Yankees

Mets Add a Burner

/ Gem Tablak / Leave a comment

Ok, ok, ok, so Tim Locastro probably won’t make the club out of Spring Training… or potentially at all, for that matter. However, the Mets have added the speedster to the organization on a MiLB deal.

The Syracuse, New York native spent 2021 and 2022 with the Yankees before the bombers granted Locastro his Free Agency.

In his two seasons with the Yankees, the utility man has a .188/.232/.375/.607 slash line with three home runs and 6 RBI’s in 64 at bats.

Unfortunately, his career numbers aren’t much better. Throughout his six year career, Locastro hit .227/.235/.331/.656 while displaying blazing speed but is just an average defender in the field.

Locastro will serve as depth for the Mets, as I see him starting 2023 in the city in which he was born.

Ottavino Returning to Mets Bullpen

/ Gem Tablak / Leave a comment

Brooklyn native Adam Ottavino will return to the Bullpen for the Mets, joining Edwin Diaz as the second arm to be back from the 2022 season.

Ottavino will earn $14.5M over the next two seasons, however does have the ability to opt out of the contract after just one season. The deal also includes up to $1M in performance based bonuses and incentives.

Last season, Ottavino held an immaculate 2.06 ERA with 6-3 record after appearing in 66 games and throwing 65.2 innings. The 37 year old is showing no signs of letting up as he K’d batters and only walking 16, that’s a 10.8 K/9 and just 2.2 BB/9.

Hours earlier, rumors were swirling that the Mets could potentially be in talks with the White Sox for Liam Hendriks, however, this may put a halt on anymore speculation.

How we Would Handle the Catching Situation

/ Gem Tablak / Leave a comment

There are ton of people across Facebook and Twitter that just DO NOT like this trade, and all I can really say to that is “oh well”. They must have high expectations of this kid and might be looking for him to catch 135 games, I’m definitely not.

It’s no secret that the Mets would’ve liked to move one of their catchers from the start of the offseason, but now since acquisition of Omar Narvaez, the Mets really don’t have much of a choice, they have to move someone.

So we should definitely expect for either McCann or Nido to hit the chopping block, and I could definitely see the Rangers being interested in both.

But let’s say hypothetically, the Mets have traded away McCann, this is how I would handle the situation behind the plate.

You can start Alvarez with Syracuse while Nido and Narvaez split the duties behind the dish to start the season. They would platoon with Narvaez facing RHP’s and Nido squaring up against the LHP’s.

With this kind of split, they would not been seeing action at a 50/50 split, clearly Narvaez will get a lot more looks.

Meanwhile, Alvarez needs to work on his skills as a catcher. Offensively, the kid is a monster and it’ll be very exciting to watch. Defensively, I just have no idea what we’re in for just yet. It would help tremendously if pitchers like Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander could take Alvarez under their wings.

Obviously this is something we never see, with two opposing positions, but if the veterans can teach Alvarez to catch and call the Scherzer’s and the Verlander’s of the league, then the Peterson’s and Megill’s should come a lot easier.

Now after showcasing Nido for a couple of months, the Mets could then move Nido via trading for a younger, mid level prospect.

Once Alvarez is called back up to the Mets, I let Alvarez start off by catching 65% of the games, while hopefully proving that he can more.

Corné’s Cut:

I didn’t like the move, I don’t see Narvaez as a clear upgrade, especially if you have to include value (money or player) in a way to trade McCann. But it is what it is and the Mets did make the move for Narvaez. So time to turn to wishing the best out of this situation and hoping “I am Wrong!”.

But how would I make this work? Before 2022, Narvaez was a very good hitter vs RH. In 2021, he had a OPS above .800 vs RH, so hopefully he will return to that form.

It’s clear that the Mets should give Narvaez the bulk of the time facing RH and Nido facing lefties (if McCann is the one traded). This way you should have a solid hitter vs RH with a mediocre hitter vs LH, but both solid defenders.

Alvarez should work on his defense at AAA, maybe learning from a veteran catcher on a minor league deal. I don’t like Alvarez being strictly a DH.

Mets Have Best Prospect in MLB

/ Gem Tablak / Leave a comment

Listen, Francisco Alvarez is the real fuckin’ deal (Pardon my language, I’m dealing with a whole heap of depression and must take it out on my writing). The good folks over at MLB.com have updated their Top Prospects List, and yes, our Francisco is topped off at the number one spot.

There’s no telling how great of a career this youngster can have, especially once he’s completely comfortable in handling calling a major league game. That’s probably where the true test lies, knowing your pitchers, knowing your opponents, creating a game plan.

However, it’s so clear that we’re not the only ones aware of this tank sized catcher that’s about to take over a majority of the catcher’s duties going forward (Just my opinion, no official word has been released).

He’s hit at every level, except for his short stint with the actual big league club. However, his MiLB slash line is .274/.384/.526/.910 in 895 at-bats, just about two seasons of MiLB ball.

It’s no surprise to me, it shouldn’t be to any other Mets fans at all. But the cool thing is, now the rest of the league is starting to hear and learn about Alvarez, and I just don’t think they’re ready for this beast.

Nimmo to Remain with Mets

/ Gem Tablak / Leave a comment

The New York Mets and Brandon Nimmo have agreed to an 8 year deal that’s worth $162M, averaging roughly $20M per season and the deal contains a no-trade clause.

Nimmo, a Wyoming native, was drafted by the Mets in 2011, as their first rounder and 13th overall pick.

While many had doubts about Nimmo early on, he’s proved himself to be more than just an on-base machine. His power has increased dramatically over the last few years and he’s become a defensive presence in center field.

This is huge news for the Mets, as there were rumors swirling around about the Toronto Blue Jays and their interest in Nimmo.

This will allow the team to keep Marte in right field, hopefully protecting him from further injuries for the remainder of his contract.

Of course, Nimmo will continue to man down center field, as the captain amongst the outfielders, as well as lead-off with his “out of this world” on-base percentage.

This is absolutely a “feel-good” signing, keeping Nimmo in Orange and Blue for the rest of his career, just days after deGrom departed for Texas.

Don’t forget to give Mets Junkies a follow on all major platforms. While you’re on Twitter, please vote on if you believe if Taijuan Walker had a good tenure in Queens.