- Luis Severino has joined the Mets in free agency after a mixed history with the Yankees. His career with the Yankees was marked by both success and extensive injuries. Severino signed a one-year, $13 million deal with the Mets.
Mets' Catching Depth:
- The Mets' catching depth is a concern, regarding Omar Narváez's performance and health. Cooper Hmel is considered a potential replacement for Narváez. They also picked up Tyler Heineman.
- Joey Wendle was picked up to replace LG as the utility man.
- Kyle Crick, a new Mets relief pitcher, has joined on a minor league deal with hopes of strengthening the bullpen.
The Mets have signed Austin Adams, Joseph Yabbour, Andre Scrubb and Cole Sulser to aid bullpen depth.
Mets Winter Meetings Focus:
- The Mets are expected to be active at the Winter Meetings, with a focus on acquiring an outfielder, starting pitching, and relief pitching. They are also interested in improving run prevention and outfield defense.
- The team may engage in trade talks, expect to hear the usual prospect names such as Kevin Parada, Brett Baty, Mark Vientos, and Ronny Mauricio.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Player Meetings:
- The New York Mets are planning to meet with Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the next week and he is expected to continue to draw significant interest from MLB teams.
- Shohei Ohtani is also expected to make a decision on his next team soon, with bids for his services surpassing $500 million.
- The Mets are also considering Korean outfielder Jung Hoo Lee.
Summary from pre Winter Meeting thread:
Hall of Fame Ballot Newbies: Inclusion of players like Big Sexy, Wright, and Reyes in the Hall of Fame ballot.
- Several iconic Yankees and Mets greats were in contention for Hall of Fame induction, but they fell short of the required votes.
Management and Coaching Updates: Significant changes in the Mets' management and coaching staff, including a new contract for manager Mendoza. Bench coach vacancy and role shifts for Eric Chavez and Jeremy Barnes as hitting coaches. Introduction of Kris Gross and Andy Green in player development and amateur scouting.
Pitching Strategy and Market Moves: Focus on fortifying the rotation, implications of the Cardinals' signings, and the pursuit of high-caliber pitchers.
Bullpen and Player Performance: Signing of BP arms to minor league deals and review of the players.
Previous Mets thread: - (
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Yamamoto cause he is so young it's worth the gamble but you are also paying a heavy premium for it.
Still surprised Erod only got 4 years and 20 per.
from fangraphs top 50 FA:
Yamamoto zips proj 3.7 fwar (no steamer)
Snell steamer 3.2 fwar (7.7 fwar last 2 years)
Monty steamer 3.2 fwar (7 fwar last 2 years)
3.7fwar is a great projection btw, that would be 10th best in steamer, just ahead of zac gallen and .1 behind corbin burnes.
3.2 fwar is almost same projection as senga (3.3).
if there ends up enough $ leftover to add in lugo too he's projected at 2.2 fwar.
the aging curves are almost certain to lean towards yamamaoto being more productive in the 2nd half of the deals but in the first 2-4 years im pretty sure the value is more likely leaning to the other side. and by the midpoint of the deals i think you'd hope thats enough time to be producing cheap arms from the system.
Yamamoto cause he is so young it's worth the gamble but you are also paying a heavy premium for it.
Still surprised Erod only got 4 years and 20 per.
E-Rod can make as much as 5 for 100 with the vested option but yeah, that was a nice deal. Apparently, some teams were turned off by what went on the past 2 seasons. 2022 taking a leave to deal with whatever was going on with his marriage, and 2023 blocking a trade to the Dodgers. The second part doesn't seem particularly fair, as team sources told Ken Rosenthal E-Rod wanted an extra year added to his deal, which was his right to waive a NTC, but I guess some teams saw that as him not being a "competitor".
because yamamoto individually is by far the most appealing player and it is almost certainly possible for them to get yamamoto PLUS another good SP. that could be someone more at an imanaga price but who knows, maybe even monty?
they are very likely going for the best of both worlds, not my hypothetical which is forcing a choice.
The fact the Mets are targeting 1 year contracts sure suggests to me that while they aren't tanking at all, they too agree with this, as such tack on a year to any player you add on multi year deals.
I maintain, the best thing the Mets can do this year is let the kids play, add players on short term deals that fill gaps they don't have internally, and shoot your shot on some high upside players (I personally like O'Neill at the right price, but guys like that)... and hope for Yamamoto.
The fact the Mets are targeting 1 year contracts sure suggests to me that while they aren't tanking at all, they too agree with this, as such tack on a year to any player you add on multi year deals.
I maintain, the best thing the Mets can do this year is let the kids play, add players on short term deals that fill gaps they don't have internally, and shoot your shot on some high upside players (I personally like O'Neill at the right price, but guys like that)... and hope for Yamamoto.
i think that's what they are doing with 1 exception - starting pitching.
as i posted earlier, look at next year's SP market. Burnes is maybe the only guy better than the non-Yamamoto guys this year.
they have no pitchers under contract beyond 2025. almost literally 0.
they need to come out of this offseason with at least 1 longer term option even if yamamoto turns them down. otherwise they are going to have more innings than they can fill with quality options next year too.
one of the reporters posted a yankees/hicks rumor earlier today, but seemed to imply that would be more likely if they miss on yamamoto. dont remember who.
of what's left that fits (i agree hicks may not fit if he wants to close), yariel rodriguez is interesting. they have been on all the foreign league players and he fits the fedde profile where the price could make him an interesting flex 5b starter or rp. also just turns 27 in march.
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isn't quite as good as you'd think given the eye popping stuff (mostly because his command comes and goes) and he also has a good K rate but it's also not what you'd expect sitting upper 90's (more of a brute force type vs. one that gets hitters to chase) but he also very rarely gives up HR's and in general limits hard contact. I don't see the Mets pursuing him (because again, the "claim" is he wants to close) but I wouldn't hate him on a 3 year deal setting up Diaz.
of what's left that fits (i agree hicks may not fit if he wants to close), yariel rodriguez is interesting. they have been on all the foreign league players and he fits the fedde profile where the price could make him an interesting flex 5b starter or rp. also just turns 27 in march.
BA suspected somebody would give him a shot to start but that he’s probably better suited in the BP. Maybe a team like the Mets could do what Atlanta is doing with Lopez and allow him a chance to win a rotation spot in ST with the understanding that if he didn’t he’d be moved to the BP. Find it hard to believe the Mets will have 5-6 SP so good they can’t give him that opportunity.
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In comment 16315991 DanMetroMan said:
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isn't quite as good as you'd think given the eye popping stuff (mostly because his command comes and goes) and he also has a good K rate but it's also not what you'd expect sitting upper 90's (more of a brute force type vs. one that gets hitters to chase) but he also very rarely gives up HR's and in general limits hard contact. I don't see the Mets pursuing him (because again, the "claim" is he wants to close) but I wouldn't hate him on a 3 year deal setting up Diaz.
of what's left that fits (i agree hicks may not fit if he wants to close), yariel rodriguez is interesting. they have been on all the foreign league players and he fits the fedde profile where the price could make him an interesting flex 5b starter or rp. also just turns 27 in march.
BA suspected somebody would give him a shot to start but that he’s probably better suited in the BP. Maybe a team like the Mets could do what Atlanta is doing with Lopez and allow him a chance to win a rotation spot in ST with the understanding that if he didn’t he’d be moved to the BP. Find it hard to believe the Mets will have 5-6 SP so good they can’t give him that opportunity.
exactly - sounds like that's what they were trying to do with fedde, except cheaper price point. not quite sure why they werent willing to do go a bit above that for lopez or rodriguez since they are younger and higher end arms, could be they just liked fedde more.
Tim Healey! Sorry
Didn't Shecky say otherwise?
this may sound far fetched, and i think it probably is given how much $ they will all make collectively, but with the yamamoto and ohtani timelines seeming like they may overlap and with many of the same teams in, i have kind of wondered about that. imanaga also in there with a lot of the same teams.
not saying they all sign together or that if they did it would be the mets, no idea of any of their relationships, but i do wonder if teaming up is something any combo are considering not unlike the big 3 w/ miami heat. think they were all on team japan at wbc.
even if there's a .00000000001% chance ohtani/yamamoto might want to play together, id understand not wanting to add anyone who could interfere with the DH at bats.
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Have not approached Alonso about an extension this offseason per Tim Britton
Didn't Shecky say otherwise?
Boras said otherwise lol.
SNY
@SNYtv
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Dec 6
"I spoke to David, we told him we're all ears"
Scott Boras on extension talks with Pete Alonso:
https://x.com/SNYtv/status/1732455158523556009?s=20 - ( New Window )
Only good year in his career was 2022. Don't really like it.
The sides have not discussed at all this offseason the possibility of a long-term deal that would keep Alonso in Queens, a source with knowledge of the situation said. And it’s not clear whether the Mets plan to engage him on that subject.
@MarinoMLB
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11m
Report here that Jorge Lopez signing with the Mets. Haven’t asked around about it, so not entirely sure if it’s accurate. Coming off a rough 2023.
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Language site reporting the Mets have signed Jorge Lopez
Only good year in his career was 2022. Don't really like it.
Yeah what was he doing in 2022? lol
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“I'm not going to comment on any specific player, trade interest,” Stearns said. “I'll just reiterate Pete's a very good player and I expect him to be a Met on Opening Day.”
Boras said: “I spoke to David. We just told him we’re all ears. If he wanted to talk to us about anything, let us know.”
Link - ( New Window )
I've said this the past three years.
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Language site reporting the Mets have signed Jorge Lopez
Only good year in his career was 2022. Don't really like it.
the 1 good year was his first converting to bp fulltime and the FB played up. went from 94/95 to 96/97. homers went way down. vertical movement on all pitches increased.
velocity remained but movement decreased, so the homers went way back up in 2023. exit velo and hh% back up in 2023. went from 58% groundballs in 2022 to 48% in 2023.
5 pitch reliever with 90th percentile velocity. so some stuff to work with.
i think its sort of semantics, i think the reporting was the mets asked boras if they'd be open to talking extensions (not that they specifically presented or negotiated an extension).
with all the FA stuff going on now there's no reason to add 1 extra negotiation that could easily happen later in the offseason after they know what the future payrolls look like with whatever moves they make (last year mcneil extension was mid-january, obviously common to also hammer out in ST like they did with JDG several years ago and Lindor his first year).
I've said this the past three years.
I’d be fine with it if they got a great offer.
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Do we think the Mets are 100% unequivocally out?
this may sound far fetched, and i think it probably is given how much $ they will all make collectively, but with the yamamoto and ohtani timelines seeming like they may overlap and with many of the same teams in, i have kind of wondered about that. imanaga also in there with a lot of the same teams.
not saying they all sign together or that if they did it would be the mets, no idea of any of their relationships, but i do wonder if teaming up is something any combo are considering not unlike the big 3 w/ miami heat. think they were all on team japan at wbc.
even if there's a .00000000001% chance ohtani/yamamoto might want to play together, id understand not wanting to add anyone who could interfere with the DH at bats.
This is an interesting thought. A pipe dream I’m sure but for me, it does beg the question. What do these Japanese ballplayers really look for in this process of signing with an MLB team?
The most logical thought is that they’d want to stay out West for geographic location to home. We’ve heard conflicting reports on the “respect” factor i.e. joining a team with an already established Japanese player, but also how YY is supposed to live the fact that Matsui and Tanaka played with the Yanks and the former won a World Series there. I have wondered before if YY and Ohtani would want to play together or if either would be drawn to the Mets because Senga “arrived” on the scene last year. Ohtani’s interest in Toronto of all places, especially over NY supposedly has me confused.
To be clear, it’s rest
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In comment 16316049 Chris684 said:
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Do we think the Mets are 100% unequivocally out?
this may sound far fetched, and i think it probably is given how much $ they will all make collectively, but with the yamamoto and ohtani timelines seeming like they may overlap and with many of the same teams in, i have kind of wondered about that. imanaga also in there with a lot of the same teams.
not saying they all sign together or that if they did it would be the mets, no idea of any of their relationships, but i do wonder if teaming up is something any combo are considering not unlike the big 3 w/ miami heat. think they were all on team japan at wbc.
even if there's a .00000000001% chance ohtani/yamamoto might want to play together, id understand not wanting to add anyone who could interfere with the DH at bats.
This is an interesting thought. A pipe dream I’m sure but for me, it does beg the question. What do these Japanese ballplayers really look for in this process of signing with an MLB team?
The most logical thought is that they’d want to stay out West for geographic location to home. We’ve heard conflicting reports on the “respect” factor i.e. joining a team with an already established Japanese player, but also how YY is supposed to live the fact that Matsui and Tanaka played with the Yanks and the former won a World Series there. I have wondered before if YY and Ohtani would want to play together or if either would be drawn to the Mets because Senga “arrived” on the scene last year. Ohtani’s interest in Toronto of all places, especially over NY supposedly has me confused.
i think like american players every player is different and the market of teams interested in (and the $ being offered) has a major impact.
the west coast being closer is an obvious benefit but thats often true of american players too. remember max scherzers house in florida was close to psl? id imagine convenience is cross-cultural.
i dont remember a year with so many high profile players from the same national team around the same ages, so a 'dream team' type thing has never really been a possibility before. if they are considering the same teams independent of each other, it kind of only makes sense they'd check in with each other if they have relationships?
Standing outside the Twins clubhouse Tuesday morning, Jorge López broke into a smile as he started to explain what it meant to return to the bullpen.
López spent 17 days on the injured list for a mental health break. He was activated from the IL Tuesday, a collective decision made by López, the medical staff and front office staff, and pitched in the ninth inning in the team's 9-3 win.
During the past two weeks, López worked with a therapist, which he said he will continue to do. When he struggled before the mental break, he had trouble controlling his emotions and felt like things snowballed on him. He punched a water cooler after an outing in Houston when he didn't record an out.
https://www.startribune.com/jorge-lopez-returns-to-twins-bullpen-after-mental-health-break-cole-sands-jordan-balazovic/600287398/#:~:text=During%20the%20past%20two%20weeks,didn't%20record%20an%20out
and a fan blog overviewing his stuff:
So why should we believe Lopez will turn things around? He was brilliant in April but faltered in May and June, and it seemed like his season was declining, as was his stuff. Two things make me optimistic about Jorge Lopez: pitch usage and Stuff+ numbers.
It was written about before on Twins Daily, but Jorge Lopez had been throwing an unusual amount of four-seam fastballs this season, 20.4% of his pitches after only using it 4.5% of the time last year. Hitters are currently hitting .438 with a .875 SLG against his four-seam fastball. While 89 pitches might seem too small of a sample for judgment, Lopez's four-seam has never performed well in any season. I think part of the successful transition to the bullpen was lowering the pitch's usage.
Lopez also significantly increased his slider usage from 10.7% in 2022 to 20.6% this year. While not as bad as his four-seamer, the pitch still hasn't garnered quality results. Of pitchers with at least ten plate appearances against the pitch, Lopez's slider ranks 272nd out of 358 pitchers in xwOBA at .345 and 236th out of 358 in whiff% at 29.2%. Not great.
However, Jorge Lopez's curveball in the same qualifier ranks 69th out of 198 pitchers in xwOBA at .252 and 28th out of 198 in whiff% at 41.4%. His curve has also generated a .203 xBA and .333 xSLG, in addition to its excellent swing and miss capability. Fewer four-seam fastballs and sliders with more sinkers and curveballs could help Lopez regain some form.
Even without adjusting his pitch distribution, I still believe in Jorge Lopez's improvement this season; as mentioned before, Lopez rates highly in Stuff+. If you are unfamiliar with Stuff+, it essentially measures the characteristics of a pitch, its speed, vertical and horizontal movement, release, spin rate/efficiency, etc. The league average for Stuff+ is 100. I will link an article by Owen McGrattan on Fangraphs that explains Stuff+ and how it can be used in more detail. It also details how stuff+ can be more predictive than standard metrics like ERA, K%-BB%, RA/9 and when a sample size becomes large enough to use.
Back to Lopez, among qualified relievers on Fangraphs, his 114 Stuff+ ranks tied for 47th out of 170 relievers. This doesn't guarantee above-league-average production from Lopez. Still, it certainly indicates that a very projectable metric has Lopez in a similar Stuff+ range as other elite relievers such as Devin Williams (118 Stuff+), Brusdar Graterol (116 Stuff+), and Michael King (113 Stuff+).
Stuff+ also helps explain why the Twins wanted to experiment with a four-seam fastball and slider. Lopez's four-seam grades at 106 Stuff+ better than his sinker at 103 Stuff+, and his slider grades at 138 Stuff+ higher than his curveball at 127 Stuff+. While current results have not been as hoped, the reasoning for trying makes sense.
https://twinsdaily.com/news-rumors/minnesota-twins/i-believe-in-jorge-lopez-r14558/ - ( New Window )
@JeffPassan
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Right-handed reliever Jorge López and the New York Mets are in agreement on a one-year, $2 million contract, sources tell ESPN. Lopez, 30, pitched for three teams last season and with a combined 5.13 ERA. He was great in 2022, with a 2.53 ERA and solid FIP.
@crosarosa
was on it.
Im hoping he's closer to '22 Lopez and last year was just a tough year, though '22 does look like a statistical aberration. For $2 million it's worth a shot
Why do you dislike Lindor so much? Seems like a good teammate (even with the McNeil dust-up) and one of the best trades/signings the best have made since Beltran.
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Loser Lindor has invited Vientos and Baty to PR to work out with him (specifically on defense)
Why do you dislike Lindor so much? Seems like a good teammate (even with the McNeil dust-up) and one of the best trades/signings the best have made since Beltran.
Your sarcasm detector isn't working this morning. Dan mocks the Lindor critics
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In comment 16316115 DanMetroMan said:
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Loser Lindor has invited Vientos and Baty to PR to work out with him (specifically on defense)
Why do you dislike Lindor so much? Seems like a good teammate (even with the McNeil dust-up) and one of the best trades/signings the best have made since Beltran.
Your sarcasm detector isn't working this morning. Dan mocks the Lindor critics
my bad. I didn't realize there were Lindor critics but other than here and twitter I don't seek out much Mets content and I don't really see it much. Seems like DMM's sarcasm perpetuates it more than it may happen.
unless of course I just miss it (which is obviously possible).
Im hoping he's closer to '22 Lopez and last year was just a tough year, though '22 does look like a statistical aberration. For $2 million it's worth a shot
That was great of the Twins and Marlins to do. Good to see some humanity amidst the mess that can be professional sports. I wish his son a complete and speedy recovery.
-Sammon confirms the Mets have not spoken to Alonso about an extension but that it wasn’t unusual at this point in the off-season
Even with the "subpar" 2021 you can make a case Lindor has been the best all around SS in all of baseball for the combined three seasons he's been a Met. Maybe Turner I can concede? Who else could you make a case has been better?
I rarely see criticism but again, I don't view as much Mets content as some of you.
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and Rosario and Gimenez did well, so I think there were a lot of critics early on. I don't know that I hear much anymore. Turned out to be an excellent trade for the Mets. Rosario looks like nothing much, Gimenez has come back down to earth a bit (though I still like him), and Wolf and Greene have not turned out to be much to my knowledge (though I have admittedly not looked them up lately)
Even with the "subpar" 2021 you can make a case Lindor has been the best all around SS in all of baseball for the combined three seasons he's been a Met. Maybe Turner I can concede? Who else could you make a case has been better?
I rarely see criticism but again, I don't view as much Mets content as some of you.
There remains consistent Lindor criticism on Twitter. Obviously less than before but far more than you’d expect considering how he’s played
1 “ Says the guy who bats .220 all year and gets little hot finishes .254”
2. I'd love someone to teach some offensive consistency to Lindor too. Throw in some situational hitting lessons too.
3. “Offensive consistency” from Lindor is hilarious
Linked below is the tweet
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