A few notes from around the game…
- The Mets and right-hander Jacob deGrom began discussing a contract extension in December, but the two sides haven’t exchanged any offers yet, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports. DeGrom, who’s controllable through 2020, is on track to enter camp on the $17MM salary he secured upon avoiding arbitration earlier this month. It stands to reason, however, that the team and player will engage in more substantive talks prior to the season. If serious negotiations take place, they’ll be particularly interesting to monitor given that deGrom’s previous agent, Brodie Van Wagenen, is now the Mets’ general manager. Van Wagenen challenged the Mets to either extend or consider trading deGrom last season, but the club’s previous front office didn’t bite in either case. The rookie GM will now have to help decide how much the team should pay his ex-client over the long haul.
- Interest in free-agent outfielder Adam Jones has picked up, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe suggests. It’s unclear which teams are chasing Jones, but rumors centering on the longtime Baltimore center fielder have been scarce this winter. Although he’s a highly respected veteran, the 33-year-old Jones’ halcyon days appear long gone. Jones may no longer be a viable option in center, where he posted minus-18 Defensive Runs Saved and a minus-10.5 Ultimate Zone Rating in 2018, and has only been a league-average offensive player in 1,920 plate appearances dating back to 2016.
- Before he signed a minor league contract with the Marlins in November, Harold Ramirez received offers from 15 teams, the outfielder tells Walter Villa of Baseball America (subscription required). The Blue Jays, with whom Ramirez played at the Double-A level from 2016-18, offered the largest bonus ($32K), but he accepted the Marlins’ $25K proposal because he believes they present a more immediate path to the majors. In fact, the Marlins informed Ramirez that only one of their outfielders, Lewis Brinson, is a lock for a major league roster spot in 2019. Considering the dearth of established outfielders on hand, the 24-year-old Ramirez – formerly a well-regarded prospect – will have an opportunity to vie for a big league job with the Marlins.
Glad to see the Jays at least tried to keep Harold Ramirez. Nothing you can do if you offer him more money and he still turns it down. Can’t blame him for choosing the easier path to the big leagues though. He’d only have to spend a few days on Miami’s big league roster to come out ahead financially.
Couldn’t the Jays have added him to the 40 man roster to keep him
It’s full.
$25k v.$32k. Amounts most of the world can relate to. Not much for the Jays to have tried to beat had they wanted to but a smart move by Ramirez. I for one am rooting for the guy.
Dalton Pompey is on the 40 man.. I’d take Ramirez over him any day, it’s one of the few decisions I disagree with management with.. keeping Pompey is and was a terrible idea
Damn right! He’s the front-runner for opening day RF in my scorebook. Go Harold and go Fish.
Ramirez has suffered a bunch of leg and knee injuries that have sapped his speed and made him a marginal defender. He doesn’t hit for power either so he has limited upside at best.
Yes the Jays could have had him on the 40-man and potentially making the team. The Jays did not want that because they do not think highly of Ramirez, contract offer or not.
With the no income tax in Florida that 25k is more then 32k in canada.
The Jays had a tight 40 man since their farm system is now much improved. So they lost a few guys they normally would have liked to keep like Ramirez, Jordan Romano…. these were depth guys that likely would see some MLB time with their reduced MLB team.
However in the case of Ramirez the Jays likely saw him as easily replaceable and he saw the faster route to the MLB which pays a lot more than a 10K or so difference on a bonus. That 500K is much more in reach for him, he has to go for and get his chance. Cant blame him for that
^They had room on the 40. They chose not to keep Romano and others they lost in Rule 5. The Jays don’t see a future with these players at the major league level.
deGrom: “Brody, you were my agent, how about seal the deal on this extension, make me a “Met for life”? What is hold up?
Brody: “My hands are tied.” “You know who the owners are.”
You should make a meme page on Instagram
I bet you were using your favorite action figures down in your grandma’s basement to play it out that bit of brilliance, weren’t you?
If you weren’t so busy frothing at the mouth, you would have noticed, should have said Brodie*
That’s nice of you to call out your mistakes
No disrespect meant but aren’t these typo mistake corrections getting boring? This is not English 101 and most of us type as if we’re having a conversation at the bar and hit send to continue the discussion without proofing what we wrote. Sometimes mistakes are made and other times it’s a self-correction. It’s tiring however to read someone trying to one-up the other or showing the world how proficient they are in English and grammar. Just my take.
I know man. I always type like Im talking with my friends, but with a lot less swearing. I spend most of my time retyping my posts so I don’t get lit up from grammar. I think the true legends don’t care, as long as posts are funny or have good points.
The problem is his are neither
Your squeaky voice whynot is unmistaken. Sounds like you shortened your name from Metsmlcjamps2015Wschamps2016.
It’s time to get real and accept reality. Your make believe denial whynot places you in constant jeopardy. Offering unconditional support to your team is foolish.
MIKE YANK!!!! Woot woot!! Love his witty comments!!
“Offering unconditional support to your team is foolish” That means you foolish as well, welcome to the club!!
While speaking about accepting reality, you have to accept the Yankees are not winning the WS with those starting pitchers, just like last year.
I’m not in your club why not. You and your club are losers.
No worries why not. Cash will say “why not” at the deadline and sweep up the best pitcher. Your wagon wheel still won’t have any money put in his atm card.
I’m the meantime, Cano will join Cespedes on the DL. Combined with Thor and Matz who will also be in the DL they will have the best foursome in the Long Island golf courses.
Oh just like Cashman did last year. How about you stop being delusional about your team. They are following the exact same formula that failed last year. By the way his name is Cashman not “cash”. What’s the deal with all the cheesy nicknames? why can’t yankee fans act like adults and call someone by their actual name?
Mikey boy, you are king loser considering how worked up you seem to get over these silly comments
“Mikey boy, you are king loser considering how worked up you seem to get over these silly comments.”
Hypocrite, you take “delusion” to a new level.
Don’t even bother responding, mikeyank55.
Look response to my post. who’s worked up? Guy who personal (off-topic) or stick to sports
You attack mikeyank, when you’re the one got worked up, over my innocent joke comment.
Wilpons (still) are cheap.
Accept reality.
Your innocent joke was responded to in jest.
By the way last time I checked, pointing the Yankees are to winning with those pitchers is sticking to sports.
Accept reality
You need to watch a good baseball team and then turn up the volume when they are playing. If you did then you would even hear the announcers refer to Brian by his name as well as his nick name, Cash.
I’ve been to Yankee town hall meetings where their Director of Media also calls him by his nickname.
Now as for you imbecile,here’s a quick reference guy to your team’s stats:
Cespedes-Mr. DL
Cano-Oh No WTF
Brody-Wagon Wheel
Owners-Mutt and Jeff or alternate:
Owners-Abbott & Costello
Hey whynot-
It’s been a long time since a WS championship. 1986 to be specific.
Only knuckleheads like you will try to defend with a recount of the “almosts-we can within a few outs” and “league championships”
There are not many teams that have been as impotent over the last 4 decades.
Accept Reality. Mets are losers
Calm down Mikey boy, you do realize none of his matters right? I am curious to know, how old are you? At some point in life you should have realized following a sports team, whether it wins or loses is completely ineffectual in anyone’s life, or at least it should be.
You are correct, the Mets haven’t won much, but that has no effect on my life one way or another. I am simply a paying customer, if they doing well great, I’ll enjoy it. When they are not, I’ll just pay less attention. There are lots more important things in my life, which apparently can’t be said about you. I mean, if you have been to multiple yankee town hall meetings you seriously can’t have a very exciting life. The end!!
be nice
Hahahah! X is the worst thing about this site!
He’s not allowed to negotiate with his former clients.
While that was the plan if you don’t believe that Brodie has some say on how much they are willing to pay to extend Degrom you’re crazy’His job is to build a team based on x amount of dollars his owners are letting him spend. He has to have the say on a 25 or 30 million per signing as it will determine every other move he makes.He just won’t be in the room negotiating with DeGrom but he along with the owners are going to have the final say about whether or not they resign DeGrom and for how much
WRONG Willy. His new agents are going to have the final say. The Mets are powerless and broke. They gave wagon wheel an ATM card with limited budget to try to prop up the lousy team
I’m an effort to show DeGrom that they weren’t going to be at the bottom of the division.
They are arguably better—though the pump your chest metsies fans are sure for another mid season crash.
In the end place your money on him leaving. He’s a good kid and sick of all the drama and rhetoric.
Mike the Yankees has spoken!!! Line up for more yanks!
How old are you that refer to a 30 year old as a kid? Did your grandkids teach you to use the internet?
Maybe you should read what I said I was responding to whether or not Brodie would have a say on the DeGrom signing even though he said he wouldn’t being involved in negotiations. If he and the Mets are willing to meet DeGroms price he will be a Met. The Mets agents would not turn the Mets down if they met the agents price so it is Brodie and the Mets who will make the decision.However having said that I don’t think Brodie and the Mets will sign him because the Mets are cheap
Hey Willy-why not and dummy are two low life’s that work at MacDonalds. They post in between flipping burgers and mopping floors.
Do not cut them any slack, every stupid comment should be met with force and reminders of their childhood.
Mikey, why so angry? Even if that was the case, we would still have jobs and be productive humans unlike you. You are probably on social security living with your mom… That’s it, isn’t it? It explains the defensiveness and anger. Pathetically the Yankees are the best thing in your life.
Actually truth be told I’m an aspiring (and somewhat poor) young stand up comedian. This site gives me the chance to create and practice new work.
The Mets and their fans are such a soft target, this subject is the most fun. Perhaps you would like to see my show. I perform on Saturday nights (midnight show) on the Upper East Side.
To be honest, my money would be better wasted on beer, no offense.
Ramirez raked in the minors last year. Surprised the Jays didn’t DFA Pompey or Travis to get him on the 40 man roster and stop him from becoming a free agent. Jays outfield is not exactly impressive, to put it lightly.
I’ll drink to that.
The Marlins must be planning on playing Brian Anderson at third again if they claim that only one of their outfielders is a lock for the roster
Pay the man or ship him off to San Diego :0)
Adam Jones to the Giants. ? I don’t know. . . He won’t want one year. At least not cheap enough. And to play right field. ? He’d be cool at one year 8 mil if he’d settle. . . Of course I’d want 5 mil instead…
I think he’s more looking at $15m on a one year deal.
No way he gets near $15m for 2019. Only team I see paying more than $8m is the O’$ out of past respect if any team at all. Giants a good fit but I also think he might retire if an East Coast team doesn’t make an offer.
Os give Jones legacy deal, 2/10. Be a one jersey legend, give Baltimore something for a baseball smile.
But we like him for a depth piece on a contender or starter on a pretender? We like him for a Giant, a lot! Or the Indian, a lot! 1/7?
Is Andrew McCutchen a comp?
Not everyone’s money is as stupid as the Phillies’
I think the mccutchen signing was a good one. Compared to what Brantley got it looks a little heavy but he’s been a much more durable player over his career. He’s not MVP Andrew mccutchen but he’s easily the best OF in that outfield and I’d be happy to pencil him in my lineup every night.
What is their to talk about between DeGrom’s camp and Mets management? It takes one minute or less to exchange figures. He knows what he wants and they know what they want to pay. Stop dancing already. I say wait a year, see what happens. If he doesn’t like the offer, trade him for prospects…..
I spend more than a minute negotiating prices when I’m on eBay, let alone negotiating a multimillion dollar contract
You have zero understanding of how contracts are negotiated
That makes you hate less than zero whynot. There’s a difference between competence and false bravado. You live in the latter world.
It would be nice if signing multi year contracts worth millions of dollars took only a minute but that’s just not the case. There is so much business language that goes into it. Fans only see the numbers but underneath those numbers are many layers from incentives, clauses, insurance, deferments, amenities, etc.
Ideally for any organization with a talent like DeGrom, you would like a deal that not only satisfies your player but also doesn’t hurt the team in the long run.
Everyone knows that if DeGrom were a free agent today, he would net a $30 million AAV. The only true question is the length of the deal. Plus, DeGrom does have one more year under arbitration. I feel that if the Mets offered him a 4 yr extension, beyond 2019, for say $100, that should not only satisfy DeGrom with the financial security he deserves but also for the Mets not paying a SP $30 million plus a season while playing in his 30’s. It’s a win, win.
Dont know you can say he would command $30MM per, anymore. The market has changed. How many got that much this year?
That’s a good point. I guess I was thinking about how Patrick Corbin just got 6 yrs & $140 million. DeGrom is a FAR better SP. But, as you said, this market is unpredictable to say the least.
How many pitchers this offseason were at Jacob Degrom’s level? 0. Corbin was the closest but he hasn’t done this anywhere near as long as Degrom nor has he ever been as effective. 5/150 is the minimum it takes for Degrom. Age is the only factor that potentially limits him from a 200MM+ deal
Beyond the number of years and total salary, there a ton of smaller components that must be negotiated, like full vs partial no trade, bonuses, front-end vs back-loaded pay, deferments, etc. That’s likely where the majority of time is spent.
This isn’t brain surgery as you
Metsies are making it into. It’s not free agency which has the elements of chess with multiple offers and considerations. This is a simple extension. Your “factors” are just excuses for a disfunctional
Dysfunctional organization with impotent ownership. You’ve got leadership defined by Mutt and Jeff who have not made one critical decision correctly on their own.
So they bumble through the process instead of embracing it. They will lengthen the process until it is too late—fitting for the fans who have clung into this bad dream too long.
Mike is using big words today… bravado, impotent, and Metsies as a play on Mets!! So original!!
Mutt and Jeff is another good one. Shows his age, what are ya Mike? A 60 year old troll? (For the record, I love your comments, big words and all)
Hey dummy-it must have been a lot of work looking up the definitions. Rather than post here you should be working at MacDonalds to pass the high school equivalency test. That way you can achieve your dream job, supervisor of French fries.
Wrong Danny. No home team discount here. Real men step up to the bar and pay the appropriate amount.
You are so far off base. Why would he accept the amount that the Mets gave Cespedes? Are you nuts? You should probably ask for new meds.
Yeah like the Yankees paid with Cano….. they really stepped up to that bar and paid up like men!! They low balled the crap out of him and then the Mariners blew them out of the water. The Mariners were morons who out bid themselves…. too much bravado… eh?
You’re an embarrassment to your grandkids, Mike.
Um, the Yankees offered Cano the same amount a year.
They just werent dumb enough to pay him 24 million a year when hes 38,39 and 40.
Seattle was that dumb. Only to find out, to their amazement, there was an even dumber team willing to take their problem.
Lol
Hey boogaloo-you are right. Years 8-9-10 were financial suicide. Worse than Seattle’s signing is the Mets trade for the end of the contract.
Justifying it by not counting the $$ paid to other BAD contracts, Mets fans are in deep denial. They can now watch Mr. PED break down as he continues the slide.
Have you noticed the low IQ of Mets fans when selecting their names. Toofpick is another example of a
Brainless wonder. My guess is that he’s been wearing a Mr Met helmet during heat waves and his brain is no longer capable of rational thought.
I dont trust Carfardo on Boston news let alone other teams. Adam Jones to Cleveland. I dont see why one of these aging outfielders wont just take a one year deal to sign with a team likely to make the postseason. I mean come on, its obvious they are only getting a one year deal. Jones, CarGo, Jackson, Cabrera, and Bautista.
Bautista lol
Can we not do the Bautista thing this year?It was amazing he got 3 chances last year.
Jones to Cleveland seems like a fit too good to be true. If not Baltimore again, definitely makes.
I want Jones for an Indian! A lot too! But how cheap will he go? Is ego expensive or is desire to champion run make him cheap?
To accept,it has to be offered.
So, did Harper sign or whar?
Whar.
W.H.A.R. Where Harper arrived, really. Common MLBTR acronym! Lol, a lot!
How on earth do two sides negotiate for over two months, without a single offer being presented? Have they been negotiating what kind of coffee to have in the meeting room?
Reviewing the Lirisno/Harold Ramirez/McGuire trade for Hutchinson is looking like a win for Neil Huntington. He saved about $9M and gave away basically nothing. I am still cheering for Ramirez to make it to the majors.
Jays got Teo for Liriano so alls well ends well. Let’s see how McGuire and Teo work out.
That’s not true at all. Liriano won the wild card game for Toronto and the Jays still have McGuire and Hernandez to show from it. That was a clear win for Shatkins.
I’m a Jays fan and Hernandez looks like a DH at best and Reese looks like just another backup catcher. Sure they got pieces but I’m not sure if those pieces have any real value.
McGuire is a pretty decent prospect you just happen to have a better one in Jansen. Definitely can’t view the Liriano deal as a loss. I’d say it was a win that had the potential to be a home run. Didn’t turn out that way but still a W.
I think it a win win for both teams.Liriano was making $13m per year.The cost conscious Pirates saved $19 M.Hutchison has some potential but is very close to running out of chances.Liriano may have been decent for Toronto,and got a prospect back,but Reese and Ramirez will never make it in more of a backup role at best.
I remember seeing Ramirez on the Pirate’s prospect list for a number of years in a row.He never seemed to move up the ladder.I think that they finally figured out that he was Jose Tabata part dieux at best and cut the cord.
Reese is your typical backup catcher,good field,no hit.
You can only say Pitt won the deal if we know what the team did with that $9-mil. Probably close to nothing.
I think the Bucs wouldn’t mind having Reese in the organization right now.
Jones didn’t even want to leave Baltimore last year. He wants to be home, if everything is about even. I think he’s waiting for Bryce to sign and then will sign with Nats or Phillies, wherever Bryce isn’t.
.265 BA with 29 homers is “league average” for an outfielder now? I know his OBP is low but come on, some of these advanced are out of control with the way they evaluate these guys. Bill James himself even said so recently.
Everybody hits homers now; remember two years ago when the league leader in home runs couldn’t even get a job the next season? So take away the home runs and Jones is a well below-average player. His defense is bad, he never gets on base, he’s no longer a good baserunner, even the power is down (the 29-homer season you cited was a few years ago; last year Jones “slugged” .419) Jones seems to be a wonderful teammate and a fan favorite, and that stuff has value, but he’s no longer much of an asset on a major league roster
Would you say Carlos Gonzalez, is the Rockies’ version of Adam Jones?
The resemblance in your description is uncanny:
“…fan favorite, and that stuff has value, but he’s no longer much of an asset on a major league roster.”
They both even play OF
And both entering their age-33 season haha
I would say the difference is that the Rockies are a major contender, and can’t really waste money and roster spot on CarGo, whereas Jones being from the O’s has a clear path back to them, given their overall lack of talent.
The only problem with Rockies is if they don’t replace Parra/Cargo they’re rolling with Tapia or Ian Desmond out there. I don’t know if they’re a better option than cargo or not. Ideally they would’ve acquired a legitimate upgrade.
David that’s pretty dismissive to write off Jones after one downturn in power. There’s potential for Jones to be a contributor if he returns back to his 2017 hitting ways. We haven’t seen him play a corner OF all that much. Stop with soapbox about walks. Jones also strikes out at a reasonable rate ~15-17%. If he’s back to slugging .460+ with his typical 275-285/315-325OBP he’s a useful player.
If jones returned to his 17 form he’d be plenty valuable. Moving him to a corner would be fine defensively. If he’s a 270/320 guy with 25 Hrs there’s plenty of value in that. His power numbers took a dip last year but if you’re looking for a bounce back veteran leader in a corner you aren’t going to do much better at this point.
as i said on the last article about him, i would have liked if the Phillies snatched Ramirez. well, at least he was smart and picked a faster route to the Majors.
Adam Jones has 20% left in tank….Signing him is wasted $$$…he is a CANCER in clubhouse as he believe all trades etc should be run by him for approval….he is a loud mouth as well….this WELL RESPECTED is a figment of writers imagination
If any club wants to BURN $$$, they can
1-Give it to me
2-Sign A Jones
Absolute clown.
Busybody is right. 100%
Harold will be an everyday starter sooner than later.
It’s hard to determine what Jones is like in the clubhouse; most of the time, writers just make that stuff up. But I watch the O’s a bit, and he always seemed to have a lot of players around him in the dugout, and Bucky seemed to talk to him a lot. And the rejecting a trade thing was overblown; it’s not like the O’s were going to get Vlad Jr. for him. He exercised a right, a right he had earned; can’t knock him for that.
But overall he’s barely MLB average. Not unlike Curtis Granderson; good guy, solid pro, but really not worth more than minimum. Denard Span, who mysteriously NOBODY talks about, is a much better buy as a 4th OFer. .340 OBP, seldom strikes out, and while he’s no longer a plus defender, he’s not terrible.
Jones and Granderson at this point are terrible defensively.
Span in 2017 -27 DRS. -8.7 UZR/150. He can’t play CF at all. -2 DRS -7.8 UZR in 2018 in the corner. Let’s not act like any of those 3 are CF capable Anymore.
Defensive metrics are specious at best. And while I certainly agree none of the three (Jones, Grandy, Span) are CF capable now, it boils down to bang for the buck.
Jones apparently wants 5M; so does Grandy. You can probably get Span for about half of that, and get similar, if not better, production. No, you’re not going to the playoffs if Span is your CF; same with Jones/Grandy. But as a 4th OFer? I’ll take Span.
There’s nothing speculative about -27 DRS. He’s not a CF. Personally I don’t want any of those guys as my fourth outfielder unless my 5th outfielder is a CF. Or I have a guy like Acuna or Benitez I/Betts In a corner. If you’re the indians and need a starting corner OF I’ll take Jones over either. He’s the youngest and has had the least amount of reps in a corner OF. Don’t think span and Grandy will have a different asking price either. I can see why jones is asking a little more at this point.
Again, Jones probably shouldn’t be starting anywhere at this point; DH maybe. And you kind of lost of me when you wrote “he’s had the least amount of reps in the corner OF”.
There’s a few others out there that are simply better buys than Jones. And the extra 3M or so you have to give Adam can better spent some where else. Another option is Derick Dietrich; decent offense (especially when adjusted to that awful park and worse team); decent speed; and most importantly more positional flexibility than anyone else mentioned; if you’re hung by the throat, he can play on the grass. Ya, he’s not a gold glover; if you haven’t noticed, neither is Ben Zobrist.
How did you get lost on jones having the least amount of reps in a corner? He’s played the least amount of innings not in Center Field. There’s an adjustment to be made when you slide over and we truly do not know what kind of fielder he’d be there. He played 30 games in RF mostly in OPACY with that scoreboard out there. Other than that hes played CF his entire career. Both Grandy and Span have spent tons of time in the corner.I don’t expect a GG nor do I ever expect Jones to ever be more than let’s say a 2.5 WAR player at this point but out of the 3 I’ll take Jones.
I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing the Pirates sign Jones to a 1 year deal.
Close enough to Baltimore and Jones would be a better veteran mentor than these young players have had to this point.
Harold Ramirez could have had a shot to be in the majors with Toronto this year. Jays chose not to do what was necessary to make it happen. He could have been a 4th OF/DH option but they really want Morales to teach Vlad how to ruin a great career like he did.
That’s leadership.
Plus how can Ramirez compete with a perennial underachieving prospect like Alford and a space cadet like Pompey? You can’t. Then again, Ramirez doesn’t run like the other two guys. Therefore he has no choice but to hit the ball.
If the Jays weren’t prepared to give him a shot in 2019 knowing how contractual situation was, they should have just traded him. I hope he makes the Marlins and wins the rookie of the year.
Contending teams would be wise to avoid Adam Jones. He did not show the same level of effort last year that he did earlier in his career. The fact he vetoed a trade to a contender speaks volumes about his competitive spirit (or lack thereof).
He didn’t want to be a part time player the year he was going to be a FA. He earned the right to veto the deal and quite frankly it was the orioles fault for not dealing him before the season when those rights didn’t apply.
Reds need to sign Adam Jones to a two year contract in center and then Trammel will be ready.
Better off with Puig in CF. I think jones could help a team playing in LF but the man doesn’t belong in CF anymore and I think even he has come to terms with that.
Mets blow