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Ernest Dove - Is David Wright Key to Mets 2016 Season?

  Well, the Mets made their version a splash in the free agent market just before Christmas by signing........... a non Center Fielder to platoon with Juan Lagares at......Center field.
  I believe our own Captain Kirk has also found a new home, and there perhaps can still be a chance that Mets might 'shock the world' and sign Yoenis Cespedes, thus simply making De Aza what amounts to a pretty solid (extra) lefty hitting outfielder.
  However, as it stands now, there are some/many who believe that the Mets have the core of what they will be going with on their 25 man roster to start the season. So it got me thinkin...........Who are they counting on the most offensively?
  The new middle infield is filled with veterans.  I can respect the acquisitions in general, but I do not believe that either Cabrera or Walker will be hitting in the middle of the order.
  Juan Lagares, even if he only plays against opposing lefties where his numbers are pretty solid, will not be doing so either.
  I guess there is now the chance that Grandy can and will be moved into the middle of the batting order, at least against opposing Righties, but Im personally a little cautious about this move because the man just had his best year with the club.  His production was solid, and despite all the 'waisted' solo homers, you simply can't discount the walk totals and overall OBP for the year from the guy who also gave you gold glove caliber defense in the field. The idea of 'if it aint broke don't fix it' is swirling through my head.
  Michael Conforto looks legit ladies and gentlemen.  I was beating that poor dead horse numerous times last year commenting and posting about my thoughts on his talents way back in spring training and in A ball with St. Lucie last year. He then burst onto the scene and possibly hit for even more power than I thought.  It probably doesnt take an expert to project Conforto as a long term No. 3 hitter in a lineup.  But can he do it in 2016?
  Lucas Duda is the man who needs a plan this year.  He needs a plan of attack. The organization has continued to now fully invest in Duda Smash services.  The consistency is extremely troubling however, and his random approach at sometimes attacking first pitches, and then completely forgetting to lay off junk in the dirt for weeks at a time is scary, but I guess we can still honestly put in down for 25 homers.
  Travis d'Arnaud is the guy who continues to get the pretty much undeserved lable of 'fragile'. The guy and his recent injuries were about getting hit and basically just pure bad luck.  So at this point all we can really do is expect him to be there opening day, play MOST of the games SOMEWHERE on the field (i still say he has to catch) and see him live up to all that talent and potential.
  Which now slowly/quickly brings me to the man of the hour, David Wright.  What are we expect from our captain this coming year ahead?  We've heard all the talk about David and his back CONDITION, which means its not an INJURY that will be fully healed next spring. There is talk of David now consulting with specialists about altering his pregame warmups and approach and hopefully shorten the length of time it takes for him to be game ready.  But the bottom line is if David Wright can still be an everyday 3rd baseman for the Mets?  And also, based on how this 2016 team seems to be constructed, does he now even have to play every possible game in the middle of the order?
  I think we all kind of saw some glimpses of excellence from the captain in the 2 hole last year.  David Wright, as many of us see, hear/read and know, is the ultimate pro.  He's literally played with a broken back to help this team and compete.  And so I'm sure he had no problem going from 3rd to 2nd in the lineup.  In fact, there's actually some new things being set around the league which actually shows some teams trying to play their 'best players' in the 2 hole, so maybe I'm overreacting anyway with this to begin with.  But, regardless, what impact overall will David Wright have ON THE FIELD for this team in 2016?  And is it the key to the entire foundation of the organization and the direction they are heading for the entire season?  I say yes.
  I'm not saying that David Wright has to play 145 games, hit .300 with 15-20 homers and 90-100 RBIs, but I'm saying that the organization at this time seems to be HEAVILY  invested in putting their trust into certain players this upcoming year, expecially the captain.
  I know I've read many of the same articles/blogs/posts etc. from various beat writers and analysts who state that technically, guys like Cabrera, Walker, Wilmer and even Ruben Tejada can man third base as needed to hold down the fort. But, you know what, these arent the 2009-2014 Mets anymore folks.  The 2016 Mets have a World Series starting rotation.  And, if his confidence is not shaken, they have a world series closer in Familia.  
  I say David Wright is the key to the entire season because that's what means to the franchise.  And not only that, we've seen what happens (april-july 2015) when they try to mix and match guys at 3B while going without a true legit 3-4 hitter power consistent dominant threat in the lineup.  In my opinion the Mets have ignored the logic they kept saying they wanted to use in building this team.  The one plan they've stuck with is the idea of holding onto the arms, I'll give them that, but there really is limited defense, speed, contact hitting and tough strikeouts in this lineup.  In fact, they just let go of the best guy they had in NOT striking out in order to gain a draft pick and replace him with Neil Walker. Other guys who may still be the best on the team at not striking out are Wilmer and Tejada......you know, two guys who are now officially backups and won't be making that consistent contact on a regular basis.  In no way am I saying they should both definitely be starting, but I'm randomly making a point.
  This team seems to still be trying to be built on pitching, power hitting and experience.  And I'm wondering what happens to this 25 man alignment if the captain is on the DL for a long period of time. 
  Like anything else, time with tell.  David Wright I'm sure wants to play everyday.  The question is even if he does give it a go, how productive will he be, and what impact, positive or negative, will it have the team during the season?  Again, either way, I say he is the key.  He will ALWAYS lead from the bench and in the clubhouse.  But he's not Michael Cuddyer.  The Mets need and expect David to also lead on the field and be productive.............................................................

Winter League Results 12.24.2015 | Wuilmer Becerra Making Case for AA in 2016, T.J. Rivera Adds 2 More RBIs

Arizona Fall League

Completed. Final Game was November 19th

Mexican Pacific League (Last Game Scheduled for 12/29/2015)

- Yaquis de Obregon 9 - 4 Charros de Jalisco
- Tomateros de Culiacan 2 - 1 Naranjeros de Hermosillo
- Venados de Mazatlan 6 - 4 Caneros de los Mochis
- Mayos de Navojoa 0 - 1 Aguilas de Mexicali

• C Xorge Carrillo: 0 for 3, K

Venezuela Professional Baseball League (Last Game Scheduled for 12/29/2015)

- Leones del Caracas 0 - 5 Bravos de Margarita
- Navegantes del Magallanes 4 - 3 Tiburones de La Guaira
- Tigres de Aragua 5 - 6 Caribes de Anzoategui

• RF Wuilmer Becerra: 2 for 5, K

- Aguilas del Zulia 0 - 8 Cardenales de Lara

• DH Jairo Perez: 2 for 4, R, 2B

Dominican Baseball League (Last Game Scheduled for 12/21/2015)

Completed. Final Game was December 21st

Side Note: The DWL playoffs will begin Sunday 12/27. Toros del Este will host Estrellas de Oriente and Tigres del Licey will travel to Leones del Escogido. RHP Jeremy Hefner and CF Juan Lagares will be the only Mets not participating in the playoffs

Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League (Last Game Scheduled for 01/04/2016)

- Criollos de Caguas 0 - 3 Cangrejeros de Santurce

• C Johnny Monell: 0 for 3, BB, Runner Thrown Out

- Indios de Mayaguez 6 - 3 Gigantes de Carolina

• 2B/3B T.J. Rivera: 2 for 5, 2B, 2 RBI(14,15), K

The Morning Report 12.24.2015 | Mets "Adding Depth"?, Mets Following the Off-Season Plan, Monell Clears Waivers, Mets Lose 3 MILB Free Agents

Adding depth. We’ve officially agreed to a 1-year deal with Alejandro De Aza. #Mets pic.twitter.com/gqwXlrE80v

— New York Mets (@Mets) December 23, 2015

(Chris Soto: The Mets added another layer of questioning behind the whole De Aza signing fiasco. After multiple team insiders reported that De Aza was brought in to be the other half of a lefty/righty platoon with Lagares, the team published this tweet officially announcing the signing....."Adding Depth". What does this mean? De Aza's $5.75M salary certainly is quite a bit to pay for a pure bench piece.....but why would they go out of their way to make that statement?)


Joe D. | Metsmerized Online- The Mets signed a left-handed outfielder to platoon with Juan Lagares on Monday- which by the way was the team’s stated goal from the moment the hot stove season started. I thought the De Aza signing was the first misstep by the Mets this offseason. Before that I applauded every single move they’ve made. Walker is a significant upgrade all-around from Daniel Murphy and Asdrubal Cabrera is a shortstop with some power who, while he may not be the defensive stalwart you were expecting, when you have 80 percent of your rotation with strikeout rates above 10.5 that becomes barely an issue. It also frees up Wilmer Flores to become that super-utility guy I always envisioned for him.

(Chris Soto: This whole Alejandro De Aza story has really over exploded. Joe is right.....this was the Mets plan from Day 1 and they've been saying it ALL off-season. Statistically speaking, Walker is an upgrade over Murphy, Cabrera IS an upgrade over Flores, and Flores as the UT guy is an upgrade over Kelly Johnson. Now the duo of Lagares/De Aza is a step down offensively from a full season of Cespedes but as good as Cespedes was in August and early September for the Mets.....he was equally awful in late September and October. So yea, the overall stats take a hit, but the club probably gets more consistent offensive contributions. Most important in this whole thing, though, is the fact that Cespedes is STILL a Free Agent! The off-season is not over, and while the chances are small, there is still a chance that the Mets reverse course and sign him if the price is right. It's not like the team is forced to make De Aza and Lagares their starter. The club could very easily use them on the bench which would make them a nice upgrade over the 2 OF's we entered the off-season with [Kirk and Ceciliani])

HOT STOVE REPORT (courtesy of mlbtraderumor.com)

• C Johnny Monell has cleared waivers and has been assigned to AAA Las Vegas. Monell was DFA'd last week to make room on the 40 man roster for SP Bartolo Colon.
• The Mets lost 3 more minor league free agents as the mass exodus from their upper level teams continue.
• Both LHRP Scott Rice and RHP Tim Stauffer signed minor league contracts with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
• RHRP Jon Velasquez also signed a minor league contract to go play for the Washington Nationals 

FLASH: Mets Try to Outright OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis Off 40-Man, Brewers Claim Him of Waivers

     Per Jon Morosi of Fox Sports, the Milwaukee Brewers have claimed left handed hitting OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis off of waivers.

   The club was attempting to move Nieuwenhuis off the 40 man roster in order to create space for the newly acquired OF Alejandro de Aza. In his 4 seasons with the Mets, Nieuwenhuis slashed .235/.309/.389 with 38 doubles, 17 home runs, 71 RBI, 83 runs scored, 12 stolen bases and a .695 OPS in 263 games.

Reese Kaplan -- A Catching Quandary

When he’s healthy, Travis d’Arnaud is looking like the real deal offensively to be a foundational brick for the Mets for the foreseeable future.  However, the team has talked off and on about him possibly taking another position on the diamond to minimize the potential for the many dings he’d take in his customary place behind the dish.   Furthermore, while his pitch framing skills certainly seem to be major league, his ability to throw out would-be base stealers is rather Piazza-like.   Once you cross a certain threshold in performance offensively, your defense doesn’t really matter all that much.  No one is suggesting d’Arnaud will ever be Mike Piazza, hence the thought about putting him elsewhere to improve defense at the catcher position and to prolong his days on the field.

The problem, of course, is that the alternatives they’ve trotted out over the past few years when d’Arnaud has not been available have frankly been odiferous in their on-field performance.  The now departed Anthony Recker couldn’t crack the Mendoza line.  Minor league slugging Johnny Monell and defensive whiz Juan Centeño never got the opportunity to show what they could do as the manager kept going back to the Recker well again and again. 

This past year brought a little bit of hope in the form of Kevin Plawecki whose minor league resume showed a guy with an excellent eye at the plate, modest power, and good batting average.  In 1126 minor league ABs he delivered a .290 average, 27 HRs and 180 RBIs while walking 100 times and striking out on just 137 occasions.  Those numbers break down to about .290/14/90 over the course of a single season.  It looked like they would finally have an answer to who could fill in admirably for d’Arnaud whenever he went onto the DL.

Unfortunately a funny thing happened on the way to rookie stardom.  Kevin Plawecki was plain awful in 2015.  He had 233 ABs and the things you liked about his minor league resume vanished.  He struck out 60 times and walked just 17.  His power vanished with just 3 HRs and 21 RBIs and the batting average was only modestly better than Recker’s at .219 for the year.   

The result of this lackluster freshman campaign is that he’s no longer the blue chip type of prospect that the team could think about trading, but unless he gets it into gear he’s also not a viable everyday player that would enable them to shift d’Arnaud to the outfield or a corner infield position if that is indeed in his best long term interest. 

No one is sure whether it was first year jitters, a poor adjustment to the better stuff from big league pitchers or that he simply hit the wall in his development.  It’s going to be a telling year for Plawecki because as he goes, so goes the fate of several other players including, perhaps, Lucas Duda.  

Winter League Results 12.22.2015 | Carrillo and his PR Wins It in the 9th for Mexicali, T.J. "Muscles" Rivera Powers Mayaguez Win

Arizona Fall League

Completed. Final Game was November 19th

Mexican Pacific League (Last Game Scheduled for 12/29/2015)

- Yaquis de Obregon 6 - 4 Charros de Jalisco
- Tomateros de Culiacan 4 - 0 Naranjeros de Hermosillo
- Venados de Mazatlan 7 - 2 Caneros de los Mochis
- Mayos de Navojoa 4 - 5 Aguilas de Mexicali

• C Xorge Carrillo: 2 for 4, 2B, RBI(20), K, 2 SB allowed

Venezuela Professional Baseball League (Last Game Scheduled for 12/29/2015)

- Leones del Caracas 6 - 0 Bravos de Margarita
- Tiburones de La Guaira 7 - 9 Navegantes del Magallanes
- Tigres de Aragua 0 - 1 Caribes de Anzoategui

• RF Wuilmer Becerra: 1 for 4

- Aguilas del Zulia 0 - 9 Cardenales de Lara

• DH Jairo Perez: 0 for 4, BB, K

Dominican Baseball League (Last Game Scheduled for 12/21/2015)

Completed. Final Game was December 21st

Side Note: The DWL playoffs will begin Sunday 12/27. Toros del Este will host Estrellas de Oriente and Tigres del Licey will travel to Leones del Escogido. RHP Jeremy Hefner and CF Juan Lagares will be the only Mets not participating in the playoffs

Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League (Last Game Scheduled for 01/04/2016)

- Gigantes de Carolina 2 - 3 Cangrejeros de Santurce
- Indios de Mayaguez 6 - 4 Criollos de Caguas

• 2B/3B T.J. Rivera: 2 for 3, 2 R, 2 HR(2,3), 5 RBI(9,10,11,12,13), BB
• C Johnny Monell: 0 for 3, R, 2 BB, SB allowed

The Morning Report 12.23.2015 | More Information on Wilpon's Finances, Mets Still Playing Small Ball with Payroll, Posting Date Set for Kenta Maeda

Howard Megdal | Vocativ- It’s hard to overstate the opportunity the New York Mets currently enjoy. It’s no less hard to overstate the absurdity of how little they are doing to capitalize on it. But that’s not how this is going down. Because the New York Mets’ owners, Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz, are drowning in debt. Back in 2008, the team’s investments with Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff were discovered to be a fraud. Accordingly, just to stay afloat, they needed to take out a $430 million loan against the team and $450 million against their majority ownership stake in SNY. Ever since, the Mets have managed to get by annually by diverting revenue from their baseball and television operation into the financing of debt. Prior to the refinancing of the past two years, the annual interest on these two loans plus debt balloon payments of more than $43 million have exceeded team payroll itself.

(Chris Soto: We all knew that the Wilpons had fallen on hard times after the Madoff fiasco...but the sheer size of the loans that were needed in order to keep their businesses afloat is just maddening. No wonder the Mets have no money to spend on the team.....because it's all tied up in interest expenses. The scary thing is, the whole diverting profits from baseball to personal businesses is exactly what got former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt booted from the league. Yet Bud Selig found it appropriate in the Wilpons case? Strange indeed.)

Matt Vaccaro | New York Post- The men who own the Mets would like to believe 3 ½ good months has earned them not only your blind faith, but also your amnesia. They would like you to trust them, and also to forget that once upon a time, they promised all it would take for them to dust off their wallets and act like a varsity club again would be the kind of success that would bring you back to the ballpark. Look: It is possible there is a plan here. If there is one member of the Mets’ brain trust who has earned the benefit of the doubt, it is general manager Sandy Alderson. The men he works for … well, that’s another issue. The Mets are likely headed for another season in the lower third of payroll

(Chris Soto: While I certainly question some transactions that the Alderson/Ricco/dePodesta troika has made, overall I continue to support their regime's path and strategy towards building a multi year contender. One thing is very clear about this off-season, they do not want to commit to anyone past a 2 year guarantee. This lines up nicely with when all of the Big 5 SPs [sans Steven Matz] will be receiving arbitration raises. Perhaps there is future plans to sign these guys to guaranteed extensions. If that's the case then I can see why the club doesn't want to bog down future payroll commitments yet as shown in the graph below.)

HOT STOVE REPORT (courtesy of mlbtraderumor.com)

• The reason 2B Daniel Murphy's market has been so quiet is because he himself was not aggressively pursuing a contract. Until the Mets traded for Neil Walker, Murphy was still holding out hope that the only team he has ever played for would make him a better offer than a 2 year contract.
• The deadline to submit offers for Japanese RHP Kenta Maeda has been set for January 8th. Maeda is the best SP to come from Japan since Masahiro Tanaka and is expected to fetch a similar contract to the 7 yr/$155M Tanaka received.

Why Am I Pissed At The Alejandro De Aza Signing?

I have nothing against Alejandro De Aza. In fact, apart from what knowledge I can draw from his FanGraphs page, his inclusion on the bench of a fantasy team or two of mine over the years and name recognition, I don't know much about him. I'm sure he's a fine guy and people tell me he's a decent hitter with some power and some speed. 

I do not dislike Alejandro De Aza. I'm pissed off at what the Alejandro De Aza signing means. 

Consider the situation the Mets are in. Many consider the young stable of starting pitching the Mets have as one of the best units in the game. And that's just from evaluating from talent. When you consider their age and that they'll make 9 million...ish dollars next year combined, the combination of talent, value and age might be the best most of us will see in our lifetimes. Make no mistake--it is very special, and very rare, to have five aces on the same staff and have four of them make minimum wage and the other be in his first year of arbitration. Needless to say, the Mets have a very unique and rare opportunity right now. 

They're also coming off a World Series appearance. 

They're also in a rare position where three teams in their own division are rebuilding and one is a mess that can't get out of its own way. 

They're also in a National League that lacks a true dominant force--unless, of course, you consider the Mets and their dominating starting pitching that very force. 

They're also a team with holes going into their first off-season after a successful rebuild. 

All of this points to one thing: Going for it while the pitching is still young and still cheap. That means the next few years with a big emphasis on next year. Soon, one by one, the starting pitchers become free agents. They continue to get older, more expensive, and, likely, less effective. I don't have to convince you. We all know about competition windows and we know that the Mets' window is wide open right now in a way that it might not be again for a long time. 

Heading into the winter of 2015-2016, Mets fans, beat reporters and the front office identified three areas of need: Bullpen, bench/depth, and center field. After acquiring Neil Walker and Asdrubal Cabrera in perhaps puzzling-but-depth-creating moves that were redundant but cheap, the Mets certainly made their infield bench a strong unit. At this time, they still have not addressed the bullpen, short of bringing LOOGY extraordinaire Jerry Blevins back for a year. They also added fan-favorite Bartolo Colon to fill in for Zack Wheeler until the summer. Despite kind of really hating the Cabrera signing, I'm still fine with all of this. I didn't see the need to sign Zobrist or Murphy because I like Dilson Herrera (and after Walker's acquisition, I am more than fine with him at 2nd). No, the prizes were and always would be in the outfield this fateful winter. 

No matter how you look at the free agents this year, the area in which the Mets could most improve the team, best solidify the lineup and most forcefully charge into 2016 ready to pick up where they left off was with a star center fielder. There were three players that fit that mold: Denard Span, Jason Heyward and Yoenis Cespedes (Span less a star than the other two but still a great/sensible option). I really wanted Jason Heyward. How can you not? The guy has all five tools. His range is other-worldly (read: He could handle dominate CF), he hits, he runs, he's 26, and heck, he will opt out after three years anyway so you could hypothetically pay your pitchers whatever they want once he's off the payroll. The Nationals--a team with a payroll mountains higher than the Mets and a team far worse, made the highest reported offer to Heyward to play center. He will be the center fielder on the Cubs--a team that didn't go as far as the Mets in the playoffs, has far more dollars committed in current and future salaries--and, before signing Jason Heyward, was objectively not as talented overall as the Mets squad (come at me, Cubs fans).

Heyward not your cup of tea? How about Denard Span? One of the best defensive center fielders in the league the past few years, an offensive threat on the bases, walks a ton, can lead off in a pinch, and is left-handed, providing a beautiful platoon for Juan Lagares that would also give Span time to rest his surgically repaired hip. Not enough offense for you? Okay I get it. 

How about Yoenis? Yea, the guy who mashed to the tune of a 135 wRC+ last year, proved he could slug in spacious Citi Field and carry a Mets team that truly needed an offensive identity. How about him? 

No? Dexter Fowler? Gerardo Parra? Not really my thing but I guess I at least understand it. 

Mets didn't/won't get any of them. Heyward signed for 23 million a year for 10 years and two player opt-outs in a deal I the Mets absolutely could have and should have at least tried to make. If you look at it as a 3-year 70 million dollar deal (perhaps a few million more with a signing bonus) for one of the best all-around players in the game, it's eons away from a bad deal especially when you consider it covers the years when our competition window is open the widest. But the Mets didn't even make an offer. 

They won't make an offer on Cespedes. 

Jon Heyman reports that they are unlikely to pursue Denard Span now. You can apply that statement to Parra and Fowler too. 

No, the Mets went with Alejandro De Aza for 5.75 million. Alejandro. De Aza. He who has barely played center field since 2013 because he was such a disastrous defender there for the White Sox that they shifted him to left and eventually traded him. The idea is that De Aza, a lefty who hits righties well, and Lagares, a righty who hits lefties well, will platoon to give the Mets something like league average offensively and something like league average defensively (Lagares being a great defender and Alejandro De Aza being the defensive equivalent of Steve Harvey's beauty competition card-reading ability). 

That's what we have, Mets fans. This is what we have to deal with. We have to deal with half a dozen better options on the market and three can't-miss outfielders just to watch them get signed by other teams who actually, you know, made offers to them. We have to watch the four best set-up men on the market get signed to completely reasonable deals while the Mets, again, fail to make an offer. 

What do we get? Marginal improvements and small dollar amounts committed to a number of players--some of which are redundant and mainly depth moves. Instead of going for it while the window is open, the Mets project to open 2016 with a payroll in the bottom ten in baseball. Some might argue that it is stupid to spend money for the sake of spending money and that this free agent class was weak. To that I would say, "You're half right". It is stupid to spend money for the sake of spending money. But there was massive amounts of talent available in this free agent class, especially in the outfield and relief pitching--the two biggest areas of need for this team. What did the Mets do? Signed one free agent in the top 50 free agents this off-season: Asdrubal Cabrera at 37. And he's not even an improvement over Wilmer Flores. He provides depth. Asdrubal Cabrera was a depth move and it's the best the Mets ownership gave us this winter. 

That's why I'm pissed at the Alejandro De Aza signing. This is a team with a once-in-a-generation opportunity to dominate this game we cherish so much for a long time and they're squandering it because ownership cannot support a big market major league team. That or they're still using team profit to pay off personal and business debt. 

Whatever it is, this should anger you. No, the off-season isn't over. However, we've all become far too familiar with how this team operates. That means we all know that De Aza and Lagares will be our center fielders, Asdrubal Cabrera is our shortstop and god knows who our 8th inning guy will be. This is the hand we've been dealt and will continue to be dealt as long as the Wilpons own the New York Mets. It's a shame that I even have to write this. A financially sound owner in the situation the Mets are in right now coming off the season the Mets just had would be announcing Jason Heyward as the new center fielder for the team. And if not him, Cespedes. 

We get De Aza. Woohoo.