OK, OK, OK...continuing to criticize the lack of front office effort in building a 2026 team is getting tiresome but until things actually DO change it is most definitely appropriate. This week articles have arrived suggesting that the Mets are indeed ready to knock over a few dominoes with the creation of two 40-man roster spots and the increased number of rumors of what they may attempt to do.
Number one, of course, is the late day interest in Kyle Tucker. While Cody Bellinger had always by conjecture been the premier outfielder choice (who could also play first base) the renewed (and then stalled) effort by the Yankees suggest that he is no longer the top of the pyramid. Apparently the trio of issues facing the Bellinger contract demands include his desired duration of not just six but seven years, the annual compensation rate is already at a declined $32 million, and then there is the issue of his offense being on-again/off-again. His WAR has ranged from a high of 8.7 to a low of -1.6. For 9 years he averages about 3.4. For a point of comparison Pete Alonso delivered about the same (with no points for defense) and Brandon Nimmo was about 2.6.
The corresponding rumor to the Tucker deal is that the Mets would revert to the all glove/no bat Harrison Bader for a reunion. Yes, everyone is well aware of his fine 2025 campaign split between Minnesota and Philadelphia, but his career numbers as a hitter are pretty embarrassing. The question is which Bader would arrive for 2026? Would it be the career .247 hitter, the New York Met .237 hitter he was in 2024 or the outlier .277 hitter he was last year? Defensively no one questions what the man can do in center field and if indeed he’s flanked by Tucker and Soto he will most definitely need to show his Gold Glove defensive skills. A short term deal would give the Mets the opportunity to allow Carson Benge to continue development at the AAA level to affirm he is indeed the center field solution of the future.
At the same time the pitching rumors won’t go away. Whether it is the signing of ground ball machine Framber Valdez to lead the rotation or the huge one year gamble of future free agent Freddy Peralta coming over via trade no one outside of the Mets front office doesn’t know for sure. No relievers have crept into the conversation and another spare outfielder is still a mystery.
Tick, tick, tick...
5 comments:
The Nolan Arenado trade to Arizona might begin a signing/trading period,
As for Tucker, late, credible reports last night was that the Mets offer to Tucker has an AAV of $50,000,000.00.
I assume it is a three-year offer, four tops.
I like the clarity in it. It creates two corner outfielders both ranked in the top 10 producers of OF WAR.
It also brings to the Mets someone that can help Juan Soto learn the craft of playing right field better than he has in the past.
Additionally, it replaces some of the loss of pop created when Brandon Nimmo and Pete Alonso wasn't signed.
And it creates a genuine battle for the next Mets starting centerfielder featuring Carson Benge and AJ Ewing.
I like the shorter, more expensive Tucker offer. Notice it wasn’t immediately accepted.
I want the best 8 + DH offense on the field. If that means AJ Ewing plays first base to GETHIM in the line up, so be it (of course, not on opening day).
Are we SURE Tong isn’t ready? Koosman hada brief, similarly rough Mets debut in 1967, then was totally awesome in 1968, the following year.
Tong is going to get a good look during ST
So is Sproat
Tucker at 50M is way overpayment in my opinion and since he won't be playing RF, a risky one.
The Mets needs to commit to what plan they want to follow because doing both doesn't work. You either sign the Tucker type players thereby rendering your positional minor league players useless to have and just trade bait going forward. Or, you bite your time and recognize that you have a couple of great looking prospects in the minors that would transform the team with youth, energy, speed and control for the next six years on the cheap. The problem? that it may have to wait until the all star or 2027.
If it was me and its not, I would wait for mid 2026 or 2027 and have the team of the future start to mature while adding the missing pieces via free agency or trades.
BTW, the best position for Soto in the future would be 1B unless he becomes a better RF. No, he won't accept just being a DH at his age.
Don't trade Tong, Sproat, Scott.
I expect Manaea and Senga to be very very motivated this year.
I don't think the Mets are going to tinker with Tong's pitching mechanics. I wouldn't either at this stage in his career. That said, his spinal bend related to his left lateral bend is, as any professional or top level amateur golfer will tell you, presents an injury just waiting to happen. As I have said before as well, his pelvic rotation is also hampered by the spine tilt as rotation is MUCH easier with level pelvis and a straight spine.
He is not an over the top pitcher when you look at his actual arm angle RELATIVE to his body. It is the side bend that rotates the arm, the head and the torso left. It may be deceptive to batters at first. It remains to be seen whether it will be deceptive long term and how long it takes before he is injured by the pressure exerted at the those parts of his spine that are not designed to bend, but to support.
All that said, he will only be ready for full time major league duty once he develops a pitch with late horizontal movement. It need not approach the movement of McLean's sweeper, but it should have significantly more break than a tight slider or cutter.
Speaking of a cutter, the way to look at Tong now is that he can primarily work a batter along the vertical plane only. Because you never want a pitcher to throw across his body (not good for control), he is largely limited in the ways he can work a pitcher along the horizontal plane; and he has no pitch that really does both well.
A Sandy Koufax style curve ball would fix that but at the moment, Tong's curve is not sharp breaking and more lollipopish in its arc. And he isn't going to be effective as a major league pitcher until he has a pitch that looks like another pitch out of his hand, but whose predominant movement is horizontal.
And he can make himself an even more effective pitcher by also developing a cut on his fastball that has it run in on a right handed hitter. That will make him fully complete -- able to work up and down, in and out, on the plate and off it, at varying speeds. Right now he has two pitches that work in concert with one another: his fastball and change-up. He has a relatively ineffective 12-6 curve with a very hittable arc, nothing that moves horizonally or late to either side of the plate.
No pitcher ever needs the greatest number of different pitches: only those that work off one another.
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