Benjamin Grimm

Reminder, because we've downsized this year, there will be no new Tabloid Cover Derby polls on weekends. Voting will resume on Monday.

It depends on the years and the dollars, of course. He would definitely help the 2018 Mets, but I do think that he'd come at too high a cost.

Latest is that he'd rather play in Texas, but he'd be open to returning to the Mets.

Jake Arrieta... and his mound!

Yeah, I'm not seeing a whole lot of good news there, other than that Steven Matz is still considered to have trade value.

Mets plan to change how pitchers are used in 2018, sources say Fewer innings from starters! With the exception of Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom, Mets starters may be shielded from facing lineups more than twice in a game, mirroring an industry-wide trend, according to a source. The adjustment comes after a season in which team officials watched many of their starters fade badly as they pitched deeper into games. If you limit your starting pitchers from facing more than 18 batters, you're really going to tax your bullpen. The Mets will look to establish a norm of carrying eight relief pitchers, one more than the standard seven. A 13-man pitching staff leaves only four bench players! An extra reliever means one less roster spot for the bench, which places even more importance on the ability to play multiple positions. More indications that the Mets are not in fact "all in" on Dominic Smith: Team officials remain wary about leaning on Dominic Smith at first base. With the Mets potentially sending Smith to the minors for more seasoning, they intend to seriously explore upgrades. But rather than targeting those limited to only first base, they want a player capable of being part of a mix to help fill holes elsewhere. So what new faces might we see in Mets uniforms next year? Reunions with free agents Neil Walker and Jay Bruce could also make sense since both have show a willingness to play other spots apart from their natural positions. How about top-tier free agents? They may be left with about $30 million to spend on new players, a modest amount given the scope of the Mets’ needs. It essentially prices them out of top-tier free agents. Can they trade some prospects? The farm system has slipped, becoming one of the thinnest in baseball, leaving the Mets with few chips to dangle in potential deals. Do any of their big-league players have trade value? Rival executives say the likes of Juan Lagares, Robert Gsellman, Wilmer Flores, Steven Matz and Brandon Nimmo could bring back help in other areas. But moving those types of players would only eat into the Mets’ depth, which is already an issue.

This may be the last of these polls where things look bright. The Mets peaked in April with the five-game winning streak mentioned in the d'Arnaud cover. After this, it's several months of mostly misery.

A few more votes have been posted since yesterday's plea for a tiebreaker, yet the tie persists.

This poll is currently tied, between FAMILIA FEUD and FULL SPEED AHEAD. Anyone care to break the tie?

Vote for the tabloid covers that you like the best. You may select up to three choices. Voting will run for seven days. BAT FLOP Newsday, April 6, 2017. 1 THAT GOT AWAY New York Daily News, April 6, 2017. HELLO & GOOD NIGHT Newsday, April 7, 2017. RISE & SHINE New York Post, April 7, 2017. ROCKY RETURN Newsday, April 8, 2017. RUSTY WHEEL New York Daily News, April 8, 2017. WHEELS COME OFF New York Post, April 8, 2017. GOLD FINGER New York Daily News, April 10, 2017. CES! CES! CES! Newsday, April 12, 2017. TRESPEDES New York Daily News, April 12, 2017. THE JOY OF CES' New York Post, April 12, 2017. W_EEL OF FO_TU_E New York Daily News, April 13, 2017. LET'S PLAY TWO! New York Daily News, April 14, 2017. YOU d' MAN! New York Post, April 14, 2017.

I agree on both counts.

Are the Mets interested in Jay Bruce? Is Jay Bruce interested in the Mets? How many posts will we see in this thread before Ceetar posts something about "garbage"? Mike Puma says that the Mets might want Bruce because he can also play first base, and because the team has persistent questions about Dominic Smith. (He must not have read Mex17's post about how the Mets are committed to Smith for better or worse.) Jerry Crasnick of ESPN says that Bruce is looking to sign a five-year deal in the range of $80-90 million.

Turns 32 during spring training. Only pitched 168 innings in 2017. 197 innings in 2016 and 229 in 2015.

Who signs first this offseason? Darvish or Arrieta? And do we have any interest in Arrieta?

This poll is currently tied. Does anyone who hasn't voted, or who hasn't used up their three options, care to try to break the tie between CAMP DAVID and deHEAT IS ON?

I had forgotten that the Mets were "kings of New York" as the season began. They were flyin' high in April, and shot down in May.

Would he really get $30 million per year? While I may not be convinced that the Mets budget is as low as some reporters indicate, I think a $30-million pitcher would still take a prohibitively large bite out of whatever the budget is.

Vote for the tabloid covers that you like the best. You may select up to three choices. Voting will run for seven days. BIG WHEEL Newsday, March 28, 2017. WHEEL BAD IDEA New York Daily News, March 28, 2017. WHEELIN' AND DEALIN' New York Post, March 28, 2017. 15 GAMES Newsday, March 30, 2017. DO YOU FEEL 'LUCKY'? New York Daily News, March 30, 2017. STORMY THOR-CAST New York Post, March 30, 2017. ZACK EXCHANGE Newsday, March 31, 2017. WHEELS UP! New York Daily News, March 31, 2017. TOP OF THE HEAP New York Daily News, April 1, 2017. THE FINAL TWO New York Daily News, April 1, 2017. Mets are kings of New York New York Post, April 1, 2017. SYN & CLOUDS Newsday, April 4, 2017. BLISTERING New York Daily News, April 4, 2017. IN THE BIG INNING New York Post, April 4, 2017.

I agree that he's a Hall of Famer, but he was still with the Blue Jays in 2008. His first year with the Phillies was 2010.

I can see waiving it for someone with a terminal illness (I think they did that for Lou Gehrig) but I'm not sure why you'd do it for someone who has already died.

I don't know if they're still expecting an answer, but he's in California growing grapes.

Vote for the tabloid covers that you like the best. You may select up to three choices. Voting will run for seven days. GOOD LUCK, TIM Newsday, March 8, 2017. LONG SHOT New York Daily News, March 8, 2017. GUN SHY New York Daily News, March 11, 2017. TOUCHDOWN! Newsday, March 14, 2017. FAMILIA FEUD New York Daily News, March 14, 2017. FULL SPEED AHEAD Newsday, March 15, 2017. JAKE LIVELY New York Post, March 15, 2017. SPEED LIMIT Newsday, March 16, 2017. MATT HARDLY New York Daily News, March 16, 2017. Dark and steamy Knight for Met Matt New York Post, March 17, 2017. CUT THE BULL! New York Daily News, March 23, 2017. MATZ A PROBLEM Newsday, March 27, 2017. MATZ MADNESS New York Daily News, March 27, 2017.

I'd like to think that that's not even true, but I realize that it might be.

Jack Morris' name is "Dinosaur Jesus"?

I guess they couldn't get Carlos Delgado. They should have known that he doesn't respond to Street Spanish.