Sure, they can let Jake walk. IF they trade Max, IF they keep their hands off Veteran Verlander.

But I'm not exactly seeing a commitment to youth and/or sensible budgeting. So if they were going to throw money at old warhorses, I'd rather it was Jake, who is a) ours and b) 5 years younger than his replacements.

The "Jake wants 5 years, but Max only has 2 years left and Verlander might take 3 years (although he says he wants 5)" argument is stupid. Do we think that Uncle Stevie will work through those contracts and then commit to youth in 2025 or whenever? On what basis?

More likely, the big-name big-ticket oldsters will be replaced by OTHER b-n b-ts, when the time comes. I've already mentioned Chris Sale, why not Cole? Why not Darvish?

So Eppler isn't opting for cheaper or younger…just different. Pooh. I'd rather keep Jake.

ETA: Which local hack hatched that hackery, precisely? Just wondering.

We don't have state income tax in Texas. Is it still a pay cut?

Looking at cost of living, making $30M/yr in Texas means he'd have to make $50M/yr to have the same lifestyle in NY.

Yeah, but…it's Texas. Can you really call that "living"? [/reflex] ;)

Anthony Rieber of Newsday to which I do not link because it's behind a paywall. I am not above quoting liberally, however, although in good conscience I should at least mention the source.

Sure, sportswriters will pander to their audience in situations like this. It builds a following by catering to people's hard feelings and saying what they would want to say if given the chance.

That may be indeed what he had in mind but I thought he made good sense anyway. So did others - you think Cohen couldn't have matched or topped the Rangers' offer?

So allegedly the Mets nipped Verlander.

Not sure I want to celebrate having a 1-2 pair that will be a combined 79 3/4 years old on Opening Day and make $86m a year, twice.

I mean, I really like those guys. But I would like the scenario better if this was 2013 rather than 2023...

This takes the wind a bit out of what I was saying before. Amazin69 mentioned this possibility ...

But, what about the terms of the contract? Are they out yet? Because maybe a shorter deal with Verlander made better sense than a 5-year contract with deGrom. I would imagine the average salary per season would be about the same.

Answer: Yes, the terms are out. 2 years for $86 mil, just a shade below Scherzer's record.

So, that seems to be that the Mets chose not to go long term on a guy, deGrom, who seems a bit injury-prone and may be declining. It certainly wasn't about the money.

I love that the big market teams keep on making these bad signings.

I'd bet that Jake is worth $37 mill more than Max and Kate Upton's husband are worth $43 mill. And I'm not sure why you're doubtful about employing DeGrom at ages 36-38, but don't mind a 38.5 year old Scherzer and a 40 year old Verlander.

Injury problems? Which guy sat out two complete seasons, exactly?

And I bet whomever Uncle Stevie gets to fill those slots in 2025 makes a bit more than a "mere" $37 million, but that's for down the road, I suppose. But I bet you that Gerrit Cole's agent is already writing his "you gave $43 million to Verlander's broken-down ass! My client is still in his prime and we're not taking less than $60 million! Pay up or we'll see you in Houston!" speech.

Cole, who is currently struggling to make ends meet on that pathetic $36,000,000 that the Yankees are paying him, has an opt-out after 2024. Which I actually hadn't known, I just threw that out there as a hypothetical. But it works. (Two years younger than Jake, Cole will be 34 when he hits the market, too.)

Mets let Taijuan Walker walk, and signed Jose Quintana to fill his spot? He's three years older, and while he was decent last year, he was bad in 2021 and mediocre before then.

Mets pitching staff is going to need a walker to pitch.

See what I did there, with the lower-case "w"? You thought that was a typo, eh?

No, I meant one of these as standard equipment on the pitching mound! :laugh:

Attachment 919153

Plot twist: The Mets are celebrating the 30th anniversary of the 1992-1993 "Worst Team That Money Can Buy" by setting themselves up to implode. The 2025 roster will be populated entirely by current Brooklyn Cyclones.

ETA: I see that Quintana is not as yet actually signed. So hope remains, however slender.

Jose Quintana ERA+, 2017-2021. (100 is league average):

2017: 105
2018: 103
2019: 94
Covid-Ball: 103
2021: 69

To quote Keith Hernandez, "Now, 69 is a lovely number, but…"

ETAA: Reportedly, the Mets are interested in signing Kodai Senga from Japan. Well, the law of averages says that one of these days a Japanese signing will work out, right? Right?

Two good moves by the Mets: retaining Brandon Nimmo (Newsday headline: FUNDING NIMMO) and signing David Robertson.

Oh, to have a billionaire sugar daddy!

That's nice. Keeping Brandon was essential, IMO. And I've always liked Robertson. (Wanted him at the deadline. We got Ruf-Bad-Dog! and Vogelfat, instead.)

Still a bad off-season so far because I don't like swapping Jake for Verlander, and because I don't know who replaces Walker. But not quite a total disaster, as yet.

The good news: The Mets received an "A" from The Athletic for their off-season work so far.
The bad news: The Phillies got "A+". :)

I'm not thrilled with "summaries" that list the team's acquisitions but neglect to mention the departures. Yes, the Mets have signed three (veteran, overpaid) pitchers…but they've lost six.

deGrom (Texas)
Walker (Phillies)
Joely Rodriguez (BoSox)
Bassitt, Lugo, Givens (unsigned)

Now perhaps the Mets are bursting with prospects who can take those slots. Perhaps they can even bring Givens back. (They appear to have given up on Bassitt and the Spin Doctor.). But it looks as if we're taking a hit in depth, at least.

(Also Adonis Medina walked, but I don't know it we had a spot for him.)

I wonder how that might change with the signing of Senga last night. Mets still need bullpen help, but if Senga is as good as many claim, their rotation is actually deeper now than it was last year.

If Kodai Senga was as good as many claim, he'd not cost $15m a year, but I will graciously allow him to win me over.

Can't be worse than the last(?) Japanese Mets pitcher. Anybody remember the Dice-K Clock?

Wow, Cohen is certainly pulling out all the stops.

That oughta buy 89 wins and a wild card, don'tyathink?

Daisuke, like Hideo Nomo before him, was an established MLB pitcher; the Mets had relevant data from which to work.

This is guessing how well Senga's skills will translate across the Pacific (and this continent). Sometimes this works…and sometimes it doesn't.

The Mets have had their share of "doesn't" cases, from Kaz Matsui to Tsuyoshi Shinjo to Hisanori Takahashi to Ryota Igarashi and doubtless others.

It would be nice if Senga bucked that trend. That said, I'm less sanguine about it than if (previous) Mets regimes had had success with such cases.