Curtis Granderson Is a Met

[Edgy MD]

The Yankee joins the Mets for four years and $60 million.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I nuetrally like it. Obviously Grandy Man is better than no Grandy Man, and is much prefereable to some other considerations but he could easily be a bomb.

[batmagadanleadoff]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: I nuetrally like it. Obviously Grandy Man is better than no Grandy Man, and is much prefereable to some other considerations but he could easily be a bomb.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times....

[smg58]

I wouldn't have budged on three years while other options were out there, but he's a good guy and will upgrade the offense. Neutral.

[Guest d'Kong76]

Took like, but not overly optimistic it will be solid and
loving four years. It's the Mets.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I also voted LIKE but with a tint of pessimism. If things go well (I mean, really well) between Young and Granderson the Mets may have added 70 homers or more to their team.

[Frayed Knot]

I'm in the 'Like' column.
He certainly fills a need and, while there's always the chance of this cratering, I think the odds are better than even that we get a couple of good years out of him.
Also think this was a better idea than Beltran for 75% of the length and the same price, or Choo for a longer/higher cost despite much less of a track record.

[Zvon]

I picked love it. Whether it works out for better or worse, the Mets did something dramatic and positive. If Grandy goes baywise I will not hold it against Sandy and the team. I can't fault them for taking their chances on this one. Esp with the way the player market has been. This was a good deal.

[Edgy MD]

Remember when used to have two or three of these polls every offseason?

Been awhile.

[Benjamin Grimm]

We neglected to do one for Chris Young, huh? He really didn't make much of a splash at all, did he?

[metirish]

I voted like. Its a good pick up, hopefully it all works out.

yes, it has been a long while.

[Fman99]

I like it. He'll help. Lefty power bat.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

My mild dislike of the actual terms is more or less balanced by the fact that I've always liked the player.

I'm trying to be optimistic here, it being the holiday season and all.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Not official yet, but what the heck...

[dinosaur jesus]

Neutral. I want to say dislike, to counter some of the overhyping that's going on. But on merit, it's not that bad a deal.

[Edgy MD]

Sheesh. Who's overhyping? Most Met fans I'm meeting online are still infuriated.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Infuriated? Rilly? I mean, rilly rilly?

[Edgy MD]

Have you met Louis Poggi?

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

That's not anger over Granderson, though.

Like I sez, I'm, like, mildly upset (especially given the draft-pick cost). But not enough to register as, y'know, "dislike."

You know what I don't get, though? I don't get the "there's nothing to dislike" camp; to me, it seems like they're either not seeing what's there (a depreciating asset with both glove and bat, who's moving to a park that'll be less kind to his sort of hitter) or just applauding expenditure and "going for it, finally."

[batmagadanleadoff]

He's kinda useless against lefties. Not as bad as Francouer against righties, but pretty bad, with an atrocious batting eye for the strike zone against southpaws. But not a bad 2012, split-wise. I hope Collins moves him down in the lineup a few slots against LHP's: Grandy's numbers justify that treatment.

I disagree with a lot of the comments made in the various Grandy threads about how Citi Field is gonna knock down his HR output, and thus, by implication, his effectiveness. CF may indeed reduce his home HR output ... but so what? That's only half of the analysis. If CF reduces Grandy's home HR's by more or less the same rate CF reduces everyone else's rates, than Grandy is no less effective a home HR hitter than he was pre-CF. His reduced output would be countered by the fact that his HR's would have more value in, presumably, a scarcer run environment. If Grandy's home HR's are reduced by a significantly greater rate than is to be expected because of CF's dimensions, then that would be a problem.

I don't know the future. I don't know when Grandy begins to decline, or how rapid that decline would be once it begins, if it hasn't already begun. I understand the risks involved in acquiring a 33 year old. So does everyone else here. I don't expect Granderson, by himself, to make the Mets a contender. But I'm glad the Mets made this deal happen.

[ashie62]

Love it!!!

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

He's kinda useless against lefties. Not as bad as Francouer against righties, but pretty bad, with an atrocious batting eye for the strike zone against southpaws. But not a bad 2012, split-wise. I hope Collins moves him down in the lineup a few slots against LHP's: Grandy's numbers justify that treatment.

They actually really don't. He hasn't had a platoon issue since 2010. He hit lefties better in 2011, and hasn't shown a significant difference, overall-performance-wise, over the last two years.

I disagree with a lot of the comments made in the various Grandy threads about how Citi Field is gonna knock down his HR output, and thus, by implication, his effectiveness. CF may indeed reduce his home HR output ... but so what? That's only half of the analysis. If CF reduces Grandy's home HR's by more or less the same rate CF reduces everyone else's rates, than Grandy is no less effective a home HR hitter than he was pre-CF. His reduced output would be countered by the fact that his HR's would have more value in, presumably, a scarcer run environment. If Grandy's home HR's are reduced by a significantly greater rate than is to be expected because of CF's dimensions, then that would be a problem.

You may be right. Some posit that his changes in approach since joining the MFYs (see: platoon improvements) included more uppercuts/flyballs. The Fangraphs numbers seem to put the lie to this, but they also show a guy who's striking out at an increasingly-alarming rate, and popping up a little more.

I don't know the future. I don't know when Grandy begins to decline, or how rapid that decline would be once it begins, if it hasn't already begun.

Oh, it has.

[batmagadanleadoff]

He's kinda useless against lefties. Not as bad as Francouer against righties, but pretty bad, with an atrocious batting eye for the strike zone against southpaws. But not a bad 2012, split-wise. I hope Collins moves him down in the lineup a few slots against LHP's: Grandy's numbers justify that treatment. They actually really don't. He hasn't had a platoon issue since 2010. He hit lefties better in 2011, and hasn't shown a significant difference, overall-performance-wise, over the last two years.

That was a typo. I meant to write "not a bad 2011, split-wise", instead of 2012. Not only was Grandy uncharacteristically good agsainst lefties in 2011, but by many measures, even better against lefites than righties. Still, there's not much overall success against lefties, although almost all of it is most recent. A new trend? A fluke season+? TBD

I disagree with a lot of the comments made in the various Grandy threads about how Citi Field is gonna knock down his HR output, and thus, by implication, his effectiveness. CF may indeed reduce his home HR output ... but so what? That's only half of the analysis. If CF reduces Grandy's home HR's by more or less the same rate CF reduces everyone else's rates, than Grandy is no less effective a home HR hitter than he was pre-CF. His reduced output would be countered by the fact that his HR's would have more value in, presumably, a scarcer run environment. If Grandy's home HR's are reduced by a significantly greater rate than is to be expected because of CF's dimensions, then that would be a problem. You may be right. Some posit that his changes in approach since joining the MFYs (see: platoon improvements) included more uppercuts/flyballs. The Fangraphs numbers seem to put the lie to this, but they also show a guy who's striking out at an increasingly-alarming rate, and popping up a little more.

I don't know the future. I don't know when Grandy begins to decline, or how rapid that decline would be once it begins, if it hasn't already begun. Oh, it has.

You're probably right on this one. I was giving him the benefit of the doubt of last season's injuries. But I can't hide his diminishing speed and quickness, nor can I lay that on a coupla fluky HBP's.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

He's kinda useless against lefties. Not as bad as Francouer against righties, but pretty bad, with an atrocious batting eye for the strike zone against southpaws. But not a bad 2012, split-wise. I hope Collins moves him down in the lineup a few slots against LHP's: Grandy's numbers justify that treatment. They actually really don't. He hasn't had a platoon issue since 2010. He hit lefties better in 2011, and hasn't shown a significant difference, overall-performance-wise, over the last two years. That was a typo. I meant to write "not a bad 2011, split-wise", instead of 2012. Not only was Grandy uncharacteristically good agsainst lefties in 2011, but by many measures, even better against lefites than righties. Still, there's not much overall success against lefties, although almost all of it is most recent. A new trend? A fluke season+? TBD

To hear him and anyone associated with the MFYs tell it, the product of actual adjustments.

[Zvon]

Not official yet, but what the heck...

A "signed" card! Most awesome

[batmagadanleadoff]

He's kinda useless against lefties. Not as bad as Francouer against righties, but pretty bad, with an atrocious batting eye for the strike zone against southpaws. But not a bad 2012, split-wise. I hope Collins moves him down in the lineup a few slots against LHP's: Grandy's numbers justify that treatment. They actually really don't. He hasn't had a platoon issue since 2010. He hit lefties better in 2011, and hasn't shown a significant difference, overall-performance-wise, over the last two years. That was a typo. I meant to write "not a bad 2011, split-wise", instead of 2012. Not only was Grandy uncharacteristically good agsainst lefties in 2011, but by many measures, even better against lefites than righties. Still, there's not much overall success against lefties, although almost all of it is most recent. A new trend? A fluke season+? TBD I disagree with a lot of the comments made in the various Grandy threads about how Citi Field is gonna knock down his HR output, and thus, by implication, his effectiveness. CF may indeed reduce his home HR output ... but so what? That's only half of the analysis. If CF reduces Grandy's home HR's by more or less the same rate CF reduces everyone else's rates, than Grandy is no less effective a home HR hitter than he was pre-CF. His reduced output would be countered by the fact that his HR's would have more value in, presumably, a scarcer run environment. If Grandy's home HR's are reduced by a significantly greater rate than is to be expected because of CF's dimensions, then that would be a problem. You may be right. Some posit that his changes in approach since joining the MFYs (see: platoon improvements) included more uppercuts/flyballs. The Fangraphs numbers seem to put the lie to this, but they also show a guy who's striking out at an increasingly-alarming rate, and popping up a little more. I don't know the future. I don't know when Grandy begins to decline, or how rapid that decline would be once it begins, if it hasn't already begun. Oh, it has. You're probably right on this one. I was giving him the benefit of the doubt of last season's injuries. But I can't hide his diminishing speed and quickness, nor can I lay that on a coupla fluky HBP's.

This thread (and the Young thread, and all other who should the Mets get threads) is like a Rorschach. The more I think about it, the more irreconcilable opinions I can come up with. And ultimately, those opinions probably tell me more about myself than about Granderson. So after all of the financial wrist wrangling and Madoff imposed austerity, and after all of the waiting for the Bay and Santana and Castillo contracts to come off the books, what do the Mets finally do? They give out $16M a year to a player that'll be 33 years old before next season even starts.

[Edgy MD]

Well, they're not giving it to him.

A lot of great things have been done by 33-year-olds.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Edgy MD wrote: A lot of great things have been done by 33-year-olds.

This is true. At 33, Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. Jesus of Nazareth became the greatest religious figure ever when, at 33, he was crucified. Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence at 33.

[Edgy MD]

There you go. I ran the comps on Jefferson at age 33.

1. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
2. John Locke
3. Edmund Burke
4. Curtis Granderson
5. JFK
6. Immanuel Kant
7. James Monroe
8. Lord Coke
9. John Adams
10. Thomas Hobbes

I'm stoked!

[ashie62]

Granderson may very well be productive at 37, people do live to be that old...