8/31/20

METS ANNOUNCE THREE TRADES

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METS ANNOUNCE THREE TRADES

 

FLUSHING, N.Y., August 31, 2020 – The New York Mets today announced the following trades:

 

The team has acquired infielder Todd Frazier from the Texas Rangers for a player-to-be-named-later. Frazier is batting .241/.322/.380 with 11 runs, seven doubles, one triple, two home runs and seven RBI in 31 games this season. He is a .243/.320/.448 hitter with 596 runs, 209 doubles, 15 triples, 216 home runs, 631 RBI and 38 steals in 1,217 career games.

 

Frazier spent two years with the Mets from 2018-19 and appeared in 248 games with the club, batting .233/.316/.418 with 117 runs, 37 doubles, two triples, 39 homers, 126 RBI and 10 steals.

 

The infielder is a two-time All-Star, making the team as a member of the Cincinnati Reds in 2014 and again in 2015. The Toms River, NJ native won the 2015 Home Run Derby.

 

The Mets acquired catcher Robinson Chirinos and cash considerations from the Texas Rangers for a player-to-be-named-later. Chirinos has appeared in 14 games for the Rangers this year and is batting .119/.224/.143 with three runs, one double and two RBI. He owns a career slash line of .231/.326/.432 with 251 runs, 98 doubles, four triples, 85 home runs, 264 RBI and a .758 OPS over 590 career games.

 

The Mets acquired RHP Miguel Castro from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for LHP Kevin Smith and player-to-be-named-later or cash considerations. Castro has appeared in 16 games for the Orioles this season and is 1-0 with a 4.02 ERA (seven earned runs/15.2 innings) with five walks and 24 strikeouts. He is 7-16 with seven saves, a 4.30 ERA (131 earned runs/274.0 innings), 139 walks and 220 strikeouts in 220 games overall. He has held right-handed hi­tters to .223 batting average (142-636) during his career.

 

Smith owns a career record of 12-8 with a 2.75 ERA (43 earned runs/140.2 innings) with 45 walks and 158 strikeouts in 35 games (26 starts). He was originally selected by the Mets in the seventh round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Georgia.

Breaking News - Mets reacquire Todd Frazier, get C Robinson Chirinos, RHP Miguel Castro



Todd Frazier's 2020 #'s: 108 AB; 26 Hits; 2 HR; .241 BA; 7 RBIs.

Robinson Chirinos' 2020 #'s: 42 AB; 5 Hits; 0 HR; .119 BA; 2 RBIs.

Miguel Castro's 2020 #'s: 1-0; 4.02 ERA; 16 games; 1 Save; 15.2 IP; 24 Ks.; 1.404 WHIP.




I had Kevin Smith as one of my top Mets prospects.  In fact after Gimenez was called up to the majors, I had him as my #1 "alternative prospect".  I think it was a mistake giving up him, or any other prospect this year.  We will see.

Kevin Smith struggled this spring, 4 games, 4.2 innings, 7.71 ERA, 5 hits, 4 earned runs, 2 walks, 3 Ks, 1.50.  

After being drafted in 2018 and pitching just 23.2 innings for Brooklyn (4-1, 0.76 ERA, 28Ks, 6 Walks, 0.76 WHIP), Kevin was moved up to High A St. Lucie to start 2019.

In 17 Games, 85.2 innings for St. Lucie, Kevin went 5-5 with a 3.05 ERA, 102 Ks, 24 walks, 83 hits, 1.25 WHIP;


Per Baseball Savant about his 2019 season: Among Mets farmhands who tossed at least 100 innings, Smith ranked first in strikeouts (130), strikeout rate (27.2 percent) and strikeout-to-walk rate (19 percent) and finished second in ERA (3.15).


I saw Kevin pitch back in July 2018 up here in Troy as a member of the Cyclones.  The Starting Pitcher that night, he went two innings, throwing 33 pitches, 23 strikes, 1 hit, 2 Ks.  Though he only threw in the low 90’s, he looked really good.  He only went to three balls on one batter.  Outside of the single, just one more ball made it out of the infield on a line drive to right field.

Here is what Kevin told SNY.TV on what he brings to the mound: "6 foot 5 lefty, throw 89-92 mph on the fastball. I throw a 4 seam, 2 seam, slider and changeup and am a competitor who wants to go deep in games when I start. I give my all out there and will do whatever is necessary to help the team win."



Mike's Mets - Another Lost Season, but a New Day Is Coming

 

From my post on Wednesday:
I'm not dumb enough to try to predict what happens today or tomorrow, but I will offer a prediction of sorts. As they have done since the weird, truncated 2020 baseball season began just over a month ago, at some point soon the Mets will put together a promising stretch of games. Just about the point you're thinking that maybe they can actually make a push for the expanded playoff field, they will run off another stretch of almost unwatchable bad baseball. Lather, rinse, repeat.
So, the team got back to within one game of .500 with an exhilarating double header win on Friday. After allowing myself a few minutes to savor what had just happened, I thought to myself, they won't even wait until this weekend is over to let all of the air back out of this balloon. I don't feel any sense of smugness over being proven right, I was actually hoping against hope that they would prove me wrong. Trust me, whenever I make a pessimistic prediction about the Mets and it's proven wrong, I'm the happiest person in the room. But this year I just keep being proven to be right, and I freaking hate it.

No doubt at some point soon they will do something really great again. The part of me that has spent five decades stubbornly holding on to any flickering ember of hope from this club will once again think, maybe now. My rational mind will know that the other shoe is poised and ready to drop, but that won't stop that little spark of hope. At some point pretty soon mathematical certainty will rear it's ugly head as it has done so many time in so many previous forlorn, impotent Mets seasons, and that hope will get packed away until next spring.

Something is different this time, however, and I don't feel quite the same emptiness I have felt when the Mets have previously managed to lose a game that should have been won in such a depressing manner. With the word that billionaire Steve Cohen is in final negotiations to purchase the Mets, it finally feels if the sun is poised to come up and end the long, dark night of Wilpon ownership. It won't fix what's wrong with the Mets this season, but it does has the effect of offsetting some of the gloom that has surrounded the club for the last decade plus.

I tried to write something on this topic yesterday, but I just couldn't get it out for some reason. If you've read this blog for a while, you know that I am rarely at a loss for words, but I was yesterday. Instead I took my dogs for a long walk and thought a lot about what it has meant to be a Mets fan for many years under the Wilpons.

It's not as if the bad times started in December 2008 when Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme came crashing down. Things have been pretty bad since the 80s turned into the 90s and what had been somewhat of a dynasty crumbled into dust. From 1991-1996, the Mets went 403-501, including a 103 loss team in 1993. Even the terrible Mets clubs of the late 70s and early 80s managed to avoid losing more than 100 games. After a bit of a renaissance in the Bobby Valentine years, the Mets quickly went through another bad stretch in the early years of this century. 2006 was a great year that ended badly, 2007 and 2008 just ended badly, and then we went right from late season collapses into Madoff.

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Today's Lineup - Mets vs. Miami 8/31/20 1:10 p.m.











Metstradamus - They're Done


By  | 
It’s over.
August 28th, which featured a doubleheader sweep of the Yankees in the Bronx which included a walkoff win by the visitors, was supposed to be the turning point. Along with the news that Steve Cohen was in the exclusivity stage of ownership negotiations, it might have even signaled the end of futility and embarrassment for this franchise. August 30th turned into a stark reminder that the Mets have a long way to go before they can shed the label of being the running joke of baseball.

Somehow the Mets took the capital that they gained on Friday and gave it all back on Sunday like they stole it. Even after they gave it all back, they still had another game to play. But that first game was Castillo’s drop, Wainright’s curve, Ryan Church missing first base, Lucas Duda’s throw home, Kurt Suzuki, Travis d’Arnaud’s five RBI earlier this season, all wrapped up into one. Seems extreme, but think of the level of failure it takes to lose a game when you’re up by five runs with two outs in the final inning. If Simone Biles tried to turn Mets futility into a comparable gymnastics routine, she would end up in traction before she would hit the padded floor.

Mack - An Open Letter to Mr. Cohen

 



I was told this week that many of the ‘higher ups’ in the Mets front office read me whenever I write on this site. I am honored if that is true.

 

If so, my wish would be that one of you that read me make a copy of what I am going to say here and give it to our new owner when he arrives. Better yet, send it to him before he arrives.

 

Steve, I first became a General Manager of a business in 1980, so I know a little about the do’s and don’ts of running a business. I also have been a Mets fan since 1962. Lastly, I have blogged about them since 2005. Add all this up together and my thoughts here should be considered respectable as well as worth reading.

 

1. Don’t be afraid to be hands on here. It is your money that brought you to this position and no one should stand in your way if you want to take an active role in the day to day operation of this team.

 

2.  Make an ‘at top’ move. Work out a pleasant exit for our existing General Manager. He tried and I am sure he thought that all the moves he made were the right ones. They weren’t. Other teams took advantage of him and his lack of experience when it came to talking trades. We can’t operate this way in the future.

 

3.  One thing our General Manager did well was to hire and build a solid draft, scouting, and analytical staff that is churning out the high quality additions to this organization, both through the domestic and International draft. Please make no changes in personnel here.

 

4. You have just bought a team that has a young, exciting nucleus of players in the clubhouse that are ready to win for years to come. The highly talented prospects that blanket the lower affiliate teams are going to take 2-3 years to being ready to join our current roster in Queens. Please have the patience to wait this process out.

 

5.  Consider Omar Minaya as either your new permanent or interim General Manager. Sit down with him. See if he is interested. If he is, see if he will have problems if you pick up the phone sometimes and talk directly to either other owners or General Managers in the league. Your reputation precedes you as a hands-on manager and your prior success probably happened because of you and no one else. Please run the team that way, but you can’t do everything. You will need a trusty Tonto by your side to run the day-to-day operations of this team. This will allow you the time to do what you do oh so well. I would hope you and Omar could come to some kind of agreement here. He is a good, kind, family man that has always given the Mets 150%. He also has a superior knowledge about how the baseball world works down in the islands. Trust me. He’s worth a strong consider here.

 

6.  You are quickly going to find that the press that are assigned to cover your team are not your best friend. Call it the New York way. Whatever it is, they will turn on you in a heartbeat if you lose a three game series to the Braves. You might consider countering this by a new hire of someone that these ‘reporters’ could report to. A couple of suggestions would be the recently retired Kevin Kernan or the ex-Mets beat writer Adam Rubin. They are both well respected by the fans as well as their old fellow beat writers. Kevin’s wife might not be happy with me suggesting here husband return from retirement, and I know Adam hated the travelling, but one of these guys might want to come back in from the cold for your new venture.


Oh… and regarding the online community, consider adding one of the more intelligent blog writers in some kind of full time capacity. Mike Steffanos or David Rubin come to mind. They are lifelong Mets supporters that could help you lead into the new world of online fandom.

 

And regarding the Twitter fans… these are not your friends. They tweet for one reason and that is to come up with one more entertaining snarky one-liner than the last guy.

 

7. I have no idea if you will take over the helm before this season ends. Don’t sweat it if you do. Let what happens, happen. This is a fractured season at best. Luckily, your arrival will be after the trade deadline, so you won’t be tempted to mortgage the house like our previous GM did (see… I am already talking about him in past tense). Let our rookie manager take this team into the off-season and then take it from there.

 

8.  I took over many businesses in my past and I found not every person I inherited had my best interest in mind. I am sure I am not telling you something you don’t know here, but you must rid ‘your’ team of anyone that is either just going to pull a paycheck or work behind your back in a negative way. This team desperately needs new, positive plasma in its veins. Remove your obstacles. And don’t forget the cannolis.

 

9.  Your time will be when the free agent market starts. I have no idea how much money you intend to spend here, but I know as as previous owner of a failed business, I knew my first year of operation was not going to be a profitable one. Instead, I always invested more and dug my hole a little deeper with the goal to go profitable a few years down the road. Better personnel cost more money. Refining the product as well as advertising it was also an immediate money drain, but all would prove to be the right move in the long run.

 

Your business is a simple one. Baseball players. Sure, the hot dogs have to be fresh and cooked well, but it is the team on the field that matters here.

 

A few suggestions from a lifelong observer…

 

- You need to add some key players via free agency to help this team until the kiddies rise to the top like cream. I offer you three areas:

 

- One, we need, at, least, one more quality starting pitcher for the 2021 (and beyond) season.

 

-Two, we need a rare find… a defensive first center fielder that also can hit.

 

-And three, we need a future catcher.

 

I will leave the names to consider to your brain trust (cough… George Springer.. cough).

 

10.  Make it fun to be a Mets fan again. Complete the Seaver statue project… consider a return of ‘Banner Day’… bring back The Fonz… stuff like this.

 

Lastly, thanks for reading my missive. You can always reach me directly at my email address: macksmets@gmail.com. We could then exchange phone numbers for the future.

 

There’s always a cold glass of sweet tea for you in my now (original Ozone Park boy) South Carolina home.

 

Mack

Reese Kaplan -- New Owner's Next Decision: Manager



When managers develop in the minor leagues they are accustomed to dealing with maturity issues, injuries as they occur, people who develop at different rates and some folks simply being unaccustomed to being away from home.  That latter problem could result in staying up too late, imbibing too many adult beverages, eating poorly or simply holing up and never leaving their apartment after the games are over.  These challenges are expected and, with time, manageable.  

What people have not encountered are the myriad of factors affecting the major league 2020 season, including a long layoff from February through late July, an extremely short "Summer Training" to prepare for the upcoming shortened season, the increased roster size, the folks losing innings due to virus affliction or the ones who opt out of their paychecks in deference to their families and loved ones.  The 2020 season has been an ever changing mish-mosh of things no one has ever experienced before.


Now imagine that the person you have asked to contend with these factors is an experienced minor league manager who was a last minute substitution when the planned rookie skipper was kicked to the curb over his personal integrity leftover from his playing days.  No matter how good Luis Rojas could be, it was not a fair situation even if it was a normal season as he did not have the requisite amount of planning time to figure out what he wanted to do, what he needed to see and how to get his players into game playing condition.

So the next major decision for the post-Wilpon winners is what to do with the weary and gut-punched manager they have in Mr. Rojas.  When a managerial vacancy evolves, many folks want to go back to the proven roster of experienced but unemployed candidates as they have some kind of track record on which to build expectations.  You can look to what a Buck Showalter has done during his managerial career and project it as a positive or a negative.  Or you could look to offer up the slot to a newcomer who probably is bursting with enthusiasm but has no history of making decisions.  

The Mets picked Rojas due to both his strong reputation as a minor league manager and his familiarity with the players who make up the roster.  The fact he'd earn next to nothing and that the decision had to be made extremely late in the process factored in as well.  Some were happy about it, some were cynical and some had a wait and see attitude.

So how has he done?

Wow, that's a tough question to answer.  No one could expect he would lose two of his primary starting pitchers in Noah Syndergaard and Marcus Stroman.  No one would have banked on the injuries to Michael Wacha and David Peterson.  No one could have predicted the COVID-19 afflictions removing Brad Brach, Jared Hughes and Tomas Nido from lineups.  No one would have banked on Pete Alonso turning into a sophomore version of Dave Kingman.  People would be left wondering what's become of the steady bats of Wilson Ramos, Amed Rosario and Jeff McNeil.  Then there were injuries to Jake Marisnick and Andres Gimenez.  

That's just roster issues.  Then there were the newly found juggling problems of where to put hot hitting Dom Smith, reliable J.D. Davis and various others.  Who expected Robinson Cano to be on the injured list but when on the field leading the league in hitting?  Who would have thought Edwin Diaz was pitching like Seattle Edwin Diaz most of the time?  Who would have predicted that Seth Lugo would move into the starting rotation and Steve Matz was threatened with being expelled from it, though the alternatives in the likes of Rick Porcello are no better?


As a manager, Luis Rojas continues to be a work in progress.  He's adapting to the ever changing roster.  He substitutes players for defense in place of offense late in the games (not late enough according to some critics).  He leaves pitchers in too long and gives quick hooks at other times.  It seems as if he is learning his lessons when he makes mistakes.  However, there are some black marks on his record, though much of it has to do with playing whatever cards he is dealt on a given day.

In the realm of new owners, they are probably smart to leave Rojas where he is for 2021.  There will be plenty of personnel issues to resolve in the front office and on the roster.  Somehow you need to impart some sense of continuity as it will be difficult enough to absorb all of the many changes that will occur.  There has been far more good than bad in Rojas.  

Keeping him around means budget dollars can go towards other needs the club must fulfill, such as starting pitching, outfield and perhaps catcher.  A new GM is a greater need to address than scrapping a hard working and beaten but not defeated manager.  Of course, after the horrid start, finishing above .500 would stand in his favor (though BVW bounced the greatly improved record of Mickey Callaway while his predecessor loyally stood by the incessant losing by the man Callaway replaced).  I'd keep Rojas for another season, hopefully a more normal one, and see how he develops.  

Tom Brennan - EDWIN DIAZ BORN IN THE WRONG ERA

SOME GUYS WERE JUST BORN AT THE WRONG TIME

Edwin Diaz is an absolute strikeout freak.  

Edwin, we can't deny it. 

You win.

But the definition for success as a closer is simple: 

Not blowing saves.

At that, you really blow all right.

Figure something out - fast.

Or forget closing forever.

You may have just blow up another Mets season.

Like you - yes, you - did in 2019.

Your timing is impeccable.

In those ultra-critical moments, you allow more long balls than a groovy BP pitcher.

You make every one of those hitters look like Barry Bonds.

Bewildering...jaw dropping.

Figure something out fast.

Understand this, please....

You pitch in an era where 2 to 3 times as many homers are hit than in, say, 1980.

Guys are much bigger, stronger, and home run focused.

What you could have gotten away with in 1980 you can't now.

Learn and adjust - or leave - or forever relinquish your closer role.

Because what you are doing is abysmal.  

Season-killing.

John From Albany – Mets News and Breakfast Links 8/31/2020


Good Morning. Happy Birthday to Claudell Washington, Pat Howell, and Hideo Nomo. Mets lose 2 to Yankees, and MLB trade deadline moves. 


Mets Links:

Game 1, Yankees 8, Mets 7. Rick Porcello 5 innings, 4 hits, 2 runs, 2 ER, 2 walks, 2K, 86 pitches – 55 strikes;  Justin Wilson, 1 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 1 walk, 1K; Jared Hughes 2/3 inning, 1 hit, 4 runs, 0 ER, 1 walk; Edwin Diaz (L, 1-1) (BS, 4) 1 inning, 2 hits (1 HR), 2 runs, 1 ER, 1 walk; Michael Conforto 2 for 5, 2 RBIs; Robinson Cano 2 for 4 (HR #5), 2 RBIs, 2 runs scored;  Dominic Smith 1 for 4, 1 run scored; Pete Alonso 1 for 3, 2 RBIs, 1 walk, 1 HBP; Brandon Nimmo 0 for 4, 4 Ks; J.D. Davis, 1 for 4, 1 run scored; Andres Gimenez 0 for 2, 1 run scored, 2 walks. (Box Score).


NY Post: Yankees’ insane rally stuns Mets as Edwin Diaz crumbles. The Yankees looked dead until the Mets let them back in the game with an error by Andres Gimenez at third and Jared Hughes issuing a two-out walk to Tyler Wade and then hitting Thairo Estrada, who replaced DJ LeMahieu in the top of the inning. Manager Luis Rojas went to Diaz to face the struggling Aaron Hicks. After Diaz’s wild pitch allowed Estrada to score, Hicks tied the game with a two-run line-drive shot to right that just cleared the wall.

Metstradamus: Somehow the Mets took the capital that they gained on Friday and gave it all back on Sunday like they stole it…that first game was Castillo’s drop, Wainright’s curve, Ryan Church missing first base, Lucas Duda’s throw home, Kurt Suzuki, Travis d’Arnaud’s five RBI earlier this season, all wrapped up into one. Seems extreme, but think of the level of failure it takes to lose a game when you’re up by five runs with two outs in the final inning.”




Game 2, Yankees 5, Mets 2. Seth Lugo 3.2 innings, 4 hits (1 HR), 1 run, 1 earned run, 2 BB, 7 Ks; Chasen Shreve 2.1 innings, 0 runs, 2 Hits, 2 walks, 2 Ks;  Jeurys Familia 1 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits;  Drew Smith (L, 0-1) 1 inning, 4 runs, 3 ER, 1 hit (Grand Slam HR), 2 walks, 1 K;  Dominic Smith 2 for 4, 1 RBI; Michael Conforto 1 for 4, 1 RBI; Jeff McNeil 1 for 4, 1 run scored. (Box Score).








Forbes.com: Reflecting On A Unique Subway Series Between The New York Mets And New York Yankees. “Gary Sanchez won it with an historic grand slam that clanged off the left field bleachers in his own ballpark. It was historic because it was the first pinch hit grand slam in extra innings in Yankees’ history and surreal because it occurred as the Yankees serving as the visiting team and it took place in the eighth, which in any previous year would have been their penultimate turn at bat.”

Mike Puma NY Post: Mets’ Seth Lugo takes step forward as transition to starter continues. “Lugo was stretched to 60 pitches after throwing 39 against the Marlins in his initial start of the season.”


>
NBC Sports: Mets place Betances, Matz on injured list. “Betances landed on the injured list with right lat tightness. Matz was placed on the IL with left shoulder discomfort and will see a doctor Monday to determine the next step.”

NY Post: Mets focused on catching upgrade before MLB trade deadline. “One catcher they had contemplated, the Angels’ Jason Castro, was traded Sunday to the Padres. There are multiple catchers available in the market, including Boston’s Christian Vazquez.”


Gotham Baseball: Great Expectations. “Money doesn’t automatically equate success. There have been many terrible Yankees free agent signings over the years: Carl Pavano, Kei Igawa, Jacoby Ellsbury, A.J. Burnett, just to name a few. However, the fact that the Yankees had the cash to take these chances and not let it destroy them is a comfort that few teams have.”










MLB Links:









Born on this date:
Transactions:

New York Mets traded Jerry Grote to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Dan Smith and Randy Rogers on August 31, 1977.

New York Mets traded Pete Harnisch to the Milwaukee Brewers for Donny Moore on August 31, 1997.

New York Mets traded Jeff Francoeur to the Texas Rangers for Joaquin Arias on August 31, 2010.

New York Mets traded Erik Manoah to the Los Angeles Angels for Fernando Salas on August 31, 2016.

2002
Losing their 13th consecutive game at Shea Stadium, the Mets complete the worst month at home in National League history. With the 1-0 loss to Randy Wolf and the Phillies, the Amazins' join the Seattle Pilots (August-1969) and the Tigers (September-1996) as teams that have not won a home game in a calendar month with at least ten games.


2012: In Miami, R.A. Dickey of the Mets wins his 17th with a 3 - 0 shutout.





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