Hot Stove

Goodbye Niese

You know Jon Niese never made it easy, did he?  He was at times cantankerous. He seemingly always had a chip on his shoulder. He was no different on his way out the door:

Was it a shot at the Mets for trading him?  Who knows?  He once fought with Terry Collins in the dugout (not physically). He blamed a poor start on Travis d’Arnaud. Personally, I’d like to think this was all part of him being a fiery competitor. I didn’t always think this way. My opinion changed when he approached Collins to join the bullpen. 

The story with Niese was he was born on the date the Mets last won the World Series. He came to the team and offered to do whatever it took to help them win another. He acted like a player who lived through the last collapse and finally got a chance to pitch in the postseason. I think most Mets fans thought he would whine and demand the ball. Instead, he just said he wanted to help. 

He was terrific. He helped the Mets solve an issue they had all year. They never had a lefty in the pen. It became Niese, and he pitched well. Other than this run, Niese was known for his attitude, troubles in the sixth inning, and Carlos Beltran paying for his nose job. Now, he’s also known for Celebratory Slip ‘N Slides. 

For me, I remember Niese for this blog’s first big break. The piece about the birth of Niese’s child got this blog noticed by the great Faith and Fear in Flushing with a link on the website. If you’ve come across this site, please repay the favor by buying his new book. You know it’ll be terrific, so just go ahead and buy it.  I digress. 

Anyway, part of the success of this blog is attributable to Niese. Part of the run to the World Series was attributable to Niese. These may be two things I never thought would come true, but they did. Now Niese is in Pittsburg with a pitching coach that’s really going to turn his career around, and it’s quite possible he’ll make the Mets look bad for giving up on him.

In a small way, I hope he does. With his pitching this postseason, he earned well wishes from Mets fans. It’s great that he’s closer to his boyhood home in Ohio. Overall, i wish him and his growing family well. 

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Goodbye Murphy

With the Mets moves yesterday, what was once thought to be a foregone conclusion became a reality. The Mets will not be re-signing Daniel Murphy. 

There’s not a Mets fan alive that wasn’t a huge Murphy fan in 2008 when he was first called up. He hit and hit well on a Mets team trying to avoid a second straight collapse. Naturally, he was slotted in as the Opening Day LF for the first year in Citi Field. Only problem was he wasn’t a LF, and he was sent down. 

We learned over time that Murphy wasn’t much of a fielder, but it wasn’t for the lack of trying. The man always hustled and competed. It’s a testament to who he was that  he became an All Star second baseman. Murphy had his flaws, but he can through when it mattered. This year he got another chance to play for a winner, and he made the most of it.

He almost singlehandedly won the fifth and deciding game of the NLDS in what can only be described as “The Murphy Game.”  He was the NLCS MVP during the month of Murphtober. His amazing hit streak helped bring the Mets to their first World Series in 15 years. Murphy was a big reason why my Dad, brother, and I got to go to a World Series game. It’s not what I’ll remember most about Murphy. 

I’ll remember when I met him during batting practice when my wife was expecting (she was at home). I had a Mets onesie I was getting autographed for him. Murphy stopped by when he saw it. He was the first player to come over that day. He of course signed the jersey, and he sent some players over. 

He would congratulate me and wish me the best of luck. Before he left, he picked up a baseball from batting practice, and he handed it to me. Being a little greedy, I asked him to autograph it. He didn’t. Instead, he said he was giving it to me, so I could teach my son how to play baseball with a baseball from the Mets. 

It was a gift for my son, but really it was a gift for me. It was a touching gesture that I’ll never forget. I still know where the ball is, and I do intend to have catches with my son using the ball. It’s only fitting that Murphy is my son’s favorite player. He’s the reason my son likes to hit left handed. At least in my house, he will always be the Mets second baseman:

  
That will be the lasting memory for me. I wish Murphy well wherever he goes next. When he plays the Mets, I hope he goes 4-4 in a loss. I’ll root for him wherever he goes, and I hope he will return one day. 

Mostly, I hope whoever the next player who becomes my son’s favorite player is as worthy of the honor as Murphy was. 

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Distracting You from Zobrist

I remember back when Jose Reyes left the Mets for the Marlins. I was angry. The Mets were in the beginning stages of the Madoff fallout, and Reyes was the first casualty of that. 

After the Reyes’ signing, the Mets proceeded to become curiously active the next day. The Mets signed Jon Rauch and Frank Francisco. They also traded Angel Pagan for Ramon Ramirez and Andres Torres. Sure, the Mets lost their homegrown All Star shortstop, but look over here, look at the flurry of moves. Nothing to see in Miami. We’re having a press conference on SNY to announce the addition of FOUR . . . count them . . . FOUR NEW PLAYERS!  The Mets would be terrible in 2012 finishing in fourth place with a 74-88 record. 

Today had that type of feel to me. The Mets lost Ben Zobrist to the Cubs, and they didn’t look particularly good in the process. So naturally, the Mets went back to what they do best: deflection. Instead of rebuilding their bullpen, they rebuilt their middle infield by trading for Neil Walker and signing Asdrubal Cabrera. 

Now, I have said both of these players were worth investigating. However, I would’ve preferred keeping Daniel Murphy and Jon Niese over adding Walker. In that scenario, the Mets still could’ve added Cabrera. Right now, I’d probably be commenting how the Mets vastly improved their middle infield situation. Instead, I’m baffled how the Mets traded away another pitcher while adding a poor defensive SS on a two year deal. 

I’ll admit I was distracted a little bit four years ago. I wasn’t the biggest Angel Pagan fan. Now, I’m just wondering why the cost saving moves instead of bringing back the NLCS MVP. I’m also curious as to why an organization that values OBP added low OBP players. I’m nonplussed at the Mets adding yet another steroids guy to the roster. 

I would’ve accepted all of it if the Mets were made better in the process. However, they didn’t. They’re worse off defensively, and they lost a reasonably priced starting pitcher. I just see the same bluster I saw four years ago. 

It leaves me feeling sad. My son’s favorite player will be playing elsewhere next year. He’s disappointed to say the least. There’s nothing the Mets can do to make me forget that.  

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Span Isn’t Better Option Than Kirk

I’m not sure which plan the Mets are pursuing. Apparently, the Mets don’t either. However, we do know the Mets are pursuing an outfielder who may or may not be in a platoon with Juan Lagares. Of all the options out there, Denard Span is not the answer. 

While he’s always been a starter, after three surgeries in two years, including a torn labrum in his hip, Span may accept being the left handed bat in a platoon. At 32, he may want to accept a one year deal to re-establish his value with one healthy productive season. Considering where the Mets are financially, it may seem like it’s a good match. 

Sure, Span has always been a good hitter. Over his career, he’s hit .293/.353/.407. Last year, he hit .335/.393/.486. It would be a nice bat on the top of the lineup. The problem is he’s no longer a good defensive player. The last two years his UZR was -4.7 and -4.9. That’s not good. It’s probably why despite good offensive numbers, Span has had a WAR of 0.8. 

The Mets have an internal option that Mets fans don’t respect in Kirk Nieuwenhuis. Nieuwenhuis had a nightmare of a year last year. He only hit .195/.270/.375. Guess what how WAR was last year.  It was 0.7. Keep in mind, Nieuwenhuis has a career UZR in CF of 2.1. He averages a 0.5 UZR per season. As such, he’s a capable CF. Additionally, he hits .245/.314/.423 against righties. 

Yes, Span gets on base more often, but Nieuwenhuis has more power. Then there’s the little fact that Nieuwenhuis can actually field his position. If the Mets want to spend to add an outfielder, they should spend the money to add the best outfielder available. If the Mets are not adding Jason Heyward, why bother?

At this point it’s time to stop messing around with window dressing. If you’re improving, go out and improve. Span isn’t an improvement over what they have. Most Mets fans will tell you that’s a bad thing. 

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“Second” Choice

Now that Ben Zobrist is a Cub, the Mets have to figure out what they’re doing at second base. It’s a subject that’s been covered extensively. Here’s a brief synopsis of what the Mets could do. 

Dilson Herrera

Dilson Herrera is a well regarded prospect the Mets surely hope can be the second baseman soon, regardless of the Zobrist flirtation. They are comfortable having him there. It’s not surprising because he’s regarded as a future All Star. 
Like Daniel Murphy, Herrera is regarded as an offensive second baseman. He’s a gap hitter with the speed to steal some bases. He’s not known for his defense, but he’s got potential. That’s the thing with Herrera. He’s got lots of potential. It’s a good and bad thing. If he’s the second baseman next year it’s not a failing of the front office per se.  He’s a very viable option. 

Daniel Murphy

As noted, there are misconceptions out there about Murphy. However, one thing that appears to be true is the Mets do not appear to value him the way they do other players. Murphy is a good player that can take another team to the next level. For the time being, it appears the Mets will look elsewhere. 
Neil Walker

After Murphy, it appears the Mets would need to turn to the trade market, and it appears Neil Walker is available. Furthermore, the Mets appear at least have some interest. 

Walker replaces Murphy’s left handed bat in the lineup. He’s a similar hitter too. Unfortunately, he has not had Murphy’s postseason success, and he’s a worse fielder. However, he’s a year away from free agency. If he has a great year, the Mets could give him a Qualifying Offer. If not, the Mets can give the job right to Herrera. 

Walker may be nothing more than a stop gap, but he’s a good player that can help the Mets next year. 

Howie Kendrick

There’s a lot to like with Howie Kendrick. He’s the best option defensively. He’s in the prime of his career. He’s a solid hitter. However, he was offered a Qualifying Offer, and the Mets don’t appear eager to sign him. 

Wilmer Flores

If the Mets move Wilmer Flores to second, he officially becomes the New Murphy. In some ways, it may be destiny. 

For this to happen, someone else needs to be the shortstop. Ian Desmond is coming off a few bad years, and he received a Qualifying Offer. Again, the Mets probably won’t forfeit a draft pick. So for Flores to play second, Herrera is probably going to have to struggle,  and Ruben Tejada is going to have to be able to be the everyday shortstop. Despite a nice second half, Tejada has yet to do that. Additionally, Tejada now has less range there than Flores.

If Flores is the second baseman, it probably means all other options have completely failed. 

Pipe Dreams

The Mets could look elsewhere, but players like Robinson Cano aren’t coming to the Mets. He makes too much money, and the Mets probably don’t want to dip into their prospects and starting pitchers to obtain him. 

Overall, it seems like the Mets may go with Herrera. However, there are still viable alternatives out there the Mets can still pursue. 

I just wish Murphy was the choice. 

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Did Murphy Run Over Jeff’s Dog?

The Mets lost out on Ben Zobrist, and now they’re back to square one. There are two choices: 

  1. Go with Dilson Herrera; or
  2. Sign a free agent

Naturally, the logical place to look is Daniel Murphy. He carried the Mets offensively in the postseason. He was an All Star. Seemingly, Kevin Long helped Murphy unlock some power in his swing. He’s among the top offensive second baseman in the game even with his low OBP.

Now, I disagreed with the Zobrist pursuit, but I understood it. Historically, Zobrist is the much better player. What I don’t understand is the Mets distaste for Murphy:

Why is Murphy worth two years less than Zobrist?  Murphy is four years younger. He’s versatile. He’s a team player. He doesn’t complain. He does what’s necessary to help the team win. There a lot of value in that. Plus, he’s insurance for David Wright‘s back. 

Look, if you have that much faith in Herrera, great!  However, I don’t get the disparagement of Murphy. Yes, only offering him two years after offering Zobrist four years is disparaging. Murphy was a good Met who did a lot of good for the team. He deserves to be treated better on the way out. 

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Mets Embarrased Themselves

At the end of the day, I’m happy the Mets avoided a huge mistake when Ben Zobrist agreed to a four year $56 million contract with the Cubs. There’s usually nothing wrong with losing a bidding war. However, the Mets still managed to look like a second rate Mickey Mouse organization. 

I’m not sure what happened first.  Did the Mets hire Casey Stengel to be their first ever manager or did they announce to the whole world that Zobrist was their top priority? By their own admission, they were transparent in how desperately they wanted him. They gave him a tour of New York and the surrounding areas (just like they did with Billy Wagner). They were also confident:

The Mets should’ve felt confident. They were said to be willing to go as high as four years $60 million. That’s higher than what he wound up getting. What happened?  Well, the Mets happened. First, the Mets discussed parameters instead of a concrete offer (shades of the wife beater). Next, they had him in a meeting and let him walk out unsigned. Lastly, they got cocky. It wasn’t until today the Mets offered Zobrist that fourth year. So Zobrist leaves the Mets and . . . 

That’s right. Zobrist effectively became a Cub last night.  With that said, the Mets were confident all day they were getting Zobrist. How confident?

The day after the Cubs agreed to a deal with Zobrist, the Mets were 80% sure they were getting Zobrist. There no other way to put this. The Mets were delusional. When they finally figured out there was a problem, they were a day late and a dollar (or a few million) short. Seemingly, they went into scramble mode with Terry Collins sending Zobrist text messages saying, “We want you.”  After Zobrist signed, there’s no word if Collins sent Zobrist a text saying ?. 

Keep in mind this was after the Mets already lost the bidding. A bidding war they let the Cubs enter. The Cubs needed to make a trade to open up the second base spot for Zobrist. The camps were most likely keeping it quiet so as not to diminish the Cubs leverage in trading Starlin Castro. If the Mets just made the four year $60 million offer, this probably doesn’t go down in the Winter Meetings. If Zobrist rejected it, the Mets could’ve moved on and at least picked up a reliever or two. 

Nope. The Mets overplayed their hand. They let other teams enter the fray. They let everyone know they wanted Zobrist and still didn’t get him despair apparent mutual interest. The Mets may say it wasn’t about the money, but they’ll never truly know because they were holding it back. Zobrist agreed to terms with another team BEFORE the Mets made their best offer. Now, it’s time for Plan B:

Wow. Just wow. It keeps getting worse. 

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Remember Roberto Alomar? 

I still remember the day the Mets made a surprise deal to get Roberto Alomar. It was an early Christmas gift. It seemed like after a down year the Mets were going to be World Series contenders again. 

He was coming off a .336/.415/.541 Gold Glove year at the age of 33.  He had a 7.3 WAR, and to that point in his career, he had accumulated a 67.0 career WAR. By any measure, Alomar was a superstar and a future Hall of Fame player. He was also a complete and utter disaster with the Mets. In his two years with the Mets he hit .265/.333/.370. His WAR was -0.4. The only good thing is the players the Mets gave up never came back to haunt them. 

To date, Ben Zobrist has hit .265/.355/.431. He’s accumulated a career WAR of 38.5. Last year, he hit .276/.359/.450 with a 1.9 WAR. He has a UZR of -6.7 at second base last year. He will be 35 next year. 

With that said, is it still a good idea to give Zobrist a four year deal?  

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Mets Fiddling While Bullpen Options Sign Elsewhere

Time and again this offseason, the Mets have informed everyone they have sufficient payroll to make more moves even if they land Ben Zobrist. The team has identified the bullpen as a position of need. Well, while the Mets are negotiating with Zobrist relievers are coming off the board:

Now, I think the bullpen is fine. However, the Mets don’t, and that’s what is important. They’re letting free agent relievers sign reasonable contracts elsewhere while they’re stuck on Zobrist. It makes you question if they really do have the money to address all their needs. 

There are still free agent relievers out there, but the high end guys are gone. How many more will come off the board until the Mets address what they’ve identified as a position of need?  

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Zobrist Frontrunners

Like everyone else, I’ve gone on and on about Ben Zobrist, Daniel Murphy, and the whole second base situation. Now, Zobrist seems to be close to making a decision, and many have speculated he may just become a Met. Honestly, why would he do that?

First and foremost, the obvious reason is the Mets may be offering the most money, which frankly, is a rarity in these situations. Other than that, I can only think of five other reasons Zobrist would want to be a Met:

  1. Matt Harvey
  2. Jacob deGrom
  3. Noah Syndergaard
  4. Jeurys Familia
  5. Michael Conforto

Sure, the Mets are an NL East team closer to Zobrist’s Tennessee home than an NL West team, and they intend to put him at second where he prefers. The Mets did win the pennant establishing they are ready to win now. There are other nice pieces on the team, but they carry question marks: Curtis Granderson (age), David Wright (back), Travis d’Arnaud (injury history), and Juan Lagares (right handed pitching). 

Zobrist would be joining a team losing its #3 and #4 hitters and replacing them both with just him. The Mets also have a bottom third payroll with apparently not much room to increase it despite the additional playoff revenue. Sure, every team has problems, but the other two teams interested in Zobrist will go out and spend. The other options may be more attractive than the Mets. 

Washington Nationals

Keep in mind, the Nationals remain a dangerous team. They still have Max Scherzer (who no-hit the Mets) and Stephen Strasburg headlining the rotation. Bryce Harper took his game to the next level and won the MVP award. Anthony Rendon is a very good young player, who may very well be a Top 5 Third Baseman. There are exciting young players like Michael Taylor and Trea Turner.

The Nationals also had the third highest payroll in the sport last year (no one was going higher than the Dodgers and Yankees). They already addressed their biggest problem from last year by firing Matt Williams and hiring Dusty Baker. Dusty has his flaws, but he always seems to get the most out of his players. Lastly, the Nationals have already stated they want Zobrist to play second base. 

Overall, the Nationals are still poised to win a lot of games next year, have a lot of terrific pieces, and have the ability to spend the money necessary to be a contender to win the World Series. 

San Fransicso Giants

Speaking of contenders to win the World Series, next year is an even numbered year, which means the Giants are due to win the World Series.  The Giants were the other team that no-hit the Mets this year. 

Overall, there is a lot to like with the Giants. Madison Bumgarner is the best money pitcher in the sport. Buster Posey might just be the best position player in the NL (if it’s not Harper). Bruce Bochy is the best manager in all of baseball as well. There’s also the matter of the Giants hitting coach, who has been doing wonders with some of their younger players. 

Gold Glover Brandon Crawford has increasingly hit for more power.  Joe Panik has become an underestimated high OBP second baseman (sound familiar?). Matt Duffy showed increased power while finishing second in the Rookie of the Year voting. 

Seriously, so what if the Giants want Zobrist to play LF?  This is a team built to contend for the long and short team. They also have the sixth highest payroll in baseball. This team has an eye for young talent and is willing to spend to either keep their players or bring in new ones to fill their holes. The Giants have truly created a wonderful organization. 

The Decision

If you’re being honest with yourself, and the money is even, why would you pick the Mets?  They don’t have the wherewithal to spend the other teams do. The other teams have been addressing needs this offseason, while the Mets have yet to bring someone in to improve their team.  It’s still debatable if the Mets have enough money to make another significant move if Zobrist becomes a Met. 

If it was me, I’d always pick the Mets because I’m a die hard fan. However, if we’re looking at these teams on paper, I’m not sure the Mets are the most attractive option for any free agent.  You have to know that going to the Mets may mean you’re going to be the only major league signing. That’s been pretty much true of ever offseason for the Sandy Alderson regime. 

Given the fact that Zobrist wants to win, play second, and stay closer to home, why shouldn’t he pick the Nationals?  They have pitching and an arguably better lineup then the Mets. They also have the ability to spend more money than the Mets.

While I would always choose to be a Met, if I’m being honest, a sure with no such loyalty could/should choose differently. 

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