Centerfield

Which was exacerbated by Pete publicly stating how much he'd love to be back. Basically he told other teams they'd be used as negotiating pawns. He's so goofy and loveable. Part of why I want him back.

If that's the range then yeah. I'd be good with that.

I hope this is the case. The key will be whether another team enters the mix. If no team ever shows interest, then Pete has one and only option. If another team comes in with a 3 year offer, then I think BG's contract is more likely. I would think there would be some team interested in a 40+ HR bat on a 3 year deal, but what do I know.

Tanner Scott has been good for two years. He was kinda doodoo before then. Does anyone know what happened? Sounds like every other relief pitcher that had a really good year or two. Where are the relievers that have five or six or seven terrific years the way position players like David Wright or Dave Parker or Dale Murphy or Dave Winfield or Keith Hernandez have five or six or seven great years? They're unicorns. Yeah, they're few and far between. Though in fairness, at the price point Tanner Scott wants to be at, he should be one of the elite guys who perform year in and year out. What struck me about Scott was not the "good year, bad year" inconsistency like we see in some guys. Basically, he was a 5+ ERA guy with a WHIP around 1.5, then he flipped the switch and has been lights out the last two years. I'm wondering if anyone knows if there was a mechanical adjustment, or went to Driveline, or roided up. Something.

Danny Abriano, the author of that article, has put out some of the dumbest things I've ever seen written about the Mets. Sometimes I'm shocked that someone so bad is the lead writer for SNY, then I remind myself who owns SNY. Love this gem. Carter's stint with the Mets (1985-1989) was relatively brief, but his impact might have been the greatest. The greatest? The greatest of who? All time? Is this really something that a professional writer published? Mind boggling. I'm on record in this thread of being against most of the numbers that have been retired. Even the ones that predated Cohen. For the record, my wall would look like this. [MetsBlue]41 31 5 48 15[/MetsBlue]

Tanner Scott has been good for two years. He was kinda doodoo before then. Does anyone know what happened? Arm slot? Steroids? Just figured it out?

I'm here too. I think this is the most likely result. I think it's possible that someone may enter the picture on a short term deal, but I think only the Mets would extend to that fourth year (and option years) and that will ultimately be the difference. Also, I think Pete would prefer to come back if everything else was equal.

Edgy MD wrote: Two cartoon characters, with a 1997 film butting up against a 1984 film. I admire how the photo compositor made Grimace's legs appear almost believably between the door and the safety chain. I didn't realize until just now that the Grimace cover was a play on Purple Rain.

I would argue (and I think Stearns would agree) that deals given to other players in the past have nothing to do with the type of deal Alonso should get. No matter what Boras may say. The only thing dictating Alonso’s deal is his market. And specifically, what any other team is willing to give him. And that’s why Stearns won’t budge unless another suitor comes along.

I feel like there is a difference between the job descriptions for a guy like Mike Francesa and someone like Jim Bowden. Francesa, or someone like Sal Licata or whoever else is on talk radio, is asked to create an audience and be entertaining. They offer opinions. And yes, any public figure should be held accountable for opinions they offer, but as far as I know, they don't hold themselves out to be the authority on any of these topics, and don't claim to have any inside information. Jim Bowden is paid to be an MLB insider. He has experience as a GM, and the implication is that the relationships he formed over the years makes him privy to information that the rest of us can't access. You pay attention to what he says, not because he's entertaining, or a wonderful writer, but because he's supposed to know more than other people. He is supposed to be a journalist with good, credible sources. But he's not. Or at least his track record suggests that he's not. If he has sources, they're crap. He's just wrong, over and over again. I could have put out predictions that were just as accurate if not better than Jim Bowden's. It boggles my mind that someone that is paid to get things right can just be wrong all the time, and keep his job anyway. Nice gig.

Of the other landing spots mentioned: 1. Giants: Alonso makes no sense for the Giants. They have 1B prospect Bryce Eldridge. He's their top prospect (#35 overall) and has the potential to be a masher. ETA is 2026. If the Giants are interested at all, I can't imagine they want anything other than a short term deal. 2. Angels: The Angels also have a top prospect at 1B. Nolan Schanuel is not as highly rated as Bryce Eldridge (#95, MLB Pipeline), but he's already made his debut. An article recently suggested that the Angels might consider a position change for Schanuel if they signed Alonso, but there's no one suggesting that this might be a possibility other than that one article's author. The author: Jon Heyman. 3. Mariners: Seattle certainly has a need for offense, and has a hole at 1B. But Seattle just doesn't really play in this end of the free agent market and are said to be looking to shed salary. I guess in theory these guys are a possibility, but the likelihood of Jerry DiPoto suddenly deciding to give an over 30 declining 1B a long term deal doesn't seem all that high. I was thinking that another factor working against Alonso might be the idea that other clubs believe that whatever they offer, the Mets will match anyway. So why even bother.

Gotta love the job security Jim Bowden enjoys. He's currently a co-host of SiriusXM's "Inside Pitch" on MLB Network Radio and a columnist for The Athletic. He's previously worked for ESPN, and served as the GM of the Reds and Nationals. Anyway, Jim has been on fire this winter with his insider takes. Juan Soto It's likely that the oddness of the situation -- and Soto's comfort in pinstripes -- factored into former MLB GM Jim Bowden's assessment of his favorite fit for the 26-year-old slugger this offseason. Bowden picked the Yankees as his favorite fit for Soto, aligning with ESPN MLB's panel of experts, a group that predicted 12-to-6 on Tuesday that he'd land back in the Bronx (12 Yankees, 4 Mets, 2 Blue Jays). https://yanksgoyard.com/yankees-fans-will-love-ex-mlb-gm-juan-soto-prediction-despise-his-red-sox-takehttps://yanksgoyard.com/yankees-fans-will-love-ex-mlb-gm-juan-soto-prediction-despise-his-red-sox-take Blake Snell As part of his list of 25 early offseason predictions, Jim Bowden of The Athletic offered an outlook that should excite Orioles fans. "The Orioles ink Blake Snell to a three-year, $105 million deal and then trade three strong prospects to the Athletics for flame-throwing closer Mason Miller, whom they convert back to a starting pitcher," Bowden wrote. https://www.newsweek.com/sports/mlb/mlb-insider-links-orioles-massive-free-agency-signing-trade-this-offseason-1979111https://www.newsweek.com/sports/mlb/mlb-insider-links-orioles-massive-free-agency-signing-trade-this-offseason-1979111 Corbin Burnes Bowden also projects Orioles ace Corbin Burnes to land with the New York Mets https://www.newsweek.com/sports/mlb/mlb-insider-links-orioles-massive-free-agency-signing-trade-this-offseason-1979111https://www.newsweek.com/sports/mlb/mlb-insider-links-orioles-massive-free-agency-signing-trade-this-offseason-1979111 Max Fried But MLB insider Jim Bowden recently projected Soto to sign back with the Yankees in a deal worth north of $600 million. For the Mets, they would then have quite a lot of money to spend on the rest of the free agency class -- and that's exactly what Bowden projects them to do. "The Mets focus on starting pitching in free agency and manage to sign both Corbin Burnes and Max Fried to long-term contracts while also bringing back first baseman Pete Alonso, dropping more than half a billion in future salary commitments to land the trio" https://www.newsweek.com/sports/mlb/mlb-insider-predicts-mets-lose-out-big-free-agent-land-three-others-1978715https://www.newsweek.com/sports/mlb/mlb-insider-predicts-mets-lose-out-big-free-agent-land-three-others-1978715 Willy Adames Jim Bowden predicts six-year, $150 million deal for Willy Adames with Dodgers this offseason https://dodgersway.com/ex-mlb-gm-prediction-for-dodgers-willy-adames-contract-is-oddly-specific-01jbmdvxzndb#:~:text=Jim%20Bowden%20made%2025%20predictions,%24150%20million%20%28subscription%20required%29https://dodgersway.com/ex-mlb-gm-prediction-for-dodgers-willy-adames-contract-is-oddly-specific-01jbmdvxzndb#:~:text=Jim%20Bowden%20made%2025%20predictions,%24150%20million%20(subscription%20required). Christian Walker This winter's signing could be a first baseman with pop, something the Mariners haven't had since the days of Richie Sexson. Jim Bowden of The Athletic predicted on Friday that Seattle would sign Arizona Diamondbacks slugger Christian Walker to a three-year deal. "The Mariners sign first baseman Christian Walker (three years, $72 million), improving offensively and defensively at the position," Bowden said. https://www.sportingnews.com/us/mlb/seattle-mariners/news/mariners-predicted-add-26-homer-slugger-blockbuster-72-million-signing/06ce756fec48fba28a98615chttps://www.sportingnews.com/us/mlb/seattle-mariners/news/mariners-predicted-add-26-homer-slugger-blockbuster-72-million-signing/06ce756fec48fba28a98615c Yusei Kikuchi Jim Bowden of The Athletic didn't project any nine-figure signings for the Red Sox, but he did pair them with a starter they've seen lots of in previous American League East matchups. He predicted that Boston would ink former Toronto Blue Jays star Yusei Kikuchi, most recently of the Houston Astros, to a three-year, $42 million contract. https://www.si.com/mlb/red-sox/boston-red-sox-news/red-sox-predicted-to-poach-astros-42-million-all-star-in-free-agency-per-insider-jackson3#:~:text=He%20predicted%20that%20Boston%20would,million%20deal%2C%22%20Bowden%20saidhttps://www.si.com/mlb/red-sox/boston-red-sox-news/red-sox-predicted-to-poach-astros-42-million-all-star-in-free-agency-per-insider-jackson3#:~:text=He%20predicted%20that%20Boston%20would,million%20deal%2C%22%20Bowden%20said. Of course, to be fair, free agent predictions are incredibly tough to make. But it's crazy that a guy can make a good living just throwing out random guesses. Other than Soto, I don't think any of these players were even linked to the teams that Bowden predicted. And I don't need to be an insider to tell you the Mets weren't going to sign Burnes or Fried, much less both of them.

As in "One More Go". What say you guys. Bring back Jose Iglesias? The journeyman SS will be 35 years old and will likely not put up another season of .337 BA (.830 OPS). But if you look at his recent history, maybe this past season wasn't as much of an outlier as we thought. Consider: 2024 AAA Syracuse (42 games): .273/.309/.442 - .751 OPS 2023 AAA El Paso (28 games): .317/.356/.537 - .892 OPS 2022 DEN (118 games): .292/.328/.380 - .708 OPS 2021 LAA/BOS (137 games): .271/.309/.391 - .701 OPS 2020 BAL (39 games): .373/.400/.556 - .956 OPS 2019 CIN (146 games): .288/.318/.407 - .724 OPS That's 5+ years of pretty decent production for a backup infielder. Batting average in the high .200's, creeping up over .300 for stretches of time. Doesn't really walk, and doesn't hit for power, but bat-to-ball skills with GG defense is pretty useful. The downside is that we have a lot of infielders looking to break through, and bringing back Jose takes ABs away from the young guys. He definitely wants to come back. In fact, he says "we" alot, when referring to the Mets, which is odd for a guy who's a free agent.

I wish Lindor didn't have such a goofy look on his face in the first cover.

Benjamin Grimm wrote: This message just came over the wire from Sweden: Crane Pool Forum internationella högkvarter wrote: Gott nytt år från gänget på CPFs högkvarter i Stockholm! Vi vill ta tillfället i akt att påminna er om att årets Tabloid Cover Derby börjar sin tredje omröstning måndagen den 6 januari. Vi är övertygade om att var och en av er kommer att göra vad som krävs för att förbereda er. Looks like it's something about next Monday. Best news of 2025 so far.

By the way, Carlos Baerga is now speculating that the Mets have interest in Anthony Santander. I wasn't really interested in Santander as a Soto alternative, but might be at least a conceptual fit as an Alonso alternative. In many ways, he's the same type of hitter as Pete. Low average, big power hitter. He gets on base less than Pete, but he's a switch hitter, and hit 44 last year. He's the same age as Pete (both entering their age 30 seasons). Like Pete, he's not great defensively, but has played some 1B in the past. How effectively, I have no idea. Newsday says the Mets made an offer to Teoscar Hernandez on a 2 year deal, so it looks like Stearns is not shy about bringing in another corner OF and mixing and matching at DH. Signing Santander could mean the Mets move Vientos to 1B, then try to mix in some of the younger players at 2B/3B. Alternatively, Santander could try playing 1B. I'm skeptical that this is anything more than a backup plan in the event Pete walks, or perhaps it's just leverage to bring down his price.

It's funny how much that HR in Milwaukee changes the perspective. If he doesn't hit that HR, I wonder if there would be this overwhelming support to bring him back. I like Pete. And I'd even be willing to overpay a bit to bring him back. I know that isn't necessarily the best baseball move, but as a fan, the people who wear the uniform mean something to me. And Pete is a loveable player and a terrific person. And I think there is value to a home grown guy who spends his whole career as a Met. 30/90 is fine. So is 4/100. Opt out after 1 in each of them. I wouldn't be upset if Stearns took it to 5/125. I just don't think he will.

Does anything typically happen during this week between Christmas and New Year's? I'm guessing baseball execs are sitting on a beach or next to a fire or something. The interesting thing about this lack of market is that I originally thought this next contract was an opportunity to lock up Pete for the rest of his career. It's becoming increasingly clear that this won't be the case, and that Pete is looking at going back to the market again, whether he takes an opt-out or not. I guess for him the best case scenario is for him to stay productive so he can get a Christian Walker type deal in a few years. If I were Stearns, I think I'd be inclined to offer Pete 4 years guaranteed. 4 years, $100M, opt-out after year 1. Those four years take him to his year 33 season, and even among big bodied RH hitters, 33 can still be a productive year. So maybe the best bet is to offer 3 years/90, or 4 years/100 and see which one Pete takes. Opt out after 1 in each of those deals.

He managed a 3.59 ERA, despite a 1.468 WHIP, in 2024. If he can get that WHIP down, he could be a totally awesome relief pitcher. Upon first glance, I figured this was luck. No way a guy with a WHIP that high can have a good ERA except by dumb luck. But looking at his career stats, it seems like this is just the way he is. Over his career (272 games, 275.2 IP), he has a career ERA of 3.89, with a WHIP of 1.349. He has a high bb/9 (4.4 for his career). Fangraphs had this to say about him in 2023: The hard-throwing 26-year-old southpaw had spent parts of five volatile seasons with the Cardinals. While he has enjoyed a significant bat-missing rebound in 2023 compared to last season (he's back into the 26% K% area, up from 16.5% in 2022), Cabrera was in the midst of yet another rocky, homer-prone year before he was DFA'd. He introduced an upper-80s slider/cutter to his repertoire this year and has been using it a ton (36%), while his fastball velocity has slipped a bit. All of Cabrera's non-fastball pitches generate above-average swinging strike rates, while his mid-90s heater tends to get shelled even though he and the Cardinals made changes to it this year. https://blogs.fangraphs.com/instagraphs/blue-jays-acquire-enigmatic-genesis-cabrera/https://blogs.fangraphs.com/instagraphs/blue-jays-acquire-enigmatic-genesis-cabrera/ He looked like he might have had things figured out right after this article was written. In 29 appearances, he pitched to a 2.66 ERA and a WHIP of 0.972. That's a decent sample size. But then went right back to a 1.468 WHIP in 2024. That being said, he pitched to a 3.34 ERA over two years with Toronto. So far, I think he's our only lefty in the pen.

I don’t think I have what it takes to be a GM. I would have blinked by now.

So Alonso won’t be signed by Christmas. Which probably means nothing will change until January. I’d love to see where the parties stand as of now. I’d guess the Alonso camp is now in “what deal can we take and save face” mode.

I would have preferred this deal for Bueller over the deal we signed for Montas.

Stearns gets him at his price. I guess we are into the buyer's market portion of the winter.

Nathaniel Lowe traded to Washington. Nats now out on Alonso.

Goldschmidt signed with the Yanks. Naylor traded to Arizona, and then Cleveland turns around and signs Carlos Santana. Basically all 1B options are just about gone now. (Other than Pete)