CVdMS

[Edgy MD]

Your starting rotation sequence to begin the second half.

Colon, Verrett, and deGrom go up against the Phillies on the road to begin, followed by Matz, Syndergaard, and a return to Colon against the Cubs at Wrigley.

Wheeler's a mystery and Rafael Montero just got demoted to Binghamton following a staggering 10-run outing (the culmination of two months of ineffectiveness), so if Verrett can't hold that spot down, look for Sean Gilmartin or Gabriel Ynoa.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Edgy MD wrote: ... if Verrett can't hold that spot down, look for Sean Gilmartin or Gabriel Ynoa.

That's what I was thinking too. (Lugo was also starting at Vegas, so he might be an option as well.)

If Verrett struggles, I wonder how many chances they'll give him before they make a change?

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

This sounds insane, but what if we traded Walker back to Pittsburgh for Niese? They are facing the prospect of losing Kang to a sex-assault change. Figuring we could also throw in Bastardo -- good success there, needs a COS -- and get a good prospect out of the deal.

Mets have a billion options at second base suddenly, and Walker in case you hadn't noticed, has hit something like .235 since April.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I actually mentioned that the other day in the Harvey injury thread (I think). Walker for a starting pitcher seems to be the move to make because of all the depth the Mets have at second. Poor Dilson has waited long enough, and there's still Flores and Johnson as well.

Sending him back to the Pirates for Niese would be a very funny twist.

[Centerfield]

Do we get Murphy back in this scenario? If so I'm all for that.

And while we are looking into old flames, probably wouldn't hurt to check in on Dillon Gee.

[Edgy MD]

The problem is that all that depth at second isn't getting us the production we need as of yet, but I like it, and it certainly looks better if Reyes and Flores return from the break as hot as they went into it. The funny thing would be that Walker being in the final year of his contract was part of the reason the deal worked the first time, and it may be part of the reason the deal works going back.

Part of the value is lost though. Part of what Mets were getting with Walker was a compensation pick when he walked. If he were to go back to the Buccos, nobody would get that pick. Also, the ratio of contract time remaining when the last deal occurred was 2:1 — 12 months of Niese for six of Walker. Now, it's more like 3:1 — nine months of Niese for three of Walker.

Which isn't to say it couldn't be done, but it might be a little more complicated. Mets and Bucs seemingly love to deal.

[TransMonk]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: This sounds insane, but what if we traded Walker back to Pittsburgh for Niese?

Yes...insane. Niese's 2016 ERA is a run higher than last year's. I've no problem dealing Walker for pitching. But if we're going to watch someone struggle every fifth day, I'd rather it not be Niese.

[Guest d'Kong76]

TransMonk wrote: But if we're going to watch someone struggle every fifth day, I'd rather it not be Niese.

Me too, I'm fine with a youngin' getting a few starts and if he blows
chunks just insert another. It's not like Harvster was pitching well so
anything better than him is a plus.

[Edgy MD]

I wish I could say he was trending well, but the OPS against splits are pretty damning:

April: .292 / .350 / .575 // .925
May: .267 / .333 / .467 // .800
June: .314 / .375 / .533 // .908
July: .372 / .413 / .488 // .901

What else you got?

[ashie62]

Andrew Cashner throws hard.

[Lefty Specialist]

Please no more Niese. I was tired of him and happy when he left. Plus he bad-mouthed the Mets on his way out the door. Someone else please.

[Centerfield]

For those looking to bring back Hawkman, looks like the price won't be very high:

http://www.thescore.com/news/1059696

If Jon Niese is looking for a vote of confidence from Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Neal Huntington, he's going to have to keep waiting. During a radio interview Friday morning, Huntington had some rather candid remarks about the struggling southpaw, who he acquired from the New York Mets over the winter for popular second baseman Neil Walker. Niese hasn't worked out in Pittsburgh, and Huntington's comments - coming amid reports that he's currently shopping Niese - indicated he may be wishing for a reboot button. "In hindsight, maybe the two fringe prospects and trying to figure out where to re-allocate the money might have been a better return (for Walker)," Huntington told 93.7 The Fan's morning show. "That's where the results take us."

[Zvon]

Nah, Niese burned this bridge with his juvenile slander. I don't even want him wearing orange and blue casually outside the game.

[Zvon]

Ha. Gettymemes. Now I've seen everything.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Zvon wrote:

But maybe the Mets do?

Mets could bring back Jonathon Niese

[Frayed Knot]

Centerfield wrote: During a radio interview Friday morning, Huntington had some rather candid remarks about the struggling southpaw, who he acquired from the New York Mets over the winter for popular second baseman Neil Walker. Niese hasn't worked out in Pittsburgh, and Huntington's comments - coming amid reports that he's currently shopping Niese - indicated he may be wishing for a reboot button. "In hindsight, maybe the two fringe prospects and trying to figure out where to re-allocate the money might have been a better return (for Walker)," Huntington told 93.7 The Fan's morning show. "That's where the results take us."

Ouch!

[Lefty Specialist]

For Huntington, who's generally perceived as one of the more astute GM's, to go off the reservation like that, means either Niese pissed him off or he's even worse than he looks. Or both. Either way, his trade value is virtually zero now. Even if he was free, though, I wouldn't want him back. I'd rather take my chances with Verrett or Gilmartin or Ynoa and hope for a Wheeler sighting eventually.

[Frayed Knot]

Tough to ignore the 5.13 ERA, a full run higher than last season; the 1.57 WHiP, 0.17 above 2015; the jacked-up HR rate, 20 already (2nd in NL) matching last season's total in 75 fewer innings.

I was thinking that no one would touch him on account of the contract ($10 mil in 2017, $11 in 2018) but there are 500K club buyouts on both years so whoever has him is really on less than a half year's commitment and, bad as he's been, he's still a not quite 30 y/o (Oct) who throws with his left wing. But none of that does Pittsburgh any good now as the $7 mil they're paying him this year is sunk costs and they'll likely be paying a chunk of the remaining freight for this season if/when they do work out a deal.

Sudden thought: wonder if the Yanx have anything that playoff-hopeful Pitt needs?
They always like LHPs in da Bronx (except when it's in the form of the decaying carcass of CC Sabathia) and Girardi essentially said last night that Michael Pineda remains in the rotation because they have little other choice; "it's who we have so he has to get it done" - though I'm guessing that the 3 HRs allowed in 5 innings last night doesn't qualify as 'getting it done'. They also just demoted Nathan Eovaldi to the pen.
Pitt certainly doesn't need OFs so you wouldn't think Beltran would be high on their list, nor DHs which scraps half the rest of their roster, and you think the Yanx would be in the mode right now of hoarding prospects rather than dealing them, although that apparently depends on whether you're talking to the baseball or money men in that org. That leaves their vaunted bullpen trio (too rich for Niese) or various spare parts such as lesser bullpen arms or maybe backup catcher Austin Romine to help while Cervelli is out injured (Yanx & Pirates seem to swap catchers all the time).

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Huntington bluntly telegraphed the trade that made Niese a Pirate too, making it clear the Pirates had zero interest in keeping Walker around.

I suppose he feels when they are primarily economic-based decisions its not necessary to pretend they're primarily baseball ones.

Niese is giving the Pirates about the % of groundballs they wanted but his control is worsening, he's also giving up more dingers, and his swinging strikes have all but disappeared.

[Edgy MD]

It's always possible that he's trying to light a fire under Niese's ass.

He looked good in the World Series.

[Frayed Knot]

Sounds like Huntington is perhaps floating the idea to Pirate fans that next time he trades someone but doesn't get a "name player" in return that they shouldn't necessarily look at it as a negative.
Pre-inoculating himself against future bad publicity as it were.

[Edgy MD]

"In hindsight, maybe the two fringe prospects and trying to figure out where to re-allocate the money might have been a better return (for Walker)," Huntington told 93.7 The Fan's morning show. "That's where the results take us."

A lot of good pitchers were to there win Niese's salary range. But who's to say you wouldn't have dropped the money on Chris Young or somebody? I mean, the same scouts that put you on to Niese would have been scouting your re-allocation targets.

Look forward, man, not back.