Mets News and Breakfast Links - 12/1/2019

MLB Non-Tender deadline is tomorrow. 

Metsmerized has 5 non-tender candidates the Mets should keep an eye on.  The first two you’ve heard before: Giant CF Kevin Pillar and A’s Relief Pitcher Blake Treinen plus three other interesting choices: Reds reliever Kevin Gausman, Giants light hitting, above average fielding OF Joey Rickard, and Marlins starter Jose Urena. 

Metsmerized also had a list of 5 Mets who are un-touchable: David Peterson, Ronny Mauricio, Brett Baty, Matt Allen, and C Francisco Alvarez.  All good choices.  However, as we saw Brodie deal lower level minor league players last year like 2018 Brooklyn players Russ Adolf and Adam Hill, I would include the 2019 Brooklyn players especially Jake Mangum, Wilmer Reyes, Ranfy Adon (if he is not picked up in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft), and Jared Biddy.

Metsmerized says that David Peterson is un-touchable but MLB.com has him on a list of prospects that could be traded. 

Bill Madden has posted his 2019 Baseball Turkey awards.  Unlike other years where he named multiple recipients, he saved it all this year for Jeff Luhnow, the Houston Astros President of Baseball Operations. “At last count he’s the principal in at least three MLB investigations: two into the Astros’ electronic cheating in 2017 and 2019, and a third into the Brandon Taubman situation, including a lack of conscience when it comes to domestic violence, mistreatment of female reporters, and an overall lack of accountability in the organization from the PR department all the way up to the owner, Jim Crane.”

It is a great read as Madden goes into detail how the very scouts and Baseball people like Nolan Ryan who made the 2017 championship possible have left or been fired.  “The Astros had 55 scouts in 2009. In 2019 they had fewer than 20, and zero pro scouts.  And when the Astros won the world championship in 2017, Luhnow was front and center celebrating how analytics enabled them to much better evaluate players…”  Beware Mets fans, the analytics over scouts could be us in a few years, without the winning.

Joel Sherman of the NY Post talks about teams under pressure to make a splash this off season. Mets are not included.  Red Sox, Nationals, Phillies, Twins, and Angels are. 

MLB.com had a similar article but substituted the Reds for the Twins.

MSN.com had the top 25 trade candidates.  Ken Giles and Starling Marte lead the list.  Dom Smith #8.

NJ.com speculated that maybe the Phillies could be in play for Mookie Betts and David Price.

NJ.com also said that the Phillies could be looking at Dellin Betances and Austin Romine.

Rising Apple looked at Jason Castro as a Mets Catching option.

Speaking of catchers.  If you have missed Mack’s Mets post yesterday about catchers, Reese runs down lots of Mets catching options. 

Speaking of great writers, Faith and Fear in Flushing has a post about how his streak of watching 1,390 Mets games in a row ended this past year.  I don’t think even Howie Rose or Gary Cohen had a streak like that.

Seymour Siwoff, head of the Elias Sports Bureau died Friday at 99.  Seymour “brought statistical analysis to the sports world, chronicling feats from the epic to the arcane through seven decades as the head of the Elias Sports Bureau.”

The Binghamton Rumble Ponies have Flex Ticket Packs available through Cyber Monday.

In Winter Ball Last night:

In the Dominican Republic last night, none of the three current Mets pitchers on the Toros Del Este, Chris Mazza, Tyler Bashlor and Daniel Zamora, pitched in the 2-0 Toros loss. 

Elite Sports NY had a post about Bartolo Colon pitching in the Dominican Winter League but I have not yet seem him on any team roster.  If he does pop up, I will let you know. 

Running down other notable ex-Mets playing this winter - Once a top prospect obtained as part of the R.A. Dickey trade to Toronto, Wuilmer Becerra is hitting .333, 22 games, 84 at-bats, 2 HR, 8 RBIs, 3 Stolen Bases in Venezuela; 2019 Syracuse Mets Arismendy Alcantara is hitting .222, 29 games, 81 at-bats in the Dominican.  

Also in the Dominican, Juan Lagares went 0 for 3 last night and is now hitting .349 in 16 games, 63 at-bats, 22 hits, 1 double, 1 triple, 1 HR, 9 Ks; and Jordany Valdespin is hitting .321, 2 homers, 12 RBI’s.  

T.J. Rivera was playing in the Dominican league where he hit .200 in 19 games and now is playing in Puerto Rico, .273 in 10 games, 33 at-bats.

In Australia, the Auckland Tuatara played two on Saturday.   Hansel Moreno went 0 for 2 with walk in the first game and 0 for 3 in the second.  With a 16 hour time difference, the Sunday afternoon game is already completed.  Neither Hansel nor Jeremy Vasquez played. 

For the winter so far Hansel is hitting .227 in 7 games, 22 at-bats, 5 hits, 3 runs scored, 1 SB, 1 Caught stealing, 3 walks, .320 On Base Percentage.

Since Jeremy Vasquez did not play at all this past weekend, he may have ended his time in the league.  We will keep looking at the box scores and let you know if he pops up again.  Jeremy has had 11 at-bats in 4 games with 2 walks and 2 Ks for a .091 average.

Mack’s Mets Blast from the past from December 2008 has Mack’s Mets Prospect rankings. Daniel Murphy, Jonathan Niese, etc.    

UltimateMets has this date in Mets History:

Born on this date:

• Cookie Lavagetto (1912)
• George Foster (1948)
• Dan Warthen (1952)
• Dan Schatzeder (1954)
• Tom Filer (1956)
• Herm Winningham (1961)
• Julio Machado (1965)
• Greg McMichael (1966)

Transactions:

New York Mets traded Bob Miller to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Tim Harkness and Larry Burright on December 1, 1962.

Houston Astros drafted Jack DiLauro from the Mets on December 1, 1969.

New York Mets traded Ron Herbel to the Atlanta Braves for Bob Aspromonte on December 1, 1970.

Cincinnati Reds signed Pete Smith of the New York Mets as a free agent on December 1, 1994.

New York Mets traded Todd Hundley and Arnold Gooch to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Roger Cedeno and Charles Johnson on December 1, 1998.

New York Mets traded Charles Johnson to the Baltimore Orioles for Armando Benitez on December 1, 1998.

New York Mets signed 31 year-old Gold Glove third baseman Robin Ventura (.263, 21, 91) to a four-year, 32 million dollar free-agent deal. The former White Sox infielder will join two-time Gold Glove shortstop Rey Ordonez, Edgardo Alfonzo, who will shift from the hot corner to second base, and first baseman John Olerud to make up one of the best fielding infields in history, according to Sports Illustrated.

On December 1, 2000, Turk Wendell, who wears uniform number 99, agrees to a three-year deal worth $9,999,999.99 with the Mets. The New York reliever had asked that his pact include an option year in which he would play for free, but that plan was unworkable because baseball's collective bargaining agreement sets a $200,000 minimum salary.

New York Mets signed free agent Jesus Feliciano on December 1, 2007.

Philadelphia Phillies signed Brian Schneider of the New York Mets as a free agent on December 1, 2009.

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