smg58

Nimmo had a .995 OPS after returning. And Marte had a bad year defensively (at least according to The Fielding Bible). I think we would dealing the better, cheaper player.

So Cole is getting more than that.

LOW-risk moves on relievers with a resumé. Perhaps Brodie is learning something.

Bumgarner has never had an ERA over 4, and he's treated like a has-been. He'll be ace-caliber again if he gets the home runs in check.

I don't get the whole control thing. Will the Wilpons be the majority stakeholders or not, and if not, why let them keep "control" over how the team is run? What am I missing?

=Ceetar post_id=27590 time=1575492302 user_id=102]The Mets DO need another good pitcher. And it makes sense to get the best that they can get, but hell, go grab Ryu for less/shorter and I'll be over losing Wheeler real fast.

I'd go a year and 4 or 5 million for Pillar. He's at least decent at the plate, and even if he's closer to average than elite in center these days he's still pretty good out there. I wouldn't go nuts for him though.

I'm going to say 5 and 110, from the White Sox.

Not a bad haul for a guy who looked done this time last year. (Hell, he still looked done in June.) I wouldn't have thought that a .745 OPS plus meh defense would be worth that much, but we didn't get a whole lot more than that from Ramos.

Bernard Gilkey.

Schilling is ahead of both Jeter and Walker in WAR, at least according to Fangraphs.

I'd be surprised if the Yankees get anywhere with that, unless the treatment actually made the issue worse. If the treatment did nothing, or actually made it possible for Ellsbury to get on the field this year, what's their argument?

Good--he's out of the league. Now Cole needs to go to the Mets, Rendon to the Rangers and Strasburg anywhere else.

He was already swinging a bat before he broke his ankles. It means something if his home run trot isn't his top speed. I don't see the point in reading stuff into everything. If he's healthy, he plays.

=Centerfield post_id=26669 time=1573927902 user_id=65]Disappointed how resigned everyone is to just accept this. Another season of mediocrity. Yay.

Wheeler was 28th in the NL in ERA+. The guy who was #1 is a free agent, too. And that's before we even get to Cole and Strasburg. Take the draft pick and upgrade.

Will Smith goes to Atlanta for 3 years and $39M, with a team option for 2023. He never even had to formally reject the QO, so the Braves forfeit a second round pick. That's a big investment, and we've all seen how going for broke over a relief pitcher can work out. (Smith is good, but not Edwin Diaz 2018 good.) Still, the best reliever on the market is already off the market.

=LWFS post_id=26491 time=1573689613 user_id=84] Yep. Hell, even taking into account our KazMatses and such, the Mets seemed to have at least as high a hit rate among Japanese FAs as with domestic editions... though Shinjo was the only half-decent position player we ever had, IIRC.

Nimmo had an OPS of .995 after returning. He's playing somewhere. The question is whether you are confident enough in Smith and/or Davis to trade Conforto for a centerfielder plus something, whether you think Smith or Davis can get you the centerfielder you need, or whether you think the offense you have is worth the defensive risk. Betts isn't really a centerfielder. I'm not sure our farm system is where it needs to be to make Betts an option for 2020 anyway. The fielding bible has Marte at -9 runs saved in center on the year. Nimmo was a -2 in about a quarter of the innings. And Marte has less offensive upside going forward. Basically he's what we've already got, only less. Pillar used to be an elite defensive centerfielder, but he's been average the last two seasons. Bradley is not as good defensively (past or present) as Pillar. Margot can field the position (+6 runs saved in 900 innings), and might be had cheaply, but he's basically Lagares from a few years ago with a slightly worse glove but a slightly better bat. If you think the offense you have is worth the defensive risk, he might be a useful add for support. One guy that wasn't mentioned was Harrison Bader. He had an overly high BABIP in 2018, and a criminally low BABIP this past season. An intermediate BABIP would put him in the same offensive category as Pillar or Bradley, and better than Margot, while being the superior fielder presently to all three (+13 runs saved in 900 innings last year). The Cardinals played Dexter Fowler ahead of him against righties in the playoffs, which tells me they are undervaluing him. That's where I'd kick the tires first.

Arbitration ends in a week, so don't forget to bloat your opponents' payrolls!

I'm thinking that Wheeler doesn't take the QO, but I'm also thinking that he should. I wouldn't bank on the market improving much from last year, and he'd be asking teams to invest a multiyear deal plus a draft pick in mostly unrealized upside. Plus, taking the QO last offseason will pay off quite nicely for Ryu this offseason. Will Smith almost has to take the QO. His resumé isn't close to Kimbrel's, and we saw how that worked out. He shouldn't be the only one, but to this point the players have been stubborn with it.

=Centerfield post_id=25926 time=1572885098 user_id=65] =seawolf17 post_id=25921 time=1572884300 user_id=91] I'm okay with Grandal too. I think he fills a need. I like Ramos, and he hits and gets on base and doesn't strike out, but Grandal is appreciably better.

Bottom line: the Nats manager put the game in Corbin's hands. The Astros manager trusted the game to somebody not named Gerrit Cole. At least he'll be well rested for whichever teams signs him.

While I appreciate that the Nats got rid of the Dodgers, the Astros performed the greater public service and will be rewarded with my continued support for the next week or so.

A Boy Named Seo wrote: Congrats, Smiggy. Pretty much a boat race and no one really came too close. I look forward to inflating your player salaries in the offseason! Thank you. I look forward to being so inflated. (I'm glad I enjoyed having Jeff McNeil on the cheap while it lasted.)