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.
The Mets lost out on Ben Zobrist, and now they’re back to square one. There are two choices:
- Go with Dilson Herrera; or
- 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:
Mets' interest in Daniel Murphy at this point is limited to if they can get him on a 1-2 year deal, which is probably not happening.
— Mike Puma (@NYPost_Mets) December 9, 2015
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.
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:
Jeff Wilpon is planning to attend the Winter Meetings … which usually only happens when the Mets have a big signing to announce.
— Mike Puma (@NYPost_Mets) December 4, 2015
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 . . .
Told everything got done last night. Both the trade and Zobrist but Medicals etc. Delayed until today
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) December 9, 2015
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?
#Mets source put it at 80% Zobrist is a Met in the end. 20% Cubs. Thinks Cubs came into this too late…….Murphy is next option
— Kristie Ackert (@ByKristieAckert) December 8, 2015
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:
A Mets official told me less than an hour ago that there was no clear-cut Plan B.
— Adam Rubin (@AdamRubinMedia) December 9, 2015
Wow. Just wow. It keeps getting worse.
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?
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:
- Darren O’Day for 4 years $31 million
- Joakim Soria for 3 years $25 million
- Jason Motte for 2 years $10 million
- Chad Qualls for 2 years $12 million
- Shawn Kelley (terms not yet disclosed)
- Ryan Madson for 3 years $22 million
- Mark Lowe for 2 years $13 million
- Trevor Cahill for 1 year $4.25 million
- Oliver Perez for 2 years $7 million
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?
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:
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.
The other day I mentioned how Breakfast with Santa is a better opportunity to get photos with Santa than waiting for the Mall Santa. This is one of many opportunities to save money the holiday season.
For example, local Fire Departments, businesses, and the like usually offer an opportunity to meet Santa and do fun activities with your kids. Usually, the cost of admission to these events is a non-perishable food item, gently used winter coats, or a donatio of a toy for charities like Toys for Tots. Essentially, you get to have a fun day and help someone in need. As a child I still remember my Dad taking my brother and I shopping for gifts for underprivileged kids. It stuck with me, and I look forward to doing that with my son when he’s old enough to understand.
If you want to know who offers what, there are a few places you can look:
- Flyers at your kid’s school
- Your town’s website
- Mommy Poopins
- Kidgits Mall Program
- Word of mouth
And let’s face it. This time of year everything can get expensive. It’s nice to find cheap activities to do with your kids.
There’s a moment that will forever live in Mets infamy:
(Seriously, how is there no video of this moment available?)
After all the garbage with Roger Clemens and Mike Piazza, the Mets finally had a chance to get revenge. Clemens came to Shea and finally had to stand in the batter’s box to answer for all his sins. Then Shawn Estes, who wasn’t a Met when everything happened, just missed. Missed!
There were discussions on whether it was fair to put Estes in that spot. I always disregarded them. Estes was Piazza’s teammate. You stand up for your teammates. The Mets will have that opportunity again with that coward re-signing with the Dodgers. After the World Series, the hope is it’s Noah Syndergaard standing 60’6″ away from Chase Utley.
After Utley’s dirty slide, the Mets have an opportunity to exact revenge. It will be all the more important if Ruben Tejada remains on the team. Assuming the rotation is the same set-up as in the World Series, the Mets re-set the rotation after the first two games of the season, and the Mets having a full five man rotation from that point forward the job will fall to Steven Matz. If the Mets don’t reset the rotation, the job will fall to Jacob deGrom.
In some ways, the task will be easier for whoever the pitcher is because they were on the team when it happened. On the other hand, the situation is more difficult because the pitcher will have to do it in Los Angeles.
Whomever it is, they need to actually plunk Utley. For the psyche of the team and the fan base, that pitcher can’t miss.
Put Eric O’Flaherty aside. The last free agent the Mets should be interested in bringing back is Bartolo Colon, and yet here we are:
Mets and Blevins still have mutual interest in reunion; same with Bartolo in swing man role. interest in bringing him back.
— Marc Carig (@MarcCarig) December 6, 2015
Yoenis Cespedes may not be a true CF, but he’s got power, and he’s shown he can thrive in New York. Daniel Murphy may not be the best defender, but he’s versatile. He also comes up big in the big moments. There are roles for these players even if they are not perfect players. What’s Colon’s role?
He’s not the fifth starter. That spot is being presumably held by Jon Niese until Zack Wheeler‘s rehab is complete. Why would the Mets make him the long man? Carlos Torres and Sean Gilmartin are much cheaper alternatives who have succeeded in that role. What’s his role?
Do we really want to see him back with the Mets? Do we trust Terry Collins having him in the bullpen? Collins has already showed an over reliance on him over younger and better relievers. Put that all aside, do we even know if Colon at the age of 43 can manage being a reliever? Is this really the best use of the Mets resources?
It’s time to move away from Colon and sign a player that can fulfill an actual need.
This isn’t a criticism of Sandy Alderson and his staff. This isn’t an issue of this front office being stingy or refusing to go the extra mile to get the player. It’s just that historically the Mets typically do not outbid teams when it comes to the big free agent.
That’s not to say the Mets don’t sign free agents. Obviously, they do. They’ve also overspent and spent big money on some free agents. It’s just that they don’t typically win bidding wars. They especially don’t do so when a big market team is also bidding on the same player. My personal feelings aside, I just don’t see how the Mets outbid everyone for Ben Zobrist. Here are the instances where the Wilpon led Mets outbid everyone for a high priced player:
Jason Bay
In 2009, the Mets signed Jason Bay. In some ways it could be interpreted as the Mets won a bidding war and in others it could be seen as the Red Sox moved on to other players.
Fact is the Red Sox essentially had a four year $60 million contract offer, which may or may not have been pulled due to medical concerns. You can never fully trust Boston’s statements when a player leaves. The fact is the Mets had to offer $6 million extra to bring Bay to New York. The fact also remains the Mets went after Bay instead of going after the much better and much more expensive Matt Holliday.
This isn’t about how Bay fared with the Mets as no one could have reasonable predicted what happened next. This is about the Mets outbidding the Red Sox for a player only after deciding to not even get involved in the bidding for the more expensive, better player.
Carlos Beltran
The Carlos Beltran story is an interesting one. Like Bay, it was also a move made under the Omar Minaya regime.
What’s most interesting about this was the Yankees never got involved in the bidding despite Beltran all but begging them to offer him a contract. Furthermore, the Astros had a limited window to negotiate with Beltran. Under the old free agency rules, the Astros only had until January 7th to re-sign him. If they didn’t, they were barred from re-signing him until May 1st.
The Mets went above and beyond then in Minaya’s first year as GM. The Mets signed Beltran to a then whopping seven year $119 million contract. It was a real power move that the Mets haven’t typically been the Mets strength. There was one other move in 2005 that was uncharacteristic.
Pedro Martinez
Like Bay, the Mets were able to outbid the Red Sox for Pedro Martinez because the Red Sox drew a line in the sand in a player they knew/suspected had questionable medicals. Unlike Bay, the Mets clearly outbid the Red Sox.
The Red Sox thought they had Pedro re-signed giving him the extra year he wanted. The Mets just gave that extra year and money no one thought Pedro could/should get. Like Beltran, this was part of Minaya’s reshaping of the Mets. It’s truly interesting the major deals happened in 2005 when Minaya took over the team. In some ways, it makes you question how much the Madoff Ponzi fallout affected the Mets.
Yes, it clearly limited payroll. However, after 2005, the Mets never truly went the extra mile in seeking to acquire the top free agent on the market. They were initially rebuffed by Carlos Delgado (until he was later obtained via trade). They did give a huge contract to Johan Santana in the wake of the 2007 collapse. However, that was part of a trade and not part of a free agent bidding process.
So while the Mets have at times spent money pre-Madoff, it appears the team does not usually win these free agent bidding contests. Additionally, after 2005, the team has typicall backed off the top free agent on the market that would/could fulfill a need like Jason Heyward.
In any event, it appears if history repeats itself here, the Mets will not get Zobrist. This may or may not be due to the budget. It may due more to an organizational philosophy that was in place before Sandy Alderson ever became the GM.