Four years blogging? That's not easy. You must be filthy rich!
Thank you for the best Mets blog out there.
And thanks, too, for this sane & thoughtful community that comes here, shares thoughts, and keeps it civil. I'm grateful to have to a place to come with all the swirling Mets thoughts and impressions.
Nobody knows. But it's fun to try to figure it out.
Thanks, Jimmy! You make the newsletter better with your thoughtful commentary each day. And you are right: we are all just guessing, but hopefully making “educated” guesses lol
Finally! Happy Opening Day from Switzerland but visiting Australia. Quietly optimistic, new manager is a people person and whatever caused the bad vibe last year seems to be gone. This looks like a good team ready to show it. 🙂
Happy 4th, J.B. and those who've been here since the beginning. I'm still new to this and the Fix made an otherwise really bad 2023 tolerable. I've seen all openers since '62 so it's usually a good day; albeit the first few weren't. So disappointed at first for expectations this year but since JD signing, now coming around. Syracuse looks stacked. LFGM!!
Happy Opening Day! Congrats on 4 years, JB. Thanks for always being there with the numbers approach to keep some of us off the ledge. Great pod this week, too. If I had to make 1 roster bet this year it would be McNeil is traded to make way for Williams or Acuña. Sorry, Peter!
I am always rankled by the media's groupings at the trade deadline: sellers vs. buyers. I've always felt a smart team could do both. Clearly the best opportunities for upside prospects are on the "selling" side. Even if a team hopes to win, they could discard in one spot and "buy" elsewhere. We don't really ever see it, though. Writing today, in March, I'd be theoretically willing to flip Jeff and still try to make the WC.
Completely agree. I should have added I think McNeil will be traded regardless of whether they’re “buyers” or “sellers.” Sure, there’s value in keeping him as a utility bench player, but might be more value in getting something in return and saving his salary
We'll have to see where they are. If playing well & above expectations, it would be very hard (dumb?) to trade McNeil and mess w/ success. If below expectations, yes on saving salary and seeing what Acuna can do other there. I could see that a contending team would be excited to get Swiss Army Knife McNeil at the deadline, and the contract is not onerous.
Yes on minor league rosters. I actually have plans to take in Syracuse & Binghamton this Spring, with respect for the Lake Effect's ability to change plans.
* Hoping Jett Williams can thrive in CF and keep charging toward Citi with a productive year. Also hoping that Parada unleashes his power in 2024, free from the caverns of Brooklyn. He could rewrite the scouting report this year. Potential trade chip.
* The Syracuse reliever I'm most hopeful for: Cole Sulser.
* While I'm eager to see Hamel & Vasil this season, I don't honestly have high hopes for either of them. Otherwise, it's Scott and the new wave behind him. The Binghamton rotation looks strong. Dark horse: Butto. Maybe this guy has moxie. Still don't have motion sensors to measure that.
* I'm cautiously hopeful about Marte.
* McNeil scares me; he got paid and he just wants to play golf. Is he all in? He needs to drive the ball and/or hit .320 to be a positive. Which is totally possible for him. Didn't love his spring. By the end of the year, I think we may see someone else playing 2B. He's an interesting case of one of the few guys who seems to have been hurt by the eradication of the shift. And with more speed in the game, his lack of SBs becomes a relative weakness. Hurt by recent rule changes.
* Gilbert will be a welcome injection of energy & competitiveness come summer.
* Out of the starters, I have the most faith in Manea. It's an interesting group with a wide range of possible outcomes.
* I like the pen a lot, and part of that is that I like the potential list of replacements in AAA. Don't sleep on Hartwig!
* Will Baty be a competent contributor or sent back down to AAA? Don't make me guess.
There is definitely hope for both of them as long as the realistic expectations are back end of the rotation starter. I think a potential 4/5 starter has more value on the team than as a trade chip if that's how the industry values both of them.
I like Scott far more. Loved what I saw from McLean and Sprout. Both Hamel & Vasil *look* like ML pitchers. Throw hard, good stuff. Something seems missing to my eyes. Hard to start any season w/ 2 rookies in the rotation. Mets will have a LOT of chips to trade come July & Winter.
Its hard to look at that top right quandrant of names LOL. However - its OPENING DAY - Here's hoping Zack Short comes off the bench in the bottom of the 9th and gets a game winning RBI ! Mets win the opener and Zacks' grandma is smiling in heaven - LETS GO METS !
No. 21 - - I’m 62. It’s not my thing. But can we just give it a chance before telling people to avoid it? Want to know what people should avoid? The fried rainbow cake roll. Your heart will thank you.
Four years blogging? That's not easy. You must be filthy rich!
Thank you for the best Mets blog out there.
And thanks, too, for this sane & thoughtful community that comes here, shares thoughts, and keeps it civil. I'm grateful to have to a place to come with all the swirling Mets thoughts and impressions.
Nobody knows. But it's fun to try to figure it out.
Thanks, Jimmy! You make the newsletter better with your thoughtful commentary each day. And you are right: we are all just guessing, but hopefully making “educated” guesses lol
Finally! Happy Opening Day from Switzerland but visiting Australia. Quietly optimistic, new manager is a people person and whatever caused the bad vibe last year seems to be gone. This looks like a good team ready to show it. 🙂
Happy 4th, J.B. and those who've been here since the beginning. I'm still new to this and the Fix made an otherwise really bad 2023 tolerable. I've seen all openers since '62 so it's usually a good day; albeit the first few weren't. So disappointed at first for expectations this year but since JD signing, now coming around. Syracuse looks stacked. LFGM!!
Happy Opening (albeit delayed) Day.
Happy Opening Day! Congrats on 4 years, JB. Thanks for always being there with the numbers approach to keep some of us off the ledge. Great pod this week, too. If I had to make 1 roster bet this year it would be McNeil is traded to make way for Williams or Acuña. Sorry, Peter!
I am always rankled by the media's groupings at the trade deadline: sellers vs. buyers. I've always felt a smart team could do both. Clearly the best opportunities for upside prospects are on the "selling" side. Even if a team hopes to win, they could discard in one spot and "buy" elsewhere. We don't really ever see it, though. Writing today, in March, I'd be theoretically willing to flip Jeff and still try to make the WC.
Completely agree. I should have added I think McNeil will be traded regardless of whether they’re “buyers” or “sellers.” Sure, there’s value in keeping him as a utility bench player, but might be more value in getting something in return and saving his salary
We'll have to see where they are. If playing well & above expectations, it would be very hard (dumb?) to trade McNeil and mess w/ success. If below expectations, yes on saving salary and seeing what Acuna can do other there. I could see that a contending team would be excited to get Swiss Army Knife McNeil at the deadline, and the contract is not onerous.
I agree with your last sentence. So over this guy's story.
We've finally made it! Happy Opening Day, everyone!
Happy Opening Day! #LGM
Happy Opening Day everyone and congrats JB on the fourth year of Mets Fix. Let’s Go Mets!
Yes on minor league rosters. I actually have plans to take in Syracuse & Binghamton this Spring, with respect for the Lake Effect's ability to change plans.
* Hoping Jett Williams can thrive in CF and keep charging toward Citi with a productive year. Also hoping that Parada unleashes his power in 2024, free from the caverns of Brooklyn. He could rewrite the scouting report this year. Potential trade chip.
* The Syracuse reliever I'm most hopeful for: Cole Sulser.
* While I'm eager to see Hamel & Vasil this season, I don't honestly have high hopes for either of them. Otherwise, it's Scott and the new wave behind him. The Binghamton rotation looks strong. Dark horse: Butto. Maybe this guy has moxie. Still don't have motion sensors to measure that.
* I'm cautiously hopeful about Marte.
* McNeil scares me; he got paid and he just wants to play golf. Is he all in? He needs to drive the ball and/or hit .320 to be a positive. Which is totally possible for him. Didn't love his spring. By the end of the year, I think we may see someone else playing 2B. He's an interesting case of one of the few guys who seems to have been hurt by the eradication of the shift. And with more speed in the game, his lack of SBs becomes a relative weakness. Hurt by recent rule changes.
* Gilbert will be a welcome injection of energy & competitiveness come summer.
* Out of the starters, I have the most faith in Manea. It's an interesting group with a wide range of possible outcomes.
* I like the pen a lot, and part of that is that I like the potential list of replacements in AAA. Don't sleep on Hartwig!
* Will Baty be a competent contributor or sent back down to AAA? Don't make me guess.
Mcneil will not be here long. Acuna is coming.
I hope that last year's 1st half Acuna is the true version, and not what we saw in Binghamton in the 2nd half. I'm on Team Vargas! With Jett in CF.
Hamel and Vasil - is there any hope? If not, are they trade chips?
There is definitely hope for both of them as long as the realistic expectations are back end of the rotation starter. I think a potential 4/5 starter has more value on the team than as a trade chip if that's how the industry values both of them.
I like Scott far more. Loved what I saw from McLean and Sprout. Both Hamel & Vasil *look* like ML pitchers. Throw hard, good stuff. Something seems missing to my eyes. Hard to start any season w/ 2 rookies in the rotation. Mets will have a LOT of chips to trade come July & Winter.
Can you describe it? I want to look at them and understand what you’re talking about.
Its hard to look at that top right quandrant of names LOL. However - its OPENING DAY - Here's hoping Zack Short comes off the bench in the bottom of the 9th and gets a game winning RBI ! Mets win the opener and Zacks' grandma is smiling in heaven - LETS GO METS !
Play ball! My basketball team was eliminated last night, so the baton has been emphatically passed to baseball.
I’ll have an eye on following the Syracuse game too.
LFGM!
Great newsletter! Let’s hope 24 is a great one!
No. 21 - - I’m 62. It’s not my thing. But can we just give it a chance before telling people to avoid it? Want to know what people should avoid? The fried rainbow cake roll. Your heart will thank you.