TODAY: Pillar’s deal was officially announced by the team.
FEB. 15, 10:18pm: Pillar will earn $3.6MM this year. There is a $2.9MM player option with no buyout or a $6.4MM club option with a $1.4MM buyout for 2022, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.
9:40pm: It’s a $5MM guarantee that could go to $10MM over two years, Heyman tweets.
7:57pm: It’s a one-year contract, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
7:38pm: The two sides have a deal, pending a physical, Andy Martino of SNY tweets. It’s expected to be a major league pact, Joel Sherman of the New York Post adds.
7:24pm: The Mets and free-agent outfielder Kevin Pillar “are in serious talks,” according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network. Pillar would be the second notable outfield addition in the past week for the Mets, who previously signed ex-Cub Albert Almora Jr.
Like Almora, Pillar would provide depth in a Mets outfield that, at least for now, is slated to start Brandon Nimmo, Michael Conforto and Dominic Smith in 2021. Of course that, could be subject to change if the Mets make another major acquisition by signing, say, Jackie Bradley Jr. – the top-ranked center fielder left in free agency – or swinging a trade for Cubs third baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant. Mets fans would probably prefer a high-profile move like that, but it’s possible the team will simply go into the year with the cast it has and a lower-cost pickup such as Pillar.
Now 32 years old, Pillar is best known for his run in Toronto from 2013-19, during which he established himself as a world-class defender in center field. Pillar spent most of 2019 as a Giant after they acquired him from the Blue Jays, and he divided last season between the Red Sox and Rockies. Statistically, Pillar’s defense isn’t at peak form (he combined for minus-6 Defensive Runs Saved and a 2.0 Ultimate Zone Rating from 2019-20), but he does carry experience at all three outfield positions.
Pillar has never been a huge offensive threat, but a team could certainly do worse than him as a reserve option. He’s a lifetime .262/.299/.408 hitter with 82 home runs and 88 stolen bases over 3,486 plate appearances. Pillar recorded a personal-best 106 wRC+ last season, when he slashed .288/.336/.462, hit six homers and swiped five bags in 223 PA.
This’ll put ‘em over the Dodgers, Padres, and Braves for sure.
Theyre probably on that level in terms of star power, they just cant match the depth… which is what deals like these are trying to fix
Huh??? Villar, Almora, Jose Martinez, Guillorme, Heredia… they have tons of depth lol including multiple right handed outfielders…. do people even look at the depth charts before commenting?
There’s a difference between depth and quality depth
So then why even sign Almora? Why not just get Pillar? Complete waste of a roster spot. Almora isn’t even better than Heredia
Almora absolutely better than Hermida.
Guillorme heredia lmao
7:57pm: It’s a one-year contract, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
It’s one year too long though.
if you;re a Mets fan you’ll love him by the end of the year.
Any Rockies fans crying?
@teddie, you’re right. I loved him as a Giant. Great clubhouse guy too. Glad he got a decent deal this year.
So let’s sign McCann, Yamamoto, and Kevin Pillar. Is this the off-season everyone was expecting?
Did you miss them trading for Lindor?
Yes. This is certainly quality depth. I mean he could start on a few teams
Apparently he did.
It’s funny watching you all go back and forth crying about depth , this player that player …like you are all baseball messiahs .. .. that’s why they play the games gentlemen…
@giantsphan, “Great clubhouse guy rofl”.. who cares
Possibly a deal for Bryant or E.Suarez using Nimmo, Davis, Smith? Just way overloaded in the OF.
Oh yeah. As a RS fan, I’d have liked him back (and Moreland), but I understand why it never happened. But the NYM fans are going to like this guy.
icantstandyous
Is this the off-season everyone was expecting?
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Y’all need to read up a little before you start commenting.
letmeclearmythroat74
…like you are all baseball messiahs .. .
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What’s wrong with people like you? You know the site. You know people debate BB, and offer personal opinions. If you don’t like it, no one is forcing you to sign in.
Certainly not crying over him leaving but trading a nice bullpen prospect in Jacob Wallace for such a short-term rental might really hurt one day.
@rols. One of Alderson’s goals was to restock the minors at the AAA level. Signings like Mallex Smith, Almora and so on are doing just that. These signings provide 40 man roster depth with guys who actually have major league experience. Many of these players will be nothing more than Covid or injury fill ins as the 26th man. If the Mets suffer a significant loss of time to one of their starting outfielders, I’d expect the FO to go get a better ‘fix’. Worst case scenario, these players are counted on for 300 at bats. Best case, they go to AAA, put up decent numbers and regain some future trade value.
Include Jerad Eickhoff and Aroldis Vizcaino Mike Montgomery and Jose Peraza and even Drew Ferguson who wasnt given a chance in a crowded Astros outfield, and you have some depth pieces at AAA( the AAAA squad) who will not probably not set the world on fire but will not be totally bewildered if called upon to step in at the major league level. It is exactly what the Yankees used to do. I
And forgot about Brandon Drury and Bruce Maxwell. All of them may have opt-out clauses in their AAA contracts, but it would be nice to have players who know what it means to play at the major league level. Then mix in your top prospects( Mauricio, Vientos, etc) and have some mentoring done at Syracuse ala Crash Davis ( Bull Durham movie for the youngsters here). As I said, i saw Butch Hopson’s influence on the AAA Yankees in person, and that mentoring can’t be discounted And that is what the Yankees have done and still do at their AAA level.
OMG. HOBSON, not HOPSON. Apologies to the Baseball Gods.
Just a hunch. Sandy got his right-handed OF’er.
Meaning, Nimmo gets dealt somewhere.
Brandon is not going anywhere
^^^ this comment won’t age well.
Maybe he packages Nimmo with Familia or Betances to unload their salary.
Nimmo isnt going anywhere other than to CF opening day.
Nimmo is baseball garbage.
This is baseball ignorant! Up North
Pretty soon , no one will be able to find Nimmo
Over a full season Pillar and Nimmo have similar stats. One is right-handed and plays good defense. The other is Brandon Nimmo. It would not surprise me to see Nimmo get packaged in a trade.
lol, Nimmo and Pillar are in NO WAY similar offensively… Pillar career OPS+ 89; Nimmo 130… not even close. Nimmo is not going anywhere… the baseball flat-worlders who hate him cuz he walks too much aside, the Met front office sees the value in a player like Nimmo. The talk radio crowd has been predicting him being traded for years, but he’s not going anywhere.
Us old schoolers don’t hate him because he walks too much. That’s actually a skill we encourage. The knock on him about his hitting is that he doesn’t do much when he’s forced to swing against pitchers that throw strikes. When you face contending teams, the elite teams have pitchers that throw strikes, so Nimmo isn’t doing much against them. Us old schoolers like players that are effective against everyone instead of padding stats against flawed pitchers.
Also, Nimmo walks well, but can’t swing the bat well, runs the bases poorly (despite nice speed), and can’t play defense (horrible at running his routs). How is it that a player can be considered good or be so valued when he sucks at most of his game – running, defense, swinging the bat?
Nimmo is a fine defensive leftfielder miscast as a centerfielder. He’s also had above-average to great ISO the last few years, on top of a stellar OBP, so he’s not 1-dimensional at the plate.
I have no problem with Brandon. He simply shouldn’t be playing center.
Are you suggesting that signing Pillar means Nimmo is being traded? Because that is crazy ignorant. Nimmo is better than Pillar by a substantial margin and only costs $4 million.
Pillar is obviously better defensively (though nowhere near as good as he used to be), but Nimmo is an order of magnitude better at the plate. Nimmo’s career OPS+ is 130. This past season was Pillar’s first ever above league average.
Bottom line: Pillar is depth. He’s the 4th outfielder. He’ll get plenty of playing time but he’s certainly not supplanting Nimmo.
What’s Nimmo done so far in his career for Met’s fans to not want him traded? The dude’s 27 years old was drafted in 2011 and hasn’t done a thing in the game, if they trade him they trade him who really cares especially if it helps get them something better.
Mystery team: do you understand how this sport works? Nimmo has done plenty. Career OPS+ 130, that’s terrific. Twice has had seasons where he got on base 40% of the time. That’s awesome. He’s a great lead off hitter.
@Cosmo I’m a big fan of on-base guys. Nimmo is one of the best in that regard, but he’s a horrendous fit for the Mets because their outfield is stacked, and Nimmo can’t play center. His OPS is great, his RBIs are not. You can’t play him over Conforto or Smith and he’s sup par in CF. It’d be a luxury to have him on the bench, but he’s a starter. Mets need to make a trade, and they will.
*subpar not sup par lol
RBIs? Seriously? I have no idea why Nimmo is so hated on this site but if you all think he’s getting traded, especially because they signed Kevin Pillar, then you do not understand how much Sandy values Nimmo. Nimmo is going nowhere.
Now, if the Mets had actually added Springer, then I’d agree that Nimmo would be on the trading block. But he’s expendable now because of Pillar? Y’all are smoking crack.
@rct It’s not Nimmo per se. The Mets have too many outfielders. The Mets lack a solid CF and a defensive 3B. I smell a trade. Nimmo has value. Seems like a good trade candidate. I don’t hate Nimmo, I just hate him on the Mets. He has more value as a corner outfielder and Mets have no room for him there.
I think Nimmo starts against all righties when he’s healthy. Pillar will start against lefties and move around the outfield giving Conforto and Smith off days as well as double switch strength late in games. I expect Pillar to get 400 at bats and see action in 140 games in some capacity if he’s healthy. Nimmo gets about 525 plate appearances. Conforto and Smith play 5+ days a week with breaks around scheduled days off, one before the off day, the other after. In an emergency, both Davis and McNeil and back up into the grass if needed, Almora/Mallex Smith get called up. I think Pillar gets Heredia’s 40 man roster spot.
@von. Davis is cheap and under team control for awhile. The guy just needs a chance to focus on his defense. If he can be league average and make all the routine plays, his bat is a weapon.
Jim Stem, j agree that it is probably Heredia headed for a designated for assignment spot. He is 30, has played decent centerfield but is somewhat a hole in rhe offense lineup.
Calm down, not everything is an over-the-Dodgers move, bro… This is great depth, and the Mets save money not having to sign JBJ and can go after more bullpen pieces like Rosenthal or others
My comment was sarcastic.
Shocker, your sarcasm went straight over their heads.
I felt a whoosh above my head and instinctively dove under my desk.
C-Daddy:
“My comment was sarcastic.”
That’s what I thought. But then there were all those responses like you were serious, and I thought it was me…
Dodgers are overrated
wait till end of season and I’m a dodger hater
But why do the Mets have to worry about saving money? Because they realize what a mistake they made giving McCann $40mil? They let Justin Wilson walk for $4mil. Are we really going backwards to the point where they have to sign fringe players (at best) for economic reasons. This is not what Mr. Cohen led the base to believe.
@icantstand”yourself” … your trolling is tiresome, what will be the handle be next week when you find another team to obsess over?
The Yankees let Paxton and more than that Tanaka walk so the young cheaper kids can move forward. And they gave Ottavino to their rival for some payroll relief. As far as i see it, Wilson simply replaces Ottavjno. Don’tbe complaining about the Mets and their spending. Pray the albatross contract Stanton gives you 120 games. Then the Yankees will be good.
I still don’t think we are better than the Dodgers, Braves or Padres but it’s a good move
And you call yourself a Mets Fan
It is okay to be a Mets fan without being delusional. Not every Mets fan has to buy into…and I’ll quote Ron darling here…the “Mets Hyperbole”.
Not every Mets fan has to be like @MetsFan22.
Maybe the Buccaneers and Lakers too
Exactly what are your expectations when a team signs reserve players? George Springer?
Do folks who make these types of comments actually think they are funny or creative? I don’t get it.
@SheaGoodbye
See @MetsFan22’s comments and you will get it.
C-daddy – Sarcasm or not….stupid redundant comment
They need another starter and we’re ready to go. High quality depth. They could platoon this team to 94-96 wins. Good bet at 15/2 to win the pennant.
Pillar was my wish list pickup last year for the Mets after they struck out on M.Ozuna.
Leaked on purpose for leverage in JBJ talks? I’m just thinking out loud…
That was supposedly the deal with the Justin Wilson leak.
Turned out, nah.
Leak about describes it. And it’s really cold out there….
Can’t see the Mets inking JBJ now. More likely back to Boston.
I think JBJ fits better in Houston, not Boston… I think that ship has sailed. Boston would have brought him back by now.
agreed – Houston seems like a more logical landing place for JBJ
Zona should be considering JBJ to move Marte back to 2B.
Would Dbacks consider K.Marte for Nimmo?
They would consider it underwhelming
Houston needs a legit CF. Bradley probably signing there.
Probably not considering Marte’s extremely team-friendly deal. Even if things were equal, he’s more valuable because he costs so little. They could have him locked up for the next four seasons for only ~$32 million.
Depends on cost. I felt felt all along Boston would consider matching another team’s offer. I was obviously wrong last year when I felt the same way about Holt so we’ll see.
he’s underated plays his position very well if you haven’t seen him play much you might before criticising the move
I watched him for years on the Jays. He’s barely replacement level at this point in his career.
they could do alot worse like overpaying jbj who is all defense pillars bat is alot better
Pillar a few years ago, when he was a gold glove quality defender, was an underrated player. Pillar today, who grades as a slightly below average defender coming off his only above average Coors-aided mini-season at the plate, is an overrated player. Expect a below average bat and below average glove.
Still, it’s a fair contract. It’s not like he’s being paid as much as an average player.
Pillar did just fine in Boston before he was moved in both at the plate and in both center and right. Sample size of course was small.
.288/.336/.462 in 2020. How dreadful.
Pillar is a bargain compared to JBJ.
Pillar is a very solid all around ball player that helps his team win ball games.
He’s an amazing underrated player
yeah 2020 everything was weird
Last season was Pillar’s 1st time being above 100 OPS+ (107) in his 8 year career, in a 54 game sample.
Every other year he’s below average.
Oh, and just as he does that, his defense (used to be his strong suit) went below average..
Bradley was still better offensively last year (118 OPS+), the 3rd time he’s been above average, and still is an elite defender..
Pillar is not better than Bradley at anything.. probably never was, other than defensively in his early Jays days…
who cares we’re just saying pillar is a better deal than paying jbj
Bargain compared to JBJ? Let’s see what JBJ gets first. That said while Pillar is still fine in the field (use your eyes to watch film instead of reading garbage stats), he’s no JBJ at this point in his career. I like the move for two reasons: he’s right handed and while JBJ could have found himself, his bat in 2020 was helped by the short schedule and a good September.
Yeah, Bargain, as in JBJ will probably put up 2 WAR and Pillar will probably put up 1 WAR.
JBJ will continue to be below avg in clutch situations and Pillar will continue to be avg in clutch situations.. he does well under pressure
But JBJ won’t make just a little more than Pillar he will make ALOT more than JBJ.. therefore I think pillar is a bargain.
I think you need to compare pillar’s get VS jbj’s ask.
With each suitor that stocks up and leaves the market, jbj’s leverage declines. And with fewer bidders, the mount you can go back and forth declines too.
This is another case of boras and client misreading the market and having a price so high everyone else is grabbing the seats in musical chairs instead. Now Jbj is left standing there with fewer and fewer places to sit as the music stops. Happens every year, but so often it feels like a boras client stuck doing it.
My guess is that a pillar signing drives the price and years down on an eventual jbj deal. Not fair to compare the end prices because it’s not what each would cost to sign at the same point in the offseason.
A lil over the top don’t u think. I don’t think he’s underrated at all. He gets the right amount of coverage
Clutch. Sigh. I thought we evolved past stone age baseball nonsense. You believe in the tooth fairy too?
A lot of ’em on here still believe in clutchness, errors, and battin’ average. And they’d rather evaluate players with their eyes than with them newfangled metrics.
JBJ got $11M last year at age 30, so I doubt he will be thinking about signing for less and I suspect he’s looking for long-term.
On the other hand, in the three previous seasons he hit for OPS+ of 89, 92, 90, so are teams going to be eager to pay him more with a long-term contract?
C-Daddy Pillar is a starter vs lefties. He hits them well. Whatever you were watching must’ve included cataracts.
This is the same old sandy model. Instead of paying the best option, pick up as much as you can off scrap heap and by probability something has to stick. I guess it’s different for Cohen now that it’s his money. Not happy in met camp after letting Wilson go for $4 mil when we need a lefty…..
Well Cohen had to pump $3 billion into his hedge fund because Reddit tore his shorts off haha
Melvin Capital isn’t Cohen’s hedge fund but sure believe what you want. Point 72 (Cohen’s actual hedgefund) is able to make money off that deal. Reddit/robinhood has been losing money ever since. So yeah reminder not to listen to fools who spout crap.
The same old Sandy model that built a world series team within 5 years while working under the cheap, broke, and meddling Wilpons? Sign me up.
The difference is there were arms in the stable.
There’s arms now too bro
If they sign Pillar, I can see Nimmo getting packaged in a trade (Bryant?), but for now, some great depth.
Why would the Cubs do that when they have the best roster in their division?
Haha!
Cardinals are better
Brewers are close
The Cubs will finish in 3rd.
I think the Cubs have the 3rd best roster in the division, but let’s ignore that. Bryant is a FA at the end of the year and you may as well get something back while you can.
I’d take happ over nimmo in center and it’s not that close
For a year of Bryant I can’t see them trading Nimmo unless the deal grows to include Hendricks… I’m not a Nimmo lover but his 880+ OPS 2 of last 3 years shows he’s more valuable than many give credit for
Depends what you need. Nimmo is a perfect leadoff hitter you can have in a corner and not suffer
The cubs wouldn’t want nimmo and Davis for the same reason the Mets don’t want them. They stink at defense. Nimmo is a left fielder and Davis is a dh. Years of control aren’t going to change their flaws.
Maybe even a draft pick if they keep him and throw out a QO after the season.
I agree. But idk for Bryant. Maybe to CIN for Suarez or with one of Betances/Familia to free up their salary.
Why? Pillar is a 4th outfielder at this point in his career. This move doesn’t have anything to do with Nimmo. He’s not expendable because they signed a depth OF.
Why does everyone think signing a fourth OFr like Pillar has any effect whatsoever on the teams plans for Nimmo, it’s clear lead off man and one of its best hitters?
Because the Mets can’t have 7 outfielders and because Nimmo is not a good CF. It’s great that he gets on base a lot, but he doesn’t fit in this stacked OF. He would be a good starting corner fielder.
Nimmo ‘fits’ the Mets outfield because he’s a starter. The other guys, including Pillar, are depth.
Having a few extra 4th/5th outfielders like Pillar, Almora, Martinez, etc, does not make Nimmo ‘fit’ any less. I don’t understand how people here think it does. They’re depth. They’re backups. No bearing on the starters except as defensive replacements and giving guys a day off.
That’s one less option for JBJ.
Its an Ok move, makes no sense after getting Almora though…..
I think Nimmo is going to be moved.
He won’t.
Serious talks!
They’re holding hands!
Holy cow I think he’s trying to steal 2nd base
this kid can really fly
I know Pillar was only on the Giants for one season, and his numbers weren’t great, but I very much enjoyed the way he plays the game. Seemed like he always came up with a big hit when it was needed, and always plays all out. I don’t think I’ve ever been as bummed to see a 1 WAR player who was only around for a year move on to another team.
Pillar was mediocre in his prime. You do the math.
Now imagine you! You do the math.
I already did. Ahahahaha!
“I want the math!”
-“You can’t handle the math!”
Lol, ok I’ll keep it simple for you, Pillar was a bum yesterday, he’s a bum today & he’ll be a bum tomorrow. So 1+1+1= bum. Any questions?
Did I leave the iron on?
Strange he’s not a CFer anymore don’t wanna see him platoon with Smith or Nimmo.
They’re going to prom?
Should be signed in a few hours given how all the other “in serious talks” articles go here.
Pillar with the Mets gurantees they will not sign JBJ, who is running out of suitors. Jackie needs to be open to a one year pillow contract or enjoy watching from home. A return to Boston for anything more than maybe $3 million isn’t likely, leaving the Astros, Phillies, and maybe Giants as possibilities that i can think of
We don’t know what goes on behind the scenes, but I’m guessing Boras kept playing hardball throughout his negotiations with Alderson, and now the Mets have pivoted. I’d rather see them sign Pillar for a year than JBJ for too much and too long.
I’d love the Phillies to sign JBjr. Man do the Phils have trouble developing centerfielders. Shane Victorino was the last good CF on the Phils, and they got him from the Rule 5 draft.
I’m not a fan of this at all. Pillar is a subpar hitter and can’t really play CF anymore, so he doesn’t address any remaining need that the Mets have.
Hit pretty well last year.
Pillar always has a stellar month early in the season. Last year a month was half the season. He didn’t do anything outside the norm, just not enough time in the season to balance it out. In Toronto he’d hit over 300/360/500 for first 40 games before going 230/290/400 for the next 120
@Kirk….Pillar and Almora do seem more like a redundancy then building quality depth.
Please tell me this is a joke. I didn’t like the Almora deal but at least he plays good D in CF. This clown is no where close to a good CF anymore. Plus his bat will disappear outside Colorado. I really hope this is a joke.
His OPS+ was higher in SF than COL last year..
Don’t think there’s any correlation here..
He’s a good all around baseball player.
This is why you don’t hire 73 year old executives
Metsfan22 says “I guess this puts us on top of dodgers, they are going to have to trade for Mike Trout if dodgers wanna compete with Mets”
Mets over Dodgers? About as likely as Vanderbilt beating Alabama in football
Fine depth OF piece. I like what the NYM have done this off-season, and with the additions of Rosenthal, Pillar, and some 3B they could be a serious WS contender. Right now I think they could win the East, but with those additions I think they’d be just as good as SD.
These types of moves only pay dividends when lots of injuries occur. Since this is another covid season it makes sense since the Mets are build to win now, but that’s the only way it makes sense and there’s no way in he11 Sandy did it for that reason
There’s gotta be a trade coming soon for a 3B. Could be Chapman could be Bryant.
With Almora, Nimmo, Conforto, Smith, Pillar, Heredia, and Martínez their OF is looking pretty deep.
I doubt Chapman. The A’s would ask for a deep price espically with multiple years of control. Chapman for Davis or Nimmo, Alvarez, Baty and maybe one more prospect
Yeah but if they’re weighing a Bryant vs Chapman trade and Bryant has 1 year left while Chapman has 3 left I think i would take Chapman.
Dom Smith, Baty and JT Ginn and Freddy Valdez?
Dom Smith ain’t getting traded.
Dom Smith will be a better hitter than Chapman if he’s not already… but no, he’s not getting traded… and yes, come back to me in three years and let’s see who’s better
They won’t trade Alvarez but agree, it would take a lot
Was hoping the Mets would sign Pillar, dudes a solid center feilder with great hitting
Great hitting. Idk where you’ve been lol
Wow, somebody finally wanted to sign with the 2nd best team in NY.
I would say that’s about right. I put the Mets behind the Islanders.
I am an Islander fan ( beating Buffalo 3-1 tonight). Trust me the Mets are behind the Islanders. I will concede the Mets are ahead of the Jets.
@NY_Yankee- yes but only slightly ahead of the Jets. I’m a cursed Jets fan. I try not to talk about them too much.
You mean if the Blue Jays play in Buffalo. How’s the Yanks starting pitching?
Cole + ?
Toronto does not exactly have Dodgers pitching either. I will take the Yankees bullpen over Toronto
Cole – Kluber – Severino – Montgomery – Taillon – German
sure “if healthy” applies… but that’s a dangerous starting rotation in August and Sept into October…
@metsgolf- Cole, Kluber, Taillon, Monty, Garcia/German/ Schmidt/King. Not really seeing the problem? And Sevvy coming back around the trading deadline. That rotation is a lot better then Tampa and Dunedin’s.
@yanks4life
Ah this guy cracks me up, I love reading your posts they are hilariously stupid please dont stop lol
This was the move I’ve been predicting the Mets to make for a while now. He’s not an elite CF anymore, but he can hold his own and will give them 35-40 doubles and 18-20 home runs as well.
Mets are just hoping he stops there and doesn’t take pics of his…
You think Pillar will be a starter? They trading Nimmo?
he’ll be a starter when the other guys can’t go for 162 games.
Uh, he’s the 4th OF. No chance he’s above 20 doubles or 10 HR unless someone gets injured. By the way, he’s only ever hit 18+ HR once.
If the Mets did not want to pay JBJ for four years, I can understand that. But Rosenthal would have been a better signing then Pillar ( especially after losing Wilson).
@NY_Yankee What makes you think those things are mutually exclusive? Mets can still sign Rosenthanl and I think they will.
Mets and Rosenthal? That remains to be seen. Do not discount the Angels or Phillies.
Can’t see the Mets going for Bradley after adding Pillar and Amora. Both provide the RH bat and superior defense to go with Nimmo.
Is there any way they could get Kevin Millar out of retirement so they could have Millar, Pillar, and Villar?
That’s funny.
Having been a Jays fan my whole life, I know Pillar’s game very well. He is a great all around ball player but his lack of plate discipline has to be some of the worst I’ve ever seen in the majors. Pitchers do not need to throw him strikes, as he will gladly swing at ones outside of the zone, and especially the closer you get to two strikes. Still a heart and soul kind of guy worth having on your team. He will run full speed into a wall for his team which makes him my kind of player!
MVPillar
I’ll give the Mets credit for signing players… that makes what, 16 new players that wasn’t on the roster last year? Next team has about a dozen.
Sign them all… see who sticks I guess?
This is a much better and cheaper signing than JBJ. KP will give them good defense and OK hitting at the bottom of the order.
So definitely no Jackie Bradley Jr now.
Strong OF glove.
Maybe 5 years ago. He’s definitely well below average now, really more of a corner guy but he can still fake it in center.
Are you kidding me?! Not only do we lose Arenado but now our only reliable/experienced position players are blackmon and story?! Urinating Tree’s video on the Rox nailed it perfectly.
Wait a second, do you think Story and Blackmon are going to play on the Rockies this season? You might need to sit down….
Well Blackmon is for sure. And it’s looking increasingly like they’ll prefer the qualifying offer draft pick to what’s being offered for Story. Just nobody around who wants to take on a big salary and needs a shortstop, great as he is (and I do believe he is the best in the game).
Wait, you WANTED them to re-sign Kevin Pillar? Why on Earth would you want a rebuilding team like the Rockies to re-up with a mediocre vet like that? That’s exactly the mistake they’ve been making for the past five years.
And so Kevin goes on…. never knowing if this next leap might be his last that brings him home. Godspeed Kevin
298/.332/.538 vs lefties last 2 seasons, that’s why Pillar’s here
People gloss over that fact.
If the DH comes in, Smith or Alonso go to DH and its Pillar or Almora in CF. Bradley makes sense too.
Also interesting to note all of Jose Martinez, Guillermo Heredia, Mallex Smith, Brandon Drury, Luis Guillorme and Albert Almora all have options, so any or all of them can be stashed at AAA if need be – thats 2 potential open roster spaces, one for JBJ, and another for…?
Getting Pillar could mean another deal is coming for a SP or 3B maybe both
Got to be some sort of deal in the works just based on the fact that they have too many players
Nah, a bunch of them have options. They’re just building depth. But if you’re Albert Almora you have to be pissed off right now.
whelp, looks like I’m a Mets fan now.
Awww.. We’re sorry
The Mets are throwing money at the wall and hoping something sticks at this point.
You sign Almora, then Pillar? No need for both.
Nonetheless happy for Pillar. He’s made some big plays in the outfield over the years.
Good defensive move they don’t need offensive from Pillar, wonder with the signing of Pillar and Almora if the Mets have Nimmo and others in a trade offer for a 3b man or a starting pitcher ? I hope it’s not Bryant the Mets can’t worry about resigning another player, hopefully it’s Suarez or Chapman that are signed for years.
Question: Would you trade Pete for Chapman straight up?
Setting up trade? Dom + Nimmo or JD for Chapman?
not or… and, Would take all 3 to get Chapman
PLEASE trade Nimmo now. What a zero.
You are obviously new to baseball
What made him a zero last year? Was it the .888 OPS, the .404 OBP, the 148 wRC+ or the .280 AVG?
Still not sold Mets are anywhere close to winning the division.
Solid offseason for the Mets but maybe not as spectacular as we imagined 3 months ago. Ill give it a premature B- today
I liked the trade with Cle
Ida rather doubled the Mcann price with the extra year of JTR than give the 4 year McCann deal. Considering how wide open Mets payroll is in the future that would have made more sense taking the risk outta the equation; but its not really a given they could have inked that same contract so not toooo critical there
I truly wonder why they had so little interest in JWilson?
Not thrilled by this signing but it feels like Cohen wants to play it safe and get his feet wet year 1 before taking off the gloves (possibly) Cant be too mad at that long term. They should be verry active again next year and are very healthy on the field and ledger
Last 2 full seasons Pillar hit 21 bombs with 88 and 87 RBIs. Nice right handed bat and upgraded D in CF. Great pick up. Almora has 28 bombs in his career. Pillar will win the starting CF job. Almora is just depth, nothing more.
I dont love the signing but I like it a whole lot more than offering JBJ 25-35 million for multiple years- Feels like a stop-gap maybe just until this trade deadline which I think will be active if you want to take in a little dough on payroll
He once was a good defensive CFer.
Who gets DFA’d? Heredia? It looks like he’s the odd man out.
Meh. If the Mets are going to have a below-average defensive CF, why not just use Nimmo and keep as many good bats in the lineup as possible? The only plus to playing Pillar in CF is that it pushes Nimmo and Conforto to positions they’re better suited for.
Maybe a better question is why the Mets spent $3.6M on someone who isn’t particularly useful for them and is somewhat redundant (Almora), instead of paying Justin Wilson enough to bring him back?
just glad someone agreed to “deal” w him. incorrigible pain in the ass that he is.
Starting to think that Boras is painting JBJ into the same corner as Moustakas a couple years ago, and Jackie will end up signing a 1 yr for 5M in May.
I feel the same way.
Great signing.
Huge move.
Why invest in your shaky bullpen by signing Justin Wilson & Trevor Rosenthal when you can sign Kevin Pillar to do all that fancy Kevin Pillar stuff instead?
That makes sense. Right, fellas?
Good one
I can’t remember ever seeing a deal where both the club and the player get an option like that.
I think that player option has a really low likelihood of getting exercised though. Only a $1.5M difference between what he would make after the buyout and his 2 year total pay if he takes the player option. He should be able to sign somewhere in 2022 for more than $1.5M so if he’s in a spot where he has to use that player option then something has gone terribly wrong.
Yeah pretty weird contract. I don’t think that they overpaid though
I’m having the same feeling a bunch of other commenters are–that a trade is in the works. I like Brandon, but he may not be the one moving in this deal. The main piece could be Dom, since he’s very valuable. Would the A’s possibly be willing to deal Chapman for Dom and J.D.? Are we better off with Chapman (3B), Nimmo (LF) and Pillar/Almora (CF) than we would be with J.D. (3B), Dom (LF) and Nimmo (CF) with Almora and Pillar on the bench?
Or the odd man out could be Pete. If Pete nets you Chapman or Castillo, say, do you pull the trigger?
Continually amazed at how player agents can dupe MLB GM’s into signings like this one.
Can we finally come to the realization that the NY Mets sign free agents that nobody else wants? The dumpster diving continues. Rosenthal probably will end up rejecting them also if he’s not promised “closing duties” for NY’s 2nd best team and Wild Card team in the NL East. The Dodgers, Braves, Padres, and Cardinals are all better then the Mets. Smh
Frontrunner4Life,
Except for the Cardinals, those teams are all better than the Yankees, too. The AL is the inferior league. Of the top 20 starting pitchers in MLB, no more than four are in the American League. Bieber…Cole… and…um…uh oh…maybe only two. Not a Mets fan but if they were in the AL they would have two of the top four SPs in the entire league (three of five when Syndergaard returns).
The Yankees bid against themselves to land Kluber and gave up four prospects for Taillon. Talk about overpaying.
Btw, the Cardinals aren’t better than the Cubs. Compare the two rosters side-by-side. Do you pay attention to other teams at all?
@Fake Cey Hey Kid- the Yankees are the best team in the whole AL right now. That’s all I care about really. The Yankees just need Kluber or Taillon to be good to win the division. Not both. Let’s see what happens when the Yankees are playing the Braves or the Dodgers(not the Padres) in the World Series in 2021. My NL team are the Cubs so I hope their better then the Cardinals this year.
Correct me if i am wrong, but wasnt the same said last year and percentage wise you got more use out of your starters last year than they did the year before and this year you are coming back with pretty much the same lineup and probably a worse rotation.
Last year they werent even first in the division, hell one more loss and they would have barely been a wildcard in the pretty expanded playoffs.
Why don’t you let them play some games before touting them as the best team n the league? Kluber and Taillon are trying to come back from serious injuries. The Yankees traded four prospects for Taillon despite not seeing him throw a single pitch. That is quite a leap of faith. Think about this: If Taillon or Kluber or both can’t go, they will have to trade even more prospects to replace them. The Taillon trade was just dumb. What was the rush? Wait until some games are played so he can be scouted, then make the trade.
This is a good signing he can win you 3 or 4 ball games you wouldn’t win with his D and the east is nasty this year. Also don think Mets are done. By adding him it adds some depth and maybe opens trade windows for Bryant or hader?
For the umpteenth time,. the Cubs have no reason to trade Bryant. They have a good shot at winning their division.
I still say JBJ doesn’t sign with Red Sox.
The Mets being out on JBJ makes me think he’s going to end up with the Astros now.
Signing Pillar probably means more moves are coming. If not, IMHO, Mets already had a solid defensive OF in Almora. Would not be shocked, come Opening Day, if Nimmo and Davis are both playing for another team.
No matter. Mets are still my pick to win the NL East. Why? Because their SP is more experienced than the Braves’ starters. That, and I like the Mets bullpen 10x more than the Braves’ bullpen
Dunno. Maybe another Subway Series? That is, assuming the mayor can find away to make riding subways safe again. If not, take a taxi to the game.
Headlines that say Team X “agrees to deal with” a player always crack me up. It makes it sound like they are reprimanding a problem player.
Closes the door in JBJ?
I would assume so. If the Mets bring in yet another CF after already signing Pillar and Almora and trading for Khalil Lee, then Brandon Nimmo is probably going to just quit.
Seems like a lot of $$ for just a defensive player lol
Okay, can someone explain to me how the moves the Mets have done this offseason are any different than many past offseasons under the Wilpons – except for the change in the name of ownership. One big move along many mediocre, cost-efficient moves for average to mediocre and some cast-offs. Seems just like a Wilpons offseason to me. What am I missing?
A life
Way to address the issue. Why didn’t you just say, “NA NA NA NA! I can’t hear yo! NA NA NA NA!”
That would have been more intelligent.
They made more small, shrewd moves than usual. The narrative that, Cohen is here, let’s toss around money and run the roster like we’re playing Nintendo, may have been put forward by some, but really Cohen symbolizes smart spending and planning not bloated payroll. The idea of pushing the payroll well past the threshold was just always dumb on many levels. So far, Cohen and Sandy have done a good job if weighed by reasonable expectations.
Wait, so it was their good decision making instead of the fact that they were rejected by Springer and Bauer?
I agree that the many Mets fans (not some) that expected the bloated payroll and kept saying that spending “like a NY team” would solve all the issues was just plain stupid. But please don’t try and make it that Cohen and Alderson made shrewd decisions in not spending when they attempted it, but were turned away by at least two of the big free agents. And the fact that Realmuto got less from the Phillies than the Marlins originally offered him before he asked to be traded, doesn’t make the Mets look good there either.
Again, how is this offseason different?
Lol, rejected. No one was “rejected”. Other teams made larger offers that the Mets didn’t feel were wise to match. In the case of Bauer, I’m glad they didn’t overpay for that clown. …in the past the Wilpons refused to make smaller roster tweaks, I see already they are more willing to go there. If you were expecting a foolish insistence upon outbidding everyone, you were expecting wrong. In any case, I’m not one to try any convince you the Mets aren’t incompetent maniacs, you seem rather attached to that viewpoint.
Sorry, but I’ve seen this offseason from the Mets many times before…and Many times before, I’ve seen you Mets fans drink the Kool-Aid.
And of note, the Wilpons had those moments of not spending on guys that they too didn’t feel were wise to match…like you pointed out from Cohen. Funny how that works in the narrative.
Sorry that I don’t see anything different than what has been a routine for your franchise. The only difference is the name of the owner and his time on social media.
Well, if the only definition of change you’ll accept is, spend like idiots and outbid everyone on every big name… then I guess you’re not gonna see change.
Click called Boras’s bluff and Click won that hand. JBJ is losing potential destinations every week. Houston might be the last place for him before long. Unfortunately for JBJ, his skills deteriorate faster than a guy like Moustakas. A one year deal could be a very bad deal for JBJ if he loses another step and doesn’t have a strong offensive showing.
Could still be a big deal coming. And, when was the last off-season that the Mets made a deal close to the Lindor/Carrasco one?
Ahem…Johan Santana, Carlos Beltran, Frankie Rodriguez, Jason Bay…and many more.
Like I said, how is this offseason any different from many that happened under the Wilpons? From what I see, the only change is the name of the owner.
So he asked when the last time Mets made a deal like this and then you reference deals from 10 years ago?? Do you think they were yesterday?
Marlins answered the question with Santana probably being the closest the rest were all free agent signings
Santana was a close one but still i wouldnt say its on the level of Lindor / Carrasco as that was based on Santana signing a future deal and this deal is to strengthen 2 needed spots and not one with cost certainty at the number 2/3 spot for a few years.
Regarding next season, I want guys taking pitches and getting walks and getting on small ball .. i want them wearing the other teams down. What was the most innings pitched last year 60+ ? These guys are expected to triple their workload on a shortened and probably non-regular offseason. I want those arms tired and wobbly at the end. Im hoping with Stroman and Thor not throwing on a weird and different schedule and may be more of asset and not a hinderance.2022 may be a different story. if we get back to normal this year.
Can someone who knows more about the Mets tell me why it seems to me that Brandon Nimmo is getting disrespected by the Mets? Is his defense in center really bad? His OBP was over .400 with about league average power. Why are the Mets signing 2 center fielders? Are Almora and Pillar both just defensive replacements? Neither of them are as great at defense as their reputation. I don’t get it at all. I’m a Cardinals fan and would love Nimmo in LF. He’d be our best offensive OF (although I’m hoping Carlson is ready to take a big step forward).
Nimmo is a great hitter but a very poor CFr
A great hitter hits, not limits himself to solely walking. If that were the case, then every Little League coach that told little Johnny, who couldn’t hit a lick, to “crowd the plate and take a walk. A walk is as good as a hit” was actually being sincere instead of just giving the lousiest hitter on his team a chance to help the team with strategy and euphemistic wording to not hurt Johnny’s feelings.
Great hitters hit their way to greatness against all pitchers; not walk their way into greatness against pitchers that can’t find the strike-zone.
Again your take on the situation is in disagreement with every major league front office, all scouts and professional analysts, all available data and research etc. you’re living in the 1960’s in terms of baseball philosophy. It’s the baseball version of “the world is flat”. Seriously, look it up.
Well, then the Mets should offer Nimmo up because they would clearly get a stable of talent for a team wanting to have the honor of having this guy, who is a rarity as a starting player, and clearly the best .250 hitter with a high OBP. I mean, why hold onto him when you can trade him and get some super talent with the high demand he’d have on the trade market from all 29 other teams.
Regarding the “walk as good as a hit” thing, I think the truth is somewhere in the middle. It’s probably “really close to as good as a hit”. For me, I tend to just look at OPS+, and his is 130 for his career. I’m guessing Nimmo is going to platoon with pillar, and Almora is considered a defensive replacement in the corners.
@MarlinsFanBase You could say the same about Bryce (overrated) Harper. Only he costs much much more.
Wut? He’s a great player so that’s why we’ll keep him.
Nimmo is not platooning with Pillar, the higher ups value him more than that. Folks really need to understand that front offices don’t worship batting average the way fans do.
How is a guy a great player when he sucks at most categories? I’m still puzzled by that.
He sucks when he swings the bat. He sucks when he plays defense – running his routs horribly. He sucks at base-running, despite having decent speed. How is this a great player when he sucks at most of his game? Wow!
I guessed platoon from looking at his splits. He’s much better against rhp than lhp. But to your point about the front office valuing Nimmo, that’s why I asked the original question. Nimmo seems like a really good player, so I didn’t understand both the Pillar and Almora signings. I can see spending to have one good defensive replacement, but not 2. Especially when one of them (Almora) seems to be a really defender more by reputation than actual performance. I would think every team’s minor league system would have about 4 guys that could replace Almora and be a 5th outfielder.
Name one Marlin OF who put up better numbers than Nimmo… you won’t be able to. Nimmo is a good inexpensive player, could the Mets get more production from him or his position, sure, but it’s not absolutely necessary. As your fish proved last year, the sum of those lesser parts is what matters.
As far as saying he sucks, come on, be realistic. If he were on the fish he would be their best OF.
Okay @whynot
Hmmm…you ask for Marlins OFs that can put up better numbers than Nimmo? For guys that can put up more HRs, SBs, defense, batting average, and other better performances than Nimmo on the Marlins, we have Marte, Dickerson, Ramirez, Duvall, Sierra. Nimmo would be our 4th or 5th OF – platoon at best.
I like this game!
Not last season, none did any of that.
IMO, the NYMs have duplicate players in Nimmo & Conforto. They should’ve traded one or the other for a legitimate CF of equal value. He’s a fine player, but he isn’t a CF.
Uh, Nimmo is not on Conforto’s level. Not even close.
Last year OPS+: Conforto 156, Nimmo 146… stats get in the way of your declarations
I’m pretty sure that the Mets would pick Conforto every day of the week and millennia over Nimmo.
And funny how you pick certain stats from a 60-game season. Did the rest not favor your effort?
MarlinsFanBase12 hours ago
Uh, Nimmo is not on Conforto’s level. Not even close.
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Do you know which player has a higher career OPS+?
@CJB1
To answer your question, while your team essentially has no OFs, Nimmo would have a secure opportunity on your team, in what is a weaker division. In the NL East, Nimmo is a meh player that would be a platoon or 4th OF on at least 3 of the Mets division rivals. Additionally, he has only one skill – taking walks against pitchers that can’t find the strike-zone. When he’s forced to swing, he’s mediocre with the bat. As for the rest of his game, he sucks at baserunning (despite having solid speed) and he sucks at defense as he doesn’t run his routs well and has a questionable arm. Essentially, other than his ability to take a walk against pitchers that can’t find the strike-zone, he sucks in all other categories of his game. Now don’t take this as full criticism. He has tools, and maybe a change of scenery and a different set of voices in his ear can pull his tools out, but at 27 going into his age-28 season, he seems to be what he’ll ever be. He is an upgrade for the Cards, but I wouldn’t trade much for him. You can actually find more useful players on the free agent bargain rack.
As a long time Mets fan I have to say that I agree with your assessment of Nimmo. He has just never lived up to his hype, no matter how good his skill is when it comes to drawing walks. He has way too many holes in his game to be a true starter, especially in CF. If they can get anything more than a brain dead field mouse I say to go for it. Let others be a stop gap to young talent that will eventually hit the majors or come via trade. Best to get something before arbitration depletes what little value he has left.
@MarlinsFanBase – You made a comment before about Mets fans subscribing to the “Mets Hyperbole”. Let me assure you, those of us that have been around long enough are very well aware of the holes our team has. We don’t all think that the moves that have been made make us automatic WS contenders. I think we have potential, and have mostly made good moves this off season, but the games are yet to be played. Let’s see how things play out before we judge how good of an offseason we have had.
I think back to an episode of Family Guy: “Welcome to an new season of New Your Mets baseball! Here’s the first Pitch! Oh, and the season’s over! After living through too many of these terrible years, it is nice to be able to get excited about the upcoming year thinking that we actually made a few really good moves and may be able to contend again. That’s the great thing about the Hot Stove: – it gives you hope for your team…
The imbecility of guys who thiink Nimmo’s not a starter must be some sort of communicable disease–it’s just not possible for more than one person to arrive at that conclusion independently.
Even being played out of position thanks to the ineptitude of several Mets’ FOs, Nimmo has been worth more WAR per PA or inning played than Conforto but, sure, Nimmo’s a “part timer.”
Incredible.
If you look at fan graphs metrics on Nimmo they rank him as an awful centerfielder. He should be in left field.
Nimmo will be gone when they get Bryant,
Cohen and Alderson know how bad he is defensively.
Call me crazy but I have Marlins and Braves atop the division. Braves might win it but I see Marlins as possibly being the better team. Their rotation is underrated by far.
As a Marlins fan, I’m not sure how we’ll do this season, we’re transitioning to the young players, so anything can happen with us.
As for the division, I see it this way.
1) It’s Braves, and all the rest are playing for the Wild Card.
2) If anyone wants to beat out the Braves for the division, at least 2 division rivals need to beat them down this year – not just one. Or, somehow, of the other 4 teams (Nats, Phils, Mets, Marlins), one of them would need to dominate the other 3, which is hard considering that all of them have strengths along with their weaknesses.
3) Something to watch out for, which favors the Marlins, is if all of the teams beat each other up all season long, while overlooking the Marlins. This division can easily have lower win totals, which could allow the Marlins to sneak in and win. If all of these 5 teams can beat up on each other, anyone can win. However, if the Braves are not stopped by at least 2 teams in the division, I feel they win it again by a distinct margin again.
Marlins won’t make playoffs 2021 because their young players need that full year. Mets and Nats fight for WC. I do think Marlins will have a good shot in 2022
@Luc 2 that’s a fair assessment.
The Braves have proved me wrong two years in a row but they still don’t seem like the best team to me in that division. I think Mets and Phillies sit at .500. Who knows about the Nats…
I don’t believe the argument “need another year for rookies to pan out.” You either have talent or you don’t.
Nimmo will be gone when they get Bryant,
Cohen and Alderson know how bad he is defensively.
Pillar is your 4th OFer, someone who can rotate regularly across all three OF positions, and provide late-inning defense. He has not replaced Nimmo.
Pillar at this stage of his career is a 5th/6th OFer on a contender.
His handedness is irrelevant, as well. Is he really going to push Smith to the bench against LHP?
–And what’s Alderson damage, despite signing half a dozen of them, that he’s unable to find a single backup OFer who rates to provide better than replacement level production? Unbelievable.
Similarly, Alderson can’t find a contender’s #4 starting pitcher, but he can find a half dozen #7 starters. What sort of team does he think he’s building?
The Mets nucleus and $85 million to spend, and Alderson couldn’t make this club better than the Braves, let alone in the tier with LA and San Diego.
JackStrawb8 hours ago
Similarly, Alderson can’t find a contender’s #4 starting pitcher
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Actually, the NYMs have four SPs that project to be #3 or better.
@JoeBrady Actually you’re deeply confused. In 3 of the last 5 years Stroman hasn’t evenachieved a 98 OPS+. That’s some “#3,” son.
Neither Stroman nor Carrasco rate to pitch more than 150 innings in 2021.
Syndergaard doesn’t rate to pitch 120 innings. Wow–what a passel of #3s or better, eh?
Keep licking those boots.
Says a lot about you that you’re unable to comment without tossing insults.
Besides that, mlb.com has the Mets rotation ranked #3 overall, so much for all those “#7 starters”.
And I guess Alderson did such a bad job that PECOTA projects them to win 96 games (4th best team in baseball). He’s the worst.
“Neither Carrasco or Stroman rate to pitch 150 innings”. A simple Google search for projections on each pitcher will show you that most outlets have them at around 170-175 each. But why let that get in the way when you can just make up your own narrative.
You should consider doing at least the bare minimum amount of research before you post. Unless you enjoy being proven wrong so easily, in which case, keep it up.
The Mets have a minor leaguer named Johneshewy Fargas who has been really impressive. I won’t be surprised if he is a permanent outfielder on the Mets before the season is over. He is a good fielder, has speed, and a decent hit tool. Not many people talking about him, but he’s looked really good.
@TXMetsFan A 26 year old with a career OPS in the minors of 664 and who never got past AA has essentially zero chance of grabbing a permanent spot on the 26-man roster.
But the Mets FO is still so inept that all he has to do is be better than replacement level and he’ll get ahead of guys like Pillar, Almora, Heredia, and all the other negative WAR candidates on the Depth Chart.
With his bat, though, Fargas had better be a +20 glove if he’s going to be putting up a ..575 OPS in the majors.
This is the move I have been expecting but hadn’t mentioned him because I thought he had already signed elsewhere.
Pillar is just the right handed hitting center field type the Mets need to mix and match with Nimmo.
I have to admit, the new front office team is making it exciting again to be a Mets fan!
More clowning from an incompetent FO. The Mets are now paying over $7m for backup OFers who project for below average defense and weak offense in 2021.
Paying through the nose for a weak backup like Pillar who isn’t worth a platoon spot with hitters like Smith and Nimmo available is the very definition of cluelessness. Pillar’s in steep decline and going into his age 32 season.
According to Statcast, on defense Pillar was 32nd of 39 CF qualifiers in 2020. Pillar was 41st of 49 qualifiers in CF in 2019. The Mets are now better on defense v their 2020 team by the margin of McCann v Ramos at catcher, but got worse on defense by swapping Pillar and Almora for Marisnick, by planning to give JDD most of the starts at 3B, and by giving Dom Smith most of the starts in LF—not to mention that, according to Statcast’s OAA, Giminez was a better defender in 2020 than Lindor.
How did Alderson somehow make one of 2020’s worst teams on defense, even worse for 2021? That’ll be one of the ongoing story lines of the MLB season as the Mets bungle away something like a game each month thanks to defensive blunders.
Well at least Pillar can steal a base now and then. Almora is now superfluous. Kind of like the Lowry signing.
Agreed sammy449 but at least Almora did not cost as much as Lowry
As a Sox fan I wish we got Pillar as well as Moreland back. I understand why we had to let Moreland go, Dalbac is the future there and we have another top first base prospect in the system in Casas. However, I think that bringing Pillar back would have really been good since we lack in outfield depth and he was a cheaper option than JBJ(I’d love to see him back too). Pillar was a good steal by the Mets who’ve had a really good offseason. Even with the blockbuster Lindor/Carrasco trade I think they’ve had a severely underrated offseason.
It’s a bit funny that CF has become what 3B used to be for the Mets. A position recognized in need of an upgrade every year, but for the longest time they couldn’t figure it out. That’s now CF. Nimmo is a good hitter but he’s not a CFer. Pillar used to be a plus fielder. Now he’s below average in CF. Almora was once a prospect, but now he’s fighting to get rostered. Springer was the answer.
#lordd99
JBJ would be a backup answer
Pillar is an okay player at this stage in his career. He is a great person and teammate and managers love him. Mets fans are going to be thankful that he was signed.