Good morning.
The Kyle Tucker signing…
for less than the Mets offered… with LAD speaks volumes about players wanting
to win now. Yes, the Mets offered more… $60mil for the first two years, $50mil
for the next two years ($220mil)… plus a $75mil signing bonus. No referrals.
That’s $295mil folks vs. the Dodgers deal at $240mil.
Steve Cohen and David Stearns have
to sit down… just the two of them… and realize that many great players are
looking to join teams that can immediately take them to the World Series. This
is where the Dodgers and Blue Jays win.
The Mets simply do not
have the pieces to get there right now.
The exodus of the old
core has left them far short of being projected to produce them same kind of
offensive output that they did last season. But the loss of losing so many
games last season that they had scored six or more runs simply exposes the real
problem here… stable, over-producing starters.
At this point, my
suggestion is quite simple. Stop trying to convince free agents that you are
banging on the doors to the World Series. They’re not stupid. And it they are,
their agents sure aren’t.
Everybody says you have
one of the deepest minor league talent pools. They all can’t play here.
Take Nolan McLean, Ryan Clifford,
and Elian Pena
off the table. Yes, that’s all. You need to hold on to Clifford, your
only possible major league solution at first base. As for the major league
roster, hold back Juan Soto, Francisco Lindor, Francisco Alvarez, Clay Holmes, Dylan
Ross, and Devin Williams.
Call up Ben Cherington,
the General Manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Hand him a list of both
the minor league and major league roster of the current Mets.
Tell him to… pick
five… for the services of Paul Skenes, contingent on Skubal
agreeing to a contract extension with the Mets.
This is a practice done
all the time. Skubal doesn’t want to stay in the Burgh and just how many people
can sign with the Dodgers?
Pull this off and your
SP1/2 is Skenes and McLean and you are on your way to building the top rotation
in baseball.
(and if this can't be pulled off, call Detroit)
The Mets quickly counter
the Tucker loss on Friday and sign infielder Bo Bichette to
a three-year, $126mil contract. He will play third base, but the contract also
has a player opt out after BOTH the first and second year. For me, this is
basically nothing more than a one-year deal and bumps the guy that had the best
stat line in the last 90 days of last season.
Oh… did I tell you he
has never played a major league inning at third?
So… the Mets now have a
first baseman that has played only one game on first and a… you take it from here.
The bullpen camp should
be interesting, come Pitchers & Catchers reporting day.
In addition to the usual
suspects left on the roster from last season, by my count, here is the gang of
thieves the Mets signed this off-season to minor league contracts:
Joe Jacques, Anderson Severino, Robert Stock, Nick
Burdi, Matt Turner, Aaron Rozak, Justin Armbruester, Zach Peek, Daniel Duarte, Tyler
Burch, Mike Baumann, Robinson Martinez, and Trey McGough.
I’ve been inside the
minor league clubhouse. There are plenty of lockers to house these guys, but
just how much time can the Mets a lot to each of these pitchers (plus their
real squad), both in the lab but also on the back fields?
I’d love to still be
there and watching this develop.
Thomas Nestico - TJStats
Top 50 Starting Pitchers for
2026
https://tjstats.ca/2026/01/13/top-50-starting-pitchers-for-2026/
37) Nolan McLean
P, Age: 24, Throws: R, 6'
2"/214 lbs
DOB: 2001-07-24, Willow
Spring, USA
Nolan McLean is by far the safest bet of this
trio of dynamic young arms entering 2026. His arsenal is jam-packed
with polished offerings including a pair of breaking balls that grade out as
some of the best in MLB. He is extremely athletic, and command gains have
propelled him to #1 pitching prospect in baseball status. His cup of coffee
last season went as well as the Mets could have hoped, and he has the talent to
cement himself as one of the best starters in MLB next season.
MACK –
This is about the best someone can say
about a ROY candidate. Impressive synopsis from Mr. Nestico.
Tobey Schulman @tschulmanreport
Jacob Reimer should be a
consensus top-100 prospect by the end of 2026. The 21-year-old generates a
solid amount of pull-air contact, and excelled vs. AA pitching in 61 games.
.282/.379/.491 slash line
between A+/AA in '25, with 17 HR, and a 157 wRC+.
Mets claim INF Tsung-Che Cheng off
waivers from Rays
GROK –
Tsung-Che Cheng (鄭宗哲 in Chinese,
pronounced roughly "sung-chay cheng") is a Taiwanese professional
baseball infielder currently in Major League Baseball (MLB).Born on July 26,
2001, in Pingtung County, Taiwan (specifically Jiuru township), he's 24 years
old as of now.
He stands at 5'8" (173
cm) and weighs around 180 lbs.
He bats left-handed and
throws right-handed.
Background and Career Path
Cheng signed with the
Pittsburgh Pirates as an international free agent in July 2019 (during the
2019-20 signing period) for a $380,000 bonus.
He didn't play in 2020 due
to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He made his pro debut in
2021 in the Pirates' rookie league.
He progressed through the
minors:
Strong showing in 2022 with
High-A Bradenton (.270/.376/.418 slash, led organization in steals with 33).
In 2023, he hit well across
High-A and Double-A levels (.278 combined with good on-base skills, triples,
and extra-base hits).
He was added to the Pirates'
40-man roster in late 2023 to protect from the Rule 5 draft.
Ranked as high as a top-17
to top-25 prospect in the Pirates system at points.
MLB Debut and Recent Moves
He made his MLB debut on
April 9, 2025, with the Pirates (becoming the 18th Taiwanese player in MLB
history) after a promotion due to an injury. His time in the majors was brief
and limited (e.g., 0-for-7 in early appearances).
His minor league production
dipped in later years—especially 2024-2025—with lower batting averages and
power (e.g., .209/.307/.271 in Triple-A in one recent season, high strikeouts
at times, and struggles against lefties).
Scouts praise his defense most:
he's a reliable, versatile infielder with good range, hands, arm, and
actions—capable at shortstop (primary), second base, and even some third base.
He's speedy (good
base-stealer) with solid contact skills and plate discipline when at his best,
but limited power.
The Pirates designated him
for assignment (DFA) in late 2025 to clear roster space.
The Tampa Bay Rays claimed
him off waivers in early January 2026.
On Friday, the New York Mets
claimed him off waivers from the Rays—adding infield depth to their
organization.
He's likely viewed as
organizational depth/utility potential (possibly a super-utility type) rather
than a locked-in starter, given his bat hasn't fully translated at higher
levels. But his glove, speed, and Taiwanese background make him an interesting
depth piece.
Do the deal - get Skenes. If he stays healthy, better than Tom Seaver. Mic drop.
ReplyDeleteAdd Skenes and another strong BP arm, you’d be ready for battle vs. L.A. Blue.
ReplyDeleteSkenes and McLean... the beginning of something really great
DeleteMack I’m confused, I don’t think the signing bonus works that way? I think the $75 mil comes out of the first 2 years of his pay but is paid upfront? The way I read what you wrote is he would’ve made $75 million a year roughly? When you add it all up?
ReplyDeleteI hope I’m right because offering that much would be really ridiculous?
I think you are right too
DeleteI read this and should have waited until I confirmed what that blogger said
Sorry to all
ReplyDeleteThe Pirates offered Schwarber a 4/$120MM deal, forcing the Phillies to go five years. They are starting to try. They aren’t trading Skenes. Realistically, Skubal and the Twins pitchers need to be considered.
Still, he's very unhappy there
DeleteI'm confident the Mets will be one of the best teams in MLB in September with a few more tweets.
ReplyDeleteI'm excited after the Bo addition because it's been a loooong winter but now pitchers and catchers come on down I can't wait! Adding Skenes would be icing on the cake of course. Kicking the Phillies ass is just a bonus and forcing them to go 5 years on Schwarber AND resigning the ageing Realmuto has me giddy with excitement. So Lets go Mets!
ReplyDeletethe Mets have such an excess of infielders in their chain
DeleteI really expect a trade for a killer starter here for some of them
Every fan wants the Mets to be competitive, and this drives a sense of urgency. However, to be realistic, the team is undergoing a huge change in their core and this does not translate into immediate success. Trying to outspend the Dodgers to have more talent on paper is unachievable. Build a realistic team around the new core, let them work together for half a season, and then evaluate at the mid-season trade deadline if you need to go big to win or to just let the integration project work.
ReplyDeleteI looked up 5’8” Tsung-Che Chong’s minors stats. The last 2 years? Brutal. He hit .215 over the two years. .207 with a .267 slugging % in 2025?
ReplyDeleteI guess the Mets are still in the process of cornering the market on short guys.
An amazing comment on another site by Dawid Wechter:
ReplyDelete“ At some point the conversation has to move past contracts and positional diagrams and back to the only question that actually decides seasons: *Can you beat elite teams when it matters?*
You win by elite players performing against other elites. Not by optionality. Not by positional cleverness. You collect elite after elite because October strips everything else away.
We already saw the answer with the 2024 core. When it mattered, the Mets couldn’t beat **Walker Buehler**. That was against a Dodgers team that wasn’t even close to what they’re building now. That’s not an indictment of effort or culture — it’s a talent ceiling being exposed.
So when people debate whether Bichette plays third, first, or somewhere else, they’re starting in the wrong place. The point isn’t where he stands in the field. The point is what he brings to the lineup every night: elite two-strike approach, the ability to foul off premium pitches, relentless work habits, and leadership that shows up daily, not just in speeches.
Those traits travel. They compound. They change the standard inside a clubhouse.
And they matter even more if the real window isn’t 2025 or 2026.
If the Mets believe their best chance to win it all is 2027, then Bichette isn’t a bridge or a placeholder — he’s a force multiplier. Spring training alone becomes more valuable when players like Jett Williams, Carson Benge, and Nick Morabito are watching how a legitimate elite prepares, competes, and handles failure.
That’s not punting seasons. That’s accelerating readiness.
You don’t build a winner by making sure every tool is perfectly labeled. You build it by making sure, when the hardest pitch of the season arrives, someone in the box knows exactly what to do with it.”
Gus, well put.
ReplyDeleteI told Dawid that was the best comment I read all year
DeleteThe Mets won't win anything any time soon because they simply do NOT have a plan. They cannot decide if they are going with their young and up coming possible stars or sign so called proven players.
ReplyDeleteThey need a LF and CF but they sign a 3B to close a hole that did not exist while failing to address the ones they do have. All while rendering Baty and Vientos and others in the minors useless.
But since they do not have enough infielders, they pick another one that had been released just because, well ...he is an infielder.
Both of the high priced Elian Pena and Wandy Asigen are infielders. The long list is getting longer.
Mack, do you really think that even with Skubal the Mets beat the Dodgers?. They are more likely to contend for the WC.
To me signing Bichette was more of a desperation move from being turned down by Tucker. But at least Tucker would have close and existing hole in the outfield. Now they have signed 2 infielders and traded for another and none of them are worth the money they will be paid.
Can wait for them to get taken when they trade Baty and others for the Great Luis Robert Jr.
Genius....can't wait for Formula 1 to start.