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< 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

Frayed Knot Jul 31 2017 12:13 AM

4 PM Monday is the deadline and it's probably tough to think of a year when a team clearly out of it had so many potential, and potentially useful to someone, FAs-to-be. Any or all out of Granderson, Bruce, Reed, Cabrera, and Walker could have already played their last NYM game. Also, because he's already been DFA'd so as to make room for Ramos, Edgin becomes a package sweetener in a deal as well. I already suspected Reyes was safer than the other potential FAs and the injury from Sunday's game (even though X-rays were negative) almost shirley makes that even more the case. Several of the above could survive the purge only to be dealt in August as their salaries make them probable to go unclaimed on waivers. And, of course, one of the known things about trading deadline time is that some shit will happen that no one even considered.

cooby Jul 31 2017 12:54 AM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

So how embarrassing would it be if nobody wants any of us?

Ashie62 Jul 31 2017 01:02 AM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

Sometimes you don't have to do anything.

Frayed Knot Jul 31 2017 01:12 AM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

Ashie62 wrote: Sometimes you don't have to do anything. Yeah but this isn't one of those times. Well, I suppose they don't HAVE to do anything but, seeing as how they're going to lose most or all of these guys at the end of the season anyway, it's certainly not an ideal time to sit and do nothing. But it does take two to tango and your mileage may vary and yadda yadda blah blah.

d'Kong76 Jul 31 2017 01:13 AM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

What would be embarrassing is if the Mets are in 'don't have to do anything' mode. Too many expiring contracts to not get something for them. The waiting game is what that will be if anything. Sandy's phone is probably pretty silent tonight. No trading GM's are losing sleep on their Sunday night waiting for the prices to go down in the morning when they get back to work.

Chad Ochoseis Jul 31 2017 01:29 AM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

I remember last year one of the stathead groups - I think it was fivethirtyeight.com - did a study and concluded that standing pat at midseason was never the right move. Don't know if I agree, and I don't remember them showing their work. But this would definitely be a great opportunity for the Mets to restock their farm system, which will be almost completely depleted once we promote Rosario and Smith.

Ceetar Jul 31 2017 02:11 AM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

technically the Mets already did two things. I'm just in it for the fake accounts though.

bmfc1 Jul 31 2017 02:27 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

[tweet:zz823bkn]https://twitter.com/Joelsherman1/status/892028446154665984[/tweet:zz823bkn]

Ceetar Jul 31 2017 02:33 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

bmfc1 wrote: [tweet]https://twitter.com/Joelsherman1/status/892028446154665984[/tweet] fuck off with your football analogies Joel.

TransMonk Jul 31 2017 02:35 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

Three prospects... [tweet:2hgtrh3a]https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/892029770443231232[/tweet:2hgtrh3a]

bmfc1 Jul 31 2017 02:39 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jul 31 2017 02:47 PM

http://m.mlb.com/prospects/2017/?list=bos [tweet:3iu41q2j]https://twitter.com/alexspeier/status/892033272154394629[/tweet:3iu41q2j]

41Forever Jul 31 2017 02:45 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

Reed would be our biggest chip, right?

41Forever Jul 31 2017 02:46 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

@alexspeier It's Jamie Callahan, Gerson Bautista, and Stephen Nogosek to the Mets in the agreement for Addison Reed.

Lefty Specialist Jul 31 2017 02:46 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

Good? Bad? Indifferent?

Edgy MD Jul 31 2017 02:53 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

Bautista is a 22-year-old Dominican who has been clocked at 100, but throws it all over the place. Hey, wait ... Omar isn't back in charge, is he?

Lefty Specialist Jul 31 2017 03:03 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

Sox fans seem relatively happy on SoSH, so we probably got screwed.....

Frayed Knot Jul 31 2017 03:08 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

Nogosek -- RHP, strictly relief to date. 6th round pick in 2016 out of U-Oregon (so he would have pitched with our 2017 #1 guy) good numbers this year in Low-A: 2.55 ERA, 0.99 WHIP; 11.5 K/9; 2.8 BB/9 Callahan - RHP, a starter initially but a reliever of late. 2nd round pick 2012 out of HS in SC. Split 2017 between AA & AAA, combined 32 games/42 innings; 3.21 ERA; 1.17 WHIP; 12.0 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 So it's two months of a good reliever in exchange for 3 potential future relievers: Callahan maybe could help in 2018, the others have higher ceilings probably but are further away

Edgy MD Jul 31 2017 03:24 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

Kinda reminds me of the haul Phillips (or Duquette?) got for Armando Benitez. Three pitchers, all projected toward the pen, one with the makeup, one with the arm, one with a touch of both. None, at this point, looking like the full package. Remembering we gave up Miller Diaz and Matt Koch to the Diamondbacks, I guess it's a pretty good haul to have flipped those two guys into these three guys plus the 142 innings of 2.09-ERA relief that Reed brought.

bmfc1 Jul 31 2017 03:40 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

But does Addison have an opinion on Dennis Eckersley?

Chad Ochoseis Jul 31 2017 03:45 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

From SoSH: Here are summaries on all three from Soxprosects. Callahan - Summation: Potential seventh-inning reliever profile. Has made significant progress since his move to the bullpen in 2015. Potential for plus-to-better fastball and above-average splitter with a cutter that can keep hitters honest. Upside depends on consistency with fastball command and continued development of secondary pitches. Nogosek Summation: Projects as a middle reliever. Potential for two above-average pitches in fastball and slider, both of which show bat-missing ability. Effort in delivery and lack of third pitch limit him to bullpen role, but could move quickly if the organization wanted to push him aggressively. Bautista Summation: Intriguing arm strength, but more of a lottery ticket at this point. Bullpen profile, but needs to physically mature as well as simplify and cleanup delivery. Has raw stuff to profile in a late-inning role, but extremely risky prospect with injury and command profile concerns due to delivery. Long way to go developmentally. I like it, for both sides. You buy enough lottery tickets, a few will win. And unlike the actual lottery, the payoff on the winning prospect lottery ticket is usually high enough to offset the losers. And the players look like they have the potential to be useful parts in the future. The Sox need Reed much more than we do. For the Mets, maybe Reed is the difference between winning 79 games this year and winning 81. I'd rather win 81, but I'd even more rather have some guys who can help us in the future, when in a better world we're contending for a playoff spot. For the Sox, Reed can be the difference between winning the AL East and winning nothing.

TransMonk Jul 31 2017 03:45 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

[tweet:2yic8y6n]https://twitter.com/Joelsherman1/status/892020726169051137[/tweet:2yic8y6n] [tweet:2yic8y6n]https://twitter.com/MarcCarig/status/892043389583015937[/tweet:2yic8y6n]

Farmer Ted Jul 31 2017 04:51 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

Nogosek was a teammate of Mets 2017 top pick David Peterson while matriculating at Oregon. So, there's that. For the wifey watch, Stephen and lady friend Emily Sweet are planning a January 2018 wedding.

bmfc1 Jul 31 2017 05:11 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

From Fangraphs: Callahan, Bautista, and Nogosek, again, are all 22-year-old righties. When Eric examined the system last offseason, they were each included among “other prospects of note.” Callahan is closest to the bigs, having made 22 appearances in Triple-A. He continues to run low contact rates, but he’s in need of further polish around the edges. Bautista is a guy with a big fastball and a developing everything else. To this point he’s issued too many walks in high-A. Nogosek might move quickly, as a recent pick out of U-Oregon, but he has a funnier delivery that’s made him an awful lot more successful against righties than lefties. The majors include any number of relievers who’re far better against righties than lefties, but few of them are pitching critical innings, on account of that exploitability. Out of that group, the Mets could find three new relievers. More likely, they’ll eventually find one, and he might be more of a sixth-inning guy than an eighth-inning weapon. It’s the going rate for a rental, I guess, and Addison Reed was never going to fetch a package like Aroldis Chapman. http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-red- ... -reliever/

Edgy MD Jul 31 2017 05:19 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

Between Stanford and Oregon, whoever is scouting the Pac-12 sure has the Mets' full faith.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jul 31 2017 06:07 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

Quick question: why are we AIMING at guys who are minor league relievers?

Frayed Knot Jul 31 2017 06:09 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Quick question: why are we AIMING at guys who are minor league relievers? Because our requests for Evan Longoria and Mookie Betts were turned down?

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jul 31 2017 06:34 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

Har. We arguably had the best available relief resource this side of Brad Hand... and we're aiming for minor-league relief arms. The Sox have a handful of better prospects (Mata, Shawaryn, Beeks). Our system is starter-poor (moreso for giving away Merandy Gonzalez for Walk Machine the other day). We paid Reed's freight. We aren't getting ONE potential starter?

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jul 31 2017 07:41 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

Oh, wait. The Sox are paying Reed's freight. I hat being the guy shouting "Freddy Coupons" in the room, but if $2.6M in savings was any consideration in not bringing in a team-controlled starting prospect (whose value, even if mediocre, tends to be in the tens of millions and upward)... then that's just unsmartish.

Edgy MD Jul 31 2017 07:49 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

Who is this unicorn of whom you speak?

d'Kong76 Jul 31 2017 07:51 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

T-minus 00:10:00 to two more months of guys who got us nothing and won't be back next year....

Frayed Knot Jul 31 2017 08:01 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

Well, we were sitting on a slew of bats in a year when virtually ALL the deadline movement across MLB has been pitching. Only the relatively minor deal involving Lucroy was a for bat.

sharpie Jul 31 2017 08:05 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

I have to think that Asdrubel or Neil Walker would get through waivers. Bruce maybe not.

Frayed Knot Jul 31 2017 08:08 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

sharpie wrote: I have to think that Asdrubel or Neil Walker would get through waivers. And probably Granderson as well.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jul 31 2017 08:26 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

Edgy MD wrote: Who is this unicorn of whom you speak? I'm not talking unicorns; I'm talking horses. In exchange for a minor-league starter with real promise, a very solid major-league closer, a power-hitting first baseman, and a low-grade Cespedes, we've acquired a slightly poorer major-league closer with one more year of team control and four Shetland ponies. The Sox have Bryan Mata, Kyle Shawaryn, Jamal Beeks (a lefty!), Jake Cosart, and about a half-dozen others with near-to-mid-term mid-rotation potential, at least. (Never mind prime position players and first-round prize lefty Jason Groome.) I'd rather have position players, all being equal, but if we're "restocking" on arms as stated, then why are we setting our sights on non-dominant guys who have already failed the starter test before reaching AA?

seawolf17 Jul 31 2017 08:42 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

Because it's entirely possible that it was the best offer they got? All we know is what the end deal was. We have no idea who's actually on the table.

Edgy MD Jul 31 2017 08:45 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

What remains to be seen is whether this has indeed been "targeted" as you describe, or simply the best of what's been offered back. (O.E: What the Wolf said.) But since the team's relief pitching has been very very bad (only the perennial batting practice-throwing pen in Cincinnati has been worse among NL teams) and since a very specific dearth was created in this department by the 2015 trading binge, I accept and embrace our relief pitching overlords. I imagine they still think they have enough starting pitching to re-establish it as an organizational strength.

Chad Ochoseis Jul 31 2017 09:21 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

And Bruce? QO at the end of the season, I would think. If he gets a better offer, good luck to him and we get the sandwich pick and an outfield of Cespedes-Nimmo-Conforto. If he stays, it's Cespedes-Conforto-Bruce with Nimmo as a 4th OF.

A Boy Named Seo Jul 31 2017 09:37 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

Was the trade with the Rays for the @wefollowlucasduda Instagram account our best deadline deal?

Ashie62 Jul 31 2017 10:02 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

We got three rated prospects for Reed. I'll take it.

Frayed Knot Jul 31 2017 11:11 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

Chad Ochoseis wrote: And Bruce? QO at the end of the season, I would think. If he gets a better offer, good luck to him and we get the sandwich pick and an outfield of Cespedes-Nimmo-Conforto. If he stays, it's Cespedes-Conforto-Bruce with Nimmo as a 4th OF. It should be noted that changes to the CBA last year further limit the value of picks received by a team for a player rejecting their QO starting in the 2018 draft. From now on only those teams which are in position to receive revenue sharing money get a pick between the 1st and 2nd rounds (pick # 30-something). All others pick up a pick between rounds 2 and 3, one that's more likely to be in the 70-80 range. The result -- or at least the intent -- will likely be fewer 'borderline' QO offerings in the future. I doubt Walker, for instance, would have been offered last year if MLB was operating under these new rules.

smg58 Aug 01 2017 03:06 AM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

The Mets were in a bind in a market that was openly hostile to two-month rentals. The alternative to getting pennies on the dollar for Reed and Duda was holding on to them and giving them the qualifying offer. That would most likely have meant paying Reed an obscene amount of money for a reliever, although you would still have Reed and Merandy Gonzalez. In Duda's case, you would have to have been willing to try out Dominic Smith at third in order to go that route. Giving Bruce the QO makes sense at this point, especially since he might not clear waivers (or bring back much if he does). The others will clear waivers. Barring character issues that may or may not be overblown, there is no urgency in dealing Cabrera. It would basically cost the Mets $6.5M to pick up his option, which is not unreasonable.

Frayed Knot Aug 01 2017 01:13 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

smg58 wrote: The Mets were in a bind in a market that was openly hostile to two-month rentals. Particularly when it came to hitters In Duda's case, you would have to have been willing to try out Dominic Smith at third in order to go that route. Not an option since Smith throws lefty. As much as we may have liked Lucas he had to go and it makes zero sense to bring him back. The others will clear waivers. Barring character issues that may or may not be overblown, there is no urgency in dealing Cabrera. It would basically cost the Mets $6.5M to pick up his option, which is not unreasonable. One could make an argument for either Cabrera OR Reyes in 2018 as an all-around backup IF, but that's an issue to discuss in more detail this winter.

Ceetar Aug 01 2017 01:47 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

Frayed Knot wrote: smg58 wrote: In Duda's case, you would have to have been willing to try out Dominic Smith at third in order to go that route. Not an option since Smith throws lefty. As much as we may have liked Lucas he had to go and it makes zero sense to bring him back. meh, he's one of the best hitters on the team and Smith is a prospect. He could still flame out for all we know. You could push for the DH for the other 150 games, juggle the position, play Duda in RF sometimes since the Mets don't seem to care about defense anyway. I mean, just handing the job to a prospect with less than two months of major league experience shouldn't ever be a given.

Edgy MD Aug 01 2017 01:54 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

You could push for the DH?

Centerfield Aug 01 2017 02:03 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

Ceetar wrote: Frayed Knot wrote: smg58 wrote: In Duda's case, you would have to have been willing to try out Dominic Smith at third in order to go that route. Not an option since Smith throws lefty. As much as we may have liked Lucas he had to go and it makes zero sense to bring him back. meh, he's one of the best hitters on the team and Smith is a prospect. He could still flame out for all we know. You could push for the DH for the other 150 games, juggle the position, play Duda in RF sometimes since the Mets don't seem to care about defense anyway. I mean, just handing the job to a prospect with less than two months of major league experience shouldn't ever be a given. Duda has a .911 OPS. Smith is cheap, and young, and will play better defense, but .900 OPS guys don't just fall out of a tree.

Benjamin Grimm Aug 01 2017 02:08 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

If the Mets had a .900 OPS guy fall out of a tree, he'd probably break his shoulder.

41Forever Aug 01 2017 02:19 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

Edgy MD wrote: You could push for the DH? Commissioner Manfred, we really like our powerful, though streaky, oft-injured, wrong-side-of-30 player, but we have no where to play him. We ask that you abandon the remaining bit of National League sanity and adopt the DH so we can keep him. Not gonna fly. :)

Ceetar Aug 01 2017 02:32 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

41Forever wrote: You could push for the DH? Commissioner Manfred, we really like our powerful, though streaky, oft-injured, wrong-side-of-30 player, but we have no where to play him. We ask that you abandon the remaining bit of National League sanity and adopt the DH so we can keep him. Not gonna fly. :) Well of course not, we'd play David Wright there, not Duda.

Frayed Knot Aug 01 2017 02:42 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Aug 01 2017 02:43 PM

Ceetar wrote: meh, he's one of the best hitters on the team and Smith is a prospect. He could still flame out for all we know. You could push for the DH for the other 150 games, juggle the position, play Duda in RF sometimes since the Mets don't seem to care about defense anyway. I mean, just handing the job to a prospect with less than two months of major league experience shouldn't ever be a given. Duda has a .911 OPS. Smith is cheap, and young, and will play better defense, but .900 OPS guys don't just fall out of a tree. So what's the point here, that we should keep Duda for QO money (probably north of $18 mil) or resign him to a multi-year deal at market prices AND try to work Smith in at the same time even though they both swing lefty and are limited to the same position on the field? That's nuts folks. Duda will be 32 next season and has a career 800 OPS. And even if you want to look at only 2016-17 and claim that 900 is now his new normal, while also ignoring that those years totaled less than a full season's worth of ABs (barely over 400) due to injuries, AND that you expect him to keep duplicating that as he turns 32, 33, 34 - it means you're content to see the 22 y/o Smith sit around for the occasional PH appearance and/or wait in Vegas for another injury. If you're that intent on keeping Duda then you need to deal Smith off in some sort of 'challenge trade' for a prospect at a different position; this has to be an either/or proposition. And as long as you keep in mind that a 1B prospect will probably get you a lesser prospect at any other position, you're free to submit your WATPs for Smith anytime. Will Smith ultimately be the better player? I have no idea but we're going to need to find out at some point and if that time is not when the existing guy's contract is up and the replacement is hitting .340 in AAA I'm not sure there ever will be a time. Ultimately I'm going to bet on the guy who's going to be 22-27 in the next five years over the one going to be 32-37, but that's just me.

Nymr83 Aug 01 2017 02:42 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

Frayed Knot wrote: Quick question: why are we AIMING at guys who are minor league relievers? Because our requests for Evan Longoria and Mookie Betts were turned down? Admit it, you want Longoria here just for the wives thread.

bmfc1 Aug 01 2017 04:10 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

Fangraphs projections show that Sandy didn't improve the team this week: http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/projecti ... -deadline/ Maybe that's the market, maybe it's what he had to trade, or maybe he sucks at being a GM. Smart guy Jonathan Mayo has the Mets ranks the traded prospects: http://m.mlb.com/news/article/245610190 ... -deadline/ Joel Sherman labels the Mets as "losers" but blames the market: http://nypost.com/2017/07/31/yankees-do ... he-losers/

MFS62 Aug 02 2017 01:27 AM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

Bottom line, we got three middle of the pack minor leaguers from an organization that is ranked 20th among minor league organizations. As Donald's first two wives ( and a lot of Russian hookers) must have said, "Is that all there is?" Later

Centerfield Aug 02 2017 03:34 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

meh, he's one of the best hitters on the team and Smith is a prospect. He could still flame out for all we know. You could push for the DH for the other 150 games, juggle the position, play Duda in RF sometimes since the Mets don't seem to care about defense anyway. I mean, just handing the job to a prospect with less than two months of major league experience shouldn't ever be a given. Duda has a .911 OPS. Smith is cheap, and young, and will play better defense, but .900 OPS guys don't just fall out of a tree. So what's the point here, that we should keep Duda for QO money (probably north of $18 mil) or resign him to a multi-year deal at market prices AND try to work Smith in at the same time even though they both swing lefty and are limited to the same position on the field? That's nuts folks. Duda will be 32 next season and has a career 800 OPS. And even if you want to look at only 2016-17 and claim that 900 is now his new normal, while also ignoring that those years totaled less than a full season's worth of ABs (barely over 400) due to injuries, AND that you expect him to keep duplicating that as he turns 32, 33, 34 - it means you're content to see the 22 y/o Smith sit around for the occasional PH appearance and/or wait in Vegas for another injury. If you're that intent on keeping Duda then you need to deal Smith off in some sort of 'challenge trade' for a prospect at a different position; this has to be an either/or proposition. And as long as you keep in mind that a 1B prospect will probably get you a lesser prospect at any other position, you're free to submit your WATPs for Smith anytime. Will Smith ultimately be the better player? I have no idea but we're going to need to find out at some point and if that time is not when the existing guy's contract is up and the replacement is hitting .340 in AAA I'm not sure there ever will be a time. Ultimately I'm going to bet on the guy who's going to be 22-27 in the next five years over the one going to be 32-37, but that's just me. My quote above was more or less in response to this: As much as we may have liked Lucas he had to go and it makes zero sense to bring him back. I don't think it makes zero sense. And I know you didn't mean it literally, but I don't think the answer is as clear cut you suggest. In the end, all things considered, I think you have to try out Dominic Smith, but this is the riskier move for a team trying to win it all next year. Smith looks like a great fielder, a good hitter and is cheap, allowing us to use money elsewhere, but he will most likely be an offensive downgrade from Duda for 2018. And Duda has a few years left of his prime, so maybe for the next 2-3 years as well. Gun to my head, I think you make this move. Smith is "ready", as far as we can tell, and a high-average, contact hitting doubles machine that sprays the ball might be exactly what this team needs. But if they re-signed Duda, and traded Smith for a 2B/CF version of Smith, or used him as part of a package to get that, then I could see the value in that as well. I don't know. Maybe I'm just attached to the guy. Or I'm afraid of getting burnt. I just have this sinking feeling he's going to hit 75 HR's next year for someone else. Letting Murphy walk and replacing him with Neil Walker made a lot of sense at the time too.

Edgy MD Aug 02 2017 03:52 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

Centerfield wrote: I just have this sinking feeling he's going to hit 75 HR's next year for someone else. I realize this is fatalism more than analysis, but I hear ya. He's got a .604 slugging percentage at Citizen's Bank Park. And it's not like the sample size is all that small. But hard choices gotta be made.

Frayed Knot Aug 02 2017 04:43 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

Centerfield wrote: I don't think it makes zero sense. And I know you didn't mean it literally, ... No, I pretty much did mean it literally - at least as far as trying to keep both. The only way to keep Duda -- and which you mention towards the end -- is to commit to him completely with a FA contract and hope that you can deal Smith off for a similar type prospect at a different position, a condition which carries the caveat that whatever middle of the field guy you'd get for Smith is going to be a lesser hitting prospect because of the positional advantage so you'd need to adjust your expectations accordingly.

Edgy MD Aug 03 2017 05:00 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

Bruce has an eight-team no-trade clause, which includes the Rays, Twins and Yankees, a source recently told James Wagner of the New York Times. I love this big bastid.

Benjamin Grimm Aug 03 2017 08:10 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

From Newsday... Mets could pick up Asdrubal Cabrera’s club option, sources say Marc Carig wrote: The Mets have warmed to the idea of picking up Asdrubal Cabrera’s $8.5-million team option for next season, sources told Newsday, even after the drama that unfolded earlier this season when the infielder resisted a move from shortstop. Marc Carig wrote: Also, sources said that the Mets have shown a willingness to explore keeping rightfielder Jay Bruce past this season. There have been no extension talks, with Bruce setting himself up to test the waters of free agency should he continue what has been a career season. But earlier this week, general manager Sandy Alderson offered a clear signal of the Mets’ thinking. He expressed a growing organizational belief that Michael Conforto has shown the capability to play centerfield for the next few years, an alignment that would open the door for the Mets to retain Bruce past this season.

Edgy MD Aug 03 2017 10:46 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

Those both sound like some serious turnabout. I imagine Cabrera's recently demonstrated utility has been worth something to them. I'm not sure it's been worth 8.5 big ones. Only so many roster slots, Mets. I'm curious if they plan on making some consolidation trades.

smg58 Aug 04 2017 12:29 AM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

It's 6.5 big ones if you count the 2 for the buyout they're already paying for regardless. I don't think it would take that much of a bounceback to justify that cost, if he can settle in defensively at second or third. Again, if other teams aren't valuing a guy that has value, you might as well work with what you have rather than keep trying to fight against this market.

Vic Sage Aug 04 2017 11:52 AM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

l could live with a platoon/rotation of Cabrera, Flores, Reyes and Rivera at 2b/3b next year. They're all useful players with specific strengths and, with Rosario at ss and Smith at 1b, could be a solid IF. And ditto for Cespedes, Conforto and Bruce in the OF (backed up by Lagares and Nimmo), but we definitely need an upgrade at catcher. RRivera is an adequate backup, but this should be it for d'Arnaud. He has move lives than a cat, but how many chances does he get before we move on?

seawolf17 Aug 04 2017 02:39 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

Vic Sage wrote: l could live with a platoon/rotation of Cabrera, Flores, Reyes and Rivera at 2b/3b next year. They're all useful players with specific strengths and, with Rosario at ss and Smith at 1b, could be a solid IF. And ditto for Cespedes, Conforto and Bruce in the OF (backed up by Lagares and Nimmo), but we definitely need an upgrade at catcher. RRivera is an adequate backup, but this should be it for d'Arnaud. He has move lives than a cat, but how many chances does he get before we move on? I agree with this, actually. This isn't bad. I don't know what kind of realistic catching options are out there, but it's worth exploring.

Benjamin Grimm Aug 04 2017 02:43 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

I think we'll be hearing about Jonathan Lucroy as we head into free agent season. I don't know if the Mets will be interested, but there will be people advocating for him. I agree it's time to look past Travis d'Arnaud. Sad, but true. He may eventually thrive elsewhere, but we can't keep waiting for him.

MFS62 Aug 04 2017 03:08 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

Travis is having a marginally better year than Lucroy, and neither of them is having a good year. Travis is in his late 20's, and Lucroy is in his early 30's, approaching an age when many catchers have started a rapid decline. Not sure if either is a long term solution to the catching situation. Later

Benjamin Grimm Aug 04 2017 03:15 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

I think the idea is that Lucroy would hold down the fort until Nido is ready.

Centerfield Aug 04 2017 04:31 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

Out of catchers with 200 PA this year, Travis ranks 19th out of 30 in OPS. Couple that with bad defense and his tendency to get hurt, and yeah, I think we have to look to upgrade. http://www.espn.com/mlb/stats/batting/_ ... /minpa/200 The problem is, what else is out there? Lucroy has been worse. Matt Wieters is another one. They are 28 and 29th. Sucko.

Centerfield Aug 04 2017 04:33 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I think the idea is that Lucroy would hold down the fort until Nido is ready. And Nido has a .663 OPS in Binghampton. His career high in HR's is 7. More sucko!

Centerfield Aug 04 2017 04:37 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

Vic Sage wrote: l could live with a platoon/rotation of Cabrera, Flores, Reyes and Rivera at 2b/3b next year. They're all useful players with specific strengths and, with Rosario at ss and Smith at 1b, could be a solid IF. And ditto for Cespedes, Conforto and Bruce in the OF (backed up by Lagares and Nimmo), but we definitely need an upgrade at catcher. RRivera is an adequate backup, but this should be it for d'Arnaud. He has move lives than a cat, but how many chances does he get before we move on? Puts a lot of pressure on the OF to carry the offense. Rosario and Smith have promise, but will need time to develop, if they reach that level at all. Cabrera, Flores, Reyes and Rivera are nice role players, but none are a threat at the plate. Same with any catcher we get. That's 6 spots (including pitcher) where no one scares you. If you give up power at 1B, a traditionally power-hitting position, then you have to get some from 3B. Slugging 2B and catchers are hard to find. So basically, Wright has to retire.

Centerfield Aug 04 2017 04:43 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

Or maybe you let Bruce go and sign JD Martinez. Hits for power, walks, plays RF, bats RH. Traded mid-season so no QO. Mets have money to spend.

smg58 Aug 04 2017 07:22 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

d'Arnaud isn't killing us -- some better luck on balls in play, and his betting average would look a lot better (along with his OBP and SLG). Our outfield is crowded with a lot of players who aren't killing us. Our infield defense has not been good, but it hasn't killed us. And we've just massively upgraded shortstop, and first base will have at least a defensive upgrade soon. Three of our big five starters with ERAs over 5, on those occasions when they're healthy enough to pitch? Our bottom-of-the-barrel bullpen, now deprived of its best member? Quite deadly. What do we do about that?

Edgy MD Aug 04 2017 07:39 PM Re: < 20 Hours left so Strap In ... it could be a wild ride

I agree that d'Arnaud isn't killing us.