MLB Network insider Jon Heyman reports that the Mets have “checked in on” free agent catcher Russell Martin, as have the Oakland Athletics.

Martin, who turned 37 on the 15th, has already turned down offers this winter, citing a family situation (first mentioned last week by the New York Post‘s Joel Sherman). He appeared in 83 games with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2019, slashing .220/.337/.330 with a career-low 83 wRC+. Nonetheless, his projected 0.4 WAR ranks highest among free-agent catchers, and fourth among all remaining free agents.

This news could come as a moderate surprise to some fans, as the Mets seemed to have addressed the backup catcher concern last month when they re-signed Rene Rivera to potentially compete with Tomas Nido.

Nido, who is out of options, hit .191/.231/.316 last year, but has been spared to this point by his exemplary defense: he came in at the 74th percentile in pitch framing and the 93rd percentile in pop-time. He could be relegated to an exclusively defensive role if the Mets were to use their 26th roster spot on Rivera, who swings a slightly more passable bat.

An offensive middle-ground (at worst) between Rivera and Nido, it’s Martin’s defensive value that may make him particularly appealing to those still in the market for a backstop. Martin’s 53.1% strike ranked fourth among 64 qualified catchers in 2019, and he’s only surrendered 10 passed balls across the last two seasons. As a point of reference, Ramos yielded 10 last year alone. Martin has also played 28 games at the hot corner in that time, and is known around baseball as one of the more respected veteran mentors in the game.

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With the signing of Nicholas Castellanos agreeing to a deal with the Cincinnati Reds Monday afternoon, all of the top tier free agents are gone.

But there are some intriguing names that could potentially be a great fit in Queens.

Russell Martin

With the Mets backup catchers position questionable at best, a veteran like Martin is someone who can come in and be a great veteran leader, ala Todd Frazier. The 36 year-old catcher’s offensive production has disintegrated. He had a career-low 83 wRC+ in 2019, but that’s not the reason why he’d be brought in. His defense is still very solid, and his framing ability behind the plate is elite (ranked 17th among 113 catchers in 2019). 

The catcher’s position in Major League Baseball has transitioned into a two man position. Only seven catchers played 120 games or more in 2019. The Mets pitching staff is one that could also benefit from Martin as well. It takes a certain catcher to make Syndergaard to feel comfortable, and Marcus Stroman played with Martin in Toronto. Martin is an upgrade over Tomas Nido, though Nido is is out of options and that would be a consideration in any other catcher getting a Major League deal.

Brock Holt

The 31-year-old can play every position on the diamond, besides behind the plate, and is pretty solid in the batters box. His offense has been better than league average the last two seasons, 109 wRC+ in 2018 and 103 wRC+ in 2019. Holt posted a 1.4 fWAR in 2018 and 1.3 fWAR in 2019 as a utility man.

The 2015 All-Star would give the Mets protection behind the unknown status of Jed Lowrie. Having a bench piece that can play multiple positions and can handle the bat well, would be a great depth piece on any team.

Collin McHugh

The Mets brought back former draft pick Rob Whalen earlier this week, so why not bring another one?

Collin McHugh is a perfect example of having to adapt in order to win. McHugh was a starter for the Houston Astros, starting 90 games over a three year span. Once Houston added better pitchers, he moved to the bullpen. Although he is a guy who’s had some injury problems, adding him to the Mets bullpen is something that could be beneficial.

During his time in the Astros pen, he has struck out 176 batters in 147 innings over the last two seasons. McHugh also allowed only 107 hits over that time. He could be an important depth piece that has pitched in multiple different roles.

Wilmer Flores

Alright, get your tissues ready. 

The former Met fan favorite is coming off a 2019 in Arizona in which he performed well offensively, but also dealt with injuries. Although he did hit .317/.361/.487 in 285 plate appearances, he spent a lot of time on the injured list, only appearing in 89 games.

We know what he can bring to the field, average at best defense with not much versatility, relegating to the corner infield positions, and the occasional appearance at second base.

We could go back and dive into all of the fantastic memories Flores brought us during his time in Queens, but it just does not make much sense to bring him back in 2020.

Depth can play an important role over a long season, and the Mets should certainly continue looking at adding pieces that can help for 2020.

The post Featured Post: Depth Pieces That Could Make Sense For Mets appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

This was a historically strange week for the New York Mets. Relieving manager Carlos Beltran of his duties  — whether it was necessary or not, which is inconsequential at this point — for his role in the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal leaves New York in a precarious position with less than a month out from pitchers and catchers reporting to Port St. Lucie.

As complicated as this situation is — for the entire league, not just in Flushing — and as likely as it is to continue unfolding, the Mets have too much on their plate right now to look back and wonder. If they want to put themselves in an optimal position to succeed in 2020, this organization needs to turn the page and begin to move forward.

With an unexpected vacancy in the first seat on the bench, in addition to all remaining unfinished offseason business, Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen and team officials have to keep their eye on the ball and get to work. And the first item on the docket is naming one of the qualified candidates already within the organization to replace Beltran.

Whether that be current quality control coach Luis Rojas, who has over a decade in the organization under his belt, newly-hired bench coach and a longtime mainstay on Bruce Bochy‘s staff in San Francisco, Hensley Meulens, or first-base coach Tony DeFrancesco, who managed the Mets’ Triple-A squads the past two seasons, hiring in-house and eliminating the lag-time of a new hire getting acclimated to this roster would be prudent, considering the timeframe.

Though, whoever the team lands on — even if they choose to go the route of a more experienced skipper taking the reins, such as Dusty Baker, Buck Showalter, or John Gibbons, as odd a decision that may hypothetically be considering this team’s push towards a more analytically-based era in recent years — in all honesty, is background noise at this point.

Making sure that this roster is adequately prepared for what, on paper, is shaping up to be an exciting season in the NL East should be at the top of Van Wagenen’s to-do list.

We’ve seen the Mets add Dellin Betances, Brad Brach, and — in all likelihood, in some capacity — Michael Wacha to an already talented bullpen, but another quality reinforcement would eliminate another of those all-too-important ifs Van Wagenen seems to despise so much.

Adding former Astros (and Mets) right-hander Collin McHugh (4.70 ERA, 82 K, 30 BB, 1.23 WHIP, 74.2 IP, .174/.278/.371 slash line against versus lefties last season) would help that cause considerably. Per Baseball Savant, McHugh’s spin rate on his curve (88th percentile) and fastball (77th percentile) are above-average, as is his hard-hit rate (29.9 percent; 92nd percentile).

Those types of metrics combined with the ability to throw six pitches for strikes (four-seam, slider, cutter, curve, change, seldom-used sinker) are appealing. If the price tag is agreeable, the Mets should definitely be in on McHugh.

Former Braves righty Arodys Vizcaino — traded to the Mariners in the Anthony Swarzak deal (he’s also available, for what it’s worth) after undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery — would be an interesting buy-low candidate (.213/.334/.338 slash line against versus lefties) if the team is so inclined to take a chance on the 29-year-old.

According to Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe, veteran backstop and framing extraordinaire (95th percentile last season, per Statcast) Russell Martin hopes to latch on somewhere and is happy to assume a backup role. The soon-to-be 37-year-old brings leadership to a young-ish team and defensive excellence behind the plate.

The Mets should be exploring this option in earnest — he’d likely cost much less than Austin Hedges would in a trade with San Diego and fits New York’s needs to a tee.

And, of course, Starling Marte is still lingering out there on the trade market. Whether Pittsburgh GM Ben Cherington is still dead-set on dealing the 31-year-old All-Star is debatable. But if the price is right (read: J.D. Davis and/or Brandon Nimmo are off the table), oh, what an addition that would be.

As you can see, for the tenants of the penthouse offices at 41 Seaver Way in Flushing all the way down to the guys in the clubhouse, there’s more important, pressing matters to address than what transpired this week. In a little over two months and counting, there’s a season to play. Let’s focus on the present and the future, not the past.

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Major League Baseball’s offseason continues to trudge on. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking on the hot stove.

Cardinals Make Strong Pitch For Arenado

According to Bruce Levine of 670 AM The Score in Chicago, the St. Louis Cardinals are prepared to part with arguably their top prospect and three solid major leaguers in exchange for Colorado Rockies’ third baseman, Nolan Arenado.

Per Levine, the Cards are ready to ship left-handed prospect Matthew Liberatore, MLB hurlers Dakota Hudson and Carlos Martinez, as well as outfielder Tyler O’Neill for the 28-year-old perennial All-Star.

Since making his debut in 2013, Arenado’s put together a .295/.351/.546 slash line with 227 home runs, 253 doubles, 734 RBIs, and a 122 OPS+. He hit .315/.379/.583 with 41 homers and 118 RBIs in 2019 with 17 outs above average at third base, per Statcast (positional leader, second among all MLB infielders).

St. Louis’ willingness to part with Liberatore — the highly-regarded southpaw they just acquired from Tampa Bay this week for major league outfielders Jose Martinez and Randy Arozarena — as well as three additional active-roster players, all of which are heavy contributors, in a sense sets the bar for level of return Arenado can be expected to fetch.

Wieters Market Opening Up

As per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, free-agent catcher Matt Wieters is “drawing interest” from the Oakland Athletics and the St. Louis Cardinals.

Wieters, 33, spent last season with the Cardinals (.214/.268/.435, 80 OPS+) after 10 seasons in the Beltway (eight with Baltimore, including four All-Star appearances, and two with the Nationals).

Wieters’ -6 runs via extra strikes and 43 percent strike rate behind the plate last season, per Statcast, both ranked near the bottom of the league and his offense isn’t what it used to be.

But in a backup role, which is presumably what the A’s (to help ease Sean Murphy into the role after Josh Phegley‘s departure via free agency) and Cardinals (to backup Yadier Molina) have him pegged for, Wieters should be able to provide what any interested teams are looking for.

News & Notes

Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe gave updates on two free-agent backstops, noting that veteran catcher Jonathan Lucroy “could return to the Rockies” and 36-year-old Russel Martin “wants to keep playing”, but is willing to accept a backup role.

Lucroy, 33, slashed .232/.305/.355 over 328 plate appearances between the Angels and Cubs last season, racking up -4 runs via extra strikes and a 47.1 percent strike rate, per Statcast.

Martin played in 83 games for the Dodgers last season (249 plate appearances), hitting .220/.337/.330 (79 OPS+) with +6 RES and a 53.1% strike rate (95th percentile in framing, per Baseball Savant; +1 OAA at third base, as well).

The New York Yankees officially announced the re-signing of Brett Gardner on Saturday to a one-year, $8 million deal with a $10 million club option for 2021. The Yankees designated left-hander Stephen Tarpley, 26, for assignment as the corresponding move.

Gardner, 36, hit .251/.325/.503 with 28 home runs, 74 RBI, and 10 stolen bases (4.0 bWAR) over 550 plate appearances for New York last season, his 12th season in The Bronx (currently the longest-tenured Yankees player).

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As the Mets embarked on the offseason, Brodie Van Wagenen specifically said the Mets were looking to upgrade over Tomas Nido as a backup catching option. Given Wilson Ramos‘ durability concerns, Nido’s 40 wRC+, and pitchers like Noah Syndergaard pushing for a personal catcher, you could understand Van Wagenen’s position.

However, as it stands today, the Mets appear as if they are going to go into the 2020 season with Nido returning as the backup catcher.

Now, there are some reasons for that. Players who could have fit that mold like Robinson Chirinos and Jason Castro got starting jobs elsewhere, and they essentially signed for starter money. While we can have a debate as to the merits of not upgrading over Ramos, the fact is if the Mets wanted a pure backup, these players ultimately were not going to fit the mold.

Still looking past that, there were plenty of players who fit exactly what the Mets wanted, and yet the team didn’t strike. There was Francisco Cervelli, who signed a cheap deal with the Marlins. Worse yet, there was Kevin Plawecki who signed for under $1 million. More than any other player, Plawecki was the fit due to framing ability, familiarity with the pitching staff, and cost.

Now, when you look at the free agent market, there isn’t much left. At this point in his career, Jonathan Lucroy appears near done as a Major League caliber player. John Ryan Murphy never panned out to be the catcher some thought he might be. Really, when you parse through it all, there remains one viable option on the market – Russell Martin.

According to Baseball Savant, Martin is a strong pitch framer on the lower half of the plate. That should help Syndergaard and pitchers like Rick Porcello and Marcus Stroman. On that point, Martin actually caught Stroman.

He also had a decent season at the plate for a backup catcher with an 83 wRC+. Moreover, he is seen as a leader in the clubhouse, and he has already shown an ability to handle New York during his time with the Yankees. When looking at him, he makes a lot of sense for the Mets.

Of course, the Mets would still have to be interested in addressing one of the primary needs they laid out as the offseason opened. On that front, Van Wagenen has walked back those remarks a bit to indicate he is now comfortable with Nido and Ali Sanchez in Triple-A as his catching depth. You could see his point if he was addressing other areas of the team, but he isn’t.

Ultimately, the Mets are going to need an upgrade from their backup catcher. Based upon his career and 2019 season Martin is that guy. In fact, based on the market, he’s really the only guy remaining. If not him, the Mets are going to have to just hope Nido makes significant strides forward in 2020 while receiving very limited playing time.

The post Mets Yet to Address Backup Catcher appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Russell Martin

Position: C
Bats/Throws: R/R
Age: 2/15/83 (36)

Traditional Stats: .220/.337/.330, 5 2B, 6 HR, 20 RBI, SB
Advanced Stats: 0.8 bWAR, 1.2 fWAR, 79 OPS+, 83 wRC+
Defensive Stats: 2 DRS, 5.6 FRM, 6.2 FRAA. 3.0 RAA

The days of Russell Martin being an All-Star catcher and Silver Slugger are long gone. As he has aged, Martin has reinvented himself as a defensive specialist, who is coming off an impressive year as a part-time catcher with the Los Angeles Dodgers and a mop up reliever who threw four scoreless innings last year.

For a few years running, we have seen the importance of pitch framing. The state of home plate umpiring is at the stage where calls for automated strike zones increase by the day. We constantly see umpires react more to where the catcher frames the ball than where the pitch is actually thrown.

On the Mets front, we saw the effect pitch framing can have for the pitching staff. For a pitcher like Jacob deGrom who likes to work in the upper parts of the zone, Wilson Ramos is a fine catcher. In fact, given his particular skill set, he actually helps deGrom. The same cannot be said for pitchers like Noah Syndergaard and Edwin Diaz. While the ball was partially to blame for their results, both pitchers struggled with a catcher in Ramos, who really had difficulty framing and catching that low strike.

As noted by Mathew Brownstein of MMO, Martin ranked 17th out of 119 catchers in pitch framing last year. According to Baseball Savant, Martin got the low pitch 50 percent of the time. That includes framing at both corners. That is a significant improvement over Wilson Ramos, who was the worst in the majors among qualified catchers, and even an upgrade over Tomas Nido.

via GIPHY

One note on Martin is he has always exceeded on the framing front. As noted in a Grantland article in 2013, Martin has not just focused on his framing, but he has always been able to get that low pitch in the zone for his pitcher. Following his career, Martin has been a good framer everywhere he has played. In that time, he has dealt with all sorts of different pitchers and pitching philosophies. The one thing which has always remained true is Martin is an excellent pitch framer.

When it comes to Martin, he is going to have to contribute defensively in terms of framing because we see he can no longer contribute offensively. He was last a league average hitter in 2017, and he hasn’t been better than that since 2015. Since that 2015 season, he has declined as a hitter to the 83 wRC+ player he was last year.

Contract

Given Martin’s age and his being no more than a backup catcher, he is not going to command anything more than a one year deal. Last year, we saw Jonathan Lucroy accept a one year deal worth $3.35 million, and Martin Maldonado accept a one year deal worth $2.5 million.

Even with both being considerably younger, we should expect to see Martin accept a one year deal in that $2 – $4 million range. Perhaps, you can get him on the lower end of the spectrum by giving him an incentive laden contract. That would certainly make sense for a team like the Mets who are trying to keep payroll down.

Recommendation

If the Mets are really going to stick with Ramos as their primary catcher, they are going to need to find a catcher who can complement his skill set, or rather, one who can provide those things to a pitching staff he can’t. Last year, Nido did do that, but he showed an inability to really hit leading to the team looking for an upgrade.

Martin is that upgrade. Given his status as a respected Major League veteran, he also provides the presence which would allow the Mets to more easily assign Martin to Syndergaard to ease any tensions in that clubhouse. Given the fact the Mets may not be able to go that far without Syndergaard pitching to his full potential, that alone would make signing Martin worth it.

On another note, we know Martin played two years with the New York Yankees. He knows how to handle things here when things get difficult. His presence would have been welcomed at a time when the personal catcher thing arose last year. It may arise again at some point next year. Considering that and other factors, it does seem like Martin is the right catcher for the Mets to sign as a backup on a one year deal.

The post MMO Free Agent Profile: Russell Martin, C appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The New York Mets enter the 2018 Major League Baseball Winter Meetings with numerous holes still to fill despite new GM Brodie Van Wagenen being aggressive early on.

Van Wagenen got his elite reliever in Edwin Diaz and improved the Mets offense by acquiring Robinson Cano in just one deal.

The Mets have been front and center thus far this offseason in rumors as well, ranging from being open to trading frontline starter Noah Syndergaard to showing significant interest in arguably the best catcher in baseball, J.T. Realmuto.

The meetings are expected to be busy as usual (though not yet as I type this from the media room at 8:21 a.m. PT), but will Van Wagenen continue to be aggressive?

Catcher is an obvious need for the Mets despite them deciding to hold the oft-injured Travis d’Arnaud and still waiting for Kevin Plawecki to hit at the major league level.

Good thing for the Mets is the catcher market is strong without even mentioning Realmuto (whom has a reportedly high price tag).

Free agents Yasmani Grandal and Wilson Ramos were two of the best catchers in baseball last year, ranking second and fifth in fWAR respectively at the position in 2018.

The Mets have also shown interest in signing defense-first backstop Martin Maldonado. The trade market reportedly also included the Pirates Francisco Cervelli and Blue Jays Russell Martin.

While Diaz, ranked fourth among AL pitchers last year with 4.8 win probability added, certainly improves the Mets bullpen, they still need likely two more pen pieces.

They’ve sniffed around the top end of the free agent market for righty David Robertson and lefties Andrew Miller and Zach Britton. Van Wagenen has said he sees the Mets signing at least one reliever, with back-end help and a possible lefty to replace Jerry Blevins as needs.

The Mets have been pretty quiet in the outfield market outside of Van Wagenen mentioning free agent A.J. Pollock by name during a radio interview.

Van Wagenen knows the Mets need to improve their bench as well. They non-tendered Wilmer Flores, which leaves multiple spots to fill. There’s been reports of the Mets showing interest in super utility guy Marwin Gonzalez. Though just about every team in baseball is likely to show interest, so the price tag could be high.

Finally, the Mets are currently going into the 2019 season with veteran Jason Vargas as their No. 5 starter. That could prove unwise after a 2018 that saw him get knocked around in the first half before settling down towards the end of the season.

Reports have said the Mets could have interest in Gio Gonzalez and pitchers of that ilk, though they are unlikely to sign one unless they trade Syndergaard.

Van Wagenen said he was going to come out of the gates creative and aggressive, that has proved to be true so far, but can he keep that up through the winter meetings?

The post Mets 2018 Winter Meetings Shopping List appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Good morning Mets fans, and happy Friday! While time seems to have stood still through the Mets’ negotiations with the Seattle Mariners over Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz, there were, in fact, other headlines around baseball yesterday that will certainly shape the rest of the offseason.

Blue Jays Shopping Martin, Pirates Trying to Move Cervelli 

Yahoo Sports‘ Jeff Passan has the scoop for both teams, noting that both the Toronto Blue Jays’ Russell Martin and Pittsburgh Pirates’ Francisco Cervelli have drawn interest from a number of teams. The former club will attempt to find a taker for an expendable, expensive player, while the latter looks to move a possible trade chip for a 2019 season that doesn’t promise to be all that competitive anyway.

Martin, 35, hit just .194/.338/.325 in 2018, and has generally regressed at the plate since 2016, slashing .218/.338/.375 while throwing out just 19% of baserunners and missing over 70 games in each of the past two years with shoulder and oblique injuries. With Danny Jansen and Reese McGuire both impressing behind the dish in 2018 and likely costing very little through their many controllable years, Martin – who played 21 games at third last year as a result – is simply no longer needed. While his $20MM due next year (wrapping up a five-year, $90MM pact) would need to be absorbed to an extent, Martin’s seven defensive runs saved catching and five framing runs above average could play out well for a team in need of an established veteran presence.

Cervelli’s offensive numbers, for the most part, tell a much more pleasant story. His 12 homers, 57 RBI, and .809 OPS all made for career-highs, and since he first joined the Pirates in 2015, Cervelli owns the majors’ third-best walk-rate (11.5%), third-best wRC+ (110), and fourth-best fWAR (9.4). However, like Martin, Cervelli has had numerous issues staying on the field, as he has never played in more than 130 games in a season across his 11-year career. A -12 DRS going back to 2017 could also be a cause for concern, as the upcoming 33-year old is in line to make $11.5MM in 2019 before hitting free agency.

Meanwhile, Jon Heyman of FanCred Sports is reporting that the Mets and Giants have recently talked to the Marlins regarding their catcher, J.T. Realmuto.

Padres, Richards, Agree to Two-Year Deal

According to Passan, the deal between the San Diego Padres and former Los Angeles Angels ace Garrett Richards is worth a guaranteed $15MM with up to $3MM available in incentives (Jon Heyman of Fancred Sports had initially reported that the two sides had come to an agreement on a contract itself). Still only 30 years of age, Richards’ season was cut short over the summer when it was revealed that the righty had damaged his UCL for the second time in three years.

The Tampa Bay Rays recently struck a similar deal with Nathan Eovaldi while he recovered from Tommy John surgery through the 2017 season, and likewise the Minnesota Twins with Michael Pineda and Chicago Cubs with Drew Smyly entering 2018. Richards is slated to make between $5-$8MM more than either of the three, but in fairness, Richards has combined for a higher bWAR over the last five years (7.6) than the combined average between the three (7.1).

Granted, Richards’ output in 2018 wasn’t too far out of line from what he had strung together the prior four years as a mainstay in Anaheim’s rotation (when healthy). With a 3.15 ERA/3.38 FIP, a 1.168 WHIP, and 2.67 K/BB ratio since 2014, Richards has a decent chance to contribute with San Diego in 2020 if his rehab goes to plan. While his 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings last year was a career-best, he assumed a far worse burden by averaging four walks and 1.3 homers per nine, and he hasn’t made more than 20 starts in a season since 2015 – combining for just 28 in the meantime.

Reds Heavily Interested in Keuchel

While the Cincinnati Reds have plenty of work to do with their current roster before making a serious bid in the NL Central division in the near future, the team has its sights set on its first possible building block – at least as it relates to their starting rotation, which finished with a 5.02 ERA (14th in the National League), 1.42 WHIP (14th), 39% hard-hit rate (11th), and 1.62 homers allowed per nine (15th) last season. The prime target at the moment is left-hander and 2015 AL Cy Young recipient Dallas Keuchel, whom the Reds, per Heyman, are “all over.”

Keuchel, who will be 31 in January, averaged a pedestrian 6.7 K/9 this past year, but made up for it by whipping up a career-best 34 starts and keeping the ball on the ground 53.7% of the time. Shockingly enough, such a figure was his lowest since his debut season in 2012, but still made for the best in the majors, while his 3.6 fWAR ranked ninth in the American League. MLB Trade Rumors projects Keuchel to earn up to $82MM in a four-year deal this offseason, an annual salary the Reds have never handed out to a free agent.

Heyman has also cited J.A. Happ as a potential person of interest for the Reds, though it’s unclear whether he is seen as an add-on or an alternative. Conventional wisdom would point to the latter, since Happ himself is projected to make $48MM over three years, though at 36 years of age and having experienced pitching in the National League before, he may be a more feasible goal for Cincinnati.

Brewers Likely to Non-Tender Schoop

Coming off a down year for the ages between the Baltimore Orioles and Milwaukee Brewers, second baseman Jonathan Schoop is reportedly expected to be non-tendered by the Milwaukee Brewers ahead of tomorrow’s deadline, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Schoop, 27, hit just .233/.266/.416 in 131 games, putting up a brutal .577 OPS with the Brewers alongside a 30.6% K-rate.

The general expectation in July had been that the Brewers would get Schoop back on his feet and race for a postseason berth full steam with contributions from the 2017 All-Star. Instead of getting a taste of the .280/.316/.479 line he enjoyed from 2015 through 2017, the Brewers benched him and his -0.2 oWAR in favor of Travis Shaw, who had been knocked off his natural position at third base after the deadline to accommodate Mike Moustakas.

Schoop, who is projected to make $10.1MM this offseason in arbitration, would instead hit the market headed by a handful of players coming off similar rough patches, such as DJ Lemahieu (1.2 oWAR – his worst mark since 2014), Brian Dozier (.696 OPS and only 81 runs scored, his lowest totals since 2013) and Daniel Murphy (played only 91 games played due to microfracture surgery in his knee, ended with his lowest oWAR since 2009 at just 1.1). As the youngest player in the bunch, however, Schoop is sure to find a clean slate somewhere.

The post Hot Stove Rumor Roundup: Catchers Up for Grabs appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The New York Mets now travel to Dunedin, Fla. to play the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday afternoon. The veteran Bartolo Colon gets the start for the Mets and opposes right-hander Aaron Sanchez for the Jays in a 1:07 PM match-up.

The Mets have not visited Dunedin since March 18, 1989. Adam Rubin reports that during that game the two teams had some “scuffles which included Darryl Strawberry getting plunked and charging the mound while pitcher Jeff Musselman ran away.

Here are the lineups for the game:

New York Mets

1. Juan Lagares, CF
2. Dilson Herrera, 2B
3. Michael Conforto, LF
4. Wilmer Flores, SS
5. Marc Krauss, 1B
6. Kevin Plawecki, C
7. T.J. Rivera, 3B
8. Travis Taijeron, RF
9. Daniel Muno, DH

Toronto Blue Jays

1. Kevin Pillar, CF
2. Josh Donaldson, DH
3. Troy Tulowitzki, SS
4. Chris Colabello, 1B
5. Michael Saunders, LF
6. Russell Martin, C
7. Darrell Ceciliani, RF
8. Darwin Barney, 2B
9. Andy Burns, 3B

The post MMO Game Thread: Mets vs Blue Jays, 1:07 PM (WOR) appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports is reporting that catcher Russell Martin has signed a 5 year deal with the Toronto Blue Jays.  He also confirmed via Twitter that the deal will be worth $82 million over that time span.

In 111 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates last season, Martin posted career highs in OBP (.402) and WAR (5.3).  He hit .290, posted an .832 OPS, cranked 11 home runs and knocked in 67 RBIs, which is very respectable given his position.

His defensive skills are certainly a valuable asset as well.  Martin is a former gold glove award winner (2007) and a three time All-Star who commands the respect of his pitching staffs and is respected for calling a good game.

The Pirates will receive an extra draft pick as compensation, while the Blue Jays surrender their first-rounder (17th overall).

Thoughts:

Martin was originally believed to be headed to the Chicago Cubs. As the offseason continues to unfold, the Cubs are a team to watch. Perhaps one of the Mets catchers, either Travis d’Arnaud or Kevin Plawecki, becomes a player that Sandy Alderson might dangle in pursuit of a shortstop instead of ja young pitcher?

The Cubs infield also just became more crowded with the acquisition of Atlanta Braves second baseman Tommy La Stella, so the need to make room is becoming more imminent for Chicago.

The post Russell Martin Signs 5-Year Deal with Blue Jays appeared first on Metsmerized Online.