Mets

[CBeisbol]

Originally Posted by Westheim

Brodie Dynamite's Mariners shambles is the trade that will haunt the Mets until Jarred Kelenic is enshrined in the Hall of Fame and beyond. That is easily the worst trade of the decade.

Cano and Diaz combined for 2.2 WAR this season. That's a 6 WAR pace over 162 games.

[Déjà Bru]

"The Mets declined on Wednesday the 2021 team options held on the contracts of Wilson Ramos, Todd Frazier and Robinson Chirinos.
That was the expected decision in each of those cases, considering the salaries they would have earned, and amounts to early offseason housekeeping. Ramos, Frazier and Chirinos will become free agents."

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

"The Mets declined on Wednesday the 2021 team options held on the contracts of Wilson Ramos, Todd Frazier and Robinson Chirinos.
That was the expected decision in each of those cases, considering the salaries they would have earned, and amounts to early offseason housekeeping. Ramos, Frazier and Chirinos will become free agents."

Good, good!

Now sign Springer.

[Déjà Bru]

More news.

Among other option-related business that needs to be taken care of by the Sunday deadline: player options for relievers Dellin Betances and Brad Brach.

Betances can pick between a $6 million salary for 2021 or a $3 million buyout. Brach’s choice is between more than $2 million for next year or free agency.

Eleven other Mets officially became free agents Wednesday, standard procedure a day after the World Series ended: Yoenis Cespedes, Jared Hughes, Jed Lowrie, Jake Marisnick, Eduardo Nunez, Rick Porcello, Erasmo Ramirez, Rene Rivera, Marcus Stroman, Michael Wacha and Justin Wilson.

Of that group, only Stroman is likely to receive a one-year, $18.9 million qualifying offer from the Mets.

The Mets have until Sunday to make him that offer. Stroman will have 10 days after that to accept it (and come back to the Mets for 2021) or decline it (and stick with free agency). If he declines it and signs elsewhere, the Mets will receive an extra draft pick as compensation, as was the case with Zack Wheeler last year.

Technically, general manager Brodie Van Wagenen remains in charge of the Mets’ baseball operations. But incoming owner Steve Cohen — whose purchase of the team is scheduled to be voted on by MLB owners Friday — and his liaisons such as team-president-to-be Sandy Alderson are allowed to consult on these and other decisions.

Sounds about right to me, although I am a non-Mets fan. I also like that last part. It sounds like the beginning of the end for BVW.

[Westheim]

I miss none of the free agents. Stroman is the only one worth anything. I'd make the offer, he won't take it, gives you a pick - deal.

Betances and Brach staying wouldn't be completely awful. But the pitching staff needs to be revamped as a whole regardless.

And stop bringing in Todd Frazier from Toms River, who won the Little League World Series in like 1928, for critter's sake!

[Déjà Bru]

It's interesting to note that Steve Cohen's purchase of the Mets has to be approved, not only by baseball team owners, but by the mayor of the city of New York! I never knew this; it's because New York City owns Citifield and the land it sits on.

Mayor de Blasio can be a PITA at times. He certainly is one to throw whatever weight he has around (New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo smacks him down when necessary). Even if he finds no reason to reject Cohen, count on de Blasio to draw it out and make it dramatic.

So even when the team owners approve Cohen today, the process is not over until the tall guy sings. (He's 6 feet, 5 inches.)

NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio says review of Mets' sale to Steve Cohen is not about 'personal feelings'

[Westheim]

That's exactly what I needed. More depressing facts about why the Mets are forever hosed.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Westheim

That's exactly what I needed. More depressing facts about why the Mets are forever hosed.

Well, I can't imagine a guy as savvy as Cohen leaving any dirty laundry for city bureaucrats to find. As it is, they probably will not be able to understand his business and I am sure Cohen has hedged all his bets (pun intended).

[Déjà Bru]

"MLB owners have voted to approve billionaire hedge fund manager Steve Cohen as the new owner of the New York Mets, it was announced Friday."

Also, "In a statement Friday, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city law department had completed its legal review of the proposed sale and that the city does not object to it." (Yes, I am surprised he did not make it into a rigmarole.)

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/...en-source-says

There you go, Westheim. Here's to better times to come, hopefully.

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

"MLB owners have voted to approve billionaire hedge fund manager Steve Cohen as the new owner of the New York Mets, it was announced Friday."

Also, "In a statement Friday, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city law department had completed its legal review of the proposed sale and that the city does not object to it." (Yes, I am surprised he did not make it into a rigmarole.)

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/...en-source-says

There you go, Westheim. Here's to better times to come, hopefully.

(dances around the desk, covered in honey)

Mmm, honey. (licks paw)

Now I have hair on my tongue.

MEEEEETS!!

Now sign Springer!

[Déjà Bru]

Avoid hairballs. We need you for the 2021 season.

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

Avoid hairballs. We need you for the 2021 season.

(dry-heaves)

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

Avoid hairballs. We need you for the 2021 season.

Alright. I'll live IF the Mets sign Springer.

[BBGiovanni]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

Well, I can't imagine a guy as savvy as Cohen leaving any dirty laundry for city bureaucrats to find. As it is, they probably will not be able to understand his business and I am sure Cohen has hedged all his bets (pun intended).

I'm pretty sure Corporation Counsel spent the week trying to dodge calls from Hizzoner's office. And they succeeded! I really never believed Fred would actually sell the team away from Jeff, but thank god he lived long enough to do just that.



Now I look forward to (1) competence in general around the org and (2) hopefully many many tell-all books about all that weird [stuff] over the last 20 years, but especially since they went broke in '08...

[Westheim]

Mets make qualifying offer to Stroman.

Also, Betances and Brach exercise their player options.

That's $6.8M for Betances and $1.25M for Brach. The former might be worth it long before the latter is.

Alas, next news I want to read about the Mets is Brodie Dynamite packing his crap into an empty box of copy paper and taking a hike. Make it happen, Steve-o!

Addendum: Mets signing Springer would also be okay.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Westheim

Mets make qualifying offer to Stroman.

Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't a qualifying offer just a courtesy and/or a signal of interest? Barring some unknown circumstance, or concern for a weak free agent market, don't players usually refuse qualifying offers and become free agents anyway?

Okay, before I hit the post button, I saw this good reason for making a qualifying offer: 'If Stroman declines, the club will receive a compensatory 2021 Draft pick after Competitive Balance Round B."

Anyway, Stroman will probably turn it down: "Any other outcome seems unlikely given how outspoken Stroman has been about exploring free agency." The Mets (i.e., Mr. Cohen) are going to need to offer significantly more money to keep him. The first test of Cohen's reign?

[Westheim]

Yeah, as things have shaken out with Stroman, that's a free draft pick at no cost.

[CBeisbol]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't a qualifying offer just a courtesy

A courtesy?

Making a player a qualifying offer is a way of depressing their market value - keeping more money in the hands of the owners

Since the team that signs a player who has received a Q/O loses a draft pick it makes these players less valuable than players who didn't.

When teams are deciding who to sign if Free Agent A and Free Agent B are equal players, but Free Agent A has received a Q/O a team will offer Free Agent A less than Free Agent B to sign since signing Free Agent A will also "cost" a draft pick

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Westheim

Addendum: Mets signing Springer would also be okay.

Is this George Springer that you keep barking about? (There are no other Springers in the league right now, unless "Springer" is somebody's nickname.)

Springer has been an All-Star three times. Lots of power with a decent batting average. I can see you guys nudging Nimmo to the bench, moving Conforto back to CF, and letting Springer take over RF.

His Astrosciation is something I am sure you will readily overlook.

[Westheim]

I'd put this Springer in center and keep Conforto in right. Conforto in center is meh. Leftfield can be flavor of the day between Nimmo, McNeil, Davis, Smith...

Make it happen, Steve, I believe in you!