FLASH: Mets Re-Signed LHRP Jerry Blevins

     According to MLB Network's Matt Yallof, the Mets and LHRP Jerry Blevins have agreed to a 1 year MLB contract worth $4M + $1M in performance bonuses.

     Last season the Mets traded CF Matt den Dekker to the Nationals for Blevins and planned to use him as their primary bullpen weapon against left handed hitters. The plan worked well in the beginning of the season as Blevins retired the first 14 left handed batters he faced without giving up a single Hit or a Walk. Unfortunately, a fractured forearm sidelined him for half of the season which he then re-broke in July when he slipped and fell on the sidewalk.

     

The Morning Report 11.24.2015 | Bob Geren Not Hired by Dodgers/Returns to Mets, Mets NEED a Cespedes Type Player this Off-Season, Team Focusing on LOOGYs

Matt Cerrone | Metsblog- The Dodgers will hire Dave Roberts to be the team's manager. The Dodgers interviewed Mets bench coach Bob Geren during their search. They also interviewed Gabe Kapler, Darin Erstad and Bud Black. Geren, 54, managed the Athletics from 2007 to 2011, during which current Dodgers GM Farhan Zaidi was an assistant to Billy Beane. Geren joined Terry Collins's bench after the 2011 season.

(Chris Soto: Too bad for Geren not to get another chance at coaching. This should quell any thoughts of the Wally Backman supporters bringing up his name as a potential candidate for the Bench Coach position as Geren will now return to the Mets to re-assume the position Terry gave him in 2012. With his advanced age, Terry Collins certainly does not have many years of coaching left so retaining Geren could have been pretty important for the future of the Mets managerial staff.)



Bill Price | NY Daily News- I don't think anyone would argue with the fact that the Mets need Cespedes back. Their lineup without him is weak, sort of like it was before he arrived. Wright is unreliable, Duda is inconsistent, Murphy is gone, d'Arnaud is always hurt and unless the Mets get Zobrist, there's not much offense from the middle infield. Conforto is going to be a star (we hope), but asking him to carry the lineup is way too much. The Mets have great starting pitching, a great closer and Curtis Granderson (which is exactly where they were on July 31). The Mets also don't have bags of disposable income lying around Citi FIeld and certainly don't have the willingness to get locked into a deal more than 5 years with anyone. And they are right on both counts: six-years, $150M for anyone these days is nuts.

(Chris Soto: Do the Mets NEED Cespedes....no in my opinion they don't. Do the Mets need a Cespedes type bat/presence on the team? Absolutely! I continue to be in the camp that thinks....Hey....if we're going to spend $25M per year on someone...I would much rather spend it on a guy that is 4 years younger, is better defensively, plays harder, and still has upside in Jason Heyward.)



HOT STOVE REPORT (courtesy of mlbtraderumor.com)

• Per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, the Mets current area of primary focus is adding a high leverage situational left hander for the bullpen. The club is prepared to give Josh Smoker a chance at cracking the pen and the team has indicated interest in bringing back Jerry Blevins.
• In ESPN's Buster Olney's opinion, Both the Mets and the Marlins are in similar no win situations with their staff aces, Matt Harvey and Jose Fernandez. However, both clubs would be wise to not entertain potential trade offers until next season when the SP free agent market is much weaker.
• MLB.com's Dan O’Dowd, thinks that the Mets should look to offer Jacob deGrom a contract extension this off-season to lock up some cost certainty over the next few years.

(Chris Soto: Sounds like while everyone is chasing the big Free Agent guys, the Mets are trying to stay under the radar to shore up the foundation of the team and lock in a few small valuable pieces while no one is paying attention. I'm guessing the hope is that 1 of the big name bats potential slips into late December, early January unsigned to give the Mets a small bit of cost leverage.)

The Morning Report 11.4.2015 | Offseason Goals for the Mets, Terry Collins Signs Extension, Mets want Reed, Johnson, and Blevins back in 2016, Position Change Looming for d'Arnaud?

Rob Neyer | Fox Sports- I do think it’s not too soon to talk about the Mets, though. They were, as everyone knows, a completely different team, performance-wise, after trading for Yoenis Céspedes. But Céspedes is free to sign with whomever he likes this winter. As is Daniel Murphy. The twin departures of Céspedes and Murphy would create a couple of holes in the lineup. Sure, you can always shift Wilmer Flores to second base, with Ruben Tejada reassuming his duties at shortstop. I’m going to guess the Mets are most aggressive this winter. The bullpen might not be the Mets’ biggest need this winter, it’s almost certainly the easiest to address.

(Chris Soto: I see 3 specific areas that the Mets need to address this off-season. A) Who plays 2B? Do you re-sign Murphy? Does Wilmer Flores slide over from SS? or do they think Dilson Herrera is ready? B) Improve the middle IF defense. The lack of defense was exposed by the Royals in the World Series and needs to be addressed. Sliding Flores over to 2B improves it a bit but using Herrera is even better. As for SS, there aren't really any good defensive free agents. Your best bets are Alexei Ramirez, Ian Desmond, and Asdrubal Cabrera.....all offense oriented guys.)

OFF-SEASON UPDATE

• The Mets are prepared to announce that they have signed Manager Terry Collins to a two year contract extension. According to reports, Collins is expected to receive a small bump in pay with the deal set to be announced via press conference today.

• Per Adam Rubin via Twitter, The Mets are expected to tender an arbitration contract to RHRP Addison Reed. Reed is forecasted to make ~$5.7M via the arbitration process since his 2015 salary was already reflective of him being a closer. Arbitration can only boost a player's salary not reduce it.

• Per Marc Carig via Twitter, With the emergence of Kevin Plawecki and Travis d'Arnaud's struggles controlling the running game, the Mets could look to add some versatility to d'Arnaud's portfolio by introducing him to a second position.

• Also from Marc Carig's Twitter feed, the Mets are preparing to offer new contracts to IF Kelly Johnson and LHRP Jerry Blevins. The Mets were happy with Johnson as the versatile utility bench player and would like him back in that role for 2016. Meanwhile Blevins was superb as the team high leverage LOOGY until injuries unfortunately shelved him for the season. They would look to use him in the same capacity as well.

The Morning Report 4.21.2015 | Updated Recovery Times, Plawecki Ready to Step In, Hansel Robles the RP, Wright getting Healthy

Mike Vorkunov | NJ Advance Media- Travis d'Arnaud will need at least three weeks to mend before resuming baseball activities. If he heals without issue, in three weeks he could begin baseball activities again. The timetable for recovery for Jerry Blevins is longer. The left-handed reliever has a distal radius fracture of the left arm. He will be in a splint for at least six weeks before he can begin throwing again. Meanwhile, reliever Vic Black was found to have a small right side disk herniation in his neck. The issue has caused triceps muscle weakness for him. After a week of therapy, he will be seen by doctors again.

(Chris Soto: Better than expected news on all 3 injuries. Early estimates had d'Arnaud at 6-8 weeks, Blevins at 3-5 months, and Vic Black pegged for Tommy John Surgery. Shorter recovery times is certainly always welcome news but in d'Arnaud and Blevins cases, you have to wonder what the post-recovery effects are going to be. Hand/Wrist injuries usually mess with a player for much longer than the initial recovery [ala Mark Teixeira])


Howie Kossay | New York Post- Though d’Arnaud likely will be out at least one month, scouts believe Plawecki can immediately contribute, perhaps even pushing the team’s talented rotation to even greater heights. “Plawecki is extremely talented, and I think he could be even better than d’Arnaud,” an NL scout said. “He’s not as ready right now, but with the right nurturing he is going to be really, really good. Without a doubt, he’s a frontline catcher.” Another scout said: “I think he’s going to be fine. He’s always done the job. He’ll hit enough for a catcher. He makes contact. He may be just a bit of an upgrade defensively over d’Arnaud. Guys like to pitch to him.”

(Chris Soto: Kevin Plawecki is no regular replacement catcher. By his own rights, Plawecki is an MLB top prospect, one of the best young catcher at that. There are some members in the organization who believe that Plawecki, not d'Arnaud, is the club's catcher of the future. They love his offensive abilities, his leadership skills, and his game calling. Sure his arm strengeth is barely average and guys can steal on him but, until early on this year, guys were able to steal on d'Arnaud all the time. The eventual decision that needs to be made between d'Arnaud and Plawecki has just entered it's final phase.)


Toby Hyde | Mets Minors- The Mets moved Robles out of the Double-A starting rotation in 2014 and into the bullpen at midseason, and his results have been excellent ever since. As a starter, he ran a fairly pedestrian 4.86 ERA in Double-A with a 9 percent walk rate and 21 percent strikeout rate. However, as a reliever between Double-A and Triple-A he owns a 1.30 ERA in 27 2/3 innings with 34 strikeouts against eight walks, good enough for a strikeout rate of 30.6 percent and a walk rate of 7 percent. As a starter, in Double-A, his fastball was below average — often in the 89-91 range, although he would reach back for more at 93. However, his velocity has jumped in of the bullpen and multiple reports had him working off a 93-96 mph fastball.

(Chris Soto: Robles really came out of nowhere. Despite dominating in the NY-Penn League a few years ago, his stuff just couldn't play up as a starter in the upper levels. However once he was moved to the bullpen, his started gaining velocity and lots of it. In fact Toby may be underselling Robles here.....Scouts in Las Vegas recently had Robles clocking his fastball in at 98mph with regularity. He could have some significant value in the middle innings.)


Lastly.....some more good news.....

Sandy Alderson said David Wright wrote stationary bike yesterday and is on track to return when 15-day DL stint is up. #mets
— Zach Braziller (@NYPost_Brazille) April 21, 2015

Lets Go Mets!

The Morning Report 4.2.2015 | No 'Mo 'Fro, Puello Placed on Waivers, Blevins' Value, Gee Wins 5th SP Role, Lagares Signs Extension.

It's real... Mejia has a new look. #Mets pic.twitter.com/jO3umo0mqz
— New York Mets (@Mets) April 2, 2015

(Chris Soto: No more 'fro for Mejia which is sad. I thought it really gave him character on the mound.)

• According to ESPN's Adam Rubin, OF Cesar Puello has been placed on outright waivers in an attempt to option him to the minors. It is highly expected that some other team will place a claim on Puello as he has significant value off the bench as a bat against lefties, a late inning defensive replacement, and a pinch runner.

Tim Rohan | nytimes.com “The Mets welcomed (Jerry) Blevins on Tuesday, and they hope that he will become one of the final pieces of a contender. After making two trades Monday, the Mets have three promising left-handed relievers: Alex Torres, Sean Gilmartin and Blevins. Of the three, Blevins may be the most important, because he will be expected to match up against the best left-handed hitters in the division. Blevins made his unofficial Mets debut here, against the Nationals, facing Bryce Harper, whom he considers a friend. During the past few years, the Mets have overworked their left-handed relievers, from Pedro Feliciano, to Tim Byrdak, to Scott Rice, to Josh Edgin. All of them sustained arm injuries. But perhaps Blevins’s fate will be different. “I don’t throw quite as hard as Billy Wagner,” he said, grinning. In the N.L. East — where teams employ hitters like Harper, Freddie Freeman, Christian Yelich, Ryan Howard and Chase Utley — Blevins could become a valuable acquisition. “I evaluate the hitter, what they’re trying to do,” Blevins said. “Then you either try to exploit what they’re doing or play a little chess match and mix and match. Some guys guess, some guys don’t. It’ll be fun. It’ll be fun. I enjoy that."

(Herb G. There is little question in my mind that the Blevins acquisition will be a key to the Mets‘ playoff chances this year. His ability to get lefties out is critical in the NL East, and he has shown an uncanny ability to do just that over his entire 8 year career. I like the way he describes going about his job, the cerebral approach, and the fun in rising to the challenge. I don’t think there is too much danger of overuse in Blevins case, because I think Collins will use him differently than Feliciano or Rice, and certainly not like Wags. Blevins will get his lefty or two, and then be pulled, what with Alex Torres in the mix.)


Mike Puma | nypost.com “Rafael Montero gave it a good try, but Dillon Gee has clinched the final spot in the Mets’ rotation. A club source indicated Gee – the front-runner all along in the derby to replace injured Zack Wheeler – will get the ball for the Mets’ fourth game of the season, in Atlanta on April 10. Montero excelled in his final two starts of the exhibition season, combining to allow one run over 10 innings against the Yankees and Marlins. He will open the season in the bullpen, giving manager Terry Collins another young, power arm.”

(Herb G. I‘m not going to say that this is a travesty, because Gee pitched well this spring, and he has the major league track record, which Montero doesn‘t. But in my opinion, Montero deserved to get the nod. Just yesterday, Sandy Alderson was saying “There [was] a certain presumption that Dillon is the guy and I’m not sure that has changed, but Montero has done everything he possibly can to change that presumption, so we’ll have to see.” I guess Montero couldn‘t do quite enough to change Terry Collins mind. Collins has always seemed to favor experience over youth and potential, but I think he has made a mistake here. Not a fatal mistake, and not one that can‘t be rectified down the road. Meanwhile, Raffy will just make the pen that much stronger.)


Jeffrey Bellone | metsmerizedonline.com “The Mets made their fans happy on Wednesday by signing all-world, defensive wizard, Juan Lagares, to a four-year $23 million extension. The deal will start in 2016, covering all four of his arbitration-eligible seasons, plus a one-year $9.5 million club option for his first year of free agent eligibility. At 26-years-old, the Mets have locked in a cornerstone player for the next four, or five, years, hoping that at about $5 million per season, while they may overpay in 2016 to what the arbitration process would have granted in salary, they will make out in the long run. Looking at what we could expect Lagares to make through the arbitration process, and perhaps being conservative, it appears the Mets found a good discount at 4-years and $23 million. Of course, they also get that 2020 team option at $9.5 million, which turns the deal into a real cost saver.”

(Herb G. This article is an interesting read and I suggest you look it over in its entirety. In it, Bellone compares Lagares to Brett Gardner and Andrelton Simmons, both of whom are strong defensive players who recently signed extensions. He points out, among other things, that the Mets have secured Lagares’ services for $5.6 million per season, while the Braves will be paying Simmons an average of $8.2 million and the Yanks will be paying Gardner $13 mil. No one knows which player will be more valuable to his team, but it seems to me that the Mets have gotten a bargain. My only regret is that they didn’t lock him up for a longer period . . . But that just isn’t the Mets way.)

The Morning Report 3.31.2015 | Gee v. Montero, Monell's Strong Spring, Mets in Win Now Mode.

Kristie Ackert | New York Daily News- A day after Dillon Gee made his case, Rafael Montero made his pitch on Monday for the fifth spot in the Mets’ rotation. The 24-year old righty tossed six scoreless innings as the Mets beat the Marlins, 7-1, at Tradition Field. Montero gave up two hits, struck out six and did not issue a walk.“That is what everybody has been telling me about him,” Terry Collins said of Montero. “Last year… we did not see the command of the stuff that we had heard about. We’ve seen it the last two times, against two very good teams.“I think we may have to make the best judgement we can make as we get toward the weekend of who it’s going to be,” Collins said.

(Chris Soto: This is turning out to be quite the battle as Dillon Gee and Montero continue to match scoreless innings. Montero's command has significantly improved year over year and it seems like he spent a significant amount of time receiving instruction on how to improve his slider. In the past, we viewed the pitch as more fringe average as a complement to his plus change-up and fastball, however, this season it's looking like a legitimate 3rd plus pitch. I still think Dillon Gee will win the #5 SP job...especially now that the Mets have shored up the left side of their bullpen without sending Gee as part of the packages.)


Peter Kerositis | nytimes.com- “...known more for his left-handed power bat than for his glove, (Johnny) Monell has impressed the Mets this spring after signing with the club as an off-season free agent and arriving as a non-roster invitee. In Grapefruit League play, Monell had converted 42 at-bats into a .357 batting average and four home runs through Sunday. “We’ve been very, very happy with what we’ve seen,” Mets Manager Terry Collins said of Monell. “Johnny has handled himself very well, and he’s going to get some more playing time this week.” 

(Herb G.: Is there a real competition between Recker and Monell for the backup catcher‘s job? It would be nice to think so. Monell has had a stellar spring, while Recker has been so-so. If Recker is the backup, it would mean that we would only have one lefty hitter on the bench, while Monell could provide a second bat from the left side, something that could definitely come in handy late in games. Monell is more than 2 years younger. Their minor league stats are fairly similar (.273/.351/.461 vs. 264/.347/.448). Although his average hovers around the Mendoza Line, Recker has much more MLB experience. He has spent 2 years with the Mets, earning the trust and respect of the pitching staff, and his defense could make a difference in a close game.)


Mike Vorkunov | nj.com- Twenty four hours ago, the Mets bullpen lay with uncertainty. They had no definitive left-handed option. No healthy pitcher for the seventh inning. And three open spots remaining. By now, that has changed. The Mets made two acquisitions Monday. They traded for left-handed pitcher Alex Torres from the Padres and lefty Jerry Blevins from the Nationals. Each is penned in for the bullpen and will add about $1.9 million to the Mets payroll. In Blevins, the Mets acquired a pitcher who has allowed just a .594 OPS to opposing left-handed hitters for his career...And in Torres, the Mets now have a left-handed pitcher who has proven capable against right-handed hitters, allowing a .540 OPS to them for his career. "These two guys present a little different profile for us," general manager Sandy Alderson said. "On the one hand we have Blevins, who is a left-on-left, and we think Alex Torres is more of a guy who can go longer. 


(Herb G.: Kudos to Alderson. These are two fantastic trades. I am not taking any credit for the Blevins trade, but I did send Sandy an email on March 17 imploring him to give Montero a legitimate shot at earning the #5 spot in the rotation and suggesting Blevins as the best candidate for a trade for a lefty reliever, with lots of supporting stats. On March 19 he actually sent me a reply, saying merely “Thank you.” I don't, for one minute, think I influenced him to make that trade, but he has surely come through on both counts. Now, it looks like we go into the season with an extremely strong bull pen, with possibly 3 lefties where days ago it looked like we might have none.)