Ernie Palladino | CBS New York- If hope was heat, the signing of Yoenis Cespedes already would have melted away the snow mounds from Winter Storm Jonas. In agreeing with Cespedes, the Mets created the biggest storm of offseason hope in their history. Never, even in this era where the franchise has been blessed with outstanding young pitching arms in Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz has hope for a postseason berth been so high as with the re-signing of this one power hitter. The lineup, so explosive the last two months of the season thanks to Cespedes’ influence, went from shaky to fearsome overnight. The so-so signing of Alejandro De Aza doesn’t look so bad now that he’ll be coming off the bench with Wilmer Flores, Juan Lagares, and Kevin Plawecki. And Neil Walker and Asdrubal Cabrera will offer solid fielding at second and shortstop, and perhaps even more than a little hitting.
(Chris Soto: Ok....let's break this down. This was an absolute steal for Sandy Alderson. A) He gets one of the best power hitters in the MLB right now...for under $100M, B) the deal is front loaded, so whether or not Yoenis elects to stay beyond 2016, Sandy is going get some extra spending money for next off-season too, and C) Cespedes agreed to allow the Mets to place a Qualifying Offer on him if he chooses to leave next season, giving them an extra Top 40 draft pick in 2017 if he ends up leaving. This is an unbelievable sign....)
Derrick Goold | St. Louis Post-Dispatch- An annual question Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak faces from the fans at Winter Warm-Up is whether the designated hitter is about to intrude on the National League. It did Saturday. He said there’s “more momentum” for the DH in the NL. “I do feel like there were times I could look all of you in the face and say it’s a non-starter, it’s not being discussed at the owner level or GM,” Mozeliak said Saturday during an expansive discussion with the media at the team’s 20th annual fanfest. “But over the past year it has. I’m not suggesting you’re going to see a change but I definitely think the momentum (has changed).” Mozeliak’s comments echoes similar ones made this past spring by Major League Baseball Players’ Association chief Tony Clark, who said he has heard more discussion about the DH spreading to the NL than in years past.
(Chris Soto: Whether we agree with the idea of the DH in the National League or not...we have to recognize that from a player's union perspective....this move makes sense. Having a DH allows for players with big bats, but tiny gloves, to finally have a defined job role in the other half of the league. It expands the number of "jobs" available, thus increasing the amount of money that is available to players to earn. It also reduces the potential for injury among high profile SP such as what happened with Adam Wainwright last season.)
(Chris Soto: Ok....let's break this down. This was an absolute steal for Sandy Alderson. A) He gets one of the best power hitters in the MLB right now...for under $100M, B) the deal is front loaded, so whether or not Yoenis elects to stay beyond 2016, Sandy is going get some extra spending money for next off-season too, and C) Cespedes agreed to allow the Mets to place a Qualifying Offer on him if he chooses to leave next season, giving them an extra Top 40 draft pick in 2017 if he ends up leaving. This is an unbelievable sign....)
Derrick Goold | St. Louis Post-Dispatch- An annual question Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak faces from the fans at Winter Warm-Up is whether the designated hitter is about to intrude on the National League. It did Saturday. He said there’s “more momentum” for the DH in the NL. “I do feel like there were times I could look all of you in the face and say it’s a non-starter, it’s not being discussed at the owner level or GM,” Mozeliak said Saturday during an expansive discussion with the media at the team’s 20th annual fanfest. “But over the past year it has. I’m not suggesting you’re going to see a change but I definitely think the momentum (has changed).” Mozeliak’s comments echoes similar ones made this past spring by Major League Baseball Players’ Association chief Tony Clark, who said he has heard more discussion about the DH spreading to the NL than in years past.
(Chris Soto: Whether we agree with the idea of the DH in the National League or not...we have to recognize that from a player's union perspective....this move makes sense. Having a DH allows for players with big bats, but tiny gloves, to finally have a defined job role in the other half of the league. It expands the number of "jobs" available, thus increasing the amount of money that is available to players to earn. It also reduces the potential for injury among high profile SP such as what happened with Adam Wainwright last season.)
HOT STOVE REPORT (courtesy of mlbtraderumor.com)
- Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe argues that former Mets RP Bobby Parnell could have some significant value as a end of the off-season signing. Parnell's velocity has reportedly returned to the upper 90's area that it was before his surgery.
- Meanwhile, it is being reported that despite the $27.5M addition to the 2016 payroll, that the Mets may STILL not be done with the off-season. Per Mike Puma, a team source at the BBWAA dinner indicated that the Mets still spend more money to bring in some additional help for the 2016 bullpen.
12 comments:
Exciting over this Cespedes signing is overwhelming and justified. Fans have to now reward ownership by boosting attendance by 1,000,000 fans. let's get the party started and win 100 games.
Parnell could be a pen piece if healthy and throwing hard again.
Yeah im sorry but I don't understand why so many people are arguing against the NL having a DH. And young people in their 20s arguing against it is silly and theyre just trying to sound interesting...........
Im a lifelong mets fan but it doesn't mean im entertained watching the 9th spot in the lineup hit a collective .180something with like a homer, a few RBIS and limited boring sac bunts.
It also, especially for the Mets, keeps wright around to finish career as an option.
The intellectual in me can get a kick out of the chess game that goes with pitchers hitting, being taken out, bunting, double switches and all that cute stuff but I'd still rather see more hits and more runs.
Also not to mention how weak it makes the 8 hole hitter as well. They get pitched around all the time when first base is open and wind up swinging at garbage pitches.
I am so in favor of adding the DH and one more roster spot as well. So MLB has that in there corner when negotiating with the union. So might be able to get the international draft set as well from a unions side of things?
I, too, would be willing to cave to the DH -- even though it would remove one of the Mets' advantages. The two leagues should play the same game.
Or that 3 player non roster thing a ma jig they were discussing to do per game
I think the AL has more of advantage when we play them in their park by having one guy bat that is more experienced than our top bench player. Not to mention how much rest it can give the rest of the lineup and still not losing at bats for your big hitters.
Good morning -
Regarding the DH, I', against it, but I do think it would extend David Wright's effectiveness for this team.
For that reason alone it's worth considering.
No dh! Watching degrom, Noah and Bartolo hit is worth the price of admission!
Adding the DH is all about money and nothing else. I would prefer not to see that abomination come to the NL but its just a matter of time. Business decisions always win. The two leagues have played differently for a very long time now. This fair/unfair thing pops up now? Sure an inter-league game happens every day but the total number of them is pretty much the same. The DH is a place for big market teams to stash their bad bloated contracts for players that can no longer field their position.
The strategy thing is a secondary, albeit interesting, facet to the DH debate.
Throw the ball, catch the ball, hit the ball - it's what you're required to do to be a baseball player. You may not excel at all three, but your relative competency determines your position in the field and in the line-up.
Can't do one of those things with any aplomb, shame on you--and you'd better be able to excel at the others. Can't do two? There's a professional whack-a-mole league somewhere maybe.
But, yeah, it's coming I guess.
Just wanted to add a belated congratulations to the Mets front office for a job incredibly well done. Alderson is a master at keeping his cards close to his vest.
LGM!
Haven't read all the comments so if I echo anyone here let me know.
I was thinking, kinda jokingly, that Cespedes turned down the Nats offer cause he didn't want to face our stud pitching staff 25 times a year!!
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