It’s January 31st and Spring Training begins for pitchers and catchers on February 11th, just 12 days away. On the former the Mets have made incomplete changes to the rotation and ongoing juggling in the bullpen. On the catcher front the team has secured the services of former Dodgers backup Austin Barnes who is a stellar receiver though not much of a hitter. Little bit little things are coming together despite ongoing issues still not resolved.
Mack recently opined that it was Steve Cohen’s green light to empty his pockets that helped turn David Stearns’ losing offseason into a more competitive one. Is his job done? No, of course not. There is still no experienced left fielder, not definition of who the DH is going to be and players at the infield corners who have never played those positions before as part of the new run prevention philosophy.
The latest interesting rumor had the Mets offering up a couple of very hot prospects in Jonah Tong and Ryan Clifford to obtain another center fielder in Byron Buxton from the Minnesota Twins. While it would certainly be welcome to add that kind of offensive and defensive player to the current mix, it seems a rather steep price to pay for someone who rarely logs a full season worth of play due to injuries, but at a tad over $15 million per season if he waives his no trade clause he would provide a three year solution in the outfield until becoming a free agent after the 2028 season.
Many of us sighed a huge breath of relief that the San Francisco Giants offered up a two-year deal to former Met Harrison Bader. He is a great fielder and had his finest offensive season in 2025 split between Minnesota and Philadelphia but his career numbers suggest it could be an outlier.
Most of the other names that pop up as possible targets are either platoon types or older players not expected to do at least 150 games (think Starling Marte). It is possible one of the undefined players like Baty or Vientos could go to land a solid outfielder but it would not be in the magnitude of Buxton though it would likely cost a bit less in salary.
For now the club going into Spring Training has a number of things to observe. How does Bo Bichette do his best Brooks Robinson impression? How does Jorge Polanco do his best Keith Hernandez? Who will win the top five starting rotation spots? Who will make the bullpen? Who will be on the bench? Who will be the DH? Who will be in left?
The work took a long time to get to where we are today...much improved over where the club was a month ago but still not completed. I keep watching the headlines for Mets-related changes in anticipation of the final few moves being consummated. So far all I hear is the sound of crickets.
28 comments:
I do remember in 2024 that the Mets patiently waited for the contract price of JD Martinez to drop, and it should drop significantly. Nonetheless, based on results, I think they overpaid for him. His sizzle was really starting to fizzle, as it turned out.
David may have a sense that good players at discount prices will be available in March, and will scoop them up at a discount then. They only need them to be ready to play on opening day. I personally don’t think, for one thing that left field is that big a deal. Soto and right, Robert and TAYLOR in Center and Beatty and Benge in left field. Pardon the talk to type name misspellings, which I’m tired of correcting.
I personally would love to have the single wrapped up with a bowtie on it. But having seen how David waited for the JD Martinez fist to swim up closer to the boat and Into the net in 2024, I am willing to see what happens. And again, I think a lot of it comes down too is Carson ready or not? I would think David has a much better feel for that than we do. Some good hitters come on fast. At the beginning of his career, Juan Soto came on like a meteor. Nick Kurtz last year came up like a blazing comet. Carson has had much more time in the minor than Nick did, so let’s see what he did to get ready over the winter. He may have addressed every weakness, and is ready to go. With his cannon of an arm and good speed he’d be a darn good left fielder.
I do believe that they need to add a fifth out fielder, unless both Carson and AJ Ewing are ready. I don’t think Ewing is, but he had such a good year up through AA last year that it’s possible great average great on base great speed.
It was 2° here this morning on Long Island. I’m ready for spring training.
I guess you don't want to hear about me needing air conditioners on in my home, my car and the places I visit. Sometimes I love Malaysia :)
If summers were 10° cooler, and winter is 10° warmer in New York, at least on Long Island, I don’t think anyone would want to leave. But I hate the winter here. Even though some areas have worse winters. It just lasts too darn long. And as I’ve noted in prior articles, it seems to last another month up in Syracuse a lovely place to play baseball. Watch out for mosquitoes, Reese. All the mosquitoes here are staying indoors right now. Or have decided to winter in Malaysia. That is the only part of summer that I’m not thrilled with, mosquitoes.
The mosquitoes are an issue if they carry dengue fever. The bigger worry are the cobras.
Man, like Jules, you would have made for a great MM's writer
Need one more short team left fielder, and one two-year real to deal reliever
Gohave a regime change
That's called South Carolina... and the house taxes are 80% less
In Thailand, they were Baht Bugs. They were the size of the baht currently. About 1 1/2 times a half dollar. They few. Into planes
You would hear a SPAT as you worked on the flightline and you know one hit a plane.
The Thai guards would be on it as fast as, well, white on Baht, bite it's still wriggling head off, and suck out the inside
Thus... you never kissed a Thai guard
(not that there's anything wrong with it...)
Austin Hays is the simplest play for LF. Period. Not sure if he wants part-time play though.
I agree that Stearns may not be done, and that the late markets have a different dynamic than those early in the offseason and those in the middle of it. But I see it developing somewhat differently, and more targeted. I do believe there is a potential outfield play, but I think the other target is a very narrow one around SP.
I am probably in the minority on Tong. I have to see him develop another pitch with meaningful horizontal break, preferably one with movement in both planes. Going entirely on my experience in golf as a player and coach, I am very concerned about the extent of left lateral bend in his spine which is his mechanism for turning what is otherwise a 3/4 delivery into an over-the-top one. This is just a back/spine injury waiting to happen.
But having said that, I would not, at this point include him in a trade. I'd definitely want to see one or two of the other top tier pitching prospects for another year before I would let him go. I don't see him having a long career, but that does not mean that he won't be a solid pitcher (with a third pitch) for 4-5 years at the major league level. And Clifford/Riemer are the current targeted solutions at 1B, and both are very young. In addition we have at least two outfielders and maybe more banging at the door for ML team.
So I don't think that version of the Buxton trade is worth it. Others may be, and the Twins situation may be different as will the Mets' come trade deadline time.
I think Stearns is waiting to see how the Tigers respond to the arbitration with Skubal. Nothing focuses the mind more than reality. They don't want to pay him the arbitration number. They were being foolish all along. They were never going to keep him long term. Why risk paying 33M for one year. The opportunity costs for them were staggering. At this point, they may be forced to trade him into a less wide open market. There are very few teams that can play in that market. Of the teams that have strong farm systems, most don't have the resources to pay in terms of prospects and major league talent. I think the Mets are one of them. So too are the Dodgers of course. I think both are waiting to see what happens.
The other potential play is for Valdez on a short term deal if the market drives him in that direction.
Other than that, you can see him signing depth pitching with 2 way contracts, for both SP and RP
How is South Carolina in the summer, though? Heat like a hammer for months? I am asking seriously.
I fervently hope Skubal doesn’t go to the LA Foragers.
Did Tim Lincecum have a third, horizontal breaking pitch? I don’t know, so I am asking. He sure had success.
I am an old man who needed a hiatus to catch up up on some important matters I have procrastinated on. April is closing in fast.
I’d cross thru the dangerous Darien Gap to get away from Baht bugs. I don’t like dinosaurs that self-identify as bugs.
By the was...
Tong developed a sweeper in the offseason
I actually TWO of them
I lived in South Cacilaki for one summer, and it averaged around 95-98°. So, it’s warm. What you are looking for Tom is Virginia or North Carolina.
Skubal trade?
Great idea
Let's build a package
Let's see.. Sproat, Williams...
Oh
Mack-- I thought it was a slider or two that he developed. I find it hard to believe that he can throw a sweeper from that arm angle.
RVH- I agree about Hays
SC heat index can easily hit 100+
We call it Africa Hot
It’s hard for me to believe that Stearns will hang himself to a prospect, so I’m expecting a left fielder.
Yesterday, the Mets signed Austin Barnes. Interesting. I have maintained that one year of Torrens is not worth keeping and after last year’s pop up, should be cashed in. If Alvarez gets hurt (again), Torrens usually gives you a big hit every month, so why bother? Boston has four starting outfielders and needs a starting catcher and a third baseman. Detroit needs a starting catcher and a third baseman. I would cash Torrens in.
As for Skubal, it’s tempting but as I saw on a Tigers blog that John from Albany put up, Holmes, Tong and Benge… for one year of Skubal? Bad enough that we gave up Sprout and an overrated Williams for one year of Peralta…
Holmes is no big deal to me, but I understand that Tobias Myers has a similar windup to Tong and has a filthy splitter that Tong could use as his “third pitch” so why trade him?
Oh, it can be..
You know who had a good slider from a high arm angle? Dave Stieb.
I'm probably wrong here
A splitter is compatible with any arm angle above 9 on a clock (or 3 for a lefty). I would have to look at Myers' delivery mechanics. There are many different ways to reach the same point or arm path in space. The key distinction between arm angle relative to body and arm angle relative to ground (or in space). I can theoretically get my arm path relatively perpendicular to the ground in two ways, as a righty (just reverse for lefty(. I can lift my arm straight up so it is pretty much perpendicular to my shoulders which are level, ie. pretty much perpendicular to the ground. That's one way. Or I can put my arm (using a clock dial for reference) at any time on the clock from 9 to say 11 and then bend my body left in effect lowering my left shoulder in relation to the right shoulder. This can be done in two ways that are often confused with one another: One is a tilt and another is a bend. A tilt takes place somewher around the pelvis, and is compatible with keeping the spine relatively straight. The problem with a tilt is dynamic balance, an inordinate amount of weight has moved to the left and is outside the left (bracing) leg; so there is much less support of the movement from the ground up.
The other way is side or lateral bend, which is not a tilt and does not move the weight to the outside of the bracing or support mechanism. Instead it involves bending of the spine. The body under duress can maintain its relative health with a side bend of around 15%, which is not very much. This means that if you are looking to get an over the top arm plane through the use of side bend without risking a lot of serious injury, you have to restrict the bending of the spine to those parts of it that are designed to bend, which eliminates using the lower spine.and your arm angle relative to your body must already be pretty high. Tong's head movement left indicates that he is attempting to get as much of the bend as he can from his upper spine, but the pictures also suggest that his spine is bending quite a bit and not just from the upper spine.)
It is very helpful to look at high level golfers hitting drivers and irons. You will notice that almost all, when hitting driver have their heads go back and down during the downswing, and this is for two reasons. 1. The ball is forward in the stance and 2. They are hitting a bit up on the ball with a driver. This is relatively normal amount of side bend that is exaggerated by the ball position so it looks more than it is. and they come out of it quickly into a more level position. The problem is when you see the same on iron shots because the ball is father back in the stance and the club upon making contact digs into the ground a bit shocking the system.
Golfers like Victor Hovland and Joaquim Niemann who have lots of side bend with irons, also have to rotate a lot to move the club forward so that they aren't constantly hitting fat shots. But it is hard to rotate if the hips are not level and the spine is bent; and this is the source of long term debilitating injuries.
Now the look you see in Tong is just what you see in almost all golfers driving and in the likes of Hovland and Niemann (and Tommy Two Gloves) on their irons as well. And the issue are: how much side bend does he have? Is it compromising his spine or his ability to rotate. Is he rotating and doing so with side bend from the wrong part of his spine, etc. At the very least he is on a knife's edge healthwise long term. Hope that is helpful
Speaking of golf, normally I get to play 2-3 times a week here in NC. Weather has been bad and have not played in two weeks and probably will not play for another two weeks. Professor, I can use your help with my swing.
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