From the “This shouldn’t still be happening” department:
On June 19, for the seventh time this season, Buck Showalter brought Seth Lugo into a game when he did not start the inning. Here are the results of those seven outings:
4/11: 0.1 IP, 2 ER
4/16: 1.0 IP, 2 ER
4/24: 1.1 IP, 0 ER
4/29: 0.2 IP, 0 ER
5/14: 0.2 IP, 2 ER
5/27: 0.1 IP, 0 ER
6/19: 0.2 IP, 2 ER
Total 5.0 IP, 8 ER
When Showalter brings Lugo into a game mid-inning, he has a 14.40 ERA
When Showalter brings Lugo into a game at the start of an inning, he has a 1.54 ERA
Call me crazy but I’d stop bringing in Lugo to pitch mid-inning.
Few quick hits:
Mets signed Ender Inciarte to AAA because Khalil Lee, Nick Plummer and Jake Mangum weren’t enough lefty outfielders.
Francisco Alvarez did not catch for Scherzer but he did hit his 8th home run of June. Can someone also explain why McCann was assigned to AA with Alvarez and Senger also on the roster?
Assuming Megill’s recovery goes well it seems that the plan is for him to come back as a reliever. This makes sense assuming that deGrom and Scherzer are both still healthy. Maybe the Mets will also figure out a way to get rid of Chasen Shreve while they are at it.
Strange as it seems, I like the Inciarte pickup.
I know, I know – he’s the exact definition of a guy who was good on another team 3 years ago. But the Mets didn’t sign him to hand him a starting job in the majors. He’s an insurance policy in the minors. Not one of those guys you mentioned would you want to start extended games – they’re just not that good. Inciarte hasn’t been good the past two seasons but it was with a sub-.250 BABIP and he has a lifetime .314 mark in the category. He’s been around forever yet he’s only 31. He’s in the same general area for me as Jankowski, maybe a hair better.
If Marte or Nimmo get injured, you plug Inciarte in and you probably get an 85 or so OPS+ and he’s a good defensive OFer. If not, he plays this season in SYR and leaves at the end of the year looking for another job.
I just wish he was right-handed or a switch hitter.
https://sny.tv/articles/2022-mlb-mock-draft-1-0-mets
The Mets wind up with Jace Jung and Dylan Lesko
This isn’t a bad first round, considering Jung went in the Top 8 in each of my own mock drafts.
My issue on Jung is that he’s a poor defensive second baseman and will likely move into the outfield or to first base as he develops.
Managing a bullpen is very hard. You’re not crazy. The analytics department should have uncovered this trait. Relievers are difficult to analyze because of their small samples. Teams should look at more than traditional statistics like, ERA, K/9 , FIP and WHIP. Teams should liook at different ways to use a reliever in different situations to gain an edge. You have done this. Good job.
I agree with Brian. I like the Inciarte pickup. I also love that Alvarez is crushing it.
I also feel the pain of seeing Pete Crow crushing it in another uniform.
The Mets have a $261 Million payroll in 2022 and they looking at Jacob deGrom, Chris Bassit, Taijuan Walker, Carlos Carrasco (Club Option of $14 Mil) and even Trevor Williams leaving. In the bullpen they lose just about everyone except Drew Smith and Joely Rodriguez. Offensively you are losing Brandon Nimmo but seeing substantial raises to a few arbitration players.
The Mets have about $100,000,000.00 to play with in the offseason and I’m wondering how people spend it. It’s a ton of money but the Mets need to stretch it to quite a few needs.
Looking at free agency and seeing the only solution bloating the payroll north of $300,000,000.00
The bullpen is a little easier than the rotation as there are quite a few good options. The only bonafide closer is Diaz and I think the Mets need to work on re-signing him. After Diaz (maybe Seth Lugo too) there are a number of nice options including former Mets prospects Michael Fulmer, John Gant and Rafael Montero. Keone Kela stands out as another target arm for the bullpen. Signing a closer and two legitimate back-end relievers is a must. Unfortunately, signing 3 eats roughly half of your $100 Mil budget.
For this reason I think the Mets take Carrasco’s $14 Mil option and make Walker a Qualifying Offer (which he might not accept). With the health issues it’s really hard to say what deGrom gets and I will be heartbroken to see him leave the team but it’s hard for me to see a way for him back if he opts out. At this point I’ve spent $80 Mil (if Walker stays…) and need another starter. I have the budget for someone like Sean Manea or a reunion with Noah Syndergaard but I think that Steve Cohen doesn’t sit well with losing a talent like deGrom and that he breaks past the 2022 budget to sign Joe Musgrove.
Sadly, all of this pitching money leaves the Mets with little room to sign Mr. Nimmo (who also gets and rejects a Qualifying Offer). The 2023 Mets have Vientos/Baty at third base, shift Escobar to second base with Guillorme remaining the super-sub and Jeff McNeil becoming the full time left fielder. Francisco Alvarez joins the MLB lineup with McCann as the secondary catcher.
I don’t love it as a plan but the Mets have a difficult road this coming offseason.
A caveat to the payroll budget machinations is that Cohen’s wallet is a major variable. No one knows what his max spending is and he’s not really shown a hesitancy to spend money. I would be willing to bet that with his and his team’s business acumen that they’ve improved the profitability of the operations significantly, plus attendance has got to be way up. But most importantly, the man has the wealth of Solomon and seems determined to make his beloved Mets a powerful dynastic franchise. It’s exciting to be along for the ride.
If JDG’s health will support a big contract, I think he’ll go for it. I would also not rule out signing some other major stars when they are available (e.g. Ohtani, Judge, Soto, etc.)
What an amazing time to be a Mets lifer!