Bullpen

[seawolf17]

Centerfield wrote: Frayed Knot wrote: Still going to want some kind of lefty out there at some point. Yeah. I have no idea who though. Maybe the Pirates will give us Bastardo back.

"You rang?"

[Guest themetfairy]

NO!!!!!!

[Frayed Knot]

Even the likes of Daniel Hudson get a two-year deal this winter, jumping from the DBacks to the Pirates. That's one year for each of his Tommy John surgeries as some of you will remember that his story was one of those featured in 'THE ARM' earlier this year.
Unfortunately he hasn't been all that good since returning from the second go-'round of TJS (4.68 ERA, 1.38 WHiP since 2014) but that's no reason to deny a guy 11 million dollars. And he's not even a lefty!!

[Edgy MD]

I'm more than happy to see these commitments made by somebody else.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Other options: STRIKEOUT-Y SETUP-Y GUYS (in rough order of preference): Sergio Romo* Junichi Tazawa Santiago Casilla* Feliz Greg Holland** David Hernandez NOT-SO-STRIKEOUT-Y SETUP-Y OPTIONS: Drew Storen** Casey Janssen** Salas Fernando Rodriguez Yusmeiro Petit Joba Chamberlain LOOGY (or LOOGY-plus) OPTIONS: J.P. Howell Brian Matusz Blevins Boone Logan Mike Dunn Javier Lopez Tim Collins *Recent, successful "closer experience" might price us out of these guys. ** But not so much these guys, because they're coming off of injuries/down years/velocity loss. Am I missing anyone else interesting?

Yes, yes I am. Someone familiar, no less: Joe Smith. Coming off an apparently-fluky down year himself (slightly high FB% coupled with an anomalously-yuuuuuge HR/FB rate), no less.

[ashie62]

Rotoblurb says the market for 36 year old reliever Joe Blanton is "heating up." It seems to me I saw his name come up in context with the Mets some time ago.

The guy is cheap, durable and rubberarmed.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Mets reportedly thinking about asking out 32-year-old Jose Arredondo, ex-Angel, ex-Red reliever trying to come back (indy leagues and Venezuelan winter league) from prior arm trouble. Last pitched in MLB in 2012! Killer split-finger, few too many walks.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/mets-cheap-bullpen-option-jose-arredondo-article-1.2922533

[Frayed Knot]

The Mets have "some level of interest" on RHRs Sergio Romo & (one-time NYM) Joe Smith and are "keeping an eye on" Jerry Blevins says FOX's Ken Rosenthal, but are said by sources
to NYDN's Jon Harper to be "just browsing" at this stage and not close to an agreement with any of the three.


http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets-sergio-romo-joe-smith-aren-close-deal-article-1.2956172

[Vic Sage]

while i'd be fine with any of those, i don't see a substantial upgrade there from what we have now, namely:

Starters: Syndegaard, deGrom, Harvey, Matz, Gsellman
CL: Familia (if suspended, Reed)-x
CL/set-up: Reed
set-up: Robles
situational LH: Smoker
situational RH: Goeddel
long/6th SP: Wheeler-x
x- if Wheeler is on DL, or if Famila is suspended, or a 7th RP is added = Lugo

other LHPs on 40man: Edgin,Gilmartin
other RHPs on 40man: Montero, Ynoa, Flexen, Molina

non-roster ST invitees:
LHP: P.J. Conlon, David Roseboom, Adam Wilk
RHP: Chase Bradford, Kevin McGowan, Ben Rowen, Paul Sewald, Corey Taylor, Logan Taylor

Rather than sign one of those relievers on the scrap heap, i'd just as soon trade Bruce for a real set-up guy, to pitch the 8th for Reed. If they think Joe Smith is still that guy, well ok then.

--

[Centerfield]

I think we badly need a LOOGY.

Smoker is bad against lefties, and everyone else is right-handed.

[Edgy MD]

Well, Edgin isn't righthanded. Neither is Gilmartin, Roseboom, or Wilk.

Plus Roseboom has BOOM in his name.

[Centerfield]

Maybe Edgin can bounce back. But from what I remember he didn't seem particularly sharp last year. Gilmartin, I remember, was not effective against lefties either.

Don't know about the new minor-league guys. I suspect they can't be all that good if they are minor league guys.

[Edgy MD]

Well, they're all minor league guys until they're not.

Rose-BOOM! held lefties to a .141 average (and righties to .189) in Binghamton last season.

OE: Adam Wilk held LHB to a .167 average in the International League.

[Centerfield]

Are the lefties prospects? I thought we had signed a couple of journeyman minor-leaguers.

In the end, I don't care where the LOOGY comes from, so long as we have someone who is tough against lefties. We have Harper, Freeman, Murphy and Yelich in this league.

I just hope we have a good plan in place to find a few of these guys, rather than just hoping that a career journeyman suddenly finds himself.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Roseboom looks like a relief pitcher. I think this guy's ready.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I especially admire his power of telekinesis.

[Edgy MD]

Centerfield wrote: Are the lefties prospects? I thought we had signed a couple of journeyman minor-leaguers.

If by prospects, you mean guys originally signed and developed by the Mets, Rose[fimg=100]https://lostcoastoutpost.com/media/uploads/post/14486/57a5f0dd57a47e1bdb441cb7c5efc696.jpg[/fimg] fits the bill. Wilkie was a minor league free agent. But, you know, so was R.A. Dickey.

[Centerfield]

Sorry, I think I am being careless with words here. I really don't know much about the lefties we have. I fear that aren't well stocked there and we are going to pine for someone to attack the big lefty hitters.

If these guys are prospects, meaning young guys in our organization who have shown promise who we can reasonably expect to succeed, I'm all for that.

If these guys are older, from other organizations, but our scouts see something new that they feel will be a difference maker, and we can reasonably expect them to succeed, then that's fine too.

If we are taking a bunch of guys who suck and just playing a numbers game, then I think this is leaving too much to chance.

[Vic Sage]

i'm all for signing a LOOGY, but the ones that are available don't excite me, and they'd cost more than the Wilpons will spend, as long as Bruce is still around. The best case scenario is trading Bruce for 2 serviceable, mid-tier relievers (a LOOGY and a ROOGY), or just one good reliever (LHP or RHP)

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Greg Holland is off the market, at something less than full retail (which makes sense, considering the irregular tag on that elbow).

The Rockies probably aren't looking to move folks, but... coming-off-a-down-year Jake McGee, anyone?

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Maybe as part of a Bruce/Blackmon WATP, perhaps? Otherwise, hard to see it.

[Centerfield]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Greg Holland is off the market, at something less than full retail (which makes sense, considering the irregular tag on that elbow). The Rockies probably aren't looking to move folks, but... coming-off-a-down-year Jake McGee, anyone?

Man. I need to show the world I am healthy so I can get that long-term deal. One year where I can put up great numbers to show I'm back at full-strength. Cindy? Get my agent on the phone...tell him I want to go to Colorado.

[Centerfield]

But seriously, 1 year, $7 million. You roll the dice on something like that no? Come on Mets.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

I mean, he's recovering and all. But when he was pitching, he was pitching. I mean, Mike Dunn made a 3 year deal at about that AAV.

[Frayed Knot]

Still cautiously flirting with Blevins

[Edgy MD]

Boone Logan is apparently Cleveland-bound.

Breslow reporting that the Mets have been flirting with him, but that may just be about making Blevvy jealous.

[Vic Sage]

no need for Blevins now... we got Gorzelanny!

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Wait, again? Didn't he put up a shitty start or two for us in '13 or '14?

OE: Conflating him with Lannan, whom I used to conflate with Suppan*, whom I used to occasionally get mixed up with John Lackey.


*Come now, brain.

[G-Fafif]

Rosenthal reports Fernando Salas is returning on a 1 year deal.

[Lefty Specialist]

G-Fafif wrote: Rosenthal reports Fernando Salas is returning on a 1 year deal.

Good stuff. He stabilized things down the stretch. Sign Blevins and you're done.