First Base and the Opening Day Roster

[Edgy MD]

As the Mets add Adrian Gonzalez to the roster, they perhaps create more questions than they answer. Carrying two firstbasemen (and only firstbasemen) on the roster at once is not unheard of in 2018, but it's certainly a departure. In the National League, anyhow.

So how are they going to go forward? Maybe even they don't know at this moment. But you do. One of you, anyhow. So let us know in the poll above and in your lucid arguments below.

Thanks for your participation. Please take a sticker when you're done.

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[Benjamin Grimm]

I don't think it will be "both", and the only likely way for it to be "neither" is if there's an injury, so the choices come down to "Adrian not Dominic" or "Dominic not Adrian"

I voted "Adrian not Dominic" but I could just have easily gone the opposite way. I guess I'm guessing that Gonzalez will be good enough to make the team. I think the Mets may be looking to avoid having Smith accrue service time too quickly.

[nymr83]

I didnt think of the service time thing. Good point.

I think the Mets see Gonzalez in the spring, realize he is done, and its just Smith with the backup plan "Bruce"

But I guess if Gonzalez shows up in the spring I could see the Mets saying "well, lets roll with him until he sucks"

[Lefty Specialist]

I wish the Mets would make affirmative deals to improve the ballclub instead of these 'well, it's low risk' deals. It might work, but I hate dumpster diving.

[Edgy MD]

I'm not a fan of this deal, but I think deals like this improve ballclubs alla time.

Alla time! Affirmative dealing!

[MFS62]

Lefty Specialist wrote: It might work, but I hate dumpster diving.

One man's trash is another man's treasure.
I hope he has something left in the tank.

Later

[Guest d'Kong76]

'Dominic Smith, but not Adrian Gonzalez' for me. Smith learned last year you
smoke weed after the game, not before, and will be better.

[Edgy MD]

I checked box number three, but it's only after I hovered over one and two. The future is shielded from me.

Love the Trump boycott.

[Frayed Knot]

On the Smith service time thing: he rung up 52 days of it last year, or ~30% of a full season.

If he makes the 2018 opening day roster and never again gets sent down, he'd be arbitration eligible following the 2020 season (two years plus 52 days ain't gonna cut it for 2019 eligibility)
and would qualify for FA after 2023 (assuming no major rules changes occur between now and then).

In order to delay his FA season by an extra year he'd have to lose around 1/2 a season of ML time. To delay his arb status until 2021 it would need to be more like 3/4 of a year.

You certainly don't make roster decisions with that kind of stuff in mind and I don't even think it becomes a consideration except maybe as to the timing of bringing him back up following a demotion
for actual baseball reasons. And even that risks the possibility of a grievance if the player/agent believe the recall was delayed for just that reason.

[Chad ochoseis]

I like the idea of a cheap lottery ticket, and I hope Adrian Gonzalez proves that he's over his back injury and still has another productive year or two in him. But that's not the way I'm betting or voting. Smith is still the 1B of the future, and Jay Bruce is still the most likely Plan B.

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[Fman99]

Hell if I know.

[Edgy MD]

Interesting that five out of 11 votes so far suggest that the 2018 season will begin, like Rocky Balboa, with no sign of Adrian.

[seawolf17]

I'd wager that the combination of service time issues and a few well-timed March home runs give Gonzalez the job. Then either he hits eight home runs in April and becomes the savior, or is at .150 on May 1 and we're marching on Citi Field with pitchforks.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Maybe the decision the Mets are really wrestling with isn't Smith vs. Gonzalez but Smith vs. Peter Alonso.

Alonso definitely still needs minor league time; and you could argue Smith does too. So Gonzo starts the year and it's a Davis-Duda thing, only in AA/AAA.

Alonso and Smith are about the same age. Smith more a pure hitter thru minors so far but Alonso has superior pureness of first-base power, so far anyway.

Also, I'm not predicting Smith gets traded but the possibility he does has gone way up over the last week. Would you include him in a deal for a starting infielder?

[Lefty Specialist]

Boy, I just know that if the Mets trade Smith he will be the second coming of Prince Fielder and we'll be kicking ourselves for years.

[Edgy MD]

Yeah, Gonzalez would definitely give Alonso time to catch up. Alonso seemed to have 80% of his value wrapped up in his power, with Smith giving you more fallback skills — contact hitting, strike zone control, and fielding. But Alonso's breakthrough year seems to suggest he can be a more well-rounded hitter, if still a load on defense.

But you've still gotta get Smith some PT to evaluate from. And I kind of like the idea of breaking two young players (like him and Rosario) into the lineup at once. Yeah, it gives you two areas instead of one that could be holes until they get their acts together. But I tend to think they can help take the heat off each other.