Juan? Where are you?

[Benjamin Grimm]

Jon Heyman reporting that teams are inquiring about Juan Lagares.

Jon Heyman wrote: mets are getting calls on juan lagares. their areas of interest remain 2B, OF and a pen piece (or two). expect them to be patient.

[Edgy MD]

If Juan goes, the recognition that the Mets' defense failed the pitching staff woefully last season maybe goes with him.

[batmagadanleadoff]

I'll bet anything the Mets part ways with Lagares in what will essentially be a salary dump. Lagares sucks. He can't hit. His defense isn't as good as it was in 2014. He's not worth the roster spot for two or three innings a week of late inning defense replacement a week and an occasional spot start. And from the likely perspective of the cheap Mets, he's making too much goddamn money.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Without even double - checking the numbers, I'm going to jump with both feet on a limb and say that Johnny Lags value as a honkballer is somewhere north of "sucks."

[batmagadanleadoff]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Without even double - checking the numbers, I'm going to jump with both feet on a limb and say that Johnny Lags value as a honkballer is somewhere north of "sucks."

I'd agree. I didn't say his defense sucks. I said it's not as good as it used to be.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Does honkballer mean defender?

[Edgy MD]

It means "baseball player.

[smg58]

His defensive value is still very solid, if not 2014 solid. The problem is, his hitting numbers have been consistent enough to make you doubt he can do better, and it's hard to start him when you have two unproven commodities in Rosario and Smith, plus catchers in d'Arnaud and Plawecki who may or may not step up their game this year. And he's getting paid to be a starter. It's a tough call, in my book. I guess it would depend for me on whether a different GM is more bullish on him than I am.

[Frayed Knot]

There was a story recently on Juan saying that he was the latest to be re-working his swing so as to create more 'lift' (aka: power) with whatever swing guru has helped various other players do the same.
Several ways that kind of experiment can go.

[Benjamin Grimm]

The thought is that he's going to be the next JD Martinez. (He's worked with the same instructor on "launch angle".)

While I'm skeptical that the results will be the same for Lagares, it would be a hell of a thing if it happened just after the Mets traded him.

[Centerfield]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: The thought is that he's going to be the next JD Martinez. (He's worked with the same instructor on "launch angle".) While I'm skeptical that the results will be the same for Lagares, it would be a hell of a thing if it happened just after the Mets traded him.

There is like a 1000% chance this will happen if they trade him. He'll also learn how to pitch and cure cancer.

[ashie62]

Safe to say J.D Martinez is more muscled than Lagares.

If Lags got 450 PA the new approach could produce 100 K's.

[Edgy MD]

If Lagares goes tomorrow, the Mets are down to two healthy MLB outfielders.

Two!