smg58

Does this mean you are adopting a prospect?

As long as the commentary from Joel, Crow, and Tom Servo aren't the only reason to keep watching.

Johnny Mathis is learning the words as we speak.

I work under the assumption that at the start of the offseason, everybody talks to everybody about everybody. The reporters sift through lots of info, and probably base their focus (at least initially) on what will get their team's fans talking more than on what has traction. And that's OK. We talked, mission accomplished.

Something tells me that if Valdez were being offered something comparable to what Cease got, he would have already taken it.

The Pirates get Ryan O'Hearn at two and 29. I like seeing the Pirates, White Sox, and Athletics going out and getting people. On a related note, the CWS get Ryan Newcomb for one year at $4.5M. This one frustrates me a lot, because he was super once he joined the Athletics and moved to the pen in May. He was virtually unhittable from July until September (6 runs in 33.2 IP), but nobody traded for him at the deadline and nobody offered him much in the offseason. You could argue that 30 GMs dropped the ball on this guy, but I only care about one in particular.

I'd like a righthanded bat in left who could hold the fort until Benge is ready and then still serve in a platoon role afterwards. Hays would fit that description, but Miguel Andujar (.822 OPS last year, including a .944 OPS after the Reds got him at the deadline) would be the better get. His numbers in the outfield aren't spectacular either, but he's still learning the position and he has a plus arm.

The other possibility we need to consider is that Stearns is answering to Cohen a lot more than we thought. The Mets have spent the offseason to this point shedding the last vestiges of the Wilpon era, and that might not be a coincidence. I could picture Cohen wanting the faces of the team to be guys he signed off on, especially since the old guard didn't bring consistent success.

Teams started pitching him in where he couldn't just poke it to left, and he never really adjusted well enough. Plus he seemed to spend the last three years dealing with one ding after another. But he gave us several outstanding seasons and a batting title.

McNeil was worth a bit more than his salary last year, so if the Mets got nothing for him they were much better off keeping him.

Robert is the short half of a platoon on a good team -- he hits lefties well consistently, and hit righties well once. If you pay a price that's worth the short half of a platoon, and get a good lefty bat to pair him with, then sure. But as much as I like the Murakami deal for the CWS, I think failing to trade Robert at the deadline and then bringing him back at $20M (club option) was a mistake. He's just not that kind of player.

It makes a ton of sense for the White Sox, especially at that price point.

At this point I'd be very surprised if he's all that expensive of a lottery ticket. I'm guessing the White Sox wouldn't be in on him if there was a bidding war. The White Sox could also afford to deal with an adjustment period, which looks likely to me. I still think Okamoto is a safer bet -- he posted similar numbers to Seiya Suzuki in Japan, and Seiya has been at least solid since he got here. Murakami has a higher ceiling and a lower floor.

Or Joe Ryan.

Me too. I'd hate to think they would bring him in for this party and then deal him shortly thereafter.

Which means it's value, for the Padres at least. The first year is $22M (i.e., the amount of the qualifying offer King rejected), and comes with a player option. So it gives King some added security without making the Padres pay more for him this season than they were already willing to pay him.

Weaver is OK, although I'm concerned that the BABIP in the .220s he had for the Yankees is completely unsustainable. I would also put him behind guys like Phil Maton or Drew Pomeranz who signed for less, and well behind Brad Keller who just got basically the same deal from the Phillies.

The Padres paid a massive price for Miller at the deadline -- far more than I would pay for any reliever -- and won't deal him unless they turn a profit. While Miller is really good, I don't think he is a good bet to stay healthy for long enough to be worth it. Plus, "really good" for a relief pitcher is 2.0 WAR. If the Mets had gotten Laureano from the Orioles instead of Mullins, they would have made the playoffs. The package the Padres sent to Baltimore included none of their top 30 prospects. Plus Laureano had a no-brainer club option for $6M in 2026. That deal was highway robbery on the Padres' part. But it's water under the bridge. With Rob Refsnysder and Miguel Andujar still available as right-handed outfielders who could hold the job until Benge is ready and still play a platoon role afterwards, I'm not giving up value for him. In fact, allowing the Padres to turn a profit on him would make last year's deadline failures look much worse. If everybody wants Jonah Tong, the Mets should want Jonah Tong. As the current #6 option for the rotation and an optionable arm, I don't see how he's even expendable right now. One injury or series of poor starts from somebody, and Tong gives the Mets the same 2.0 WAR they are likely to get from Miller this year.

He evidently likes a challenge. I'm afraid to speculate on what's going on internally. But I don't get the sense that Stearns is impressed if you've been here a while.

His glove at first has not been bad. But I still think there are better bats available that will not cost players.

I'm not sure I'd have been that generous with Rogers either, but relievers are being scooped up and it's not clear who Stearns is really looking at.

Polanco was off my radar because I wasn't looking at middle infielders, but he really isn't one anymore and he's shown he can hit in a pitcher's park when healthy. The Mariners protected him by DHing him because health had become an issue, so I'm inclined to see him at DH more than at first. He's an upgrade over Marte, at the very least.

On the mid-tier lefty reliever front, Steven Matz got two years and $15M from the Rays and Hoby Milner got one year and $3.75M from the Cubs. The Mets never seem to go after these types of relievers, and I'm really not sure why.

It might be worth a year's investment to know how much of Marcell Ozuna's performance last year had to do with his hip. A 100-point drop for Okamoto would still put his OPS above .900. I'm not saying that's realistic, but I do think he's a better bet than Murakami (worse fielder and horrific K rate) while likely being cheaper.

If the 2026 team is better than the 2025 team, nobody will still be mad.