Well done Ryan. Seems that a two year deal for Bellinger might have been the way to go to secure CF. Short term, not all that much money, and oh yeah, he also can play first base. But they went on the cheap and are willing to accept defense over offense. That is what they will likely have to accept at third base if Vientos moves across the diamond. No matter how many times we say "Hey Siri" he's not going to turn into a starter. Same goes for Taylor. You can't have an all-star at every position unless you are the Dodgers, and I know Soto is signed for 15 years, but the team should be looking to win now not down the line. With the DH adding a bat to the lineup, there seems no reason to have an easy out in the lineup. Stearns did not get that memo.
I think Siri is likely to have a short leash, much like Narvaez, Joey Wendel, Zack Short and others did last year. Stearns signed some of these guys because of their defense, and when they proved not to live up to their potential, they weren't long for the team. I'm really hopeful one of our young guys breaks our and earns a shot.
If I had to guess, I'd bet it's actually Drew Gilbert that gets the first Major League look at CF from the three prospects I listed. I felt he was the one Stearns had his eye on last year before he had his injury setback. His numbers at AA Binghamton were really great, but he struggled in AAA before his injury.
I'm not worried about CF. Taylor should be the starter and should put up league-average numbers. Siri is an excellent defensive player and can run and hit a home run. He's an improved version of Bader at about 1/4 the cost. It's a major upgrade.
If there are 650 PA for CF, I hope Taylor gets about 500 of them.
I agree about the cost. If my memory serves me, Bader was around $10M for one year, but because we were over the highest tax threshold it cost Cohen roughly $20m. Siri is a fraction of that cost. We will see if he can maintain his defensive prowess.
Enjoyed the article Ryan. I feel a bit underwhelmed with CF options too. What’s interesting is that Nimmo looks to be stone-cold out of the running for CF. I didnt understand the Siri pick up, and truthfully expecting him to get the majority of ABs from CF. Seems to me that Stearns assembled a platoon of 4th outfielders for the position. Like Brian, I hope Taylor gets a lot of the ABs, but I got a bad feeling on that.
As I was researching this article, I found an MLB video from 2023 that had Nimmo ranked the #4 overall CF in the league (https://www.mlb.com/stories/mlb-now-s-top-10-center-fielders-right-now). I agree it's perplexing that the Mets seem adamant he's not an option there. Maybe his mobility is compromised? Maybe he doesn't want to play there? Hard to say, but hopefully we can solidify a younger guy there in the next year or two.
This year, there weren't any free agent center fielders that were better than Taylor. At least Taylor is a league average offensive player and better than average defensively center fielder. If Mendoza uses Jose Siri properly as a defensive replacement, pinch runner, pinch hitter and an occasional start then the Mets would be all right at centerfield. When Acuna, Williams or Gilbert has success at AAA then Mets have clarity at the center field position.
It’s not fair that we give benefit if the doubt to some players but not all. Siri’s 76 OPS+ was the lowest of his career. In 2023 it was 105. As for Nimmo’s ranking of #4 CF in 2023, that was before he had a -0.4 dWAR in the 2023 season and followed with a -0.8 in 2024. Nimmo can still stand in CF from time to time, but a weak arm hurts when most balls are hit to CF. Plus, due to his depth in positioning, allows for more hits in front of him. However, my concerns about DH and 1B surpass my issues with CF, and there is bounce back there too.
Well done Ryan. Seems that a two year deal for Bellinger might have been the way to go to secure CF. Short term, not all that much money, and oh yeah, he also can play first base. But they went on the cheap and are willing to accept defense over offense. That is what they will likely have to accept at third base if Vientos moves across the diamond. No matter how many times we say "Hey Siri" he's not going to turn into a starter. Same goes for Taylor. You can't have an all-star at every position unless you are the Dodgers, and I know Soto is signed for 15 years, but the team should be looking to win now not down the line. With the DH adding a bat to the lineup, there seems no reason to have an easy out in the lineup. Stearns did not get that memo.
I think Siri is likely to have a short leash, much like Narvaez, Joey Wendel, Zack Short and others did last year. Stearns signed some of these guys because of their defense, and when they proved not to live up to their potential, they weren't long for the team. I'm really hopeful one of our young guys breaks our and earns a shot.
You are making very valid points Ryan. I think that Jett Williams and Acuna should be playing center field in the minors this year.
If I had to guess, I'd bet it's actually Drew Gilbert that gets the first Major League look at CF from the three prospects I listed. I felt he was the one Stearns had his eye on last year before he had his injury setback. His numbers at AA Binghamton were really great, but he struggled in AAA before his injury.
Our DH looks weak too, so that is a hole at the bottom of the lineup.
I'm not worried about CF. Taylor should be the starter and should put up league-average numbers. Siri is an excellent defensive player and can run and hit a home run. He's an improved version of Bader at about 1/4 the cost. It's a major upgrade.
If there are 650 PA for CF, I hope Taylor gets about 500 of them.
I agree about the cost. If my memory serves me, Bader was around $10M for one year, but because we were over the highest tax threshold it cost Cohen roughly $20m. Siri is a fraction of that cost. We will see if he can maintain his defensive prowess.
Enjoyed the article Ryan. I feel a bit underwhelmed with CF options too. What’s interesting is that Nimmo looks to be stone-cold out of the running for CF. I didnt understand the Siri pick up, and truthfully expecting him to get the majority of ABs from CF. Seems to me that Stearns assembled a platoon of 4th outfielders for the position. Like Brian, I hope Taylor gets a lot of the ABs, but I got a bad feeling on that.
As I was researching this article, I found an MLB video from 2023 that had Nimmo ranked the #4 overall CF in the league (https://www.mlb.com/stories/mlb-now-s-top-10-center-fielders-right-now). I agree it's perplexing that the Mets seem adamant he's not an option there. Maybe his mobility is compromised? Maybe he doesn't want to play there? Hard to say, but hopefully we can solidify a younger guy there in the next year or two.
This year, there weren't any free agent center fielders that were better than Taylor. At least Taylor is a league average offensive player and better than average defensively center fielder. If Mendoza uses Jose Siri properly as a defensive replacement, pinch runner, pinch hitter and an occasional start then the Mets would be all right at centerfield. When Acuna, Williams or Gilbert has success at AAA then Mets have clarity at the center field position.
It’s not fair that we give benefit if the doubt to some players but not all. Siri’s 76 OPS+ was the lowest of his career. In 2023 it was 105. As for Nimmo’s ranking of #4 CF in 2023, that was before he had a -0.4 dWAR in the 2023 season and followed with a -0.8 in 2024. Nimmo can still stand in CF from time to time, but a weak arm hurts when most balls are hit to CF. Plus, due to his depth in positioning, allows for more hits in front of him. However, my concerns about DH and 1B surpass my issues with CF, and there is bounce back there too.