batmagadanleadoff

Ceetar wrote: I'd probably give them more a C. I'd bet anything that if SI gave the Mets a "C", then you woulda given the Mets a "B".

Ceetar wrote: I'd probably give them more a C. I know Spring Training starts in like 3 weeks, but what is it about this week that has everyone writing about offseason grades like the season starts tomorrow? "With little less than four weeks before pitchers and catchers report, we're checking in on how each team has fared in conducting its offseason business while acknowledging that there's still time for its prognosis to change."

SI's Mets Winter Report Card (Hanley mentioned): Winter Report Card: New York Mets by Jay Jaffe Posted: Tue Jan. 27, 2015 With little less than four weeks before pitchers and catchers report, we're checking in on how each team has fared in conducting its offseason business while acknowledging that there's still time for its prognosis to change. Teams will be presented in reverse order of finish from 2014. You can find all previously published Winter Report Cards here. 2014 results: 79-83 (.488), tied for 2nd place in NL East (Hot Stove Preview) Key departures: OF Bobby Abreu, OF Andrew Brown, C Juan Centeno, RHP Gonzalez Germen, RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka, OF Eric Young Jr. Key arrivals: OF Michael Cuddyer, LHP Sean Gilmartin, OF/1B John Mayberry Jr. While the Mets finished below .500 for the sixth straight season in 2014, they did show signs of progress: their 79 wins were their most since 2010, and thanks to the Braves' sudden collapse and the Phillies' reluctance to rebuild, New York actually finished tied with the Marlins for second place in the NL East �17 games back, sure, but closer to the top than in any season since 2008. With Matt Harvey set to return from October 2013 Tommy John surgery that kept him out all of last year, thereby fortifying a maturing rotation, the Mets entered the offseason only a few moves away from returning to contention. Instead, what their fans have had to endure is another winter of head-scratching moves while the organization gives every sign that it is still mired in its post-Madoff financial morass. General manager Sandy Alderson said in December that while payroll would increase from about $85 million (25th in the majors) to around $100 million � "Might be a little lower, might be at that level� I don�t expect it to go up too much, if at all,� he told the New York Times � even that now appears optimistic. New York has $82.9 million committed to just 10 players and another $6-8 million earmarked for the arbitration eligible Lucas Duda and Jenrry Mejia, but expectations are that either Dillon Gee or Jon Niese will be traded, leaving payroll in the $90-95 million range, a paltry figure for a team in the country's largest market and one that looks significantly short of improving a roster to the point where it could contend for a postseason berth. That didn't seem like it would be the case back on Nov. 10, when the Mets made the offseason's first major free agent signing by inking Michael Cuddyer to a two-year, $21 million contract. Alas, that appearance of a more aggressive tack, one in which the team was securing a complementary piece to upgrade an offense that managed to rank eighth in the league in scoring while receiving an abysmal .219/.306/.309 showing from its leftfielders, still had its problems. While Cuddyer is just a year removed from winning the NL batting title and hit a sizzling .332/.376/.579 for a 149 OPS+ with the Rockies[,] in 2014, that showing came in all of 205 plate appearances, as he served stints on the disabled list for strains in both hamstrings plus a fracture of the glenoid socket in his non-throwing shoulder. He turns 36 on March 27, has averaged just 93 games per year over the last three and cost New York what would have been the 15th pick of this year's amateur draft. For a club that's rebuilding (regardless of their stated intentions and self-perception), there was no reason for the Mets to give up that pick unless doing so brought a game-changing piece to the Big Apple, and Cuddyer isn't that. Further evidence of this team's lack of will to change its circumstances is its inability (or refusal) to upgrade at shortstop. Alderson flirted with the possibility of trading for Colorado's Troy Tulowitzki (who has five years and $118 million remaining on his contract) or Washington's Ian Desmond (owed $11 million in his final year before free agency), but balked at an asking price that included pitching prospect Noah Syndergaard. A 22-year-old righty, Snydergaard came into last year ranked 16th on Baseball America's Top 100 Prospects list but scuffled his way to a 4.60 ERA, albeit with 9.8 strikeouts per nine, at Triple A Las Vegas. To be sure, both Tulowitzki and Desmond have drawbacks. The former has topped 140 games just three times in his eight full seasons, and the latter has made demands about a $100 million contract. Still, given the in-house alternatives of 23-year-old former prospect Wilmer Flores (.251/.286/.378 in 274 PA) and 25-year-old Ruben Tejada (.237/.342/.310), plus a free agent market that featured Asdrubal Cabrera, Stephen Drew and Hanley Ramirez and a trade market that saw inexpensive pieces such as Yunel Escobar, Didi Gregorius, Jimmy Rollins and Eugenio Suarez all moved, it's not as though potential upgrades weren't available. Yes, many of those players also have their flaws � if they didn't, they wouldn't be available � but none would have required trading Syndergaard. Gregorious and Suarez, for instance, both have years of club control ahead of them yet were moved this offseason to the Yankees and Tigers, respectively, for non-star pitchers Shane Green and Alfredo Simon. Instead the Mets have a pair cheap players whom they've jerked around the organziation for years. Few outside of New York believe that Flores � who was moved off the position in the minors in 2011 � is good enough to play shortstop regularly because of his limited range. That goes double on a team whose path to winning is through pitching and defense rather than a high-powered offense, and in an infield where second baseman Daniel Murphy is no great shakes with the glove, either. As for the moves they did make, gone are outfielders Bobby Abreu (retired), Andrew Brown (lost on waivers to the A's) and Eric Young Jr (non-tendered). Abreu's comeback amounted to 155 plate appearances and a .248/.342/.338 line, while Brown hit just .182/.245/.341 in 49 PA that were all downhill after his three-run homer off Stephen Strasburg on Opening Day and Young hit an abysmal .229/.299/.311 in 316 PA, mostly as their out-eating leftfielder. Also gone via free agency is pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, who made nine starts and 25 relief appearances en route to a 3.89 ERA (90 ERA+) in 89 1/3 innings. Reliever Gonzalez German, who made 25 appearances totaling 30 1/3 innings, has bounced from the Mets to the Yankees to the Rangers to the Cubs in a suspense-filled waiver wire odyssey over the last six weeks. In other words, none of those players are great losses. Arriving in Queens is backup outfielder/first baseman John Mayberry Jr., a 31-year-old righty who hit .212/.310/.425 with seven homers and a 104 OPS+ in 168 PA split between the Phillies and Blue Jays. He owns a career .269/.324/.533 line in 534 PA against lefties, making him a useful platoon complement to Duda (.212/.292/.317 in 470 career PA against southpaws). Via the Rule 5 draft comes 24-year-old lefty Sean Gilmartin, a 2011 first-round pick who split last year between the Twins' Double A and Triple A affiliates, posting a 3.71 ERA and 8.2 strikeouts per nine in 145 2/3 innings as a starter; if he sticks, it will likely be as a situational reliever. Unfinished business: Shortstop, rotation cleanup In Harvey, Gee, Niese, Bartolo Colon, Zack Wheeler and reigning NL Rookie of the Year Jake deGrom, New York has six starters plus prospects Syndergaard, Steven Matz and Rafael Montero waiting in the wings. That wealth of young pitching may be unequaled in the game today and it's clearly the future on which the team's competitive aspirations rest, but that doesn't mean the Mets should hoard it. Instead, they can use their surplus of arms to fill other needs. Aside from shortstop, second base might also be a priority given that Murphy is a year away from free agency and going-on-21-year-old prospect Dilson Herrera still needs more seasoning. Also, just because New York has expensive corner outfielders in Cuddyer and Curtis Granderson (owed $49 million through 2017) that doesn�t mean that it can win with those two in place. ?Either Gee or Niese are likely to be moved before Opening Day. Gee, who turns 29 on April 28, pitched to a 4.00 ERA but just a 4.52 FIP in 137 1/3 innings. Given his career 93 ERA+ and his meager ability to miss bats (6.2 K/9 last year, 6.5 career), he's unlikely to bring back much more than a stopgap in a trade, but at least he's inexpensive. He's making $5.3 million this year and he has one more year of club control. Niese, a 28-year-old lefty, whiffed just 6.6 per nine in 2014 himself, but thanks to his ability to avoid the longball he put up a 3.40 ERA and 3.67 FIP in 187 2/3 innings. He's got as many as four more years of control via guaranteed salaries of $7 million in 2015 and $9 million in '16, with club options of $10 million and $11 million � both with just $500K buyouts � for 2017 and '18 as well. That's the kind of piece that can be used to bring back something beyond a placeholder. ?Likewise, the 24-year-old Montero, who made eight starts and two relief appearances totaling 44 1/3 innings with the Mets and had a 3.60 ERA with 9.0 K/9 in 80 innings at Las Vegas, could be in play if Syndergaard and Matz aren't. Matz, by the way, is a 24-year-old lefty who split the year between High A and Double A and is now considered the team's second-best prospect. Preliminary grade: D New York modestly upgraded its offense but burned a draft pick on an aged, oft-injured player to do so. While the team hasn't squandered its pitching depth, it still has more than it can use -- even accounting for the inevitable injuries -- as well as a clear need at a key position. The Braves and Philies are rebuilding, creating an opportunity for this team to contend for a postseason spot, but whereas the Marlins have seized the initiative and bulked up significantly, the Mets haven't done the same � even while claiming that ticket sales are surging significantly. Yup, still business as usual in Queens.

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I'm not expecting that 2015 will be like 1984, but I don't think it's an unreasonable hope. That would still leave them quite a bit short of 1986, but after the last few years I'd be delighted with a 1984. I could've written your last post myself, word for word. I'm not expecting significant improvement this year, but it's not implausible. And if you wanna let your imagination run amok, the Mets were in better shape at the end of last season than they were at the end of the 1968 season.

Yeah, really. David Cone? Kevin McReynolds? My point was that the Mets improved a lot from 1983 to 1984 without making a significant offseason deal, and that their improvement came almost entirely from young players maturing. The fact that they got David Cone three years later, or Mike Piazza fourteen years later, has nothing at all to do with that. I knew what your point was. With my second point, I was really addressing some other attitudes about trades that pop up here from time to time, to wit: that a team (okay, the Mets) ought to hold onto all of its players like they're the cherished teddy bear of your three year old toddler. I should've made that clearer. That's all, admittedly, superfluous to your point. But my first point holds up. The 1984 Mets improved, in large part, because of the contributions of players they acquired in trades -- just not trades that were made in the most recent off-season. '84 was Hernandez's first full Met season: he was easily their best player that year. And Darling and Terrell were two of the Mets three best starters. Orosco was also acquired in a trade. Anyways, me, I'm not one of those fans whining about the Mets supposed lack of activity this off-season as the reason for whatever it is that ails them. The Mets problems are much larger than that, more complicated, and deeper-rooted. And noted here on this forum and everywhere else ad nauseum. I suppose that the 2015 Mets could take some big steps forward with improved production from some of their outside acquisitions obtained prior to this off-season --- like d'Arnaud, Wheeler and Syndergaard. That could happen. That could draw parallels to '84. (Although the Mets did get Cuddyer and Mayberry in the past few months).

Yeah, really. David Cone? Kevin McReynolds? My point was that the Mets improved a lot from 1983 to 1984 without making a significant offseason deal, and that their improvement came almost entirely from young players maturing. The fact that they got David Cone three years later, or Mike Piazza fourteen years later, has nothing at all to do with that. I knew what your point was. With my second point, I was really addressing some other attitudes about trades that pop up here from time to time, to wit: that a team (okay, the Mets) ought to hold onto all of its players like they're the cherished teddy bear of your three year old toddler. I should've made that clearer. That's all, admittedly, superfluous to your point. But my first point holds up. The 1984 Mets improved, in large part, because of the contributions of players they acquired in trades -- just not trades that were made in the most recent off-season. '84 was Hernandez's first full Met season: he was easily their best player that year. And Darling and Terrell were two of the Mets three best starters. Orosco was also acquired in a trade. Anyways, me, I'm not one of those fans whining about the Mets supposed lack of activity this off-season as the reason for whatever it is that ails them. The Mets problems are much larger than that, more complicated, and deeper-rooted. And noted here on this forum and everywhere else ad nauseum.

I don't know... the Mets improved quite a bit from 1983 to 1984 and this is what they did between those two seasons. None of these moves got anybody excited. The 1984 Mets also got a whole, instead of half a season from that year's runner-up MVP, Keith Hernandez. '84 was Keith's best season as a Met. But beyond '84, no one should overlook the significant value Davey Johnson's Mets gained by acquiring such outside talent as Hernandez, Carter, Fernandez, Knight and Ojeda --- and then later, McReynolds and Viola -- just to name the biggest names in that category. '84 was also trade acquisition Ron Darling's first full Met season (he pitched just 35.1 innings the previous season.) And add Hojo to the list above. I forgot this guy, too:

Edgy MD wrote: Nah, I'm a fan, not a nut. Sez you.

Edgy MD wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: What? We're not friends? I like stuff. Whatcha got at home? Answer the second question first. I'm not into comic books. To start, a complete (signed!) collection of "The Magic Is Back" horizontal subway posters. [fimg=322]http://www.vintagesportsshoppe.com/photos/qdou1.jpg[/fimg] Got the Frank Taveras one in Spanish even! Talk about porn! Got one of these over your fireplace? (Ashes included)

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Benjamin Grimm wrote: I don't know... the Mets improved quite a bit from 1983 to 1984 and this is what they did between those two seasons. None of these moves got anybody excited. The 1984 Mets also got a whole, instead of half a season from that year's runner-up MVP, Keith Hernandez. '84 was Keith's best season as a Met. But beyond '84, no one should overlook the significant value Davey Johnson's Mets gained by acquiring such outside talent as Hernandez, Carter, Fernandez, Knight and Ojeda --- and then later, McReynolds and Viola -- just to name the biggest names in that category. '84 was also trade acquisition Ron Darling's first full Met season (he pitched just 35.1 innings the previous season.) And add Hojo to the list above.

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I don't know... the Mets improved quite a bit from 1983 to 1984 and this is what they did between those two seasons. None of these moves got anybody excited. The 1984 Mets also got a whole, instead of half a season from that year's runner-up MVP, Keith Hernandez. '84 was Keith's best season as a Met. But beyond '84, no one should overlook the significant value Davey Johnson's Mets gained by acquiring such outside talent as Hernandez, Carter, Fernandez, Knight and Ojeda --- and then later, McReynolds and Viola -- just to name the biggest names in that category.

Edgy MD wrote: If it's a dog-and-pony show calculated to demonstrate false good faith to display for their fans to return with good will, it's a poorly conceived and profound failure, as everything I'm reading suggests that fans are inferring bad faith and returning it with ill will. So something the Mets did backfired on them even worse than they imagined it might. Shocking. Just shocking.

Frayed Knot wrote: I think that all of these team "negotiations" over Desmond and Tulowitzki are calculated dog and pony shows with the sole purpose of fooling the fans and media into thinking that the Mets are making a good faith effort to acquire those shortstops. The whole thing's a total sham as far as I'm concerned. Keeping in mind that most (if not all) of these stories about trades or future contracts for the likes of a Desmond or Tulowitski are coming from fans and media, those who read such stories and then claim that the team was lying or misleading them when they don't happen really need to look in the mirror if they want to know who to blame for their disappointment. Well, if those "negotiations" never took place, that's another thing.

Here's what drives me nuts about all of these shortstop discussions: Remember that article FAFIF posted a few days ago claiming that the Mets will use their relief pitchers mainly to minimize the team's future salary obligations to those relievers? Well, I think the team operates like that at every single turn. Not only did that article not surprise me, but if anything, I'm a little angry with myself for not having thought of that angle before the author did. So that's where my cynical head is at. So what does that have to do with shortstops? Well, consistent with the Mets frame of mind as portrayed in that reliever piece, I think that all of these team "negotiations" over Desmond and Tulowitzki are calculated dog and pony shows with the sole purpose of fooling the fans and media into thinking that the Mets are making a good faith effort to acquire those shortstops. The whole thing's a total sham as far as I'm concerned. Everyone and his or her mother has already figured out that it's senseless to trade a top-tier prospect to merely rent out one of those shortstops for just the 2015 season. The Mets need to sign one of those shortstops to a multi-year contract for the potential deal to work. Even Jeff Wilpon must know that. Probably. And the Mets (here we go again) are broke, and ain't spending the thirty or fifty million it's gonna take to get one of those shortstops for a few years. I'd be happy to be wrong, but that's how I see things.

Mets report surging ticket sales but payroll stays low By Howard Megdal 3:32 p.m. | Jan. 21, 2015 The Mets are claiming a massive surge in ticket sales this off-season, even as the team's payroll remains tight. Ticket sales are up 19.26 percent over last year, according to Mets executive vice president Lou DePaoli. The numbers represent what would be an astonishing outlier for a team that's failed to add any high-priced talent this offseason or post a winning record since 2008, the two primary drivers of attendance spikes for baseball teams. And the reported surge in ticket sales would also seem to fly in the face of a promise by the team's financially troubled owners to increase payroll when revenue rose. Why would the team invite such trouble with its fan base, after years of misleadingly sunny projections and unfulfilled spending pledges? It makes sense, perhaps, in the context of a lawsuit against the team by a former Mets executive who was in charge of ticket sales, who the team claims to have fired for business reasons. The former employee, Leigh Castergine, is suing Mets C.O.O. Jeff Wilpon and the team for alleged sexual discrimination stemming from her pregnancy during her time as executive vice president of ticket sales. A nearly 20 percent increase in ticket sales during the first offseason after Castergine undermines a claim in her lawsuit that the team's slashing of payroll and public lies about ability to spend created an impossible atmosphere in which to sell tickets. After all, those conditions haven't changed. Official attendance is counted by the team, based on tickets sold, rather than who steps through the gate. And ultimately, teams can provide giveaways to pad those numbers accordingly. So there's little to stop the Mets from claiming attendance is whatever they want, no matter how many empty seats there are at Citi Field, and why there's often audible laughter in the press box when the attendance number is announced. But DePaoli talked about "ticket sales", not "ticket giveaways." And 19.26 percent is a very big number. Team revenue has been trending steadily downward, thanks to annual filings the team must make in conjunction with the roughly $43 million they pay annually to service debt against Citi Field. According to those filings, the Mets saw overall revenue drop to $119.2 million in 2013. That's well off the $180.4 million from 2009, when Citi Field opened. The team actually saw attendance rise slightly in 2014, 0.62 percent, to 2,148,808. But the numbers are similar enough that revenue almost certainly remained at similar levels, though we'll know for sure later this year when the Mets make their 2014 filing. If we assume that overall revenue, which includes parking, concessions, advertising, luxury suites, is moving in line with this apparent attendance jump, as it typically does for MLB teams, that would mean $23 million or so in new revenue. And that would be a big positive, in terms of the owners' financial picture, which has been grim ever since their investments in Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme evaporated. But despite messaging going back several years from owner Fred Wilpon on down, that payroll would only rise beyond the bottom-fifth in baseball levels once fans came back, there's been no corresponding increase in payroll this winter. "This is, to me, a break-even business," Wilpon said back in February 2013. "I always strive to break even. I'm not looking to make any money. I strive to break even. So if [fans] don't show up, that's hard. So you have to balance it." The team payroll on Opening Day 2014 was just over $89 million. It's at around $96.7 million at the moment for 2015, by best estimates, and the Mets are actively looking to trade Dillon Gee and his $5.3 million salary to bring it down to right around $92 million, or a stone's throw from last season. Then again, perhaps the Mets are right to be cautious until they've banked all that new cash from the massive jump in attendance, since there's no recent analogue for such a rise in recent MLB history, even among teams that pumped a ton of new money into payroll or experienced unexpected success. The Seattle Mariners experienced the biggest jump in attendance in 2014, going from 1,761,546 in 2013 to 2,064,334, a rise of 302,788, or a jump of 17.1 percent, by far the biggest increase. This didn't happen in a vacuum, though. The Mariners went out and paid Robinson Cano, the best player on the free agent market, $240 million over ten years. This came a few months after extending their best pitcher, Felix Hernandez, at $175 million over seven years. Other talent, like Kendry Morales, Fernando Rodney and Austin Jackson, came in as well. And the team went out and improved from 71 wins in 2013 to 87 wins in 2014. A 19.26 percent jump in ticket sales means the Mets are projecting 2.56 million tickets sold in 2015. That would be a jump of 413,860 tickets sold, or 37 percent higher than the best-case scenario from 2014, a team that spent hundreds of millions to improve the team roster. An email sent by another Mets executive, which was given to Capital, cited a number of games as "of highest demand", including Opening Day, Jacob deGrom Garden Gnome Giveaway Day on May 2, the Steve Miller Band postgame day June 27, Juan Lagares Bobblehead Day on July 11, and the Heart postgame concert day on July 25. But thanks to the handy select-a-seat technology on Mets.com�an innovation, incidentally, of Castergine's�it is possible to see that tickets are still available for all these games, in massive bunches, in virtually every price range. Perhaps those tickets will be snapped up if the Mets have a particularly good season in 2015. But really, the winning is secondary, as it drives ticket sales. Payroll is most closely correlated to a jump in demand. According to the Mets, they've managed the feat without having to spend the money, or win yet, perhaps the kind of economic miracle that might explain why the new baseball commissioner just made Fred Wilpon chairman of MLB's Finance Committee. But those newly energized fans are probably going to be pretty upset when they figure out that even the absurd talking point from Wilpon to cover the real reason for a massive drop in spending on the team�the diversion of team and television revenue to finance Wilpon's parent company debt�didn't come to pass even when the team asserts that fans held up their end of the bargain. Or as Fred Wilpon put it back in February 2013, "The payroll will be commensurate with anything we've ever done because we can do it. Remember, the people have to come to the ballpark obviously. If you have a competitive team, they will. Everything that was in the past, that you guys saw the pain that we went through, is gone. It's gone." Clearly, even if you buy the team's new math, it's not. http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/media/2015/01/8560577/mets-report-surging-ticket-sales-payroll-stays-low

Edgy MD wrote: Edgy MD wrote: I'm not so sure there's such an obvious match there. If the Mets truly are as shortstop-poor as all that, that paucity is projected to be in the short term. In the long term, they look to be potentially graduating four shortstop prospects in the next four seasons. Well, then there you go. Now we can all go back to pretending that the Mets aren't constrained by their poverty not that money matters anyway and we can root for Flores or Tejada to hold the fort while the Mets kill time until the next wave of young Honus Wagners hits Citi Field. And maybe Wilmer FLores develops into a Honus Wagner himself giving the Mets five instead of four Honus Wagners in the near future. And there you go. Talking to me like I'm a two-year old scoring on the wrong side of the curve on the aptitude tests. Come on. Let's be friends. I have a lot of great things at my house. What? We're not friends? I like stuff. Whatcha got at home? Answer the second question first. I'm not into comic books.

Edgy MD wrote: I'm not so sure there's such an obvious match there. If the Mets truly are as shortstop-poor as all that, that paucity is projected to be in the short term. In the long term, they look to be potentially graduating four shortstop prospects in the next four seasons. Well, then there you go. Now we can all go back to pretending that the Mets aren't constrained by their poverty not that money matters anyway and we can root for Flores or Tejada to hold the fort while the Mets kill time until the next wave of young Honus Wagners hits Citi Field. And maybe Wilmer FLores develops into a Honus Wagner himself giving the Mets five instead of four Honus Wagners in the near future.

Ceetar wrote: the rules are NOT the same for every team. Some teams have already violated the cap. Those teams will already be hard-capped after July 2nd. They have no further penalty to signing Mancada whereas the Mets would get hard-capped for those 2 periods. So, money aside, if there is a player to be had in those next two signing periods the Mets could actually be better off waiting, in a signing period with less teams that can sign a guy demanding a signing bonus, to make a play on a big guy. It's messy, and there is obvious pairing between the Mets need for a SS right now and Mancada, but it's hardly just a "nah, they're broke" situation. The rules are the same for every team. Some teams simply chose to play their hand differently.

Ceetar wrote: Those rules are miserable, aren't they? pretty much, yeah. one guy saying Mancada is going to be the top prospect in MLB is just one guy saying that. Doesn't mean he's a slam dunk to be their answer this year even if he is. While I doubt the Mets can/will afford ~$60 for a signing bonus (including fees) anyway, there is also the restraint on the next two signing periods to consider that applies to the Mets but NOT to some other teams. It's not just about money. And even if it were, that's a hell of a lot of cash to spend on a signing bonus. The rules are the same for every team. ...because of the payment structure required to sign Moncada, the teams that sources consider the leaders to sign him are mostly big-market, high-revenue clubs. http://www.baseballamerica.com/international/rich-teams-edge-yoan-moncada/ You would think, logically, that "big market" and "high revenue" are synonymous, redundant ways to describe a baseball team. But leave it to the Wilpon Mets to create an exception. Hey, Mr. Met Apologist: how would you like this story to read? Maybe the writers can write that Moncada should be avoided at any price because he's a certain-bust and a pedophile and on top of that he also likes Jennifer Aniston movies.

Mets rumors: Shortstop Yoan Moncada won't fit in Mets' budget By Steve Sypa @SteveSypa on Jan 20 2015, 7:48p According to Anthony DiComo, Mets beat writer for MLB.com, the Mets have done their due diligence on Cuban shortstop Yoan Moncada but do not view him as a realistic option due to budgetary constraints. If the Mets are interested in signing Moncada, funds must be drawn from their 2014-2015 international bonus pool, the MLB-assigned funds used to sign international rookies. The Mets, for their part, have already spent roughly $2 million of their $2.7 million 2014-2015 international bonus pool, signing shortstops Kenny Hernandez ($1,000,000), Yoel Romero ($300,000), and Edgardo Fermin ($250,000), left-handed pitcher Tulio Garcia ($175,000), outfielder Daniel Guzman ($140,000(, and right-handed pitcher Jhoander Chourio ($130,000), in addition to numerous lower profile signings with no published dollar amounts made public. According to numerous industry sources, the Cuban shortstop will command a large signing bonus, perhaps as high as $30 or $40 million. The penalty for exceeding the bonus pool allotment by 15% or more is a 100% tax on the overage and a prohibition on signing players for more than $250,000 in the next two signing periods. A 100% tax on roughly $30 or $40 million is a level of financial commitment that is simply a hurdle that many teams�including the Mets�simply cannot scale. The Cuban shortstop was granted his free agent status by Major League Baseball back in mid-November, but he has yet to receive his unblocking license from the Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets. Because of the ongoing U.S. trade embargo with the communist island to its south, MLB teams cannot sign Moncada until he receives the clearance. According to Baseball America's Ben Badler, if Moncada were eligible in the MLB Amateur Draft, he would undoubtedly be a top selection, perhaps even the number one selection overall. The switch-hitting youngster hit a combined .276/.391/.375 in the 52nd and 53rd Serie Nacional de Beisbol and profiles only to improve. Along with excellent awareness at the plate, Moncada has a level, line-drive swing that has already exhibited growing power. In addition, he possesses blazing speed and a strong arm, strong enough to play any infield position, including shortstop. Were the Mets to add Moncada, the Cienfuegos native would likely become their top minor league prospect and would likely be one of the top prospects in all of Major League Baseball. http://www.amazinavenue.com/2015/1/20/7863337/mets-yoan-moncada-rumors-payroll-budget

Yeah, Steve. I see your point. What the Mets should do now in light of the Scherzer signing is to cancel this new scoreboard deal and just keep the current hideous scoreboard.

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Odds are better than even that the Mets'll fuck this up. I mean, if they're claiming 62% more display screen space, then there's probably gonna be at least 88% more advertising, as well. OK. I see what they're proposing. They're essentially replacing those vertical Cholula ads that bookended the old scoreboard with new scoreboard real estate. Color me not so impressed. It's still gonna look cluttered and overwhelmed with advertising. It's still gonna be an adboard instead of a scoreboard, as far as I'm concerned, if those illustrations are anywhere near accurate.

Odds are better than even that the Mets'll fuck this up. I mean, if they're claiming 62% more display screen space, then there's probably gonna be at least 88% more advertising, as well.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: If they were dumping him expressly for salary purposes, it would have been done by now, no? Not necessarily. First of all, baseball's still in that off-season period where teams don't have to pay their players. So if the Mets truly are over budget, they still won't feel that pinch. Also, even if the Mets are looking to trade Gee for a player who'll make close to the minimum, if even that, they still want to obtain the best player possible, even if circumstances limit their options. Also, assuming the Mets need to reduce their current payroll level, their salary dump might not necessarily be evident simply from their pending Gee trade. We'll need to look at all of their upcoming trades in totality to determine whether they might be dumping salary. It might be easier to simply look at their payroll a few months from now to come to any conclusions.

This just in: Major League Baseball is bankrupt.