So much dirty… so little
time…
I saw that the Mets cut fish
on their “ace” starter, Frankie Montas.
Look… simply put… this was a mistake made by the Mets, caused by the
fact that Montas went down and both the fans and the team never got a chance to
see what money bought here. You only have 40 men on your parent pool, and 26 on
your active roster. Included in that are up to six starters. Montas was ALWAYS
supposed to be one of them, until NEVER stepped in. Frankly, this is good news,
three-fold. One, the Mets can move on and make room on the 40 for a talented
prospect outfielder that just tore upped Arizona ball, Two, the player gets to
be paid handsomely while he rehabs and contemplates his next more. And three,
the writers out there never have to write this name again, Triple win.
And look who enters the 40 after the exiting on the guy mentioned above that I’m not allowed to mention again… OF Nick Morabito. Is he 40 materials? I think he proved in Arizona these past few months that he is, but I still don’t see a starting slot for him some day. Juan Soto is a fixture in right for, at least, three more seasons. Carson Benge will be a fixture in center into the next decade. Tyrone Taylor will hold down center until Benge is ready. Right now, Jared Young and Ji Hwan Bae are lined up to be the utility outfielders come OD. That’s five outfielders. The only change I see here, possibly on opening day, is Jeff McNeil not being traded, and replacing Benge, who stays in AAA-Syracuse for some more grooming. No. Morabito, AJ Ewing, and possibly Benge will have to wait until mid-season to possibly crack Queens.
Speaking of Brandon Nimmo… Sunday
brought a whole new wrinkle. My relationship with Brandon started out when I
trashed the Mets for signing him. That followed with an ice treatment by him
whenever I approached him when he was a Sand Gnat. That being said, he quietly
became one of the top 10 left fielders in the game. That’s saying a lot since
there are 30 teams. His defense is okay. His hitting is okay. But, I guess,
after not making the playoffs by one game, okay isn’t enough. I wish him
nothing but the best, as he sets into a clubhouse that includes his old Met
buddy, Jake
deGrom.
Signing up Tyrone Taylor to the
2026 season is such a good idea. One, he’s a nice guy and a positive influence
in both the clubhouse and the dugout. Two, he is an incredible defensive
centerfielder and the kind of player David Stearns can build his new,
defensive minded team around. And third, he can hold the starting CF position down
until Benge arrives, sending Taylor into an UT! Role he can play for all three
outfield positions. Well worth the $3.8mil they will pay him and pittance for a
team with a gazillion payroll.
The Marcus Semien trade
does bring up a whole new question… exactly where does once Mets top prospect, Jett Williams fit
in now? Let’s face it… Semien was not traded for to play second base until
Williams was “ready”. No, he is now the Mets second baseman for the next three
years. And, we know that centerfield has Carson Benge’s name already written in
for. So, where does the Jetster play? My guess is either part of a trade for an
established starter or the soon to be starting LEFT fielder for the Mets. This
would push back AJ Ewing and Nick Morabito into utility roles or
also becoming future trade bait. What a problem to have.
Why isn't Taylor living in the Mets lab?
ReplyDeleteNeed a place for Jett. Soto to DH sooner than later.
Nice to have talent. Let me remind everyone that Spotrac is not infallible, but shows Jett as having just a few weeks worth of MLB time in 2026, so we may be overly enthusiastic on him in early 2026. Jett, Ewing, and Morabito are all young and would’ve helped by being the juggernaut outfield of Syracuse for 3 to 4 months. Benge, I would add to the Mets on opening day. And try to see how far he can go.
ReplyDeleteI’d like to turn Taylor into a 5th OF as quickly as possible.
Thanks nimmo for your service time
ReplyDeleteHowever the extension was a mistake by awful GM
I think one thing I don’t agree with is Benge being a 10 year CF
He is the CF of the present and immediate future
But I think time will show that he a corner OF who is playing CF
Like nimmo I don’t want to show horn benge as Center fielder
He is a OF playing CF
It wasn’t a mistake Eddie, it was pressure. Nimmo was coming off of a 5.5 fWAR season as a center fielder. The Mets had no one else and baseball has very few. No one realized the plantar fasciitis would set in and rob him of his mobility. The money is fine, the years were wrong. The Mets didn’t have a choice and I don’t recall many detractors.
DeleteI agree with TexasGus. The Mets played the hand they were dealt to keep a competent center fielder in place. You saw what happened with Mullins - imagine if we had him signed to a long contract like Nimmo. That foot problem changed the game after the ink was dry. I wouldn't blame Stearns for that.
DeleteI think for long term and short term Pete is needed
ReplyDeleteHe can play 81/81 1b/dh
And he can protect Soto
He also allows us the space to play our young players
To me benge Ewing Jett and either Reimer or Clifford have to lanes for a shot to play
Player in the majors 2025 with most RBI's NOT counting himself:
Delete1. Pete Alonso
And happy thanksgiving and appreciation to the Mack staff
ReplyDeleteThanks, Eddie.
DeleteWe appreciate readers like you and thank you for your interest Eddie.
DeleteI think we’re overrating Jett Williams here and underrating how much the org sees AJ Ewing as a superior prospect and their future CF. I think that Jett will be part of a deal, for either pitching or a shorter term CF (which I believe they’ll bring in) with Benge starting the season in a corner.
ReplyDeleteI was scrolling down to say the same thing. Jett put on alot of muscle to develop his power too quickly, to get to the majors quicker, and thus diminished his best talent: his speed. He wants to be Dykstra 2.0 but doesn’t have the help of the juice. Yes, I would trade him at this point.
DeleteBenge is better than Ewing who's better than Williams who's better than Morabito
ReplyDeleteThat may very well be the exact order the FO has them ranked. And I think their dream scenario is Benge in RF with Ewing in center. And with Williams’ future almost assuredly at 2B, the Semien deal gives them at least two years to find their next 2B, making him the most expendable of the four.
DeleteThat order looks legit today, but things have a way of changing in unexpected ways when players face the ultimate competition in MLB. It is great to have choices.
DeleteThings can always change, and any one of the four could fail to meet (or could even exceed) expectations. What is unlikely to change is that Ewing and Morabito are natural CF’s, while Benge, with his strong arm but just a tick above average speed is a natural RF, while Williams is not really a natural OF at all. So we know going in, at least, where these guys will fit if they do in fact meet expectations. To me, that means that of the four, Jett is the odd man out position-wise, and for a FO that needs to upgrade both pitching and CF, the most likely (and almost certain) to be traded this offseason. Morabito is insurance for Ewing, so slightly more likely to be kept, though the need to put him on the 40 could work against that.
DeleteAdam,
ReplyDeleteCould Voit be that second baseman in 2-3 years?