Met fans are in search of Ws, so will López help…or hurt?
The Mets signed righty reliever Jorge Lopez to a one-year $2 million deal.
Lopez career-wise is 22-40, 5.51 in 230 appearances spanning 480 innings, in which he fanned 418, with a 1.49 WHIP, not good numbers. 77 HRs allowed, also NG. He did save a solid 27 of 39 save opportunities in his career.
His record is somewhat reflective of having done much of his pitching with bad teams.
Lopez was an All-Star in 2022 when he was 4-7, 2.54, and a 1.18 WHIP. In 2023, 5.95 with a 4-2 record and a 1.50 WHIP.
He’s 30-year-old.
Baseball Ref projects his 2024 as 4-4, 4.78 in 60 innings. Steamer projects him with a 3.92 ERA in 2024.
Stearns knows him from Lopez’s 2 stints in Milwaukee. He must see something. Perhaps Stearns is hoping he’ll get a return to 2022.
His ERA of 5.95 in 2023 was due to his allowing 2 or 3 earned runs in 10 of his 61 outings. Very solid most of his outings shelled in the rest.
I guess earnestly praying when he pitches will be helpful.
Meanwhile, Craig (not Roger Craig, but Craig Kimbrel) signed with the O’s. The Orioles are in it to win it. The Mets are apparently in it to spin it.
Tom I’m with ya. I don’t mind one or two reclamation projects for the Pen. But that’s all Stearns has signed. This Pen is worse than last year so far. He hasn’t backfilled Ottavino and Robertson yet. Our Pen order right now is Diaz, Raley, and Drew F’n Smith. All these RP Stearns has signed is filler. I wouldn’t trust any of them in a big spot in the 7th or 8th. Just as I wouldn’t trust Drew Smith. Stearns is risking our Pen on his faith on his past RP reclamation projects. Someone needs to slap him and let him know once again he isn’t running the Brewers anymore.
ReplyDeleteAmazin Z, it ain’t over til it’s over, but Stearns’ early work is not generating smiles from Mets fans.
ReplyDeleteI dread the idea of López pitching to the Braves. But he has allowed just 24 earned runs in 54 IP against the Braves and Yanks.
These of signings are the downdraft results from signing the aging Verlander, Max, and Marte. Don’t gamble big on octogenarians.
Lol. It ain’t over til it’s over but trying to be patient with Stearns ain’t easy. There aren’t many very good reliable RP on the market. Doesn’t it make sense to sign two of the better ones now while you’re waiting on Yama. Also won’t Yama feel better knowing he’s got shut down 7th and 8th inning guys to get to Diaz. All of his signings are big question marks. Even Severino his biggest signing. I hope I’m saying I was wrong and jumped the gun in late January but Stearns has got me nervous.
DeleteClown comment bro. The mets have to fill out a minor league roster too you know. Stearns hasn't even completed one off-season and you guys are already pushing him out the door. How about we wait until he puts this team together before complaining about every minor move?
DeleteWhen I view relief pitchers' stats, the first place my eyes go is WHIP. Relievers just shouldn't let runners on base or it will be anything but relief for the manager. ERA and W-L record can be influenced by bad defense and poor offense. The pitcher owns their WHIP. Lopez owns a lot of stressful situations if 1.49 people are getting on base every inning he pitches. That is not a good thing. Only our scouts and player development people know if he has some easily correctable deficiency in his mechanics that will whip his WHIP problem. I hope that's the case.
ReplyDeleteAnother day, another garbage bin signing. I think if you put all the marginal relievers that our newly minted GM has signed, you could have gotten a couple of better ones without so many questions attached to them.
ReplyDeleteHow are these guys better than having Ottavino and bringing back Robertson?
I truly do not understand why fixing the BP once and for all is not a priority for the Mets. This shouldn't have to wait on Yamamoto because you can argue that if the Mets had a good BP last year they could have potentially gotten a WC spot.
They better hope that Yamamoto signs before Ohtani because every team that misses out on Ohtani will add themselves into the Yamamoto sweepstakes.
If the Mets know they need multiple pitchers, why not sign Montgomery or other now while you wait for Yamamoto decision?. If they need a CF, why not Jung Hoo Lee now instead of later?.
So far, very disappointed with how things are going.
Another one this morning
ReplyDeleteSomeone named Taylor Korn-something
A non hitting 29 year old bat
Jeez
When is this going to stop?
These guys don’t cost nothing,save $ for Yamamoto?
ReplyDeleteViper, I so agree. For once, how about a killer, lock-down bullpen? 2022 was close to one, but last year’s pen without Edwin was bad. Even with Edwin, right now, it’s still bad.
ReplyDeleteDiComo today:
ReplyDelete“ The general industry consensus is that, before the offseason is through, the Mets will add one or two relief arms on Major League deals. In the interim, they’ve been collecting lesser pitchers on Minor League contracts, split deals and waiver claims -- a group that’s included Kyle Crick, Austin Adams, Cole Sulser, Michael Tonkin and Jorge López (López's deal is not official). . Many of them are hard-throwing reclamation projects who missed recent time due to injury or who are looking to reestablish themselves in other ways.
The Mets, who employed one of the game’s softest-tossing bullpens last season, are clearly trying to add velocity. But Stearns described his mission as more complicated than that, saying he hopes to build a bullpen with lots of diversity -- hard throwers, softer throwers, pitchers with different arm slots and so on and so forth.“
Mack, I think that Stearns is channeling Omar Minaya.
ReplyDeleteLOL, I think Stearns is trying to lower our expectations!
ReplyDeleteThis Chris Russo is a jerk.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, who is the “bro” with your clown comment, and who are you?
ReplyDelete