MACK – Thursday Morning Observations – 3 Mets To Re-sign
Morning.
Yeah, I
know… I’m the “Blow It Up” guy. Well, recent developments have altered my
thoughts on some players I didn’t have on my original “save” list.
Like
these three…
IF Jose Iglesias
He might
be the most pleasant surprise this season. He definitely has been the lead
cheerleader of this team.
The
leading hitter in the season was Bobby Witt Jr.
Iglesias
hit higher... .332. In 270 at-bat, he produced a 3.1-WAR and hit. 337.
I don’t
care how old he is. He’s been a spark plug (remember them?) as he is becoming a
music star with his OMG song. How does he take that to another non-OMG team?
I used to
be totally in love with prospects. I thought their potential was enough to
paint them as a star. This have been proven wrong so many times (Jon Heyman - @JonHeyman - Justin Dunn, a former Mets 1st
rounder from Long Island, will be throwing a mound session for scouts on
Tuesday in the Phoenix area. ). “Candelita” isn’t going to want to leave this. His teammates
and fans all love him. And, he was paid less then a mil this year.
Something
has to be worked out here.
1B Pete Alonso
Yeah…
that guy.
Don’t get
me wrong… I still don’t believe Pete should be offered a 5+ year deal at mega-bucks.
No…
Alonso’s
2024 salary was $20.5mil
The 2025
QO amount is $21.05mil
I would
not embarrass Pete with a one mil salary increase here… but I would
offer him $30mil to come back and join this team and city he loves, while
working on his batting average with a goal to rehit the market in 2026.
OF/DH Jesse Winker
Utility
players and designated hitters mean specific things to me. They either have to
play great defense, have a cannon for an arm, can produce power when needs, or
run like a rabbit.
But they
also have to have clubhouse and dugout glitter and it helps if they are a fan
favorite.
Jesse’s
stats don’t jump off the table, but on my team, Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil, and
Starlin Marte are going to be my starting outfielders (until one or two kiddies ever mature) and I wouldn’t bring back JDM in any role.
I’m going
to DH him against righties and pinch hit him when needed.
9 comments:
Winker would be an interesting re-sign, especially if Alonso leaves. Jesse has never played 1B, but why not - but only if Soto comes to the Mets. Iglesias should come back, too. Great vibe. Hopefully, he does not drop 100 points to .237.
How about resigning Severino, Manea, and Quintana? Another top pitcher like Burnes, along with Senga would make a really nice Starting Staff (I can dream, can't I?)
Mack, I believe your thinking on these three is fair, but Alonso will want security, translation: years. Players want the max value because, shit happens and these contracts are guaranteed. How far would you go?
On Inglesias, I just don’t know. He had many stats this year that will be hard to duplicate. His .337 BA came with a hard to duplicate .387 BABIP. His normalized .281 BABIP has given a .225 BA. Then, let’s talk about his 4% BB%, which is half of Alvarez’s 8% and Vientos’ 7.5%, and they aren’t exactly patient.
I believe over a full year, Mauricio and Acuna would benefit the team just as much and of course down the road. Stuff like Grimace and OMG don’t last year over year.
I do like Winker as a Nimmo-lite contributor. So, back to Alonso, how many years will you offer?
I agree with your Iglesias position - he has made baseball fun for the Mets, allowing them to play loose which has contributed to their success. I agree with your Pete position - he should get a QO to hopefully give him a season to prove he is still Pete. The way he has failed to recognize pitches this year concerns me. I am not sure about Winker. Yes he has been a good bat and he is very capable of playing corner outfield positions. His competitiveness could be a positive, but could also be a negative - there is something about his demeanor that forebodes clubhouse issues in the future.
Louie, a good dream. Only Sproat will be a viable MLB starter in 2025 from the minors. That is reality. Sign guys accordingly.
Sorry, but Iglesias will not be back. Acuna should be ready to step up. No room for both on next year's roster.
Mack,
I like Pete back on a one year contract to prove 2024 was just a fluke and to show he deserves a better contract offer in 2025. My concern is can management view him as a support role and not as the clean-up number four batter? His inability to hit as a clean-up, run producer has hurt this team throughout the year. Am I incorrect in my
assessment or am I asking too much from management?
Quintana (+95), and Severino (+92) have more than doubled their IP count from last year, while Manaea jumped from 118 to 182. This screams "arm injury" for all three, especially Q and Sevy next year. I'd be willing to engage Manaea on a 3-year deal, but if some GM is willing to go longer, then too bad. Q and Sevy: thanks for the memories!
The Mets farm system had a very bad year with injuries and poor performances, so counting on any prospects for Opening Day is not a good strategy IMO. Instead, I'd go for a repeat of '24 with some one-year deals. Shane Bieber would be an intriguing name if he is healthy coming off surgery. Maybe even Walker Buhler, if for nothing else on how good he looked last night. They still have Senga, Peterson, and Blackburn, with Butto as another SP candidate.
I think Jose Iglesias gets a one-year major league contract from the Mets and a promised coaching spot in the system (he will be 35 on OD). Should this post-season slump continue in 2025, I can see his roster spot being usurped by Acuna or Williams.
JDM, Bader, Winker, Stanek, and Maton are likely goners. I hope they retain Stanek. Winker has that something extra, but I worry about his health. A comeback by Ronny Mauricio would be huge in filling the DH spot.
The wildcard is Pete. Is this the beginning of his decline? And is this "decline" still better than 85% of the current MLB first basemen? Like Manaea, his return depends on how hard the Mets pursue him vs. some other team.
Great imput
Thanks
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