DANIEL MURPHY’S LATE 2015 BAT WOULD SURE HELP NOW
Or his lethal bat displayed throughout 2016 or 2017 with the Nationals, when Daniel put up Soto-like numbers. Murphy tore it up for the Nationals in both seasons.
Another insanely bad Mets move then, letting him go and keeping Duda instead.
We surely get to the last Thursday of the season every year. The Mets are today about to have their 64th “last Thursday in the season” in the team’s history.
In almost every year, the Mets on that date have been out of contention, collapsing, or in total nail biter mode. The Mets have had the division or Wild Card locked up so few times by that date. The crosstown team is usually locked in and preparing for their perennial appearance in the playoffs, of course, this year being no exception.
Entering Thursday, the Mets led in the WC by one slender game. Jonah Tong, that wily veteran started on the road against the hard hitting Cub-a-Dub-Dubs. Pressure? What pressure?
Well, he gave up 5 runs in two innings, and the Mets trailed 10-2 in the 7th because other pitchers not named Hot Helsley gave up 5 more runs. Oh, well.
Tong still is 2-3. The Mets are 4-10 in games that $25 million Sean Manaea.
Then Soto hit # 43, to cut the 8 run deficit to 7. Remember, ye critics: 43 HRs in a season represent the most single season HRs in Mets history by anyone not named Alonso, and the most by any left-handed hitter in Mets history, so pick on someone else.
Final score: Chicago Bears by a TD over NY Jets, 10-3.
It will take a miracle to make the playoffs, frankly. Even though they still lead the Wild Card by 1 game, with 4 games to go.
On today to the 64th final Thursday. I am totally relaxed. They are relaxed, too. Making golf plans for next week will relax anybody.
, presumably.
(On Tuesday, the Mets quickly fell behind 6-1, and things looked bleak, but a 3 run Nimmo blast and a 2 run Alvarez blast made it 9-7 Mets. Edwin was in total beast mode for 2 perfect innings (5 Ks) to get the save.)
AAA PROSPECTS RESULTS
If you had a single top prospect hit .202 in AAA in 394 at bats, you’d likely be disappointed.
That is what Jett, Clifford, Benge, and Parada did combined in AAA, post-promotion.
Jett? 134 at bats, .209, .285/.433, 7 HRs, just 2 of 4 in steals.
Clifford? 114 ABs, .219/.359/.395, 5 HRs, 3 of 5 in steals.
Benge? 90 ABs, .178/.272/.311, 3 HRs, 3 of 3 in steals. Finished 8 for last 25.
Parada? 56 ABs, .196/.281/.286, 1 HRs, 2 of 3 in steals.
Well, they got that AAA hurdle out of the way…I see all 4 as raking far better in AAA in 2026, and as mid 2026 call ups to the Mets.
Keep in mind that Jared Young, who stumbled when the Mets called him up for a few weeks, hit .300/.396/.500, and little Yonny Hernandez, who wasn’t called up, hit .325/.404/.404 in Syracuse, while Joey Meneses had 35 doubles, almost one in every 10 at bats. Also, Ronny Mo tore it up in Syracuse in 35 at bats, and Alvarez hit HRs like mad during his demotion stretch.
Those comparables of prospects to veterans tell me the prospects have a ways to go. It was, however, good to see them gain AAA experience, and also good to see that little Jett has some power. He has 17 HRs in 486 ABs between AA and AAA. How will that translate to big league ball, I don’t know. fellow little guy LuisAngel Acuna hit 32 HR over 3 minor league seasons. This season, in 311 AAA and MLB plate appearances, he hit NO HRs. And just 14 doubles. Size matters.
But, so far, another Gregg Jefferies? Jett is not.
Frankly, I had hoped for a better AAA showing for our four promoted prospects.
But that is now experience that should propel them in 2025.
HOW DID THE TRADED PROSPECTS DO?
Hopefully my headcount is not wrong, but here goes who left, and results:
Traded to Baltimore - the Mets gave up some fireballers for Mullins and Soto.
Raimon Gomez - the 104.5 MPH man did not pitch - injured list.
Anthony Nunez - AAA 16.2 IP, 1-4, 4 saves, 7 hits, 23 Ks. This one makes me NERVOUS. Transitioning to pitching in 2025, he had phenomenally low hit totals and super K #’s. He would have been a Mets pen arm in 2926 - big loss.
Chandler Marsh - High A, 10 IP, 1.80 ERA.
Wellington Aracena - Wild fireballer continued his ultra low hits and high walks with his new team in high A: 23 IP, 10 H, 15 BB.
Cameron Foster - 3.38 ERA in AAA, but 11 total runs allowed in 16.1 IP.
Traded to St Louis for struggling Ryan Helsley:
Nate Dohm: 82nd overall pick in the draft. High A - 12.1 IP, 5.11. Last game on Sept 2, but I think they just shut him down for innings.
Jesus Baez: High A, .243/.303/.373. Decent numbers, but how good will he be?
Frank Ellisalt: 19th round - 9.2 IP, 5.59 ERA
Traded to Frisco for Tyler Rogers:
Blade Tidwell - found his groove. 18 IP, 9 H, 1.50 ERA, 5 BB, 24 Ks
- Tidwell could come back to bite them for years to come.
Drew Gilbert - thru Monday, .200 with SFG in 90 ABs, Started terribly, briefly got hot, then returned to “terribly”.
Jose Butto also went to SFG, and has a 4.82 ERA with them. Which ain’t good.
CONCLUSION:
Well, the acquired players (remember, the Mets were crumbling badly, or they would have stood pat) have sure disappointed.
A lot of high potential talent was dealt away. Could they have done better deals? I think so. But in fairness, how would Stearns know that Rogers would be decent, Soto mediocre, and Mullins and Helsley downright lousy?
That said, 2015’s deadline deals were SO MUCH BETTER. Ferocious Yoenis Cespedes, Kelly Johnson, Juan Uribe, and Addison Reed along with a born-again Daniel Murphy and David Wright led to 177 runs in 28 June games! And 98 more runs in 20 September games. Lethal.
Thoughts?
BINGHAMTON PLAYOFFS
The final Mets minors team playing baseball this week. Tuesday night, a 5-4, series-evening win. 3 RBIs, 3 times on base…and Wyatt Young got on base times, and after Tuesday, was 6 for 11 with 4 walks in the playoffs.
Wednesday night, a winner take all game 3. Jack Wenninger was spotted to an early 2-0 lead, then, with 2 outs and 2 in scoring position, he quickly went 0-2, but rather than waste a pitch, he threw it tight over the plate and surrendered a 2 run hit. But he was dominating, with ELEVEN Ks through 5 innings, but leaving him with 89 pitches.
Jack Reimer smacked a solo HR in the 6th to regain the lead. Two batters later Chris Suero hit a2 run Jack, increasing the Ponies’ lead to 5-2. D’Andre Smith Leda 14 hit attack in an 8-2 final, with Binghamton’s 4 pitchers fanning SEVENTEEN!
BIG, BIG CONGRATULATIONS! CHAMPIONS!
DAVID PETERSON HAS VERY BADLY FADED
2.83 ERA after a start on August 1. Tremendous.
In 41 innings thereafter, a shocking 39 earned runs.
What to do?
- Me? Stick him in the pen.
SAD NEWS:
MEGILL HAS TOMMY JOHN, WILL BE NON-TENDERED, MISS ALL OF 2026.
Career 26-26.
Injured off and on during his Mets tenure. Frustrating at times. But great at others.
His last 2 starts in April, he fanned 19 in 12.2 innings, and ended the month at 1.73. Then, likely, his arm started to ache.
He was called up in 2021 when deGrom suddenly broke down, after just 40 AA/AAA innings. No Mets starters I can ever remember had so few innings at those levels.
He was wonderful for a period of time that season, with so little minors time.
Thank you, Tylor.
Best wishes for a totally successful recovery.
KUDOS TO AARON JUDGE
HIS 4th season with 50 or more HRs, and he has done it with a bad elbow the past few months. Highest batting average in Major League Baseball? AARON JUDGE.
I tip my hat.
And remember…the Mets could have drafted him.
Of course, they would have traded him from the minors for a Javier Baez, so he probably would never played a game for the Mets.
3 comments:
Please disregard my comment in Paul's post this morning that I had a future analysis planned regarding the deadline trades.
Tom covered this here.
You know, if the Mets had kept Quintana, Severino and Houser they would have a solid staff especially when you factor in McLean.
I think Stearns is a good baseball man but pretty much every move he made backfired. He also completely discounted chemistry. Should have kept OMG - Mets made the same mistake in 1986 when during the offseason they refused to sign Ray Knight and traded Mitchell
3 games-to go, Cincy is one game behind Mets, Zona 2 games.
Cincy is therefore now the concern, based on what I wrote earlier in the week:
“If teams competing with the Mets end up tied with the Mets, who gets in? Well, I read this, which was posted on Thursday:
“The Mets hold the tiebreaker over two of their closest competitors in the Wild Card race (Giants and Cardinals), but they don't have the tiebreaker over the Reds, and a tiebreaker with the D-backs would come down to intradivision record at the end of the season.””
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