Meet the Epps, Meet the Epps

From the desk: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET 

Step Right Up and Greet the Epps ...

Back in November 2021, a newly hired general manager named Billy Eppler inherited a high-level core of players.  That group featured Jacob deGrom - who only very recently returned to action - Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil, and Edwin Diaz.

Shortly after moving into his new office, Eppler selected two outfielders from the free agent market called Starling Marte and Mark Canha, then, on Dec. 1, signed pitcher Max Scherzer (at Steve Cohen's behest).  Not yet done, Eppler signed free agent infielder Eduardo Escobar, reliever Adam Ottavino, and acquired starting pitcher Chris Bassitt from the Oakland A's.

Mets fans looked around and said this was good.

By May, as expected, the Mets finally parted ways with Robinson Cano - a move that would have mentally and financially crippled the previous regime.  This front office deemed Cano's DFA necessary and did indeed improve the team via the old adage, addition by subtraction.  It's also safe to say the previous owners would not have been copacetic with all of Billy Eppler's off-season acquisitions, much less agreeing to Max Scherzer's present annual value.

I digress ...

Over the last few years, JD Davis and Dom Smith were afforded a fair chance at earning their keep, respectively.  Mission unfulfilled as the former was dealt away at the trade deadline, and the latter remains on the 40-man roster at Syracuse.  In turn, Billy Eppler acquired lefty-hitting Daniel Vogelbach, lefty-hitting outfielder Tyler Naquin, and right-swinging Darin Ruf to reinforce the bench and lineup.

All the acquired players by Billy Eppler mentioned above, be it in the offseason or at the deadline, have a game, a hit, or a standout moment this season that we can point to and deem unequivocally as essential contributions toward the team's success.

I'd be remiss if I didn't extend well-deserved props to Carlos Carrasco, Taijuan Walker, Trevor Williams, David Peterson, Luis Guillorme, and others.

Let us not forget minor league call-up, Brett Baty.  He homered during his major league debut against the Atlanta Braves.  Left-hander Nate Fisher, a former banker from the Seattle Mariners system, allowed just one hit in three innings of relief in his major league debut against the Phillies this past Sunday.  The point here is it takes a 40-man roster to win championships.  We must also remember how Eppler did not recklessly empty the farm system of its top prospects at the deadline.

The Mets are 21-9 since the All-Star break.  They own a 43-19 record against their N.L. East division rivals and enter Tuesday's action with a four-game lead over the second-place Braves.  Their overall record (79-44) is second best in all of baseball behind the Dodgers.  Except for Apr. 11, the Mets have spent every day this season in first place. 

Billy Eppler has no doubt impacted this team.  However, we still need to buckle up because the real fun has yet to begin.  The month of September is a mere ten days away.  That's when Eppler's most crucial off-season acquisition comes into play.  There are few if none, more qualified managers in baseball to lead the Mets through a pennant race than Buck Showalter.

Let's Go Epps!

The Metsian Podcast: Chewing Up the Dog Days of Summer with Phil Maillard

From the desk: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

@THEMetsianPod

@THE_SamMaxwell    @MetFanRich    @BTB_MikeII

GUEST

PHIL MAILLARD

TumaroMedia.com

The Great Pennant Race

2022

There's Great Joy in Metsville

From the desk: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

Back in the Summer of '22 ...

The Mets continue taking bites out of the dog days of summer.  They survived the seasonal June swoon with a 13-10 record, followed by a strong 17-8 month of July.  So far, they're off to a 7-2 start in August.

Except for eleven games, the Mets in 2021 spent nearly all of their first 110 games in first place.  They teetered for another week in and out of first.  But, by August 14, they were getting swept by the Dodgers and would never climb back atop the N.L.  East standings again.  

As we know, the division-winning Atlanta Braves defeated the Houston Astros to become baseball's world champions.  It was a disappointing season in Flushing, to say the least.

Welcome to 2022 ...

Through the first 110 games of this season, the Mets have occupied first place for all but one day back on April 11, when they fell a half-game back of the Phillies.  They've remained in first place ever since.  By June 1, the Mets had built a 10.5 game division lead.  But, as expected, the Braves awoke from their slumber.  Atlanta posted a 23-27 record in their first 50 games through May, then in June, caught fire with a 21-6 record to pull within three games of the Mets.  They continued with an 18-8 record in July but gained no ground in the standings.  

On Tuesday, August 2, the Braves defeated the Phillies to pull within 2.5 games of first.  A year ago today, the Mets were traveling home from Philadelphia, where they initially ceded first place upon getting swept by the Phillies.

With a 3.5 game lead this past Thursday, the Mets hosted the Braves for the opening game of a mid-summer-defining five-game series at Citi Field.  Carlos Carrasco won his twelfth game, and Edwin Diaz registered six outs to earn his 24th save.  The Braves evened the series with a win in game two.  But the Mets answered with a doubleheader sweep on Saturday and wrapped up their fourth win in five games on Sunday.

Highlighting the series was the unveiling of Flushing's dynamic one-two punch, Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom, who, before his August 2 start at Washington, last climbed a major league mound on July 7 of last year.  Through two starts, deGrom has allowed three runs on four hits and one walk with 18 strikeouts through 10.2 innings.  On Monday, he struck out twelve Braves in a triumphant return to Citi Field.  Max Scherzer pitched the second game of Saturday's doubleheader, allowing no runs on four hits and no walks with eleven strikeouts for his eighth win against two losses with a 1.98 ERA.

I'd be remiss if I didn't laud the entire staff, a deep quality staff.  The foursome of Chris Bassitt, Carlos Carrasco, Taijuan Walker, and David Peterson have joined together for a 36-16 combined record with a 3.43 ERA in 440 innings pitched.

Meanwhile, closer Edwin Diaz continues having a season for the ages.  He has yielded only 27 hits in 45.1 innings with an eye-popping 91 strikeouts for a 5.4 H/9 and 18.1 K/9 average, respectively.  Said another way, he has struck out 52.9% of all batters faced, which is reflective of his 0.860 WHiP, to go along with a stellar 1.39 ERA.

Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor have been the clear leaders at the plate.  Alonso tops the National League with 96 RBI, and Lindor is third.  Brandon Nimmo has carved his niche as a premiere leadoff hitter, and Jeff McNeil has consistently maintained a .300 batting average.

In his first season, Billy Eppler's off-season acquisitions have been essential cogs in this machine we call the Mets.  The performances of Chris Bassitt and Starling Marte have been exemplary.  Eduardo Escobar and Mark Canha have been nothing short of serviceable and, in Escobar's case, clutch.  And while Eppler's trade deadline acquisitions were met with some criticism, extensive renovations were not needed.  What Eppler did with the acquisitions of Daniel Vogelbach, Darin Ruf, and Tyler Naquin was fix a leaky roof and replace the windows.  Now the lineup at Flushing by the Bay is water-tight.  As planned, they're all contributing to the Mets' fine play in August.

Above all else, I believe Buck Showalter plays a significant role in the Mets' success.  His attention to detail and insistence on fundamentals is the team's bedrock.  He's genuinely bucking analytical trends and transforming his team into savvy players.  Buck's experience is vast, and his baseball intuition uncanny.  Just the other day, they executed a suicide squeeze.  Baseball is back, indeed.  Buck Showalter corrects the years of novice managers and their inexperienced folly.

The Mets enter Wednesday night's game against the Reds with a 71-39 (.645) record.  They've won four in a row.  Moreover, they're winning at a historic pace for this franchise.  

Last season, the Mets and Braves did not face each other in August, which proved a disadvantage for the Mets.  This season, the schedule makers had something else in mind, and the Mets seized the moment.  Their division lead over the Braves is now back up to seven.  

It's been an incredibly entertaining summer.  For better or worse, we'll be talking about this season for years to come as a relaunch of the New York Mets under the ownership of Steve Cohen.

In the meantime, the battle for the N.L. East flag rages on ...

Let's Go Mets!

New York Mets and Brooklyn Cyclones Defeat Yankees and Affiliated Rival in Local Showdowns

From the desk: THE CONEY ISLAND NINE

Brooklyn vs. Hudson Valley

I - HVR 10; BKN 2

II - BKN 6; HVR 2

Up in Dutchess County Stadium, the Kings County Kids tied their series against the Renegades, while in Queens, their parent club staged a ninth-inning walk-off victory over the Bronx club at Citi Field.

The night's main feature was Brooklyn's pitching, who held Hudson Valley scoreless through the seventh.  But the Renegades spoiled the shutout with two runs in the eighth.  

Making his seventh start (ninth appearance) with the Cyclones, right-hander Luis Moreno allowed a mere two hits and one walk with seven strikeouts over six scoreless innings.  This season's St. Lucie graduate faced twenty batters and threw 79 pitches, with a very effective 59 (74.6%) going for strikes.  It marks Moreno's first victory at the high-A level, and he now boasts a reduced 2.90 ERA through 80.2 total innings pitched.  Right-hander Daison Acosta yielded two earned runs on two hits and one walk with four strikeouts over the final three innings to earn his fourth save.

Facing Renegade starter Blas Castano, the Cyclones engaged in a scoreless duel through the fifth.  Once Castano departed from the box, the game promptly tilted in Brooklyn's favor.  Now facing the bullpen in the sixth, designated hitter Rowdey Jordan singled home a run, and first baseman JT Schwartz blasted a grand slam home run to right/center.  Center fielder Alex Ramirez singled home another run in the seventh, giving the Cyclones a 6-2 final margin of victory.  BOXSCORE

Meanwhile, back in Queens, Max Scherzer fanned Aaron Judge three times, allowed five hits and two walks with six overall strikeouts in seven innings, but walked off to a no-decision.  Pete Alonso homered in the second, and Francisco Lindor knocked in a run in the third.  After the Yankees tied the game in the eighth, Starling Marte delivered home the game-winning run in the ninth with a line single to left.  The Mets completed a two-game sweep of the Yankees.

The Metsian Podcast: N.L. East Sizzle with Jeff Cohen of Baseball & BBQ

From the desk: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

@THE_SamMaxwell   @MetFanRich   BTB_MikeII

@THEMetsianPod

GUEST

JEFF COHEN

BASEBALL & BBQ

Mets Fever is in the air.  Fans everywhere are becoming wildly happy and contagious.  Suppose you're breaking out in blue and orange dots.  That's because the Mets on Wednesday completed a series victory at Atlanta, taking two out of three games against their top division rival, the defending champion Braves.  As they say, if you want to be the best, you must beat the best.  As such, the Mets have now won four of seven games against the Braves this season, with a dozen more fanatically distressing division contests still to play.  Joining Sam and me to discuss Mets baseball, symptoms of summertime, and the 2022 pennant race will be Jeff Cohen of the acclaimed Baseball & BBQ Podcast. 

The Metsian Podcast: Summertime at Flushing By The Bay Begins

From the desk: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

@THEMetsianPod

The deeper we get into this 2022 season, the more the Mets distinguish themselves as one of baseball's top contenders.  Team depth and resiliency have kept them atop the division and continue pushing this team forward; injuries be damned.  Please join Sam, Rich, and me as we convene to discuss everything going right in Flushing, along with other Mets minutiae.

sixty-nine minutes 

N.Y. Mets: The Buck Showalter Era Begins

From the desk: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

Mets Manager Likes to Laugh and Joke, But He Doesn't Play!

Don't make me Buck you up!  

At least that was the look on Buck Showalter's face as he stormed out of the dugout after Francisco Lindor was hit by a pitch during Friday evening's game.  

It has become crystal clear that Washington pitchers are being told to throw high and tight because in my world, once is an event, twice is a coincidence, and three times is a trend.  James McCann was hit twice in Thursday's season opener and Pete Alonso once.  Lindor then became the third player and fourth Mets batter hit by a pitch in only the first two games this season against the Nationals.

The point here is team leadership, clubhouse command, and locker room control.  When an enraged Buck Showalter stormed the field, Mets players (including the bullpen) followed in lockstep behind their skipper.  Although no punches were thrown and cooler heads prevailed, the Mets nonetheless flipped the script and took the Nationals from their own perceived comfort zone.  All of which was reflected on the scoreboard. 

Buck Showalter instigated a call to action, and the Mets responded ... and this is just game two.  

He has also reclaimed the team's narrative, unlike any Mets manager since Terry Collins.

Buck likes to laugh and joke, but he doesn't play! 💪 #LGM

— The Metsian Podcast with Sam, Rich and Mike (@THEMetsianPod) April 9, 2022

 

Stumbling Into The September Stretch on Another Metsian Podacst

From the desk: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

@THE_SamMaxwell  @MetFanRich  @BTB_MikeII

@THEMetsianPod

The week that was versus Miami and Washington, and the weeks to come in Flushing.

#LGM

THE METSIAN PODCAST: Flipping Fans the Thumb with Baseball Reporter/Analyst Ernest Dove

From the desk: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

PART ONE:

TWO FANS IN A CAR TALKIN' METS

@THE_SamMaxwell talks one-on-one w/ @BigRedRuckus

⚾

PART TWO:

Baseball Reporter, Analyst, 

Covering the St. Lucie Mets,

Can Be Heard at

SPORTANARIUM.com

ERNEST DOVE

STUFF

Howie Rose ~ Jerry Koosman ~ Retired Numbers ~ Noah Syndergaard

Jeff Cohen ~ Luis Rojas ~ Sandy Alderson

Francisco Lindor ~ THUMBS DOWN ~ Javier Baez

Yogi Berra ~ Gary Carter ~ Keith Hernandez ~ Tug McGraw

and so much more!

👎

#LGM

The Metsian Podcast: Dog Days of Summer Keep Chewing Away

From the desk: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

@THE_SamMaxwell     @MetFanRich     @BTB_MikeII 

THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER 

KEEP CHEWING UP THE METS

#LGM

The Metsian Podcast First Half Review

From the desk: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

@THE_SamMaxwell       @MetFanRich       @BTB_MikeII

113 minutes

FIRST HALF REVIEW

#LGM

The Metsian Podcast: That First Place Feeling In June With Faith & Fear In Flushing's Greg Prince

From the desk: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

With Guest

FAITH AND FEAR IN FLUSHING

GREG PRINCE

ninety-three minutes

 Lindor, Alonso, McCann, deGrom, Taijuan Walker, David Peterson,

 Matt Harvey, the 1978 Mets season, and so much more!

The Metsian Podcast: First Place and the Roosevelt Avenue Resistance

From the desk: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

seventy-two minutes

#LGM

The Metsian Podcast: Giving Adversity The Silent Treatment with NY1 Reporter Roger Clark

From the desk: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

FEATURED GUEST

NY1 Reporter and Life-Long Mets Fan

ROGER CLARK

 sixty-one minutes

RESILIENCY

#LFGM

The Metsian Podcast: Putting April Through the Translator with The Record/NorthJersey Mets Columnist Justin Tuscano

From the desk: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

GUEST

From The Record and NorthJersey.com

New York Mets Columnist 

JUSTIN C. TUSCANO

104 minutes

APRIL WRAP-UP

Early Assessments ~ Hitting Woes ~ Mother Nature

Zack Scott ~ Luis Rojas ~ Chili Davis ~ Sandy Alderson

Jacob deGrom ~ Michael Conforto ~ Pete Alonso ~ Francisco Lindor

Tom Seaver ~ Doc Gooden ~ Brandon Nimmo

and so much more!

#LGM

N.Y. Mets: Command and Control, the Comeback, and The Closer

From the desk: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

After Friday Blizzard Mets Split 

Saturday Twin Bill at Coors Field

Teammates Rally Together in Support of Jacob deGrom's Near Record Effort

Making his third start of this young season, Jacob deGrom puts forth something more than just another dominating effort.  In facing 23 Colorado batters, he hurls 99 pitches with 67.6% going for strikes.  His line reads three unearned runs on three hits and just one walk with 14 strikeouts through six innings pitched.  It marks his second straight start with 14 strikeouts.  But this performance against the Rockies is so much more special than that.  

Jacob registers his first strikeout to end the first, then fans the side in the second.  He again strikes out the side in the third and yet again in the fourth, giving him nine consecutive strikeouts, eight of which are of the swing-and-miss variety.  Jacob now lay within one strikeout of matching Tom Seaver's 51-year old year record of ten consecutive strikeouts set on April 22, 1970, against the San Diego Padres.  

But Colorado third baseman Josh Fuentes has other ideas when he grounds to second leading off the fifth and reaches safely on Jeff McNeil's errant throw to first.  And wouldn't you know, Jacob strikes out the next batter he faces.  Afterwhich, trouble comes knocking at the door.  Catcher Dom Nunez triples off the right-field wall scoring Fuentes, and pinch-hitter Yonathan Daza's sacrifice fly to right field scores, Nunez.  Left fielder Raimel Tapia then homers, giving the Rockies a 3-1 lead.  Jacob finally fans second baseman Ryan McMahon to retire the side.

Pete Alonso who back in the third inning drove home Jacob deGrom with the game's first run, homers leading off the top of the sixth, cutting the Mets deficit to one.  Jacob deGrom, in his final inning of work, retires the Rockies in order with two more strikeouts.  In the top half of the seventh, runs batted in by Jonathan Villar and Francisco Lindor put Jacob deGrom back on the winning side of the game.

Edwin Diaz then slams the door shut on the Colorado Rockies, needing just 13 pitches to strike out the side, all swinging.  While earning his first save of the season, Diaz likewise locks down deGrom's first victory in three tries.  The deGrominator evens his record at 1-1 with a glistening 0.45 ERA through 20 innings pitched to date.

The results of game two at Coors Field on Saturday do not escape me.  The fact they were a mere 2 for 23 at the plate with just two walks and six strikeouts albeit against a representative German Marquez is more than I care to know.  Otherwise, Joey Lucchesi's second appearance and first start for the Mets proved troublesome as did that of reliever Jacob Barnes.  The Rockies struck for three runs in the first inning and the rest is, as they say, 

... you know, Metsian.

The Metsian Podcast: The Season Opener That Wasn't w/ District on Deck & Baseball and BBQ

From the desk: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

SEASON OPENING FEATURE

Mets

vs.

Nationals

N.L. East Preview w/ Co-Site Editor

DISTRICT on DECK

MAX RAYMAN

SHOW GUESTS

Jeff Cohen and Len Aberman

FROM
BASEBALL and BBQ

GAME CALLED!

BUT THE METSIAN PODCAST ROLLS ON

The $341 Million Dollar Man

Opening Day Memories

Reeling in the Years 2011 ~ 2020

Terry Collins ~ Bobby Valentine

and so much more!

#LGM

N.Y. Mets: Opening Night in the Nation's Capital

From the desk: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

Northbound and down, loaded up and trucking, 

the Mets are gonna do what they said can't be done.

They've got a long way to go and a short summer to get there. 

They're northbound. Just watch ol' Mr. Met run!

OPENING NIGHT
NEW YORK METS
vs.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS

FROM

Capitol Hill Grounds

With Defensive Shortcomings and Outstanding Bullpen Issues, The Mets Lineup Must Lead The Way 

Even though the Mets last season batted miserably with runners in scoring position, timely hitting this upcoming season is the least of my concerns.  By all indications, the Mets will be featuring a lengthy and potent lineup with few if any dead spots.  With the resumption of a full 162 game schedule, the law of averages will hopefully play a normalizing role as well.

I think we fans agree that Brandon Nimmo and his career .390 OBP is the logical choice for batting leadoff.  However, this season I want to see from him a more aggressive approach at the plate.  Otherwise, on average, Nimmo has scored runs in 49.8% of his 365 career games played.  I anticipate that percentage climbing as the hitters batting behind him should prove problematic for opposing pitchers.

Batting second in my order is Jeff McNeil.  Bat control factored heavily in my decision.  McNeil's and Francisco Lindor's respective rate of strikeouts are separated by mere percentage points.  Lindor strikes out in 15.7% of his at-bats, whereas McNeil fans 13.3% on average.  This might be a hot take, but I believe McNeil is the more traditional and polished slap-style hitter than Lindor, who swings a tad bit more from his heels.  I seek bat control from the second spot, someone adept at hitting the ball to all fields for the sake of advancing runners and not getting doubled-up.

Deep in my heart, I want Dominic Smith batting third.  The old adage says bat your best hitter third, and I believe Dom to be the Mets' most pure hitter.  However, I just cannot fathom Francisco Lindor hitting any further down the lineup.  Lindor's switch-hitting abilities, low strikeouts, and his .500 plus slugging average in three of the last four seasons make him quite the unique number three-hitter.  Dom Smith is better equipped to hit as far down as sixth with limited protection behind him; Lindor not so much.  But in truth, hitting sixth is never what Mets fans envisioned insofar as Francisco Lindor's proper place in the lineup.

Batting cleanup in my lineup is Michael Conforto.  Few hitters in baseball will be afforded the level of lineup protection the Mets will be providing Lindor and Conforto with Pete Alonso and Dom Smith hitting behind them.  Lindor and Conforto should game in, and game out see the best and more hittable pitches being offered.

 

Pete Alonso put the squeeze on Grapefruit League pitchers.  In 16 games and 50 at-bats, the Polar Bear slashed .340/.421./700/1.121, with six doubles, four home runs, and 16 runs batted in.

While Dom Smith offers exceptional protection for the top half of the lineup, he, in turn, will have to protect him either J.D. Davis or Luis Guillorme and James McCann.

McCann has never played in more than 118 games (72.9%) nor achieved 500 plate appearances in any of his five-plus full seasons in the bigs.  However, the Mets appeared to sign him while in the midst of an offensive uptick.  In 2019 with the White Sox, McCann registered career highs in all batting categories for a season that somewhat resembles JT Realmuto-like production.  Last season, he was arguably on track to surpass those numbers.  Not many other eighth batters in baseball can say that.

See pitch, hit pitch.

Time to play ball!

#LGM

N.Y. Mets: The Confounding Michael Conforto Contract Crisis

From the desk: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

Steve Cohen 

vs. The Unknown Variable

Mighty Market Makers In Their Natural Habitat

It was the early 1990s, and baseball card fever was high.  I tried to get my hands on as many Todd Van Poppel and Ben McDonald cards as possible.  A kid named Chipper Jones and another pitcher named Darren Dreifort, in whom minor investments were also made.  Mining these prospects and others is how I first became familiar with super-agent Scott Boras.  I was lured in because whenever some highly touted amateur was about to go pro, Boras was on hand as lead and bold new principal on the scene establishing groundbreaking askings and making markets.  Therefore, I simply followed the money.

In the 2014 draft, the Mets selected one of Boris' clients with the tenth overall pick.  His name is Michael Conforto, who, after this upcoming season, becomes an unrestricted free agent.  Conforto is a huge fan favorite.  He is also the team's union representative.  This is to say Boras and Conforto potentially adhere to the same business model emphasizing player and salary advancement.  Chief among their negotiation articles is no retreat and no surrender along the salary front, only forward and upward movement.

As one of, if not the preeminent agent in the game, Boris has extracted billions of dollars out of MLB owner's bank accounts throughout this post-Marvin Miller era.  He firmly urges his clients to exercise their right to free agency.  In numerous instances, clients were encouraged to take the best offer available.  Robinson Cano is a recent example.  The Yankees made him quite the handsome offer, but Cano and his agent instead "settled" for Seattle's far more lucrative offer.  No need to revisit how that worked out, but it certainly speaks of standard operating procedures.

Boris, on occasion, has let clients dictate the location, meaning staying put in the only place they've known and grown to love.  A case in point is David Wright, who the Mets signed to the largest contract issued in team history.  Otherwise, Boris is agreeable only if the terms are relatively on par with current and projected market growth.

But whereas at least some measure of collective unity exists among (agents and) players, the MLB owner barons are their own worst enemy.  They've known this about themselves for 130 years.  This is nothing short of capitalism at work, wherein the open market is designed to set a worthy price.  If Team A is willing to compensate a player more than Team B, selling one's labor is simpler.  Hence, the extinct reserve clause.  Owners through the decades have often been suspected of colluding over certain collective bargaining issues, such as suppressing compensation.  Their problem is that one ever-present maverick owner refusing to play along and upends the buffet tables again and again.

And there's the rub ...

I am fearful of Scott Boris bringing Michael Conforto to the free-agent banquet and having some other organization sweeping in and making an offer they can't refuse (be it on a personal basis or for the betterment of players).  What will burn me more is if it's to a team that knowingly cannot afford him and will seek to trade said player within a few years - a scenario we've seen played out many times before.

Thus, there is no reason for debating Conforto's worth.  That's for Steve Cohen to decide.  He knows all about being a market maker.  But unlike Scott Boris, he lies on the bidder side of this transaction.  You or I could rationalize why Francisco Lindor deserves more money than Michael Conforto.  But Scott Boris can indeed convince some owners (sans Steve Cohen) why Michael Conforto is on the cusp of becoming the best baseball player.  You or I couldn't convince ourselves of that, I believe.

The questions beg to be asked: is Conforto a franchise player or someone who elevates the brand?  More importantly, what owner will value Michael Conforto in their uniform more?  This now seems more about needing to overpay if only to satisfy an increasingly itchy fanbase.

 

What I can say with some certainty is what the union has achieved for its past players laid the groundwork for today's players, which in turn benefits tomorrow's players, and so on.  

Michael Conforto shares an emotional connection with Flushing.  Francisco Lindor, not so much, or not yet.  And whereas Conforto has 2015 stamped on his Mets resume, Lindor's is yet to be written.

Unfortunately, hometown discounts under today's conditions are bad business. 

N.Y. Mets: Sandy Alderson Still Acting Like Smartest One in the Room

From the desk: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

Things That Make Go You Go Hmmm ...

The Washington Nationals recently signed Brad Hand to a one-year $10.5 million contract.  We know the Mets certainly could have used him.  Toronto also recently won the George Springer sweepstakes as the Mets refused to up their bid by another $25 million or so.  Then if you rewind back to December, the Mets acted (hastily?) quickly in signing free-agent catcher James McCann to a bargain rate $40 million over four years rather than pursue J.T Realmuto (who remains unsigned) at a higher premium.

HOT TAKE ALERT: This all wreaks of Sandy Alderson's sensibilities while under the Wilpons.

But, Mike, they traded for Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco.

Indeed, but they still need to secure Lindor long-term, and Carlos Carrasco figures to be a fourth starter at best.  I'd love to be wrong about the latter, but I'm just calling it as I see it.

An interesting dichotomy in the making ... the owner says go spend, yet they settle on McCann over Realmuto and do not up their ante for Springer. 🤔 I do not make Bauer a Met at his asking price.

— B'klynTrolleyBlogger (@BTB_MikeII) January 23, 2021

Here's more food for thought: Jacob deGrom's salary spikes to $35 million this year and next, and he holds an opt-out clause after the 2022 season.  The aforementioned Lindor and Michael Conforto are both in need of contract extensions, and the presently suspended Robinson Cano also returns to the checkbook after the 2021 season.

Don't get me wrong.  I'm not complaining ... this is a transient mico matter, or so we hope.

It's just that the narrative since Nov. 6, 2020, coming from ownership, and the follow-up being pursued by Sandy Alderson is somewhat and strangely incongruent.