2/17/20

Reese Kaplan -- An Eyes Wide Open Look at the 2020 Season



It was an interesting weekend between the insincere interview Jeff Wilpon gave the NY Post regarding his involvement in the team’s various messes since taking over from the Doubleday family, the shirtless prank the pitchers played on Noah Syndergaard when they all appeared in bare skin around the fully clothed Thor, and the ongoing lack of movement on improving the NY Mets roster.


With full squad practices beginning this week, a great many are looking to see who will win some of the minor position races and who will make up the 24th through 26th roster spots.  There shouldn’t be any great surprises with most of the decisions already made before a pitch has been thrown or a bat has been swung. 


Of course, the majority of the attention will be on the rookie manager who has not had the typical amount of time necessary to prepare his team for a full season’s battle.  Thus far Luis Rojas has been solid in interviews, quiet but forthright.  You never got the feeling like with the early days of Mickey Callaway that he was posturing for the cameras or like the overlong tenure of Terry Collins that he was resting on the laurels of dubious success in the past.  The players all seem uniformly happy with Rojas at the helm and all have been circumspect in their commentary about the man he replaced (let alone the reason for it happening).  Yes, you expect some feedback from the former Astros or players who were dinged while pitching against them, but for the most part it’s been newsworthy and not in a Page Six style.


The biggest news to evolve over the weekend was the Friday post that Alex Rodriguez is allegedly “kicking the tires” on joining the fray to bid for the team from the Wilpons.  Everyone knows that the Wilpons have agreed to relinquish control more quickly than under the documents drawn up with Steve Cohen, but they also have upped the price of the franchise by about $400 million over what Cohen was to pay for the club.  Good luck with that one given the club is allegedly losing $50 million per year and from a business perspective it would appear not to be a sound financial investment.  Financial pundits feel that Rodriguez, even with J-Lo's contributions, would not have enough capital to make this move without involving as yet unidentified partners.


TCM played the classic movie “Gaslight” this weekend which is about a desirable young wife being terrorized by her husband, making her feel as if she is going crazy.  In a way, that’s a lot like how it feels to be a Mets fan.  Just as soon as the optimism of a new beginning fuels your positive emotions, a blown deal, a baseball scandal or a misbegotten contract signing serves to pull the rug out from under you and make your despair as a Mets fan blossom anew. 

With a new owner the club might seek out a more experienced General Manager, look to strengthen the 25th ranked farm system, and embrace spending in a positive way instead of restricting roster improvements to previously injured or overwrought veterans (as well as picking up the scrap heap picks discarded by other teams).  There’s certainly truth to those notions and in many ways the improved 2019 club has nowhere to go but up.  


Right now it’s pretty clear they are not going to make any major changes that could impact the potential sale, so what you see is what you get.  Fortunately for Mets fans, that’s not all bad for the first time since mid-year 2015 when Yoenis Cespedes almost singlehandedly led the club to the World Series.  With a better manager, maybe this time they’ll win.

10 comments:

Tom Brennan said...

Lowrie coming in with a brace is a reminder that sometimes, optimism must be tempered by reality.

Remember1969 said...

But the great thing about it being Lowrie in the knee brace, is that he represented 0% of the optimism I have for this year's team.

Mack Ade said...

That first site of the knee brace immediately elliminated any chance of putting together a deal for him this year.

bill metsiac said...

I agree. While it would be nice to get a productive season from Jed, he's not someone to count on or even "need".

Tom Brennan said...

Too bad no DH. Lowrie might be easier to use effectively.

And yes, Remember1969, I think (absent injuries) the offense will thrive without a useful Jed

Reese Kaplan said...

Say what you will about the Lowrie leprosy (or whatever it is plaguing him now), but he's a much more valuable bat than Luis Guillorme. To say he won't be missed is not quite accurate.

Remember1969 said...

My take on this is that for the 25 or 26th player on the roster, the glove is much more important than the bat. I would rather see Guillorme backing up Rosario in the short term than Lowrie. I am not sure either of them is the answer if Rosario were to be out for 6 or 8 weeks. Lowrie hasn't played shortstop regularly in 6 years.

And I am not convinced that Lowrie's bat, even if healthy this year, would be that much better . . a 36 year old that missed an entire year cannot be expected to bring a lot to the plate.

Bob W. said...

I would expect Lowrie to be on the IL for most of the season. The guy has permanent, debilitating knee damage. He's about fit for a Central Park softball league, and that's about it.

The Mets really missed an opportunity to upgrade the left side of the infield with a real third baseman (several were available this winter). If Rosario and/or McNeil go down with injuries for any length of time, the 2020 Mets are going to take a hit.

Guillorme can be a defensive wizard at short, but I just don't see him being more that a light hitter (think Ruben Tejada). J.D. Davis at third base is just a scary thought. You can say what you want about taking a million ground balls at third in practice. There's something psychological that kicks in during a real game. He'll be triple-clutching lollipop throws to second and first. Eduardo Nunez? Not sure how much he has left in the tank.

This could be a problem if Cano gets hurt as well, and McNeil has to move to second.

Eddie from Corona said...

Who care that he has a brace, we should be hoping that its permanent. this way we recover the insurance portion of the contract, and id he isn't healthy then that is more of Mcneil and JD.
those are Win win win.

Tom Brennan said...

Luis G did better in second half with bat. Good sign