Meet the Mets (For Mets Fans Only!)

I would love to have deGrom have an off year with an ERA of 3.9 and win 25 games next year. The Mets owe him.

Jake looks solid for Cy.  Other than an ERA 2 hundredths of a point lower than the Dodger guy, he's better in every category - opposing BA, WHIP etc.

Petey has had that lunging, falling to a knee swing throughout the season but he's obviously pressing.   It's exciting to watch and see if he can tie Judge, if not surpass him.   

Coworker of mine pointed out that ESPN doesn’t even have deGrom in the top 10 for the Cy. Asked if they should start him Sunday on short rest to bolster his chances.

Um, no.

jimmurphy said:

Coworker of mine pointed out that ESPN doesn’t even have deGrom in the top 10 for the Cy. Asked if they should start him Sunday on short rest to bolster his chances.

Um, no.

 ESPN uses a formula based on past years' voting. I'd say that's an extremely flawed method for predicting present day voting. Just the fact that deGrom isn't on the list at all is pretty good evidence of its lack of validity. 

This is a tangent, but I just wanted to note that until I saw the new TBS MLB postseason promo, I never realized that Max Scherzer's eyes are different colors.  It's a little bit unnerving.

Soul_29 said:

 It was pretty great! I saw No. 52 in person and No. 53 on television. Rookie of the year! Another Cy Young for Jake. Fun season after all. 

Now, on to the dark cold months without baseball. I feel like Prosperina heading into Hades for the winter.

Is Davis athletic enough to learn to be a decent left fielder?  If so, I like an outfield of Davis, Nimmo, and Conforto, maybe resign Lagares as a 4th outfielder. Ramos,  Alonso, Cano (sadly), Rosario and McNeill with Lowrie as a backup in the infield.   Keep the whole rotation if they can.  Sadly, trade Smith, who I really like, for prospects.  The pen is tough.  I hate to trade for relievers, because they seem so unpredictable.  I'd give Diaz a chance to earn his way back, and hope Lugo.and Gsellman stay okay.  We are stuck with Familia.  I hope with Frazier money off the books this year and Cespede s off next year they can resign Wheeler and Syndagaard.  There aren't really many replacement options out there.  There is enough pitching in MLB for about 26 teams.

Lagares is a free agent. I'd be fine parting ways with him. 

I thought that Davis got better as the season progressed. Bottom line is you have to find a place for him because of his bat. 

Cano is tough. I hate having him in the line-up, but he seems to be a great influence on the young players, especially Rosario. 

Edited to add: Yeah, Dom Smith will be tough to part with, but I do think he's odd man out. 

There is no choice with Cano.  The Mets owe him $80 million.  They won't eat it.

Does Mickey get to manage next year?

In my book, yes.  He screwed up less this year, and seems to handle NY well.  It's hard to blame him for that bullpen.  That said, he will probably be axed to appease the fans.

FilmCarp said:

In my book, yes.  He screwed up less this year, and seems to handle NY well.  It's hard to blame him for that bullpen.  That said, he will probably be axed to appease the fans.

I belong to a FB group for Mets fans and there are lot of vocal people who hate, hate, hate Calloway. He certainly made a number of strange looking moves this year regarding when to take starters out. But over 162 games, every manager is going to make some head-scratching moves that don't work out. The team was 10 games better than last year, and as you say it's hard to blame Calloway for Diaz and Familia. Those are BVW moves that didn't work this season. And if you're the manager, you've got to play the guys on your roster. You can't run Wilson and Lugo out to the mound 120 times a year.  I think he managed the team to it's fullest potential at 86 wins.

But I think you're right.  He's likely a goner to throw some red meat to the fan base and the talk radio knuckleheads.

Let's say Mickey is a goner. Do you like Girardi? Showalter? Ausmus? Rojas? Or Geren? Or how about long shots like Alfonzo or dare I say it - David Wright?

The biggest issue with Callaway has been rookie mistakes, so I don't see any logic in replacing him with a rookie manager.  Nor do I see any advantage to an old school manager when the league is run by analytics.  Girardi has the advantage of being a former Yankee, so everyone will expect him to bring 4 or 5 titles with him, regardless of payroll.  Riggelman has been sitting on the bench all season.  Probably him.

Agreed on no rookies or old school, Filmcarp.

Good article on Aaron Boone today in the Athletic.  https://theathletic.com/1246710/2019/10/01/being-boonie-how-charisma-and-a-crazy-competitive-side-made-aaron-boone-the-perfect-voice-for-the-yankees/

Heard on FAN this morning that Callaway is not personally connected to the players, despite his reputation as a communicator, and not respected as a strategist by those same players, presumably because he was a pitcher and not an everyday player.

Girardi seems to check only box 2 whereas Boone checks both, despite his rookie status.

So no shot on Curtis Granderson? I'm assuming he's retiring. I would be ok with Girardi or Geren. It better not be Showalter or Ausmus. I'm guessing Maddon is out of their price range, not that I want him. 

Carlos Beltran's name has floated in connection to the KC and SF jobs. He'd be a pretty good choice for the Mets, assuming he's on board with the data guys. 

ml1 said:

Carlos Beltran's name has floated in connection to the KC and SF jobs. He'd be a pretty good choice for the Mets, assuming he's on board with the data guys. 

 Why?  Besides a good career and fame  what makes him qualified?  Does he understand pitching especially well?  I don't personally think that the best players make good managers.  They had the extra skill to excel.  That doesn't mean they can transfer that to other, lesser players.

ml1 said:

Carlos Beltran's name has floated in connection to the KC and SF jobs. He'd be a pretty good choice for the Mets, assuming he's on board with the data guys. 

 I don’t see Beltran, but Granderson is intriguing down the road. I’m sure he’d want a breather.

FilmCarp said:

 Why?  Besides a good career and fame  what makes him qualified?  Does he understand pitching especially well?  I don't personally think that the best players make good managers.  They had the extra skill to excel.  That doesn't mean they can transfer that to other, lesser players.

 I read R.A. Dickey's memoir. And he described Beltran as the best teammate and leader he ever played with. There is a reason that his name is being tossed out for consideration as a manager in KC and SF. 

And I should add -- Beltran was under serious consideration when the Yankees hired Aaron Boone. 

Beltran has been involved with the Yankees front office since he retired. I wouldn't mind seeing them interview him, but I think all a lot of Mets fans remember is him taking the called third strike against Wainwright. That was a nasty pitch. 

jfinnegan said:

Beltran has been involved with the Yankees front office since he retired. I wouldn't mind seeing them interview him, but I think all a lot of Mets fans remember is him taking the called third strike against Wainwright. That was a nasty pitch. 

 those Mets fans are knuckleheads 

I just can't see another season of watching a rookie manager learn when to make pitching changes.  This team needs to win soon, before they lose all of these talented players to free agency.

FilmCarp said:

I just can't see another season of watching a rookie manager learn when to make pitching changes.  This team needs to win soon, before they lose all of these talented players to free agency.

 I'm not in favor of that either. But I think the Wilpons and Van Wagenen are going to make Calloway a scapegoat and the veteran managers who are available probably aren't the answer either. 

SNY listed 13 possible replacements - Girardi, Showalter,Rojas, Matheny, AJ Hinch(he's close friends with BVW), Espada(Astros bench coach), Cone, Maddon, Gibbons, Beltran, Bochy, Gonzalez, Ventura. I really don't want Showalter, Matheny, Gibbons and Gonzalez. I'm intrigued by Beltran, but it said that he didn't leave the Mets on good terms. 

Showalter and Girardi would be terrible for this team (and perhaps any team in this new era).  Espada is an interesting option, although he is another rookie manager.  But the Houston program is one of the best in all baseball, so he has had a great education.   And he was the Yankees' third base coach, another solid organization.

I agree that Calloway did a pretty good job given how bad the bullpen was.  He may not have the hearts of the players, but clearly they were able to get motivated somehow under him in the second half.  He deserves another shot at it, but I bet he takes the fall.  Much easier to dump a manager than eat Famila's contract, after all.  

So no one likes the idea of Alfonzo? 

Travis d'Arnaud is the cleanup hitter on a playoff team. That's all I wanted to say.