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Enjoying Beast Mode

Lefty Specialist Sep 08 2015 06:59 AM

Cespedes. I've never seen one player turn a Mets team around like this. Gary talks about Donn Clendenon but Yoenis has done in a month what Clendenon did in half a season. It's like a switch was flipped. Yes, getting d'Arnaud and Wright back and adding Uribe, Johnson and especially Conforto has helped, but dayum, this guy just seems to be part of everything. He's taken it to another level, a level we're just unaccustomed to seeing. Of course we won't sign him, but boy, he's been fun to watch.

Edgy MD Sep 08 2015 07:11 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

As Gary put it though, what team adds six good or better big league hitters at once: three by trade, two by DL activation, and one by promotion? That's lengthening the lineup. It's adding Cespedes and forcing teams to pitch to him.

Benjamin Grimm Sep 08 2015 07:22 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

He's been such a presence in the lineup. Even when he's three or four batters away, he's probably on the pitcher's mind. I'm sure he hasn't been this player throughout his career. A player like isn't likely to be traded three times in just a few years. But the Mets sure got him at the right time. Hopefully he can keep this up for another four to eight weeks!

Edgy MD Sep 08 2015 07:33 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

Benjamin Grimm wrote: A player like isn't likely to be traded three times in just a few years. I dunno. Sometimes the realization that a guy won't be affordable long-term is what turns him into a hot potato, even a few years out from his free agency. Lookie Mike Piazza. But beyond that, there are always teams looking to muscle up, and when that doesn't work, deal those same folks off just as quickly. Marlins. Red Sox. Tigers.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Sep 08 2015 07:34 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

Have we even experienced what the addition of healthy Doodoo could mean? Yikes. I was gonna remark separately on d'Arnaud but this friggin guy has now amassed nearly 200 plate appearances now -- most since the August return from the DL and OPS+ing at 150. He's a star himself.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Sep 08 2015 07:35 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

Edgy MD wrote: Benjamin Grimm wrote: A player like isn't likely to be traded three times in just a few years. I dunno. Sometimes the realization that a guy won't be affordable long-term is what turns him into a hot potato, even a few years out from his free agency. Lookie Mike Piazza. But beyond that, there are always teams looking to muscle up, and when that doesn't work, deal those same folks off just as quickly. Marlins. Red Sox. Tigers. PWGTTTGT (players who get traded tend to get traded). I can't prove it but I know it.

Farmer Ted Sep 08 2015 07:36 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

Sign them all to long term contracts Wilpon you cheap sombabitch!

soupcan Sep 08 2015 07:59 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

I've been thinking about Yoenis and marveling about what he's done as well. At this point - and I'll assume he just keeps it going - how do you not sign him? Meanwhile his price is going up everyday. Lets say he continues to carry the team a through the end of the season and through the post season. Would there be a grumbling from the fan base should the Mets not make a genuine effort? And will they not make a genuine effort? And if he does go, how do they replace him? There's plenty of time to worry about that, in the meantime I'll just keep enjoying this monster. And if you didn't realize it - Yoenis is definitely out of the cage.

Ceetar Sep 08 2015 08:04 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

soupcan wrote: At this point - and I'll assume he just keeps it going - how do you not sign him? Meanwhile his price is going up everyday. I think that's just it. Price is going up and he's not young and he's not this good. It's a shame they can't reap any of the benefits* from this when he signs elsewhere for way too much money and years for an older guy that doesn't walk, but I'd probably bank on a .270/.320/.500 line from him next year as his high point and while that's good, it's not really break the bank numbers. *Obviously they'll reap the benefits of a long run this season.

soupcan Sep 08 2015 08:07 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

Ceetar wrote: ...and he's not this good. That may be, but if true he's a master illusionist.

Edgy MD Sep 08 2015 08:09 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

If he stays this good through the post-season, then few of use will have reason to quibble over whether he's really this good.

MFS62 Sep 08 2015 08:20 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

It will be interesting to see the incremental attendance per game since he arrived. I'm guessing it was in the high 20's to low 30's before he arrived. Attention. The following is for estimation purposes only, and I'm pulling the numbers out of my posterior, so don't quibble. Let's say it has increased by 5,000 per game since then. You could conservatively estimate the incremental revenue to be $500, 000 per game (tickets, concessions, parking). That's more than $40 million per year. I'm sure that Boras (or any other agent) would point to that and say it more than covers a $20 million per year contract, and leave plenty left over to spend on debt service, additional players or hookers for Jeff. All we need to do is wait to see what those attendance figures will actually be. Oh yeah, I guess the game results will be kind of important, too. Later

Ceetar Sep 08 2015 08:21 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

Edgy MD wrote: If he stays this good through the post-season, then few of use will have reason to quibble over whether he's really this good. Well, the last person to slug what he's slugging in a full season was Pujols in 2006, and just barely. Then a few guys in the early 2000s, a different offensive era. Only McGwire did in '98. From an objective and statistical standpoint, it seems pretty unwise to me to pay him for something you can't really expect him to do again, particularly over a long haul, particularly when you have to pay him based on what he _thinks_ he'll get in free agency. But he hits the ball freaking hard and is suddenly in a deep lineup and is in a pennant race and certainly is a hell of a lot of fun to watch.

Edgy MD Sep 08 2015 08:23 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

I'm sure management will be better able than us to calculate what the most likely outcomes will look like. He certainly won't be the only free agent on the market. But who knows what things will look like in November?

Benjamin Grimm Sep 08 2015 08:27 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

The fact that the Mets would have to make a preemptive offer is the main thing that makes resigning him more difficult.

TransMonk Sep 08 2015 08:32 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

Benjamin Grimm wrote: The fact that the Mets would have to make a preemptive offer is the main thing that makes resigning him more difficult. This is the reason I can't see the Mets pulling it off even if they want to make a legitimate offer. The Mets don't have the luxury of bidding with other teams and having a sense of what his real market value is to those teams. They essentially have to blow Cespedes away and make him think that no other team is going to offer as much as the Mets are wanting to give him. It's going to be hard (and expensive) to make Cespedes bite. Too expensive for my liking.

d'Kong76 Sep 08 2015 10:14 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

Renting this shiny new toy with no expectation of keeping it is kinda frustrating to me. I really don't see how they can't make some effort to keep him... publicly or privately.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Sep 08 2015 10:17 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

I don't care if they keep him or not. I say that primarily because he's going to go FA whether we like him or not. We have outfielders already under contract for next season and trust the braintrust will attempt to replicate his contribution in the aggregate if not with one superexpensive guy.

Ceetar Sep 08 2015 10:18 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

d'Kong76 wrote: Renting this shiny new toy with no expectation of keeping it is kinda frustrating to me. I really don't see how they can't make some effort to keep him... publicly or privately. Think of it like renting a Ferrari on vacation.

Benjamin Grimm Sep 08 2015 10:32 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

In the abstract, I'd love to see him stay but I realize that practical considerations make that impractical. Instead, trade Harvey this winter for the best young slugging outfielder they can get. Put him in the outfield with Conforto and Granderson, with Lagares and Cuddyer in reserve and they'll be in pretty good shape.

TransMonk Sep 08 2015 11:19 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

Benjamin Grimm wrote: In the abstract, I'd love to see him stay but I realize that practical considerations make that impractical. Instead, trade Harvey this winter for the best young slugging outfielder they can get. Put him in the outfield with Conforto and Granderson, with Lagares and Cuddyer in reserve and they'll be in pretty good shape. While I agree with that scenario, a Laggy/Cuddyer reserve would be $15M sitting on the bench most games...so it seem unlikely to me that they will move forward with that strategy. I suppose a lot depends on if/when Laggy gets surgery to help his elbow.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Sep 08 2015 11:27 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: PWGTTTGT (players who get traded tend to get traded). I can't prove it but I know it. Good player, but not super with off-field marketingstuff? Oh, yeah. Hell, for some, it becomes a selling point. "Hey, he's the kind of guy who you can plug into any situation and he's god to go."

Lefty Specialist Sep 08 2015 11:46 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

TransMonk wrote: Benjamin Grimm wrote: In the abstract, I'd love to see him stay but I realize that practical considerations make that impractical. Instead, trade Harvey this winter for the best young slugging outfielder they can get. Put him in the outfield with Conforto and Granderson, with Lagares and Cuddyer in reserve and they'll be in pretty good shape. While I agree with that scenario, a Laggy/Cuddyer reserve would be $15M sitting on the bench most games...so it seem unlikely to me that they will move forward with that strategy. I suppose a lot depends on if/when Laggy gets surgery to help his elbow. I think this is the way to go, even if you're parking $15 mil on the bench. Dangling Harvey, you should be able to reel in a pretty good young outfielder.

Edgy MD Sep 08 2015 11:49 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

(fman)Funny. I call mine Dangling Harvey also. What a coincidence.(/fman)

dgwphotography Sep 08 2015 02:25 PM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

Um - this is good news: http://nypost.com/2015/09/08/mets-remov ... -cespedes/ Seeing the potential mutual benefit, the Mets and Cespedes’ representatives changed the clause in his contract that would have given the Mets only five days after the World Series ended to sign him long term or not be able to do so again until May 15, The Post has learned. Thus, rather than be under a short-term constraint to decide whether to sign Cespedes as a free agent, the Mets can let the process play out and be like any of the other 29 clubs that can negotiate and sign him at any point this offseason.

d'Kong76 Sep 08 2015 02:28 PM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

Cool, never occurred to me that the contract could be modified. I'm not a lawyer, but I have played one on the internet.

Edgy MD Sep 08 2015 02:29 PM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

Wow. Wonder how much that cost them.

d'Kong76 Sep 08 2015 02:31 PM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

Billable hours make the world go round and round.

Ceetar Sep 08 2015 02:32 PM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

dgwphotography wrote: Um - this is good news: http://nypost.com/2015/09/08/mets-remov ... -cespedes/ Seeing the potential mutual benefit, the Mets and Cespedes’ representatives changed the clause in his contract that would have given the Mets only five days after the World Series ended to sign him long term or not be able to do so again until May 15, The Post has learned. Thus, rather than be under a short-term constraint to decide whether to sign Cespedes as a free agent, the Mets can let the process play out and be like any of the other 29 clubs that can negotiate and sign him at any point this offseason. Pretty much makes sense. All Sandy has to do is say 'Well, you know, we'd like you but we're not going to make you an over the top offer in the first few days just to keep you'. And if they believe that, there's really no downside to agreeing to continue to talk to the Mets after 5 days are up. I wonder if numbers were floated. "We believe you're worth this, and small sample size being what it is, nothing that happens here on out will alter it much" Perhaps the 'hand shake' agreement is that Cespedes gets to talk to the other clubs and the Mets won't then pull that initial offer away if no one beats it?

TransMonk Sep 08 2015 02:34 PM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

dgwphotography wrote: Um - this is good news: http://nypost.com/2015/09/08/mets-remov ... -cespedes/ Seeing the potential mutual benefit, the Mets and Cespedes’ representatives changed the clause in his contract that would have given the Mets only five days after the World Series ended to sign him long term or not be able to do so again until May 15, The Post has learned. Thus, rather than be under a short-term constraint to decide whether to sign Cespedes as a free agent, the Mets can let the process play out and be like any of the other 29 clubs that can negotiate and sign him at any point this offseason. Holy shit. Yeah, that seems hugely good.

batmagadanleadoff Sep 08 2015 02:36 PM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

Edgy MD wrote: Wow. Wonder how much that cost them. I dunno but if the Mets had to pay to amend Cespedes's contract (and my guess is that they did have to) that they did is probably a good sign.

batmagadanleadoff Sep 08 2015 02:38 PM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Edgy MD wrote: Wow. Wonder how much that cost them. I dunno but if the Mets had to pay to amend Cespedes's contract (and my guess is that they did have to) that they did is probably a good sign. FAFIF's post is phrased to suggest that Cespedes voluntarily waived the clause for nothing in return. G-Fafif wrote: He might stick around. At the very least, per Joel Sherman, he's agreed to waive the five-day clause that would make him a free agent unavailable to the Mets until May 15, if at all. He seems to like us and stuff. Doesn't the press know to ask the right questions?

G-Fafif Sep 08 2015 02:41 PM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

I have no idea how it went down, mind you. I'm just happy it went down. Last night a friend suggested Mets should pay him a million bucks for the privilege, which reminded me of a posting fee for Japanese free agents. I hope it was a sign of good faith on the player's part. Or that he gets a bigger cut of the t-shirt sales.

batmagadanleadoff Sep 08 2015 02:43 PM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

G-Fafif wrote: I have no idea how it went down, mind you. I'm just happy it went down. Last night a friend suggested Mets should pay him a million bucks for the privilege, which reminded me of a posting fee for Japanese free agents. I hope it was a sign of good faith on the player's part. Or that he gets a bigger cut of the t-shirt sales. I'm kinda hoping that the Mets had to pay to waive the clause. Because if so, it's a good sign of the state of the Mets.

G-Fafif Sep 08 2015 02:46 PM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

batmagadanleadoff wrote: G-Fafif wrote: I have no idea how it went down, mind you. I'm just happy it went down. Last night a friend suggested Mets should pay him a million bucks for the privilege, which reminded me of a posting fee for Japanese free agents. I hope it was a sign of good faith on the player's part. Or that he gets a bigger cut of the t-shirt sales. I'm kinda hoping that the Mets had to pay to waive the clause. Because if so, it's a good sign of the state of the Mets. Good point.

Benjamin Grimm Sep 08 2015 03:02 PM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

...the Mets can let the process play out and be like any of the other 29 clubs that can negotiate and sign him at any point this offseason. But if they're really like all of the other 29 clubs, doesn't that mean that the Mets have to make a Qualifying Offer in order to continue to negotiate after a certain date? And since Yoenis is a player that was acquired mid-season, even with a QO there's no draft pick compensation for the Mets, correct?

Frayed Knot Sep 08 2015 03:08 PM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

IIRC the new rules dictate that you can't make a QO and receive future draft picks for players picked up in mid-season - so this was never a case with Cespedes with or without his now defunct 5-day clause.

Benjamin Grimm Sep 08 2015 03:16 PM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

But they do have to make a QO to continue negotiating past a certain point, don't they?

Frayed Knot Sep 08 2015 03:21 PM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

I think so, yes. But of course if they're even considering a long term deal then there's essentially no risk to doing so. They'd take Cespedes on a one-year deal at maybe the QO x 1.5

Ceetar Sep 08 2015 03:35 PM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

no, the 'qualifying offer' is just a stand-in for 'good faith offer to keep player' It's the same mechanism as offering him 7 years, 150 million, which would also be a qualifying offer if it came within those first five days. You have to do that in the first 5 days of free agency (the team's exclusive negotiating window) in order to be eligible for compensation should that player sign elsewhere, but because there will never be compensation for Cespedes, there's no reason for them to offer the token ~15ish/1year deal. (edit to say that I'm not actually sure you can make a bigger qualifying offer. Sounds like it's just a boolean "yes, we'd take him" type deal)

Ashie62 Sep 08 2015 04:02 PM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

Can the Mets just trade Harvey for Cespedes?

RealityChuck Sep 08 2015 04:25 PM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

I figured this would happen. Cespedis loses nothing by waiving the clause.

Edgy MD Sep 08 2015 04:43 PM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

Ashie62 wrote: Can the Mets just trade Harvey for Cespedes? I'm sure the Tigers would like that just fine.

Lefty Specialist Sep 08 2015 05:19 PM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

RealityChuck wrote: I figured this would happen. Cespedis loses nothing by waiving the clause. And gains another potential suitor for a bidding war. No down side for Cespedes.

Edgy MD Sep 08 2015 05:25 PM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

Well, it takes away the motivation for the team to make an aggressive pre-emptive offer. Allowing for that downside may be worth it to him at this point, but it's a calculated maneuver and the Mets may certainly have paid something for the honor.

Lefty Specialist Sep 08 2015 06:13 PM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

Edgy MD wrote: Well, it takes away the motivation for the team to make an aggressive pre-emptive offer. Allowing for that downside may be worth it to him at this point, but it's a calculated maneuver and the Mets may certainly have paid something for the honor. Cespedes' new manservant- Danny Muno.

Frayed Knot Sep 08 2015 07:05 PM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

Lefty Specialist wrote: RealityChuck wrote: I figured this would happen. Cespedis loses nothing by waiving the clause. And gains another potential suitor for a bidding war. No down side for Cespedes. That's what I'm thinking too as I doubt the Mets had to 'pay' much if anything at all to get him to give it up. And remember that the original purpose to this is the thing that several of the older Asian & Cuban pros have had inserted into their first ML deals, the ability to declare themselves as FAs prior to the six year wait that younger players have to go through. This clause was just a sort of round-about way of getting there, it forces his original team (not knowing he'd be on his fourth club before ever reaching that point) to either cough up a huge deal or essentially cede the right to sign him at all.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Sep 08 2015 11:28 PM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

He's awesome and wonderful and I hope to think fondly on him forever and I worry very much about signing any guy after a huge-outlier career year who's on the wrong side of 30. Yours, The turd in the punch

seawolf17 Sep 09 2015 04:27 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: He's awesome and wonderful and I hope to think fondly on him forever and I worry very much about signing any guy after a huge-outlier career year who's on the wrong side of 30. Yours, The turd in the punch I totally agree. This has been a fantastic ride, but I'm not willing to give him a huge deal.

Benjamin Grimm Sep 09 2015 04:40 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

If he could be signed for three or four years I'd say go for it. But he's probably going to get six, seven, or even eight and that's an entirely different story. If someone is going to be willing to pay him $30 million at the age of 37, it shouldn't be the Mets.

Zvon Sep 09 2015 05:17 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

Whomever first called him a monster, I thank you. Come ONNNN! You know who you are. That's much easier than spending 15 minutes digging around the board trying to find out.

Frayed Knot Sep 09 2015 10:45 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

seawolf17 wrote: He's awesome and wonderful and I hope to think fondly on him forever and I worry very much about signing any guy after a huge-outlier career year who's on the wrong side of 30. Yours, The turd in the punch I totally agree. This has been a fantastic ride, but I'm not willing to give him a huge deal. And to add to that caution, whatever Cespedes will be in the future it will most likely not be what we've seen over the last six weeks. His 'slash' stat NYM numbers currently sit at 38, 37, and 187 points above his pre-NYM career norms as his .269/.317/.473 over 2,019 ABs have morphed into .307/.354/.660 over the most recent 153 Another way to look at that: his 1014 OPS would be (slightly) behind only Bryce Harper, Joey Votto, and Miggy Cabrera if projected out for all of 2015. His 790 pre-Mets career would put him in about 57th place with the likes of DJ LeMahieu and Shin-Soo-Choo. Nice players but not worth selling the farm for.

Edgy MD Sep 09 2015 11:25 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

An article in The Times has a story about the mustard in Cespedes' game, highlighting his uncanny ability to throw the ball underhanded with strength and accuracy. Some believe he started doing it as a tribute to his mother, who was a star pitcher for the Cuban softball team. Pretty cool that the Mets have two (at least!) outfielders who have star athletic bloodlines on both sides of the family. That may be their edge in scouting. They're checking out the mothers.

Benjamin Grimm Sep 11 2015 02:06 PM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

For whatever it may be worth: Jon Heyman wrote: While Mets people won't discuss it publicly, word is they are expected to make a serious play for Cespedes, whose willingness to play center field has been a huge plus, not to mention all the well-timed bombs he's hitting. The reasons they're not talking about their intentions are two-fold: They don't want to set fans up for a potential disappointment, and they don't want to detract from what's transpiring on the field, which is nothing short of special. Just for the heck of it, what kind of contract might Cespedes get? I've been reading that he's looking to get between $120 and $150 million, but of course that's speculation. But over how many years? $150 million over six years? Five? I don't know if they'd be able to pull it off, but maybe they can do with him what the Marlins and the Blue Jays did with Reyes: sign him to a backloaded contract and trade him away before the later expensive years kick in. The problem is, you can't count on being able to deal a 34-year old player with a big contract.

d'Kong76 Sep 11 2015 02:08 PM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

The years the years the years... and it wouldn't surprise me (when you see him interviewed) he's a year or two older than advertised.

Edgy MD Sep 11 2015 02:36 PM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

It wouldn't surprise me — and I say this with love — that he's taken wheelbarrows full of nutritional supplements of dubious provenance, and this may be a greater concern over the long haul than it is over short.

themetfairy Sep 11 2015 03:13 PM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

I'm loving the contract drive; I'm not committed to the big payout. He can be our summer fling - I'm cool with that.

TransMonk Sep 11 2015 04:03 PM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

Exactly, I'm just happy the Mets are at least indicating that there is interest (meaning the era of looking to acquire only cheap FAs may be ending). I don't really want any part of both the dollars and length that Cespedes is going to end up getting from some other sucker team.

G-Fafif Sep 12 2015 06:41 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

I like how Cespedes offers protection to the rest of the lineup. [fimg=250:3bgvp1xn]http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7135/1256/1600/townhallbodyguard1.jpg[/fimg:3bgvp1xn]

Frayed Knot Sep 12 2015 07:01 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

Cespedes per 600 PAs as a NYM: .313/.360/.681 // 1041 OPS; 34 2Bs, 10 3Bs, 51 HRs. Or, if you want to get real geeky about it, 8.48 RC/27 (a projected all-Cespedes lineup would average about 8.5 runs per game) Cepedes's career pre-trade/600 PAs: .269/.317/.473 // 790 OPS; 30 2Bs, 5 3Bs, 24 HRs. 5.01 RC/27

Ashie62 Sep 12 2015 09:19 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

I hope he is not a guy who gets the big contract and then kinda shuts it down.

Edgy MD Sep 12 2015 10:11 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

The truth is virtually everybody is that kind of guy. I mean, it's not that folks "shut it down," or necessary any moral failing along those lines, but that the sort of production and health a guy needs to trigger a superstar deal is unsustainable beyond a few years. I mean, apart from Babe-Rod Williams Bonds the Man, anyhow. And we know that two of those guys were cheating with substances not as readily available now. The best analog is a Met actually: Carlos Beltran. He was acquired at the deadline and had a monster run carrying his team through the post-season, and even though the contract it triggered had a few outstanding seasons, nobody was happy with the utterly predictable lesser seasons or health breakdowns, and there's a disproportionately bitter flavor associated with the deal. What makes Cespedes worth looking at anyhow to the Mets is his willingness to play centerfield, lowering the bar of excellence, and lowering the likelihood of a worst-case scenario.

Ashie62 Sep 12 2015 12:46 PM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

That's pretty much what I meant. I love Cespedes. I find him productive, fun and the neon green armwear is the bomb.

d'Kong76 Sep 12 2015 01:16 PM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

Lol, didn't you just say yesterday you weren't interested In baseball fashion? I'm surprised they let him wear the loud arm sleeve, kinda distracting.

themetfairy Sep 12 2015 01:31 PM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

On Jason Fry and Shannon Shark's podcast, Paul Lukas discusses David Wright's orange undershirt and Cespedes' sleeve The discussion begins about a half hour into the show. Cespedes comes into the discussion around 35:00 in. Lukas says that the technicality is that the sleeve is a different, freestanding item and thus doesn't have to comply with the rules about uniform colors.

d'Kong76 Sep 12 2015 01:44 PM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

And there ya go!!

Edgy MD Sep 12 2015 01:49 PM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

d'Kong76 wrote: Lol, didn't you just say yesterday you weren't interested In baseball fashion?

Benjamin Grimm Sep 12 2015 01:50 PM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

themetfairy wrote: Lukas says that the technicality is that the sleeve is a different, freestanding item and thus doesn't have to comply with the rules about uniform colors. I think the rules have changed, though. I remember Tsuyoshi Shinjo wanted to wear a bright red armband (which was his trademark in Japan) but had to go with orange instead.

themetfairy Sep 12 2015 01:57 PM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

Benjamin Grimm wrote: themetfairy wrote: Lukas says that the technicality is that the sleeve is a different, freestanding item and thus doesn't have to comply with the rules about uniform colors. I think the rules have changed, though. I remember Tsuyoshi Shinjo wanted to wear a bright red armband (which was his trademark in Japan) but had to go with orange instead. That was also discussed in the podcast.

G-Fafif Sep 12 2015 04:53 PM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

Gary Cohen has compared Cespedes's hitting style to that of Mays. I can see it.

G-Fafif Sep 15 2015 06:53 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

Tim Rohan on how the beast became a Met. My only objection is the inclusion of the COO as the tough-talking, signer-offer on the big deal. Would love to pretend a giddy dowager still owns the team.

Frayed Knot Sep 15 2015 07:14 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

Somehow I get the feeling that Jeff's "Go for it" in this case won't become the stuff of legend in the same way that Doubleday's supposed pep talk (do we actually know what was said and to whom?) to go out and get Piazza has to some fans.

Edgy MD Sep 15 2015 07:24 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

Since the deal, Cespedes has produced at a level that has no parallel in the team’s 53-year history. In 41 games for the Mets, he has 17 home runs and 42 runs batted in, along with a .309 batting average. Just for the sake of discussion, is it really true that this has no parallel? Is it really true that his quarter-season of .309 / .356 / .691 // 1.048 is unprecedented? I mean, it's probably unprecedented as far as dovetailing perfectly and magically and out-of-the-blue with a Mets stretch run, but surely Piazza or Beltran or Duda or Strawberry or McReynolds or Segui or somebody has had a similar month and a half somewhere, right?

Lefty Specialist Sep 15 2015 07:50 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

You know, the fact that he doesn't walk much is killing his OPS. (I kid, I kid.)

MFS62 Sep 15 2015 07:53 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

When they hired him, I knew Sandy could do it. Remember? Later ____________________________________________________________________________ Who can change a roster, along with his new crew Get some good new players, maybe get rid of one or two The Sandy Man, oh the Sandy Man can The Sandy Man can 'cause he’ll make the needed deals to make the team play good Who can take a roster, make some dealings sly Make the Mets so good it makes Yankee rooters cry The Sandy Man, the Sandy Man can The Sandy Man can 'cause he’ll make the needed deals to make the team play good The Sandy Man makes every step he takes planned out and judicious Now you talk about your Mets-based wishes, high OPS and fewer swishes Oh, who can start tomorrow, fulfill our every dream Put behind the sorrows and improve our fav’rite team The Sandy Man, oh the Sandy Man can The Sandy Man can 'cause he’ll make the needed deals to make the team play good The Sandy Man makes every step he takes planned out and judicious Now you talk about your Mets-based wishes, high OPS and fewer swishes Yeah, yeah, yeah Who can start tomorrow, his new front office team Put behind the sorrows and improve our fav’rite team The Sandy Man, oh the Sandy Man can The Sandy Man can 'cause he’ll make the needed deals to make the team play good The Sandy Man can 'cause he’ll make the needed deals to make the team play good 1.

Frayed Knot Sep 15 2015 08:09 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

This just in: Cespedes has been named NL Player of the Week for next week.

Ceetar Sep 15 2015 08:11 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

Edgy MD wrote: Since the deal, Cespedes has produced at a level that has no parallel in the team’s 53-year history. In 41 games for the Mets, he has 17 home runs and 42 runs batted in, along with a .309 batting average. Just for the sake of discussion, is it really true that this has no parallel? Is it really true that his quarter-season of .309 / .356 / .691 // 1.048 is unprecedented? I mean, it's probably unprecedented as far as dovetailing perfectly and magically and out-of-the-blue with a Mets stretch run, but surely Piazza or Beltran or Duda or Strawberry or McReynolds or Segui or somebody has had a similar month and a half somewhere, right? I can't find a play-index to answer that question. bah! Another time I wish I had my own DB.

dgwphotography Sep 15 2015 08:12 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

Edgy MD wrote: Since the deal, Cespedes has produced at a level that has no parallel in the team’s 53-year history. In 41 games for the Mets, he has 17 home runs and 42 runs batted in, along with a .309 batting average. Just for the sake of discussion, is it really true that this has no parallel? Is it really true that his quarter-season of .309 / .356 / .691 // 1.048 is unprecedented? I mean, it's probably unprecedented as far as dovetailing perfectly and magically and out-of-the-blue with a Mets stretch run, but surely Piazza or Beltran or Duda or Strawberry or McReynolds or Segui or somebody has had a similar month and a half somewhere, right? I'm thinking, at least power-wise, of Kingman in 1976 before he tore up his thumb. didn't he have 30 homers at the all-star break?

Edgy MD Sep 15 2015 08:15 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

Kingman 76 was certainly one I was thinking of.

Centerfield Sep 15 2015 08:25 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

Tim Rohan on how the beast became a Met. My only objection is the inclusion of the COO as the tough-talking, signer-offer on the big deal. Would love to pretend a giddy dowager still owns the team. This is a fascinating article. We talk about having a plan and setting up your pieces etc., but it's amazing how arbitrary these things are. A few things of note: 1. If the Gomez deal happens, no way we get Cespedes. Gomez has an OPS around .660 for Houston. We likely do not make the playoffs. 2. Thank god the Padres were stubborn about Justin Upton. 3. Holy crap we could have ended up with Jay Fucking Bruce. We were that close to disaster. 4. I have to give credit to Jeff Wilpon if that is true. That brings the list of "Things I like about Jeff Wilpon" to 1. 5. It sounds like Sandy was determined to make a move all along. That is encouraging. 6. I didn't know Fulmer was that good of a prospect. I guess we may have some regrets coming to us later. I still say we make the move.

themetfairy Sep 15 2015 08:49 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

Yes, Fulmer is a stud. But this was nonetheless a deal worth making.

dinosaur jesus Sep 15 2015 08:56 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

Edgy MD wrote: Kingman 76 was certainly one I was thinking of. Not so much. He did have a 41-game stretch in 1976 (April 27-June 10) where he hit 15 home runs. His line was .244 / .275 / .549, with 25 runs scored and 33 rbi. But Strawberry had a stretch in 1990 that beats Cespedes. From June 8 to July 25 (41 games), his line was .336 / .421 / .718 // 1.139, with 17 home runs, 34 runs scored, and 42 rbi. The Mets went 30-11, and went from 9 1/2 games behind the Pirates to 1/2 game back. That doesn't have the neat storyline of what Cespedes has done, but it's pretty stunning.

G-Fafif Sep 15 2015 09:02 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

It's as much a reflection the lineups of their day as it is to what Peerless Yo From (south of) Manzanillo is doing, but Cespedes's 17 HRs to date, all accumulated since early August, would have led a dozen different Met clubs in that category over a full season. A few more are within (for him) easy reach as well.

TransMonk Sep 15 2015 09:04 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

themetfairy wrote: Yes, Fulmer is a stud. But this was nonetheless a deal worth making. Agreed. Also, I preferred giving up Fulmer to Wheeler. Fulmer may have a high ceiling, but Wheeler is a known quantity at the major league level (if he can fully recover from TJ, obviously).

Benjamin Grimm Sep 15 2015 09:05 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

He may end up leading the 2015 club in homers.

Ashie62 Sep 15 2015 09:06 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

I saw a comment by Rubin that Yo Yo will be looking at about 175 million in the off season.

Edgy MD Sep 15 2015 09:08 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

dinosaur jesus wrote: Edgy MD wrote: Kingman 76 was certainly one I was thinking of. Not so much. He did have a 41-game stretch in 1976 (April 27-June 10) where he hit 15 home runs. His line was .244 / .275 / .549, with 25 runs scored and 33 rbi. But Strawberry had a stretch in 1990 that beats Cespedes. From June 8 to July 25 (41 games), his line was .336 / .421 / .718 // 1.139, with 17 home runs, 34 runs scored, and 42 rbi. The Mets went 30-11, and went from 9 1/2 games behind the Pirates to 1/2 game back. That doesn't have the neat storyline of what Cespedes has done, but it's pretty stunning. This is excellent work by Dino J. Outstanding.

Benjamin Grimm Sep 15 2015 09:09 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

Ashie62 wrote: I saw a comment by Rubin that Yo Yo will be looking at about 175 million in the off season. Over how many years?

Ashie62 Sep 15 2015 09:12 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

Rubin was replying in comments and did not say. I will look for the link todayum.

Ceetar Sep 15 2015 09:14 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

dinosaur jesus wrote: Edgy MD wrote: Kingman 76 was certainly one I was thinking of. Not so much. He did have a 41-game stretch in 1976 (April 27-June 10) where he hit 15 home runs. His line was .244 / .275 / .549, with 25 runs scored and 33 rbi. But Strawberry had a stretch in 1990 that beats Cespedes. From June 8 to July 25 (41 games), his line was .336 / .421 / .718 // 1.139, with 17 home runs, 34 runs scored, and 42 rbi. The Mets went 30-11, and went from 9 1/2 games behind the Pirates to 1/2 game back. That doesn't have the neat storyline of what Cespedes has done, but it's pretty stunning. Where'd you pull that from?

dinosaur jesus Sep 15 2015 09:23 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

Ceetar wrote: dinosaur jesus wrote: Edgy MD wrote: Kingman 76 was certainly one I was thinking of. Not so much. He did have a 41-game stretch in 1976 (April 27-June 10) where he hit 15 home runs. His line was .244 / .275 / .549, with 25 runs scored and 33 rbi. But Strawberry had a stretch in 1990 that beats Cespedes. From June 8 to July 25 (41 games), his line was .336 / .421 / .718 // 1.139, with 17 home runs, 34 runs scored, and 42 rbi. The Mets went 30-11, and went from 9 1/2 games behind the Pirates to 1/2 game back. That doesn't have the neat storyline of what Cespedes has done, but it's pretty stunning. Where'd you pull that from? I looked at player game logs on Baseball Reference, and selected stretches of games where there seemed to be a lot of home runs. For Strawberry, I looked at his big years of 1987, 1988, and 1990, and 1984, since I know he got really hot after a slow start.

Benjamin Grimm Sep 15 2015 09:39 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

If he's asking for that $175 million over six years, that's not unreasonable. I mean, it's not unreasonable for him to ask for that. Whether it's reasonable for him to get that is another story.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Sep 15 2015 09:40 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

This just in: Cespedes has been named NL Player of the Week for next week. lololollol

batmagadanleadoff Sep 15 2015 09:47 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

dinosaur jesus wrote: Edgy MD wrote: Kingman 76 was certainly one I was thinking of. Not so much. He did have a 41-game stretch in 1976 (April 27-June 10) where he hit 15 home runs. His line was .244 / .275 / .549, with 25 runs scored and 33 rbi. But Strawberry had a stretch in 1990 that beats Cespedes. From June 8 to July 25 (41 games), his line was .336 / .421 / .718 // 1.139, with 17 home runs, 34 runs scored, and 42 rbi. The Mets went 30-11, and went from 9 1/2 games behind the Pirates to 1/2 game back. That doesn't have the neat storyline of what Cespedes has done, but it's pretty stunning. Straw's 1990 stretch landed him on the cover of SI.

Centerfield Sep 15 2015 10:00 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

You know what's cool? If the Mets lose in the first round, Cespedes signs somewhere else, and then Fulmer ends up being a perennial ace, we can then blame Jeff Wilpon!

Benjamin Grimm Sep 15 2015 10:05 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

If that happens, it's still a good trade.

Centerfield Sep 15 2015 10:08 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

All kidding aside, yes. Agreed. A trade that had to be made. And I am saying this even if Cespedes signs elsewhere. Let me also say this early on, if the bidding for Cespedes gets into crazy territory because of what he has done the last few weeks (as opposed to career norms and projections) I am completely fine with management if they don't fall into that trap.

Frayed Knot Sep 15 2015 10:19 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

This just in: Cespedes has been named NL Player of the Week for next week. lololollol Stole that one from old Ch 11 sportscaster Jerry Girard who used the line with Wayne Gretzsky a whole buncha years ago. Michael Fulmer is a promising pitcher -- as any 1S round pick should be (44th overall in 2011 out of HS in Oklahoma) who got off to good enough years in '11-'13 to land him on the back of BA's top-100 by 2013 (98th to be precise). But then he stumbled badly in 2014 and injuries limited to 20 starts and also a 5.31 ERA mostly at high-A PSL. 2015 was a significant bounce-back year for him as he went 10-3, 2.24 over 22 starts in AA with all his numbers going in the right direction. I expect he'll be on the prospect lists next year, probably even top-50, which is a nice place to be for a guy who won't turn 23 until next spring, but of course it's also that bounce-back which made him good enough bait to land Cespedes without touching anyone from the big club. But he's still just a prospect and hardly a guaranteed stud (and remember the saying about pitching prospects - TINSTAAPP) at a position where we're strongest - so I make this move ten times out of ten even without the guarantee of Cespedes beyond the rest-e-dis year. And if Fulmer beats the odds and becomes an ace in the next couple of years, well then we're just going to have to live with it.

Lefty Specialist Sep 15 2015 10:47 AM Re: Enjoying Beast Mode

Even if Fulmer becomes an ace, I still do the deal. Cespedes electrified this offense. Yes, he had help, but it all fell into place with his acquisition. And yes, even if he walks. They grabbed for the brass ring, and they didn't give up someone who figured into their short-range plans.