OPEN POST - THOR TRADE FOR MARCUS STROMAN

The New York Mets are reportedly considering a plan that would see them trade starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard to the San Diego Padres and then repackage some of the prospects to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for starter Marcus Stroman.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported the update Saturday ahead of the July 31 MLB trade deadline.

So...

What do you think about the idea?

OPEN THREAD - Your Fantasy First Pick

I don't participate in fantasy leagues. 

If you were drafting a fantasy team right now, who's your number one pick?

Mack – Transactions, Johnny Mags, Ronis Aybar, Adonis Uceta, Francisco Alvarez

PC - Ed Delany

Johnny Magliozzi @Money_Mags -·

My first full summer coaching and watching travel ball and let me tell you I’ve never seen so many walks in my life, the obsession with “velocity” has taken over the value of “PITCHING”.

Tuesday, July 23^rd –

      OF Braxton Lee from AA-Binghamton to AAA-Syracuse

      RP Matt Blackham from AA-Binghamton to AAA-Syracuse

      P Mickey Jannis from AAA-Syracuse to AA-Binghamton

      Kudos –

            AAA-Syracuse – RP Chris Flexen: 0.2-IP, 0-R, K, 3.71

Flexen seems to be successfully reinventing himself as a member of the pen.

            AA-Binghamton – SP Zach Lee: 5.2-IP. ER, 3-K, 0.87

            A+ St. Lucie – SP Luc Rennie: 7-IP, 0-R, 5-K

A-Columbia – SP Simeon Woods-Richardson: 5-IP, 0-ER, 7-K, ERA down to 4.25

            Low-A Brooklyn – SS Wilmer Reyes:  2-2, .333

            GCL – RP Jeffrey Colon: 2-IP, 0-ER, K

            DSL-1 – CF Ronis Aybar: 2-5, R, .375

Don’t know much about Aybar. Born in 2000 in the 

D.R. Has only 8-abs so far this season.

            DSL-2 – SP Rolfy Vargas: 5-IP, 0-R, 5-K, 2.25

                  Getting closer to turning blue.

Wednesday, July 24^th –

           

      Syracuse:

            Promoted OF Braxton Lee from AA-Binghamton

            Promoted RP Matt Blackham from AA-Binghamton

            Optioned RP Jacob Rhame from the MLB-Mets

            Transferred SP Mickey Jannis to AA-Binghamton

            Optioned SP Chris Mazza from MLB-Mets

            IF Luis Guillorme was optioned from MLB-Mets

Binghamton:

            RP Ryder Ryan came off the IL

Columbia:

            RP Nelson Leon was transferred to Low-A Brooklyn

RPs Justin Lasko and Jared Biddy were transferred from Low-A Brooklyn to A-Columbia

Kudos –

AAA-Syracuse – SP Chris Mazza: 5.2-IP, 0-R, 5-K

AA-Binghamton – RP Adonis Uceta: 2-IP, 0-R, K, 1.90

      That’s a sub 2 ERA in 27 games

      Moving to blue prospect

A+ St. Lucie – DH Wagner Lagrange: 3-5, R, 2-RBI, .421

      A-Columbia – SS Ronny Mauricio: 2-4, .281

Low-A Brooklyn – RP Mitch Ragan: 2.1-IP, 0-R, 3-K, 1.83

PC - Ed Delany

Rookie – Kingsport – C Francisco Alvarez – 2-3, R, 2^nd HR, .364

      Born in November 2001

It is unheard of how much disrespect this kid is showing to normal growth plan to get to the majors.

      At this rate, he will catch in Queens in 2021.

DSL-1 – SS Cesar Berbesi: 3-4, 2-R, 5-RBI, .313

      DSL-2 – C Fernando Villalobos – 2-4, .250

            Baby steps for baby catchers

Reese Kaplan -- Amed's Future in CF? Not Just Yet...

Early in 2017 MLB announced that the Mets’ Amed Rosario was its 5^th ranked prospect in all of baseball.  They raved over his speed and offensive potential, gushing over his run producing capabilities as his young body filled out.  They even went so far as to say, “There is no question he’ll be a shortstop long-term, with the potential to be an elite-level defender thanks to his range, hands, footwork and plus arm.”

By mid-season, scouts were even higher on Rosario’s potential.  MLB Pipeline had him advanced into the number two prospect position for all of baseball.  ESPN’s Keith Law was even more effusive, with a number three ranking in the 2017 off-season and up to number one by the time the season began.  He too cited his great athleticism, “"He's almost a lock to stay at the position, and he's gifted with quick actions, a plus arm and the ability to throw accurately while in motion.  He has MVP potential as a true shortstop who will be above average defensively and projects to hit .300 with some walks and power." 

Offensively, people are starting to begin to believe the hype.  After a slow start in 2018, he finished the year with a .256/9/51 slash line to go along with 24 SBs.  For a 22 year old, that’s nothing to be ashamed of, but it wasn’t quite what the scouts had expected.  Still, he finished stronger than he started and people were clamoring to see him build on that start.

Thus far in 2019 he’s improved in all offensive categories except stolen bases.  He’s on track to go .273 with 17 HRs and 77 RBIs in his age 23 season.  That’s certainly good news for the Mets and probably the best offense they’ve gotten out of the position since the early days of Jose Reyes (save for one season of Asdrubal Cabrera out there). 

The problem has been that his defense has not been nearly as good as advertised.  He’s struggled a bit with the routine plays, and while he’s not a Wilmer Flores level of liability, it has many people thinking that his future is in centerfield to take advantage of his arm and his speed. 

You don’t have to look very far to find someone who made that transition.  Juan Lagares was signed as a shortstop who later found himself patrolling centerfield.  The Washington Nationals did the same with Trea Turner in 2016 when the need arose.  The Cincinnati Reds made Billy Hamilton into an outfielder.  The list goes on and on. 

Part of the rationale for this hypothetical discussion is that some of the Mets best prospects coincidentally play shortstop.  Andres Gimenez has struggled a bit this year as a 20 year old playing with 24 year olds in AA, but he’s started to turn it on of late.  Ronny Mauricio is hitting .281 as an 18 year old in A ball.  After impressing scouts as an 18 and 19 year old Shervyen Newton has regressed offensively this year but he’s still very young. 

The problem is that even if you had Rosario spend all winter honing his skill in centerfield, you’ve left yourself with a gaping hole at shortstop.  Luis Guillorme has never done much in his many but extremely limited opportunities.  Ex major leaguer Ruben Tejada is crushing minor league pitching but was at best a replacement level player in the bigs.  Gimenez hasn’t even sniffed AAA.  When Jed Lowrie returns from witness protection he can theoretically play shortstop for a year to tide you over, but he hasn’t played there regularly since 2014 and will be 36 if and when he takes the field in 2020. 

Picture by Ed Delaney

Frankly, I can see a transition for Rosario to CF at some point in the future when Gimenez or Mauricio or Newton force their way into the conversation.  Until then, warts and all, I think you’d better plan on him as your shortstop.  Of course, if he continue to progress with his bat and legs as we all hope, I have a feeling people will stop talking about his defense.   

OPEN THREAD - Trading Thor to the Braves

You might have missed this yesterday...

The Mets sent the head 'Boy From Boston', Allard Baird, scouted the Atlanta Braves AAA team.

At the same time, Omar Minaya scouted th Braves AA team.

The players targeted are:

CF Drew Waters - 

    20/yrs old, 2nd Rd. pick, 2017, $1.5mil bonus

    2019 - AA:  390-AB, .333/.375/.503/878


RHSP Ian Anderson - 

    21/yrs.old - 1st rd. 2016, $4mil bonus

2019 - AA:  20-ST, 7-5, 2.66, 1.16, 105-IP, 138K


My question to you...

Would you accept the services of these two to us, plus, let's say, a third blue lower level chip... for Noah Syndergaard?

HOW ARE THOSE LOWER MINORS RELIEVERS DOING?

FIREBALLERS!  YEAH, BABY!

Lots of new guys in rookie leagues pitch well in relief each year, but find the higher minors to be a whole different challenge.

But first, you have to pitch well in the lower minors.

Who is doing that in relief for the 3 rookie teams and the 2 DSL teams?  It's early - but never too early to perform well:

BROOKLYN (MOSTLY) - LOTS OF PERFORMERS:

Jared Biddy - undrafted, but dazzling, with 7 outings spread across Kingsport, Brooklyn, and even a game for Columbia.  The righty just turned 23 this week, and in 8.2 IP, 4 hits, no runs, a walk and 9 Ks. "This pro stuff is a breeze," he might just say.

Cole Gordon - a 23 year old lefty drafted in the 32nd round last month, he has pitched mostly for Columbia(!), and in 12 innings, is 1-0, 3.00 ERA, 16 Ks.

Nathan Jones - 5th rounder in 2019, he is listed as active, but has been in just one game for Brooklyn, and that was 5 weeks ago - why, I dunno, but it was a doozy: 2 hitless shutout innings, 5 Ks.

Justin Lasko, 22 year old 30th round righty, has already been in 9 games, 11.2 IP, 0.00 ERA, 5 hits - and one of those outings was for 2 scoreless for Columbia.

Andrew Edwards, 31st round 22 year old lefty - 1.72 ERA, 15.2 IP, 15 Ks, 0-1, 3 saves.

Matt Mullenbach - an undrafted righty, he has allowed just 2 hits in 10.2 IP, 12 Ks, 1.72 ERA, 1-0, 3 saves.

Mitch Ragan - 1-2, 19.2 IP (a few short starts thrown in there), 15 Ks, 1.83 ERA.  15th round righty.

Dan Goggin, 22 year old righty - 2-0, 2.87 ERA, a sizzling 25 Ks in 15.2 IP.

MOVING ON TO KINGSPORT:

Not as numerous - the two best pen performers?

Josk Hedka - undrafted 22 year old righty. 8 G, 5.1 IP, 0.00, 7 Ks

Jefferson Escorcha - 19 year old int'l lefty - 4-0, 20.1 IP, 1.31 ERA, 15 K.

MOVING ON TO THE GCL METS:

Jhonfran Escalona - 20 year old righty (int'l): 26 IP, 16 K, 2-0, 0.35 ERA between DSL and GCL.

Joander Suarez - 19 year old righty (int'l): 19.2 IP, 2.29 ERA, 23 Ks

MOVING ON TO THE DSL (ALL INTERNATIONALS):

Antonio Villalba, 20 year old righty - 1-1, 1.20, 30.1 IP, 30 Ks

Daniel Juarez - 18 year old lefty - 0-1, 4.11 ERA - but 29 Ks in just 15.1 IP.

Pablo Marinez - 18 year old righty - 9.1 scoreless innings, 4 hits, 9 Ks

Jose Valdez - 18 year old righty - 3-0, 2.64, 30.2 IP and a gaudy 44 Ks.

Some interesting performances - 16 guys noted above.  Keep up the good work, friends and amigos.

Reese Kaplan -- Go Big or Go Home

One of the key frustrations Mets fans felt during the Sandy Alderson era was the passive approach to reshaping the roster.  The free agents were always the 2^nd or 3^rd tier in quality.  Trades were seldom executed.  The primary source of new players seemed to be the DFA scrap heap. 

When Brodie Van Wagenen was surprisingly selected to assume the helm, many were not sure what to make of the agent-turned-GM.  He certainly did not waste any time trying to make an impression and during his first off-season made some splashy moves.  The blockbuster one, of course, was the trade of Jay Bruce, Anthony Swarzak and prospects Jared Kelenic, Justin Dunn and Gershon Bautista to Seattle for AL Saves leader Edwin Diaz and perennial All-Star Robinson Cano.  In addition to getting out from under the salaries of Bruce and Swarzak, Seattle kicked in some money to help offset the Cano contract.  Right now is not the time to debate the merits of the trade, but it did show creativity and an unabashed flair for thinking outside the box. 

In addition to this move, he also went on a free agent shopping spree, adding Jeurys Familia to set up for Diaz, All Star Jed Lowrie, pitcher Justin Wison and catcher Wilson Ramos.  He also inked a number of major leaguers to minor league deals, including Luis Avilan, Adeiny Hechavarria and others.  He was brash and told the rest of the league to watch out for the Mets.  He traded for J.D. Davis and Keon Broxton.  (You win some, you lose some). 

Now the results obviously haven’t been there, and for awhile I thought it was Sandy Alderson back in the front office as the in-season acquisitions were the DFA duds like Aaron Altherr, Wilmer Font and Brooks Pounders.  Although the club has played somewhat better of late they are still more than one or two players away from true contention.  Therefore, the question is how bold and dramatic should the moves be as the team approaches the July 31^st trading deadline?

The Conservative Approach

We’ve all seen this movie before.  Sell off expiring contracts basically for salary relief and B to D level prospects in the hopes that someone outperforms their draft pedigree.  It hasn’t worked out too well except to provide the Wilpons with some extra coinage to spend on whatever when payroll isn’t a priority.  There’s nothing new here that hasn’t been bandied about before – Todd Frazier, Zack Wheeler, Juan Lagares, etc.

The Middle of the Road Approach

Look to move some of the folks who carry some financial obligation or control beyond this year but whose impact on the roster could likely be sustained.  Wilson Ramos and Jason Vargas would be examples of folks in this realm.

The “Build a Dynasty” Approach

This is not exactly a blow it up and start over.  Trading Noah Syndergaard, for example, would not happen for some A-ball prospects.  The Mets would be looking for multiple AAA and maybe AA players who are ready to contribute a lot sooner than later.  Edwin Diaz would fall into this category as well.  Ditto Michael Conforto or Dominic Smith.  Assume that the walking wounded trio of Yoenis Cespedes, Jed Lowrie and Brandon Nimmo are off the table.  Trading away some of these folks won’t result in major financial savings right now, but Conforto and Syndergaard are reaching the stages of their careers where they are going to get increasingly costly.  If you could get multiple MLB-ready folks you’d have to at least think about it.  Then the money saved could go to patching holes on the free agent front. 

Frankly, I’m tired of the half measures done by BVW’s predecessors.  As Branch Rickey once famously told Ralph Kiner, we can finish in last place with you or without you.  While the Marlins certainly seem to have a long-term lease on the cellar, the fact is the Mets aren’t all that much better with the constant band-aid approaches.  Finishing 4th instead of 5th with a Jose Reyes instead of testing out a younger player long term only sabotages your draft position.  I’m all for being bold and trying to form a sustainable winner, rather than banking on a lot of elder statesmen to help tide you over and sell season tickets based upon what they once did when they were younger and healthier.  Look at the young nucleus of the Astros or Yankees or Braves and tell me you don’t envy what they have at many positions right now. 

OPEN THREAD - Untouchables

There are a couple of gems that came out of the minors with very little fanfare, which proves it can easily happen again.

After Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil are there any other untouchables on the roster?

SPOTLIGHT ON METS MINORS STARTER KEVIN SMITH

SPOTLIGHT ON METS MINORS STARTER KEVIN SMITH

Looking at Baseball America's listing of Mets top 30 prospects, the one surprising name to me was Kevin Smith at # 10.  

No, not the New Hampshire Fisher Cats SS of the same name.  The Mets guy - this, after all, is a Mets article.

The Mets' Kevin Smith is a 6'5", 200+ lefty (being a lefty myself, I love lefties), who was drafted in the 7th round of the 2018 draft, after going undrafted out of high school, who turned 22 in mid-May.

In 2018, with the Brooklyn Cyclones, he was brilliant: 4-1, 0.76 ERA, 0.76 WHIP, 28 Ks in 23.2 IP.

In 2019, he skipped right over Columbia to St Lucie, and in 17 starts, went 5-5, 3.05 ERA, and a 1.25 WHIP, fanning a fine 102 batters in 85.2 IP.  He just got promoted to AA, where his first start totaled 5.2 IP with 3 hits and 2 earned runs allowed.

Wow - he sure has pitched good as a Mets minor leaguer.  

Better than he did in his years in college, frankly.

Some guys just improve.

He throws with a three quarters arm slot, making him tough on lefties.  Lefty hitters hit .217 against him while pitching for St Lucie in 2019, while righties hit .274.  Lefties went just 2 for 24 against him in 2018.

His fastball reportedly sits in the 90-94 MPH range, with a strong slider and good change.

Now that he is up to AA, and especially as quickly as he has gotten there, it should get real interesting for Smith.  AA and AAA are significantly greater challenges for pitchers like Kevin Smith.

Previously "Spotlighted" in an article on this site, Tommy Wilson, drafted 12 rounds behind Smith in the 19th round last year, actually beat Smith to AA.  Wilson had some rough outings in AA, but his last 2 outings were stellar - both being 6 inning, 2 hit, 0 earned run outings.  

My guess is Kevin Smith will quickly reach similar success in AA ball.

Another lefty, to go along with Messrs. Kay, Peterson, and Szapucki?  Wow. I feel good having 4 such lefties in the fold, and their presence should bode well for Mets pitching quality in future seasons.

While Smith has only been a starter this season, Smith's success against lefties could in my view lead to him being a lefty pen arm for the Mets as early as 2020.

Then again, maybe he'll prove to be the next Madison Bumgarner.   That wouldn't be such a bad thing, huh?