Paul Articulates – The Winter Meetings

As you read this post, the winter meetings will be fully underway, having started yesterday at the Grand Hyatt in San Diego.  The meetings are typically a news-worthy event, as they occur after a few weeks of talks with free agents so things begin to get serious.

For Mets fans it is going to be a very pivotal week.  With one of their two aces moving to a southern state with no income tax, and starters Chris Bassitt and Taijuan Walker also considering offers, the success of the 2023 season is in the balance.  Don’t expect Steve Cohen and Billy Eppler to be shy about this signing period.  They are competitive, and armed with a Brinks truck full of the money they didn’t have to spend on Jacob deGrom.

I don’t expect them to irrationally spend money just to win a bidding war.  They have shown a thoughtful, strategic approach to adding players in the past and this year should be no different.  My expectation is that they have identified important players that fit in their vision of this growing franchise and they will be very aggressive in pursuing them this week.

The meetings span from Sunday, Dec. 4 to Wednesday, Dec. 7.   By the time they close, I fully expect to see at least one high profile pitcher signed as well as one or two complementary pieces.  This does not mean that the roster will be done by Wednesday.  There are many spaces to be filled – there were 11 pitchers on the free agent list when open season began and only a few have been settled.   

The rumor mill is always filled with speculation.  Some of it is unfounded guesswork and some is derived from slightly more reliable conversations with people who know what is being discussed behind the scenes.  But nothing is certain until a team and a player fully agree to terms, so expect some surprises.

Here is what this writer would like to see happen this week or soon thereafter:

• The return of Chris Bassitt and Taijuan Walker.  Both pitchers seemed to fit well within the Mets’ system and put in many innings of quality work this year.  Bassitt was 15-9 in 181.2 innings with a 3.42 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP.  Walker went 12-5 in 159.1 innings with a 3.49 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP.   Bassitt rejected a Qualifying Offer from the Mets so he could test the market – this would indicate that he thought he could do better than one year at $19.65M.  He probably can, given the money and terms that have been doled out for other pitchers so far in this free agent signing period.  Walker is only 30 years old and is a big, athletic player with almost 900 innings of MLB experience.  Despite some injury history, he could have several years of life in his arm.

• Mets sign Kodai Senga.  Senga has pitched over 100 innings in his last 8 seasons in Japan, which is the kind of durability that MLB organizations need these days.  Between Scherzer, Bassitt, Walker, and Senga the Mets could have an 80% of a very reliable, predictable rotation and then have the flexibility of choosing a 5th starter from the likes of David Peterson, Tylor Megill, Carlos Carrasco, and Jose Butto.

• Mets trade James McCann.  There are rumors out there that Texas is interested in McCann.  Although he is a very talented catcher with a McCannon for an arm, James has underperformed since he arrived in New York and that has worn out his welcome.  Without fan support and the stigma of a sub-Mendoza batting average hanging over him, plus upcoming prospect Francisco Alvarez now at the doorstep, there is little opportunity to succeed.   He needs a fresh start.  Mets fans should not get upset if McCann performs well in Texas or elsewhere and should avoid the d’Arnauld comparisons.  He needs out and the fans want to show him the door.  Let’s get something back for it and get released from the salary obligation.

• A big bat for the DH position.  Last year’s DH platoon was a Ruf one.  The Mets never found someone to consistently hit left-handed pitching.  They went through JD Davis, Dom Smith, Darrin Ruf, Tyler Naquin, Mark Vientos, and finally Francisco Alvarez as right handed hitting designated hitters.  None found their stride.  

Vientos and Alvarez get another shot because they were called up late in the pennant race into a high pressure situation with no prior MLB experience.  However, if you want Alvarez to be your guy behind the plate, then he has to play a lot of innings with gear on.  I would like to see a seasoned hitter with some power added to the club, even if it is just on a one-year deal.  

There are plenty of names out there: Bell, Anderson, Pham, Martinez, and others that are available.  Bell is a switch-hitting 30 year old who delivered 3.0 WAR last year; Anderson slashed .247/.321/.425 against lefties in 2022; Pham slashed .273/.338/.446 against lefties last year; and Martinez has a .872 career WAR.

I am really looking forward to the sports news this week – there should be some eye-popping surprises and some very predictable outcomes.  What awaits the Mets fans?  Good news, I hope.  Santa, I have been good this year – please review my list very carefully.