Mets News and Breakfast Links - 12/15/2019

Before the Links, yesterday the wife of one of Mack’s Mets best writers, Reese Kaplan, posted a note in Mack’s open thread yesterday.  Reese is recovering from an injury and “in inpatient rehab. and is receiving PT, OT and Speech Therapy.”  Our hopes and prayers are with Reese and his family and hope he gets well soon.

Now the links:

The MLB contraction of Minor League cities just seems to keep getting worse.

Minor League Baseball released a memo responding to MLB’s proposal that Baseball America detailed.  If you can’t read it on the Baseball America website, you can read it on Twitter feed.  Biggest takeaways in my opinion: “few, if any, facilities deemed to be noncompliant”; “MLB teams review and approve all travel itineraries for all MiLB affiliates”; Proposed “Dream League” is not feasible; “MLB’s stance that they are subsidizing MiLB teams is wildly inaccurate”;

NBC Sports reported that Major League Baseball responded to MiLB’s memo by threatening to walk away from Minor League Baseball entirely.  MLB “threatened to simply drop any agreement with Minor League Baseball and, presumably start its own minor league system bypassing MiLB entirely”.

I keep going back to what Bill Madden of the NY Daily News previously wrote: the action will result in tons of bad will for baseball, lawsuits, hurt growth of the sport, all for “the total savings for MLB from top to bottom would be roughly a $20 million in an industry that grossed in between $11-12 billion in 2019 – or less than a fifth of 1%.” 

In Today’s NY Daily News Bill Madden said: “Either way, the “120 plan” as presently constituted or a whole new system would be absolute chaos. Another directly-involved official summed it up this way: ‘What’s really going on is that Manfred wants to control everything in baseball, from T-ball, to international, to the Hall of Fame, and the minor leagues are standing in his way.’”  In the same article Bill talks about pitch counts and how Cole and Strasburg received big contracts with hardly ever throwing a complete game.

The Albany Times Union had a recent story on the contraction that includes photos from the old Albany-Colonie Yankees games.  “Our team (the Tri-City Valley Cats), as it turns out, seems to be a rare winner in all this, moving from its current short-season schedule to one that plays the full length of the baseball season – although I could argue that nobody wins when baseball is played upstate in April.” 

In Other news/posts this morning:

Metstradamus, one of the best in the business, says the Winter meeting could have been a lot worse for Mets fans.  “Take Rick Porcello for instance: Porcello was a one-year $10 million signing to be the fifth starter. Considering that this signing could have been a two year deal not unlike the ones signed by Todd Frazier, Jason Vargas and Jed Lowrie, I’ll take what Porcello signed for.”

Rising Apple Grades the Mets Winter Meetings. Michael Wacha signing C, Rick Porcello signing B-, not adding a relief pitcher D.

Ken Davidoff had the winners and losers at the Winter Meetings.  Winners: Scott Boras, Yankees, Phillies, Josh Donalson, the Hall of Fame.  Losers: Dodgers, Astros, Cubs, Yoenis Cespedes, English majors.

Tim Healy of Newsday says the Mets are counting on a lot of “ifs” to improve the bullpen. “The Mets’ bullpen, as it stands now, has enough talent to be good — but that is based on a lot of ifs. If Diaz and Familia bounce back. If Lugo and Justin Wilson don’t regress. If Brad Brach looks more like his 2012-18 self. If Gsellman pitches better than his 4.45 ERA the past two seasons. If any of the Mets’ less experienced relievers establish themselves as legitimate major-leaguers.”

Rising Apple says the Mets have improves their starting pitching depth questions for now.

Elite Sports NY says the Rick Porcello signing is an incredible risk.  “the Mets would have been unable to address their concerns within their bullpen, thanks to the signing of Porcello...Given the Mets’ current payroll restrictions, Van Wagenen is taking a huge risk in Porcello. The 30-year-old is coming off the worst season of his career and is scheduled to earn the third-highest salary within the Mets’ starting rotation.”

Amazing Avenue looks at Dellin Betances for the Mets. “Don’t let the injury scare you away: Betances is still an elite reliever who can provide tremendous results at a potential bargain. He was a four-time All Star from 2014-2017 and has a career 14.6 K/9. In his career, he owns a 2.36 ERA, a 2.31 FIP, a 1.04 WHIP, and a career 11.6 bWAR in 381.2 innings.”

Rising Apple also thinks the Mets should look to the Royals for a trade partner.

Call to the Pen thinks the Mets still have the best rotation in baseball – even better than the Yankees.

Metsmerized says the Mets excuses not to spend dwindle after restructuring Cespedes’ deal.

Metsmerized had an interview with Left Handed Binghamton Rumble Ponies Pitcher, Kevin Smith.  It is possible he could be on the Mets sometime in 2020 and will probably start the season in Syracuse. 

The Mets Police had his take on the Cespedes reduction.

To make Mets Fans panic, Forbes.com had an article how Steve Cohen may give the Wilpons $1.5 Billion and never take control as the majority ownership has to be approved by MLB.

As Yahoo Sports reported, the sale is likely to be approved by MLB.

Mets 360 had a poll on the Mets Starts and Scrubs team.

Last night In the Dominican league. 

Adonis Uceta, after not pitching since November 7^th, was back in action for the Leones del Escogido.

The Syracuse Mets and Binghamton Rumble Ponies pitcher continued his great winter record with another scoreless inning in an 8-2 loss (box) to the Tigres del Licey.  Coming in to pitch the top of he 9^th with his team down 8-1, Adonis induced two straight popups to the second baseman, gave up a single and then struck-out the final batter to end the inning. 

In total this Winter, Adonis Uceta is 1-0; 0.00 ERA; 9 games; 7.1 innings; 3 hits; 2 unearned runs; 6 walks; 7 Ks.

One of Mack’s picks to keep an eye in the Dominican League, Adonis last year in Binghamton secured 7 out of 9 save opportunities, going 5-3 with a 1.44 ERA.  Like a number of the Binghamton pitchers, he struggled when he was called up to Syracuse giving up 5 hits and 5 runs in 1.1 innings pitched. 

In that same game, playing for the Tigres del Licey was 2019 Syracuse Mets Arismendy Alcantara.  Arismendy hit a homerun and is hitting .271 in 34 games in the Dominican.  He was one of my favorite Syracuse Mets last year and is currently a minor league free agent. 

No Mets Pitcher appeared last night in the Toros Del Este where Phil Regan is the pitching coach. Daniel Zamora has been the most active there. Tyler Bashlor and Chris Mazza have also appeared as well as new Mets minor leaguer Pedro Payano.

Mack’s Mets blast from the past comes from December 2010: Dave Rubin has an extensive review of top 2010 Baseball Books. 

UltimateMets has this date in Mets History:

Born on this date:

• Art Howe (1946)
• Mo Vaughn (1967)
• Scott Copeland (1987)

Transactions:

New York Mets traded Lee Walls to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Charlie Neal and Willard Hunter on December 15, 1961.

New York Mets traded Tommy Davis, Jack Fisher, Billy Wynne and Buddy Booker to the Chicago White Sox for Tommie Agee and Al Weis on December 15, 1967.

New York Mets traded John Pacella and Jose Moreno to the San Diego Padres for Randy Jones on December 15, 1980.

New York Mets traded Bob Ojeda and Greg Hansell to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Hubie Brooks on December 15, 1990.

New York Mets traded Jeff Barry to the San Diego Padres for Pedro Martinez on December 15, 1995.

New York Mets signed free agent Carlos Mendoza on December 15, 1999.

San Francisco Giants signed Edgardo Alfonzo of the New York Mets as a free agent on December 15, 2002.

New York Mets traded Rey Ordonez to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for Russ Johnson and Josh Pressley on December 15, 2002.

Mets drafted Eric Valent from the Cincinnati Reds on December 15, 2003. (FYI, Eric is one of the few Mets to hit for the cycle.)

St. Louis Cardinals signed Braden Looper of the New York Mets as a free agent on December 15, 2005.

Pittsburgh Pirates signed Roberto Hernandez of the New York Mets as a free agent on December 15, 2005.

New York Mets signed free agent John Mayberry of the Toronto Blue Jays on December 15, 2014.

Chicago Cubs signed Jack Leathersich of the New York Mets as a free agent on December 15, 2015.

New York Mets signed free agent Anthony Swarzak of the Milwaukee Brewers on December 15, 2017.

New York Mets signed free agent Jose Lobaton of the Washington Nationals on December 15, 2017.

Want more?  Check out https://sportspyder.com/mlb/new-york-mets/news. 

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