The Mets have been on the lookout for a left-handed complement to light-hitting Juan Lagres in center field, and on Wednesday they announced the addition of such a player, signing Alejandro De Aza to a one-year deal. The Magnus Sports client will reportedly take home a $5.75MM guarantee and can also earn up to $1.25MM worth of incentives that would cause his deal to max out at $7MM. De Aza reportedly will receive a $250K bonus for reaching 400 plate appearances and would earn an additional $250K for every 50 plate appearances from that point on, through 600 plate appearances.
De Aza, 32 in April, profiles as a decent platoon option for manager Terry Collins. His lifetime .274/.338/.418 line against righties is solid, if unspectacular, and will serve as a significant upgrade over Lagares’ .254/.286/.340 batting line in 986 career plate appearances versus right-handed pitching. His recent work against righties — a .278/.351/.448 slash line in 400 plate appearances this past season — was even more impressive than his career line. Conversely, Lagares’ .279/.325/.427 batting line against lefties is solid, particularly when paired with his standout defense. The two should form a cost-effective and solid platoon in center field, even if neither is necessarily overpowering when holding the platoon advantage.
Things are a bit less rosy when looking at the defensive component of De Aza’s game. While he’s been a competent, arguably slightly above-average defender in the corner outfield, his recent work in center field hasn’t been viewed favorably through the lens of DRS and UZR. Beyond that, De Aza hasn’t played center with any sort of regularity since 2013, when he posted a -18 DRS mark. His lack of recent experience in center field and poor marks in previous stints make him a somewhat questionable fit, but the market wasn’t flush with left-handed-hitting options that can handle center field.
Denard Span and Will Venable were also listed as options for the Mets, although the former is coming off hip surgery and the latter had a poor offensive showing in 2015. Span was said by ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick to be the Mets’ top choice, but he probably won’t sign until clubs get a chance to look at him in an early January showcase, and waiting for that date would’ve meant the Mets risking alternative options signing in the interim. Span also reportedly wants a three-year deal, and given his age and recent trio of surgical procedures (one on his hip and two core muscle/sports hernia operations), it’s understandable that a team would be apprehensive. Gerardo Parra was another oft-speculated fit, but he’s said to be seeking a four-year deal, and his glovework in center field has also drawn questionable reviews.
With De Aza in the fold, the Mets will be able to run out three productive left-handed bats in the outfield when the opposing team starts a right-hander, as he’ll be flanked by Michael Conforto in left and Curtis Granderson in right. However, with Granderson’s struggles against left-handed pitching, it might make sense for the Mets to add an additional corner outfield bat that swings from the right side in order to offer some additional production versus opposing lefties.
Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com first reported that the Mets had interest in De Aza. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported the agreement was close (on Twitter). Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reported the agreement and that it was a one-year deal (links to Twitter). Rosenthal reported the financial terms (Twitter link). Ken Davidoff of the New York Post tweeted further details.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Interesting move. Not sure he provides any more value than Nieuwenhuis as a platoon in CF.
Kirk was dreadful at least de aza was good for a year
hudsonvalley.craigslist.org/vgm/5371053087.html
whoops, that was not what i meant to post!
Ha. A gold PS4 from Taco Bell.
He cant play cf. he isnt what mets need. Period.
He can stand there and catch balls. But yeah, I don’t understand this at all. If you’re gonna put a sub-optimal fielder out there in CF in place of Lagares, at least make him a really good hitter. And he’d be the strong half of the platoon. Him, Conforto, and Grandy is a really bad outfield.
Don’t really understand this move, unless it’s to replace Kirk as the 5th OF. I get that Span may want too many years/dollars especially with quickly declining defense and all the health questions, but it’s hard to hard a lot of faith in a Lagares/De Aza platoon in CF, especially considering De Aza is projected to be the long side of said platoon.
its not a great platoon, but its still more offensively productive then they were in CF last year, plus if Nimmo hits his way to the MLB roster, De Aza becomes a 5th OF and no harm was done.
That’s quite a sum to pay for a fifth OF. I don’t believe that’s what the Mets envision.
Wish it had been Dex, but I’m glad its not Span. Would’ve preferred Venable over De Aza just considering the speed that Venable brings to the table, but I don’t hate this move. Although its unsexy, its at least less confusing then the Asdrubal signing.
Well I absolutely hate it. Smells a lot like the Chris Young signing a couple of seasons ago, one year at 7 million only to be released mid season because of what a waste of a roster spot he was. That was a foul smell, as is this one. Because every Mets fan knows that this signing is probably supposed to be the one in place of going after an actual useful piece to the puzzle. Even Aoki at only 1 million more would have been so much better of a signing
I do not remember DeAza playing much in center field in Boston. He mostly played right field.
Pretty sure De Aza hasn’t played any CF regularly since he was with the White Sox. He’s never been great defensively in CF, either. He’s not a bad player at all, especially on a 1 year deal…but expecting him to take regular innings in CF might be a stretch.
I don’t remember him playing it either. Will repeat again.. Nor Aoki got just 5.5m a couple of weeks back and he hits better, plays much better defense at the only 2 positions whee anyone wants to see De aza at (LF/RF) and has more speed.
This sign is a too late to address a need, then forced to over pay for the wrong journeyman once again on the part of the Mets.
Good job but still confusing, who will play CF?
Lagares will get a shot to be the everyday player but if he can’t handle it De Aza or Granderson will take most of the time there.
$4.5 milli is nothing in this market. They should’ve gone for Aoki when he was available, but De Aza is nothing more than a place holder for Nimmo. If he does ok, they can flip at the deadline to keep their system relatively acceptable to extend their window. Worst case, they cut their losses and forget about it as its a 1 year deal.
You’re missing the whole point. Yeah they could flip him or release him, but you can’t just “forget about it” when this is the guy they chose to sign instead of an actual useful hitter and it results in another huge hole in the lineup and one less need addressed! This only makes sense if it’s just to add depth on the bench, but I guarantee you there is no way in hell the Mets management would pay this much for a guy to play only once or twice a week…
He played a lot of center field before Boston when he was with the Chi Sox
Screw this team. Dumbest move to get a scrub to platoon with lagares. Lagares would be a better full time option and you save $5 million. I’m done and will never spend a dime on the muts
If Lagares was a better full time option, they wouldn’t have been looking to replace him/platoon him. Confusing move since De Aza doesn’t really play CF, but not a terrible move. Its a one-year deal so if he ends up being terrible, then he’s gone at the end of the year. If he plays well and Nimmo plays well too, then they could probably flip De Aza for a low level prospect. The money isn’t too expensive and going after a guy who would command more than $150 million plus (Upton, Cespedes) was never a realistic option for the Mets. They want/need to save future cap space to extend Harvey/deGrom/Syndegaard. In general, I don’t think the Mets wanted to give a huge dollar/term contract out since they have a history of being burned by them. Granderson is still getting paid a decent amount (he doesn’t have terrible numbers but they’re probably not worth how much he is getting paid) and Wright’s injuries make his deal look terrible.
Hate to tell you they may only keep 1 of Harv degrom Thor matz…that’s the reality
It is, but they still got to resign one of them. If all four of them continue to pitch the way they are now, their AAV will be in the $20-$30 million range by the time they hit free agency. My point is that they can’t afford to sign a better outfielder on a long term deal without potentially giving up future cap space. Fowler is probably going to get at least $14m AAV and Cespedes and Upton are probably going to command around $20m AAV.
Here lies the problem: a New York team who “can’t afford” to pay a solid outfielder as well 2 of their 5 best starters? They CAN afford it. Colon and Granderson’s money coming off the books after this year is easily a long term extension for at least one of deGrom or Thor. And the money they start making off of having a contending team would add a lot more revenue to sign the other. Take away Addison Reed’s overpriced contract, the 12 mil they saved on Cuddyer retiring and the 4.5 they used on De Aza and you have enough for Upton or Cespedes. It would take even less for Span or Fowler. I can see Harvey and Matz, or more likely Wheeler, being dealt by the deadline of 2017, and perhaps that’s the time they’re eventually hoping to land a big young hitter to keep for years to come. At least it would seem that may be our only remaining hope
So after last year, when the Mets couldn’t score a run until they traded for Yeonis Cespedes, the Wilpons had to re-sign Cespedes, or at least Justin Upton, right?
Nope Mets fans, your Christmas present is…ALEJANDRO DE AZA! Yes, the lifetime .267 hitter with a slugging percentage lower than Asdrubal Cabrera’s is the Wilpons answer
to the question of who will strike fear in opposing pitchers and make them pitch to Wright or D’Arnaud instead.
The only thing positive about him as a Met would have been Bob Murphy pronouncing his name in excruciating detail, but Bob’s dead.
De Aza has a career .272/.338/.418 vs RHP.
Conforto’s line last year was .270/.335/.506 – those are kinda similar, no? De Aza isn’t being bought in to play everyday. Lastly, he’s on a 1/4.5 deal? Mets fans really looking unintelligent in hating this decent move. You want role players like De Aza, not acting like they are a slap in the face to you as a fan. Sheesh.
The .080 point difference in slugging is a huge difference when you’re talking about a lineup which legitimately lacks pop and a large RBI threat to drive in runs! If you’re trying to say that DeAza was a good signing as a 5th OF who won’t ever be counted on to log significant playing time, then yes he’s a solid bench option. But most Mets fans fear that this may be the last “big” free agent signing this team makes to improve their lineup, and if you have any idea of what this Mets team was like before the addition of Cespedes last season, then you’re the one looking incredibly unintelligent when you state that this is a solid signing under those circumstances. Without a legitimate run producing threat, this team will once again flounder around the .500 mark as they did last season prior to Cespedes’ arrival. A healthy season from both Wright and d’Arnaud would help alleviate some worries, but given both players track records it is foolish to think that De Aza is a player the Mets had any business signing as more than OF depth on the bench…
They have no reason to not resign Cespedes. The man turned a non-playoff team into a World Series contender. They are loaded. They are the 7th richest baseball team in the league and the 33rd most valuable sports franchise in the world according to Forbes. They are worth $1.35 billion. This is inexcusable and the media and commissioner need to start addressing this. And comparing DeAza who is 32 to Conforto who was a rookie makes no sense. Not resigning Cespedes hurts Conforto to because now there is added pressure on him that doesn’t have to be there. Cespedes is 30. 6 years will probably get it done but even 8 wouldn’t be awful. Most players don’t fall apart before 36-37, the Mets have just had bad luck recently. But they’ve still and money, those few bad contracts like the Bay deal did not hurt this franchise financially at all. You’ve been brainwashed into thinking spending less is always a good thing or being responsible. It isn’t. This is huge money making market, the Wilpons are naming lots of money, and they aren’t reinvesting enough of it into the team.
Source:
link to forbes.com
But they’ve still made* money, Those few bad contracts like the Bay deal did not hurt this franchise financially at all. You’ve been brainwashed into thinking spending less is always a good thing or being responsible. It isn’t. This is huge money making market, the Wilpons are making* lots of money, and they aren’t reinvesting enough of it into the team.
I must have been a letter off and auto-correct completely changed those 2 words. sorry
The team is mortgaged like crazy and the real estate market has not been kind to the Wilpons. They have been holding onto the team for dear life and grasping at every straw possible in order to do so. They should sell, and should have sold the team already, but will not sell unless absolutely forced to do so. They like the prestige of owning a team, even if it isn’t the Dodgers and won’t give that up for anything.
The finances are STILL a mess, and the last few years have served to buy them a little breathing room. That is all it has done. They are still a disaster and would need a team with a 60M payroll to win 5 rings in a decade in order to really clean things up. The franchise has some of the worst owners in the league, but have gotten special treatment from Selig in the past because of their friendship. It has set the franchise back a great deal, and this is further evidence.
The need is there, the time is right, the player is right, the market is right, everything is right for the deal to happen with Cespedes, except the owners don’t have the money to make it happen.
Refinancing your mortgage does not suddenly mean your debt problems have disappeared, the Wilpons are in deep, and some of them are coming due rather quickly.
Except one is 22 and hopefully going to improve, the other 31 clearly an average player at best. If everything breaks right for Conforto, he’ll be hitting 3rd by years end. If not, letting Cespedes go will loom even larger.
De Aza and Cespedes are basically the same player.
If you squint a little. Maybe more than just a little.
I hope this isn’t the final move to upgrade CF,because De Aza can’t handle it defensively.Span makes a lot more sense
I dont know y i got my hopes up that they would actually act like a major league team for once. /smh
Unless he signs for dirt cheap, I don’t see the Mets signing Span after this. You figure they have Conforto and Granderson slotted into the corners and Lagares is at least guaranteed a platoon spot in center. $4.5 is a lot to give to a platoon 5th outfielder, so signing a guy to platoon with Lagares or be the 4th would result in expensive backups.
Wouldn’t count on it considering Fowler’s price tag right now
I question quite a few of the Mets’ FO moves, but no one on earth can be mad about that contract. 4.5M$ is nothing.
I don’t think it’s the contract that Mets fans are hating…
Do Mets fans know that spring camps don’t open for 2 more months?
You’re clearly not a Mets fan, otherwise you’d understand why we fear that even if there were still 6 months left before the season started, this just may be the last “big” signing (and yes, for this organization a signing like this is actually considered big) that they see this off season and we’ll have to watch a team that averages 2.5 runs a game again next year
I hate that they won’t sign a big name like cespedes but I’d rather span then this joker
Seriously, when are the Mets going to emerge from payroll purgatory?
I don’t think people remember that Conforto is going to et a shot at a full season, he could easily be the 20 plus homers they are looking for and Nimmo isn’t to far behind so just relax, I would understand venable more then this though, venable has more power then de aza and is a little faster, but this won’t be the move that ruins the teams season, they will be just fine this upcoming season as long as they add one more pen arm and a right handed bat to platoon in the OF
Conforto can do that, I think he will hit 20 but it’s no sure thing. It’s frustrating that we continue to see the Mets spend at a small market level even though we’ve begun to win. Also, the dollar amount on De Aza is ridiculous for a guy with underwhelming numbers who was DFA’d twice last year. A slightly higher number could’ve got you a stable reliever, another unaddressed need.
They made it to the WS only a few months ago and don’t exactly have a multi-consecutive season success track record. In comparison, the Royals just won the WS and made it there the previous year and they still are forced to operate under a lower budget. Their success has probably convinced the FO and owners to spend a little more but not nearly enough to sign big name guys.
Difference is the Royals are in a KC market, so they’re restrained financially. Not the Mets in NY. Also lets not kid ourselves, the Mets are poised for sustained success with the starting rotation.
There is no reason to put that that kind of pressure on Conforto so soon and Nimmo hasn’t put up any impressive minor league numbers. No power or speed, doesn’t hit for average. What bizarre advanced stats are making people think Nimmo is a top prospect? Him and Conforto aren’t comparable at all.
baseball-reference.com/register/player.cgi?id=nimm…
baseball-reference.com/register/player.cgi?id=conf…
I think it’s partly because they’ve pushed him a bit and keep pointing to the fact that he’s ahead of schedule and advanced for his age to be in double-A ball. But being in double-A ball and actually thriving there are 2 completely different things. He needs to take a huge step forward if he’s going to even put up a decent fight for a roster spot in 2017, let alone be the starting CF for a potentially WS contending club in 2016. I agree with you completely. He may have the upside everyone seems to think he does, but he’s still got a long road ahead of him to actually get there, and counting on him as soon as this season is probably foolish
The Wilpon’s are the cheapest most greedy owners in the game. They have a small window to win now as they will never pay any of their five ace pitchers.
They don’t have any respect for their fans. I should know. I was a 10 year season ticket holder. They sent all their fans renewal letters stating that they “THE WILPON’s” could move us to other seat locations whenever they wanted. I never set foot in their ballpark again. These are bad owners who take their fans for granted.
They sold out Citifield last season once they acquired Cepedes. So what’s their excuse now to pay for top level talent? None!
You want them to trade Harvey? For who prospects? If they were offered Mike Trout straight up for Harvey they would turn it down cold!
The reason, the Wilpon’s would not pay Trout or any top level talent. Not now or in the future. The Commissioner should force the Wilpon’s to sell for the good of the game
This latest signing is a total joke! Just a disgrace to Mets fans.
Very well put, the most ideal situation would be a change in ownership. Sadly, I doubt that will happen any time soon. And what’s worse is that the Mets reaching the World Series may have actually been a huge detriment to their long term prospects as it just may have convinced the Wilpons that the team still may have a chance at success even with a small market payroll and it may have them chasing that ghost for the foreseeable future…
great move … they need outfield depth and this guy is inexpensive. dont assume the mets FO view de aza as cf platoon
How long have you been a Mets fan? lol
mets don’t want to meet cespedes’ asking prices so it’s cespedes light.
I imagine the demand for season tickets must now be going thru the roof.
The Mets 6-7-8 batters aren’t going to be much worse than their 3-4-5. Obviously, that’s not entirely a good thing.
Go get a strong 8th inning guy, couple of veteran pitchers on minor league deals, and a replacement for Cuddyer (backup 1B and OF), and save money for in season additions. Not the most exciting offseason, but I can live with it.
Keeps getting better 🙁
Incredibly frustrated by this move as a Met fan. Passing on a big outfield bat was one thing, but failing to even sign a mid tier bat like Parra/Span?? A joke. This ownership is just pocketing the cash. How the NL Champs watch the Giants, Cubs, D-backs and others improve while their biggest deal is $18mm to Asdrubal is a disgrace. This team needs a trustworthy bat in the middle of the lineup and we don’t have one yet. That aside, Alderson promised he’d spend when revenue increased and attendance rose…well, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? Maybe for our pitching to walk away in 5 years. To think this team plays in New York…
Getting to the WS doesn’t guarantee that their revenue and attendance rose at a rate that would allow them to spend more. They don’t have consecutive seasons of success (as in making the playoffs). The attendance and revenue should increase this year coming off the WS appearance, but they wouldn’t be feeling the effects just a month after getting there. It also doesn’t help that New York is still a Yankees town so its not like everyone in the city/state are jumping behind the Mets.
They are loaded. They are the 7th richest baseball team in the league and the 33rd most valuable sports franchise in the world according to Forbes. They are worth $1.35 billion.
Source:
forbes.com/pictures/mli45fdlkd/32-new-york-mets/
forbes.com/pictures/mli45fdlkd/1-real-madrid/
The Bernie Madoff scandal hurt the team financially as the owners had reportedly lost $500 million and were sued by people for damages or whatever, which put the team back financially. This is why they’ve had to restrict spending in recent years. One WS appearance/relevant season in the past few years doesn’t generate instant revenue (especially when said WS appearance just happened, one month is not going to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue). I’m sure that part of the reason they are ranked so high is because they play in New York, a big city/media market that would increase the value of any sports franchise to play there.
The fact is, the team has been burned by bad contracts. Jason Bay, Johan Santana and currently David Wright. When owners of a team get burned so often by bad contracts, they become hesitant to dish out another big money contract unless their name was George Steinbrenner/John Henry. As fans, its easy for us to say why can’t they sign Player X, Y and/or Z when its not our money to play with.
In reference to a comment of yours on a prior post that “we’ve been brainwashed”, its not that we’ve been brainwashed, its just that people have come to accept that most big money contracts have not worked out (at least in the past few years). Some do, but a lot more don’t. That’s because a team is essentially paying a guy for a few years and hoping that the production given in the first few years result in a WS or at least play at a level that meets or exceeds the annual value while accepting the fact that the final few years of the deal will most likely not equal the value of the contract.
I absolutely cannot stand it when people say it’s not our money. Where do you think the owner gets the money from to pay the players? Does he use his personal money or the money from tickets, concessions, memorabilia, and TV revenue?
If you go to the games, buy the gear, have a TV package or support the team sponsors, it IS your money and you do have a voice. If you don’t like what they are doing, say something about it, because it IS your money.
I might be wrong with this next belief but there’s no way all the money to pay players comes from tickets, concessions, memorabilia, TV revenue and sponsorships. Some, if not most, of that has to go stadium expenses (such as concessions and stadium improvements and upkeep) and non-athlete employee wages amongst a few other things.
At least for big contracts, I think some of the money, if not all, comes straight from the owners (which is why GMs need the owners approval or some agents, like Boras, go straight to the owner).
The Wright deal is not that bad, it’s getting blown out of proportion by the SNY guys because that is what the Wilpons pay them to do. He makes 20 million per year the next 3 years then 15, then 12. He’s be under 40 when the contract expires. That isn’t a bad contract by today’s standards at all. Even with the injuries he has put up better numbers than people that have recently gotten big money. Did you see the deal Heyward just got? I’ve gotten on Wright before myself, but never for his contract. He earned that and it isn’t crippling the team at all, that is total nonsense.
Pay attention and you will notice that they constantly refer to Wright’s contract on SNY and other news outlets that cover the Mets as an excuse. They also always refer to the contract in it’s entirety and say he is making 100 plus million. They make it seem like he is making that per year lol. Average out the current remaining balance and it’s only 17.5 million per year for the next 5 years (87.5 million total). And as I noted in the other post it’s front-loaded over the next 3 years (60 million). After that he’ll be making about 12 million per year the last 2 years….which doesn’t get you much now and will get you even less in 2020.
The per-year money isn’t bad, and I don’t watch SNY so their opinions don’t effect me, but in terms of salary and cap, the number on the payroll is the AAV. Without a doubt Wright earned that contract and its a shame injuries have really caused him to regress as he’s one of my favorite players (and I’m not even a Mets fan). But with AAV being the number counted against the cap, his contract does hurt.
The team that has been built since the end of the world series, is a much better one than the one that entered the 2015 season, IMO. Starting pitching is self explanatory.. No comments needed on rotation. Now the health….. If Wright, d’Arnaud and the starters remain healthy, then I am fine with the minor tune-ups I like Flores, and feel he deserves a chance, but Cabrera is a steady veteran, u can basically know what ur getting on a yearly basis. I hate to see Murphy go. Very good hitter, clubhouse guy and plays the game well. But I feel Walker is just as good a hitter ( avg may be in .260 range to Murphy’s .285,) but power is even, walker a switch hitter and a better defensive player overall. The bench is a plus IMO as well…. Plawecki, Flores, Tejada, De Aza and capt. Kirk. My concern is the bullpen..Familia is solid, Reed pretty good, I like Robles and his potential. Gilmartin and Blevins are our lefties. Carlos Torres and Verrett or Montero can also play a role. I’d like to bring Clippard back, but we’ll see. I can’t knock anything Sandy and co have done up yntill this point,(Minaya deserves credit as well) but clever trades and no extreme contracts to over the hill FA’s for ridiculous amounts of money…Granderson had me nervous that 1st yr, but he has gone back to the player he was in Detroit, not the masher he became in the Bronx and was a nice surprise as our lead off hitter last season. Harvey a full year back after TJ, deGrom is just hitting his prime, Thor is going to prob be best of them all and the Long Island kid Matz reminds me of Lester a little bit, and that’s our #4 starter. Colon keeps a spot warm for Wheeler, then becomes our swingman. Now, due to graduatiRo and trades, the system has lost a little luster, but with Nimmo, Rosario, Smith, Cecchini and Becerra on the offense, and Montero,Molina, Ynoa and Morris on the pitching side, the system is not barren by any means. While we won’t sign Cespedes, Upton, Gordon or any other FA of that ilk….our starting pitching is going to carry this team for the next 5 yrs. A healthy wright, d’Arnaud and a full season of Conforto can help offset the Cespedes loss, Walker replaces Murphy and Cabrera starts at SS. Flores, Tejada, Reynolds and Herrera are there s insurance and I’m confident Sandy grabs at least one more significant bullpen arm ( not Chapman, Storen, Paplebon) but enough to keep us defending the NL East crown. I am one Mets Fan with faith in my team. First time in a decade I can say that….
Good luck Mets fans. De Aza is horrible.
The reason he’s cheap is cause he sucks.
Yup lol. This move is embarrassing
Typical mets…shopping in the bargain and broken section. Cut Tejada, pass on De Aza, and instead sign a better BP arm…Sipp was a decent option. It’ll be interested to see what Span gets, as he was the far better open in CF. He better be gimped up or this was a bad signing.
Sipp would have cost the first round draft pick as well, but why bother mentioning that? Sipp would have pitched the 8th inning, so you are forfeiting a 1st round draft pick for a expensive, non-closing RP. There were a large number of QO’s extended this season, and a large number of teams are interested in signing those players this year. The Mets are initially slotted to draft at #24 this year, which leaves 13 teams ahead of us who can all forfeit their draft picks to increase our position. The Diamondbacks lowered that number to 12 when they signed Grienke, and moved the pick up to #23. The Giants lowered it to 11 with Shark, and the pick jumped to #22.
If the Red Sox, Mariners, Rays, Orioles’, Indians, Twins, Nats, Angels, Astros, Yankees, or Rangers sign one of the other QO’s out there, the pick will move up some more.
The Mets need to restock their farm system after losing their first rounder in 2015. Fate has sent them a couple of free gifts now, with an improved draft pick, and easy decision on Murphy. There was a time when the Mets weren’t sure if they would offer arb to Murphy, because they didn’t think he was worth it. Then he improved his swing and went on a tear in the playoffs. That got them to the WS, earned Murphy a LOT of money with his next contract, and the Mets were safely able to offer the arb, knowing that he would reject it.
With all the bad decisions and bad luck this organization has suffered through over the decades, why compound that by making more of them?
You make a lot of sense. But unfortunately it still doesn’t change the fact that the middle of the order presence they desperately need is missing and probably will not be coming until they move a starter (probably Harvey or Wheeler) at the deadline this year or next off season. And that is more than a little frustrating when they sign this bum instead of someone with at least a bit of upside instead of no upside at all
Awful move and a waste of money that they cry about not having. They spent a quarter of the money would have spent for 6 years of Cespedes on Cabrera, DeAza, resigning Colon and Blevins etc. They spent close to 30 million on all those moves and none of those players are impact players. At least sign Span or or Raji Davis. DeAza absolutely sucks! 250-260 hitter with little pop or speed. The guy tries to swipe bases and gets thrown out more than half the time, he adds nothing to the team. The Mets are the 7th richest team in baseball, this is ridiculous!
I think the mets should take a chance on Allen Craig, minor league deal inv. To spring, low risk high reward, platoons in the OF and spells Duda at first and if he plays well he could be a good bat to have
Craig is not a free agent.
Just amazing that the Mets have done absolutely nothing acting as if they’re a small city team. Got the insurance money most of the year for David Wright and saved another $11 million by Michael Cuddeyer retiring; then saved another $5 million when resigning Bartolo Colon. Yet they haven’t made one single impact move while losing their two best bats in Cespedes and Murphy. We need to get rid of the Wilpon’s the worst owners in baseball.
Da Aza sucks. Mets ownership is a disgrace. Waste the years when you finally stumbled across some pitching gems. Wilpon the idiot fraudster