Mets owner Steve Cohen had dinner with Francisco Lindor on Saturday night, ostensibly to see if they could close the gap in their extension negotiations, per MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo. The Mets appear willing to cross the $300MM threshold, but that’s not a guarantee to keep Lindor in Queens long-term. The two sides continue to talk, however, and there is growing optimism that an accord will be reached before Lindor’s deadline of opening day. While we wait, let’s see how the rest of the Mets roster is shaping up…
- The Mets released left-hander Mike Montgomery today, per Tim Healey of Newsday (via Twitter). Montgomery was thought to have a shot at making the Mets bullpen as a non-roster invitee, but he now heads back to free agency. The 31-year-old is best known for getting his first career save to close out the Cubs’ game seven World Series victory in 2016. He never quite rose to the level that many expected of him, but he nevertheless has put together a six-year career as a swingman for the Mariners, Cubs, and Royals. The Royals acquired him from the Cubs midway through the 2019 season with the plan to finally install him regularly into their starting rotation. He made 13 starts the rest of the way covering 64 innings with a 4.64 ERA/4.74 SIERA. He logged just 5 1/3 innings in 2020, however. Montgomery had pitched well in spring training, but the Mets would have been on the hook for $2.25MM if they rostered him, notes MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo (via Twitter). He had an opt-out clause in his contract for today.
- The Mets also announced a series of roster cuts today. Jerry Blevins, Jerad Eickhoff, Caleb Joseph, Jose Peraza, Mallex Smith, and Arodys Vizcaino were informed that they will not make the opening day roster, per Mike Puma of the New York Post (via Twitter). Blevins, 37, will head to the Mets’ alternate site in Brooklyn. He’ll be joined there by fellow southpaw Stephen Tarpley, who was optioned to Triple-A. Tarpley has two options remaining.
did Tarpley get an extra option?
He was selected to ML roster in 2018 and the only year he has been optioned is 2019.
A bit surprised about Montgomery. Bad outing today though. I wonder if this means Gsellman makes the cut. Hope not
Of course it means Gsellman made the roster. He’s an Alderson guy. Alderson doesn’t admit that his guys suck.
deGrom, Nimmo, Smith, Alonso, McNeil, and Conforto are all Alderson guys
Don’t confuse the crank with facts.
I’m a Mets and Lindor fan. But I think they wait for Correa.
By the way, has anybody noticed the Marlins roster?WOW!
Of course Gsellman made the roster. He’s one of Alderson’s guys. Alderson won’t admit that one of his guys sucks.
After Tarpley was optioned, Blevins cut and Monty released, Gsellman is the only one left. He will be on the OD roster.
Just confirmed by Mike Puma that Gsellman made the OD roster.
Good roster moves to move Montgomery, Tarpley, and Blevins.
Seems like Lindor wants to go to free agency., his value is only going to go up this year. Plus he might want to see how he likes playing with the Mets.
Maybe, but the market will be flush with great ss options next offseason. Mets would likely take semien at 1/2 or 2/3 the cost of lindor.
I’d think Semien will cost quite a bit less than 1/2 of Lindor.
Depends on whether you’re talking about the top or the bottom half.
At any rate, they will not hesitate to pivot to the second best option available if they perceive value.
I agree with your overall point, I just don’t see Semien as fitting the narrative … he’s a huge step down from that class of free agents like Lindor, Story, Correa…
Answer this question if the market is going to be flush with great ss options next year why do they seem so desperate to extend Lindor?
I don’t think they are desperate. The fans are. The media is fueling the anxiety. The front office is just doing due diligence.
Hopefully that front office is taking into consideration the very large swing in Home/Road splits. A 41 point BA swing and 109 point OPS swing is nothing to sneeze at, the Mets should see how he plays in NY before dishing out an enormous contract.
He might want to but when u have over 309 million reasons not to risk major injury and huge windfall I’d take 1 in the hand instead of 2 in the bush
Slider…What’s it going to go up to at this point?
I mean he’s already asking 300+, he’s not going to beat Mookie’s 365
I disagree, Im a Lindor fan btw, but I think he’s got a lot more to lose than gain if the bar is 300+ today-
What if he has the 3rd best year of all these fa Ss (beyond foreseeable) ….Inj……strike potential next year……new Cba questions
I think his camp knows this, so loading on some fuel right now to the fire is a great move…I suspect a pretty quick ink (maybe before OD) if the number is creeping over 300 behind closed doors today.. Would be pretty badass to announce it Opening day morning couple hrs before the game
This is, what it always is, negotiation tactics , per usual, we are the pawns
Oh man, no lol. His value most certainly can go down. He had a decent year last year but admitted he got tired at the end, so if he’s smart his conditioning will be better for 2021.
If he doesn’t sign before the season starts, he absolutely has a lot riding on this year.
Lolmets confirmed
Why do you say that?
Cause Metsfan22 told him to!
If Lindor signs for 300 millions he will be disappointed when players start signing for 400 and 500 million regularly during his playing time knowing he could have signed for that
Gsellman has been basically terrible since 2016. Not sure why he’s still here. Very little upside. Long past time for a new warm body in that roster spot. I don’t get what they like about him.
I think that when you get to the last arm in the pen, all your choices are pretty bleh
He’s an Alderson guy. End of story.
I dunno, I think that’s a pretty obtuse and overly simplistic take. I take it your not a fan of Alderson?
Your a Alderson guy, guy
A lot of it is how liked Gsellman is with his teammates and the fact that he’s been there longer. I doubt they’re going to replace him with someone who isn’t much of an upgrade
I can’t be the only one who thinks the idea of giving Lindor $300+ million is absurd. He’s a very good player but not a superstar and I can’t see him aging well as he gets into his 30s
He is a superstar
His career 117 OPS+ says otherwise
Is that your only go by? Than ok fine, I will say he’s a great player not a superstar. Is Nolan Arenado to you? Because his ops+ is just a little higher.
That’s fair but Arenado is also an all time great defensively at his position and his contract is $275 million. It sounds like $300 million is just a starting point for Lindor and he likely gets a lot more than that
Actually the opposite I see him as the rare athlete who projects to still be good after 34. I see him filling out more and becoming more of a power hitter. Then moving over to 3B
I think there is a lot of potential for Lindor to still be ok until 36 at the least
Lindor is a pretty slim guy so I don’t know how much weight he’ll put on over the next few years. Also a lot of his value comes from his defense at SS so if he slides over to 3B that decreases his value. If you compare Lindor to the other players who have received $300+ million, he’s just not on par with them
He’s listed at 5’11” 190. Yoenis Cespedes is 5’11” 225 for comparison.
I think he projects as a guy who at age 33 bulks up and potentially becomes more of a power hitter at 3B, with still adequate defense at 3B
It’s rare, but some players defy aging patterns. He also has the mental makeup, the work ethic, the drive to do it.
In this case a 10 or even 12 year deal I don’t think is unreasonable
I could be wrong but I think Cespedes was always a stocky guy. Also for that comparison do you see Lindor gaining 35 pounds of muscle over the next few years? Going past 7 or 8 years for Lindor is a big yikes for me. He’s going to hit free agency as a 28 year old so anything past 8 years is getting into very ugly territory
Yea, I’m weary of signing Lindor and the mega deal he may command but he’ll age well, I’d think. It’s just, nobody ages well enough to be worth 30 million a year once they get much past 30.
Lindor has been grouped together with Mookie for quite some time, but as we all know Lindor isn’t on the same level as Mookie. Never was, never will be. If Lindor gets more than $325M it will be a major overpay.
Exactly, I imagine Lindor will be the third highest player in history, behind only Trout and Betts and he’s nowhere near as talented as them
Lindor has never had a lineup protecting him as talented as the Mets or the dodgers, redsoxs (Betts). I wouldn’t be suprised if they both put up similar stats next year. I’m not saying Lindor is better. I think Betts is better.
Sure that’s a possibility but I don’t think it’s likely. There is just too much uncertainty surrounding Lindor to justify giving him a monster contract right now. The Mets would be wise to see how he plays this year before opening up the checkbook
The had nice dinner. Rn they are just going to wrap up the negotiations. There should be an announcement Tuesday or Wednesday!
lol
As a Met fan, I’m perfectly happy if they don’t get a deal done now. It’ll in no way be a failure if they don’t. Lindor isn’t a key to the World Series, he’s a great player, but there are other ways to get that value.
If they offer 300/10 and he says no, move on. That money can absolutely be spent in other places more effectively.
Very wise commentary in this section fellas…..nice job. Seems too many pin hopes of a team championship on one player.
I don’t think one player makes a team a WS contender. But I do think the Mets with Lindor have a better roster than the Yankees.
Mets22: How did the commentary here, which had nothing to do with the Yankees, encourage you to turn this into a Yankees commentary? Lindor makes any team better, true.
Mets are not even the best team in the NLE let alone better than the Yankees. Worry about that first fella, then worry about the (maxi) Pads, then the LADs. By then you won’t have to worry about the Yankees because the Mets will be watching them from the couch.
Why should he take less than Tatis got when Tatis was 3 years further out from FA and only has 4 good months in the majors so far?
Well, if no one offers him as much as Tatis….
Tatis was an obvious overpay for the reason you have given. Just because the Padres made a bad mistake, why should some other team do the same with Lindor?
Tatis is also 5 years younger than Lindor
Fever Pitch Guy is right on this one.
@Cosmo2 if he foregoes his one shot at the open market they won’t have the chance to do that…
@Fever Pitch Guy An extension this close to free agency for one of MLB’s premier players was never going to come on team friendly terms is the reason why they should do that.
@1984wasntamanual want someone closer in age? Fine. Trout and Betts signed their extensions at the same age Lindor is now. Trout got 10 years on top of the 2 he had left. Betts got 12 years on top of the 1 he had left. So even if Lindor gets 11 years he’d still be younger when his contract expires than Betts will be when his contract expires. And since Tatis’ contract covers 3 would-be arb years, the AAV is quite a bit lower. Lindor’s contract will only cover FA years so you’re not going to get a discount on an AAV basis.
Jimthegoat so your like a Satanist right?
@Hippyripper my what is like a Satanist?
Don’t know why you’re strawmanning with Trout and Betts, but Trout and Betts are better than Lindor. It shouldn’t be surprising that they get more money.
With Tatis, the AAV will be lower, and the years higher…because as I mentioned, he’s 5 years younger than Lindor. You’re kind of undermining your original question here. He’ll beat the AAV of Tatis, but likely not the total money because he won’t be signed as long
Trout and Betts are comparable to Lindor though,@ 1984, when viewing from a different perspective. They are each the best at their respective positions, and SS is a tougher position than RF. Doesn’t negate your points, but adds some perspective to both sides, I think.
There’s also the perspective that Lindor doesn’t owe the Mets anything and is trying to raise the bar for future players
I think they came to the conclusion Montgomery and Blevins (who said he would retire if he doesn’t make the team) wouldn’t stick long term.
Gsellman is a guy who hits 95 with good cutting movement and more chance to stick long term.
Same with Hunter I guess. They just dont think he can stick on the roster.
They don’t want to risk losing games early on with guys they see as the inferior arms
There is something very wrong about Lindor, and very wrong about the Mets.
I like him and think he’s the best SS in free agency, and maybe in MLB. But is he really worth 3 times as much as Andrelton Simmons? or 7-8 times as much as Jose Iglesias?; or 3-3.5 times as much as Didi Gregorius? or 50 times as much as Willy Adames?
As for the Mets, this is hardly team on the verge of a WS win. Conforto is very probably going to leave, and will be paid 3-5 times more then he’s worth on a long-term contract. The Mets have great team spirit – but they have the youngest manager in the division, one that’s still learning (and will be for years); a good portion of the position players that are not good on defense; and a pretty overrated overall pitching staff.
The Mets have few cheap, minor league prospects ready to be called up (if any); their payroll is already at the luxury tax level, and in 2022 and 2023 39-40 year old Robinson Cano will be due $40-48 m. This is not a situation Lindor walks into where he’s the final piece in a puzzle that assures the team he’s going to will be a contender for at least the next 3-5 years…..rather it seems he’s walking into an inevitable rebuild, the degree of which is TBD.
All of this makes for good copy though.
Or is he worth more than 300 times as much as me?! I mean.. probably.
Ehh. The anti-moneyball argument is that you only have 9 guys playing at a time, so to increase your chances of success in small samples (i.e. the playoffs), you need to have high-caliber players to get your high-leverage at bats (and pitchers, etc.). In these small sample sizes, you can pick and choose your guys (think about starting on short rest) to increase your actual on-field production.
Sure, you can get to Giambi using Chris Pratt and co. over 162, but the value replacement starts losing its effect as you concentrate ABs / IP.
How teams value players in the context of their budget, playoff aspirations, and roster construction is interesting.
Not sure what you’re saying, as I’ve been watching baseball for over half a century, seeing what works and what doesn’t over time (strong fundamental plays does; the latest fad theories tend to burn out quickly).
You stick Lindor on an up-and-coming team (with most players making pre-free agent money) that needs a sparkplug at the top of the lineup and a glue in the middle of an inconsistent defense, and he’ll be the affordable, final piece to the puzzle. He could fit on the White Sox where their SS belongs in LF and they depend too much on smashing the ball into the stands, Maybe on the Marlins that are built around pitching and could use a leader on the field. Even the Yankees where Gleyber could be moved to 2B where he belongs, and DJ back to 1B where he’s a far better defender then Voit (who with Sanchez could then be traded for some young pitchers and a real Catcher). But there is simply no way Lindor at this point in his development and at his deserved salary level fits on the Mets roster….unless they do some major rebuilding…..and I don’t see Lindor signing up for that…..but he is greedy, and terribly egotistical – so the allure of playing in a large market and becoming a national media darling fits him…..off the field. i.e. he’ll be a celebrity spoken about on numerous ESSPN shows daily. He has more of the Lebron narcissism in him then anyone else in pro sports… start with the humble, smiling, selling his brand 24/7/365.
I think you and I disagree on where the Mets are at. And that’s fine.
I generally don’t like the idea of the big $ long term FA contracts, David Wright being one of few exceptions. When Cespedes signed, he was pitched as a brand AND a player, but in the end the brand was more lolmets than lolmets itself.
So predictable. Sandy Alderson doesn’t want to sweep clean as he isn’t a new broom. Mets bullpen is going to be a dumpster fire with the usual suspects all returning Familia, Betances, Gsellman & Diaz with the poor defense behind them. LOL Mets
Kind of hard to sweep clean an entire bullpen… I’ll admit, a lot of it is a big giant ???, but you can’t revamp that in one offseason… if you release guys under contract, sign new contracts… you’re just spending too much on bullpen help and still it’s a roll of the dice anyway
Sandy is a continuation of the Wilpons logic which rewards incompetence and is afraid to eat $.
This bullpen needed to be overhauled with many better options available on the open market. Just like with not upgrading CF and 3B, the bullpen and defense will undermine this team. Bad job here.
Exactly how do the “eat dollars” when they’re up against the luxury tax?
Sure, they can spend the money. Cut the guy so that guy goes to play elsewhere for a team that pays him the minimum as the Mets are responsible for the remainder. (And what makes you think all free agents what to play for the Mets?) But then the Mets are penalized in draft slots – and this is a franchise that badly needs to build a farm system as theirs has next to no top prospects.
RobRock30-They may not be a World Series team but they are vastly improved from last year. Line up is better. Defense is better. Bullpen is better and starting rotation is better. To think they were gonna fill every need at every position in one offseason is crazy. They were in on Springer until the very end. Made a big push for Bauer and were in on some of the top relievers on the market. They should have one of the better lineups in the NL. They also have great defense coming off the bench for the later innings. The bullpen still has some big ifs. But relievers are so up and down. They can always pick up a reliever during the season. When Syndergaard and Carrasco come back they could have one of the best rotations in baseball. I don’t see any reason why they couldn’t compete for at least a wild card spot. I think this is a good time to be a Mets fan.
Agree in terms of defense…. should’ve resolved CF…. we’ll see…
Teams that win in the postseason usually have shutdown bullpens. The Mets last lost the WS to the KC Royals that had exactly that. Great pitching shuts down great offense.
I grew up with ’69 Mets who won the WS with Nolan Ryan coming out of the pen.
’02 Angels had Krod, Yankees Mariano, postseasons are won with bullpen.
But are the mets better than the marlins?
I do believe they will be this year, yes
Samuel you are correct. Mets actually need to tear it down to win a WS. This team can make the playoffs the next couple of years if Atlanta doesn’t put it together at the same time , but won’t win.
Worse yet……
Girardi and Dombrowski are now running the Phillies. I’ve watched that team in ST. They are no longer goofing around. And the roster moves being made this week point to winning, and winning now. Being a darling of the old regime isn’t enough to keep you around.
Short of long-term, key physical injuries this year, I see the Phillies winning the NLE. The game is won on the field, and Girardi has those guys playing as a team with strong fundamentals (at times I think I’m watching the 2013-14 Royals with more power and less stolen bases).
I’ve watched that team in ST. They are no longer goofing around. – Would that be the Phillies team that has lost every game against the Jays this Spring. 0-7
I said you can throw out their record as players are working on things and preparing for the season.
Teams pull their veterans before the end of the game in ST.
I this your first year watching MLB?
You put such weight on how they are performing this Spring but hey cherry pick your games to support your narrative.
Picking them to win the NLE- is this your first year watching MLB or are you the biggest homer on here.
The game is won on the field, and Girardi has those guys playing as a team with strong fundamentals- hmm your most recent comment would appear to be back peddling…..
Philly outplayed the Jays on Friday night until they pulled the dogs off the field. Cherry picking yourself, Markkko.
How did I know the troll show aka WildBill, aka Weare et al would make yet another useless comment. It would seem you have no concept of what context is. Not surprising . Yawn….
I see the Phillies as a sub .500 team… too much money commitments mean they’ll be bad for a long time. Honest prediction. If I’m wrong, I’m wrong, but that’s my prediction.
Atlanta are historically chokers. Great teams but very seldom champions.
BobGibsonFan, let me know when Smoltz and Glavine and Steve Avery and Terry Pendleton and Sid Bream suit up for this year’s Braves team. Also let me know when Bob Gibson and Lou Brock and Ozzie Smith and Willie McGee and Albert Pujols and Jim Edmonds suit up for the Cardinals this summer. History means absolutely nothing for any team in 2021. The Braves took a historically great Dodgers team to game 7 of the NLCS with 1 (and a half, including Anderson) starting pitchers last year. That’s hardly a choke job. Nothing ever happens until it does.
The Mets do not to tear it down to win the World Series. Look at the Nationals a couple of years ago, they kept it together for one season and won a WS. The Mets have the talent to do the same, it’s just a matter of making it to the playoffs then riding what should be a strength (starting pitching) as far as it will take them.
Montgomery was hot and cold with the Cubs… it got real ugly when his stuff was off…Madden wore out the staff his last season managing… Montgomery was one who experienced burnout from overuse…my opinion….
I’m hoping something breaks on the Lindor situation soon because I’m tired of seeing this photo every day.
Wait, the richest owner in baseball was worried about a $2 million commitment to a veteran lefty reliever?
Never too rich to be smart with your money
As soon as the Mets sign him to a long term deal you know what happens. I don’t need to tell you.
Come on, tell us!
Good roster moves to move Montgomery, Tarpley, and Blevins.