When New York Mets General Manager Brodie Van Wagenen called
the Seattle Mariners to make the trade for Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz I knew
it was going to be a good decision.
When talks began, Seattle
did not want to include Diaz, but Brodie insisted on him being included for the
trade to be completed. The Mets acquired one of the best closers in baseball
who is a light’s out type of strikeout pitcher with a fastball that can hit
triple digits on a radar. He also had 57 saves in 2018.
QI still can’t believe
Seattle traded him. I thought Seattle would not include Diaz and say the trade
is off. When you have a young closer
with that type of talent you keep him on your team even if you will not be a
contender.
Edwin Diaz is off to a good start thus far. He has four saves and
five strikeouts. Some of the media thought acquiring Cano’s contract would be a risk.
In my opinion it is not a risk, because when Cano played for the New York
Yankees he showed everybody that he can handle the pressure of playing in New
York and he will do fine.
As for the prospects the Mets traded, the bottom line
is you don’t know how a prospect will turn out so, I think the Mets will win this deal. Cano has two home runs thus far and helped the Mets win their season
opener.
Some of the media thought the Mets had to make one more
impact trade to be a serious contender. I felt they didn’t have to. The Mets
are a serious contender.
First of all, they have a very good starting pitching
rotation which is the strength of the team. When healthy the rotation can be
one of the best in baseball and that itself will help keep the Mets as serious
contenders for some time to come along with the young core of hitters.
I think
the Mets can take the division by outlasting the defending National League
Eastern Division Champion Atlanta Braves if the starting rotation remains
healthy. The Braves did not make that many changes during the off season.
The
Philadelphia Phillies may Have Bryce Harper, but part of their starting
rotation is questionable and the Washington Nationals will be affected by no
longer having Bryce Harper, because it is difficult to replace all of that
production. Also, their bullpen is questionable and currently it is off to a
rough start with an earned run average of 10.00.
The division winner may well be
decided during the last week of the season.
10 comments:
Bullpen wise...
I love the addition of Diaz
I think Familia will fall in line as a great 8th inning guy
And I think Lugo will settle down in his role.
The rest is in the air for me, especially guys like Peterson, Gsellman, and Avilan
Edwin was the missing link last year - he honestly alone could help the Mets win 10-12 more games than if this team had last year's bullpen.
So glad to have him.
Diaz is practically pitching for free. Otherwise they would have had to at least entertain a bloated contract for Kimbrel. That's a lot of money.
Also: Bruce and Swarzak were part of that deal. Bruce was signed for two years and blocking Alonso. At the time, all the rhetoric was about Pete's poor defense, weak AAA conclusion. We know that if Sandy was in charge, Bruce was the 1B. Now he's being paid by the Mariners. And again, Alonso is working practically for free. Other note: Jay can't play OF anymore. Can't move.
As for Swarzak, see you later.
This trade was the golden stroke delivered by Brodie that set the stage for many other moves. A trade that has been reviled, whined about, and wildly misread by many folks all over the blogosphere.
It was a great move.
And, yes, I actually think Kelenic will likely become a very good player and very possibly an All-Star. It was a trade for the present that sacrificed, to some degree, the future.
Personally, I'm tired of losing. Glad that somebody finally showed up who wants to run this team and try, at least, to win.
While I'm on this: Two other trades that Brodie made that Sandy would have never made -- too many naps! -- were small deals for Broxton and Davis. He and his completely revamped management team, along with new scouting and development heads, identified those two players and went out to obtain them.
The deals may or may not work. Not everything does. Some will backfire. But I appreciate the effort. After 8 years of Sandy, I feel nothing but relief that he's gone.
Jimmy P
On pen, I agree with Mack.
Love Familia and Lugo.
It's early.
Not sold on Gsellman. I think Avilan (who makes me think of Roxy Music) is a loogy. The kind of talent you need to protect. Peterson, I'm not seeing it.
They feel an arm or two short. Hopefully somebody steps forward, but AAA looks very thin in that department. It's a struggle all over baseball.
Jimmy P
The system doesn't seem to have another stone cold lock reliever before Ryley Gilliam arrives.
Prove me wrong guys...
Jimmy P, you are so right on Diaz. The pen was one of two main reasons the Mets missed the playoffs last year - the pen this year without Diaz? It still would have been one of baseball's bottom third.
Diaz lifts them 10-15 notches - he can't do it all - but his last 2 years show that he is a quantum leap upgrade.
It is awful to sit there in the 9th with a slim lead, knowing the chances of blowing it are great - Diaz was 66-0 in games last year that he had the lead. Any realist looks at that and realizes he could be as, or perhaps even more, important to this team than Jake.
The Yankees have long recognized that, since the Mariano days arrive. Seasons are won or lost by the pen.
Right now, the Mets could be 3-6, not 6-3, if they had last year's pen.
Edwin? Priceless.
Mack's Mets Blog staff
The Mets purchase the Syracuse team for the AAA affiliate since Oct 9, 2017. A fact known well over a year.
However, your drop down list still refers to the 51's. I am not sure why that could of been omitted by your IT Staff
Love having Diaz at the back end of the bull pen........the middle relief is a bit more chaotic, but it is early, right? Right? (in my least convincing voice)
Win a world series and the trades a win. Pay 60 mm for the last 3 years of cano to be a shell of himself in the field bc the mets are too cheap to put him on the bench or eat the money and its a different equation.
Lets say it all works out well, cano cruises off into the sunset at 42 having hit 20 hrs and 280 the year before. pretty much the same and the previous 4 other years. diaz is a top closer for 4 years and kelenic is just a ballplayer not a lesser mike trout, the 2 pitchers are a good reliever and 3/4 starter then its fair and a win for everyone. Start moving those outcomes around and well it changes. If kelenic is a less trout and diaz has tj for 18 months of that or cano's legs act like a 40 year olds then, not so much a win.
The sunk cost of future opportunity on this trade is negated if the mets win a ws at any point during the first 4 years that include control of all players included. other than that, hold the horses till year 3.
I'm going to disagree, Robb.
Injuries happen. Guys get run over in the street, arms fall off, and so on. But the merits of a trade can't entirely hinge on that.
If Cano is awful -- and that's possible -- I think that's within the anticipated realm of what might happen. We're not paying him $20 million a year. Seattle took on Bruce and Swarzak. And we got a stud reliever on the cheap, another massive savings that came out of the trade.
Also: What if the DH comes to the NL?
If all the extremes play out -- Diaz blows out his arm, Cano fades, Kelenic becomes a star, Alonso sucks, Bruce hits 60 HRs -- it will still be, in my mind, a reasonable gamble in an attempt to win now.
And really, that's the big complaint some fans have. The emphasis on trying to win now. Weirdly, some guys kind of hate that. "But in 4 years . . . !" and then the tears come.
Let's face reality: Brodie works for the Wilpons, who are grotesque. Part of the equation is to win now. That's the job, it's why he got fired. Sandy never tried to win, never had the interest or the energy to risk anything, and the proof is in the pudding.
Maybe everything Brodie does will fail. Maybe the front office overhaul, the scouting overhaul, the analytics overhaul -- the weeding out of all the half-hearted systems put in by Sandy will all fail spectacularly.
But I will give him credit for trying.
To win.
Now.
With Jake in his prime, etc.
Jimmy P
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