Musings
Back in 2015, the New York Mets made the mistake of trading Michael Fulmer to acquire Yoenis Cespedes. No, it was not a mistake to obtain Cespedes, but rather, Fulmer was far too high a price to pay. As it would turn out, the Mets needed starting pitching the ensuing two seasons where Fulmer was winning Rookie of the Year and being named an All-Star.
Well, from there, Fulmer had some injury prone years and moved to the bullpen. For his part, Cespedes needed double heel surgery, and then, he would have an incident falling off his horse or something with a feral hog during his rehab. The details are still murky.
Regardless, the Detroit Tigers received a 12.2 WAR out of Fulmer and a prospect at the trade deadline. The Mets received an epic run from Cespedes amounting to a 2.1 WAR and not postseason production at the plate past Game 3 of the NLDS. In essence, the Mets made a win-now trade and didn’t win.
Fast-forward to 2023, and Fulmer is a free agent while Cespedes is trying to get back into the majors. The Mets are also looking to build a bullpen which can get them their first World Series since 1986. It already looks formidable with the following relievers in place:
There are other pitchers in the mix, but these are the relievers who are guaranteed. With five starters, that leaves up to four more relievers who can be added. The presumption is at least two of Joey Lucchesi, Tylor Megill, and David Peterson will start the season in Triple-A to provide organizational starting pitching depth.
That probably leaves pitchers like Jeff Brigham and John Curtiss on more of a solid footing to make the Opening Day bullpen than they probably should. Even with those names likely to make the bullpen, the Mets are still at least one arm short.
Fulmer, 29, would be an excellent fit. As a reliever, he has a 128 ERA+. As per Baseball Savant, he does an exceptional job limiting hard contact and barrels. We’ve also seen Jeremy Hefner work well with pitchers how have a similar repertoire. All told, he probably remains the best arm remaining on the market.
While we are very confident in this Mets roster, they probably remain an arm short in the bullpen. Fulmer would go a long way to resolving that issue and make this Mets team even better. All this time later, the Mets now need to sign Fulmer instead of trading him to try to help put this Mets team over the top.
Right now, it is irresponsible to speculate if there was anything that could have been done to prevent Damar Hamlin from suffering cardiac arrest after that collision. Certainly, manufacturers are going to go back to the drawing board, and they are indeed going to look to see if they could do anything to prevent that awful moment from every happening again on the field.
Obviously, everyone is going to look at this as an NFL issue. With football being an inherently violent sport, you just assume this is going to happen in football more than any other sport. However, no other sport is immune to these types of tragedies, and this should be a wake up call for all sports to review their safety equipment and protocols.
Look at the New York Mets this past season. They were hit by pitches more than any other team in baseball. There were multiple scary moments with fastballs going up-and-in at the batters, and remember, these pitches are now traveling around or above 100 MPH at times. Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor having the C-flaps on their helmets prevented each of them from more significant and potentially catastrophic injury.
Lindor just got beamed in the face (saved by helmet flap).
Dugouts & bullpens cleared, near brawl 👀
THIS IS APPLE TV+ BASEBALL #Mets #Nats pic.twitter.com/lkrbQOKXFg
— 4_sumthin_24 (@ace_1985) April 9, 2022
Even with that happening, not everyone on the Mets wears the c-flap. Part of the reason is the c-flap is not currently mandated by Major League Baseball. To a certain extent, the players are to blame because they are always resistant to different changes like that. For example, go back to the 1986 World Series, you’ll see players like Gary Carter and Keith Hernandez not wear the ear flaps on their batting helmets.
At some point, the league and the union has to save the players from themselves. For baseball, this goes beyond just the batting helmets.
There are heart protective shirts available to help protect the heart after a direct impact from a hard hit ball. Baseball doesn’t mandate that despite batted balls screaming towards the pitcher at speeds well in excess of 100 MPH. The same goes for infielders who are actively taught to take the ball off the chest when there is a bad hop. Mandating these shirts could prevent an injury or other catastrophic incident.
Former Met Cliff Floyd has invested in protective liners in caps to protect against line drives taken to a fielder’s head. This would be of real importance to pitchers who are vulnerable with line drives screaming back at the mound. We have all seen at least one incident where a pitcher is hit with a line drive and is left bloodied on the mound.
It is possible Floyd’s product is not ready for MLB use, but we also don’t hear or see MLB investing in it or a similar product. More than that, we never really hear MLB or players speak out about the need for protective equipment like this at the Major League or youth recreational levels.
What we do know is all sports are inherently dangerous. It takes an incident in the sport to mandate changes, and even with those incidents, players are typically dragged along instead of willing participants.
Whatever the case, we saw Damar Hamlin almost die on the field after what was a routine play. While the NFL has been criticized for its immediate response, the one thing they got right was the medical training and protocols for their medical professionals at the games. That saved a life, and it is something each and every sport should be investigating and emulating at the moment.
Make no mistake, what happened to Hamlin could happen in any sport. The goal for each sport right now is to immediately assess their safety equipment and protocols. They need to see what changes they can make to stop whatever trauma they can, and they need to make sure their medical policies and procedures match what the NFL had in place which ultimately saved Hamlin’s life.
During the Monday Night Football game between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals, Damar Hamlin was seriously injured. It’s a life threatening situation.
You can look for the video if you want, but Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins went full speed and force toward Hamlin. Hamlin absorbed the full impact to his chest as he was trucked over making the tackle.
Hamlin sprung up momentarily before collapsing. He would require CPR and would be taken by ambulance from the field and taken to a Level 1 Trauma hospital in Cincinnati.
At times like these, details are murky and often unreliable. It seems as if he was intubated and in critical condition. Given what we know and have seen, he’s in a very bad place. Speculating beyond that is irresponsible.
The only thing we can do for him now is pray for his health and safety in the short and long term. Any concerns about anything other than his health right now is vile and disgusting.
Hopefully, Hamlin will be alright, and we can get back to caring about the playoff implications of this game. For that matter, we can get back to caring about anything else related to the NFL season.
Again, none of that matters now. The only thing that maters is Hamlin. Again, offer your prayers for him.
Throughout the New York Mets history, they’ve gotten many things wrong. After all, they traded Tom Seaver.
However, one thing they’ve gotten right was broadcasters. That started right from the jump with Lindsay Nelson, Bob Murphy, and Ralph Kiner. All three would enter the Hall of Fame (Kiner as a player).
Murphy passed the torch to Gary Cohen. Cohen has long been the best of the business. He’s been a multiple time Ford C. Frick nominee, and at some point, we should see him in the Hall of Fame.
While Howie Rose isn’t given the same consideration, he should. He’s a legend in his own right, and he’s taken the torch from Murphy and Cohen to continue radio play-by-play excellence.
Arguably, the best the Mets booth has ever been was when it was Gary and Howie. In addition to being great on the call, these were lifelong New York Mets fans with an encyclopedic knowledge of the entire history of the franchise.
Since Gary went to SNY, Howie has had a few broadcasters join him in the booth with differing levels of success.
Tom McCarthy was terrific, and as a younger lifelong fan, he seemed to be a perfect person to carry the torch. However, the Philadelphia Phillies made him a great offer to return, and so he did.
Wayne Hagin replaced him, and while Howie defended him, Mets fans despised him. This led to his being replaced by Josh Lewin, who was absolutely fantastic. When he left, he left a hole behind while could not be filled.
His replacement was Wayne Randazzo. Curiously, he had his fans despite his not being well versed in the team prior to his first being hired in 2015, and his knowledge base not expanding in future years.
There was also the matter of butchering big calls like Pete Alonso’s record setting homer passing Aaron Judge’s rookie home run mark in 2019. Well, as we know, he won’t be butchering more calls as he was hired as the Los Angeles Angels TV announcer.
To a certain extent, the Mets were unprepared for this, but as we also know, they’ve been looking at other people the past few years.
The Mets had John Sadak as a fill-in host in 2019. Jake Eisenberg filled-in this past season. Both were phenomenal and seemed as if they could be future voices of the Mets.
Sadly, they were both apparently too good. Sadak is now the Cincinnati Reds TV announcer, and Eisenberg was hired to announce Kansas City Royals games on the radio.
Either would have been perfect to replace Randazzo. Truth be told, they both should’ve been hired to take over for Randazzo anyway as they were both much better at the calls with a vastly superior knowledge of the Mets.
Unfortunately, it’s highly doubtful either returns, at least not now. Sadak isn’t likely going to turn down a TV job to be the Mets junior radio announcer. Eisenberg likely won’t leave a job he was just hired to do.
That leaves the Mets in a lurch. Hopefully, they can find someone on par with Sadak or Eisenberg, but that is far more easier said than done.
The New York Mets resolutions as we ring in 2023 at midnight are:
1. Get the Carlos Correa deal done.
2. Win the 2023 World Series.
Peel everything back, and Carlos Beltrán should be a first ballot Hall of Famer. Really, the only debate over Beltrán and the Hall of Fame is whether or not he will wear a New York Mets cap on his plaque.
However, that glosses over the Houston Astros cheating scandal, which has been blown way out of proportion. In reality, the writers have been hypocritically holding the scandal against Beltrán.
Remember, David Ortiz was inducted in his first year on the ballot. It was then and remains now a complete and utter farce with Beltrán’s candidacy only cementing that fact.
Ortiz threw bats at umpires. He was served with restraining orders for domestic violence. Also, he was caught cheating using PEDs. It was something held against everyone but him.
While Ortiz was inducted on the first ballot, Beltrán is tending towards not being inducted on the first ballot. That’s even with his actions having previously been celebrated by other teams.
Remember the “Shot Heard Round the World” and the story of the 1951 New York Giants. Well, they did the same exact thing as the 2017 Houston Astros.
The Giants went on a 36-7 tear erasing a 12.5 game deficit forcing a tiebreaker series. In the deciding third game and the Giants trailing 4-2, Bobby Thomson hit a walk-off three run homer off Ralph Branca.
The issue is that Giants team was unapologetically sign stealing. Given the technologies available back then, their’s was far more intricate and complex than what the Astros did.
That Giants team had future Hall of Famers players in Willie Mays and Monte Irvin led by Hall of Famer manager Leo Durocher. Right now, and back in 2017, no one cares about the Giants sign stealing and these Hall of Famers roles in it.
We should also note here the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox were themselves implicated and punished for similar sign stealing measures.
Somehow, we’re supposed to care about and punish just Beltrán. To date, he’s still the only player from that team punished and will forever remain as such.
On that note, when Beltrán’s teammates have become free agents, teams have been in an outright bidding war to obtain them. Apparently, the caring only goes so far.
That’s the ultimate issue here. No one really cares except when it comes to Beltrán. He’s being held to a completely different standard than everyone.
His former teammates remain unpunished while Beltrán is fired as Mets manager and isn’t getting Hall of Fame votes. Cheaters are inducted in the Hall of Fame, but he has to wait.
It’s absurd. Voters need to stop being so hypocritical after Ortiz’s induction and glossing over all the other cheating scandals. They need to reassess everything and do some soul searching. After that, they should rectify their mistake and vote for Beltrán’s induction next year.
While we deal with the anticipation of the Carlos Correa contract being finalized, there are far more pressing matters at hand. Keith Hernandez is still unsigned for next season.
Now, this is an SNY/Hernandez negotiation meaning Steve Cohen isn’t a part of it. Whenever the Wilpons are involved, you can never fully trust the right thing will be done.
The thing is this is a deal that needs to get done. Hernandez is Mets royalty who is second only to Tom Seaver in stature with this franchise.
From an SNY perspective, Hernandez has been must watch TV. Honestly, even in lousy games, fans do stay tuned in to hear what he’s going to say or guffaw.
That is an extremely rare gift. Fortunately, SNY has understood that right from its inception. Whenever it’s been time to get a deal done with Hernandez, they’ve stepped up and gotten the deal done.
When both sides want to get the deal done, they find a way. This is why we should expect Hernandez to return in 2023.
It’s also informative for what’s going on with Correa. Through the endless non-updates updates, what remains clear is both parties are motivated.
Through this Correa Watch, we continue to hear Correa was thrilled when he and the Mets came to terms. We’ve also heard just how motivated Cohen is and just how personally invested his family is in getting this deal done.
Realistically speaking, it would be shocking if Correa wasn’t a Met in 2023 and beyond. On that point, while other teams are inquiring, Correa is negotiating with the Mets exclusively.
In 2023 and years to come, Hernandez should be talking about Correa’s “good fundies” at third base. We should also get to see this Mets team win the World Series like Hernandez did with the Mets in 1986.
When (if?) you add a player like Carlos Correa, he’s going to be hitting near the top of your lineup. You want and need him to get as many plate appearances as possible.
That’s going to push players down in the lineup. Whether it be fan favorites or more established players, you lost a spot in the lineup to someone who could very well be the Mets best hitter.
It’s something that happened to Jeff McNeil last year. Buck Showalter demurred to the more established and veteran players mostly batting McNeil in the second half of the lineup.
It was a mistake and unforced error. It’s something which cannot and should not be repeated in 2023.
It’s really hard to fathom why Showalter had his best hitter last season towards the end of the lineup. Seriously, as shown on Baseball Reference, here was McNeil’s batting order positions last season:
McNeil hit fifth, sixth, and EIGHTH more than he hit third. Remember, this was the National League batting champion. That can’t happen.
As we have seen studies how to optimize lineups to lead to more runs. Hitting your best hitter eighth is nowhere near a valid approach. The same goes for sixth.
Certainly, next year, assuming Correa will be a Met complicates matters. He’s spent most of his career batting third, but he was predominantly the second hitter for the Minnesota Twins last year. We can assume he will be there next year.
We also know Brandon Nimmo will be hitting lead-off. Showalter won’t change that even with there being good evidence the lineup should be McNeil-Nimmo.
If you have the lineup as Nimmo-Correa, that’s where you begin to run into some complications. Analyzing it, with that setup, McNeil should hit third.
There’s doubt Showalter will do that because he has Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor, and Starling Marte.
Alonso is the prototypical clean-up hitter. An old school manager like Showalter won’t move him from that spot.
Lindor is the highest paid player. He’s a veteran, leader, superstar, and future Hall of Famer. With that typically comes deference from the manager and organization.
Finally, there’s Marte. He’s the fiery leader of this team. Many agree his injury is one of the reasons for the Mets collapse.
Certainly, it’s not all numbers in baseball. You have to account for team dynamics, and you have to put players in a position where they feel they will succeed.
In a sense, this is why the Mets hired Showalter. Ideally speaking, it wasn’t to get him to defer to the veterans, but to get him to get them to buy in on what’s best for the team.
That would have McNeil in the top half of the Mets lineup next season. Whether that happens remains to be seen.
In typical fashion, the Atlanta Braves traded for a player and signed him to an extension. Last year, it was Matt Olson. This time, it’s Sean Murphy.
Their homegrown players do it all the time too. As we saw with the Freddie Freeman saga last offseason, Larry Jones’ remarks indicated their players appear brainwashed.
Remember, Larry chastised Freeman for not taking the Braves lowball offer. He acted like it was Freeman’s duty. Of course, such a sentiment is absurd, especially with how profitable the Braves are.
Regardless of the revenues, players should be cautious signing extensions. Typically speaking, it’s to save teams money and gain control in at least one free agent year.
That’s not always the case. Putting aside the entirety of the Braves roster, there’s Fernando Tatis Jr. It’s a judgment call, but it just seems Braves players time and again show poor (financial) judgment.
They also show they’re completely unaware of who Steve Cohen is.
After purchasing the Mets, Cohen’s first splash was Francisco Lindor. The Mets traded for him, and then, he was given the largest ever contract to a shortstop.
He followed that up by giving Max Scherzer the largest ever AAV to a player in the following offseason. Cohen has shown he is willing to spend to get great players and build great teams.
All of Major League Baseball is on notice. The other owners are angry while the players are thrilled. For example, when the deal fell apart with the San Francisco Giants, Carlos Correa jumped at the chance to sign with the Mets.
Apparently, the Braves players don’t seem to know or care that’s happening. Every agent, player, GM, and owner is watching Cohen’s every move. Meanwhile, the Braves players happily take less.
In all seriousness, they have to be brainwashed somehow. They even have former Braves spreading pro-team, anti-union rhetoric. After all, who wants to make far, far less than worse players while an intra-division rival continues to assemble a juggernaut?