MACK. - DIRTY LAUNDRY

 

Good morning

November 3^rd was the day that happens every year. The Mets minor league rosters are decimated because they were not on the 40 and were automatically eligible for free agency. So, out with the old and, so far, in with, nuthin’. I never think this is going to work out before they draft a new lot of kiddies… but it does. And the majority of those additions come in November and December, when aging veteran’s agents realize that their client is not going to be offered a major league contract, going forward. So, hold your socks and… well… ya know… we should be hearing a bunch of names of people we either thought were long gone, or, never heard of before. You will be doing the same thing I usually do… run to baseball-reference.

 

The Mets did not bring relief pitcher Drew Smith back. They kept him through his TJS woes (I think they had to per the owner/player agreement), but they decided why bring back someone that only gave them a 3.06-ERA in 2024 (17.2-IP, 23-K, 11.7-K/9) before being shutdown for surgery. The same day this week, the Mets replaced him in the 2026 bullpen with some dude with a 4559.4-ERA last season… well, a little lower than that, but see where I’m going here? Why? Reasons we will never know. My guess? I say he has healed enough to start his career again, but his arm just ain’t showing signs of returning to the wonderful things he has done for this team in the past. Remember the name… well, that’s not hard to do with a last name of Smith… he will pitch somewhere else this season… like Atlanta or Philadelphia and embarrass the hell out of whoever made the decision to off him in Queens.

 

So… some think the two-ex Mets coaches going to the Braves shows an inept decision process by the Mets. Question. Have you ever been in a position to fire someone and hesitate because you fear where their next gig would be? It didn’t matter to Cohen & Co. if these two would form a new political party and ravish the 2026 mid-terms. One was offed, not because he was a bad coach, but because the Mets wanted to go in a new direction with someone who has past expertise in areas the Mets want out of their 2026+ pitching coach. The other was offered a deal to stay and he dicked around enough to make the Mets look in a new direction. Period. End of story. So, they go to a team that finished 2025 with the 12^th best record in the National League. And I should worry about this?

 

The Mets made a couple of interesting moves this past Thursday. The first was claiming IF/OF Ji Hwan Bae off of waivers from Pittsburgh. Bae has pretty much become an outfielder now. His sprinting speed ranks in the 82^nd percentile, which makes him an instant defensive replacement in the field and a terror on the basepaths. Bae bats left. Tyrone Taylor bats right. Think Siri v2.0. As for hitting, in the minors, Bae hit for a .945-OPS IN 2024 and .800 last season. He’s 26. I like it. Nice, cheap OF5. 

The second was also a waiver pick-up, this one being for LHRP Jose Castillo from Baltimore. A favorite of mine when he was a Met, Castillo pitched for four teams last year; however, his 2.45-ERA for the Orioles, 0.00 for Seattle, and 2.35 for the Mets stand out. Not a velo guy. Just someone that gets more people out than he doesn’t. IMO, a good add to a rebuilding pen.