The franchise is in a weird place. They have some absolute studs on their roster n McNeil, Alonso and deGrom, all who should be good for quite a while. They also have talented core players such as Conforto, Nimmo (when healthy), Rosario & Diaz (both have underperformed but are young and very talented); there are talented role players such as DomSmith and JD Davis, and then their are the underperforming but still very talented rotation and bullpen pieces in (Matz, Syndergaard, Lugo, Gsellman);
We then have a handful of veterans that we really can't trade---Cano, Cespedes, Lowrie, Familia, Justin Wilson.
So, next year, we really have 18 players who, barring something unprecedented) are likely on the OD roster.
In the near-term, we almost certainly have to sell--Wheeler, Frazier, Wilson Ramos; maybe we can fetch something for Lagares or Hecheverria, even Vargas could get us something.
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If we look to next season, I can't see a complete rebuild, not with the veterans with have on the roster, and not with a lot of the talent in their prime.
I would have to hope we get some ML talent in return for a trading deadline deals.
But the reality is we have to somehow figure out a way to fix our bullpen. We have blown 20 leads this year, if we held even half of them we're talking about a completely different season. We're losing at the end of games when we shouldn't and the talent is just not performing.
The one thing the dodgers/yankees/rays have seemed to figure out how to do is to get their talent to perform to that absolute best. They have gotten tremendous returns on obscure players like Luke Voit, Max Muncey, Gio Urshala, Chris Taylor, DJ Lemehui, Tommy Pham. Heck, the Rays have turned tDA into a good hitting catcher.
While they are maximizing their talent, we're getting underperformance from players who at face value seem like they should be significantly more talented. I can totally see Zack Wheeler going to another team and winning a cy young next year, same with Syndergaard if we traded him. It's beyond just bad luck.
Somehow we need to infuse our front offices, our player development, and coaching with new talent and build our analytic infrastructure to catch up with the rest of baseball, because until we do, we're going to be woefully behind. It seems like a better investment to spend $20 million in analytics, technology, player development than a broken down Robinson Cano or a faltering Jeurys Familia. We can get those performances for pennies of what they're costing us.
Anyway, rant over.
Thats obvious
Syndrgaard will fetch us top prospects. Mets arent giving him a huge contract and frankly he doesnt deserve it
Id rather keep and sign Wheeler
two with the Yankees and then 3 with the phillies before the break.
After that, they start shopping players.
Trade Frazier and JD Davis.
McNeil at 3rd every day.
Dom in LF every day.
-- ZGiants98
I see this brought up by a lot of people but why are we trying to find ways to keep Rosario's bat in the lineup? He's not a good hitter yet and his high prospect rating looks very off. We might need a new SS.
Both just worked out in the Mets favor. BVW didn't even believe either would be starters.
I didn't mention Mickey because there's no point. Whether he's fired or not he won't be back next season.
Ernest Dove
@ernestdove
SOURCE: Mets pitching prospect Thomas Szapucki has been promoted to St. Lucie Mets.
1:46 PM - 1 Jul 2019
Can Dom Smith play LF on a regular basis ?? Austin Riley seems to be adequate for the Braves -- Can Smiff play out there ??
Can Luis Guillorme translate his Syracuse season into the Bigs ?? He scorched AAA pitching in June....will he hit at the next level ?? If not, the next best SS in the system is playing at Low A level and is only 18 years old.
McNeil has said his favorite position is 3B. Trade Toddfather at the deadline, and forget about giving McNeil a day off after every multi-hit game.
Can Rosario play CF ?? I don't expect Nimmo to return to form this year, maybe ever. Conforto is a RF, I don't want to see him to play Center.
How will this team handle Wheeler and Noah ?? They're never going to sign both of them -- which one will they trade at the deadline ?? There is some pitching in the minors -- Anthony Kay, Big Lefty Petersen, Tony Dibrell. Back of the rotation or bullpen ?? Szapucki seems back on track, but is still a few years away.
What will the Mets do with some of the worst Contracts in the history of Contracts ?? Familia, Lowrey, Lagares....all overpaid. They get some insurance money for Cespedes, he'll never play for them again.
Do they have the balls to drop Cano down in the order ?? He is a rally killer.
The fundamental problem is Junior Wilpon has too much input...let him run the Brooklyn Cyclones if he wants to play big shot owner.
Can Dom Smith play LF on a regular basis ?? Austin Riley seems to be adequate for the Braves -- Can Smiff play out there ??
Can Luis Guillorme translate his Syracuse season into the Bigs ?? He scorched AAA pitching in June....will he hit at the next level ?? If not, the next best SS in the system is playing at Low A level and is only 18 years old.
McNeil has said his favorite position is 3B. Trade Toddfather at the deadline, and forget about giving McNeil a day off after every multi-hit game.
Can Rosario play CF ?? I don't expect Nimmo to return to form this year, maybe ever. Conforto is a RF, I don't want to see him to play Center.
How will this team handle Wheeler and Noah ?? They're never going to sign both of them -- which one will they trade at the deadline ?? There is some pitching in the minors -- Anthony Kay, Big Lefty Petersen, Tony Dibrell. Back of the rotation or bullpen ?? Szapucki seems back on track, but is still a few years away.
What will the Mets do with some of the worst Contracts in the history of Contracts ?? Familia, Lowrey, Lagares....all overpaid. They get some insurance money for Cespedes, he'll never play for them again.
Do they have the balls to drop Cano down in the order ?? He is a rally killer.
The fundamental problem is Junior Wilpon has too much input...let him run the Brooklyn Cyclones if he wants to play big shot owner.
Have Gimenez in AA also.
Guillorme has had a hot June, hitting .345 at AAA. If he can continue that pace....we know he can field.
Until the organization gets some kind of leadership nothing will change. BVW did a good job as PR guy this past offseason, awful job as GM. And continues to do an awful job managing every aspect of this team - there are still problems with injuries, still problems with the manager, still problems with the bullpen, still problems just doing basic communication correctly, etc.
Theyll make up some flaw about him that keeps them out of it. But theyll put it out in the press that they checked in on him.
Until the organization gets some kind of leadership nothing will change. BVW did a good job as PR guy this past offseason, awful job as GM. And continues to do an awful job managing every aspect of this team - there are still problems with injuries, still problems with the manager, still problems with the bullpen, still problems just doing basic communication correctly, etc.
Really agree with almost all of this. Its definitely a management issue and clearly the bullpen obviously in 2019. There really isnt a whole lot to do other than trade out the manager and re-tool the pen again. Nobody wants to hear anything positive right now but we have a lot of young, talented, core players in place.
If you dont like that... you can give us a dozen baseball?
If the Mets don't sign the guy ranked 7 (from Cuba), they will not be involved with any of the top 15 prospects and unlikely to be in on any in the top 20.
As a fan, I obviously don't know any of these players, but IFA's are an area where the Mets SHOULD be active. it's only money you lose and I believe it's use it or lose it money.
For those who dismiss IFA's, maybe this will change your mind.
Below are MLBs expectations for the top 30 prospects:
Top 30 Prospects:
1) Jasson Dominguez, OF, Dominican Republic -- Yankees
2) Robert Puason, SS, Dominican Republic -- Athletics
3) Bayron Lora, OF, Dominican Republic -- Rangers
4) Luis Rodriguez, OF, Venezuela -- Dodgers
5) Erick Pena, OF, Dominican Republic -- Royals
6) Ronnier Quintero, C, Dominican Republic -- Cubs
7) Yiddi Cappe, SS, Cuba
8) Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF, Dominican Republic -- Twins
9) Arol Vera, SS, Venezuela -- Angels
10) Jose Salas, SS, Venezuela -- Marlins
11) Kevin Made, SS, Dominican Republic -- Cubs
12) Adael Amador, SS, Dominican Republic -- Rockies
13) Luis Medina, OF, Venezuela -- Brewers
14) Dauri Lorenzo, SS, Dominican Republic -- Astros
15) Ismael Mena, OF, Dominican Republic -- Padres
16) Andry Lara, RHP, Venezuela -- Nationals
17) Maximo Acosta, SS, Venezuela -- Rangers
18) Jhon Diaz, OF, Dominican Republic -- Yankees
19) Brayan Medina, RHP, Venezuela --
20) Cristopher Cruz, RHP, Dominican Republic
21) Kristian Cardozo, RHP, Venezuela
22) Reginald Preciado, SS, Panama
23) Esmerlin Vinicio, LHP, Dominican Republic
24) Junior Sanchez, SS, Dominican Republic
25) Jose Pastrano, SS, Venezuela
26) Alexander Ramirez, OF, Dominican Republic
27) Rikelvin de Castro, SS, Dominican Republic
28) Adrian Placencia, SS, Dominican Republic
29) Luis Gutierrez, LHP, Venezuela
30) Brayan Altuve, C, Venezuela
Link - ( New Window )
I love McNeil but it's not easy to run a near .400 babip at the MLB level. Maybe he can do it (he hit pretty well in the minor leagues) but it seems to me like this season is his "upside." Same with Alonso. It looks like he'll hit close to 50HR this year. Maybe he can do that again next year, but it's not easy. It's asking a lot to expect both players to produce at the 2019 level again going forward.
It's hard for me to see how this team gets a lot better in 2020. Cano is just going to get older and they are going to play him every day. If Nimmo comes back, then that just puts Smith to the bench. We have no answer at SS. Gimenez has <100 WRC in over 400 AA ABs. He's still crazy young, but it's hard to really rely on a kid who can't hit AA when guys like Soto and Acuna at the same age are killing MLB. Maybe he develops, but Rosario/Gimenez isn't encouraging at SS (can anyone really tell me they think our SS situation is good?.
The rotation is a complete mess. There's no depth and our second (fine if you say third) best starter by all reports seems unlikely to be back next year. Matz is proving each time he's out there that he's 5th starter production at best.
The bullpen is an even bigger mess. They'll bring in some new arms and we can hope for better results (I mean, they can't be any worse), but ownership is unlikely to pay for the best guys on the market (like Ottavino, Kimbrel, Britton), so we'll be stuck rolling the dice.
With this many holes (3 rotation spots, almost an entire bullpen, 2B, SS, C, maybe 3B too), you'd either need a massive infusion of cash to upgrade, or young prospects ready to break out. We can expect neither. The farm system has some interesting players, but there can be little help expected soon. Kay looks like a promising arm, but he's gotten rocked in limited AAA action (remember we're not in the PCL anymore) so it's hard to assume he'll immediately succeed in MLB without any more work, much less pencil him in as the #3 starter in 2020.
I think the team needs to do a hard reset and hire a new GM that is able to bring a long-term vision to the team. They should see if Bloom still wants the job and offer him a blank check.
Most likely, Brodie will "run it back" next year. They'll trade some of their minor league depth to bring in a cheap #4 starter type to replace Wheeler since they'll be too cheap to extend him or pay for a real replacement. They'll sign a whole lot of bullpen arms (but not the best guys on the market) and we'll hear from the optimists about how they are going to be better, and maybe they will but they probably won't.
It's a bit depressing IMO. Our best window to compete was when DeGrom/Wheeler/Thor were all under team control and cheap. That window is closed now. We've also added a stupid long term commitment to Cano to further reduce out financial flexibility.
Ben Badler
@BenBadler
Mets sign Dominican OF Alexander Ramirez http://bit.ly/2FLihga
Cano is hot garbage stinking up the place more with each day he's here, they should take him out back and shoot him. I mean, he is a negative impact in every possible way right now and he is a walking billboard for a lack of accountability and organizational stupidity.
Mickey is a similar joke and you just know if we moved Diaz or Familia we'd get less than 50 cents on the dollar they'd have magical rebirths on new teams.
I have very little hope this organization will get less dysfunctional any time soon, that's why i'm personally in a state of paralysis at what to do next. The mix of players are an issue, but the biggest problems were created by BVW/Jeff Wilpon and now they are boxed in with a diminished farm system from where it was. There's no easy solution. New ownership or maybe BVW hiring someone like Bloom to be GM while he remains as team president?
Why are the Mets never linked to the #1 IFA?
They haven't ignored IFA, but like other things they half ass it. But when they haven't half-assed it, the results have been fine: Rosario, Mauricio, Gimenez, etc.
Every year should be swinging for HR's IMO.
So Lowrie is on the bench? Based on the track record the Mets have, I'm going to assume that they'll play the highly paid veteran until proven otherwise.
Why are the Mets never linked to the #1 IFA?
They haven't ignored IFA, but like other things they half ass it. But when they haven't half-assed it, the results have been fine: Rosario, Mauricio, Gimenez, etc.
Every year should be swinging for HR's IMO.
It's easy to want the team to be in on the #1 IFA each year. The reality of it though - is IFA "rankings" are light years away from draft rankings. Which are light years away from prospect rankings. Which are also light years away from MLB player rankings. So in essence what I am saying is, ignore the rankings of IFA's - they are literally useless.
If there is one area the franchise is hard to bash, it;s been IFA and development. This goes back for 10 years plus. Specifically the past several seasons they've really knocked it out of the park.
It's the teams who are hitting with the lesser ranked IFA's that are really impressive (im look at you Atlanta...). Met's have been incredibly lucky with DeGrom and McNeil reaching stardom from nowhere, so hard to say development and finding gems are a problem here. but I certainly get the frsutration.
Quote:
They have been playing Nimmo in CF. Smith stays in left and McNeil moves to third with Frazier gone.
So Lowrie is on the bench? Based on the track record the Mets have, I'm going to assume that they'll play the highly paid veteran until proven otherwise.
Lowrie will be 36 years old on the final year of his deal. Yes, they absolutely will make Lowrie a sub for what will then be a proven Smith and McNeil. And besides that, when are we going to learn that no team ever stays perfectly healthy anyways? It always works out.
Quote:
In comment 14489385 ZGiants98 said:
Quote:
They have been playing Nimmo in CF. Smith stays in left and McNeil moves to third with Frazier gone.
So Lowrie is on the bench? Based on the track record the Mets have, I'm going to assume that they'll play the highly paid veteran until proven otherwise.
Lowrie will be 36 years old on the final year of his deal. Yes, they absolutely will make Lowrie a sub for what will then be a proven Smith and McNeil. And besides that, when are we going to learn that no team ever stays perfectly healthy anyways? It always works out.
I'm not ready to say Smith is "proven" after 140ABs.
Quote:
SHOULD be in on the big names, this is an area where they should focus.
Why are the Mets never linked to the #1 IFA?
They haven't ignored IFA, but like other things they half ass it. But when they haven't half-assed it, the results have been fine: Rosario, Mauricio, Gimenez, etc.
Every year should be swinging for HR's IMO.
It's easy to want the team to be in on the #1 IFA each year. The reality of it though - is IFA "rankings" are light years away from draft rankings. Which are light years away from prospect rankings. Which are also light years away from MLB player rankings. So in essence what I am saying is, ignore the rankings of IFA's - they are literally useless.
If there is one area the franchise is hard to bash, it;s been IFA and development. This goes back for 10 years plus. Specifically the past several seasons they've really knocked it out of the park.
It's the teams who are hitting with the lesser ranked IFA's that are really impressive (im look at you Atlanta...). Met's have been incredibly lucky with DeGrom and McNeil reaching stardom from nowhere, so hard to say development and finding gems are a problem here. but I certainly get the frsutration.
You know I trust you Shecky and I love your perspective on things like this, but what IFA's have the Mets signed and had success with other than Reyes?
Familia? Mejia? Rosario? Flores?
All mediocre success (so far with Rosario).
So, maybe the Mets scouting isn't that great and the MLB rankings, even useless, are better.
The problems with this org are not on the farm they are at the MLB level. They jerk guys around playing them out of position (Dom Smith, Conforto, Mcneil) and have not done a good job of improving young players once they reach the big leagues. They either debut as studs right away (like Alonso and Mcneil) or regress/develop bad habits - usually as a result of getting jerked around with playing time or being moved to a different position to accommodate a failing veteran.
In other news, Mets promote Baty 5 games into his pro career, he is with Kingsport now.
@metsblog
1m1 minute ago
Mets prospect Brett Baty promoted to next level just five games into pro career http://dlvr.it/R7gyLM
Jacob Resnick
@Jacob_Resnick
43s44 seconds ago
#Mets recent top IFA signings:
2019 - Alexander Ramirez $2.1M
2018 - Francisco Alvarez $2.9M
2017 - Ronny Mauricio $2.1M
2016 - Sebastian Espino $300K
2015 - Gregory Guerrero $1.5M
2014 - Kenny Hernandez $1M
2013 - Ricardo Cespedes $725K
2012 - Amed Rosario $1.8M
Quote:
In comment 14489395 Metnut said:
Quote:
In comment 14489385 ZGiants98 said:
Quote:
They have been playing Nimmo in CF. Smith stays in left and McNeil moves to third with Frazier gone.
So Lowrie is on the bench? Based on the track record the Mets have, I'm going to assume that they'll play the highly paid veteran until proven otherwise.
Lowrie will be 36 years old on the final year of his deal. Yes, they absolutely will make Lowrie a sub for what will then be a proven Smith and McNeil. And besides that, when are we going to learn that no team ever stays perfectly healthy anyways? It always works out.
I'm not ready to say Smith is "proven" after 140ABs.
Well I guess its good we are talking about 2020 then in which case he will have plenty more than 140. ;)
@metsblog
1m1 minute ago
Mets prospect Brett Baty promoted to next level just five games into pro career http://dlvr.it/R7gyLM
Kelenic moved up soon after being drafted...
He was hit on the wrist by a pitch, missed a couple weeks and has struggled since returning. My guess is it's injury related.
Mike Puma
Verified account @NYPost_Mets
5s6 seconds ago
Familia and Aviln are activated and Luis Guillorme has been recalled. Flexen and Nogosek are optioned. Pounders DFA.