We need a new bowl of soup.

[Mex17]

This is super-duper fine detail for December 2nd, but since Eric Campbell signed with a Japanese team (good for him. by the way) I think that we need to have someone else who bats righthanded and can play first base to stash away at Vegas just in case. I would agree that I am getting ahead of myself, but when I was putting this together I found out that people are already signing off on minor league contracts (with spring training invites). . .I would have thought that this market does not even start up until January.

Anyway, I looked for people who fit the above bill and who also have major league ABs and who are technically "minor league" free agents (Baseball America has this list) and came up with these names. Two of the three are not as bad as you think and might even be an improvement over Campbell. . .

Jesus Montero:
http://www.espn.com/mlb/player/stats/_/id/29448

Tyler Moore:
http://www.espn.com/mlb/player/stats/_/id/30635

Xavier Scruggs:
http://www.espn.com/mlb/player/stats/_/id/32215/xavier-scruggs

If I am not that much mistaken, if we can hold off until after the Rule V draft on Wednesday, we can ink one of these guys and not even have to put him on the 40-man until we need to. Is it too much to ask that one of them goes on Sandy's shopping list? I would think that maybe the Mets would be a preferred destination because they might get a ring out of the deal (hopefully) and also hitting in Vegas could pad their AAA stats.

The one question though is how you get innings at first for both one of these and Dominic Smith? My guess is that DH would be the answer to that.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

PSST! CHRIS CARTER.

[Ceetar]

I'm sure there will be someone that plays 1B in Vegas that can hit right-handed. At least as well as Soup 'hit'.

Also: It's Flores.

[Mex17]

Ceetar wrote: Also: It's Flores.

I was thinking about the "next man up" after Flores. What if Flores (or Duda) gets hurt earlier in the season and they feel that they don't want to call up Smith yet because he does not yet have enough ABs in AAA?

[Edgy MD]

Yeah, Flores is the next guy into the slot, which suggests that the AAA backup doesn't necessarily have to be a righty.

[Ceetar]

Mex17 wrote: Also: It's Flores. I was thinking about the "next man up" after Flores. What if Flores (or Duda) gets hurt earlier in the season and they feel that they don't want to call up Smith yet because he does not yet have enough ABs in AAA?

Well, I wouldn't want to play Flores there full time because he's not particularly good enough, so I'd more look to find a righty-masher type that can platoon with him in the meantime if Lucas needs some DL time, but otherwise just rest him against some lefties to get Flores some AB.

You're not going to have an adequate replacement when one of your big bats goes down,so we're going to be in trouble no matter what AAA guy we stash there to play first occasionally if we have to call on him.

[ashie62]

Chris Carter.

[TransMonk]

I'm thinking Carter will likely get a starting job somewhere, no?

[Edgy MD]

Well, better money than he can likely get for the third-string firstbaseman job the Mets need to fill.

[Lefty Specialist]

Tyler Moore? Twins need to pick him up.

[Edgy MD]

Also, if Duda isn't healthy and adequately performing, and Wright is, I expect the latter might see some time at first.

Which doesn't mean the Mets won't sign a big league vet to a minor league deal and stash him Las Vegas, but I'd guess a lefty. Adam Lind? Logan Morrison?

[Mex17]

Edgy MD wrote: Also, if Duda isn't healthy and adequately performing, and Wright is, I expect the latter might see some time at first.

This makes sense, but I surprisingly have heard nothing on that front at all (whereas we have with regard to Conforto, which makes less sense than asking Wright to do it).

[Edgy MD]

Yeah, but announcing veteran transitions in advance is almost always a bad idea. So much un-necessary drama. Those are two big ifs that may never come to pass.

[RealityChuck]

So why as T.J. Rivera become the invisible man? He's played all infield positions in the minors (though fewer at first base). He would fit where Campbell die and he hits better.

[Edgy MD]

He's certainly not invisible. But they probably look at him more as a member of the second-base depth rather than first.

[Fman99]

Have Piazza dust off his 1B mitt.

[Zvon]

Mex17 wrote: Also: It's Flores. I was thinking about the "next man up" after Flores. What if Flores (or Duda) gets hurt earlier in the season and they feel that they don't want to call up Smith yet because he does not yet have enough ABs in AAA?

Chris Carter is enticing but Duda goes if we get him. It's contingent. Possibly Flores too, but he's a weird case. He's more valuable to the Mets than he'd ever be to any other team. He can also play all infield spots. He and T.J. should be able to shore up the infield (Duda or Carter @1st). And once again my man Matt Reynolds is nowhere to be found (he is on the 40 man).

If Smith gets called up in an emergency, without buildup, and can't perform up here, he never will. Gut feeling.

[Edgy MD]

Tyler Moore stays in the NL East, but not the Mets. He goes to the Marlins on a minor league contract.

[MFS62]

I don't think this can be predicted.
Players like this are like diplomats.
At the proper time, they will present their credentials.

Later