“Not part of the plan.”
Avid viewers of the TV classic “Cheers” immediately recognize that phrase. To me it’s my third favorite line from that show.
My second favorite is when Sam asked plaintively, “There’s a movie?” after he went crazy reading “War and Peace” for Diane.
My favorite Cheers line is one that makes me laugh any time I think of it. It’s poor Woody Boyd yelping “Don’t rip off the tape!” after, you guessed it, they hurriedly tore the duct tape that was covering his mouth so they could find out what he was so anxious to tell the gang.
Anyway, Neil Walker was not part of the plan for the New York Mets, meaning the offseason master plan hatched by GM Sandy Alderson. The plan was:
- Give Daniel Murphy the Qualifying Offer with expectations that he would decline it. Then when he signs elsewhere the team collects a nifty supplemental first round pick in the June 2016 draft.
- Push hard to use the lion’s share of available free agent money to sign super utility player Ben Zobrist. Zobrist would be given the second base job vacated by Murphy and then should “second baseman of the future” Dilson Herrera tear up the Pacific Coast League he could be brought up to the majors with Zobrist switching to any or a multitude of his competent positions. Except for pitching and catching Zobrist can play average to above average defense anywhere.
On December 8th, 2015 the plan blew up as Zobrist opted to rejoin his favorite manager, Joe Maddon, in the Windy City and became a Chicago Cub. The Mets’ brain trust had to go back to the drawing board. They were saved from the heavy lifting when the Pirates’ GM Neil Huntington called Alderson and suggested a swap of Walker for the Mets’ southpaw starter Jon Niese.
This fit on a bunch of levels. The Pirates had Jung Ho Kang coming back to play third base which left Josh Harrison without a regular slot. So the Pirates wanted to move Harrison to second while trading their guy Walker who was good but getting pricey. Meanwhile their pitching guru/coach Ray Searage has had a history of fixing broken pitchers especially lefties. Maybe he could do for Niese what he had done in the past to make J.A. Happ good.
The money aspect was pretty much a push as Niese was getting a $9 million salary for 2016 and if he wasn’t good the rest of his deal would cost a buyout total of $1 million. Walker was to make $10.55 million and then would be eligible for free agency.
The Mets knew they wouldn’t be getting as good a player as Zobrist but then again Walker would cost less, play better defense than Murphy (low bar there), and might permit the team to give out another Qualifying Offer to collect still another supplemental first rounder at season’s end.
Walker, like Zobrist, is a switch hitter but over the years he had done almost all his damage as a lefty batter. He was below league average as a righty in a Wally Backman sort of way. But that issue could be finessed if necessary by pairing him with Wilmer Flores or Eric Campbell or Matt Reynolds in a platoon.
What ended up happening is that Walker and the Mets were a perfect fit. Walker’s played perfectly adequate defense which is a nice change of pace for any Amazin. He has hit righties well, as expected, and has crushed lefties. Going into his last game before heading off on Paternity Leave he had a .281 batting average, 22 home runs (one shy of his career high), and an OPS of .816. Zobrist, by the way, is enjoying a fine year with the Cubbies. His OPS was 836.
Like Yoenis Cespedes did last year Walker found the Mets’ clubhouse very welcoming. He was not sure he would like playing in New York and now freely states that he loves it. The fans have taken kindly to Walker’s professionalism and skills. He’s become a favorite at CitiField.
Dilson Herrera is not only not the team’s future second baseman but he was the main player in the recent trade for Jay Bruce.
The idea of giving Walker the QO is still possible but it’s likely the club would like to bring him back if the dollars and the years work.
The player turns 31 next month making it unlikely that the team would want to give him a four year deal let alone a longer one. Some teams might be willing to go four or five years and that could put the Mets in an uncomfortable situation.
Walker’s career OPS is .774. Murphy’s is .783 so that’s certainly in the same neighborhood. They play the same position with Walker being the superior defender while Murphy has a bit more flexibility having played a good bit of third base and first base the last few years. Murphy’s three year deal with the Nationals is for a total of $37.5 million. I suspect that Walker will be looking for that number or somewhat higher.
My best guess is that Walker, if he is amenable to a three-year deal, will want about $42 million for it. Should that be available to the team they would be well advised to sign him for it.
It’s all fun and games until we understand that Sandy messed up in not signing Murphy when he really should have… that was the move to be made. Will be looking forward to the draft pick they get for Walker.
Letting Herrera go almost certainly guarantees they sign Walker. What’s the alternative?
Not much has changed since I wrote the article “Keeping Neil Walker a New Yorker” for the Mets360 Garden last June except that Herrera has been traded and there is no need for Walker to become a third baseman anymore. We have a very similar perspective now. Sign Walker.
3 years/$42. No thanks. I like Walker but where exactly was he in June and the better part of July? Batted below .200 I believe. I would platoon Flores, Johnson, Rivera or others at 2nd. And please don’t give me that garbage about being stronger up the middle. That worked out real well this year. It would stick in my craw (and Murphy’s I’m sure) if he made more than Murph. Instead of comparing OPS how about BA and RBIs?
The fascination with Zobrist was strange and misguided, IMO.
Sandy didn’t seem to be aware of the market cost.
Letting Murphy go only made sense to me from a financial point of view: They had Herrera in the wings and didn’t wish to block him with an expensive and somewhat flawed player. They could then use that “found money” to extend a pitcher or fill other positional needs. And they could have used the Niese chip to address some other hole.
The Mets faced a huge problem at 3B and potentially another one at 1B, and Murphy provided insurance for both those key positions. Plus he played with fire in his belly.
Oh well, water under the bridge.
At this point, it seems like the Mets have painted themselves into a corner through a series of miscalculations. They kind of have to sign Walker, don’t they? Cecchini should be playing 2B, btw. It’s hard to consider him an option at a position he has no experience playing.
With Nimmo and Cecchini, it’s curious how these #1 picks have been in the system, slowly & steadily moving forward, and yet at the time of their arrival there seems to be no plan for them whatsoever. As if they appeared out of the blue, by surprise. Sorry, no room at the Inn. It’s either that the Mets don’t believe in these players (understandable), or they really have no idea how to plan the pipeline. Perhaps they lack the organizational courage to go with and support a young player. We’re also seeing it with Conforto. We brought in Bruce to effectively block another #1 pick. Seems expensive.
I don’t think there’s any doubt that this is true.
But, I don’t think they are backed into a corner with Walker. They should definitely look into signing him to a contract that makes sense. But if he insists on a four-year deal remind him of how things worked out for Howie Kendrick, Ian Kinsler and Daniel Murphy last year. Murphy’s 3/$37.5 was the best of the lot and if every other FA hadn’t rejected the Nats, he probably wouldn’t have even gotten that.
JimmyP- that was the most insightful comment I’ve seen in a long time. There is some sort of organizational disconnect with launching prospects.
Wilmer Flores, maybe when TC gets fired he gets his shot next year at second when Walker leaves. Reyes,Cabrera, Cespedes,Bruce, Flores,Conforto (1b), Lagares/Nimmo, d’Arnaud.
With Wright gone, and Reyes Playing for “Free”, This makes some sense…and make no Mistake…DW is Over…Sadly!!
Surrounded by vets who need some seat time, this is an ideal situation for Cheech to play mid infield and establish himself. I believe Rosario is 2018.
The bigger questions revolve around deciding for Duda, Bruce, Grandy….. and I believe Conforto is a Must Keep Guy.
BTW— Cabrera is serviceable—I like Him—he’s not untouchable, and he has value
Where would this team be without Addison Reed? If somebody offers closer’s money, he’ll be impossible to retain. Otherwise, only very expensive. And again, there are no really compelling arms on the near farm.
Reed will be in his last year of arb in 2017,
FA on 2018
Thanks, Metsense. Sorry I missed that. At least that’s one less thing to despair over.
Walker has been a solid player this year and he fits nicely into the lineup. I believe he is worth a 3 year deal. No one knew that Murphy would continue his hitting into this year. So far Bruce has been a bust for us. If Cespedes stays maybe we should dump Bruce. Let’s see how the year plays out.