The New York Mets (16-18) fell to the Milwaukee Brewers (19-17) by a score of 7-4 on Friday night at Miller Park. The game featured Matt Harvey making his first start since being suspended for three games on Sunday.

Pitching

Harvey had a poor start as he went five-plus innings and gave up three home runs, five runs, five walks, and seven hits. He also struck out six in his 106 pitches of work. Through the first five innings he held the Brewers to two runs, but gave up back-to-back home runs in the sixth to give them a 5-2 lead. Harvey has now given up 10 home runs in 40 innings this season.

Josh Edgin relieved Harvey in the sixth and was greeted with a double from Jonathan Villar with no outs. Villar scored in the inning while Hernan Perez was caught in a rundown with two outs.

Rafael Montero came into the seventh and gave up a solo home run to Jett Bandy before getting out of the inning.

Paul Sewald was the only Mets pitcher who didn’t give up a run in the loss. He entered the game in the eighth and pitched a scoreless frame.

Offense

The Mets offense didn’t give Brewers starter Matt Garza (1-0, 2.55 ERA) much trouble until the fourth inning when Neil Walker crushed a solo home run to right center field.

Down 2-1 in the sixth inning, Walker tied the game with an RBI single that just went over the head of second baseman Villar. Curtis Granderson had a chance to take the lead with runners at first and second, but Jay Bruce was picked off second base to end the inning.

T.J. Rivera drove in a run during the ninth on a groundout to cut into the Brewers lead 7-3. The Mets scored another run in the inning on a wild pitch by Jacob Barnes.

Overall the Mets offense combined for four runs, four walks, and eight hits. Walker contributed the most as he finished the night 3-for-3 with one walk, two runs, and two RBI.

On Deck

The Mets will play the second game of this series in Milwaukee on Saturday at 7:10 PM. They will send Robert Gsellman (2-2, 6.54 ERA) to the mound while the Brewers will send Zach Davies (3-2, 5.60 ERA). The game will be televised on PIX 11 rather than SNY.

The post Rapid Reaction: Mets Fall to Brewers 7-4 In Harvey’s Return appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The Mets (21-16) defeated the Milwaukee Brewers (13-24) by a score of 14-1 Saturday night. Jacob deGrom had perhaps his best stuff all season tonight while Matt Garza had quite the opposite. The reigning NL Rookie of The Year pitched six innings while giving up one run, striking out six and walking one. He is now 4-4 on the year.

DeGrom helped his own cause in the 2nd. After a double by Eric Campbell and a walk drawn by Kevin Plawecki, deGrom slapped a base-hit up the middle and took advantage of the Brewers’ infield playing in. The hit drove in Campbell who was the only runner to score that inning after a 5-4-3 double-play off the bat of Wilmer Flores.

The Mets struck again two innings later. With runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out, Kevin Plawecki grounded  the ball to SS Luis Sardinas who fired home attempting to nab Michael Cuddyer trying to score. However, the throw was a bit wide of home plate and he was safe. DeGrom followed with his second base-hit of the game to load the bases for Wilmer Flores who promptly hit a grand-slam over the 370 sign in left-center field. That was his team-leading sixth home run of the year.

The Metropolitans didn’t stop there. Singles from Curtis Granderson and Juan Lagares followed by a walk drawn by Lucas Duda set the stage for Cuddyer who ripped a two-run double down the left-field line. This was the last straw for Craig Counsell and he pulled Garza at this point. His successor didn’t fair better against Daniel Murphy, who laced a two-run double into right-center field. This was his 200th career double. He scored in the next at bat when Campbell lined a base-hit into right field. This inning ended only after scoring ten runs.

DeGrom gave up one earned run in the 6th on a sac-fly off the bat of Ryan Braun that scored Luis Sardinas.

The Brewers manager pulled a NBA-like move in the bottom of the 6th by pulling most of his starters including Carlos Gomez, Ryan Braun, Adam Lind and Aramis Ramirez.

Erik Goeddell pitched two scoreless innings in relief for the Mets. He is definitely one of the more underrated call-ups of the year thus far.

The only Mets starter without a hit got on the board in a big way in the bottom of the seventh. Kevin Plawecki hit his second home run of the year into the left field stands, a no-doubter. AND THAT WASN’T ALL! Curtis Granderson hit a two-run home run later in the inning, his 4th of the year.

Jack Leathersich finished things off for the Mets in the 9th.

TL/DR: The Mets torched Matt Garza.

The Mets will play the rubber game of this series tomorrow at 1:10 p.m. as Noah Syndergaard (0-1) makes his Citi Field debut against Wily Peralta (1-4).

The post MMO Game Recap: Mets 14, Brewers 1 appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The Mets lost to the Milwaukee Brewers tonight by a score of 7-0 at Citi Field. It is the Mets 5th consecutive loss.

Offense:

It was a lifeless effort by the Mets lineup, which has been one of the worst in the league during the month of May

They were completely shutdown by Kyle Lohse, who’s ERA stood at 7.03 entering the game.

New York recorded only three hits and a walk all night. Daniel Murphy was the only Met to provided an extra base hit with a double.

Pitching:

Bartolo Colon just didn’t have it tonight. It was his worst outing of the season as he allowed five runs and seven hits in five innings pitched.

With the aggressive Brewer’s lineup attacking Colon early in the count, he was hit hard and gave up a lot of damage.

Ryan Braun and Gerardo Parra both hit home runs off of Colon, and he also allowed RBI doubles to Aramis Ramirez and Carlos Gomez.

The Mets defense wasn’t able to bail Colon out of trouble either. Wilmer Flores committed another throwing error in the 4th inning, his ninth of the season, and Curtis Granderson also misplayed a fly ball during same inning.

Despite the poor outing, Colon is still 6-2 with a 3.86 ERA.

On Deck:

The Mets will look to rebound tomorrow in game two of the series at 7:10 PM. Jacob deGrom will get the start,  and he will face Matt Garza.

The post MMO Game Recap: Brewers 7, Mets 0 appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports is reporting that the Milwaukee Brewers have agreed to a four-year, $52 million contract with right-hander Matt Garza.

Garza, 30, was one of the top remaining starting pitchers still available on the market after Masahiro Tanaka signed his seven year, $155 million contract with the Yankees.

He posted a 10-6 record last season with a 3.82 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 136 strikeouts in 155.1 innings pitched with the Cubs and Rangers combined.

The post Matt Garza Agrees To Four-Year Deal With Brewers appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

He has until Friday, January 24th to sign with a MLB club, and until he’s signed, sealed, and delivered – the rest of the free agent pitching market is in limbo.

The Yankees want Tanaka, but will he sign to play in New York?

Once he signs, the rest of the market will begin to fall. If I were the agent of 4 of the 5 top remaining Free Agent starters, I would hope that Tanaka signs anywhere, but the Bronx. Why? Because with the Yankees desperate to improve their starting pitching, they’ll be in the hunt for at least one or two of the top remaining arms and that means big dollars and over-sized deals.

That lull in the big-name free agent market is about to end and the Hot Stove will be heating up again by the end of this week.

Top 5 Remaining Free Agent Starting Pitchers:

Ubaldo Jimenez – Back in 2010, Ubaldo looked like he was about to become one of the dominant pitchers in the game. He was taming the thin air in Colorado and in the first half of the season, he went 15-1 with a 2.20 ERA in 18 starts. He came back to Earth with a 4-7 record and a 3.80 ERA in the second half. His 2011 and 2012 seasons weren’t anything spectacular by any imagination going a combined 19-30 (including a league leading 17 losses with the Indians in 2012) and saw his ERA climb to 4.68 and 5.40 over those two years. He returned back to form in 2013 for the Indians, going 13-9 with a 3.30 ERA and had a strong second half – going 6-5 with a 1.82 ERA in 13 starts down the stretch after a 4.56 ERA in the first half. He does take the ball regularly and will give whatever team signs him innings and has started at least 31 games for six consecutive seasons. If I were a GM, I’d be hesitant to tie up a lot of money and a lot of years in him. He’s a pitcher that had a great first half of 2010, a strong second half of 2013, and a lot of mediocre in between.

Ervin Santana – Ervin will take the ball. He’s started at least 30 games for the last four seasons and at least 23 games in all of his 9 MLB seasons. While he only had a 9-10 record last year, he posted a career low 3.24 ERA in 211 innings. He’s posted a sub-4 ERA 3 of the last 4 years while pitching over 200 innings those same three years. He was solid both at home and on the road as well as in the first and second half of 2013. Aside from his terrible 2012 season, his splits were also relatively consistent in 2010 and 2011. I wouldn’t go anywhere near the 5 years and $100 million he was reportedly asking, for he’s nowhere near a $20 million per year pitcher – but the back of his baseball card suggests that he’ll take the ball, give you innings, and more than likely will give you a solid outing.

Matt Garza – Every time I think of Matt Garza, I think of him spitting. Because he does it. A lot. That aside, we’re looking at a pitcher that’s made just 24 and 18 starts the last two seasons after a stress fracture in his elbow that cost him the end of 2012 and a lat strain that cost him the beginning of 2013. These injuries aside, he’s posted a sub-4 ERA for 7 straight seasons. 2014 will be his age 30 season. He may be a career .500 pitcher, but he can be a solid addition and a winning pitcher on a good team.

A.J. Burnett – A.J. is going into his age 37 season, but once he got out of New York, he’s proved he can still pitch – posting ERA’s of 3.30 and 3.51 in 2013 and 2012. He’s started at least 30 games each of the last 6 seasons and has had an ERA of 4.07 or lower in 8 of the last 10 seasons (the only exception being his last two years with the Yankees). A.J. will probably look to stay in the National League and in a smaller market. As long as he’s not in the Bright Lights, Big City – he should still be able to put up Big Numbers, Big Results for the right team next year.

Bronson Arroyo – Bronson is also entering his age 37 season but he also takes the ball every five days without fail. Arroyo’s made no fewer than 29 starts the last 10 years and since 2005, the only time he failed to reach 200 innings was in 2011 where he threw 199 innings. He’s also posted an ERA between 3.74 and 3.88 in 4 of the last 5 seasons. He should still be able to repeat over the next year or two.

The post Pitching Market On Hold Until Tanaka Signs By Friday Deadline appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

According to what many agents have told Anthony DiComo, don’t expect the Mets to sign a starting pitcher anytime soon.

Agents predict that the market for Minor League deals will not heat up until the remaining top free agents — Masahiro Tanaka, Matt Garza and the rest — find new teams.

General manager Sandy Alderson, meanwhile, said he hopes to sign a veteran pitcher to a non-guaranteed deal, with the intent of pitting him against Jenrry Mejia, Rafael Montero and Jacob deGrom in a Spring Training competition.

That’s pretty exciting news from our GM… You’ve gotta love the arms we have in the system right now… Some already here, some on the verge, and some still on the way…

I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait for Spring Training to begin so we can see these three young pitchers competing for a chance to win that coveted (to them) number five spot.

The only way Montero and deGrom make this team is to win that five spot, otherwise it will be back to Triple-A for both of them. At this point, you have to believe that Mejia is the favorite and that it’s his job to lose.

Plus the addition of another yet unsigned starter is certain to make the competition even more interesting next month. Only 36 more days until pitchers and catchers report…

Off Topic Note: I’m very sorry about the comments on the front page not reflecting the actual counts and showing up as zero. It bothers me as much as you. Disqus says that the problem will be resolved tonight. Thank you for your understanding.

The post Mets Want Another Starter To Compete With Montero, deGrom and Mejia appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The most coveted starting pitcher on the market this year, Japanese sensation Masahiro Tanaka, may or may not be posted by the Rakuten Golden Eagles.

The possibility still exists that he may be posted prior to spring training, but the date has already passed when most of the Japanese players that have been posted and signed to major league contracts has already passed.

Since the posting system was implemented following Hideki Irabu‘s refusal to sign with the Padres (and subsequently forcing his way onto the Yankees) – ten players have been posted and eventually signed to Major League contracts. Only one player (Kazuhisa Ishii) was posted after mid-December (January 3, 2002 by the Yakult Swallows). Even if he does post at a late date, teams (like the Yankees) who were hoping to land the import are going to have to start looking at other options to add a top pitcher to their rotation. It will be on to Plan B (or Plan C if they’re hoping to trade for David Price).

Top 5 Remaining Free Agent Starting Pitchers:

Ubaldo Jimenez – Back in 2010, Ubaldo looked like he was about to become one of the dominant pitchers in the game. He was taming the thin air in Colorado and in the first half of the season, he went 15-1 with a 2.20 ERA in 18 starts. He came back to Earth with a 4-7 record and a 3.80 ERA in the second half. His 2011 and 2012 seasons weren’t anything spectacular by any imagination going a combined 19-30 (including a league leading 17 losses with the Indians in 2012) and saw his ERA climb to 4.68 and 5.40 over those two years. He returned back to form in 2013 for the Indians, going 13-9 with a 3.30 ERA and had a strong second half – going 6-5 with a 1.82 ERA in 13 starts down the stretch after a 4.56 ERA in the first half. He does take the ball regularly and will give whatever team signs him innings and has started at least 31 games for six consecutive seasons. If I were a GM, I’d be hesitant to tie up a lot of money and a lot of years in him. He’s a pitcher that had a great first half of 2010, a strong second half of 2013, and a lot of mediocre in between.

Ervin Santana – Ervin will take the ball. He’s started at least 30 games for the last four seasons and at least 23 games in all of his 9 MLB seasons. While he only had a 9-10 record last year, he posted a career low 3.24 ERA in 211 innings. He’s posted a sub-4 ERA 3 of the last 4 years while pitching over 200 innings those same three years. He was solid both at home and on the road as well as in the first and second half of 2013. Aside from his terrible 2012 season, his splits were also relatively consistent in 2010 and 2011. I wouldn’t go anywhere near the 5 years and $100 million he was reportedly asking, for he’s nowhere near a $20 million per year pitcher – but the back of his baseball card suggests that he’ll take the ball, give you innings, and more than likely will give you a solid outing.

Matt Garza – Every time I think of Matt Garza, I think of him spitting. Because he does it. A lot. That aside, we’re looking at a pitcher that’s made just 24 and 18 starts the last two seasons after a stress fracture in his elbow that cost him the end of 2012 and a lat strain that cost him the beginning of 2013. These injuries aside, he’s posted a sub-4 ERA for 7 straight seasons. 2014 will be his age 30 season. He may be a career .500 pitcher, but he can be a solid addition and a winning pitcher on a good team.

A.J. Burnett – A.J. is going into his age 37 season, but once he got out of New York, he’s proved he can still pitch – posting ERA’s of 3.30 and 3.51 in 2013 and 2012. He’s started at least 30 games each of the last 6 seasons and has had an ERA of 4.07 or lower in 8 of the last 10 seasons (the only exception being his last two years with the Yankees). A.J. should probably look to stay in the National League and in a smaller market. As long as he’s not in the Bright Lights, Big City – he should still be able to put up Big Numbers, Big Results for the right team next year.

Bronson Arroyo – Bronson is also entering his age 37 season and he also takes the ball. He’s made no fewer than 29 starts the last 10 years and since 2005, the only time he failed to reach 200 innings was in 2011 where he threw 199 innings. He’s also posted an ERA between 3.74 and 3.88 in 4 of the last 5 seasons. He should still be able to repeat over the next year or two.

The post The Free Agent Market Shifts to Pitching appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Wait!!! What???? Spend $62 million bucks on a starting pitcher?

OK not exactly the headline remotely expected from the Mets front office, where pennies are pinched so much that they melt them down for the copper & zinc and sold off to Liberty Scrap Metal over in Jamaica. After rereading Mr. Sherman’s quote below thanks to BBLB, I started to kick around how such a methodical plan could be achieved with a fan base that could be mistaken for an anorexic. So starving for something, ANYTHING! To root for with a realistic chance of winning more games than not.

“From conversations with multiple executives, I sense the magic number is about $30 million for next year’s budget, to get the overall payroll into the $90 million-ish range again, with plans to steadily increase that over subsequent seasons.” – Joel Sherman, New York Post, September 23.

A flexible 30 million to spend in an offseason on talent, with a quick 25% spent on a one year stop gap, leaving 75% of money left over and seemingly 75% of the roster to make over. We all know how this story ends. All that taken into consideration I think the next move the Mets should make is sign Matt Garza to a four year, $62 million contract. When he is on he is an ace, at his worst he is better than most #3 starters. You can write down double digit wins, a 3.50 ERA a little less than a strikeout per inning.

While a 200 IP has been the conversation, the Mets need someone who can be electrifying. Arroyo would be the safe play; 190 IP, 150 Ks, 10+ wins, but he hardly electrifies. With Harvey gone the Mets will need someone who can stop the four game slides. Neise and Gee are nice but they are what they are, not aces. Garza gives the Mets someone to take the ball on Opening Day.

Paying Garza an AAV of $15 million for four years doesn’t hinder the future, it actually enhances it. Wheeler’s mental toughness for New York has been thoroughly mentioned/questioned in various forms of media. Having Garza in front of him in the rotation would relieve a lot of the pressure. Garza also has the experience of dealing with being the man in a city starving for a pennant. Glancing an eye on 2015 he would slide down the rotation seamlessly. It would also allow the Mets to do as they wish with Montero and Thor – which is spread out the contracts of their rotation and not have them all come up for arbitration in the same 12 month period.

                    2014                  2015

•          Garza                Harvey
•          Niese                Wheeler
•          Wheeler           Niese
•          Gee                  Garza
•          Mejia/Dice K    Thor

Alternatively, it would also allow the Mets to deal Gee, whose value will probably never be higher. In dealing Gee, perhaps Daniel Murphy, and one of their glut at first base, it would open up another $10-12 million on the books for another corner outfielder or shortstop while offsetting the cost of Garza in addition to the $8 million still on hand.

A deal for Garza would benefit the here and now as well as the tomorrow, allowing the Mets to leverage themselves into position on some of the more high priced talent available through trades.

Pitching wins right?

* * * * * * * *

This Fan Shot was contributed by MMO reader, John Sasso. Have something you want to say about the Mets? Share your opinions with over 22,000 Mets fans who read this site daily. Send your Fan Shot to us at GetMetsmerized@aol.com. Or ask us about becoming a regular contributor.

The post MMO Fan Shot: Adjusting The Plan With RHP Matt Garza appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

I was taking a look at a month old post from Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, who enlisted the services of one unbiased agent and one unbiased GM to put together their free agent predictions for this 2013-2014 offseason.

I was curious to see where they had LaTroy Hawkins, Marlon Byrd and Josh Johnson pegged and surprising all three signed for far less than what many expected.

Here is what they came up with:

Hawkins got literally half of what the consensus had projected, Johnson got 20% less than what they predicted, and Byrd they came closest to, but still less than what they expected on average.

I’m a little late on this, but we had a little Free Agent Prediction contest among our staff and wanted to share our predictions with you. We decided to go with what we believed were the top twelve available free agents and predict their ultimate destinations.

Johnson was included in our Top 12 and not one of us had him going to the Padres although many of us saw him going to the West Coast.

Here are the rest of our predictions including DrDooby who included projected deals as well…

DrDooby

1. Robinson Cano – Yankees, 8-years, $200 million

2. Jacoby Ellsbury – Mariners, 6-years, $120 million

3. Brian McCann – Rangers, 5-years, $90 million

4. Shin-Soo Choo – Mets, 5-years, $95 million 😉

5. Masahiro Tanaka – Yankees, $70 million posting fee and 5-year, $55 million contract

6. Carlos Beltran – Red Sox, 2-years, $35 million contract

7. Ervin Santana – Cubs, 4-years, $54 million

8. Matt Garza – Phillies, 5-years, $75 million

9. Hiroki Kuroda – Yankees, 1-year, $16 million

10. Mike Napoli – Red Sox, 2-years, $28 million

11. Josh Johnson – Rangers, 2-years, $21 million

12. Nelson Cruz – Phillies, 3-years, $36 million

Clayton

1. Robinson Cano – Yankees

2. Jacoby Ellsbury – Yankees

3. Brian McCann – Rangers

4. Shin-Soo Choo – Rangers

5. Masahiro Tanaka – Yankees

6. Carlos Beltran – Red Sox

7. Ervin Santana – Cubs

8. Matt Garza – Yankees

9. Hiroki Kuroda – Japan

10. Mike Napoli – Red Sox

11. Josh Johnson – Padres

12. Nelson Cruz – Mariners

Kirk

1. Robinson Cano – Yankees

2. Jacoby Ellsbury – Mariners

3. Brian McCann – Rangers

4. Shin-Soo Choo – Reds

5. Masahiro Tanaka – Yankees

6. Carlos Beltran – Cardinals

7. Ervin Santana – Royals

8. Matt Garza – Mets

9. Hiroki Kuroda – Yankees

10. Mike Napoli – Red Sox

11. Josh Johnson – Nationals

12. Nelson Cruz – Phillies

Rusty

1. Robinson Cano – Yankees

2. Jacoby Ellsbury – Red Sox

3. Brian McCann – Yankees

4. Shin-Soo Choo – Phillies

5. Masahiro Tanaka – Dodgers

6. Carlos Beltran – Cardinals

7. Ervin Santana – Pirates

8. Matt Garza – Orioles

9. Hiroki Kuroda – Yankees

10. Mike Napoli – Red Sox

11. Josh Johnson – Blue Jays

12. Nelson Cruz – Phillies

Satish

1. Robinson Cano – Yankees

2. Jacoby Ellsbury – Mariners

3. Brian McCann – Angels

4. Shin-Soo Choo – Pirates

5. Masahiro Tanaka – Yankees

6. Carlos Beltran – Royals

7. Ervin Santana – Twins

8. Matt Garza – Giants

9. Hiroki Kuroda – Yankees

10. Mike Napoli – Red Sox

11. Josh Johnson – Dodgers

12. Nelson Cruz – Rangers

William

1. Robinson Cano – Nationals

2. Jacoby Ellsbury – Red Sox

3. Brian McCann – Yankees

4. Shin-Soo Choo – Mets

5. Masahiro Tanaka – Yankees

6. Carlos Beltran – Yankees

7. Ervin Santana – Indians

8. Matt Garza – Angels

9. Hiroki Kuroda – Yankees

10. Mike Napoli – Red Sox

11. Josh Johnson – Phillies

12. Nelson Cruz – Phillies

Gerry

1. Robinson Cano – Yankees

2. Jacoby Ellsbury – Cubs

3. Brian McCann – Yankees

4. Shin-Soo Choo – Reds

5. Masahiro Tanaka – Dodgers

6. Carlos Beltran – Cardinals

7. Ervin Santana – Royals

8. Matt Garza – Yankees

9. Hiroki Kuroda – Yankees

10. Mike Napoli – Red Sox

11. Josh Johnson – Mets

12. Nelson Cruz – Philiels

Joe D.

1. Robinson Cano – Yankees

2. Jacoby Ellsbury – Cubs

3. Brian McCann – Rangers

4. Shin-Soo Choo – Tigers

5. Masahiro Tanaka – Yankees

6. Carlos Beltran – Orioles

7. Ervin Santana – Royals

8. Matt Garza – Giants

9. Hiroki Kuroda – Yankees

10. Mike Napoli – Red Sox

11. Josh Johnson – A’s

12. Nelson Cruz – Phillies

Tommy

1. Robinson Cano – Yankees

2. Jacoby Ellsbury – Red Sox

3. Brian McCann – Yankees

4. Shin-Soo Choo – Mariners

5. Masahiro Tanaka – Cubs

6. Carlos Beltran – Cardinals

7. Ervin Santana – White Sox

8. Matt Garza – Reds

9. Hiroki Kuroda – Yankees

10. Mike Napoli – Rangers

11. Josh Johnson – Jays

12. Nelson Cruz – Mets (why not)

Corey

1. Robinson Cano – Yankees

2. Jacoby Ellsbury – Rangers

3. Brian McCann – Rangers

4. Shin-Soo Choo – Yankees

5. Masahiro Tanaka – Dodgers

6. Carlos Beltran – Cardinals

7. Ervin Santana – Cubs

8. Matt Garza – Angels

9. Hiroki Kuroda – Yankees

10. Mike Napoli – Red Sox

11. Josh Johnson – A’s

12. Nelson Cruz – Phillies

Joe S.

1. Robinson Cano – Yankees

2. Jacoby Ellsbury – Red Sox

3. Brian McCann – Dodgers

4. Shin-Soo Choo – Cardinals

5. Masahiro Tanaka –

6. Carlos Beltran – Red Sox

7. Ervin Santana – Rockies

8. Matt Garza – Rockies

9. Hiroki Kuroda – Yankees

10. Mike Napoli – Red Sox

11. Josh Johnson – Mets

12. Nelson Cruz – Mets

Barry

1. Robinson Cano – Yankees

2. Jacoby Ellsbury – Red Sox

3. Brian McCann – Yankees

4. Shin-Soo Choo – Phillies

5. Masahiro Tanaka – Yankees

6. Carlos Beltran – Cardinals

7. Ervin Santana – Cubs

8. Matt Garza – Rangers

9. Hiroki Kuroda – Angels

10. Mike Napoli – Pirates

11. Josh Johnson – White Sox

12. Nelson Cruz – Indians

Peter K.

1. Robinson Cano – Yankees

2. Jacoby Ellsbury – Mariners

3. Brian McCann – Yankees

4. Shin-Soo Choo – Mets

5. Masahiro Tanaka – Angels

6. Carlos Beltran – Yankees

7. Ervin Santana – White Sox

8. Matt Garza – Rangers

9. Hiroki Kuroda – Dodgers

10. Mike Napoli – Red Sox

11. Josh Johnson – Mets

12. Nelson Cruz – Rangers

Jim

1. Robinson Cano – Yankees

2. Jacoby Ellsbury – Rangers

3. Brian McCann – Yankees

4. Shin-Soo Choo – Mariners

5. Masahiro Tanaka – Cubs

6. Carlos Beltran – Phillies

7. Ervin Santana – Pirates

8. Matt Garza – Giants

9. Hiroki Kuroda – Cubs

10. Mike Napoli – Red Sox

11. Josh Johnson – White Sox

12. Nelson Cruz – Orioles

Xtreem

1. Robinson Cano – Yankees

2. Jacoby Ellsbury – Mariners

3. Brian McCann – White Sox

4. Shin-Soo Choo – Rangers

5. Masahiro Tanaka – Yankees

6. Carlos Beltran – Cardinals

7. Ervin Santana – Orioles

8. Matt Garza – Pirates

9. Hiroki Kuroda – Yankees

10. Mike Napoli – Red Sox

11. Josh Johnson – Cubs

12. Nelson Cruz – Phillies

I am going to giveaway a free pair of Mets tickets to an April game to the writer who comes the closest. But I also want to engage our readers as well and treat them to a free pair of tickets to see the Mets next season as well.

So leave your predictions for the remaining 11 players below in the contest and the readers who correctly guesses the most destinations will win. In the event of a tie, here is the tie breaker. The one who comes closest to guessing the total guaranteed deal for free agent Robinson Cano. How much will he get? This is for guaranteed money only. Option years don’t count but buyouts do as they are guaranteed.

Met fans who finish in second and third place will get a free Metsmerized T-Shirt!

I need all ballots/responses by Midnight on Friday night.

Good luck to all of you!

The post MMO Free Agent Prediction Contest: Win Free Tickets To See The Mets In April! appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Jacoby Ellsbury

Position: Centerfield 

Age: 30

2013: .298/.355/.426 | 9 HR | 52 SB | 5.8 WAR

Law’s take:

If, for the moment, we ignore Ellsbury’s injury-marred 2012 season, we’re looking at a 30-year-old centerfielder who plays outstanding defense, is a plus runner who adds value with his baserunning, and has generated over 14 WAR overall across his past two healthy seasons.

His 2013 skill set alone makes him the second-best free agent available, and the hope that he can recapture some of the power he showed in 2011, when he started to drop the bat head more often to drive pitchers on the inner half, likely will lead teams to bid him up over that $20 million mark.

My take:

I think Ellsbury is an intriguing name. He’s essentially Jose Reyes in the outfield. I say outfield and not centerfield because I’m a huge fan of Juan Lagares and if the Mets were to sign Ellsbury I would prefer it be as a leftfielder. However, with an annual average salary set to top $20MM I don’t see the Mets getting involved. This is a player you splurge on if you’re a bat away from contention and looking to maximize his value by playing him in center.

Masahiro Tanaka

Position: Starting Pitcher (RHP)

Age: 25

2013 (NPB stats): 212 IP | 1.27 ERA | 183 SO | 32 BB

Law’s take:

Comparisons to Yu Darvish are unfortunate, and wrong, but if we must keep to former NPB players, Hiroki Kuroda is a better fit: A potential No. 2 starter with outstanding control and at least one above-average to plus off-speed weapon to miss bats.

The optimistic view of Tanaka sees incredible control and at least one pitch, possibly two, to miss MLB hitters’ bats, making him worth the $15 million-plus it’ll take in annual salary to sign him.

My take:

I think this is the player the Mets should be all-in on this winter. Most of you will scream about how the Mets need offense– and you’re right. However, under the current landscape of baseball a 25-year old potential #2 starter is never going to hit free agency. Teams are locking up their young players at much higher rates than ever before. Most of the pitchers reaching free agency these days are older, often injury prone or just flawed. Adding a pitcher of Tanaka’s ilk would help ease the loss of Matt Harvey while also freeing up the Mets to trade another one of their pitching prospects in an attempt to add offense.

Shin-Soo Choo

Position: Outfield 

Age: 31

2013: .285/.423/.462 | 21 HR | 20 SB | 5.2 WAR

Law’s take:

Choo is among the best free-agent position players on the market, one whose WAR stats probably understate his value, as he was asked to play out of position (in center field) in 2013. Five years is probably too much given his age (32) and injury history, although it wouldn’t surprise me if he got that, and he’s worth close to $20 million a year to a high-revenue contender.

My take:

As I’ve previously written here on MMO, I’m not a proponent of the Mets signing Choo. I think his struggles against LHP are too large to ignore. He’s a borderline platoon player, another sentiment expressed by Law (which I didn’t include in this article as to not steal all his material). I agree with Keith that he’s a great sign for a high-revenue contender. While most fans want the Mets to be just that, they aren’t yet, and the price-tag that would come attached to Choo would also come with expectations I don’t think he’s capable of fulfilling. He’s a table-setter, not an impact bat that’s going to turn around an offense and franchise.

Stephen Drew

Position: Shortstop

Age: 30

2013: .253/ .333/.443 | 13 HR | 6 SB | 3.4 WAR

Law’s take:

In a market with few shortstop options, that should make Drew a hot commodity. He looked as good in the field as he had before he got hurt. Replacement level is so low at shortstop that the offense he provides against right-handed pitchers makes him a 3-4 WAR player when healthy, worth three years and $12 million to $14 million a year to discount for his durability.

My take:

Drew is a nice player, solid all-around aside from his platoon issues. The issue is that contending teams seeking a shortstop are going to overlook his injury history and hand him too many years at an inflated annual salary. That will probably take him out of the Mets range– and I that’s probably a good thing. I think you can find a player at the same position who will give you 80% of Drew’s value at a lesser cost.

Matt Garza

Position: Starting Pitcher

Age: 29

2013: 155.1 IP | 3.82 ERA | 7.88 K/9 | 2.43 BB/9 | 2.2 WAR

Law’s take:

Garza followed the Ryan Dempster model one year later, pitching well for the Cubs, going to Texas in a trade, and pitching worse after the deal, hurting his stock a little as he heads into free agency. Assuming the 2012 elbow issue or 2013 lat strain don’t cause him to flunk a physical, he’s a three-year deal candidate in the $12 million to $14 million a year range.

My take:

I’m not hopeful that the Mets will throw themselves into the Tanaka bidding, so Garza should be their backup plan. He’s a solid mid-rotation pitcher who can pitch above that level on some days. The move to Texas saw both Garza’s HR/9 and HR/FB ratios bump up a decent amount. I think he could thrive in a big ballpark like Citi Field, especially with the Mets likely to have a solid defensive outfield.

Curtis Granderson

Position: Outfield 

Age: 32

2013: .229/.317/.407 | 7 HR | 8 SB | 1.4 WAR

Law’s take:

In 2011, Granderson was worth 6.7 WAR (per FanGraphs), among the most valuable position players in the league.. His 2012 season was a step back, as his defense declined and he swung and missed more often just to maintain the same level of power output.. Sign him for three years and $40 million to $45 million, run him out to left field every day, and hope that he stays healthy.

My take:

Granderson could be an excellent buy-low candidate, and one who wouldn’t come with hefty expectations. He could provide the Mets with the power they’ve been completely lacking over the past couple seasons. Granderson, while no longer a center field option, could slide into left and provide adequate defense– something the Mets were lacking until the arrival of Eric Young last year. Coming to Queens would allow Granderson to stay in the same market, something that may appeal to him. I’m hoping this is a player the Mets are looking at closely.

Jhonny Peralta

Position: Shortstop

Age: 31

2013: .303/ .358/ .457 | 11 HR | 3.6 WAR

Law’s take:

Peralta’s a competent hitter for an infielder who created a ton of value for Detroit in the past three-plus years by standing around shortstop and playing adequate defense at a position where replacement value is currently somewhere in the crawl space under my house. It doesn’t look pretty, but it doesn’t have to. A fringe shortstop who posts a .340 OBP with 15-20 homers is practically an All-Star these days.

My take:

Many will be hesitant to add a player like Peralta because of his recent suspension due to alleged-PED use. I don’t like to get involved in the PED discussion, mostly because I don’t feel comfortable with the amount of information we have on the actual affects it has on on-field performance. Peralta is a solid player at a premium position of need for the Mets– that’s the important part. The fact that he may come at a discount makes him even more attractive.

Corey Hart

Position: 1B/OF

Age: 31

2012: .270/.334/.507 | 30 HR | 2.2 WAR

Law’s take:

Hart missed all of 2013 after undergoing surgery on both knees, making his availability for full-time duty in 2014 something of a question mark, but making him one of the better high-risk/high-reward plays on the market.

A team like Tampa Bay, with a hole at first and a history of going after guys like this, could see great value on a one-year, $3 million to $4 million deal.

My take:

I’m a huge proponent of the Mets signing Hart. He could provide a huge boost for the Mets offense at an extremely low cost. Of course there are injury concerns, and nobody knows how Hart will come back from surgeries on both knees. But I think at the very least Hart could be a dangerous first base platoon-mate with either Ike Davis or Lucas Duda. At best he could be 2014’s version of Marlon Byrd— a player who provides much needed power and could be a trade chip come July.

Surely there’s a ton of names I didn’t cover here. With a team with as many holes as the Mets there’s dozens of players out there who could help them going forward. However this post was starting to run a bit long, and I wanted to cover the names you hear most associated with the Mets. Perhaps I’ll turn this into a two-parter. If there’s any players you feel I’ve overlooked just let me know in the comments.

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