Paul Articulates - Let's be in it to win it

I watched the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday night.   It was certainly entertaining.  Some might also think that the NFL Pro Bowl was entertaining – if you like ballet.  But if I want to tune in for sports entertainment, I watch the WWE.   

I enjoy a competitive battle between the best athletes in a sport, so I become very disappointed when I watch an all-star game where there is very little actual competition to win.

I am thankful that baseball offers the most competitive all-star game in major US sports.  The MLB All-Star Game has plenty of entertainment value with offerings like the celebrity softball game.  

From what I see on the field in the actual game, and particularly in the years that a home field advantage in the World Series was on the line, the MLB All-Stars compete to win.  

Granted, it is not always the intensity of Pete Rose bowling over Ray Fosse in 1970 to score the winning run in the bottom of the 12^th inning.  But the pitching, the hitting, and the fielding do more than just showcase the skills of the players.  They collaborate to achieve the objective of winning a game against the finest players in the sport.

I’m sure there will be some interesting debate from fans of the NBA, NFL, and NHL that like their all-star games. For a Mets fan that is hungry for an elusive world championship not seen since 1986, it’s time to move past the entertainment phase and fight for baseball’s most coveted title – World Champs!

So let’s look at the Mets’ roster for those competitive guys that you want on the battlefield with everything on the line.  Here are my observations:

Five boxing gloves: 

Jacob deGrom – Jake is a master competitor who has refined his ability to adjust his performance in mid-game to dominate his opponent.  This is the guy that apologizes for giving up two unearned runs in a 2-1 loss instead of whining about the offense.

Francisco Lindor – Francisco is the best communicator on the field, trying to keep his team on the same page.  He’s in on every mound conversation.  If you noticed, he runs out every ground ball hard, even when he was in the midst of a poor hitting year with fans getting on his case.  Oh, and if you’re paying attention, he’ll get you in a choke hold in the tunnel.

Brandon Nimmo – Reese’s piece Monday on “the pin cushion hitting quintet” highlighted the Mets’ propensity to reach first base via the plunk.  Nimmo is the best at “taking one for the team”.

Pete Alonso – Pete’s chest-thumping proclamation that “I’m the best power hitter on the planet” after defending his home run derby crown shows how juiced he gets for any competition.  We see that on the field in every Mets game.

Four boxing gloves: 

Luis Guillorme – Luis can play several positions and will do whatever the coaches ask.  He is a battler at the plate, having seen more pitches per plate appearance than any other met on the roster in 2021.  Remember his 22-pitch battle against the Cardinals last year?

Max Scherzer – Max could be a five, but we haven’t seen him dealing with adversity in a Mets uniform yet.  Certainly with the other jerseys on he never gave an inch to his opponents.

Three boxing gloves:

Starling Marte – I have seen highlight films of Starling leaping over the fence to rob hitters of a home run, generating clutch hits, and stealing bases – all of which we will need to win in ’22.

Dominic Smith – Dom has been asked to play predominantly in the outfield since he came up and lost the competition for starting first baseman.  He has done this without whining, and has been an outspoken supporter of all his teammates.  He is always ready when called on to deliver for the Mets.

Jeff McNeil – Jeff has always been a grinder since his days with the Long Beach State Dirtbags.  He’ll play in the infield or the outfield, will give you quality at-bats, and challenges the defense with his base-running savvy.

The rest of the roster needs to get the competitive juices flowing.  There is no better time than spring training, and Buck Showalter knows what it takes to mold a competitive team.  

As the front office plans its final roster moves for the post-lockout days, I hope they are looking at the competitive mentality of players just as much as the statistics.

Reese Kaplan -- Free Agent Starting Pitcher Options

Monday I wrote about the Mets' need to supplement their starting rotation to counteract the issues of age, health and limited effectiveness from inconsistency.  You can argue all day long about the quality to expect from Taijuan Walker and Carlos Carrasco, but they are there to stay until injuries or consistent ineptitude take them out of the rotation.  The question becomes who is the 5th starter, the 6th starter and the 7th starter if we deem the current slate of in-house possibilities less than appetizing for a variety of reasons.

The easiest route to take, of course, is free agency.  To obtain a free agent you nearly need to present a contract offer that the candidate in question finds acceptable and the work is done.  There are quite a few pitchers still not signed who will be eligible once a CBA agreement happens.  Let's take a look there first and see who is most appealing:

From the left side there are four viable options with varying capabilities to induce trauma over health concerns, salary demands or age.  The first one right off the bat is lifetime Dodger Clayton Kershaw.  Having already lost Max Scherzer it's unlikely the $35 million or so per season necessary to lure the 33 year old with 3 Cy Young Awards on his shelf is fantasy even for the folks who feel Steve Cohen is going to spend like George Steinbrenner in his heyday.  My bigger concern about Kershaw is his overall health which has kept him from being a 30+ start hurler since 2015. 

The next one who has a fine career resume but major injury issues is Cole Hamels.  He's got a 161-120 career record with a highly commendable 3.42 ERA.  That's the good news.  Then comes the injury problems where he hasn't pitched regularly since 2019 and he is turning age 39 during the upcoming 2022 season.  Right now the health status is worrisome to say the least.  He earned one appearance with the Braves in 2020 and had shoulder issues.  Then he didn't even make it past a simulated game with the Dodgers last year when the same problem arose.  Even at the $1 million the Dodgers were scheduled to pay him, I would think it's a bad bet at this point.  

Speaking of injuries, what do you do when a starting pitcher delivers a stellar 2.37 ERA for a season and is now a free agent?  Well, in the case of Carlos Rodon, he's going to be looking for that big money contract and the rags have him projected at $24 million per season.  For his career he is a 42-38 pitcher with an ERA under 4.00, but the 2021 season at 13-5 with that stunning ERA came at the perfect time.  Look a little more closely and you will see that for his entire career the portly lefthander has never hit the 30-start mark and handing out a long term deal to a guy who might do a Jed Lowrie impression.  

There are other lefties out there whose names you've heard popping up now and again, but the number one obvious choice for the Mets to consider is former St. Louis Cardinals starter Kwang-hyun Kim.  The now 33 year old southpaw has made 28 starts since emigrating from Korea and achieved a winning record to go with a 2.97 ERA.  He earned a total of just $5.8 million in two seasons combined for the Redbirds, so his expected salary nowadays might be say $7 million without a long term commitment expected.  That's quality at a bargain price for a guy who is completely healthy.  

On the right handed side of the ledger there are some interesting options as well.  A lot of the same issues arise with this group as well:

How about a pitcher who has a career record of 218-131 with a 3.42 ERA?  He certainly sounds like a top tier starting pitcher, but turning 39 is Zach Greinke starting to lose it?  His last two seasons have been relatively healthy but in both 2021 and 2020 he posted ERAs over 4.00, though in 2019 he was his usual stellar self with a 2.93 effort.  He has been earning north of $30 million for some time now and while it's possible to snag him for less on a very short term deal, again you're somewhat rolling the dice that the last two years may be more indicative of what he can do at the twilight of his career.

Former St. Louis Cardinals reliever and starter Carlos Martinez has notched some impressive numbers during his career, but like Greinke the last few seasons have not been impressive.  His winning record of 62-52 is accompanied by a career ERA of 3.74.  If he's healthy, at just 30 years of age he might be worth some consideration despite his 2021 and 2020 combined record of 4-12 with a 6.95.  Health is most certainly worth an in-depth exploration given how much better he was earlier in his career.  

Big righthander Michael Pineda has also struggled with his health throughout his career.  Despite those issues, he has a winning record and an ERA under 4.00.  He's coming off a few good seasons in a row though he didn't handle the full workload.  For the Twins over the last four years he has averaged an annual salary of $7.5 million but he's probably looking to exceed the $10 million mark he got in the last two years.  At 6'7" and 280 pounds he is not a pitcher who looks to be in prime condition, but Bartolo Colon, Mickey Lolich and others were quite successful despite their physiques.  I'm leery about his health, but he has played in New York already across town so it should not pose a special challenge.  

Most of the rest of the choices have either career ERAs over 4.00 or have pitched quite poorly in the past couple of seasons (I'm looking at you, Ervin Santana!)  There are some prospects here worth consideration but I'm still sticking to the lefty Kim as my number one target.  

Remember 1969: Who Won? Deals of Mets History: 1991

 

Mets Trades through the years:  Who won?

November 1990 through October 1991

 Notes:   This year was the conclusion of the tear apart of the 1986 Championship team.  This week will be a sad week of memories for many of us.  

There were only four trades in 1991, and none of them were what I call winners. 

The damage: 

(1)  New York Mets traded Bob Ojeda and Greg Hansell to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Hubie Brooks (Dec 15, 1990)

(2)  New York Mets traded Tim Teufel to the San Diego Padres for Garry Templeton  (May 31, 1991)

(3)  New York Mets traded Ron Darling and Mike Thomas to the Montreal Expos for Tim Burke  (Jul 15, 1991)

(4)  New York Mets traded Alejandro Pena to the Atlanta Braves for Tony Castillo and Joe Roa  (Aug 28, 1991)

 Trivia:     Although there were only four major league trades in 1991, I believe this was the first year that every player involved in the MLB trades actually played in the majors at some point.   There are usually minor league throw-ins.   

As I go through these players, I am seeing some interesting things.  I am compiling a lot of notes to back up my growing dislike of the WAR stat.   

As an example, Mike Thomas (famous for being traded with Ron Darling) eventually got his cup of coffee with Milwaukee in 1995 and was in exactly 1 game throwing 1 and a third innings, facing 4 batters.   He gave up two hits, a walk, and retired the other four for a WHIP of 2.250, allowing no one to score.

Joe Roa pitched in 120 games across 6 seasons with 266 innings and a 9-16 record to go with his 4.94 ERA and 1.1511 WHIP.     

Joe Roa accumulated 2 tenths of a WAR for all that work while Thomas got half of that - 0.1 - for his MLB career perfect ERA.    I guess if Thomas had gone on to pitch 120 games like Roa did, he would have accumulated 12 career WAR.   A shame he wasn't able to keep going.   

Tom Brennan - My Top 30 Mets' Prospects Going Into 2022

 

And the Mets' # 1 prospect is....KUMAR ROCKER!  

(Oh, sorry, he didn't sign).

And the Mets' # 1 prospect is....PETE CROW ARMSTRONG! 

(Oh, sorry, they traded him).

No more puns.  Back to reality.

We have, many say, questionable depth in the minors in Metsville, but man, we do have some great top prospects.

In many a season, I'd long for the Mets to have 7 top prospects with the quality of these guys:

Francisco Alvarez - 2021 Bowman Chrome

1) Francisco Alvarez, C

2) Brett Baty, 3B

3) Mark Vientos, 3B/OF

4) Ronny Mauricio, SS

5) JT Ginn, RHP

6) Alex Ramirez, OF

7) Matt Allan, RHP

Without trades, all should be high impact major leaguers by as early as 2023 and as late as 2025, but I am betting all 7 are in the big leagues in 2024. Honestly, if you follow Macks Mets at all, oodles have been written about each of the above players.  So let me be highly succinct:

Francisco is a flat-out beast, and I am banking on him becoming the Juan Soto of MLB catchers...how's that for faint praise?  Brett is quickly grinding ever higher - perhaps a lefty-hitting version of David Wright?  Mark Vientos hit homers at a Roger Maris 1961 pace over his last 200 at bats of 2021. I dunno, I’m highly impressed with that. Mauricio looks like a young Strawberry, and may just end up hitting like him.  

JT Ginn is a ground ball-inducing power pitcher, who I expect big things from. Alex Ramirez has great tools and may surge up everyone's lists as he plays 2022 at age 19.  And Matt Allan will be well on his way towards getting back on the mound after his 2021 TJS, and is very highly regarded.

Moving on down the list...  

8) Khalil Lee, OF, had a very rough debut with the Mets in early 2021, but an amazing minor league season with an OBP over .450, with speed and athleticism. Ks are an issue.

9) Adam Oller, RHP - Mets' minors pitcher of the year.  Expect him on a mound near you in '22. I wanna Holler for Oller.

10) Nick Plummer, OF - former first rounder really started to get it together in 2021.  Lots of similarities to Khalil Lee.

Carlos Rincon

11) Carlos Rincon, OF - big bopper in AA in 2021.  Should be ready to blast them in AAA in 2022.

12) Calvin Ziegler, RHP - first pitcher taken after the aborted Kumar Moon Mission.  Talent should be oozing in 2022.  The 18 year old was the 46th overall pick and was # 123 in the MLB Pipeline rankings.  Throws hard, naturally. I'd love to see him start out in low A next year. 

Dominic Hamel 

13) Dominic Hamel, RHP - his 2021 pro debut was short, but very sweet.  He threw 3 perfect innings in the rookie ball Florida Complex League (FCL), fanning 7.  What's not to like?

14) Simon Juan, OF - Mets' top 2021 international signee... highly regarded, and highly paid.  I am hoping he is a clone of Alex Ramirez.

As reported last month by EliteSportNY, “Juan is ranked the No. 16 international free agent in the 2022 signing period by MLB Pipeline. Juan, 17, is listed at 6-2 and 175 pounds and throws/bats right-handed.

The Mets also inked Dominican outfielder Willy Fañas for a reported $1.5MM. Fañas was not listed in MLB Pipeline’s top 50 overall prospects but received a significant bonus from the Mets, which indicates the club likes his tools; he’s a switch-hitter.” 

I left Willy out of my Top 50, despite the large bonus, until he proves he should be included. I wanna be a fan of Fanas, really, I do.

15) Robert Dominguez, RHP - another international signee who is highly regarded.  We'll find out if he can deliver in 2022. So far, 12 pro innings, 12 runs allowed, so I am holding off on my reservations for Cooperstown for at least a short while.

16) Carlos Cortez, 2B, OF - he had a gangbusters start to 2021; 42 XBHs in just over 300 AA at bats? Little guy, with a big XBH bat.  His playing only 34 regular season games after June stifled his stats for 2021.  Some say he is a sub-par 2B, and he spent a lot of time in the outfield in 2021.  Ambidextrous.

I think if he drops hitting righty, his powerful, hit-filled lefty bat (.282/.368/.577) might get him to the big leagues at some point in 2022.  He had a quiet fall ball campaign in the AFL, which disappointed me.

17) Eric Orze, RHRP - 5th rounder in 2020, he has a dandy splitter and had a mighty fine A - AA - AAA progression in this debut season.   12 Ks per 9 IP, too.  Based on that, I see no reason he won't be in the Mets' pen in 2022.  Maybe a future Seth Lugo or Roger McDowell equivalent?

18) Mike Vasil, LHP -  8th rounder...he was a FCL dazzler in his 2021 pro debut: 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 10 Ks.  Gotta love that.  He has been getting good ink.  Keep a close eye on Mike in 2022, as it is reported he boosted his velocity to 97 after the draft.

19) Jake Mangum, CF - superb hitting in AA down the stretch, while surprising many by adding some pop in 2021, all giving me real hope that he will carry that over to a decent big league career. Good speed, good D.  I could see him becoming a major league sub OF in 2022 at some point.  AAA bound.

20) Junior Santos, RHP - 6'8" dude, still very young - pitched passably in 2021. I have a feeling he will start to show much better results in 2022.

21) JT Schwartz, 1B - 2021 4th rounder - the lefty hitter only fanned 12 times in 25 St Lucie (Low A) Mets games, which is good, but hit just .195/.320/.296, which is not great.  But, a challenging Low A assignment - no rookie ball - remember that Pete Alonso started his career one level lower.  Schwartz most likely will be starting out back in St Lucie. Please add power.

22) Christian Scott, RHP - 2021 5th rounder.  The 22 year old 6'4" righty started in the FCL, fanned 1 in 3 IP, and allowed 1 run.  How's that for dipping the toe in - just 3 innings?  Wow - I hope he hits at least double digits in innings and triple digits on the radar gun in 2022.

23) Jose Butto, RHP - great change up but lots of HRs allowed in the minors in 2021,  That has to tighten up to rise up the ranks.

24) Tom Szapucki, LHP - # 1 in injuries, the latest being his elbow nerve shift surgery.  Maybe it all comes together for a guy who was thought to be the next stud arm about 5 years ago.

25) Josh Walker, LHP - fine 2021, the tall lefty is not a fireballer, but he had many impressive starts in the high minors in 2021.  I may have him too low here.

26) Cole Gordon, RHP - he had a blazing hot pitching stretch in AA late in 2021.  Hopefully he can pick up right where he left off.

27) Hayden Senger, C - decent hitting, good defensive catcher.  Few RBIs in 2021, and a soft AFL hitting performance.  He improved in 2021.  I'd like to see a big improvement in 2022.

28) Bryan Metoyer, RHRP - very low BAA and lots of Ks in relief.  He got smacked around in the AFL but he was facing far better hitters than in the regular season. I comp him to former Met and Brave Akeel “the Real Deal” Morris.

Big, Bad Bryce

29) Bryce Montes de Oca, RHRP - he threw wild and 101 in 2021; he will soar up this list if he can throw controlled and 101 in 2022.

30) Kevin Kendall, SS - I was tempted to put SS Jaylen Palmer here, as many love his athleticism, but he fans too much for my liking, so I stuck 2021's 7th rounder at # 30 instead.  His lefty bat excelled for the St Lucie Mets: 113 at bats, .327/.421/.451, 8 of 10 in steals.  Some fans do feel that the Mets need a SS.  Just kidding.  Realistically, the Lindor Wall stands in his way.

That's my Top 30, people.  

I always forget someone, please tell me who.  Be nice.  

Do you like my Top 30?  

I asked someone who did, but I've been known to talk to myself.

Next article: Tom’s Top 31-50.

Tom Brennan - The Mets' Pin Cushion Hitting Quintet

Getting hit by pitches can injure, even if you're Superman Kevin Pillar and miss almost no time after this.

"Get on base by any means necessary", some say.  

One painful way to get on base is to let the baseball hit you.

In 2021, the highest-plunked team got nailed 105 times, the median team 65 times and the Tigers came in last at 44 times.

The Mets?  Plunked 94 times, not far off the lead.  

The prior full season, 2019?  Mets were hit 95 times, leading the majors.

Their pitchers hit 70 batters in 2021 and 60 in 2019, so over those 2 seasons, the Mets were hit 59 times more than the opposing teams' hitters were nailed by Mets' hurlers.  

Crazy, huh?

The Mets could well get hit by pitches EVEN MORE, and lead in that category again, in 2022.  Why? 

Well, the Mets already have 3 guys who get hit a lot:

Pete Alonso - 39 times in 1,569 career plate appearances (season high: 21)

Brandon Nimmo - 41 plunks in 1,695 career plate appearances (season high: 23)

Jeff McNeil - 39 HBP in 1,450 career plate appearances (season high: 21)

Add to that two new fellas:

Mark Canha: 80 plunks in 2,492 career plate appearances (season high - in 2021 - 27 HBP)

Starling Marte: 133 HBP in 4,762 career plate appearances (season high: 24, but thankfully lower in recent seasons)

12,068 plate appearances in total for those 5 hitters, which is exactly the equivalent of 2 season's worth of a team's full season plate appearances, with an astonishing 332 HBP.  

Divide by two to get a full team season equivalent in team plate appearances, and you get 166 HBP, vs. a 2021 MLB team average of 65.

Ouch!

And it could be even "ouchier".

Khalil Lee in 2021, playing mostly in the minors?  Plunked 24 times in 406 at bats.  BOINK, BOINK, BOINK.

Keep the Ben Gay handy.  

I just wonder how much of it is a deliberate hitter strategy to get on base by any means.  

I doubt it is for Pete, who had broken hands twice in the minors.  He understands - HBP can equal IL.  He's been hit a lot less per PA in 2020 and 2021 than in his target practice 2019 rookie year.

The other 5 guys?  Not so sure they do get it.

It would just seem (without searching out relevant corroborating data) that there could be a trip to the IL every 25 times plunked, so the Mets could end up with a lot of IL time in 2022 with these 6 players unless it is politely suggested to them that there is a correlation between injuries and getting hit by hard spherical white stitched objects traveling 98 MPH.

After all, any given pitch can injure.  Robinson Cano was only hit by pitches 6 times in 2019 and 2020 with the Mets - but two of those were ball-to-hand impacts that messed up his 2019 season.  

J.D. Davis sustained season-impairing hand injuries due to errant pitches in 2021.  Pillar's face was rearranged by a pitch, too.  He missed incredibly little time after that.

In light of all of the above, I wonder if the Mets should set a simple 2022 team target - be league-average, not league leader, in team HBP.  Less IL trips will most likely occur.  A good thing, I'd say.

One way to reduce Mets' hitters getting hit by pitches is for Mets' pitchers to retaliate.  

When I was around 13, I played a lot of stickball against a handball court wall at Braddock Park in Queens, against my oldest of 6 brothers, John, and against a friend, also named John.  The latter John threw hard but was wild.  I got hit by him quite a few times as a result.

My control was excellent, and I actually can't recall ever hitting one of them accidentally, but I did deliberately "repay" Wild John quite a few times, very innocently of course, with that little pink Pennsy Pinky - I'm sure it stung a bit when it hit its intended (or unintended) target.

But HBP retaliation does not seem to be part of the Mets' two superstar pitchers' M.O.

Max Scherzer has hit just 96 batters in 10,266 batter appearances, and Jacob deGrom has plunked a scarce 21 of 4,978 batters.  That combined HBP rate is lower than Detroit's lowest team HBP rate in 2021.

Anyway, we'll see how 2022 pans out in this regard.  The next time a Mets' hitter is nailed and misses time, whether a few games of an extended stay on the IL, though, please remember this article.  

Before I go, the man that so many want to leave, let me elaborate a bIt in points I made earlier:

JD Davis, had his season get messed up after a brief, early, torrid season start by getting hit by a pitch on his hand. Would he have had a stellar offensive season if not started to the Land of IL by that HBP?

And let's remember that Robbie Cano was vilified 2019 for his mediocre hitting - but his getting hit on the hand twice early messed up his offense that season, after a torrid spring training and first few regular season games.

I believe the pitchers MUST retaliate more if the Mets' hitters once again are treated like HBP pinatas, with the resulting IL trips and stunted performances.  The message will get out to other teams: hit their guys and your own teammates may get it right back, which ought to reduce Mets' HBPs.

There are much healthier ways to get on base.  

They're known to us all as HITS AND WALKS.

In the "even weirder" dept., who's the all-time leader in Mets' HBP?  

No, not Ron Hunt.

Michael Conforto, with 50!

Pitchers must face the Mets and think, "Target practice!"

P.S. 

Some of you have asked for....

A Macks' Mets Top 50 Mets prospect listing.

So, I volunteered and did an abbreviated 2 part article series: 

Top 30 (this Tuesday) 

Next 20 (on Wednesday). 

Stay tuned.  Enjoy.

Reese Kaplan -- If 2022 Ever Begins, Who's in the Starting Rotation?

By now you've all heard that the opposing sides are meeting every day this week to try to resolve the open issues that will lead to a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).  While I am far from what anyone would ever confuse with an optimist, it does get my wheels spinning about things the Mets need to do for the 2022 season to take place.  

Towards that end I keep coming back to the subject of pitching as I recall correctly the Good Ship Bedpan for the number of pitchers and position players who fell off the playing field due to health issues.

Right now going into the season everyone is salivating over what both Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer will be like for opposing hitters on back-to-back nights.  There's no need to rehash the statistics of what these two giant hurlers have done during their professional careers.  The issue of talent is never going to cross anyone's minds about either of them.

However, both have some questions about health and durability that the club can't take for granted.  In 2021 deGrom made just 15 starts that you need to look at twice to belive they actually happened at the major league level.  He finished the season with 7-2 record and a 1.08 ERA.  If he'd logged enough innings, Hall of Famer Bob Gibson would have had to give up his all-time single season record in that regard as he "only" achieved a 1.12 ERA back in 1968.  

The other number that jumps off the page is his strikeout ability with 14.3 per 9 IP as compared to just 1.1 walks over the same interval.  That makes for a ratio of strikeouts-to-walks of an other worldly 13.27.

By comparison, Scherzer looked a bit more durable but positively "ordinary" with a 15-4 combined record for the Nationals and Dodgers, a 2.50 combined ERA a 6.56 strikeout-to-walk ratio.  The encouraging sign is his 7-0 record for the Dodgers with a sub-2.00 ERA and even better strikeout performance.  However, he logged 30 starts which is 2-5 fewer than most regular starters aggregate in the course of a season.  

Behind them the Mets have a hopefully reborn Carlos Carrasco.  There's no way to describe his abbreviated season due to injury other than ugly.  His career shows he's a much better pitcher with a mark of 88-73 for Cleveland with a highly respectable WHIP of under 1.20 and averaging 9.5 strikeouts per 9 IP.  If he can achieve that level of performance for the Mets, then the deal sending infielders and pitching prospects for Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco will turn into a late positive for the Mets.

If you ever want to get Mets fans into a heated debate, bring up the subject of starting pitcher Taijuan Walker.  He was an All Star representative for the Mets last season based upon a first half that was dominant.  He pitched 13 starts in which he allowed 2 or fewer runs and his trip to the mid-summer classic was well deserved based upon an ERA of just 2.66.  Then came part two in which he saw his ERA for the year shoot up to 4.47 after completing 29 starts to approach what Scherzer did.  

However, bear in mind his health history where from 2018, 2019 and 2020 he COMBINED for just 22 starts, so the idea of losing steam on his highest ever start total since 2015 does seem to make some sense.  It's obvious he's got a quality arm.  Whether or not he can maintain health to me is a much bigger problem than his ability.  

Now is where it starts to get hazy and uncertain.  Who is your fifth starter?  Do you hand it over to the rushed prospect Tylor Megill whose 4.52 ending ERA was worse than Walker's?  Then there's David Peterson who is recovering from a fractured foot and horrific pitching stats prior to that surgery taking place.  

Also in the mix is 2021 acquisition Jordan Yamamoto who missed a lot of time due to injury.  His history is uneven with the Marlins after four good lower level minor league years from 2016 through 2019.  In the majors he's been pounded to a 6.05 ERA.  

San Diego lefty Joey Lucchesi went down for Tommy John surgery and is likely done for 2022 as well.  Late acquisition Trevor Williams did make three starts and finished with a 3.06 ERA.  Aside from one decent year in 2018 he's been largely an afterthought. Then we finally saw perennially injured southpaw Thomas Szapucki in 2021 for less than 4 innings of highly forgettable work.

So if there is a 2022 season taking place it would seem that GM Billy Eppler is going to have to look at both free agents and trade possibilities to bring in a higher level of pitcher to be part of the starting five.  It's understandable to rely on one or more of these guys as spot starters for injury or doubleheaders, but none has shown enough to feel confident that they are deserving to be seen every 5th day.  

Which open market pitchers should be considered is a story for another day, but it would seem that talent must be acquired from outside the organization for the club to feel more secure about its competitiveness for 2022.  

OPEN THREAD - OK, So Now What?

 

Owners have a business model that requires massive infusions of revenues.  Lockouts, you see, reduce revenues quite substantially.

So the lockout charade must soon end.  Because pretty soon, with a persisting lockout, season games could be cancelled, and if they wait long enough, they won't be made up.

Cash flows squeezed - franchise values deflated - unacceptable - get those trucks off the bridge and settle this thing so we can play ball and keep the cash infusing and the franchise values inflating as if they were gas prices.

Once it does settle, though, as all such silly things do, the Mets, like many teams, will have to finish their off-season roster enhancement restructuring.

So, here's your challenge, Mr. and Mrs. Macks Mets Reader:

How would you finish off the sculpting of the 2022 masterpiece begun pre-lockout when the Cohen regime acquired the likes of Scherzer and Marte et al?

Only answer if you seriously want to build a true pennant contender.  If all you intend to do is build a team capable of serious September baseball, you're being too "Wilpon".

OK - the ground rules have been laid out - your task lies before you - let's hear it.

But, before you do...

One of our most incisive commentators on this site has suggested trading Big Pete Alonso for a couple of top, young starter arms.  Big Pete would still be cheap for an acquiring team for years to come, and would give them instant box office.  

Before quickly discarding such an idea, did you know who had the highest single season slugging % in Mets' history?  1B Dom Smith, in not-so-long-ago 2020, when he put up a .616.  I hear he is also a deft gloveman at 1B.

Thoughts on that, if you care to share??

Tom Brennan - Will Steve Cohen be JAWS After Lockout Ends?

What Jaws Would Look Like as a Multi Billionaire

First of all, this is a slightly misleading article title, but we live in misleading times.

OK, let me just come out and say it: to have multiple multi-millionaires on both sides of the bargaining table and end up in an extended lockout after two years of extended lockdown?

Yo, yo, y'all rich folk are tone deaf.

I checked the real standings:

Owners and Players? Vying for the Division lead.

Fans?  We're a very distant third.

But...when the buckaroos finally stop their silliness and reach the deal they should have reached in November, if they cared a whit about stressed fans, they will immediately expect the stressed hordes to transform into dutiful fanatics who will crack open the wallets, yank out the Platinum Cards, add to the family debt load, and spend like drunken sailors.

Maybe fans will snap to...but them owners and players? 

They are TONE DEAF!!!

On a similar "selfish multimillionaires" note, I read in the NY Post that James Harden (he of the BEARD and the $41.25 million he is making this year, or $500,000 per game) was dogging it, exaggerating an injury, and essentially forced a trade - all purportedly, of course.  

Fans who watched the team slide from 1st to 8th during an 11 game losing streak? Well, that's the way it goes, schmucks...you don't like it, he don't shave, he don't care.

NOW - on to my story.

My brother tells me he watches ESPN a lot and SNY, too, and said he hears talk about their expectation and anticipation that Steve Cohen will be unfurling the cabbage, the crypto, the cash, and the Credit Card to devour free agents.  

Jaws will live again. Predator Steve is circling out there, somewhere, ready to strike.  Other owners tremble.

At least, I hope so.

Well, if so, that would sure go a long way towards curing my lack of appreciation for the tone deaf.

Enough kvetching and speculating out of me - - -

Are any of you hearing anything significant Mets-moves-wise when once (if ever) the lockout ends?

Let us know!

Man, how I wish they didn't trade the Crow.  How cool would it have been to have the tag team of Francisco and the Crow?

P.S. 

Some of you have asked for a Top 50 Mets prospect listing.

So, I did it in an abbreviated 2 part article series: 

Top 30 (this coming Tuesday) and the next 20 (on Wednesday). Enjoy.

 

Remember 1969: Who Won? Player swap in Mets history: 1992

 

Mets Trades through the years:  Who won?

November 1991 through October 1992

We're back to a point where it looks like the sole intent of whoever was running the Mets was to completely run them into the ground. 

Notes:  (mixing it up a bit for this year and putting my notes on top!)  Wow, 1992 may have been the worst trade year in Mets history.    The two worst ones were the first and the last ones.   While Bret Saberhagen won 29 games for the Mets in his 3.5 years in New York (half of them in one very good year), Gregg Jeffries had 1100 hits after leaving the Amazin's.   

Jeffries had a pretty decent career for himself with over 100 hits 10 years in a row, including 172 and 186 in the first two years after the trade. 

Keith Miller was a very good utility man and had his best major league season in 1992 with the Royals.

And not everybody gets an established player ranking system named after them.  At least Bill Pecota had something come out of his career.  And he did play every position on the diamond at least once in the majors.  

As for the last trade of the year, Jeff Kent and Ryan Thompson both had a lot of hype, but David Cone went on to win 113 games over the next 10 years.   He was a guy they should have kept.   We have already reviewed Kent and Thompson had a few years as a fourth-outfielder type with the Mets.

The list: 

(1)  New York Mets traded Gregg Jefferies, Kevin McReynolds and Keith Miller to the Kansas City Royals for Bret Saberhagen and Bill Pecota  (Dec 06, 1991)

(2)  New York Mets traded Blaine Beatty to the Montreal Expos for Jeff Barry  (Dec 09, 1991)

(3)  New York Mets traded Hubie Brooks to the California Angels for Dave Gallagher  (Dec 10, 1991)

(4)  New York Mets traded Jeff Gardner to the San Diego Padres for Steve Rosenberg  (Dec 11, 1991)

(5)  New York Mets traded Chuck Carr to the St. Louis Cardinals for Clyde Keller  (Dec 13, 1991)

(6)  New York Mets traded Mark Carreon and Tony Castillo to the Detroit Tigers for Paul Gibson and Randy Marshall  (Jan 22, 1992)

(7)  New York Mets traded Terry Bross to the San Diego Padres for Craig Bullock  (Mar 30, 1992)

(8)  New York Mets traded Doug Simons to the Montreal Expos for Rob Katzaroff (Apr 02, 1992)

(9)  New York Mets traded Julio Valera and Julian Vasquez to the California Angels for Dick Schofield  (Apr 12, 1992)

(10)  New York Mets traded Tim Burke to the New York Yankees for Lee Guetterman  (Jun 09, 1992)

(11)  New York Mets traded Rob Katzaroff to the San Francisco Giants for Kevin Bass (Aug 08, 1992)

(12)  New York Mets traded David Cone to the Toronto Blue Jays for Jeff Kent and Ryan Thompson  (Aug 27, 1992)

Notes, part 2:  Julio Valera had a 3.1 WAR with California in 1992, while Dick Schofield became one of Tom's guys:  a career .232 hitter that came to New York and just couldn't cut it, hitting .202 while getting almost 500 at bats while trying.   

Trivia Time:  Hubie Brooks was drafted 6 times in amateur drafts before he signed in June 1978 with the Mets a full four years after he was first drafted by the Expos in 1974.

Tuesday's Who Won? will feature what could be regarded as the final clean-out of the 1986 World Championship team.   One of my favorite players and current announcer/analyst Ron Darling was traded in 1991.   I had completely forgotten that and would not have remembered which team he was traded to and for whom if you had given me 29 chances.    True Mets fans most certainly would remember .. anybody???