So, Is This It?

[Lefty Specialist]

Spring training is around the corner, and they've improved, but is it enough? They don't have a fifth starter, a real centerfielder or a third baseman who can field the position adequately. There are people occupying all of those positions, but.....



And the bullpen without Lugo is even more suspect. Relying on 'bounce-back years' has doomed many a Met team in the past.



So is this the team they go to battle with? Or do Sandy/Temp Guy have something else up their sleeve? Cuz as currently constructed I think they come up short.



Discuss amongst yourselves.

[A Boy Named Seo]

I don't think this is it, and I'd be surprised if they don't swing one more trade and/or sign a #5 starter. I do think the Mets are decidedly better and should be a playoff team and from there, who the hell knows (I think PECOTA has them at 96 wins, whatever you think of PECOTA). The Dodgers to me seem the only team with stupid depth that can handle just about any calamity, though.

[TransMonk]

I'm tired of the days when they field an 85-win team on paper, take them into the start of the season and then (maybe) upgrade at the deadline depending on health, depth, etc. I was hoping that was a Wilpon thing.



I'd really like to go into the season with a team I was really confident in. Honestly, 2006 was the last time I was extremely confident in an Opening Day roster.



The team as is could make a lot of noise, but I agree there are holes that may lead to stumbles if not addressed.

[Centerfield]

I mean. I think they will do something. You don't trade Matz without replenishing the rotation in some way.



How much more they do I have no idea.



It's been a good winter. Not great, and it fell short of even their stated goals if it ends here. But let's see how it shakes out.

[Marshmallowmilkshake]

=Centerfield post_id=56188 time=1613437379 user_id=65]
I mean. I think they will do something. You don't trade Matz without replenishing the rotation in some way.



How much more they do I have no idea.



It's been a good winter. Not great, and it fell short of even their stated goals if it ends here. But let's see how it shakes out.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Matz was the worst pitcher in the league last year. Not saying it was addition by subtraction but seriously the least of my concerns. I'd have liked another studly pitcher and kinda surprised that they didn't get one but Matz is no better than the other guys we added.

[A Boy Named Seo]

I still expect a Taijuan Walker or Trevor Rosenthal or a trade for Kris Bryant which is insane because the Mets have already been one of the most active two or three teams in baseball but I still think they're shaking more trees for fruit. The Mets, you guys!



Last year we were all kind of surprised and a little excited that they maybe got a frontline reliever in Betances and then we stomached the Porcello and Wacha signings and that was it. Now they're building around a really great, young core and my only worry about not doing it NOW!!!! is flittering away peak Jacob deGrom. But this team's looking pretty damn good.

[smg58]

They're better but they could have done more. They needed more bullpen help before Lugo's injury, and that's embarrassing given the resources that have been devoted to the pen, but it's still true. I don't understand why Rosenthal isn't here already, to be honest; I don't think there is anybody out there at this point who'd help the team more. I think Lucchesi or Yamamoto can hold down the fifth spot well enough until Syndergaard is ready, so I see less urgency there.



The Lindor trade was great -- especially getting Carrasco thrown in at a total price that would have been acceptable for Lindor alone -- but they still had the resources to do much more in the free agent market than they did. In particular, they seemed to zero in on Bauer to the point where there was no plan B. That is frustrating and disappointing, and will be a bone of contention if we come up one player short.

[Centerfield]

And I disagree with the entire strategy of prioritizing Bauer over everyone else. He had the worst character, the worst track record, and didn't want to be here.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I remember, regarding Springer and Bauer, there was one that Steve preferred and one that Sandy preferred. (Forget which was which.) Apparently they compromised by getting neither of them.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Offseason MLB power rankings: Which team won the winter?



Excerpt:



The last major domino of free agency fell on Saturday night, when Justin Turner announced his reunion with the Dodgers. The deal effectively placed a bow on major offseason maneuvers. This winter unfolded at a sluggish pace, as teams formulated how to come back from 2020, and the pandemic-shortened season led to reductions in spending. Only five players received more than $64 million in guaranteed salary on the open market; a year earlier, 10 players received that much or more. With his $150 million contract, George Springer was 2021's top earner — and he netted less than half of what his former teammate, Gerrit Cole, got last winter.



[***]



Still, most of the work is now done. It is time to take stock. Which teams improved the most? Which teams went backward? And which teams are running to stand still? With spring training upon us this week, The Athletic presents a power ranking of the winter just passed.



The Disasterpiece



30. Colorado Rockies



What can be said about the Rockies' offseason, owner Dick Monfort and general manager Jeff Bridich that wasn't already said by The Athletic's Marc Carig in the days after the Nolan Arenado trade was finalized? The trade, as Carig put it, was “a clear signal of total and complete organizational failure, one that should be studied, analyzed and mined for insights, in hopes that such foolishness is never again repeated.” That sums up the consensus of executives and scouts throughout the industry, not just journalists. Arenado is now gone. So is David Dahl, an All-Star in 2019 and a non-tender after 2020. So is Daniel Murphy, one of the last of Bridich's free-agent misfires, paid a $6 million buyout, a nice gift before retirement. The owner and the GM, though, will remain.



[***]



Going for it



[***]



2. New York Mets



It all comes down to expectations. Did the Mets sign J.T. Realmuto, Trevor Bauer and George Springer? No, no and no. And the good feeling departed from the new era of Steve Cohen after disturbing stories emerged about Jared Porter and Mickey Callaway. The Mets have work to do when it comes to reshaping their hiring practices, as does the entire industry. The on-field baseball club did get better this winter, though: Francisco Lindor, Carlos Carrasco, James McCann, Trevor May, Aaron Loup, Joey Lucchesi, Albert Almora Jr., Jonathan Villar. Even if the process fell short of expectations, there is a lot to like, especially if a long-term agreement with Lindor can be reached.



1. San Diego Padres



A championship contender blossomed at Petco Park in 2020. Only two teams won more games than the Padres. But the club sputtered in the National League Division Series, outmatched by the Dodgers after injuries felled pitchers Mike Clevinger and Dinelson Lamet. So general manager AJ Preller aimed to augment his rotation this winter. He aimed high, and he succeeded. In a single week, he acquired All-Star starters Yu Darvish and Blake Snell. Preller could have stopped there, and that might have been enough to declare the Padres the kings of the offseason. But he kept pushing to improve the margins of the roster, locking up utility players like Ha-seong Kim and Jurickson Profar while adding Joe Musgrove to the pitching staff. Preller did this while protecting the top end of the farm system. It may not be enough to overtake the Dodgers. But San Diego is going for it. You can't ask for much more from a winter.



https://theathletic.com/2387819/2021/02/15/offseason-mlb-power-rankings-which-team-won-the-winter/https://theathletic.com/2387819/2021/02/15/offseason-mlb-power-rankings-which-team-won-the-winter/



__________



I agree with the Mets write-up for the most part. But I would change the word "especially" to "only".

[Lefty Specialist]

I'd have felt a lot better if they'd gotten Springer. I wasn't a Bauer fan, but there were other arms out there (some still are). 1-2-3 are solid, but Peterson is still risky as a 4 and Lucchesi and Yamamoto are AAAA material. I like JD Davis as a hitter, not so much as a third baseman. And I seriously have no idea what to expect of the bullpen. They're better than last year, but they kinda sucked last year.



Too many Met teams are of the 'if X and Y have a good year and we add someone at the deadline....' variety. Sometimes that works (2015), most of the time it doesn't.

[Lefty Specialist]

I completely missed that the Mets signed Jonathan Villar AND Kevin Pillar. I had mentally morphed them into one player and thought that the later announcement was just a confirmation of the earlier announcement. Need to up my Prevagen dosage or something.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Lefty Specialist wrote: So is this the team they go to battle with? Or do Sandy/Temp Guy have something else up their sleeve? Cuz as currently constructed I think they come up short. Discuss amongst yourselves.

I wonder what the 2021 Mets would look like if the Wilpons still ran things? Sheesh!

[Benjamin Grimm]

Let's see... I think they would have retained Stroman and maybe signed McCann. They would have traded Rosario in a lesser deal and put Gimenez at shortstop. Instead of Carrasco and Walker they probably would have added two pitchers the likes of Porcello and Wacha. Matz would probably still have been traded. They probably would have signed relievers other than May and Loup.

[Centerfield]

Agreed. Stro and maybe McCann are still here. No Lindor or Carrasco. But I think we would have traded a higher ranked prospect for someone. Never going all in, never committing to youth.

[Lefty Specialist]

Well, since I started the thread they got Taijuan Walker which fixes the hole in the rotation at least. Still don't trust the bullpen, and the defense will be so-so (Lindor is obviously a huge upgrade, McCann a moderate upgrade, but 3rd and CF/LF will be interesting).

[Marshmallowmilkshake]

Lefty Specialist wrote: Well, since I started the thread they got Taijuan Walker which fixes the hole in the rotation at least. Still don't trust the bullpen, and the defense will be so-so (Lindor is obviously a huge upgrade, McCann a moderate upgrade, but 3rd and CF/LF will be interesting).

Not being argumentive, but just asking. You think McCann is only a moderate upgrade over Wilson Ramos? I got the impression the Mets pitchers, given the option, would rather have thrown to a piece of plywood with a strike zone made out of electrical tape like we did when playing Wiffle Ball as a kid than throw to Ramos, who couldn't bend over.

[Centerfield]

It largely depends on if McCann's improvements at pitch framing and hitting are for real or an illusion.

[nymr83]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Let's see... I think they would have retained Stroman and maybe signed McCann. They would have traded Rosario in a lesser deal and put Gimenez at shortstop. Instead of Carrasco and Walker they probably would have added two pitchers the likes of Porcello and Wacha. Matz would probably still have been traded. They probably would have signed relievers other than May and Loup.

Matz wouldn't have been available to trade, he would have been non-tendered. The Mets might have traded for Lindor, but Carrasco's salary would have scared them and Matt Allan would be out the door to avoid taking it on. The Wilpons would have privately freaked out when Stroman accepted the qualifying offer and there would have been no further spending. Instead of May/Loup we'd be hearing more planted stories about Betances and Familia looking awesome in training videos. We wouldn't have Villar or Pillar or Almora - we'd have Heredia and maybe rumors of Tebow landing the 5th OF job.

[nymr83]

Lefty Specialist wrote: Spring training is around the corner, and they've improved, but is it enough? They don't have a fifth starter, a real centerfielder or a third baseman who can field the position adequately. There are people occupying all of those positions, but.....

3rd Base is an overated need, McNeil would give us above average defense there and Villar would be good at 2nd if we wanted to go that route. Villar is a career 95 OPS+ with speed, nothing amazing but if he upgrades the defense in two spots we could do worse. I think this is the 'real plan' if Davis doesn't hit like he did in 2019

[Edgy MD]

I agree to an extent. Sometimes there are alleged problems that you do more harm than good trying to solve in the moment.

[LWFS]

Lefty Specialist wrote: Spring training is around the corner, and they've improved, but is it enough? They don't have a fifth starter, a real centerfielder or a third baseman who can field the position adequately. There are people occupying all of those positions, but..... 3rd Base is an overated need, McNeil would give us above average defense there and Villar would be good at 2nd if we wanted to go that route. Villar is a career 95 OPS+ with speed, nothing amazing but if he upgrades the defense in two spots we could do worse. I think this is the 'real plan' if Davis doesn't hit like he did in 2019

Villar isn't really a defensive upgrade anywhere so much as he is a band-aid at several-- like, SEVERAL-- spots (and an offensive lottery ticket.. which is much more livable if he's a backup plan).



The hopes you're outlining here aren't wildly unrealistic... but they are somewhat ungrounded. Davis could be serviceable, or more than serviceable... but he could also be the player the Astros cut bait on, who flashes periods like 2019 but doesn't consistently deliver them, while giving you negative value in every other way. (Personally, I believe in the bat-- he basically had an extended struggle with breaking pitches last year, but the quality of contact stayed the same... and his eye got better.) That uncertainty is the thing, though... and it's something that top-tier championship contenders these days don't have (see: Dodgers, Padres).



Let's just say I'd much rather have-- as a 1-2 year option, on an ostensible contending team-- Turner than Davis... or Jurrickson Profar as a 3B-convertible IF/OF backup plan than Villar.

[Frayed Knot]

So, is this it?

I dunno ... Third Base





https://nypost.com/2021/03/08/mets-among-teams-in-talks-with-third-baseman-maikel-franco/Mets among teams in talks with Maikel Franco



Not that the one-time Philly Phenom is anyone's answer to hot corner defensive woes but he had a decent season in KC last year [.278/.321/.457]

while playing in all 60 games and has hit 25 HRs in a season including 71 over a three-year span [2016-18]. Still just 28 y/o (29 in Aug)

[Benjamin Grimm]

JD Davis can never rest easy, can he?

[MFS62]

Frayed Knot wrote: I dunno ... Third Base

Interesting, until I read the words

Though Franco is poor defensively

.



Do the Mets think pitchers have found a weakness in JD Davis' swing they can exploit and he will continue to decline?

But he seems as good as Davis, so they would not lose anything offensively if he had to play for an extended period of time.

And, since they wouldn't need to give up any prospects, the price is right.



Later

[Frayed Knot]

I certainly remember him as being somewhat erratic defensively; probably more raw athleticism and more than likely to make the tough play as compared to JDD but at the same time less consistent and more wild with throws.

[LWFS]

And arm is the one thing Davis has in spades, defensively.



Like, he's got a lot of throwing power, not that he fondles shovels.