The Mets are expected to complete their blockbuster trade with the Mariners in the next couple of days that will send Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz to New York in exchange for Jay Bruce, Anthony Swarzak, Jarred Kelenic, Justin Dunn, and Gerson Bautista.

While there is still a lot of work to be done the rest of the offseason, the lineup already looks different than what everyone had foreseen for next season, so with that being the case, I am going to do a little lineup projecting right now.

1. Brandon Nimmo  RF
2. Amed Rosario  SS
3. Michael Conforto  LF
4. Robinson Cano  2B
5. Todd Frazier  1B
6. Jeff McNeil  3B
7. Kevin Plawecki  C
8. Juan Lagares  CF

Now, I know people are going to say this lineup looks wrong and it might very well not be right, but with Peter Alonso likely to start the year in Triple-A, this is the best lineup that could be mocked up.

Frazier has first base experience that would allow him to play there and balance out the lineup until Alonso can reach the major leagues, probably no later than mid-April.

McNeil, meanwhile, would move over to the hot corner to start off his positional movement in 2019. The likelihood is that once Alonso comes up, McNeil will shift into a super-utility role that will see him play most days, but with no set position.

Currently, it appears likely the team will try to acquire a catcher and right-handed hitting outfielder to balance out the lineup a little more, possibly making this lineup a moot point even just a few weeks from now.

As of today, though, the lineup looks a lot stronger, at least in the top half, where Nimmo, Rosario, Conforto, and Cano are set to lead the charge.

My reasoning for that configuration starts off with the fact that Nimmo’s .404 OBP belongs at the top of the lineup with no questions asked. However, Rosario was successful in his time at the top of the order last season so putting him behind Nimmo and ahead of Conforto will force opposing pitchers to throw hittable pitches to the shortstop.

Conforto’s placement in the third spot has a similar reasoning as opposing pitchers will feel the need to throw decent pitches to Conforto or else they will have to face Cano, who has a lineup presence that the Mets have lacked in pretty much every game not started by Yoenis Cespedes over the last few years. Unfortunately, McNeil has to move to the sixth spot in this scenario to break up the left-handed hitters in the lineup.

Lagares and Plawecki stand as likely members of it to be removed as the former has failed to play an entire year healthy since 2014 and the latter has yet to prove himself as an everyday catching option. Both positions will likely feature names from outside the organization come Opening Day.

While many of us are somewhat appalled by the amount of talent the Mets were forced to surrender in this deal, the projected lineup, and roster for that matter, is much better today than it was before this trade.

The post Projected Lineup for 2019 With Cano Addition appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

According to Jon Heyman of FanCred, David Lennon of Newsday and Andy Martino of SNY TV there isn’t expected to be an official announcement on Friday of the blockbuster trade between the New York Mets and Seattle Mariners.

The players in the deal have been confirmed by multiple reports, the Mets are sending RHP Anthony Swarzak, OF/1B Jay Bruce, RHP Gerson Bautista, RHP Justin Dunn and OF Jarred Kelenic to the Mariners for 2B Robinson Cano and RHP Edwin Diaz.

While the players are set in stone, Heyman is also reporting that the remaining issue in the trade is money.

Cano is making $120 million for the next five seasons, while Bruce is on the hook for two more years at a total of $28 million and Swarzak is getting $8.5 million in his final year. Diaz is under team control through the 2022 and will be arbitration eligible for the first time next offseason.

We will keep you updated as more details are available.

The post Reports: Mets, Mariners Deal Not Expected to Be Announced Today appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Good morning Mets fans! Yesterday was filled with trade rumors between the New York Mets and Seattle Mariners. Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports tweeted before noon about there being “significant momentum” in a trade involving Edwin Diaz and Robinson Cano. The entire rest of the day was spent by reporters building off that information. Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweeted after midnight that the two teams are likely to finalize the deal by today and that the Mets would send Jay Bruce, Anthony Swarzak, Justin Dunn, Jarred Kelenic and Gerson Bautista to Seattle.

Latest Mets News

Baseball America released their Mets top-10 prospects list a week early due to all the trade talks swirling around the Mets organization.

Peter Alonso announced his engagement to his girlfriend Haley Renee.

The Mets signed Dilson Herrera to a minor league contract with an invite to spring training. They originally acquired him along with Vic Black in a 2013 trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates that involved Marlon Byrd and John Buck. They then traded him and Max Wotell to the Cincinnati Reds in 2016 for Bruce.

The Mets’ 40-man roster sits at 38 after the Reds claimed Jordan Patterson from the Mets off waivers.

Latest MLB News

Jonathan Schoop may be non-tendered today and thus hit the free agent market according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Edinson Volquez‘s major league contract that he signed on Feb. 16 with the Texas Rangers was triggered when the Rangers added him to the 40-man roster on Nov. 20 according to Evan Grant of Dallas Morning News. The deal is for $2 million and will include $5 million in incentives.

John Sickels shared the news that Vox Media will be discontinuing Minor League Ball after 13 years.

Garrett Richards agreed to a $15.5 million deal with the San Diego Padres according to Jon Heyman of Fancred Sports. The deal also includes $2.5 million in incentives.

Latest NL East News

The Atlanta Braves will shake up their broadcast team according to Tim Tucker of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Jeff Francoeur will replace Joe Simpson as lead analyst for the vast majority of Fox Sports South and Fox Sports Southeast telecasts of games. Simpson will be shifted to radio for the games in which he won’t be on television.

The Miami-Dade County Commission said that plans to rename a street in honor of the late Jose Fernandez are “indefinitely on hold” according to Wells Dusenbury of the Sun Sentinel.

Latest on MMO/MMN

Tim Ryder interviewed San Diego Padres beat reporter Kevin Acee to talk about the Mets and Padres trade talks.

Martin Kester discussed the hype around Jeff McNeil and drew comparisons of him to Daniel Murphy and Justin Turner.

Michael Mayer wrote about the decisions the Mets need to make ahead of today’s non-tender deadline.

Mojo Hill graded Jacob Rhame‘s 2018 campaign.

John Sheridan covered the news about Frank Viola being hired as the pitching coach for the High Point Rockers of the Atlantic League.

This Day in Mets History

2007: The Mets traded Lastings Milledge to the Washington Nationals for Ryan Church and Brian Schneider.

2012: David Wright signed an eight-year $138 million contract, which was the richest contract given out in Mets franchise history

Birthdays: Matt Lawton turns 47, Juan Berenguer turns 64 and Craig Swan turns 68.

The post Morning Briefing: Let’s Make A Deal appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Gerson Bautista Photo by Ed Delany, MMO

Mexican Pacific League (LMP)

Tomateros de Culiacan 10 – 1 Mayos de Navojoa
Yaquis de Obregon 3 – 0 Naranjeros de Hermosillo
Charros de Jalisco 2 – 0 Aguilas de Mexicali
Caneros de Los Mochis 4 – 2 Venados de Mazatlan

Venezuelan Winter League (LVBP)

Caribes de Anzoategui 4 – 0 Cardenales de Lara
Tigres de Aragua 6 – 3 Leones del Caracas
Tiburones de La Guaira 5 – 4 Navegantes de Magallanes
Bravos de Margarita 3 – 2 Aguilas de Zulia
Aguilas de Zulia 5 – 4 Bravos de Margarita

Dominican Winter League (LIDOM)

Toros del Este 3 – 1 Tigres del Licey
Gigantes del Cibao 8 – 4 Aguilas Cibaenas

• 1B Joey Terdoslavich: 0-for-4, R, BB

Terdoslavich has really been struggling since his return from a short break back home. Since returning on November 13th, he has only accumulated four hits in his last thirty-three at-bats (.121 AVG) and has struck out in 27% of those at-bats. After running a .300+ AVG throughout October, his line has dropped all the way down to .233 AVG after yesterday’s game.

Leones del Escogido 5- 4 Estrellas Orientales

• RHP Gerson Bautista: 1.0 IP, 2 K

Apparently, despite having already tossed a career high 64.2 IP, Bautista still feels like he needs to work on a few things before spring training as he transferred his off-season workouts from Arizona to the Dominican Republic to play for the Leones del Escogido.

Bautista was called on in the seventh inning with the Leones already down 4-2 to face the top of the Estrelles lineup. He would strike out both of the San Diego Padres top prospects, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Francisco Mejia, before ending a perfect inning with a Junior Lake foul-out.

Roberto Clemente Puerto Rico League (LBPRC)

Cangrejeros de Santurce 1 – 0 Criollos de Caguas
Gigantes de Carolina 6 – 2 Indios de Mayaguez

The post 11/24 Winter League Results: Gerson Bautista Comes Out of the Gates Hot! appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Arizona Fall League (AFL)

Glendale Desert Dogs 9 – 5 Peoria Javelinas
Salt River Rafters 4 – 3 Surprise Saguaros
Scottsdale Scorpions 5 – 4 Mesa Solar Sox

• 1B Peter Alonso: 2-for-4, R, HR(5), 3 RBI(17), K
• 2B Andres Gimenez: 1-for-3, R, 2B, K
• RHP Joe Zanghi: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, Hold(2), Throwing Error(2)
• RHP Gerson Bautista: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 K, Hold(3)

Alonso reclaimed the Arizona Fall League lead in home runs with his fifth dinger of the season to held the Scorpions get their first win since October 29th. With a runner on first and the game tie at 1-1 in the top of the fourth inning, Alonso got a low 90’s fastball up in the zone and absolutely crushed it over the center field fence for a two run HR to give the Scorpions a 3-1 lead. A few batters later they would extend the lead to 4-1 on a sacrifice fly RBI by  Heath Quinn.

Peter Alonso + elevated fastball out over the plate = home run pic.twitter.com/Q0pU4lqYSa

— Kyle Glaser (@KyleAGlaser) November 6, 2018

The very next inning, after a lead-off double by Andres Gimenez and a walk by Austin Listi, Alonso would flare one the other way to drive in another RBI to extend the lead to 5-1. With the Sox cutting the lead to 5-3, Joe Zanghi was called on to hold the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning and struggled once again. After a lead-off walk to Skye Bolt and a strikeout, Joe Zanghi guessed right on a pick-off attempt but uncorked a wild throw that allowed Bolt to advance all the way to third base. He would score a few pitches later on RBI single by P.J. Higgins to cut the lead to 5-4.

Thankfully, Gerson Bautista would come in to save the inning from getting any worse while preserving the “hold” for Zanghi. Bautista would stay on for the bottom of the seventh inning but allowed two singles in the inning and found himself in a two out situation with runners on first and second. He would bear down though and get Skye Bolt to strike out to end the inning and secure a “hold” for himself.

The Scorpions would hold on for the win and move to (10-11-1) on the season, breaking the 2nd place tie with the Solar Sox. The team is still 3.5 GB the first place Salt River team with only 8 games left to go.

Mexican Pacific League (LMP)

No Games Scheduled

Venezuelan Winter League (LVBP)

Cardenales de Lara 7 – 1 Caribes de Anzoategui
Cardenales de Lara 2 – 0 Caribes de Anzoategui

Dominican Winter League (LIDOM)

Aguilas Cibaenas – Toros del Este [Postponed due to Rain]
Estrellas Orientales 4 – 1 Leones del Escogido
Gigantes del Cibao 3 – 0 Tigres del Licey

We haven’t seen Joey Terdoslavich in a few days so I reached out to figure out what was going on since he was still on the active roster. According to the team, Terdoslavich was granted a 10 day temporary leave from the team in order to take care of a “personal commitment”. He was officially de-activated from the roster yesterday but is expected to return this upcoming weekend and be reactivated on Monday.

Roberto Clemente Puerto Rico League (LBPRC)

No Games Scheduled. The season will begin Nov. 15, 2018

The post 11/5 Winter League Results: Alonso Powers Scorpions to First November Win appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Luis Santana, Shervyen Newton Photo by Tanner Cook of TimesNews

It was a strong season for the development of the New York Mes farm system, going from being ranked No. 27 to No. 19 according to Baseball America, one of the biggest jumps for any organization.

There are many reasons for the improvement, from acquiring prospects in trade (Franklyn Kilome, Will Toffey), to pitchers finally pitching healthy full season (Anthony Kay, David Peterson), strong pro debuts for several players (Ronny Mauricio, Simeon Woods-Richardson, Jarred Kelenic) and even some breakouts from international signees (Luis Santana, Shervyen Newton).

Without further ado, here’s my 25-man roster All-Prospect Team:

• 1B: Peter Alonso – This one is a no-brainer after having one of the best offensive seasons a Mets minor leaguers ever had.
• 2B: Luis Santana – This 19-year-old had a breakout season with a .917 OPS in his stateside debut while walking more (27) than he struck out (23)
• SS: Andres Gimenez – Another obvious choice here for the Mets top prospect. He’s currently playing in the AFL at only 20. This is becoming a very strong position for the Mets with Mauricio and Santana at shortstop right now as well.
• 3B: Mark Vientos – Still only 18-years old and posted a .878 OPS for Kingsport this year with a solid 37 BB/43 K ratio.
• OF: Jarred Kelenic – The Mets first round pick from 2018 started his career off with a bang posting .839 OPS, 15 steals and 9 outfield assists.
• OF: Ross Adolph – Another 2018 draft pick that came out hammering the ball, he has 9 doubles, 12 triples and 7 homers in only 61 games for the Brooklyn Cyclones.
• OF: Jose Medina – Always been a favorite of mine given his all-around potential. Had a nice season in Brooklyn while cutting down on strikeouts.
• C: Francisco Alvarez – Set a new Mets franchise record when he received a $2.7M IFA bonus this year. Offensive minded catcher with a good arm.

As you can see, the Mets have some good infield prospects but the outfield is certainly on the weaker side.

• INF: Ronny Mauricio – This 17-year-old would be the top shortstop prospect in a ton of organizations after completely skipping the DSL and finishing the Appalachian League.
• INF: Shervyen Newton – Another talented teenager that plays shortstop, he posted a .408 OBP for Kingsport. Also played some second and third base.
• OF: Adrian Hernandez – Given a $1.5M signing bonus last season and posted .736 OPS in pro debut at 17. Toolsy outfielder is likely to make come stateside in 2019.
• C: Ali Sanchez – Defensive minded catcher that is currently playing in the AFL. Plenty of competition here for back-up catcher with some of our writers liking Scott Manea and Andres Regnault having a monster season.
• INF: Will Toffey – The third baseman hit .254/.394/.433 in Double-A after coming to the Mets in the Jeurys Familia trade.

Noticeably missing on the bench are a few guys that were hurt by not playing much in 2018, outfielder Desmond Lindsay and infielder Gavin Cecchini.

Justin Dunn (Photo by Ed Delany/MMO

• SP: Justin Dunn (R) – The 2016 first rounder struck out 10.4 per nine innings this year and pitched better than his 4.22 ERA in Double-A would indicate (3.37 FIP).
• SP: David Peterson (L) – Another first round pick that showed promise in 2018, his 64.5 groundball rate ranked third among all minor league starters (509) and his 0.14 HR/9 ranked fourth.
• SP: Anthony Kay (L) – Made his pro debut with 4.26 ERA, 0.6 HR/9 and 9.0 K/9 in 122.2. Did struggle with his command (3.6 BB/9), but that’s not uncommon after Tommy John and a long layoff.
• SP: Franklyn Kilome (R) – Acquired in the deal for Asdrubal Cabrera and flashed well in AA with 4.03 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 4.20 SO/W in 38 innings. Was a top 100 prospect by Baseball Prospectus before the season.
• SP: Thomas Szapucki (L) – Didn’t pitch a single inning this year following his recovery from TJS and he’s still on the team, his fastball/breaking ball combo is that good.

Could go on with a few more names here as the Mets are building strong rotation depth in the upper and lower minors.

• RP: Simeon Woods-Richardson (R) – Okay, I’m cheating a little bit here because he will be a starter in 2019 after splitting roles this season. The 2018 second rounder had 26 K/4 BB ratio in his first pro innings. Oh yeah, he turned 18 a couple weeks ago and hit 99 MPH in pro debut.
• RP: Daniel Zamora (L) – He had me hooked when I saw him pitch for Binghamton, his slider is a big league pitch and he hides the ball enough to be effective major league reliever.
• RP: Eric Hanhold (R) – Another guy that made me a believer after seeing swings against him. Bowling ball sinker in the mid-to-upper 90’s that is tough to lift.
• RP: Stephen Villines (R) – This choice goes beyond my soft spot for sidearmers, the 23-year-old struck out 96 batters in only 66.2 innings while finishing in AA. He’s also allowed only 69 hits in 94 innings.
• RP: Ryley Gilliam (R) – 2018 pick that was labeled as fast mover by draft gurus, struck out 31 batters in 17.1 innings in debut (though did come with 13 walks).
• RP: Gerson Bautista (R) – Potential still has the 23-year-old on my team, command was an issue this season (18 walks in 39.2) but he struck out 54 during that span in Triple-A. He’s currently pitching in AFL and has been using a lower velocity breaking ball, definitely something to keep an eye on.
• RP: Ryder Ryan (R) – All he’s done since the Mets acquired him for Jay Bruce is post a 3.00 ERA, 1.02 and hold opponents to .195 AVG in 66 innings. Solid fastball/slider combo.

There it is, and I still feel lit’s a shame for the likes of  Christian James, Jordan Humphreys, Tony Dibrell, Freddy Valdez and Stanley Consuegra couldn’t have fit in.

The Mets system is back on the upswing and Keith Law said earlier this offseason it could be a top 10 group soon.

The post Mets Minors: My Mets 2018 All-Prospect Team appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Las Vegas (57-58) 9, Iowa Cubs (42-72) 6 Box

• 1B Peter Alonso: 4-5, 2B, HR, R, 4 RBI, .285/.402/.557
• 3B Cody Asche: 2-4, 3B, HR, 2 R, BB, .239/.311/.418

Peter Alonso continued his hot hitting with a season-high four hits. The big slugger has posted a .348/.421/.742 slash-line during his 17-game on-base streak. Despite some early struggles in Vegas, he’s rebounded and is primed for a September call-up. Cody Asche went yard for the tenth time.

• RHP Drew Gagnon (4-4, 5.01 ERA): 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 9 K, BB
• LHP Kyle Regnault (3-1, 5.19 ERA): 1 IP, 2 H, R, K
• RHP Gerson Bautista (2-1, 4.80 ERA): 1 IP, BB
• RHP Chris Beck (1-0, 8.44 ERA): 1 IP, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB

Despite PCL-inflated numbers, Drew Gagnon‘s still having a solid season. Yesterday marked his 15th consecutive outing recording five innings or more. He’s been a quality innings-eater for the 51s and since he’s on the 40-man roster, he could be fulfilling that role for the Mets come September. Former Rookie-of-the-Year Chris Coghlan went 4-for-5 with two extra-base hits and two runs against the 51s pitching.

Chris Flexen will miss the remainder of the season recovering from meniscus surgery per Betsy Helfand of the Las Vegas Journal.

Binghamton (54-56) 5, Richmond (53-59) 1 Box

• 1B Joey Terdoslavich: 2-4, HR, R, 3 RBI, .290/.340/.363
• SS Andres Gimenez: 1-5, 2B, RBI, .294/.356/.427
• 2B Levi Michael: 2-5, 2 2B, R .305/.392/.468

As Peter Griffin once said, The Terd is Word! Joey Terdoslavich continued his hot-hitting with another multiple-RBI game. Although he hasn’t been hitting for a lot of pop, he’s posted solid on-base numbers. Binghamton scored quickly with two runs in the first frame due to an Andres Gimenez RBI double and a Terdoslavich RBI single. Will Toffey, who the Mets acquired in exchange for Familia, had a unique night, going 1-for-1 with career-high four walks. Keep in mind: he’s hit at a .311/.436/.477 clip since joining the Mets with a dislocated shoulder.

• LHP Matt Gage (1-0, 0.00 ERA): 6 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 2 K, BB
• RHP Matt Blackham (4-2, 2.52 ERA): 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, K, BB
• RHP Ryder Ryan (3-1, 2.70 ERA): 1 IP, 2 H, R, K

Matt Gage‘s first start with Binghamton went about as well as one could have hoped. After being released by the Giants Triple-A team, the Rumble Ponies gave him another chance and so far, he’s making them look like geniuses. Despite two strikeouts, he recorded eight fly-balls and eight ground-balls in his six innings. In a system that’s flush with quality relievers, Matt Blackham‘s flying under the radar.

St. Lucie (45-65) 3, Jupiter (58-53) 1 Box

• DH Michael Paez: 1-4, HR, R, RBI, .268/.338/.421
• SS Luis Carpio: 1-4, 2B, R ,.228/.296/.374

Yesterday, the St.Lucie Mets scratched out a rare win thanks to clutch hitting from their table-setters. During their two-run sixth, Anthony Dimino homered to tie the game and two batters later, Gene Cone singled in Luis Carpio to give the Mets a lead they would not relinquish. Michael Paez tallied an insurance run with his ninth-inning homer.  Paez’s hitting streak now stands at 18 games.

• RHP Michael Gibbons (3-6, 3.84 ERA): 6.2 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 8 K, 2 BB
• LHP Seth Davis (1-0, 4.50 ERA): 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, K
• RHP Trey Cobb (3-1, 2.57 ERA): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, K

A week after losing his no-no in the eighth inning, Michael Gibbons turned in another terrific start. He danced in-and-out of trouble throughout the night but managed to permit only one run. Even though he didn’t have a clean frame all game, he showed impressive control, striking out eight and only walking two batters. Seth Davis and Trey Cobb managed to hold the Hammerheads scoreless through the last two innings.

Columbia (52-58) 6, Greenville (49-65) 4 Box

• 2B Giovanny Alfonzo: 1-3, 2 R, BB, .241/.302/.335
• 3B Jose Brizuela: 2-4, R, .176/. 216/.353

Columbia’s seven-game homestand has begun with a great start. Dionis Paulino‘s two-run single gave the Mets a one-run lead and the following batter, Carlos Sanchez‘s quickly doubled it with an RBI single. The next inning, the Fireflies scored two more runs on a Jose Brizuela RBI single and a balk. Every starter except for Edgardo Fermin and David Miranda recorded a hit.

• RHP Tony Dibrell (5-5, 3.16 ERA): 5.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 6 K
• RHP Darwin Ramos (3-3, 4.76 ERA): 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 K
• LHP Taylor Henry (0-2, 3.77 ERA): .1 IP, 2 H, 2 R
• Carlos Hernandez (1-3, 2.85 ERA): 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 K, BB

Tony Dibrell had another strong outing spinning 5.2 innings of two-run ball. He’s continuing to show improved command, and he’s only allowed five walks over his past five starts. Darwin Ramos got Dibrell out of a sixth-inning jam with a clutch strikeout of Tanner Nishioka. Carlos Hernandez recorded his fourth save of the year with a five-inning save.

Hudson Valley (31-19) 5, Brooklyn (26-25) 4 Box

• DH Walter Rasquin:2-4, R, .336/.407/.470
• LF Wagner Lagrange: 2-4, R .291/.370/.354

Before the game, Six Cyclones were named to the NY-Penn League All-Star game.

Brooklyn took advantage of a Jacson McGowan fielding error in the fourth to put two runs across the board. Anthony Dirocie tripled in Wagner Lagrange and later scored on the error. With their backs against the wall, the Cyclones rallied for two in the ninth. Three straight singles pulled the Mets within one and a Brian Sharp sacrifice fly allowed Brooklyn to tie up the game. It’s been a frustrating season for Walter Rasquin, who broke the Mets minors record for most stolen bases in a season last season. He’s only played 40 games this year.

• LHP Joshua Walker (1-1, 2.60 ERA): 3.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 K, 2 BB
• RHP Ryan Selmer (1-1, 5.20 ERA): .2 IP, H, 0 R, K
• RHP Tylor Megill (0-1, 4.80 ERA): 3.2 IP, H, 0 R, 4 K, 2 BB
• RHP Ezequiel Zabaleta (1-1, 1.80 ERA): .1 IP
• RHP Ronald Sanchez (L, 0-2, 8. 25 ERA): .1 IP, 2 H, R

Walker struggled as he was unable to get out of the fourth inning. He’s been bounced between the rotation and the pen this year with Kingsport and Brooklyn, but this was his worst outing of the year. A trio of Cyclones relievers pitched effectively for the next 4.2 innings, but after Brooklyn rallied for two in the ninth to tie up the game, Ronald Sanchez gave it right back. Sanchez has given up five runs in his first five Brooklyn appearances.

Elizabethton (25-18) 16, Kingsport (25-21) 10 Box

• DH Ranfy Adon: 2-3, 2B, HR, R, 6 RBI, .276/.333/.529
• RF Raul Beracierta: 1-3, 3 R, RBI, 2 BB, .310/.412/.474

In the battle for first-place, Kingsport’s offense came out swinging. Ranfy Adon capped a five-run third with a three-run double. After Elizabethton tallied two insurance runs, Kingsport rallied with a three-run sixth. Yet again, Ranfy Adon came to the rescue with a three-run shot. His six RBI’s represented a career-high. Ironically, two of the most talented players in the Kingsport lineup, Luis Santana and Jarred Kelenic were the only two Mets not to get on-base. Also strangely enough, even though the Mets scored ten runs, they only recorded six hits.

• RHP Nate Peden (L, 1-4, 8.16 ERA): 2.1 IP, 8 H, 8 R, 2 BB, 0 K
• RHP Allan Winans (0-0, 1.98 ERA): 1.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 K, BB
• RHP Marbin Montijo (1-4, 7.64 ERA): 2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 3 K, BB
• RHP Mitch Hickey (0-0, 5.79 ERA): 0.2 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB
• RHP Nelson Leon (2-1, 6.75 ERA): 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, BB

Even though Kingsport lost, it was a tremendous game. At the start of the night, Kingsport was 0.5 games behind Elizabethton for first place in the Appalachian League. An eight-run third knocked out Nate Peden and slowed down a bit of Kingsport’s optimism. However, Kingsport rebounded for a five-run fourth and seemed primed to take the lead. But the Mets pitching failed their offense yet again. Allan Winans, Marbin Montijo, and Mitch Hickey allowed two runs each and effectively put the game out of reach. Ironically, Nelson Leon and near-7 ERA was the only Met hurler to have a scoreless outing.

GCL Astros (23-18) 4, GCL Mets (20-22) 3 Box

• 2B Sebastian Espino: 1-2, 3B, RBI, BB, .283/.336/.381

The Mets offense tallied three hits all game, yet scored three runs. Although they only recorded one hit in the sixth inning, they scored twice. Recovering MiLBer Desmond Lindsay played six innings and recorded a hit in his two at-bats. Ronny Mauricio is in a funk; he’s 2-for-his-last 21.

• Cesar Loaiza (L, 0-1, 1.08 ERA): 2 IP, 2 H, R, 2 K, BB

Bryce Hutchinson’s four innings were extremely impressive. He was the Mets 12th round pick last year and as long as he continues this production, he’s deserving of a promotion to Kingsport. His only blemish was an unearned run in the fourth.

DSL Mets1 (35-24) 7, DSL Yankees (22-34) 4 Box

• DH Andres Regnault: 3-4, 2B, 3 RBI, .327/.418/.567

DSL Mets beat up on the Yankees DSL affiliate, the DSL Yankees. The Mets scored early and often with Adrian Hernandez and Andres Regnault combining to go 4-for-7 with six RBI’s. Unfortunately, after being hit by a pitch in the eighth inning, Hernandez was lifted for a pinch-runner.

• Nixon Silva (W, 6-0, 1.24 ERA): 3 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 5 K, 1 BB

Adrian Aybar continued his stretch of having short, yet effective starts. He hasn’t pitched more than four innings this season, however, he also hasn’t allowed more than three runs in a single start. Nixon Silva is right behind Joshua Torres for the organizational lead by wins by a reliever.

DSL Rangers2 (38-18) 8, DSL Mets2 (27-29) 3 Box

• CF Jan Cabrera: 1-4, 3B, 2 RBI, .143/.341/.233

A sixth-run third inning by the Rangers meant the Mets offensive contributions came to naught. A two-run triple by Jan Cabrera accounted for the majority of the Mets runs, but it wasn’t enough to come back from the early Rangers onslaught. Wilker Velasquez was taken out of the game before the ninth inning; a reason wasn’t disclosed.

• LHP Brailin Gonzalez (3-4, 4.50 ERA): 2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 K, 4 BB

Brailin Gonzalez had a rough appearance. He left after the second inning and trio of multi-inning relievers functioned as mop-up men. Johan Armado particularly struggled as he pitched 1.2 innings of three-run ball. His ERA is now an ugly 10.38.

The post Mets Minors Recap: Alonso Explodes With Four Hits, Four RBI appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

3 UP

1. Team Still Cares

Perhaps it is because this is the Subway Series, but we really have not seen quit in these Mets players.

Noah Syndergaard was boasting before his start against the Yankees, and he largely backed it up by getting the win.

We saw Pat Roessler and Asdrubal Cabrera get tossed from a game because of their arguing balls and strikes.

Mickey Callaway sent out a rested Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman for four innings to get the win on Friday.

The team should have been dead in the water Saturday being down four and with Aroldis Chapman on the mound.  Instead, they fought back, and they nearly closed the gap.

And for what has been unwatchable offense much of the season, the team did score 13 runs in the two games they did play.

Overall, while this Mets team is not having a good season and the front office being a complete and utter mess, we see this team does have players on the roster who still care, and they are still playing hard.

2. Conforto Turning It Around?

The biggest positive to come from these two games was Michael Conforto.  In the two game series Conforto was 3-for-7 with three runs, a double, homer, four RBI, and a walk.

If you look a little further out, Conforto has been turning things around of late.  Over his last six games, Conforto is hitting .316/.440/.684 with two homers and seven RBI.

Maybe he’s getting back to better playing shape.  Maybe he’s getting his timing back.  Maybe he just needed those days off to reset.  Whatever the case, if we are seeing the return of Conforto, there’s still hope yet for 2019.

3.  Rosario Rebound

Friday was a tough game for Amed Rosario.  While he was charged with just one error, he made a number of defensive miscues in the field, which led to the bulk of the Yankees runs, and it made that game much closer than it should have been.  In addition to the tough night in the field, Rosario was 0-for-4 at the plate with two strikeouts.

Well, from the first batter of the game on Saturday, Rosario showed he put it all behind him with him flashing much better range and decision making in the field.  Moreoever, he was the Mets best hitter that day going 3-for-4 with a run, stolen base, and a two out RBI.

Overall, one of the biggest things to follow in the second half of this season is the continued development of Rosario.  One of the things we should be looking for is how he responds to bad games and failures.  Based on this two game set, he took a step in the right direction.

3 DOWN

1.  What We Have Here Is a Failure to Communicate

The second half of the season is not even four days old, and the Mets have a season’s worth of miscommunication and ineptitude in that time span.

First, there was the team claiming they had not idea Yoenis Cespedes needed surgery on both his heels or that said surgery required 10 months of rehabilitation.  Really, this is a repeat of what we once saw with Carlos Beltran and his knee.  Given the past history, it’s difficult to give the Mets the benefit of the doubt on this one.

As is their wont, the Mets then sent Callaway into the pre-game press conferences the ensuing day either ill informed, order to lie about what he knew, or both.  This was all the more egregious when you consider Callaway was the sole person from the Mets organization who was available to speak over the weekend, at least since they all went in hiding since the Cespedes news broke.

Of course, while the Mets are trading away their biggest trade chip (more on that in a second), no one from the organization is available to speak with the media about the trade.  The excuse then given was John Ricco, who despite his deer in the headlights look and stammering, is somehow now the voice of the organization, was away from the team due to a previously scheduled engagement.

Putting aside the communciation issue for a second, how is one of your three appointed GMs away from the team on a previously scheduled engagement less than two weeks away from the trade deadline?

It gets better.  Apparently, it was J.P. Riccardi who “ran point” on the trade discussions with the Athletics.

So in total, we all had to wait for the guy who had little to do with the trade to speak because he couldn’t be bothered to be with the team at a time when they were trading away their biggest trade asset, and a former general manager in Riccardi couldn’t be trusted to speak with the media.

Seeing all the events which transpired, it is well worth revisiting MMO‘s Michael Mayer’s interview with Nick Francona which touched upon topics like the team’s culture and dysfunction.

2.  Underwhelming Familia Return

As Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported, the Mets likened the return for Jeurys Familia to what they received in exchange from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for Addison Reed.  Seeing Gerson Bautista, Jamie Callahan, and Stephen Nogosek, that shouldn’t exactly inspire confidence in Mets fans.

Also reported by Rosenthal, the Mets didn’t eat any of Familia’s salary because they didn’t believe the quality of return “didn’t justify it.”  Certainly, no one would argue this return merited it, but that misses the point entirely.

The point is the Mets moved quickly to get the roughly $3 million remaining to Familia off the books.  By and large, other executives and talent evaluators were underwhelmed with the return the Mets received, and that’s putting it mildly.

Fact is, the Mets told everyone they would eat salary for a better return in a trade.  In their first trade, they didn’t eat salary, and they didn’t get a good return.

In the end, Keith Law of ESPN put it best when he said, “For a franchise that operates in the largest market in the league to do this — and do so ten days before the trade deadline rather than waiting for someone to offer a legitimate return — is embarrassing for the Mets and for Major League Baseball as a whole.

3. Non Major Leaguers Playing Games

Arguably, the Mets lost on Saturday because Matt den Dekker, a player in there solely for his defensive prowess, was flat out awful in center field.  To make matters worse, he is 0-for-17 on the season.  Really, when you can’t do the one thing you purportedly do well, and you put up offensive stats reminiscent of Bartolo Colon‘s tenure with the Mets, you should not be in the Major Leagues.

And yes, at this point it is beating a dead horse, but Jose Reyes should not be playing in games, even ones which afford the Mets an opportunity to DH Cabrera.

What makes this all the more disconcerting is these are at-bats being taken away from Jeff McNeil, who has seemingly played everywhere but second base after the Mets declared him to be just a second baseman.

The post 3 Up, 3 Down: Mets Split Overshadowed By Organizational Dysfunction appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Jeff McNeil/Photo by David Monseur of MiLB.com

Las Vegas (26-35) 7, New Orleans (28-32) 6  Box Score

• Ezequiel Carrera CF: 2-4, 2B, RBI, K, .200/.200/.233
• Ty Kelly 2B: 2-3, RBI, 2 BB, .270/.347/.464
• Dominic Smith 1B: 0-4, K, .267/.350/.379
• Patrick Kivlehan RF: 1-3, HR, 3 RBI, BB, K, .259/.344/.376
• Colton Plaia C: 2-4, 2B, .205/.301/.274

The 51s got three in the first from a blast off the bat of Kivlehan, but were quiet until after the seventh-inning stretch. Down 6-3, the recently promoted shortstop Joey Wong drew a leadoff walk, and Christian Colon eventually brought him in with a clutch two-out double. Then in the ninth, still down 6-3, Wong drew another walk, Plaia doubled, and Wong came in on a wild pitch. The .417-hitting Kevin Kaczmarski hit a long fly ball that center fielder Magneuris Sierra made a great catch on, but the tying run still came in on the sac fly. Ty Kelly led off the bottom of the 10th with a walk-off single after pinch-runner and pitcher Drew Gagnon was placed on second base to start the inning.

• RHP Cody Martin (0-1, 5.40 ERA): 5.0 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 4 K
• LHP Kyle Regnault (2-1, 6.28 ERA): 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, BB, 3 K
• RHP Drew Smith (3-1, 2.77 ERA): 2.0 IP, H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
• RHP Gerson Bautista (W, 1-0, 6.35 ERA): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, K

Martin was not very efficient, taking 104 pitches to get through five innings with eight hits and four walks. The bullpen turned in an overall strong effort to keep the 51s in the game, allowing the offense to eventually come back and win. Regnault got back on track with two scoreless innings. Smith has been lights out in both May and June after a mediocre April, and what he’s doing is even more impressive considering that he’s doing it in Las Vegas. Bautista pitched the 10th and was all around the strike zone, loading the bases with one out. But he was able to bear down when it mattered, getting a strikeout and a hard lineout to left to escape the jam with no runs.

Binghamton 5 (33-26), Harrisburg 3 (28-29) BOX SCORE

• Jeff McNeil 2B: 1-4, RBI, BB, HR (.328/.406/.651)
• Peter Alonso 1B: 1-4, RBI, BB (.315/.452/.589)
• Jhoan Urena RF: 2-5, 2 RBI (.289/.326/.428)

The Ponies were powered by their three best hitters in terms of average on Thursday: McNeil, Alonso and Urena. The three combined for driving in four of the five runs and four of the nine hits. Jhoan Urena was one of two Rumble Ponies to record multiple hits with Levi Michael also turning in a two-hit game as well. Jeff McNeil‘s home run was his fourteenth of the year, trailing only Alonso for most in the Eastern League.

• RHP Scott Copeland: 6 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 3 K(4-0, 3.18)
• LHP Daniel Zamora: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 5 K (1-1, 3.18)
• RHP Ryder Ryan: IP, BB, K (1-0, 0.00)

Tampa 4 (32-28), St. Lucie 1 (23-31) BOX SCORE

• J.J. Franco 2B: 2-3, 2B (.289/.349/.316)
• Desmond Lindsay CF: 2-4 (.227/.351/.312)
• Anthony Dimino DH: 2-4, RBI (.270/.326/.369)

The Mets only mustered one run in Tampa, dropping this one 4-1. Lindsay, Dimino and Franco each recorded multiple hits. Dimino drove in the only run. Michael Paez and Dale Burdick each had a hit of their own to go along with the three multi-hit games. Franco continued his strong start to his High-A career. Andres Gimenez went 0-for-3 on the night but look the Florida State League lead with two steals giving him 21 on the season.

• RHP Gabriel Llanes: 5.1 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 K (2-6, 5.44)
• RHP Adam Atkins: 1.2 IP, 2 K (1-1, 2.67)
• RHP Alex Palsha: IP, 2 H, K (0-1, 7.00)

Gabriel Llanes didn’t have his greatest outing for the Mets. He threw five-plus gutsy innings, muscling through without his best stuff. Adam Atkins picked up the slack by recording five outs, two of them being strikeouts. Alex Palsha worked a clean eighth for St. Lucie.

Charleston 4 (29-29), Columbia  2 (28-29) BOX SCORE

• Wuilmer Becerra RF: 1-4, RBI (.261/.277/.283)
• Quinn Brodey CF: 1-4 (.206/.284/.372)
• Jeremy Vasquez 1B; 1-3, BB (.286/.397/.427)

The Fireflies had six players record hits on Thursday Night, with no player recording more than one. Jeremy Vasquez reached twice with a hit and a walk. Wuilmer Becerra recorded the only RBI on the night, his fourth of the year. Raphael Gladu had a double which extended his hitting streak to 21 games.

• RHP Joe Cavallaro: 7 IP,4 H, 2 R, 9 K (6-1, 2.26)
• RHP Stephen Villines: IP, 2 H, 2 R, BB, K (2-4, 5.52)
• RHP Trey Cobb: IP, 2 H (2-1, 2.25)

Joe Cavallaro turned in yet another quality start for Columbia. The righty fanned nine through seven innings, continuing to impress many. Steven Villines struggled again, unable to keep a tie game tied in the eighth, where he gave up two runs, only one earned, and gave Charleston the lead. Villines has 48 strikeouts in 29.1 innings this year.

DSL Nationals 1 (4-1), DSL Mets1 0 (2-3) BOX SCORE

• Patricio Diaz LF: 2-3, .429/.500/.429
• Eduardo Salazar CF: 2-4, .429/.500/.429

The DSL Mets 1 only recorded four hits on the night.

• RHP Jhonfran Escalona: 4 IP, 2 H, BB, 3 K

DSL Cardinals Red 10 (3-2), DSL Mets2 5 (3-2) BOX SCORE

• Jorge Martinez 1B: 1-4, 2B, .235/.316/.353
• Felix Valerio 2B: 2-4, 2B, BB, .294/.400/.529

The DSL Mets 2 scored five on seven hits. Valerio and Martinez accounted for three of those hits.

• LHP Christofer Dominguez: 4 IP, 0 H, 3 BB, 6 K

Domingez threw four dominant innings to start the game, but the rest of the staff gave up ten runs over the course of the rest of the game.

Las Vegas portion of recap done by Mojo Hill.

The post Mets Minors Recap: McNeil Launches 14th Homer For Binghamton appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Gerson Bautista Photo by Ed Delany, MMO

In order to make room on the active roster for infielder Todd Frazier and reliever Anthony Swarzak, the New York Mets have sent right-hander Gerson Bautista to Triple-A Las Vegas and designated for assignment southpaw Buddy Baumann.

Bautista, 23, was acquired at last year’s trade deadline from the Boston Red Sox along with pitchers Jamie Callahan and Stephen Nogosek for Addison Reed.

He has high velocity, but proved in his limited time in the majors that his stuff is raw and he needs to refine it in the minors before making any impact at the big league level.

In five appearances for the Mets this season, he has allowed six runs on eight hits in just 4.1 innings pitched. He has also allowed two home runs and issued five walks.

Baumann, 30, has an 0-2 record with a 27.00 ERA in four games this season between the Mets and San Diego Padres. New York chose to keep him for this weekend’s series with the Chicago Cubs instead of fellow lefty P.J. Conlon who was DFA’d instead and picked up by the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Perhaps what is most surprising is the Mets chose to keep infielder Jose Reyes and catcher Jose Lobaton in favor of two relievers. However, with Yoenis Cespedes and Noah Syndergaard slated to return this weekend, it might mean those two don’t survive that roster crunch.

The post Mets Send Gerson Bautista to Vegas, DFA Buddy Baumann appeared first on Metsmerized Online.