OT: Official Mets' 2024 Thread (p. 19)

[knicks94]

It will be interesting to see how the Mets will handle this season with their players going down like flies. An owner can spend so much on trying to build a championship roster before things backfire on him.

[HarthorneWingo]

And no more all star games.

[Luv those Knicks]

It will be interesting to see how the Mets will handle this season with their players going down like flies. An owner can spend so much on trying to build a championship roster before things backfire on him.

down like flies? One injury. Down like a fly . . . perhaps.

Marte might miss opening day, I don't think he's played a spring training game yet, but at his age he's expected to miss some games. He played 118 last year, 120 in 2021. I think the Mets plan was to get 110-120 games from him this year.

Quintana might miss some time, but that's why they went 7 deep with starters with Peterson the #6 arm and Megill #7 and several young prospects ready to fill in at 8, 9, 10 etc.

Both of those injuries they had accounted for with depth, though their 4th OF is a little weak, unless they use McNeil in the 4th OF role and use Escobar to cover a fair bit at 2nd base.

So, both those injuries were covered with depth. Diaz however, has been a work horse never having missed significant time, so that was an unfortunate injury.

So, what will the Mets do . . . players, sorry, player (one), to miss the season. It hurts, but MLB insures WBC injuries, so Cohen has a bit more money to spend to try to address the hole in the bullpen. All 30 teams deal with injuries.

[2010]

It will be interesting to see how the Mets will handle this season with their players going down like flies. An owner can spend so much on trying to build a championship roster before things backfire on him.

down like flies? One injury. Down like a fly . . . perhaps.

Marte might miss opening day, I don't think he's played a spring training game yet, but at his age he's expected to miss some games. He played 118 last year, 120 in 2021. I think the Mets plan was to get 110-120 games from him this year.

Quintana might miss some time, but that's why they went 7 deep with starters with Peterson the #6 arm and Megill #7 and several young prospects ready to fill in at 8, 9, 10 etc.

Both of those injuries they had accounted for with depth, though their 4th OF is a little weak, unless they use McNeil in the 4th OF role and use Escobar to cover a fair bit at 2nd base.

So, both those injuries were covered with depth. Diaz however, has been a work horse never having missed significant time, so that was an unfortunate injury.

So, what will the Mets do . . . players, sorry, player (one), to miss the season. It hurts, but MLB insures WBC injuries, so Cohen has a bit more money to spend to try to address the hole in the bullpen. All 30 teams deal with injuries.

Marte is not even a concern. He’s played several games this spring. Even after getting beaned in the ear flap.

[2010]

It will be interesting to see how the Mets will handle this season with their players going down like flies. An owner can spend so much on trying to build a championship roster before things backfire on him.

So investing in your team equates to bad luck? That’s really the narrative you’re running with? Sounds like saltiness to me.

[knicks94]

It will be interesting to see how the Mets will handle this season with their players going down like flies. An owner can spend so much on trying to build a championship roster before things backfire on him.

So investing in your team equates to bad luck? That’s really the narrative you’re running with? Sounds like saltiness to me.

You're calling me salty after I was one of the posters who gave you the most props on your contributions to that Knicks podcast you were a part of a couple of years ago. WOW!

And as far as the Mets go, I am not salty whatsoever as the Mets winning or losing doesn't affect me emotionally. My argument is that a team's owner can spend so much money and end up having nothing to show for it for a variety of reasons including injuries to key players.

[2010]

It will be interesting to see how the Mets will handle this season with their players going down like flies. An owner can spend so much on trying to build a championship roster before things backfire on him.

So investing in your team equates to bad luck? That’s really the narrative you’re running with? Sounds like saltiness to me.

You're calling me salty after I was one of the posters who gave you the most props on your contributions to that Knicks podcast you were a part of a couple of years ago. WOW!

And as the Mets go, I am not salty whatsoever as the Mets winning or losing doesn't affect me emotionally. My argument is that a team's owner can spend so much money and end up having nothing to show for it for a variety of reasons including injuries to key players.

Respect for the support on the cast. This back & forth doesn’t diminish that.

The tone of your comment came off as if you have an issue with the money Cohen invests in the team. Not sure if you’re a Mets fan or not but after enduring the Wilpons, Cohen and his wallet is a breath of fresh air.

[Luv those Knicks]

Marte is not even a concern. He’s playing several games this spring. Even after getting beaned in the ear flap.

That shows how carefully I've been watching. My info was dated.

Nimmo might have a small injury and I missed that when I posted, but he's often missing time though. 92 games in 2021. 69 in 2019. Yikes.

You hope for health, but the Mets kind of need a 4th OF with the way 2 of their 3 starters tend to miss games. Dom Smith was supposed to be that guy last year but he stopped hitting. I don't know if they'll go with Escobar at 2nd and Baty at 3rd, with Guillorme there for defense a bunch of games to use McNeil in the OF, but that's an option. McNeil is prone to missing games too. 133 in 2019, 120 in 2021. Granted, he didn't hit well in 2021, so some of those might have been days off when he was healthy.

Losing Diaz hurts, but I liked Steve Cohen's response. He told Diaz that he'd help him get back to being heathy any way he can. That was a cool response.

Mauricio is waiting for an opportunity and Vientos is too if they need someone at 1B or DH. (I assume Vientos can play occasional 1B, but maybe they go with Vogelbach or someone else?) They don't have a top OF prospect ready to go however.

I'm still looking forward to the season.

[HarthorneWingo]

Marte is not even a concern. He’s playing several games this spring. Even after getting beaned in the ear flap.

That shows how carefully I've been watching. My info was dated.

Nimmo might have a small injury and I missed that when I posted, but he's often missing time though. 92 games in 2021. 69 in 2019. Yikes.

You hope for health, but the Mets kind of need a 4th OF with the way 2 of their 3 starters tend to miss games. Dom Smith was supposed to be that guy last year but he stopped hitting. I don't know if they'll go with Escobar at 2nd and Baty at 3rd, with Guillorme there for defense a bunch of games to use McNeil in the OF, but that's an option. McNeil is prone to missing games too. 133 in 2019, 120 in 2021. Granted, he didn't hit well in 2021, so some of those might have been days off when he was healthy.

Losing Diaz hurts, but I liked Steve Cohen's response. He told Diaz that he'd help him get back to being heathy any way he can. That was a cool response.

Mauricio is waiting for an opportunity and Vientos is too if they need someone at 1B or DH. (I assume Vientos can play occasional 1B, but maybe they go with Vogelbach or someone else?) They don't have a top OF prospect ready to go however.

I'm still looking forward to the season.

DJ STEWART FOLKS!!!!!!!! DJ STEWART!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Read on Twitter

[HarthorneWingo]

If we want to bring Bat, Mauricio, and DJ up north with the big team to start the season (I think they each have earned it), then - and correct me if I’m wrong - a move or two has to be made. I would think Canha could probably be moved for some relief pitching help.

[Luv those Knicks]

If we want to bring Bat, Mauricio, and DJ up north with the big team to start the season (I think they each have earned it), then - and correct me if I’m wrong - a move or two has to be made. I would think Canha could probably be moved for some relief pitching help.

Mauricio is on the 40. DJ is not. Mauricio almost certainly starts in AAA. It doesn't matter that he's crushing spring training. He hasn't spent a day in AAA yet and he doesn't have the plate disciplin of, say, Brett Baty, where they might trust him to figure out MLB pitching. Mauricio still has upside, but I'd be very surprised if he makes the opening day roster. He could get called up if there's an injury to Lindor, where maybe they give him a look, but he's likely going to start in AAA and spend some time there.

He's comparable to Amed Rosario in terms of pitch recognition weakness and chasing pitches. No 2 players are exactly the same. Rosario hit for higher average in the minors, Mauricio hits for more power, but they have similar concerns of not being ready for MLB pitching and Rosario, despite crushing the minors, still struggles some in the majors.

DJ Stewart is interesting. I had to look him up. I'd forgotten about him. Good plate discipline, draws walks, some pop in his bat. OK against righties, weak against lefties, so he's better in a platoon role. Kind of a less good version of Daniel Vogelbach, who probably plays corner OF instead of 1B. Similar, low average, good power, good walks, lefty like Vogelbach, but hasn't been as good.

Stewart has some upside, and he probably gets a look if there's an opening in one of the corner OF spots, but he would require a roster move. Roster moves aren't a big deal and the Mets have a few guys they picked up off waivers that they could try to slip through when rosters are crowded, before the season and long-term disabled list starts.

That said, I wouldn't put too much stock in spring training numbers.

If you want to feel depressed, look up how well Endy Rodriguez is doing. He hit .377 over the 2nd half of last season, mostly in AA for the Pirates system. The mets gave him up for Joey Lucchesi. Yuck. Lucchesi was OK in 2021, injured in 2022 and might be OK, but Endy is a legit prospect. Higher ranked than Mauricio. Endy could see majors this year. Maybe not till late, but he's an exciting player.

One thing Mauricio has going for him is his age. He's still 21, almost 22. That's very young.

Pete Crow Armstrong is another prospect they gave up in trade, for the Javier Baez rental and 2 years of Trevor Williams.

Interestingly, the trade that got the most heat was Kelenic for Diaz (and some washed up player named Robinson Cano). . . Kelenic has struggled despite being an absolute stud in the minors. He could still figure things out though. Diaz has been a stud. Cano . . . well, not so much.

I'm grateful that Steve Cohen has gone on record saying he's reluctant to trade prospects. He did make several trades last trade deadline, but that was mostly fringe 40 man roster players, and he used that to his advantage picking up like 8 or 10 players on waivers this off-season. Moves like Colin Holderman for Vogelbach get criticized by some, cause Holderman was pitching well out of the pen and had years of control, while Vogelback is a one tool player who's best position is platoon DH, but the fact is, that trade benefited the Mets in the final 2 months of the season.

The Darin Ruf trade . . . not so much, but they didn't give up that much to get him. 3 fringe players and JD Davis, who was struggling, but found his stroke after being traded. It was an overpay, but we'll see if anyone they gave up for Ruf steps up in the coming seasons. Zwack & Seymore were interesting pitching depth in the minors, so, that a trade Steve probably wishes he could undo. JD Davis strikes out too much and he's the model of inconsistency, but he could still put together a solid season or three going forward. Time will tell.

That said, there's a world of difference between trading Zwacks & Seymores and giving up on a player who's struggling (like JD Davis or Dom Smith - who they tried to trade but had no takers) and trading a young first round pick, 4-5 tool CF prospect like Crow-Armstrong. That was a mistake, to try to make a push for the playoffs and I think Steve realizes that. I'd give up 10 Zwacks & Seymores before I give up 1 Pete Crow-Armstrong.

I approve of Cohen's approach, hold onto key prospects, empty the 40 man roster of fringe players to other teams eager for years of control, and spend money in free agency. DJ, even though he was a minor league signing, not a waiver pickup, was a good move.

That doesn't mean he'll see majors much this year, or even that he'll stick with the Mets, but he was a solid pickup all the same. Very low cost and not currently on the roster.

Too long?

[HarthorneWingo]

If we want to bring Bat, Mauricio, and DJ up north with the big team to start the season (I think they each have earned it), then - and correct me if I’m wrong - a move or two has to be made. I would think Canha could probably be moved for some relief pitching help.

Mauricio is on the 40. DJ is not. Mauricio almost certainly starts in AAA. It doesn't matter that he's crushing spring training. He hasn't spent a day in AAA yet and he doesn't have the plate disciplin of, say, Brett Baty, where they might trust him to figure out MLB pitching. Mauricio still has upside, but I'd be very surprised if he makes the opening day roster. He could get called up if there's an injury to Lindor, where maybe they give him a look, but he's likely going to start in AAA and spend some time there.

He's comparable to Amed Rosario in terms of pitch recognition weakness and chasing pitches. No 2 players are exactly the same. Rosario hit for higher average in the minors, Mauricio hits for more power, but they have similar concerns of not being ready for MLB pitching and Rosario, despite crushing the minors, still struggles some in the majors.

DJ Stewart is interesting. I had to look him up. I'd forgotten about him. Good plate discipline, draws walks, some pop in his bat. OK against righties, weak against lefties, so he's better in a platoon role. Kind of a less good version of Daniel Vogelbach, who probably plays corner OF instead of 1B. Similar, low average, good power, good walks, lefty like Vogelbach, but hasn't been as good.

Stewart has some upside, and he probably gets a look if there's an opening in one of the corner OF spots, but he would require a roster move. Roster moves aren't a big deal and the Mets have a few guys they picked up off waivers that they could try to slip through when rosters are crowded, before the season and long-term disabled list starts.

That said, I wouldn't put too much stock in spring training numbers.

If you want to feel depressed, look up how well Endy Rodriguez is doing. He hit .377 over the 2nd half of last season, mostly in AA for the Pirates system. The mets gave him up for Joey Lucchesi. Yuck. Lucchesi was OK in 2021, injured in 2022 and might be OK, but Endy is a legit prospect. Higher ranked than Mauricio. Endy could see majors this year. Maybe not till late, but he's an exciting player.

One thing Mauricio has going for him is his age. He's still 21, almost 22. That's very young.

Pete Crow Armstrong is another prospect they gave up in trade, for the Javier Baez rental and 2 years of Trevor Williams.

Interestingly, the trade that got the most heat was Kelenic for Diaz (and some washed up player named Robinson Cano). . . Kelenic has struggled despite being an absolute stud in the minors. He could still figure things out though. Diaz has been a stud. Cano . . . well, not so much.

I'm grateful that Steve Cohen has gone on record saying he's reluctant to trade prospects. He did make several trades last trade deadline, but that was mostly fringe 40 man roster players, and he used that to his advantage picking up like 8 or 10 players on waivers this off-season. Moves like Colin Holderman for Vogelbach get criticized by some, cause Holderman was pitching well out of the pen and had years of control, while Vogelback is a one tool player who's best position is platoon DH, but the fact is, that trade benefited the Mets in the final 2 months of the season.

The Darin Ruf trade . . . not so much, but they didn't give up that much to get him. 3 fringe players and JD Davis, who was struggling, but found his stroke after being traded. It was an overpay, but we'll see if anyone they gave up for Ruf steps up in the coming seasons. Zwack & Seymore were interesting pitching depth in the minors, so, that a trade Steve probably wishes he could undo. JD Davis strikes out too much and he's the model of inconsistency, but he could still put together a solid season or three going forward. Time will tell.

That said, there's a world of difference between trading Zwacks & Seymores and giving up on a player who's struggling (like JD Davis or Dom Smith - who they tried to trade but had no takers) and trading a young first round pick, 4-5 tool CF prospect like Crow-Armstrong. That was a mistake, to try to make a push for the playoffs and I think Steve realizes that. I'd give up 10 Zwacks & Seymores before I give up 1 Pete Crow-Armstrong.

I approve of Cohen's approach, hold onto key prospects, empty the 40 man roster of fringe players to other teams eager for years of control, and spend money in free agency. DJ, even though he was a minor league signing, not a waiver pickup, was a good move.

That doesn't mean he'll see majors much this year, or even that he'll stick with the Mets, but he was a solid pickup all the same. Very low cost and not currently on the roster.

Too long?

Nah.

Getting back to DJ Stewart, wasn’t he a number 1 draft pick? Maybe he’s finally figured things out. Who’s our 4th OF right now? I think Eppler has to go get us another closer to replace Díaz.

[Luv those Knicks]

Nah.

Getting back to DJ Stewart, wasn’t he a number 1 draft pick? Maybe he’s finally figured things out. Who’s our 4th OF right now? I think Eppler has to go get us another closer to replace Díaz.

First round, not #1 overall. He was picked #25 in 2015.

Other #25 picks of note, Chuck Knobloch and Mike Trout.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/draft/?overall_pick=25&draft_type=junreg&query_type=overall_pick&from_type_jc=0&from_type_hs=0&from_type_4y=0&from_type_unk=0

I agree there's some upside there. Some tools, which, if they can be improved upon, could turn into a nice player. He'll never be fast or a good fielder, so it's all about whether he can improve his contact rate and raise his batting average. It's theoretically possible that the new shift rules will benefit him more than an average player.

[Luv those Knicks]

Not Mets related, but I liked Mark Appel's series of tweets after being released by Philly. He wasn't bad last year in a brief reliever role. He was bad this spring and that lead to his release.

I'm guessing another team will give him a try on a minor league deal.

Read on Twitter

?s=46&t=tuzwZ_8REtJV2y_YWZ7Wqw

[blueNorange]

Read on Twitter

?s=20

[Luv those Knicks]

Just for fun, and along the DJ Stewart praise theme:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/2023-mets-king-of-spring-training-update-3/ar-AA18RAo4?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=43d634bfe9d64e69931f8fbc86472b17&ei=8

Baty could be fun this year. They have 2 third basemen, but that's a good problem to have.

I like that they're giving Vientos lots of ABs. He could step into the Darin Ruf spot if Ruf struggles again.

and, while it's perhaps a long shot, top 100 prospects who make the opening day roster and win rookie of the year, get their team a first round pick. Baty will probably be the only one who could fill that role. Alvarez is expected to open in AAA and Senga could win ROY but he wouldn't count towards that bonus.

[HarthorneWingo]

The bNo jinx strikes again

https://www.amazinavenue.com/2023/3/22/23651801/mets-option-francisco-alvarez-to-triple-a-syracuse-narvaez-nido-meyer-catcher

The Mets have optioned top prospect Francisco Álvarez to Triple-A Syracuse and have reassigned Nick Meyer to minor league camp. Neither catcher is expected to start the season with the big-league team.

After making his debut for the Mets last September, Álvarez has struggled in Spring Training, slashing .107/.194/.107 while not registering an extra-base hit in 31 plate appearances. Meyer hasn’t fared much better in limited action, going 1-for-8 with two walks and five strikeouts this Spring.

Since the Mets retained Tomás Nido and signed Omar Narváez in the offseason, developing Álvarez as the team's starting catcher for 2023 became less of a priority. Álvarez entered Spring Training looking to demonstrate improvement behind the plate, and while his defense looked good, his offense didn’t convince anyone a major-league promotion was imminent.

Still MLB’s third-ranked prospect for 2023, Mets fans should still expect Álvarez to join the big league club later in the season, especially if the team is looking for more production from a right-handed designated hitter. And if one of Narváez or Nido gets hurt, the club has an exciting future waiting for them in Syracuse.

[Luv those Knicks]

Alvarez hit .260 last year in AA/AAA and .272 the year before, so he's not projected to be a high average guy. Power over average, which, as a catcher, is fine. He drew 70 walks in the minors last year and they say his glove looked improved, so it's fine, especially over a small sample size. He's also really young. He's the type of hitter who could hit .220 and still be an all-star if everything breaks right.

Another article I read, the Mets might want Baty to play every day which could mean starting in AAA for him as well. Vientos could see majors for game 1, but . . . time will tell.

In other news, Mets sign Dylan Bundy to a minor league deal. I'm guessing he has an opt-out if not called up by May 1st or May 15th or something, but this is a solid depth move. He's not taking a roster spot and Bundy is a solid, if unspectacular pitcher. He can fill the #5 role as a starter just fine.

He's Homer prone, but Citi field should help him with that a little bit. He's made 162 starts in the last 8 years, so getting him on a minor league deal, as depth, is a solid move. Former #4 overall pick, so maybe there's some upside there, but after 8 years in the majors, I think what we've seen is what there is.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bundydy01.shtml

[HarthorneWingo]

So Mauricio, Alvarez, and so Baty will all be back in AAA. I don’t have a problem with that. I guess we’ll see how Escobar begins the year at 3B. If he gets off to another horrible start, then we could see Baty or Mauricio, whoever’s swinging the bat better, brought up.

As for Alvarez, he better be more than a .220 hitter if he’s the best no. 1 prospect in all of baseball. I guess he could be brought up to be the RH DH if the others don’t work by the end of May.

What’s up with Megill? He’s been walking a ton of hitters lately.

[2010]

So Mauricio, Alvarez, and so Baty will all be back in AAA. I don’t have a problem with that. I guess we’ll see how Escobar begins the year at 3B. If he gets off to another horrible start, then we could see Baty or Mauricio, whoever’s swinging the bat better, brought up.

As for Alvarez, he better be more than a .220 hitter if he’s the best no. 1 prospect in all of baseball. I guess he could be brought up to be the RH DH if the others don’t work by the end of May.

What’s up with Megill? He’s been walking a ton of hitters lately.

Don’t forget about Vientos too.