NEW YORK (AP) Speedy outfielder Eric Young Jr. is becoming a free agent after the New York Mets declined to offer him a contract for next season.
The team announced the move before Tuesday night's deadline.
Young, who had been eligible for arbitration, batted .229 with 30 stolen bases in 100 games this year, when his salary was $1.85 million.
He led the National League with 46 steals in 2013 and opened this season as New York's primary leadoff hitter but managed only a .299 on-base percentage and lost playing time in a crowded outfield. The switch-hitter finished with a homer and 17 RBIs in 316 plate appearances, scoring 48 runs.
The 29-year-old Young became expendable when the Mets signed free-agent outfielder Michael Cuddyer to a $21 million, two-year contract last month.
New York tendered contracts to its six other players who are eligible for arbitration: first baseman Lucas Duda, second baseman Daniel Murphy, shortstop Ruben Tejada and pitchers Dillon Gee, Jenrry Mejia and Bobby Parnell.
"We've been looking at it. We've been talking to Alan Nero, who has represented Kang," Alderson said Tuesday, at a Mets holiday party for schoolchildren at Citi Field. "It's about the transition from the Korean league to Major League Baseball. It's about questions surrounding the player's ability to stay shortstop -- or possibly having to move elsewhere. Those are really the two major issues for us. I'm not saying we won't make a bid, but I'd say right now it's less likely."
Alderson said the Mets were not in on free-agent shortstop Jed Lowrie, who just signed with the Houston Astros. Still, Alderson portrayed the probability of Flores playing shortstop as strong.
"I don't think the Lowrie signing increases the probability, because we weren't really in on Lowrie," Alderson said. "To that extent the probability [of Flores as the Opening Day shortstop] remains about the same, but I think it's very high."
Will be a pesky team but they don't look better than the Mets currently. With Fernandez out to mid-late summer their rotation is not of our caliber.
I think their lineup has a few young core players to build around and of course Stanton is awesome but half the lineup is filled of retreads. I know health is a major issue with our lineup but on paper we look much stronger.
2014 Marlins scored more runs than the Mets so why would "on paper" the Mets lineup look better? The Marlins added Morse and Gordon and the Mets added Cuddyer. If you want to point to guys like TDA the Marlins can point to Ozuna and Yelich. Two teams look very even to me on paper.
Slated to start in the Marlins rotation until Fernandez gets back?
Nope.
Eovaldi
Latos
Hernandez
Koehler
Cosart
All good young-youngish SP's and their pen is fantastic. cishek is crazy underrated.
Good "youngish" pitchers doesn't equate to Harvey, deGrom, Wheeler in my mind. That's cool if you like them more but in my opinion the mets look stronger and deeper until they get Fernandez back. As for the lineup, we've been through this, but I'm expecting additions of Wright, Cuddyer, and Flores replacing black holes so I see more offense added then just Cuddyer. Time will tell
Wow just seeing this now. Motte got "paid" all things considered. I doubt the Mets were even close to that number (I wouldn't be surprised if they offered a minor league deal).
why wouldn't Morse/Gordon represent replacing "black holes" for the Marlins? Their starting 2b was Donovan Solano and at 1b started Jones every day despite the fact he had a .539 OPS vs. lefties. Morse had an .827 OPS vs lefties this year and .821 career. You don't see how this picking and choosing comes off as "homerish"?
I think the Marlins will be slightly better than the Mets this year. They've made some solid moves.
We barely did anything. We're banking on Harvey being Harvey and everyone getting better. Risky strategy. I get that there weren't a ton of moves to be made, but.. it is what it is.
I think the Marlins will be slightly better than the Mets this year. They've made some solid moves.
We barely did anything. We're banking on Harvey being Harvey and everyone getting better. Risky strategy. I get that there weren't a ton of moves to be made, but.. it is what it is.
Don't know how it's possible to argue with this. Mets v. Marlins is a toss up to me, but all things mostly equal I'd take the team that has an impact player like Stanton. Could see it going either way though.
Mets add- Cuddyer, returning Matt Harvey, John Mayberry Jr.
Marlins add- Mat Latos, Dee Gordon, Mike Morse, MAYBE Dan Haren, Jose Fernandez at Mid-season or so
Marlins won 2 less games than the Mets. I don't think it's a stretch to say they are pretty equal teams with the Marlins possibly being a little bit better overall.
Special at all especially for a 1stbaseman. Not a huge Gordon fan either. Our core of Murphy, Wright, Duda, Cuddyer, Granderson is a little more established and we have young talent on the rise as well. There's nothing homerish about it. Most people are picking The Mets and Marlins to finish with mid-80 something wins. I just feel we are the better team until they get Fernandez back at this time. I can certainly acknowledge the Marlins are on the rise and I don't think that's outlandish.
Are completely off the wall. There isn't a single Mets fan alive that would look at deGrom's Steamer prediction and not completely laugh their ass off. Makes zero sense.
Special at all especially for a 1stbaseman. Not a huge Gordon fan either. Our core of Murphy, Wright, Duda, Cuddyer, Granderson is a little more established and we have young talent on the rise as well. There's nothing homerish about it. Most people are picking The Mets and Marlins to finish with mid-80 something wins. I just feel we are the better team until they get Fernandez back at this time. I can certainly acknowledge the Marlins are on the rise and I don't think that's outlandish.
Morse and Duda both are average at best defensively right?
Morse career .821 OPS vs. lefties, Jones career .811 vs. righties
Duda 2014 OPS (.830)
And "anything special"... Michael Cuddyer most certainly is NOT a special player in a CO spot. Morse and Cuddyer are basically a push. If the Mets signed Morse over Cuddyer I would have felt exactly as I feel now.
Special at all especially for a 1stbaseman. Not a huge Gordon fan either. Our core of Murphy, Wright, Duda, Cuddyer, Granderson is a little more established and we have young talent on the rise as well. There's nothing homerish about it. Most people are picking The Mets and Marlins to finish with mid-80 something wins. I just feel we are the better team until they get Fernandez back at this time. I can certainly acknowledge the Marlins are on the rise and I don't think that's outlandish.
Ozuna and Yelich are considered 2 of the best/most talented young players in baseball. To act like the Mets have young talent on the rise but the Marlins don't is ridiculous I'm sorry.
Mets add- Cuddyer, returning Matt Harvey, John Mayberry Jr.
Marlins add- Mat Latos, Dee Gordon, Mike Morse, MAYBE Dan Haren, Jose Fernandez at Mid-season or so
Marlins won 2 less games than the Mets. I don't think it's a stretch to say they are pretty equal teams with the Marlins possibly being a little bit better overall.
I have no idea who will be better, but to throw two more things on this:
(1) decent chance David Wright returns to form as a 5-7 fWAR player
(2) Marlins may have finished just two games behind the Mets, but the Nets were +11 in run differential and the Martins were -29. Mets were really unlucky -- Cards had a diff of +16 and won 90.
Well, Wainwright was actually better post-TJ. It's a mixed bag, though. Some guys are never the same. Some return to what they were before it. There's no real way of knowing until we see for ourselves.
Special at all especially for a 1stbaseman. Not a huge Gordon fan either. Our core of Murphy, Wright, Duda, Cuddyer, Granderson is a little more established and we have young talent on the rise as well. There's nothing homerish about it. Most people are picking The Mets and Marlins to finish with mid-80 something wins. I just feel we are the better team until they get Fernandez back at this time. I can certainly acknowledge the Marlins are on the rise and I don't think that's outlandish.
Ozuna and Yelich are considered 2 of the best/most talented young players in baseball. To act like the Mets have young talent on the rise but the Marlins don't is ridiculous I'm sorry.
And doesn't have anywhere near the power Duda has. And looking at your breakdown of the rotation it's clear we still have them beat even with the ridiculous Steamer predictions for Harvey, deGrom, and Wheeler
And doesn't have anywhere near the power Duda has. And looking at your breakdown of the rotation it's clear we still have them beat even with the ridiculous Steamer predictions for Harvey, deGrom, and Wheeler
Duda was a negative value 1b in 2014 in terms of defense (-10.1) 12/18 qualified. I think people turned "better than expected" into "good"
I see the Marlins as a 82-83ish win team right now. Just my opinion.
And the Mets are what? Are you really putting up an argument over some of us seeing the Marlins being 1-2 games better than the Mets on paper? lol
What argument? Your the only one arguing. Lol. I just said I don't see them better than the Mets on paper right now until they get Fernabdez back. I even acknowledged most people see us both in the mid-80 range. I just think the Mets are the better team currently.
The difference between Duda and Morse? Lol. Stop. No way in all of holy hell you take Morse over Duda if all things were equal.
I'd take Lucas Duda over Morse. But Cuddyer vs. Morse given the team needs of each sure looks like a push to me. Morse is absolutely awful in the OF so I would take Cuddyer for the Mets but if hypothetically both were added to play 1b I'd probably take Morse to be honest.
Didn't have a need at 1st and like you said Cuddyer was the better option for RF. It's all good. None of us are far off in our projections and I've said that often.
Well, Wainwright was actually better post-TJ. It's a mixed bag, though. Some guys are never the same. Some return to what they were before it. There's no real way of knowing until we see for ourselves.
I think everyone gets nervous before a player gets back and Im sure we are all getting a little apprehensive, but I think it helps to point out guys like deGrom, Matz, Mejia, ect. on our very own roster pitching great post-TJ.
it actually got me thinking and I was genuinely curious.
Steamer:
Dee Gordon 1.2
Christian Yelich 3.3
Stanton 5.9
Michael Morse 0.5
Casey McGahee 1.0
Marcel Ozuna 3.1
Salty 1.2
Hechavarria 0.4
Total is 16.24.
I absolutely despise some of the predictions for certain players like Duda, Murphy, and Lagares. All should easily surpass their predictions and of course Wright could too. Even with their ridiculously conservative estimates we are still a win ahead of the Marlins currently at 17.3. Our rotation is better as well.
The Mets are considering a plan in which Harvey is held back at the start of the season, perhaps until the home opener at Citi Field on April 13. Also, expect Harvey to be shut down for a few weeks in the summer as well to limit his innings, following his return from Tommy John surgery. [...]
Collins already is planning ahead and, depending how everything goes in spring training, the Mets could go with this lineup:
Lagares, Granderson, Wright, Duda, Cuddyer, Murphy, dArnaud, Wilmer Flores and then the pitcher.
Adam Rubin @AdamRubinESPN 2m2 minutes ago
Don't see why not, although Sandy said general trade hiatus until January MT @NickStephens94: Does Gee to Rockies trade still have traction?
I like Granderson hitting at the top of the lineup more than the middle. I know last year's numbers don't support this, but it seemed when he hit leadoff or second his approach was much more about getting OB - which he's always been good at. Hitting in front of Wright should help him see better pitches.
Thor- Profiles as a #2 starter with 2 plus pitches
Matz- As high as a #2, same 2 plus pitches 1 average
Nimmo- "quality regular"
Herrera-Mets love Herrera's makeup, average at best at 2b, weak arm
Plawecki- feel to hit and get on base, defensive upside is average to a bit below (they really make him sound like LoDuca the Mets version)
Rosario- allstar upside
Conforto- Power ceiling questioned by some scouts
Montero 4-5 starter or pen because of Mets depth
Molina potential #3 if all goes well, has touched 96
Cecchini anywhere from regular at SS or 2b to utility player, plus arm, average range
NEW YORK -- The Mets and Rockies have engaged in some talks this offseason regarding Troy Tulowitzki, but a well-placed source told ESPNNewYork.com the chances of something ever materializing are 5 percent at best.
The Mets and Rockies have been quietly discussing a potential Troy Tulowitzki blockbuster for weeks, though it isn't known yet whether New York will have a decent chance to complete such a deal.
A source told the News that the odds of a trade happening are extremely remote, given injury concerns about Tulowitzki and the demands of the Rockies, who are believed to want prized pitching prospect Noah Syndergaard included as part of the deal.
Alderson said the Mets were not in on free-agent shortstop Jed Lowrie, who just signed with the Houston Astros. Still, Alderson portrayed the probability of Flores playing shortstop as strong.
"I don't think the Lowrie signing increases the probability, because we weren't really in on Lowrie," Alderson said. "To that extent the probability [of Flores as the Opening Day shortstop] remains about the same, but I think it's very high."
Good! Lol
I think their lineup has a few young core players to build around and of course Stanton is awesome but half the lineup is filled of retreads. I know health is a major issue with our lineup but on paper we look much stronger.
2014 Marlins scored more runs than the Mets so why would "on paper" the Mets lineup look better? The Marlins added Morse and Gordon and the Mets added Cuddyer. If you want to point to guys like TDA the Marlins can point to Ozuna and Yelich. Two teams look very even to me on paper.
Nope.
Eovaldi
Latos
Hernandez
Koehler
Cosart
All good young-youngish SP's and their pen is fantastic. cishek is crazy underrated.
Wheeler 3.68
Niese 3.92
Colon 4.00
Harvey 3.10
deGrom 3.70
Marlins-
Hernandez 3.70 (identical to deGrom)
Eovaldi 3.88
Koehler 4.20
Cosart 4.10
Latos 3.92
and eventually Fernandez will return
Quote:
Slated to start in the Marlins rotation until Fernandez gets back?
Nope.
Eovaldi
Latos
Hernandez
Koehler
Cosart
All good young-youngish SP's and their pen is fantastic. cishek is crazy underrated.
Good "youngish" pitchers doesn't equate to Harvey, deGrom, Wheeler in my mind. That's cool if you like them more but in my opinion the mets look stronger and deeper until they get Fernandez back. As for the lineup, we've been through this, but I'm expecting additions of Wright, Cuddyer, and Flores replacing black holes so I see more offense added then just Cuddyer. Time will tell
We barely did anything. We're banking on Harvey being Harvey and everyone getting better. Risky strategy. I get that there weren't a ton of moves to be made, but.. it is what it is.
We barely did anything. We're banking on Harvey being Harvey and everyone getting better. Risky strategy. I get that there weren't a ton of moves to be made, but.. it is what it is.
Don't know how it's possible to argue with this. Mets v. Marlins is a toss up to me, but all things mostly equal I'd take the team that has an impact player like Stanton. Could see it going either way though.
Mets add- Cuddyer, returning Matt Harvey, John Mayberry Jr.
Marlins add- Mat Latos, Dee Gordon, Mike Morse, MAYBE Dan Haren, Jose Fernandez at Mid-season or so
Marlins won 2 less games than the Mets. I don't think it's a stretch to say they are pretty equal teams with the Marlins possibly being a little bit better overall.
Sandy Alderson now projecting January before a trade involving a starting pitcher.
Sandy Alderson now projecting January before a trade involving a starting pitcher.
Cool. Hoping to rip someone off is a strategy I guess. Intertia too.
Morse and Duda both are average at best defensively right?
Morse career .821 OPS vs. lefties, Jones career .811 vs. righties
Duda 2014 OPS (.830)
And "anything special"... Michael Cuddyer most certainly is NOT a special player in a CO spot. Morse and Cuddyer are basically a push. If the Mets signed Morse over Cuddyer I would have felt exactly as I feel now.
Ozuna and Yelich are considered 2 of the best/most talented young players in baseball. To act like the Mets have young talent on the rise but the Marlins don't is ridiculous I'm sorry.
Mets add- Cuddyer, returning Matt Harvey, John Mayberry Jr.
Marlins add- Mat Latos, Dee Gordon, Mike Morse, MAYBE Dan Haren, Jose Fernandez at Mid-season or so
Marlins won 2 less games than the Mets. I don't think it's a stretch to say they are pretty equal teams with the Marlins possibly being a little bit better overall.
I have no idea who will be better, but to throw two more things on this:
(1) decent chance David Wright returns to form as a 5-7 fWAR player
(2) Marlins may have finished just two games behind the Mets, but the Nets were +11 in run differential and the Martins were -29. Mets were really unlucky -- Cards had a diff of +16 and won 90.
Trying to level set my expectations for Harvey and to some degree Fernandez.
Quote:
Special at all especially for a 1stbaseman. Not a huge Gordon fan either. Our core of Murphy, Wright, Duda, Cuddyer, Granderson is a little more established and we have young talent on the rise as well. There's nothing homerish about it. Most people are picking The Mets and Marlins to finish with mid-80 something wins. I just feel we are the better team until they get Fernandez back at this time. I can certainly acknowledge the Marlins are on the rise and I don't think that's outlandish.
Ozuna and Yelich are considered 2 of the best/most talented young players in baseball. To act like the Mets have young talent on the rise but the Marlins don't is ridiculous I'm sorry.
Here we go again. Who said the Matlins don't??
career wOBA .351
Morse 2014 wRC=133
Lucas Duda 136 wRC+
wOBA .361
Duda 2014 136 wRC+, .361 wOBA
Mike Morse 2014 133 wRC+, .355 wOBA
So if Morse is nothing special then Duda isn't either right?
And the Mets are what? Are you really putting up an argument over some of us seeing the Marlins being 1-2 games better than the Mets on paper? lol
Duda was a negative value 1b in 2014 in terms of defense (-10.1) 12/18 qualified. I think people turned "better than expected" into "good"
Quote:
I see the Marlins as a 82-83ish win team right now. Just my opinion.
And the Mets are what? Are you really putting up an argument over some of us seeing the Marlins being 1-2 games better than the Mets on paper? lol
What argument? Your the only one arguing. Lol. I just said I don't see them better than the Mets on paper right now until they get Fernabdez back. I even acknowledged most people see us both in the mid-80 range. I just think the Mets are the better team currently.
I'd project the Nationals at 90-92, Mets and Marlins at 83-84, Braves 81 or so, Phillies 70
I'd project the Nationals at 90-92, Mets and Marlins at 83-84, Braves 81 or so, Phillies 70
That about where I am at except I'd swing The mets a couple up and the Marlins at about 82
I'd take Lucas Duda over Morse. But Cuddyer vs. Morse given the team needs of each sure looks like a push to me. Morse is absolutely awful in the OF so I would take Cuddyer for the Mets but if hypothetically both were added to play 1b I'd probably take Morse to be honest.
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I think everyone gets nervous before a player gets back and Im sure we are all getting a little apprehensive, but I think it helps to point out guys like deGrom, Matz, Mejia, ect. on our very own roster pitching great post-TJ.
Steamer:
Dee Gordon 1.2
Christian Yelich 3.3
Stanton 5.9
Michael Morse 0.5
Casey McGahee 1.0
Marcel Ozuna 3.1
Salty 1.2
Hechavarria 0.4
Total is 16.24.
I absolutely despise some of the predictions for certain players like Duda, Murphy, and Lagares. All should easily surpass their predictions and of course Wright could too. Even with their ridiculously conservative estimates we are still a win ahead of the Marlins currently at 17.3. Our rotation is better as well.
Just pointing it out.
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Collins already is planning ahead and, depending how everything goes in spring training, the Mets could go with this lineup:
Lagares, Granderson, Wright, Duda, Cuddyer, Murphy, dArnaud, Wilmer Flores and then the pitcher.
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Don't see why not, although Sandy said general trade hiatus until January MT @NickStephens94: Does Gee to Rockies trade still have traction?
By the way, Cesar Puello is hitting .395/.425/.711 in 41 PA in the Dominican Winter Lg. 1 BB, 8 K, 3 2B, 3 HR. HR in 3 straight gms.
Matz- As high as a #2, same 2 plus pitches 1 average
Nimmo- "quality regular"
Herrera-Mets love Herrera's makeup, average at best at 2b, weak arm
Plawecki- feel to hit and get on base, defensive upside is average to a bit below (they really make him sound like LoDuca the Mets version)
Rosario- allstar upside
Conforto- Power ceiling questioned by some scouts
Montero 4-5 starter or pen because of Mets depth
Molina potential #3 if all goes well, has touched 96
Cecchini anywhere from regular at SS or 2b to utility player, plus arm, average range
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I will say that up to a 5 percent chance is a significant upgrade over November's "not happening."
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