Tom Brennan: Mets I Simply Do Not Want To See Back

Some Personnel Suggestions For You, Mr. Cohen 

Which players do you want here next year?  

Everyone is interested in that.  

But the converse is:

Which players DON’T YOU WANT BACK?  

Few writers want to ruffle feathers, though, and come right out like this and say it.

But you’re a reader, not a writer.

Which players do you want replaced? Banished? Pronto.

I have no more patience, not a lick or a smudge on, what with me turning 70 in 2 days, and having been 33 when they won their last World Series. 

So…

I will give you my list…several, our Reese Kaplan recently noted, have been given “thank you for your services notices, don’t let the door hit you on the way out” memos already. He wrote: “ Already the Mets have dismissed six players from their 40-man roster -- Jonathan Arauz, Anthony Kay, Danny Mendick, Vinny Nittoli, Michael Perez and Rafael Ortega.”

I see 7 hitters from 2023 who left us wanting for MUCH more.

Luis Guillorme - 9 RBIs in 120 PAs? .224/.288/.327? He has long been a fan favorite at Mack’s Mets, and can snag flying bats with the best of them, and dazzle in the field, but we need more offense. He had this in common with Daniel Vogelbach: zero steals in zero attempts. Pretty miserable year. Just 48 RBIs in 823 career plate appearances. We need better.

Jonathan Arauz - 8 for 59? .136? 9 RBIs in 66 PAs helped a bit. Maybe some other franchise can use that. Reese noted he is gone.

In the DSL, perhaps? What does a .136 MLB hitter hit in the DSL?

Danny Mendick - .185/.232/.277? Just 4 RBIs in 69 PAs. He can rebound somewhere else, IMO.  Maybe with the LI Ducks? OR…the Bad News Bears? Reese noted he is gone.

Rafael Ortega - .219/.341/.272. His OBP isn’t bad, but he slugged like Jim McAndrew, or Buddy Harrelson. Even a slug slugs better than that.  And, just 8 RBIs in 136 PAs is a miserable stat. See ya. Reese noted he is gone.

Tim Locastro - did somewhat decently in a short stint, but just 3 RBIs in 67 PAs? Nah. I’d rather see Drew Gilbert on the opening day roster.

Tomas Nido - 1 major league RBI via 7 for 56 hitting in 2023, not many more RBIs in AAA. His woeful hitting frames him. He can instead frame houses, rather than Mets’ pitches, or latch on with … oh, I dunno … the Ducks. Are the Aardvarks a team? Or are they extinct?

Omar Narvaez - he may be here in 2024 due to his contract, but his 128 at bats, .211, 7 RBIs in 2023?  In a word?  Awful. Two words? Really awful.

Those two catchers? Just eight RBIs in 207 PAs? 

Good grief.  That’s a ton of miserable.

While Pete Alonso, in not his best season, drove in 118 runs in 658 PAs, these seven guys above drove in just 41 runs in 665 plate appearances while barely hitting .200?  That gross failure is a formula for sub-.500 Mets baseball. So, sub-.500 baseball is what we got. SURPRISE!

Buh Bye to the Underwhelming Seven. Buh Bye.

Daniel Vogelbach is a harder call…his 48 RBIs in 275 at bats on its face aren’t bad…but being the most athletically restricted, one dimensional offensive player in all of baseball (I can only hit righties, not lefties, I'm the slowest, I can't play the field, Yada, Yada) in my mind says, goodbye, let’s try a normal multi-dimensional guy instead to assume what would have been Vogie’s at bats in 2024. Like Ronny Mauricio.

If Vogie had his girth as a Bartolo or Mickey Lolich type hurler, that could possibly work…but hitters can’t be as one dimensional as he is and not be a real problem to the team when it comes to what counts..winning.

Send Vogel Bach where he came from. Buh bye.

I’m not done.  Pitchers to go? 

Due to injuries and trades, lots of 2023 innings came from the more borderline types on (or added to) the roster. 

Some succeeded, some were passable, some stunk.

For me, that means 7 pink slip pitchers to add to the 8 hitters above…

No more Hunter, Reyes, Yacabonis, Coonrod, Santana and Garrett. No more Cookie, either. 

You may have a few others you may never wish to see again this side of AAA; feel free to name names.  Reese noted the briefly-auditioned Anthony Kay is gone, as is Vinny Nitoli, for instance. Having that happen on a pitching-short team is not promising for that duo.

Most of the above names might have been rejected by the 1962 Mets. 

(Yeah, I know…harsh. But guys like these are how you miss the playoffs, and in point of fact, how you missed the 2023 playoffs).

For pitching in 2024…

Overstock the pen with real talent, rather than under-stock it, or next season will again be like a Fram oil filter commercial. Pay us now, or pay us later. 

We pay way too much for unfiltered waste from the dugout in Metsville.   

Dispose of it all in an environmentally safe manner. But dispose of it, pronto.

CONGRATS

To the Texas Rangers on their resounding playoffs and World Series win.

Jake wins a World Series without playing in one.

They tell me more people crossed the southern border illegally this year than attended the games of the border state Texas Rangers, but what do I know? 

Meaningful November Baseball: 

Only  one major league game will have been played in November…the most important one of all. The one game deciding who gets the crown. Now, everyone, including the Mets, is no longer playing. 2023 is history. Focus shifts to 2024.

PARADA AND SCHWARTZ

Kevin Parada had a single, double and walk last night. Still sub-Mendoza at .194. JT Schwartz went 0-5 with 3 Ks, has cooled off, and is down to .263. They were the only Mets to play in Glendale’s 11-2 win. 

Glendale started out 2-10, but has since gone 9-4. AFL Season wraps in about a week or so. 

They should also play Fall baseball in Nevada, so we could also have an NFL season. I just got sacked by Mack for that one. He hits hard, but it was a clean hit, no flag was thrown. 

Showalter told me not to retaliate for the hit. “Just take it, son, you’ll be the better man for it.” Me? “Don’t call me son, Buck, I’m older than you. Heck, this is my last article before I turn 70 this Saturday.” (“Last article? What a relief!”)

Have a great day, folks, and avoid getting sacked. The Visigoths are back and would love to sack us. Stay safe.