With Yoenis Cespedes set to miss some portion of next season as he recovers from two heel surgeries, Mets COO Jeff Wilpon admitted on Sunday that the team will have to plan as if he won’t play in 2019 (via Tim Healey of Newsday). “You probably do have to plan that way, given the fact that it’s uncertain,” Wilpon said of Cespedes, who will enter the penultimate season of a four-year, $110MM contract in 2019. Fortunately for the Mets, it appears they have at least two starting-caliber corner outfielders on hand in 2018 breakout star Brandon Nimmo and Michael Conforto, and their presences should make Cespedes’ absence less noticeable for however much time he misses next year.
Here’s more from New York and one other East Coast city:
- The re-signing of Cespedes in 2016 has been the Mets’ biggest free-agent splash in recent years, but Wilpon suggested that hasn’t been because of an unwillingness to spend on the team’s part; rather, it was outgoing general manager Sandy Alderson recommendation that the club avoid high-priced free agents, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports. Mets fans don’t seem to buy it, though, as the responses to Puma’s tweet indicate.
- Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez has come under fire for his difficulty with blocking pitches – he was the majors’ third-worst catcher in that department during the regular season, according to Baseball Prospectus – but general manager Brian Cashman isn’t overly concerned about that aspect of his game. “Believe it or not, that falls down (the list) compared to the other things he brings to the table, including his bat,” Cashman told NJ.com’s Brendan Kuty, who goes into detail about Sanchez’s subpar regular season. After establishing himself as an elite offensive catcher from 2016-17, his first two seasons, Sanchez fell flat during an injury-shortened year with a .186/.291/.406 line in 374 plate appearances. The 25-year-old continued to provide considerable power, though, evidenced by his 18 home runs and .220 isolated slugging mark, and may have deserved better production in general. Not only did Sanchez post a .220 batting average on balls in play, down from .308 over the previous two years, but he logged a .357 expected weighted on-base average – up 53 points from his .304 wOBA (per Statcast). And for all the handwringing over his defense, Sanchez actually earned a positive overall mark from BP.
- From a statistical standpoint, Braves utilityman Ryan Flaherty had a less-than-stellar 2018, though he told ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick over the weekend that he’s interested in continuing his playing career next season. The 32-year-old also added that he has already thought about his next chapter in baseball, which could include working as a coach, manager or in a front office role, Crasnick relays. Flaherty’s fluent in Spanish, which is an obvious plus, and his father, Ed, has been eminently successful as the manager at Division III Southern Maine. Of course, those factors alone don’t mean Ryan Flaherty’s qualified to coach, but Braves skipper Brian Snitker believes he’s cut out for such a role. “I think he’d be a great coach or manager,’’ Snitker told Crasnick. “He has a good feel for the game. He knows the game. He’s a baseball guy, and he loves everything about it. I think it would be awesome if he stayed in the game. The game needs people like that.”
Even with leading MLB in passed balls, it only averages out to 1 every 12 innings. I seriously doubt that’s enough to sour a team on a catcher, especially if he’s strong with the bat. The Yankees are obviously willing to accept the 1 passed ball every 12 innings, especially since they also got 1 homer out of him every 12 innings… Guessing in the long run that the homers do more good than the passed balls do bad.
Try multiplying that number by 3, he played 653 innings, and had 18 homers, thats one every 36 innings
Ahh, the old “the owner wanted to spend money but the GM didn’t” spinaroo.
Which is bullsh*t.
I don’t know. Personally, I think it was both. Anderson’s previous tenure as a GM was in San Diego and before that Oakland. He was the guy that taught Beane how to spot undervalued players and mentored him to become the next GM in Oakland. Since he was ordered to slash payroll back in the mid 90’s he hasn’t been known to sign big dollar free agents.
With that it can also be said that the reason he joined the Mets(besides being MLB’s choice) was the Wilpons knew how he approached building a team and were more than happy to go along with his avoidance of big ticket free agents.
Hey Nail-that’s a weak analogy. The other teams were in small markets. Hey was brought into NY to straighten out the wilpondysfunction. On the surface Sandy did, however you can only spread lotto tickets around so far.
He stuck it out – and deserved every penny that he earned and now JUNIOR is dissing him.
Look at the history of the Wilpon years and you will see litter with underspending and then overspending to compensate. From Mo Vaughn to Bobby Bo….right up to Cespedes what has been missing is investment spending with a plan.
Mutt and Jeff, a/k/a Abbott and Costello (for their classic routine) have made this franchise a joke.
And please refrain from crying Bernie Maddoff; they willingly (and gleefully) took bogus returns hat were offset by being banged in the back end.
They have run this franchise into the ground as it is a piggy bank for whims.
Make the smart decisions:
DO NOT renew your season tickets. STOP watching SNY.
PS-attention Mutt and Jeff’s list of qualified candidates to be GM, President, or good server:
Here’s reason 25 to NOT work for these bums. In fact, don’t even go for the interview because they will just want to use your name to demonstrate that they are going after someone qualified.
Trying to put the blame on the GM. The usual Wilpon business
*trying to put the blame on the GM that’s not coming back because he has cancer. classic Wilpon.
The Wilpons are already trying to blame the next GM for the team putting up the same inconsistent, underwhelming season next year. If you don’t think the pipe dream of Cespedes returning healthy and contributing next year isn’t going to influence them to be conservative this offseason, you’re gullible.
Gary’s defense isn’t that bad. Boston had 2 catchers with almost as many passed balls.
There is more to catcher defense than just passed balls. Vazquez is twice the defensive catcher Sanchez will ever be. It took him 6 years to reach the majors because his defense was so bad and he had a horrible attitude about improving it.
I was really sad to see them leave Torrens unprotected last year. He had to have major surgery which cost him a year of development but he should have been the Yankees catcher of the future. He will be ready for MLB in a year or 2 and would have made Sanchez expendable. Instead he will be a Padre.
It took him 6 years to make the majors because he was 16 years old when he signed.
Torrens is about the same age as Sanchez was when he made his major league debut and he’s in A+. Torrens also had a higher rate of PB’s per inning than Sanchez had this year and Sanchez was playing with a groin injury.
Boston had a knuckleballer on its staff. That always means more passed balls.
Crazy to see how much Flaherty tapered off since his hot start in April!
Once again the MVP on the Mets next year will be the insurance agent who covers contracts…..
That’s the most Mets comment ever. Lol.
I could be wrong but I think the Mets have Jay Bruce under contract next year as well. He had a rough year and spent a lot of time on the DL but his salary should give him a long rope with the Wilpons still controlling the checkbook. They need to worry about their infield for next year. Hopefully, Frazier has a bounce back year and stays healthy. Without him their entire infield is a question mark other than McNeil. McNeil had a great half season but I have a feeling he will come back down to earth next year when pitchers have adjusted to him. He can’t be worse than Rosario’s 90 OPS+ and below average defense though.
Mets have Bruce for two more years. As for Rosario, his defense is good and his bday came along towards the end of the season. He’s the one solid they have in the infield as they move forward.
*bat.
With a name like coffin nail, I’m surprised that you’ve put your rose color glasses back on a team that is destined to repeat the past couple of years.
Frazier’s bounce back year was last year. The next two years will be more like 2018 and he will have a couple of weekends where he performs.
B-T-W, I guess you realize that you are rooting for a cheater, huh? Or you missed the play where he dove into the stands, missed the ball and grabbed a Kid’s rubber ball to show the ump. Toms River or NO Toms River, he should have apologized for such unsportsmanlike behavior.
Lol so unsportsmanlike. I realize you’re trolling, but B-T-W the last championship Yankees team employed 4 players who have already been busted for PED’s. Talk about cheating to win.
Oh Goat, what about the other 175 players who failed? Get real and atop obsessing looking at yourself in the mirror. From Manny to Papi to anyone one your favorite team, it was reflective of the times.
Time to troll in quiet. Ask mom for your nightly meds. They are diluted in your warm milk.
All cheaters. You seem to have a problem with cheaters. The fact that Todd Frazier triggers you so much is pathetic. I bet you cry every time a catcher “steals a strike” from an ump by framing. Now that’s cheating
Stealing a strike can’t be compared in the same breath as what Todd did. It’s outrageous to make the comparison of something that happens EVERY game to OVERT CHEATING.
And of course let’s look at his persona as the guy who every fan should root for because he’s still playing like a little leaguer.
Your answers Goat are little league. I guess that makes sense since you support a team that performs like a little league team.
Is Terrance Gore your most hated player in the MLB now? What a cheater he is
That Jeff Wilpon is a funny guy!
Yes Funday, Jeff is a funny guy. He is constantly amusing Mutt who is stuck watching Betamax tapes of the 1969 and 1986 seasons. He laughs at JUNIORS’ ideas as they are dismissed.