What Should Mets do Next?

Author: Frank Caggino

Editor: Brian Symons

After George Springer declined the New York Mets six year 125 million dollar contract, the Mets still have money to spend. This team has more work to do and there are many different ways the team can go about spending the rest of their money before reaching the luxury tax. The areas that should still be addressed is center field defense, bullpen, starting pitching, overall depth, and upgrade at third base. Even though the Mets were unable to get Springer, there are other centerfielders out there.

Even while the Mets were pursuing Springer, there are some Mets fans that prefer the team to sign Jackie Bradley because of the significant differences in contracts and how it would affect the Mets long term. Luckily, Jackie Bradley Jr. is still available and should be someone the Mets try to negotiate with. Bradley is one of the best defensive center fielders in all of baseball and would make a huge difference for this time in the field. Not only would the Mets upgrade their center field defense, but their left field defense would also improve by having Nimmo play left instead of Dom Smith. Bradley is not an automatic out either, as he had a .283 average in 2020 and even though he is a career .239 hitter, he can still have 20 home run seasons. A critique of adding Jackie Bradley is that if there is a designated hitter, the Mets would be too left handed. If that is a major issue for the team, there are available center fielders that are right handed.

Recently the Mets have been linked to Albert Almora Jr. Almora would also be an upgrade defensively in center field. The issue with Almora, is that after he hit a foul ball that hit a two year old fan that caused a brain injury, he has never been the same hitter. Almora can serve as more of a late game defensive replacement instead of an everyday starting center fielder. The decision on Almora would be much easier if the Mets knew if there is going to be a DH or not. There are two more right handed hitting outfielders the Mets could sign in free agency.

Kevin Pillar has put together quality offensive seasons and makes some highlight catches in center field. He should seem like a potential target, however the analytics are not in his favor and show that he has bad first step timing and does not have good burst to cover a lot of ground in center field. The last free agent option is for the Mets to bring back Jake Marisnick. He batted .333 but only played in 12 games. Injuries were a problem for Marisnick in 2020 and he did not make that many great plays in center field during his limited playing time. There are also possible trades to consider such as Kevin Kiermaier, Harrison Bader, Lorenzo Cain, Byron Buxton, and maybe Ramon Laureano. Ultimately Bradley would cost significantly more than Almora or Marisnick which the Mets have to be mindful of since they have other areas to work on.

The Mets looked like they were close to signing Brad Hand, but still are not close since they have not been willing to offer more than a one year deal. Hand would help out this team since he is a perennial All Star and the Mets have had bullpen struggles for multiple years. Brad Hand can help shorten games and allow starting pitchers to only go five innings. The Mets would have a combination of Trevor May, Seth Lugo, Brad Hand, and Edwin Diaz to close out games. Hand is also left handed which the Mets could use since the lefties they have are Daniel Zamora, Jerry Blevins, and Stephen Tarpley. Left handed relievers do not have the value they once did with the three batter minimum rule. However, someone like Hand would help since Bryce Harper, Freddie Freeman, and Juan Soto are all in the National League East. The other left handed relievers on the free agent market is Justin Wilson and Jake McGee. If the Mets are not willing to offer Brad Hand more than a one year deal, other teams will which makes Hand look unlikely. The other reliever the Mets have been connected to is Jeremy Jeffress who had a great 2020, bad 2019, great 2018. Jeffress clearly has upside, but also has risk but should be much cheaper than Brad Hand. There are plenty of good relievers on the market such as Alex Colome, Roberto Ozuna, Keone Kela, Brandon Workman, Ken Giles, and more. The Mets will definitely get a reliever or two but, who is going to be the main question since relievers are volatile and some of them have injury history (Ken Giles and Roberto Ozuna.) What would really take the Mets to the next level is upgrading their starting rotation.

Trevor Bauer is still available and likes Steve Cohen and Sandy Alderson which makes him a potential target. Bauer has a very high asking price, which would not be wise for the Mets to match. The team still needs to extend the contracts of Francisco Lindor, Michael Conforto, and Noah Syndegaard. If Bauer were to lower his price, he has the talent to be a great number two pitcher behind Jacob deGrom. Bauer has been inconsistent in his career, but his upside is very high. The other starting pitcher that has high upside is Taijuan Walker. Walker’s upside is his age compared to the other free agents (Odorizzi, Tanaka, Paxton.) If Walker is healthy which is a big if, he can be a successful starting pitcher. The Mets attended the workouts of James Paxton, Anibal Sanchez, and Julio Teheran. All of these pitchers’ best years are behind them and some of them have health concerns. For the right price one of these veterans on a one year incentive based deal would not be a bad move. The first two options should be Bauer and Walker. The pitcher in the trade market with intrigue is Sonny Gray who is a good pitcher as long as he is not a Yankee. The pitch usage of Gray on the Yankees is much different than the rest of his career which explains why he was not the same pitcher on the Yankees. Gray also has the huge bonus of Eugieno Suarez potentially being dealt with him.

If the Mets do indeed go cheaper in center field with Almora, are unable to get Hand, and Bauer does not lower his asking price, The Suarez and Gray trade becomes a more realistic possibility. The one position the Mets do not have a debatable top 10 offensive player is third base. Gray can be a mid rotation starter that would fit in nicely with what the Mets already have. The Mets have also looked at Enrique Hernandez, who would be a great utility player that can definitely help the team. Even though Kike is a nice player, the Suarez and Gray trade would be a great way to cap off the off season for the New York Mets.

METS ARE OUR UNIVERSE

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

Mr. Smile and Cookie Carrasco Take a Flight to Queens

Author: Spencer Reyes

Editor: Mark Awadallah

On this past Thursday, January 7th, the Cleveland Indians and the New York Mets followed in suit of the Rays and Padres with another offseason, blockbuster trade. The Mets traded away SS Andres Gimenez, SS Amed Rosario, OF Isaiah Greene, and RHP Josh Wolf for SS Francisco Lindor and RHP Carlos Carrasco from Cleveland. This trade caused excitement and anticipation for the 2021 season for Mets fans all over the east coast. These devoted fans have suffered long enough under the Wilpon reign. While doing so, the Mets were still able to keep top prospects, SS Ronny Mauricio and C Francisco Alvarez.

Isaiah Greene, the youngest of the Mets sent over to Cleveland, is 19 years old and was recently drafted by New York in the 2nd round of the 2020 MLB Draft. He was assigned to the GCL Mets, but after the trade, he will play with the AZL Indians Blue team in 2021. The SoCal speedy outfielder was under looked going into the draft but showed his abilities during his playing time with scout teams near his high school. He is a true centerfielder with a high potential to blossom and is expected to debut in 2024. His Mets minor leaguer counterpart, Josh Wolf, was also drafted in the 2nd round, but in 2019. Both prospects are right out of high school in California and Texas, respectively. Wolf played for the GCL Mets in 2019, went 0-1, had a 3.38 ERA, 12 SO, and a WHIP of 1.25 in 8 innings of work within 5 starts. Both youngsters still have the capability to go in either direction to further their career. The second half of players the Mets sent away are already MLB ready shortstops. Andres Gimenez, the 22-year-old Venezuelan INF, was signed by the Mets in 2015, and made his debut in 2020. He performed exceptionally well and was an offensive leader in New York. He did well enough to take the starting job away from Rosario, and within 49 games he batted .263, had a slugging % of .398, recorded 31 hits, 12 RBI’s, 3 HR’s, and stole 8 bases. He finished 7th place in the National League Rookie of the Year voting. His counterpart, Amed Rosario, hasn’t fully developed yet, but his best season was in 2019, where he batted .287, had a SLG % of .432, had 177 hits, 72 RBI’s, 15 HR’s, and had 19 stolen bases.

Gimenez is not a direct replacement for Lindor, but with the idea that the Indians are looking to haul out their players to save on cash, this trade works for them. Cleveland gets to ship out two expensive contracts in exchange for MLB ready shortstops and a pair of prospects. On the other side of the coin, the Mets also had a great side of the deal. With their new owner, the Mets seem to be attempting to put together a playoff contention team and have no problem dishing out the money to do so. The 33-year-old RHP, Carlos “Cookie” Carrasco, has played for Cleveland for all of his 11 years in the MLB. He led the MLB in wins in 2017 (18), and the next year in 2018, led the league in complete games (2). He is a durable pitcher, but more importantly, he has character and is a fighter. Carrasco battled through Leukemia in 2019 and made it back on the field better than ever. His stride and passion to play will solidify his spot in the Mets rotation of Jacob DeGrom, Marcus Stroman, Steven Matz, possibly Seth Lugo, and Noah Syndergaard after the all-star break. Francisco Lindor is a whole other animal. He is, if not the best, dual-threat fielders to play exceptionally well on defense and offense. Lindor even has the hardware to prove it, with four All-Star appearances, two Gold Gloves, two Silver Sluggers, and he even won the Platinum Glove in 2016, which is awarded to the best fielder in each year. Just like Carrasco, Lindor brings a happy presence to the Mets besides his outstanding athletic abilities, hence the nickname, “Mr. Smile”. He is also a durable ballplayer. Within his 6 years of MLB experience with the Indians, he has only missed out on 21 games after getting called up in 2015. He has led the American League in games played, plate appearances, at-bats, and sacrifice hits while also leading the MLB in plate appearances, runs, and sacrifice flies all within different seasons. His career statline reads as a BA of .285, .488 SLG, 896 H, 411 RBI, 508 R, 99 SB, and 138 HR.

He will be able to fill in at the shortstop position with a potential starting lineup of James McCann as the catcher, “Polar Bear” Alonso at 1st, Jeff McNeil at 2nd, J.D. Davis at 3rd, Dom Smith in Left Field, Brandon Nimmo in Center Field, and Michael Conforto in Right Field. But what if I told you the Mets roster could get even sweeter than it is right now? The Queens side of New York could achieve a lineup of players only dreamed of by baseball fans or made in a video game setting. The Mets still have the power, money, and space to acquire more playoff ready players. I see four different scenarios that could play out. The first one would be signing CF George Springer who is with no doubt a great hitter and defender and would provide the true center fielder the Mets need while only looking for $175M, which would put the Mets right below the Luxury Tax and would not give wiggle room to sign more free agents. Option number two would be signing CF Jackie Bradley Jr. who wants a significantly lesser valued contract for both time and money and picking up either INF DJ LeMahieu to play 3rd base or LHP Brad Hand. The third scenario would be signing just one of the three players mentioned and a low tier starting pitcher like Corey Kluber or Julio Teheran. The last scenario, which I would really like to see is signing DJ LeMahieu, Brad Hand, and a possible starting pitcher. Going through with this option would leave the Mets with this roster going into 2021:

Rotation:

Jacob DeGrom

Marcus Stroman

Carlos Carrasco

Corey Kluber/Steven Matz/Julio Teheran

David Peterson

Bullpen:

Seth Lugo

Dellin Betances

Edwin Diaz

Miguel Castro

Trevor May

Robert Gsellman

Brad Hand

Jeurys Familia

Stephen Tarpley

Catcher:

James McCann

Tomás Nido

Infield:

Pete Alonso

Francisco Lindor

Jeff McNeil

J.D. Davis

Luis Guillorme

DJ LeMahieu

Outfield:

Dominic Smith

Brandon Nimmo

Michael Conforto

Guillermo Heredia

Besides this projected opening day roster, the Mets have invited many MLB ready veterans to Spring Training in Port St. Lucie, including former Mets LHP/Broadcaster Jerry Blevins, RHP Jerad Eickhoff, longtime bullpen anchor, Arodys Vizcaíno, RHP Sam McWilliams, C Bruce Maxwell, INF José Peraza, INF Wilfredo Tovar, and OF Mallex Smith. The Mets future finally looks bright and with the changes made so far, it looks like the Mets might actually be able to make it and contend in the postseason. February 27th can’t come soon enough.

METS ARE OUR UNIVERSE