Edgy MD

Big-shot NFL linebacker/defensive back https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=green-002shaShaq Thompson. If you don't want to click that link, I can give you the skinny right here. He was an incredible 0-for-39 with 37 strikeouts. He did manage to walk eight times, so there's that.

Don't bait the baiter.

More importantly, what a kick in the head AAA has been for JuJa. The ambiguity over his minor league free agency is complicated by new rules established under first general agreement for minor league players signed back in April, and whether the previous free agency rules are grandfathered in.

I get more attention for my screwups than my pearls of wisdom. At least, that's my story.

7/31/23 New York Mets traded LF Mark Canha and cash to Milwaukee Brewers for RHP Justin Jarvis. [FIMG=500]https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/08/45c2e-16908421848315-1920.jpg?w=840[/FIMG] So far this little doozie has been a kick in the teef for the Mets, Billy Eppler, and anybody who got with the program on this one. After the trade, Mark Canha reverted to the defensively versatile, consistent bat, HbP-pincushion of a player he had been previously. He added about 1.2 wins to the Brewer total that could have augmented the Mets total, and he hit .375 / .444 / .375 // .819 in the Brewers' brief post-season participation. Jarvis, on the other hand had turned in a solid start to his Brewerly season at AA, but taken it on the chin in three starts at AAA. The Mets didn't want to draw conclusions that he couldn't hack the highest level of minor-league ball based on that sample size, and acquired him anyhow, and he made a point to give them a more substantial sample size to draw the same exact conclusion, ultimately having an impressively failed introduction that that level. I think Jarvy he gets one more season before becoming a minor-league free agent. Canha returns to the big-league market this offseason. Mark Canha (34 years and 166 days at time of trade) [th]Tm[/th][th]G[/th][th]PA[/th][th]AB[/th][th]R[/th][th]H[/th][th]2B[/th][th]3B[/th][th]HR[/th][th]RBI[/th][th]SB[/th][th]CS[/th][th]BB[/th][th]SO[/th][th]BA[/th][th]OBP[/th][th]SLG[/th][th]OPS[/th][th]OPS+[/th][th]TB[/th][th]GDP[/th][th]HBP[/th][th]SH[/th][th]SF[/th][th]IBB[/th][th]bWAR[/th][th]fWAR[/th][th]WPA[/th]NYM (AA)893032572863151629703252.245.343.381.72510098890501.20.60.2[th]Tm[/th][th]G[/th][th]PA[/th][th]AB[/th][th]R[/th][th]H[/th][th]2B[/th][th]3B[/th][th]HR[/th][th]RBI[/th][th]SB[/th][th]CS[/th][th]BB[/th][th]SO[/th][th]BA[/th][th]OBP[/th][th]SLG[/th][th]OPS[/th][th]OPS+[/th][th]TB[/th][th]GDP[/th][th]HBP[/th][th]SH[/th][th]SF[/th][th]IBB[/th][th]bWAR[/th][th]bWAR[/th][th]WPA[/th]MIL (AA)502041782351100533411727.287.373.427.80012076380111.01.01.64 Justin Jarvis (23 years and 161 days at time of trade) [th]Tm[/th][th]W[/th][th]L[/th][th]W-L%[/th][th]ERA[/th][th]RA/9[/th][th]G[/th][th]GS[/th][th]GF[/th][th]CG[/th][th]SHO[/th][th]IP[/th][th]H[/th][th]R[/th][th]ER[/th][th]HR[/th][th]BB[/th][th]IBB[/th][th]SO[/th][th]HBP[/th][th]BK[/th][th]WP[/th][th]BF[/th][th]WHIP[/th][th]H9[/th][th]HR9[/th][th]BB9[/th][th]SO9[/th][th]SO/W[/th]Biloxi (AA)640.63.333.69141400075 2/369312810260912043181.2568.21.23.110.83.50Nashville (AAA)02010.8012.343300011 2/3171614212011002622.48613.11.59.38.50.92Milwaukee Total66010.804.84171700087 1/3864742123801022063801.4208.91.23.910.52.68[th]Tm[/th][th]W[/th][th]L[/th][th]W-L%[/th][th]ERA[/th][th]RA/9[/th][th]G[/th][th]GS[/th][th]GF[/th][th]CG[/th][th]SHO[/th][th]IP[/th][th]H[/th][th]R[/th][th]ER[/th][th]HR[/th][th]BB[/th][th]IBB[/th][th]SO[/th][th]HBP[/th][th]BK[/th][th]WP[/th][th]BF[/th][th]WHIP[/th][th]H9[/th][th]HR9[/th][th]BB9[/th][th]SO9[/th][th]SO/W[/th]Syracuse (AAA)0508.049.489900031 1/34333288220360011612.07412.42.36.310.31.64

Buck's media moments were golden. The guy just liked to muse on stuff.

My local Baltimore Mets fan buddy has been telling me that he's been reading some Joe Maddon speculation.

Broadly, yes. But more specifically, hitting better at situational level. I guess stealing more situationally is part of the equation, too.

If they figure out how to convert that skill into runs, it could be deadly.

https://twitter.com/JomboyMedia/status/1712703194361467198 Ok It must be nice for the Mets, living rent-free in the Phillies' heads.

It's a way. I'm just trying to suggest that it's an increasingly unreliable way — as the way teams deploy starting pitching is increasingly counterproductive.

Certainly trying to do the math as we go. The 10 additional wins may really be eight or so, when you consider the less competitive way Buck was deploying his resources in the closing months.

I would ask where he departed philosophically from the mainstream. If you have the biggest budget ever, why sink so much of it into starting pitching in an era when — between caution and injury — starting pitchers get an ever-decreasing opportunity to impact the game? If you're unwilling to depart from the prevalent thinking, you can be minimizing the advantage of a large budget, rather than maximizing it.

Rude Boy fell off a little down the stretch, finishing at .271 / .414 / .449 // .862. That'll still be a terrific look sharing the outfield with Luisangel Acuña next season in Syracuse. That is, if the injury sustained in the second half doesn't continue to hamper him, and that's an open question, as the Mets have never specified the nature of the injury. Hey, maybe this is the case that got Billy Eppler in trouble.

Nothing wrong with being Dom Dimaggio.

7/30/23: New York Mets traded RHP Max Scherzer and cash to Texas Rangers for SS Luisangel Acuña. [FIMG=308]https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/advancelocal/NY2MLAR4NRFGZA6EAR2C5Z3GXM.jpg[/FIMG] [FIMG=392]https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dK5hrpxZwQ0c5CMfgLi7uyrQjrQ=/0x0:5057x2648/fit-in/1200x630/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24902803/1554786103.jpg[/FIMG] The bottom-line indicators suggest Max Scherzer brought about a win to the Rangers, and that win appears to have allowed the team to tie with Houston for the division title. Unfortunately for Texas, the Astros got the bye on a tiebreaker, but Texas moved into the next round anyhow with a sweep of the Rays, and moved a step further to take the down the Orioles just as handily, and while an injury prevented Scherzer from appearing in either series, he hopes to be back for the ALCS. How effective he'll be and ho long a leash he'll have remain open questions. Safe to say that few Ranger fans are complaining about the deal right now. Whether that would be true if the Rangers hadn't swept through the playoffs so far, or if he comes up short going forward is still a possibility, but times are good for Texas fans. The downside to the Mets, besides losing that one-ish win, comes in the form of the 200-plus-point dropoff in OPS following the trade. You can maybe attribute some of that to small sample size, some to trade disruption, some to the difference of moving from the Texas League to the Eastern League. Suffice to say, the Mets weren't looking for a .622 OPS when they made the deal. Oh, yeah, the Mets also reportedly sent $35.51 million as a deal sweetener. And double-oh, yeah, Scherzer is still under contract with the Rangers for 2024. There's a lot of chips in the pot for the Mets on this deal. Max Scherzer (39 years and three days at time of trade) [th]Tm[/th][th]W[/th][th] L[/th][th]PCT[/th][th]ERA[/th][th]G[/th][th]GS[/th][th]GF[/th][th]CG[/th][th]SHO[/th][th]IP[/th][th]H[/th][th]R[/th][th]ER[/th][th]HR[/th][th]BB[/th][th]IBB[/th][th]SO[/th][th]HBP[/th][th]BK[/th][th]WP[/th][th]BF[/th][th]ERA+[/th][th]FIP[/th][th]WHIP[/th][th]H9[/th][th]HR9[/th][th]BB9[/th][th]SO9[/th][th]SO/W[/th][th]bWAR[/th][th]fWAR[/th][th]WPA[/th]NYM94.6924.011919000107 2/3984948233001213014441054.701.1898.21.92.510.14.032.21.00.61[th]Tm[/th][th]W[/th][th]L[/th][th]PCT[/th][th]ERA[/th][th]G[/th][th]GS[/th][th]GF[/th][th]CG[/th][th]SHO[/th][th]IP[/th][th]H[/th][th]R[/th][th]ER[/th][th]HR[/th][th]BB[/th][th]IBB[/th][th]SO[/th][th]HBP[/th][th]BK[/th][th]WP[/th][th]BF[/th][th]ERA+[/th][th]FIP[/th][th]WHIP[/th][th]H9[/th][th]HR9[/th][th]BB9[/th][th]SO9[/th][th]SO/W[/th][th]bWAR[/th][th]fWAR[/th][th]WPA[/th]TEX42.6673.2088000452816165150531011771403.410.9565.61.03.010.63.531.11.20.83 Luisangel Acuña (21 years and 140 days at time of trade) [th]Tm[/th][th]G[/th][th]PA[/th][th]AB[/th][th]R[/th][th]H[/th][th]2B[/th][th]3B[/th][th]HR[/th][th]RBI[/th][th]SB[/th][th]CS[/th][th]BB[/th][th]SO[/th][th]BA[/th][th]OBP[/th][th]SLG[/th][th]OPS[/th][th]TB[/th][th]GDP[/th][th]HBP[/th][th]SH[/th][th]SF[/th][th]IBB[/th]Frisco (AA)84402362681142527514253776.315.377.453.83016460120[th]Tm[/th][th]G[/th][th]PA[/th][th]AB[/th][th]R[/th][th]H[/th][th]2B[/th][th]3B[/th][th]HR[/th][th]RBI[/th][th]SB[/th][th]CS[/th][th]BB[/th][th]SO[/th][th]BA[/th][th]OBP[/th][th]SLG[/th][th]OPS[/th][th]TB[/th][th]GDP[/th][th]HBP[/th][th]SH[/th][th]SF[/th][th]IBB[/th]Binghamton (AA)371671482536302121551530.243.317.304.6224512020

This is a GOOD pick.

My Yankee/Diamondback was Randy Johnson. That kind of put me in a bind, because I then needed a 3000-strikeout Diamondback. Torn between Curt Schilling and Zack Greinke, I gakked when I went for the latter. Greinke is currently sitting at 2,979. In other words, he's within a Mark Prior start of 3,000 strikeouts.

If it's the ninth, and I'm the third-base coach, I let him decide for himself. He's probably best off going. Any edge him being a distraction on the basepaths is offset by him pissing off the other team by not taking what's there. But there is an edge in traffic on the basepaths. Big-leaguers reached at a .311 rate in 2023 with the bases empty, and .332 with men on. With a lone runner on third, players reached at .356 rate.

Probably not. The runner is probably making that call on his own anyhow. But in the ninth, the only runs that matter are the tying and the go-ahead runs.

Welcome to the thread where we look in on the early progress and regress resulting from the Mets' intentionally early exit from 2023 competition. It's also a good time to ask why, if a GM isn't going to continue beyond the current year, he or she is trusted to undertake a profound and multi-million dollar unbuilding of the team eight weeks before you let him or her go? Why task them with building up the foundational talent that will support the base of the next person's organization. Anyhow, we begin. July 28: Mets trade RHP David Robertson to Miami Marlins for 2B Marco Vargas and C Ronald Hernandez. [FIMG=226]https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2pmNWRGO3MnUahSXQyxXWgfZarGB-L99FeMUcuyFT2jaNLbVdw7K2c53iqwBSRRW3JaJtM2F2kuA3W8-scp9r_qJcxGtXUqieS9dOW4QPswLi-w3oZxEIZdR1IjuLe9kuyHiWlcqJLgqRxuf4Cw5ZvM2m0psTwsHa_AeWTPqmtCDMAgvMWRHRwF5fCg/w1200-h630-p-k-no-nu/david%20robertson1.JPG[/fimg] [FIMG=500]https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/upload/t_2x1/t_w1536/mlb/lvy7zyyzaiqrhwr5u4ai.jpg[/FIMG] While a lot (most) is yet to be learned about the Mets' side of this deal, it's easy to label it a small disaster from the Marlins' side. David Robertson declared his contempt for the nature of trades on his way out the door, and then he went down to Florida and he pitched like it. He was briefly able to get his mojo working during three mid-September appearances against the Mets, but any hope that he was turning it around was short-lived as he came up short in his lone post-season trip to the mound against the Phils. Maybe the Mets got all the 2023 baseball there was in his 38-year-old arm, or maybe he'd've been able to maintain his steady late-inning presence as a Met hadn't the trauma of the trade come upon him. This is unknowable, but the trade is certainly looking like a win today on October 10. The two young players the Mets got in return give you a good picture of what Billy Eppler seems to like. Both offer eye-popping plate discipline, but refuse to trade off contact rates for it. That sort of Nimmo/McNeil hybrid gets me jumping out of bed early as well, but there are a few caveats — (a) neither is particularly young for foreign players in rookie ball, ( not much power is shining through, and © Vargas fell off notably in the two weeks following the trade before rallying somewhat after a late-season promotion to A-ball, while Hernandez kind of did the opposite. Call it a small sample size or post-trade adjustment or call it a dose of reality, but when I see two teenagers who walk more than they strike out, I say "Sign me up!!" And even with all that contact, they both stay out of double-plays! David Robertson (38 years and 110 days at time of trade) [th]Tm [/th][th]W [/th][th]L [/th][th]W-L% [/th][th]ERA [/th][th]G [/th][th]SV [/th][th]IP [/th][th]H [/th][th]R [/th][th]ER [/th][th]HR [/th][th]BB [/th][th]IBB [/th][th]SO [/th][th]HBP [/th][th]BK [/th][th]WP [/th][th]BF [/th][th]ERA+ [/th][th]FIP [/th][th]WHIP [/th][th]H9 [/th][th]HR9 [/th][th]BB9 [/th][th]SO9 [/th][th]SO/W [/th][th]bWAR[/th][th]fWAR[/th][th]WPA[/th]NYM42.6672.054014443113105131482041722073.571.0006.31.02.79.83.691.90.82.32[th]Tm [/th][th]W [/th][th]L [/th][th]W-L% [/th][th]ERA [/th][th]G [/th][th]SV [/th][th]IP [/th][th]H [/th][th]R [/th][th]ER [/th][th]HR [/th][th]BB [/th][th]IBB [/th][th]SO [/th][th]HBP [/th][th]BK [/th][th]WP [/th][th]BF [/th][th]ERA+ [/th][th]FIP [/th][th]WHIP [/th][th]H9 [/th][th]HR9 [/th][th]BB9 [/th][th]SO9 [/th][th]SO/W [/th][th]bWAR[/th][th]fWAR[/th][th]WPA[/th]MIA24.3335.0622421.122151221213010197903.491.5949.30.85.112.72.5-0.20.4-1.59 Marco Vargas (18 years and 75 days at time of trade) [th]Tm [/th][th]G [/th][th]PA [/th][th]AB [/th][th]R [/th][th]H [/th][th]2B [/th][th]3B [/th][th]HR [/th][th]RBI [/th][th]SB [/th][th]CS [/th][th]BB [/th][th]SO [/th][th]BA [/th][th]OBP [/th][th]SLG [/th][th]OPS [/th][th]TB [/th][th]GDP [/th][th]HBP [/th][th]SH [/th][th]SF [/th][th]IBB[/th]FCL Marlins (Rk)331621203234111219823822.283.457.442.8995312021[th]Tm [/th][th]G [/th][th]PA [/th][th]AB [/th][th]R [/th][th]H [/th][th]2B [/th][th]3B [/th][th]HR [/th][th]RBI [/th][th]SB [/th][th]CS [/th][th]BB [/th][th]SO [/th][th]BA [/th][th]OBP [/th][th]SLG [/th][th]OPS [/th][th]TB [/th][th]GDP [/th][th]HBP [/th][th]SH [/th][th]SF [/th][th]IBB[/th]FCL Mets (Rk)155747911300520109.234.368.298.6661410000St. Lucie (A)631265800043257.308.419.308.727800000Mets Total21887314193009521516.260.386.301.6882210000 Ronald Hernandez (19 years and 278 days at time of trade) [th]Tm [/th][th]G [/th][th]PA [/th][th]AB [/th][th]R [/th][th]H [/th][th]2B [/th][th]3B [/th][th]HR [/th][th]RBI [/th][th]SB [/th][th]CS [/th][th]BB [/th][th]SO [/th][th]BA [/th][th]OBP [/th][th]SLG [/th][th]OPS [/th][th]TB [/th][th]GDP [/th][th]HBP [/th][th]SH [/th][th]SF [/th][th]IBB[/th]FCL Marlins (Rk)31138104273151325303227.298.464.452.9164711010[th]Tm [/th][th]G [/th][th]PA [/th][th]AB [/th][th]R [/th][th]H [/th][th]2B [/th][th]3B [/th][th]HR [/th][th]RBI [/th][th]SB [/th][th]CS [/th][th]BB [/th][th]SO [/th][th]BA [/th][th]OBP [/th][th]SLG [/th][th]OPS [/th][th]TB [/th][th]GDP [/th][th]HBP [/th][th]SH [/th][th]SF [/th][th]IBB[/th]FCL Mets (Rk)14533561040111111510.286.509.486.9951702010St. Lucie (A)8392935200700613.172.333.241.575702020 Mets Total22926491560118112123.234.435.375.8102404030

Also bailing a day or two before was the Mets director of amateur scouting, Marc Traumata. Marc had been with the Mets since 2012, and will become special assistant of player personnel for the Blue Jays, an organization he was with before coming to New York.

I'm of the "Alice's Restaurant" mindset. It would take at least three.

Yeah, it takes a lot to make me not celebrate a team doubling off Harper to end a playoff game. It seems like a simple statement from a few players along the line of "We appreciate the support, but please don't express it in that way" would make a world of difference.

I guess the Epplerlog should begin and end with Darin Ruf and Tyler Naquin. Had they come within three or four miles of replacing Starling Marte, history might have been very different. Instead there's a strong argument that they actually made the team immediately worse than they would have been had those deals never been made.