Observations…
Random thoughts -
-Tom asked last week what you all thought was the future of Jeff McNeil on this team. I commented that it was dependent upon whether or not the Mets target their team salary issue. I like Jeff and I have always liked him being on this team. I was also a fan of his extension. I thought that the Mets were really building a team that could get to the 2024 World Series. I was wrong.
I’m also a big fan of building your team through both the International and domestic draft.
Well, as it turns out, the Mets spending spree over the past two off seasons only resulted in a highly inflated team salary, huge penalties, and loss of the first round location and International money needed to sign the guppies.
Getting back to Jeff, his new contract, coupled with a diminished return from his bat, now makes him a lead candidate of being part of a rebuild that will get this team back in line.
For this reason, and this reason alone, I would trade him this season before the trade deadline arrives.
The Mets pen seems to have peaked this early in the season. Have they been overworked? Hasn’t all pens been overworked in this limited starter inning world.
Adrian Hauser seems to working out as a long man. Maybe Drew Smith can get up to speed. Edwin? No idea.
Looking ahead, both Blade Tidwell and Christian Scott looks like they will fit in just fine in the 2025 rotation. Add them to Kodai Senga, Trevor Megill, and David Peterson and you have a pretty decent rotation going forward.
Brandon Sproat and Nolan McLean will be ready to move into the 2025 Syracuse rotation. Joander Suarez and Tyler Stuart too.
And there will still be Jose Butto around to man the SP-6 emergency Mets starter role.
For tese reasons and these reasons alone, I suggest that starters Dom Hamel and Mike Vasil be moved into the Mets pen, preferably sometime this season.
At this point you have to wonder if Charlie Brown would be a better guy to have out on the mound after the starter gets bounced. It might not be any worse.
ReplyDeleteThe pen is having problems right now and it most probably need at least one more long man to get them through this season.
DeleteMaybe Butto
I understand wanting to trade Quintana, but what would they get for him? Why isn’t Butto in the starting rotation? Put Quintana as a long man and bring Butto up. Plus, what’s the update on Diaz? Can Scott close for the rest of the year? Ottavino is gassed.
ReplyDeleteI think the gap between aging McNeil and improving Acuna has substantially narrowed. Acuna provides much more speed, making up for other current shortfalls. Jeff's power has vanished, largely. I think in part because he is not a fan of hitless ABs dying on the track.
ReplyDeleteSproat could be ready not just in 2025, but perhaps in a month, like Paul Skenes. GREAT AA outing the other day. Could Sproat be Jake II?
McLean doing quite well, 2025 definitely. Remarkably, he is holding his own hitting in AA, too. Wonder if he is making needed changes there.
Tidwell, yes, in 2025. Butto will have to be in the mix for long man.
It was bad for Megill to give up that HR yesterday to Gallo, whose average is subterranean. It was in his wheelhouse, but 96, so Gallo probably fouls that offf most times. I think Megill is a definite 2024/25 rotation piece.
Will Hayden Senger debut before Kodai Senga decides to show back up? If Senga needs surgery, and I am not saying he does, but I've seen stranger things. what is he waiting for?
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My guess is that Acuña"s future position with the Mets will he center
DeleteOutfield much more fluid than the infirld
Vasil, Hamel, Stuart, Suarez? Should be thinking really hard how they can fit effectively in the Mets 2025 pen. None has shown me they will earn a Mets (or MLB) rotation spot.
ReplyDeleteGus, Ottavino is last year's wine.
ReplyDeleteButto got hammered in his last AAA start - that always makes me think, "if AAA hitters can do that, when will the big league hitters catch on?" Of course, could have just been a bad outing. Joey threw a great 5 innings the other day, but the 3 outings before that has rendered him suspect. Has he lost just enough velocity to become ineffective against MLB hitters? Not saying he has, just wondering.
Time to revamp the pen and give some of the younger arms a chance.
ReplyDeleteTom, I understand that Butto had a bad game, but it was the only one and he has had enough success in the majors for me to feel that he has proven as capable. Lucchesi is not someone I feel confident about; I would make him a long man. Time to start letting the seeds grow. Enough with starters that don’t go five innings and won’t be around.
ReplyDeleteGus, I think Butto will be decent. It was a "hold off on the ticket to Cooperstown" start. Soon, I would trade Sevy and Manaea and promote those two, not to start, although Butto likely deserves a runway as a starter.
ReplyDeleteAs I noted with Ray's article, Sproat has above average MLB stuff. Control's really improved. He's ready, except for facing tougher hitters for another half dozen starts. Get him in the Mets rotation in 6 weeks, so he is ready to start as an SP-1 to SP-3 type in 2025. Sky is the limit.
Mack you are so spot on
ReplyDelete1 Mets fans are the worse… never want to trade anyone and only turn on someone when they have zero values and then wonder what would they would get for him
2 there is something to trading away someone as addition from subtraction
3 financial recovery is a benefit and reallocating resources is a positive
So if we can recover 1/2 the salary for McNiel when it’s clearly not working here, he should be traded sooner than later
And I was bigger fan of McNiel than I was ever of Alonso
And speaking of Alonso
He should have been a goner after 2020 and then definitely last year …. Forward thinking is what this front office has lacked
I hope we can do something with Nimmo
He has some value now … he will not fit the timeline
He would be gone quickly
Inglesias is a proper option this season
ReplyDeleteJust checked the line up for tonight. Iglesias is at 2nd again. Good wake up call for McNeil
ReplyDeleteTough but fair, Mack. McNeil has lost his special quality of putting bat on ball either through injury, age, or bad batting tips from the coaching staff. Because of his inability to adjust all year, his trade value has plummeted. Sitting on the bench while Iglesias thrives does not help.
ReplyDelete