Master Index of Archived Threads


Still Need Another Quality Starting Pitcher

Centerfield Dec 27 2018 08:46 AM

I know the rotation is supposed to be a strength, but I can't help but feel that they overperformed a bit last year. deGrom will take a step back, because how can you not. I think Wheeler kinda pitched over his head in the second half. Noah, on the other hand, I hope will be better. But Matz and Vargas is kinda crappy at the back end. Plus we got no one behind them.

HahnSolo Dec 27 2018 10:10 AM Re: Still Need Another Quality Starting Pitcher

Keuchel? I’d be for it but sadly he probably wants more than what the Mets would be willing to pay.

Edgy MD Dec 27 2018 10:31 AM Re: Still Need Another Quality Starting Pitcher

I'd like to have him aboard, certainly, but hitting the free agent market for big time starting pitching too often seems to be about paying out big time for the seasons the guy has already had, and really eating it as the contract progresses. Certainly Pedro Martinez and Johan Santana provided some thrills, but both had to be carried broken across the finish line despite being handled with kid gloves. Which I guess is my way of saying that, if the Mets really have money for Keuchel, I'd rather see it go into the Harper fund. And as noted often enough, I really don't like Harper.

smg58 Dec 27 2018 10:44 AM Re: Still Need Another Quality Starting Pitcher

I'm bullish on Wheeler, but you have to assume Jake can't duplicate that. Matz could go either way. The talent is there, and he could have done worse coming back from the injury, but he's got to do a much better job of keeping the ball in the yard. Vargas is probably capable of 5 adequate innings, like he did the last six weeks of the season, IF he stays healthy. There's no good reason to expect more than that. Sneaky options? The Yankees want major league players for Sonny Gray, unless the prospect package is as good as what they gave up for him in the first place. The latter is not going to happen, and it's not clear what major league players (if any) were put on the table. I'd offer Frazier. The upside is obviously not as high, but he has outperformed Gray since the middle of 2017, the deal would basically be payroll-neutral, the Yankees want to get Andujar off third base, and Frazier made a more favorable impression with the Yankees than Gray has. Another player whose team very clearly wanted to move him, but who hasn't gone anywhere yet, is Zack Greinke. The contract is daunting, but it would be a lot less daunting if the D-backs were willing to accept Cespedes as part of a return package. That's not a given, but they'd free themselves of the third year of Greinke's contract, they'd save some money this year if the insurance policy goes with Cespedes, and a healthy Cespedes might be easier to move next offseason (if not sooner) than Greinke would be. The last part is a very big if, but I see no harm in asking.

A Boy Named Seo Dec 27 2018 01:40 PM Re: Still Need Another Quality Starting Pitcher

I'd like to see the Mets take a stab at a guy like Drew Pomeranz. He'd surely be cheaper than Vargas but his upside is > Matz.

Edgy MD Dec 27 2018 02:53 PM Re: Still Need Another Quality Starting Pitcher

Greinke is interesting. For a guy who is admittedly mentally flakey, he's been real stable, winning 13-to-19 games each of the last eight years, pitching 200 innings in six of them, and bagging two ERA titles six years apart. He's got five straight golden gloves, and he knows how to handle a bat. Plus he's within pretty solid reach of his 200th win. And he costs (dear GOD!) $104.5 million over the next three years.

A Boy Named Seo Dec 27 2018 03:08 PM Re: Still Need Another Quality Starting Pitcher

The Mets have quality at the top end of the rotation, but I would love them to match the Dodgers in depth. They had 7 or 8 legit starting pitchers last year. The inevitable injuries were automatically covered and the guys' workloads were managed in the bullpen the rest of the time. That versatility becomes huge in the postseason.

smg58 Dec 27 2018 08:06 PM Re: Still Need Another Quality Starting Pitcher

A Boy Named Seo wrote: I'd like to see the Mets take a stab at a guy like Drew Pomeranz. He'd surely be cheaper than Vargas but his upside is > Matz. He's an interesting buy-low prospect. His age isn't an issue. I'd consider a year with a team option; that way if he's good, he's still under our control. We'd probably have to go a bit above the $6M that MLBTR predicted to get him to agree to a team option, but if the money is available and our other starting pitching leads are dead ends, it might be a gamble worth taking.

A Boy Named Seo Dec 28 2018 11:10 AM Re: Still Need Another Quality Starting Pitcher

smg58 wrote: A Boy Named Seo wrote: I'd like to see the Mets take a stab at a guy like Drew Pomeranz. He'd surely be cheaper than Vargas but his upside is > Matz. He's an interesting buy-low prospect. His age isn't an issue. I'd consider a year with a team option; that way if he's good, he's still under our control. We'd probably have to go a bit above the $6M that MLBTR predicted to get him to agree to a team option, but if the money is available and our other starting pitching leads are dead ends, it might be a gamble worth taking. Yup, that $6M would allow us enough leftover for the eventual shock Bryce Harper signing.

Ashie62 Dec 31 2018 11:37 AM Re: Still Need Another Quality Starting Pitcher

A Boy Named Seo wrote: A Boy Named Seo wrote: I'd like to see the Mets take a stab at a guy like Drew Pomeranz. He'd surely be cheaper than Vargas but his upside is > Matz. He's an interesting buy-low prospect. His age isn't an issue. I'd consider a year with a team option; that way if he's good, he's still under our control. We'd probably have to go a bit above the $6M that MLBTR predicted to get him to agree to a team option, but if the money is available and our other starting pitching leads are dead ends, it might be a gamble worth taking. Yup, that $6M would allow us enough leftover for the eventual shock Bryce Harper signing. I like this idea. If it is not possible Robbie Ray, flamethrower, is out there

A Boy Named Seo Dec 31 2018 01:15 PM Re: Still Need Another Quality Starting Pitcher

That dude is not a free agent. But I'd gamble on him anyway.