There’s an old saying that people who don’t learn from history are damned to repeat it. Whether or not that suggestion is true isn’t really the debate here. However, Mets history came to mind when on Saturday a roster change was made that raised the deja vu flag regarding under performing players and the IL. Let’s take a little drive down Embarrassment Lane...
Back after the New York Mets 2020 season ended the club had some personnel changes take place. The first one — the resignation of formerly highly regarded manager Buck Showalter — wasn’t all that surprising. After a brilliant 2022 campaign that saw him win 101 games the 2022 was a very rude awakening. The Mets finished in 4th place with a sub .500 record of 75-87. Showalter leaving was likely going to happen whether he made the decision or the front office did.
Word had come out that Major League Baseball was starting a formal investigation into manipulation of the IL by the New York Mets. Since Eppler was the guy in charge of deciding who should or should not be on the IL, he was going to be the main culprit under the magnifying glass.
It turns out that someone had sent an anonymous letter to the MLB office suggesting that baseball should look into how the Mets were not using injuries and temporary removal from the roster to heal as it was intended, but instead were engaging in what has been dubbed the Phantom Injury List.
For people who don’t know the definition, essentially it is using the IL improperly to take players who may no longer have options available for demotion to the minors and faking an injury to give the club an excuse to take him off the 26-man active roster without risking a loss via a waiver claim while supplementing the roster with someone else who theoretically could be more productive on the team.
Now who all was involved in making this faux injury reports and fake ILassignments is not the issue right now, but apparently baseball found enough evidence during its investigation which led to a full 2024 suspension from baseball employment for Eppler. It would seem, therefore, that where there was smoke there was indeed fire.
Since then it’s been a nightmare nearly every time he took the mound. Since then his ERAs spread across the Bronx, Cincinnati, Milwaukee and now New York have been 6.35, 4.84, 5.01, 4.55 and now 6.28. His lone bright spot was a 1.1 inning pitched for the Yankees in 2023 when he was lost to injury.
Anyway, for whatever reason Stearns alone felt Montas was worth $17 million per year not just for 2025 but also a player option at the same salary for 2026. That’s a $34 million investment that likely made other mediocre pitchers salivate in anticipation of ill gotten gains.
Now tying these issues together is the announcement that starter banished into the relief corps Montas now has an injury which theoretically helps explain his lackluster performance for the Mets after missing most of the season recovering from a different injury.
Back to the Phantom Injury List issue that derailed Billy Eppler. I’ll believe Montas has a real UCL injury since his replacement, Huascar Brazoban, wasn’t exactly the difference-maker people hoped to have on the 2025 Mets once again. Still, it is eerily familiar and coincidental that a poor player needed to be removed from the roster and an injury occurred. It’s not good either way. If he’s really hurt, that’s not Montas’ fault. However, if it is not a real injury, that’s a sequel no one ever hoped to see.
12 comments:
It doesn't matter to me if Montas has a real injury.
What matters to me is is Montas has a real pitching problem
The Mets have to move on in so many ways, one of which is this guy
Pay him until he heals and DFA him the next day, never looking back at a contract that will go down in history as one of the worst the Mets ever offered to a free agent.
Montas is even worse than Tom Sturdivant who, in 1964, put up a 5.97 ERA for the Mets at the end of his career. Sturdivant had a career 3.74 ERA, making him better than Monty. But, even in inflation-adjusted terms, I’m sure Big Tom made nowhere near as much as Monty has for 2025 and 2026, despite being much better.
I wonder how Steve Cohen feels about the Montas contract?
Montas offered zero upside, and on top of that who decided his value was was close to 20 million? What were the comps used to quantify that AAV?
Yes worst contract ever signed by our Metsies. There’s your Mulligan, David Stearns, and what a big Mulligan that is
There's no way that Stearn, and, and slumping or "tired" players could recuperate, s would be foolish enough to fake an injury after the Eppler situation.
That said, the Mets are fortunate not to have to remove someone else from the roster, but it raises another issue---why doesn't MLB create another IL, an Inactive List?
The Mets are not alone in having players who are not injured but are not effective. If each team were permitted to have a few players (I'd suggest 2 or 3) removed from the active roster to allow temporary replacements. During the IL period, the players could travel with the team, go to the minors, or work in the team's "lab", just as the current IL works, but not have to be injured.
The need for faking injuries would be eliminated, and both the team and the players would benefit.
Why not?
Mike, Montas was hot down the stretch last year. Stearns hoped it would be a clever signing. It was - for Montas’ bank book.
Bill, interesting idea.
This team is sucking wind. It needs to roll the dice and bring up Tong and Megill.2025 playoffs or bust.
Megill must be brought ip (or DFA'd) when his rehab time expires. Tong, if all goes well with his next start, could be added when the rosters expand next week.
Sproat is a mystery, with his starts going from superb to awful and back again.
Another question is what to do with Stanek and Garrett if room is needed. Garrett has options available; Stanek does not.
The next week will tell us a lot.
The mlb needs a 10 day mental health status probably 1 per player (maybe 7 7day)
This way guys could be sent down and rested for large work loads or to tinker with stuff but not banished which is what the players union would be afraid of. They could still receive service time but after the 7/10 day assignment they must return or be released
I think this could help pitchers injuries
Bill, good comment. In prior discussions I brought up an idea of the team having a 3 man taxi squad. These 3 would be available to the team if needed. It would not expand the daily roster. It would give roster flexibility, you could carry an extra reliever, possibly a 3rd catcher or sixth starter. you can rest an overused bullpen arm when needed.
If Megill becomes the 6th SP when activated, would Tong or Sproat be used in the pen, or would one of them push Megill there? That decision would be a big factor in determining who gets promoted.
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