Cleveland Indians

Carrasco placed on 60-day IL

/ Gem Tablak / Leave a comment

The newly acquired starting pitcher from the Cleveland Indians has been officially placed on the 60-day injured list. Of course, Carrasco came over in a trade that also brought Francisco Lindor to the New York Mets.

While the Mets are claiming this isn’t a setback in Carrasco’s return, they are admitting it is a delay as the right-hander is slowing down his progress. While the Mets hoped he would be further along, his soonest return date is May 31st.

Reliever Tommy Hunter will join the Mets.

Photo from Bleacher Report

#ThrowbackThursday Mets Edition: Jeff Kent

/ Gem Tablak / Leave a comment

On August 27th, 1992, the New York Mets traded away the beloved David Cone, who won 20 games in 1988 to Toronto for 2nd Basemen Jeff Kent. Toronto also included OF’er Ryan Thompson in the deal with the Mets.

However before he was a Met, Kent was drafted by the Blue Jays as a shortstop in the 20th round as the 521st overall pick in the 1989 amateur draft. But the Blue Jay’s didn’t plan to use Kent at shortstop (rightfully so), & already had Roberto Alomar at 2nd Base. So they opted to trade him for the previous 20 game winner, David Cone, who was in a contract year & was the bigger name of the 3 (at the time) involved in the trade.

Also read: #ThrowbackThursday Mets Edition: Jeff Kent

The Mets acquired Kent as an upgrade at second base over the 37 year old Willie Randolph, who was at the tail end of his career. But the Mets didn’t see any success that year as they would go on to lose 90 games but with Kent, the Mets had high hopes for the future.

Kent spent four years with the Mets putting up good numbers but not good enough for New York to stick with the right handed infielder. He also built himself a reputation within the clubhouse that distanced him from his teammates when he refused to participate in a annual Rookie Hazing, feeling that he left his rookie days in Toronto.

In 1996, he was traded to the Cleveland Indians along side with Jose Vizcaino for Alvaro Espinosa & Carlos Baerga. Kent would later on win the MVP award while with San Fransisco in 2000 & is the all time leader in home runs amongst his peers at second base. From 1997 to 2005, Kent has driven in 90 or more runs & is 21st on the all time doubles list at 560 as well as being a 5 time all-star.

In 498 games with the Mets, Kent has 510 hits, 98 doubles, 10 triples, 67 HR’s, 267 RBI’s, & 110 BB’s & his slash line at .279/ .327/ .453/ .453/ .780, an OPS+ of 107 and a 55.4 career WAR. Jeff Kent is currently not in the Hall of Fame however that’s just one of the travesties concerning Cooperstown & the BBWAA when it comes to letting in players of this caliber. 😬

Former Mets Manager Mickey Callaway Accused of Lewd Behavior

/ Del Alba / 2 Comments

Just weeks after Mets ex GM Jared Porter reports of sending 62 unsolicited text messages followed by a lewd photo of himself, Brittany Ghiroli and Katie Strang of The Athletic release a story about 5 women accusing former Mets Manager Mickey Callaway of lewd behavior.

Mickey Callaway, the former New York Mets manager and current pitching coach for the Los Angeles Angels, aggressively pursued at least five women who work in sports media, sending three of them inappropriate photographs and asking one of them to send nude photos in return. He sent them unsolicited electronic messages and regularly commented on their appearance in a manner that made them uncomfortable. In one instance, he thrust his crotch near the face of a reporter as she interviewed him. In another, he told one of the women that if she got drunk with him he’d share information about the Mets. 
-The Athletic https://theathletic.com/2360126/2021/02/01/mickey-callaway-mets-lewd-behavior/

The story also mentions that the Mets learned about the stories about 10 months after Callaway joined the organization in August 2018. This is not a good look for Baseball as the season is coming closer to a start.

(Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images)

Mets still candidates to sign Springer/Hand

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According to Jon Heyman the Mets are still viewed as the front runners to sign George Springer, while also being heavily involved in the Brad Hand Market. To me the news about Springer is interesting with the addition of Lindor and Carrasco. It’s likely the Mets will go over the luxury tax this year and worth noting, it will make for some interesting decisions in 2022.

We all know what Springer can do and how good the Mets will be with Springer in the lineup. A RH hitting CF’er with a terrific bat and solid defense. It will move Nimmo to LF, were he is above average defensively.

Hand is the main lefty bullpen arm on the market. He led the majors in saves and pitched to a minuscule 2.05 ERA and 0.77 WHIP. The Mets don’t have a lefty in their pen right now, so going after the big lefty is a logical step.

With how good both of these guys are, the Mets will have a terrific team. They could we great even with the rotation as it stands now. Getting Hand will make the bullpen so deep, that will ease the pressure on the rotation. Springer will give the lineup even more thumb and provide solid defense up the middle.

With all that being said, it’s hard for me to imagine how this will all fit in the budget for next year. If the Mets want to extend Conforto/Syndergaard, the addition of Springer isn’t likely. Will the Springer addition mean no Conforto long term? Or will the Mets keep going over the luxury tax? Interesting how this is going to work out.

Photo from Yahoo News

MLB Network: Lindor’s Defensive Impact

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I was watching a clip on YouTube were MLB Network’s own Tom Verducci explained how Fransisco Lindor makes a major difference for the Mets on the defensive end. Pitchers will love Lindor’s play at short and could thrive with him behind them.

Verducci compared Lindor’s and Rosario’s defense over the last three seasons and spotted some enormous differences. First he took a look at Defensive Runs Saved:

MLB Network

As you can see, Lindor and Rosario have a difference of 55 DRS. Rosario was 34th while Lindor was 5th. Again, that’s a major difference. Later in the clip Verducci showed a major reason. Lindor plays way deeper and with his strong arm and great footwork, he is able to make the plays. This improves range as the ball isn’t at you as quickly. In the photo’s below you see the major difference in position placement on two different occasions. Runner at 1B & RH bat up and bases empty:

MLBNetwork

Lindor is going to make a huge difference for the Mets. In the picture below you see the defensive efficiency and BABIP against. Over the last 4 years, the Mets have been below average and some years even close to last in both assets. This shows teams have more success against the Mets when putting the ball in play.

The Mets pitchers would be thrilled with a better defensive team behind him. Stroman would benefit the most as his batted balls against are ground balls the most times:

Info from Baseball Savant

I mentioned Matz’ 2019 as well because he allowed a ton on Line Drives in 2020, which had his GB% lot lower than usual. As you can see, only Peterson (slightly below) and deGrom are below average in GB% so all the others will benefit from having Lindor.

Lindor and his immaculate bat is a great improvement for the Mets. His speed is great but his defense is such a big improvement from what we had. In the video below you can see some clips were the difference shows. Great insight from Tom Verducci.

Photo by: @NumbersMLB on Twitter

Prospects Traded to Cleveland For Lindor

/ Del Alba / Leave a comment

Mets prospects RHP Josh Wolf and OF Isaiah Greene were shipped along with Amed Rosario and Andres Gimenez in a move that brought the Indians super star Shortstop Francisco “Mr. Smile” Lindor with RHP Carlos “Cookie” Carasco. What do we know about the two prospects that were traded?

JOSH WOLF– Wolf was drafted by the Mets in the 2019 draft in the 2nd round (53rd overall pick) out of St. Thomas HS in Houston TX. Other Mets drafted in the same class are 3B Brett Baty (Mets 1st round 12th overall pick), and RHP Matt Alan (3rd round, 89th overall pick). Wolf ranked 9th when he was on the Mets top 30 list. He now ranks 12th on Cleveland top 30 prospects list.

The youngster made his pro debut in 2019 with the Mets Rookie Gulf league where he pitched 8 innings, while striking out 12 and only allowing 1 walk. He gave up 4 Runs (3 were earned) on 9 hits and finished the year with a 3.38 ERA. He commands a plus fastball and curveball and definitely has some pretty good upside. Cleveland is great at developing young pitchers, so there’s definitely some potential here with Wolf. His ETA is 2023.

ISAIAH GREENE– Greene was selected with the 2nd round compensation pick they received when the Phillies signed Zack Wheeler. He was selected 69th overall out of Corona High School California. Mets also selected OF Pete Crow-Armstrong with their 1st round pick (19th overall) and RHP JT Ginn with their 2nd round pick (52nd overall). Greene ranked 10th on the Mets top 30 prospects list. He’s ranked at 16 on the Indians top 30 list.

I love Greene’s upside. He has the potential to develop into a toolsy player. He was not able to make his pro career debut last season due to the COVID-19 cancelation of minor league baseball. Its fitting that he is traded to Cleveland because he has drawn some comparisons to Michael Brantley, the former CLE Outfielder. Eta 2024

Overall, the Mets did not give up any of their top prospects and were able to aquire a superstar SS and a great quality pitcher. Cleveland acquired some young players with pretty good upside.

(Photo by AP)

He’s no Cookie Cutter

/ Gem Tablak / Leave a comment

The huge news of the day in regards to the sports world would be the Mets acquiring potentially the best shortstop in the league, Francisco Lindor. However, in that same deal the team also got their mitts on Carlos “Cookie” Carrasco.

While the talk about Lindor won’t die down for quite a bit and understandably so, we have to recognize that Cookie might be an absolute steal in this transaction.

Let’s start with the Major Leaguers on their way to Cleveland. While Rosario has shown flashes of being a good ball-player, the youngster has shown to be more inconsistent than anything. Unfortunately, this entails bad pitch recognition as well as pitch selection.

They also gave up a potentially great shortstop in Andres Giménez. While he may never develop to be the type of player Lindor is, Giménez is without a doubt one of the most defensively gifted players in Major League Baseball, right now. He may never hit 25 home runs, however we’ve seen that there is sneaky pop in that bat of his.

Let’s get back to Carrasco, he legitimately is undervalued. I’m actually not sure if it’s just me or if others feel this way, but he was overshadowed on a rotation with Corey Kluber, Mike Clevinger and even current FA Trevor Bauer.

Baseball Savant

Carrasco is a five pitch righty that has a four seamer that regularly hits 94 on the gun. He also throws a Slider, a Change-up, and a Curveball to go along with his two-seamer/Sinker.

His fastball is a tick above the league average in pertains to velocity, however his movement on it towards the top of his class. When it comes to his curveball, he ranked in the 94th percentile during the 2020 campaign and has added approximately 6 inches to the drop in that pitch between 2017 and 2018.

So while he’s not blowing anyone away with his heater, the amount of movement he uses on his primary and secondary pitches has been a vital part to his success.

Since 2014, Carrasco owns a 3.41 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 10.23 SO/9, and a 2.3 BB/9. As Tim Healey put so well on Twitter, this includes a two month stint in which he pitched poorly, found and he had cancer, beat cancer, and even returned to pitch in September… wow.

In his career, he’s the owner of a 88-73 record and a 3.77 ERA in 242 games pitched. While he’s going into the 2021 season at 34 years young, Carrasco will prove that he’s a pitcher and not just a thrower. Slotted just behind deGrom, Carrasco will have two season in Flushing before his deal is set to expire.

Photo: Ron Schwane/Getty Images

Mets showing interest in Hand

/ Gem Tablak / Leave a comment

Jon Heyman is reporting that the Mets have interest in left hander Brad Hand. Hand actually led the league in saves this past season with 16 and posted a 2.05 ERA in the process.

Throughout his career, Hand has appeared in 396 games while putting up a 3.65 ERA and has struck out 624 batters in 608.2 innings pitched.

I’d like for the team to re-sign lefty Justin Wilson, however these two could pair up to be a lethal combination out of the bullpen. Not to mention that Hand would be an evident upgrade over Daniel Zamora.

Photo from Jason Miller/Getty Images

Trevor Bauer: Average Pitcher/Major Headcase

/ Greg Risorto / 4 Comments

Is Trevor Bauer a player you want to have on your team? If you like having a player who cares more about himself and his Social media than the team you play for and your teammates, then he’s perfect. For a team that is young and full of young players who can mesh together, it’s not the right fit and I’ll explain why.

In very recent memory, Trevor Bauer pitched his way to a Cy Young award in 2020 for the Cincinnati Reds. There is however, controversy with him winning the Cy Young and that is him winning the award in a 60 game season, 11 starts against two of the worst divisions in both the American League and National League, while half of his starts were against teams that were awful this year. These awful teams that he pitched half of his games to were the Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals and Pittsburgh Pirates. For 60 Games, it’s impressive, but the question on everyones mind is “Can he repeat in a 162 game season?”

Personally, I doubt he’ll be able to replicate what he did in 2020. While Bauer did have a very impressive 2018 with the Cleveland Indians pitching to a 2.21 ERA in the regular season and a great 11 starts pitching to a 1.73 ERA with the Cincinnati Reds, the rest of his career however has been nothing but average if not slightly above average. From 2012 till 2017, Bauer’s ERA was always above 4. If I am to be very fair, His first full season was in 2014 and from 2014 till 2017, He was average with an era over 4. In 2019, he was looking good until he threw his Temper Tantrum in clunker against the Kansas City Royals. When Indians manager Terry Francona went to pull him from his start, instead of giving the ball to Francona like a respectable player, he launches the baseball to center field, disrespecting the well known and well respected manager. Shortly after the incident, Bauer was traded to the Cincinnati Reds where he posted an ugly looking 6.39 ERA. Rumors went around at the time that he didn’t adapt to Great American Band Box, I mean Ball Park and another rumor was that he had sour grapes about the Trade to Cincinnati.

If the rumor about Bauer having sour grapes over the trade is true, why would anyone want him? Pitching bad deliberately because he was upset? That’s some nerve on a player. Play the game to win, not because your hurt over a trade. Get over it quickly and move on! Despite the 11 starts in a 60 game season, Bauer isn’t the Ace or the #2 starter everyone has him out to be. I’ve heard claims that “Bauer has figured it out!” 11 starts in a season is figuring it out?

I’ve also seen people trying to compare Trevor Bauer’s career to that of Nationals ace Max Scherzer! Seriously? Comparing Bauer to Scherzer? Only because they won Cy Youngs around the same age. Because that makes them similar, right? Bauer is nowhere near the same camp as Scherzer and most likely never will be!

You’re probably wondering why I think Trevor Bauer is a head case. Well, the answer is simple. It has to do with his behavior. Does he go out and party, drink and do stupid things of that nature? No, it’s other things. He’s concerned with himself than he is the team. A prime example was in 2017 during a playoff game against the Yankees, when he was pulled and instead of going to support his teammates in the dugout, He goes into the clubhouse, whips out his phone and goes on a major twitter blocking spree and blocking a lot of other twitter users who were giving Bauer his “Just deserts” so to speak after he talked trash before he faced the Yankees. Why would a player worry about social media when he should be worrying about his team and supporting his teammates? That shouldn’t be acceptable by any means.

Another incident was back in 2018 when Bauer harassed woman who happened to be an Astros fan. The Astros fan wasn’t a fan of Trevor Bauer and he took exception to her by not responding once, but by harassing the woman for over 12 hours. It was to the point where the Astros fan had to block Bauer on twitter for constant harassment. Bauer did apologize a few days later, but that kind of Behavior by a Professional Athlete no matter what sport you play isn’t acceptable by any means!

Since Bauer won the Cy Young, He’s been trolling fans online by purchasing different hats from different teams since he’s a free agent. Normally, this wouldn’t be an issue, but since he’s using it to troll fans and ranking fan bases, Is this something a team wants to put up with? A player pandering to fan bases and eventually ranking which is the best? If I’m an owner and a Free agent is ranking fan bases, why would I want him to be part of my team, especially if he ranks my teams fan base anything less than #1?

Jon Heyman recently wrote on Twitter that Trevor Bauer is looking for a 5-6 year deal that’s worth 200 Million Dollars (36 Million-40 Million Dollars per). If this is all true, For a player that has been mostly Average and only two good seasons that includes one good full season and a great 11 starts in a 60 game season, He’s definitely not worth that kind of money. 7 average seasons out 9 years in the league doesn’t make him a legitimate stud after a good 11 starts in a shortened season.

In a 162 game season and 30+ starts against whatever league he plays in and interleague games, I doubt Bauer can come close to what he did in 2020. Is it possible to come close? Sure, 2018 was a good year for him, but I highly doubt he’ll come close to that. If he does, I’ll admit i was wrong, but if he doesn’t, we can all say that 2020 was a short season 11 game fluke.

If the Mets were to sign Bauer to a deal of that Caliber and then George Springer to what is most likely to be a 4-5 year deal that hovers around the 25 Million Dollars a year range, Say good-bye to signing guys like Marcus Stroman, Noah Syndergaard and Michael Conforto long term who are also Free Agents after the 2021 season. For Context, The Mets have about 60 Million Dollars left to spend before hitting the Luxury Tax threshold and I doubt Cohen goes over it.

The Mets are better off signing a Player like Taijuan Walker, Jake Odorizzi and other pieces for much less in where the spending on those kinds of players, will give the Mets more space to sign George Springer as well as giving them the right amount of space to sign 3 key Free Agents in Stroman, Syndergaard and Conforto.