Since the start of the Winter Meetings, rumors have been flying around: the signing of John Mayberry Jr.; discussions involving Noah Syndergaard; and more discussions about the ever-so-coveted Troy Tulowitzki. Not many fans of this team truly know what is going on considering the secrecy behind closed doors, but many enjoy dreaming. In any event, the Mets have very few holes to fill but a lot of places to be given up, so naturally the rumors start spiraling around the possible trades/signings that could happen. Through it all, the main positions of need are still evident and there have been some crazy rumors to fill them.
Shortstop:
This whole situation almost makes someone feel bad for Wilmer Flores, huh? Half the fan base still sees him as the kid who has grown up in the Mets’ farm system, while the other half suddenly wants him to be shipped off (reminds me of the Jenrry Mejia situation).
Flores is now in competition with Ruben Tejada (again):
While his numbers don’t immediately jump off the page, Flores hit fairly well to end the year and still could become a great contributor- yet our friend Terry Collins still does not see this. He was quoted saying that Flores and Tejada are still in a battle for the position. The weird thing is that they are polar opposites: few will doubt Flores’ bat, but many question the glove, while few doubt Tejada’s glove but many (everyone) will question his bat. This is obviously banter by Collins to make it seem like he won’t be making decisions right away, but if those two are the only two in St. Lucie by mid-March, then only a stupid man would choose Tejada.
Mets and Rangers are in serious discussions over potential deals:
The Mets and Rangers are not strangers in regards to trade talks, as only two years ago R.A. Dickey seemed Arlington bound. The Rangers have a ton of middle-infielders that could be dealt somewhere. None of them seem to be a huge upgrade from what the Mets already have. Luis Sardinas and Rougned Odor were called up a year early and are not ready for a serious playoff run, Elvis Andrus just seems like a huge gamble at this point and he had been trending downward anyway, and Jurickson Profar just spent the entire season on the disabled list. In the end, if Alderson believes that Andrus or Profar will make the team better we should support him, but it just does not seem likely.
A little Colorado magic?
Ever since the trade deadline last year, there have been whispers (or screams) of the Mets and Rockies matching up for a Tulowitzki trade. At this point, everyone knows the deal- the Mets would be giving up too much talent and money for a guy who might only play 30 games a year. This just seems to be the Rockies checking in again if the Mets have changed their inclination, which they probably haven’t. This deal could happen someday, but it won’t happen during this offseason and especially not during the Winter Meetings.
Korean Jung-Ho Kang to New York?
This is actually the most intriguing rumor that has surfaced. However, there are complications with this. This guy provides enormous power potential at a fairly young age while supporting a pretty strong arm. The Mets have apparently shown some interest, with some obvious skepticism, regarding the glove. A big knack on this guy is that he plays across the world. The talent level of Japan compared to America is not favorable and Japan is heads-and-shoulders above Korea in regard to baseball. Basically the talent is far from a lock to translate here in America compared to Korean pitching. This would be a very interesting signing for the team and the city and we should hope that Alderson makes the right decision.
(The Mariners Shortstops were left off because of the lack of significant information released)
Starting Pitchers:
Ah, the one strength that the team seems to have and will have for years. The Mets currently have a top-heavy rotation that has future Cy Young contenders and then three finesse pitchers that seem to be on the move. This is going to be a long offseason with regards to them.
Dillon Gee getting some interest, but not the interest fans want:
To begin, I am a huge Dillon Gee fan. He is by far my favorite pitcher on the roster and it would be semi-heartbreaking to see him leave, leading to a bias in his overall value from my point of view. In any event, there has been a pretty nice amount of interest from multiple teams, including the Giants, Rangers, and Royals. In addition, they are looking to get some minor-league mid-level talent, instead of any relief pitching. This, to me, is ludicrous because he could at least net a nice reliever for him. But maybe I should just stop and understand the name on the front is more important that the name on the back.
Bartolo Colon is apparently staying put… or is he?
Just a few days ago, Mike Puma of the New York Post said that the Mets are willing to eat a portion of Colon’s contract, but today it seems that he is staying put according to the most reliable source. Colon was an interesting signing last year because of the absence of Matt Harvey, but he seems to be a strange fit now. While it seems that the signing was a success, it just seems weird that he will return as the original plan was to trade him this offseason. Whatever the case might be, Colon has actually pitched adequately in the playoffs and would be a nice veteran presence for another season.
Overall, this may be the peak of rumors for the Mets offseason as there are not many problems to fix. It is hard to admit this, but while my eye will still be on the Mets, there is a big playoff push by my beloved San Diego Chargers and my focus will be on this team (sports-wise) in the coming days and weeks. In the end, let’s just hope that the team entering the Winter Meetings will be better after it leaves.
ooh, John Mayberry for Noah!
Just what the doctor ordered! Another .202 hitter to go with Curtis Granderson. Obviously, the 8 years in the majors and no one can see, but sandy himself, the hidden and true value of Mayberry. Also keep in mind that Noah stands to be a star, dominate and then make a lot of money, something Sandy cannot let happen to the mets, so move him now and let him have his big years and then we will see who is laughing when he has to be paid his millions!
John Mayberry is intended to be signed, there is nothing to do with Noah Syndergaard in regards to the former Phillie.
The more I read up on the Texas shortstops the more I agree with Sandy to shop elsewhere.
The Mets need to move one of their above minimum salaried starters to get some budget relief. Crappy way to make personnell and team building decisions.Such is the life of a Met fan.
Hard to believe Drew is becoming a viable alternative but he is the best defensiveSS of those being considered.
Mayberry is a fit also but boy would I love to see Van Slyke on this team instead.
Overnight it appeared the Mets may be able to move Gee for Sardinas. It appears they need to salary dump Gee in order to afford a RH outfield bench bat, possibly Maberry. .
All scouting reports indicate Sardinas is a plus defender, contact hitter with speed who originally was equal to Profar as a prospect. I have seen him play numerous times in Hickory in 2012 and he was a very fluid defender who does make contact. I think he would be equal to Tejada offensively but has a better glove and more speed. It would be a good trade under these circumstances.
Yesterday, SA said he doesnt have much concern about defense in the infield. The way he plans to win is score more runs, because he doenst think there much in defending against them. It could also explain why they have little stated value for Lagares.
From Metsblog:
“Defense is important, but so is offense,” he explained to reporters. “We’re going to have to score more runs than the other team, so that’s a combination of pitching and offense.”
“We’re mindful of the importance of defense, and the importance of defense to pitching generally, but given the fact that we think we’re going to have better pitching than most, it doesn’t necessarily follow that we need to have more defense than most,” he concluded.
When the balls that are hit in “out” range turn into hits, and the “close” double plays are not turned, and the starters pitch counts expand and TC has to start playing revolving door relievers in the sixth inning; then maybe he will see the light. There are no definitive metrics that can judge this. Poor defense sabotages good pitching.
Every time Metsense, every time. This was about the most disturbing quote from Alderson I’ve ever read.
What Alderson says makes some sense.
If you have above average pitchers, then if the defense makes mistakes or can’t make close plays, the pitchers can supposedly then get out of those jams because they are above average. ie, the pitching picks up the slack on defense.
However, i would treat all 3 aspects (pitching, offense, defense) as totally seperate entities. Whether you have a good pitching staff or bad pitching staff, if you have to “give up” 1 win on defense to “get” 2 wins on offense, you do it because the net is 1 win gained.
Advanced metrics do these very things. If a poor defensive SS, let’s call him Wilmer Flores, doesn’t make a play that 90% of SS make, then he’ll be debited accordingly.
“One of the differences between UZR and linear weights is that with UZR the amount of credit that the fielder receives on each play, positive (if he makes an out) or negative (if he allows a hit or an ROE), depends on how often that particular kind of batted ball, in terms of its location, speed and several other factors, is fielded by an average fielder at the same position, measured over a time span of several years, in addition to whether the batted was a hit, out, or error (or FC).”
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-fangraphs-uzr-primer/#2
I think you’re reading too much into the quote.
Winning 1-0 is no different than 5-4. Considering that hitting is more difficult than catching, it seems to me if we had a lock down defense with great pitching, we would be quite formidable. Sadly Alderson is stuck in the PED era, walk/walk/HR. It’s so dreary and unimaginative, particularly when it’s not who our team is composed of.
The game is changing again and runs are becoming harder to come up. I couldn’t agree more Chris F.
If Flores ends up starting at shortstop for the Mets in 2015, the ball club can kiss their offseason dreams goodbye. What the team needs is a player like Dee Gordon who can lead off and steal bases. He might not be the best shortstop out there, but he is better than a lot of players the Mets have talked about acquiring. Call me crazy, but I don’t think the Mets will get anywhere with Tejada and Flores on the team.
Not crazy with that Dan. I think Gordon is not the answer, but Tejada and Flores dont get teh job done.
It’s tough to consistently win close ball games, whether 3-2 or 7-6, without the ability to do some “Little Ball” things well.
I believe this team has several weaknesses “in depth”— Low team speed and bad baserunning, Lack of situational Hitting, lack of defensive talent/range/playmaking. Situational offensive baseball is a strong answer to the situational defensive shifts—“Little Ball” on offense will become bigger.
They can overcome some of the deficits with strong pitching and moreoffensive production, but I believe they need to address the roster further…let’s hope.
Flores has shown a propensity to hit in the minors, and yet all we complain about is his defense. Steamers actually has Flores with a negative offensive WAR and a positive defensive WAR for 2015, so it shows us what good our speculations are. There are only two or three definitive upgrades over Flores in the free agent market and trade market combined. What is the point of rushing to those teams begging them to make a trade, when you have a capable, affordable option, and tons of pitching to delve out when they come crawling to you in spring.
Off topic a bit.
Sorry Name, looks like were not done with Scott Rice. He’s back with the club on a minor league contract with a ST invite.
I’m not seeing things much different than last year, and it’s hard to predict much more than .500 using the brightest light.