ANGRY MIKE: JEFF MCNEIL TRADE BREAKDOWN

ANGRY MIKE 

Mets traded Jeff McNeil to the Athletics for a minor league player Monday afternoon, continuing their overhaul of a 2025 roster that was one of the highest paid in MLB history. McNeil was a fan favorite in select circles, which is why social media was on fire with anti-Stearns sentiments pretty much all day. At the end of the day, trading McNeil was inevitable, for the simple fact that his salary, lack of defined starting role, and limited upside made him expendable.

The 2025 roster had multiple players making very high salaries, which didn’t translate to the success needed to justify keeping their salaries. The Mets bench last year was arguably one of the most expensive group of players and it was clear Stearns and Cohen were not going to repeat that mistake for the 2026 season. The Mets have signaled a clear change in organizational philosophy, with Mets’ brass deciding to move forward with a different nucleus of players going forward. We already know which veterans will form the “experienced older soldier” component of the Mets new nucleus. Trading McNeil signals the Mets willingness to create additional opportunities for key youngsters to have the opportunities they need to establish themselves.

McNeil had an up and down career for the Mets, after a solid rookie season, his best season was 2022, when he won the National League Batting Title. The Batting Title promptly earned him a multi-year extension that winter, but unfortunately his production and ability to stay healthy quickly declined. It’s no secret McNeil and franchise shortstop Francisco Lindor did not get along. Pete Alonso sealed his fate when he rejected the above market extension Cohen offered after a mediocre 2023 season. After Branson Nimmo was traded, and an unwillingness by Cohen and Stearns to make any effort to retaining Alonso, the writing was pretty much on the wall for McNeil.

Love him or hate him, McNeil only invoked those two sentiments during his Mets career. Out of respect to the fans who supported him, I’m going to highlight the things that made him a fan favorite. He was seen by his supporters as a team-first player, who played multiple positions, and was an above-average offensive performer for a player often relegated to a utility role. He provided sound defense at multiple positions, and his willingness to learn to play center-field this past season, is another reason why they considered him a team-oriented player. 

The Athletics get a solid veteran bat, who is also from California, who should provide stability to the young nucleus of stars the Athletics are developing. If McNeil starts off well, I fully expect Billy Beane to trade McNeil for any type of prospect haul he can get from a potential contender. The likelihood of McNeil finishing the year with the Athletics is fairly low, as the Athletics are not the type of franchise who’ll pay $11 million dollars for a player with his offensive profile. Beane is a hustler and he’ll make sure to put McNeil in a position to succeed by batting him in between Jack Wilson and Nick Kurtz, so McNeil has the ability to put up the best numbers possible, so he can sell high.

ATHLETICS RECEIVE:

JEFF MCNEIL 

$5.75 Million cash 

$2 Million Buyout of 2027 Salary -> Mets will also pay

METS RECEIVE:

YORDAN RODRIGUEZ  - RHP 

Mets acquired Yordan Rodriguez from the Athletics, whom the Athletics signed out of Cuba, as an international free agent for $400,000. Rodríguez spent the summer of 2025 playing for the Athletics DSL squad, and he had decent numbers in his professional debut. 

Height -> 6’3 

Weight -> 190 pounds

D.O.B. -> 01.29.2008

2025 STATS: 8 Games | 1 Game Start

15.1 IP | 20 K | 11 H | 5 ER | 8 BB | .208 BAA | 1.24 WHIP 

32% K-RATE  ||  13% BB-RATE 

Was dominant against RHB -> held the to a .175 BAA | 17 K | 12 IP 

Rodiriguez’ prospect profile is all about projection, projection, and more projection. He’s 6’3, but he has a smooth low-effort delivery, which saw an impressive uptick in velocity this past summer. He sat comfortably in the low 90s and suddenly started topping out at 96 MPH. Rodriguez also flashes the potential for a plus slider, which he didn’t use as often, but when he did the spin rates maxed out at 2700 RPMs with sharp late break. Rodriguez enjoyed a solid debut to his professional debut and the Mets should be bringing him stateside this summer and assign him to the FCL so they can tinker with his delivery and arsenal to see how they can start creating their version of Frankenstein.

Overall it’s a solid developmental piece for the Mets farm system, as the ingredients are there for them to help him develop further and potential raise his prospect profile. High-leverage RP might be the best case scenario, but it’s far too early to tell. This trade was executed to provide the Mets with further payroll flexibility for this season, but more importantly open up playing time opportunities for the variety of younger talent the Mets have ready and waiting.

 

Paul Articulates – Is McNeil a keeper?

Jeff McNeil has been a very valuable player on the New York Mets for many years.  He is, without a doubt, the most versatile player on the team.  For years, he has aptly manned the second base position as a starter, but has also been a go-to option to fill in for any outfield spot that opens up.  

It used to be that he was recognized as a second baseman and a corner outfielder, but upon his recent return from the IL, he has been asked to fill in as the center fielder while Jose Siri is on the IL. 

So we have guy that can play 2B, 3B, LF, CF, RF, and maybe more.  He has a career batting average of .289, and a batting title in 2022 when he hit .326, which was the best in MLB.  This year he is slashing .269/333/.462 while playing the aforementioned plethora of positions.  Sounds like a guy that you would want on the team for the foreseeable future.  Right?

Here is the question that I pose to the readers.  If you are working to build a sustainable team with youth and talent and a pipeline full of strong pitching, would you give up a 33 year old position player for a couple of strong prospect pitchers and let the youth movement (e.g. Acuna, Jett Williams, Drew Gilbert) move up a notch and play their way into the lineup?  

This is a tough question.  As a fan, McNeil has always been one of my favorites.  He can hit the ball to all fields, has shown flashes of power, and as mentioned earlier can play multiple positions which expands the roster.  

But three seasons removed from his batting title, with a couple of less-than-spectacular seasons in the books (2023: .270 average; 2024: 238 average), do you “sell high” while he has value, or hold on through the decline of age?  

What would you ask in return for a two-time all-star, one-time silver slugger, and one-time batting champ that can still perform?  Or would you stay the course, retain McNeil, and hold back the prospects?

Paul Articulates - The Veteran Dilemma

The Steve Cohen / David Stearns plan to rebuild the New York Mets into a sustainable championship contender made great strides last year as the team rode a late season surge to a berth in the National League Championship Series.  

Although the Mets ultimately lost that series to the World Champion Dodgers, they put up a great fight (better than the Yankees in the WS).

So now, as we are a couple weeks into the free agent signing period, how does the front office go about improving upon last year?  Clearly there is a need to bolster the pitching both in the rotation and in the bullpen.  

I believe that there will be some notable additions to the team in this area that will have Mets fans excitedly looking forward to the 2025 season.  There is also the Juan Soto sweepstakes which will go on for weeks.  You can read the tea leaves any way you want, but it will likely be some sort of late dynamic that will seal Soto’s future.

As easy as it is to covet the star players that are available and rationalize that “Steve can afford it”, there are also some other dirty details that must be determined to shape the roster.  Those details involve what to do with some of the older veterans on the team.  That is the subject of this article.

The path to a sustainable championship contender has to be paved with talented youth coming up through the development system.  The economics of MLB roster building requires that some portion of the team consists of players that are still under team control at affordable annual wages so there is enough available money to obtain the star power that makes a good team great.  

If you buy into this premise, then you understand that there has to be a steady flow of talent into the major league team, and that flow has to be matched by other personnel exiting the roster.  Most likely those that exit are marginal bench players and/or aging veterans that have passed their peak.

A quick scan of the 40 man roster for the oldest position players yields two visible stars that underperformed last year: Starling Marte and Jeff McNeil.  Both of those players have had very productive years with the Mets and have earned some loyalty from the fans for bringing many memorable moments to the Citi Field faithful.  

Unfortunately, in the business side of baseball, there is not much loyalty.  Roster decisions are ultimately made through value assessments of each player and their ability to contribute to future wins.  So let us do such an assessment on our two aging stars.

Starling Marte was born October 9, 1988 which will make him 37 years old on opening day 2025.  Marte has compiled an impressive .286/.342/.441 slash line over a 1432 game MLB career.  He is a two-time gold glove winner and a two-time National League all-star.  In 2015 he was named a Wilson defensive player of the year.  

Marte has contributed 304 hits in 298 games since his debut with the Mets in 2022 and 81 of those went for extra bases.  He stole 58 bags during that period which is just over 20% of the stolen bases for the team. He has played primarily in right field for the Mets where he has displayed a powerful throwing arm and above average range when healthy.

“When healthy” is the key phrase where Starling Marte is concerned.  He was a key component of a 101-win season in 2022 but when he went down with an injury in the last month of the season, the Mets slumped their way to a disappointing finish.  In 2023, Marte was less than healthy all season, having had abdominal surgery in the off-season that never really healed before he began playing.  

The result was the weakest season of his career with a .248 batting average and .635 OPS (both career lows).  He flashed some of his skills in 2024, particularly during the team’s late season run, but he also took some plays off and finished below his career averages in average, OBP, and OPS.  A skilled outfielder with a .269 batting average is a positive for just about any team, but the most troubling trend is Marte’s availability.  He played in 145 games in 2018 and his games played have steadily declined each year to less than 100 in 2023 and 2024.  

One of the more relevant statistics for determining player value is WAR.  In Marte’s case where he’s good when healthy the WAR value is particularly telling because you can only accumulate WAR when performing on the field.  In 2024 he contributed 0.6 WAR.  Since every player has their ups and downs, let’s look at a three year span.  Marte’s WAR for the 2022-2024 seasons totals 3.8.  

Marte’s salary for those same seasons totals $53.5M.  That equates to roughly $14M per 1.0 WAR which doesn’t seem to be a good buy.  With a $19.5M salary in 2025, the Mets are paying a lot for just over 1 win.

Jeff McNeil was born April 8, 1992 which will make him 33 years old 11 days after opening day 2025.  Jeff has compiled an equally impressive .289/.353/.430 slash line over an 801 game MLB career.  Like Marte, Jeff is a two-time National League all-star.  He also won a silver slugger award in 2022, the year he won the MLB batting title.

McNeil has meant many things to the Mets over the years.  Not only has he been a great hitter with premier bat-to-ball skills, but he has also shown versatility in the field.  McNeil can play both the infield and the outfield well and has done so many times for the Mets.  

Few players in MLB are capable of playing at McNeil's level in the corner outfield positions and the infield.  This gives the manager the ultimate lineup flexibility because he can switch McNeil during a game to optimize situational substitution.

Age does not seem to have caught up with McNeil in the field, as he played both IF and OF positions well in 2024.  However, his hitting has been very erratic.  In 2021 his batting average plummeted as he tried to add power to his swing.  This recovered quickly in 2022 during his batting title year, but then he regressed in 2023 and that trend continued for the first 3 months of 2024 before he ended the year by hitting .289 after the all-star break.

The erratic hitting makes it difficult to project value into 2025.  Using the WAR method, Jeff earned 9.3 WAR over the last 3 seasons while making $19.5M which yields roughly $2.1M/WAR.  This is a much better figure than Marte.  However, McNeil’s WAR has declined in the past two years and his salary is going up thanks to an extension signed in 2023.  Next season he is on contract to earn $15.75M.

I conclude by acknowledging the difficult job that the front office has during this off-season.  The numbers do not support keeping a Starling Marte on the roster if you are trying to promote youthful talent but it is not easy to unload a $19.5M 37-year old and get much in return.  

With McNeil, one could argue that he still has enough left in the tank to contribute as a utility player, but should not block a LuisAngel Acuna or Jett Williams from proving their abilities in a MLB lineup when they are ready.  

Mike's Mets - Jeff McNeil's Incredible Journey

 

By Mike Steffanos

Jeff McNeil began his career with the New York Mets when he was drafted in the 12th round of the 2013 draft after three seasons with Long Beach State. Jeff put up a .296/.356/.358 combined slash line with the 49ers with 0 HR over his college career. That makes it easy to understand why a future batting champion was drafted so low. Interestingly enough, another light-hitting infielder taken 2 rounds before McNeil in that amateur draft named Luis Guillorme also made it to the big leagues as a New York Met.

I was already paying close attention to the Mets' draft choices in 2013, but I don't remember reading much about McNeil coming out of that draft. College players drafted that low are generally organizational fillers rather than actual prospects. That was the case with Jeff, even though McNeil had a solid pro debut in 2013 in rookie ball with Kingsport — a team and league that were both victims of MLB's eventual contraction of the minors. First-round pick Dominic Smith and Amed Rosario were much more heralded teammates with Jeff on that club.

Jeff McNeil played at 2 levels the following season, 2014. At Low-A Savannah and High-A St. Lucie. Jeff slashed a combined .292/.367/.394, still displaying little power but managing 3 HR. Then, in 2015, McNeil spent most of the season in St. Lucie, again showing a solid hitting tool but little power (.312/.373/.383). He was sent to the Arizona Fall League after the season, where he did not impress (.230/.309/.246). I found a scouting report on Jeff McNeil from 2015 on Baseball Prospectus that was hardly bullish on his future:

McNeil's profile is extremely limited by his complete lack of power and strength and his average defensive abilities, which make second base his best fit. He could play short stop or third base in short stints, giving him a potential future as a utility player, but he would be exposed at either position if he played their for an extended period of time.

Offensively, McNeil does have plus bat-to-ball skills which lead to high contact rates and the ability to spray the ball to all fields when he stays through the hitting zone. His hit tool plays down slightly, however, despite his barrel control because his lack of strength and authority in his swing limits the exit velocity on even those balls that are well-struck.

At best, McNeil can hope to carve out a roll as a utility/bench option, which will be possible due to being left-handed and not striking out much. He's not likely, however, to ever be an everyday player, as his flaws would be exposed with regular playing time.

The above report was typical of what I heard about McNeil back then. It's a remarkable tribute to Jeff's talent and terrific work ethic that he added enough power to complement his bat-to-ball skills to make himself into a very productive hitter and a solid defender at both second base and in the outfield. While the scouting report quoted above obviously didn't age that well, the author was right in line with the general consensus on Jeff McNeil. Few foresaw what was to come.

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Paul Articulates –Will McNeil do it again?

As Mets fans know, Jeff McNeil won the NL batting title last year with a .326 batting average.  This was a point higher than Freddie Freeman of the Dodgers and ten points higher than the best AL average.  He also was awarded the Sliver Slugger award – the first Mets second baseman since Edgardo Alfonso to receive this honor.  This was a fantastic accomplishment for a player who had struggled in 2021 after trying to up his power numbers.  So the question for today is, “Can Jeff do it again?”

Let’s first look at his history.  Jeff McNeil has posted high numbers everywhere he played.  He hit .446 as a senior in high school and posted a .348 average at Long Beach State as a junior earning him a berth on the all-Big West first team.  He hit his way through the minor leagues, and by 2018 was hitting a combined .342 in AA and AAA ball by mid-year.  McNeil came up to the Mets MLB club in July, 2018 and played 63 games, batting an impressive .329 and drawing enough votes for a sixth place finish in the rookie of the year voting.  He continued into 2019 with a .318 average and posted a .311 in 2020.  

McNeil’s strength as a hitter is his ability to see the ball very well and utilize his outstanding bat-to-ball skills to either put the ball in play, or foul off a borderline pitch to gain another chance.  Those same skills also allow him to control the bat angle well enough to hit to any field depending upon the location of the pitch.  This is not the guy you want to use a defensive shift against or he will pick you to pieces.

Unfortunately, the ability to consistently poke the ball into an empty part of the field is somewhat of a lost art in the baseball analytics world.  Newer stats like XwOBA and WRC+ are looking for people who hit the ball harder, farther, and at a higher launch angle than our favorite batting champ.   

Last year, despite slashing an impressive .326/.382/.454 he was only 12th in wRC+ (tied with teammate Pete Alonso), 17th in wOBA, and 68th in xwOBA.  That’s because modern day analytics just don’t reward an 80mph flare for a base hit into left field.  In fact, xwOBA would reward a smoking line-out to the shift player in short right more than the base hit flare to left.  

That’s not to say that McNeil can’t hit it hard – he has sent a couple of 2-irons into the stands in the Pepsi Porch every year he has played with the Mets.  He just hits those drives when he gets a pitch in the sweet spot, but doesn’t allow himself to fall into a bad count waiting for a mistake to end up there.  This is why Jeff McNeil had the 3rd best K rate in baseball last year.

You know that baseball rewards the big hitters in the game.  Analytics are skewed towards the long ball hitters.  Free agent salaries are highest among the big hitters.  Look at the following table – the big money follows the big hitters – there is only one pitcher (and no singles hitters) among the 15 highest total value contracts in baseball history so far.

Consider this:  Jeff McNeil is going into his sixth MLB season, which is the last arbitration-eligible season before he becomes a free agent.  If the Mets do not offer him a long-term extension this year, he has a chance to test the market for his fair value.   

A batting title doesn’t hurt for value, but the above list only produced three batting titles (Turner in 2021, Betts in 2018, Rodriguez in 1996).  It produced many more extra base hits.  

So McNeil has a choice to make – does he try to improve his power numbers again to improve his marketability, or does he go for a second consecutive batting title by sticking with what he does best?  As a big fan of #1, I hope that the Mets reward Jeff McNeil with a lucrative multi-year extension and don’t force him to make that choice.  

What do you think?

Mike's Mets - Decisions, Decisions: Position Players

 

By Mike Steffanos

We complete our three-part series on the player decisions the Mets will face after the 2022 season, focusing on position players.

In parts one and two of this series, we looked at New York Mets starters and relievers that would be free agents following this season. Today we wrap up with a look at the position players. Unlike the pitching staff, where the Mets front office will be forced to make several important decisions, there is only one significant position player reaching free agency: CF Brandon Nimmo. But Nimmo is an important player, indeed. Brandon is one of the offensive catalysts for this club and, as a bonus, turned himself into an excellent center fielder.

Nimmo is still a bit of a polarizing figure among Mets fans. While most acknowledge Brandon's skills as a ballplayer, his limited home run power and unwillingness to utilize his speed as a base stealer are checkmarks in the "against" column. But the biggest argument against signing Nimmo to a deal is his yearly struggles to stay off the Injured List. Brandon played 140 games in 2018 but hasn't topped 100 games in any season since.

Nimmo dealt with a bulging disk in his neck in 2019, ultimately appearing in only 69 games that year. He played in 55 of the 60 games in 2020, then the injury bug struck again in 2021. Finger and hamstring woes limited Brandon to 92 games.

So far in 2022, Nimmo has been relatively healthy, although he did struggle a bit with a wrist injury early in the year. Still, Brandon has appeared in 75 of the Mets' 83 games so far. If he can avoid missing a big chunk of time over the rest of the season, it will undoubtedly enhance Nimmo's asking price in free agency. Still, it won't erase concerns about Nimmo becoming this generation's Jacoby Ellsbury.

Ellsbury was a talented CF with the Red Sox who was signed to a 7-year, $153 million contract by the Yankees before the 2014 season. Injuries limited Jacoby to playing in only 520 of 972 possible games. He didn't play at all for the last three years of the contract. Even when he did play, Jacoby Ellsbury was relatively ineffective, slashing .264/.330/.386 for the Yankees in contrast to the .297/.350/.439 line he put up in 7 years with the Red Sox. Ellsbury's injury problems didn't begin with the Yankees, but he averaged over 100 games per season in Boston, which is better than what Nimmo has managed with the Mets so far.

So, the dilemma for Billy Eppler and the rest of the Mets' brain trust will be to decide what value to place on Brandon Nimmo's undeniable skills and how to mitigate the risk of Nimmo's proclivity for injury. Brandon will play next season at age 30. It would be nice to assume that Nimmo has turned the corner on injuries if he avoids them this season. However, it is a rare ballplayer who deals with fewer injuries in his 30s than he did in his 20s.

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Box Score and Recap: Nationals 4 Mets 3 - 9/6/2021

 

 

The Mets are in Washington to play the Nationals.  It's the final game of the five game series. 

Today’s Lineup: Jonathan Villar 3B; Francisco Lindor SS; Michael Conforto RF; Pete Alonso 1B; Javier Baez 2B; Kevin Pillar CF; Jeff McNeil LF; James McCann C; Trevor Williams P;

Box Score and Recap: Mets 13 Nationals 6 - 9/5/2021

 

 

The Mets are in Washington to play the Nationals.  It's game four of the five game series. 

Today’s Lineup: Jonathan Villar 3B; Francisco Lindor SS; Pete Alonso 1B; Michael Conforto RF; Javier Baez 2B; Jeff McNeil LF; Kevin Pillar CF; Patrick Mazeika C; Taijuan Walker P;

11.19.2015 Winter League Results | Salt River Finishes AFL Season in 2nd Place, Perez Continues Push for Venezuela Triple Crown

USA Premier12 Baseball

- Team USA 6 - 1 Team Mexico

• C Dan Rohlfing: 1 for 4, R, 2 RBI, 2 K

Arizona Fall League

- Glendale Desert Dogs 5 - 1 Mesa Solar Sox

- Surprise Saguaros 7 - 4 Peoria Javelinas

- Scottsdale Scorpions 2 - 4 Salt River Rafters

• SS Jeff McNeil: 0 for 4, K
• 2B L.J. Mazzilli: 0 for 2, 2 R, RBI(4), BB, K
• RHP Beck Wheeler: 1.0 IP, 1 BB, 3 K

Mexican Pacific League

- Naranjeros de Hermosillo 2 - 1 Caneros de los Mochis
- Yaquis de Obregon 3 - 0 Venados de Mazatlan
- Charros de Jalisco 3 - 2 Mayos de Navojoa

  

Venezuela Professional Baseball League

- Navegantes del Magallanes 5 - 8 Leones del Caracas
- Bravos de Margarita 3 - 2 Tigres de Aragua
- Tiburones de La Guaira 3 - 12 Caribes de Anzoategui

- Aguilas del Zulia 2 - 10 Cardenales de Lara

• LF Jairo Perez: 4 for 4, 2 R, 2 RBI(25, 26) [Currently T-1st in HR, 2nd in RBI, 8th in AVG{Min. 100 AB}]

Dominican Baseball League

- Tigres del Licey 8 - 3 Leones del Escogido

Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League

- No Games Scheduled

11.10.2015 Winter League Results | Satterwhite and Team USA Get 1st Pool Play Win, RBI #12 for Xorge Carrillo, Monell Brings his Power to Puerto Rico

USA Premier12 Baseball

- Team USA 11 - 5 Team Dominican Republic

• C Dan Rohlfing: 1 for 4, R, BB, K 
• RHP Cody Satterwhite: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 K, Win (1-0)

Arizona Fall League

- Glendale Desert Dogs 4 - 5 Scottsdale Scorpions

- Mesa Solar Sox 3 - 10 Surprise Saguaros

- Salt River Rafters 2 - 1 Peoria Javelinas

• 2B L.J. Mazzilli: 1 for 4, R, 2B, K
• SS Jeff McNeil: 2 for 4, SB(3), Error(4)
• RHP Mike Hepple: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 K

Mexican Pacific League

- Naranjeros de Hermosillo 7 - 4 Charros de Jalisco
- Tomateros de Culiacan 9 - 3 Caneros de los Mochis
- Mayos de Navojoa 3 - 7 Venados de Mazatlan
- Aguilas de Mexicali 6 - 4 Yaquis de Obregon

• C Xorge Carrillo: 1 for 4, R, RBI(12)

  

Venezuela Professional Baseball League

- Cardenales de Lara 3 - 0 Tigres de Aragua

• LF Jairo Perez: 0 for 4, K

Dominican Baseball League

- Gigantes del Cibao 3 - 4 Aguilas Cibaenas
- Tigres del Licey 1 - 0 Leones del Escogido
- Toros del Este 5 - 4 Estrellas de Oriente

Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League

- Indios de Mayaguez 1 - 5 Gigantes de Carolina
- Cangrejeros de Santurce 5 - 8 Criollos de Caguas

• C Johnny Monell: 2 for 5, R, 2B
• LF Arnaldo Berrios: 0 for 0, Defensive Replacement

11.4.2015 Winter League Results | McNeil Looking Good at SS, Carrillo and Perez Go Deep, Velasquez Records 2nd Save

USA Premier12 Baseball

Side Note: Tournament Play Begins Nov. 10th. Exhibition games scheduled vs Netherlands on 11/6 and Chinese Taipei 11/7.

Arizona Fall League

- Glendale Desert Dogs 8 - 9 Surprise Saguaros

- Scottsdale Scorpions 8 - 2 Peoria Javelinas

- Salt River Rafters 12 - 6 Mesa Solar Sox

• PH-2B L.J. Mazzilli: 0 for 2
• 2B-SS Jeff McNeil: 1 for 4, 3 R, 2 RBI(6, 7)  
• RHRP Mike Hepple: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB

Mexican Pacific League

- Naranjeros de Hermosillo 8 - 1 Caneros de los Mochis

- Tomateros de Culiacan 7 - 9 Yaquis de Obregon

- Charros de Jalisco 3 - 4 Venados de Mazatlan

- Mayos de Navojoa 5 - 3 Aguilas de Mexicali

• C Xorge Carrillo: 1 for 4, R, HR(2), RBI(11)  

Venezuela Professional Baseball League

- Bravos de Margarita 7 - 5 Navegantes del Magallanes

• LHRP Adrian Almeida: 0.1 IP, 1 H
• RHRP Zach Thornton: 0.1 IP

- Cardenales de Lara 2 - 1 Leones del Caracas 

• DH Jairo Perez: 3 for 4, R, HR(5), RBI(18)   
• C Albert Cordero: 0 for 3, K

Dominican Baseball League

- Tigres del Licey 2 - 1 Gigantes del Cibao
- Estrellas de Oriente 0 - 5 Leones del Escogido

- Aguilas Cibaenas 0 - 2 Toros del Este

• LHRP Dario Alvarez: 0.2 IP, 1 K

Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League

- Criollos de Caguas 4 - 1 Indios de Mayaguez

• PR-LF Arnaldo Berrios: 0 for 0, BB

- Cangrejeros de Santurce 6 - 5 Gigantes de Carolina

• RHRP Jon Velasquez: 1.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 K, Save(2)

10.29.2015 Winter League Results: 2nd Straight 0-fer for Smith, Wheeler Blows Save but Gets Win, Puerto Rico League Starts Today

Arizona Fall League
- Scottsdale Scorpions 4 - 2 Glendale Desert Dogs
- Surprise Saguaros 3 - 5 Mesa Solar Sox
- Peoria Javelinas 2 - 5 Salt River Rafters

• 1B Dominic Smith: 0 for 3, RBI(5)
• SS Jeff McNeil: 0 for 2
• RHP Beck Wheeler: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 4 K, Blown Save(1), Win(2-0)

Mexican Pacific League

- Charros de Jalisco 6 - 3 Yaquis de Obregon
- Venados de Mazatlan 1 - 2 Caneros de los Mochis
- Naranjeros de Hermosillo 2 - 1 Aguilas de Mexicali

Venezuelan Winter League

- Tiburones de La Guaira 6 - 1 Tigres de Aragua
- Aguilas del Zulia 12 - 4 Leones del Caracas

- Navegantes del Magallanes 7 - 1 Bravos de Margarita

- Caribes de Anzoategui 5 - 13 Cardenales de Lara

• LF Jairo Perez: 1 for 4, R, BB

Dominican Winter League
- Tigres del Licey 1 - 4 Toros del Este



Roberto Clemente Puerto Rican League
Side Note: Regular Season begins TODAY, October 30th.

10.28.2015 Winter League Results: Rafters Shut Out, Carrillo Ejected and Suspended?, Bad Day for Mets Prospects In Venezuela

Arizona Fall League
- Glendale Desert Dogs 4 - 5 Scottsdale Scorpions
- Mesa Solar Sox 11 - 10 Surprise Saguaros
- Salt River Rafters 0 - 2 Peoria Javelinas

• 1B Dominic Smith: 0 for 4, K
• SS Jeff McNeil: 0 for 2
• RHP Mickey Jannis: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 2 K, Loss(0-1) 

Mexican Pacific League

- Charros de Jalisco 4 - 3 Yaquis de Obregon
- Mayos de Navojoa 2 - 4 Tomateros de Culiacan
- Venados de Mazatlan 3 - 4 Caneros de los Mochis
- Naranjeros de Hermosillo 5 - 6 Aguilas de Mexicali

Side Note: I received an update on C Xorge Carrillo. During the Oct. 25th game, a bench clearing altercation occurred and Carrillo was one of 4 players ejected from the game. I am assuming a suspension came with it as he has not started a game since the altercation.

Venezuelan Winter League

- Leones del Caracas 5 - 6 Tiburones de La Guaira

• C Albert Cordero: 0 for 4, BB, 2 K
• RHP Jose Celas: 0.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, Blown Save

- Navegantes del Magallanes 8 - 6 Bravos de Margarita

• RHP Zach Thornton: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, Hold(7) 

- Caribes de Anzoategui 2 - 3 Tigres de Aragua

• RF Travis Taijeron: 0 for 3, BB, 2 K

Dominican Winter League
- Estrellas de Oriente 2 - 1 Tigres del Licey
- Gigantes del Cibao 12 - 4 Toros del Este
- Leones del Escogido 4 - 3 Aguilas Cibaenas



Roberto Clemente Puerto Rican League
Side Note: Regular Season begins Thursday, October 30th.
Side Note #2: LHP Adam Kolarek is listed on the Gigantes de Carolina roster. However the Mets released Kolarek earlier this month and he is now a part of the Orioles organization. Thus we will not track his stats.

10.22.2015 Winter League Results: Smith and Taijeron Go Yard, Thornton Continues Strong Winter

Arizona Fall League
- Peoria Javelinas 5 - 3 Mesa Solar Sox
- Surprise Saguaros 7 - 6 Scottsdale Scorpions
- Glendale Desert Dogs 7 - 5 Salt River Rafters

• 1B Dominic Smith: 3 for 4, 2 R, HR(1), 2 RBI(2, 3), BB
• 2B Jeff McNeil: 2 for 4, RBI(2) 
• RHP Mickey Jannis: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
• RHP Mike Hepple: 1.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 BB

Mexican Pacific League
- Mayos de Navojoa 4 - 3 Charros de Jalisco
- Caneros de los Mochis 7 - 1 Naranjeros de Hermosillo
- Venados de Mazatlan 1 - 5 Yaquis de Obregon
- Aguilas de Mexicali 5 - 2 Tomateros de Culiacan

• C Xorge Carrillo: 1 for 4, 1 SB allowed, 1 Runner Thrown Out

Venezuelan Winter League
- Leones del Caracas 3 - 4 Aguilas del Zulia

- Navegantes del Magallanes 9 - 10 Tiburones de La Guaira

• RHP Zach Thornton: 1.0 IP, 1 BB, Hold(6)
• RHP Cody Satterwhite: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB 
• RHP Edioglis Villasmil: 0.1 IP, 1 H, Win(1-0)  

- Bravos de Margarita 0 - 3 Caribes de Anzoategui

• DH Travis Taijeron: 1 for 4, R, HR(2), RBI(5), 2 K

- Tigres de Aragua 5 - 8 Cardenales de Lara

• LF Jairo Perez: 2 for 3, 2 R, 2 2B, RBI(9), 2 Errors(2, 3)   

Dominican Winter League
- Gigantes del Cibao 0 - 6 Estrellas de Oriente



Roberto Clemente Puerto Rican League
Side Note: Regular Season begins Thursday, October 30th.

10.20.2015 Winter League Results: Cecchini's Hitting Streak Broken, Thornton Records 5th Hold, Mejia the SP, Alvarez Struggling

Arizona Fall League
- Mesa Solar Sox 5 - 4 Scottsdale Scorpions
- Salt River Rafters 1 - 3 Surprise Saguaros

• SS Gavin Cecchini: 0 for 4, K
• 3B Jeff McNeil: 0 for 2, RBI(1), BB
• LHP Kyle Regnault: 1.0 IP, 2 K

Mexican Pacific League

- Mayos de Navojoa 7 - 8 Charros de Jalisco
- Caneros de los Mochis 7 - 6 Naranjeros de Hermosillo
- Venados de Mazatlan 6 - 8 Yaquis de Obregon
- Aguilas de Mexicali 8 - 1 Tomateros de Culiacan

• C Xorge Carrillo: 0 for 3, K

Venezuelan Winter League

- Bravos de Margarita 4 - 6 Tiburones de La Guaira
- Navegantes del Magallanes 4 - 2 Cardenales de Lara

• RHP Zach Thornton: 1.0 IP, 1 K, Hold(5) 
• LF Jairo Perez: 0 for 4

Dominican Winter League

- Leones del Escogido 0 - 3 Estrellas de Oriente
- Gigantes del Cibao 13 - 1 Tigres del Licey

• RHP Jhenrry Mejia: 3.2 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

- Toros del Este 5 - 1 Aguilas Cibaenas

• LHP Dario Alvarez: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB

Roberto Clemente Puerto Rican League

Side Note: Regular Season begins Thursday, October 30th.

10.15.2015 Winter Leagues Results: Cecchini's Fast Start, B-Mets Catchers Stay Hot, Jairo Perez Crushing Venezuelan League

Arizona Fall League
- Glendale Desert Dogs 2 - 9 Scottsdale Scorpions

- Mesa Solar Sox 0 - 3 Surprise Saguaros

- Salt River Rafters 9 - 7 Peoria Javelinas

• SS Gavin Cecchini: 2 for 3, 1 R, 2 BB, SB(1), CS
• DH Dominic Smith: 1 for 2, 2 R, 3 BB, 1 K
• 3B Jeff McNeil: 0 for 4, 1 R, 1 K
• RHP Mickey Jannis: 3.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 2 K

Mexican Pacific League

- Caneros de los Mochis 7 - 2 Tomateros de Culiacan
- Venados de Mazatlan 4 - 2 Mayos de Navojoa
- Yaquis de Obregon 1 - 5 Aguilas de Mexicali

• C Xorge Carrillo: 2 for 3, 2 R. 2B, 1 RBI(4)

Venezuelan Winter League

- Tiburones de La Guaira 1 - 3 Tigres de Aragua
- Aguilas del Zulia 4 - 1 Leones del Caracas

• C Albert Cordero: 2 for 3, R, 2B, 2 Runners Thrown Out

- Caribes de Anzoategui 4 - 2 Bravos de Margarita

• LF Travis Taijeron: 2 for 4, 1 RBI(2)

- Navegantes del Magallanes 2 - 5 Cardenales de Lara

• 3B Jairo Perez: 1 for 4, 1 RBI(8)
• RHP Zach Thornton: 0.1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER

Side Note: Winter League Rosters are not always 100% accurate so I scour the box scores in detail everyday just to make sure I get everyone. Jairo Perez was 1 guy that I missed...on the Cardenales roster, he is listed as a non-MLB player when we all know he is a NY Met farmhand. So what has he done so far? Well he's played in all 7 games so far and he is raking to the tune of a .321 AVG with 1 HR, 8 RBI, and a fabulous 10.3% K rate.

Dominican Winter League

- Tigres del Licey 9 - 3 Leones del Escogido

Side Note: The following players are listed on the Leones del Escogido roster: RHP John Church, RHP Rainy Lara, RHP Luis Mateo.

Roberto Clemente Puerto Rican League

Side Note: Regular Season begins Thursday, October 30th.

10.15.2015 Winter League Results: Solid Days for B-Mets Catchers, Sadderwhite Anchors Tiburones Pen

Arizona Fall League
- Glendale Desert Dogs 7 - 6 Mesa Solar Sox

- Peoria Javelinas 4 - 5 Surprise Saguaros

- Salt River Rafters 3 - 13 Scottsdale Scorpions

• 2B Jeff McNeil: 1 for 4, 2 R, BB
• RHP Mike Hepple: 1.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 2 inherited runners scored

Mexican Pacific League

- Caneros de los Mochis 10 - 4 Tomateros de Culiacan
- Charros de Jalisco 5 - 2 Naranjeros de Hermosillo
- Venados de Mazatlan 2 - 4 Mayos de Navojoa
- Yaquis de Obregon 5 - 3 Aguilas de Mexicali

• C Xorge Carrillo: 1 for 4, RBI(3), 2 K, Runner Thrown Out

Venezuelan Winter League

- Aguilas del Zulia 10 - 3 Tigres de Aragua
- Caribes de Anzoategui 1 - 10 Bravos de Margarita

• DH Travis Taijeron: 0 for 3, 1 BB, 1 K

- Leones del Caracas 9 - 8 Tiburones de La Guaira

• C Albert Cordero: 1 for 2, R, 2B
• RHP Cody Sadderwhite: 1.1 IP, 1 K, Hold(2)

Dominican Winter League

Side Note: Regular Season begins TODAY!!!, October 15th.

Roberto Clemente Puerto Rican League

Side Note: Regular Season begins Thursday, October 30th.

The Morning Report 9.2.2015 | Bullpen In Shambles Yet Shaping Up Too, Niese's Struggles Continues, Syndergaard Start Skipped, Arizona Fall League

Anthony McCarron | NY Daily News- The Mets bullpen has devolved into an element of their game that’s worth more hand-wringing than, say, how Steven Matz fits in or whether Matt Harvey is better than Jacob deGrom. Overall, the Mets have the seventh-ranked bullpen in baseball in ERA, but their relief ERA since Aug. 16 is 4.83. They need answers. It’d be nice to think all that high-end starting pitching could deliver the ball right to Clippard and Familia in October, but that doesn’t always work out. Parnell didn’t record an out and allowed three runs (two earned). He wasn’t the only Met reliever who didn’t retire anyone, either; Eric O’Flaherty gave up a run without an out, too.

(Chris Soto: The back end of the bullpen is in upheaval right now. However, as bad as it was last night...It was always extremely good. Right now, Terry Collins is trying to figure who he is going to take into the playoffs bullpen with him. Parnell and O'Flaherty will probably not make it, however, Goeddel was awesome, Addison Reed was excellent, and Sean Gilmartin was strong too. The three of them combined for 3.0 IP, 0 hits and 4 K. Right now those 3 plus Familia, Clippard, and Robles could be your playoff bullpen.)

Brian Lewis | New York Post- As bad as the Mets’ bullpen was, it was yet another sorry start from Jonathan Niese that put them in a hole too deep to climb out of. Niese gave up a five-run third inning to the Phillies for a second straight start. “When I was going good, I was able to throw all my pitches in the bottom of the zone to a consistent basis. Right now, I’m leaving a few pitches up, making too many mistakes and not getting away with them.’’

(Chris Soto: Niese is, very quickly, pitching himself OUT of the playoff rotation and allowing Bartolo Colon back in as the #4 guy in a 7 game series. Not only is the command of his fastball off but his breaking pitches just don't have much bite to them right now. For a guy who's velocity is below average even for a lefty, that's devastating. To get torn apart by the bottom feeding Phillies in back to back starts terrifies me in regards to what a team like the Pirates or the Cardinals would've done to him.)

Kenneth Teape | Empire Writes Back- The Mets have decided to skip the next start of Noah Syndergaard, instead opting to insert Steven Matz back into the rotation, as he returns from his DL stint. The New York Mets have made it very clear that they want to monitor the innings of their young arms to make sure they are fresh for the playoff push and postseason run if they make it. Syndergaard has already exceeded his innings count from last season by 15, as he has thrown 152 innings including his time in the minors. It also makes sense to limit the amount of starts that Syndergaard makes on the road. His performance at and away from Citi Field have been night and day in his rookie year. 

(Chris Soto: I'm ok with this entire strategy. What the Mets DO NOT want is a situation the Nationals had when Strasburg was a rookie. Strasburg was so good that he hit his inning limit in mid September and the team wouldn't use him in the playoffs. That can't happen in NY, fans would go nuts if it did. So if this is what's needed in order to preserve those innings for the playoffs.....then so be it. )

Joe Trezza | Mets.com- The Mets will send three prospects to the Arizona Fall League once the Minor League seasons end: infielder Jeff McNeil, right-hander Beck Wheeler and right-hander Ricky Jannis. Players from the Mets, Blue Jays, D-Backs, Nationals and Rockies will combine to form the Salt River Rafters, who play their games in Scottsdale, Ariz,. Binghamton pitching coach Marc Valdes will serve the same role for Salt River, which is scheduled to open Oct. 13 at home against the Scottsdale Scorpions.

(Chris Soto: The Arizona Fall League is a fun league to following during the off-season. The Mets generally send both top level prospects and guys who they think COULD be MLB contributors but aren't sure yet. Last season we saw Hansel Robles emerge as a strong RP and Dario Alvarez continued to show an ability to become a solid LOOGY for the parent club. The club will likely name at least 3-4 more guys later in the month including at least 1 top prospect. Perhaps that name will be Dominic Smith or Gavin Cecchini?)