It's back to work time for David Stearns and his boss, Steve Cohen. I've been as harsh and critical as anyone about the Mets' bottom feeding to fill their roster and as time passes without any action nearer to the top you find fewer resources available in free agency.
If the club is indeed honest about not wanting to poach their future by peddling top prospects then you need to address roster needs either through aggressive free agent negotiations or by trading away pieces you deem not part of the long term plan for 2025 and beyond.
Now some of the rumblings being heard make sense. Trying to secure the services of Brandon Woodruff in 2024 when he won't throw a single pitch for the team is very much a 2025 type of goal.
Now some of the rumblings being heard make sense. Trying to secure the services of Brandon Woodruff in 2024 when he won't throw a single pitch for the team is very much a 2025 type of goal.
He is a sensational performer when healthy and it's not the first time the Mets have experienced arm recovery (or shoulder or other physical ailment issues) with top notch hurlers. Think back to Pedro Martinez, Johan Santana, Jacob deGrom and many others.
This move to use Steve Cohen's money and David Stearns' familiarity to secure the services of one of the game's best pitchers now is a very smart move though it doesn't provide any immediate benefits.
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Similar talk is being generated about the Mets securing the services of former standout closer Aroldis Chapman to become the 8th inning guy leading up to Edwin Diaz (and serving as an insurance policy should Diaz run into another long interval of being unable to pitch.
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Similar talk is being generated about the Mets securing the services of former standout closer Aroldis Chapman to become the 8th inning guy leading up to Edwin Diaz (and serving as an insurance policy should Diaz run into another long interval of being unable to pitch.
At his age and with a somewhat checkered personal reputation due to domestic violence, moving out of the closer's role should somewhat depress his asking price. Even with a fine combined 2023 season he was earning under $4 million after closing out at a $16 million salary ending his time in the Bronx.
Going into 2024 at age 36 suggests a 2 year deal in the range of $12 million would certainly catch his attention and give the Mets a formidable lefty/righty punch at the end of games.
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Of course, another solid option for that role would be starter-turned-reliever Matt Moore. This late blooming star of the bullpen was pretty weak as a starting pitcher and pretty much was moved to relief out of desperation. How has he done? Well, over the last two seasons combined he has been in 113 games, has an ERA of just 2.20 and has struck out 10.2 per 9 IP.
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Of course, another solid option for that role would be starter-turned-reliever Matt Moore. This late blooming star of the bullpen was pretty weak as a starting pitcher and pretty much was moved to relief out of desperation. How has he done? Well, over the last two seasons combined he has been in 113 games, has an ERA of just 2.20 and has struck out 10.2 per 9 IP.
About the only blemish on his stat sheet is control as he is offering up 3.8 walks per 9 IP, but obviously he's working well around them. He had been a contract buyout type of pitcher before his stellar 2022 season which lead to a contract of nearly $8 million in 2023.
He's a free agent again and will turn 35 during the year. I'd think of him much like a southpaw version of Adam Ottavino. He'll get paid probably in the same range again and will likely want a 2 year deal. Given the choice, he would be an interesting pen option if Chapman is not considered the right fit.
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As much as the team needs to add more hitting, pitching remains the Achilles Heel issue that needs to be addressed with quality, not just quantity. Right now the starting rotation is very weak matched perhaps by the two-man bullpen with a lot of other bodies but not necessarily the talent or health to feel confident in those options.
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As much as the team needs to add more hitting, pitching remains the Achilles Heel issue that needs to be addressed with quality, not just quantity. Right now the starting rotation is very weak matched perhaps by the two-man bullpen with a lot of other bodies but not necessarily the talent or health to feel confident in those options.
Let's see the front office finally start getting semi-serious about the 2024 season and not simply tread water until 2025.
14 comments:
Those are three pitchers who ought to be in Stearns' calculus. With the cap issue overhanging every move, gambling on older or injured pitchers may be a path forward.
However, the injured pitcher being signed all depends on the cap. If it screws their efforts to get the team salary down to a desired level, they won't sign a pitcher who is not pitching in 2024, and add to 2024 team salary, IMO.
Yes, those 3 are definitely guys who should be on the radar, but I'm curious about the lack of mention anywhere of two FAs that have proven themselves in NY and are available.
Reese speaks of Chapman being the "left-handed Ottavino", but the real Otto, along with Robertson, can be had.
Brooks Raley certainly can be effective vs LH hitters, and so has Robby. We could sign both to join Raley in the setup role and add Chapman to the mix.
Why does the allure of "new faces" always seem more attractive than proven ones?
Retreads are fine if they are the best options available, but remember that they left (in Ottavino's case) voluntarily so he has no loyalty to the Mets. Robertson was traded for a minor league prospect and likely is less negatively inclined than Ottavino would be. Remember that Robertson earned $10 million last year and these options would be less expensive.
My current desire is for the Mets to sign one more starter and then concentrate on which secondary starters currently on the team, like Butto Lucchesi and Megill move to the pen
This link has a very interesting Fangraphs chart of estimated playing time by position, based on the current 40 man roster:
https://www.fangraphs.com/teams/mets
The Mets are not in an easy situation. If they don't put out a competitive team, they will suffer with the attendance. If they spend big, they will be pay tax penalties. So, either way, it will cost them.
The Mets have to find a balance by putting together a team worth watching while saving money and planning for 2025/2026.
I like the Brandon Woodruff idea. The Mets can sign him to a 3 year deal that pays him little money this year, 20M for 2025 when he is healthy and a team/player option in 2026 based upon innings / health at a future negotiated amount.
This insures the Mets that they will have at least 1 or 2 years of control once he is healthy and the Mets have a proper team able to not only compete but win.
For me, there is little hope of the Mets winning anything in 2024 so I would trade Pete Alonso and use Vientos at 1B and Baty at 3B. Lets at least find out what these guys can do.
Hay good ideas,75 wins again! We’ll get a good draft pick.
I feel like the plan may be to sign one more high-ish upside “prove it” starter for a year or a year and an option, and then go with a 6-man rotation (which would have to help Senga, Quintana, and the oft-injured Sevarino) and then cycle the other guys - including one or more of the AAA guys - through the 4-6 slots all season to see what they actually have going forward. The real action indicating what they think this team should be will start at the trade deadline.
Reese:
It almost feels sort of Wilpon-ish actually.
Like saving dollars for the 2025 run with the rookie arms. Truth is, will careful planning now, they could make a run in 2024.
It all comes down to the starting pitching rotation.
They need to get Mike Vasil up second half, for this to gel for the playoff run. Their hitting and fielding is fine as is. But the Mets need to get more creative with their rotation. They have three really decent top end starters already. But to me, it will be how the four, five, and injury sub-in six starters do. Starters like Megill, Lucchesi, and Lavender having a jump-up season in'24. I just don't see Quintana, Butto, and others as strong a possibility for this as the Mets brass seems to do.
I like the Woodruff idea. Shoulder injuries scare me more than TJ surgeries but if it’s a two year deal (low money this year, $20 M plus incentives in 2025 for games started) it’s worth the gamble. If it also helps sign his friend Burnes (they’ve pitched in the Minors together since 2017) makes it even a better idea to sign Woody.
I’m starting to think that Stearns has faith in the young SP prospects (Scott, Tidwell, Stuart, Vasil, and Hamel) and figure 2 or 3 will be in the rotation in ‘25 going forward. Could be why he’s only looking at SP’s on one year deals. It still doesn’t explain why he hasn’t signed two RP’s to replace Ottavino and Robertson. Most of the good FA RP left can be had 1 or two year deals. So get to work Stearns. 6 weeks to Spring Training.
Senga and MeGill,that’s a good start.
Senga is a good start. Megill is not. Megill is a #5 SP at best and has had plenty of chances to prove he’s not. I’d rather see him move to the Pen.
Build a killer pen (sign Hader) and we have to have a real DH then we have a shot at a WC. Also 2 out of Baty, Vientos, Williams, Acuna and Gilbert (sucks Mauricio got hurt) need to be major leaguers as soon as possible.
He could win 8-10 IF he is healthy. That’s pretty good.
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