Spare Parts and Broken Hearts

[Edgy MD]

The Mets, essentially, had 10 starting players for eight positions last season. Eleven, if you count Céspedes.



Now, Céspedes has graduated, and Ramos is likely gone as a free agent. But it's not likely J.D. Davis could slide in and become a catcher (thought how cool would that be?).



Now redundancy is a good thing, and we may still get a permanent DH, but if the Mets go out and add a centerfielder such as Springer and a catcher to replace Ramos, the numbers remain the same. The most obvious redundancies is that they finished with two firstbasemen and two shortstops.



So, assuming the Mets sign new guys to play those two positions — who among Alonso, Canó, Conforto, Davis, Giménez, McNeil, Nimmo, Rosario (and Smith) would you be dangling? It's easy to say that Rosario is the one to go, coming off the worst season of the bunch, or that Canó should go because he's old and expensive, but the real question is who has more value to another team than to the Mets?



Or do you just try to find at-bats for everybody (which I think Rojas was mostly good at last season).

[Benjamin Grimm]

You didn't include Smith among those who might be dangled.



They really need to make a decision on the DH thing soon. If there won't be a DH, I'd be tempted to trade Nimmo for a starting pitcher and put Dom in left field. And yes, Rosario can be dangled as can Cano. It will be easier to find a home for Rosario than Cano; I think Cano is a contract that the new billionaire is going to have to eat eventually.

[Edgy MD]

I meant to. He's probably among the more dangle-able, perhaps the mostest.

[Centerfield]

Assuming we sign Springer and a catcher, I think JD will likely be gone. I love the guy, but something has to give. And we can't have that many DH's.



Tough one to give up though. For all his follies, he plays multiple positions (albeit poorly) and he just looks like a prototypical hitter. Ball jumps off his bat.

[batmagadanleadoff]

If losing Davis means gaining Springer and possibly Realmuto, I can live with that all life long. The guy I hope we don't lose is Dom Smith. I'm really liking that guy and while I'm not about to make any kind of prediction, it wouldn't surprise me if Dom ends up having a better career than Alonso. I'm not predicting or even laying any odds on that. I'm just saying that it wouldn't be so far-fetched.

[smg58]

As much as I don't want the universal DH, it would help the Mets as they're currently structured.



Davis would most likely still play against lefties -- his lack of a glove and his so-so 2020 with the bat do not justify more than that -- but with five lefty bats to sub for (not even including Gimenez), there'd be no reason to platoon him with one person in particular.



Shortstop is a more interesting dilemma. Rosario had an .873 OPS in September and October, so it's possible he got benched too often down the stretch. But Gimenez is likely only getting better from here too. Not sure how it will play out.

[Edgy MD]

JD had the closest thing to a good season among all the righthanded hitters in 2020. Yeah, if Springer joins the team, that makes that less of an issue, but there still is that imbalance. A divisional rival gets a lefty-killing pitcher on their staff, and the Mets are in a troubling spot, moreso if Giménez replacing Rosario becomes a permanent thing.



Just food for thought. I want them all and I want them now. It'll be quite the painful predicament if and when the team is forced to choose between Alonso and Smitty. Sandy will have Davis-vs.-Duda all over again, but with stakes that much higher.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=50563 time=1605219196 user_id=68]
If losing Davis means gaining Springer and possibly Realmuto, I can live with that all life long. The guy I hope we don't lose is Dom Smith. I'm really liking that guy and while I'm not about to make any kind of prediction, it wouldn't surprise me if Dom ends up having a better career than Alonso. I'm not predicting or even laying any odds on that. I'm just saying that it wouldn't be so far-fetched.

[MFS62]

I read a few weeks ago that the NL will not have the DH in 2021.

Then, it may be back when the new MLBPA is negotiated.

So, if true, this must be factored into the plans.

And, not knowing who the Mets will sign as free agents, with Mauricio and some of the recent signings on the horizon, I'll guess Cano and Rosario are the primary bait.

Later

[Lefty Specialist]

Boy, this thought has been in the back of my mind all along. Dom is a more complete player than Pete is. Pete has more power, but Dom's no slouch and hits for a much better average. The DH gave him the playing time he needed to show his stuff.



If there's no DH in the NL they have an incredible logjam. And if you get Springer you have McNeil, Nimmo and Dom in LF. That's not going to work. I think they're going to have to trade their way out of this. I'd eat half or more of Cano's contract to move him, but it's Steve's money.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Are we comfortable with Dom Smith as a leftfielder, for one year, anyway? (DH likely to return for 2022 if it's not around in 2021.)



You can have an outfield of Smith, Springer, and Conforto and McNeil at third base. JD Davis and Nimmo could be trade bait, or maybe just Nimmo and Davis can be a strong bench player.



I'm not sure what I think about this, but it's a possibility.

[bmfc1]

"Spare parts

And broken hearts

Keep the world turnin' around"

--Bruce Springsteen

[Fman99]

I think Nimmo and Rosario are the most likely trade candidates. Ol Steve-O can make whomever gets them take Cano as well and just eat that contract with his sexy deep pockets that he has.

[The Hot Corner]

McNeil, Smith and Conforto are the three I would most like to retain. The return would need to be pretty great for me to part with that group. Rosario, Nimmo, Davis, and Cano are the bait i would use in trade. Not sure Cano has much trade value unless it is a swap of expensive contracts or the Mets are willing to eat a large portion of the money owed on his deal.

[nymr83]

Lefty Specialist wrote: Boy, this thought has been in the back of my mind all along. Dom is a more complete player than Pete is. Pete has more power, but Dom's no slouch and hits for a much better average. The DH gave him the playing time he needed to show his stuff. If there's no DH in the NL they have an incredible logjam. And if you get Springer you have McNeil, Nimmo and Dom in LF. That's not going to work. I think they're going to have to trade their way out of this. I'd eat half or more of Cano's contract to move him, but it's Steve's money.

McNeil could end up starting at 3B, but you don't need to trade guys away just because you have too many good players. depth is a GOOD thing

[Edgy MD]

Sure it is. And I write as much up top. If I'm a manager, the goal would be that all my batters were regulars, starting 60-70% of the time. But I puked up this thread knowing that teams tend to thin out areas of extra redundancy, trying to improve areas where redundancy is absent.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Hafta look at the DH rule first, and if not, I'd be very tempted to see what Alonzo could bring back. I also feel like Zimmo has a connection to Alderson that might make him "safer" than folks think. Cano can hit the bricks for all I care. He's a fine player but not getting any more useful.



There are a lot of possibilities for the Mets right now

[Marshmallowmilkshake]

I think JD Davis is a spare part who could bring back something, especially if the NL has the DH.



Cano's contract will be tough to peddle. I don't want to trade McNeil. I don't want to trade Alonzo or Smith. If we sign Springer, and Nimmo gets moved to left, You have to figure McNeil moves to third. Could a package around Davis and Rosario -- who is just 24 -- bring back Lindor?

[Lefty Specialist]

I worry about McNeil at 3rd. He was pretty awful defensively there this year, to the point where he was replaced by Davis, no Brooks Robinson himself.

[Edgy MD]

I just got the idea that having two infielders and needing one for the outfield, they believed that McNelt was better able to fake it there than Davis. No, McNeil wasn't good there, but it was nine games total. I think his history and skill set suggest he'd settle in better if that became his regular assignment. In the meantime, Davis sports more of the left-side-of-the-infield arm, and McNeil has shown himself to be an able flycatcher.