Edgy MD

The bullpen is a Catch-22. If a starter finds himself assigned there because of a numbers game, because of an injury or because of a rough patch in his work as a starter, it becomes a trap that's hard to escape from. If you pitch poorly, you get damned to struggle at the back end of the bullpen, and you can't get your starting job back, because you clearly can't start if you can't relieve. But if you pitch well, your success is credited at least in part to pitching in relief, and you can't get your starting job back, because you've locked down a role in the pen—seventh-inning, eighth-inning guy, long man, LOOGy, whatever)—and that apple cart can't be upset.

I like him because of the mini-Ben Zobrist effect. He gives you depth at almost every position. If one of your infield prospects takes a step forward and develops, you let him play some outfield. If one of your outfield prospects takes a step forward and develops, you let him play some infield. If folks move up in both units, well, God has smiled on you, and you trade Kelly Johnson and get Akeel Morris back. I'm guessing though, that no more big league depth is going to be added unless and until they divest themselves of Bruce or somebody, and even then, any savings may have already been aggressively pre-invested in this weeks bullpen acquisitions.

Strangely, none of these deals (Salas, Blevins, Gorzelanny) seem to be official yet. None have appeared on Mets.com or MLB transaction lists. I'm guessing that they're holding off the physicals until these guys report to camp, so they wouldn't have had to make a second trip, but I'm a little (pointlessly) anxious to close these out.

2016 Mets Jon Niese and Kelly Johnson (both two-timers) still texting their agents every two hours.

The Belfast Telegraph and Irish Central each published a dispatch from St. Lucie this morning.

There have been two Chris Carters—both profiling as big-hacking sluggerinos who made their share of wind. In fact, the best player from my town when I was a kid was an all-hit, no-field slugger named Chris Carter, who led our village to (I think) our only Little League World Series appearance. Topped out in college though, and I don't think he was drafted. Is this going to be our 2017 Yankees thread or do we have another?

Benjamin Grimm wrote: It tells me that it's a lot less likely than we originally thought that anyone would want to take on $13 million for Jay Bruce. Well, he's pretty much limited to 1B and DH duty, so Bruce has that advantage for what it's worth. (Not $10 million, certainly.) Lefty Specialist wrote: He'll hit 60 HR's in that bandbox and still bat .210. Is YSIII as advantageous for righthanded hitters as lefthanded hitters? I don't see him getting fulltime duty so it'll be interesting. American League teams have the advantage of not really having to worry about versatility on the bench. They need a backup catcher and utility guy, but the rest of their bench spots can go to batsmen.

The Yankees, back in the bidness of stockpiling DHs, have signed National League homerun champeen (and big time whiffer) Chris Carter. He went for one year and $3 million, which is Fernando Salas munny, which tells you ... something.

Keep in mind, without intentional walks, the dramatic and profound ending to The Bad News Bears doesn't go down that way at all. Plays where the batter swung at an intentional ball: http://sabr.org/research/surprise-swings-intentional-balls Kelly Leak not included.

That's a pretty good analog. The play's the thing.

Yeah, good point. Ricky gets a few points for being an Oaklander (albeit Chicago-born). Reggie and Joe Morgan, to a lesser degree, also. Although Plank scored a bit back in the old times for being a Gettysburgian.

And PECOTA projections, published this morning, like the Mets as 2017 National League East champs. I don't know what that's worth. Probably not much, but possibly more than Bill Pecota was worth in 1992.

I'm not sure about 85, but at least 60, yeah. It's just so uncreative. The intentional walk and the trip to the mound are not without baseball drama. A bunch of umpires walking to the area behind home plate so they can put on headsets when they could be doing their transaction through an ever present communications device that they wear, that's an easy fix. Not pausing to allow teams to do their own video investigation before calling for a review is another.

“Rickey Henderson is the greatest Athletic of all time. It is fitting we honor and recognize his impact on our franchise by naming our playing field after him,” said Oakland A’s President Dave Kaval. Well, if you credit him for his non-Athletic athletic feats, then, sure, but measuring A's-only achievements, there's a strong case for Eddie Plank.

This is either apparently still on the burner, or Ken Davidoff has received old information. It doesn't strike me as the sort of thing MLB and the MLBPA would be going back and forth on a week before spring training starts.

That day Adam Rubin joined the Pool.

Tim Rohan's now working his night moves over at The MMQB, which looks like Sports Illustrated spinoff that's taking the Deadspin approach on an NFL-only level.

James Wagner, who took the Times beat over from Bob Seger mid-season last year, is a native of Nicaragua and a native Spanish speaker. He made his bones doing a (terrible) crime story while he was still in school. [fimg=500]https://images.washingtonpost.com/?url=http://wp-eng-static.washingtonpost.com/author_images/wagnerj4.jpg?ts=1409155010871&w=1484&op=resize&opt=1&filter=antialias[/fimg]

Pretty cool to see José's return launch him into the top 10, but I'm surprised to hear he's within reach of Piazza. Clean Jones was a helluva comedian. Kept the room in stitches but never worked blue.

Wow. Nobody worked at the pace Rubin did, and he clearly knew that it was the pace necessary to survive. But nobody could sustain that pace over a career. What an asset he was for fans.

Benjamin Grimm wrote: There have been six seasons in which the Mets didn't have a player making their Mets debut in the first game of the season. In 1983 (Danny Heep) and 1986 (Bob Ojeda), the first Mets debut didn't occur until the second game of the season. In 1976, we had to wait until the third game. (Mickey Lolich) In 1977, it was the fifth game. (Luis Alvarado) In 1988, it took six games. (Mackey Sasser) But in 1974, the Mets didn't add a new player to their all-time roster until the 60th game of the season, on June 16, when Jack Aker made his debut. That's good stuff. And you have to guess that the real precedent we're looking at here is 1974, as Heep, Ojeda, Lolich, Alvarado, and Sasser were at least on the rosters fro opening day. Centerfield wrote: I think they should bring back Kelly Johnson. You have to figure Bruce will eventually be traded, and that will leave the Mets without a real good option for a LH pinch-hitter. Yeah, beyond that scenario is the concern that, even without trading Bruce, evidence is scant (or at least speculative) that he (or Conforto) will qualify as a real good option. The Mets are deep in secondbaseman, but they could use Johnson on the depth chart at first, third, and the outfield.

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I wonder where he'll start the season? I would think Binghamton is most likely, but who knows? Maybe to ease his innings count he may see time in the bullpen. The Mets are a little short on lefty relievers. I don't think he'll make the jump directly from Single A to Queens, but he's 23 years old, so... maybe? Unless and until spring injuries start rearing their ugly heads, I have him rounding out a Bingo rotation along with Tyler Pill, Ricky Knapp, Casey Delgado, and Chris Flexen. Las Vegas looks to open with Seth Lugo, Gabriel Ynoa, Adam Wilk, Sean Gilmartin, and Rafael Montero. That outlook could actually change before the spring, as in the next couple of days, the Blevins/Salas roster pinch makes for a real DFA threat to the likes of Gilmartin and Montero.

Suddenly the Braves look a little more muscle-y in the top part of their lineup. [fimg=200]http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/logopedia/images/b/b2/Atlanta_Braves.png/revision/latest?cb=20100925025244[/fimg][fimg=200]https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b_jOzdV-j2E/VCpKpzTndmI/AAAAAAAAU00/o1Azy4eTF5A/s1600/MetsRealogo2015-z14.png[/fimg]Enciarte, cf[crossout]Garcia, 3b[/crossout] Rodriguez, 2bFreeman, 1bKemp, lfMarkakis, rfFlowers, c[crossout]Peterson, 2b[/crossout] Garcia, 3bSwanson, ssTeheran, spReyes, 3bCabrera, ssWalker, 2bCéspedes, lfGranderson, cfBruce, rfDuda, 1bd’Arnaud, cSyndergaard, sp

Baseball players of all stripes are future stocks for social climbers. If he gets bounced off the 40 man, then comes the real test of the relationship.

So far, he's a minor league Met.