Can I interest you in some Aoki?

[Frayed Knot]

No, not some hot new dining trend. The Blue Jays have released OF Norichika 'Nori' Aoki just a few weeks after trading for him from Houston.
The 35 y/o in his 6th ML season (following eight in the Japanese Leagues) is career .285/.350/.388 including a somewhat diminished .274/.319/.402 this year

Big acquisition? ... of course not, but here's the thing -- HE'S AN OUTFIELDER which, considering we have just two of those right now (one fewer than the traditional compliment of three) might
not be a bad thing to have over the final five weeks. At worst the lefty-hitter former Brewer/Royal/Giant/Mariner/Astro/Blue Jay swaps time with the glove-less (and so far hitless) Travis Taijeron
while keeping our infielders in the actual infield.

Rosters expand in two days -- no in-house solutions appear to be apparent -- pro-rated minimum salary -- fills a temporary need -- can't hurt.

[MFS62]

Not a bad idea. I'd be for it.
Later

[bmfc1]

Good idea. Better than seeing Jose in LF.

[Chad ochoseis]

He'd be a hired gun who could make the difference between going 70-92 and 71-91 on the season. More wins are always better than fewer wins, but I don't feel too passionately about this. Since there's a good chance that Jose will be with us next year, and virtually no chance that Aoki would be on the 2018 roster, I'd just as soon see Jose getting the LF reps now and making himself that much more useful as a bench player in 2018.

[smg58]

Jose has barely been above replacement level, due in some part to poor defense as an infielder. I could have seen some sentimental value in having him and Wright man the left side of the infield for one last game, but sentiment is basically all the value he has left, and at any rate Wright's shoulder isn't cooperating.

I don't see a problem with having a third qualified major-league outfielder on our team the rest of the way.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Chad Ochoseis wrote: He'd be a hired gun who could make the difference between going 70-92 and 71-91 on the season. More wins are always better than fewer wins, but I don't feel too passionately about this. Since there's a good chance that Jose will be with us next year, and virtually no chance that Aoki would be on the 2018 roster, I'd just as soon see Jose getting the LF reps now and making himself that much more useful as a bench player in 2018.

Are more wins really better than fewer wins, at this point?

[Chad ochoseis]

Yeah, I'd say so. There's a definite scale of importance here. Exchange a win in 2018 for a win in 2017? No way, Jose (or Norichka). Move down a couple of positions in the 2018 draft in exchange for a couple of wins in 2017? Sure. I don't know if anyone has calculated the expected value in future wins per season that we'd lose if we moved from our current middling spot to a slightly lower middling spot, but if it were more than 0.03 (with a high standard deviation on that 0.03), I'd be shocked. I'd trade that for a couple of "meaningless" 2017 victories.

And, as someone (Ceetar, I think) pointed out once, the better the team plays, the more value we can get for our guys in an offseason trade. So there's some marginal value to winning besides the intrinsic value that winning always has. It's just not very much.

So, LET'S GO METS (kind of, sort of)!!!

[Ceetar]

Chad Ochoseis wrote: And, as someone (Ceetar, I think) pointed out once, the better the team plays, the more value we can get for our guys in an offseason trade. So there's some marginal value to winning besides the intrinsic value that winning always has. It's just not very much.

Well, we can rout for Flores to hit 15 more home runs and not care if it makes the Mets win or not.

I know I've pondered if there is a marked difference in advertising and season ticket revenue for next season for say a 76 win second place finish versus a 71 win fourth place finish. I suspect .500 has sailed, but I feel like finishing as a 'winning season' gives more faith that next season will be better.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Don't root for the team to lose, you guys. It's not like you have the foggiest notion of the difference between the 5th and 6th best available amateur players.

[Guest d'Kong76]

Yeah! Root for a September to Remember... root for the Yankees to lose...

[Frayed Knot]

Plus it's not like there are only a handful of games remaining, there are still Thirty-Fucking-One still to go and that's a long time to be faking it with two legit OFs.
Nor would a potential Aoki pick-up mean that Reyes can't still get some reps out there for possible future utility purposes.

Again, just a suggestion I came up with after seeing the note about him getting his release.

[Lefty Specialist]

Jeez, there isn't ANYONE in the minors who can play the outfield competently? Picking up Aoki just sounds like a waste......

[seawolf17]

Lefty Specialist wrote: Jeez, there isn't ANYONE in the minors who can play the outfield competently? Picking up Aoki just sounds like a waste......

I agree. If he's not in the plans for 2018 -- and I can't think of a really compelling reason why he would be -- then he does nothing for us. I'd rather see what we've got in Travis Snider, I guess.

[nymr83]

Lefty Specialist wrote: Jeez, there isn't ANYONE in the minors who can play the outfield competently? Picking up Aoki just sounds like a waste......

Well there is this one guy who might boost attendance and merchandise sales...

[Edgy MD]

Lefty Specialist wrote: Jeez, there isn't ANYONE in the minors who can play the outfield competently? Picking up Aoki just sounds like a waste......

Sure there is. Just not necessarily as competently as Aoki at this stage in their development.

But no, Tebow probably ain't one of them.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I think I read that the only other outfielder on the 40-man roster is Wuilmer Becerra, and he's all the way down in Single A. So to get an outfielder onto the major league roster they'd have to tinker with the 40-man.

[Ceetar]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I think I read that the only other outfielder on the 40-man roster is Wuilmer Becerra, and he's all the way down in Single A. So to get an outfielder onto the major league roster they'd have to tinker with the 40-man.

Release Jose Reyes.

done.

[Edgy MD]

There's room on the 40 and nobody has to be released.

The real issue (to the extent that there is one) is that then you'd probably have to remove the guy you added (Jayce Boyd or Victor Cruzado?) and expose him over the winter, and possibly end up losing him even more pointlessly than they lost Adam Wilk.

In that regard, the real alternatives to using Aoki as a fill-in are Travis Snider (injured at the present time) and Cody Decker, who stand as good a chance as any of being the Matt Watson and Mike Glavine of 2017.

[seawolf17]

Edgy MD wrote: Travis Snider (injured at the present time)

Of course he is, because Mets.

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

I really don't see a downside to LF's proposal of picking up Aoki for the remainder of the season. It would be nice to field a legitimate outfield for the remainder of the season. When the team is trying to hide catchers in the infield, use infielders in the outfield, and pitchers to pinch hit, then it is time to look at improving the roster for the remainder of the season.

[bmfc1]

Howie mentioned Aoki during today's game saying only that he's a free agent. It was part of a monologue of how few call-ups the Mets will likely have on September 1.

[Frayed Knot]

bmfc1 wrote: Howie mentioned Aoki during today's game saying only that he's a free agent. It was part of a monologue of how few call-ups the Mets will likely have on September 1.

That's because if there were obvious worthy call-ups they'd have already been called up.
Travis Snider has been mentioned in this thread for instance but I hardly see how that's a more worthy choice than Aoki. I mean Snider was picked up earlier in the year in essentially the same way that Aoki would
be if they go that route, except that Snider has somewhat worse numbers as compared to Aoki AND he hasn't faced a big league pitch in over two years now.

If it helps, folks should just think of Aoki as if he were a minor league call-up. That he has no obvious future with the Mets kind of makes him more attractive in my mind since it won't affect 40-man roster issues.
He's available, he's cheap, and he should prove to be at least a somewhat useful player at a place we currently have a need.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I don't see any reason not to do this. And who knows, given an opportunity he may play himself into the Mets plans for 2018. At least he'll be motivated to try.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Mets have signed him!! Yay!!

[Edgy MD]

Expected to be activated for game two. Let the Norichika chicas rejoice!

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Aoki Dokey!

[Guest 41Forever]

Edgy MD wrote: Expected to be activated for game two. Let the Norichika chicas rejoice!

Why not for Game One? Travel issue?

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

This is destined to be one of those impossible Name That Roster years, like 2009.

[Edgy MD]

41Forever wrote: Edgy MD wrote: Expected to be activated for game two. Let the Norichika chicas rejoice! Why not for Game One? Travel issue?

That's a solid theory. We at Mets Roster Central can only speculate.

[Lefty Specialist]

Kind of like boarding the Titanic after it hits the iceberg, but whatever. Enjoy your deck chair, Mr. Aoki.

Just realized he won't be eligible for the postseason, which is a bummer.