The Metropolitan: Good signs & bad ravioli
Lindor negotiations, final bullpen decisions & all the day’s news
Good Morning,
Today we’ll talk about big decisions the Mets made about their bullpen this weekend. But we start with the news, and there’s a lot this morning.
⏰ Catch me up on what I missed over the weekend…
DAYS UNTIL OPENING DAY: 3
🍝 DINNER PLANS: Mets owner Steve Cohen and superstar shortstop Francisco Lindor seemed to make progress toward a massive contract extension this weekend, eating chicken parm (Lindor) and unsatisfying ravioli (Cohen) together on Saturday night.
TWEETS: On Friday evening (perhaps feeling confident that a deal was close) Cohen tweeted to the world: “What do you think Lindor will accept? I’m going to crowdsource the answer.” Then (as a possible key step before finalizing a potential deal) Cohen and Lindor had dinner on Saturday night, with Cohen tweeting that his ravioli “wasn’t very good.”
GUESS-WORK: If we carry this timeline forward, could we possibly see a deal announced early this week, allowing the team to hold a presser and bask in the headlines before Opening Day? Again, this is just an optimistic guess.
💰 CONTRACTS: While there is potential optimism for an extension with Lindor, there appears to be less traction for one with Michael Conforto, with no sign of progress yet (unlike Lindor, he did not make Opening Day an ironclad deadline). Meanwhile, the team has at least “checked in” with Noah Syndergaard about a possible extension, but it’s been “tough to pinpoint price off [Tommy John surgery],” according to Jon Heyman.
😮 SURPRISING: In a somewhat unexpected move, the Mets released left-hander Mike Montgomery last night on his opt-out deadline, and instead reportedly told RHP Robert Gsellman he has made the team.
BULLPEN FINALIZED: With the Mets making several other cuts on Sunday (more on this in a bit), it appears RHP Jacob Barnes and Gsellman are the final two bullpen pieces. That means the team would travel North with Aaron Loup as the only lefty reliever.
FINAL START: After three strong outings out of the bullpen, Montgomery was lit up for five runs in 2.2 innings before being released on Sunday. However, it’s hard to believe that’s the sole reason the Mets decided not to add him to the big league roster.
✂️ ROSTER CUTS: The Mets also announced that RHP Jerad Eickhoff, C Caleb Joseph, INF José Peraza, OF Mallex Smith, RHP Arodys Vizcaíno, and old friend LHP Jerry Blevins will not make the Opening Day roster. In addition, LHP Stephen Tarpley was optioned to Triple-A.
NEVER QUIT: After not making the team, Blevins, 37, will report to the team’s alternate site, despite having said earlier this spring that he might retire if he were cut.
🚪OPENER: The Mets experimented with an opener on Saturday, starting Jacob Barnes — who pitched a perfect first inning, striking out two — before giving the ball to Joey Lucchesi, who carried the Mets into the sixth inning, striking out 4 and spreading out 3 hits while allowing only one run.
GOOD TEST: “There’s a lot of good things that happened with Barnes and Lucchesi,” manager Luis Rojas told reporters after the game. “There could be other guys as well, but that was a good first test.”
⚾️ WEEKEND GAME RECAPS: The Mets snuck a win in-between two losses over the weekend. David Peterson looked strong in his final tune-up before the regular season on Friday, as did the opening tandem of Barnes/Lucchesi on Saturday. However, as noted, Montgomery struggled in his start Sunday before being cut. And the bullpen had a tough weekend: Edwin Díaz gave up his first runs of the spring (3 of them) and Stephen Tarpley was shelled (4 hits, 3 ERs) in his final spring appearance on Friday.
🤞FINGERS CROSSED: Recently-acquired infielder Jonathan Villar has been battling a groin injury, but he took some ground balls yesterday and Rojas believes he will be healthy to start the season, “He’s responding really well to the day-to-day treatment, and this late in camp when you have this type of soreness or whatever it is in the groin, you want to be cautious.”
🍕 PIAZZA TIME: Hall-of-Famer Mike Piazza will increase his presence with the Mets, according to Mike Puma. The former Met is expected to play a larger role in community relations, marketing, and “building relationships with players.”
💵 TOUGH TICKET: As New York allows 20% capacity for the start of the baseball season, Mets fans have pushed up the price for Opening Day tickets on StubHub to an average price of $687, as of Friday.
GOING MOBILE: Meanwhile, the Mets announced that all tickets will be mobile this season, so no more print-at-home or paper tickets.
🙋♀️ QUESTIONS: Steve Cohen will be answering questions from fans tonight at 7:00 PM EST on Mets Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook. He confirmed on Twitter over the weekend that the problem with the ravioli was the sauce, so do not waste your question on that topic.
🗓 FINAL GAME: The Mets will play their final Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals at 12:10 EST today (with Taijuan Walker on the mound), as they prepare for the season opener on Thursday.
📚 March 29, 2018: Beloved former Mets player, broadcaster, and humanitarian Rusty Staub passed away at the age of 73. After retiring from baseball, Staub became president of the Rusty Staub Foundation, supporting local food pantries; he also created the New York Police and Fire Widows’ and Children’s Benefit Fund to raise millions of dollars for the families of NYC Police Officers, Firefighters, Port Authority Police, and EMS Personnel who have been killed in the line of duty.
A bullpen takes shape… but options still remain
🧓 by Jeffrey Bellone
We noted this on Friday, but it’s worth mentioning again: whom the Mets start the season with as their 13th pitcher is about as important as what Francisco Lindor ordered for dinner on Saturday night with Steve Cohen; it’s a small detail of a much bigger picture.
With the Mets releasing Mike Montgomery and informing Robert Gsellman he will make the Opening Day roster, the bullpen is pretty much set... at least for now.
And while losing a capable left-hander who could act as a depth starter (Montgomery) is perhaps a bigger opportunity cost than Lindor overlooking the specials on the menu (we say “perhaps,” because who doesn’t love chicken parm?), by going with Gsellman, the Mets are actually keeping their options open.
Instead of making an impactful 40-man roster decision by moving someone to the 60-Day IL or releasing a player in favor of Montgomery who would have cost them $2.25 million and was far from a sure thing, they can wait and see what happens over the next few days and weeks.
The Amazins have plenty of internal and external candidates who could become key bullpen pieces in place of the roster spot Montgomery would have secured. They just aren’t ready right now.
After battling with some elbow stiffness, Arodys Vizcaino was back on the hill throwing 98 MPH yesterday. James McCann said he was one of the guys who jumped out to him in camp, “Seeing his velocity, seeing his pitches, I think he’s a guy that could really help us.” He might just need a little more time before he finds his way to the active roster. The same could be said of the injured Drew Smith, albeit with a bit of a longer time horizon. Not to mention, Seth Lugo will eventually be back.
And if the Mets are desperate for an extra starter, they would probably look to Jordan Yamamoto before they would have tapped Montgomery’s shoulder, anyway.
While some are fixated on the fact that Gsellman has options remaining, believe it or not, those options remain even with him on the Opening Day roster. He literally becomes a placeholder in the bullpen with simple instructions: make small-talk with your bullpen mates, pitch some mop-up duty, and be prepared to be sent down.
At this point, we can assume the men responsible for pitching in relief (and drawing most of the inevitable ire of WFAN callers) will be Edwin Díaz, Trevor May, Miguel Castro, Aaron Loup, Jeurys Familia, Dellin Betances, Jacob Barnes, and Gsellman.
Like Mr. Cohen’s ravioli sauce on Saturday, that group leaves you feeling “eh.” But there are still several relievers on the market who would make for a nice final ingredient.
One player whose name you’ve probably seen on your timelines over the past few days is RHP Steve Cishek. After a strong spring (3.52 ERA in 7 appearances), he requested his release from the Astros last week. As someone who would probably cost as much as Montgomery, it’s a matter of whether the Mets simply like him more, even if he’s right-handed.
RHP Shane Greene is somehow still a free agent. The 32-year-old has been mimicking a Spring Training schedule as he waits for the right opportunity. And while his underlying numbers might suggest a regression, he is coming off back-to-back strong seasons with Atlanta and Detroit, and would most certainly present an upgrade as the final bullpen piece.
The Mets could also pull from a list of non-roster invitees who pitched well this spring but didn’t find a permanent home, including lefties T.J. McFarland (released by the Nats) and Jesse Biddle (released by the Reds), along with RHP Deolis Guerra (released by the A’s). Left-hander Tony Watson (released by the Phillies) and RHP Noé Ramirez (released by the Reds) are also now looking for new teams. And there are several other veteran options out there.
So while the Mets appear set to start the season with only one lefty in the ‘pen (Loup) and lacking legitimate depth, time is on their side. It’s only March 29. There’s no reason to force a roster move when you don’t have to. Over the course of a 162-game season — especially post-COVID — expect to see plenty of arms make their way to Queens to fill out innings. There’s no reason to overreact about who initially makes the roster. By keeping Gsellman, the Mets are keeping their options open.
⚾️ It’s a strange world with Matt Harvey earning the second spot in the Orioles’ rotation, and Former Always-Injured Met Jed Lowrie making the Athletics roster as the regular second baseman.
⚾️ As the Dodgers decide on their 5th starter, LHP David Price was scratched from his start on Sunday due to an undisclosed illness.
⚾️ Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager blasted his seventh home run of the spring and is slugging .777.
⚾️ New Cubs outfielder Joc Pederson went deep for his eighth round-tripper of the spring. The home run derby specialist is hitting .372 on the spring.
⚾️ Former Uber driver turned Twins pitcher Randy Dobnak signed a five-year extension for $9.25 million that could end up worth as much as $29.75 million. The Twins originally signed him in 2017 out of the United Shore Professional Baseball League for $500.
🔗 Jeff McNeil isn’t taking his shaky spring lightly, by Mike Puma, NY Post: “‘He is very competitive,’ [Luis] Rojas said. ‘He wants to win, it doesn’t matter whatever it is. The game of baseball, he is just going to be like that, but even in other stuff he wants to win and he gets very feisty. He’s a competitor and he’s really hard on himself.’”
🔗 James McCann Q&A: New Mets catcher buying Steve Cohen’s World Series talk, by Steve Serby, NY Post: “I think it’s more than realistic. I think we have some unbelievable talent in our locker room. I’ve said this several times already: Other than the talent, the thing that makes this group so special is just how quality the individuals are in that clubhouse. Guys truly do care about their own crafts, but they also care about each other.”
🔗Still curious? Catching up with those who brought Sidd Finch to life, by Anthony McCarron, NY Daily News: “The day the famous Sports Illustrated story about the Mets and a [fictional] phenom pitcher hit newsstands, telephones all over New York and Florida started ringing. In Jay Horwitz’s office, a furious sports editor from a New York newspaper was on the line, loudly wanting to know why Horwitz, the Mets PR man at the time, would dare give such an amazing scoop to SI when the local papers covered the club every single day, from home runs to hamstring pulls.”
And… as you dream of a Lindor extension, we leave you with highlights from Saturday that give a preview of what could be to come…
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