11/8/23

Reese Kaplan -- Where the Dust Settles After a Manic Monday


They say timing is everything.  First I wrote on Monday about the Mets' quest for a new manager and what alternatives existed if it turned out not to be Craig Counsell.  In that article I suggested a newly minted manager taking the helm for the first time is not necessarily without risk and despite his solid resume no one was doing cartwheels about the prospect of Carlos Mendoza taking the role with the Mets if he turned out to be the consolation prize.

The surprising development was not that Counsell turned down the Mets to return to Milwaukee or chose to replace Tito Francona in Cleveland after his long tenure there and retirement.  No, the surprise was the Wrigley Field folks coming from seemingly out of nowhere to offer Counsell a $40 million deal for 5 years at $8 million per year.  While the dollar figure is slightly higher than the $7 million per year being discussed, it wasn't the money for sure.  It was the ability to move into a major market yet retain proximity to his roots and family.  There's no way the Mets could do that.  All they could do was wave more money.


So the general consensus after the initial shock wore off is that Mendoza is a great baseball man who has worked as a solid minor league manager, fielding instructor, is fully bilingual and brings with him 15 years of experience with a despised but still respected baseball organization in the Bronx.  There will be some learning curve time as Mendoza takes the lineup pencil in the big leagues for more than a few innings here and there subbing for Aaron Boone after his many rejections by umpires, but the talking point being repeated ad nauseum is that Stearns is hoping to craft his own Craig Counsell by taking one of the brightest and most respected baseball minds and handing him the reins to make the on-the-field decisions effectively.

While there were a number of "Don't hire that smalltown skipper" types who were quite vociferous in their opinion about who should not be the next Mets manager, none of them have yet come out of the woodwork to smirk, "I told you so!"  The fans in general are pretty much following the media reaction...surprise, unenthusiastic and still needing some time to grasp the potential future without a former Brewers manager now donning orange and blue.  It was such a strong assumption that Counsell would follow David Stearns to New York people are already suggesting Stearns' first big act was a failure. 

One little detail about this sequence of events is timing.  Apparently the Mets made the offer to Mendoza PRIOR TO Counsell accepting the opportunity in Chicago.  If that is indeed accurate (and reported in a few places already) then it was the Mets who controlled this decision and it was not Mendoza as a second choice Hail Mary after losing out on Counsell.  The Mets chose not to have Counsell and to bring in Mendoza.  Whether or not that turns out to be good or bad is still up in the air. 

Personally, I'm of the wait and see attitude.  Yes, Counsell would have brought excellent managerial experience to the team, but as they recently saw with Buck Showalter who is on a Cooperstown path for his managerial career, having the best manager is not a guarantee of success.  From a business perspective, the much less expensive choice of rookie Carlos Mendoza suggests he will be molded somewhat by David Stearns and that might indeed be a very good thing.

It became a bit of a manic Monday on other fronts as well.  Word came down that Adam Ottavino decided he was not being renegotiated into the kind of contract he desired, so he's now hitting free agency to sell himself to the highest bidder.  That decision is somewhat understandable given his success in particular during the second half of 2023 and all of 2022 in the biggest market in baseball.  Now with the return of Edwin Diaz pushing Ottavino out of the closer role and back into 7th or 8th inning duty, his future earning potential would be somewhat constrained.  There is a possibility he returns to the Mets after not finding the great payday nor contract term he dsires, but it's also possible he burned a familiar bridge.

Also taking place Monday was the revelation of both Bryce Montes de Oca and Peyton Battenfield cleared waivers and were assigned to AAA during their periods of recovery.  The other minor leaguers opted out of their future in Syracuse and are now free agents in quest of employment elsewhere.  Dedicated pinch runner Tim Locastro was among that group.

Finally, the Mets went off in waiver wire plucking and secured the services of now former Detroit Tigers "I'll play anywhere" utility magician Zack Short.  While the versatility he provides from the infield, outfield and even as a spare pitcher are interesting, what he does with his bat is not.  My thinking here is that he's an insurance policy if the Mets choose to package Luis Guillorme to play elsewhere in 2024 or simply choose not to renew his deal.  A sub Mendoza hitter is never going to get your blood pumping in a good way, but Short is now the 33 man roster allows the Mets to fill seven spots from outside the organization via free agency or as yet to be consummated trades.

While these news items may not exactly have turned out as expected by the media and fans, the fact is that the new David Stearns-led Mets are not going to be boring nor predictable.  The GM meetings are taking place this week and there will be an awful lot of things needing to be done to prepare for the first Stearns/Mendoza led season in New York.

42 comments:

nickel7168 said...

I notice that Mack’s Mets list articles by Sportsspyder (and others) in their right-hand margin. I also look at Sportspyder every day. But there are blogs & sites listed there written by assh*les who spew out provocative negative sh*t 365 days a year to draw attention to themselves. I’m surprised that Sportspyder seems to have no legitimacy criteria whatsoever. These are clearly not Mets fans...they’re Mets HATERS. I don’t object to criticism by Mets fans & responsible journalists, but I wouldn’t read a turd from these trolls if you put a gun to my head. I have found the worst of them to be:

The Mets Police
Mets Daddy
Sportskeeda

We have freedom of speech in this country which allows these clowns to exist, and allows me to call them out for what they are. And there are others...the list doesn’t stop there...bloggers who think they are self-important, but are actually a joke, are this decade’s daily vomit.
I suspect those I’ve list above are actually “Swinebrenner and the shitty Skankees” fans in disguise. Why don’t you write about your Skankees instead? Or whatever team you are actually a fan of.

Tom Brennan said...

Nickel, I never read those. Even in semi-retirement, I will defer to Mack on whether he wants to keep allowing those to run in the sidebar.

Tom Brennan said...

Just say no to Zack Short. Career .174, and hit .179 after May in 2023? Lousy hitter in minors? I don’t want that “sub-Mendoza” in Queens.

Carlos Mendoza, though? If he can hit above .200, I’m all in.

nickel7168 said...

BTW...very good recap, Reese, and I agree with what you've said here.
Everybody's latest headline was Steans' statement that he was taken by surprise...like that was some failing of his. The ENTIRE baseball world was taken by surprise, except the sneaky Cubs. I'm not a Councell fan, wasn't convinced he was ever coming, and he got everything he wanted...mostly, to stay in midwest. Also big money in a big market. Why would he even consider NY. It's not a failing of DB. He and Uncle Steve got a guy who checked all of their boxes. Mendoza has stood in a NY dugout, next to Boone for 4 years. How can anyone think he doesn't understand the NY media after all the shit he's seen Boone have to deal with. He's a NY guy, which checks the box for me.

Tom Brennan said...

Ottavino was 1-7. That helped the Mets miss the Wild Card.

Give his slot and money to the 4-0 guy, Joey Lucchesi.

Tom Brennan said...

Nickel, the Golden Rule…no one is a Met until they are actually a Met.

nickel7168 said...

Right you are, Tom
The only thing I can think of re Short is that it is sometimes good to have a defensive replacement available...Guillorme and Arauz have saved them a few times...Luis is prob. gone. And Short plays all 9 positions, so flexibility, and, if you only use him as a defensive replacement, who care if he can hit. Apparently, he is one of the league leaders in OBP, as he walk A LOT! So, maybe a few ABs wouldn’t hurt, if he has to hit.

Tom Brennan said...

Nickel, I would prefer to see Wyatt Young called up - and he had a rough 2023. I don’t mind Short in AAA, as long as he is not blocking a real prospect from maxing out his ABs. In 2025, with Jett and Acuna, we may not see any more short types for years.

Tom Brennan said...

Short seems less than Mendick and Arauz…and they were terrible in 2023.

Tom Brennan said...

Hey, a glance at Arizona…Schwartz and Parada were 2 for 8…YAY…and fanned 5 times…BOO!

Mack Ade said...

Soortspyder prints all blogs

Not one side.

The good news you have now identified the bad ones (I agree on the three listed) and you now don't have to visit any of those sites

Reese Kaplan said...

The sites all have bad and good...even ours. We are known more for having typos or being a day behind some of the others based upon our small staff and days in advance when articles must be posted. That doesn't make us factually inaccurate or simply a cacophony of blowhard opinions with no basis in metrics.

nickel7168 said...

Thanks, Mack...I never have visited based on their blog titles.

BTW dont know if everybody caught this yesterday but Stearns said he spoke to Beltran abt the mgr. job 2 weeks ago, and Carlos said he is happy w what he is doing. He was Asst. to GM and is now Spec. Asst. to DS. DS he’s glad to have him as part of the Bball Ops group and that roles there are being re-defined. Beltran is happy not having to trvl w team, or having to be at Citifield every day, & can have plenty of family time.

Mack Ade said...

One other big piece of news yesterday

Mets plucked
Eduardo Brizuela, the head of international scouting from the Brewers

Big positive here for a team that needs their entire scouting and player development program rebuilt

TexasGusCC said...

That’s nice, but until they steal the Dodgers or Yankees head of international scouting, I can’t jump up and down.

I did see that in Beltran and was pleased for him. Beltran is a good guy that got thrown under the bus and run over a few times because he had already filed his retirement papers. As I wrote last year, which Astros player voiced his objection to a scheme Alex Cora came up with and personally asked for a tv to be put next to the dugout? Beltran is a gentleman and gentlemen are often used. I’m glad he’s doing something he likes doing.

Apesquat said...

I find Metstradamus a good and entertaining read. He's a die hard Mets fan, but will criticize them when necessary. Plus at times he makes me chuckle out loud. He can get quite humorous

nickel7168 said...

Mets (who?) said that Eduardo Brizuela will have impact on roster, scouting, & player development with title of: vice president/special assistant. Sounds like he might
become a VERY key player for DB if he's going to be impacting all of that.

Right now, Tommy Tanous who has been running our drafts is: Vice President, Amateur & International Scouting. Wonder if that is also being re-defined. His number 2, Marc Tramuta: Senior Advisor, Domestic and International Scouting, recently left the Mets, or was asked to.
Drew Toussaint: Director, Amateur Scouting only was promoted to that position Jan 2023.

bill metsiac said...

Brizuela might be acting as GM without the title.

Also in the "without title" department, I wonder if Billy might be doing some scouting/recruiting in Japan for the Mets.

Whether that's the case or not, Mendoza may have to becomevTRI-lingual if we add talent from there.

JMO, but I think that Counsell privately told Stearns that he wanted to stay in the Midwest, which would be the reason Stearns signed Mendoza before Counsell signed in Chicago.

Also, Otto appeared on BNNY last night, had only good things to ssy about the Mets in general and Hef in particular, and said he hasn't ruled out returning here in '24.

TexasGusCC said...

Bill, Stearns did say that it became apparent that Counsell was playing the Mets. Now that may just be BS and he only pivoted after Counsell told him that he was going to Chicago. I’m wondering if good business on Counsell’s part wouldn’t be to make sure a friend and possible future need in the field isn’t left with egg in his face.

bill metsiac said...

A few questions:

Does the current roster include minor leaguers who have been added to the 40 prior to Rule 5? If not, when is the deadline for such promotions?

When does the DWL start, and will any of our fine writers be following it and track Mets prospects there?

Mack Ade said...

DWL starts next week

nickel7168 said...

I heard DB say that as the week progressed, and it seemed like Councell was looking in other directions, that "INFORMED" the Mets to move on to other candidates.

He has not yet elaborated what all the boxes were that Mendoza checked off for him and Steve,
but word was that they were extremely impressed in both his interview with them. I guess the deal needs to be "finalized" before he elaborates further.

bill metsiac said...

Have the Mets announced yet which of "our" players are on the rosters?

nickel7168 said...

Bill... not yet
"Nov. 15, 2023- Teams must submit reserve lists of players on rosters who will be protected from the Rule 5 draft, to be held at the Winter Meetings on December 6. This date is BIG, with plenty of roster movement, with players being added and removed from the 40 man roster."

Someone wrote:
"The Mets won’t protect many non-roster players from the Rule 5 Draft. Recent trade acquisition (and 15th-ranked prospect per MLB Pipeline) Justin Jarvis is one candidate, but he struggled mightily in the Triple-A rotation and isn’t a surefire addition. On the position-player side, unranked prospect Luke Ritter is of some intrigue, but it’s always difficult for Rule 5 hitters to stick. As such, don’t expect the Mets to do much before the deadline."

Someone else mentioned Jeremiah Jackson to the 40-man.

nickel7168 said...

also I have never heard, in any year, who was on the 38 man AAA roster...they just never seem to give out that info to the fans

Tom had explained recently “In the Major League portion of the Rule 5 Draft, players not on a 40-man roster, plus who were signed at age 19 or older and have been in professional baseball for four years were eligible to be selected.

For the Minor League phase, players not protected on a 38-man Triple-A roster from the aforementioned group are also eligible to be taken. Teams with a full 38-man Triple-A roster are not permitted to make any picks."

Koos said...

Got to keep open spots, there often is a lot of talent in the Rule 5.

Amazin Z said...

Tom I agree. Short is the anti Vogey.
He can field but offers nothing with the bat. With McNeil and Mauricio both having ability to play IF and OF and Jett and Acuna coming up probably later this year there is no need for this guy. I think LG only going to cost $2 M in Arb would rather keep him.

Amazin Z said...

2022 DWL MVP Mauricio is playing again this year. I believe with Licey. I hope he plays a lot of 3rd and OF.

nickel7168 said...

It is quite possible the Mets will waive Short at the 11/15 point where everyone has to declare their 40-man roster for Rule 5 and there is a lot of add movement. Maybe they will try to get him off the 40-man to AAA at that point.

Tom Brennan said...

Mauricio is smart.

bill metsiac said...

Thanks. I agree.

bill metsiac said...

I can't imagine the Mets making more than 2 Rule 5 picks, and probably only 1 or none. The bigger issue is which players we may lose.

bill metsiac said...

So we can only protect 38 players in our entire system, plus those on the ML 40?

bill metsiac said...

I agree, but that means using a 30-man slot that should be used to protect someone else from the Minor League Rule 5.

Mack Ade said...

Sportspyder hooks to blogs because of level of blog hits

Noting else

100% bipartisan

nickel7168 said...

so...that would mean...if your not one of the 78 players on the 40-man or 38-man and
you are 19 or older and have been in professional baseball for at least FOUR YEARS,
you are eligible to be taken in the Rule 5 draft.

We certainly don't have 78 good prospects and most of the guys in A ball and DSL don't have 4 years of pro ball. Don't see much exposure here. If minor league phase players we don't rate highly are taken, who cares.

Tom Brennan said...

Nice, teams with strong rosters and abundant prospects are the ones who need to worry, not the Mets.

nickel7168 said...


Mets ‘dodged a bullet’ this offseason, high-ranking official says

https://www.nj.com/mets/2023/11/mets-dodged-a-bullet-by-losing-offseason-target-high-ranking-official-says.html

Tom Brennan said...

Amazin Z, I’d probably keep Vogie before Short. I hate having any Mets hitters who hit like Jerry Koosman.

Tom Brennan said...

Luke Ritter has played 2nd, 3rd, and the OF, and had 27 HRs in 369 at bats in the 2023 minors. He can hit .180 as well as Short, with more power.

bill metsiac said...

Does the 4-year rule apply to the Minor Leagues Rule 5, too?

Koos said...

Might get a bullpen guy or fourth OFer in that Rule 5 draft. Keep some spots open.