Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Remember the Major League Baseball lockout? You know, the one that lasted 99 days, and delayed the start of the 2022 season? One of the key topics the two sides haggled over for more than three months was competition in the game, and, more specifically, the need to reduce tanking. As the 2022 season enters its second third, let’s take a look at where competition in the game stands.

This year, going into the games of June 6, there are 12 teams (40%) in baseball with records over .500. Last year on this date, 16 teams (53%)  were over the .500 mark. It certainly would appear that the Oakland Athletics (currently 20-36) and Cincinnati Reds (18-35) decided to sell off their better players (Mark Canha, Sonny Gray, Chris Bassitt, Jesse Winker, Eugenio Suarez, etc.) and write off 2022. In addition, eight of 30 teams have payrolls less than $100 million. This is exactly what the Major League Baseball Players’ Association was trying to avoid under a new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Player representative and union leader Andrew Miller spoke about tanking in February of 2022, while the negotiations were ongoing. From Emma Baccellieri in Sports Illustrated:

“I think tanking is something you’ve probably heard a lot from us. It’s horrible to tell your fans before the season even starts that you’re not going to compete for a while. That’s not putting a good product on the field. Who wants to go watch a game when ownership has told you that they’re not going to try? And for multiple years, in a lot of cases. I think there are ways that, unfortunately, we have to kind of save them from themselves and convince them. Because the players go out there, and they try to win, every pitch, every at-bat, every game, and to be a player on a team that’s been told that winning isn’t important, it’s an issue. So if we can correct some of that stuff through little things in the CBA—or, I don’t know if I want to call them little things, but through the CBA, through these negotiations, then we need to do so.”

With the addition of two more playoff teams in 2022, teams hovering near .500 remain in the hunt, at least for now, for a playoff spot. For example, the Boston Red Sox, at 27-27, are just four games out of a wildcard spot. In the National League, the Atlanta Braves, at 28-27, find themselves two games out in the wildcard race at this early juncture. At this point, the expanded 12-team playoff field is keeping things interesting for a few teams that have not gotten off to good starts.

Another concern at the early stage of the new CBA is that baseball is becoming a game of haves and have-nots. Going back to payroll, the highest, according to SportTrac, are as follows:

1. New York Mets, $260, 222,000
2. Los Angeles Dodgers, $260,002,000
3. New York Yankees, $247,653,000
4. Philadelphia Phillies $233, 209,000
5. San Diego Padres, $217,967,000
6. Boston Red Sox, $201,436,000

Four of the teams above are in the top five for best records in the game. (The Houston Astros are tied for the third best record and are 10th in payroll). The early evidence is that teams are still tanking, and teams are not spending on payroll to the levels the MLBPA was seeking in order to enhance competition.

What is being done to address these issues?

When the lockout was resolved, one of the key agreements was around a draft lottery to begin in 2023. Here is how it will work, from Jim Callis of MLB.com:

“Beginning in 2023, the first six choices will be determined by lottery rather than by the reverse order of the previous year’s standings. The teams with the three worst records from the previous season will have the best chance (16.5 percent each) to get the No. 1 overall pick via the lottery, which will include all 18 non-postseason clubs. The other teams will have declining percentages in reverse order of their records, down to 0.23 percent for the non-playoff club with the highest winning percentage.”

Perhaps the draft lottery will work to reduce the tanking incentive. The payroll issue is another story. While salary floors (with penalties) were discussed early in the CBA negotiations, they did not make their way into the final agreement. With more money going to each team before a ticket is sold (primarily from the new streaming services, Peacock and Apple TV+), there really is no way to ensure that this revenue is spent on players, to make more teams competitive each season.

The players expressed concern about expanded playoffs, that the new format may work to dissuade spending and the need for more teams to invest in order to compete. Early on, those concerns seem to be manifesting. Some teams are still tanking,  spending on payroll is not going up significantly across the game.

The new draft structure may be a step in the right direction (time will tell after a couple of years), but baseball has an issue with competition, and the biggest issue is that the game may become sharply divided along team revenue lines. The higher threshold for the Competitive Balance Tax may only exacerbate the issue of larger-market teams consistently out leveraging smaller-market teams.

It’s early in the CBA. However, a future world of teams tanking, and World Series winners being an exclusive club of large-market teams is not good for the game. Maybe the CBA did not go far enough on these issues.

At least the New York Mets are finally acting as one of those larger-market teams.

The post Has Competition in MLB Improved Since the Lockout? appeared first on Metsmerized.

When the Major League Baseball Players Association was asked how long they’re prepared to sit out, executive committee member Andrew Miller promptly replied.

“We’re prepared,” Miller said.

At the conclusion of 10 days of intense back and forth, the players union and Major League Baseball failed to make a deal on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement thus forcing the cancellation of games due to a work stoppage for the first time in 27 years. MLB claims they made their “best and final offer” the players union laughs at that assumption.

“This has been in the making for years,” Mets pitcher and MLBPA executive subcommittee member Max Scherzer said.

The owners failed to meet the player’s demands across the board from the collective bargaining, tax to minimum player salaries, to a pre-arbitration bonus pool.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred referred to the lockout as “defensive.” The MLBPA responded with a statement saying the lockout “is, in fact, the culmination of a decades-long attempt by owners to break our Player fraternity. As in the past, this effort will fail. We are united and committed to negotiating a fair deal that will improve the sport for Players, fans and everyone who loves our game.”

Tony Clark, the executive director of the MLBPA, said “a lockout is the ultimate economic weapon.”

“In a $10 billion industry the owners decided to use this weapon against the greatest asset they have – the players,” Clark added.

Now with the cancellation of games, the owners will not be paying players their game checks and their salaries will be lessened. Manfred stated they have no intention of doing so and there is currently no plan to make up the games in the schedule.

The earliest the season could realistically start is April 8. That’s if the sides agree to a deal before March 8. The union is ready to get back into the negotiating room tomorrow but the league is leaving Florida and heading back to their New York offices.

This could have been avoided. The MLBPA sent proposals as early as last April regarding the CBA but MLB ignored them. They also send a proposal the day after the lockout began and were promptly ignored for 43 days by the ownership contingent. Now the MLB-imposed lockout with the MLB-imposed negotiation deadline has been reached and the worst possible result has happened.

The players union is ready to fight for the betterment of future players in the sport. Scherzer who will make over $40 million this season explained how they’re trying to do it through their proposals.

“We came into these negotiations understanding that the landscape across the game has changed. Young players more than ever are entering the game and producing at high levels. We as players want to address that,” Scherzer said. “We want to raise the level of competition relative to revenues so that they better reflect that compensation level. So as we navigate through the process we still feel that there’s dollars to be allocated for their contributions on the field more than what’s on the table.”

The sides are presently $25,000 apart on minimum salaries and $10,000 on raises per year. The largest difference is the amount for a pre-arbitration bonus pool. The union wants $85 million allocated while the league wants only $30 million.

“The game has suffered damage for a while now. The game has changed. The game has been manipulated,” Clark said. “Players have been commoditized in a way that’s really hard to explain in the grand scheme.”

One of the main ways the union seeks to increase competition is through the competitive balance tax. The players want to see it raised to $230 million this season and over $260 million by 2026. The league wants it to be $230 million in 2026.

Part of the competition issue that was fought and eventually agreed upon is the number of playoff teams. The league looked for 14 playoff squads while the union wanted at most 12.

“We didn’t understand why they didn’t want to take us up on a more competitive format,” Scherzer said.

Ultimately the sides agreed upon a 12-team format.

No meeting has been scheduled for when the sides will meet again. The PA doesn’t want more games to get canceled and they’re ready to negotiate. Any delay would be the fault of the league.

Manfred laughed and smiled right before announcing the cancelation of games. The players, like they’ve shown all winter, are ready to make things work. It’s up to the owners to decide if they want baseball.

The post MLBPA Not Backing Down From Manfred, Owners appeared first on Metsmerized.

When is enough, enough?

Well for the Mets the answer is never.

Despite already adding four pieces to the team for next season and beyond the Mets have not signaled any sign of slowing down. Owner Steve Cohen is expected to push payroll beyond heights imagined and hopefully spend his way to a World Series trophy in 2022.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post identified five targets the Mets could sign post-lockout with contract predictions.

1. Yusei Kikuchi (two years, $26 million)
2. Collin McHugh (one year, $8 million)
3. Ryan Tepera (two years, $16 million)
4. Andrew Miller (one year, $3 million)
5. Brett Gardner (one year, $3 million)

Kikuchi has been a popular name linked to the Mets after he declined a $13 million option for 2022 with the Seattle Mariners. Could the Mets sign a former Mariner for once?

Kikuchi was an All-Star in 2021 but had a second-half collapse akin to Taijuan Walker. When his velocity is up, Kikuchi’s numbers plant him as one of the best starters in baseball but when it begins to drop his ERA inflates vociferously. Still, he has been one of the most durable starters and has made 70 starts the last three seasons, tied for 23rd in baseball.

McHugh could make his valiant return to the New York Mets organization after being traded away for Eric Young Jr. in 2013. McHugh was one of the best relievers in baseball last season along with Tepera. Both strike out batters in bunches and suffocate lefties despite pitching from the right side of the mound.

Miller has one of the more dramatic pitching splits in baseball. The lefty reliever held opposing lefties to a .545 OPS but righties hit for a 1.151 OPS against the veteran. Sherman cited Miller’s clubhouse presence as a positive and that three of the best hitters in the NL East (Bryce Harper, Juan Soto, Freddie Freeman) are all left-handed batters.

Brett Gardner? In blue and orange? This one seems a little nuts. Gardner has played his entire career with the Yankees and he’d demolish that reputation for one year with the Mets. He’d likely be nothing more than a bench bat or defensive replacement. He’d make the Mets deeper for sure but his interest would be the question needing answers.

Sherman’s five additions add $35 million to the Mets payroll and no long-term investments. The Mets would be in a prime position to be title favorites when the 2022 season gets rolling.

The post Free Agents One Baseball Insider Thinks The Mets Could Grab appeared first on Metsmerized.

Good morning Mets fans! Today is the first day of winter and thus we are one season away from Opening Day.

Latest Mets News

Former Met and current Mets-killer Daniel Murphy has left the Mets’ division to sign a two-year, $24 million contract with the Colorado Rockies according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

John Delcos of Forbes considers the Mets to be an improved team, but not that much better than last year’s team.

Hannah Withiam of The Athletic wrote a piece about Steven Matz whose durability in 2018 was a step in the right direction.

Latest MLB News

Baseball Prospectus created a video that explains their new advanced hitting metric: Deserved Runs Created Plus (DRC+).

Eno Sarris of The Athletic tried answering the question of “How many good young players does a team really need in order to compete?”

The St. Louis Cardinals were closing in on a deal with Andrew Miller on Thursday night as first reported by Rosenthal.

Likewise, the Oakland Athletics were closing in on a deal for Joakim Soria according to Rosenthal.

A big brawl ensued in the ninth inning of Wednesday’s Venezuelan winter league game between La Guaira and Caracas.

Latest NL East News

The Washington Nationals signed Anibal Sanchez to a two-year, $19 million deal with an option for 2021.

Manny Machado met with the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday.

Freddie Freeman and Charlie Culberson of the Atlanta Braves volunteered some of their time at a pet adoption center.

Latest on MMO/MMN

Ty Kelly wrote the third installment of his series: “My Baseball Life.”

Matt Musico wrote about the NL East race which is already looking like a good one due to the improvements made and the urgency to win by four out of the five teams.

Tim Ryder called on the Mets to aim higher than players like Adam Jones and Melky Cabrera.

Liam Quinn graded Noah Syndergaard‘s 2019 campaign.

John Sheridan emphasized the importance for the Mets to address the depth of the team.

Sheridan also wrote about Luis Carpio who may be poised for a breakout 2019 season.

This Day in Mets History

1998: The Mets signed Pat Mahomes to a two-year deal. Mahomes is the father of current Kansas City Chiefs Pro Bowl quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

2005: The Mets signed Chad Bradford to a one-year deal. He pitched to the tune of a 2.90 ERA and 1.16 WHIP over the course of 70 appearances and 62 innings during the 2006 season.

Birthdays: John Mayberry Jr. turns 35, Taylor Teagarden turns 35, Philip Humber turns 36, Royce Ring turns 38, Dicky Gonzalez turns 40, Buddy Carlyle turns 41, LaTroy Hawkins turns 46, Roger McDowell turns 58, Dave Kingman turns 70 and Elliott Maddox turns 71.

The post Morning Briefing: Mets Birthdays Abound On Day One Of Winter appeared first on Metsmerized.

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, free-agent relief pitcher Andrew Miller and the St. Louis Cardinals are “closing in” on a contract agreement.

A one-time offseason target of the New York Mets, Miller, 33, hit the open market after an injury-filled 2018 campaign (hamstring, knee, shoulder) that saw his stats dip to uncharacteristically low levels.

After pitching to a 1.82 earned-run average from 2013 through 2017 with 469 strikeouts, 84 walks, a 1.96 fielding independent pitching rating, 0.850 WHIP, and a 234 ERA+ rating from 2013 through 2017 (108 appearances, 291.2 innings), Miller had a nightmare season in 2018.

Between the litany of injuries, the left-hander pitched in 37 games (34 innings), posting a 4.34 ERA, 3.51 FIP, 1.382 WHIP, and a 2.81 strikeout-to-walk ratio last year.

Fangraphs has Miller’s estimated value listed as $22 million over two years.

We’ll keep you posted as new information becomes available.

The post Cardinals “Closing In” on Deal with Andrew Miller appeared first on Metsmerized.

So far this offseason, new Mets’ general manager Brodie Van Wagenen has made it a priority to bolster the bullpen. First acquiring Edwin Diaz in a huge deal with the Seattle Mariners, New York also brought back Jeurys Familia to be his setup man, fortifying the back end of the pen.

Those two guys, along with Seth Lugo, Robert Gsellman and a combination of Drew Smith, Daniel Zamora, Tyler Bashlor, Kyle Dowdy, Eric Hanhold and Bobby Wahl, the Mets have some appealing in house names to round out the rest of the bullpen.

However, with Jerry Blevins unlikely to return, New York needs a left-hander out there. While the aforementioned Zamora is a southpaw, it would be wise for the Mets to bring in an established lefty to really further solidify the relief corps.

Here are three lefty relievers who could be beneficial for the Mets to bring in.

Andrew Miller

With Familia back, this one is a long shot at this point, as Miller is one of the most appealing relievers on the market and is poised to get a big contract.

But the idea of having him out there with Diaz and Familia is too good not to think about.

The only realistic scenario I could see where the Mets end up with Miller is if they get him on a one-year deal so he can re-establish his value before hitting the free agent market next year.

With his track record though, even despite a rough 2018 where he was injured and his numbers weren’t up to par, he’ll still likely get a multi-year deal somewhere.

But bringing in Miller would really give the Mets one of the most formidable bullpens in baseball. Hopefully he can somehow fall into the Mets lap.

Luis Avilan

Luis Avilan, 29, has been a successful southpaw in the bigs since he debuted in 2010, owning a career 3.09 ERA, 127 ERA+, 3.25 FIP, and 8.0 K/9.

Last year, he split his time between the Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago White Sox, and appeared in 70 total games, logging a 3.77 ERA and 3.09 FIP in 45.1 innings pitched.

In 2018, he held lefties to a triple slash of .220/.304/.341 and surrendered just one homer in 93 plate appearances. For his career, he has held lefties to a .213/.289/.292 clip in 607 plate appearances.

Avilan isn’t the most sexy name, but he is a solid situational lefty that the Mets really need.

Oliver Perez

I’m sure many of you cringed when I mentioned Ollie’s name. But truth is, he has really established himself as a quality reliever since he left the Mets nearly a decade ago.

Perez is at the end of his career, but has still proven to be effective, especially in 2018 where he logged a 1.39 ERA out of the Cleveland Indians bullpen in 51 games.

Bringing back Perez would be a risky move, as Mets fans don’t exactly take too kind to him, but he could really be beneficial as a situational lefty.

Since he’s now 37, he will likely only command a one-year deal, so it could be worth taking a flyer.

MetsMerized’s John Sheridan wrote an article debating whether or not the Mets should bring back Ollie on Friday. That article can be read here.

***

A couple other names the Mets could consider on the southpaw front are Zach Britton, Jake Diekman, Tony Sipp and Justin Wilson among others.

Which lefty would you like to see the Mets pursue?

The post Three Lefty Relievers Who Could Help the Mets appeared first on Metsmerized.

Heading into the offseason, the New York Mets were set to pay Anthony Swarzak, 33, $8.5 million to fulfill an unspecified — then or ever — role in the team’s bullpen in 2019 alongside Seth Lugo, Robert Gsellman, a select couple of young arms (let’s say, Drew Smith and Daniel Zamora), and whomever else general manager Brodie Van Wagenen eventually brought in to plug the remaining gaps. Oh, how things have changed.

The Mets traded for their new closer, Edwin Diaz, 24, on Dec. 3, in the deal that sent Swarzak, Jay Bruce, Jarred Kelenic, Justin Dunn, and Gerson Bautista to Seattle in exchange for the 24-year-old right-hander and second baseman Robinson Cano.

After having his sights reportedly set on left-hander Andrew Miller throughout Major League Baseball’s Winter Meetings in Las Vegas this week, Van Wagenen came home from the desert with a different, yet overwhelmingly familiar, new toy in former Mets closer, Jeurys Familia.

Over seven seasons in New York, Familia pitched to a 2.66 earned-run average, 2.93 fielding independent pitching rating, 1.211 WHIP, 9.2 strikeouts and 3.6 walks per nine innings, and a 143 ERA+ rating over 313 appearances, all but one in relief (321.1 innings).

Familia, 29, agreed to a three-year, $30 million deal early Thursday morning, bringing the right-hander back to the organization who signed him as a 16-year-old out of the Dominican Republic after being traded to Oakland last season (for minor league third baseman Will Toffey, right-handed reliever Bobby Wahl, and international bonus pool money.

Prior to the deal, Familia was having a resurgent year after a lackluster, injury-filled 2017 campaign. Through his first 40 appearances of the year, he owned a 2.88 ERA, 2.55 FIP, 1.230 WHIP, and 3.07 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Over his thirty appearances with the Athletics after the trade (31.1 innings), Familia pitched very well, though his numbers weren’t exactly gleaming — specifically the bloated (for him) 3.45 ERA he carried through the end of the season.

Diaz and Familia, even on paper, give the Mets one of the more formidable back-end-of-the-bullpen pairings in all of baseball. The combination of two power pitchers with ungodly off-speed stuff theoretically closing out games after the seventh inning in Flushing is an exciting notion.

Familia isn’t all that far removed from his magnificent stretch over the 2015 and 2016 seasons when he pitched to a 2.20 ERA, 2.56 FIP, with 1.105 WHIP, 3.40 strikeouts-to-walks, and a 178 ERA+ rating. Oh, and he also led all of baseball in saves in 2016 with 51 closeouts.

Considering Joe Kelly — a terrific reliever but simply not on the level of Jeurys Familia — just got $25 million over three years from the Dodgers and Spotrac has Cody Allen ($13.8 million) and Craig Kimbrel‘s ($16.5 million) value on the open market pegged at nearly a third higher than the money Familia got, I’d say Van Wagenen found himself a fantastic deal.

If he decides to turn the New York Mets relief corps into arguably one of the more elite staffs in the National League by adding Andrew Miller, all the better. But with Familia handing the ball off to Edwin Diaz next season, there’s no question this team is in a better position than they were — and have been in the bullpen — in quite some time.

The post Mets Bullpen Substantially Upgraded by Familia Reunion appeared first on Metsmerized.

According to Mike Puma of the NY Post, the New York Mets have not ruled out signing lefty Andrew Miller even after agreeing to terms on a three-year, $30 million deal with righty Jeurys Familia.

Puma does note though that the Mets do have some concerns over the 33-year old’s health issues. Miller is coming off an injury plagued season, in which he had three separate trips to the disabled list.

From 2014-2017, the lefty was one of the most dominant relievers in the game. During that span he didn’t post an ERA over 2.04 and finished in the top-10 in AL Cy-Young voting twice. However last season was a much different story. The injuries limited him to just 34 innings, and he posted a 4.24 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, and 45 strikeouts.

When asked Wednesday if he feels Miller will bounce back in 2019, Indians manager Terry Francona told reporters, “He’ll be fine. I hope he goes to the National League. That’s how confident I am.”

Puma also notes that the Mets are a bit concerned over Miller’s workload coupled with his price tag, as the team does have other areas in need of improvement, which could make a deal difficult.

The post Mets Have Not Ruled Out Andrew Miller appeared first on Metsmerized.

The Major League Baseball Winter Meetings are meant to be an action packed couple of days with rumors, trades and big free agent signings. The 2018 meetings were a dud in that regard.

Free Agent Action Minimal 

Outfielder Andrew McCutchen was given the biggest deal of the meetings from the Philadelphia Phillies. He signed for three-years, $50 million with an option for a fourth year.

Starting pitching was the market that took the biggest hit at the meetings with Charlie Morton going to the Rays, Lance Lynn landing with the Rangers, Tyson Ross signing with the Tigers and J.A. Happ returning to the Yankees.

Other smaller deals at the meetings included first baseman Justin Bour to the Angels, outfielder Billy Hamilton to the Royals and infielder Jordy Mercer signing with the Tigers.

If you thought the free agent market was quiet, the trade avenue was barely a whisper. The highlight in that regard was on Wednesday when the Nationals and Reds swapped Tanner’s. Right-handed starter Tanner Roark was shipped to the Reds for right-handed reliever Tanner Rainey.

Where Did That Come From?

Two of the more surprising things to happen at the meetings was the Blue Jays releasing shortstop Troy Tulowitzki and designated hitter Harold Baines (along with reliever Lee Smith) being elected by the Today’s Game Era Committee to the Hall of Fame.

On Tuesday, the Blue Jays made the release of the five-time All-Star official. Despite the release, the Blue Jays still have to pay Tulo the $38 million guaranteed left on his deal.

Baines being elected was met with widespread criticism across baseball. The left-handed hitter played in 22 big leagues season, but finished with only posting 38.7 bWAR in his career (for reference, non-Hall of Famer Keith Hernandez finished at 60.4 bWAR).

Lots of Smoke

All was quiet on the rumor front until late Monday night when the news broke that the Mets, Yankees and Marlins has at least discussed a three-way deal that would send catcher J.T. Realmuto to Flushing and right-handed pitcher Noah Syndergaard to the Bronx.

It didn’t take long for that scenario to be seen as nothing more than a long-shot, though it did tell you that new Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen isn’t going to let the limited recent trade history between the Yankees and Mets stop him from looking at every possible avenue of making his team better.

Despite what feels like weeks worth of rumors surrounding Realmuto, it seems like he will end the meeting still in a Marlins uniform. The most recent reports have the Rays and Reds as teams in addition to the Mets still hoping to swing a deal for arguably the games best catcher.

The Dodgers are said to be actively looking to shed an outfield, whether it’s Matt Kemp or Yasiel Puig. Though, any thought of the Mets possibly showing interest in Puig – in need of outfielders – was quickly shot down.

Late Night Surprise

Very late on Wednesday night, the news broke that the Mets were bringing back reliever Jeurys Familia. The Mets now have a back-end of the bullpen that features three quality arms in Familia, Edwin Diaz and Seth Lugo.

Question becomes, what else in the pen? They still need a lefty and have shown strong interest in Andrew Miller.

Indians manager Terry Francona was asked on Wednesday if he thought Miller would bounce back from a disappointing 2018, “He will be fine, I hope he goes to the National League. That’s how confident I am he’ll bounce back.”

Still Need A Catcher

Van Wagenen has driven home the point that the Mets are looking to upgrade the catcher position after a few years of disappointment. While Realmuto pushed the headlines, the Mets also spoke with the representatives for free agent catchers Wilson Ramos and Martin Maldonado at the meetings.

The Mets also reportedly touched based with the Red Sox as they look to deal from their surplus catching. Boston has defensive specialists Sandy Leon and Christian Vazquez possibly on the block, as well as the versatile Blake Swihart.

Scanning Outfield Market

With McCutchen off the table, an already beleaguered outfield free agent market looks even worse. That’s bad news for the Mets, a team with only four outfielders on the 40-man roster and only three of them healthy.

The Mets did talk to veteran Adam Jones at the meetings. Jones has stayed healthy and is a great clubhouse guy, but the production simply hasn’t been there recently. Over the past few seasons, he’s been below average offensively (101 wRC+, 103 wRC+ for league average at corner OF) and has struggled mightily on defense regardless of the spot.

A.J. Pollock is a guy the Mets have kept tabs on, though he’s the clear top dog of the center field market and that could price him out of the Mets range.

Trading Rosario?

Amed Rosario is the piece that continues to come up in rumors regarding any likely deal with the Marlins for Realmuto. The former No. 1 prospect in baseball had a strong finish to the 2018 season, and is still just 23-years old.

Given the possibility of trading Rosario, the Mets have reportedly shown interest in a trio of defensive minded replacements. Freddy Galvis, Alcides Escobar and Adeiny Hechavarria are seen as options to be the short-term fix until Mets top prospect Andres Gimenez is ready.

Nimmo Batting Leadoff, Cano in Third Slot

When Mickey Callaway talked to the media on Tuesday, he said that he believed that Brandon Nimmo would leadoff in most cases for the Mets. He also said that the newly acquired Robinson Cano was going to hit third.

The rest of the lineup is seen as up for grabs, though Callaway said slugging prospect Peter Alonso will get a chance to make the Opening Day roster and potentially hit at the top of the lineup. His right-handed bat would help split up the lefty swinging Nimmo, Cano, Michael Conforto and potentially Jeff McNeil.

Speaking of McNeil, Callaway said he foresees him coming off the bench playing a variety of positions with veteran Todd Frazier being the starter at third base.

Rule 5 Draft Closes Meetings

The Rule 5 Draft – one of my favorite parts of the meetings because I’m weird – takes place on Thursday morning at 12 p.m. ET. This is seen as the conclusion of the meetings, but unfortunately I will be on a plane back to Maine when they take place.

In my absence, my esteemed colleague Jacob Resnick will have you covered with the picks and his thoughts. Jacob helped me with this preview of the draft, in which I discuss the Mets should look at taking.

The Mets are entering the draft with 36 players on their 40-man roster, meaning they could draft four players in the major league phase if they chose to do so. They’ve been fairly inactive in recent years, but I think there’s a good chance they take a player this year. I do expect them to take at least one player in the minor league portion.

They have the 11th pick in the draft, but two teams ahead of them currently have full 40-man rosters and will not be able to make a selection.

Thank You

I want to take this time to thank all of the support MMO has received from our readers. That support, and the support of Joe D, gave me the opportunity to get credentials from MLB. I also would like to thank Keith Law for sitting down with me to talk baseball. That interview will be up on the site right after I get some sleep!

Lastly, I want to thank the members of the Mets beat, they helped me feel like I wasn’t an outsider.

The post Wrapping Up the MLB Winter Meetings appeared first on Metsmerized.

According to Jon Heyman of Fancred Sports, the Mets are “to lose a bit of confidence in J.T. Realmuto talks, and are starting to think about the value of acquiring a defensive catcher — they met on Maldonado Tuesday — and bulking up the bullpen instead.”

After reports of the Marlins asking price not dropping and the Mets being connected to Andrew Miller, David Robertson, and Adam Ottavino yesterday, this report follows suit with previous knowledge of the Mets’ plan.

Heyman also says that the Mets have met with catcher Martin Maldonado, who the Mets have been linked to numerous times before. Maldonado is revered for his defensive ability and a cannon for an arm.

As we enter the third day of the Winter Meetings, business is bound to pick up, and the Mets are widely expected to be one of the most active teams.

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