In what was a surprising and completely unexpected move, the New York Mets announced that Omar Minaya is returning as a Special Assistant to Sandy Alderson. In Omar’s new role, he will have a varying role including but not limited to scouting and player development. While this offseason has been a complete disappointment thus far, this decision is a great move for the Mets:
1. Omar Left The Mets In Better Shape Than Advertised
One of the issues for Omar when he departed for the Mets was the purported poor state of the Mets minor league system. There were many reasons for the caricature as he didn’t have many first round picks as the General Manager, and when he did have one, he struck by drafting players like Eddie Kunz.
However, that does not mean the talent wasn’t there. As we well know, Omar built the core that helped win the 2015 pennant. It was Omar’s regime that brought in Jacob deGrom, Lucas Duda, Jeurys Familia, Matt Harvey, Steven Matz, and Daniel Murphy.
Omar also had originally brought R.A. Dickey to the Mets on a minor league deal. That led to Dickey winning a Cy Young Award, and Sandy Alderson flipping him in a deal that netted the Mets Travis d’Arnaud and Noah Syndergaard. If Sandy and Omar can work in harmony, the Mets may very well turn things around sooner than we believed.
2. Omar Has Been Able To Get The Wilpons To Spend
When Omar first took the reigns as the Mets General Manager, he went out, and he spent. He immediately brought in Carlos Beltran and Pedro Martinez. He had to wait a year, but he was eventually able to get Carlos Delgado. He was also shrewd by getting Jose Reyes and David Wright to sign extensions that proved to be team friendly deals.
Yes, this is true this was all prior to the Madoff Scandal. However, consider that a month after Madoff was arrested and the Mets standing a real chance of facing financial ruin, Omar was somehow able to get the Mets to agree to sign Jason Bay to a four year $66 million deal. It’s true that this ultimately proved to be a bad deal, but the overriding point was Omar got the Mets to spend like none other. If you are able to combine Omar’s influence with Sandy’s prudence, you again get a terrific combination.
3. Mets Need A Fresh Look At Their Minor League System
The drafted and minor league free agent talent acquired by the Mets since Sandy Alderson became the General Manager has been largely disappointing. So far, their efforts on the International front has really only produced Amed Rosario. Rosario is a great prospect, but he’s it.
Also, while the Mets have drafted All Stars in Michael Conforto and Michael Fulmer, they have also do not view high draft picks like Brandon Nimmo and Gavin Cecchini as starters at the Major League level. Moreoever, the team has been harsh in their criticism of Dominic Smith. It also doesn’t help the team drafted Anthony Kay in the first round, and he has yet to throw a professional pitch due to injury.
In reality, the talent level isn’t where the Mets want it, and it is a large reason why the Mets farm system is largely maligned. When the farm system is where it is right now, it is time to bring in someone to give a fresh look and help build the system back up. There are few better at it than Omar Minaya.
Overall, the Mets brought in a well respected voice in baseball and a voice well respected by the Wilpons. He is being brought in to do what he does best – evaluate and scout talent. Previously, Alderson was able to take the talent Omar acquired, and the Mets won a pennant. With Omar and Sandy working together, the sky is the limit right now.
On Monday, many of us will be celebrating Christmas, which is Jesus’ birthday. In addition to Jesus, there are five former Mets who have a birthday on Christmas. Can you name them? Good luck!
Ruben Gotay Rickey Henderson Tom O’Malley Jack Hamilton Dennis Musgraves
‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the clubhouse
Not a player was stirring, not even a mouse;
The pennants were hung in left field with care,
In hopes that another World Series soon would be there;
The players were nestled all snug in their homes,
While visions of being the next player to have their very own garden gnome;
And Fred in his ‘kerchief, and Jeff in his cap,
Counted their pennises after a postseason streak was snapped,
When out on the field there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the concourse to see if there was a batter.
Away to the my seat I flew like a flash,
Opened up my scorebook and awaited a great clash.
The moon on the breast of the re-sodded field
Gave the lustre of outfield lights to bases below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should coming this way,
But a bullpen cart carrying Mickey Callaway,
With a an effervescent young man, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be the new skip.
More rapid than fastballs his pitchers do flame,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;
“Now, HARVEY! now, JAKE! now, MATZ and FLEXEN!
On, THOR! on LUGO! on, WHEELER and GSELLMAN!
To the top of the mound! fire that ball!
Strike ’em out! strike ’em out! strike ’em out all!”
As dry leaves that before the curve balls fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, dropping from the sky,
So up the dugout steps the hurlers they knew,
With powerful arms, the count would soon be 0-2.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard in the stands
The rhythmic clapping of each set of hands
As I drew up my hands, waiting for something profound,
Up the dugout steps Callaway came to the mound.
He was dressed all in blue and orange, from his cap to his cleat,
And his beard was well groomed and really quite neat;
A bundle of arms he had awaiting on in the pen;
And he looked like a old pro just handling his men.
His eyes — how they twinkled! his smile quite charming!
His cheeks were like roses, his expression disarming!
His droll little mouth was drawn up as if to say something profound,
A man so handsome SNY just felt the need to expound;
A decision to be made, he bit his lip with his teeth,
As the fans encircled him and his players like a wreath;
He had a blue windbreaker drapped over his belly,
That shook, when a plane flew over, like a bowlful of jelly.
He was slender and earnest, a whole injured team on the shelf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave the fans to know there was nothing to dread;
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And motioned to the bullpen; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, out of the bullpen the closer arose;
He sprang to his dugout, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew around the field like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, with Mets victory in sight,
HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!
In a vacuum, the Mets purported interest in Adrian Gonzalez makes a ton of sense.
Gonzalez had a forgettable 2017 season largely fueled by back problems. This led to him posting a -1.2 WAR, easily the worst in his career.
In the three years prior, Gonzalez was a .279/.345/.466 hitter who averaged 35 doubles, 24 homers, and 99 RBI. That’s good for a 124 OPS+ and a 123 wRC+. In the field, he averaged an 8 DRS. Overall, he averaged a 3.3 WAR.
These numbers were dragged down by a down 2016 season. Still, Gonzalez had a 111 OPS+, 111 wRC+, 3 DRS, and a 2.1 WAR.
With Dominic Smith struggling mightily in his first exposure to the majors, Gonzalez would arguably be the perfect insurance policy for the 2013 first round draft pick (11th overall).
However, this is all in a vacuum. The offseason tells us why this is a much different story.
Sandy Alderson began the offseason saying Smith “didn’t win [the first base job] in September, let’s put it that way.” (Mike Puma, New York Post).
This gave way to comments about Smith’s weight. More importantly, it gave way to interest in Carlos Santana and Jay Bruce.
Well, the price tags for both were set high. While Bruce has dropped his price, Santana signed a three year deal with a $20 million average annual value.
This would eventually give way to the Mets being very high on Smith. (Puma, New York Post). Admittedly, this did come on the heels of Smith losing over 10 pounds since the season started.
So great, Smith is keeping his end of the bargain. The Mets can now allocate resources and 25/40 man space to fulfill other holes on an immensely flawed roster.
Nope. The Braves, who already have Freddie Freeman, obtained Gonzalez in a bad contract trade with the Dodgers. To the surprise of no one, Gonzalez was released despite being owed $22.3 million next year.
Accordingly, Gonzalez’s new team would have to pay him just the league minimum.
And now, the Mets are interested in adding a 35 year old first baseman coming off an injury plagued season.
Again, this would be the smart decision for the Mets. In Gonzalez, you’re getting a cheap safety net. You may be also getting a potential difference maker should he rediscover his form.
However, the Mets started this offseason by saying Smith didn’t win a job, and he needed to lose weight . . . again. Essentially, they said they’re not sure they can count on him at all in 2018.
Mets: Dom is bad. We need a new first baseman.
Santana's Agent: He wants $20 million a year.
Mets: We were too harsh on Dom. He's our first baseman of the future.
Braves: We're releasing Gonzalez
Gonzalez's Agent: He wants league minimum
Mets: Yo Adrian!— Mets Daddy (@MetsDaddy2013) December 20, 2017
You cannnot go from that to someone who will turn 36 next year, who is coming off the worst season of his career. You don’t go from being dismissive of Smith to an old declining player who now has back issues.
Gonzalez isn’t insurance. Rather, it’s just the team collecting league minimum contracts hoping one player sticks.
That’s not how you build a team you think can win a World Series. That’s pushing all your chips despite holding 2-7 off suit.
This is yet another example of the Mets being dissatisfied with their own draft picks and being unable to spend to offset that. That’s not exactly the best combination in a franchise.
Mets fans are likely left hoping and praying the combination of Smith and Gonzalez works out better than that.
If you are a Mets fan, you’re angry. Really, there is a myriad of purely justifiable reasons why.
The Mets let Daniel Murphy walk. They haven’t sufficiently spent to put a team that finished just short in 2015 over the top. The handling of medical issues is a mess leading to the team constantly playing with a short roster. They sold part of their future to build a bench and bullpen, something they refuse to do in the offseason. This is why you have to acquire Kelly Johnson in the midseason not once but twice.
The team has not extended one pitcher, but during Sandy Alderson’s tenure, he has found a way to extend Juan Lagares, Jon Niese, and David Wright. Speaking of Wright, they have continuously played Russian Roulette with his ability to play leaving the Mets having the worst possible third base situation for two years running.
Even better, the Mets don’t have sufficient funds to add the type of players it needs to get the team back to the 2015 level – you know a middling and injured team who sold the farm to make one run and let it fizzle out. Even better, the team doesn’t have the farm system to supplement the roster to keep the competitive.
Sad part is this is just the tip of the iceberg. We all have reasons to be angry with the Mets. It makes you want to do something.
In year’s past, we had the billboard. While derided in some circles, it did have some effect. Arguably, if not for the billboards and the display of fan anger, the Mets may not make the moves they made, including but not limited to trading for Yoenis Cespedes and re-signing him multiple times.
With that in mind, there is another movement afoot. This one is being led by the Good Fundies guys:
The response to #MetsBoycott has been overwhelming and humbling. People have DMed me stories about how the Mets are important to them — fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, lifetimes of fandom — and I promise that I will do my best to try and help connect everybody.
— Good Fundies Brian (@OmarMinayaFan) December 17, 2017
(EDITOR’S NOTE: with baby number two expected any minute, this was written in advance of a podcast where details were released)
Boycotts are dicey things because they tend to either get trivialized, don’t have the physical support to match the vocal support, and/or don’t go to the extent they need to go.
On a personal front, I have greatly reduced the amount of money I have spent on Mets tickets. I used to have multiple plans. The reason for that is I had different factions of Mets fans, and I enjoyed going to games with those people. It was an amazing way to experience a season.
Between Madoff, changes to ticket plans, and just the utter horseshit we get from the Mets organization, I’m down to none. Guess what the Mets response has been to that? They call me to ask me to buy a ticket plan numerous times each offseason. That’s it. If you’re like me, it’s probably the same.
Still, I can’t stay away. I love baseball, and my son does as well. I want to bring him to games, which he enjoys. This season, I tried bringing him to road games instead, but it wasn’t good enough for him. He wanted to go to Citi Field to see Mr. Met, play the Home Run Derby, and watch the game. He’s a little boy. I’m not going to punish him because the Wilpons suck.
There’s the other matter about my Dad and brother. I have been going to games with my Dad since 1983 and my brother a couple of years after that. No matter what, we have found at least one game to go to each season. If the Mets didn’t operate the way they do, we’d probably still have a Sunday Plan – you know the plan they greedily eliminated/altered when they moved from Shea Stadium to Citi Field.
Point is, I can’t stay away, but I do want something to happen.
Getting something organized is problematic. You have to encourage people to do something, but what? Purchase tickets and not enter the stadium? Organize in front of Citi Field and be ushered away before you can gain any traction? A social media campaign that may hit the newspapers once?
The end result of these might be a giant “Meh!’ from the Met organization.
Still, you have to do something like a billboard. Something the Mets both get embarrassed by and yet can’t ignore.
No matter what it is, all I know is I’m onboard if only because I want things to get better. To that end, here are my unsolicited suggestions:
- Have fans see the Mets on the road in group outings carrying signs such as #MetsBoycott or clever signs delineating fan outrage
- If not road trips, organized fan outings at different locations such as Foley’s, which is a well known sports and baseball bar in the area
- Another billboard or other visible sign outside Citi Field
- Advertising spot on WFAN
- A good old fashioned letter writing campaign. While you can ignore emails by setting up spam folders, the Mets aren’t going to stop the mail just because they are getting waves of fan letters. For an example of this effectiveness, look at John Mara responding to fan letters and his firing of Reese and McAdoo in-season.
If you do one, some combination of these things, or something all together different, it should gain some traction. Whether it’s enough to get what all Mets fans what they want, it remains to be seen.
In the end, the goal needs to just be not being marginalized, which is something the Mets are great at under Sandy Alderson’s regime (“Panic Citi”). It’s a difficult line to tread, and I’m not particularly sure it can be successful.
However, given the state of affairs, it’s certainly worth a try.
In case you missed it over the weekend, Marc Carig of Newsday wrote a column wherein many Mets fans have applauded because someone not only asked the question about payroll, but also for rightfully taking the team to task for how it’s been operated.
That’s great and all, but that’s not really what this article was about. The article was really about the lack of accountability from this franchise. Here are some key excerpts:
But rather than reach for transparency, the Wilpons seem content to hide. They never talk about money. Whether it’s arrogance or simply negligence, they have no problem asking fans to pony up the cash and never show the willingness to reciprocate.
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To the Wilpons, it’s as if nobody is worthy of a straight answer. That’s the biggest failure of all.
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But it costs zero dollars to be transparent, to be willing to explain the payroll, to be proactive about presenting a plan to succeed.
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The Wilpons can start by publicly owning up to how this franchise is run. They can begin speaking for themselves rather than leaving the dirty work to middle men. But until they show the courage to take that first step, the Mets and their fans are doomed to repeat the cycle, pulling for a franchise that will never actually do enough to win.
Having read and re-read this article, time and again, I really begin to wonder if the term fan is being substituted for reporter.
This is not a slight on Carig or any beat reporter. There job is much more difficult than fans could possibly imagine. There are things we demand they discover, but at the end of the day, there may be no answer to those questions because, well, the team won’t answer them.
Whatever your line of work, it must be nauseatingly frustrating when someone just stonewalls you time and time again, and that prevents you from doing an aspect of your job. In the case of a beat reporter, that would include covering issues that are seemingly simple like the budget and a framework for the offseason.
As an aside, that must be even worse for Sandy Alderson.
Meanwhile, one of the most important currencies for a reporter is access. Write a scathing comment like Carig did, and you may very well find that access limited. That would make an already difficult job all the more difficult.
Still, there is a major question that needs to be asked – why is the payroll question being asked now?
Why wasn’t this asked heading into the 2015 season? The team certainly pushed forth the belief they were going to contend with the rise of Jacob deGrom and the return of Matt Harvey from Tommy John surgery.
That team’s Major League acquisitions prior to Spring Training were Michael Cuddyer and John Mayberry. They did nothing to address the bullpen or the bench, and Wilmer Flores was the shortstop.
After the 2015 season, if not for Yoenis Cespedes lingering longer than anyone believed he would, the Mets were going to enter the 2016 season with lower payroll and a center field platoon of Alejandro De Aza and Juan Lagares to replace Cespedes. On top of that, Eric Campbell made the Opening Day roster because the Mets didn’t want to pay Ruben Tejada $3 million.
With an injured Mets team making an incredible push to claim the top Wild Card, the Mets did not sign one free agent from outside the organization. They re-signed Fernando Salas and Jerry Blevins because both surprisingly lingered on the free agent market, and the team gave Cespedes a big contract.
However, it should be noted the Mets did nothing to improve the roster from a team that was simply not good enough in 2016. Instead, of stories about the payroll being below market and window of competition, it was mostly lauding the Cespedes re-signing as the team going for it coupled with the intrigue about how the Mets were returning the same roster.
And look, we all know the Mets are likely cutting payroll because that’s what the Mets do. Still, the team did add a good late inning reliever in Anthony Swarzak, and they were rebuffed by Ian Kinsler. Other than Carlos Santana, the big name free agents are still on the board.
While we don’t expect them to come to the Mets, in prior offseasons, we have seen the market correct with Sandy sitting there ready to swoop in and get them for less money than anticipated. That’s why Cespedes and Blevins will be Mets next season. Such behavior (luck?) has been routinely lauded.
Now? Well, now, it is being criticized because the Mets lack of accountability and refusal to answer the simplest questions has become too much to bear. Except this time, it’s not the fans, it’s for reporters. They’re now writing articles about it – articles we all wish were written in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016 (apologies to a few like Megdal who has done excellent reporting on the topic and Vacarro who kept the heat on the team throughout 2015 and beyond).
So yes, I appreciate the article, but really, none of this is news to Mets fans. It’s just confirmation of the status quo. And sadly, in the end, we have learned nothing new from the team. Really, this all just leaves me further frustrated with the franchise, and it leaves me further frustrated that this is really the first we have seen of these articles after all of these years. Hopefully, there will be more. More than that, I just hope something will finally come of this.
But we all know it won’t.
Mets and Angels are very similar in many ways.
Both teams play in major media markets with both teams being overshadowed in said market.
As we know, the Mets are overshadowed by a Yankees team with 27 titles. If you forget for even a nanosecond, don’t worry, a Yankees fan will be there to remind you.
Similarly, the Dodgers overshadow the Angels. The title disparity is somewhat similar with the Dodgers winning six World Series (five in Los Angeles) to the Angels one.
The title disparity in both situations appears set to expand with Yankee and Dodger, loaded with young talent and farm systems, were so close to winning the World Series.
The Yankees had a 3-2 lead in the ALCS before heading back to Houston.
The Dodgers started Yu Darvish with Clayton Kershaw at the ready in Game 7 of the World Series. They fell short.
Both teams are now gearing up so they won’t fall short again.
The Yankees have already added Giancarlo Stanton, and they have re-signed CC Sabathia. The team also has cleared payroll by trading Chase Headley to the Padres leaving them with more money to improve their team without going over the luxury tax.
Like the Yankees, the Dodgers swung a deal to clear to payroll taking on Matt Kemp while trading away a few players, including Adrian Gonzalez, who were not going to be factors in 2018.
The Dodgers and Yankees are not done this offseason, which is scary given how their rosters are already good enough to win a World Series. That should promise to put to Mets and Angels further back in the rearview mirror.
This begs the question as to what should you do as the Mets or Angels, two teams who were under .500 last year, should do this offseason.
The Angels have decided to go for it. They have been very active this offseason significantly upgrading their roster, by making the following moves:
- Acquired Jim Johnson
- Re-sign Justin Upton
- Signed Shohei Ohtani
- Acquired Ian Kinsler
- Signed Zack Cozart
In addition to these moves, they also signed Braves prospect Kevin Maitan, which should be a boost to their poor farm system.
The Mets? Well, they have been the Mets this offseason in that they have not done much:
- Hired new coaching staff featuring Mickey Callaway (manager) and Dave Eiland (pitching coach)
- Acquired Burch Smith in the Rule 5 Draft and traded him to the Kansas City Royals for cash considerations
- Signed Anthony Swarzak
- Signed Jose Lobaton to a minor league deal
Perhaps tellingly, the Mets primary targets went elsewhere. Bryan Shaw went to pitch in Coors Field instead of Citi Field with his old pitching coach.
And Kinsler outrighted rejected a trade to the Mets. It’s quite telling he had the Mets and Angels on his 10 team no trade list, and he accepted a trade to the Angels.
Overall, the offseason isn’t over, and perhaps the Mets still have a significant move or two left in them. It’s going to be extremely difficult with the team cutting payroll and outright refusing to answer questions on the topic:
The Wilpons should have decency to explain to Mets fans why they refuse to do what it takes to win. My column: https://t.co/jmVijtBLbh pic.twitter.com/OIzWSXjodj
— Marc Carig (@MarcCarig) December 17, 2017
Too bad, the Mets can’t be more like the Angels, who don’t play in the top media market in the country, have played in the same ballpark since 1966, and don’t have their own regional sports network.
With the Mets rumored to be obtaining Jason Kipnis, fans should be thrilled. Kipnis is seemingly everything the team needs, and he could go a long way in making the Mets a better team.
He is a two time All Star, who seemingly has no ego. After returning from the Disabled List, the Indians asked him to move to center field because that is what was needed to help the team win. He did it, and he did it despite his having been a key player on a team that came within a run of winning the World Series in 2016.
In his two prior healthy seasons, Kipnis was a .289/.357/.460 hitter who averaged 42 doubles, six triples, 16 homers, and 67 RBI. He also averaged a 4.3 WAR with him posting three seasons of a WAR above 4.0 in three out of his past five seasons.
Combine this with a reasonable salary (owed $28.3 million over next two years with a $16.5 million option for 2020), and you have a good player on a decent contract that can really help the Mets.
However, this is exactly the type of player that can also help a Cleveland Indians team with World Series aspirations – an Indians team who is about to take major hits in free agency.
Already, the Indians have lost Bryan Shaw and Carlos Santana in free agency. Jay Bruce and may not be far behind. By trading Kinsler, the Indians may be getting rid of a player who could help them at either first base, the outfield, or anywhere else the Indians need.
Yes, Jose Ramirez had an MVP caliber season, and he seemingly usurped Kipnis at second base. Still, Ramirez moving from third to second also created some uncertainty at the third base position.
No doubt, the Indians have some talented young players who could play there like Yandy Diaz, Francisco Mejia, or Giovanny Urshela. However, it is quite telling that come postseason time the Indians handed the third base duties to journeyman Michael Martinez. Reason being is that the aforementioned trio wasn’t quite ready. And really, who is to say they will be next season?
If you next take into account, Michael Brantley being constantly injured, you really begin to wonder why is it the Indians are willing to just give up on Kipnis?
It’s not like he’s at his peak value. He’s coming off an injury plagued season where he had a 0.4 WAR, 81 OPS+, 82 wRC+, and a -2 DRS at second base. Trading him now feels more like the Indians are dumping a salary than the Mets are blowing the Indians away with an offer to get a good player.
This should beg the question about what the Indians know that no one else does? Is it Kipnis’ shoulder? Is it fear of regression? Is it just to free up money to spend elsewhere? No one can be quite sure as of right now.
With all the said, Kipnis still presents a huge upgrade for a Mets organization that had the second worst DRS at second base in all of baseball. It’s a massive upgrade for a team that views Jose Reyes and his -0.6 WAR last year as the free agent backup plan. This all means the Mets should be pursuing Kipnis.
However, that doesn’t mean the Mets shouldn’t be concerned as to which Kipnis they are getting in return.
With the sixth pick of the Rule 5 Draft, the Mets were not supposed to be able to select Burch Smith. However, by some fortune, the player rated by Baseball America as the top prospect in the Rule 5 Draft, fell to the Mets. Even better, the Mets made the wise decision to pick him.
But they weren’t smart enough to keep him.
In what was likely a prearranged deal with the Kansas City Royals, the Mets traded Smith for cash considerations or a player to be named later.
Look, we don’t know if Smith can be an effective Major League player. There is certainly a reason the Tampa Bay Rays left him unprotected. His joining Zack Wheeler in missing the 2015 and 2016 seasons to Tommy John probably played no small part. Still, this was a talented player Baseball America projects as Major League ready:
Smith sat 94-96 mph with his fastball, flashed a knee-buckling 74-76 mph curveball and showed a swing-and-miss 79-81 mph changeup. Though he’s 27 and has had serious arm health issues, Smith is major league ready and has the stuff to help a team as a back-end starter or move to the bullpen.
Looking at the Mets as constituted now, it is bizarre to think the team could part with Smith without so much as getting real player back or giving him a chance. With stuff like Smith has, and with the arrival of Mickey Callaway and Dave Eiland, you would anticipate the Mets organization could get the most out of Smith. Whether that is as a short inning reliever, a long man (like Sean Gilmartin in 2015), or a fifth starter, Smith at least appears to be a MLB pitcher.
Obviously, the Royals believed that to be true with them dangling cash in front of a Mets team that is cutting payroll.
Sarcasm aside, the role Smith would fulfill on this Mets team would be the one given to Robert Gsellman or Rafael Montero. With Gsellman’s not caring what the GM thinks combined with his poor season and with Montero having the career he has had, it begs the question why you would turn your back on a player who could conceivably fulfill the same role and possibly do it better.
Right now, no one is quite sure what Smith is as a Major Leaguer. The same could be said about Pedro Beato in 2010 or Johan Santana in 1999. Point is, we don’t know what or who Smith will be. However, we do know what the Mets have, which makes their decision to just give Smith away all the more troubling.
Yesterday, the Mets had a player unexpectedly fall to them who could be of great help to them in 2018. Because the Mets are who they are, that player was immediately traded to the Kansas City Royals for cash considerations or a player to be named later.
Still, that player counts as a Mets Rule 5 pick much in the same way Johan Santana counts as a Florida Marlins Rule 5 Draft Pick even though he was immediately traded to the Minnesota Twins.
With the Mets having made another Rule 5 pick, can you name the Rule 5 draft picks the team has made in during the Sandy Alderson era? Good luck!
Brad Emaus Pedro Beato Burch Smith Kyle Lobstein Sean Gilmartin Seth Rosin