?  We'll find out in 2022.

40) Nick Meyer - I give the edge right now to my top 30 fellow catcher Hayden Senger. I am concerned (perhaps too much so) about Nick's lack of power...at .251/.337/.324.  Hayden's got him on power. Career 35% on "caught stealing" too, just like Senger.

41) Justin Lasko - a 30th rounder in 2019, his second season as a pro in 2021 was a fine one indeed.  7-9, 3.67 ERA in A and AA.  The 24 year old righty did get hurt and didn't pitch much after a strong July.  His 8.14 ERA in AA showed he had a case of the Binghamton Blues, and AA Abuse Syndrome.  But let's see if Lasko can rebound strongly and thrive in AA in 2022.

 

Mr. Seymour

42) 2021 6th rounder, P Carson Seymour - 6'6" righty got his big toes wet in the FCL, walking 6 in 4.1 IP with 4 Ks and 1 run allowed.  I want a lot more than 4.1 IP in 2022.

43) 2021 10th rounder, lefty Keyshawn Askew - great FCL debut, 9 IP, 1.00 ERA, 14 Ks, 2-0.  Keyshawn!!

Nate Lavender

44) 2021 14th rounder, P Nate Lavender -  the 6'2" lefty in 4 FCL games, 6.2 IP, 1 run, 12 Ks.  Excellent!  My new favorite color?  You guessed it.

45) 2021 15th rounder, 5'7" IF Wyatt Young - FCL darling, hitting a scintillating .370/.426/.478.  

46) 2021 17th rounder, lefty P Nick Zwack - FCL dazzler: 7.1 IP, 13 Ks, 0.00 ERA.  Sweet!  A Big Zwack Attack!  So, Keyshawn, Nate, and Nick threw 23 innings combined, allowed just 2 earned runs, and fanned 39.   Good golly, Miss Molly.

47) Sherveyn Newton - athletic infielder who regressed in 2021. Fans too much.  Hopefully, he will strongly progress in 2022.

48) Jordany Ventura - RHP, the Mets site has him in their top 30, so I'd be remiss, I think, to not squeeze him into my top 50.  Good fastball, but signed in 2018 and only 50 pro innings so far.  He can show he is healthy and climb his way up my list by doing what pitchers do - throw innings.

49) Joander Suarez - RHP, the Mets site has him in their top 30, so I'd be remiss, I think, to not squeeze him into my top 50. 7.66 ERA in 25 innings for St. Lucie in 2021, so let him pitch better and climb his way up my list.

50) Michel Otanez - as I understand it, he throws up around 100 at his peak...but his 40 innings of 58 K ball in 2021 also came with a crazy 41 walks.  Considering 2016 was his first pro year, a walk an inning in A ball 5 years later appears to be a lethal fault to have.  Walks need to be cut by 50% in 2022, at a minimum, period, so I have him at # 50.

Hopefully, I did not overlook anyone.  If I did, and you're a Mets farmhand, you're allowed to have your Uncle Ernie or your Auntie Gin or your Papa John to make a case for you.  I'm all ears.

Anyway, that is my abbreviated top 50 take.  Hope you enjoyed it.

John From Albany was doing outstanding video-packed updates on a number of minor league players, and had indicated he planned to do a lot more of them before taking a break from the site, which hopefully won't be too long.  So, rather than elaborate on these players further, I'd like to see if at some point soon, he might resume that article series.

Also, please feel free to share any thoughts on any of my top 50.  I will say that I tend to downplay international signings until they actually demonstrate some performance - too many have not panned out, so I left most of those just starting out off of my list for now.