Winter Meetings 2017

[seawolf17]

If every team in baseball isn't calling Jeets on Yelich right now, I'd be stunned.

Get me Realmuto and Bour while you're at it, Sandy.

[A Boy Named Seo]

Centerfield wrote: Love Yelich. Send them Harv!

After they accept my modified offer, their payroll for 2018 will be like $45M so they're gonna be so happy, they'll take whatever I tell them to take.

Marlins get:
-Matt Harvey
-Juan Lagares
-Gavin Cecchini
-marginal A-ball dude
-$6.5M dollars

Mets get:
-Christian Yelich
-Starlin Castro
-Wei-Yin Chen

Lagares is free for the Marlins this year (free!), and they have a year to trade the $9M left on his 2019 salary.
Mets get a cornerstone centerfielder, a decent, kinda expensive middle-infielder for $10.8M this year and $11.8 next year, plus Chen who makes a not-outlandish $10M and can be our very poor man's Mike Minor, spot starter, mop-up, etc. And $30M for these bums, plus the $6.5M sweetener for Lagares doesn't break the team this year. I don't think. Does it? What do I know.

Marlins are stoked because they dump ~$30M in salary immediately, and about $48M more for the rest of Castro and Yelich. Harvey goes full Johnny Manziel within 8 month of living in Miami. THE END.

[Centerfield]

Actually, your offer is more appealing to the Marlins without Harvey.

[nymr83]

Fire Jeter!

[Guest 41Forever]

Looks like Ian Kinsler won't be our second baseman. Apparently on his way to the Angels.

[MFS62]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: It's like baseball Black Friday down there. Rainbow Fish Friday?

Feels more like Pass over.

Later

[Centerfield]

Clearly the Mets are waiting for the markets on Hosmer and Martinez to heat up.

[Frayed Knot]

Reliever Joe Smith to join the WS champs in Houston.

[Centerfield]

Word among the beat writers is that Alderson is basically done with the bullpen. And as we already knew, he's not addressing the rotation.

The Mets ranked 28th in ERA this season. 27th for the starters, 29th for the bullpen. And this when they had Addison Reed.

This winter, if the beat writers are right, that same pitching staff will add Anthony Swarzak then go to battle.

I guess there is still one day left to the Winter Meetings. But as to the debate that started this thread, if I had to pick "Sandy is being coy" versus "Sandy is lowering fan expectations", well then...

[Frayed Knot]

Centerfield wrote: This winter, if the beat writers are right, that same pitching staff will add Anthony Swarzak then go to battle.

Well, Swarzak plus the pick of the crop from the bevy of relievers he added late last summer. Plus a theoretical full season from Familia & Ramos.

[Guest 41Forever]

And, it’s not like the off-season ends at the winter meetings. I’d take anything Sandy is saying with big grains of salt and remember there are tons of reporters there looking for any scrap to turn into a story.

Be optimistic! It’s Christmastime!

[Edgy MD]

There's the possiblity of a re-emergence by that crazy Mejia, and possibly other Tim Peterson-y guys we didn't see last year who've matured a full season. And possibly Chris Flexen-y guys or Marcos Molina-ish dudes who have started to date but reached a point in their careers where the bullpen is the best opportunity for them.

Bullpen building is alchemy.

[seawolf17]

Centerfield wrote: Actually, your offer is more appealing to the Marlins without Harvey.

Agree. A "big-market" team makes that trade immediately, too.

[Ceetar]

Centerfield wrote: Word among the beat writers is that Alderson is basically done with the bullpen. And as we already knew, he's not addressing the rotation.

I wouldn't get too into season by season ERA by combined bullpens. the Mets have some solid arms there.

"we'll see. We wanted to acquire an extra arm. We feel the bullpen is a relative strength. Will probably be looking elsewhere for the next upgrade"

That's not quite 'no other reliever" it's simply, we're going to go address other holes.

[Edgy MD]

Well, the beat writers word didn't last 'til the end of breakfast. Burch Smith!

[Centerfield]

Frayed Knot wrote: Centerfield wrote: This winter, if the beat writers are right, that same pitching staff will add Anthony Swarzak then go to battle. Well, Swarzak plus the pick of the crop from the bevy of relievers he added late last summer. Plus a theoretical full season from Familia & Ramos.

Understood. And hopefully Syndergaard and Matz will be healthy, Harvey will bounce back, and we get some miracle with Wheeler. Certainly the staff as built could be effective, but you'd like a better off-season plan.

The pitching wasn't just bad, it was like near the worst in all of baseball bad. Rotation and bullpen. What would be a reasonable bounceback? Middle of the pack? Top ten seems a stretch with the same guys no? A team that's serious about contending would bring in strong candidates to bolster both.

And the offense. Where to even begin. 19th rated, and this is even with the production of Bruce, Granderson, Walker and Duda. As built, they are without question bottom third. What are we going to do to improve this? Not a single plan they are contemplating right now, is even remotely close to losing what they already had. Forget about actually improving upon that. And on the offensive side, the only "bounce-back" we can reasonably hope for is Cespedes staying healthy. (and hope Conforto heals quickly)

So if the end result is middle tier pitching, and bottom tier offense, why exactly are we not rebuilding?

[Ceetar]

The Mets team run creation was exactly the same as the Nationals.

The pitching crashed, but Syndergaard back should bridge a ton of that. less garbage mop-up starters in a lost season. Maybe a veteran pickup, or maybe Wheeler or Matz or someone picks it up. It's not hard to see the pitching hold up this year, and that puts them right in the thick of it.

[Centerfield]

Ceetar wrote: The Mets team run creation was exactly the same as the Nationals.

I don't know what run creation means. I do know that the Mets scored 84 fewer runs last year, which is more than 1/2 a run per game. I also know that the Nats had a .782 OPS and that the Mets had a .755 OPS.

And again, that's including the production of the guys we traded away.

Ceetar wrote: The pitching crashed, but Syndergaard back should bridge a ton of that. less garbage mop-up starters in a lost season. Maybe a veteran pickup, or maybe Wheeler or Matz or someone picks it up. It's not hard to see the pitching hold up this year, and that puts them right in the thick of it.

Sure, it could. And Harvey might bounce back. But again, we are hoping for everything to go right. A few quality arms in the mix really improves those chances. One outstanding arm changes the equation even more.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Yes, the Mets could end up having a pretty good season. I would just like to see them make some moves that will increase the odds of that happening. It's early in the offseason, so they may yet do so. But there's also the chance that whatever they do from this point forward will be inadequate. We'll have to wait and see.

[ashie62]

CF's offer is creative and should be emailed or whatever to Sandy.

Yelich reminds me of a young Darin Erstad. Go get him!

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

From what I understand the Marlins are doing an Astros-style suck-and-collect now that they've given away their real money earners, so they want quantity and quality of minor leaguers for a relatively cheap guy like Yelich. We could empty our prospect cache for him iow but there's probably clubs out there with more to give in that department.

[Guest sharpie]

Report I read this morning sez the Marlins are going to hold on to Yelich.

[Ceetar]

Centerfield wrote: Sure, it could. And Harvey might bounce back. But again, we are hoping for everything to go right. A few quality arms in the mix really improves those chances. One outstanding arm changes the equation even more.

I mean, not _Everything_ just a few things. I'd like to see them nudge the odds a bit too, but I've already said I want the Mets to get Darvish. I'm not particularly enamored with banking on last year's relievers as the 'quality arms' and find bullpens to be much more fluid. I'm not worried about adding those guys now, they'll be around, whether it's January, March, or July.

About Gerritt Cole? Rumored to be available. Solid above average type guy. Might be a good filler guy. I guess I could start a thread.

[Vic Sage]

Matthew Cerrone articulates my concerns on SNY:
https://www.sny.tv/mets/news/heading-toward-next-season-what-is-the-mets-grand-plan/263548194

[ashie62]

Scratch off Frenando Rodney (Yea!) and Marcell Ozuna (meh)

[MFS62]

Vic Sage wrote: Matthew Cerrone articulates my concerns on SNY: https://www.sny.tv/mets/news/heading-toward-next-season-what-is-the-mets-grand-plan/263548194

Mine, too.

Later

[Edgy MD]

I don't get his thesis. He:

[*:v0hdn6ia]says the clock is ticking, and knocks Alderson for being patient, as if that's a bad trait to have and one that hasn't served the team well,

[/*:m:v0hdn6ia]
[*:v0hdn6ia]says they don't have enough cash or prospects to "fill every hole," but doesn't identify what holes he thinks there are,

[/*:m:v0hdn6ia]
[*:v0hdn6ia]advocates for him to trade or not trade, it doesn't matter (?),

[/*:m:v0hdn6ia]
[*:v0hdn6ia]Advocates for him to acquire the "three best hitters he can find," apparently regardless of position and with players and funds that he insists aren't there, and

[/*:m:v0hdn6ia]
[*:v0hdn6ia]Quotes an anonymous player agent (!) to insist that a team should either muscle up or tank, as if a player agent somehow has the Mets' best interests at heart.[/*:m:v0hdn6ia][/list:o:v0hdn6ia]

Guys, this is complete and utter bollux. You can find more articulate plans on the ingredient lists of cereal boxes. Did I click the wrong link or something?

[MFS62]

Edgy, I agree with a plan that includes signing the best hitters Sandy can find, but not THOSE three for the reasons you cited.
Let's get creative:
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/sri-lanka-in-india/india-v-sri-lanka-2nd-odi-rohit-sharma-scores-third-odi-double-century/articleshow/62052111.cms
The next Andre Rodgers, but better?
And he can pitch, too.

Later

[Ceetar]

Edgy MD wrote: Guys, this is complete and utter bollux. You can find more articulate plans on the ingredient lists of cereal boxes. Did I click the wrong link or something?

That's correct. all three counts.

edit: that didn't make sense. you're correct on the first two counts, incorrect on the third in that it WAS The correct link.