smg58

He's already looking like a good bet to gets some starts early. Whether or not he makes the most of it remains to be seen. I'll go with a .750 OPS over 200 ABs. Useful, but probably not better than that.

Edgy MD wrote: I could pitch just as well and have an ERA a half run or more higher. Then again, I could get some support and win 24 games, you know? 24 might be too optimistic, but 20 wins with a 2.30 ERA would qualify as a reasonable regression on both fronts.

He was a consistently good hitter for a very long time. I hadn't realized he had his best offensive years after leaving the Giants, although he mostly Died through the 90s.

His career 121 OPS+ is the same as Machado's. I'm surprised he got a higher AAV than Machado did, but eight years is right. I like to see a team commit like that to their best player. (I can think of at least one more team I'd like to see do that.)

I agree with nymr about not constraining strategy. I also think shorter benches full of players you're asking to play more positions than they should is a fad that won't last because it's not good strategy. Or at least it presently isn't for National League teams that regularly use pinch hitters.

I think the clouds had more to do with elite lineups not hitting close to expectations.

He was in Boston from 2015-2017. So he's left two cities under a cloud in two successive years. It's a fair concern.

How has McNeil handled the sun? It was murder on more experienced outfielders yesterday.

And Josh Harrison himself just signed with Detroit for $2M. I'm not sure Hanley can do anything other than DH at this point, but I bet he can still hit if given the chance.

Edgy MD wrote: Looks like Alonso can get the low pitch. Yes, he went down and got a 3-2 pitch that broke out of the strike zone and hit it to the opposite field for a double (although the right fielder never got a read on the ball, which might have been catchable otherwise).

The Astros' #15 prospect.

Watched from the bottom of the first from the bottom of the second. A couple of observations: 1. Tim Peterson REALLY needs another pitch. 2. None of the corner outfielders looked good in the sun, which made Straw's catch that much more impressive. 3. And speaking of Straw: I realize he has no power, but 73 walks and 70 steals in the minors last year, a .414 OBP at AA, and he can cover acres in center. The Mets could use him more than JD Davis. 4. Tebow did not look like he doesn't belong -- at least at the plate. 5. After seeing Hechevarria turn on a fat fastball and hit it about 100 feet tops past the infield, I can see why we got him on a minor league deal.

His future is in the pen. But anybody with a fully functional left arm and a pulse can hang around for a while. Gets a shot in September, makes enough of an impression that he sticks next year.

The league minimum hasn't been significantly adjusted for a very long time. That almost certainly has to change. If the analytics say that an aging veteran clearly on the downside of his career is no longer a good bet to outperform a player currently in AAA making the league minimum, and if what the analytics say is in fact true, don't get mad at the analytics. But if that extra money could be better spent elsewhere and instead the owners are using the analytics as an excuse to not spend it at all, the players have a reason to be angry. As long as there is some sort of minimum service time for free agent eligibility, teams will bend the rules. And I'm not sure how you avoid that, beyond signing lengthy contracts when you draft the player and eliminating team control without contracts entirely. I think there has to be some sort of salary floor in the league. The Pirates, who haven't seriously tried to contend since Barry Bonds left, are on track to shed $30M of payroll this season (down to $70M). And people think the length of the game is the reason fans aren't filling the seats? Singling out Jeter for not trying hard enough (or the Wilpons for that matter) overlooks a systemic issue.

.270/.360/.490, with an even 30 leaving the park. Not spectacular, but pretty solid.

I was against Keuchel when I thought the price was 4 and 80. But I'll be mad if he winds up going for something like 2 and 30 to somebody else. You really do have to talk to him at this point.

=smg58 post_id=3192 time=1550691136 user_id=62] Frazier was worth 1.5 WAR last year basically just for his glove, and was worth at least 2.5 WAR each of the previous six seasons. He has a one-year commitment, he just turned 33 which is hardly a red flag for one season, and he's had an offseason to get over the injuries that nagged him last year. If the Mets were trying to move him, he'd be moved. Plus I think Brodie is more interested in adding former clients than subtracting them. The Mets chose not to sell low on Smith, which is probably a good idea, but he'll need an opportunity to raise his stock. And if he doesn't give the Mets a reason to think he's better than Frazier at least against righties going in, I'm not sure where the opportunity comes. My guess is that he'll start the season in Queens as the first lefty off the bench, spelling Lowrie, Frazier, and Rosario once a week. Then he goes up the Thruway when Alonso comes down, and the Mets will hope he can raise his stock with a solid performance there. It's entirely possible that injuries (or Smith himself) will alter that plan, but that would be my plan A for him.

Well that didn't take long.

Frazier was worth 1.5 WAR last year basically just for his glove, and was worth at least 2.5 WAR each of the previous six seasons. He has a one-year commitment, he just turned 33 which is hardly a red flag for one season, and he's had an offseason to get over the injuries that nagged him last year. If the Mets were trying to move him, he'd be moved. Plus I think Brodie is more interested in adding former clients than subtracting them. The Mets chose not to sell low on Smith, which is probably a good idea, but he'll need an opportunity to raise his stock. And if he doesn't give the Mets a reason to think he's better than Frazier at least against righties going in, I'm not sure where the opportunity comes. My guess is that he'll start the season in Queens as the first lefty off the bench, spelling Lowrie, Frazier, and Rosario once a week. Then he goes up the Thruway when Alonso comes down, and the Mets will hope he can raise his stock with a solid performance there. It's entirely possible that injuries (or Smith himself) will alter that plan, but that would be my plan A for him.

Less extreme since the fences moved in, but not friendly either. The park will look a lot friendlier when some of those prospects start to graduate though. The Padres will be the team to beat in the NL in two years, tops. I like Seo's plan too, but I can't see the Padres liking it all that much. The Phillies and White Sox have been doing all this posturing all offseason long, and at least one of them will walk away empty-handed. If Machado doesn't start out at third for the Padres, he will move there as soon as Tatis is ready. So position ultimately had nothing to do with where he signed.

He gives us 65 games of .280/.350/.500.

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I'm afraid that ten years from now I'll be conflating him with Robinson Cancel. I'm afraid we'll be doing that in May. I'll go .280/.330/.440. He won't tank, but he won't be all that impressive either.

Wow.

I'm all for minor league depth, but if Lowrie can play short at all I'd rather have a bat on the major league bench than a glove.

Not sure he gets enough ABs to steal 20, although he may pinch run a lot and I agree with the stat line otherwise. I don't see him breaking out of the late inning PH/PR/defensive sub role.