Daniel Murphy
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
Somewhere over the course of the baseball season, my son switched his favorite player from Lucas Duda to Daniel Murphy. I’m not quite sure why, but he did.
When we went to measure his height on his birthday on the Duda Growth Chart, he asked for a Murphy one. At one point the Duda Growth Chart had an awkward Duda body and Murphy head. My son approved.
When we go to play baseball, he insists on batting lefty. He insists despite still not exhibiting a right or left hand dominance. The reason? He wants to hit homeruns like Murphy.
My son’s pediatrician is a Mets fan. No, that’s not the reason we picked him. Five, it’s not the reason my wife picked him. Anyway, he gets a kick out of talking about the Mets with my son. When the doctor asks him who his favorite player is my son says Murphy. He then lets the pediatrician know that “Murphy homerun!”
When the pediatrician suggested he wanted Ben Zobrist to play second, my son said, “No. Murphy.” In his mind there is only one player who plays second for the Mets and that’s Murphy:
There are many reasons to bring back Murphy. However, after last night, I’m stuck with just one. No kid should lose their favorite player. Certainly, not my son.
So, I again implore the Mets to sign Murphy. Sign him because he’s the best free agent fit for the Mets. Sign him because you don’t want to disappoint a two year old.
Whatever the reason, just sign him.
Early this offseason, the Mets seemed to make Ben Zobrist and Darren O’Day as their primary free agent targets. Zobrist is now priced out of the Mets price range. O’Day isn’t linked to the Mets anymore. Sure, the Mets could still get either, neither, or both, but it looks more probable they won’t land either. It’s now time for Plan B.
Right now, we’re not quite sure what that looks like. Adam Rubin suggests it’s Daniel Murphy (or another middle infielder). Plan C would then be to get a centerfielder. Ken Davidoff disagrees slightly saying the Mets would go straight to looking to acquire a centerfielder. Overall, I’m positive the Mets know what their Plan B is even if we can all disagree on what it is.
Here’s the problem with Plan B. Zobrist and O’Day are seemingly everyone’s Plan A on the free agent market. Once they sign, everyone moves onto Plan B. With the increase in suitors for those players the price tag gets driven up again. That’s why the Mets should look to their Plan B and act quickly.
It’s what the Tigers did when they signed Jordan Zimmermann to a five year $110 million contract. He was projected to receive a six year $126 million contract. By acting quickly, the Tigers saved both on years and total value of the contract. The real potentially looks even better now that David Price has received a seven year $217 million contract. The prices for starting pitching will only go higher. It won’t for the Tigers because they acted quickly and locked up Zimmermann.
Hopefully, Murphy is the Mets Plan B. We know he wants to return. It was Murphy, not the Mets, who wanted to work out a contract extension. If Murphy wants to remain in New York, any chance at retaining him on a hometown discount exists up until the point Zobrist signs. Then all the teams that didn’t sign Zobrist will at least kick the doors Murphy. At that point the price for Murphy may escalate.
The Mets should act before that happens. As we saw with Zimmermann, striking at the right time may get you a discount . Waiting may cost the Mets either more money or the ability to acquire Murphy. With Zobrist still out there, the Mets should move on from a player that will not fit into their budget.
It’s time to sign Murphy before Zobrist signs elsewhere.
With every team seemingly interested in Ben Zobrist, it appears the almost 35 year old is going to get a four year deal. Good for him.
The good news is that the Mets have no interest in giving him a four year deal. It’s the prudent move especially when you consider he’s in the midst of a four year decline. Based upon Adam Rubin’s article, the Mets may now turn to either Daniel Murphy or Asdrubal Cabrera to play second and occasionally spell David Wright at third base. I’ve written enough about Murphy, but it’s the first time I’ve seen the Mets linked to Cabrera.
For starters, Cabrera is not the hitter Zobrist or Murphy is. Last year, Cabrera hit .265/.315/.430 with 15 homeruns and 58 RBIs. For his career, he’s a .267/.329/.412 hitter, who averages 15 homeruns and 75 RBIs a year. He’s been good for an OPS+ of 104 meaning he’s a league average hitter. Overall, his career averages are skewed by his career year in 2011 when he hit .273/.332/.460 with 25 homeruns and 92 RBIs. This was also before his getting busted for steroids.
As we’ve seen with the Mets, the steroids issue won’t preclude them from signing Cabrera. Assuming it’s behind him, his .265/.315/.430 batting line would be an upgrade over an internal option like Wilmer Flores and his .263/.295/.408 batting line with an OPS+ of 95.
That’s where Cabrera becomes a little more interesting. Over the course of his career, he’s been a SS. However, he’s been a bad one. His UZR last year at short was -6.0, which was his best defensive year in five years. Over his career, he’s averaged a -6.2 UZR. Plain and simple, he’s a bad SS. In fact, he’s worse than Flores. At second and third, he’s had limited time, but he’s shown to be nothing more than average.
Ultimately, the prudence of signing Cabrera comes down to the contract. On a one year deal, he makes a lot of sense. As a replacement for Murphy’s bat, the signing doesn’t make sense no matter how good the terms of the deal are. Given the state of the free agent market, I’m not sure it’s wise to go after Cabrera and a centerfielder. As suggested by Ken Davidoff, the Mets will turn to center if they can’t sign Zobrist.
At this point, the best move might just be signing their young pitchers to extensions. The free agent market is poor, and the pitching is the Mets path to success. With that said, the Mets better kick them up.