Ike for Sale

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Joel Sherman tweets that the Mets are letting teams with an appetite for Fielder/Pujols know they have a cheaper alternative.

Not that I'm rooting for any particular outcome but the kinda thing they oughta be doing I suppose.

[TransMonk]

I would have to think that his not having played in several months would lessen any return we would receive.

[Benjamin Grimm]

That's a good idea. Get rid of everybody that we enjoy rooting for. It will encourage me to spend a lot less time watching, reading about, and thinking about the Mets.

[G-Fafif]

Other Tweets have already shot this down but one supposes anything/everything is conceptually on the table. Which is fine.

[Vic Sage]

that makes NO sense. He's the kind of cheap, talented, productive young player you keep and build around; you don't shop him. That being said, i don't think ANYBODY on the roster is untouchable, but we should have to get overwhelmed with an offer to consider it.

[ashie62]

I don't get it..Murphy at 1B??

Just fucking bizarre...

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Vic Sage wrote: that makes NO sense. He's the kind of cheap, talented, productive young player you keep and build around; you don't shop him. That being said, i don't think ANYBODY on the roster is untouchable, but we should have to get overwhelmed with an offer to consider it.

/Flipping over dugout railing over this

[Frayed Knot]

The implication here (if any of it's true) is that they see Duda as the better alternative for the young-ish, power-supplying, LH 1B and that he'd be better there than clumping around in the OF.
IOW, you've got two similar-type guys on your roster so you look into moving one in order to improve elsewhere - maybe for someone who can actually play RF.

[Edgy MD]

If true, the only thing I would read into it is that they see plenty o' value to be had for him (the Mets sure aren't the only ones looking for high skill and low salary), and it's a position they have redundancy at.

Hope it doesn't happen, of course.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I like Ike! But this is a good idea, it's not as though they would let him fly for nothing, just see what he'll net.


Shoulda done the same with Jose Jose as things look today.

[smg58]

Ike would be the absolute last guy on the team I'd consider parting with. The return would have to be amazing to benefit the Mets, either in the short term or the long term, and I don't foresee selling high on a guy coming off an injury.

[Guest attgig]

they better get a windfall in return. but what's bizarre to me is that if they're doing this with Ike, why not with Wright? besides that FOTF thing ... (face of the franchise, let's see if that catches on), he's more expensive and there are plenty of teams that have expressed interest in a good 3bman. Murphy or Turner could play there, and Lutz may develop yet...

[Edgy MD]

And isn't that what people seem to be demanding? A GM willing to listen to offers on the absolute last guy he'd want to be without. The likely dollar-for-dollar MVP?

I hate trading. But if you're going to do it, it seems the savvy way to play it is to take the guys you love and let people convince you they can offer you someone you love even more.

[Edgy MD]

attgig wrote: they better get a windfall in return. but what's bizarre to me is that if they're doing this with Ike, why not with Wright?

It's already been reported this offseason that they've invited offers for Wright.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Joelsherman1 Joel Sherman Now told young plyr #Mets talking most about is Niese, not Davis. Idea is to find teams who find Gio price too high and get multiple pieces 2 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[Edgy MD]

That's the strategy. Convince everybody that Niese can play first and hit 30 homers.

[Gwreck]

This is idiotic. We don't want to trade Wright but we'll trade Davis? Seriously?

If truly worried about defense, flip them position-wise. Duda at first and Ike in right field. Yes, I am 100% serious. The Mets are not going to be competitive in 2012, so we may as well try an experiment or two.

[Edgy MD]

Well, the rumor has apparently died. (Thanks 'Bucket.) But I'm certain that it isn't true that the team doesn't want him.

[Vic Sage]

i don't have a problem with Sandy taking the entire organizational roster (including the minors) and saying to every GM "what'll you give me for THIS guy? what about THIS guy? and THIS guy?" [Maybe he could find a taker for Jeffy?]

I just think that Ike, as a productive, cheap, young player with power and GG ability, is a guy you should either demand a lot for or hold on to. I don't think Duda has anywhere near his upside. I'd sooner they moved Duda and find a real RFer than move Davis so Duda can play 1b, despite the fact that we'd likely get more in return for Davis (even coming off the injury). I just doubt it would be ENOUGH more. But no harm in finding out, i suppose.

[seawolf17]

Vic Sage wrote: i don't have a problem with Sandy taking the entire organizational roster (including the minors) and saying to every GM "what'll you give me for THIS guy? what about THIS guy? and THIS guy?" [Maybe he could find a taker for Jeffy?] I just think that Ike, as a productive, cheap, young player with power and GG ability, is a guy you should either demand a lot for or hold on to. I don't think Duda has anywhere near his upside. I'd sooner they moved Duda and find a real RFer than move Davis so Duda can play 1b, despite the fact that we'd likely get more in return for Davis (even coming off the injury). I just doubt it would be ENOUGH more. But no harm in finding out, i suppose.

Agree. Doesn't hurt to ask around. All you need is one crazy person.

[batmagadanleadoff]

About a year ago, Baseball Prospectus's Kevin Goldstein wrote that Lucas Duda has the defensive range of lawn furniture. And though Duda has shown signs of big-time raking ability, he also proved Goldstein right, especially over Duda's last month or two of play. Duda's definitiely a work in progress with tremendous upside; it's also possible that in the outfield, Duda gives back everything he creates with his bat. He might be best suited for DH.

2011 oWAR 2.2
2011 dWAR (-1.4)

[ashie62]

Uh...Sherman tweets Niese is for sale as the alternative to Gio Gonzalez.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Gwreck wrote: This is idiotic. We don't want to trade Wright but we'll trade Davis? Seriously? If truly worried about defense, flip them position-wise. Duda at first and Ike in right field. Yes, I am 100% serious. The Mets are not going to be competitive in 2012, so we may as well try an experiment or two.

This was bandied about a little during the Pujols-to-Citi pipe-dreaming of a couple of seasons ago. I liked it then, but I'm not so sure now.

He does have an arm... but I'm not sure his post-injury range will play as well as even Duda's.

[Edgy MD]

Duda's range is really funny.

I find everything about the guy funny. He seems like one of the oddest personalities they've had in that dugout. Just extremely uncomfortable in his own skin --- which doesn't give me much hope that he'll ever get comfortable in the outfield. I'm going to really enjoy watching him. I just worry that I won't get the chance to really enjoy watching him help my team win.

My hope --- and it's a thin one --- is that he's got some sort of awkward mental thing, but like with his hitting, once he gets things all in the right place, he clicks and has it all locked into place, and turns a corner. Or maybe he'll get really freaked out when teammates touch his head and end up quitting in the middle of the season.

'Sides that, after all these years, it's just funny to see folks get animated over a rumored potential deal --- especially one we know only one side of.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Maybe his adorable sister Emily can help.

[Frayed Knot]

A quickie Ike/Lucas comparison

Ike has not quite twice as many ML ABs -- 652 to 385
ID = .271/.357/.460 ... LD = .273/.347/.468
Minor lg B/O/S stats are also very similar although there it's Duda with 2x the ABs
BB/K per 162 gm avg: ID = 79/150 ... LD = 49/99
Ike is 11 months younger. He also fields better although Duda is hardly a drawback at 1B and we've never seen Davis in the OF. He did play there at times in college.
Duda's ankle hasn't exploded that we know of.


In short, I'm not all that convinced that one choice here is all that superior to the other.
Yeah, given the choice I'd bet on Davis, but that also means he'd probably be more attractive as theoretical trade-bait.

So, no, I don't look to move him, but I never say never and especially wouldn't do so now when the situation calls for a 'Don't just stand there, Do something!' kind of attitude - and if given the choice between two similar type LH slugging but slow 1Bs, or just one of them plus a a guy about their age who shows similar promise just at another position and with different skill sets (say a Colby Rasmus type) why wouldn't we look at it?

[MFS62]

I hope they keep Davis.
Now that they're bringing in the fences, Davis and Duda can become the most outstanding pair of Ds we've seen on a baseball field since Morgana.

Later

[Frayed Knot]

MFS62 wrote: I hope they keep Davis. Now that they're bringing in the fences, Davis and Duda can become the most outstanding pair of Ds we've seen on a baseball field since Morgana.

I think to match Morganna their names would have to be more like Javis and Juda.
Those things left 'D' in the dust decades ago.

[MFS62]

Frayed Knot wrote: MFS62 wrote: I hope they keep Davis. Now that they're bringing in the fences, Davis and Duda can become the most outstanding pair of Ds we've seen on a baseball field since Morgana. I think to match Morganna their names would have to be more like Javis and Juda. Those things left 'D' in the dust decades ago.

Morgana thanks you for remembering.
LOL!

Later