New York Mets 2017 Season Thread

[NJDevs4978]

I'm sure Reyes being back in 2018 will just thrill CR and the rest of us, but it might be likely given some of the Tweets this morning about him replacing Granderson's leadership 

 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Reyes can barely even play anymore.  And in his prime was a lazy player plenty happy to just rest on his talent.  What a fvcking joke.

['7']

Well we know what some of the plan is next year. Hope for the starting pitching to come back healthy and strong. Have Familia return to close to what he used to be. Rosario and Smith to have breakout seasons. Cespedes to start 145 games. Conforto to go 30-100. Wright to contribute (HA!) d'Arnaud to have a season where he has fewer than 3 DL stints.

Lots of wishing and hoping there. I understand these guys were UFA's and our season has been over for a while already, but it is still sad to see a team torn down like this with so many glaring holes opened. And I just fear another half assed attempt at competing on the cheap next year with a popgun offense. I don't want to see Lagares getting 400+ ab's next year. I wish the Mets would realize TJ Rivera is probably not a an everyday player at a position and will be hitting .300 for the rest of his career. He'll likely settle into a .260 bench or platoon guy. And please don't be counting on all that much from Brandon Nimmo.

We still have Syndergaard and deGrom in their primes. You cannot punt next year too because of that. I just hope they can right Matz, and maybe just maybe they figured out the issue with Harvey was just atrophied muscles. If they can build him back up then we can definitely make another run and soon. But the Wilpons have to want it and they have to be willing to spend to fill holes. They cannot tell us "Hey hope you enjoyed 2015 and 2016...welcome back to 2011!'

Edited August 19, 2017 by '7'

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

It's 2011 again.  Team is in rebuild mode, probably from within.  

['7']

Today was one of those lone bright spot type deals. Montero finally gets a W, which he did deserve. Light hitters Plawecki and Dom Smith hit HR's

Flores hit a bomb to left. I'm finally at the point where I fully trust Flores bat. But I'll never trust him anywhere in the field. 

['7']

7 hours ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

It's 2011 again.  Team is in rebuild mode, probably from within.  

If it is then it's extremely disappointing, because from when the rebuild started (2011) to when they were finally ready to compete (2nd half of 2015) this is not enough of a payoff for the fans. Yes we got a nice, unforgettable WS run and a WC game the following season, but the window of opportunity is still open. It's the Wilpons who are deciding to slam it shut because of how cheap they are.

But after a 4 year rebuild to only get 2 years out of it and then off to another rebuild...that is a terrible way to do business.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

No arguments from me at all '7'.  But these are the Mets.  And Sandy probably feels like he already did his job.  The kind of GM the Mets really need to try to keep this thing going doesn't seem to be out there, and if he was, they wouldn't go out and get him anyway.

I have zero expectations for this offseason.  It sucks.  Oh well...guess the past two seasons were fun while they lasted.

[NJDevs4978]

The PTBNL for Granderson is Jacob Rhame...ANOTHER bullpen pitcher

He's actually in the Dodgers' top thirty prospects and is a 24-year old who's never pitched an inning in the bigs and seems to be a one-pitch (fastball) pitcher though he's had good numbers in the minors.  So guess the only priorities this deadline were saving money and stockpiling pen arms.

['7']

50 minutes ago, NJDevs4978 said:

The PTBNL for Granderson is Jacob Rhame...ANOTHER bullpen pitcher

He's actually in the Dodgers' top thirty prospects and is a 24-year old who's never pitched an inning in the bigs and seems to be a one-pitch (fastball) pitcher though he's had good numbers in the minors.  So guess the only priorities this deadline were saving money and stockpiling pen arms.

I have never seen a team jettison so much and get so little in return. I understand they're all UFA's but this is paltry. It would've been nice to see them come away with a catching or 3B prospect as well, even if they were also longshot-ish

We have a lot of holes to fill for 2018. Most cannot be filled internally.

[NJDevs4978]

And now Rosario and Ces doing their best to make the Mets look like even more of a gong show.  Even a mild-mannered guy like deGrom was visibly exasperated with Rosario.

['7']

3 minutes ago, NJDevs4978 said:

And now Rosario and Ces doing their best to make the Mets look like even more of a gong show.  Even a mild-mannered guy like deGrom was visibly exasperated with Rosario.

Rookie mistake I guess, he just can't do it again. You gotta know Gordon is fast. Charge and throw, don't double pump.

Ces...that's always going to happen with him. Comes with the territory with him. Game was already over anyway.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Cespedes was clearly on his best behavior before getting his payday.  He's going to be a serious problem going forward.  No wonder he's been on so many teams.

And when the owner and GM don't give a sh!t, why should anyone else?  Including us?

['7']

I do wonder with Cespedes. He's kind of an airhead as is, not that he's a bad guy just not as focused as he should be. If next year goes off the rails then yes we can probably expect more drops, and balls falling at his feet with no effort to catch it. Cespedes likes the big moment. He'll get sloppy and disinterested during the grind of losing baseball

I can definitely see him being moved at the deadline next year especially if we can get a young outfielder in return. Hopefully it will be more of a sellers market then this year.

Edited August 21, 2017 by '7'

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

It really is stunning how quickly this franchise is back to Square One.  Some of this was inevitable...Smith and Rosario don't get callups if everything goes right, but they were obviously going to get a shot very soon...it was pretty much guaranteed that Duda and Cabrera wouldn't be back in 2018 (well, in Cabrera's case, not as the starting SS, anyway).  Ditto Grandy.  Maybe the Mets try to re-sign Bruce, though we've been over that one...I'm definitely not doing that long-term if I'm Sandy.  Walker was in a "show me" situation, and simply didn't show enough to allow the Mets to feel comfortable committing to him.  

But you've alluded to it '7'...there's going to be a boatload of holes next season that aren't going to be filled to our satisfaction.  Lagares will be the starting CF next year (Nimmo will get a shot to take the job from him, but I don't think it's ever going to happen for him in the majors as a full-time player).  Conforto and Cespedes will complete the OF.  IF will be Reyes (bleech, this I find more infuriating than anything else), Rosario, Cecchini/Cabrera (maybe the Mets pick up his option), Smith, and d'Arnaud.  Maybe a cheap IF signing is coming, but Sandy is going to do next to nothing this offseason.  Payroll is going to plummet, probably by design.  The only big thing I can see happening is deGrom signing a fairly pricey long-term deal to stick around.  But that's it.  Next year's team will struggle to finish .500.

['7']

Lagares in CF everyday just fills me with dread. Because you know in May he's going to make a nice diving catch and "Gary, looks like Juans wrist is bothering him ...Ray Ramirez out to check"  then we'll see him again in August. He will never make it through a full season. A wonderful defensive sub who has been chasing high heat since he first appeared on the scene. Nimmo is another non starter. I think Alderson will try to shove him out there to justify the pick and just hope he produces but there just isn't enough power there. Not enough HR power, heck not even doubles power. He's a good kid who can field and draw some walks. Can't do much else.

Hate to say this but...if I'm deGrom, I walk right into Sandy's office the day after the season ends and I demand that they either make a commitment to winning or trade me over the winter. I'm 29 years old, poured my heart out for this team in a lost year. Now it looks like they may enter another prolonged malaise. I don't want to deal with this anymore. I don't want to lend my services to such a 2nd rate franchise.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

I could see Sandy bringing in an insurance-type CF on a one-year deal, but no one that will excite even a little bit.  A tandem of Lagares and Nimmo is pretty scary...especially since BOTH of them are injury-prone (along with being lousy bats).  Agree on deGrom...if I'm him I want to know what the hell the plan is too.  I wouldn't blame him one bit for wanting out.  

I do think the Mets will try to back Nimmo at Lagares' expense, but Nimmo won't ever do enough to permanently take the job...especially since he's been a bit clumsy in CF.  I keep forgetting about Flores in next year's IF mix...maybe he gets a shot to be the third baseman next season.  He'll never be a good glove, but he looks he can at least be a decent bat with power.  Who's currently a Met that deserves to start there over him?  

Edited August 21, 2017 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[NJDevs4978]

And now predictably Matz to the DL lol...the rotation's going to be deGrom, Montero, Flexen, Gsellman and Tommy Milone (remember him?)

 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Wasn't Matz saying that he felt fine all this time?  God I'm so sick of this franchise.  

[NJDevs4978]

So apparently David Wright's beginning rehab tonight, serving as a DH in St. Lucie.  Honestly I think he's just coming back to pinch-hit when rosters expand in September and have a few goodbye AB's but who knows

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Tommy Milone...fvcking ponderous.

I hope the Mets start getting less than 10000 per game soon...Sandy and the Wilpons deserve that.  

[NJDevs4978]

I'm sure they'll get 10000 in actual attendance (if they haven't already) judging by StubHub prices, just won't be announced as such cause I'm sure there were a lot of presold tickets for August and September.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Rosario with three triples and three HR so far...slugging .476 in his limited MLB sample.  Outside of not walking at all, he's been ok offensively...holding his own.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Such odd numbers for Rosario so far:  22 GP, .269/.288/.474 slash (.762 OPS...plenty respectable at this very early stage), four stolen bases (six attempts), 3 HR...but with 26 K and just one BB.  You kind of wonder what happens first...does Rosario start to improve upon that unsustainably bad K-to-BB ratio, or does he go into a major funk?  He's actually been quite hot in his last 13 GP, even with his Bizarro-world 15 K to 1 BB over that time:  .340/.354/.596 slash (.950 OPS)...if anyone had told me that a 21-year-old who doesn't necessarily project to be an electric bat would have a run like that (even though it's a puny sample) this early in his career, I'd have to be thrilled with it. 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Chris Flexen is somehow 3-1 with a 4.09 ERA in his last four starts...doesn't seem bad, until you look at the rest of his numbers:  22 IP, 21 H (4 HR), 15 BB (15 K), 1 HBP, and an .816 OPS against.  He's "only" allowed 10 runs in those four starts, which is miraculous considering that he's allowed 37 baserunners and four dingers in those 22 IP.  Doesn't seem like progress as much as it does him getting extremely good fortune. 

Ditto Montero for the most part...due to the absolute sh!tstorm that season has become, Montero has essentially been gifted a spot in the rotation for seven straight starts...an incredible opportunity for someone who has achieved so little.  He's shown minor improvement, but nothing really to go crazy over:  38.1 IP, 44 H (8 HR...ouch), 22 ER, 16 BB, 36 K, 3 HBP, and an .889 OPS against.  We've been over it, but mostly because the bar was set so low by his previous major-league stints, it's almost as though the fact that he now has managed some pretty good starts here is reason for celebration.  If you're feeling generous, I guess you can isolate Montero's last two starts as something to build off...and if he puts in a similar effort today, then suddenly that's three good starts in a row...off the top of my head, I don't think he's ever managed that at this level.  But it seems like that's been his story now for years...building blocks for a foundation that instantly crumbles the second it's time to start adding floors.  Will be very interesting to see what the Mets do with him in the offseason...especially if he shocks us all by somehow pitching reasonably well through the end of 2017.

Lagares predictably not hitting yet again...he'll never be the guy that showed some promise at the plate in 2014 (.281 BA/.321 OB%)...when he can actually PLAY, he's slashed .253/.291/.364 (.655 OPS, 78 OPS+ (100 OPS+ is average)) over the last three seasons...with this season being toast, I think you give him the rest of the season in CF (does it really matter anymore?), and when he continues to show nothing at the plate, you try to find a way to dig yourself out of the $15.5 million he has coming to him over the next two seasons.  Don't just let him hang around here as a legit everyday CF option. 

Lagares' "Hope he'll become a bargain" contract, which did make some sense at the time, really shows how little has worked out for Sandy...even with moves that didn't seem to be that bad on paper at the time.  He has missed on so many moves...it's scary in that some GMs can go to a certain franchise (even ones that had success previously) and just seem to have so much just not work out...to the point where they just seemed fvcking cursed no matter what they do.  Bruce comes here in 2016 and doesn't do jack as a deadline acquisition...goes to Cleveland under the same circumstances and it's a completely different story.  Walker replacing Murph has been a borderline disaster...especially with Murph suddenly becoming such a beast at the plate (in fairness to Walker, Walker basically gave the Mets exactly what he should have, when healthy).  We've been over Sandy's low-tier and mid-tier potential bargain-type FA signings...the only one that really seemed to work out off the top of my head was Colon.  And it's not like Sandy's drafts have been all that great either. 

I just don't think he's shown nearly enough here to be trusted with another rebuild...especially one that could use some expediting.  We just sat through one of these that was achieved mostly through players plucked from the prior regime (some of which were dealt for other assets) and an almost "deliberate to a fault" approach...considering how often the Wilpons d*ck around with this fanbase, I don't know how all-in I'm going to be to yet another extended drought.  Maybe I should just finally accept that as long as the Wilpons are around and are the primary owners, that it will simply be impossible for the Mets to sustain any kind of success?  I don't want to do that, but this year has just been so fvckED, from damned near Opening Day, and I'm simply out of finding ways to make any sense of what goes on with this team.  It feels like there's zero fvcking hope, no way that it will ever get better...as much as I want Sandy and Terry and Terry's sh!tty coaches gone, I can't help but feel like it won't get any better with whoever comes in to replace them.  I've been pissed about this franchise for so much of the season, but I have no piss left.  Now it's just resignation that it's going to be more suckage and irrelevance and jokes about how the Mets poison every last thing they touch.  And it's really bumming me out. 

Edited August 24, 2017 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

And now Conforto dislocates his shoulder SWINGING A fvckING BAT.  You can't make this sh!t up. 

Wilmer showing why he can make you crazy...just when he starts getting a lot of playing time and an extended chance to show his stuff, and just when fans want to see what he can do playing nearly everyday, his bat disappears.  He's now 3-for-his-last-31...yes, everyone is prone to ugly slumps, and his overall season numbers are still pretty good (except for the low OB%...that's just never going to be a strength for him), but this just seems to happen to him...a guy who just won't ever flourish in as an everyday player (especially since he's such a poor defensive player).   

Edited August 24, 2017 by Colorado Rockies 1976