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1/20/23

The Mack Report (Boras, Jeff, Baty, Hurtado, Pham, Nido)

 


As all of you know, I’m not a big fan of Boras, but players that use him as an agent always have his back.  An old second rounder that had him as an agent told me that his initial meeting with him was at his house with his parents. Boras told the three of them that he didn’t care what team he rooted for or what team he would like to sign with. 

Boras said the minute he would sign with him would turn the entire process over to him. Boras would go on to explain that he had only one purpose… to get him the largest bonus and, someday, the largest contract. 

Additionally, Boras and his staff would help his players invest their money long team for financial stability throughout their lives and would help find his clients commercial opportunities that would put more bucks in the bank. 

I guess this is what you want from an agent.

Boras's claim that the Mets used the same doctor that the Giants used to examine Carlos Correa makes little sense to me unless it was a negotiation tool. 

What if the Mets made that original offer just to outbid everyone else? What if they then used that doctor's report to begin a series of negotiations which would be designed to knock down the original package? What if?

 

Jon Heyman @JonHeyman

 

Jeff McNeil files at 7.75M, Mets at 6.25M

 

Ya know, Jeff is an emotional guy. We all remember when the Mets had to deal with this after the incident with Francisco Lindor in the pathway from the dugout to the clubhouse. 

And like most emotional people, he has a memory of an elephant also. 

These are the kind of things player remember when it’s time to decide if they are going into the free agent market, or sign with the team that :treated you so well”. 

First, you don’t offer him a long term extension and now, you balk at 1.50mil for the buy that won the batting title. 

Remember this day as the one Jeff McNeil decided to take his glove and club elsewhere. 

 

The Bleacher Report put up a post featuring “Each MLB Team's Most MLB-Ready Prospect Entering 2023” The Mets pick was NOT Francisco Alvarez: 

New York Mets: 3B/OF Brett Baty  -  There is a good chance Francisco Álvarez will start the 2023 season in the minors as he continues to work on the defensive side of his game, with Omar Narváez and Tomás Nido holding down the fort behind the plate. However, now that the Carlos Correa deal has officially fallen through, Baty could push Eduardo Escobar for the starting job at third base this spring after demolishing minor-league pitching in 2022.

 

 

More information on LHP Daviel Hurtado - 

Francis Romero reported that Hurtado (16-yrs old) signed with the Mets for a $640K bonus. From Havana. He left Cuba in 2022. 6´1, 174 lbs. 

A scout told Romero:  "He's a lefty with the ability to throw breaking ball pitches and his fastball projects 94-97 mph." 

 

The Mets have found their OF4. 

34-year old Tommy Pham has played all three outfield positions. He was originally drafted in the 16th round of the 2006 draft, out of Durango HS (NV). 

James Villani (@jvillani08) put it best on Twitter: 

"Tommy Pham’s percentile rankings in ‘21 & ‘22: 

- Hard Hit % - 84th/89th 

- Avg. Exit Velo. - 77th/93rd 

- Chase Rate - 98th/88th 

- BB% - 95th/59th 

- Sprint Speed - 69th/66th 

Doesn’t chase, walks, makes hard contact, and is a good baserunner. Would be a solid 4th OF." 

 His 2022 stats were 0.4-WAR, 554-AB, 17-HR, .237 

Me? I like the move for 2023. I expect Ruf to now be the OF 5 and you won’t see any Mets infield prospects roaming out in the outfield this season.


Speaking of strange moves, the Mets signed a 2-year, $3.7 mil deal with current catcher, 28-year old Tomas Nido. He will be paid $1.6 mil in 2023 and $2.1 mil in 2024, which was supposed to be his final arbitration year. 

This now gives them two major year catchers (Nido, Omar Narvaez) under contract for 2023 and 2024, and Baseball America’s 6th top (revised) prospect, Francisco Alvarez, all ready to play as early as this year but definitely in 2024 (and, to complicate things even more, another top prospect, Kevin Parada, will be finished with AA ball in 2023 and will be knocking in the Flushing doors by the end of, yup, you got it, 2024). 

The math simply doesn’t work here.  The Mets now have two catchers not known for their hitting and a rookie that isn’t lined up to win a Golden Glove.

 Me? Well, this move pretty much means one of 3 things… 

 one,  Alvarez will definitely start the 2023 season in Syracuse 

 two, one of these three are not going to be wearing a Mets uniform come opening day 

 or three, the two vets will play up to the in-season trading period, until one is traded to a team looking for defensive catching skills, making room for Alvarez to finish the season in Queens.

 

19 comments:

  1. Jeff will be helped by the shorter RF fence so his power #s may pop. If he leaves remember Daniel Murphy pain once he left.

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  2. Alvarez can state his case in spring training. Start launching, Francisco.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. These cards have been drawn

      C and DH are filled

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  3. I still don't understand giving Pham what they refused to give the ML Batting Champ. I know Jeff is still in Arbi years, but so is Pete, who got more than double Jeff 's offer.

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    Replies
    1. Bill

      My guess is the Mets have already decided not to throw mad money at this position.

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    2. Would giving him the same as they gave Pham to be a part-time player really by "mad money"?

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    3. I'm talking long term.

      And Jeff would consider a Pham deal an insult

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    4. I was talking short-term. Jeff only asked for what Pham got for this year. Before Pham signed.

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  4. On another note, there are only a little over 20 days to the opening of ST, and I haven't seen anything anywhere about who might be Randazzo's replacement as Howie 's partnèr in the radio booth.

    I wonder why. Have you got any theories?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. None here.

      Radio people are technically employed by the radio station in the minors. I know the football pro team announcers are radio station employees

      Delete
  5. Why tick McNeil off? Meet him at least halfway, and do it fast. Said it before, if I am Jeff, I am looking to move my career into the “Daniel Murphy Power Ramp Up” stage. Power and run production gets paid.

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    Replies
    1. I don't know why but I just don't think the Mets want to go long term here.

      Delete
  6. Mets playing hardball with McNeil, their best hitter, shows that regardless of how much money they have to spend they still have a mediocre GM.

    McNeil should be worth more to the Mets than his asking price when you take into consideration that he won the batting title.

    In the meantime, Mets GM is throwing money all over the place for over the hill players to ride the bench in 2023. Any GM can do that but for the money spend on this team, it is still incomplete.

    As you pointed out, the Mets now have two defensive catchers that can't hit while blocking the #1 prospect. Can't wait to see what useless player they end up trading one of them for later on in 2023 while picking up most of the money as usual.

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  7. Good posts above.

    I like the Omar Narvaez signing myself. Look, the Mets have only Tomas Nido at the MLB level, their MiLB two best catchers, in Eduardo Alvares and Kevin Parada, are a half season to one full season away from arrival time here. Both look outstanding. This addition of Narvaez bolsters the Mets catcher position now. Omar Narvaez isn't chopped liver behind the dish, and he has picked up his defensive skills of late and has some authentic power game to his hitting as well, which this Mets position needed badly. Omar was a 2021 All Star with Milwaukee, hitting .266 season BA, 11 HR's, and attaining an .342 OBP which is solid. However, his best season was actually in 2019 while on Seattle. There he hit .278 BA, 22 HR's, with an impressive .353 OBP. My take is simply that the Mets needed a decent veteran catcher for 2023 to assume James McCann's catcher vacancy, and Omar Narvaez was a solid move by this Mets management to make. My only slight concern with Omar Narvaez, is with his more recent left quad injury of 2022. Everything else with him I like a lot.

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    Replies
    1. The real race to watch is Alvarez and Parada for 2024

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  8. On Jeff McNeil.

    I like this Mets player a lot. He has real tenacity and spits orange and blue. He digs in and gets the job done, at a very high level. He can play any position the Mets ask him to. If my call, I make the man happy soon. This isn't about Jeff just being a one horse second baseman. Jeff to me is a consummate professional, one that we can trust in as Mets fans anywhere placed on the field mainly because he is a natural athlete. Look, how many NY Mets second baseman in their history do you remember hitting for the NL batting title? See my point? Hang onto this man, he is a keeper.

    On Francisco Alvarez being the DH here soon.

    The bigger picture here with Francisco is obviously developing his catching abilities first and foremost. Once accomplished, he comes up. That simple. The timetable for this achievement is his alone to make. It's all about Francisco being totally comfortable and confident catching in MLB. It will become apparent to all, once this is accomplished. The hitting game Francisco brings is already there really. So Francisco has this one catching assignment to meet. I look forward to seeing him up on the Mets when ready.

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    Replies
    1. As I said...
      My opinion only...
      Alvarez will play at least the first half.of 2023 in AAA and Jeff is dead second baseman walkin

      Delete