It seems the Mets won’t give up on signing Ben Zobrist. For reasons that are beyond me, it seems most of the fan base is eager to replace Daniel Murphy with him.
Here are the facts. He can play multiple positions of need. He has a career batting line of .279/.347/.466. He has an OPS+ of 114. He has a wRC+of 112. He has a wOBA of .349. Despite being well regarded, he’s only been an All Star twice in his career. Sounds like a player that contribute to your team despite turning 35 next year.
Wait, I’m sorry those are Michael Cuddyer‘s statistics before signing with the Mets last year.
Zobrist’s career numbers are very similar right down to the two All Star appearances. Zobrist has hit .265/.355/.431 with a 117 OPS+, wRC+ of 118, and a wOBA of .344. Cuddyer received a two year $21 million contract. Zobrist is rumored to be close to receiving a four year $60 million contract. Basically, if the Mets sign Zobrist, they’re risking him showing the same regression for additional years at a higher salary.
At some point someone has to look at everything and say this is a bad idea.
With the Mets not doing any shopping, it doesn’t stop us from having to do any Christmas shopping this year for our kids. I though I would share with you some of the items on our list which might help you if you’re struggling with making yours. If you’re looking at this and wondering “why all the baseball?”, keep in mind my son is a toddler who loves baseball. Without further ado, here are our suggestions:
- Little Tykes Tee Ball Set
- Thomas the Train Table
- Sesame Street Racers
- Crayola Easel
- Melissa and Doug Piano
- Mets Potato Head
- Knee Hockey Set
- Mets Train
- Mr. Met book
- Boynton Books
- Inflatable Tackle Dummy
- Play-Doh
- Duplo/Lego
- Inflatable Soccer Net and Ball
- Learning Journey Puzzles
Overall, I realize some of these are higher-priced items (which is why we don’t have all of these) and that may turn some of you away. However, they’re not all exclusive to the websites I’ve linked. At the time of posting these are the best places to get them but you may find them cheaper elsewhere or applicable for a Raise coupon discount by the time you see this.
My next best suggestion for price-conscious shopping for your kids this year is to look ahead. For example, my son’s Christmas give for this year was purchased during Black Friday last year. I can’t tell you what it is just in case he’s reading this blog (he may be young but he’s smart!).
I can also suggest looking for smaller items and books at places like T.J. Maxx, which is where my family has purchased many books. Keep in mind, you know your child much better than I do. You know their wants and needs more.
Lastly and most important, at this age, your kids still like playing with the boxes. Hint, put as much together before as you can. The most important thing this Christmas is getting together for the holiday and celebrating.
Also, please remember while you’re shopping, pick up a toy, no matter how small and donate it.
The much older version of me hates the new Diamondbacks uniforms. They’re terrible in every way, shape, and form. Then I realized something. I actually owned this Mets cap:
I was a teenager, and I thought they were cool when they were first released. There’s a picture in my parent’s living room of my brother, father, and I at a Mets game. I’m wearing this cap. Yes, I purchased it before seeing how awful they matched up with the jerseys.
Then the following year, I purchased my first ever Mets jersey:
Yes, I purchased the black jersey. The older version of me wouldn’t. The younger version of me loved it. I also liked the black hats too even if I still preferred the traditional blue caps. That’s the thing. The jerseys are not designed for older fans who wants something more traditional.
They’re designed for younger fans who are more inclined to get the jerseys. So while I love the current Mets uniforms, I know the minute sales stall, the Mets will have a change. Based upon the black jerseys, the Mets may just go the Diamondbacks route if they actually sell well. They’ll do it because kids drive jersey sales, not old men even if they are the ones actually purchasing the jerseys.
And I’ll shake my head as I purchase my son a Mets jersey and hat I think are ugly.
I’ll admit I’m jealous of my son. When you think of the toys you had growing up, there was always one missing. That was interactive sports toys. I know there were video games, but that’s not the same thing. Also, Starting Lineup was a series of collectibles masquerading as kid’s toys.
There’s a new toy series called Oyo Sports. At least, it’s new to me. I didn’t notice them until I saw them in a Mets team store in Citi Field this year. Now, I see them in Modells and toy stores. Basically, they’re Lego men of your favorite teams and athletes:
I would’ve loved to have one of these as a kid. When you incorporate it with the field, it’s amazing. I could imagine being a kid using these sets to not only build my own stadiums around this, but also staging games where the Mets won the World Series every time.
When my son is old enough, I plan on doing that with him (right now we’re still playing with Duplos). In the meantime, I plan to collect as many players I can including his favorite players Daniel Murphy, Lucas Duda, and Matt Harvey. Hopefully, they’ll all still be here.
Right now, I enjoy every moment with my son, and I look forward to doing so much with him. Playing with these Oyo toys is one of them.
Editor’s Note: This was not a paid advertisement or done in any way in conjunction with Oyo. Rather, it’s a mild hint what to get me . . . err my son (yeah that’s it) for Christmas.
There’s a free agent out there who fits the Mets needs quite well. He’s a career .281/.365/.479 hitter. He hits lefty and he plays well defensively at first, second, and third. He only wants a one year deal making him a good stopgap until Dilson Herrera is ready.
In case you haven’t already guessed, the player is Chase Utley. When you think of potential free agents the Mets would consider, he checks all the boxes:
- Left handed bat
- Versatile
- Good defender
- High OBP
- Cheap
Unfortunately, you can’t add a player like him to this team, not after this:
Sure, he’s at least close enough to David Wright to have his cell phone number. cell phone number. So maybe there’s a chance things could be smoothed over with the team. However, it never will with the fans. It just would never sit right with them. I will admit a small part of me would be amused by the Mets defending Utley at the suspension appeal hearing because they took the cheap way out.
Ultimately, Utley would be a nice fit on the Mets in 2016 if he wasn’t Utley. Maybe the Mets can consult with Bobby V to get a disguise to make this happen. Other than that, it looks like it’ll be Herrera next year without a safety net.
Scratch Utley as a cheap option the Mets could chase.
With MLB announcing they will be making a goodwill tour to Cuba this month, I began to remember the memorable (and not so memorable) Cuban born players who have played for the Mets. Can you name them? Good luck!
There’s always a surprise or two amongst the players who were non-tendered regardless of whether or not the move made sense. It might’ve been surprising to see Greg Holland‘s name out there, but the move made sense.
Holland was slated to possibly receive $11.3 million in arbitration. You can’t pay that to someone who is going to miss all next year due to Tommy John surgery. You can’t pay him that when it’s his last year of team control before he becomes a free agent. The Royals tried to do the prudent thing in offering Holland a two year deal. However, the Royals were rebuffed leading to the non-tender.
The reason the Royals were rebuffed probably had a lot to do with the fact that Scott Boras is his agent. Boras probably wants to shop Holland around looking for the best offer. He should with 145 saves over the past four years. In 2013 and 2014, when he was the full time closer and healthy, he averaged 47 saves with a 1.32 ERA.
When healthy, he’s an elite shutdown closer in the ilk of any closer you want to mention. It’s the reason you would be willing to give him a two year deal. You want to get him on the cheap. He’d be a dream to pair with Jeurys Familia. If he returns to form in 2017, you have a reliever you could extend a Qualifying Offer thereby recouping a possible draft pick.
If I’m the Mets my selling point is how well things went with Matt Harvey (not sarcasm). However, I think Holland is going to go to the team that’ll offer him the most money, which he should. It’s at that point the Mets probably fall out of contention.
It’s a shame too because having that kind of bullpen in place would be another step in making a one year World Series run into a three year period of playoff runs.
When perusing the list of players who were non-tendered, I noticed Aaron Crow. He’s a talented reliever, who the Mets should pursue.
Crow was non-tendered by the Marlins after missing the 2015 season due to Tommy John surgery. He was a former first round pick by the Royals, who failed as a starter, so they converted him into a reliever.
In his first year as a reliever, he was an All Star. For his career, he has an ERA+ of 120, a 4.16 FIP, and an 8.0 K/9. In terms of more traditional stats, he’s 20-11 with a 3.43 ERA and a 1.322 WHIP. For his career, batters have hit .243/.321/.382. He fared better against righties (.229/.310/.327) than lefties (.262/.336/.455). Much of these career stats are skewed by an awful 2014, which was his last year before needing Tommy John surgery.
After seeing Bobby Parnell struggle last year post-Tommy John, Crow shouldn’t received more than a minor league deal. (Quick aside, the Mets should bring back Parnell on a minor league deal as well). He probably won’t receive more than that with his availability to start the year being a question mark. However, he’s well worth the flyer as he had a fastball that traveled between 93-97 MPH when healthy.
For a team rumored to be seeking bullpen help, brining on Aaron Crow is a no-brainer.
There may be a new second baseman on the free agent market with reports that Jose Fernandez has defected from Cuba.
In the Cuba, he was a .319/.403/.423 hitter. Personally, I don’t know how well stats from the Cuban leagues translate, do for comparison purposes here are the MLB numbers versus the Cuban league numbers of two well known successful Cuban players:
- Yoenis Cespedes MLB .261/.319/.486 Cuba .319/.404/.585
- Yasiel Puig MLB .294/.371/.487 Cuba .302/.398/.504
So, we can see there is a a drop in numbers from the Cuban leagues to the majors, but that is to be expected. Therefore, the best estimate of how Fernandez will play in the majors.
According to Baseball America, Fernandez is the third best prospect from Cuba who hasn’t signed a MLB contract. He’s a contact hitter that doesn’t strike out. He doesn’t hit for much power. He doesn’t have a lot of speed, and he’s not a good defensive second baseman. Fernandez has not played baseball in over a year because he was suspended for trying to defect. This begs the question why would the Mets go that route?
From the description, he’s no better than Daniel Murphy. Murphy is a contact hitter that’s not great defensively at second. Yes, Fernandez is three years younger, but he also hasn’t done it in the majors. With that said if you’re inclined to go that route you’re better off re-signing Murphy or giving the position to Dilson Herrera, who is also just as much of a question mark.
When it comes down to it, Fernandez may be the Cuban version of Daniel Murphy. If that’s the case, I’d rather have the real Daniel Murphy.
I remember years ago the Milwaukee Brewers carried a relief pitcher by the name of Brooks Kieschnick. He failed as an everyday player, so he returned to becoming a pitcher as he was in college. He then became an average (at best) reliever, pinch hitter, and DH.
I believe this could and should be Ike Davis‘ future in the major leagues. He once was extremely promising as a good defensive slugging first baseman. It may just be the Valley Fever, but he never fulfilled that promise. The Mets gave up on him and traded him to the Pirates. The A’s purchased him in the offseason from the Pirates. After a forgettable year, the A’s decided not to tender him a contract making him a free agent.
Actually, forgettable was the wrong word because Davis had a memorable relief appearance:
It was a long time ago, but Davis was a college pitcher, who had a 2.25 ERA at Arizona State. In his lone relief appearance, he fastball hit 88 MPH and he appeared to have a slider. If Davis works at it, it’s possible he could have the type of stuff he once had:
https://twitter.com/keithlaw/status/590837222116610049
I’m not saying it’s likely, but it is possible that Davis could make himself an effective reliever and/or LOOGY. Considering the fact that he hit .229/.301/.350 last year, I’m not sure how many teams want him as a first baseman anymore. Why not become a reliever. If he succeeds in the conversion, he becomes quite a weapon.
First of all, a team can never have enough relievers. Guys who can get lefties out will always have value. Furthermore, for all of his faults, we know he has power. He could be a viable pinch hitter or a DH in the event he’s pitched too many days in a row. With his glove, he could play first in an emergency situation.
Now, this only makes sense if he comes back on a minor league deal. You don’t want to waste a spot on the 40 man roster if he can’t hack it. I’d extend the minor league offer with an invitation to Speing Training as a reliever. If he can do it, great. If not, nothing ventured, nothing gained.
As a reliever on a minor league deal, I like Ike again.