The Padres, who have had several questions concerning their financial status, were able to lock up one of their young stars on Wednesday. San Diego’s center fielder, Jackson Merrill, had an All-Star campaign in his rookie year, slugging 24 home runs with a .292/.326/.500 slash line. Merrill agreed with the club on a nine-year, $135 million contract extension which can max out at $204 million and includes a $30 million club option for a 10th season that can convert to a player option, per Robert Murray of FanSided.

Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

Wednesday night the Mets were able to secure their first series win of the season by taking the rubber match against the Marlins down in Miami. Clay Holmes had a solid start for the Mets, going 4 2/3 IP with six hits, two runs (1 ER), and six strikeouts. Pete Alonso tied the game with a dead center game-tying three-run homer in the eighth, and New York would go on to win the game in the 11th inning. 

The Mets have an off day today as they prepare to come home for the first time this season, hosting the Toronto Blue Jays for three games at Citi Field this weekend.

Latest Mets News

Juan Soto on Sandy Alcantara: “It would be one of the best trades that we could have. I know we have great pitching here, but adding a Cy Young winner like that would be huge,” per Mike Puma of the NY Post.

Jonah Tong is one of three Mets prospects who impressed scouts on spring training backfields, per Baseball America.

Mets third-round pick from Mississippi State, Nate Dohm, gets the ball for the St. Lucie Mets‘ opener.

The Mets signed first baseman Jon Singleton and infielder Niko Goodrum to minor league contracts, per Mike Mayer of MMO.

Carlos Mendoza told reporters that Frankie Montas has started throwing and has started throwing from 60 feet, per Tim Healey of Newsday. Montas is returning from a lat strain.

Latest MLB News

The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired Estuery Ruiz from the A’s in exchange for RHP Carlos Duran. Ruiz, who stole 67 bags in 2023, was DFA’d four days ago and will be optioned to Triple-A.

The Red Sox today signed INF/OF Kristian Campbell to an eight-year, $60 million contract extension that spans the 2025-2032 seasons, with club options for 2033 and 2034, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com.

The Diamondbacks have signed Ketel Marte to a new extension through 2031. It is worth $116.5 million, $64 million of which is new money, per Nick Piecoro of Arizona Republic. 

Latest On MMO

Max Kranick is having a strong start to the season!

Frankie Montas has resumed throwing.

Pete Alonso leads the charge in Mets victory.

On This Date in Mets History

2006: Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez call the first regular season Mets game for SNY.

2006: David Wright goes 2-for-3 with a homer and Xavier Nady tallies four in a 3-2 Mets Opening Day win over the Nationals.

2001: Robin Ventura hits two go-ahead home runs, including a game-winning blast in the 10th inning.

1966: The Mets win a lottery and get the rights to sign Tom Seaver.

Born on This Date: Hayden Senger (1997), Jay Bruce (1987), Rod Gaspar (1946), Hawk Taylor (1939), Don Rowe (1936).

The post Morning Briefing: Jackson Merrill Inks Nine-Year Extension appeared first on Metsmerized.

Jessica Alcheh-USA TODAY Sports

Over three ago the New York Mets and former general manger Brodie Van Wagenen made a blockbuster trade.

On December 1, 2018, New York acquired all-stars Edwin Díaz and Robinson Canó. In exchange they sent two top-100 prospects, another top-30 organizational prospect, and two veterans. In total, New York sent Jarred Kelenic, Justin Dunn, Gerson Bautista, Jay Bruce, and Anthony Swarzak to Seattle for Canó, Díaz, and $20 million.

Well, given all this time has passed, and plenty has happened since, re-visiting the trade now makes sense. It makes even more sense given the fact the Mets recently released Canó.

So, where did all these pieces of the trade end up? How have they performed?

Let’s take a look before the Mets and Mariners play on Friday for the first time since the trade happened.

The Mets

One half of the duo New York received, as everyone is aware, was recently let go. Canó was designated for assignment then subsequently released at the beginning of May. His stretch with New York certainly did not go as planned.

During a subpar 2019 season, which featured an injury, Cano hit .256 over 390 at-bats. Some thought the 37-year-old might have re-kindled some magic during the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season. He hit .316 with 10 home runs across only 171 at-bats in his second-year as a Met. However, he was subsequently suspended 162 games for the use of PEDs and missed the whole 2021 season.

In his first appearance back with the Mets, Canó had a decent spring training where he hit .360. However, his lack of power was on full display as he failed to hit a home run and had only two doubles. New York gave him 12 regular-season games to figure it out. Unfortunately, he posted a slash line of .195/.233/.268 and was subsequently released.

Overall, Canó played parts of three seasons with New York. Across 602 total at-bats he slashed .269/.315/.450. In total, Canó hit 24 home runs and drove in 72 runs. And as documented, the Mets are fully on the hook for the remaining $37.6 million he is owed. Interestingly enough, he also is reportedly expected to sign with the San Diego Padres in the coming days.

Díaz, on the other hand, has settled into New York terrifically. He did have a miserable first-year with the team, where he blew numerous saves, lost his closer role, and pitched to a 5.59 ERA.

Snippet via Baseball Savant.

However, after that, he has been as advertised. Since that 2019 season, Díaz has looked like the pitcher that he was back in 2018 when he put together one of the best seasons any closer has had in recent memory. Especially this season (Statcast metrics shown above), where he has been one of the league’s top relievers.

The Mariners 

As mentioned above, Seattle received five pieces from New York in the trade. The headliners of the deal were two top-100 prospects in Kelenic and Dunn. Kelenic, at the time, was by far the crown jewel of the trade. The former first round pick was later touted by many as a top-10 prospect in baseball. However, Seattle has yet to see the type of player that thought they were getting.

USA TODAY Sports

Kelenic has struggled once again this season as he did last year. He only has 12 hits over 86 at-bats (.140 average) and has struck out 39 times compared to only nine walks. His OPS+ of only 55 paints an even further alarming picture.

Kelenic is slashing a career .173/.256/.338 and has only hit 17 home runs and driven in 53 runs. He has struggled dearly to put the ball in play as his strikeout rate is 30.0%. The former sixth overall pick has a total bWAR of -1.8 up to this point.

Now, Kelenic is only 22 years old. He has yet to tally a full season’s worth of at-bats. So, there certainly is time for him to turn it around and be the player he was once touted to be. However, a less than ideal start.

The other two younger players that were in the deal are both no longer with the Seattle organization.

Former top-100 prospect Justin Dunn has largely battled injuries and in total only started 25 games for the Mariners. Over his Seattle career he registered a FIP of 5.61 and an ERA of 3.94. Dunn was since traded in a package to the Cincinnati Reds for Jesse Winker and Eugenio Suárez where he remains on the 60-day injured list.

Meanwhile, Gerson Bautista is playing professional ball in Mexico. The former flame-thrower was out-righted back on October 23rd of 2020 by Seattle. He briefly appeared with the Mariners again in March 2021 before going overseas. Overall, his Seattle career spanned nine innings where he allowed 13 hits and 11 runs.

As for the two veterans, Jay Bruce was later traded by Seattle to Philadelphia along with cash considerations for third baseman Jake Scheiner. Scheiner is still with Seattle playing at the Double-A level.

Lastly, Anthony Swarzak pitched 13 2/3rd innings with Seattle in 2019 posting an ERA of 5.27. He is currently a free agent. The 36-year-old was traded in 2019 to Atlanta for Arodys Vizcaino and Jesse Biddle. Biddle had a 9.82 ERA with Seattle in 2019 before being claimed on waivers by Texas. He is now pitching in Japan. Vizcaino did not appear in a game for Seattle and finds himself at the Triple-A level with the Kansas City Royal organization.

Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Wrap-Up

When looking at the trade overall, of the seven players that were involved, really only one has made a pro-longed meaningful contribution, that being Edwin Díaz. Unfortunately for Seattle, although extremely early, Kelenic has yet to piece it all together. The bottom-line is the Mariners has yet to receive any major on-field production from the pieces involved and the Mets have.

Of course, there are other factors surrounding the deal. Examples being the dead money New York is now burdened with, as well as the return Dunn fetched for Seattle (Winker and Suárez). So, labeling a true winner in the trade is tricky, nor what this is all about. It was simply to check in on how each of the seven players involved in the deal have performed and examine where they currently find themselves.

The post How Have the Diaz-Cano-Kelenic Trade Participants Performed? appeared first on Metsmerized.

Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The Cano Trade Kicks Off The Lid Of The Coffin
By Greg Jones

Nothing evokes a third rail response in the Mets blogosphere more than a comment that perhaps the Cano trade is aging better than its initial reviews as the worst trade in Mets history, apologies to Jim Fregosi. But, lets review the nuts and bolts of this mega-deal.

Mets-Mariners Trade, December 3, 2018

New York Mets get:

Robinson Cano: A 36-year-old second baseman with Hall of Fame career numbers, but coming off a half season suspension for a diuretic often used to mask performance-enhancing drugs such as steroids. Cano protested mightily, saying it was prescribed by his doctor and – whatever, overtaken by subsequent events. Big liar.

Edwin Diaz: A 24-year-old closer with three years of control left, coming off an All Star season in which he led the league in saves.

Seattle Mariners get:

Jay Bruce: A 31-year-old corner OF with good thump, coming off the worst season of his career of his career in 2018 (-0.9 bWAR).

Anthony Swarzak: A 32-year-old middle reliever coming off the worst season of his career (6.15 ERA, -0.4 bWAR)

Gerson Bautista: Number 15 ranked prospect on the Mets, 22-year-old fireballer reliever out of the DR who split time between low A and high A in 2017, pitching to a 4.21 ERA.

Justin Dunn: Number 5 ranked prospect on the Mets, a 22-year-old former first round pick coming off a disappointing 2017 in High A, pitching to a 5.00 ERA.

Jarred Kelenic: The number one Mets prospect, and number one in some national lists, an 18-year-old, five tool center fielder. The future so bright, he had to wear shades.

This deal was under the Wilpons, so, naturally, follow the money.

Payroll-wise, Diaz, Bautista, Dunn and Kelenic were small potatoes with free agency far in the future. So set them aside.
The headline here, of course, was Robinson Cano’s contract, stretching out 5 more years at $24 million per, $120 million through his Age 40. Yikes. This was offset somewhat by $20 million in cash he carried back with him courtesy of the Mariners. But Mets were on the hook for $100 million.

Anthony Swarzak was owed $8.5 million in 2019Jay Bruce was owed $14 million in 2019 and $14 million in 2020.

So unloading those two, and calculating Cano and the cash, was another $36.5 million to the Mets in total commitments. However, it was actually a savings for their 2019 payroll, $3.5 million less (the Cano money was skewed frontload to $5 million in 2019). In 2020, the second year of Bruce’s contract and the first year of Cano’s at $20.25 mil meant an added hit to 2020 of only $6.25 mil. After that, of course, the hit was Cano’s full contract, $20.25 mil per year through 2021-2023.

So, basically, the money was much closer in the long run than the headline of the deal to the average fan “Mets Take On Aging Cano’s $120 Million Contract!”

Now, one year in, end of 2019. This is where the deal really cemented itself with fans as an epic Mets disaster.

Cano, who still looked pretty lively in the second half of 2018 with the Mariners with a .303/.374/.471/.845 slash after his first half suspension, looked his age in 2019 with the Mets, struggling through injuries to slash .256/.307/.428/.736 in 107 games.

Edwin Diaz struggled as well, with seven losses and seven blown saves pitching to a wincey 5.59 ERA with 26 saves.

Meanwhile in Seattle, Swarzak and Bruce had been traded off, Kelenic was going through the minors like Sherman through Georgia, and Dunn had a solid year in the minors and looked good in a cup of coffee with the big club in September.

The Cano trade’s tragic epitaph was chiseled into its gravestone at the close of 2019, no more discussions, please.

Photo by Abbie Parr, USA TODAY Sports

A Look Today

But, what the heck, let’s look at how events have continued to the winter of 2022.

Robinson Cano had a renaissance in 2020, once play got under way in July. He slashed .316/.352/.544/.896 in 49 games, and was even lurking in the scrum for the batting title into September. After the season there was a piece of good…..well, there was an event, as a second PED test failure led to Cano’s suspension for all of 2021 (Mets + $20.25 million). So, to date with the Mets, in a season-like sample of 156 games, Cano has slashed .275/.321/.463/.784 with 23 home runs, totalling a 1.7 WAR.

The other piece of the deal, Edwin Diaz, had a bounce back year in 2020 with a 1.75 ERA in 26 games. In 2021, he notched 32 saves, and in his Mets career so far he is +2.0 WAR. While there is nothing in baseball harder than a closer recovering his reputation, the reality is that Diaz has rounded into a better than average closer. Since 2019 he is 4th in saves in the NL, and in the last two years he has more strikeouts than any NL closer.

Since coming into the majors in 2016, Diaz’s 173 saves trail only Kenley Jansen, and Diaz is five years younger than anyone else in the top five. He is not Mariano, but he is better than most team’s closers, and in a role dominated by veterans, Diaz is only 27.

Let’s look at the “winner” of that deal, Seattle.

Swarzak and Bruce and their $36.5 million were traded off as salary dumps. Both are out of baseball.

Gerson Bautista, after surrendering 11 runs in 9 innings with the Mariners in 2019, was let go, and is currently in the wind.

Justin Dunn, after looking like a pretty solid 4-5 candidate in 2020 with a 4.34 ERA in 10 starts, dropped to a 1-3 record in 2021 before going down in June with shoulder inflammation. Two comebacks were aborted with the same pain. Rehabbing this winter, Dunn will compete for the number 5/swingman spot in the spring.

Now the moneyshot of the deal, as it was the day it was announced, and this deserves a deep drill. Jarred Kelenic’s darkest angels could not have conjured up a worse start in Seattle. Offered a long term multi-million dollar extension in 2019, Kelenic turned it down. When he stayed down in the minors in 2020, and the Seattle president blurted out that he wouldn’t be starting in Seattle to begin 2021, Kelenic exploded, accusing the Seattle brass of extorting his service time to force him to sign a deal.

After a national media kerfluffle, the Seattle CEO Kevin Mather resigned, despite heatedly denying there was any quid pro quo. Well regarded Seattle GM Jerry DiPoto also agreed, saying they believed Kelenic needed more development time.

Kelenic, eyeing the 2020 team, had his own comments:

“…..here you have a team that is one game out of the playoffs going into the last weeks of the season. I know for a fact I could have helped that team out…..(they should) have the best guys on the field, especially when you talk about a team that hasn’t gone to the playoffs in 20 years, and your best prospects are just sitting there watching.’’

DiPoto addressed the team after Mather’s resignation in the first spring training workout, making soothing sounds and attempting to put the issue aside as the team headed into what they expected to be a 2021 season as a contender.

The Mariners were alarmed that Kelenic showed up clocking in 30 lbs. heavier, and looking maybe not so much like a speedy centerfielder anymore. After a knee injury in spring training, possibly totally unrelated to carrying around 30 lbs more, but also possibly related, Kelenic did not make the Opening Day roster. This created another national media explosion of service time manipulation accusations, although cooler heads pointed out that the 21-year-old Kelenic had only played 21 games above Class A ball and had barely 800 professional at-bats.

Finally, FINALLY, called up in May, Kelenic started every game for three weeks. He tallied 8 hits in 92 plate appearances for a .096 batting average, striking out 26 times and looking utterly overmatched by major league breaking stuff. His service time complaints jumping back down his throat, he was sent down to AAA, where he again pounded on all that non-filthy breaking stuff. Brought back in July, he showed some flashes of power, and had a good September (perhaps against AAA callups?) Anyway, he still wound up his debut season with a batting average of .181.

To put that in perspective, that is the lowest batting average for an AL rookie with at least 375 plate appearances since….ever. Records go back to 1871. Second on the list is John Gochnaur, who batted .185 in 1902, and backed that up with a .185 in 1903, then disappeared into the mist of history.

While Kelenic’s -1.8 WAR had similar historic aspects, it was dominated by his defensive mark of – 1.6 dWAR. Perhaps because of the knee injury or the weight, Kelenic did not acquit himself well in center field. In fact, Kelenic may have a very difficult time winning a starting job this spring.

Center fielder Julio Rodriquez, the number one prospect in baseball, may be ready to take center for the next decade or so. At the corners, you have veteran Mitch Haniger, coming off a 39 HR, 100 RBI season in 2021. And in the other corner you have 2020 Rookie of the Year Kyle Lewis, back after missing most of 2021 with a knee injury.

It may well be that, rather than having Kelenic in a fourth outfielder bench role, he could be back in AAA for some or all of 2022.

Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Back To The Trade

The metrics here are so small as to approach rounding errors, but the total bWAR for the players run to +3.7 for the Mets, -0.1 for the Mariners. In terms of the 2022 season, the 4th after the trade, Swarzak and Bautista are free agents/out of baseball, as are the three players acquired when the Mariners dumped off Swarzak and Bruce.

Bruce, after 10 games in April ’21 with the Yankees, voluntarily retired and is out of baseball.

So for the Mariners, the on field residuals of the trade are Dunn and Kelenic. Cano and Diaz remain with the Mets, penciled in for major roles as DH and closer.

(One quick takeaway about valuing prospects. Being the 15th or 20th ranked prospect on the 29th ranked farm system isn’t as shiny as you might think.)

Now, in assessing the “what-ifs” of this trade, there is another factor. The Mets were all in for 2019, and in December 2018, they needed a closer. AL saves leader Diaz was being dangled to the league, and the Mets knew he had suitors in the NL East. Unless they acquired him it was quite possible they would be facing Diaz throughout 2019.

In the free agent market, there was only one top closer available in December 2018 – Craig Kimbrel, and the speculation was rampant about the Mets inking the veteran closer. Kimbrel eventually signed a 3/$43 mil with the Cubs, about $30 million more than the comparable payroll would have been for Edwin Diaz. And Kimbrel was lousy/horrible with the Cubs, going 0-5 with 15 saves, a 6.00 ERA, and a -0.6 WAR in 2019 and 2020. Yes, for 2019 and 2020, Kimbrel was even worse than Edwin, who was 4-8 with 32 saves, a 4.41 ERA and a 1.0 WAR over those two years and for about $20 million less.

So if the trade never happened, and they went for Kimbrel, the Mets would have had Swarzak, Bruce and Kimbrel on the payroll for 2019….about +$35.5 million versus the -$3.5 million after the deal.

So, given all that….well, the next few years of Cano and the career of Edwin Diaz are a factor. But no matter what, this trade will wind up being measured by the career of Jarred Kelenic.

The financial drivers on the Mets side have disappeared as completely as one could imagine with the magical appearance of Steve Cohen and his billions. If Kelenic does turn it around and lives up to his Mickey Mantle comparisons, it was the worst trade ever. But if he winds up a run-of-the-mill Jay Brucey power bat in a corner OF position…maybe not so bad a deal. Not so bad at all…

* * * * * * * *

This Fan Shot was contributed by MMO community member Greg Jones. Have something you want to say? Share your opinions with the best and most diverse Mets community on the web! Send your Fan Shot to getmetsmerized@aol.com.

The post Fan Shot: Updated Look At Mets Trading Kelenic appeared first on Metsmerized.

Devin Mesoraco is thankful for the opportunity he was afforded to play Major League Baseball for as long as he did.

Though his career wasn’t long and he dealt with three surgeries in a matter of thirteen months that marred his swing after an impressive breakout season in 2014, Mesoraco doesn’t look back with regret. Rather, he comes across with the rightful mindset that he did what so few could and made lasting memories during his eight-year major league career.

The Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, native recalls how his dad had him play all over the diamond to increase his skills on the field as a kid. Once they determined that his speed wasn’t an asset, but his arm was, Mesoraco shifted to full-time catching and was on the radar for several teams heading into the 2007 Draft.

Selected 15th overall by the Cincinnati Reds, Mesoraco became the club’s full-time catcher in 2013, and one year later made his first (and only) All-Star appearance. That year, Mesoraco hit 25 home runs, drove in 80 runs, and among 23 catchers with a minimum of 400 plate appearances that season, Mesoraco led in wRC+ (147).

Unfortunately for Mesoraco, the aforementioned surgeries restricted Mesoraco’s ability to replicate his 2014 season offensively. From 2015 until his last season in 2018, Mesoraco appeared in just 179 games, while playing no more than 84 games in any of those years.

Mesoraco, 33, played in his final major league season with the New York Mets in 2018, getting traded to the club while the Reds were playing the Mets in Cincinnati for a three-game set in May for right-handed pitcher Matt Harvey. The trade made for a relatively easy transition for Mesoraco, as he knew Jay Bruce and Todd Frazier from their time in Cincinnati, along with being an easy commute using the concourse underneath the stadium to switch clubhouses.

In 66 games with the Mets in ’18, Mesoraco posted a .715 OPS with 10 home runs and 30 RBI. The Mets re-signed Mesoraco to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training for the 2019 season. Mesoraco was under the impression that he’d be third on their catching depth chart and have an opportunity to join the big club should Travis d’Arnaud be unready for the start of the season or if the club carried three catchers on their roster.

The Mets ended up reassigning the veteran catcher to Triple-A at the end of March, however, Mesoraco had no intention of playing in the minors. The catcher asked the Mets for his release to pursue other opportunities, but the club refused his request, placing him on the restricted list instead. Mesoraco packed his bags and returned home, content with his career and wanting to be around his family more.

Since his retirement from the game, Mesoraco has lent his experience and expertise in the game as a volunteer assistant for the University of Pittsburgh’s baseball team. Mesoraco enjoys the team-oriented approach that collegiate ball offers and is something that allows him to aid the next generation of players while staying close to home.

I had the privilege of speaking with Mesoraco, where we discussed the three surgeries he underwent in thirteen months, getting traded to the Mets, and being placed on the restricted list.

MMO: Who were some of your favorite players growing up?

Mesoraco: I would say one is Derek Jeter. At that time, when I was growing up in the late nineties, he was kind of everybody’s guy. The other guys were catchers; I liked Pudge Rodríguez because he was the top catcher at the time. Mike Piazza was a great catcher at that time, and Jason Kendall was a catcher for the Pirates who was a pretty good player.

MMO: At what point during your development did you start focusing more on catching?

Mesoraco: Once I got into high school. Prior to that, I played everywhere. My dad was a coach and he wanted to make me well-rounded at different positions, but I wasn’t super-fast; I got a lot slower as my career went along.

It got to the point where I had a good arm and that was going to be my best path to having an opportunity to play in college or professionally, and it made a lot of sense. Once I got into high school, I was a full-time catcher.

MMO: What are your memories from the 2007 Draft in which the Reds selected you with their first pick (15th overall)?

Mesoraco: It was an unbelievable day! I had a high school state playoff game. We played in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and that year we actually won the state championship. This was probably the second round of the state playoffs, I believe. I want to say we played the game at three o’clock, and we didn’t really have time to drive back to Punxsutawney; it was a little too far.

We went to a local sports bar, and the whole team came, and everybody that was at the game came and we packed the place out. We were able to watch the draft on TV, and it was an awesome memory to be able to share that with family and all my buddies and the other kids on the team.

MMO: Were you aware of the Reds’ interest prior to them selecting you?

Mesoraco: We had kind of a general area that we felt pretty confident that we were going to go in. If I recall right, I want to say that the Phillies picked No. 19, and we felt confident that I wouldn’t get picked past that pick. And there was some other interest earlier on, and we went to visit some places and did a personal workout for a couple of teams in the top-tenish range.

I had no idea that the Reds were super interested; I think they kind of kept their things a bit quiet. We just knew that we’d be somewhere in the five to nineteen range, and I was very happy with that.

MMO: Your breakout season of 2014 was fun to watch. That was your first and only All-Star selection and you posted career highs in games played (114), home runs (25), RBI (80), and OPS+ (147). Was there anything you can think of that accounted for such a breakout season in 2014?

Mesoraco: Prior to that season, I had been kind of more splitting time with a catcher by the name of Ryan Hanigan, who was very good and helped me out a lot defensively and just how to think about the game. At the end of the year in ’13, they told me that I was going to have a good shot [of playing more], and let’s see what you can do.

Not that I didn’t take the previous seasons seriously, because I was prepared and ready to go, but we got a new hitting coach – his name is Don Long, he’s the hitting coach for the Orioles right now – and we talked a good bit in the offseason about a game plan of hey, these are some areas that can I improve, this is what we’d like to see you do. We really had a good foundation of what we thought we needed to do to go into spring training there, and just worked on that stuff and got a chance to play every day.

I hit the ground running and had a really good start. When you’re a young player, at that time that would’ve been my fourth year, and I had never been the everyday guy, you don’t really know if you’re good enough to be there. Can I handle it? Can I do it? You kind of have to find your footing.

I think it was a perfect time where I felt like I could play up there and would be fine, and then they gave me the opportunity to play every day, and a lot of things just clicked. It was a lot of fun and a really good year, and something that I’ll certainly never forget.

MMO: I think something that fans don’t fully take into consideration is just how tough it is coming back from an injury and/or surgery. You had three surgeries in a 13-month span: left-hip labrum, labrum in your non-throwing shoulder, and right-hip labrum. Can you talk about undergoing all of those surgeries in such a short span, and how that impacted your play?

Mesoraco: After ’14, I signed a four-year contract with the Reds. I think the tenth game of the year, my hip was feeling like a stabbing pain. I had no idea what it was. I hadn’t felt pain like that and it just got to the point where I could barely squat down.

The doc checked me out and tried a bunch of stuff to get me back onto the field: cortisone shots, lubricating shots, a bunch of different things. If I was playing the outfield or something, I probably could’ve delayed it, but as a catcher, it was very difficult to do what I had to do behind the plate, and I just couldn’t get in a good position.

I ended up having surgery in July and rehabbed that. The rehab process isn’t very fun; there are steps to take, and it’s just a lot of grind in the training room and doing a bunch of things to help you feel better. I grinded through that rehab, got into spring training next year, and it was feeling okay; the hip was better. I needed to get some at-bats to get my feet underneath me so to speak and get back to how I felt.

We took it slow and started off the season and didn’t play very well and kind of the same thing; ten games into the season, my shoulder was in pain every single swing. It was basically the same thing, just in a different joint. It was like, man, this is unbelievable! You try to grind through a little bit, and it became very evident that I couldn’t play with this.

I think whenever you’re a player, you can play sometimes, but they don’t pay you just to play; they pay you to produce. They pay you to drive in runs; they pay you to hit the ball out of the ballpark. I just flat out couldn’t do any of that; it wasn’t even remotely close. I didn’t have the same swing. My labrum was completely torn, and there was basically nothing there. So, they had to go in and replace that one, and then I grinded through that rehab process.

Then I had hip surgery because my other hip was basically the same from the imagining. I didn’t have any pain in that hip at the time, but the doctor suggested that we do it because, well, heck, they don’t want me to miss three years in a row and something happens to that hip! We ended up doing the hip as well, and the hips came back very normally, no issue. The shoulder was the one that continued to give me trouble. It always felt like I could never get in the same position that I used to be able to hit in. I never felt like I had the same zap in my swing. Whether I didn’t do the rehab correctly or whatever it was, I just never felt like the same guy, and I knew that while I was playing.

That was a tough mental thing, but I was able to play and do okay, but I just was never quite the same. But the three-year gap was very tough, just from a standpoint of, I’m a competitor and I liked to be on the field.

It was just always trying to replicate what I did in 2014. I was always trying to find that swing. It got to the point where I knew I didn’t have that anymore, and you have to find another way to do it. Everything became a grind; I couldn’t just show up to the ballpark and play ball. I had to grind through my neck is hurting today and dealing with my body and this and that. It became a real, real grind, and not a whole lot of fun to show up to the ballpark.

MMO: During your time in the majors, were you a player that readily utilized analytics in your game planning?

Mesoraco: Oh, absolutely! I think people kind of get scared off by the term, but all it is information. I wanted as much information as I could get, especially game-planning for how we’re going to attack the opposition. That stuff was great and made a big difference.

It’s not anything scary and nobody’s trying to change the game; it’s just new things that can help. My thing was always you can use the analytics for evaluation, but how can you help the players become better by using that stuff? I wanted as much as I could get.

I think in general, people are somewhat afraid of change or different stuff. Anything that can help you become a better player or coach is great.

MMO: Can you talk a bit about what a normal day-to-day routine would be for you in let’s say a night game?

Mesoraco: The first thing that I always wanted to do was put the game plan together of how we would attack the opposition. If we had someone with a lot of track record that had faced this team previously, take Jacob deGrom against the Braves, I would go in and watch all of Jake’s at-bats against Freddie Freeman. I would watch all of Jake’s at-bats against Dansby Swanson and kind of see what they were doing. Now, if you faced them a couple of times throughout the year, you don’t necessarily have to watch all the at-bats, you know how you’re going to attack them. Then I wanted to see how those guys were doing recently. I would watch the last 20-to-30 at-bats that they had to see if maybe they’re off on this and that or they’re not hitting this quite as well right now as they usually do. And then put the game plan together.

They gave me a lot of stuff from upstairs, but by the time I got to the Mets, I had a pretty good idea of what I needed to know to go into a game and feel confident in what I’m calling.

I had my routine, and I went through that, put the game plan together, and then I’d get a little bit of hitting in. If it’s the start of the series, then you have a meeting with all the relievers and kind of go through the game plan. Once I got there, Dave Eiland became pretty confident in the homework that I put in, so he kind of let me run the meeting, which I always thought was great because this was the guy that was putting down the signs; this is the guy they have to throw to. If they trust that I’m putting in my homework, they’re just going to follow me and go with the game plan. I think he (Eiland) kind of understood that, too. He would give some input on some guys here and there, but I would say, for Freddie, anything moving into him is better, just no get-me-over off-speed stuff because he really hammers that.

Then we would take BP and meet with the starter for that day, and you go over a more detailed version of the meeting with the relievers.

MMO: Did you call your own game?

Mesoraco: All catchers in the big leagues call their own game. Upstairs may present some suggestions, but not necessarily specific pitches. I do think some teams may do this more now, but a 1-1 count throw a breaking ball to Nick Markakis. They usually don’t get into that, but I think some teams have kind of started to do more of that.

It’s all on the pitchers and catchers. The thing is with the pitchers, they can shake any time they want. It’s their game essentially, right? A lot of pitchers like to follow a catcher, and if you gain the trust of those guys, then they’ll definitely follow you. It just depends.

MMO: What are your memories from the day you were traded across dugouts to the Mets?

Mesoraco: It was wild. I kind of heard about it a couple of days before. Jay Bruce and Todd Frazier were over there, and they called those guys into the office and were asked: what do you guys think of Mesoraco? Just trying to make sure I wasn’t a terrible teammate or guy. [Laughs.) I think they gave a pretty good report, so I was kind of aware that something might happen.

I was supposed to play on the Reds’ side, and we’re just getting ready to play. They probably had to go over my medicals which probably took, who knows, three days? That might’ve been one of the holdups, and they’re going over that. Probably two hours before the game I got called into the manager’s office, and the GM and everybody were there, and just said, “We’re trading you, but you’re going right across.”

I was pumped up; I was excited because we weren’t playing very well at the time and the Mets had the better record. I was pumped to go over there and I knew they needed a catcher. I grabbed all my equipment, walked across the concourse underneath the stadium, and walked into that clubhouse.

It was easy because Jay and Todd were over there, so it was great. I got over there, I want to say fifteen minutes before the game, and I was just sitting on the other bench. It was pretty wild.

MMO: If I recall correctly, you did appear in that game as a pinch-hitter late.

Mesoraco: Yeah, I pinch-hit and struck out. Then I played the next day. As a player, it’s easy whenever you get traded. It’s more of the off-the-field stuff with your wife or whoever, and we had a young son at the time. That aspect of it is a little more hectic.

MMO: You got to catch Jacob deGrom in his first Cy Young-winning season. What makes deGrom so special in your opinion?

Mesoraco: Jake is unbelievable. He can throw any pitch to any spot, both sides of the plate, up and down. He can throw his slider up in the zone and shorten it up and make it cut. He can do anything; there’s nothing that he can’t do.

The other side that you see with Jake is his competitiveness. This guy just doesn’t want to allow any runs, he doesn’t want to make a bad pitch in the bullpen session three days before a start! He gets mad about that. That isn’t typical, not everyone is like that. Everyone is obviously putting work in, but Jake is on a whole other level.

Stuff-wise, he wasn’t throwing as hard as he’s throwing now back in ’18, but it was still unbelievable. To me, it’s probably the best fastball from a starter in the big leagues, probably one of the best sliders, and probably one of the best changeups from a starter. He had all the weapons, the preparation, he just had everything. It’s hard to be as good as Jake is.

MMO: Is deGrom the best pitcher you caught in your career?

Mesoraco: Oh, absolutely. I don’t think that’s relatively close either. I think that Jake is one of the top two or three pitchers of this generation. He’s unbelievable.

MMO: Do you have any beliefs as to why deGrom has been able to add velocity to his 4-seam fastball as he’s gotten older?

Mesoraco: No. I don’t think anyone does. It doesn’t happen, Jake is a complete outlier in that regard. I think it could be partly because he didn’t pitch that much growing up. I don’t think anyone can explain it but it’s fun to watch.

MMO: Things got a bit rocky in 2019 when the Mets reassigned you to Triple-A and then later put you on the restricted list after you made your intentions known that you were not going to play in Triple-A. Can you talk a bit about that series of events and where you’re at with that now? I remember reading a tweet this year in which you asked Steve Cohen to take you off the restricted list.

Mesoraco: Yeah, that was just a joke. I figured that would get some laughs on Twitter. It really wasn’t that big of a deal. I had signed and the idea that Travis [d’Arnaud] may not be ready, and if not, I’d be the guy. Otherwise, I might be good depth and get a chance at some point during the year. And I was fine with that, but they made it seem like I was going to be the third guy.

Spring training came about, and spring training is what it is. I don’t know if I played super well, but I thought I was fine. It got down to it and I didn’t sign there to be the fourth guy, I grinded enough and earned good money so I was comfortable with where I was.

I didn’t have the Triple-A grind all year in me; I didn’t want to do that. I just said I would like to go somewhere where I have a better opportunity to get to the big leagues because it was very clear that they liked [Tomás] Nido, and that’s their right. But that wasn’t my intention of signing there; I didn’t sign to be the fourth guy, so go ahead and release me. Whether I’d sign somewhere else or not or even had a better opportunity, I don’t know. But I had no intentions of showing up and being the fourth guy.

They said, “Let’s take a couple of days and think about this and talk again.” I said, ‘I don’t really need to talk. I don’t want to be the fourth guy. That’s very clear what I am, and that’s your right. Do whatever you have to do to, but I’m not going to be playing for you guys.’

That was it really, and they called and said I was being put on the restricted list, which I was fine with. As I said, I was happy with my career; I wasn’t the same player, and I didn’t want to go to Triple-A and grind it out. The only interest that I had in continuing to play was in the big leagues. If I had to go somewhere for a couple of weeks and do something in Triple-A, sure, I may have done that. But I didn’t really have a ton of interest in doing that. So, I packed up my car and went home and retired, I guess.

MMO: So, you don’t hold any grudges or have any ill will towards the club?

Mesoraco: No, they were within their right to do that. I was under contract, and they don’t have to necessarily come to terms all the time and that’s okay. They were trying to build depth with the organization, and they can go about that in different ways, and I was fine with it. I wasn’t personally mad at those guys or anything, I just didn’t want to do it. I wasn’t interested in being the fourth guy.

I’m not someone that holds grudges or looks at the past, it is what it is. You move on and go to the next phase of your life. Which for me, is mostly being a dad, which is great!

MMO: You joined the University of Pittsburgh’s baseball staff as a volunteer assistant last year. How did that come about and what are your responsibilities with the team?

Mesoraco: I needed to get out of the house. I was in the house and I started doing some wood workings and doing a lot of yard work. I know baseball very well, and I just wanted to be part of teaching kids and helping them out and being part of the team. At the professional level, it becomes a lot individualized these days, and rightfully so because that’s how people earn their living. But down here, it’s more team-oriented and the goals of the team and how can we win and do better, and that kind of appealed to me.

I reached out to coach [Mike] Bell, who is the head coach at Pitt, and they had an opening for a volunteer role, and I thought that was perfect. I’m very thankful that it happened, and I get to come down here and coach, be part of the team and help the kids out. It’s been very enjoyable.

MMO: Where do you envision the next stage of your career going? Would you want to get back to working in the majors, or do you want to stay at the collegiate level?

Mesoraco: I don’t know, that’s a tough question. In pro ball, you see the time that the coaches put in and the time away from their families and at this point, I don’t think that’s necessarily something that I want to do. Sure, at some point once the kids get older, maybe I could see myself getting into that side of it.

College coaching is great because in my role you’re at home. Some of these guys are traveling to recruit a lot, but I don’t have to recruit so that works out well. I could see going into pro ball, but it would have to be something that’s worthwhile. Those guys have to work so hard and work their way up from the minor leagues and the grind of going through each level and things of that nature. I don’t know if I necessarily have that type of grind. I just take it day-by-day at this point.

MMO: Thanks very much for the time today, Devin. It was great speaking with you.

Mesoraco: Appreciate it!

Follow Devin Mesoraco on Twitter, @DMesoraco

The post MMO Exclusive: Former Mets Catcher, Devin Mesoraco appeared first on Metsmerized.

A friend of mine from Long Island called my attention to a column David Lennon of Newsday recently wrote about MLB’s proposed rule changes, several of which will be tested in the minor leagues this season. A few of the possible rule changes were also discussed during Tuesday afternoon’s broadcast of the Mets’ exhibition game against the Houston Astros.

The proposals are generally aimed to speed up the game, put more balls in play, and increase overall fan interest and excitement. Let’s take a look at the key changes being proposed and tested.

Pitch Clock

This one is not new, having been used at the college level since 2011 when there are no runners on base. Pitch clocks were used during MLB spring training games in 2019, and in Double-A and Triple-A during the 2015 season. In both professional scenarios, pitchers had 20 seconds to throw a pitch when there were no runners on base. The results were good in the minor league experiment, as games were shortened by 12 minutes in the 2015 season as compared to games in the same leagues during the 2014 season.

Reaction

I’m not in favor of the pitch clock. While shortened games would be a positive for baseball (let’s face it-game length has been identified as a main reason people are turning away from the sport), I’m not sure altering a pitcher’s routine is the way to get there. I’d be concerned that modified routines could lead to more arm injuries, and there are too many of those now.

Here is an alternative idea. Eliminate all non-playing personnel from entering the field. That means no mound visits from the dugout (pitching changes can be signaled), and no on-field arguments. In none of the other major sports are coaches allowed on the surface of play. Baseball needs to catch up with that.

Increasing the Size of the Bases

The idea is to expand base size from 15 to 18 inches. This one will be tested in Triple-A. According to Lennon’s article, in addition to enhancing safety of the infielders on double-play attempts, making the bases bigger will carry this intended impact.

“The competition committee also expects the shorter distances between bases created by increased size to have a modest impact on the success rate of stolen base attempts and the frequency with which a batter-runner reaches base on ground balls and bunt attempts.”

Reaction

This is a hard “no”. If the bases are three inches closer, there will be an impact on “bang-bang” plays. Think back to close plays that have impacted the outcome of games, and how under the proposed change, those plays could have gone the other way.

I’m in favor of more stolen bases and runners on base, as I believe that would enhance excitement. But tinkering with the fundamental nature of the bases being 90 feet apart? No, let’s find another way.

My friend from Long Island suggests widening first base, with the extra space in foul territory (think about the J.C. Martin play in the 1969 World Series). This would give the runner a chance to stay in the runner’s box and still touch the bag.

Limit Defensive Shifts

This rule will be tested in Double-A and the change will be that at least four infielders will have to have both feet on the infield dirt (expanding it to two fielders on each side of second base is possible, but not in the current test model).

This will prevent a batter from being thrown out by “short fielder”, playing a softball-like position. Francisco Lindor is a known proponent of limiting the shift, as is former Met and current Yankee, Jay Bruce.

“I feel like balls hit 105 miles an hour that are caught by the second baseman playing 270 feet away takes some excitement away from the game.” Bruce said.

Reaction

I do not like the shift, but I do not think that legislating it away is the right move. Teach hitters how to beat the shift by going the other way. Take the single. Help your team by getting on base. That will, in most cases, put a natural stop to the shift. There is more to baseball than home runs. The relentless pursuit of them has, to a large degree, taken some of the action out of the game. Fewer balls are put in play, because home runs and strikeouts are way up. Baseball needs more hitters like Rod Carew, and fewer like Dave Kingman.

Limit Pick-off Attempts

While not discussed in Lennon’s article, this has been talked about as a way to speed up the game. One idea is to allow the pitcher to throw to an occupied base no more than two times per at-bat, and limit the number of times a pitcher can step off the rubber.

Reaction

This rule makes little sense. If a runner knows the pitcher can no longer throw to the base, a runner  with decent speed can easily steal a base. As mentioned above, I’m all for increasing stolen bases in the game (players like Lou Brock and Rickey Henderson were very exciting to watch), but this rule would make a mockery of the art. Stolen base records would fall, and the modern-day runners would be setting new records with a sizable advantage over their predecessors.

Commissioner Rob Manfred is trying to use innovation to increase fan interest. For this, he should be commended, as baseball does need to find a way to compete with football and basketball to win over younger fans.

Speeding up the game and having more balls in play are two ways to increase interest and excitement, however, doing so by altering the rules of play would go too far. The sanctity of baseball’s records would be infringed.

Nice try, Mr. Manfred, but it’s back to the drawing board.

The post Evaluating MLB’s Proposed Rule Changes appeared first on Metsmerized.

Mention the name Edwin Diaz to any Mets fan, and the reaction will likely be visceral.

Many will revile the trade that brought the enigmatic closer to Queens. Others will fault GM Brodie Van Wagenen for trading two top prospects, Jarred Kelenic and Justin Dunn, as well as Gerson Bautista, Jay Bruce, and Anthony Swarzak to Seattle for Diaz and Robinson Cano. Nearly all will groan about Diaz’s seven blown saves in 2019.

Diaz had perplexing  numbers in 2019. His 5.59 ERA was unsightly. However, he had 99 strikeouts in 58 innings pitched. His average fastball velocity was 97.8 mph. But his WHIP was nearly 1.4, most importantly, he allowed 15 home runs (didn’t it seem like even more?).

Diaz, for the time being, has lost his closer’s role. Thus far in 2020, he’s pitched 4 1/3 innings, and the overall trend is similar to 2019. He has an ERA of 4.15, to go with eight strikeouts. He blew a save against the Braves opening weekend, allowing a game-tying home run to Marcell Ozuna.

In his last two appearances against the Braves and Nationals, Diaz has thrown a combined two innings, allowing no hits and striking out three. This very small sample size comes in a non-closer role. Perhaps that factors in to the improved performance. But maybe there’s something more to it.

After his outing against the Nationals on Monday, there was talk of Diaz changing his arm angle on his slider before the Sunday outing, after some work with pitching coach Jeremy Hefner. The effectiveness of the slider has been the key to Diaz’s past success. In his last two appearances, Diaz’s slider has had late, sharp break, and he’s seen much better results.

Putting numbers to the above, so far in 2020 Diaz has thrown his slider 39.4% of the time (his last two outings comprise half of his season’s innings total). Last year, he threw it 33.9% of the time. In 2018, when Diaz posted 57 saves, he threw 37.3 % sliders.

Looking at the opposition’s contact against him, 33.3% of the time in 2020, batters have made soft contact. Last year, soft contact was only 16.7%. Hard contact in 2020 is 33.3%, as opposed to 48.1% last year.

Further, batters have pulled their contact 16.7% of the time this year, versus 43.4% of the time last year. Diaz has, for the most part (Ozuna as an exception), been able to stay away from hitters’ power zones in 2020.

So what can this mean? First, as noted, the statistics from 2020 are from a very small sample size and that has to be taken into consideration. If Diaz has been able to regain his slider, and his confidence in throwing it more often, it can be a step in the right direction for his being the pitcher the Mets thought they were getting in 2019.

The contact percentages when Diaz relies on his slider are very telling. In 2018, opposing hitters made hard contact against him 29.3% of the time, when his slider was sharp and he used it as his go-to pitch. In 2019, when he threw the slider less and it was not as sharp, despite an average velocity of 97.8 mph on his fastball, hard contact was 48.1% as pointed out above. Diaz needs his fastball to set up that wipeout slider. The fastball has not been shown to be his consistent out pitch.

The Mets did not part with top prospects to receive a 7th inning relief pitcher. They traded for, and expect, an elite closer. Edwin Diaz has not been close to that thus far.

If Diaz’s work with Hefner has enabled him to rediscover his out pitch, while there is still quite a way to go (such as pitching in high-leverage situations), perhaps Diaz has found a building block to becoming a successful closer in Flushing.

The post Can Edwin Diaz Turn the Corner? appeared first on Metsmerized.

The Mets made a deadline deal to obtain Yoenis Cespedes five years ago today, July 31st, 2015. The trade capped a wild five days, that included the Wilmer Flores non-trade, a horrific loss to the Padres after a long rain delay, and a Flores walk-off home run against the Nationals.

Cespedes joined Donn Clendenon and Keith Hernandez (among others) as key deals the Mets have made at the trade deadline.

As the 4 pm deadline approached on July 31, 2015, Cespedes’ name was not tied to the Mets. The Mets had been eyeing Jay Bruce of the Reds (whom they acquired a year later) as their primary target to add a power-hitting bat. When the Mets and Reds were not able to agree on a deal, Tigers’ GM Dave Dombroski and Mets GM Sandy Alderson agreed on a deal moments before the deadline-Cespedes for pitchers Luis Cessa and Michael Fulmer.

Cespedes proceeded to be just what the Mets needed as they surged to an NL East division title (and ultimately and NL championship). In 57 games with New York in 2015, he posted a .287 BA with 17 home runs, and OPS of .942 and an OPS+ of 155.

In the 2015 post season, Cespedes hit two home runs, and drove in eight runs. His post season ended a bit early, when he left game five of the World Series after fouling a ball off his leg. His home run below against the Dodgers in game three of the NLDS was probably his best post season moment, and gave the Mets a commanding 10-3 lead.

Many assumed that Cespedes was a 2015 rental, and that he’d be employed elsewhere in 2016. For much of the 2015 off season, it appeared that would be the case. Cespedes wanted to return, and held out for the Mets. On January 26, 2016, he signed a one-year deal to return. Though he was limited by injury to 132 games, Cespedes had a measurable impact once again, slugging 31 home runs and driving in 86 runs to go with a .280 BA. His OPS was .884 and his OPS+ was 136.

Once again, it seemed Cespedes would leave the Mets after their crushing NL Wild Card loss to the Giants. And once again, he returned. This time, it was four-year contract. This contract turned out to be a bad one for the Mets.

In 2017, Cespedes was limited to 81 games; he played in just 38 games in 2018, and then missed the entire 2019 season. His injuries can be described as “unusual”, ranging from a degenerative ankle condition (affecting both ankles), to an encounter with a wild boar.

Cespedes’ Mets tenure will likely end after the 2020 season. His time with the Mets has had a bottle rocket feel. He soared immediately, then fizzled as time went on. He provided some spectacular moments, and some amazing memories.

Some will remember his last Mets contract as an albatross for the organization (though he did renegotiate after the boar incident). Others will reflect fondly the way he propelled the team to the 2015 post season, like a newly assigned general leading the cavalry to victory.

I’m choosing the latter.

The post Amazin Memories: Mets Acquire Yoenis Cespedes appeared first on Metsmerized.

By Michelle Ioannou

In fact, it was Pete Alonso‘s agent. We all know what an outstanding guy Alonso is so I am sure he is also shocked by the news and probably already looking for a new agent.

According to TMZ, Matt Sosnick was arrested for domestic violence. He was first arrested on October 8 for domestic violence and misdemeanor child endangerment. He was then arrested again on October 9 for violating a restraining order his wife Erica took out on him for protection.

Erica has also filed for divorce. In these court documents, Erica says that Matt threw her across the room, causing her to crash into a table. He did this while their daughter, who is only nine-years-old, was watching and called her former nanny for help.

This attack caused bruising and swelling on Erica’s arm. There were also red marks on her neck — the shape of handprints — from where Matt had squeezed her neck. The next day he texted Erica saying that he was going to kill himself and adding “My death is on you.”

In an update by TMZ, Erica will be dropping the restraining order on Monday. In a statement made by her attorney, she says, “Upon further reflection and after a period of cooling off, Erica has decided it is in the best interest of the family, and the children in particular, to dismiss the restraining order.”

Domestic violence has been an issue within the MLB community and professional sports in general. This incident should not go ignored.

Alonso is not the only big-name client for Eric’s SCK Sports agency. Blake Snell, Mitch Haniger, Jay Bruce, Will Smith, and Blake Treinen are just some of the other recognizable names.

The post MLB News: Agent Matt Sosnick Arrested for Domestic Violence appeared first on Metsmerized.

When the deal was made, New York Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen — as did many other fans — championed the move, touting Robinson Cano‘s well-documented track record of consistency (despite a 2018 suspension for performance-enhancing drug use) and the sky’s-the-limit ceiling of young right-handed closer, Edwin Diaz.

Sending off Jay Bruce and Anthony Swarzak‘s inflated contracts off-set Cano’s bloated salary to an extent, but the price of Jarred Kelenic and Justin Dunn — as well as right-hander, Gerson Bautista — to acquire Diaz, 25 and the American League’s save leader in 2018, was almost immediately seen as too costly.

Anyone with a rooting interest in the Mets minor-league system knew Kelenic was something special, and he’s proven as much thus far. Through 64 games between Single-A West Virginia and Advanced-A Modesto, the 19-year-old centerfielder is slashing .296/.375/.558 with 13 homers, 16 doubles, and 37 RBIs. Clearly, the Wisconsin native is well on his way to a bright future in this game. Baseball America recently ranked him as the No. 25 prospect in baseball.

Dunn, 23, has pitched well with Double-A Arkansas this season. Over 13 starts (65 innings), the right-handed Freeport, LI native owns a 3.46 ERA with 1.26 WHIP, 81 strikeouts, and 20 walks. His fastball still sits in the mid-to-high 90s, and his offspeed stuff all rates well. He’s another potential difference maker in the works.

As for Bruce, now with the Phillies and healthy, his power prowess is at the highest it’s been since before he re-signed with the Mets ahead of the 2018 season (three years, $36 million).

Over 256 plate appearances between Seattle and Philadelphia, the 32-year-old has 21 homers, 48 RBIs, 15 doubles, but sports a paltry .236/.293/.571 slash line.

In any case, his value is apparent. His 1.1 wins above replacement (FanGraphs) is good for 37th among qualified MLB outfielders. If that’s what a line like that can produce, one could argue that the juice is worth the squeeze.

Swarzak, 33, is having himself a resurgent season with Atlanta. Since being traded from Seattle to the Braves on May 20, the veteran left-hander has a 0.54 ERA over 16 relief appearances (16.2 innings) with 20 strikeouts and six walks. Looks like someone found their stuff, huh?

So, as we watch Seattle’s (and now Philly’s and Atlanta’s) return prosper, making Mariners GM Jerry DiPoto look like a darn genius for starting negotiations asking for Jeff McNeil and “settling” for Kelenic and Dunn, we in Flushing have the distinctly sour privilege of watching things unfold from another perspective.

Cano’s first season in Queens has been marred by injury and underperformance. Despite a brief hot stretch early on (.400/.449/.600 over 49 plate appearances from April 12 to April 26), the 36-year-old came into Thursday’s series finale versus the Phils with an anemic .223/.271/.360 slash line and just four home runs.

For someone who’s set to make somewhere in the ballpark of $100 million over the next five seasons, this dropoff is incredibly alarming.

What’s happening with the true centerpiece of Van Wagenen’s initial move at the helm of the Mets, Edwin Diaz, is, in this writer’s opinion, simply a speed bump in the road for an incredibly talented young hurler.

The 25-year-old righty entered May with a 1.54 ERA over his first 13 appearances (11.2 innings), looking every bit the player he was advertised as. But once the calendar turned, so did Diaz’ fortunes.

Since May 1, Diaz has pitched to a 4.74 ERA with a .303/.357/.487 slash line against, 29 strikeouts, and six walks over 19 innings of work (19 games). That’s not including his blown save/implosion on Thursday afternoon, capping off a nightmarish four-game sweep at the hands of the Phils.

Things are bad at the moment, make no mistake about it. But there’s still time for Diaz to become the player this organization thought they were acquiring. In all honesty, I’m fully confident he’ll get back there in short order.

As for Cano, he’s going to need some sort of second half to win back some of his staunch critics here in Flushing. For what it’s worth, he looks just as disappointed in himself as we are in what we’ve seen thus far. Onward and upward.

Van Wagenen’s splash, while gutting the Mets’ farm system of two of its top talents, could have theoretically worked out for all parties involved. Though no one anticipated Cano’s productivity to drop so sharply or Diaz to struggle so mightily after an elite start to his Mets tenure.

Hopefully, there’s still time to tip the scales back in the Mets’ favor.

The post Mets’ Trade For Cano And Diaz Keeps Looking Worse appeared first on Metsmerized.

Jay Bruce, who was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies last month, got to play the New York Mets for the first time since getting traded by them in the last offseason, this week.

Mike Puma of the New York Post got a chance to speak with the former-Met.

Bruce, 32, had arguably the worst year of his career in 2018 after signing a three-year, $39 million contract with the Mets during the previous offseason as he hit .223/.310/.370 with nine home runs and 37 RBI to give himself a 91 OPS+ and -0.4 bWAR.

However, the outfielder thinks the Mets might have held onto him had he not dealt with injuries last season, saying that it would have been harder to deal him.

“I felt like I could have been on the [trade] block just due to the plethora of hitter profiles: [Michael] Conforto, [Brandon] Nimmo, and me. They wanted to get [Pete] Alonso in there and they had Dom Smith. Honestly, had I been healthy last year it probably would have been harder for them to do it. I think that is my biggest thing. I wish I would have been healthy, because it wasn’t due to lack of ability.”

Largely due to his inability to produce in 2018, the team viewed him as someone blocking younger players and so they dumped his salary, along with Anthony Swarzak‘s, in the Edwin Diaz and Robinson Cano trade with the Seattle Mariners.

That deal, as we all know, involved two very notable prospects in Jarred Kelenic and Justin Dunn. Bruce went on to say that the Mariners are very excited about the Kelenic, who is already the 24th best prospect on MLB Pipeline despite only being drafted last year.

“They really like him over there. He’s got every tool that you need to be a good player, that’s for sure. He’s having a real good year in the minor leagues. He’s going to push himself and it sounds like he has all the makings of what they are looking for.”

Despite being dealt away as a salary dump, essentially, Bruce holds no ill feelings towards the Mets and actually expressed some disappointment for them and how their season has turned out.

“It’s tough when you have a lot of expectations like the Mets and it seems like the team feels they went out and did what they thought was necessary in order to put a winning product on the field this year. They really wanted to move the needle when it came to that and it hasn’t panned out the way they wanted so far.”

“It hasn’t gone how they want it over there for sure. I still talk to some guys over there and have some great relationships with some people so I wish them the best. I don’t have any hard feelings about it at all.”

So far in 2019, Bruce has returned back to form and actually exceeded expectations for both the Mariners and Phillies, as he is hitting .232/.291/.571 with 21 homers and 46 RBI on the year to give himself a 0.8 bWAR and 124 OPS+.

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