Offseason Thread

[Nasty_Magician]

It's not quite the offseason yet but I think it's time to start looking ahead. This is a huge offseason for the Mets and could make or break their chances to be real contenders in the next few years.

I think it has to be a no brainer that we go all in on Ellsbury or Choo (or both).

A name I've heard thrown around that I'm hesitant about but could talk myself into liking is Robinson Cano. I'm skeptical because I feel it's only a matter of time before he gets popped for PEDs and for no real reason I see him as being a guy that could mail it in once he gets his big payday.

On the other hand, signing him immediately adds the big bat we need and gives us a lot of options. Could he be moved to first to prolong his career and help him stay healthy? Do we keep him at 2nd and move Flores or Murphy to first? Murphy and Flores (more likely Murphy) immediately become tradeable if this move is made. Murph and a young arm or two could absolutely land us a legitimate RF.

 

[David_son]

I agree with trading Flores and Murphy. they are good players without a position. and if there is anything Lastings Milledge and Fernando Martinez has taught me trade the prospects while they still have some upside instead of waiting for them to bust.


I would got Ellsbury over Choo. obviously we need bullpen help. Since I live in St. Louis and am forced to watch Cardinal games I know they have a lot of bullpen guys and that is not including Jason Motte who is injured this year. I dont know what they would ask for but it would be worth looking into to see if someone like Motte or Majica

 

[Nasty_Magician]

Bump.

Rather than have 100 different threads we should probably try to consolidate everything into this or the ongoing Mets thread.

 

[Johnnydollaz89]

Makes sense, will post any news I find, in here.

 

[Johnnydollaz89]

The Mets have reached out to SS Rafael Furcal (Castillo, The Star-Ledger).
With Ruben Tejada’s future up in the air, the Mets are looking to solidify their shortstop position and may feel that the 36-year-old Furcal is a good option, in the short term.
Furcal played in 121 games with St. Louis in 2012, but did not play at all in 2013 due to Tommy John surgery. He is a career .281 hitter with a .346 OBP over 13 seasons.

Also the Mets said they have no interest in Trumbo, they like his power but don't feel he can be a cleanup hitter. And the loss of the 2nd round pick wont stop Sandy from spending, he said.

 

[Nasty_Magician]

I wouldn't mind Furcal. I'm still not convinced Tejada won't someday be a regular but he still needs a lot of work at the plate.

I kind of like hearing that the Mets are shooting down some of the big name rumors. In the past we just signed every flashy name imagineable, maybe we actually have certain criteria and a gamplan we are going to stick to? Trumbo and Ellsbury must not have matched what Sandy wanted?

 

[Johnnydollaz89]

The Mets have been active in making calls to free agents, while laying ground work for future deals, according to player agents in MLB (Martino, Nov. 7).
The team is expected to add no more than $30-40 million, which should put their 2014 payroll around the same $90 million it was the last two seasons (Harper, Nov. 6).

From metsblog.com

The Mets could use Travis d’Arnaud in an effort to acquire a big bat, since some in the organization are really high on catching prospect Kevin Plawecki, team sources said (Martino, Nov. 7).
Plawecki was named the organization’s minor-league player of the year, along with 1B Allan Dykstra.
Plawecki, 22, hit .305 with a .390 OBP, 38 doubles, 8 HR and 80 RBI in 125 games between Single-A Savannah and High-A St. Lucie.
D’Arnaud played in 31 games for the Mets in 2013, after getting off to a late start with a broken bone in his foot. He hit .202 and struck out nearly 20 percent of his plate appearances.

also this

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

The winter meetings are only 1 month away....but in the meantime...

MLB Rumors - MLBTradeRumors.com

 

[Johnnydollaz89]

Look for a lot of change to the Mets for 2014, says Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Sherman projects a revamped lineup, not as a specific prediction, but as representative of the kinds of additions the front office is contemplating. It includes Norichika Aoki in the leadoff spot, Andre Ethier batting cleanup, and Jhonny Peralta manning short. Here are the key takeaways from Sherman's piece:

• The Mets are much less likely to chase after top free agents like Shin-Soo Choo and Jacoby Ellsbury than they are to add multiple pieces.
• Ike Davis is very likely to be dealt, with Lucas Duda getting an opportunity to play first. Sherman suggests that a Davis-for-Aoki swap could save the Mets money and create a better fit for New York.
• Peralta is definitely on the club's radar, and they could try to sign him early in order to set the tone for the offseason. If they fail to land Peralta, says Sherman, the Mets will check in on the trade market to fill their shortstop void.
• Though Noah Syndergaard and Zack Wheeler may well be off limits, the Mets could deal from their other pitching depth, including Rafael Montero. Sherman floats the concept of a trade with the Dodgers for Ethier or even Matt Kemp, and notes that the team might otherwise pursue Curtis Granderson in free agency.
• Look for the addition of several veteran depth pieces in the pitching staff and bench, says Sherman.

More info from mlbtraderumors on us

 

[Johnnydollaz89]

And more

Here's the latest out of New York's National League entrant:

• The Mets have reached out to Scott Boras in regards to free agent outfielder Shin-Soo Choo, reports Mike Puma of the New York Post via Twitter. The sides "haven't talked dollars," however, a club official told Puma. Per another tweet, that same official expressed uncertainty as to whether a Choo signing was a real possibility, explaining that "it depends at what number."
• Boras is marketing Choo in the $90MM range, tweets Puma. The 31-year-old ranks third on MLBTR's Tim Dierkes's list of the top fifty free agents, and Dierkes predicted that he would reach a nine-figure deal.
• Another team source says that the club could be in on basically any free agent other than crosstown star Robinson Cano, according to Marc Carig of Newsday, who emphasizes that the club has had preliminary discussions with a lot of targets. (Twitter links.)
• New York's front office is optimistic about adding talent via trade, Carig further tweets.
• With the Mets hoping to add a bat by working out a deal, but unwilling to ship out top young arms like Noah Syndergaard and Zack Wheeler, Andy Martino of the New York Daily News wonders whether GM Sandy Alderson might instead be willing to part with catcher Travis D'Arnaud. Though he notes that there are plenty of reasons why that may not be a wise strategy, Martino adds that many in the organization think highly of prospect Kevin Plawecki.
• According to Assistant GM Paul DePodesta, the club will likely add "more than a handfull" of prospects to the club's 40-man roster, reports Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. Rubin proceeds to tick through the possibilities, noting that only Jacob deGrom and Jeff Walters appear to be definite additions to a big league roster that currently has thirty-six spots occupied.

 

[Johnnydollaz89]

The Mets have considered Dodgers OF Andre Ethier a possible solution in the outfield since at least last December (Martino, Nov. 8).
The Dodgers are now listening to offers for Ethier, Carl Crawford and Matt Kemp (Rosenthal, Nov. 8).

I rather take a shot at Kemp than Ethier.

 

[Nasty_Magician]

I'm curious as to what type of trade value Ike has? He's still young and he's only a season removed form hitting 30+ HRs. If he were to go to a team that plays in a bandbox he could probably have some decent success. If we could get a vet starter or some arms for the pen for him I say you do that in a heartbeat.

 

[Johnnydollaz89]

Mets like Granderson over Choo and Ellsbury

The Mets are more interested in free-agent OF Curtis Granderson than Shin-Soo Choo and Jacoby Ellsbury (Martino, Nov. 11).
According to multiple reports, Granderson is expected to decline his $14.1 million qualifying offer from the Yankees.
Baseball insiders expect Granderson to receive three- and four-year offers from multiple teams (Cerrone, Nov. 5). The White Sox and Cubs have also already contacted him, in addition to the Mets (Martino, Nov. 8).

Metsblog | Latest News, Rumors and Opinion about the Mets

 

[Nasty_Magician]

I'm not sure how crazy I am about Granderson. Certainly a step up from what we have and maybe he could be a good guy to add to the mix but I don't see him as being the answer to our woes.

 

[Johnnydollaz89]

I'm not sure how crazy I am about Granderson. Certainly a step up from what we have and maybe he could be a good guy to add to the mix but I don't see him as being the answer to our woes.

No, but he can be just the beginning and honestly I rather have him at his contract than overpaying for Choo.

 

[Johnnydollaz89]

Happy we passed on a Byrd return after he just got 2 years at 8m per from the Phillies.

 

[Johnnydollaz89]

Also if the Mets fail to sign Peralta/Drew they will be in the market for a trade and some names are Asdrubal Cabrera and Alexei Ramirez. Honestly I would be happy with either of them.

In the event they fail to sign someone off the free-agent market, the Mets will consider trading for a shortstop, such as Indians SS Asdrubal Cabrera, White Sox SS Alexei Ramirez and A’s SS Jed Lowrie (Sherman, Nov. 7).

Metsblog | Latest News, Rumors and Opinion about the Mets

 

[Nasty_Magician]

Mets Prioritizing Offense Over Pitching: MLB Rumors - MLBTradeRumors.com

Looks like they're focusing almost solely on bats in free agency, which is good. The pitching depth within the organization is the best it's been for as long as I've been watching.

 

[Johnnydollaz89]

Mets Prioritizing Offense Over Pitching: MLB Rumors - MLBTradeRumors.com

Looks like they're focusing almost solely on bats in free agency, which is good. The pitching depth within the organization is the best it's been for as long as I've been watching.

It's what we should be focusin on, Sandy said he wants to add two power bats to the lineup. Mets really like Chris Young as well now.

Several teams interested in acquiring Ike Davis

Five teams have checked in on Ike Davis (Heyman, Nov. 13).
The Astros, Orioles, Rays, Brewers and Rockies have shown interest, though Milwaukee may prefer to go with 1B-OF Corey Hart.
The Mets may be more inclined to go with Lucas Duda at first base next season, or even Josh Satin, over Davis (Heyman, Nov. 12).
The Mets are being very open minded about first base and are more likely to trade Davis than Duda, people close to the team have said (Cerrone, Nov. 7).
In September, ESPN talked to nine scouts, seven of which said they prefer Duda over Davis at first base (Rubin, Sept. 29).
Five teams have checked in on Ike Davis (Heyman, Nov. 13).

Ike for Yunel Escobar would be nice.

 

[Johnnydollaz89]

Wilpon says Mets are working on something…

Jeff Wilpon said the team was working late Tuesday, meeting with teams, agents and one player and they will “hopefully” have an announcement on something late Wednesday (McCullough, Ackert, Lennon).
“We’re open for business,” Wilpon said (Lennon). “I’d say there’s three, four, five different balls in the air. We’ll see which one lands first.”

Wilpon says Mets are working on something? | Metsblog

Oh please for the love of god be something big!