MACK - MY THURSDAY'S OBSERVATIONS

 

MetCast              @MetCastPod

BREAKING:

Former New York Mets, pitching coach and first base coach will both be joining the Atlanta Braves coaching staff.

      MACK –

      I’m going to cover this subject in my next DIRTY LAUNDRY post

 

MENACE             @MRMENACE231

The notion that Juan Soto is going to suddenly forget how to steal bases after an entire 162 game season because a magical first base coach leaving is one of the stupidest f###ing things I’ve seen on here in a long time

      MACK –

      LOL… I gotta follow this dude…

 

Ernest Dove              @ernestdove

 

Some brief updates on Mets prospects represented in the AFL.

I'm told UT player D'Andre Smith & RHP Austin Troesser have left the team.

Undrafted OF John Bay has joined the team & was assigned as of 10/29.

      MACK –

 Of the three players mentions here, John Bay makes me sit up more than the other two. I think he has the potential of being one of those great, undrafted finds. Hopefully, 2026 will begin to prove me right here.

 

Harrison Bader

CLICK HERE

Over the summer, the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies engaged in several trade deadline battles. Without question, the Phillies came away on top. Adding Jhoan Duran completely redefined their bullpen. A smaller yet impactful sweepstakes they won plugged ex-Mets outfielder Harrison Bader into center field for them.

Bader’s contract paid him $4.75 million last year with a player option for 2026 at $10 million. The $10 million available for this coming year is actually less than he got from the Mets in 2024 when he spent the last two months watching most of the games from the bench. Bader has chosen to opt out of the second year.

A reunion with the Mets is possible but unlikely his top choice as the Mets should be going short-term rather than any longer commitment. The Mets need a love affair of their own. With the Phillies potentially in the market to re-sign Bader, one of their other options is to take the perfect fit away from the Mets.

      MACK –

IMO… a return of Bader to the Mets isn’t going to happen. First, Bader won’t sign anywhere for one year and the Mets will have their lead outfield filled in with three solid additions, Carson Benge, Nick Morabito and AJ Ewing. The Mets will begin 2027 with the defensive genius of Tyrone Taylor in center, flanked by Brandon Nimmo and Juan Soto. There are worse major league outfields than this. Any one or two of the minor league Three Amigos could make their way to Citi by the break.

 

Jim Koenigsberger                                                                                     @Jimfrombaseball

"Take a look at all of them: Marichal, Jenkins, Spahn, what do you think made them successful?

They conditioned their arms by pitching more, not less, starting from when they signed their first contract."

Tom Seaver

New York Mets' pitcher Tom Seaver's wife Nancy, waves as he leaves home for classes at the University of Southern California.

They had just learned on November 20th, that Seaver had been chosen 1967 'National League Rookie of the Year'.

      MACK –

      Go to the front page on the web version of the site.

      There is a rectangle SEARCH box there.

      Write in ANDY CARRA and click.

There is a fascination post there written by my brother’s late, best friend.    about the days he worked for Dick Schapp, and drove Tom to the stadium for every game.

 

How Mets can deter other teams from signing Edwin Diaz

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One unique aspect of each MLB offseason is the qualifying offer (QO). This is a one-year contract offer a team can provide to one of its free agents, which is based on each season's salary data. For this upcoming offseason, the league-wide qualifying offer is set at $22.02 million.

Teams can only give a player a qualifying offer if that player was on that team for an entire season and if they'd never been extended a qualifying offer before. Diaz falls into both of these categories.

But here's an important caveat: If Diaz declines this qualifying offer (which he almost certainly will, as most players do), whichever team goes on to sign him (given it's not the Mets) would have to give up a draft pick as a result, usually one that comes after the first or second round of the next MLB Draft.

Teams are historically hesitant to part ways with this high draft pick. Therefore, if the Mets do extend a qualifying offer to Diaz, doing so could help deter other teams from trying to sign him.

      MACK –

IMO… Diaz’s agent is Wasserman. No effin way he goes the QO route. But…  I do believe this issue will be resolved quickly and he will stay in Queens.

 

15 bold MLB offseason predictions just crazy enough to come true

https://fansided.com/mlb/15-bold-mlb-offseason-predictions-crazy-enough-to-come-true

Pete Alonso has repeat of 2025 offseason, but gets more security from Mets

Pete Alonso's free agency dragged on until February last offseason, when he re-signed with the New York Mets. I don't think it'll take him quite as long to sign this offseason, but I do think it'll be a similar experience. I expect Alonso's free agency to drag on, and I expect that at the end of the day, he'll sign an awfully similar deal with the Mets, albeit with an extra couple of years of security.

Alonso is reportedly looking for a seven-year deal, but how likely is it that a first baseman on the wrong side of 30 who happens to also be a very poor defender and base runner ends up with that long a deal? With Scott Boras representing him, it'll likely be a while before Alonso is willing to adjust his demands. I don't expect Alonso to have a massive seven-year deal on the table, but with no qualifying offer and with the first baseman coming off a much better year in 2025 than he was in 2024, I do think a four or five-year deal is realistic. The Mets might not love that length, but with a lack of alternatives, they can't really afford to let Alonso walk.

MACK –

IMO… I don’t disagree with the ending here, just the timing. I believe Boras will take this down to the end, trying to secure the most bucks for his client. I then think he will deliver that offer to the Mets for their last counter offer. But, here’s the question of the days… will the Mets wait this out or go elsewhere to, at least, solve their 2026 need at first? My guess now… one year deal for some help then turn it over to Ryan Clifford.

 

Needs and goals for all 30 MLB teams as the 2025-2026 offseason begins

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New York Mets

Biggest needs: Starting pitching; power bat

The Mets are prioritizing starting pitching and will look for a shorter-term commitment via trade if they can make it work. Their dream scenario would be to acquire the Tigers’ Tarik Skubal, a deal that would cost them a big chunk of the top talent in their farm system, or to reunite president of baseball operations David Stearns with Freddy Peralta in a trade with the Brewers. They will explore the free-agent market as well. They are committed to improving the top of their rotation whether it’s through trade or free agency.

The Mets also want another big bat, and if they can’t re-sign Pete Alonso, they could pivot to either Cody Bellinger or Josh Naylor.

MACK –

IMO… I think the Mets should target two areas in this off-season.

One, trade for a top starter to solidify their rotation going forward…

Solve third base with a splash.

15 bold MLB offseason predictions just crazy enough to come true

CLICK HERE  

Tigers trade Tarik Skubal to Mets

Should the Detroit Tigers trade Tarik Skubal? Absolutely not. He should be extended right now. However, if they're unwilling to take extension talks with him seriously or if Skubal is uninterested, the last thing they should want to do is begin the season with him on their roster and no long-term deal in place. They'd risk losing him for nothing more than a draft pick as a free agent, which would hurt more than trading him.

If the Tigers do trade him, the New York Mets make too much sense. They're desperate for an ace, and there's nobody better than Skubal in that regard. David Stearns has shied away from spending big money on starting pitching, so why not trade prospects for someone without a long-term commitment instead? New York's farm system is as good as any, and features several players nearing the bigs. The Mets have the financial wherewithal and the pieces to get a deal done.

MACK –

IMO… the Skubal name just won’t go away. The Mets have the prospects that could both pull this off and also not totally deplete their chain. Starting with outfield… three top prospects will graduate by the end of this season onto a team with an almost all-star in left and a sure thing in right. And this doesn’t include Jett. Is there a math being used here I’m not aware off?

 

Ca-Ching! Baseball America predicts big contracts for the top NY Mets free agents

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What Baseball America projects the top 5 Mets free agents earn on their next contract

Ryan Helsley - 4 years, $70 million

This is just silly. Even if he pitched average for the Mets, it feels at least a year too long and a few million too much. Ryan Helsley feels more like a pillow contract candidate rather than a player a team should sign for this much after a poor season and worse conclusion.

MACK –

IMO… Wow! Not the campaign manager for Ryan. I differ here. I want Helsley back. You?