Frayed Knot

41Forever wrote: I don't get the obsession with the thumbs down guy in the tabs. The thing was that the Yanqui team picked up on it and so a whole dugout full of guys giving their own teammate the 'thumbs down' signal after a big hit became the thing to do over the second half of the season. So basically the Tabs are merely reflecting a trend that all started with Frazier, not creating one on their own.

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I'd be willing to give up a second-round draft pick for three years of Lynn or Cobb. Yeah, I don't see that alone as a reason to walk away, and I don't suspect the Mets do either.

Fman99 wrote: Eric Campbell, back from Japan (where he presumably sucked) ... Just 47 ABs for Hanshin in 2017 -- sounds like the injury bug even hits former NY Mets -- where he notched 9 hits including 2 doubles and 1 HR So, yeah.

So let's see here: - mgmt is admitting that they're not counting on Wright -- Good - not signed to a long term deal -- Good - another low-BA/high-K/high-power addition to the lineup -- mixed at best - solves the 3B vacancy & the 2B one as well which is where Asdrubal recently said he'd prefer to play -- Good - Wilmer platoons with Smith -- Good, at least we hope so - aging but not yet old -- if not Good then at least not yet Bad - local kid but also MFY connections both recent and from childhood -- more bad than good but largely irrelevant So definitely a positive grade overall

Ceetar wrote: Maybe there IS something that we've learned, statistically, that devalues Chacin. Which was the major part of Verducci's point!!!!

Ceetar wrote: yes, but he's three years older! that was part of his other argument. He's also not as good, and was never as good. He's picking arbitrary end points to make them seem more similar at this juncture than they are ... But the point is that a similar-ish, if you will, pitcher is getting a deal worth only 63% when measured by AAV and just over 40% by total value. That's a BIG difference and even bigger when you add in that the newer one is after ten years of revenue and salary increases.

'Mentions younger players are more valuable but doesn't mention anything about minor leaguers or years of control or any of that." -- Because it's not relevant to the topic, nor have those parameters changed recently. "Doesn't mention the rising revenue" --- Yes he does, twice in fact. "... and that contracts shouldn't compare to 2008." -- He's not (only) comparing the numbers on the contracts, he's comparing the mindset on offering deals "Different run scoring environment too. record home runs, juiced balls." -- Run scoring in 2007 was a shade higher than in 2017. HRs are up compared to a decade ago but run scoring is not. "Of course a guy like Chacin is going to get less than Perez did, Perez was three years younger!" -- But not merely 'less', Chacin signed for two years rather than three at a rate barely half as much despite it being a full ten years later

I'm also thinking that some of our suggestions here are, to a certain extent anyway, solutions in search of a problem. While the number of unsigned FAs this late in the off-season is certainly unusual, other than the fact that we bored fans have been denied our typical helpings of hot stove fodder, there's nothing to say that November/December signings are superior to January/February ones. There are still going to be the same number of jobs as there were last season and either these guys are going to get signed in the next few weeks or they'll be replaced by rookies and pre-FA types instead which, considering that a certain segment of the fan base is always itching to "play the kids", this is kind of what some fans claim to want. But absent collusion (no evidence of it in my view - certainly not yet) and absent the idea that owners are ignoring these guys wholesale or not even returning agent phone calls in pursuit of some end I can't fathom (at least partially not true) this is merely the yearly cat-and-mouse dance that's been going on for the entirety of the FA era, just on a different timetable this year. It'll get solved. oe: a broad analogy comes to mind from earlier in the decade when some fans and writers were crying about there being too few HoF'ers inducted one year and therefore an immediate change in the whole voting process was needed. It was caused in part by the early steroid year guys and the idea that only one or two newbies, or in some cases only vet-committee inductees, was too few for some to handle and it was said to be making a mockery of the system and doing everything up to and including ruining the economic base of a small town in upstate NY (as if that's the reason the HoF exists). Since then nothing has changed except for voting becoming somewhat more restrictive (15 years on the ballot down to 10) and yet the last four years will have had more inductees than in any other four-year period in the place's existence. Results from one year (or even longer) are not the same thing as a lasting trend and certainly not proof of a broken system.

Mex17 wrote: Benjamin Grimm wrote: It's much better than forcing them to accept a minor league contract. Who's doing that? If you are so stubborn so that you cannot accept how you are valued after a 2 1/2 month long process, you deserve to get screwed. If teams know that a player needs to sign by a certain date or risk missing half a season they'll just delay until that time to force the player's hand. That's essentially what was done with drafted players (that plus a kind of floating cap) the sole purpose of which was to take away most of their bargaining power. But those guys don't have a union and it's tough to see the ones who do agreeing to such a plan. Ceetar wrote: players got themselves into this mess at the last CBA. What changes happened during the last CBA that were detrimental to the union?

smg58 wrote: So we'll know on the 14th if we can expect to see him any time soon or not. That's fine. Seems to me that we may know as early as Feb 14th. That's the first day the team can assign someone to the 60 Day DL list, but it's certainly conceivable that no decision will be reached by that date.

Both get: -Performance based metrics (the same ones that the new breed of GMs are using to evaluate free agents now) to be used in arbitration hearings, shifting away from mere service time being a primary factor. This could benefit either side on a case by case basis. . .the player gets closer to market value if he performs well or a pay cut if he regresses. Arbitration is merely an either/or hearing in which both sides are free to make their case via whatever facts or opinions they wish. iow, there's nothing stopping anyone from using performance based metrics now. In fact I suspect most already do use them currently, at least they use the ones they think will buttress their side of the argument. Service time is but one piece of the puzzle but there's nothing codified in the process as to how big a factor it plays. If you want to diminish (or eliminate) the effect of service time you need to change the mindset of the arbiters. Again, I suspect that's something both sides already do whenever is suits their purpose. Owners: "Yeah he's sixth year but he's only averaged 120 ABs/season so has played far less than your typical final arb year guy" Agent: "Sure it's his first year of eligibility, but how many others in his position have had this level of success?"

Ashie62 wrote: Like who? As mentioned several times earlier in the thread, there are reports that both Yu Darvish (Milwaukee and I think at least one other) and Eric Hosmer (SD & KC) have standing offers for contracts north of $100 mil but are stalling with the idea that even better ones could be forthcoming, and that others are waiting for those two to sign before they choose to latch on with anyone lest they maybe leave dollars on the table. And that's fine if that's what they want to do, but you can't do that AND complain about the slow pace of signings.

I want bullpen rickshaws!

I remember, in the midst of one of the [u:3sszliut]Los Mets[/u:3sszliut] screeds, finding pictures from a Los Mets promotion back during sometime in the 1970s Kinda shot a hole in those arguments that it was all a creation of Omar Racist Productions Inc.

Edgy MD wrote: ... if anybody is sitting on an offer of that length, it's Boras client J.D. Martinez. Reportedly both Darvish and Hosmer are. Hosmer is said to be holding out for eight years and one or both of them are trying to see if one or both of the Yanx and/or Dodgers will be able to create enough "cap" space left and jump in.

- one agent saying that "a boycott of spring training may be a starting point if behavior doesn't change" isn't quite the same as saying players are considering it much less that it's a likely scenario - he might want to address those players reportedly sitting on existing offers--in some cases multiple, multiple year, six-figures-plus ones--as part of the reason for the log jam - and if the next group of players is waiting to see what the first group does (ie. establishes a market) then that can't be all on the owners either - I had previously never heard of Brodie Van Wagenen. Wonder what his non-porn name is?

Virtually no movement on the remaining big FAs even though it's now Feb 1st and almost two weeks since this thread was started. The player's union is getting anxious with Kensley Jansen mentioning the 'strike' word as a possible resort (I don't think they're anywhere near that point as a group at this time). Also, Ken Davidoff talks today about "the hole in which the players have placed themselves after negotiating a highly unfavorable collective bargaining agreement." Not quite sure what's so unfavorable about it since the FA and revenue sharing rules are pretty much unchanged from the last few agreements. On the other hand, both Darvish and Hosmer are reportedly sitting on multiple $100+ offers but are waiting to see if better ones suddenly jump up via late interest from other clubs and Hosmer is said to be insisting on something north of seven years ... all of which makes talks of collusion a bit tougher to sell. Speculation then is that lesser FAs are waiting until the likes of Darvish & Hosmer 'set the market' before they start agreeing to anything.

The Mets are going to have to make an Ike/Duda type decision with TdA & Plawecki at some point, but I don't think they're at that point now. Selling either now would be selling low and there's simply not the pressure to do so, nor is there an obvious upgrade candidate sitting out there just waiting for the right deal.

Our pre-memories of Nori Aoki

6' 3" / 190; 24 y/o (25 in April) out of Stony Brook via La Puente, CA (nice to see SBU recruiting locally). 'La Puente', btw, is Spanish for 'The Puente' 40th round draft pick by the Buccos in 2015 after being selected in the 27th round by Toron'o (you don't pronounce the second 'T' - as per Ben Affleck) three years earlier. Oh well, at least he got a (partial) mediocre eduction out of it. Nice year in 2017 at A+ (FSL) Bradenton: 37 G; 53 IP; 1.86 ERA; 1.22 WHIP; 10.3 K/9; 2.9 BB/9; 8.1 H/9; 0.3 HR/9 plus a quick stop at AA Altoona (so he's already got experience working under big city pressure) 2 G; 3 IP; 0 RA on 2 H + 2 BB

Not just the wrong trousers but also the wrong kind of trousers (plus this is something only tangentially NYM-related) but Tuesday night's trade by the KC Chiefs of QB Alex Smith to the Redskins essentially hands KC's starting QB job next season to Pat Mahomes Jr -- formally listed as Patrick Lavon Mahomes II. He was KC's top draft pick (10th overall) last June out of Texas Tech.

Edgy MD wrote: That might be the greatest baseball card in history. Even where it's bad, it's bad to a great degree. And even though it's a bogus picture since Gamble was never allowed to wear his hair like that under the Steinbrenner regime. He joined the Yanx in November of '75 [a trade w/Cleveland for Par Dobson] and again at the mid-season trading deadline in 1979 so maybe that card is a late season issue 1979 version

The most famous afro in MLB history is gone. Well, the afro has been gone a while [see pic] but its owner, Oscar Gamble, is also gone. He was 68, no cause of death reported as of yet. 200 career ML HRs for the Cubs, Phillies, Indians, White Sox (twice), Rangers, Yankees (also twice), and Padres. [fimg=300:2511aghh]http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.3790245.1517414078!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_1200/alg-gamble-jpg.jpg[/fimg:2511aghh]

Guerra was the youngest guy with the potentially high ceiling but was so far off that I had no problem including him. Mulvey was a 2nd round pick, 62nd overall (2006) but was never on the fast track to anywhere. Gomez wound up better than I thought he was going to be, so I didn't have a problem with his inclusion either. And if Humber had lived up to his 3rd overall pick status he wouldn't have been included ... but then again if he had lived up to the status you likely wouldn't have needed to deal for Johan.

bmfc1 wrote: Why is there a horse in the lobby? Duh, it's waiting for an elevator! You don't really expect it to use the stairs, do you?