Edgy MD

Mets Guy in Michigan wrote: Seeing bulletins here that the Tigers are getting David Price in a three-way deal. More to come. Perverts.

Hopefully Rendon won't find the game too boring back over at third.

Deadline is 4:30, right?

I don't understand why there has to be anything "wink-wink" about it. If he's their property before the deal, they are free to talk about anything they want and agree in principle to anything they want. And naturally, even if they arrive at a figure he'd be willing to jump at in the offseason --- after the Sox have gotten their healthy package and Lester has gotten his post-season $$ --- if his performance changes post-trade, neither party would be particularly bound by whatever the theoretical understanding was.

Not really. It was part of the last CBA with the players' union, right? Well, yes, I understand that, as they were bargained for under the last agreement, taking that as the only relevant fact, it isn't absurd that they exist. But in light of the federal law's broad condemnation of anti-competitive behavior, the notion that baseball is allowed to act as a cartel to the extent of establishing agreements that in their very name promise to "balance" competition is absurd, if merely a variation on old news.

Based on our performance to date, in LF, we're 1.69 standard deviations from the mean, OPS-wise. At shortstop, we're 0.71 standard deviations from the mean. And as I noted, the pool of players who can play left is much larger, so an improvement is not only much easier to find, but the the outlay in pursuit of an improvement is likely to be much smaller. I could well have (perhaps should have) worked with OPS+, rather than OPS, but I think it's safe to say the point would still be supported, if not to the same degree, more or less.

Well, I think they're a lot closer than you do, I guess. But, as noted in the "Where They Struggle" thread, LF is really... where they struggle. At least at catcher and shortstop, they've improved markedly as the season has progressed.

nofairaluminumbatnofair

Competitive balance picks can be traded. And traded to Boston, of all teams. How absurd is it that these things even exist?

Vic Sage wrote: But Lester has already had substantial discussions with BoSox about an extension, so if the Sox and Lester agreed on his value, they would've extended him instead of trading him. Unless they're feeling risky and want to have their cake and eat it too.

We kinda needed that game on the Bucs, too. They've had too much momentum, even if they were on the verge of sweeping the Wild Card leaders. That game --- maybe that play --- cost them the WC lead! Would be interested to grab Lane out of pure curiosity.

Why not? Mike F. Bordick did it. And it was certainly reported down here in the mid-'Lantic, from the time he got dealt, that he went with the hope of resigning with Baltimore in the offseason. Open secret-like. After seeing the heart of Cespedes defensive game being misplaying caroms and redeeming himself with torrid throws, one is excited to see what kind of show he can bring to Fenway.

When you are at the bottom of the league in production at a position, any number of improvements represents an impact player. Marlon Byrd is an impact player. Matt Joyce? Impact player. �lex R�os? Fuckin' impact player.

Marlins keep pace with the Mets as both win their series, but they both gain a game on Washington and Atlanta. Two games shaved off in the net column. On the Wild side, the Mets move up one in the GB column and a giddy 3.5 in the NGB column. Hard to see if this a more realistic dream than the division. But Pittsburgh, who was just within striking distance of the Mets coming out the break, is now within a half a game of WC leaders San Francisco and Atlanta. If they can do it, so can the Mets, who, you may have heard, have the current advantage at first base. Jockeying among the pack behind Mets, but nobody gains on them. We should basically be root-root-rooting for the Padres/Diamondbacks/Phillies/Cubs/Rockies at this point, because if any of them were to actually challenge the Mets in the standings, the jig would be up. So consider them allies in picking off frontrunners. As the Mets follow an off-day with a three game tilt against Wild Card leaders San Fran, the Marlins lock up starting today for four games against the Reds. As both sit a game and a half in front of the Mets, at least one will be available for the picking. Again, that's IF the Mets TCB. I find myself forced to tell you to suck it up and root for the Reds here, as Miami sits in front of us in two races. And the Marlins are young and talented, but green. Can't let a team like that keep building up cahnfidence. TeamWLPCTGBNGBWashington5847.552��Atlanta5850.5371.51.5Miami5354.4956.010.5YOUR New York Mets 5256.4817.515.0Philadelphia4761.43512.535.0 TeamWLPCTGBNGBSan Francisco5850.5370.00.0Atlanta5850.537��Pittsburgh5750.5330.50.5St. Louis5650.5281.01.5Cincinnati5354.4954.512.0Miami5354.4954.512.0YOUR New York Mets 5256.4816.019.5San Diego4859.4499.540.5Arizona4761.43511.051.0Philadelphia4761.43511.051.0Chicago4462.41513.069.0Colorado4463.41113.574.0

Well, I was thinking more along the lines of what the trade market looks like this morning.

I don't think shortstop is the #1 priority. [list:1dqyo9by][*:1dqyo9by]They are performing far higher relative to the league at shortstop than they are in left.[/*:m:1dqyo9by] [*:1dqyo9by]Their shortstop is covered for next year. Their leftfielder (at least, Chris Young) is not.[/*:m:1dqyo9by] [*:1dqyo9by]The market for leftfielders isn't as steep as it is for shortstop, because almost anybody (or any batsman) is a potential leftfielder.[/*:m:1dqyo9by] [*:1dqyo9by]They aren't exactly demonstrably set as center, either. So general outfield depth is a priority.[/*:m:1dqyo9by][/list:u:1dqyo9by] Brandon Nimmo and Dilson Herrera are both probably a year away from appearing. Herrera will probably arrive more fully developed, but not really a shortstop (and Cecchini and Rosario further behind). Nimmo will arrive probably with some growing (read: power development) still to be done, but ready to slot in. So neither should be expected to be instant redemption (no rookie should). But Tejada (and even Wilmer) certainly presents as a more viable bridge to the future at short than Young/Young/Nieuwenhuis/Abreu/den Dekker do in left. An improvement in left field right now would help them a lot more than a similar-level shortstop, and be easier to find at whatever budget they have. Gimme a better leftfielder and you have a contender.

Meanwhile, dawn.

I had forgotten about the shapeliness of Ellis Valentine's sweet Valenhind.

Frayed Knot wrote: KC is close to WC and/or division contention (Tigers looking beatable these days) and should be in "go for it" mode, so they'd make sense from a logic POV. Have no idea about their higher prospects right now as they "graduated" or traded many of them in the last year or three. The good thing about Bartolo from the acquiring team's side is that he's signed through next season and so isn't just a two month rental. The bad thing about Bartolo from the acquiring team's side is that he's signed through next season and so isn't just a two month rental. Well, I was thinking not about prospects but about the likelihood of an equal-footing trade, present value for present value. I can live with Tulowitzki and his coif and I can happily live without him, but I couldn't give a barnful of shits about what Jon Heyman says some "Mets source" says about Tulowitzki's desires.

Googling "rumors" + "Bartolo Colon," I see reported interest coming from Kansas City and, well, Kansas City.

Off day on July 30, coming off a winning series. I imagine something is being bandied about, if only a present-for-present deal, like Bartolo-for-an-outfielder.

Can you imagine if the Mets dealt off Duda instead of Davis and their seasons otherwise continued on the track they are on now?

Only challenge left is the recapturing of and absconding with Marlon Byrd.

Mets opening up the gates here. Ruben Tejada is a perfect 3-3 with a walk today and has a little proposed shortstop trade he'd like to tell Mex about.