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Cole Hamels Holds Showcase For Interested Teams

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JULY 16: Twenty teams had representatives in attendance at today’s showcase, Heyman reports (Twitter link). The Angels and Cardinals were among the teams to send personnel, per reports from Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com and Katie Woo of the Athletic.

JULY 13, 3:59 pm: The Red Sox will also be in attendance, reports Rob Bradford of WEEI.

JULY 13, 2:51 pm: The Phillies and Mets will have scouts watching Hamels, according to Heyman (Twitter links).  The Yankees will also be in attendance, The New York Post’s Joel Sherman tweets.  As teams will inevitably be revealed as being part of this showcase, it should be noted (as Sherman does) that the Yankees and many clubs send evaluators to these showcases as a normal order of business.

JULY 9: Free agent left-hander Cole Hamels will hold a showcase in front of teams on July 16, reports Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link). The Dodgers are among the teams who will have personnel in attendance, reports Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times (on Twitter).

It has been a protracted stay in free agency for Hamels, who hasn’t signed anywhere since the 2020 season concluded. There was never any indication the veteran southpaw planned to sit out for all of 2021, though, and he was reported to be building up a throwing program last month.

Hamels essentially had a lost 2020 season. Signed by the Braves to a one-year, $18MM deal over the 2019-20 offseason, he dealt with shoulder soreness in Spring Training and then began the shortened season on the injured list with a triceps issue. Hamels returned to make one appearance in mid-September before landing back on the IL with a season-ending shoulder problem.

Before 2020, Hamels was a paragon of durability, tossing at least 130 innings in every season between 2006-19. He was also a model of consistency, never posting an ERA higher than 4.32 and allowing fewer than four earned runs per nine innings in eleven of those fourteen campaigns. He was still effective as recently as 2019, when he tossed 141 2/3 innings of 3.81 ERA ball with solid strikeout and walk rates (23.2% and 7.1%, respectively) with the Cubs. Between his track record and the volume of pitcher injuries around the league in 2021, there figures to be plenty of teams in attendance next week to gauge Hamels’ current form.

Mets Designate Billy McKinney For Assignment

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The Mets announced they’ve designated outfielder Billy McKinney for assignment. The move creates active and 40-man roster space for third baseman J.D. Davis, who has been resinated from the 60-day injured list as expected.

New York acquired McKinney from the Brewers in late May amidst a series of injuries in the outfield. Between the two teams, the left-handed hitter has picked up 202 plate appearances and compiled a .213/.282/.415 line with eight home runs. That’s right in line with his career .225/.288/.430 mark (91 wRC+) over parts of four seasons at the big league level. McKinney has flashed some of the power potential that once made him a fairly well-regarded prospect, but he’s been a little too prone to strikeouts (26.3% career rate) and hasn’t drawn enough walks (7.8%) to cement himself as a regular corner outfield option for clubs to this point in his career.

New York will have a week to trade McKinney or expose him to waivers. He’s out of minor league option years, so any team that acquires the 26-year-old would have to keep him on the active roster or again make him available to other teams.

Mets Interested In Kris Bryant

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Kris Bryant is drawing interest from multiple teams as the trade deadline approaches, with MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (Twitter link) reporting that the Mets are one of the clubs considering the former NL MVP.  There isn’t any indication that the Cubs are close to a deal with the Mets or any other team about Bryant, though tonight’s trade of Joc Pederson indicates that the Cubs are indeed open for business with more than two weeks to go before the trade deadline.

This isn’t the first time that Bryant has been linked to the Mets, as Chicago and New York reportedly had discussions involving Bryant during the offseason (though Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said reports of those talks were inaccurate).  Speculatively, if J.D. Davis was indeed discussed as part of a potential trade return and if he is still on the Cubs’ radar, it could be that nothing might get done between the Mets and Cubs about Bryant until Davis makes his expected return from the injured list Friday and shows that he is healthy.  A pair of injuries to Davis’ left hand has limited him to only 14 games this season.

It isn’t a surprise that the Mets (or any contender) would be checking in on Bryant, considering his potential value as a difference-maker for a team in October.  Bryant has rebounded from an injury-plagued 2020 to hit .271/.353/.502 with 16 homers over 329 plate appearances this season, with the caveat that most of that production came within the first two months.  Since June 1, Bryant has only a .568 OPS and four home runs in 117 PA, and his Statcast numbers are solid overall but middling when it comes to hard contact numbers.

With free agency looming this winter, Bryant has plenty of incentive to step up big over the remainder of the season and put himself in good position for a big free agent contract.  Given the trade speculation that has swirled around Bryant for over two years now, it wouldn’t really be surprising to see him take off at the plate if/when he finally did get dealt.

The Mets’ projected luxury tax number is roughly $13.5MM under the $210MM threshold.  Bryant’s remaining salary (he is owed $19.5MM in 2021) would eat up a big chunk of that remaining space and leave the Mets with little wiggle room to make further additions while staying under the threshold, unless some other contracts were moved to the Cubs or in other trades.  That said, Mets owner Steve Cohen has expressed an openness for crossing the tax threshold in the right circumstances, and would seemingly rather blow by the $210MM figure than only exceed it by a small amount.  If Cohen did authorize such a big go-for-it push, the financial aspect of a Bryant trade might not be an issue for the Mets.

On the field, Bryant obviously brings plenty of value to the NL East leaders.  As Heyman notes, Bryant’s ability to play multiple positions (both corner infield spots and all three outfield spots) adds to his value, particularly for a New York team that hasn’t gotten much production and has been looking to solidify third base.

Carlos Carrasco To Begin Rehab Assignment

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New York Mets’ right-hander Carlos Carrasco will begin a rehab assignment tonight, according to the Brooklyn Cyclones, the Mets’ High-A affiliate.

The return of a healthy Carrasco would be a huge boon to a Mets team that is gearing up for a pennant race over the season’s final months. They currently sit atop the NL East, but have both Philadelphia and Atlanta within 3.5 and 4 games, respectively. The rotation, despite an excellent front three in Jacob deGrom, Marcus Stroman and Taijuan Walker, has taken some hits with the losses of David Peterson,Jordan Yamamoto, Thomas Szapucki and Joey Lucchesi to injuries, the latter two being done for the year. As a clear contender, the Mets will surely be looking into making additions at the deadline and were recently connected to Cole Hamels. The status of Carrasco could have an impact on how aggressively the Mets pursue starting pitching.

Acquired in the offseason blockbuster that also brought over Francisco Lindor, the Mets have not yet seen Carrasco take the mound this season. The righty tore his hamstring during Spring Training and has been out since. Carrasco has been through a lot in recent years, having battled leukemia, returning healthy, being traded and then the aforementioned hamstring injury. But when on the mound, he has been a very effective starter. With Cleveland from 2014 to 2020, “Cookie” threw 1004 innings with an ERA of 3.41, K% of 28.1 and a BB% of 5.9%, and accumulated 23.4 fWAR in that span.

The Mets will surely be hoping to have that level of production back in the mix, both for this year’s stretch run and the future, as Carrasco is under contract for 2022 at $12MM, with a $14MM vesting/club option for 2023.

Mets Plan To Activate J.D. Davis This Weekend

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After spending more than two months on the injured list, third baseman/outfielder J.D. Davis will be activated by the Mets in advance of Friday’s game, reports Mike Puma of the New York Post (Twitter link). He’s on the 60-day injured list, so a corresponding move will be required.

Davis, 28, will bring plenty of offensive punch back to the Mets lineup and presumably slot back into the mix at the hot corner and in the corner outfield mix.  He was out to a massive .390/.479/.610 start through 48 plate appearances. Since being acquired by the Mets in the 2018-19 offseason, Davis has posted an outstanding .295/.377/.491 batting line and swatted 30 long balls in 730 plate appearances.

Glovework is an issue with regard to Davis, who made three errors in his first 13 games at third base this season and carries an overall career mark of -21 Defensive Runs Saved there in just 864 innings. The Mets have been connected to potential third-base upgrades even with Davis on the mend, and he has ample experience in left field plus a bit at first base, so it’s possible he could bounce around the diamond or find a more permanent home at another position. Utilityman Jonathan Villar has been spending considerable time at third base in Davis’ absence, but he’s not exactly a premium defensive option himself.

Wherever he ends up playing, Davis showed on his minor league rehab assignment that he looks plenty ready to return to the big leagues. He logged 13 games with the Mets’ top affiliate in Syracuse and posted a .306/.457/.667 batting line with three home runs and four doubles in 46 plate appearances. Given that the Mets rank 23rd in the Majors in runs scored and 24th in wRC+ over the past month, Davis’ bat will be a welcome addition to the batting order.

Mets’ Thomas Szapucki To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery

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Mets left-hander Thomas Szapucki needs ulnar nerve transposition surgery, MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo reports (Twitter link).  The procedure will end Szapucki’s season, though the expectation is that he’ll be recovered in time for Spring Training.

The southpaw is just two weeks removed from his MLB debut, as Szapucki allowed six runs over 3 2/3 innings of relief work in New York’s 20-2 blowout loss to the Braves on June 30.  That unfortunate outing stands as Szapucki’s lone appearance in the Show, as the Mets optioned him back to Triple-A two days later.  (He was also called up to the big league roster in May but was optioned back a day later without seeing any game action.)

Nonetheless, Szapucki can now officially call himself a Major League player, following an injury-plagued pro career that began when the Mets selected him in the fifth round of the 2015 draft.  Szapucki only pitched 145 innings from 2015-19, in large part due to a Tommy John surgery that entirely erased his 2018 season and a good chunk of his 2017 campaign.  This latest procedure represents another significant setback, and it continues a trend of ulnar nerve transposition surgery for current and former Mets pitchers (such as Jacob deGrom, Steven Matz, and Zack Wheeler) in recent years.

Despite all these setbacks, Szapucki still carries some potential.  MLB Pipeline ranks the left-hander 10th on their current list of Mets minor leaguers.  As per Pipeline’s scouting report, Szapucki’s signature pitch is a 60-grade curveball, which he pairs with a fastball that only has low-90’s velocity but still grades as a 55 on the 20-80 scouting scale.  It remains to be seen if Szapucki can stay healthy enough to work as a starter at the big league level, but he has started 42 of 49 minor league games, posting a 2.80 ERA and an impressive 28.91% strikeout rate over 186 2/3 total innings in New York’s farm system.

Mets Promote Two Executives To Assistant General Manager Positions

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The Mets have promoted Ian Levin and Bryn Alderson to assistant general manager, reports Andy Martino of SNY. Both executives have been with New York for extended periods of time. Levin has been in the organization since 2005, while Alderson joined the Mets in 2011.

Levin had been the Mets’ senior director of baseball operations. Martino notes that he’s taken roles in the analytics and player development departments over the course of his tenure. Alderson, meanwhile, has worked on the scouting side of the organization. He has been the team’s director of professional scouting over the past two seasons.

The Mets’ front office has undergone quite a few changes since last winter’s sale of the franchise. Former general manager Brodie Van Wagenen and a significant portion of his staff left the organization immediately after new owner Steve Cohen took over. Previous GM Sandy Alderson (Bryn Alderson’s father) was brought back as team president.

Jared Porter was hired as general manager but fired shortly after when his past sexual harassment of a reporter came to light. Zack Scott has been functioning as acting general manager since that time. Martino writes that Scott has “earned many fans inside the organization” for his work over the past six months and could eventually earn a permanent promotion, but he continues to hold the position in an interim capacity for now.

Mets Expected To Finalize Over-Slot Agreement With Kumar Rocker

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The Mets are expected to sign first-round pick Kumar Rocker for a $6MM signing bonus, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The tenth overall pick, with which Rocker was selected, comes with a slot value of $4.7399MM. The deal is pending a physical.

New York’s overall bonus pool is $9.0263MM, meaning Rocker will unsurprisingly receive the bulk of the allotment. Teams are allowed to exceed their bonus pool by five percent before forfeiting future draft choices, leaving the Mets with about $3.478MM to spread around for their picks between the second and tenth round. Aside from second-rounder Calvin Ziegler, the Mets went with college draftees on Day Two, which will allow them to cut under-slot deals elsewhere to accommodate Rocker’s bonus.

Rocker’s reported $6MM bonus lands between the slot values of the fifth and sixth overall selections. It’s not especially surprising he commanded an over-slot bonus given his high profile. Rocker entered the 2021 amateur season among the candidates to wind up as the first overall pick. The Vanderbilt righty’s stuff waxed and waned a little bit throughout the season, taking him out of the 1.1 mix, but he nonetheless dominated opposing hitters. Rocker worked to a 2.73 ERA for the national runners-up, finishing second among Division I hurlers (behind teammate Jack Leiter) with 173 strikeouts over 117 2/3 innings.

That performance kept Rocker among the class’ top prospects. Each of Baseball America, MLB Pipeline and Keith Law of the Athletic placed him among the six most talented players in this year’s group, with each outlet slotting him behind only Leiter among college arms. The inconsistency of his stuff this spring presented a bit of concern for evaluators, but Rocker’s plus fastball-slider combination when he’s at his best gives him one of the higher ceilings in the class.

Poll: Who Will Win The 2021 Home Run Derby?

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A busy week for Major League Baseball kicked off Sunday with the Futures Game during the day and the first 36 picks of the 2021 MLB Draft in the evening. It’ll continue with Day Two of the draft today and the annual Home Run Derby this evening.

Tonight’s eight-player field consists of top seed Shohei Ohtani, followed (in order of MLB’s seeding) by Joey Gallo, Matt Olson, Salvador Perez, Pete Alonso, Trey Mancini, Trevor Story and Juan Soto. One half of the bracket will see Ohtani/Soto and Perez/Alonso in first-round matchups, while the other half will see Gallo/Story and Olson/Mancini. We’ll take a very brief look at each participating slugger’s season to date (sorted by their first-round matchup) before opening up polls on who fans are rooting for and who they expect to take home the trophy.

  • Shohei Ohtani, RHP/DH, Angels: Ohtani has been the talk of baseball in 2021, leading MLB with 33 home runs while also pitching to a 3.49 ERA with a 30.7 percent strikeout rate on the mound.
    • .279/.364/.698, 33 home runs
    • 93.7 mph average exit velocity, 119 mph max exit velo, 26 percent barrel rate
  • Juan Soto, OF, Nationals: Soto hasn’t matched his 2019 power output, but he’s the youngest entrant in the field and has been one of baseball’s elite hitters from the moment he homered in his first big league at-bat back in 2018.
    • .283/.407/.445, 11 home runs
    • 92.6 mph average exit velo, 115.3 mph max, 10.8 percent barrel rate

—

  • Joey Gallo, OF, Rangers: After a slow start, Gallo looks well on his way to another 40-homer season. He’s hitting .308/.479/.838 with 15 home runs since June 4.
    • .239/.402/.522, 24 home runs
    • 92.4 mph average exit velo, 115.1 mph max, 19.6 percent barrel rate
  • Trevor Story, SS, Rockies:  Story will take the field hoping for an upset win that could serve as something of a Coors Field farewell with the trade deadline and free agency looming.
    • .249/.323/.442, 11 home runs
    • 90.7 mph average exit velo, 110.2 mph max, 9.2 percent barrel rate

—

  • Salvador Perez, C, Royals: The seven-time All-Star gets better with age. He’s ripped 32 home runs in just 519 plate appearances dating back to the beginning of the 2020 campaign.
    • .275/.300/.501, 21 home runs
    • 93 mph average exit velo, 114.2 mph max, 14.3 percent barrel rate
  • Pete Alonso, 1B, Mets: Alonso will defend his 2019 title — there was no 2020 Home Run Derby — in the midst of a hot streak. Eleven of the Polar Bear’s 17 big flies have come since Memorial Day weekend.
    • .250/.328/.478, 17 home runs
    • 92.7 mph average exit velo, 117.1 mph max, 15.7 percent barrel rate

—

  • Matt Olson, 1B, Athletics: Since 2017, the underrated Olson leads all full-time first basemen with 126 home runs, and he’s on pace to top his career-high mark of 36.
    • .282/.371/.567, 23 home runs
    • 92 mph average exit velo, 115.3 mph max, 14.4 percent barrel rate
  • Trey Mancini, 1B/OF, Orioles: That Mancini was able to return to the field at all after being diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer in early 2020 is remarkable; a derby win would be a feel-good story for baseball fans everywhere.
    • .256/.331/.460, 16 home runs
    • 88.5 mph average exit velo, 113.9 mph max, 12.9 percent barrel rate

Who do you want to see win the 2021 Home Run Derby? (Link to poll for app users)

Who do you think will win the 2021 Home Run Derby? (Link to poll for app users)

Mets Select Jerad Eickhoff

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The Mets are selecting the contract of right-hander Jerad Eickhoff, the team informed reporters (including Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News). Righty Nick Tropeano has been optioned to Triple-A Syracuse to create active roster space. A 40-man roster move has yet to be announced.

Eickhoff was previously selected to the big leagues last month. He was designated for assignment not long after and passed through outright waivers. After electing free agency, Eickhoff quickly re-signed with New York on a minor league deal and made it back to the majors.

The 31-year-old has made two starts for the Mets this season, tossing ten innings 0f five-run ball with six strikeouts and four walks. That was his first big league action since his 2015-19 run with the division-rival Phillies. He initially looked like a solid back-of-the-rotation starter, but his results with the Phils tailed off over the last few seasons.

Eickhoff has spent the majority of 2021 at Syracuse. He’s tossed 46 frames with the Mets’ top minor league affiliate, working to a 5.09 ERA with decent strikeout and walk percentages (22.4% and 6.8%, respectively) but an elevated home run rate (2.15 HR/9).

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