Anthony DiComo @AnthonyDiComo
News: The Mets have designated Darin Ruf for assignment. Tim Locastro wins the team's final bench spot.
How are we feeling?
Are we okay with Robertson being the defacto closer?
Do you think Buck will go more to a hotspot approach....more effective relief pitcher in high intensity/leverage situations in the 6th, 7th or 8th?
How do we feel about Alvarez, Baty & Mauricio as the season progresses? Do they get their shots organically if doing well in the minors or do they come up becasue of injury/bad play?
Speed/defense guy. Looked to be promising as a DBack after having come up through the Dodgers organization. Was with the Yankees last year. Originally from Syracuse and went to Ithaca College.
Should be a decent 5th OF. Can pinch run. 6 SBs this spring.
I don't think there is a rush on the closer, let it work it self out by the deadline if no one separates you gotta make a move.
My biggest disappointment is not going after a power hitter this off-season at DH I have zero confidence in that spot and the lack of power in the lineup.
I am hoping Nido wins the catcher job until Alvarez figures it out.
I would expect them to trade for a closer near the deadline. Would love Diaz' brother, but he isn't a FA until 2028. I can't imagine what the cost is. I'd be fine headlining a deal around Vientos, but I think it would take quite a bit more than that. I doubt I would want to pay the price I think it would be.
Mauricio should get some minor league reps in the outfield. Can he play LF ?? He's had 4 years in the farm system, and all of his games have been at SS where he's essentially blocked. It took the AFL to at least try him at a different position....and that worked out out OK, didn't it.
In my opinion, Alvarez needs some work on his throwing. This spring, I saw some bad throws on steal attempts, and that's going to be important with the new rules. He'll hit, but he needs the reps behind the plate.
Ruf should henceforth be known as Szapucki-Zwack-Seymour-3Million as a reminder for what Eppier gave up to get him. Vientos would have been a better option at DH last year.
Braves: April 8
▫️ Rangers: April 21
▫️ Mariners: May 5
▫️ Reds: May 19
▫️ Orioles: May 26
▫️ Pirates: June 27
Think Terrance Gore with him.
-Locastro actually doesn't grade particularly well defensively due to a well below average arm.
Basically, they have an empty spot, but figured Locastro would at least give them some speed and some defense.
As someone said, he's got some Jankowski and some Gore in him....I bet he's not signing any long term rentals in NYC.
It's water under the bridge (and who really knows his health/ankle situation), but think how much better we'd all feel about this offense with Carlos Correa on the team...
So, the Mets go into the season with a potential hole at 3rd base, and no right handed DH.
Something has to give. Baty's a leftie bat, so who's the answer for another right handed bat?
Basically, they have an empty spot, but figured Locastro would at least give them some speed and some defense.
As someone said, he's got some Jankowski and some Gore in him....I bet he's not signing any long term rentals in NYC.
It's water under the bridge (and who really knows his health/ankle situation), but think how much better we'd all feel about this offense with Carlos Correa on the team...
So, the Mets go into the season with a potential hole at 3rd base, and no right handed DH.
Something has to give. Baty's a leftie bat, so who's the answer for another right handed bat?
I'm guessing one of the kids comes up in a few weeks. Baty could come up to play third and push Escobar to the Righty DH spot OR Vientos could be the man who takes that spot. I'm thinking Alvy stays in Syracuse to work on his defense and Mauricio would be the last option of those four kids in 'Cuse.
-Locastro actually doesn't grade particularly well defensively due to a well below average arm.
Not sure why they dragged their tails with this. That leaves Curtiss and Hernandez as the only questions left for the opening day roster, right (even though it's obvious Curtiss is the one who should be with the big club on Thursday)?
“You make a lot of mistakes if you overbook negative or positive stuff in the spring,” manager Buck Showalter said last week.
They cannot afford to be too patient, though. The Mets play in baseball’s best division, alongside the last two National League pennant-winners — one of which has won the division five years running and edged them via a tiebreaker in 2022. And while trying to get the most out of Escobar and Ruf can make sense in the short term, the long-term truth is that the best version of the 2023 Mets involves contributions from their youth.
When talking about what Baty and Vientos showed in the spring, Showalter said, “It bodes well for us down the line.” “Down the line” should not be too far off.
Here’s how he did:
also didn't see they signed bundy to a minor league deal until today, that's obviously a nice depth move.
The Mets can only be patient with their prospects for so long - ( New Window )
- (5 Starting Pitchers)
Scherzer, Verlander, Senga, Carrasco, & Peterson
- (8 Relief Pitchers)
Robertson, Ottavino, Raley, Smith, Nogosek, Hunter, & Curtiss.
- (9 Regulars in the Everyday Lineup)
Narvaez, Alonso, McNeil, Lindor, Escobar, Marte, Nimmo, Canha, & Vogelbach.
- (4 Bench players)
Nido, Guillorme, Pham, & Locastro.
Am I missing anyone/anything?
This is a good move. I'm not worried about Locastro, I'd be in favor of this move independent of who they kept, but Locastro at least has utility as a base stealer...he adds speed off the bench, and that is valuable.
If Ruf is still going to not hit lefties, then there is no utility in keeping him.
Plus, the path is now clear for Baty and/or Vientos. I like it. It's disappointing that they traded J.D. Davis and more and got basically zero return, but at some point you just have to chalk up the 'L' and move forward for the better, and that's what this move is.
This is a good move. I'm not worried about Locastro, I'd be in favor of this move independent of who they kept, but Locastro at least has utility as a base stealer...he adds speed off the bench, and that is valuable.
If Ruf is still going to not hit lefties, then there is no utility in keeping him.
Plus, the path is now clear for Baty and/or Vientos. I like it. It's disappointing that they traded J.D. Davis and more and got basically zero return, but at some point you just have to chalk up the 'L' and move forward for the better, and that's what this move is.
+1
Tylor Megill talks about not making the Mets' rotation
-Ex-Mets 3rd rounder Blake Tiberi has signed with Lake Country of the American Association
- (5 Starting Pitchers)
Scherzer, Verlander, Senga, Carrasco, & Peterson
- (8 Relief Pitchers)
Robertson, Ottavino, Raley, Smith, Nogosek, Hunter, & Curtiss.
- (9 Regulars in the Everyday Lineup)
Narvaez, Alonso, McNeil, Lindor, Escobar, Marte, Nimmo, Canha, & Vogelbach.
- (4 Bench players)
Nido, Guillorme, Pham, & Locastro.
Am I missing anyone/anything?
You are 1 reliever short. I think it will be Santana
I like Shecky and he brings some good content, but I don't know I've ever heard a more lame, weak, attempt at toeing the company line from a sports fan/insider ever.
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26-man roster:
- (5 Starting Pitchers)
Scherzer, Verlander, Senga, Carrasco, & Peterson
- (8 Relief Pitchers)
Robertson, Ottavino, Raley, Smith, Nogosek, Hunter, & Curtiss.
- (9 Regulars in the Everyday Lineup)
Narvaez, Alonso, McNeil, Lindor, Escobar, Marte, Nimmo, Canha, & Vogelbach.
- (4 Bench players)
Nido, Guillorme, Pham, & Locastro.
Am I missing anyone/anything?
You are 1 reliever short. I think it will be Santana
Thanks. How long do they get to carry an extra reliever as the 27th man to start the season? 1 month?
im glad all the kids looked good in spring training but them getting regular playing time and off to good starts is more important than getting applause on opening day. vientos especially since he's always been a slow starter even in the minors.
the fact that they dfa'd ruf already is hopefully a good sign that they are willing to move on quickly and shift gears when necessary.
im glad all the kids looked good in spring training but them getting regular playing time and off to good starts is more important than getting applause on opening day. vientos especially since he's always been a slow starter even in the minors.
the fact that they dfa'd ruf already is hopefully a good sign that they are willing to move on quickly and shift gears when necessary.
Good point. They did it with Cano last year too, something which never would have happened under the Wilonzis.
Their OF moves are curious. Cohen hasn't shown a worry about money, so saving the service time seems unlikely. These are mvoes by a GM looking to justify other failed moves and may be huge mistakes. Their youngsters far outperformed veterans like Pham and Locastro and should be playing in the bigs.
If in the Mets mind it is a lineup with Escobar over Baty then this is the right decision, but if we see Baty up in 2 - 4 weeks then we know it was not a decision made with this goal, it was shenanigans around service time or other BS.
Escobar is at best an average player - and defensively a negative.
The April games count every bit as much in the standings as the September games even though that concept is foreign to some people.
If in the Mets mind it is a lineup with Escobar over Baty then this is the right decision, but if we see Baty up in 2 - 4 weeks then we know it was not a decision made with this goal, it was shenanigans around service time or other BS.
Escobar is at best an average player - and defensively a negative.
The April games count every bit as much in the standings as the September games even though that concept is foreign to some people.
Burning through all your depth just to get what your perceived best 26 are for opening day doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.
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He divides the season into thirds. The first third is nothing but an extended evaluation period, similar to spring training. It’s all about October and it takes time to build your best 26 over the course of 6 months.
That's all well and good, as long as you make the post season.
Correct and I feel that’s a safe bet. Sure, if enough wipeout injuries occur to key players, we are screwed. But at that point it’s a lost season anyway.
Link - ( New Window )
If in the Mets mind it is a lineup with Escobar over Baty then this is the right decision, but if we see Baty up in 2 - 4 weeks then we know it was not a decision made with this goal, it was shenanigans around service time or other BS.
Escobar is at best an average player - and defensively a negative.
The April games count every bit as much in the standings as the September games even though that concept is foreign to some people.
it's baseball - they don't know which one is better. last year dom ops'd 1300 in spring training and then ops'd almost 1/3 of that in the regular season. escobar is so average we called him mehscobar for most of last year but they dont know if baty is even going to be average out of the gate because that's how baseball is. or if escobar is going to be more like the guy he was down the stretch which was im sure what they thought they were getting when they signed him.
if they knew for sure baty would ops 800 or that escobar was going to ops 500 they wouldnt have made the decision they did, which wasn't as much a decision as a non-decision until they have more information (as britton noted in the article i linked above). information they can only get with both guys playing every day.
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on opening day, again, not sure how to make this any clearer, it has to do with putting the best lineup on the field to win every game.
If in the Mets mind it is a lineup with Escobar over Baty then this is the right decision, but if we see Baty up in 2 - 4 weeks then we know it was not a decision made with this goal, it was shenanigans around service time or other BS.
Escobar is at best an average player - and defensively a negative.
The April games count every bit as much in the standings as the September games even though that concept is foreign to some people.
it's baseball - they don't know which one is better. last year dom ops'd 1300 in spring training and then ops'd almost 1/3 of that in the regular season. escobar is so average we called him mehscobar for most of last year but they dont know if baty is even going to be average out of the gate because that's how baseball is. or if escobar is going to be more like the guy he was down the stretch which was im sure what they thought they were getting when they signed him.
if they knew for sure baty would ops 800 or that escobar was going to ops 500 they wouldnt have made the decision they did, which wasn't as much a decision as a non-decision until they have more information (as britton noted in the article i linked above). information they can only get with both guys playing every day.
It is okay if they have Escobar at 3rd base for a while.
It is okay if they have Escobar at 3rd base for a while.
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on opening day, again, not sure how to make this any clearer, it has to do with putting the best lineup on the field to win every game.
If in the Mets mind it is a lineup with Escobar over Baty then this is the right decision, but if we see Baty up in 2 - 4 weeks then we know it was not a decision made with this goal, it was shenanigans around service time or other BS.
Escobar is at best an average player - and defensively a negative.
The April games count every bit as much in the standings as the September games even though that concept is foreign to some people.
it's baseball - they don't know which one is better. last year dom ops'd 1300 in spring training and then ops'd almost 1/3 of that in the regular season. escobar is so average we called him mehscobar for most of last year but they dont know if baty is even going to be average out of the gate because that's how baseball is. or if escobar is going to be more like the guy he was down the stretch which was im sure what they thought they were getting when they signed him.
if they knew for sure baty would ops 800 or that escobar was going to ops 500 they wouldnt have made the decision they did, which wasn't as much a decision as a non-decision until they have more information (as britton noted in the article i linked above). information they can only get with both guys playing every day.
It seems like you are convincing yourself of this, but deep down you know it's horseshit.
Because Baty, a consensus top 40 prospect, *may* wind up below average this one season, keep a guy you know will be average - completely ignoring the upside one of the two players has.
Talk about aspiring to mediocrity.
WOW
Their OF moves are curious. Cohen hasn't shown a worry about money, so saving the service time seems unlikely. These are mvoes by a GM looking to justify other failed moves and may be huge mistakes. Their youngsters far outperformed veterans like Pham and Locastro and should be playing in the bigs.
Ottavino was really good last year, but I’m concerned that he is going to really struggle with the pitch clock and the limit on pick offs. Teams are going to run wild on him.
It seems like you are convincing yourself of this, but deep down you know it's horseshit.
Because Baty, a consensus top 40 prospect, *may* wind up below average this one season, keep a guy you know will be average - completely ignoring the upside one of the two players has.
Talk about aspiring to mediocrity.
congrats that's one impressive strawman. i argued last year for both vientos and baty to come up as aggressively as anyone and have said the entire offseason integrating them successfully like the braves did with their guys last year has to be a top priority. "integrating them successfully" doesn't mean you just throw them in the first chance you get while putting on the bench before the season even begins a guy who was a valuable contributor last year down the stretch.
in 2-4-6 weeks it could clearly be a better time to bring either of them up if they have proven they are outclassing AAA pitching (like Vientos was from June on last year) and/or guys at the MLB level are struggling (as met DHs/escobar did all first half last year). right now nobody has a crystal ball to know which of the guys at the mlb level are going to be struggling like last year or which one is going to get off to a hot start circa 2006 xavier nady. one of the kids could be this year's michael harris or they could be jared kelenic in 2021. if dan is right about the service time from last year counting then it's highly unlikely that's a factor in the decision.
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In comment 16076245 pjcas18 said:
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on opening day, again, not sure how to make this any clearer, it has to do with putting the best lineup on the field to win every game.
If in the Mets mind it is a lineup with Escobar over Baty then this is the right decision, but if we see Baty up in 2 - 4 weeks then we know it was not a decision made with this goal, it was shenanigans around service time or other BS.
Escobar is at best an average player - and defensively a negative.
The April games count every bit as much in the standings as the September games even though that concept is foreign to some people.
it's baseball - they don't know which one is better. last year dom ops'd 1300 in spring training and then ops'd almost 1/3 of that in the regular season. escobar is so average we called him mehscobar for most of last year but they dont know if baty is even going to be average out of the gate because that's how baseball is. or if escobar is going to be more like the guy he was down the stretch which was im sure what they thought they were getting when they signed him.
if they knew for sure baty would ops 800 or that escobar was going to ops 500 they wouldnt have made the decision they did, which wasn't as much a decision as a non-decision until they have more information (as britton noted in the article i linked above). information they can only get with both guys playing every day.
This is paralyzing logic. Don't call up a kid who has all signs pointing up because you don't know how he'll do once the season starts for a guy who you absolutely know is a mediocre player? That's a wonderful strategy.
it's not paralyzing logic if the statistical sample size you are relying on is spring training. it has time and time been completely irrelevant.
would you feel better about escobar getting the nod if he was hitting .360 in st like cano last year or ops'ing 1300 like dom did?
all of the kids showed well last year despite their topline numbers and nobody has been a bigger cheerleader of the exit velocities they posted in difficult circumstances then me but that doesnt mean any of them needed to be given jobs on day 1.
Again, it's not the end of the world, so it's not like I'm blowing this out of proportion and it's not a straw man. Last year you, like most fans, were clamoring for the Mets to call up either of Baty or Vientos much sooner because of the black hole at DH but that was after giving the veteran their shot. In this case you agree Escobar as the starting 3B is the right move, I do not.
I'm saying the Mets should have rewarded Baty for the strong spring, especially the defense where he clearly put in the work.
Lastly no one will ever know if Baty starts off slowly in Syracuse if he would have also done so in Queens.
Maybe Escobar off the bench would prove even more valuable but now the bench bat is Locastro (eventually).
Again, it's not the end of the world, so it's not like I'm blowing this out of proportion and it's not a straw man. Last year you, like most fans, were clamoring for the Mets to call up either of Baty or Vientos much sooner because of the black hole at DH but that was after giving the veteran their shot. In this case you agree Escobar as the starting 3B is the right move, I do not.
I'm saying the Mets should have rewarded Baty for the strong spring, especially the defense where he clearly put in the work.
Lastly no one will ever know if Baty starts off slowly in Syracuse if he would have also done so in Queens.
Maybe Escobar off the bench would prove even more valuable but now the bench bat is Locastro (eventually).
last year a big reason i wanted vientos up early is because the substantial majority of rookies go through some kind of adjustment period and it would have been easy to tolerate that while they had no other choices. there was all upside, no downside.
what i think is being ignored here is that in the last couple months of real games escobar produced. in the 2nd half he hit .273 with an 825 ops and 132 rc. ruf is gone because he didnt produce last year far more than bc of anything this spring training despite what they gave up to get him. if he hit the way escobar did down the stretch he could have literally shat himself in the psl batters box and he'd still be here. there's a better argument to replace vogelbach than escobar because of all his limitations (imo) but they said ahead of time they werent going to play baty or alvarez at dh, and moving escobar to dh just so baty can play 3b every day would probably be intentionally playing the worse defender right now just to not stall his development. depending on how things go though i think they will/should come off that stance if the mlb dh's aren't producing and the kids are. i think they made the decision to let how these guys play once real games start sort this out and i think that's a justifiable one.
this is awful. Its going to be a rough year for umpires with all the new rules and pitch clock.
May OPS = .593
June OPS = .596
July OPS = .706
August OPS = .458
He was a baaaaaad player for most of the year and the biggest reason we didn’t win the division. It was fun watching him go nuts at the end of the season, but too little too late. If it happens again, they have to call up Baty quickly. It’ll be interesting to see how it plays out.
the way he got there was maddening and right up until he got hurt we were saying he needed to be replaced, which he may have been had guillorme and baty not then also gotten hurt. but once he turned it on he had a number of big hits and for a team lacking power he hit 20+ homers as he'd done in his 3 prior full years. and he had a decent k-rate while hitting pretty close to his career average.
it ended up that he is what he was when they signed him, a slightly better than replacement level 2.5-3 war-ish placeholder. that's still a pretty high bar for any rookie, and maybe there's even some upside on what he did last year if he doesnt start as cold and tracks closer to the .250ish 23-35 homer player he'd been in 18/19/21.
like i said above, the guy who i think really stands to lose a prominent role is vogelbach because despite numbers that look better than escobars on the topline, his significant weaknesses make them worse than they appear. he can only hit against righties and in a career year where he was sheltered to the max he hit fewer homers, drove in fewer runs, had a slightly lower ba, struck out more, and obviously brings 0 on the base paths/defensively. some of his rates on those stats may have been slightly higher than escobars but as a met his isolated slugg% was lower.
so there was only 1 thing vogey was much better at and that was walking. but what good is a walk when the guy then gets stuck on 1b because he's as slow as vogelbach is? the odds of him scoring on base hits, even extras, are a lot lower than a typical player. his best role is probably an occasional DH against a tough righty and off the bench late game in the right situation where you can then pinch run for him if he walks. with some combo of baty/escobar/vientos fill most of the ABs at 3b/dh.
i didnt watch much wbc so not familiar with him, but this kind of screams cohen.
May OPS = .593
June OPS = .596
July OPS = .706
August OPS = .458
He was a baaaaaad player for most of the year and the biggest reason we didn’t win the division. It was fun watching him go nuts at the end of the season, but too little too late. If it happens again, they have to call up Baty quickly. It’ll be interesting to see how it plays out.
Buck mentioned that Escobar was dealing with a “personal issue” last season, and feels his Sept was closer to the player he is than he showed the rest of the year. I’m skeptical, but if he has a bad April/May, Baty will be up to at least be part of a platoon.
I would have liked to see Baty make the OD roster, but the most important thing for him is to get reps. I’m not going to lose sleep if those reps are in Syracuse for a month or two.
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RP Yariel Rodriguez has defected. Was very impressive in the WBC. I’d be very interested.
i didnt watch much wbc so not familiar with him, but this kind of screams cohen.
He’s now in DR. Presumably he will have to be granted residency/cleared before being declared a FA aka im unclear on his timeline but his stuff is pretty nasty
@MBrownstein89
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11m
Yariel Rodriguez posted a 39.3 whiff% in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
I believe he has already in the process of defecting (he’s in a third country) so wonder how quickly things can move?
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players can freely pay in Japan for a 10% fee paid to the Cuban government. Cuban players must first defect to a third country in order to play in the US. The prime Cuban/Japanese arm people have been waiting on is Livan Moinelo (played with Senga, legit MLB closer's stuff)
I believe he has already in the process of defecting (he’s in a third country) so wonder how quickly things can move?
I wouldn't claim to be anywhere near an expert on the process. It seems convoluted to me. I've reached out to Phil Selig on twitter (he's an authority on Cuban baseball) so we'll see what he has to say (if he responds).
He posted this earlier
"Cuba Dugout: Phil Selig
@CubaDugout
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1h
wasn’t sure if he was content w his role in NPB perhaps w all the shine after WBC performance now is the time to explore MLB. If he waits until next period bonus could lead but if signs when 1st eligible could be in bigs much sooner"
The K Korner, which will operate in the former McFadden’s location on Seaver Way, opens to fans on April 6 for the home opener! Fans can enjoy food and beverages at The K Korner before, during and after ALL home games this season.
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players can freely pay in Japan for a 10% fee paid to the Cuban government. Cuban players must first defect to a third country in order to play in the US. The prime Cuban/Japanese arm people have been waiting on is Livan Moinelo (played with Senga, legit MLB closer's stuff)
I believe he has already in the process of defecting (he’s in a third country) so wonder how quickly things can move?
hopefully as fast as cohen's g6.
@JeffPassan
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27m
Second baseman Andrés Giménez and the Cleveland Guardians are finalizing a long-term contract extension, sources familiar with the deal tell ESPN. Giménez, 24, was a first-time All-Star and Gold Glove winner last year and put up 7.4 Wins Above Replacement -- a star-level season.
@JeffPassan
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27m
Second baseman Andrés Giménez and the Cleveland Guardians are finalizing a long-term contract extension, sources familiar with the deal tell ESPN. Giménez, 24, was a first-time All-Star and Gold Glove winner last year and put up 7.4 Wins Above Replacement -- a star-level season.
Jeff Passan
@JeffPassan
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20s
Andrés Giménez's contract extension with the Guardians will be for seven years and $106.5 million and includes a club option for the 2031 season, sources tell ESPN. The deal starts next year and covers Giménez's three arbitration years and potentially five free agent seasons.
I hated to see him in that trade. Don't regret getting Lindor, but would have loved to have seen them get it done without trading Gimenez. Then they likely never trade PCA for Baez as well
not monday morning QB-ing and again no regrets, but...
still a trade id probably do again. gimenez had his best case outcome rapidly and is still only = to lindor. his BABIP was .350 last year which likely isn't sustainable so he's probably due for a little regression offensively, and while he had already clearly showed himself to be a good SS who knows if he would have been as good as lindor is. so the mets paid more $ for an equal or better player who at the time was a much more certain bet.
the rest of that deal ended up pretty insignificant. i would think league wide rosario and carrasco are roughly comparable in value with some teams choosing one and others choosing the other. both were worth exactly 2.4 fwar last year, are entering the last year of their current deals, and even make comparable $. wolf isn't in FG's top 50 and green is #41 in the cleveland system.
so it ended up lindor @ 11x363m for gimenez on a 9x108m counting the years for both pre-extensions. in 3 or 4 years when lindor starts getting more into his 30's it may not look great so he's got to keep throwing up borderline mvp seasons now.
PHUQ!