Wheeler and Dealing? New York Mets shopping Wheeler

July 10, 2014 / Rich Sports Talk / Leave a comment

The New York Mets could be moving one of their best young arms at the MLB trade deadline. With an abundance of young arms, and Matt Harvey returning next season, the Mets are strongly hinting that they will trade some of this young pitching to bring in a bat or two for a team whose lineup resembles that of a Triple A squad.

According to our sources the Mets have been in serious talks with the Chicago Cubs. It appears the Mets could be moving the highly touted Zach Wheeler to the Cubs

Wheeler to the Cubs?

for an everyday player of two. One key position the Mets need a desperate upgrade in is shortstop. Fortunately for New York, the Cubs have an abundance of players at the shortstop position.

One player the Cubs are reportedly offering is current major league shortstop Starlin Castro. Castro, who is 24, is having a solid season hitting .280 with 11 homers and 52 RBIs. He would instantly improve the Mets woeful offense by providing a good young bat in the lineup who not only is still improving at the plate, but would give the Mets an everyday shortstop who plays very good defense.

Castro is a great option for the Mets, but could there be other players on the table? Sources say the Mets will also explore some of the Cubs top prospects instead of just one everyday player.

The Cubs are loaded with talented young prospects, especially at the shortstop position. Javier Baez, the team’s top prospect, is knocking on the door at Triple A with 14 home runs and 53 RBIs. Baez might not be a top of the order player but could be the big power bat the Mets are desperate for. Another reason the Mets could be targeting Baez is that they could possibly get another piece in the deal.

The Cubs have three very good outfield prospects that could be nice pieces in the Mets outfield. However, if New York could also get Arismendy Alcantara, another triple A player on the major league border, they could have a middle infield set for the next decade. Alcantara could be a solid second baseman who hits for a high average and steals bases. A perfect top of the order player that would be nice with either Baez or Castro in the middle of the lineup.

Bartolo Colon will probably be dealt first, but keep and eye on the Mets and Cubs. Both have prospects in key areas of need for the other team and have excess prospects that could be moved. The Mets need bats, Chicago has bats, New York has pitching, the Cubs need pitching. Sounds like a match made in heaven. Now we wait until July 31st to see if something happens.

Bad d’Emotion

June 10, 2014 / Rich Sports Talk / Leave a comment

d’Arnaud needs major league experience

The Mets demotion of Travis d’Arnaud has created quite the stir within the organization. While the organization believes the demotion will allow d’Arnaud to work on his swing, he’s hitting .180 this season, the bigger issue is the current state of the Mets catching. There is no question that d’Arnaud has struggled at the plate, by what Mets player hasn’t? His value to the team has been his ability to handle the young pitching staff and his solid defense. When he was the centerpiece for the R.A. Dickey trade d’Arnaud was hyped for his bat. Despite being disappointing in that regard, his catching ability has helped the Mets pitching staff be one of the best in the majors in 2014. If anything he needs time in the majors to work on his hitting and see more major league pitching. Right now d’Arnaud is the Mets best option. Anthony Recker has struggled mightily in a starting role and has been better suited or a backup role. Taylor Teagarden? Barely an acceptable backup in the majors. With no other prospects even close to the major league level or any cheap replacements on the market, it will be better for the Mets to keep d’Arnuad in the majors. Not only to appease the other players, but to allow d’Arnaud to keep developing. With the Mets recent “mishandling” of Ike Davis fresh in the minds of Mets fans, one can only hope that the Mets have not mishandled this situation.

Mets break record! Most cheesesteaks eaten!

June 2, 2014 / Rich Sports Talk / Leave a comment

Now we know where Colon’s belly came from

The Mets are victorious! They are record breakers! They are cheese steak connoisseurs? On April 30th the Mets broke the record for most cheese steaks devoured by a team in one day at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. The Mets ate 103, yes 103 cheese steaks during the rain delay and postponed game that day. They may not win in the standings, but watch out for these Mets in the buffet line. I guess we now the mystery of one of the biggest Mets questions of 2014. What is in Bartolo Colon’s tummy? If anyone was wondering why the Metropolitans maybe moving slower these days, I think we can thank the cheese steaks for that. Maybe that’s why they played so many innings this past weekend. To have more time to chow down. The Mets broke the unofficial record of 80 by a wide margin, but this might have only been the appetizer. Who knows? If the team is out of contention in August they might forget about the game on the field and try to reach to 120 mark. One thing is for sure, if Terry Collins takes his team to Pizza Hut after the game, that’s going to be one New York size bill.

Targets Acquired: 5 players Mets should target

May 30, 2014 / Rich Sports Talk / Leave a comment

Giancarlo Stanton:
Wishful thinking? maybe not

This may seem like a pipe dream, but if we’ve learned anything about the Marlins it’s that they are always looking to deal. What makes this trade more probable is that not only are both teams struggling, but they have needs that the other can help with. The Marlins need young arms, and the Mets need a big bat. The price tag for Stanton would be huge, but with his presence in the lineup the Mets could finally have a major league quality lineup. It won’t be cheap, but it maybe worth the high sticker price.
Josh Zeid:
Relief for Mets terrible pen

While not a household name, Zeid is a young relief pitcher who could greatly improve the Mets middle relief. With the crowded Astros bullpen and despite a very good season, Zeid has bounced between the majors and Triple A. A solid reliever whose career 3.89 era and good stuff out of the bullpen could bring some stability to the Mets woeful relief pitching. A small risk, big reward type of target.
Luis Sardinas
A shortstop finally?

The Mets shortstop position has been a revolving door since Jose Reyes was let go. Sardinas maybe a year or two away, but Texas already has a great shortstop and could use a pitcher for a postseason run. Bartolo Colon could be a nice trading piece to bring in a great fielding shortstop. While he may not have a lot of power, Sardinas is a great fielder whose speed could transition nicely into a leadoff or top of the order hitter in Flushing.
Joc Pederson :
Outfielder who can make an impact in 2014

The Mets outfield is still a mess. Despite his numbers including 15 home runs in the minors already in 2014, Pederson is blocked by a slew of outfielders in the majors. He could be a five tool player and with the Dodgers already crowded outfield could become a nice piece for the Mets. It may take a few good pieces in a trade to get Pederson, but he could be a great cornerstone with Juan Lagares in the Mets outfield for the next decade.
John Ryan Murphy
A crosstown catcher with major league potential

The Mets making a deal with the Yankees may seem unlikely, but if it were to happen Murphy would be a great return. With the struggles of d’Arnaud at the plate and staying on the field, it would be nice to get an insurance policy. With McCann already the starting catcher, and a plethora of catchers including Gary Sanchez behind him, Murphy could be moved. Once again Bartolo Colon to the Yankees maybe a good move for the Mets. Murphy is hitting .357 as a backup and has shown very good defense behind the plate. Best case scenario is that he can become the Mets starting catcher, worst case a great backup whose bat could be vital off the bench or if the Mets need him to fill in as a third baseman or outfielder. Who do you think the Mets should target or be looking to move? Comment and follow below!

Times Up! Why Sandy Alderson must be fired

May 27, 2014 / Rich Sports Talk / Leave a comment

Sandy Alderson needs to be fired

Meet the mess! Meet the mess! Opponents step on up and beat the Mets! Sandy Alderson needs to be fired by the New York Mets as he has driven this proud franchise further into the abyss. Many people will argue that his failings are not completely his fault, evidenced by the penny-pinching Wilpons whose finances have been in tatters since the Bernie Madoff scandal. Ownership is a major part of the problem, but unfortunately the Wilpons have been adamant about not selling the team. In his four years as the general manager the Mets have been an embarrassment. The Mets under Alderson have a 247-289 record after the Memorial Day weekend.

Why does Sandy need to go? There has to be a shakeup to show that losing is no longer acceptable. Despite the money problems, the Mets still have an above average payroll and had money to spend this past offseason. Once again, Alderson did little to improve this team. I won’t even go into the embarrassing state of the Mets bullpen during Alderson’s tenure. It’s been a joke. Look, I understand that the Mets do not have the Yankees money and also believe that developing prospects is the best way to improve but the Mets have failed completely in both regards. They have not spent money, and if they have unwisely, or developed good young players. Let’s look back at Alderson’s track record.

Fixing the Mets bullpen? Something that every year Alderson says he is going to do but come April Mets’ fans start praying the second Terry Collins comes to take the ball from the starter. One word, disaster. Bringing in pieces through free agency? If anything the Mets have lost more pieces in free agency then gained. They lost Jose Reyes, a great homegrown piece and waited until the past offseason to open the checkbook. While I did like the Granderson and Colon signings, those were the only two good signing the Mets made. They did not bring in a short stop or capable relievers and instead spent 7.5 million dollars on Chris Young? Chris Young? Seriously? Alderson, Shin Soo Choo and Stephen Drew were available at reasonable prices. Young is an overrated player and has been outplayed by Bobby Abreu who will probably be playing shuffle board in Florida next year.

Despite their failure in free agency, the big reason Alderson should be fired is because of his failure to develop young talent. When he was hired that was what he sold Mets fans. He may not be a proactive member in free agency but he sold Mets fans that he would build through prospects. What has he done? Matt Harvey was drafted in the former regime and he’s the only excitement the Mets have experienced in the past four years. Zach Wheeler? A lot of upside but has been spinning his wheels in the majors. Travis d’Arnaud? He’s struggled with injury and hitting as an everyday player. Noah Syndergaard? May need tommy john surgery. While the starting pitching has been a strength there are no major leaguers in terms of everyday players that can contribute. Lucas Duda and Ike Davis have been a disaster at first, there is no shortstop, and the outfield has been such a disaster that the government should be sending the Mets funds.

Looking back at Alderson’s tenure the biggest failure was the mishandling of Jose Reyes. Alderson had two scenarios. Sign Reyes long-term or trade him for prospects. That failure not only left the Mets without their dynamic home-grown shortstop, but also without pieces that could be helping them in the present.

Alderson has not built this team the Wright way

The Mets are a disaster, plain and simple. Not only has Alderson failed to change the roster, but more importantly the culture. The Mets were losers when Alderson arrived and are still losers. In a city with so much passion for its sports teams, mediocrity is not acceptable. New York needs a change. Not only should Alderson be shown the door, but also Terry Collins. Collins deserves much less of the blame, but this organization needs a complete overhaul from top to bottom. That also means the owners, although that will probably never happen. Hey New Yorkers! Are there any billionaires interested in a franchise? Please buy the Mets we need a savior! Ok that was a hail mary, but the Mets should be completely overhauled. Start spending money on players and focus on finding everyday players who can contribute. The Mets may not be any closer to the postseason since Alderson took over, but if they want to take a step forward instead of back tracking into obscurity, he needs to go.

The Mets can hire and fire staff and bring in new players, but the most important thing that the Mets need to bring back to their fans the most important thing any professional franchise needs, hope.

Ace in the Hole

April 22, 2014 / Rich Sports Talk / Leave a comment

Not the Ace the Mets expected, but the one they need

When the grass was first cut and the infield groomed at Citi Field for the opening of the 2014 season, many die-hard Mets fans expected the orange and blue to have an ace. One problem, their ace Matt Harvey wouldn’t be toeing the rubber for the 2014 season. Who would be the Mets number one pitcher? Most people felt it would be Bartolo Colon, one of the two biggest prizes of the offseason. Others felt that Zach Wheeler would follow in the path of Harvey’s sophomore campaign and rise to the occasion. While those pitchers may not look like aces here in April, there is one who has, and noone saw him coming.

After winning the fifth starter role out of camp, it looked like Jenrry Mejia was just added to the roster to keep a spot in the rotation warm for Noah Syndergaard or Rafael Montero. Through four starts this year Mejia is a perfect 3-0 with a 1.99 ERA and 25 strikeouts. While it remains to be seen if he can get through an entire season without an injury, if he continues to stay healthy the Mets may have another future ace in their rotation. At the age of 24, Mejia has already shown he can be a starter in the majors posting a 2.30 ERA in 2013. However, he has never completed a full season and needs to find a way to stay on the field. If he can pitch an entire year, the Mets may have another great front line starter to pair with Matt Harvey in 2015.

Watching Mejia early in this season it is clear that he has made some great adjustments that have been crucial to his success. Mejia has focused more on location then trying to overpower hitters with his fastball. His fastball still remains in the low to mid 90s, but he has better command and gets great late life on the pitch. When he first came up, Mejia tried to overthrow this pitch and get it into the upper 90s. With an ability to now throw his breaking pitches consistently for strikes, Mejia has been very effective at keeping batters off balance and guessing what pitch is coming next. Now with better control of his fastball and vast improvement of his breaking pitches, it is clear that not only does Mejia have control on the mound this season but something even better, confidence.

Seeing Mejia steadily improving start after start has to give Mets’ fans hope that this team will be in serious contention in 2015. If Mejia can continue to develop, the Mets arm race for power arms just could give them one of if not the best young rotation in the game of baseball.