The Mets should have signed Yasmani Grandal and Marwin Gonzalez. Instead, in typical cost-cutting, short-sighted fashion, we have brought in Wilson Ramos and Jed Lowrie. In the latest head scratcher, the Mets signed Lowrie to a two-year, $20-million contract. It’s a reasonable deal for a good player, but given the crowded infield situation, it forces another move, plus it makes the questionable Robinson Cano trade seem even stupider now.
If the starting infield is Peter Alonso/Robinson Cano/Amed Rosario/Todd Frazier with Jeff McNeil, Dominic Smith, J.D. Davis and T.J. Rivera on the bench, and Luis Guillorme, Gavin Cecchini and Dilson Herrera in AAA, where do we put Lowrie? Are some of these guys excess baggage/trade bait? Will one or two need to learn how to play the outfield? Will Cano get moved to first base?
A few more questions. Was Marwin Gonzalez, who is five years younger and can do everything Lowrie can do plus play the outfield deemed too expensive? Did Sandy Alderson make this move? Was this the Wilpons’ idea? It sure feels like yet another one of those maddening moves where the Mets balk at the asking price of the guy they really want and settle for a cheaper/older alternative only to regret it later. The list is long. Jason Bay instead of Matt Holliday. Ollie Perez instead of Derek Lowe. Todd Frazier instead of Mike Moustakas. Wilson Ramos instead of Yasmani Grandal. Are we collecting 34-year-olds at a time when the league is getting younger? Why are we collecting second baseman at a time when the league has a surplus of them?
Is Brodie Van Waganen really calling the shots here? Wasn’t he supposed to break dishes and flip tables? This feels like the same broken approach that has never worked out for this team – signing older/cheaper free agents who end up getting hurt or start looking old the minute they arrive in Flushing. If you can’t afford a Mercedes, buy a Honda. It aint flashy, but it’s reliable. Instead, the Mets are the guy who buys the used Mercedes – not the certified pre-owned one from the dealership, but the one off Craig’s List that’s been in three accidents – and then laments why it’s always in the shop. This is not how a New York team with a hot shot agent-turned-GM is supposed to operate. And it’s been proven again and again that this is not how you build a winner.
Unless Van Waganen has a really special follow-up move in the works, this latest one is a clunker.
Your list of alternatives is on point. I’ve thought about why the Mets always seem to settle for Option B or C.
Marwin has one year where he’s hit at a real good rate and is a league average hitter in his career at best. Frazier is a declining offensive player and was only held up by an unsustainably high walk rate in 2017. I start McNeil in LF with Nimmo in CF and Conforto in RF vs righties. Broxton or Lagares starts in CF vs lefties.
This is exactly what I’ve been saying from the start. Promises promises and like you said…the same old dumb moves, cheap cheap senseless collection of older players when everyone else is getting better and younger. Last in the division here we come!
Yeah Rick the Marlins are great.
Lowrie has been a good player for awhile now and in isolation, this was a fine move. The problem is that it’s not in isolation. I agree with the author that this makes the Cano deal look even worse.
Where I disagree with him is my belief that getting Ramos for two years plus an option at a lower AAV was better than getting Grandal for four years. The Ramos signing is easily the highlight of the offseason for BVW.
Only time will tell whether the Cano deal is as bad as you think. Remember, getting Diaz is a major offset to what Robby will receive. If we get the Cano who hits around .290 – .300 with a .800+ OPS and 25 HRs for the first 3 years, it’s a good deal. . . even if he deteriorates to a .260 hitter and plays part time the last two.
I agree that the Ramos signing was likely the highlight of the off season (to date – remember the immortal words of the Yog, “It ain’t over ’til it’s over) but don’t play down the Lowrie signing. The Yanks just payed LeMahieu $24 million for essentially the same role that Lowrie (@ $20 million) will play for the Mets. Lowrie is a better all around player and will make a significant contribution to the club ver the nexy 2 years, a la Asdrubal Cabrera did for the last three.
Herb, only want to quibble about Diaz being the offset. Diaz has nothing to do with the Cano part of the deal. For Diaz they gave up Kelenic, Dunn, and Bautista; that’s alot. For Cano, they took on about $64MM in salary. Everyone agrees that it was an overpay. The debate is whether it was too much or it was tolerable. Even Brodie referred to it as. Necessary overpay he can live with. I think some people can’t. I’m still not sure that I would do it, but, it’s done.
I have no idea if what you say is true but let’s say that it is.
In my opinion, Kelenic + Dunn + Bautista was an overpay for Diaz and I like Diaz.
And while you may have no use for Bruce and Swarzak, they have value if they’re healthy. They’re one year removed from a combined 4.8 fWAR. And the addition of Lowrie makes the Cano half of the equation even more unnecessary.
It would be one thing if taking on Cano was the cost of getting Diaz. But in your scenario, the Mets overpaid for Diaz and took on Cano, which made no sense at the time and looks even more dubious now with Lowrie.
Brian, it was the cost of doing business. Cano had a no trade clause, so it was the Mets or keep him and pay him. If you recall, I ranted about making the Mariners take salary and costing the young guys. It was the dumbest Couponian ever. But, it’s done.
While Bruce and Swarzak could well be more useful, the Mets decided the fan wants neither of each and can you blame them? I would have kept them but… However, if you want to see what Diaz was worth, look at what the Indians gave up for Brad Hand for a more expensive player, with less pedigree and less control: The #5 prospect in baseball, and a catcher no less. Francisco Mejia is a top 5-10.
So, while I don’t like the entire trade, as the Phillies were also involved and one of the prospects was a blue chipper and two were true “prospects” so… Look, you have to give to get and, they did.
Too, how can you foresee such a good deal as Lowrie being available so you pass up a still productive Cano, who can go to 3B too? I don’t have a problem with adding Cano, I have a problem with the cost in order to dump players on the Mariners and feeling that they gave away their advantage of being a big market team.
How many years in a row do we have to see depressed Free Agent prices before we can predict them? I don’t blame anyone for not seeing the market in the 2016-17 offseason. Lower prices should have been in the front of everyone’s mind as a distinct possibility the following year. And this year we should have outright expected them.
I don’t see how you balance the ideas that the Cano and Diaz deals were two separate trades in one and that taking on Cano was the cost of doing business.
Besides, while everything has a price, it doesn’t mean that you have to buy it at that price.
Oh, I know that! But, BVW needed to get players off the books and get a very cheap but dominant reliever, so he hurt in one area to build another one up. Brian, neither me or you know how Cano will age and he’s expected to go to 3B soon anyway. Let it go. I’m much more upset about losing Kelenic than adding Cano.
That doesn’t make sense.
He needed to get players off the books but to do so he acquired someone older and more expensive?!?
BVW viewed Cano as someone to get. He wasn’t a cost of doing business in our new GM’s mind. He was a vital part of the trade from the Mets’ POV.
No one knows how anything is going to turn out. All we can do is play the odds and act accordingly. In 2018, the odds were that Jacob deGrom was going to give you a great start. But in his third start of the year he gave up 4 ER in 6 IP, which isn’t great. The odds with Cano being great in 2021 or 2022 or 2023 are not remotely good. But, hey, it could happen!
A short term deal for not much $$ for one of the most productive infielders in the game last year? And your mad about it?? The offseason is not over yet, getting outraged to be outraged is how this reads. If they inked an old player to a long contract that was already showing decline then I would agree with you. My only concern is where they play McNeil who was the highlight to watch at the end of last year. I’m sure they will figure it out. Grandal didn’t want to play for us and cost us more $$ and a draft pick. I think BVW did a pretty good job with the options he had on that one. We have a solid core of young guys and plan on promoting another one to play 1st base. Complementing them with some short term all-star veterans that produced at a very high level seems pretty ok to me.
Excellent comment, kudos.
Okay my gut reaction to this is above. Now I’ve had a chance to stew on this. I fell asleep scrolling through Twitter last night. All the beat writers and baseball experts love this move and none saw it coming. Just looking at the lineup and not the field or roster for a moment, Lowrie plugs in snuggly into the 2 hole and the lineup finally has balance. I think Lowrie becomes our third baseman, McNeil our super sub and maybe Frazier gets dumped.
Nimmo
Lowrie
Cano
Ramos
Conforto
Alonso
Rosario
Lagares/Broxton
Matt, you must have falling asleep before midnight and didn’t see my post.
Metsense, your post helped sway me. While I draw parallels with this GM and previous ones for signing cheaper/older FAs there is one thing that is different. He’s more focused on the 40-man than the 25. Injuries are inevitable but depth mitigates them. I just hope BVW is not done because almost every other aspect of this team still looks a bit thin to me. Just one injured starter moves Lugo to the rotation and waters down the bullpen. An injured catcher puts Nido on the roster.
Lowrie signing is odd, but contract value is good. He can play SS & Mets had nobody backing up Rosario. The move may also be to “control” Alonzo a bit longer with Frazier & McNeil playing some 1B. I don’t agree on Grandal. I’m glad he turned the Mets down. Ramos came with a better deal. I wouldn’t have committed to Grandal for 5 years. The Mets have too often run out a swing & miss offense with a low team OB average. The low BA of Grandal would add to the problem. Right now I would be all over Gio Gonzalez for the 2 years he’s expected to get.
He hasn’t played SS in a couple of years. He’s old and has lost a step.
This one is a real head scratcher. Two pre prime studs sitting out there and we are filling up on old vets. Sigh. Typical Mets crap
Chris, this is definitely not typical Mets crap. You would commit $33MM a year for 8 years for a 6+ WAR guy now when you can get a 4+, a 3+ WAR starting pitcher, and two relievers to give you 2+ WAR for the same AAV and for a small period? No offense, you’re a terrible GM. And I won’t even mention Captain Spotlight…
I’ll put forth the opposing view – I like that BVW is populating the 40-man roster with established mid-level vets. We’ve seen that depth is important (see Matt Adams of the Nationals) and I’m not concerned about getting playing time for the Luis Guillormes and Dilson Herreras of the league. That said, I agree that now the Mets have some flexibility regarding a possible Frazier deal. As for potential next moves, I’d stay far away from Gio Gonzalez. Dude throws 100 pitches in 4 innings and will destroy a bullpen.
No one wanted Frazier last year after a better year, they certainly aren’t interested this year after a worse. He’s now a bench guy.
Same “old” Mets seems appropriate since Cano and Lowrie are too older for my liking but BVW inherited a fourth place team and I am fed up these five year plans that have previously had very mix results. BVW needed an offense upgrade and a closer in order to compete in 2019, thus the Cano deal. The Ramos deal was shrewd as was the Familia deal. Lagares was an “if ” so BVW brought in Broxton. Pollock’s demands were too high. I would prefer Marwin over Lowrie because he can play the outfield, he is a better shortstop and younger.
BVW going forward should avoid obtaining 35+ players. He should draft better than the Alderson Era. Cecchini, Smith and Plawecki were #1 picks.
BVW seems to have built a contender for 2019 at the expense of the minors. It may have been the only way to compete in 2019.
Plawecki was a supplemental first-round pick, selected after all of the other first-rounders that year.
You point three guys out as failures yet all three of those guys have made the majors and Smith might still have some value going forward. Every team wishes those were their busts. In the year the Mets took Cecchini, 10 of the first 30 guys didn’t make the majors, including the fifth overall selection and the eighth. The year the Mets took Smith, again 10 of the first 30 failed to make the majors. This time it included the first overall pick, the seventh and the 10th.
We’ll be lucky if BVW drafts as well as Alderson.
Metsense, Gonzalez is not a good infielder. Even though he came up a SS, he is graded negative defensively in every infield position and has only had one good offensive year. Honestly, if you give me a choice of Gonzalez in LF (his best position) and Nimmo in CF, or Lagares in CF and Nimmo in LF, I would take the latter. It only is the defense better, but Lagares will give similar if not better output than Gonzalez.
This signing just got better with the Yankees signing LeMaheu to a 2/$24MM deal.
I honestly think he’s not done. It looks like they’re going for better players off the bench or in case of injury…and considering our history….can’t say I blame them
I think Frasier is not on this team opening day. I see posts with projected lineups and see so many options that would rather have on the field. I am fan on his and is local guy but best days are behind him and if he is here I rather not see him start. But still plenty of off season left.
Chili is gonna fix Frazier right up.
If “same old Mets” means you don’t like the move, then I understand the comment, but there is no logical way to conclude they’re doing the same old stuff.
I’m doing some reconsideration…. morning believe some of these guys are going to move around positionally….. and some of them are going to earn abs or they’re not going to play
I think they believe they can carry a light bat (cf) with the rest of the lineup in place ….. and they may be thinking ahead with new moves
Big, big Roster differences—- you don’t see any “Ty Kellys” close to the 25 man roster .. deep respect for a guy with 10 years of milk, but facts are facts
Agreed it’s nice to at least see new faces rather then the same old “maybe this year” guys like flores Duda Dan Decker’s etc.
Matty, would you trade McNeil for Kluber?
omigod I would sprain my wrist signing that deal, but it would take much more. Kluber would push our backend into the bullpen….game changer. I’d even trade Nimmo for him…OFers are easier to replace. Frankly I think Nimmo and McNeil are at peak value….no great power or speed, easily replaceable.
Nimmo has power and gets on base second to only Votto. Don’t rush to make it, you could rediculed in two years. McNeil? Maybe, but maybe not too. Kluber is 32 and his velocity has been decreasing for two years.
I think they are going to package McNeil in a trade. Like most Met fans I’d love to see him get his shot, he was good last year, but it was 60 games and he has no power.
Concur. He is probably at his peak value. I think 2018 might be career years for both him and Nimmo.
New GM…same Old Matty???? 🙂
Cute Eraff, but you’ve been following Mets360 long enough to know I’m the optimist – always the last to throw in the towel on a lost season.
Gus – Kluber deal ain’t gonna happen b/c Cleveland desperately needs an OF and Mets don’t have one to spare. I’d love to get him and give us the best rotation in baseball. Maybe Matz and McNeil? I’d throw in Dom Smith and a Mr Met bobble head.
Rosario and Frazier are terrible. How is getting rid of a .220, a .250, and a .210 hitter and replacing them with 2 IF and a C who all hit .300 a set of bad moves? Mets lineup now has 7 or 8 guys capable of hitting .300.
Which 7 or 8 are going to hit .300?
I am excited to see what he brings to the table. It seems like the Mets now have ample depth, and will have a bunch of players rotating around the infield this season.
Lots of opinions on Lowrie. Me, I’m firmly intrenched in the camp of “not sure”. He certainly improves the roster and adds depth. But, is this positional group good enough to win the division? That depends on the pitching, and the pitching is not yet strong enough to carry a middle of the road lineup to the NL East title. So, Brodie needs to find a way to get more WAR out of the staff. This means another quality arm in the pen and a very serious challenge to the 5th starter, and maybe even the 4th starter.
Unless they are the good old “mystery team”, but the chances of that are remote. Joel Sherman made an excellent point, that these long term deals are like marriages, most end unpleasantly, and each of these guys has character issues that cast some doubt. He mentioned Betts, Trout, Lindor as guys with much better reputations, low maintnenance stars. Maybe the Wilpons are waiting for this type of big free agent, and I wouldn’t blame them. Focus on adding pitching and securing Jake longer term.
Great comment TJ.
I think people look at free agents and think your team should have peeled off the top seven across the board. I dunno about Marwin…he really only had the one outstanding year with the bat, I’m not sure he is above replacement at any given position, his value is in his flexibility, and maybe he wants a position now? I dunno.
It would be awesome if we could sign all 25 year old five tool players, but the reality is stacking up some older two tool players (Broxton, Lowrie) might be the way to actually get through a game by game strategy.
And I’m feeling much better about our ability to survive injuries.
What I’d like to see is a top end SP added, even if the cost is steep in youth. Imagine Kluber here…..
I’ve been a fan of Mets360 for a few years now. I am not an active poster and don’t hang out on the gameday chatrooms as much as I’d like, but I have always appreciated the candor and insight from this community. Trolls are nowhere to be found here and that is a blessing as well as a tribute to Brian’s active curation and the good citizenship of the regulars. Thank you for making this happen.
All that said, the tone on the BVW and his moves is decidedly negative. I get that there could be better moves. There is also a long Mets history of far worse moves. IMHO, this club is markedly improved in virtually every position versus last season. Depth is much better. BP is better. Is there any position that is inarguably worse than last year? Have they overpaid? Maybe. I don’t really care. Not my money. WIll they get 2-3 years of solid ball from Cano? Probably. I hope so. Will they get 7-8? Probably not. But deal with that later! So now they have a surplus of infielders. OMG! That’s just horrible. It wasn’t that long ago when the likes of Campbell, Cecchini, and Evans were getting a lot of ABs. Did I mention Jose Reyes? Bruce could easily have become this era’s version of Jason Bay. He’s gone. Thank God.
I know that I am already in the minority here with the comments above, but I am also very happy that the Mets have not jumped into either the Harper or Machado lottery. Rarely does such a long-term contract work out and neither of these guys have demonstrated that they are either good teammates or clubhouse guys. I am old school and don’t want any guys who phone it in as often as either of these guys do. Oh, but rarely do such once-in-a-generation players become available. Really? How about some stats? Machado averaged 5.6WAR since he started playing regularly. Harper is 3.9WAR. Very good. But $300M? Are you kidding me? These are two of the least likable players in the game and I am not at all upset that they might end up elsewhere.
The kind of teams that have been winning (and are fun to watch) are built like the championship clubs of KC, Cubbies, and BoSox of recent vintage. Those teams are (or were) young, athletic, balanced, and hustled out every play. Good fundies. The Mets have that kind of core, with Conforto, Rosario, perhaps Nimmo, and even bigger perhaps in McNeil. Add Alonso and some of the bona fides that they just added and this will be a competitive team every day.
I realize that it’s not Spring yet so too early for “hope springs eternal” and all that, but just maybe there’s a chance that the Mets are a lot more exciting and interesting in 2019 than they have been for at least a few years. That’s a good turn in my book.
Always a Mets fan and definitely a Mets360 fan.
Aging Bull – thanks for the kudos and a very thoughtful post. I want to believe in BVW and I do think the team has improved in some ways but it’s not what I had in mind. Bringing in older players, trading away prospects, blocking young players. If we’re really all in for this year, I want to see a few more moves to bolster the pitching. I have no interest in Machado or Harper or Pollock for that matter. It’s one thing to justify Familia over Miller (younger, healthier) or Ramos over Grandal (much cheaper) but I can’t get on board with Lowrie over Marwin. If it turns out he gets some ridiculous contract then I’ll feel better about it, but if he winds up signing for 3/36 or so I’m going to be really annoyed. He’s much younger and a better fit for the Mets in terms of his versatility. Maybe Brodie is plotting another earth shaking trade?
Matt, we all have an opinion, but check Flores’ infield stats on Fangraphs and then Gonzalez. They’re actually quite similar. Then, look at Gonzalez’ offensive numbers: one very good year. That’s it.
We are in lockstep on the passing on the divas of the free agent market and I want to see more pitching too.
Bull – it’s always great to see you around these parts!
This offseason has been very good at creating depth. But are they young, athletic, balanced and a club that hustled on every play? I’d suggest they failed on just about every one of those points. Cano and Lowrie are in their mid 30s and no one ever accused Cano of hustling. Broxton is athletic but he might be a fourth outfielder. And while Lowrie is a switch-hitter, he’s a much better lefty hitter. With Conforto, Nimmo, Cano and Lowrie, it’s likely four of the top five hitters are lefties.
I think my comments about “younger, more athletic and balanced” are relative based on the basis of comparison. I am happy that it’s highly unlikely that we’ll see the 2019 version of Bautista, Gonzalez or Reyes. So, yes, I stand by younger. Cano, Lowery, and Ramos are in their 30s, I get it. But my comment was more that the Mets won’t be the last refuge for aging players in 2019. By “balance” I am speaking more to versatility than L/R batters. The Mets are almost three deep in every IF position now. We won’t have to suffer watching Flores (who I really liked – I am in Gus’s camp), Reyes, or any of the forgettable AAAA guys thrown out there who probably collectively hit below the Mendoza Line. There’s likely going to be some OF experiments, which for me don’t feel as perilous. Did anyone give Murphy or Duda much chance at playing in the taller grass? I think McNeil, as a superior athlete (played SS in college, I believe) can adapt. JD Davis has played there. Could Lowrie play there? I’d put him there in a jam. Can’t you see him as a Zobrist type?
IMHO, the Mets are better, or significantly better in every position vs. last year, they have minimized dead weight, have seem to be more bulletproof against the inevitable injuries and have 66.67% of a killer 7/8/9 inning BP troika. Can Lugo or Gsellman handle the 7th? That’s a pretty good bet.
There’s some tuning to do – no doubt they could use a legit CF who can swing a bat. If Frazier and Lagares don’t make it to PSL, that would be fine by me and perhaps they can be packaged with a Ceccini or a Smith for a serviceable relief pitcher or some low-level prospects.
Big questions for me are:
Can Chili Davis’ “contact” strategy reduce the Ks of Nimmo and Broxton and increase the OBP of Rosario?
Who is Alonso? Is he a Kris Bryant? 🙂 Or a Joey Gallo. 🙁
Can Vargas give 1/2 a decent season again, like he’s done for the past 3 or so? Can someone step up and be a serviceable 5th? Seems like I read that the signed a LHP who was a decent starter for the Phillies a few years ago and now throws in relief?
There are a LOT of moves this off-season. The off-season feels a LOT different to me. I struggle to find common ground with those saying, “this is the same old Mets” or that BVW doesn’t know what he’s doing. (He might, but Im going to give him a couple of seasons to see how his chessboard is coming together.)
I also meant to write that I am personally very jazzed about this season and think that the Mets have a strong chance to play into Oct. I believe that they had the best record in the NL East from July through September.
30 days til PACR!
🙂 Thank you Bull. Also:
+1 on your synopsis.
Wow! The Mets take on $100 million of Cano’s contract, offer Grandal $56 – $60 MM, spend an additional $59 million on 3 other of the best free agents out there, and they are the “typical cost-cutting, short sighted” Mets? Gimme a break. The Wilpons are showing a willingness to spend in order to win, and you complain?
Oh, and BTW, Grandal turned us down, and then went on to sign a much inferior offer of 1 year/$18.75 million, and you say we should have signed him. This team is already a far cry better than last year’s and I don’t believe Van Wagenen is done. Time will tell, but cut Brodie some slack as he goes about doing his work.
I agree with you Herb.
@Herb, I agree with your post wholeheartedly. I think that there was an underlying frugality there beneath the headlines. They took on Cano’s salary, but got $20 mil cash with it. The dumped two high end bad contracts in Swarzak and Bruce. And with Diaz they saved themselves the full cost of a high end closer for the next four years,,,$15-20 per year?
You know, I’ll stop you right now about talking Age and All Stars, but obviously you have had serious chops to rise to that level of performance and respect in your profession.
All Stars we have added:
Diaz
Lowrie
Cano
Ramos
Hector Santiago
Familia
Joining:
Frazier
Conforto
Thor
deGrom
Vargas
Yo-C
Who else? Lagares had a GG.
Twelve. So by one measure, guys that have actually had success, not just prospects.
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