With pitchers and catchers reporting, the Mets are reportedly still looking for a second left-handed reliever to compliment Jerry Blevins in the bullpen. The Mets search is not surprising considering Blevins and Steven Matz are the only two left-handed relievers on the entire 40 man roster.
While Sandy Alderson and the front office continues their search, there is an opportunity for a pitcher to show the team they should crack the Opening Day roster.
P.J. Conlon
2017 Team: Binghamton (AA)
2017 Stats: 8-9, 3.3.8 ERA, 28 G, 22 GS, 3 CG, 3 SHO, SV, 136.0 IP, 108 K, 1.235 WHIP, 2.5 BB/9, 7.1 K/9
For the second straight season, Conlon has been invited to Major League camp with an opportunity to make the Opening Day roster as the second left-handed pitcher in the bullpen. The Mets interest in looking at him as a LOOGY is understandable for a few reasons.
First and foremost, Conlon gets left-handed batters out. Last year, he limited left-handed batters to a .252/.273/.358 batting line, and in 2016, he was even stingier limiting them to a .216/.267/.288 batting line. One of the reasons he is so successful is because Conlon locates the ball exceptionally well, and as a result, he limits his walks.
The other reason the Mets want to look at him in the bullpen is there is some doubt about his viability in the rotation at the Major League level. Conlon lives in the 80s with his fastball and change-up. We have seen this type of repertoire succeed in the majors with Jamie Moyer, and Mets fans have seen Bartolo Colon be a successful pitcher featuring a fastball that did not top 90 MPH. However, the margin of error is small for these types of pitchers.
Overall, this should not obfuscate the fact Conlon knows how to pitch, and he knows how to get left-handed batters out. With a good Spring and no other moves, he may get a chance to prove that at the Major League level.
Matt Purke
2017 Level: International League (AAA)
2017 Stats: 4-5, 3.84 ERA, 48 G, 65.2 IP, 80 K, 1.355 WHIP, 3.8 BB/9, 11.0 K/9
Like Josh Smoker, Purke is a former Nationals draft pick who had questions surrounding his shoulder, did not succeed as a starter, and he now finds himself as a reliever in the Mets organization. In 2015, he signed a deal with the Chicago White Sox, and he had a brief 12 game cup of coffee with the team in 2016.
Last year, Purke spent the entire season in Triple-A where he dominated left-handed batters. Overall, left-handed batters hit just .192/.314/.212 off of him with just two extra-base hits. Purke has strikeout stuff with a low 90s fastball, good slider, and split that acts like a change-up. However, Purke has difficulty keeping the strike zone, which is evident in left-handed batters maintaining a .314 OBP off of him despite their inability to square up against him.
Overall, Purke has talent, but he has yet to fully harness his stuff. Certainly, when working with Purke, that is an areas of focus for Mickey Callaway and Dave Eiland this Spring.
Hansel Robles
2017 MLB Stats: 7-5, 4.92 ERA, 46 G, 56.2 IP, 60 K, 1.341 WHIP, 4.6 BB/9, 9.5 K/9
At this point, Mets fans are tired of Robles’ inconsistency and his pointing to the sky. However, like Rafael Montero, he is still here, and he is poised to make the Opening Day roster. With that in mind, the Mets need to find the best way to use him.
Now, one of the reasons why Callaway was an enticing managerial candidate was because he thinks outside the box. We have already seen that with him stating he wants to use Jeurys Familia like Andrew Miller in that he wants Familia to pitch in the highest leverage situations and not just save situations. If Callaway is really looking to maximize everyone’s skill-set, then Robles should be used as a right-handed LOOGY.
In his career, Robles has limited left-handed batters to a .178/.281/.335 batting line. As a point of reference, Blevins, an excellent LOOGY, has yielded a .211/.264/.304 batting line to left-handed batters. More impressively, the best left-handed NL East batters, Bryce Harper, Daniel Murphy, and Freddie Freeman are a combined 2-10 with a double, walk, and four strikeouts.
Given his track record, are you going to trust Robles to get one of the best left-handed batters in the game out in a pressure filled seventh or eight inning spot? No, you’re not, but the Mets aren’t going to do that with hypothetical second left-handed reliever they obtained before the start of the season.
And if you plan to utilize Robles to get left-handed batters out, you open the door for the Mets to give another reliever a chance to make the roster. Certainly, this would open the door for a Jamie Callahan or Jacob Rhame to make the team with a good Spring.
Overall, the Mets internal options are limited because the team has only invited two non-roster left handed pitchers to Spring Training. Unless they are willing to really think outside of the box, the team is going to have to add one more arm this Spring.
With the Mets needing room on the 40 man roster, they first designated Matt Reynolds for assignment, and then they traded him to the Washington Nationals for cash. With that, we have seen the end of a short and extremely interesting tenure for the former Mets 2012 second round pick.
After a breakout 2014 season in the minors, Reynolds had put himself in position to capitalize on an unsure shortstop situation. With the team having moved on from Ruben Tejada as the everyday shortstop, and with them giving the defensively challenged Wilmer Flores a shot, it seemed like Reynolds would be a part of a team who had a shot at the postseason.
As luck would have it, Reynolds would be a part of the Mets 2015 pennant winning team, just not in the way he imagined. Reynolds “chance” came because Chase Utley tackled (not slid) Tejada breaking his leg. With Reynolds being the only real shortstop left on the 40 man roster, and arguably the best defensive one, he would get the call up. In effect, Reynolds got the best seat in the house. His postseason experience was taking infield, batting practice, appearing for player introductions, and sitting in the dugout.
Like all of us, he sat on the edge of his seat helpless as the Mets squandered away their chances of winning a World Series. Unlike the rest of us, he would get a chance to prove himself against the Royals.
In arguably his career highlight as a Met, Reynolds was a surprise starter in left field in a day game against the Royals. In the bottom of the sixth, Reynolds would hit his first career homer breaking a 3-3 tie. The run would hold, and the Mets would get the win.
From there, Reynolds would have moments of glory and stretches where he struggled. In reality, this is the life of a player who his shuttled (or in the Mets case flow) between Triple-A and the majors. In September, he was promised more playing time to permit the Mets a chance to get a better read as to how he fit into the Mets future plans. The chance never truly materialized. In that sense, the writing was on the wall.
Now, Reynolds is a member of the Washington Nationals, and it appears he is going to get a better chance to be a Major League contributor than he ever did with the Mets. As fans, we can only hope he doesn’t replicate his performance against the Royals. Aside from that Reynolds was a Met, and he was one during one of the more fun rides in Mets history, and for that we should all wish him well.
It is quite fitting that today is unseasonably warm because we have the first sign of Spring with the Mets pitchers and catchers officially reporting to Spring Training. No matter what your opinion on the Mets offseason, this time of year always brings a bit of hope for the fanbase because seeing the Mets players in uniform, you can begin to dream the players can put it all together and win the World Series.
For the Mets, like it has since 2015, the entire hope surrounds the starting pitching.
Now, there are people who are claiming there isn’t enough. They still want the Mets to go out and sign Lance Lynn, Alex Cobb, or any number of a group of free agent starters who didn’t compile 200 innings, were coming off injuries themselves, or really just couldn’t even sniff this Mets rotation when healthy. In fact, you could argue with their recent injury histories and peripherals, Lynn and Cobb are just more of the same. Actually, what the Mets have is just better.
That’s part of the reason why the narrative the Mets did nothing to address their franchise worst pitching needs to end right now.
The first move the Mets had made this offseason to address the pitching was to go out and hire Mickey Callaway. If you are going to be a pitching staff built on pitching, Callaway was the inspired choice. Joining him on his pitching staff is Dave Eiland, who is renown for his ability to work with pitchers. One of his keys to success is how he helps pitchers with their mechanics, which in turn, helps reduce injury.
Speaking of injuries, gone is favorite punching bag Ray Ramirez. In his place is Jim Cavallini, who will oversee everything related to player care and conditioning. This includes nutrition, sleep science, injury prevention, and rehabilitation. Apparently, after all these years of injuries, the Mets are finally interested in getting players to eat better, sleep better, and take better care of themselves.
And yes, we know even with that Zack Wheeler needed osteoarthritis injections this offseason. Matt Harvey has not been able to stay healthy since that magical 2013 season. Steven Matz has continued to suffer one injury after another. Technically speaking, Seth Lugo is pitching with a torn UCL much like the Yankees have seen with Masahiro Tanaka.
Yes, these injuries and injury histories exist, but as noted, the Mets finally have the people in place to not only help prevent those injuries from happening again, but also to get Harvey, Wheeler, and Matz back to form. If they are, watch out because this is a pitching staff that can once again lead the Mets to the World Series.
If not? Well, there’s real pitching depth in the Mets organization. As noted above, there’s Lugo. The team also have Robert Gsellman and Chris Flexen. Yes, they both struggled last season, but they have an opportunity to learn from those struggles. They also have the support system with Eiland, Callaway, and Mickey Abbott in Las Vegas.
Behind them are some intriguing prospects in Triple-A. Corey Oswalt was the Eastern League Pitcher of the Year. P.J. Conlon continues to defy the odds with his under 90 MPH stuff to pitch to a minor league career 2.35 ERA. Marcos Molina is healthy after Tommy John, and he looks to build off a strong season. Mickey Jannis is a late blooming knucke ball pitcher much in the same vein as R.A. Dickey. And if you want to get deeper, Ricky Knapp rejuvenated himself after struggling in Vegas by pitching completely lights out as he helped pitch the Rumble Ponies to the Eastern League playoffs.
And if you are masochistic, this could finally be the year for Rafael Montero.
Point is, unlike last year, the Mets have actual starting pitching depth to start the season. If one goes down, there’s two or three behind them to pick up the slack. The team has a manager and pitching coach better suited to getting these pitchers to reaching their full potential.
Sure, it would be nice to see the Mets add a pitcher or two on a minor league deal to serve as a swing man, but even if the Mets don’t make that move, they have the depth they need in the organization. Today is the day that group gets in peak physical shape and realizes their full potential.
And if you have a hard time believing me, sit down, take a deep breath, and remember the first two games of the season will have Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard starting for the Mets. If you can’t get excited about that, nothing will.
I’m not sure where the axiom ever arose, but somewhere, sometime people made the decision teams could not possibly rebuild in New York. I always found this statement odd because on the one hand, New York fans are credited as smart a fanbase as there is in sports, but by the same token, many believe we are too ignorant to accept a team rebuilding.
This notion has created MANY mistakes by our professional teams. Rather than admit defeat, we have seen the Mets constantly try to hold on tightly as their short lived runs slip away. With respect to the Mets, we have seen it time and again – Eddie Murray, Roberto Alomar, Jason Bay, etc. Bad contracts and trades resulting in even more disappointing seasons. Worse yet, it was all part of a mismanagement of assets which delayed rebuilds and made the cupboards even barer when the time came to finally strip it all down.
As bad as the Mets history is, the Knicks history is worse – so much worse. Just a series of Eddie Currys and Antoio McDyesses and Stephen Marburys. It’s ridiculous, and it’s why after Ewing left, this organization has been a mess.
However, when it comes to postseason droughts and an outright refusal to rebuild, I think back to the Rangers. In the pre-salary cap NHL, the Rangers just outright refused to commit to a rebuild. What ensued was trades for big names and getting the top free agent available – LaFontaine, Lindros, Fleury, Dunham, Holik, Jagr, Kovalev, and the return of Messier.
It makes you question, what if a New York team actually acknowledged they hit the end of the line with their roster, and they were going to make the hard choice and rebuild. Well, with the New York Rangers, we are about to find out:
If you are a Rangers fan, you knew the team didn’t have it this season. However, as an organization, you could talk yourself into this being just about the injuries with Kreider and Shattenkirk going down. Maybe it’s true, and maybe it isn’t.
It doesn’t matter because the overriding point is the Rangers knew they weren’t going to sniff the Cup this year, so why continue down this road? The team smartly accepted the end of this run, and presumably, they look at the trade deadline as an opportunity to jump start their rebuild. With any luck, you can get the assets to make this a retooling. Largely, that will depend on which assets the Rangers opt to trade.
Overall, as a fan, I’d rather my organization be as up front with me as the Rangers just were. This is a unique step for a New York organization, and it is one that should be lauded. Hopefully, this will prove to be a positive step forward for an organization which looks to win its first Cup since 1994.
I know it is something I wish the Mets were more honest about in years past and with this roster. Last year, hard choices were eschewed, and instead of cleaning house, the Mets got a collection of right-handed relievers, none of which are supposed make the Opening Day roster, and continued to play the likes of Jose Reyes over younger kids who could’ve used the development time.
Maybe after seeing how the Rangers chose to conduct their business, other New York sports teams will follow. Maybe then people will say New York is the best place to rebuild.
Like many a Mets fan, I was saddened to read Bob Klapisch’s New York Post article about how Buddy Harrelson, the first ever player inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame, and the only person on the field for both World Series titles, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
For me, it was not just a heart breaking story because of the difficult road that lies ahead of both him and his family, but also because of my own personal experiences with it.
In my life, I have lost two people near and dear to me. With my grandfather dying when I was just five, and with my other grandfather having been dead long before I was born, there were two men who stepped up and became a grandfather of sorts to my brother and I.
The first was our neighbor, Al. Al was about as eccentric and joyful a person you would ever meet. A lover of music, he would play the organ all hours of the night. As a way to sneak ice cream past his disapproving wife, he would keep a carton of ice cream in the freezer that was just for my brother and I. He just so happened to make a cone for himself.
He was a larger than life individual who spun tale after tale regaling all of the neighborhood kids. If you were truly lucky, he would make you a rickety old box scooter.
That was until the eccentric man became the absent minded man. The thing that always stuck with me was how he’d drive his car to the grocery store, leave the car running, and he’d walk home. He did this on numerous occasions.
Finally, push came to shove one day when I was playing with my friends in the street. In a blind rage, he came out calling me by his eldest son’s name. He grabbed me by the arm, and tried to drag me back into the house to punish me. Not too long thereafter, Al got the nursing care he needed before eventually being moved a home. When I learned of his death as an adult, I was devastated.
I was also devastated when my Uncle Pat was diagnosed not too long thereafter.
Having the experiences with Al, I know I purposefully disregarded the signs – the inability to pronounce certain words, the lack of memory, but mostly just that look when you know they were lost. It was haunting.
The larger than life man we all knew, loved, feared, and respected was troubled. Instead of him chiding my mom about not letting me play football, as was his dream for me, he would tell old stories. He would retell the same stories about all the famous people he worked with during his life. His favorite stories were always the Frankie Valli ones. As time wore on, he even told those stories with less and less vigor.
Eventually, he was diagnosed, and he didn’t last long after his diagnosis. In the succeeding years, I always question whether that was a good or bad thing. Like with Al, I wanted the opportunity to have one last real conversation. Really, I wanted a chance to say goodbye to someone who knew I was saying goodbye.
Alzheimer’s is a soul crushing disease, not just for the patient, but for everyone who loves and holds that person dear. My sincerest sympathies go out to Buddy and his family. At this point, all I can offer them is empty platitudes, so I offer them in the hopes it helps.
With the Mets signing Todd Frazier, the team has added a third baseman who has averaged 30 homers since the 2013 season. In their history, the Mets have seen third baseman who could hit for that type of power. However, there have not been that many who have been able to do so.
Are you able to name the third baseman in Mets history who have hit the most homers? Good luck!
(NOTE: to qualify, it is players who have played at third more than any other position. As a result, Edgardo Alfonzo and Bobby Bonilla do not qualify)
David Wright Howard Johnson Robin Ventura Wayne Garrett Charley Smith
With his football career over, and with him still being a young man, Tim Tebow shocked everyone when he decided he wanted to become a professional baseball player. To a certain degree, you could say Tebow’s first season as a professional was a disaster. In 126 games played, he would hit .226/.309/.347 with 24 doubles, two triples, eight homers, and 52 RBI. Now, you can argue there were glimpses like his hitting .260/.370/.390 in June, but most would likely dismiss that as one hot streak.
Despite Tebow’s struggles, his being a Mets minor leaguer last year should be seen as a success. First and foremost, everywhere he went set attendance records. As noted by ESPN, even before he played one game, his jersey sales were through the roof. Say what you will, but this is a business, and if any team ever needed the money, it was the Mets.
But more than that, Tebow was there to leave an impression on the young Mets prospects. That’s clearly a benefit as this is a person who has been able to conduct himself as a professional, has no off the field issues, and is someone willing to serve as a mentor to younger players. This has value in the minors when you are teammates with players not too far removed from high school or college.
Fireflies teammate Bradon Brosher said of Tebow, “He does everything the right way. He’s definitely one of the hardest workers I’ve ever seen. And I really respect what he’s doing.” (New York Daily News).
Another teammate, Michael Paez said, “He’s the first one to pick us up and let us know we have so much to look forward to in the game and even in life. He’s a great influence to have in there.”
Whether a direct result of Tebow or not, Paez certainly took off last season earning an All Star nod in the South Atlantic League. At the time he was promoted to St. Lucie, Paez was the league leader in doubles.
In sum, we see the positives of Tebow at play, and yet, when the Mets do something like invite Tebow to Spring Training, the Mets are routinely mocked.
You know who doesn’t get mocked for stuff like this? The Yankees, and they’re really much worse than the Mets when it comes to this stuff.
Years ago, they let a 60 year old Billy Crystal play in a Spring Training game, and now they have traded for Rangers “second base prospect” and Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson. For his part, Brian Cashman justified the PR by basically saying the team looks forward to picking the brain of a Super Bowl champion. (ESPN).
Fact is, Cashman is as right about the decision as the Mets were about Tebow. Sure, both faced their fair share of jokes over it, but with the Mets being the Mets, and Tebow being Tebow, the jokes directed towards them will last longer than what we’ll see with Wilson and the Yankees.
But you know what? There’s more virtue with Tebow and the Mets. Tebow’s there for the grind, the hard part, and not just for a fantasy camp experience. The Mets have brought in more than a yearly scheduled motivational speaker; they have a mentor.
We can all mock Tebow and the Mets all we want, but fact is, this is proving to be a mutually beneficial relationship, and it will prove to be better than any other publicity stunt any other organization can concoct.
With many of the upper echelon free agents yet to sign, we have seen a war of words begin to emerge with players and agents on one side and owners on the other.
Brodie Van Wagenen of CAA notes MLB owners behavior has “changed dramatically,” and their behavior “appears coordinated.
Joshua Kusnick, a self-proclaimed boutique agent, asserted it feels “an external force has held things up.” After summing is his opinion, he invoked the legal doctrine of res ipsa loquitor, which in the given context, can be inferred to mean if it looks like collusion, it’s collusion.
MLBPA President Tony Clarkissued a statement, which in part, said, “This year a significant number of teams are involved in a race to the bottom. This conduct is a fundamental breach of the trust between a team and its fans and threatens the very integrity of our game.”
At this point, MLB was compelled to respond, and unsurprisingly, they put the blame on the players. In fact, they noted players have “substantial offers” that reach nine figures. To that end, MLB blames agents for failing to properly advise their clients as to what their real value is.
Right on cue, Scott Boras chimed in noting teams sharing information on offers given to free agents is a violation of the CBA. As is typical with Boras, he dropped a bombshell:
boras continued: "I an also curious how a public statement communicated to all teams about offers on the table and players demanding too much money from a central league office … is any different from the infamous "information bank" in the 1980s."
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 7, 2018
Certainly, this has been an offseason unlike any we’ve seen in 30 years, and as a result the question of what exactly is happening needs to be investigated.
Specifically, Mets signing Todd Frazier merits consideration.
In his final arbitration year, Frazier made $12 million. After a season where he posted a 3.4 WAR, the 31 year old took a pay cut signing a two year $17 million ($8.5 million AAV) deal.
Now, arbitration and free agency are completely different animals. The real question is whether Frazier received his true fair market value on the free agent market. One way to do that is to gauge the other multi-year deals given to the top free agent third baseman available on the market:
2017
| Justin Turner | Luis Valbuena | |||
| Age | 32 | Age | 31 | |
| 2016 WAR | 5.0 | 2016 WAR | 2.6 | |
| Years | 4 | Years | 2 | |
| Contract | $64M | Contract | $15M | |
| Cost/WAR (AAV) | $3.2M | Cost/WAR (AAV) | $2.8M |
2016
None
2015
| Pablo Sandoval | Chase Headley | |||
| Age | 28 | Age | 31 | |
| 2014 WAR | 3.4 | 2014 WAR | 3.5 | |
| Years | 5 | Years | 4 | |
| Contract | $95M | Contract | $52M | |
| Cost/WAR (AAV) | $5.6M | Cost/WAR (AAV) | $4.1M |
What is interesting to see here is the annual cost paid per WAR on a multi-year deal has decreased on a continual basis. Sandoval, who was fresh off another great World Series performance, received $5.6 million per WAR on his five year contract. Fast-forward a few years, and Turner, who was coming off a terrific postseason run himself only received $3.2 million per WAR on his multi-year deal.
Yes, there were some mitigating factors to consider. By and large, the Sandoval and Headley contracts have been deemed to have been terrible deals, and as a result, we have seen both players wind back up with the teams they made their Major League debuts.
Some will also point out how Turner wanted to stay home with the Dodgers. Naturally, limiting his market also would serve to limit the amount of money he could make on the free agent market. However, it is still a stark drop from $5.6 million per WAR to $3.2 million. That goes double when you consider Turner was coming off the much better season.
If you want to note Sandoval, despite his “bad body” was younger, then look at Headley, who was the same age as Turner when he entered the free agent market. Headley’s $4.1 million per WAR was a better deal than Turner’s even if Turner did receive $12 million more in his deal.
Looking at Frazier, he is being paid just $2.5 million per his 2017 WAR. That’s less than half of what Sandoval was paid in 2015, which is interesting considering both players amassed a 3.4 WAR in their free agency walk year.
Depending on your point of view, you could twist these numbers to prove either collusion or a correction in the market.
Personally, I find it a struggle to believe this is every team ultimately becoming smarter. A productive player like Frazier took a pay cut and received a deal less valuable than the ones signed just three years ago. This happened despite MLB revenues continuing to increase and the owners receiving a $50 million payout for the sale of BAMTech.
It may not be collusion, but something strange is certainly happening in baseball right now.
Heading into the 1999 season, the Mets desperately needed another infielder. After debating names like B.J. Surhoff, the Mets went with 30 year old Robin Ventura, who was arguably coming off his worst season at the plate since his first full season in the majors.
While Ventura’s bat may have been a bit of a question mark, his glove wasn’t. At the time he was signed, Ventura was widely regarded as one of the best defensive third baseman in the game – if not THE best. With him alongside Rey Ordonez, the Mets knew from a defensive perspective they were going to have the best left side of the infield in all of baseball.
As it turns out, it was much more than that. With John Olerud and Edgardo Alfonzo, the Mets assembled what many regard as the best defensive infield. Both Ventura and Ordonez would win Gold Gloves giving that infield the metal it needed to prove the point.
More than that, Ventura was rejuvenated as a Met. In 1999, he had his best every year hitting an astounding .301/.379/.529 with 32 homers and 120 RBI. He would amass the third most WAR among NL position players, and he would finish sixth in the MVP voting. As we know, he still had some magic left, as with this help of Todd Pratt, he would launch the Grand Slam Single in Game 5 of the NLCS.
After his Mets career, Ventura would eventually find himself as a manger of the Chicago White Sox, and he would manage Todd Frazier, the player who is now looking to pick up his mantle from the 1999 season.
Frazier has built himself a reputation as a good defensive third baseman. In 2017, among players with over a thousand innings at third base, he had the third highest DRS trailing just Nolan Arenado and Evan Longoria. With Frazier now joining Amed Rosario on the left side of the infield, the Mets promise to have the best defensive left side of the infield they have had in decades. Along with the San Francisco Giants, they are on the short list of teams that can argue they have the best defensive left side of the infield in baseball.
At the plate, Frazier is a good hitter. Over the past four seasons, he’s averaged a .243/.322/.464 batting line with 33 homers and 86 RBI. That equates to a 113 OPS+ and wRC+. Many will knock him for his declining batting average, but it should be noted last year, he had a career best .344 OBP and 14.4% walk rate. In sum, his batting average is going down, but he’s getting on base more frequently.
Like Ventura, there’s optimism for a much improved season at the plate. We have already seen him become a more patient hitter at the plate. We have also seen him post an absurdly low .236 and .226 BABIP in succeeding years. Part of that is Ventura is a dead pull hitter making it easier to shift against him. Seeing how low those marks are and how hard he hits the ball, there’s some bad luck involved.
All of this makes him a prime candidate for a turnaround similar to what we saw with Jay Bruce last year. The Mets will give him the information and will have him work with Pat Roessler. This should allow Frazier to have a much improved year at the plate.
If that is the case, Frazier is going to have a great year with the Mets. And while he’s admittedly not as good a player as Ventura was, he can have a similar impact. Frazier can be the guy in the clubhouse blasting “Mo Jo Rising,” helps create a great left side infield defense, and deepen the Mets lineup.
And if all that happens, this could be a postseason team, which should give us excitement over what heroics we are about to see next.
Each and every offseason, I have seen the Mets part with players who are easy to root for. In my life, I have seen the Mets part ways with Gary Carter, Darryl Strawberry, Mike Piazza, Edgardo Alfonzo, Daniel Murphy, and many more. Having seen my some of my all-time favorite players depart has never made it easy to see the team depart with some of the players I have come to respect and root for during their time in a Mets uniform – no matter how long it lasted.
Recently, the Mets parted with two relievers, each of whom played less than two full seasons in a Mets uniform. Presumably, the moves were necessary as the Mets needed to make room on the 40 man roster for the newly re-signed Jay Bruce and Jose Reyes. Still, seeing those two relievers, you question if the Mets made the right decision.
The first reliever the Mets designated for assignment was Chasen Bradford.
In retrospect, it is interesting the Mets were even in a position to DFA Bradford. For a number of years, he had been Rule 5 eligible with the rest of MLB not giving him much of a look. The Mets didnt’ either, and if not for the series of injuries that beset the Mets this past season, it’s possible Bradford would have departed the team as a minor league free agent without getting so much as a chance.
Well, Bradford got his chance, and he proved he’s a MLB caliber pitcher. In 28 appearances, he was 2-0 with a 3.78 ERA and a 1.277 WHIP. After a somewhat tough July, he went on a 12 appearance stretch where he allowed just one run in 16.2 innings.
In fact, from August until the end of the season, he had a 2.93 ERA in 27.2 innings over 23 appearances. During that stretch, he had amassed 20 scoreless appearances, and he had nine appearances over an inning in length. In sum, Bradford showed he could go out there and get Major League batters out no matter the situation.
There other reliever designated for assignment was Josh Smoker.
Smoker’s story is one of perseverance. After being the Nationals 2007 first round draft pick, he would suffer a torn rotator cuff and labrum. This would cause the Nationals to release him thereby putting his professional baseball career in jeopardy.
A healthy Smoker proved himself in the Frontier League leading to his getting signed by the Mets. Two years later, Smoker found himself part of a bullpen that helped pitch the Mets to the postseason. Given his talent and perseverance, it was not surprise Smoker would be a part of the 2017 Opening Day bullpen.
What was a surprise was how Terry Collins used him. Really, his manager showed a willful disregard for a pitcher with a history of shoulder issues. It was almost as if Collins learned nothing from his handling of Johan Santana and Jim Henderson. Eventually, Smoker had another shoulder injury. Thankfully, it was not as serious as it would not require seasons ending surgery.
Once again, Smoker would have to re-prove himself, and re-prove himself he did. In the second half, Smoker was 0- 0 with a 2.63 ERA and a 10.5 K/9 in 22 appearances. Perhaps of more importance, Smoker found himself a capable pitcher against left-handed batters making him an even greater weapon in the bullpen.
However, like Bradford, Smoker will be a weapon in someone else’s bullpen.
After being designated for assignment, Bradford signed a minor league deal with the Mariners. To risk not losing him on waivers, Smoker was traded to the Pirates for minor league left-handed reliever Daniel Zamora. With that, the Mets have ridded themselves of two relievers who not only provided themselves capable of getting out Major League batters, but also two relievers who showed perseverance in getting themselves to this point. That’s no small thing to lose.
As we learned during Player’s Weekend, Bradford’s nickname is Black Bear, and Smoker’s nickname is Brown Bear. While it may seem a bit much, considering their nicknames, it’s fair to say it’s difficult to bear knowing neither pitcher will be a part of the Mets next season.
Fortunately for both of them, they are now with new organizations who likely value them all the more. They deserve that, and all Mets fans should wish them the best of luck.