Let’s have peace at MetsFix. “Fight the real enemy” and tear up a pic of Joey Buttafuoco just like Madonna. Or if you insist on OG...Sinead O’Connor & Pope.
One reason the Mets wouldn’t want to rely on Correa as DH only option in back years - it would constrain the potential value of Othani. They need their long term contract players to be able to play the field. Bummer situation but the Mets did what they needed to do - hold the line & move on.
I think Cohen has shown us that he willing to take short term risk, but not long term. The Verlander and Scherzer contracts only set you back for a couple of years if the players flop. Almost all of these megadeals we are seeing will be an albatross in the later years. Lindor will not be an elite SS at age 40 or so. Players the size of Judge don’t have long careers. With Correa’s ankle the risk is even greater.
I don’t agree with your conclusions JB. I think Cohen cones out looking wishy washy. He’s willing to write the checks when his baseball people tell him to do so, but not willing to stand by his convictions.
Add it to the list: Alderson, Porter, Scott, McCann over Realmuto, Lindor over Arenado, trading for Baez, drafting Rocker and then changing his mind, melting down over Matz, inability to get the front office settled last fall, not getting a Schwarber like DH before last season even though he ultimately was willing to eat the Cano dollars, then letting his momo head front office get him Ruf and Vogi at the deadline, who he still has, holding on to every single “top 19” prospect when the season was set up for glory and much better hitters and relievers were available.
They’ve doubled down on the starting pitchers as savior come playoffs strategy which failed painfully last fall, not doing anything to improve the hitting which went on vacation during September and October.
Then he drunk signs Correa, going public to say this was the one thing we needed to put us over the top, to say hey it’s only money, it’s the cost of doing business, no big deal. Setting the club up for a grievance when it fell apart.
Opportunity cost: because we were in the midst of this, multiple other options to help the offense in short term high AAV deals (supposedly the plan) have signed elsewhere: Swanson, Brantley, Myers, JD Martinez, Drury, Benintendi, Segura, Longoria, Justin Turner, Conforto, Pollock, and yesterday Brandon Belt.
All those guys would have been better than Vogelbach and Ruf.
Duvall, Profar, Mancini are the last 3 options. And pray hard that Baty and Alvarez are great this season.
Because there is no turning back with the payroll commitments they have to Scherzer and Verlander. It’s win now, remember?
And btw, I can believe how simplistic the numbers trend on the Correa Zips projection. It’s a frigginn line with a gradual slope down on every single statistic starting immediately. But a single clear all star potential MVP season. How on earth is such a projection worth the money he says it’s worth?
Well written piece, Jeff. I would only argue your point that we're in essence 'only a couple of pieces different than last year's squad'. We do not have a pitcher at the top of the rotation who is questionable to appear in 50% of his starts followed by a guy starting to show wear and tear over the last 5-10 starts of a season and the postseason with resistance to load management. This year we have JV who will make most likely make more starts than Jake and go longer per start. We only have our load management problem in Max.
This move allows the Mets to be more of a stable team and to truly move in a direction that is more Dodgers East than a Philadelphia misguided splurge or ending up like Boston who mismanaged the long term plan so much they let everyone walk except their 5th best player and through self inflicted wounds ended their contention window many years early.
"But nobody is going to let Steve Cohen off the hook for his comments about Correa being the final piece they needed to put them over the top." I have. Carlos Correa is a problem child, albeit one with a great postseason track record. Let him win the AL MVP on a fourth place team. In the end, all things considered, he simply wasn't a fit (with all due respect to JB's risk analysis that I cannot follow). Onward, upward, bigger, better. Jurickson Profar is still out there - out of Mancini (I just like him); Duvall (slower but this guy can hit a bomb); and Profar, I'm thinking Mr. Flexibility may have a lot to prove. Wouldn't you rather see him up than Vogey or Ruf? Anyway, 33 days till spring training.
The risk analysis is great stuff espeically the Joey Chestnut reference. To me this was great news - Steve Cohen refused to make a deal with Bor-ass on damaged goods. Anytime Bor-ass gets sent away is good news. Again he needs to be banned from all sports.
Let’s have peace at MetsFix. “Fight the real enemy” and tear up a pic of Joey Buttafuoco just like Madonna. Or if you insist on OG...Sinead O’Connor & Pope.
One reason the Mets wouldn’t want to rely on Correa as DH only option in back years - it would constrain the potential value of Othani. They need their long term contract players to be able to play the field. Bummer situation but the Mets did what they needed to do - hold the line & move on.
I think Cohen has shown us that he willing to take short term risk, but not long term. The Verlander and Scherzer contracts only set you back for a couple of years if the players flop. Almost all of these megadeals we are seeing will be an albatross in the later years. Lindor will not be an elite SS at age 40 or so. Players the size of Judge don’t have long careers. With Correa’s ankle the risk is even greater.
Excellent piece, Jeff.
I haven't read anyone put it in these terms yet, but the Mets offered Correa exactly, precisely HALF of the original contract. Not a penny more.
I am glad to see them operating with restraint and intelligence.
We'll (eventually) be okay.
Fabulous analysis on Correa approach. Some choices are hard, and you explained many reasons why.
Let’s hear more about where Joey Lucchesi might fit in, please.
I don’t agree with your conclusions JB. I think Cohen cones out looking wishy washy. He’s willing to write the checks when his baseball people tell him to do so, but not willing to stand by his convictions.
Add it to the list: Alderson, Porter, Scott, McCann over Realmuto, Lindor over Arenado, trading for Baez, drafting Rocker and then changing his mind, melting down over Matz, inability to get the front office settled last fall, not getting a Schwarber like DH before last season even though he ultimately was willing to eat the Cano dollars, then letting his momo head front office get him Ruf and Vogi at the deadline, who he still has, holding on to every single “top 19” prospect when the season was set up for glory and much better hitters and relievers were available.
They’ve doubled down on the starting pitchers as savior come playoffs strategy which failed painfully last fall, not doing anything to improve the hitting which went on vacation during September and October.
Then he drunk signs Correa, going public to say this was the one thing we needed to put us over the top, to say hey it’s only money, it’s the cost of doing business, no big deal. Setting the club up for a grievance when it fell apart.
Opportunity cost: because we were in the midst of this, multiple other options to help the offense in short term high AAV deals (supposedly the plan) have signed elsewhere: Swanson, Brantley, Myers, JD Martinez, Drury, Benintendi, Segura, Longoria, Justin Turner, Conforto, Pollock, and yesterday Brandon Belt.
All those guys would have been better than Vogelbach and Ruf.
Duvall, Profar, Mancini are the last 3 options. And pray hard that Baty and Alvarez are great this season.
Because there is no turning back with the payroll commitments they have to Scherzer and Verlander. It’s win now, remember?
And btw, I can believe how simplistic the numbers trend on the Correa Zips projection. It’s a frigginn line with a gradual slope down on every single statistic starting immediately. But a single clear all star potential MVP season. How on earth is such a projection worth the money he says it’s worth?
Well written piece, Jeff. I would only argue your point that we're in essence 'only a couple of pieces different than last year's squad'. We do not have a pitcher at the top of the rotation who is questionable to appear in 50% of his starts followed by a guy starting to show wear and tear over the last 5-10 starts of a season and the postseason with resistance to load management. This year we have JV who will make most likely make more starts than Jake and go longer per start. We only have our load management problem in Max.
This move allows the Mets to be more of a stable team and to truly move in a direction that is more Dodgers East than a Philadelphia misguided splurge or ending up like Boston who mismanaged the long term plan so much they let everyone walk except their 5th best player and through self inflicted wounds ended their contention window many years early.
What is War good for? Absolutely nothin’.
"But nobody is going to let Steve Cohen off the hook for his comments about Correa being the final piece they needed to put them over the top." I have. Carlos Correa is a problem child, albeit one with a great postseason track record. Let him win the AL MVP on a fourth place team. In the end, all things considered, he simply wasn't a fit (with all due respect to JB's risk analysis that I cannot follow). Onward, upward, bigger, better. Jurickson Profar is still out there - out of Mancini (I just like him); Duvall (slower but this guy can hit a bomb); and Profar, I'm thinking Mr. Flexibility may have a lot to prove. Wouldn't you rather see him up than Vogey or Ruf? Anyway, 33 days till spring training.
Britton is a Boras client. Here we go again...
The risk analysis is great stuff espeically the Joey Chestnut reference. To me this was great news - Steve Cohen refused to make a deal with Bor-ass on damaged goods. Anytime Bor-ass gets sent away is good news. Again he needs to be banned from all sports.