Benjamin Grimm

Hmmm... I had heard that the Mets were okay with the fourth year. Maybe they still are, but are hoping to find a way to get it done with three years. (If that's their secret plan we really shouldn't know anything about it...)

. Winner of Round 1.1.1 N.Y. CITI New York Post, February 25, 2015 In spring training, Curtis Granderson says that the Mets are ready to take over the town. Winner of Round 1.1.4 QUEENS FOR A DAY! New York Daily News, April 7, 2015 The Mets open the regular season with a 3-1 win over the Nationals in Washington. . . . . . .

I think when you sign a player to these deals, you accept that there's a decent chance that the player will be overpriced and under-useful in the last year or two. I think the fourth year of Zobrist (but hopefully not the third year) falls into that category.

Neither of these are especially good, but I voted for the deGrom cover because the photo is better although the headline is inferior.

I'm okay with letting Cespedes go. That nonchalant play in the outfield on that inside-the-park homer in World Series Game 1 gave us a good look at his downside. It doesn't bode well for how he'd be playing five years into his huge contract. I do wish that the Mets were in on Heyward, but we've known for a while that they're not, and I've come to accept that. In 2019, I think it's likely that Ben Zobrist at $15 million will be better than Yoenis Cespedes at $25 million, so I'm okay with this.

Until this thread I had never heard of Melissa and Doug. Are they relatively new? Maybe they came along after my kids were too old for their toys? (My youngest is 14.)

I haven't tried a Mets recipe since Darryl Strawberry's 7-Up cake. And Ron Hodges' "Chicken Easy".

. Winner of Round 1.1.5 de7 TRAIN! New York Daily News, April 19, 2015 Jacob deGrom pitches seven scoreless innings and the Mets hang on to beat the Marlins 5-4 at Citi Field. Winner of Round 1.1.3 OLD TIMER'S DAY Newsday, March 23, 2015 Bartolo Colon is announced as the Mets Opening Day starter. . . . . . .

I think that the botched fly ball that turned into an inside-the-park homer in the first inning of the first World Series game that Cespedes ever played in is a giant red flag. If he's playing half-assed in that situation, how is he going to be playing several years down the road when he's fat and happy with his huge contract. The Mets had Cespedes for what will probably be the best two months of his career. Good for them! But committing to him for the next seven years is potentially a huge mistake. Let some other team make that mistake.

It sounds like the Mets are on board with the fourth year, and they seem to want him pretty badly. My hunch is that Zobrist will be a Met within a week. (My caveat here is that I don't know if any of the other remaining teams in the mix want him as badly as the Mets do.)

Glavine's seems like the worst because it capped an epic collapse and the need for a win seemed especially desperate. Also, it was his final start as a Met. You can also throw in the fact that many fans never liked him anyway. It all adds up to a particularly toxic stew.

John Ricco on Mets Hot Stove tonight said that the Mets would be very reluctant to sign someone who would cost them a draft pick. That sounds like it pretty much rules out Dexter Fowler. (And Jayson Heyward too, of course, but we all pretty much knew that wasn't happening anyway.)

. Winner of Round 1.1.6 RUNAWAY TRAIN! New York Post, April 24, 2015 The Mets, riding an eleven-game winning streak, head to the Bronx to play three games against the Yankees. Winner of Round 1.1.2 YOU'RE DAMN WRIGHT New York Daily News, March 2, 2015 In spring training, David Wright sets the tone for a contending season. . . . . . .

My guess is that it will be harder to find other places to put d'Arnaud or Plawecki if the Mets sign Zobrist and want to maximize the playing opportunities for Zobrist, Wright, Herrera, and Flores. I'm thinking the most likely places for either catcher to get additional playing time would be first base or third base, if it turns out that either of them have any ability at those positions. I suppose that d'Arnaud or Plawecki can get some spot starts at first base if the Mets want to sit Duda against a tough lefty. My guess, though, is that this will be a spring training experiment that doesn't carry over into the regular season, except perhaps in a 16-inning game or something like that.

I just hope Matt Harvey doesn't get the wrong idea.

This headline sounds like an example of "TMI". I didn't even have any clue that they were having a sexual relationship. Anyway, here's the story: Mets catchers d'Arnaud, Plawecki to try other positions The New York Mets have a unique situation -- they have two young, offensively-strong catchers in Travis d'Arnaud and Kevin Plawecki. Having depth at the catcher position is is a huge strength, especially this time of year where teams are swapping and upgrading their roster. According to assistant general manager John Ricco, the two catchers will see time at other positions in spring training to get them both on the field at the same time. Here's his quote via ESPN: �We�ve had some talk about that, because we have two players we like a lot, and we think they�re going to be good hitters. And we�d love to have them both on the field. But in terms of the specifics of that, we�ll have plenty of discussions with Terry [Collins]. And, ultimately, that will be his decision as to where he plays those guys. But we like both of them, and we�re going to want to try to get them both as much playing time as possible.� d'Arnaud has battled injuries, but flashed some offensive potential, hitting .268 with 12 homers and 41 RBI in 67 games. Plawecki hit just .206 across 73 games in the bigs last season, but has shown he can hit in the minors. He owns a .290/.364/.432 in four minor league seasons. Both catchers are 24 years old and could command a good return on the trade market, but it will be interesting to see what positions the Mets decide to experiment with them.

. Winner of Round 1.1.8 THOR'S DAY Newsday, May 28, 2015 Noah Syndergaard pitches 7.1 scoreless innings and homers in a 7-0 win over the Phillies at Citi Field. Winner of Round 1.1.7 JUAN DIRECTION New York Daily News, May 10, 2015 A two-run homer in the 7th inning by Juan Lagares gives Jon Niese and the Mets a 3-2 win in Philadelphia. . . . . . .

I read that he was going to the West Coast because of "family matters." Which means that he's not trying to get closer to Yasiel Puig, but to Steve Urkel.

Funny thing is, Grienke was apparently their second choice, after Johnny Cueto.

I can't see that he's hurting anyone. In fact, he may be helping, because since his lack of a ballot reduces the denominator, it will take fewer votes* for players to reach 75 per cent. (*I know it will only reduce the required number by a fraction, but if 100 people, for example, declined to vote, then the required vote count would have a significant drop.)

Marc Carig of Newsday wrote: While their pursuit of Ben Zobrist has escalated, the Mets still have an eye on adding an outfielder capable playing centerfield and a veteran reliever to round out the bullpen. The Mets view free agents Denard Span and Gerardo Parra as potential fits, according to a source. While Dexter Fowler has also been linked to the Mets earlier in the offseason, the club�s interest has cooled. Meanwhile, a source said the Mets will cast a wide net when it comes to seeking relief help. Recent non-tender Steve Cishek, a one-time closer for the Marlins, is among those who will be considered.

Geez...

I agree with the point about "D-Backs". Use a narrower font and spell out "DIAMONDBACKS" or stick with the A logo, like the Tigers do with their D.

So is Pia Lindström.

d'Kong76 wrote: When I grow up, I'm gonna marry Ingrid Bergman. Not if I beat you to it!