Master Index of Archived Threads


Ian Kinsler?

Mex17 Nov 21 2017 01:29 AM

Mets and Tigers are reportedly talking. . . https://www.sny.tv/mets/news/mets-repor ... /262238758 Solid year in 2016 (including a Gold Glove), but his 2017 may be indicating his decline. Baseball Reference splits the baby between the two with regard to his 2018 projection. https://www.baseball-reference.com/play ... ia01.shtml The interesting part of this to me is, since it would only be a one season commitment, they can do this and still have the option available to pursue Dozier or LeMahieu next winter. The poor season combined with the $11 million price tag should also mean that this would not be a back breaking deal with regard to who would be going back to Detroit. Do you take a gamble on a 36 year old having a comeback year?

seawolf17 Nov 21 2017 01:32 AM Re: Ian Kinsler?

IIRC, Kinsler is also a jerk. Pass.

Centerfield Nov 21 2017 02:03 AM Re: Ian Kinsler?

Not sure why we would bother with this. Neil Walker is better, younger, roughly the same salary, and costs you no prospects.

Lefty Specialist Nov 21 2017 02:06 AM Re: Ian Kinsler?

Meh. There's got to be better out there.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Nov 21 2017 02:09 AM Re: Ian Kinsler?

Well I'm not necessarily of a bigger fan of Walker. I think Walker is Fake News. Kinsler is the better career player but old and had a poor year this year.

41Forever Nov 21 2017 02:47 AM Re: Ian Kinsler?

He's a fellow Mizzou Tiger and a Detroit Tiger! As a stopgap until 2019, I think it's OK. But he's 36, and even our younger players seem to get hurt.

smg58 Nov 21 2017 03:20 PM Re: Ian Kinsler?

The plus is that he remains an elite defender, and infield defense would become a strength with him and Rosario up the middle. The minus is that he's old enough to make you wonder if he's on his way down with the bat. He may have been a bit unlucky last year (a .244 BABIP), so a bit of a bounceback is not out of the question. The catch is that Neil Walker would likely command a similar salary without costing any players, which means that there is a severe limit to what Detroit can ask for in return and still make it worth doing from our perspective. It's possible that the Tigers would simply like to free the payroll to spend elsewhere, though. It's worth considering.

Ceetar Nov 21 2017 03:29 PM Re: Ian Kinsler?

Would Walker get a similar salary? I keep thinking he's worth more than that. Kinsler's a pretty good player, but there does seem to be some indication he's maybe lost some bat speed.

Benjamin Grimm Nov 21 2017 03:33 PM Re: Ian Kinsler?

I guess I'd be okay with one of those deals where the Mets just give up token talent, what would be a salary relief trade from Detroit's perspective. What effect the $11 million would have on the Mets budget is something we can't exactly know, but presumably, if the Mets make such a deal, it would be because they've determined that they can afford it. Kinsler is in the final season of an eleven-year contract, according to Baseball Reference: 2018 Contract Status: Signed thru 2018, 11 yrs/$102.5M (08-18)

Centerfield Nov 21 2017 04:54 PM Re: Ian Kinsler?

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Well I'm not necessarily of a bigger fan of Walker. I think Walker is Fake News. Kinsler is the better career player but old and had a poor year this year. Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that the Mets are connected to Walker. Just saying that there is another option out there that is similar that won't cost any players.

Edgy MD Nov 21 2017 05:12 PM Re: Ian Kinsler?

It depends. I mean, if Walker drives a higher salary or more years, he ultimately costs talent, insomuch as talent and money eventually become convertible. Of course, I'm not sure how prohibitive the asking price on Walker will be. I think the Mets will go for one infielder, and I'd like that guy to be as much of an OBP guy as they can corral. Among Kipnis, Kinsler, and Walker, I'm not particularly certain who that guy is.

Edgy MD Nov 21 2017 05:16 PM Re: Ian Kinsler?

Let's ask Steamer! Steamer projects Kipnis with a .330 OBP. That's not particularly good. Kinsler's projected at .326, which on first glance, seems lower than .330. Boo! Lastly, we have Neil Walker, who Steamer suggests is looking at .346 OBP in 2018. As unattractive as re-upping one of last year's enlistees might seem, Neil looks like a good-ish deal, relative to those two.

Benjamin Grimm Nov 21 2017 05:17 PM Re: Ian Kinsler?

What does Steamer say about Wilmer Flores? Or Jose Reyes?

Edgy MD Nov 21 2017 05:26 PM Re: Ian Kinsler?

José is looking at a projected .317 OBP, and Wilmer a .316 figure. Wilmer is projected to slug .475, however, which easily wins the day among our candidates. He is also the only one of the figures already under control.

Edgy MD Nov 21 2017 05:30 PM Re: Ian Kinsler?

Zach Cozart is a free agent infielder that wasn't given a qualifying offer. His OBP ballooned last season to .385, 14th in all the majors. Steamy thinks it's an unrepresentative spike and predicts he'll drop back down to a .326 figure in 2018, but I'm intrigued.

Centerfield Nov 21 2017 05:48 PM Re: Ian Kinsler?

Edgy MD wrote: José is looking at a projected .317 OBP, and Wilmer a .316 figure. Wilmer is projected to slug .475, however, which easily wins the day among our candidates. He is also the only one of the figures already under control. Do you have a site for this? What's it say about Amed Rosario? NVM. Found it. Wow, not high on Amed Rosario.

Edgy MD Nov 21 2017 05:57 PM Re: Ian Kinsler?

Yeah, I think one of the reasons I'm rooting for a high OBP to join the Mets infield is that I expect that they'll be carrying Rosario's bat for much of the year.

smg58 Nov 21 2017 07:41 PM Re: Ian Kinsler?

Cozart walked a lot more this past season than he has in the past without damaging his strikeout rate. That strikes me as an improved approach, not an aberration. You would have to decide whom to move to second base, but that might be a good problem to have. Also worth considering.

Ashie62 Nov 21 2017 07:56 PM Re: Ian Kinsler?

The thing I remember most about Kinsler is he supposedly notified the Rangers that Josh Hamilton was drinking again a few days before those belly shot photos got out. Kinsler, Walker? C+ Kipnis B+ Internal options B Don't we have peoples who can play 2B?

Vic Sage Nov 22 2017 05:08 PM Re: Ian Kinsler?

Nunez is a top-of-the-order guy with pop and speed and can play adequately around the IF and OF. He's got some injury history, but nothing chronic. And he'll be cheaper than Walker or Kinsler.

Edgy MD Nov 22 2017 05:23 PM Re: Ian Kinsler?

Eduardo Nuñez?

Vic Sage Nov 23 2017 05:15 PM Re: Ian Kinsler?

yes. He doesn't BB as much as should, but he hits for a solid bA, ending up with OBP between .325-.340. That, plus SBs and HRs, as well as positional flexibility, make him a good low-cost option.

Edgy MD Nov 23 2017 06:03 PM Re: Ian Kinsler?

I feel like the team has Eduardo Nuñez, except his name is Asdrubal Cabrera. Less wheels on Cabrera certainly, but I think there's a lot of redundancy in the infield, and unless the team can find somebody with a good chance to be better than any of the infielders they have now, they should invest elsewhere.

smg58 Nov 24 2017 07:48 PM Re: Ian Kinsler?

Nunez is average at best defensively. If he were better than that with the glove, he'd present enough of an upgrade over what we already have to justify a look. But I think he's not the best fit here right now.

Frayed Knot Nov 24 2017 09:02 PM Re: Ian Kinsler?

smg58 wrote: Nunez is average at best defensively. And that's a generous assessment. At SS he was a train wreck; at other positions he's simply less bad and you hope his offense makes up for it. Other than that he pretty much is Cabrera: similar offense [EN vs AC for yrs 2015-2017 = 296/332/443 in 1,300 ABs vs 275/334/447 over 1,500] in a more athletic but less reliable all-around IF package. He's also filled-in in the OF on occasion and is 1-1/2 years younger. Not sure you'd want both on the same roster.