Paul Articulates – Travis d’Ar-not again!

He was a highly touted catching prospect who moved rapidly through the minor leagues.  One of his strongest points was the rapport he built with the pitching staff.  He commanded the game from behind the plate, but had trouble throwing out base runners.  This season he is batting just over .250 with an OPS in the 700’s while playing around 60% of his team’s games.

I could be talking about Francisco Alvarez, but I could also be talking about Travis d’Arnaud.  You see, their stats are almost identical this year and I find that very concerning.  Travis d’Arnaud came to New York in 2013 with great expectations but after six seasons with the team he was sent packing.  The front office and the fan base were disappointed in his struggles with defense against the running game, his inconsistent hitting, and inability to stay healthy.  In those six seasons, d’Arnaud had one notable year (2015) where he had an .825 OPS and played an important role for the NL pennant winners – but still only played in 67 games.

Francisco Alvarez feels like a different guy, but the stats do not show it.  His career slash line of .225/.295/.430 is not very impressive for a guy that was touted for his power bat throughout his prospect years.   It is painful to watch him now as opposing pitchers exploit his inability to recognize the slider that starts as a strike but breaks down and away from his bat.

Alvarez had weak to average defensive skills while in the minors, but proved a quick study and by the time he reached the majors he played very well, blocking balls, framing balls, and showing off a very strong arm with snap throws to all bases.  Lately though, his defensive game has been off.  He has shown lapses of concentration including passed balls that should have been caught and a very embarrassing play where a runner stole third on Alvarez’ lazy throw back to the pitcher.

This season, Alvarez is batting .255 with a .708 OPS, but it would be even worse if you eliminate his strong month of June.  Without his hot 48 bats in June, Alvarez is slashing .224/.264/.328 which is slightly worse than his career averages.  Backup catcher Luis Torrens is throwing out runners at a much higher rate than Alvarez, which eliminates the pitchers as an excuse for Francisco’s low 11% caught stealing rate.  An interesting statistical view of Alvarez is that his pop time is in the 81st percentile yet his caught stealing rate is in the 39th percentile.  He has an 80.6 arm strength rating, so the difference has to be throwing accuracy.

There have been bouts with injury, including thumb surgery this year.  The catcher position is always one filled with bumps and bruises so it is not uncommon for catchers to be out.  Hand problems can affect batting, but I don’t think his hands have anything to do with the inability to hit the slider.  So if it is not a physical ailment, it must be mental.

The Mets need Alvarez to get on a roll, to hit with some power, and to reclaim his mojo behind the plate.  I believe it is entirely up to him to work out the bugs and start playing at a high level again.  His mental approach needs improvement on both sides of the ball.

I have always been excited about Francisco Alvarez and his potential to be a star with the Mets.  But this year has been a disappointment in all phases of his game.  Knowing the patience of Mets fans and the long history of catcher turnover on this team, I think that Alvarez needs to turn things around very quickly.

The Morning Report 11.11.2015 | d'Arnaud or Plawecki Unlikely to be Traded, Mets Taking Their Time with Mejia, SS Luis Carpio in Mets Top 10 Lists, O'Day Market Moving Fast

Kristie Ackert | NY Daily News- The Mets have two young catchers projected to be frontline players. And at least for next season, they are planning to keep both Travis d’Arnaud and Kevin Plawecki, with the possibility that one may be getting at-bats at another position, Mets assistant GM John Ricco said.“Catching is, we’ve said this many times, a position you can’t have enough depth. We have two guys we think are frontline catchers. I think there are ways for us, especially in the short term, ways to make use of both of them. Short term I don’t think we’d be talking about either one of them, because they are both gonna help us win.”

(Chris Soto: This is a very wise non-move that the Mets are making. Catcher is a tough position to play with a higher risk of injury then other positions on the field. In addition, while Travis d'Arnaud has certainly shown to be capable of being one of the Top 5 offensive C in baseball,  he hasn't proven that he can stay healthy during the course of the season. I know that the club continues to be very high on Kevin Plawecki and there are some in the organization that are hoping that Plawecki progresses enough as a hitter to start pushing d'Arnaud out of a full-time job. While his framing is not as good, they feel Plawecki has more leadership skills, better blocking skills, and does a better job controlling the run game.)



Joel Sherman | New York Post- The Mets have not completely shut the door on bringing Jenrry Mejia back next season, and they are gathering information by watching him pitch in the Dominican Winter League. Though Mejia’s 162-game suspension is still in force in the majors and will run until approximately July 26 next season, Mejia is eligible to pitch in Winter Leagues. The Mets – and others – will be watching to see what Mejia looks like after essentially not pitching in 2015 and, presumably, what he looks like pitching clean. He was suspended twice last season for failing tests for performance-enhancing drugs. Even if Mejia looked good, the Mets might not bring him back for a variety of reasons, including that their clubhouse turned against the righty for his irresponsibility.

(Chris Soto: I would not bring Mejia back for 2016....but I recognize the situation that the Mets are in that favors them heavily. Since Mejia is arbitration eligible and pretty much screwed up his entire 2015 season, the Mets probably could get away with making him an offer that is the maximum below his 2015 salary which is 20%. On top of that, if they did tender him a contract, they wouldn't have to pay him until July 26th anyway, thus saving themselves 66% of the total contract. So conceivably, the Mets could keep Mejia without sacrificing a 40 man roster spot at a bargain price of $685k in 2016.)



Brian Devine | Metsmerized Online- One player who has also received a lot of attention lately is shortstop Luis Carpio. Only 18, Carpio was extremely impressive this season in rookie ball for Kingsport, batting .304 while playing good defense. He was rated as the 7th best prospect in the Mets system by Baseball America, which caught a lot of people by surprise. “He’s just a pretty complete player — a pure defender at shortstop,” DePodesta said. “There’s no doubt he stays there. Offensively, he’s really, really polished for such a young guy. He has great control of the strike zone. He has some strength in his hands. I think he’ll hit for some more power as he matures. Overall, he’s just really, really polished — not just even his skills, but just his mental approach to the game for such a young player is really advanced.”

(Chris Soto: Luis Carpio is a name most of us had not heard. I came across his name last season and was intrigued by his K:BB ratio at the time [33 to 33] but when I saw a SLG% below his OBP, I wrote him off for the time being. Now there are some jumping on the Baseball America bandwagon placing him in Top 10 lists which is just flat out not fair. The kid just turned 18, played in the lowest USA based minor league level, and is not displaying any power. He certainly has potential, but for my "rolling style list" he's in the #25-30 range where I like to place long term potential international young guys such as Adrian Almeida and Ali Sanchez like I've done in the past.)



HOT STOVE REPORT (courtesy of mlbtraderumor.com)

• The market for free-agent right-hander Darren O’Day is moving quickly, reports ESPN’s Buster Olney (links to Twitter). The Beverly Hills Sports Council client already has offers in hand, according to Olney, and he’s planning to meet with the managers of some of those teams in the coming week.

(Chris Soto: Quite day for the Metsies on the rumor mill, but this news is important. One of the Mets top priorities this off-season is to add another strong arm to the front end of their bullpen to combine with Addison Reed and Juerys Familia. O'Day's market is moving extremely quick which means the dollars being thrown around are likely to be outside of the Mets comfort range.)

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 10.13.2015 | Offense, Offense, Offense! Oh and Harvey Stunk. Hey! Don't Forget About The Winter Leagues

Brian Devine | Metsmerized Online- With the Mets up 7-3 in the 4th inning, Yoenis Cespedes delivered the fatal blow to the Dodgers in game 3 of the NLDS. He blasted a three run shot to left field that put the game completely out of reach and caused the crowd at Citi Filed to erupt. Speaking to reporters after the game, Cespedes called the stadium’s atmosphere “incredible” and said that he never experienced anything like it before. "We talked the other day,” manager Terry Collins said of Cespedes. “And he told me: ‘It’s time to play.’ And then he shows you what he can do. He’s electrifying on the field. He does whatever he wants to do.”

Neil Best | Newsday- Curtis Granderson had contributed to the Dodgers' three-run top of the second inning with a throwing error Monday night, so he figured he might as well do something to make up for it. So he did, in the form of a two-out, three-run double off the wall in right-centerfield during a four-run bottom of the second. "The guys ahead of me ended up getting on base," Granderson said. "They went out and continued to keep their heads held high. It was: Just take it at-bat to at-bat and just look for a pitch to drive. My first at-bat, I didn't have a ton of success against Anderson there. I didn't see him that well. But the second time around, hopefully get a ball up in the zone, where you can do something with it."

Dan Martin | New York Post- d’Arnaud regained his form at the plate — and didn’t waste time doing it. He had three hits — including the first postseason home run in Citi Field history — and knocked in three runs as the Mets took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series. “I was just trying to keep things simple,” d’Arnaud said. “I feel the last few weeks I’ve been over-thinking and trying to do too much instead of just seeing the ball.” Both hits came on the first pitch, something Terry Collins foreshadowed before the game.“You know, one of the things as you go back, you can even tell when he was swinging good, he jumped the count,” the manager said. “He ambushes you early in the count. But right now he’s swinging and fouling it off or swinging and missing.”

(Chris Soto: Wow oh wow....last night was so exciting! I've got to admit, while watching the game last night.....I got really down when the Dodgers put up a 3 spot on Harvey in the 2nd inning. I honestly thought to myself, "man...this game may be over already with the way we've been hitting the ball." Here was our supposed "Dark Knight," who's been acting like a prima donna the past 30 days, getting lit up by an offense that was just completely shut down by deGrom and Syndergaard the previous two games.

     Then we started chipping away....base hit after base hit after base hit, a run scores and suddenly the bases are loaded. Then depression starting sinking back in as Lagares grounded into a force out and Harvey K'd. "Typical Mets with the bases loaded!, I said. Granderson then unloaded on a pitch that I thought was going out of the park and all of a sudden the Mets have the lead!

     The emotional roller coaster that this team has put us on is both nerve racking, and so exciting at the same time! I don't know what to think anymore. I'm just so happy to be along for the ride as a fan, spectator, and blogger. Only 1 more game to go.....LGM!)


2015 Winter Leagues

• With all the excitement surrounding the Mets in the postseason....I actually forgot about the start of the 2015 Winter Leagues in the Carribean! The Mexico and Venezuelan Leagues have already started with the Arizona Fall League beginning today and the Dominican League starting Thursday. While I don't have an official date....I believe the Puerto Rico League starts around October 30th. Here are the list of Mets players that are on winter rosters already. Expect far more to join as the season continues.
• Arizona Fall League
• RHP Mike Hepple - Salt River Rafters
• RHP Mickey Jannis - Salt River Rafters
• LHP Kyle Regnault - Salt River Rafters
• RHP Beck Wheeler - Salt River Rafters
• SS Gavin Cecchini - Salt River Rafters
• 3B Jeff McNeil - Salt River Rafters
• 1B Dominic Smith - Salt River Rafters
• Mexico
• C Xorge Carrillo - Aguilas de Mexicali
• Venezuela
• LHP Alex Torres - Aguilas de Zulia
• SS Wilfredo Tovar - Bravos de Margarita
• OF Travis Taijeron - Caribes de Anzoategui
• RHP Jose Celas - Leones del Caracas
• C Albert Cordero - Leones del Caracas
• RHP Darwin Ramos - Navegentes del Magallanes
• RHP Zach Thornton - Navegentes del Magallanes
• RHP Cody Sadderwhite - Tiburones de la Guaria
• RHP Edioglis Villasmil - Tiburones de la Guaria
• 1B Luis Ortega - Tigres de Aragua

The Morning Report 9.22.2015 | Niese's Curveball Returns, d'Arnaud Quickly Becoming the 2nd Best C in Baseball, Mets Need to Finish the Job

Michael Baron | Just Mets- Jon Niese earned his ninth win of the season with six shutout innings over the Braves, improving to 2-0 with a 1.52 ERA against Atlanta in 2015. But for Niese, this start was more significant as it was his second quality effort after four consecutive poor starts to end the month of August and start September. Terry Collins credited Niese’s curveball in particular for Niese’s success on Monday, and Niese said he’s emphasized that pitch in between starts as of late. “Ive been working on it constantly since Ive struggled with it,” Niese explained. “I just have confidence in it now. I’m able to throw it for strikes down in the zone. My sinker, cutter, change-up – really everything was working for me.”

(Chris Soto: Niese's best pitch has always been his big looping curveball. With below average velocity, even for a lefty, his curveball is what sets up all his other pitches and dictates the At-Bat. In the past, Niese has used the pitch anywhere from 18%-25% of the time but lately he has gotten away from it due to his inability to control it. His previous 2 starts his curveball usage has dropped to 4% and 5% respectively. During the month of July, when Niese posted a superb 2.87 ERA, hitters were only batting .150 against his curveball. However, over the past 6 starts, batters have been tattooing the curveball to the tune of a .364 AVG against helping lead to Niese's 7.96 ERA during that time span.)

Jacob Shafer | Bleacher Report- The biggest knock against the New York Mets' Travis d'Arnaud—and it's a doozy—is that he's spent too much time on the disabled list for a guy in just his second full big league season.  The good news? That's basically the only knock against him. His .865 post-All-Star break OPS is higher than every MLB backstop with at least 100 at-bats not named Buster Posey, and he's cracked eight home runs and 10 doubles in that span. If you prefer advanced stats, d'Arnaud owns a 140 weighted runs created plus (wRC+), again trailing only Posey. In fact, Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer recently ranked d'Arnaud the No. 2 catcher in the game based on current output and potential, behind only—you guessed it—Posey.

(Chris Soto: When the RA Dickey trade was first made, everyone's eyes were focused on D'Arnaud's potential. He came over to the Mets widely regarded as the top catching prospect in baseball with the potential to be a nice mix of Buster Posey and Johnathan Lucroy in terms of hitting abilities. His production so far certainly seems to fit that bill. He has already matched last year HR totals, 13, in 50 fewer games and his ISO power, Line Drive%, Hard Hit Contact, and K rates have all improved year over year. Defensive Metrics still have him pegged as a slightly below average defender due to his 30% Caught Stealing Rate, but he's certainly made significant strides there too as his Passed Ball numbers have dropped from 12 last year to only 1 this year.)

Bill Price | NY Daily News- I had to cringe Saturday hearing John Smoltz saying over and over and over and over again that the Mets were going to playoffs and there was no doubt about it. But let's be honest, while the Mets are up 6 or 7 with 14 to play, they are really up 4 or 5 with 10 games to play because you know and I know that if the Nats come to Citi Field for that last weekend just 3 games out, Panic City will be in full swing. The Mets HAVE to close this thing out before the last weekend of that season, not just because they need to set up their pitching for the first round, but also to take away the potential for disaster. The Mets, in losing 2 of 3 to the Fish and basically taking the day off Sunday have let the Nats hang around on the fringe of the division race.

(Chris Soto: Bill is right, the Mets need to take care of business sooner rather than later. Last night was a good start, with the solid win over the Braves the magic number is now down to 7. If the Mets can take at least 2 more out of the 3 they will head to Philly with the potential to lock up the Division a week before the Nationals return to New York. Don't let the Nationals hang around any longer.....FINISH THE JOB!)

The Morning Report 7.16.2015 | OF not a Target for Sandy, Terry Collins Not Happy/Claims Mets Could be Even Better, d'Arnaud Progressing, Trade Targets (White Sox, Indians, Rangers)

David Hong | Metsmerized Online- Despite some of the worst ranked outfield production in majors, the Mets are not expected to acquire an outfielder before the July 31 trade deadline. [According to team insiders] if the Mets make any move by the Trade Deadline, it will most likely come at either shortstop, or to acquire a versatile starting player or a bench player. The front office views the shortstop position and their bench as their biggest weakness. So the plan is for the Mets to keep their fingers crossed and hope for a big second half rebound from Michael Cuddyer and Juan Lagares, and at least a little more improvement from Curtis Granderson.

(Chris Soto: I've been saying this for a few weeks now. Don't expect the Mets to add another OF to the fold for the simple fact that, if they so choose, the club will not want to block a potential Michael Conforto promotion to help with a playoff push. While it makes a ton of sense to platoon Cuddyer and Granderson, such a move would tie up $24.5M in RF. Such a large hit at 1 position would only make sense if the other corner was being manned by a stud prospect making the league minimum [wink, wink], not another $12M body.) 

Kristie Ackert | NY Daily News- Terry Collins grumbled Sunday that the Mets were not happy to go into the All-Star break just five games above .500 (52-47) and two games behind the Nats in the NL East. The Mets manager felt they should be in better shape, but looking at what he had to work with, his club is not in a bad place to start the second half. Consider, the Mets lost the anchor of their lineup (Wright), their most dangerous bat (d’Arnaud), their most reliable hitter (Murphy), and lefty specialist (Blevins) to injury. Still, they enter the second half with a very good chance to end a run of six straight losing seasons and still have the Nationals and their much talked-about playoff prospects within their sights.

(Chris Soto: Panic City ,Sandy new description of the Mets fan base, doesn't how much worse the 1st half of the season could have been for the Mets. Just look at 2 other team in the NL East for examples of what losing your cornerstone player can do to your season. The Atlanta Braves were actually threatening to drop the Mets to 3rd place at one point in the season but then Freddie Freeman went down and now they find themselves 5 games under .500. The Marlins didn't start the year with Jose Fernandez and the rotation struggled to pick up the slack. Once he finally did comeback, the club lost Giancarlo Stanton and the struggles continued. Now they find themselves 13 games under .500 with no hope in sight.) 

Rich MacLeod | Just Mets- While his return from his current stint on the disabled list isn’t imminent, Travis d’Arnaud is progressing towards rehab games. Sidelined since June 20th with a sprained left elbow, the oft-injured Mets catcher has been making strides, working out at the team’s Port St. Lucie complex.

(Chris Soto: Speaking of injuries, here is more good news for the club. There is no question that the Mets line-up is so much better with d'Arnaud in it and hitting near the top of the order. No one has even come close to sniffing his 2015 OPS of .873 since he has been gone. If he and David Wright can finally come back healthy, and productive, that's like making a blockbuster trade in itself.) 

Chris Soto | Trade Targets

Let's start taking a look at realistic trade targets that Sandy could possibly put together. We'll start in reverse standings order and climb the ladder a few teams at a time.

Cleveland Indians (42-46)- Two Weeks Ago: Prepping to sell NOW: Fighting for Wild Card

• Here is where we are going to run into problems in regards to trading for pieces to help with a playoff push. Over the past two weeks, the Houston Astros have been in a free-fall having lost 8 of their last 9 games. They lost their big young bat, George Springer, they lost their handle on 1st place in the AL West, and have fallen all the way to the 2nd wild card spot. So now, all 3 of the teams in today's review, are only 5.5 GB the Astros for a playoff spot! For the Cleveland Indians, they are already pretty much maxed out in terms of salary. The only way they will be able to improve their chances this season is to get better production from their current players or trade off one of their bad contracts in Brandon Moss or Michael Bourn and acquire a replacement OF in return. This is a scenario the Mets are unlikely to entertain.

NO FIT

Texas Rangers (42-46)- Fading but still with a chance for Wild Card

• For the Texas Rangers, as bad as the Houston Astros have been, they have been equally bad losing 8 of their last 10 games. Their normally good offense sputtered quite a bit in July but they still are in the Top 50% of the league in terms of OPS. The same can't be said of their pitching though. The Rangers SP is 20th in baseball in terms of ERA and they have the 3rd worst bullpen in the MLB. The Mets really aren't at liberty to provide bullpen help, but, they can provide some SP assistance. A ground ball heavy pitcher could help stabilize the Rangers rotation and provide some innings to help rest that weary bullpen which is currently among the leaders in total innings pitched.
• Trade Proposal: Mets send LHP Jon Niese for SS Hanser Alberto and LHP Yohander Mendez
• Reason: Niese is the perfect groundball type pitcher that can do well in Texas. Unlike the Mets, the Rangers can provide strong defense up the middle in Odor and Andrus that will keep Niese's WHIP down which drives his ERA as well. The Mets aren't going to get MLB help in exchange for Niese, but, what they can get is a SS that they are very familiar with in the PCL in Alberto. Hanser is a guy that K's less than 12% and did hit .250 is a small cup of coffee with Texas this season. Combine that with his .328 AVG in AAA this season and his strong defense at SS and you have yourself someone who is better than Tejada. (which isn't saying much). Mendez is more about projection than present and needs to add a lot of strength to his skinny 6-foot-4 frame, but he has the potential to become a legitimate lefty starter.

Chicago White Sox (41-45)- Still a chance, but prepping to sell and re-tool

• Like the Rangers and Indians, the White Sox are only 5.5 GB the 2nd wild card spot. They also entering the All-Star break pretty hot winning 7 of their last 10 games. Despite the favorable environment though, the White Sox are prepping themselves to be sellers this season opting to rather compete next year when more of their young superb talent is ready to contribute. Some sellable assets they have include RHP Jeff Samardzija, SS Alexei Ramirez, and UT Emilio Bonifacio. The Mets don't need Samardzija or Bonifacio but Ramirez could be an interesting add. He's had a terrible 2015 season so far, but, one can argue that he's had the worst luck so far and is a prime bounce back candidate.
• Trade Proposal: Mets send IF Matt Reynolds for SS Alexei Ramirez
• Reason: The old and rare 1 for 1 swap. Ramirez has no trade value right now, but, his Line Drive Rate, his Hard Hit Contact Ratio, K rate, BB rate, every saber metrical piece of data is in line to his 2014 season when he hit .273 with 15 HR and 21 SB. The Mets could surely afford $4M to give him a chance to bounce back and if he does, they would then hold a team option for him in 2016. As for the White Sox side, adding Reynolds would give them a young IF of Micah Johnson, Reynolds, and Tim Anderson to build around for the next 6 years. Not a bad play on their part.

The Morning Report 7.8.2015 | Niese's Trade Value Re-evaluated, d'Arnaud Not Making Progress, Trade Rumors Heating Up, Soto's Trade Targets Part 1

Andy Martino | NY Daily News- Trade Niese? He has no value!” The arguments against Niese were plentiful. Variations in his arm angle led scouts to conclude that he has shoulder problems. Even the team-friendly contract, which Mets people continue to insist carries value, led one rival executive to huff, “It’s not a good contract if he’s on the DL.” In checking back with several of the evaluators, it was clear that even six consecutive quality starts was not enough to significantly impact value. Folks were impressed that Niese had pitched well against quality teams like the Blue Jays, Cubs and Giants, but noted that good general managers are rarely swayed by a hot streak.

(Chris Soto: The argument against Niese's trade value has never been his performance...it's always been that questionable shoulder of his. However, Niese continues to be insistent that his shoulder is in the best condition in years. Quite frankly Niese has been pretty solid all year long. Before he hit his wrong 4 game stretch in late May, Niese was carrying a 1.95 ERA. After pushing through the rough patch, he's posted a 2.41 ERA through these last 6 games. He's a good pitcher folks.) 


Adam Rubin | ESPN New York- New York Mets catcher Travis d’Arnaud continues to wear a brace for a left elbow sprain and is not particularly close to being able to shed it and begin baseball activity, manager Terry Collins said Tuesday. D’Arnaud suffered the injury applying a tag at the plate on A.J. Pierzynski in Atlanta on June 20. Initially, he was forecast to miss only the minimum 15 days on the disabled list.

(Chris Soto: These continued "opponent inflicted" injuries are just maddening for Travis d'Arnaud. He's a healthy individual and he has no nagging body injuries that result in needing time. All these injuries he keeps sustaining are crazy unlucky instances. The worst part is that when he's healthy, he's the Mets best hitter and the club needs him back so badly right now. Look for d'Arnaud to make a possible return after the All-Star break.) 


Kevin Kiernan | New York Post- The wait for Mets fans has been excruciating. Yes, they are going to have to be patient a little longer before the Mets even get in the market for a deal, mostly because the market is still in flux. Forget about any of the Mets big four/core of young starting pitchers being traded for anyone. Wisely, that is not happening. The Mets want to upgrade up the middle, because Ruben Tejada is best as a backup. Nothing will begin to take shape until after the All-Star Game, according to a survey of general managers and assistant GMs on Tuesday.

(Chris Soto: It's so easy to get upset with Alderson over the lack of inactivity so far this season to help bring in some offensive help for the team...but just look around the league. No one is making trades! The only significant bat that has been traded so far has been Mark Trumbo, and he makes Lucas Duda look like a Gold Glover in the OF. That said, the rumor mills have been heating up over the past few days and talks should begin to get heavy over the next few as GM start determining whether or not their clubs have legitimate shots at competing in 2015.)

Chris Soto | Trade Targets

Let's start taking a look at realistic trade targets that Sandy could possibly put together. We'll start in reverse standings order and climb the ladder a few teams at a time.

Philadelphia Phillies (29-57): Re-build Mode

• The Philadelphia Phillies are clearly the worst team in baseball and many evaluators have them pegged as the worst run club in the MLB right now. In regards to them being trade partners, Phillies honestly don't have many assets to sell that can help improve their club in the long-term. If your talking to the Phillies, your talking either Cole Hamels or Jonathan Papelbon. Neither of which is a need or a desire for the Mets right now.

Miami Marlins (35-49): Should be in Re-Tool Mode....but ya never know with Loria

• The National League's most disappointing team is in an absolute freefall. Young OF'ers Marcell Ozuna and Christian Yelich have succumbed to sabermetrically predicted regressions, Giancarlo Stanton is on the DL with a wrist fracture, and the rotation was horrid all year until Latos and Fernandez returned recently. They now find themselves 11+ games out of playoff contention and wondering what their irrational owner Jeffrey Loria may do. The club's most attractive trade pieces are the recently resurgent Latos and the utility IF Martin Prado. However, Latos has been battling injuries the past 2 years and Prado is currently on the DL. Prado could be of particular interest to the Mets since he is under team control through 2016. However, he may not represent a significant enough upgrade offensively. The acquisition cost should not be that much.
• Trade Proposal: Mets send OF/1B Travis Taijeron for IF Martin Prado
• Reason: The Marlins have a solid core of players and could attempt to compete again next season. One area of concern for them is the hole left behind by Marcell Ozuna's terrible play. Taijeron could provide them a solid bat there or slide into 1B where the Marlins have no significant prospects in sight.

Milwaukee Brewers (36-50): Clear Sellers...Possibly Fire-Sell/Rebuild Mode

• Much like the Marlins, the Brew Crew has a solid core of guys that they could just re-tool around if they want to make a run in 2016. Only problem is, the Pirates, Cubs, and Cardinals are all younger and MORE talented then them now, and in the future, making it tough for them to compete in the NL Central or even the Wild Card for the next few years. It makes a ton of sense for them to burn the house down and starting building up for 2017 and beyond. Only Ryan Braun is on the payroll past 2016, so everyone is a possible trade target. The most interesting names are Carlos Gomez, Gerardo Parra, and Aramis Ramirez. If the Mets want to go the safe route low cost route, you can go out and grab either Parra or Ramirez. However, if you want a high impact bat that can pole vault you into playoff contention, you have to try and get Gomez.
• Trade Proposal: Mets send RHP Zack Wheeler, SS Milton Ramos, and OF Champ Stuart for CF Carlos Gomez
• Reason: The Brewers have no pitching prospects in sight and if they are gonna burn the house down, they are gonna be building for 2017, not 2016. The Mets are unwilling to part with the Big 4 but 1 name that still carries value is Zack Wheeler. With a pre-TJS K rate over 9 per 9 IP, he's better than anything the Brewers have right NOW. He's under team control thru 2019 and has front line capable stuff that the Brewers can build around. Ramos is a strong SS prospect that they can move to 3B if Segura sticks around, or keep at SS as Segura's eventual replacement, and Stuart is a super speedster that could provide the Brewers with a future 40 SB lead-off hitter with excellent defense in CF.

The Morning Report 7.7.2015 | Familia Snubbed, Who's The Next Impact Bat, Cuddyer and Duda's Struggles, Gerardo Parra a Trade Target

Adam Rubin | ESPN New York- All-Star manager Bruce Bochy said New York Mets closer Jeurys Familia received strong consideration for a guaranteed spot for the National League squad. Bochy added that it is a sign of respect that he named Familia to the five finalists eligible to be voted in by fans this week. Fans will vote one from Clayton Kershaw, Johnny Cueto, Carlos Martinez, Troy Tulowitzki and Familia into the All-Star Game. "I know all about him," Bochy said about Familia. "He's got great stuff. And, of course, he had a great first half. That's why he's on the fan voting. You're not on that unless you receive a lot of consideration.

(Chris Soto: Man, idk how Bochy could have left Familia off the guaranteed ballot but let Mark Melancon. Yes Melancon has been on a roll, but did Bochy not see how bad he was in April? Melancon almost lost his job due to poor velocity and a 5.23 ERA. You won't see any of that with Familia. Juerys has been solid from Day 1 and his ERA has never been above 1.77 in any month this season. This was an egregious snub.) 


Kevin Kiernan | New York Post- The pitching All-Stars should be plentiful over the next few years for the Mets. But who is going to be the Mets’ next position player All-Star starter? Catcher Travis d’Arnaud, perhaps, if he can stay healthy, could be that position player All-Star. Michael Conforto has a shot. He is 22 and is a hitter, batting .325 at Double-A Binghamton. Scouts love his swing. Brandon Nimmo, 22, is climbing the ladder but still has a long way to go. The Mets are surviving with epic pitching, but this sure would be a lot more fun if the Mets had a few hitting All-Stars, too.

(Chris Soto: A healthy Travis d'Arnaud is probably the 3rd best hitting Catcher in the National League so he is absolutely an impact bat. The problem is the health part as he continues to get nicked up by unlucky type injuries. As for the next homegrown impact bat....it has to be Conforto, the numbers he is putting up are unbelievable and he hasn't the least bit of signs of slowing down after jumping from A+ to AA. In fact you could make a save assumption that Conforto could probably continue crushing in AAA too. As for Nimmo, while his performance in 2015 is certainly good, I'm not sure if he's an "IMPACT bat." I continue to see Nimmo as more of a solid role player. Pretty much the team's next Daniel Murphy. He's someone who's  I think is gonna hit .270 with 15 HR/15 SB and good defense in RF.) 


Marc Carig | Newsday- As the Mets constructed their team during the offseason, they envisioned a lineup based on length from top to bottom, with enough firepower to thrive. Instead, injuries have left gaping holes in the lineup, which has been made even worse by the lack of production from the players who have managed to stay healthy. In particular, the Mets' offensive woes can be traced to Michael Cuddyer and Lucas Duda, who had been expected to anchor the middle of the order. "It's been a grind, there's no secret to that," said Cuddyer. "The results aren't what I expect, what the team expects or what everybody else expects, either. The only thing I can keep doing is working and going out and playing."

(Chris Soto: It's easy to see why Cuddyer and Duda are struggling. Both guys have gotten away from what has always made them good hitters in the first place, Seeking and Attacking their pitch. Instead they are expanding the zone, swinging at pitches that are not even close, and getting themselves into unfavorable counts which leads to neither of them getting the fastballs they want. Perhaps its a state of carrying too big a load with Wright, d'Arnaud, and Murphy all being out at various times in the season. In either case the guys need to back track and start over and get back to being the players they've always been rather then trying to do too much.)

Kevin Alonzo | Bleacher Report- Since June 17, the New York Mets have averaged 1.4 runs in games rookie sensation Steven Matz has not started, underscoring the glaring need for general manager Sandy Alderson to acquire a bat like, say, Gerardo Parra of the Milwaukee Brewers. With the Brewers in last place in the National League Central, there's good chance they look to unload some of their veteran players. The two-time former Gold Glove winner is hitting .308 with a .345 OBP and would provide an immediate improvement over any of New York's outfielders. He's also only 28 years old, and his career numbers indicate that the Mets wouldn't be trading for just one good half of baseball.

(Chris Soto: I too like the idea of acquiring a guy like Gerardo Parra. However, great minds think alike and Parra's recent hot streak has grabbed the attention of GM's all over the league. This means that the Brewers are likely to command a pricey exchange in order to part with the Gold Glover. Parra is likely a rental player only as well since he becomes a free agent at the end of the season. He's very likely to eclipse his current $6.2M price tag if he continues to perform this season. In addition, last time he started full-time...he posted a +6.1 WAR for the Brew Crew. That could command some serious dollars.)

The Morning Report 6.15.2015 | Surprising Roster Moves, Syndergaard to the Bullpen?, d'Arnaud's Impact Return, Ceciliani Earning His Spot.

Roster Move Surprises | Chris Soto 

     Alright, first thing's first, the Mets surprised the whole world this weekend with a flurry of transactions  no one saw coming. First, the team decided to hold onto Kevin Plawecki and optioned Anthony Recker down to AAA. The team gave off the impression that this would be temporary, for at least the next 10 days, as the club continues to ease Travis d'Arnaud back into the 5-6 day a week catching role. Once he's settled we will likely see Recker and Plawecki switched to get Plawecki more consistent playing time. 

     Second, the Mets announced that they will be promoting RHRP Akeel Morris to the MLB straight from Port St. Lucie. While Morris certainly deserves a look at the MLB level, this promotion was more out of necessity than actual desire. With Gee's stinker last night burning 5 guys last night and the next off day still 7 days away, the club needs some additional support in the pen. A quick look at the 40 man roster will show that the Mets only have 3 RP left in the minors eligible for promotion (Vic Black, Dario Alvarez, and Morris). Black is dealing with an new injury he sustained last week and Alvarez is both left handed AND has not been good down in Binghamton. That said, Akeel Morris has been SUPERB down in A+ ball and could potentially hold his own. Now the really important thing is....who gets demoted? Gee?


Mike Puma | New York Post- The fragile state of the bullpen has the Mets concerned to the point there was recent discussion within the organization about Noah Syndergaard’s viability as a reliever.
But team brass remains committed to Syndergaard in the rotation and is unlikely to make the radical switch that would have involved promoting stud lefty Steven Matz to take Syndergaard’s rotation spot, according to an industry source.

(Chris Soto: What? No No No NO NO! How could anyone in the organization even think of this as a possibility? You ruined Jhenrry Mejia once, then you dicked around with Rafael Montero and look what happened to him! Whatever low level executive thought of this idea should be fired on the spot by Sandy Alderson for his incredulous thinking. Parnell is back now and is slowly being eased back in, the club just promoted Morris, and [even though he's dealing with another minor issue] Black should also be right around the corner.)


Bill Madden | NY Daily News- Amid all the trade speculation involving Milwaukee third baseman Aramis Ramirez and, to a lesser extent, Oakland’s soon-to-be-available handyman Ben Zobrist, the best “trade” Alderson made of late was a week ago when he activated Travis d’Arnaud from the disabled list. It is becoming more and more apparent the Mets are a different team when d’Arnaud, the center piece of Alderson’s Met rebuilding job, is in the lineup. As Mets manager Terry Collins said, just having d’Arnaud back and hitting cleanup behind Duda enables him to stretch out his lineup.

(Chris Soto: Man...having Travis d'Arnaud back just completely changes the whole look of this team's offense. Your talking about a guy with  .280 AVG, 15-20 HR power potential guy just suddenly reappearing in your line-up everyday, any team would kill to have that happen to them. When Daniel Murphy gets back, All of a sudden,  the line-up looks formidable again. Especially when you recognize the fact that the MLB average stat line right now is a .252 AVG with a .708 OPS. Everyone is close to or above that line outside of Lagares and the hodge-posh of guys who have been playing 3B. Lagares had been dealing with an injury so I'll give him a pass there and the front office is actively trying to upgrade at 3B with Wright out.

Granderson: .249 AVG, .350 OBP, .745 OPS
d'Arnaud:  .310 AVG, .901 OPS
Duda: .278 AVG, .876 OPS
Cuddyer: .268 AVG, .725 OPS
Murphy: .283 AVG, .749 OPS
Flores: ..249 AVG, .716 OPS
Lagares: .278 AVG, .674 OPS
Tejada: .268 AVG, .727 OPS


James Newman | Mets 360- Last season, it seemed that the Mets had plenty of depth for the outfield, as Matt den Dekker and Kirk Nieuwenhuis were given chances to play in the majors, but struggled to take advantage. Ceciliani [on the other hand] has the chance to be a special player for the Mets, even if it is off the bench. Hopefully he continues to improve and experience success when he is given the opportunity.

(Chris Soto: Ceciliani has been a god send for the bench since he was called up. Since his call up he is hitting .270 AVG with a .730 OPS, 1 HR, 3 SB, and a +4 Defensive Runs Saved Metric. This is EXACTLY what the Mets need from the classified "4th OF" bench guy. Someone who can provided both speed and defensive value off the bench as well as handle himself well when needed for a spot start.)

The Morning Report 6.10.2015 | d'Arnaud Returns, Parnell Returns Too, Matz Promotion Coming Soon, Solid Day 2 of MLB Draft for Mets

Joe D. | Metsmerized Online-  With the Mets ridiculously challenged for offense, the team should get a nice boost to the lineup when Travis d’Arnaud is activated from the disabled list. Terry Collins said he hopes d’Arnaud will hit the ground running. Don’t we all? “You can’t have spring training,” he said. “We’re in the hunt right now and you can’t afford to go 10 days, two weeks to wait until a guy gets ready.” D’Arnaud, who was hitting .317/.356/.538 with two homers and 10 RBIs in 11 games, was the team’s leading run producer went he went down.

(Chris Soto: Man...talk about a sight for sore eyes. Getting d'Arnaud back today is going to be huge considering his OPS output before he got hurt was 320 points! higher than Plawecki's performance. He should slot nicely into the #2 hole where he was hitting .333 with a 1.195 OPS before getting injured.)


Michael Baron | Just Mets- Bobby Parnell completed his rehab assignment on Tuersday night, throwing a scoreless seventh inning for the Binghamton Mets on against the Bowie Bay Sox with a walk and two strikeouts. Parnell will join the Mets at Citi Field tomorrow night, and be activated in a few days. Presumably, Parnell will be eased into higher leverage situations, and will probably have to earn his way into a prominent role in this bullpen again. As for who goes down, the logical conclusion to draw is it will be Jack Leathersich. They’re carrying three left-handed relievers, and at the very least Parnell would restore balance to the crowded bullpen on the right side.


(Chris Soto: Well like it or not, Parnell's rehab assignment expires after tonight's game so the club has to call him up. Is he ready? Probably not, but at least Parnell's last 3 outings have been much better than his earlier Binghamton performances. I expect that Parnell will only be used in low leverage situations to start. Down big or Up big, 6th inning fill in work, etc.)


Scot Cohen | Amazin Avenue- Las Vegas left-hander Steven Matz could be promoted to the Mets in the next three weeks. The biggest hurdle for the Mets to install Matz in the rotation could be finding a trade partner to move Dillon Gee or Jon Niese, or possibly even both. Gee has recently been sent to the bullpen and Niese struggled this season. Matz has been tremendous at Triple-A, where his 1.94 ERA leads the Pacific Coast League. He also leads the PCL in strikeouts with 75 in 74 1/3 innings. He's allowed just a .207 average to opposing hitters and has posted a 1.103 WHIP. 

(Chris Soto: This notion that Matz is going to be promoted 3 weeks from now really picked up steam when Joel Sherman [I think] asked a Mets official if after the All-Star Break was a realistic call-up date. The unnamed official responded with, "oh, I think he'll be up here before July 1st." Beat writers and bloggers have taken that date and run with it. HERE IS MY OPINION...Matz is scheduled to start tomorrow night for the 51's....LHSP Jonathan Niese IS ALSO scheduled to pitch tomorrow night. Matz currently only needs 5 IP to get past the "150+ IP above A+" internal rule that the Mets have. All this leads me to this statement....June 11th, 2015 will be the last start Matz makes for AAA Las Vegas and he will be pitching for the MLB Mets on June 16th. AGAIN....THIS IS MY EDUCATED OPINIONATED GUESS.


Mack's Mets Draft Coverage- In case you were living under a rock yesterday, The Mets added 8 new players yesterday via the MLB Rule IV Draft. Here they all are along the stories/information Mack posted from yesterday.

3rd Round - LHP Max Wotell - Marvin Ridge H.S. (NC)
4th Round - 3B David Thompson - University of Miami [Junior]
5th Round - LHP Thomas Szapucki - William T. Dwyer H.S. (FL)
6th Round - RHP Chase Ingram - Hillsborough CC (FL) [JUCO]
7th Round - RHP Corey Taylor - Texas Tech University [Senior]
8th Round - C Patrick Mazelka - Stetson University [Junior]
9th Round - OF Kevin Kaczmarski - University of Evansville [Senior]
10th Round - RHP Witt Haggard - Delta State University [Senior]

(Chris Soto: I like what the Mets are doing knowing that they have a limited signing bonus pool. They are not shying away from the tough sign guys....Instead, So far they are balancing high upside, high cost High School Arms with easily signable, and low cost college bats. I love the 3rd, 5th, and 6th round guys specifically. The Mets farm system is starved for left handed upside arms as currently the only guys in the system are at the very bottom in Blake Taylor [Kingsport] and Adrian Almeida [GCL Mets]. The club needs a boost in this department and both of these guys already have plus velocity from the left side. As for our 6th round, Chase Ingram was considered one of, if not, the top Junior College arm in the draft. Ingram was among the leaders in strikeouts, ERA and wins and posseses an outstanding curveball. The fastball velocity is pretty meh [91-92mph] but if the guy knows how to pitch, he'll be successful.)

The Morning Report 6.8.2015 | Mets STILL in 1st...How?, Reinforcements Coming this Week, D'Aloia Scouts Twins v. Brewers...Trade Rumors.

Mike Vorkunov | NJ Advance Media-  As of June 6, only the Rangers have lost more games to players on the disabled list than the Mets. The Mets have had 13 players go on the disabled list this season and just one player come off. That's Dillon Gee and he's now a reliever after the six-man rotation has been scrapped. Their offense has scored the fourth-fewest runs in the National League. Of course, it's tough when Wright, d'Arnaud and now Daniel Murphy are all on the disabled list.

And yet, the Mets wake up Monday in first place.

(Chris Soto: Let that sink in for a moment. The Mets have been rolling with a skeleton crew for almost 2 months now....and they are STILL in 1st place. Does a trade need to be made? Absolutely...but should the Mets be frantically making a move just for the sake of making a move? Heck no... They are still able to afford to wait out the market, see what's available while waiting for reinforcements to arrive. They've made it this far....and guys start coming back beginning this week.)


Barry Bloom | Mets.com- Help seems to be on the way. Rehabbing reliever Bobby Parnell and catcher Travis d'Arnaud could both be back by the end of the [home] stand, manager Terry Collins acknowledged. "I think we're pretty close with Bobby," Collins said. "I think he'll have one more rehab outing [AA] before he gets here." About d'Arnaud, Collins said he expected the catcher to join infielder Dilson Herrera at Triple-A Las Vegas on Monday. "I want them to get some consistent playing time so I think they're headed to Vegas today to get some at-bats there," Collins said. "I hope [d'Arnaud] will be back by the end of next week as well."

(Chris Soto: Like I said above....this is just the beginning. This week d'Arnaud and Parnell will be back, next week Vic Black and Dilson Herrera will be back, the week after you can expect Daniel Murphy and Jerry Blevins to also be ready as well. Fresh players reinforcing the team as we enter the middle of the summer months is going to have a massive positive impact on the team.)


Joe D. | Metsmerized Online- The Mets director of pro scouting, Jim D’Aloia, was in Minnesota on Friday night presumably to scout the Milwaukee Brewers. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports says that the Mets and Brewers have not talked in several weeks, but that Milwaukee could have two possible fits for the Mets; third baseman Aramis Ramirez and shortstop Jean Segura. Ramirez is the more practical fit says Rosenthal, and not only would he be the easiest to acquire, but he no longer has any trade protection because he plans to retire at the end of the season.

Chris Soto: Ok....I have a ton to say about this....

     I don't think Aramis Ramirez would actually be a very good fit for the team. While he does has a nice low K rate, defensively he is not the same player he used to be. Over the past 5 seasons, On average he has been worth -9 Defensive Runs Scored. That combined with his declining Line Drive Rate and Hard Hit Contact Rates tell me that he's pretty much done. 

     Segura on the other hand would be a decent, albeit not perfect, fit. He makes all the routine plays and has much needed speed, but his low OBP would only fit at the back of the line-up. However it allows Flores to slide over to 3B where he is much better defensively and still provides strong offensive value in comparison to the rest of the league. 

   In my opinion, do not be surprised if D'Aloia was also scouting Twins 3B Trevor Plouffe. Yes...they are in 1st place...but every talent evaluator will tell you that they don't know how. The Twins cannot hold off the vastly superior Royals, Tigers, or Indians for much longer. In addition their 2nd top prospect Miguel Sano is absolutely crushing AA pitching to the tune of a .850 OPS. With so many top prospects being called up this year, we may already have passed the Super 2 deadline so the Twins could call up Sano to replace Plouffe in the line-up and add more firepower.

The Morning Report 6.2.2015 | Positive Injury Updates, deGrom's Fastball Improvement, Trade Candidates, May's Top Prospects

David Wright Injury Tracker |  Received a cortisone shot. Meeting with Team Today.

Michael Baron | Just Mets- Dilson Herrera has begun some light baseball activities at the team’s minor league complex in Port St. Lucie. Rafael Montero has progressed his throwing program and is now throwing off a mound in Port St. Lucie. Travis d’Arnaud began baseball activities in Port St. Lucie today, and he is hopeful d”Arnaud can resume his rehab assignment this week. Lastly, Buddy Carlyle, who strained his back in Chicago on May 12, is also mostly idle at the moment.

(Chris Soto: Excellent injury updates on most of these guys, d'Arnaud was pretty much almost good to go before taking a foul off the hand. He'll probably get an additional 3-5 rehab games before the Mets declare him ready to join the club. I'd say he returns June 9th when the club comes back to NY. As for Herrera and Montero, it'll be a while before we see those guys again. Lastly, the fact that Carlyle has not resumed throwing for what was considered a mild back injury is concerning. If he continues being idle the club may consider moving him to the 60 day DL to open a 40 man spot.)


Zachary Rymer | Bleacher Report- Against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park, deGrom was superb. He led the Mets to a 7-0 victory with eight shutout innings that featured just two hits, no walks and eight strikeouts. He also darn near celebrated the anniversary of Santana's no-no by one-upping him, taking a perfect game into the sixth. In his last four starts, he's pitched 29.1 innings and struck out 34 with just one walk. He's also allowed only three earned runs, equating to a 0.93 ERA. "This is as good as I've ever seen [him] play" said Terry Collins. 

(Chris Soto: Not to be overlooked by Harvey or Syndergaard, deGrom has been superb over his past 4 starts. According to Pitch F/X, his fastball velocity is up from last year and he is taking advantage of it by throwing it almost 5% more than in 2014. The added velocity has also helped the bite on his slider which he has also begun to use more than his curveball. Those two pitches alone are dominating hitters to the tune of a .164 AVG against the 4 seamer and a .238 avg against the slider. The only knock against him right now is that the added velocity seems to be hurting the break on his change as hitters are hitting .321 against vs .237 last year. )


Joel Sherman | New York Post- We are in that period between Memorial Day and the draft, when clubs begin to intensify at least the chatter about doing something in the next two months, before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. Let’s assume the Mets are going to be aggressive over the next two months to try to deliver their first playoff team since 2006. Where should they be concentrating? I offer these four names — Aroldis Chapman, Martin Prado, Ben Zobrist and Justin Upton.

(Chris Soto: I don't think Upton would be a fit for the club, considering the money they spent on Grandy and Cuddyer, unless an injury occurs to one of the OF'ers. Chapman is certainly an interesting idea but the front end of the bullpen has not been a problem for the Mets and they have a number of reinforcements on the way to shore up the middle and back end of the pen. Now Zobrist or Prado are two very likely candidates to be Mets. Both are multi positional guys who play every position well while bringing a consistent hitting approach that matches the overall team philosophy. Plus the cost to acquire won't be nearly as much as it would be for Upton.)


Bryan Zarpentine | Rant Sports- The New York Mets continue to get standout seasons from many of its prospects up and down its farm system. Several prospects have already earned a promotion to the next level less than two months into the season. Here is a look at 10 Mets prospects that made themselves stand out from the pack during the month of May.

1. Steven Matz
2. Gavin Cecchini
3. Dominic Smith
4. Amed Rosario
5. Casey Meisner
6. Robert Gsellman
7. Akeel Morris
8. Bradley Weick
9. Eudor Garcia
10. Wuilmer Becerra

(Chris Soto: May was a strong month for a number of Mets top prospects. In fact the only real "down" guy for the month in my opinion was the fact that Brandon Nimmo got hurt. You can make a case that Conforto has a "down" month, but if a guy's down equates to .255 AVG, .715 OPS, and a meager 11.7% K rate then sign me up today. The Mets still have a number of studs in the minor league system that will refuel the parent club in 2016, 17, 18, and beyond.)

The Morning Report 5.26.2015 | Love/Hate Flores Relationship, Bullpen Reinforcements, Hitting Reinforcements Too, SF Giants Trade Talks.

David Wright Injury Tracker | Diagnosed with Spinal Stenosis. In California to see specialist. 

Mark Herrmann | Newsday- So barring the sort of deal that the general manager seems unlikely to make, meet the 2015 Mets, with all of their weaknesses and strengths. Here's an odd one, though: The spot that once looked like the biggest weakness might be one of the greatest strengths. Wilmer Flores hit the three-run home run Monday that won the game and gave the Mets some hope. For now, the Mets have to "settle" for a shortstop who has more than three times as many home runs as Tulowitzki does this season. Days like Monday make you think Flores might not be such a bad option. "I'm going to tell you, as we move into this and you get to the 400-at-bat mark, this guy is going to have pretty impressive numbers," manager Terry Collins said. "He's a good hitter, he's got some power. We don't know how many home runs he is going to hit. I'm not concerned about that. I just know he's a good hitter."

(Chris Soto: When Flores hits...fans are accepting of his below average defense. When he doesn't hit, fans hate him for being a below average defender. It a love/hate relationship that has seen more love lately than hate. One thing I will continue saying is, look at the rest of the MLB. Flores is ranked 10th amongst SS in regards to Defensive Runs Saved with +1. There are 16 guys WORSE than him including Starlin Castro, Ian Desmond, Alexei Ramirez, Troy Tulowitzki, Xander Bogaerts, Jhonny Peralta, and Elvis Andrus. Good Defensive SS play is not as prevalent theses days as they used to be.)


Avery Decker | Metsmerized Online- Two key pieces of the Mets bullpen, Bobby Parnell and Vic Black, are making progress in their rehabilitation processes. Vic Black pitched the seventh inning for the Binghamton Mets...He worked an easy 1-2-3 inning with one strikeout. According to the stadium radar gun, Black was sitting around 92-94 MPH on his fastball. Black also pitched a scoreless inning of relief on Saturday when he made his first rehab appearance. Bobby Parnell also pitched a scoreless inning of relief for the Binghamton Mets on Sunday. After striking out the leadoff man, Parnell then surrendered a double but was able to work around it and escape the jam. 

(Chris Soto: The rotation is starting to get tired which was to be expected with this 21 game - 21 day stretch so the bullpen is more important now than ever. The club is still getting by with their primary combo of Torres/Torres/Familia but its gonna need reinforcements soon. Luckily, both Parnell and Black seem like they could be back within the next week. In addition the LHRP Jerry Blevins had his cast removed and is cleared to resume baseball activities. His return to the bullpen could be more impactful than anything right now.)


Adam Rubin | ESPN New York- Travis d’Arnaud is scheduled to participate in an extended spring training game on Tuesday with the hope that he can return to the lineup as soon as early next week. If all goes well, he will play for Class A St. Lucie for a day or two, then head to Triple-A Las Vegas to complete a rehab assignment. “It can happen within the next five, six days,” Alderson said. Alderson said it was possible that d’Arnaud would return for the Mets' series against the Padres starting on June 1. If not, the GM is hopeful that d’Arnaud will be in the lineup against the Diamondbacks in a series that begins on June 4.

(Chris Soto: SOUND THE RALLY HORN! REINFORCEMENTS ARE COMING! All jokes aside, man this could not have lined up at a better time for the Mets. The team is looking at potentially 3 primary pieces returning before the team heads to the West Coast for a long week against the Padres and Diamondbacks.)


Joe D. | Metsmerized Online- Third baseman Casey McGehee was designated for assignment by the San Francisco Giants on Sunday. Acquired in a trade with the Miami Marlins this past offseason to replace Pablo Sandoval as the everyday third baseman, McGehee has been absolutely awful at the plate. In 110 mostly bad at-bats, McGehee hit .200 with a .248 on-base, .282 slugging, and just nine RBI. He’s struck out 24 times and grounded into a league leading 12 double plays. He has also struggled defensively at third base, committing five errors and owning a .934 fielding percentage.

(Chris Soto: 1st off, as Joe D. points out, the Mets are not in on McGehee, nor should they. I'm not quite sure he would even be an upgrade over Eric Campbell right now. As for those referencing a potential deal to send Murphy to San Fran, that too is unlikely. In fact, it seems like something could be brewing between the Braves and the Giants. Last night, 3B Alberto Callaspo was scratched from the line-up and subsequently DFA'd as it was revealed that the Braves were in talks to trade him. It makes a ton of sense for them since 2B prospect Jose Peraza has been smoking hot in AAA but current 2B Jace Peterson has also been good. DFA'ing Callaspo allows the club to move Peterson there and promote Peraza to the MLB club to be their lead-off hitter.)