POLL: 1ST BASE

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Guys you could get whom you wouldn't want:
Prince Fielder (does that contract suck or what? Signed for another 5 years!)
Pujols (signed for even more $$, even longer)
Howard ($25 Mill + $10M buyout)

Guys Who'd You Have to Try Really Hard to Root for Even in a Mets Uni But Who'd Probably Be Available For a Song:
Teixera

[smg58]

There's no easy solution. The original contingency plan at first was Wilmer Flores, but he's on the DL and was not hitting when he was healthy. I still have to think he'll get the primary opportunity come Friday, and hopefully he'll deliver with the bat and render the rest of the discussion moot. Asking Walker or Conforto or Wright to learn an entirely new position on the fly mid-season is risky. Of the three, Walker makes the most sense because of Dilson Herrera (although Herrera's bat has gone cold this past week). I also think you'll have much better luck getting an infielder to learn first base quickly rather than an outfielder.

I keep going back to why they waited so long to part with Tejada this offseason. The could have gotten David Freese the week before they released Tejada. Freese hasn't really played first before either, but (a) he'd have had the whole of spring training to learn it and ( unlike Campbell, he belongs on a major league roster.

On the trade front, the Cardinals have Brandon Moss and Matt Adams and don't need both of them. I'm not sure what they'd want, and I wouldn't pull the trigger today, but I'd ask.

[Edgy MD]

Guys you could get whom you wouldn't want: Prince Fielder (does that contract suck or what? Signed for another 5 years!) Pujols (signed for even more $$, even longer) Howard ($25 Mill + $10M buyout) Guys Who'd You Have to Try Really Hard to Root for Even in a Mets Uni But Who'd Probably Be Available For a Song: Teixera

Votto is off to an horrific start, but his contract goes for another eight years. On the other hand, as time passes, it might start to seem more reasonable.

Even if the Phils pick up 75%, Howard remains untouchable?

[Ceetar]

Edgy MD wrote: Even if the Phils pick up 75%, Howard remains untouchable?

Like a slider when he's at the plate.

[Frayed Knot]

Centerfield wrote: 2. That guy that used to be in Pittsburgh that hits HR's but strikes out a lot. Forgot his name and where he ended up. He was non-tendered.

Pedro Alvarez. Finally signed in March to be the DH in Baltimore where he's playing part-time (100 ABs, mostly vs RHPs) and hitting .191 w/2 HRs

[Frayed Knot]

Edgy MD wrote: Votto is off to an horrific start, but his contract goes for another eight years. On the other hand, as time passes, it might start to seem more reasonable.

Eight years for a guy who will be 33 y/o before the first of those eight even starts makes him a no-go for me.

Even if the Phils pick up 75%, Howard remains untouchable?

At .156/.226/.359 ... ummm, yeah.

[Edgy MD]

Well, sure, if you're banking on that batting average being locked in. But you'd be fishing for more, using him as a part-timer and a pinch-hit threat when Duda gets back.

I'm not advocating, certainly, just scratching my chin.

[seawolf17]

Guys Who'd You Have to Try Really Hard to Root for Even in a Mets Uni But Who'd Probably Be Available For a Song: Teixera

That's the guy who caught my eye too. I don't know, though.

[Centerfield]

The Dilson Herrera advocates seemed to have won the crowd, until the Wilmer Flores crew pulled ahead.

If we are Greyjoys battling to lead the Iron Born, the Dilson crowd is covertly stealing ships and escaping.

[Edgy MD]

Other namey names we might hear over the coming weeks:

Chris Carter, Brewers
Matt Adams, Cardinals
Brandon Moss, Cardinals (these two are kinda redundant for the Cards)
Byung-ho Park, Twins (Thinking big! Will cost you!)
Pedro Alvarez, Orioles (currently filling in at third for the O's, but could be expendable in a few weeks when the Mets have a better idea where they are. Knows the National League.)
Logan Morrison, Rays
Mitch Moreland, Rangers
Justin Smoak, Blue Jays
Felicity Smoak, Team Arrow
Mark Reynolds, Roxx

[Benjamin Grimm]

I'm on Team Felicity.

[seawolf17]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I'm on Team Felicity.

/googles Felicity Smoak
/buys SMOAK Mets jersey just in case

[ashie62]

Probably Wilmer,

but I went with Conforto so Lagares and DeAza can see the light of day,

Crap, its only Duda for chrissakes.

[Edgy MD]

Joel Sherman reporting that reps for James Loney (.333 / .368 / .417 // .784 for the Padres' AAA team in El Paso) are reaching out to the Mets. He apparently has an opt-out clause that allows for such tampering.

HOLYSHIT!JAMESLONEY!HOLYSHIT!

[Benjamin Grimm]

Wait, so he's playing for a Padres farm team, but he can opt for free agency? The Mets can just sign him, without having to send any players or money to San Diego?

[TransMonk]

Yup. A lot of veteran minor league contracts contain opt-outs if they get interest from other orgs to be on a big league roster. Of course, San Diego could promote him to the big leagues to void the opt-out, but it doesn't seem like they have a need for him. It kinda makes me curious as to why San Diego even signed him to a mL deal, but whatevs.

IMO, this is the best option when looking outside the Mets organization.

OE: By "a lot", I don't mean "a lot". It's a fairly new development along with the opt outs many players are getting now in big money contracts (Cespedes). I just got through reading Jeff Passan's "The Arm". He follows Todd Coffey during his Tommy John surgery, recovery and attempted comeback. Coffey had a couple of dated opt-outs (June 30, July 31, etc.) when he played for Seattle's AAA team to go elsewhere if another ML team had interest.

Edited May 24, 2016 by Guest

[Edgy MD]

Well, after Felicity Smoak, yeah.

[Frayed Knot]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Wait, so he's playing for a Padres farm team, but he can opt for free agency? The Mets can just sign him, without having to send any players or money to San Diego?

The opt-out probably states something along the lines of if he's not called up to the Padres big club by a certain date (June 1st?) then he can opt out of his deal and then, yes, he would in effect by a FA with no compensation due to SD

Loney never turned out to be the player I though he was going to when he first showed up with the Dodgers. But as a stop-gap it's not a bad move [.291/.337/.393 from 2013-15 w/TB, 26 HRs over 1,500 ABs] and, if nothing else, he's a terrific fielder and still just turned 32 y/o a few weeks back.
Coincidentally, James Loney is the target comp many use for Dom Smith: good glove, average-hitting 1B with less HR power than typical of that position.

Edited May 24, 2016 by Guest

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

He's doing better than our AAA first baseman, let's invite him over.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Maybe we should post social media photos of his wife as an incentive!

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

James & Nadia

[Guest cooby]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Maybe we should post social media photos of his wife as an incentive!

Yeah most guys would love that

[Edgy MD]

I'll bet he had Terry Collins as a minor league manager at some point.

[Lefty Specialist]

Hell, I'm sold on Loney. Good fielder, no long-term commitment. Won't hit much, but the added bonus of reduced Sugarpantalones errors seals the deal for me.

See, we all put our heads together and we come up with something. Oh, except now Sandy has to do what we say.

[seawolf17]

Lefty Specialist wrote: Hell, I'm sold on Loney. Good fielder, no long-term commitment. Won't hit much, but the added bonus of reduced Sugarpantalones errors seals the deal for me. See, we all put our heads together and we come up with something. Oh, except now Sandy has to do what we say.

Which I did when I signed Cesp---SHIT. COVER BLOWN.

/deletes account

[metsmarathon]

so, what about adam and drake laroche?

[Edgy MD]

Guys Who'd You Have to Try Really Hard to Root for Even in a Mets Uni But Who'd Probably Be Available For a Song: Teixera

Nick Swisher

[Centerfield]

If you're getting Yankees, can we have Beltran back? I bet he could learn to play 1st.

[Ceetar]

Centerfield wrote: If you're getting Yankees, can we have Beltran back? I bet he could learn to play 1st.

he did play 5 innings there back in 2014, so we're set.

[nymr83]

I was firmly against the panic trade (or the Joe Panik trade) at first, but now I want me some Loney. James can stay in SD, just have his wife sit behind the dugout for Mets games.