They sign no free agents…
They trade for no stars…
They run out a team in 2014 that is largely the same as 2013…
THE LINEUP:
- Eric Young Jr. [LF]
- Juan Lagares [CF]
- David Wright [3B]
- Daniel Murphy [2B]
- Travis d’Arnaud [C]
- Ike Davis [1B]
- Ruben Tejada [SS]
- Matt DenDekker [RF]
The Mets continue to lack any true protection for Wright who sees fewer and fewer hittable pitches. d’Arnaud is over-exposed and flounders as a middle-of-the-order hitter and 5-8 in the Met lineup are as easy a bunch to put away as any in baseball. Young’s speed is an asset to the team but his mediocre on-base skills are notable. Meanwhile Lagares proves his inability to walk makes him a poor fit for the top of a lineup. By the end of the year, the lineup has changed:
- Eric Young Jr. [LF]
- Wilfredo Tovar [SS]
- David Wright [3B]
- Daniel Murphy [2B]
- Cesar Puello [RF]
- Wilmer Flores [1B]
- Travis d’Arnaud [C]
- Juan Lagares [CF]
Tovar isn’t much different from Tejada but his work ethic is enough to earn him a chance. He doesn’t hit much for the Mets but he works the counts and holds his own hitting 2nd. Puello comes up from AAA where he slots into the Met lineup providing som much needed pop in the middle of the order. Meanwhile Flores, who has been learning first base in AAA comes up to replace the struggling Davis. Lagares and d’Arnaud are shifted down in the lineup to roles more suited to themselves.
THE ROTATION:
The rotation isn’t so bad… Nobody would look at it and scoff at the bunch of losers the Mets were tossing out there. That being said I think there is a certain amount of scuffling this bunch would go through. Wheeler is beat up in some early season games where he has been thrust too early into the role of “Ace”. Niese pitches well but goes down with one of the frequent injuries Niese is known to have. Gee pitches around 4.00 ERA and Mejia shines through 10 games before requiring season ending surgery. Torres is a wash-out in his second run with the Met rotation. By the end of the year, the rotation has changed:
- Zack Wheeler
- Dillon Gee
- Rafael Montero
- Noah Syndergaard
- Jonathon Niese
Niese has returned into the rotation but he’s been joined by top prospects Montero and Syndergaard. Montero pitches well enough to have a quality start in 80% of his outings and Syndergaard debuts with 11 starts and an 11.3 K/9. Jacob deGrom also pitches some innings for the Mets but is moved to the bullpen once Niese returns.
THE BULLPEN:
- CL – Bobby Parnell
- SU – Jeurys Familia
- SU – Josh Edgin
- MR – Vic Black
- MR – Joel Carreno
- MR – Jack Leathersich
- LR – Gonzalez Germen
The Mets are going with a large number of “Young Guns” in their pen. Parnell’s health is a concern but he pitches well. Unfortunately… he has limited opportunities as he’s closing for the 29th ranked offense in the MLB. Germen is a shining star in the early going but he stumbles when he’s promoted to the rotation and is never quite the same. The rest of the Met bullpen holds firm with pen-wide ERA under 3.00 and a K/9 of 9.3. By the end of the season, it looks like this:
- CL – Bobby Parnell
- SU – Jeurys Familia
- SU – Jack Leathersich
- MR – Vic Black
- MR – Joel Carreno
- MR – Josh Edgin
- LR – Jacob deGrom
Leathersich proves to be the more “All-Around” reliever and Edgin is given a small demotion to being the primary LOOGY. deGrom comes up to join the rotation and is eventually shifted to the bullpen to replace Germen who seems to be lost by mid-August. The Met bullpen is ranked 2nd in the NL and might rank higher if their closer had more than 26 saves.
Sure, I’m making a lot of this up conjecture, but I’m actually left with the sense that the only area the Mets NEED to improve with any urgency is the lineup. If Sandy Alderson can do that, we might be looking at a pretty solid playoff team. Here’s hoping for some magic.
You still have Terry Collins making the lineup,so Ike will bat cleanup for more than half the year,killing the offense.Also,you still have Terry (mis) handling the bullpen.Which means,another 90 or so loss season.
Being totally unrealistic and no. They will sign people, maybe not top tier guys, but they will have at least 2-3 new starting players
Some people live in too literal a world.
When was the last time even a world champion team started the next season with the team they ended the last season with? If ever it would be before free agency. In 1972 I sort of remember reading all the summers trade in baseball digest. I got to the world champ Pittsburgh Pirates and it simply read: “None” and I thought “that was smart.”
Totally. This was an exercise in “What If”
Is “A world where the Mets get everyone they want” in the works?
Would that be: Shin-Soo Choo, Norichika Aoki, Johnny Peralta and Roy Halladay?
apparently its Robi Cano….dont you know.
Boras is right, the Mets are interested in everyone, but really no one.
David, we’re a downtrodden fan base!!! All things considered, I think your “what if” is probably not far from “what is”!
Maybe some of my other writing will make you smile a little
🙂
With contracts like the ones given to Ruiz and Hudson … this sort of sad lineup is becoming more possible every day.
Two idiots, made for each other … Sabean and Amaro. I can’t believe Amaro is giving a 35 year old catcher a three year deal for $9 per. And Sabean. R U kidding me here? We’re now at a point where someone that is 38 and IS STILL on the DL, gets $23.5 for his age 39 and 40 seasons?
Insanity.
I don’t see the Ruiz deal as totally outrageous. A.J. Pierzynski, a far inferior player to Ruiz was able to get 1/7.5 last year and even career backup David Ross was able to get 2/6.2, who plays around 40-60 games a season. If you double that figure to Ruiz’s playing time, you get an average salary of 6.2. Paying an extra 2 million for the upside of Ruiz isn’t too much.
The 3rd year scares me a little, but he’s a “good clubhouse guy”, “fan favorite” could justify it.
Age 35; that’s what? Fisk the only productive C at 36. Carter, Berra, Piazza, Ivan … all shit the bed at 35.
I see it as a two year, $26MM deal. His GM will be paying Howard, Hamels and Lee in 2016. And a 37 year old catcher. Good luck with that, Mr. Amaro.
Peirzynski is 37…. has still been productive
which makes my point.
First, has he gotten a multi-year contract lately? NO.
Second, has his salary been close to 9 MM per year?
NO.
Third, has his salary been a premium to market, or a discount?
DISCOUNT.
Thanks for the help. I’m guessing AJP gets $6MM this offseason, on a one year deal. So if you could package AJP, MByrd, and LH, you’d have spent $14.5MM to roll up what last year was nearly 9 WAR.
N I N E. Even if they decline cumulatively by 50%, that’s still a bargain. Oh, but by all means, lets sign Choo/Elsbury/Hudson/et al.
Ha Ha Ha…… Just as I suspected as a realist. I do feel there will be a signing or two of lower tier FA’s. Would like A J Pierzynski to bring toughness to this team since I personally like a seasoned catcher with young pitchers. He would also be a left handed bat as well. A mentor for D’Arnoud and our youth filled pitching staff. DH during interleague games. Pisses off oppenents to no end, brings attitude to this team which is sorely lacking. He is still a consistent hitter throughout his career. I also like the fact his CERA was 3.60 as a catcher last year with that staff Texas had last year. Imagine him with this young talented staff. He is not hesitant on calling an inside pitch. Would help a young staff.
TC loves him some Scott Rice. Unless he’s not recovered from his hernia surgery, I imaging he’s in the bullpen come Opening Day.
This made me sad :/
Good bye Hawk. We apparently didnt need you because we have such bull pen depth. Enjoy your time Denver. I know 2.25M$ is too much for SAs queasy wallet.
Those were signings you need to make; Marlon Byrd, LaTroy Hawkins.
These guys give you 2 WAR hungover and injured, and they’ll do it for cheap next year someplace else.
Exactly what I think. As well as bring a solid vet presence for the kids. It’s hard to see what SAs plan is or imagine there’s money to spend when we see Byrd and Hawk fly…..perhaps SA is “ornith-phobic”!
The Rockies offered Hawkins the closer job, something the Mets could not do. (which is ironic because I read a report during the season that said Hawkins said he didn’t like to close).
It’s not a huge loss anyways. As good as we perceived Hawkins to be, he was only worth .5 bWAR and .8 fWAR, which is easily replaceable at a fraction of the cost. (Germen, who no one expected to pitch in the majors in the beginning of the year put up .5 fWAR during his time with the Mets). Relievers are dime a dozen, they’ll be someone just like Hawkins in late January.
Plainly, this is not true … insofar as you can find relievers all the time, but not RELIABLE relievers.
LaTroy has been in the major leagues potentially longer than 25% of the readers here have been able to read. Since he’s been made a fulltime reliever, he’s failed to post a positive WAR twice. ERA+? Also consistent.
Its almost certain that Hawkins will put up .5 WAR to 1 WAR, making that $2.5MM cheap. And the bullcrap about being a closer? Noise/spin, to take your focus off the $$$.
Two very easy, very affordable fair market signings that were short term so as not to interfere with the upcoming youth in the minors. It would have stabilized the team, added veteran presence and depth to the roster. Both could have been “flipped” in the summer if necessary, which is a Sandy strength. It would have left $21m in budget for a SS and OF. I’m not too pleased with Sandy this morning. It seems like we are going backwards.
As skeptical as I am against Alderson, I honestly can’t imagine him not at least acquiring a shortstop and an outfielder. Granted, they might not be that high quality, but I can’t imagine seeing Tejada as a starter.
I am not saddened by those signings. I want to see what all those young arms are capable of doing !!! It is time to see if they will sink or swim.
Gilliam,Reese,Snider,Hodges,Furillo,Campanella,Robinson,Amaros,Newcomb. Thats the lineup I would like to see. Unfortunaly Robert Moses along with Yankee owners Topping and Webb and their deep pockets killed that .
Love it even the old Brooklyn Dodgers couldn’t afford that team now. I was raised by one who hit me for saying Walter O’Malley. I think it was harder than my first cuss word even. My have things changed since then.
Go with Tovar! Give this kid a chance. He’s headed for winter ball now. Watch what he does. Hes been in the Mets organization for years.
What about bringing in a couple of low cost veteran catchers? Give them the chance to share all their knowledge with d’Arnaud and the pitching staff? When was the last time the Mets went with three catchers on the roster?
So what’s the record with these lineups? 80-82, or so?
David, who the hell is Erik Goeddel? First I’ve even heard of this guy. What’s your take? Seems odd to protect someone who most Met fans haven’t even heard of.