Toronto Or New York, Where Will Springer Fit Best?

Author: Oliver Lang

Editor: Brian Symons

Less than 100 days until the MLB season is scheduled to start, and many of the biggest free agents in the game are still up for grabs. George Springer is one of those few and is considered by many as a top 3 center fielder in all of baseball. At 31 years old, he is a career .270 hitter with 174 homeruns, 53 of which came from his last 2 seasons. Not only has he hit for huge power in the last two seasons, but he’s been able to get on base more than most. In 2019 he had what many would consider the best year of his career, in which he slashed a .292/.383/.591 average in Houston. In the field he isn’t too bad either. While he may not have the greatest outfield ability, he is still a plus defender who can potentially save a lot of runs.

These top performance statistics would majorly improve the two teams still very interested in George, the Blue Jays and the Mets. Toronto has a young team of potential stars, and they have just been getting better and better recently, and the Mets have made many moves to become a serious playoff contender with the new ownership of Steve Cohen, along with the moves they’ve made since his taking over. The Mets would probably have the biggest benefit from acquiring Springer as a continuation of the other moves they’ve made this offseason. Brandon Nimmo is the current center fielder for the Mets and he is a great player—in fact he is one of the top right fielders in baseball, but not the top among center fielders.For the MLB percentile ranking he is the 2 percentile for outs above average, compared to George Springer’s 69th percentile. This along with his lower batting statistics make it clear he should not be in that position.

George Springer knows he is one of the top players in baseball, even with the 2017 season, and so he wants the high money figures for his service. He wanted a deal worth $175 million, which he isn’t going to get, but he could still manage a 9 figure deal closer to $100 million from both the Blue Jays and Mets. It is estimated that Toronto has offered him a 5 year $115 million deal, and the Mets have also offered a 9 figure deal, though it is not yet known what that number is. Considering all of this, it is clear a deal will be happening soon.

Springer has said that he would like to play closer to his hometown in Connecticut, which New York is close to and Toronto most definitely is not. This, along with the money, the powerhouse-type of team the Mets have assembled with Francisco Lindor, Jacob deGrom and the rest of the Metropolitans, and the Blue Jays’ deal being just barely over $100 million all seem to point to one thing—that the New York Mets are the clear best fit for the 3 time All-Star George Springer.

SPORTS ARE OUR UNIVERSE

There's A New King of Queens

Author: Jordan Plompen

Editor: Brian Symons

The day New York Mets fans have been hoping for all offseason finally happened in the early morning hours of January 7th. Newly appointed owner Steve Cohen, who happens to have a net worth of 14 billion dollars, cashed in on his promise of increasing payroll to improve the team by acquiring Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco from Cleveland. There you have it folks. Lindor, nicknamed Mr. Smile, is taking his arguably best personality in the game to the Big Apple. It is a fit that is almost too perfect for one of the type-A persona’s in baseball, without even quantifying what his skillset on the field will bring to the team. Oh, and in the trade the Mets just so happened to pick up a pretty good starting pitcher in Carrasco, whose numbers speak for themselves throughout his career and happens to be well liked from a personality standpoint in the game as well. Ever since Jared Porter, (also newly appointed), general manager of the Mets was hired by Cohen, the Mets have taken over the baseball buzz around New York, with the resigning of Marcus Stroman due to the qualifying offer and the signings of reliever Trevor May and catcher James McCann earlier this offseason. Especially considering the fact that the cross town rival New York Yankees were known to be floating around the idea of a Francisco Lindor trade as well. Could this be the spark the Mets have been searching for since their last World Series title in 1986? We shall soon find out.

The six player swap sending Lindor to Queens included Carrasco as aforementioned, with New York sending Amed Rosario, Andres Giminez, and prospects Josh Wolf and Isaiah Greene to Cleveland. From the viewpoint of Cleveland, they are not a big market team. Plain and simple. This fact means if they had pulled the trigger on a Lindor mega-extension, he would have most likely been a part of the tribe for life. However, the cost of making that move would have caused a ripple effect throughout the organization, making it nearly impossible to build a contending team around him. These facts lead to the eventual decision by Cleveland to deal their trademark superstar in order to save money and try to get the best haul in return as possible. Comparing the salaries the major league ready players are projected for in 2021, (Lindor 19.5 million, Carrasco 12 million, and Rosario 2.2 million), it is easy to see why Cleveland made the move they did. With billionaire Steve Cohen buying the Metropolitans earlier in the offseason, it made the decision for New York to take on the money of the Lindor and Carrasco contracts easier as well.

Lindor and Carrasco will both be projected to be key pieces in the hopeful 2021 World Series run in Queens. However, they were both included in the trade for significantly different reasons. I’ll break down how each player will make their own impact on the team individually, starting with Carlos Carrasco. Carrasco, nicknamed “Cookie” throughout the sport, has been through more ups and downs as of late than the average MLB player. Diagnosed with Leukemia in June 2019, Carrasco had much more to focus on other than stepping onto the mound every fifth day the remainder of the season. After recovering and being able to pitch the final month of the 2019 season, Cookie was named the American League comeback player of the year for the season. To dive deeper into the performance aspect of Carrasco, his numbers speak for themselves. Since becoming a key part of Cleveland’s greatly perceived rotation from 2014 on, excluding the blip in the radar that was 2019, Cookie has averaged an ERA of 3.61, a WHIP of 1.11, and a 10.18 K/9, with his best ERA since splitting time in 2014 as a reliever and starter coming in at 2.91 in the covid-19 shortened 2020 season. Although only starting one postseason game each year he was in the rotation in Cleveland and they made the playoffs, he has been solid then as well. In three career postseason games, he has gone past the five inning mark twice, while also having given up two runs or fewer twice. While the experience is not much, experience is experience when pitching in a postseason atmosphere, which is an expectation I’m sure Carrasco has after seeing how aggressive Steve Cohen has been this offseason in trying to improve an already solid Mets team. Carrasco also does not have to go over to New York and be the immediate ace of the starting staff. Realistically Carrasco will slide in around the three spot in the rotation, behind Jacob deGrom and Marcus Stroman and in front of Steven Matz and David Peterson( and Noah Syndergaard when he returns from injury). His role will not change much from what it was previously in Cleveland, and any statistics produced by Carrasco that are better than expected will be a sight for sore eyes in Queens. With Carrasco being under contract through 2023, Mets fans should get used to seeing Cookie do his thing on the mound in the Big Apple 25-30 times a year.

Now, for Mr. Smile. It is pretty close to a guarantee that if you are a fan of Major League Baseball, no matter how young or old, you know who Francisco Lindor is. A stud prospect who budded into an absolute superstar before our eyes in Cleveland, there was nothing not to like about the shortstop. From his abilities on the field, to his clutch postseason moments, to his all star game red carpet outfits, hair included, and to his contagious smile( where the nickname came from), we have watched Frankie Lindor grow up since his first game as a member of the tribe. Suddenly, after the trade to the Mets, it seems as if his entire career has culminated to this point for the purpose of being the face of New York baseball, alongside cross town rival superstar Aaron Judge, in a similar way that David Wright and Derek Jeter were the faces of New York baseball earlier in the 2000s, with the ultimate goal of winning at least the 2021 World Series in Queens. Obviously Mets’ fans would love to see Steve Cohen open the bank on an extension for Lindor before he even plays a game for the orange and blue, (which I’m sure is a work and progress), with this most likely giving New York multiple chances at multiple world championships for years to come and make Lindor a monumental face in New York sports. However with the aftermath of the trade still in the premature stages, it may be too soon to spin the tires on the potential of this hopeful reality. For now, Mets fans will have to settle for the one season of Lindor and hope Cohen sticks to his word of backing up truck to get Lindor to stay in New York long term. And hey, a World Series title in his first year in Queens could go a long way in convincing Lindor that New York is the place for him.

Now looking at the trade purely from a numbers standpoint, there aren’t many shortstops in the game today that are even comparable to Lindor. He is a perennial MVP candidate, and quite honestly one of the best all around players in the sport. Since his first full season with the tribe in 2015, excluding the shortened 2020 season, Lindor has averaged 26 home runs, a .290 batting average, a .839 OPS, 19 stolen bases, and 77 RBI. These numbers are right around or well above the best shortstops in the game, and even the best overall players when they are put together into a singular player profile. Aside from the offensive numbers, Lindor also offers an immense upgrade when it comes to the defensive side of the ball. Amed Rosario and Andres Giminez were the primary shortstops for the Mets in 2020. At the shortstop position, they combined for a .984 fielding percentage compared to a .995 fielding percentage from Lindor, -2 defensive runs saved compared to Lindor’s +2 defensive runs saved, and the projected numbers for defensive runs saved in a full season would have been even farther apart, with Rosario/Giminez at -4 and Lindor being projected at +5. Although their fielding percentages aren’t that far apart, Lindor is still ahead, and having positive defensive runs saved numbers compared to negative are a significant upgrade. With the upcoming 162-game suspension of veteran second baseman Robinson Cano being announced earlier this offseason, it is expected that Jeff McNeil will take over the majority of the second base duties for the Mets this year. With the defensive versatility from McNeil replacing the declining defense of Cano, this should only improve both the defense from Lindor and the entire Mets ballclub. Professionals say the key to successful team defense starts directly up the middle, and one way or another New York improved theirs with the signing of James McCann behind the plate, the trade to acquire Francisco Lindor to play shortstop, the subsequent movement of Jeff McNeil to second base due to the Cano suspension, and the return of Brandon Nimmo to play centerfield after a season mired by injuries.

Lindor will automatically become a leader in the Mets clubhouse. His performance on the field speaks for itself. As a native of Puerto Rico, with the ability to speak both Spanish and English, he will have the unique opportunity to communicate with teammates and coaches differently than other players may get the chance to. His charismatic attitude towards wanting to be the best player, teammate, and World Series champion he can be will get pushed onto his teammates. And don’t be surprised if you see every player, coach, executive, and fan involved with the Mets gallivanting around Queens with a smile similar to that for which Francisco Lindor walks around with on a daily basis. This move is a monumental trade in the history of the Metropolitans organization, and will become even more so if Steve Cohen is able to convince Lindor that Queens is the right place for him to spend the rest of his baseball playing career. Speaking on behalf of Mets fans all around the world, they most certainly want this trade to go down in history as the acquisitions of Mike Piazza, Johan Santana, Kieth Hernandez, and Gary Carter did, with the latter two being key pieces of the Mets World Series victory over the Boston Red Sox in seven games in 1986. If Carlos Carassco pitches even slightly below his average performance over the last six seasons, and Francisco Lindor is simply Francisco Lindor, the Mets will be a scary team to face. And who knows? With Steve Cohen and the Mets still reportedly being involved in contract talks with free agent outfielder George Springer, they may not be finished making moves this winter. There’s a new King in Queens in 2021. Some know him as Francisco Lindor, others as Frankie Lindor. His fanbase will know him as the King who brought smiles to the people of Queens again.

SPORTS ARE OUR UNIVERSE

World Series or Bust in San Diego

Author: Jordan Plompen

Fans of the San Diego Padres were treated to some belated holiday surprises this year from general manager AJ Preller. Right around December 28th, the rumors first started to surface that the Padres were close to acquiring Blake Snell from the Tampa Bay Rays. Now a little over a week later, this rumor turned reality was seemingly only the beginning. After this trade was made official, the Padres had two more moves up their sleeves. Although many other teams were involved in the sweepstakes for signing Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) superstar Ha-Seong Kim, it would be San Diego coming out on top. Before the friar faithful even had a chance to digest these two moves, Preller wasted no time finalizing a trade that would send Yu Darvish(along with his “personal catcher”) to the pacific southwest from the Cubs. With all three acquisitions being made official before the year changed to 2021, Padres fans sure had a lot to celebrate while ringing in the New Year late December 31st.

Because each acquisition involved many factors and moving pieces, I’ll break each one down individually in the order they were made, starting with Blake Snell. Rays fans may be hard pressed to forgive their upper level management in the near future for this trade. The utter confusion that arose the last time Snell was seen on a baseball field in a Rays uniform was in Game 6 of the 2020 World Series. Snell was arguably pitching the best game he had all season, shutting down a potent Los Angeles Dodgers lineup, when in the opinion of many he was prematurely taken out of the game, leading to a bullpen implosion from Tampa Bay and an eventual Dodgers World Series victory. As the anger of fans across the country mounted, as well as the visible frustration from Blake Snell, it became apparent that trading the left handed ace may not have been out of the question. As it turns out, Snell will now be one of several number one pitchers rounding out an excellent starting staff in San Diego. Snell is just three years removed from winning the AL Cy Young award with the Rays back in 2018, where he went 21-5 with a 1.89 ERA. With 2019 being an injury mired blip on the radar, Snell came back looking more like the Cy Young winner many view him as in the shortened 2020 season. Although the trade required San Diego to see three prospects, (Luis Patino, Cole Wilcox, Blake Hunt), and formerly ranked catching prospect Francisco Mejia to St. Pete, management felt it will level out with the reward of having Blake Snell bolster the rotation. Aside from the performance standpoint, Snell is also known to have a big personality in the game today. With his ability to connect with fans over twitch, a streaming service that allows people to watch Snell play certain video games, he already has a different relationship with fans than other players. Joining the swag that came from Padres superstars Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, and Trent Grisham in 2020, Snell will be in his element. Nicknamed “Slam Diego” in 2020, the friars may need a more pitcher friendly tag in 2021. With the disgruntled ending to his career spent in Tampa Bay, as well as the imminent energy he will bring to the clubhouse, Snell will most certainly have a chip on his shoulder as he looks to be a key piece in bringing the first World Series title in franchise history to San Diego.

Most likely seen by many as a more under the radar move than the Snell trade, San Diego wasted no time after acquiring Blake Snell in the signing of South Korean infielder Ha-Seong Kim during his posting period out of the KBO. The deal is for four years, $28-million that could reach $32-million with incentives including plate appearances, with a mutual option for the 2025 season. Although aforementioned as an under the radar move compared to acquiring Blake Snell, this was meant for the more casual baseball fan. Anyone who is familiar with Kim knows he was a top infielder in this years’ free agent class. Since becoming a full time shortstop in the KBO six years ago, Kim averaged 22 home runs, a .296 batting average, a .868 OPS, and 22 stolen bases while averaging 139 games out of a 144 game KBO season each year. Although certain if not all numbers may have a slight decrease when translated to the competition of Major League Baseball, they are still projected to be above average compared to middle infielders around the league. This is especially the case with the expectation being that Kim will play second base for the friars, with Fernando Tatis Jr. occupying the shortstop position. While it is not the usual to move someone with Kim’s defensive prowess to a different position, (winner of the KBO gold glove award from 2018-2020 at shortstop), there was a zero percent chance GM AJ Preller would have decided to move Tatis Jr. to second base and put Kim at shortstop. If anything this will allow the transition of moving from the KBO to the MLB easier for Kim, and may even increase his defensive numbers playing at an “easier” infield position. Although the signing of Kim leads to moving 2020 NL rookie of the year candidate Jake Cronenworth to the outfield, and in the process crowds the San Diego outfield if the designated hitter is not adopted by the National League in 2021, these are good problems to have. The teams that are the eventual World Series champions each year usually have the best all around team, even with their pinch hitting bench players/righty-lefty matchup bench players. With the over-surplus of major league talent, this seems to be exactly what AJ Preller is thinking with the Ha-Seong Kim signing.

Moving on to the final acquisition made by the Padres in 2020, the deal to acquire Yu Darvish from the Chicago Cubs became official on December 31st. In an era where it seems you can never have enough starting pitching, San Diego is giving their best effort to ensure this problem does not exist for their ballclub. Already having a stellar rotation in 2020 with a combined 3.46 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and 9.6 K/9, and the acquisition of Blake Snell just days before, it can be argued that acquiring Yu Darvish sealed the deal on the Padres having the best rotation in the big leagues in 2021. The specifics of the trade included Yu Darvish and catcher Victor Caratini to San Diego for starter Zach Davies and prospects Reginald Preciado, Owen Caissie, Ismael Mena, and Yeison Santana. To first touch on the trade for Chicago, this was purely a money saving move that also sured up their farm system. Davies did not have the same season as Darvish, but was still solid (7-4 record, 2.73 ERA, 1.067 WHIP, 8.2 K/9) in 12 games started, and will make 8.5 million in 2021 compared to 21 million by Darvish. Now for the Padres side of the deal. Although Caratini did catch other pitchers in Chicago, and even spelled Anthony Rizzo certain days by playing first base, he was more or less Yu Darvish’s personal catcher. Since the Cubs signed Darvish, Caratini has caught 31 of his starts where Darvish has compiled a 2.80 ERA. Anything extra the Padres get out of Caratini offensively will be a bonus, as he and the organization know what his role will most likely be. For the Darvish aspect of the deal, there is way more to dive into than what was said about Caratini. While before 2020 it may have seemed like Darvish’s best years were behind him, he proved many people wrong this past season. After a disaster first season in Chicago mired by injury and an ERA of 4.95 when on the field, Darvish improved to an ERA of 3.98 in 2019, however still nowhere near where the Cubs thought he would be when giving him a large contract. When all hope of the Darvish of years’ past seemed lost, he finished second in Cy Young voting behind Trevor Bauer in 2020. In his Cy Young contending season, Darvish started 12 games and went 8-3 with a 2.01 ERA, a 0.961 WHIP, and 11.0 K/9, close to the best in his career. As a pitcher going into his age 34 season, it can be argued that the Padres are taking a risk by hoping for the same numbers he posted in 2020. However if Darvish pitches somewhere between his 2020 numbers and his 2017 second half numbers with the Dodgers (4-3 record, 3.44 ERA, 1.168 WHIP, 11.1 K/9), the friar faithful will be more than happy with the acquisition, especially because it is not expected that Darvish will carry the rotation on his back considering the other big names that are a part of it.

Another aspect of the Darvish acquisition that should not be overlooked is how Darvish exited the roster of the fellow NL West occupying Los Angeles Dodgers team after a heartbreaking loss to the Houston Astros in Game 7 of the 2017 World Series. Many in the industry, specifically Dodgers fans, were critical of Darvish’s postseason performance after his acquisition by LA in July 2017, especially in the World Series. What these critics did not understand at the time was that Darvish was not just pitching to the Astros, he was pitching to Astros hitters who were smack in the middle of one of the biggest cheating scandals in major league history. This is mentioned not because of an increase in games to be pitched against Houston, but the increase in games to be pitched against Los Angeles. Even though Dodgers fans now understand that what happened in the 2017 World Series wasn’t all Darvish’s fault, and they did finally get their first title since 1988 in 2020, Darvish will now have something to prove pitching for a division rival in the Padres, especially when pitching at Dodgers Stadium, along with the argument present that the Padres-Dodgers rivalry could be the most heated in the game coming into the 2021 season.

Padres fans were deservedly ecstatic with the fact that they returned to the playoffs in 2020, especially considering how many ups and downs Major League Baseball went through this past year due to the pandemic. With these three moves being made official just in time for the new year, (with whispers of a Fernando Tatis Jr. mega extension), it would be difficult to find a Padres fan that thought their team didn’t have a chance to overtake the Dodgers eight year divisional crown and win the NL West. As one of only six remaining organizations to have never won a World Series title, general manager AJ Preller is doing his best to decrease that number to five teams with the hope that the 2021 championship parade will be held in downtown San Diego by the friar faithful.

SPORTS ARE OUR UNIVERSE