Ever since the days of Edgardo Alfonso, the New York Mets have struggled to find a premier contributor that can play the position of second base. Whether it be the failed free agent signings of guys like Roberto Alomar and Kaz Matsui, or one-dimensional players like Daniel Murphy, the Mets have failed to feature the top second baseman in the NL East for some time. For a long time, the position...
Measuring defense accurately is not an easy task. While batting and pitching are relatively binary (you either reached base or you didn’t; you either recorded a strikeout or you didn’t), fielders often deceive us by making routine plays seem phenomenal due to, for example, slow reaction times or by completing an out but taking a less-than-efficient route to get to the ball....
Jon Heyman of Fan Rag Sports is reporting that free agent center fielder Lorenzo Cain has multiple four-year offers on the table. Cain’s agents have begun informing teams they are out of the bidding for his services per Heyman as well. The market has been relatively quiet for the best center fielder on the market despite him coming off a 2017 in which he hit .300/.363/.440, .803 OPS+ with...
When you make something look easy, sometimes people forget how hard that something is. It is extremely difficult to play center field at the Major League level — Juan Lagares makes it look easy. After winning the Gold Glove Award for National League center fielders in 2014, Lagares was hampered by injuries for the two following seasons. He came back healthy this season, however an...
The Mets have signed outfielder Roger Bernadina to a minor league contract, the team announced this afternoon. The contract will pay him $750,000 if he’s added to the major league roster. If he’s not on the roster by June 15, he will have to be released. (Jon Heyman) Bernadina, 31, has played with four teams over seven seasons in the major leagues, including six with the Washington...
According to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN, the Mets have left handed outfielders Will Venable and Alejandro De Aza on their radar in addition to Denard Span. Both players are potential options to platoon with Juan Lagares in center field, but Crasnick says the Mets are slow-playing the market. Venable, 33, batted .244/.320/.350 with six home runs and 16 steals in 349 plate appearances for the Padres...
According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the Nationals and Reds are discussing a deal for second baseman Brandon Phillips. Phillips has a no trade clause in his contract, but he could waive it to join Washington if a trade were to go through. He is owed $13 million dollars in 2016 and $14 million in 2017, which are the two finals years of his contract. With the Nationals looking for upgrades at...
Jon Heyman of CBSSports reports that the Cubs are among the teams interested in free agent outfielder Denard Span. Heyman also mentions that top free agent Jason Heyward is also a target for Chicago. Meanwhile, Chris Cotillo of SB Nation says that Gerardo Parra has multiple three year offers in hand. The Royals, Giants and Cubs are among the teams in the mix, but Parra is hopeful that a team...
Scouts don’t have it easy. They have to sort through thousands of pages of stats and hundreds of prospect profiles every year trying to somehow find the next great talent, picking the ones that maybe have a chance along the road. A road that consists of b-list cities and cut-rate motels. They look for shortcuts, perhaps rely on radar guns too much, recycle existing scouting reports without...
Sandy Alderson hinted today that Lucas Duda could get time in the outfield in 2014, according to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York. “As of today, I would expect Lucas to get some time in the outfield, but that will be decided just before spring training,” Alderson said. Of course, the instant reactionary world of Twitter was quick to jump on his defensive flaws as an indictment against...
Even after last week’s signing of Chris Young, the Met outfield is still in dire circumstances. Although they have two starters set in place in Juan Lagares and Young, neither of them are sure bets at the plate. With the Mets presumably sticking with either Lucas Duda or Ike Davis at first base for next year, significant upgrades need to be made to shortstop and a corner outfield position...
The New York Mets might get lucky with Chris Young the same way they did with Marlon Byrd last season. It could happen. However, are you betting on it? I am not buying for a second they’ll make a play for Nelson Cruz, but there are others I would have liked to see them get over Young. We know that Shin-Soo Choo and Jacoby Ellsbury were also out of their price range, and supposedly they...
