With the New York Mets in general playing better post the house cleaning the first week of August comes as something of a surprise, there are more roster changes to consider for the final four plus weeks of the season as currently disabled players ready themselves to return from the IL.
The first player who is nearing a return to the lineup is superstar Juan Soto who is taking wind sprints, batting practice and nearing either a rehab assignment or a direct inclusion on the major league roster.
Currently on a rehab assignment Mark Vientos is likely going to have a less clear route back to the club where he has floundered after his hot 27 HR campaign that he’s never been able to replicate. With Jorge Polanco off the roster and Jared Young having become the starting first baseman every day it would seem that DH is really Vientos’ only option. Yes, Bo Bichette came out with a bruise on his foot but we’ve all seen how poorly Vientos mans the hot corner.
So who would leave to make room for these two major leaguers? It would appear there are three options.
Chrstopher Morel is a 28 year old AAAA type of player who in parts of five seasons in the majors owns a .219 batting average along with a greater than 33% strikeout rate. His tenure is on thin ice at best.
Eric Wagaman is another AAAA type who is currently hitting just .191 though he owns a .245 average over parts of three seasons. With an aggregate of 13 HRs over 595 ABs it would seem he has at best modest power and has not flexed his baseball muscles very much.
Outfielder Cristian Pache may be the most vulnerable of the three of them. He’s a career .179 hitter over a total of a full year’s worth of ABs without power nor speed. You could make a case for him leaving for Soto and one of the other two sent to Syracuse for Vientos.
The obvious in-house candidate right now would be Jonathan Pintaro who served as a starting pitcher for about half of his minor league career. He was not a stellar prospect but with 31 minor league starts he would seem to be someone at age 28 whose prospect window is likely closed unless he can flash some starting pitching pedigree that surpasses the nearly 7.00 ERA Stock provides.
For now it would seem that the Mets need to begin an earnest evaluation of who should or shouldn’t be under roster consideration for the 2027 season.
8 comments:
Pintaro has earned a continued stay with the Mets. Wagaman, Morel, Pache, Stock? Needed in Syracuse.
If Soto quickly returns, Vientos will have a hugely hard time getting at bats, assuming Dante’s kid is ready to go. The Mets should trade Swaggy to Colorado.
Think future
Keep Pintato in Queens
Have Tong join him
Throw in Jenkins
I’d get Jenkins to AAA first. Only 7 (fine) AA innings so far.
Dylan Ross has been mostly excellent over the last 6 weeks. In AAA. Season #s mean nothing…what have you done for me lately does matter. 13 of last 15 outings, unscored on. Call him up.
I assume virtually everything the Mets do now on is all about 2027 and beyond. So it will be interesting to analyze all the upper minor and ML decisions that are made at this point.
My working hypothesis re: the big club is that they know they have to go external for pitching help and do so at the top of the rotation. There is only one candidate in FA, so they have to look at potential trades as well. The latter means they need as much info as they can get on all the current talent they have, and do so in relatively short time (even including AFL). I think the thing they are least concerned with is their ability to put together an overall quality bullpen, though figuring out late inning roles will be the hardest part of that.
Infielders is a different kind of issue. All the potential solutions are internal. No need to make a major trade or major free agent signing. It' more a question of whether to eat contracts and if so, which infielders in the minors are ready now. And if you have to trade for a top line pitcher, which infielders are you prepared to let go. Personally, I would try to have Alvarez headline any trade for a top tier pitcher. DH may or may not be solvable internally depending on what the overall roster looks like. I frankly think that the right attitude to take when building the club going forward is for the default position to be that Polanco and Semien have to earn their playing time, and not the position that their salaries require they have playing time.
I also find myself wondering what the problem is with Skenes and whether (depending on what it is) is a potential trade candidate with the Pirates. After that, the best pitching prospects for top rotation pitchers are thankfully in Seattle and we can help them fill a number of gaps in their offense
The tentative crop of Free Agents available this winter comprise a paucity of hitters who could help the Mets. We desperately need a #4 hitter in the lineup (thanks to last winter's failed strategy employed by our illustrious President/GM). The only available hitter who would presently fit that bill would be C Ryan Jeffers. He's a right-handed hitter with power who makes contact. He would be the perfect hitter to protect Soto (i.e., protecting Soto is vital for next season). That would probably also mean a farewell to Frankie Alv. And maybe some interest in signing Japanese FA Sato to play 1B (as there no other plausible FA 1Bmen to sign?). And we need a full-time player at 1B who has a better bat than Young!
Maybe Ty France is another possibility. He definitely fits the Stearns profile as a slick fielding 1Bman!
I agree that Soto would benefit greatly from a protective bat behind him. That bat would also have to be right handed or a switch hitter.. Projected 1-3 in the order is Ewing, Lindor, Soto. Bichette is a natural behind Soto, but not a natural # 4 hitter. If Amick makes it to the big team he fits the bill a bit better in terms of power and can also platoon with Young at 1B. Then Benge 5th, Bichette 6th
Young 7th, Voit or Petri 8th, Catcher 9th.
If Amick is playing 1st, you want a RH DH to start because the pitcher is obviously a lefty and you would likely switch Bichette and Benge in the order and have Voit as the DH or 2nd baseman and a RH as the DH. Who that is will depend on whose also on the roster.
One way to protect Soto is to shut him down. Really, why do we need him over the last 28 games? So we can finish 10 under instead of 14 under? If Soto stays on the sidelines, that gives the AAAA players more opportunity to figure something out to earn their keep.
Post a Comment