The LTJ Editorial: “Cuba, baseball, and here is to the Mets bringing the next big sensation!”

“The LTJ Editorial”
Author: Luis Tirado Jr.
Date: 10-11-13
Twitter: @LTJ81
Website: http://www.TheNYExpress.com

“Cuba, baseball, and here is to the Mets bringing the next big sensation!”

For decades, the country of Cuba has been known as a hidden gem for tropical sights, world class cigars, and some of the purest sugar the world has ever seen. They have also been known to treat baseball like a religion out there. Children at very young ages practice in the streets and yards dreaming about making it in the big leagues. Cubans love baseball, it's just beyond words to describe the thrills of what happens on the diamond. For a really long time though, Cuban baseball players were banned from defecting to America to play for MLB. Luckily, just a few weeks ago, the government of Cuba officially lifted the ban of players playing in professional leagues outside of the country. Now, instead of having to defect, players are free to leave to join foreign leagues across the world. However, we all know that the fame, the glory, and of course, the money, comes from the USA. Keep in mind the embargo is still in place between the USA and Cuba, meaning, no business transactions can occur between both countries, this lift is just for athletes. The fact that now Cubans can come play the sports they love in this country is huge, provided they meet some criteria. They have to apply for a license through the US Treasury Department and have a residence outside of Cuba. All players also are required to pay taxes on their earnings to the Cuban government.

For the past 20 years, over 200 athletes have left Cuba to pursue their sports dreams in the USA. This MLB season alone, 21 Cubans defected to MLB teams and have made a tremendous impact on the game of baseball. Some of the most famous ones in the past few years are of course guys like Outfielder Yasiel Puig, Starting Pitcher Bronson Arroyo, Shortstop Yunel Escobar, and Outfielder Raul Ibanez just to name a few. Before Cuba lifted the ban, all salaries earned went directly to the Cuban government. Now they can start to live the American dream and start showing the world all the amazing talent that has come out of the country. The next big superstar proclaimed by most has already been scouted by some of the best scouts in all of MLB. Three of which are scouts from the NY Mets, much to the excitement of Mets fans everywhere. This particular player earned two Triple Crowns in the Cuban National Series league, which is unheard of. We all saw the damage this player caused in the World Baseball Classic this past March where he hit three home runs, and while batting .360 had nine runs batted in. I'm talking about Cuban First Baseman Jose Abreu.

Towards the start of October, Abreu held private auditions for over 30 different team scouts in the Dominican Republic, where he resides. He has officially been declared as a free agent and will certainly have a ton of interest from pretty much half the teams in MLB. He has such a raw power when hitting, he will grow into quite the sensation to whichever team gets to acquire his services. He could easily get 25-35 home runs against the top pitchers MLB has to offer, that's how much of an impact Abreu is going to have once he makes his major league debut. His defense at First Base is pretty solid as he has a decent arm and knows how to be quick with decisions. He's not the fastest of guys when it comes to base running and probably won't steal many bases, but he will be a great middle of the batting order kind of player. His at-bat presence is one of patience and waiting for the right opportunity to hit which will make him great in clutch game-winning situations.

It's no secret the Mets will have money to play with this offseason to bring in some much needed talent to make 2014 one to hopefully remember. When I think of First Base, one immediately thinks of the inconsistency of Ike Davis. I highly doubt the Mets will play the same game again next year of “hoping” Davis doesn't start off on another bad slump. Josh Satin is serviceable at best and while he would be a reliable backup to have, he just doesn't scream starting material at this moment. I love what Justin Turner did at First Base, but it's not really his natural position. While he filled in when needed nicely, I don't see Turner as the long-term answer. Same goes for Satin, who needs more time in the minors to develop. Abreu could be that huge missing piece the Mets need to bring solid defense, a hot bat, and some international flare to the team. Reports indicate that Abreu is seeking a deal in the area of four-years/$40 million since there is no guarantee he will replicate the success he had in Cuba in MLB. Bidding could get really out of control between teams. Once all the offers are on his table, who knows where he plans to go. Some say teams can easily go up to $60 million, so it all depends on what these scouts see that we don't to have the teams spend top money to grab him.

Is it a longshot that the Mets will bring in Abreu? Not really because bringing him in would give so many positives to the team. It's a fresh new soon to be superstar that will adjust very well with the Mets and of course in Citi Field. He would immediately fix our First Base situation and fans from across the world will come to see him play. The Mets would send a clear message to its fanbase that they want to contend in 2014 and for years to come. Acquiring Abreu and building around him would bring more credibility to that statement and have I mentioned, Abreu will bring us more wins. We haven't had a super productive and defensive First Baseman since the days of Carlos Delgado back in 2006.

Perhaps I'm getting too excited about all this. If the Mets had a press conference with the announcement of coming to terms with Abreu, can you imagine the headlines across the globe we'd see? Abreu can become the next big New York sensation and that will definitely pack the masses to get a first-hand look at any ballpark he plays in. Obviously the Mets aren't the only team in the hunt since most predict he will land in either Texas, Boston, San Francisco, Miami, and yeah, even Pittsburgh. It's going to be a fun offseason like always in baseball, especially if you are a Mets fan. I just hope he does land with the Mets since that would not only surprise the baseball world, but it could the the first piece in building that championship caliber team we've been patiently waiting for.

The Case for Jose Abreu

The state of the New York Mets first base situation has been quite the roller coaster this season as injuries to Lucas Duda, the poor overall season of Ike Davis and the clamor of fans to give Wilmer Flores a shot in the corner when David Wright returns from injury leave the position in a constant state of flux. There is obviously plenty of time left in the season to evaluate each and determine whether one of these players will stick long term, but what if none of these players makes the choice clear? First base will become a bigger question mark and the answer to that question should be Jose Abreu.

Abreu, 26, is a recent Cuban defector who will become an available free agent in the coming months. He is listed around 6'3" and weighs around 250 lbs. and plays first base. Saying he plays first base might actually be a farce because he should be listed as a hitter. Scouts have talked about how Abreu's strength as the No. 4 international prospect in the World Baseball Classic and it has nothing to do with his glove. It has everything to do with his bat.

His numbers stand out the most during the 2010-11 season where in just 66 games, he hit .453 to go along with 33 home runs and 93 RBIs and won an MVP award. Those are more akin to number in a video game numbers and yet his two most recent seasons do little to prove that his MVP season was anything close to an outlier. Through 2011-12 seasons, Abreu had a slash line of .394/.542/.837 with 35 home runs while missing time with bursitis in his elbow. This season, he only played 42 games because of the World Baseball Classic and that slash line slightly dropped  to .382/.535./.735 with 13 home runs. Oh, and during the WBC, Abreu hit .360 with three homers in just 25 plate appearances. Imagine that sort of production in the heart of the Mets lineup?

Actually, we have imagined numbers like that. Before Ike Davis broke his  leg, Mets fans had dreams of a .300 hitter with 30+ home run potential slotted in the cleanup spot every night. Obviously those dreams have become more nightmarish with each passing year. Lucas Duda, was a power bat that never had a position and just can't seem to stick anywhere on the field. We all want him to succeed, but it’s fair to question whether that success and lofty hopes will ever come. Wilmer Flores is someone that has been slotted into the Mets dream lineup by countless fans since he was 16. His position has changed every two years, his range diminishing and taking him all the way around the infield. He can be a quality run producer, but his power doesn't come close to the others. Maybe if we mashed them all together we could create a great first baseman. Or we could set our sights on Abreu. We could change that dream of any of the three aforementioned players to one where the next great Cuban player comes to Flushing and takes this team to a whole new level.

Cuban players have had their stock skyrocket because of the wild success of players like Yasiel Puig, Yoenis Cespedes and Aroldis Chapman in the majors and Abreu figures to fit right into that conversation. He is supposed to have more power than Cespedes, which is something crazy to think about when you remember the show he put on during the Home Run Derby at Citi Field last month. Yasiel Puig has helped the LA Dodgers from worst to first in the blink of an eye and Aroldis Chapman has been a dominant closer for years now. People have been failing to mention Jose Fernandez along with the great Cuban players in the league right now. What I'm trying to say is, Cuba has been churning out impact players lately and the Mets need to join the craze. Everyone is looking for the next Puig and Abreu can be that guy.

Now, would the Mets shell out the money to sign Jose Abreu? His contract will certainly be more than Puig's 7 year, $42 million contract. If the contract was for 6 years and about $50 million, who says no? That contract, comparative to other impact first basemen in the league would be considered peanuts. It  would take him through the rest of his prime years, and would fill an enormous need of a consistent power bat. Don't forget, in the upcoming free agent class, there isn't one single bat that comes even close to the power and potential of Jose Abreu. Some scouts have likened him to Ryan Howard. Mets fans will of course have a strong disdain for this comparison, but that is because the 26 year old Howard that we know wasn't on our team. Remember that Ryan Howard? The one who hit 58 home runs and drove in 149 RBIs while running away with the league's MVP? I'll take that kind of guy on my team for $50 million or more any day. I would also rather we have him than teams like the Washington Nationals or the Miami Marlins, where we can see him in countless at bats helping the competition. Both are teams that make a ton of sense for Abreu and will certainly be in the bidding war.

It really comes down to whether the Mets will stick to their plan. Abreu serves as a fork in the road for this franchise. Do they stay on their current path and let the hometown guys fight it out, or do they go a different way, chase a Cuban star and make a splash in free agency that could stake a claim that the Mets can be competitive? The time to make that decision will come and all we can do is hope we make the right one. Go big, get Jose Abreu.