Edgy MD

I think that he's missed enough time time that his future—and his future as a catcher—seem very much up in the air. One season ended by hip surgery followed by another ended by a torn labrum, with only 39 games between the two years—that sounds like a huge question mark. Imagine David Wright's last two years, and then imagine he's your starting catcher. That's a little broad as an analogy, but still, you're going to hunt high and low for Plan B. Or perhaps hunt for a new Plan A and consider anything you get out of your wounded warrior a blessing.

I kind of agree. The Reds can ill-afford to ship out any major league pitching. So if they sent Straily packing, they must've been very excited by the package.

This was actually meant to be in the WATP thread. Moving now.

Yeah, "the Mets, while they hadn't clinched, would have to fall behind both the Giants and Cards over the last five games in order to miss the playoffs," is the weakest part of the argument. They had the lead, but it was certainly precarious enough. And the planks of the theory start to fall apart if he has to call the Cardinals* and ask them to put the chase on hold for one day and lay down themselves. Days were dwindling. *The Cards, for their part, DID get crushed that night, 15-2, and if you want to work them into the theory, for speculation's sake, they did have a veteran Latino starter on the mound, in Mexican-born Jaime Garcia.

Yeah, until action gets underway to tell me otherwise, I'm working from the assumption that he and Wheeler start the year on rehab assignments in St. Lucie.

The Reds are up a creek on catching. Sign Matt Wieters for two years and add Travis d'Arnaud to the Joey Votto package they're secretly building.

Looky there. I had Bruce as opening day rightfielder all along.

In the Miami game, I mean. The one he pitched that was the Marlins' first home game after José Fernandez died. It was one of two completely out-of-character games for him on the season, the other being a game against Washington back in May when he suddenly couldn't find the plate. But in this game, he walked nobody. The Fish just blasted the ball all over the place. Evidence is all circumstantial. He had been pitching mostly outstandingly for a month. He'd done well against the Marlins all year. He gave up a leadoff homer to just about the poorest homerun threat in the National League among starting players. In one of the toughest homerun parks too. Also, once the game was in hand, the Mets relievers (the weaker Mets relievers) all shut the Marlins down over the last 5 2/3. The drubbing was all on Bart alone. He had the motive: a gracious gift to a team and fan base that needed some catharsis, a fraternal offering within the brotherhood of Caribbean ballplayers, he had a career that could absorb a few extra runs on the ledger, while protecting the younger Mets starters from taking the hit. He had the means: the Marlins had all but been eliminated (or possibly had been officially knocked out?), the Mets, while they hadn't clinched, would have to fall behind both the Giants and Cards over the last five games in order to miss the playoffs, The Mets could easily get back the game the next day with Syndergaard facing (LOL!) Koehler. He might even have had some co-conspirators, with Don Mattingly or his players possibly agreeing to (or merely psychologically getting the hint to) lay down the next day, which they did (at any rate), in the form of 12-1 drubbing. A conspiracy theory for a January evening.

Among all the statements of respect in this thread, nobody respected Colón enough to predect the magnitude of the season he had I think the closest we come is some combination of cooby, LeiterWagner, and Ashie. But even then, we're not particularly close to the season he had. PosterWLWIN%HdERAGGSIPSOBBHRWHIPHGWRBICharacterizationcooby>0A good year. Not his best, but not too shabby.Lefty Specialist98.5294.10Lotta laffs. Half the season in the pen.MFS62109.526104.25>0Lots of jerseys sold.John Cougar Lunchbucket67.4622814108.07014LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr85.6153.964017131.09219171.220Terrible July in the bullpen.d'Kong76.500Absorbs 1 completely unjust loss, traded in July.Ashie62119.550180.01.0802BARTOLO COLON158.65203.433433191.212832241.21030.530

This thread is from 2016. You seem to be jumping the gun on 17.

If you got a thing for high speeds AND a thing for Jeeps, you are a playing with dynamite.

Ceetar wrote: Edgy MD wrote: Who should he have gotten? Getting replacement players who are better than replacement players is nice, but they aren't always in the shop when you come calling. Perhaps the real sin was not having anybody better than Marc Krauss parked in Vegas. they're literally a dime a dozen. Michael Morse? There are probably a billion guys wallowing away in AAA that could've been add for cash considerations or something similar as well. They could've tried calling up the AAA scrub they were playing in Vegas. Krauss? I forget his name. It's a little foolhardy to assume all replacement guys are the same, though granted it can be equally foolhardy to just randomly plug a new guy in as soon as it looks like the last one failed. But hell, Loney was really bad and definitely not a top 30 2016 Met. I'm not sure I agree with your definition of "literally." Or "billion." Michael Morse was out of baseball most of last year. By the time Duda went down and it was clear it would take more than Campbell and Flores to fill the hole, Morse wouldn't have likely been a viable option. I suppose they could have grabbed him and given a few weeks to get his timing in the minors. But nobody touching him all season after he was DFA'd by the Pirates doesn't give me confidence that he was going to be a better addition to the Mets. The real way to do better is to shop from a higher shelf, and get an active, productive big leaguer, but the Mets clearly weren't looking to be that aggressive.

Who should he have gotten? Getting replacement players who are better than replacement players is nice, but they aren't always in the shop when you come calling. Perhaps the real sin was not having anybody better than Marc Krauss parked in Vegas.

Ceetar wrote: he was a net negative. I did more to help the Mets win last year. I don't think that's what a negative WAR really means. As much as I'm enchanted by fWAR on the offensive side, I don't think they really get defense right, philosophically, although if they did, it probably wouldn't help Loney much, and perhaps would be more likely to hurt him.

I was really hoping this would be an Odd Couple thread. I saw Hidden Figures a few weeks back, and I may be crazy, but I don't recall Viola Davis being in it. What did I miss?

Josh Thole, no longer employed to catch knucklers, takes a minor league deal with Arizona. Once you were a king, Josh. Once you were a king.

PosterPABAOBPSLGOPSXBHHRRBIRunsSBCSfWARMVPVic Sage.270.800259585Ben Grimm35105John Cougar Lunchbucket.256.314.499.8132589Lefty Specialist.2652899ceetar.287.315.490.805324.5Ashie62.288611381stMFS62.280.84770291382ndLeiterWagnerFasterStrongr630.273.320.481.8016529918272REAL YOENIS CESPEDES543.280.354.530.88457318672313.28th I think MFS62 takes this one, too, though his second-in-MVP voting guess kind of throws his prediction a bit off.

All who said nuttin' well there was nuttin' for Carrillo in 2016, but he will be back in camp this year, and lines up with a good chance to be the Vegas backup catcher.

It's a Sporkle Quiz, and I got a distressingly low 16 of 26. Hint: Harry Parker was not one of them: http://www.amazinavenue.com/2017/1/23/14345182/new-york-mets-trivia-inside-the-park-home-runs Oddly I generally missed the team's earliest and most recent inside-the-parkers, but got all the onez in the middle.

Digging deeper, it seems that Monty has twice been suspended for testing positive for a "drug of abuse," and had recently been placed on the restricted list, so it looks like he's worn out his welcome. Meanwhile, this guy is coming back. He's a 25-year-old defensive specialist (.616 career OPS), who spent most of last year injured. I don't see a note with regard to whether he's been invited to camp, so I'm guessing nay. TransactionRe-SignedPosition Group=#008000] Catcher[fimg=90]http://www.milb.com/images/571712/generic/180x270/571712.jpg[/fimg]NameJeff GlennDoB9/22/91B/TR/R

TransactionReleasedPosition Group=#FF8000]Relief Pitcher[fimg=90]http://www.milb.com/images/596047/t3705/180x270/596047.jpg[/fimg]NameChristian MontgomeryDoB11/20/92B/TR/R Monty had a perfectly good year at Columbia, working out of the pen to the tune of a 3.34 ERA over 29.2 innings, striking out an impressive 45 batters, while walking a less-than desirable 20. While the walks are disquieting, it was the first full season of success he's seen, so I'm guessing the release is either over disciplinary matters or something he requested.

Paul Lucas has the scoop with the press-stopping breaking news that the Mets are dialing back their alternative home cap, losing the orange brim. Ken Howard's ghost can rest in peace though, because the white shadow remains. In fact, I guess the white shadow is that's all that makes it an alternative cap now. [tweet:2zw4k64q]https://twitter.com/UniWatch/status/823536038865932289[/tweet:2zw4k64q] I assume the other alternative cap with chrome-colored insignia—the one they always seemed to get when Harvey pitched—stays.

Frayed Knot wrote: That's all in barely over a two-year span and even then I get the feeling that I'm leaving one or two out. Ruben Quevedo dies last year, but that was of a heart attack, and he fizzled out before reaching the big money.

Edinson Volquez' brother was recently murdered too. Yikes.

Was it highstockinged DJ Carrasco? DJ Longstockings is INCORRECT! I'm going to go with 9 career wins for the Hefferman That's a good guess! But it's a wrong guess! Make mental notes as this quiz continues, folks! Hef is retiring and we all need to know our Hef before he's gone forever! Jeremy Hefner was originally drafted by the Mets in Round 46 in 2004, but opted not to sign. They kept their dossier on him, though, and drafted him again in the 48th round in 2005. But he was coy with his suitors and again signed not. That must've been one hot dossier, though, as the Mets finally acquired him in 2011—the old reports perhaps still relevant from their perspective—when they claimed him on waivers. What team did they claim him from? NOT Kansas City John Cougar Lunchbucket NOT San Diego John Cougar Lunchbucket He was called up April 23, 2012. Which player (also a veteran of Hefner’s former team) did he replace on the roster? NOT Dillon Gee LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr NOT D.J. Carrasco LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr What was his number? #53 =#00BF00]LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Hefner made his first start Mets against the team he originally (and finally) signed with back in 2007. Who were they? The Padres =#00BF00]86-Dreamer He recorded his first win on May 30, against Philadelphia. What other remarkable occurrence happened this game? A Hefner homer! =#00BF00]batmagadanleadoff Later in the season Hef went on paternity leave. Which lucky Met was called up to take his place? NOT Matt Harvey John Cougar Lunchbucket Hef teamed up with Foley’s Pub, who created a hamburger to help raise money for which cause close to Hef’s heart? Moore, OK, tornado victims =#00BF00]TheMetFairy What was and remains Jeremy Hefner's total for Met wins credited to his ledger? NOT 9 John Cougar Lunchbucket “Tell me about your wife. What’s her name and what does she like?” What’s Mrs. Hefner’s name? Sara (Grace) =#00BF00]John Cougar Lunchbucket And what’s her occupation? NOT Exotic Dancer Fman Fitness instructor =#00BF00]John Cougar Lunchbucket SCORE 86-Dreamer: 3 batmagadanleadoff: 3 TheMetFairy: 3 John Cougar Lunchbucket: 2 LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr: 1 Fman99: -1