MACK – Tuesday Morning Observations

 

https://www.rockawave.com/articles/gotham-baseball-182/ -

“The media and the fans are relentless,” one player agent told me. “A lot of players don’t want to deal with that. They may change their mind if the Mets overpay, but I can’t remember anyone who told me, ‘I want to play for the Mets.’”

Even Steve Cohen’s billions didn’t make the Mets more desirable at first. When he took over the club, he made former Mets GM Sandy Alderson the team president, and several free agents passed on coming to the Mets in those first years.

However, that might be changing.

“Francisco Lindor has changed the way a lot of players look at the Mets as a destination,” the agent said. “He has changed the culture of the team and the clubhouse is considered [one] of the best in baseball. The Mets should have Lindor as part of their recruitment team for free agents.”

“They are a fun team,” said the agent. “Players talk to each other, and they see how much has changed at Citi Field.”

 

Phillies Tailgate                  @PhilsTailgate

SP Tomoyuki Sugano has applied to become a Free Agent. In 2024, Sugano had a 1.67 ERA in 24 starts for the Yomiuri Giants. He won Central League MVP in 2014 & 2020.

Teams confirmed with interest:

Phillies   Rangers   Angels   Brewers   Padres   Mets

 

https://carloscollazo.substack.com/p/five-compelling-numbers-for-five?s=03 –

Nolan McLean, RHP, Mets — 130

We’ve got internal stuff+ metrics are Baseball America and McLean’s 130 stuff+ score on his slider was the best mark of any individual pitch among NL East arms with data. That big slider grade helped him rank second (along with Christian Scott, Thomas White and AJ Smith-Shawver) among NL East arms with a normalized overall stuff+ mark of 113—behind only Phillies righthander Moises Chace (119).

McLean had a tremendous ability to spin the baseball going back to his amateur days and in 2024 he threw the slider at 85.1 mph on average with more than 2,900 rpm spin on average and nearly 14 inches of glove-side movement on average. Despite the power, spin and shape of the pitch he managed just a 13.1% swinging strike rate with the slider in 2024. That’s a lower rate than I would have expected given the pitch data, and would rank towards the bottom of NL East sliders.

Halfway through the season McLean dropped hitting (finally) and began to focus on pitching full-time. I’m fairly bullish on the arm talent here and think he can make some real strides now that he’s focused on pitching exclusively.

 

Mets Sign RHP Rico Garcia to Minor League Deal

https://metsminors.net/mets-sign-rhp-rico-garcia-to-minor-league-deal/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=mets-sign-rhp-rico-garcia-to-minor-league-deal&s=03

Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports the Mets have signed right-handed pitcher Rico Garcia to a minor league deal with an invite to major league spring training. The deal would pay Garcia a base salary of $900K if he makes the big leagues.

Garcia, 30, spent the 2024 season with the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings of the Nationals organization. In 55 relief appearances over 61 2/3 innings, the right-hander had a 3.94 ERA, allowed only 47 hits and struck out a whopping 89 batters. His 34.1 K% was fourth among 180 International League pitchers with at least 50 innings this year. Oddly enough, one of the hitters to do the most damage against Garcia this season was Mets minor league Brett Baty with two home runs.

 

Mike Mayer            @mikemayer22

ICYMI the Baseball Tonight podcast, here are Mets-related notes:

-Garrett Crochet: "I think it's a slam dunk he's going to be traded and the two teams I'm watching are the Red Sox & Mets." (Buster Olney)

-Garrett Crochet: "Teams that are trying to acquire him know he will sign

 

 

Projected 2028 Mets Lineup -

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/new-york-mets-2025-top-mlb-prospects/ -

Catcher: Francisco Alvarez (26)

First Base: Mark Vientos (28)

Second Base: Jett Williams (24)

Third Base: Jesus Baez (23)

Shortstop: Francisco Lindor (34)

Left Field: Brandon Nimmo (35)

Center Field: Carson Benge (25)

Right Field: Ryan Clifford (24)

Designated Hitter: Ronny Mauricio (27)

No. 1 Starter: Kodai Senga (35)

No. 2 Starter: Brandon Sproat (27)

No. 3 Starter: David Peterson (32)

No. 4 Starter: Nolan McLean (26)

No. 5 Starter: Christian Scott (29)

Closer: Edwin Diaz (34)

Mack – I found the Baez choice at third interesting. My choice would have been:

Keep Vientos on third

Move Clifford o first base.

Move Williams to center.

Add Luisangel Acuna to second.

 

 

Jon Heyman                        @JonHeyman

Kyle Hendricks to Angels. About $3M.

            2024:  (34/yrs.) – 4-12, 5.92/1.45

                        Mack – boy… gonna be an expensive starter market

 

Jim Koenigsberger            @Jimfrombaseball

"So Eddie Collins kept talking about the big players. Finally one day, in our little house, I was sitting in the living room with him, and we'd  been talking. I casually said, 'Tell me about Joe Jackson.'

Well I'll  never forget what he did. He dropped his head when I said 'Joe Jackson,'  and he thought for maybe three or four seconds, then he looked up at the ceiling and said,

'Boy, what a player he was.'

You could just see by  his timing, his look & the way he said it that there was no question in his mind just how good Joe Jackson was."

Ted Williams

 

"That was nice, but it's only the first step. I want to pitch on a Mets pennant winner & I want to pitch the first game in the World Series. I want to change things around here. The Mets have been a joke long enough. It's time to start winning, to change the attitude, to move on to better things. I don't want the Mets to be laughed at anymore."

Tom Seaver commenting on being selected to the All-Star Team,`67

 

"In the heat of the summer, they played with an intensity that could only come from the love of the game. The crack of the bat echoed through the stadium, sending shivers down their spines. The camaraderie shared between teammates was unbreakable, a bond forged on blood, sweat, and tears."

"The Boys Of Summer"

Roger Kahn

Campenella, Hodges, Snider, Robinson, Furillo and Reese.

 

"In the end it all comes down to talent. You can talk all you want about intangibles, I just don’t know what that means. Talent makes winners,  not intangibles. Can nice guys win? Sure, nice guys can win, if they’re nice guys with a lot of talent. Nice guys with a little talent finish fourth, nice guys with no talent finish last.”

Sandy Koufax