Tonight's look at the National League East..
- The Braves aren't finished making moves yet, team president John Schuerholz tells Jim Bowden of SiriusXM (via Twitter). "I like our team but [General Manager Frank Wren] is not done yet," Schuerholz said.
- It would be a mistake for the Mets to sell low on Ike Davis, opines Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. Instead of trading Davis now, it would be best to hang on to him and see if he might be able to get back to his old form and belt 30 homers again. So far, the Mets have been adamant that they will not simply give him away and it sounds like their price tag has been high in talks with the Orioles, Brewers, and others.
- Ken Davidoff of the New York Post doesn't agree, arguing that the Mets have to move Davis now. There's a chance he could turn things around, but one talent evaluator isn't too optimistic about that. “It’s like running a Mercedes dealership and saying, ‘We’re going to charge you $55,000 for this car, but it’s used and banged up, and you have to figure out how to fix it. Not us, you,'" the agent said.
Banged up Mercedes? Try banged up, non-running Ford Tempo.
More like, Bike.
Pair of ice skates with no blades.
Bike Davis
that’s all well and all, but there aren’t many moves that really need to be done here. (that can be done)
David Price…I can dream.
I had that same dream…I really think Price is the missing piece
As much as I would love to have Price, the cost in terms of prospects would be too steep unless there was an extension agreed to up-front. Otherwise it would be the Teixeria deal all over again.
Braves farm isn’t that great right now. If Rays want to trade him here I say let them. be
Not sure I totally agree, but even if you’re right it seems like that would be MORE reason not to deplete it. A trade for Price would cost Sims, Bethancourt, and Graham to start with. Unless they could extend Price from the outset that would be too much to pay for a rental. Now if Price signed on for 5 years I’d say “see ya” to those guys, but that would cost $125Mish. Lota eggs in one basket for a mid-market team.
Probably just bringing O’Flaherty back.
Sad and true all at once.
I don’t find it sad.
Him saying the team isnt done and then signing a reliever that wont be ready till half way through the year would be a bit of a let down.
Yeah, I got what he meant. I’m saying I’m pretty happy with the team as it is (short of replacing Uggla, which ain’t gonna happen), so I don’t find it sad if all they do is add some more left-handed bullpen help.
No one said they werent, but when the team president makes it clear the team isnt done yet, that should mean more than a LH reliever that can pitch in June.
Yes, he should have been clearer in what “Wren is not done yet” means, so as to temper expectations. Like “Wren is not done yet, and by that I mean he could add some bullpen help. Please don’t expect a blockbuster deal on a team we think is good enough right now”.
I’m not sure they will, Avilan, Venters, Butcher and Wood “when Floyd is healthy”. Why have 5 LHP?
I don’t think people realize that even when Ike Davis hit 32 homers he had 1.1 WAR (584 PAs)
That’s so insane that it’s just not right. Wow.
Which basically makes him the mirror image of Mike Jacobs.
No, it doesn’t. Jacobs was terrible and the only thing he did was hit HR. During Jacobs’ 32 HR 2008 season, he had a -2.0 WAR.
Jacobs career: .253/.313/.473, 104 OPS+.
Davis: .242/.334/.434, 112 OPS+
Davis walks much more and can actually (compared to Jacobs, at least) play defense. The only two seasons that Jacobs did not have a negative WAR were seasons he played 30 games (0.9) and 7 games (0.1). He was terrible.
That agent had a decent analogy minus the fact its not a mercedes, but a Lada
Did someone say agent?
Nothing like an appearance from John Schuerholtz to remind Braves fans in January and February that the team still exists
I’m pretty sure, everyone missed point. The analogy means Sandy is asking Mercedes prices (Top Pitching Prospects) for a brokedown jalopy (Ike Davis) rumored to have some horsepower under the hood (32 dingers) a long time ago in a land far way. Get it?
I’m gonna guess the Braves take another veteran presents bullpen piece they don’t need, similar to Chad Durbin (who did ok) and Scott Proctor (who did not do ok) in past seasons. We managed to get away with not doing that last year, so we’re probably due.
They kinda did. Luis Ayala (though through trade, not FA).
Downs was no spring chicken lol
True, though Downs was necessary to fill a left-handed void with EOF and Venters going down. Ayala was a bit of a head-scratcher in the beginning, though he did end up doing a decent job once he came back from the anxiety disorder.
Ike Davis Could Possibly Be The Next Chris Davis
Or the next Mike Davis.
Or the next Adam Lind, Carlos Peña, or Adam LaRoche.
Or the next Dan Uggla.
Nobody could possibly be the next Dan Uggla, except maybe Dan Uggla this season. BJ Upton did a convincing Uggla impersonation.
My issue is that the analogy seems to be likening the Mets to a Mercedes dealership. How many Mercedes does Mr. Davidoff believe they typically have in stock? Or is it that they are just always overcharging for jalopies?
Long-term contract with young core players… plz…
It’s amazing that none of them have been signed long-term yet.
Maybe those are the “moves” Schuerholz is talking about. Works for me.
If I were Heyward, Freeman, or any of those guys, there’s almost no way I’d sign long term. Not in this market.
Simmons, Freeman, and Teheran maybe. The rest probably would be advised not too. Not that I think any of them will be cheap
Does either Duda or Davis have a minor league option left? What’s so wrong with going into the season with both of them? What happens when Young eventually goes into his two month slump? Wouldn’t it be nice to have Duda there just in case? The mets are going to get pennies on the dollar.
2 month slump? Guy has played well for 2 months total his entire career.
Both have options left. Duda has one option year left, Davis has two (although major league service time might eradicate one of them depending on how much he plays).
The Braves don’t need to make another move, but they usually have a way of keeping everything quiet. Wouldn’t surprise me to see them sign or trade for another veteran pitcher.
Braves should acquire Ike. He can drive in BJ Upton and Dan Uggla. Mad hitting side.
Now that is just hilarious. Mad funny and such.
Drive in BJ and Uggla, as in, drive them to the stadium on game day?
Drive them to the stadium? Who wants that? Now driving them to the desert or to a remote island, that would beneficial.
Drive them to the DL so the Braves can collect insurance
Ike would gladly provide such assistance to any teammate. He is a true team player, which is one of the rarest and most valuable commodities in baseball. That is why we will accept no less than $5.5million from the Mets.
Right, because the Braves don’t already have a younger and better first baseman…
swing and a miss.
The 3 biggest busts of the season in 1 side was the joke.
They were the 3 biggest “busts” last year?
The problem for the Mets is that Davis is a platoon player that isn’t a great defender at 1B, making him only attractive to AL clubs. The Orioles are the perfect fit for Davis who could platoon with Steve Pearce at the DH spot and back up Chris Davis at 1B and they have plenty of pitching to offer the Mets besides Ed Rodriguez.
Davis is actually a pretty good first baseman
Has been below average since the ankle injury but I certainly don’t think he’s AL-only.
The problem is that you are mistaking DAVIS with DUDA, the other guy the Mets have that they consider a left-handed hitting first baseman. Ike Davis is actually a very good defender, as Keith Hernandez is very quick to point out during the Mets broadcasts. if anyone knows something about applying the D over at first, it’s Keith.
No, guy. You’re wrong. Ike Davis pre-ankle injury was a better defender at 1B than Duda. After the injury, all the numbers have Duda as a BETTER defender at 1B than Ike due to all the range Ike lost. You’re confusing Ike Davis pre-injury at 1B to Lucas Duda in a corner outfield position where he was absolutely wretched. Pretty solid at first though.
Would Tanaka fall under the new dual-payment posting system? If so, then that opens the door for a lot of teams and it makes him a bit more affordable. I don’t know if they should pay him like an ace though. I think he could be a low end ace but the one worry is his workload.
REAL TALK: In an unimportant 2014 season, I would take a chance on Ike again. He still is a decent defender at 1b and his obp went crazy after his come back last year. He really started laying off those out of the zone breaking balls, walks% went up and strike out% went down (it was really high before he came back lol). There’s no reason to just throw him out now when there’s no contention chance for the Mets.
Ike has had flashes of greatness but more flashes of mediocracy. If he leaves the Mets they should try to get a quality player in return, If he stays lets hope his potential for becoming a very good ball player becomes a reality and hope for a competitive season, above that I do not see the Mets going at least at this point.
Keeping Davis will further delay the progress of Duda and other Mets prospects. Despite his brief modicum of success in 2012, he has pretty much failed his opportunities with the Mets. A .202 batting average. a strike-out nearly every 3 at bats, and the continual decline in his number of extra base hits devalues his value in the market place. Given his projected salary of $3.5-$4 million in 2014, it is easy why Alderson wants to part ways with Ike Davis, as his numbers suggest he will need at least additional time in the minors. If the asking price is not brought more in line with what the market will bear, the Mets may be forced to deal with having this unwanted player on their roster, or a DFA candidate that will be signed by another team free of cost.
Progress of Duda? He’ll be 28 next month and I seriously doubt he’ll ever be able to stick as a starting player. And he’s going to cost you runs wherever you stick him.
If the Mets insist on letting Duda take over 1B, then yeah….dump Davis. I just don’t understand the love for Lucas Duda…
the problem the “keep him” pundits continue to ignore is that he will not hit 30 Hr again for the Mets… he will not start for them. They clearly favor Duda and it is impossible to hit 30 HR while sitting on the bench and used a pinch hitter.
“Instead of trading Davis now, it would be best to hang on to him and see if he might be able to get back to his old form and belt 30 homers again.”
He will, just not with the Mets. Ike needs a change of scenery in the worst way.