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The Cards need power. That is not Nimmo’s game. Sure, Carlson or O’Neill or Thomas can play CF. The issue as I see it is that they need a big bat in LF.
Nimmo had an .888 OPS this year and his .484 SLG would have led the Cards. He also had a .483 SLG in 2018, so it’s not like it’s a total fluke. While he may only hit 15-20 HRs, I suspect the jump in HRs from Carlson and O’Neill over Bader would help as well. All in all, I’d rather have Pederson for his HR power and only being a free agent, but Nimmo would be my #2 choice with Rosario as #3.
I’ll also add that the Cards have no leadoff man. Edman isn’t getting on base enough and it’s a huge risk to pencil Carlson in there. Nimmo would fill that void reliably.
BW, 25 and I are presenting names to the discussion, not roles. It’s easy to pick apart others choices of players once they commit to a specific player. The hard part is presenting names, because that opens up the discussion of their flaws.
When anyone suggests names, it wouldn’t make sense to only comment on them when one agrees. That would be really boring. Points and counterpoints like those being made here are what good dialogue is about.
To the specifics here, I do think roles are important. What good is bringing in guys if it is unclear where they will play? I am also concerned about the potential negative impact on the defense of either of these Mets. But I base that on the 2020 SDIs, not from extensive analysis or observation.
I suspect there won’t be trades of substance until after all the non-tenders are known. Obviously, free agents don’t cost players in return. We don’t know yet if their salaries will be lower or higher than potential trade acquisitions.
Another option might be to target possible non-tenders in trade. The non-tendering team might be happy to get something instead of nothing. The downside is the Cardinals would assume the player’s remaining salary – at an amount that is too rich for his current team. If the Cards see the market as depressed, they will hold back on commitments as they did with Wong.
For me, another key is how long the Waino and Yadi situations string out. I really wonder if the Cards will do anything that includes taking on more salary before those two are decided. It seems like this offseason has more questions associated with it than ever before.
On Davis, if he is a minus defender at third, I would rather find a better balanced player there. Another alternative would be to keep Edman at 3B and look for a better second baseman as an interim fix until Gorman is ready.
One of the ESPN writers suggested that the Cardinals might try to sign Jonathan Schoop for 2B.
I am not sure he would be that much cheaper than Wong if Wong’s market collapses.
Coincidentally, I had MLBTRs top 50 free agent predictions page open. Schoop is not among that group. Their numbers 49 and 50 are estimated at $4 MM, so they think Schoop is worth less.
Their estimate for Wong is 2/16, so Schoop would be less than half the price, in their view.
If those $ predictions turned out to be true then I suppose Schoop might make sense, but like you mentioned, we would then have to figure out what Carp’s role is if there is no DH. I guess bench bat.
Edman to 2B and Sosa to UI. All Schoop does is help block Sosa’s playing time. Pass, play our youth that’s ready.
Mets ready to spend big while other teams sit on their hands?
As the Cardinals and many other big league teams duck into retrenchment mode, billionaire Steve Cohen vows to invest big in his newly-purchased New York Mets.
Cohen’s aggression as a hedge fund operator brought him fame, fortune and some notoriety too. Now he sounds really open his vault to Mets president Sandy Alderson and make his mark in Our National Pastime.
That proclamation came as Our National Pastime was dealing with massive pandemic-related economic losses. While most teams are slashing payroll, the Mets are ready to exploit the depressed market.
Here are some snippets from his introductory news conference:
“Well, you know, only one team wins the World Series every year, right? So that’s a pretty high bar. But if I don’t win a World Series in the next three to five years — I’d like to make it sooner — then I would consider that slightly disappointing.”
“I’m not in this to be mediocre. That’s just not my thing. I want something great. The fans want something great. … I’m essentially doing it for the fans. When I thought about this, I can make millions of people happy. That’s how I’m thinking about it. I don’t have a big ego. I’m doing it for them. I relate to them. I know how they feel.”
“I’m not trying to make money here. It’s about building something great, something for the fans. I just find this an amazing opportunity. I’m so excited for it.”
“I’m not going to talk about a budget today. Sandy and I have been in conversations on that. But what I do believe is that this is a major-market team and it should have a budget commensurate with that.”
“We’re trying to formulate those thoughts today. I can promise you we’re going to act like a major-market team. Are we gonna act like drunken sailors in the marketplace? No. Listen, I want to be thoughtful.”
It sounds like super-agent Scott Boras has a new best friend!
I saw another article that noted that Sandy Alderson’s track record as a GM signing free agents is poor. I wonder if Cohen will be a Jerry Jones-type of owner?
As a Cowboys fan, Mets fans should definitely not wish for that.
I would expect that the Mets will sign Bauer or another starting pitcher and probably trade for Lindor this off-season.
C’mon, nate. Most baseball fans, especially Mets ones, agreed the Wilpons were among the worst owners in the game.
No argument with the previous Met owner’s incompetence.
Point: Our outfield is a mess, our offense is a mess and our rotation is close to a mess with only two starters in which there is confidence. That could be called a mess.
Frankly, I think your fear about Cardinals pitching is very overblown. Every one of the 30 teams has questions, but most would love to have the arms the Cardinals have. That depth could change if they have to trade pitching for offense, but that would just be speculation. As this is a Mets thread, I will leave it at that.
I saw another article that noted that Sandy Alderson’s track record as a GM signing free agents is poor.
I read elsewhere that the Mets were planning to hire a PBO and a GM that would fit under Alderson in the organizational chart so it remains to be seen how active he will be in which players they go after or not. That is several layers of management.
I figured this would go here better. The Mets will get out of his $24M salary too. This is the second time he’s been suspended. He should be banned for life, not just a 1 year suspension.
I posted this under the Wong thread seeing as how this suspension could have ramifications regarding Wong.
As stl25 alluded to I view this as a huge break for the Mets. They will have a lot more payroll space to work with now. Losing Cano on the field isn’t that big of a deal.
I posted this under the Wong thread seeing as how this suspension could have ramifications regarding Wong.
That makes sense. That was a good catch too. I wouldn’t have even thought of that.
It is a big break for the Mets. I’m actually a little jealous that they got their albatross contract out of the way. Lol.
Instead, Matt Carpenter’s Dad has a new book out to help parents guide their kids to doing the right thing!
In my years as a coach and throughout my 2 sons' pro careers, I’ve met many parents who struggle to know the right things to do for their child’s career.
If you're a parent (or coach), I wrote this book for you. 👍
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— Rick Carpenter (@RickCarpenter14) November 18, 2020
I hadn’t thought of the Wong angle either. It sure does open up a potential big spender with a 2B need.
McNeil will come back to 2B, which opens up LF for Smith, if there’s no DH. Their log-jamb is a player short now which could make Davis as a trade target less likely to get moved.
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