New York Mets 2018 season thread

[thecoffeecake]

4 hours ago, Kinkyisth3b3st said:

Lmfao you're adorable. Someone mentions Philadelphia and you pop out of your hiding place with a sword and shield (well you're from philly, so you probably pop out with your heroin needle and garbage can lid). 

I'm a Yankees fan, from New Jersey, by the way. And my last World Series ring I celebrated was two birds with one stone! Ain't that just a coincidence? 

Pretty ignorant thing to say considering New Jersey, specifically Ocean County where I and thousands of other Devils fans are from, was the epicenter of this heroin epidemic. Imagine a New York sports fan running their mouth about something they know nothing about. I give you all credit for staying consistent. 

[thecoffeecake]

7 hours ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

ESPN is a joke now...I only watch it for the occasional documentary (their series on OJ was excellent, and some of their 30 for 30s are well-done), or when they have a game on that I'm interested in.  In ways they've been obsoleted, in that I can get better baseball coverage on the MLB network, better hockey coverage on the NHL network, and better football coverage on the NFL network (I don't follow the NBA, but of course they have their own channel too)...and when it comes to my teams, I can check out the Boston channels for dedicated Patriots coverage, and SNY for the Mets.  ESPN just feels old and dated. 

I've been saying the same thing, the league specific networks have really pushed ESPN aside. The one thing I use ESPN for is college basketball, which it still provides great coverage of. It has agreements with a ton of conferences, including the American which I follow most closely. Any given weeknight, they might be showing half a dozen games between their proper networks and streaming channels. The conference specific networks don't really allow you to consume coverage the way an NHL Network does.

I can't stand watching baseball on ESPN, the k zone drives me crazy. We've watched baseball without a graphic of an imaginary box for a hundred and fifty years, I don't know what compels ESPN to shove it down my throat. 

['7']

 What a worthless sh!t Dom Smith is. Ignores Rosario who was trying to wave his stupid ass off and catch the ball. Nope, the lumbering idiot pays no attention and trucks Rosario

Stupid low IQ player. I'd cut Smith this second. He has no future in baseball. He's an idiot

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

11 hours ago, '7' said:

 What a worthless sh!t Dom Smith is. Ignores Rosario who was trying to wave his stupid ass off and catch the ball. Nope, the lumbering idiot pays no attention and trucks Rosario

Stupid low IQ player. I'd cut Smith this second. He has no future in baseball. He's an idiot

As much as I'm not much of a believer in Smith at this point, I don't entirely blame him for this whole mess.

First of all, with the way he (hasn't) hit in the PCL this year, he really shouldn't even be up here to begin with.  And of course, in typical half-assed Mets fashion, we get "Hmmmmm well what the hell let's try to make Dominic an outfielder now, even though he's never played there professionally!  What can go wrong?" 

If the Mets are so friggin' convinced that Smith can somehow become an outfielder, then he just be getting daily reps in AAA, especially since he's had such a weak year with the bat...yes, it doesn't matter if the 2018 Mets win 70 games or 75 games, but tell that to pitchers who wouldn't mind seeing a few more wins by their name at season's end.  Smith has played a total of 186 innings in the OF for Vegas...did we really think that he would be anything more than a trainwreck waiting to happen?  The whole thing was a joke without a punch line...especially since we've heard about how terrific defensively Smith is supposed to be at first base. 

 

As much as Zack Wheeler still has a ways to go to earn real trust (he's teased before), it's hard to ignore how good his numbers have been as of late. 

His last 17 starts:  108.1 IP, 88 H, 34 ER, 6 HR, 30 BB, 108 K, 2.82 ERA, 1.09 WHIP (and his numbers have only gotten better towards the end of this sample)

Guy is walking well under 3 per 9 IP now...never thought we'd see that from him.  He's also had a OPS against of just .566 in these 15 games.  But he had a career WHIP of almost 1.4 coming into this season...suddenly he's not allowing nearly as many baserunners...both his walks AND his hits allowed are down significantly now. 

If Syndergaard can ever figure out how get more than the minimum from his stuff, a Top 3 of deGrom, Syndergaard, and Wheeler could be pretty damned good...of course, how many years have we said THAT, only to see injuries and/or underperformance?  Not to mention Wheeler's not exactly pitching with ANY pressure on him at this point.  If anything, one can make the argument that Wheeler's trade value will never be higher than it will be this offseason...though the fact that he will not be under team control beyond 2019 doesn't exactly help in the value department. 

Edited August 21, 2018 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Murph dealt to the Cubs.  Will be interesting to see where he goes in the offseason.

[NJDevs4978]

Yeah it's hard to blame Dom for the outfield gaffe, at least not as much as the Mets for putting him there, but he's an easy target cause he's had a couple of other mental snafus earlier this season.

Edited August 22, 2018 by NJDevs4978

['7']

17 hours ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

Murph dealt to the Cubs.  Will be interesting to see where he goes in the offseason.

Thank god. Now I can root for him again.

['7']

23 hours ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

As much as I'm not much of a believer in Smith at this point, I don't entirely blame him for this whole mess.

First of all, with the way he (hasn't) hit in the PCL this year, he really shouldn't even be up here to begin with.  And of course, in typical half-assed Mets fashion, we get "Hmmmmm well what the hell let's try to make Dominic an outfielder now, even though he's never played there professionally!  What can go wrong?" 

If the Mets are so friggin' convinced that Smith can somehow become an outfielder, then he just be getting daily reps in AAA, especially since he's had such a weak year with the bat...yes, it doesn't matter if the 2018 Mets win 70 games or 75 games, but tell that to pitchers who wouldn't mind seeing a few more wins by their name at season's end.  Smith has played a total of 186 innings in the OF for Vegas...did we really think that he would be anything more than a trainwreck waiting to happen?  The whole thing was a joke without a punch line...especially since we've heard about how terrific defensively Smith is supposed to be at first base. 

 

As much as Zack Wheeler still has a ways to go to earn real trust (he's teased before), it's hard to ignore how good his numbers have been as of late. 

His last 17 starts:  108.1 IP, 88 H, 34 ER, 6 HR, 30 BB, 108 K, 2.82 ERA, 1.09 WHIP (and his numbers have only gotten better towards the end of this sample)

Guy is walking well under 3 per 9 IP now...never thought we'd see that from him.  He's also had a OPS against of just .566 in these 15 games.  But he had a career WHIP of almost 1.4 coming into this season...suddenly he's not allowing nearly as many baserunners...both his walks AND his hits allowed are down significantly now. 

If Syndergaard can ever figure out how get more than the minimum from his stuff, a Top 3 of deGrom, Syndergaard, and Wheeler could be pretty damned good...of course, how many years have we said THAT, only to see injuries and/or underperformance?  Not to mention Wheeler's not exactly pitching with ANY pressure on him at this point.  If anything, one can make the argument that Wheeler's trade value will never be higher than it will be this offseason...though the fact that he will not be under team control beyond 2019 doesn't exactly help in the value department. 

 

Syndergaards last 4 starts have been very underwhelming. He has the stuff to be a top 5 pitcher in all of baseball but to me it doesn't appear like he's really trying to pitch. Rather he's believing in his own myths and legend and actually trying to go out there and just throw lightning and ask questions later. Trouble is sure...he's sometimes good enough to get by but we should not be satisfied with 7 innings 4 runs...6 innings 3. And he's had humbling experiences that should've led to things clicking in...they haven't yet. It's disappointing. I wish we could just put all this Thor stuff to rest it's really gone to his head

Wheeler seems to me like he's figured it out, the body language is right. He seems like he has a plan and most importantly it looks like he trusts his stuff. I really hope whatever mental and physical hurdles that he's dealt with in the past are gone. Matz is in the midst of the same sort of crossroads and I hope that he's able to come out of it just as well (if we don't trade him in the offseason)

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

2 hours ago, '7' said:

 

Syndergaards last 4 starts have been very underwhelming. He has the stuff to be a top 5 pitcher in all of baseball but to me it doesn't appear like he's really trying to pitch. Rather he's believing in his own myths and legend and actually trying to go out there and just throw lightning and ask questions later. Trouble is sure...he's sometimes good enough to get by but we should not be satisfied with 7 innings 4 runs...6 innings 3. And he's had humbling experiences that should've led to things clicking in...they haven't yet. It's disappointing. I wish we could just put all this Thor stuff to rest it's really gone to his head

Wheeler seems to me like he's figured it out, the body language is right. He seems like he has a plan and most importantly it looks like he trusts his stuff. I really hope whatever mental and physical hurdles that he's dealt with in the past are gone. Matz is in the midst of the same sort of crossroads and I hope that he's able to come out of it just as well (if we don't trade him in the offseason)

Re:  Syndergaard, yeah, like I said, the guy is more interested in being a comic strip caricature than he is a pitcher.  Sabes guys might bring up his .345 BABIP and/or his 2.68 FIP and suggest that he's had some bad luck (and Noah has had some of that here for sure), but his stuff is just too nasty for him to give up as many hits as he does.  And FIP is kind of an iffy number anyway...it heavily favors guys like Syndergaard, who doesn't give up many dingers or walks (FIP really penalizes the pitchers who DO). 

He's really been pretty meh in his last six starts, since coming off the DL...36 IP, 42 H, 16 ER (only one dinger against, FWIW), 8 BB, 29 K, .288 BAA, 4.00 ERA.  Pitchers will have ups and downs, and at quick glance it's not like Syndergaard's having a bad year, but "underwhelming" sums him up.  You just keep waiting and hoping for more than what he gives you...instead of that 8 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 12 K kind of performance, it's too many 5-7 IP, 3-4 ER kind of games, just like you said. 

Aggravating that if Wheeler has indeed figured it out, he's done it heading into his walk year.  Oh well, that's what happens when a guy misses two full seasons...the control years seem to get eaten up that much more quickly. 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

fvcking Plawecki...of course he grounds into a DP.  Looks like deGrom is about to go 8-8, despite his 1.71 ERA.  Un-fvcking-believable.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Once again Jacob, sorry the useless lazy shell masquerading as a major league GM the past couple of seasons (the one lucky enough to inherit you and other pieces) couldn't be bothered to put a decent team on the field for you.  8-8.  Jesus H.  When does the next book come out Sandy? 

[NJDevs4978]

It's also a joke Milquetoast Mickey couldn't be bothered to come out of the dugout when deGrom was screaming at the umpire over a blown call that cost him his 'only' earned run of the game.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

28 minutes ago, NJDevs4978 said:

It's also a joke Milquetoast Mickey couldn't be bothered to come out of the dugout when deGrom was screaming at the umpire over a blown call that cost him his 'only' earned run of the game.

He really is awful.  Players know when a manager doesn't have their backs.  Would be nice if the Mets could acknowledge their mistake on this one, but they won't...not with two years still owed to him.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Hell of a run that Wheeler's on...he's now allowed just four ER in his last 6 starts (39.0 IP).  Season ERA is down to 3.46. 

Mets now 12-6 in their last 18, and have outscored their opponents 110-58 (obviously the 40 runs scored in those two games against Baltimore and Philly is blowing things up).  Will be interesting to see if the upcoming trip knocks the Mets back down. 

['7']

17 hours ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

Hell of a run that Wheeler's on...he's now allowed just four ER in his last 6 starts (39.0 IP).  Season ERA is down to 3.46. 

Mets now 12-6 in their last 18, and have outscored their opponents 110-58 (obviously the 40 runs scored in those two games against Baltimore and Philly is blowing things up).  Will be interesting to see if the upcoming trip knocks the Mets back down. 

Just wondering what to do with Wheeler. If he keeps this up his trade value will be at its absolute peak. Do we roll with him in 2019 thinking he's finally figured with out or do we deal him for what may be multiple quality pieces around the diamond

And good to see Matz who was being kicked around of late pitching a solid game against the Nats who tagged him for 77 runs last time he faced them

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

I say at least shop Wheeler around.  The Mets keep betting on these guys, and it keeps not working out.  For once, sell high when you can.  

Also, there's just too many needs, and the Wilpons clearly aren't interested in spending to address any of them.  So the next GM will have to try to fill them via trades.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Sewald's nickname jersey should read "Sewer".  Awful.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Mets can't get that "little" of a return for deGrom, especially to send to him cross-town.  The fanbase will throw a serious sh!tfit.  Again, you need to keep in mind that a deal like that will erode any trust that Mets fans have left in their franchise.  This fanbase borderline DESPISES its team and its owners.  The Mets have to get the Yankees to pay a premium.   But you're not that far off. 

Nimmo is not a cornerstone player and can't be seen as such.  He's too injury-prone (always has been) and we're still not really sure if he's an everyday player year in and year out...he just went through a 60-game stretch where he hit just .218 (he does get on base though).  But this year has been encouraging overall.  He's done more than enough to get a solid look as a potential everyday guy next season. 

 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

3 minutes ago, Kinkyisth3b3st said:

Feels like the Chris Sale trade is a reasonable comparison here. Sale brought back Moncada (#1 prospect in baseball), Kopech (#67 prospect in baseball) and 2 non-BA100-lotto picks. I'd argue that a superstar-like rookie campaign is more valuable than Moncada was at the time of the deal, or at least similar. And Loisiga (#74) is very similar to Kopech at the time of the trade. Shame that a "Yankee tax" would prevent the Mets from getting the best value for their player.

Like I said, you're not far off with your proposal.  This is just one of the those deals that the Mets can't screw up or make debatable. 

It's a tough call.  deGrom is LOVED by Mets fans, and is their most popular and embraceable player.  As far as other starting pitchers go, Syndergaard (despite mostly good eye-glance numbers) has become a bit of a cartoon character (and less likable), Wheeler hasn't done this long enough to be trusted, Matz is both injury-prone and kinda soft/not mentally tough, and Vargas is...Vargas.  Cespedes doesn't even really want to play.  There's just not much there for us to latch on to. 

I'm not saying deGrom should be off the table to anyone, more than the Mets CANNOT fvck this one up, under any circumstances. 

[EdgeControl]

If you love degrom , then trade him away from this dumpster fire.. even if you don't get equal value.. for the first time in my life I would feel good about a player going to the yankees.....he'd be sensational 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

12 minutes ago, EdgeControl said:

If you love degrom , then trade him away from this dumpster fire.. even if you don't get equal value.. for the first time in my life I would feel good about a player going to the yankees.....he'd be sensational 

Can't do that.  It's not the Mets' job to make the team that almost ALWAYS makes them look like amateurs become instant and legit World Series contenders...likely for years to come.  They lose all credibility at that point...not saying that they have much of it to begin with in 2018, but if they don't get enough for deGrom, then I think a sizable chunk of their fanbase would be done with the Mets for good. 

[EdgeControl]

6 hours ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

Can't do that.  It's not the Mets' job to make the team that almost ALWAYS makes them look like amateurs become instant and legit World Series contenders...likely for years to come.  They lose all credibility at that point...not saying that they have much of it to begin with in 2018, but if they don't get enough for deGrom, then I think a sizable chunk of their fanbase would be done with the Mets for good. 

that poor kids best years are going to be wasted same with thor.. ship them both out west then. for mega amounts of draft picks then wait for the wilpons to fade away

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Wilpons aren't fading away.  It IS going to be scary as hell once it's Jeffy's show.

Mets would have to get legit, almost-ready prospects in any deals for their top starters.  You can't just give those guys away.

 

On another note, Phillies put in a waiver claim for Bautista.  With so little time left in the season, I'm sorry, this is not the time to play any kind of hardball.  Bautista is 37 years old and should NOT be part of next year's plans in any way.  Just get whatever warm (and relatively young) body that the Phillies are willing to give you and call it a day. 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Noah giving up a ton of hits yet again.  Really hope he learns how to pitch at some point.  

Congrats on becoming a perfectly mediocre thrower "Thor".

Edited August 28, 2018 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[NJDevs4978]

Yeah sad to say right now Thor's the third best pitcher on the staff