Last night, the Mets signed designated RIGHT hand hitter JD Martinez to a one year deal that will cost them only $4.5mil against the 2024 payroll (plus any luxury tax addition applied).
Martinez does play in the outfield, but at his advanced age, will probably be limited to RHDH, sending current Met spring training home run leader, Mark Vientos, to either ride the bench or go play regularly in Syracuse.
Thoughts.
Me?
Well, both the owner and General of the Mets have said publicly that they are committed to playing the youth on this team.
Really?
I know this is a good deal for a veteran power hitter that can still produce the pop needed from a bat that follows Pete Alonso, but once again, signs are being sent to the kids on the other side of camp that their future may lie playing for another team.
25 comments:
They now have a serious lineup.
I do think, from an objective standpoint, that Mark Vientos was given tons of opportunity. This spring, he struck out once every three times up and has an on base percentage of 243. Which is not good when you’re fielding is subpar and your speed is below part too. In fact, over this spring and last season, he’s been up 287 times with just 28 RBIs strikes out once every three times up and has a 250 on base percentage.
And JD’s salary was very very favorable to the Mets. Something that wasn’t clear two months ago might possibly be the case.
I really do think this team can contend for a wildcard spot. But not if you have a hole in the lineup, Mark simply has to start hitting more and striking out less JD. Martinez is a big upgrade, offensively, and might turn an 83 win team into an 88 win wildcard winner. On a 2nd tier team, Mark could’ve been given the whole season. But this is New York, and the Mets are close to a wild card spot. Lineup holes for that reason don’t work Maybe Vientos gets sent down with his remaining option, tear things up and return in July, or maybe they keep them, and just let him have more limited that primarily against Lety .
Or maybe they keep him, and just let him have more limited at bats against lefties, is what the last line above should’ve said.
Very, very, well said Tom. Perfectly said.
I am pro-youth movement, but the Mets had to make this move. This is the big leagues; they cannot wait for Mark Vientos to be properly motivated. He FINALLY started working on his defense this passed winter? What took you so long Mark? And, he had a chance in spring training and didn’t run with it. A two billion dollar investment shouldn’t wait on Vientos to get on his horse. Not saying the kid isn’t hungry enough or that he won’t make it, but when he gets his next chance and the door cracks open, no matter how minuscule it is, knock the door down.
Mack, I’m in Corpus Christi. Run an Italian Restaurant.
Lived in both Austin and Dallas
What's your Mets history?
So
What is the Vientos role come April:
Sit on bench
AAA third baseman
AAA First baseman
AAA RHDH
AAA FULL DH
interpreter for Ohtani
Bill, who is your question aimed to?
Mack, Vientos should be starting third baseman in Syracuse. This helps him in all areas.
Rumor has it that the interpreter fell on a sword for Ohtani. How does an interpreter get access to your bank account anyway? My parents and sisters don’t have access to mine.
I think he'll be traded with some out of options pitchers
The Mets' vision of being a recurring challenger for the MLB championship will only be realized if they maintain consistency to a strategy. Strategy cannot be sacrificed for a short term success or it is compromised and harder to fulfill.
JD Martinez was a short term win. He brings a lot of capability for a small 2024 salary hit. But as was said in previous comments, it contradicts the strategy of building the team by letting youth play in 2024 and then adding selective capability to fill holes for a 2025 run. The team may make a wild card slot in 24 with Martinez as DH, but does not have the offense or pitching to make a competitive run through the playoffs.
The only reason this could be viewed as compatible with the strategy is if they lost confidence in Vientos and did not feel there was a young prospect that could fill the 2024 DH slot. If that is the case, we would see Vientos on the trade block, not the AAA 3rd base bag.
Paul, while your argument is persuasive, I will disagree for now. Stearns said that players will get chances, but not necessarily on opening day. Someone yesterday pointed out that Ryan Howard waited in Philly’s minors until 26 years old. Vientos should have hit the ground running this spring, but didn’t. He should have cut down in the strikeouts, but didn’t. This is a wake up call to the whole farm system that chances are precious and don’t take them for granted. Don’t expect anything. This is a $3B investment for Cohen and he deserves to not have a year totally wasted. As Tom pointed out a few days ago, the Yankees have had 27 straight winning seasons, even through rebuilds. I think our standards are too low. We mustn’t accept mediocrity in the name of development. It isn’t fair to the $400+MM payroll cost that will incur this year and the other players. Let Vientos get a little tougher and a little more focused. He will get 250 at bats this year, but can’t have 83 strikeouts in those.
We all have opinions
So do I
I have begged, pleaded, prayed, and cried for 2024 to be a building year
Even contacted Steve
He and Eppler said they would
Things have obviously changed
Frankly it continues to suck to come up in this chain
I don't look back. Never did. What is Vientos doing NOW?
Oh. All he is is the spring leader for home runs
If I wad him I would call in sick until they traded him.
And if I could go back 20 years I would start a blog for a different team
Did I really say Eppler???
Man
Sorry things don't work right anymore
I personally don’t feel that badly if Mark gets sent down to AAA. Go down there, get pissed, and tear AAA apart with your bat.
Look at how much Tyler McGill and David Peterson have been up and down. I’ve written before, I think Mark Vientos could have a great future. He needs to be more aggressive at the plate while not swinging at balls only strikes.
I see him as a possible Kyle Schwarber. Mark got huge power. He needs to tap into it fully. I think if he got 600 plate appearances he did 40 home runs and I wouldn’t care if he had 210. But he’s got to attack.
My guess is JD Martinez is here for one year. That could be an inaccurate guess, but he is getting older. The prospects we have coming up are all small guys. So Mark has got the power edge, compared to them. Heck, if Alonzo leaves, Mark might even be the first baseman next year.
The only prospect that could compete with him in the power department next year is Ronnie Mauricio, and who knows after a year off if he’ll need some tuneup time and AAA, if Mark can’t be another Schwarber, we need them to be at least another Luke Voit from the 2020 to 2022 stretch of time when Luke was spanking.
I personally think right now, Mark wouldn’t bring back much in a trade. So why trade him? Tear up AAA, or tear up the National League in your now reduced at bats if they keep you on the team. Then your trade value will go up.
JM Martinez isn’t going to play 150 games, nor is Marte, nor is Bader, nor is Baty. Mark should get ABs. But, right now, I’d rather have playing time go to Tyrone Taylor, and Joey Wendle.
Aimed to you. Have you always been a Texan, or did you live in NY before moving there?
Tyler Stewart “gets his wish” today. Facing Yanks, in Tampa, and the line up includes Judge, Soto, Stanton, Rizzo and Torres. Not your typical AA line up. Quite a challenge.
My fear is that Mark gets traded and we can watch Justin Turner, part 2, for the next 15 years. Getting splinters won't help him either.
Send him upstate to get ABs, and let him play some corner IF to see if he can improve his D.
Stuart.
All off-season, I have not been a fan of the JD Martinez rumors. Now, after spring training is almost up, my thinking has been changed to more align with TexasGus and Tom.
Martinez makes the 2024 Mets better. Vientos has shown minor league promise, and has a few major league homeruns on the back of his baseball card, but the fact is that he remains a one trick pony. His defense is not MLB quality, he has no speed, and his K rate is way too high. He will never become another Justin Turner. I suppose if given a chance to play full games every day, he might hit 40 dingers, but what about the other 120 games where he is a relative black hole in the line-up?
The Mets have better prospects coming up. I don't think 'giving up' on the one-dimensional Vientos is altering their long term strategy. It would be more concerning if they had signed Matt Chapman or brought in JD Davis to play third base.
69, in the words of Lucas Duda, DH is a position, too. I don’t want him to be a Kyle Schwarber, but you can’t argue the results. I believe Vientos has promise, I just don’t know why he waited til now to work on his defense in the off season. And, we think that he can’t handle competition? Why not? When Corey Seager was with the Dodgers, they asked him what motivated him to continue his greatness, and his answer was that he knows the farm system is full of good young players that want his job. That was Corey Seager, an MVP. Mark Vientos wants “a chance”. He has gotten something of one. It’s on him.
Today, first at bat, two run HR. Ok, keep it up Mark.
All morning long I’ve been thinking of a story: Many. many moons ago, at a wedding in Cleveland I met a very pretty young lady. We were both visiting and she was very sweet. At the time, I lived in Brooklyn and she lived in Queens, but while I called her a few times, she wasn’t interested/couldn’t… I don’t know. Well, one day out of the blue, she calls me on a Friday night at 10:00 and it was her birthday and she want me to take her out. I couldn’t go, and I can’t remember the reason now. I never spoke to her again. She became a nuclear physicist. True story. That was MY chance. No one has to promise you a big chance.
The difference is that giving a player a chance is for the benefit of the team, not just the individual. If Turner had been given a chance here, instead of LaLaLand, maybe we wouldn't have been searching for a 3Bman for those long years.
And maybe it was the young lady who lost out by not taking advantage of her chance.
Gus, you could have become a PROton.
Vientos keeps driving HRs out to right, showing the power you don’t trade away
Thank you Bill for the kind words. My family left Corpus Christi in 1973, when I was 5 1/2 for NYC, and I came back here in 2006 as a 38 year old ready to start my own business. I should have stayed in accounting, but I listened to my relatives and opened a restaurant. Been here ever since. Don’t miss NYC, but miss my friends and the good people of NYC very much. I was there three weeks ago and was ready to leave after two hours!
Gus, good stuff.
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