Skip to playerSkip to main content
New York Post
  • 12 hours ago
Transcript
00:00:00All right, Mets fans, welcome back to Straight Outta Flushing, where this week, since it
00:00:07is holiday season now, we have passed the Thanksgiving holiday, we're going to bring
00:00:10you our holiday shopping episode.
00:00:13Yes, I know a lot of you are going to be holiday shopping.
00:00:16We're going to do that too here, but it's obviously going to be tailored around the
00:00:19New York Mets.
00:00:19I got my guy, Anthony Rivera, from the Subway to Shea podcast joining me.
00:00:23And today, we are going to do what David Stearns is probably doing right now.
00:00:29That is filling up the off-season shopping cart.
00:00:32We've got everything in this cart, Anthony.
00:00:34We got re-signing Pete and Edwin Diaz, trading for an ace, to adding a big bet, to fixing
00:00:40the outfield, and even, some of you guys like to call them small market Stearns, we have
00:00:45some bargain bin deals for you too.
00:00:46But here's the catch for me and Anthony.
00:00:48Every item is in the shopping cart.
00:00:51Either it's got to stay or it's got to get removed, right?
00:00:54So, no wishful thinking, no overspending, just real Mets decisions.
00:00:59So, we're going to build a cart that can actually get this team over the hump in 2026 because
00:01:05I know Anthony feels this way, and I do too.
00:01:08Mets, they got to be post-season downed in 2026 or else.
00:01:13Not sure what the or else is too, but we'll get to that too.
00:01:16Anthony, how you doing, sir?
00:01:17You ready to shop?
00:01:18I'm doing great.
00:01:19It feels like as soon as you enter Black Friday, as soon as you get into the store,
00:01:24you just grab everything that you possibly can, and then you decide, do I really need
00:01:28to keep this or not?
00:01:29So, yeah, the Mets have a lot of work to do this off-season.
00:01:32David Stearns has a lot of work.
00:01:33So, let's help him out here a little bit.
00:01:35Well, now I'm listening to this from you.
00:01:37You sound like a seasoned Black Friday shopper.
00:01:40Do you get down with the Black Friday shopping?
00:01:43Not anymore.
00:01:44Okay.
00:01:45Not anymore.
00:01:46When I was younger, yes, and I'm not going for the TVs at 5 in the morning and watching
00:01:51the stampedes happen, but you always see it on videos.
00:01:55Everyone's grabbing everything they possibly can, and then they decide if they're going
00:01:58to keep it or not or let it go to somebody else.
00:02:00Yeah.
00:02:01So, here, we skipped all that.
00:02:02We just put everything in the cart, and there's going to be no fighting with anybody else.
00:02:07Anthony and I are going to have a civil discussion, and we will decide we do.
00:02:11But, real quick, before we get to the shopping, something we have to address and we want to
00:02:15address this quickly, there was a story that came out this Thanksgiving holiday weekend
00:02:20from my colleague, Mike Puma, Mets beat reporter here at the New York Post, and he talked about
00:02:26some of the friction that may or may not be between shortstop Francesca Lindor, between
00:02:31Jeff McNeil, and also potentially rumors of friction between Lindor and Juan Soto.
00:02:38Anthony, I know you read the story.
00:02:42A lot of Mets fans did.
00:02:43There was a lot of reaction to this on social media.
00:02:46What was your immediate reaction to this, and do you have any cause for concern about
00:02:51what was reported?
00:02:53No, I really don't have any concern, because if this team was winning, we probably wouldn't
00:02:58be talking about this right now.
00:03:00So, and especially the situation between Lindor and Juan Soto, these are just two different
00:03:08personalities, and there's a lot of personalities in the clubhouse.
00:03:11If you remember in 1986, you had the party crew with Keith Hernandez, Daryl Strawberry,
00:03:16Doc Gooden.
00:03:16I mean, the names go on and on.
00:03:17And then you had the clean-cut family man in Gary Carter, and they meshed well together
00:03:23in one World Series.
00:03:24Now, this team hasn't done so, and they didn't make the playoffs last year.
00:03:27So here we are talking about this.
00:03:30Even the Lindor-McNeil situation, we've been there, we've done that already, and if it
00:03:35was that bad, then probably Jeff McNeil wouldn't be on the team.
00:03:39But they've been teammates for five years, so, you know, probably a little squabble between
00:03:44the both of them.
00:03:45They probably talked it out and got through it, and here we are now.
00:03:48Yeah, I'm inclined to agree with everything you just said.
00:03:52I can tell people that, you know, in talking to some people around the Mets and talking to
00:03:57some things, you know, the Lindor-Soto stuff is truly a non-story.
00:04:02It is a non-issue at all.
00:04:04And I think sometimes I talk about this in other factors of sports.
00:04:07I've done it on this platform.
00:04:09I've done it in other places.
00:04:10Sports is still work.
00:04:11It's still labor.
00:04:12And sometimes you go to work with coworkers where you guys have different personalities,
00:04:17but you still get the job done, right?
00:04:19Everybody that works on a team at a job does not have to get along.
00:04:22Does not have to be all kumaya.
00:04:23They do not have to all go out for drinks, but if you can work towards a common goal,
00:04:27that is all that matters.
00:04:29And I think that's, like you said, that's just the difference between Lindor and Soto,
00:04:32just different personalities.
00:04:33But what I will say, I think a lot of people around the Mets will say they're both guys
00:04:36focused on winning, very focused on winning.
00:04:39They approach it slightly differently, but they come to the ballpark every day trying to lead.
00:04:44As far as McNeil and Lindor, there's also sometimes when you work with people you don't like.
00:04:50And that's okay, too.
00:04:51That can happen okay.
00:04:52That can be okay, too.
00:04:53Now, you don't want physical confrontations and things of that nature.
00:04:57However, do I think it's anything to worry about?
00:04:59No, because like you said, they've been teammates for five years.
00:05:02If it was a big deal, one of them would have been gone.
00:05:05And I think we all know that would not be Francisco Lindor.
00:05:07And also, I'm not sure how much longer Jeff McNeil is actually going to be a New York Met.
00:05:13So, there's that.
00:05:14Wanted to get that out of the way.
00:05:16Let's get to the Black Friday shopping without talking about any squabbles or anybody giving
00:05:21anyone a black eye.
00:05:22Okay.
00:05:23First thing that we got in the cart, Anthony, re-signing Pete Alonso.
00:05:29Re-signing Pete Alonso is in the cart.
00:05:32And remember, we are here to decide whether we want to keep this in the cart, whether we
00:05:37want to take this out of the cart.
00:05:39Where are you on the re-signing of Pete Alonso?
00:05:42Is this something you have to buy?
00:05:46Absolutely.
00:05:47Most definitely now that Brandon Nimmo's gone as well.
00:05:50And those two in Alonso and Nimmo provided some of the most offense that this team has
00:05:57gotten, especially with runners in scoring position.
00:05:59And to be at a point now where you have to figure out how to replace both of them is
00:06:05not a job that I would want to do.
00:06:06So, I am all for re-signing Pete Alonso.
00:06:10Everyone talks about having that long-term Met, that lifelong Met.
00:06:15Here you go.
00:06:15Here's the guy.
00:06:16It's Pete Alonso.
00:06:17What a season he had last year.
00:06:19272 batting average, 38 homers, 126 RBIs.
00:06:23Probably his second best or maybe tied for his top season in 2022.
00:06:28This is after, you know, having that, you know, not terrible, but not great season heading
00:06:35into free agency in 2024.
00:06:37But he had a great playoffs and he continued that on with this season in 2025.
00:06:43This is a guy that the Mets should prioritize offensively and really should bring back.
00:06:48So, I'm leaving Pete Alonso in the cart.
00:06:50Yeah.
00:06:51Okay.
00:06:51This is one where we absolutely agree on.
00:06:53I think you got to bring him back because of simply this.
00:06:57Like, look, somebody you may say to me, hey, Dex, well, what kind of contract are you giving
00:07:02him?
00:07:02And we're not going to get into all that.
00:07:03We're just talking about re-signing him, right?
00:07:05I think ideally five years, $150 million.
00:07:08However, it ain't my money.
00:07:10And if Steve Cohen's going to pay a little bit more, give him an extra year, so be it.
00:07:15Is that contract probably going to be beautiful for the Mets or the Mets fan at the end of it?
00:07:20Maybe not, but if you win a championship in that time, nobody's going to care, right?
00:07:26And what I think you have to add, you just brought up all the production that he's had,
00:07:31Anthony.
00:07:31Well, here's the big question for me.
00:07:33If you don't re-sign him, is he replaceable?
00:07:36How do you replace that production?
00:07:37You have no way to replace that internally.
00:07:40You'd have to go find that externally.
00:07:41And then who's that person, right, on the market that you could definitively say you're
00:07:46going to sign and replace him?
00:07:48You know what you have with him.
00:07:49The Mets have had their struggles offensively.
00:07:52He's a guy you could basically pencil in for 40 home runs.
00:07:56He is the franchise's all-time leader in home runs.
00:07:58You just mentioned the fact that there are Mets fans.
00:08:00I'm not saying everything has to be sentimental, but there are Mets fans who would like to see
00:08:04a homegrown Met play his entire career in Flushing and have his number retired.
00:08:11But you're right.
00:08:12Here's your guy to do it.
00:08:14The Mets need him.
00:08:15He had a good year.
00:08:16He's got more of the leverage than he did last offseason.
00:08:21I think you've got to do it.
00:08:22And I think it's one of the most important moves that the Mets have to make this offseason.
00:08:29So I'm with you.
00:08:29We're going to keep him in the shopping cart.
00:08:31Now, I'm not taking re-signing Pete Alonso out of the shopping cart.
00:08:35Now, moving on to the second thing in the shopping cart, I could make the argument, Anthony,
00:08:41that this is maybe the most important move the Mets have to make this offseason, and that
00:08:46is re-signing Edwin Diaz.
00:08:48So when you look at his recent performance, when you look at what Diaz has done, and you
00:08:53can argue he's the best closer in the game, are you keeping him in the shopping cart and
00:08:57re-signing him, or are you moving on and rebuilding the bullpen without him?
00:09:01Now, you're getting no argument from me here on Edwin Diaz.
00:09:06He is the number one priority.
00:09:08We talked about this.
00:09:09We were going to do the Thanksgiving episode, and then the whole Brandon Nimmo breaking news
00:09:14happened, so we switched gears.
00:09:16Edwin Diaz is the number one priority for this team.
00:09:19If he is not closing this season for the Mets, I would have a legitimate concern because there's
00:09:26a huge drop-off with free agents when it comes to relievers, and I know that relievers are
00:09:32fickle.
00:09:33I know that they're up and down every year a lot of times, but Edwin Diaz has proved year
00:09:39in, year out, ever since that struggle in 2019 when he first came over here, he has improved
00:09:45every year and has been one of the best Mets that you can ask for, and he can pitch here
00:09:51in New York.
00:09:52I mean, look at when the Yankees got Devin Williams and the struggles for him.
00:09:56Edwin Diaz has proven that he could pitch here in New York.
00:09:59The fans love him.
00:10:00You know, you got the Narcos playing.
00:10:03Edwin Diaz is the number one priority to me this offseason because if you don't have
00:10:08him, man, you're really going to struggle to find someone to close out for this team.
00:10:13So I love what you just said there.
00:10:16I think it's the most important thing you said is he can pitch in New York.
00:10:20Look, Anthony, you are a lifelong Mets fan.
00:10:23UFC closures come to New York that cannot pitch in New York.
00:10:26Remember Armando Benitez, right?
00:10:27Yeah.
00:10:28You remember Armando Benitez?
00:10:31Edwin Diaz is so far from Armando Benitez that it should make Mets fans happy.
00:10:37And look, this is another situation where someone could tell me, hey, Dex, or Ant, the contract
00:10:45might not be great at the end.
00:10:47He just had a big contract.
00:10:48He opted out.
00:10:49He wants a similar contract.
00:10:50He wants a lot of money again.
00:10:53But to me, you got to do it because, again, this is a lot like Pete.
00:10:59What's your better option at closer, right?
00:11:02Where's your other proven talent at closer?
00:11:05That, to Anthony's point, can pitch in this market.
00:11:09And we know it's not easy to pitch in this market.
00:11:11Just ask Ryan Helsley, right?
00:11:14We've seen this.
00:11:15So, you know he can do it.
00:11:17You know he's also been pretty solid post-injury.
00:11:22First coming back from injury took him a little bit of time, but last year had a fantastic season.
00:11:26So, this is a guy who's done it.
00:11:28He's been relatively durable.
00:11:30I think you've got to do it.
00:11:31You've got to give him the big bucks.
00:11:33He's the best closer in the game.
00:11:35In my eyes, he can pitch in the big situation, re-sign him.
00:11:41These first two, they've got to stay in the cart.
00:11:43I mean, if you're taking him out the cart, it's a rough cart.
00:11:47We're not even acting like we're looking through the store for these.
00:11:50These are in the cart.
00:11:52You've got to get it to the checkout.
00:11:53Pete Alonzo, Edwin Diaz, you've got to get them to the checkout.
00:11:57I'm with you, man.
00:11:58Yeah, you know, people wanting the big free agent splash and all these big moves to happen.
00:12:07Two of the most important moves revolve around players that you already have.
00:12:12So, the Mets need to get this done.
00:12:13There's no excuse for them not to.
00:12:16And it's even now more important, the fact that the bullpen is, I don't want to say in shambles,
00:12:22but is not in great shape at this moment in time.
00:12:24And the fact that Brandon Nimmo has been traded away, so this offense needs a pick-me-up.
00:12:30Yeah, there's no doubt about that, too.
00:12:32Okay, here's where the cart gets a little bit more fun, people.
00:12:35It gets a little bit more interesting.
00:12:37And I'm intrigued to see where myself and Anthony go here.
00:12:41A lot of you have been asking for this.
00:12:44This is on your Christmas wish list, your holiday shopping list, whatever you want to call it.
00:12:50Anthony and I have talked about this a little bit before, too.
00:12:52We have said the Mets need to get better with their pitching.
00:12:56Number one, we've also talked about their defense.
00:12:59But let's start with the pitching.
00:13:00A lot of fans would like to see this team trade for an ace.
00:13:04It could be Tariq Skubal.
00:13:06It could be Joe Ryan.
00:13:09It could be Sandy Alcantara.
00:13:12Whatever you want.
00:13:14We're just talking about trading for an ace.
00:13:15They will trade for you.
00:13:16You're going to take trading for an ace.
00:13:18It could be one of those three guys, maybe somebody else.
00:13:20Maybe you consider for Amber Valdez an ace.
00:13:22Maybe you do.
00:13:22Maybe you don't.
00:13:23Whatever you think the ace is, this is in the cart.
00:13:27Are you checking this out?
00:13:29Are you taking trading for an ace?
00:13:31I am checking out with trading for an ace as long as the one-year warranty doesn't expire.
00:13:42Because, you know, these guys are going to be free agents.
00:13:45Definitely, Tariq Skubal is going to be a free agent at the end of the season.
00:13:48Freddie Peralta is going to be a free agent.
00:13:51So, the fact that the Mets need to maybe sign and trade or, yeah, sign and trade, do one of those for Skubal, who's probably going to be a free agent, especially working with Scott Bores.
00:14:03So, I'd probably wait for him.
00:14:05But, you know, like you mentioned, there's Sandy Alcantara.
00:14:07There's Edward Cabrera.
00:14:10Yuri Perez from the Marlins.
00:14:13Joe Ryan.
00:14:13Pablo Lopez.
00:14:14If I'm trading for one of these starting pitchers, it may be one from Minnesota because there's more years left on their deals.
00:14:25And, you know, with the fact that that is possible, I think you need to – the Mets need to consider something like that.
00:14:31But there is a caveat that you will have to trade more than you're willing to to get one of these guys.
00:14:38Hmm.
00:14:41I've thought about this one long and hard.
00:14:44I think where the Mets are and where you and I both, Anthony, think they need to be in 2026, which is being a true World Series contender, which is being back in the playoffs.
00:15:00No miss in the playoffs.
00:15:01The Mets miss the playoffs.
00:15:02It's a failure.
00:15:04I think the Mets have some talent in their pitching rotation.
00:15:07I think they also have some question marks.
00:15:09I think they absolutely need an ace.
00:15:10Now, how they get that ace, to me, is the biggest thing.
00:15:16And also, I think what people consider an ace.
00:15:18I talked with John Heyman about this last week.
00:15:21He said the only person he would consider an ace is Tariq Skubal.
00:15:26I understand where he's coming from on that.
00:15:29He is the elite of the elite.
00:15:31It is going to take a lot to get him.
00:15:33And he's going to have, as you said, Anthony, the one-year warranty.
00:15:36Tariq Skubal is not doing a sign-and-trade with the Mets.
00:15:41That's not the game Scott Boris plays, right?
00:15:43He wants to see his clients get to free agency.
00:15:46Now, Scott Boris always got his clients paid the way they probably should be in free agency as of late.
00:15:52No.
00:15:53But, to me, if you're the Mets, this has to be, you got to check out here.
00:15:59Because this has to be in the plan.
00:16:02Whoever it is, whether it's Skubal, whether it's Sandy Alcantar, whether it's Joe Ryan, whoever it is that you think can lead this rotation, you've got to go get him.
00:16:12Now, I do think it's preferable if you go get a Joe Ryan, like you said, who has more years.
00:16:17I think it's a little easier to get that into the checkout line.
00:16:20To check this out as one of your gifts this holiday season.
00:16:24But I think you have to get it done.
00:16:25I think this is high on your list.
00:16:28You've got to check this off.
00:16:29If you have to show that you're serious about improving this rotation, sure, somebody out there can be like, Dex, Nolan McClain showed us what he could do.
00:16:37He's on the way.
00:16:38You can't put that kind of pressure on this young man.
00:16:41He's got to have somebody that can lead this team so he can grow into being the ace.
00:16:45He doesn't need that pressure on him right now.
00:16:48So, I say trade for an ace because it shows that you're aggressive.
00:16:54It shows you're willing to do what it takes to win.
00:16:56It shows that you're willing to do what it takes to get this team to where they want to be in 2026.
00:17:01And I also will say this.
00:17:02If it is Tariq Scoble and you have a good chance to get him, you've got to do it.
00:17:06Prospects be damned.
00:17:08You have to go out and get him.
00:17:13I was going to say by any means necessary.
00:17:15We're not going to go that far.
00:17:16But, yes, you have to go out and get him.
00:17:18And I think the Mets have to do it.
00:17:20Figure it out later, excuse me.
00:17:24Again, I say this all by saying this is not my money.
00:17:27Steve Cohen's money.
00:17:29You've got the money to sign it, Tariq Scoble.
00:17:31Now, do you want to invest that much in a pitcher?
00:17:33I say, yeah, you already did it with Soto on the offense.
00:17:37You've got to go get a big name on the pitching side, too.
00:17:41So, I'm saying you've got to check out here.
00:17:43You've got to do it.
00:17:44Now, I say all that to say, Anthony, you might want to go to the next thing that we have in our basket.
00:17:51Shopping cart, whatever you want to call it.
00:17:53You don't have to trade for an ace.
00:17:54You could also sign an ace.
00:17:57So, that could be Frambois Valdez, free agent.
00:18:00Tatsuo Imei from Japan.
00:18:03Do they look at him as an ace?
00:18:04Is that somebody you want to sign?
00:18:06Are you checking out here?
00:18:08We both agree with trading for an ace, but sign an ace.
00:18:11Are you checking out here, or are you taking this out of the cart?
00:18:15Yeah, this is the first time I'm taking that out of the cart and putting it back on the shelf.
00:18:20Because I don't consider Tatsuo Imei an ace, like a Yamamoto is, or even to the extent that a Roki Sasaki could be.
00:18:31Frambois Valdez, he's on the peripheral of that.
00:18:34But here's why I'm putting this back on the shelf.
00:18:37And there's one name, Dylan Cease, 8-12, 4.55 ERA, just got a 7-year, $210 million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays.
00:18:48And I feel like that changes everything when it comes to starting pitching.
00:18:52And that's something that we've known in the past, that David Stearns doesn't mess with.
00:18:56He has to be with the talent that Yamamoto has, where they were willing to give, what was it, 12 years, a 350 mil, something like that in those terms.
00:19:06They haven't done that since.
00:19:08They haven't, you know, offered any contract out like that.
00:19:11So I don't see them doing that.
00:19:12That's why I'm sticking with keeping the trade for an ace in the cart, but I'm putting back, sign an ace back on that shelf.
00:19:19Yeah, we're in agreement.
00:19:21We're 4-4-4 in agreement on here, too.
00:19:23Put this back on the shelf for me.
00:19:25Tatsu Imei, do not view him as an ace.
00:19:28Very good pitcher, probably more in the middle of a rotation.
00:19:31Kodai Sengamo, we'll get to him later.
00:19:34For Amber Valdez, my concern here is I agree.
00:19:36I think he's at number two, more likely.
00:19:41But the other thing with him is, can he stay healthy?
00:19:44He has injury concerns.
00:19:45That's a big concern for me.
00:19:47And do you want to go invest in somebody that sometimes might not be available?
00:19:50So for me, I think the Mets' better option to get an ace is to trade for one.
00:19:54Yes, is that going to cost you prospects?
00:19:57Absolutely.
00:19:58But you've got to give up something to get something.
00:20:00I think it's the best way for the Mets to go.
00:20:02So yes, sign an ace, leaving that on the shelf.
00:20:05All right, let's look at the outfield upgrade.
00:20:08This kind of goes off where we were talking about last week here, Anthony.
00:20:13Once we saw the Brandon Nimmo news with him being traded, the big question here is, okay, who's the Nimmo replacement?
00:20:20Who's going to – the Mets now need two outfielders, right?
00:20:22And we'll get to a possibility in another position.
00:20:27Who would you like to see?
00:20:28Would you go for an outfield replacement, whether it's via trade, whether it's via free agent signing,
00:20:33to find somebody to play in left, to find somebody to play in center?
00:20:37Who would that be for you?
00:20:39Is this off the shelf or in the cart as a must-have because there's two spots that the Mets don't have anybody playing there right now?
00:20:48So yeah, I am keeping the outfield upgrade in the cart.
00:20:54I just am torn with who that is possibly going to be because the names that are out there, they all have great attributes about them,
00:21:04but they also have things that don't sound great.
00:21:07Obviously, a Cody Bellinger, who is probably the best defensive outfielder in free agency, and he could play first base.
00:21:15So if Pete Alonzo does not return, you've got a guy that could play center field and first base.
00:21:20But he struggled outside of Yankee Stadium last season, and that's a concern for me considering that Citi Field is a pitcher's ballpark.
00:21:28Then you've got Kyle Tucker, who is probably going to get a ton of money.
00:21:33So I would assume that possibly they would not offer another huge contract out there, especially if they want to bring back Pete,
00:21:42if they want to bring back Edwin Diaz with so many moves that need to be made.
00:21:45I think Kyle Tucker is not going to be that guy.
00:21:48There's Jaron Duran that you could trade for from the Boston Red Sox, but there's questions about his mental makeup,
00:21:55and I don't know how that fits in Queens.
00:21:57The guy that I would look into, though, and I know he's a little bit of an injury-prone type player,
00:22:04but if you can tag him along with a Joe Ryan and a Pablo Lopez out of Minnesota,
00:22:09maybe Byron Buxton, if he can get rid of his no-trade clause, maybe he's the guy that could play center field.
00:22:15Maybe Citi Field helps him out, and he starts being a little bit more healthier than usual
00:22:19because he's a great center fielder, and you tag along a pitcher that we've been talking about trying to trade for.
00:22:27Maybe that's the way to go.
00:22:29Hadn't thought about the pairing of him in a trade with Joe Ryan.
00:22:31I like Buxton.
00:22:34Got a lot of concerns about him staying healthy.
00:22:37That's the one thing that makes me nervous.
00:22:39You mentioned Dellinger as well, too, who I think would be a really good fit.
00:22:43I just think the concern is what's the deal, how long for him.
00:22:49Look, this has to go on the card because the Mets have two positions they need.
00:22:56At least, and we'll get to this later, but maybe one comes internally, and we could talk about that.
00:23:04But what I can say is you can't, you know, you can't be running it.
00:23:08I don't want to hear about Jeff McNeil as an option.
00:23:11No.
00:23:12You can't do that.
00:23:13No.
00:23:13Tyrone Taylor.
00:23:15These are not everyday starting center fielders or left fielders, just to be clear.
00:23:20This isn't that.
00:23:21So, to me, this has to go on the card.
00:23:25Do you love the options that are out there in the free agent market?
00:23:29Yeah, there's some good ones, but there's not a lot.
00:23:33It's not abundantly rich in the outfield depth in the free agent market.
00:23:38So, it's got to go on the card.
00:23:40The Mets are going to have to do something.
00:23:44I don't think they can be cheap on this.
00:23:46This is something I also would like to say.
00:23:47I think they have to invest in someone, one position player out there that's at least a proven everyday player.
00:23:54And we'll see.
00:23:55But, yeah, that's in the card for me.
00:23:57The Mets have to improve their outfield depth.
00:24:00There's two spots open right now with the trade and M.O., and they've got to go get that done.
00:24:05So, we'll see.
00:24:06Okay.
00:24:07We talked about either trading for an ace or signing an ace.
00:24:12But what about starting pitching depth?
00:24:15Right?
00:24:15The Mets, you could argue they have some right now, but here's the thing we always hear, Anthony.
00:24:22You can never have enough pitching.
00:24:24Do they need another, you know, SP4, SP5, you know, for insurance?
00:24:31Because I think you could pencil in, we'll get to this guy too, Senga, if he stays.
00:24:36Right?
00:24:38How does Sean Minaya return?
00:24:40David Peterson, does he bounce back after his second half last year?
00:24:43And, you know, Nolan McClain will be expected to be in the rotation.
00:24:47But then you're thinking about, okay, what do the Mets have past that?
00:24:50So, when you look at starting pitching depth and maybe some names the Mets can, you know,
00:24:54Mike King is a name who's done well as a starter out with the Padres.
00:25:00What do you think?
00:25:00Starting pitching depth, is this something you're keeping in the cart or are you getting rid of?
00:25:05Is this essential?
00:25:08This is probably the toughest one right now.
00:25:10Definitely the toughest one that we've done because the Mets could use, you know, pitching depth.
00:25:16Michael King would be great.
00:25:17But then you got to, you know, check the price in the cart and see if it's somewhat on sale
00:25:22because now that this Dylan Seas deal is done, all these prices of these starting pitchers,
00:25:27no matter how good they are, are going to go up.
00:25:30There's a lot of depth out there that you can look at.
00:25:33Zach Gallin, Merrill Kelly, like you mentioned, Michael King is out there.
00:25:36Nick Martinez, Ranger Suarez, there's a lot of names that could be taken from.
00:25:43But, you know, you look at what the Mets are doing, it all depends on, I guess,
00:25:47if they're going to trade any of these guys as well.
00:25:50Because you got David Peterson probably locked into the rotation.
00:25:53You got Clay Holmes locked into the rotation.
00:25:56Kodai Senga, if he doesn't get traded, and we just found out today, he doesn't want to be traded.
00:26:01So if he's not traded, he'll probably get a crack at the rotation.
00:26:06Sean Minaya, as you mentioned, he's probably another guy that's in the rotation.
00:26:10Then you got the kids in Sprout, Tong, and McClain, who are also going to be vying for their spots.
00:26:17Probably not so much McClain, he's probably going to lead the charge there.
00:26:19But there's just so many pitches that the Mets have right now, and the options are there.
00:26:26But you're asking for a lot of bounce back, right, from Sean Minaya.
00:26:31You're asking David Peterson to bounce back from his second half.
00:26:34You're asking Kodai Senga to bounce back from that injury.
00:26:37Clay Holmes was the most consistent starting pitcher.
00:26:40And to me, he's probably a four or a five that'll give you five innings consistently.
00:26:45So the Mets may need to look at someone that's going to give them length.
00:26:49Someone that is good with defense and helps with the run prevention, as David Stearns has talked about.
00:26:57So I'm a little bit torn here.
00:26:59I think I have to, you know, check the price at one of those price checker markers that's in the store
00:27:05to decide if I'm keeping and holding on to this depth.
00:27:12So much of this matters with what we've already kept in the cart, right?
00:27:18Like, if you keep in the cart, you check out the fact you're going to get an ace.
00:27:22And we talked about trading for an ace.
00:27:24If you're going to do that, then you're going to lose some of the depth you have in terms of young pitchers.
00:27:29Let's say the Mets get, I'll say, Tariq Skubal or Sandy Alcantara, right?
00:27:33You're probably giving up a Jonah Tong and or Brandon Sprout at least,
00:27:37maybe combine that with a Jett Williams or, you know, another prospect.
00:27:41So you're going to give up some of the pitching depth there for sure.
00:27:43I, this is going to be, I'm leaving, I'm not keeping this in the cart.
00:27:51This is not checking out.
00:27:52I'm leaving this because I'm banking on the fact that if you go and get an ace,
00:27:56now you're not relying as heavily on some of the guys you mentioned.
00:28:02Now, do you still need them?
00:28:03Absolutely.
00:28:04You need Clay Holmes to still be a fourth, fifth starter for you and give you five innings.
00:28:08And he was solid and pitched longer into the season, I think, much more than any of us anticipated, right?
00:28:14David Peterson has shown you over the last year and a half, take away, you know, the second half of last year,
00:28:20that he can pitch really well, even pitch well in the playoffs in 2024.
00:28:24So there are things you can be encouraged about with Eric.
00:28:26You need Mania to bounce back.
00:28:28You need Senga to bounce back.
00:28:31Now, here's the thing.
00:28:32I know people are going to hear that and say, that's a lot of ifs.
00:28:35I feel you.
00:28:36You're not wrong about that.
00:28:39But you know what masks a lot of ifs in a rotation?
00:28:42An ace.
00:28:43And that would help.
00:28:44And everybody being able to move down a peg and not maybe feel the pressure to produce up one slot higher than they're able to produce.
00:28:52So I think if you get an ace in here, the rotation starts looking a little bit deeper than maybe it was before.
00:29:02And I think that, I won't say it's a cure-all, but I think that it really helps the problem that the Mets have and their rotation starts looking a little bit deeper than it once was.
00:29:11So for me, it's a tough one.
00:29:14I'm with you, Anthony.
00:29:15But I'm putting this one back up on the shelf and maybe going to another store and seeing if, you know, I can get a little bit of a discount someplace else.
00:29:26Somebody wants to come snatch it out of my shopping cart?
00:29:30Fine.
00:29:31You can take me.
00:29:32Yeah, the depth is really contingent on what the Mets do at the top of the rotation.
00:29:38Like you said, they get an ace, then this is probably a non-story.
00:29:42But if they don't, then you're obviously going to throw more names, you know, more names at trying to get into this rotation and signing some guys on the cheap.
00:29:51And there are a lot of guys out there.
00:29:53But the Mets' focus should be on getting that ace, as we talked about earlier.
00:29:57Yeah, absolutely, absolutely agree with that.
00:30:02Okay, here's one that I find interesting.
00:30:05And we talked about Edwin Diaz, and we both believe he's a priority.
00:30:11We signed him and sent the cart.
00:30:13We already believe that.
00:30:14But if you look at the rest of the Mets' bullpen, coverage kind of bare there.
00:30:21They got some things they need to do in terms of rebuilding this bullpen.
00:30:24And there's some interesting options out there in terms of a bullpen rebuild.
00:30:30So is bullpen rebuild something that you're going to put in the cart?
00:30:35Maybe you're going to buy in bulk, try to get yourself a couple of good arms here.
00:30:39And bullpen rebuild, are you leaving it or keeping it?
00:30:44Buy in bulk.
00:30:45I like how you said that.
00:30:46Absolutely.
00:30:47Yes, we need, not only do we need Edwin Diaz to come back, but we need a true setup, man.
00:30:53What we asked Ryan Helsley to do and he couldn't do.
00:30:56We need someone not only to set up Edwin Diaz, but to kind of relieve him when he needs a night off
00:31:02and we need someone else to close.
00:31:04Right now the bullpen is A.J. Minter, Brooks Raley, Wasker Brazabon as well.
00:31:10And, you know, bring back Edwin Diaz if you can.
00:31:13Definitely want to give another shot at Tyler Rodgers.
00:31:16He's probably the only guy that the Mets traded for that I want to see
00:31:19because I like that he has a different delivery with that submarine delivery.
00:31:23I think you mentioned Emilio Pagan.
00:31:25That could be a guy that you throw out there.
00:31:27You got Robert Suarez, Pete Fairbanks from the Tampa Bay Rays.
00:31:33There's just so much Kyle Finnegan is out there.
00:31:35And you know what?
00:31:36If the Mets want to look at Luke Weaver to be somewhat in the bullpen,
00:31:40that's another name you can look at.
00:31:41I know that's bringing someone else from the Yankees, but, you know, he had the talent.
00:31:45He was a closer for a while, just like Clay Holmes, and, you know, it didn't work out there.
00:31:49But, you know, you know that he has the talent to pitch in New York,
00:31:53and he's proven that.
00:31:54Maybe it didn't work out last season, but, you know,
00:31:57this guy was closing games in the postseason in 2024.
00:32:01Yeah.
00:32:02Emilio Pagan is the name.
00:32:04You mentioned this there, too.
00:32:05I wouldn't mind either.
00:32:08Bullpens are tough for me, Anthony.
00:32:10You got to buy in bulk.
00:32:11This is staying in the car for me because the Mets, it's almost like the outfield.
00:32:14They have to do this, right?
00:32:16Like, this is almost a non-negotiable here.
00:32:18They've got to get this done.
00:32:21Arms are tough in the bullpen because it's so volatile.
00:32:25We can see guys have great years, one year, and then not have another year.
00:32:30We're not good.
00:32:31Luke Weaver's an interesting option, right?
00:32:33And I love that you mentioned him.
00:32:34He's pitched here in New York.
00:32:35Now, I understand it did not end well, but he did pitch in New York,
00:32:38and I do think that matters for something.
00:32:41I wouldn't be mad at that at all whatsoever.
00:32:45But the Mets have to add arms.
00:32:46Now, I think what kind of arms?
00:32:48I think I love that you said that.
00:32:49Tyler Rodgers is somebody I would also be intrigued in bringing back.
00:32:52Tyler Rodgers is in his mid-30s, but I love his delivery.
00:32:55He's got the funky delivery.
00:32:56That throws people off.
00:32:58It's hard for batters to pick that up, the ball coming out of his hands.
00:33:01I think he's good.
00:33:02Anthony, I want to ask you this, too.
00:33:04Another guy.
00:33:04We know Ryan Helsley has now gone to Baltimore,
00:33:08and I don't think any Mets fans wanted to see him back again,
00:33:11so we knew that wasn't going to happen.
00:33:13What about Gregory Soto?
00:33:14Where are you on him?
00:33:15Would you want him as part of this, you know, buying bulk?
00:33:18Would you bring him back or not?
00:33:22I think I'm passing on Gregory Soto,
00:33:25although if they do sign him, like, I'd be okay with it.
00:33:28But the fact that we have Minter and Brooks Raley,
00:33:32you've got two lefties already in the bullpen,
00:33:34and honestly, we don't know where Sean Benai is going to fit,
00:33:37and if it's in the rotation, we know he could come out of the bullpen.
00:33:40He's done it in the past.
00:33:42That's how he turned around his career in San Francisco.
00:33:45So Gregory Soto is not a guy that I would, you know, try to bring back,
00:33:51but if they did, I wouldn't really be upset about him.
00:33:54Okay.
00:33:54All right, fair.
00:33:55Look, I think there's some options.
00:33:56I think for me it's what kind of arms do they get out of the pen,
00:34:01what age range are they looking in, right?
00:34:03And listen, the guys who are in their late 20s to early 30s
00:34:07are the ones that are going to get a little more years,
00:34:09also a little bit more money,
00:34:11but I think they do need to get some arms within their prime is what I'll say.
00:34:15Tyler Rodgers, I said mid-30s.
00:34:17I'm not out here calling you old Tyler Rodgers, but you are trending that way,
00:34:20although we like the innings that you can give.
00:34:23I do think they want to try to get a little bit younger in the bullpen.
00:34:25And I have liked the way the Mets have approached the bullpen the last couple of years
00:34:30in which they will rotate arms, whether it's up and down from the farm system.
00:34:34But I think it's a place you need to have depth.
00:34:37But here's what it all comes down to as well, too.
00:34:39But this is why this has to be in the cart, Anthony.
00:34:42You and I have talked about this.
00:34:44I don't know how many shows we talked about this when you came on with me throughout the season
00:34:47or last two seasons or three seasons, I can even say.
00:34:51If the starters aren't going to give you length, then you're going to need these arms in the pen.
00:34:56Because we saw points and times in the last couple of seasons where the pen gets taxed.
00:35:01And that is a problem.
00:35:02And not only do the Mets need arms, they need versatile arms.
00:35:05Some arms that can give you two innings in a pinch when needed.
00:35:08Right?
00:35:09Haurasco Brazabon has been somebody like that who's shown that.
00:35:11And I'm intrigued to see, you know, he went up and down a couple of times.
00:35:14How can he bounce back?
00:35:16But to me, you've got to buy bulk.
00:35:18You've got to hopefully hit on the right arms.
00:35:20You've got to get some youth in there and have a good mix.
00:35:23And guys can pitch in New York.
00:35:24So, for me, in terms of rebuilding the bullpen, that's a must.
00:35:28You've got to keep it in the cart.
00:35:29You cannot put that back on the shelf at all whatsoever.
00:35:34Now, let's get to possibly trading somebody.
00:35:37This is in the cart.
00:35:38Trading Jeff McNeil.
00:35:40Now, we know now with the trade of Brandon Nimmo, right,
00:35:44and Marcus Simeon coming in,
00:35:47things not looking so good for Jeff McNeil being on this roster.
00:35:50However, some people might argue and say,
00:35:52well, Jeff McNeil's valuable.
00:35:54He can play second.
00:35:55He can play in the outfield for you if you need to.
00:35:58So, where are you?
00:35:59Do you sell now with Jeff McNeil?
00:36:02Keep this in the cart, sell him now?
00:36:05Or do you keep the Swiss Army knife?
00:36:07What do you do with Jeff McNeil?
00:36:08Are you trading him and keeping that trade in the cart,
00:36:11or are you doing something else?
00:36:14Sell, sell, sell.
00:36:15Yeah, it's time.
00:36:17It's time.
00:36:18He's got one year left on the deal.
00:36:20A deal that he was basically signed for because of what he did in 2022,
00:36:25but he hasn't been that person.
00:36:26He hasn't been the same person that they signed him for.
00:36:29So, I get the versatility, but you've got a crop of younger players here that could probably be more versatile now.
00:36:36Brett Beatty, who could play second and third, and you could probably throw him in the outfield if you need to.
00:36:41Luis Angel Acuna, another guy.
00:36:43Ronnie Mauricio, you're probably going to want to try out in multiple positions.
00:36:47So, they have the options to be doing this, and I just think that it's time to move on from Jeff McNeil if you're going to do that.
00:36:54There's always this talk about, let's break up the core of this, let's break up the core of that.
00:36:58Well, one of the guys has gone in Brandon Nimmo.
00:37:00I think the other guy that has to be traded is Jeff McNeil, and the time has come for Jeff McNeil to move on with his career.
00:37:08Yeah.
00:37:09Keep this in the cart.
00:37:10It's time.
00:37:11You said this to me at the end of the season when we talked.
00:37:15Jeff McNeil, just in a production standpoint, not how you feel about Jeff McNeil as a player that's come up through the system.
00:37:23He has not produced since 2022.
00:37:25Anthony is 100% right about that.
00:37:29Take aside what we talked about at the top of this episode and the stuff with Francisco Lindor.
00:37:33We're just talking about production, just straight production.
00:37:36He has not produced.
00:37:38Also, even though he can allow you some versatility, and I thought he did not play a particularly bad center field last year when he was there,
00:37:46he's also not a plus defender out there.
00:37:49So, for me, keep this in the cart.
00:37:53Trade Jack McNeil.
00:37:54Check this out.
00:37:55Trade him.
00:37:56I understand you are selling low on Jeff McNeil.
00:37:59I understand that you're probably not going to get a lot in return for Jeff McNeil.
00:38:03I understand that even in the deal, you're probably going to have to eat some money in his contract.
00:38:07I get all that.
00:38:08But it's time.
00:38:09Sometimes you got to know when to move.
00:38:11You got to know when to sell.
00:38:12And this is one you got to know to keep in the cart.
00:38:17Jeff McNeil, we thank you for your time.
00:38:20We thank you for your service.
00:38:22But it's time to move on.
00:38:24I'm with you on this, Ant.
00:38:25It's just time.
00:38:26Now, that might have been a little bit down.
00:38:29So, let's try to add some more energy here for the people.
00:38:34I'm surprised it took us this long to get to this because in the cart, everybody's going to say,
00:38:38okay, Dex and Anthony, when are you guys going to add a bat?
00:38:42When are you going to add a big bat to this lineup?
00:38:44Because some of you guys out there will say you can always have some more offense.
00:38:49And I guess the question here, Anthony, is this lineup missing, I don't want to say missing star power
00:38:54because they've got stars here, but do they need another bat?
00:38:57And you mentioned a name earlier, Byron Buxton, who fills a need in center field.
00:39:03We also know he can give you a little bit in terms of the power and hitting as well, too.
00:39:10But then on this market, you've got Kyle Schwarber, right,
00:39:12who we know could absolutely bring the power.
00:39:15We've seen it.
00:39:15Unfortunately, the Mets have been on the receiving end of that from his time with the Phillies.
00:39:19And then, you know, you've got Alex Bregman, who can also maybe fill a need
00:39:23if you're not going to go with Beatty at third.
00:39:25But does that also block him?
00:39:27But he's somebody who can provide power, although he's a lot older.
00:39:31So, I would have some concerns there.
00:39:33Any of these names, any other names, do the Mets need a big bat?
00:39:37Is this something you've got to keep in the card or something you put back on the shelf?
00:39:43No, we're keeping this in the card.
00:39:45And I'm not even talking about a trade for Byron Buxton.
00:39:48I want Kyle Schwarber on this team.
00:39:51I want to take him from the Phillies.
00:39:53I've wanted him ever since he was in Boston.
00:39:55I want that offensive production.
00:39:57Could you imagine him in the lineup with Lindor, with Juan Soto, with Pete Alonso?
00:40:04And I'm saying, yes, both of those guys I want.
00:40:06Because maybe you can get Kyle Schwarber on a shorter-term deal.
00:40:11He'll be the DH.
00:40:12And by the time his contract is over, maybe it'll be time for Pete Alonso to move from first base
00:40:18and finally be DH.
00:40:20Alex Bregman would be nice to get.
00:40:23But I think I'm going to give the benefit of the doubt.
00:40:26And I can't believe I'm saying this.
00:40:27I'm going to give the benefit of the doubt to Brett Beatty of how well he played in the
00:40:32second half of the season, offensively, defensively.
00:40:36If that's one less player and money you need to spend to focus on other things, I think I'm
00:40:43going to keep Brett Beatty at third.
00:40:45So give me Kyle Schwarber.
00:40:46That's the guy I want.
00:40:47That's the power I want.
00:40:48Have a little bit of a type of bash brothers with him and Pete Alonso.
00:40:52So that would be a way to me to replace Brandon Nimmo's offensive production.
00:40:57Oh.
00:40:58I was thinking about putting this on the shelf.
00:41:01And now you got me thinking about it.
00:41:03Do I want to put this on the shelf?
00:41:08Do the Mets need – well, there's bats they need at parts in the lineup.
00:41:13And you actually bring up a really good – what really made me consider it was your plan
00:41:17with Schwarber and putting him at DH.
00:41:19Because it's fair to question, do the Mets have an answer?
00:41:22At DH in their lineup.
00:41:23And if you don't fill the DH spot with somebody who's serviceable, that you can trust, you're
00:41:31potentially talking about Mark Vientos there again.
00:41:34And some Mets fans out there watching this discussion may feel differently about Mark Vientos.
00:41:40I'm leaning to Vientos as a player that it might be time for the Mets to move on from.
00:41:45Might be.
00:41:46At least definitely for any positions of playing in the field.
00:41:49That's for sure.
00:41:50DH is probably his position, but can you do better than that?
00:41:53Schwarber is absolutely better than that.
00:41:56We know that for sure.
00:41:58It would boost the lineup.
00:42:00It would not, I think, put as much pressure offensively on someone like a Marcus Simeon,
00:42:04who would be coming to this lineup that should be much further down in the order,
00:42:07that it's not the hitter that he once was, but is still a fantastic defensive player.
00:42:11However, I, you might have convinced me, you might have convinced me here.
00:42:17I think I'm going to go with keeping the big bad addition in the card.
00:42:23With that being said, it would have to be Schwarber.
00:42:27Because I don't know if there's another name out there that I'm inclined to be like, okay,
00:42:31that's a guy you're going to sign that you can plug right in and fits perfectly.
00:42:38Right?
00:42:38Like, I don't, I just don't see it.
00:42:41Bregman, I'm kind of with you.
00:42:42The age is a concern for me.
00:42:44And I've also, I'm with you.
00:42:45I've seen enough from Beatty where I'm actually okay with him at third.
00:42:49I thought he played good defense.
00:42:51I thought he hit well.
00:42:52He was unfortunately got hurt at the end of the season, as you mentioned.
00:42:54But, if it's Schwarber, I'm here.
00:42:59I'm here for it.
00:43:01If you get him on a shorter deal and you get him and Pete, look, in terms of offense,
00:43:06and then we'll see whatever happens in the outfield.
00:43:09See, see, Anthony?
00:43:11And let's bring Anthony back up on the screen.
00:43:13Anthony, you swayed me.
00:43:16But, see, now I'm going to blame you.
00:43:19I'm not really blaming you, but Mets fans are now going to be dreaming when they hear this from you.
00:43:23They're like, I can see it.
00:43:24I can see Pete.
00:43:26I can see Schwarber in the lineup.
00:43:28I can see good things for the Mets offense.
00:43:29I like the dream.
00:43:31I like the vision.
00:43:31I'm with you.
00:43:32I'm going to keep that.
00:43:33I like it.
00:43:34I like it.
00:43:35Listen, this team struggled with runners in scoring position.
00:43:38We saw it all season long.
00:43:39Outside of that big August that they had, they struggled with runners in scoring position.
00:43:43Who was the best player for that?
00:43:44It was Brandon Nimmo, and he's gone now.
00:43:47This team, as much as I love the run prevention and the defensive philosophy,
00:43:51you still have to score runs to win.
00:43:52And if you have Pete Alonzo, who's already proven here in Queens, we know Kyle Schwarber
00:43:58could probably hack it here in Queens as well, especially to right field.
00:44:01We've seen him hit monster home runs.
00:44:03I think that having those two in the lineup, I think it's a huge positive to me.
00:44:08That's the only big offensive bat that I really care about right now is Kyle Schwarber.
00:44:14Outside of Pete.
00:44:15We might have to just change what we're keeping in the card to sign Kyle Schwarber.
00:44:19That might be it.
00:44:21That might be it.
00:44:23But listen, if they could add another bat.
00:44:25And you know what?
00:44:26And I also will, as I'm thinking through of this, which is the fun of this exercise,
00:44:31you know, one of the things I think you talked about a lot in your podcast last year,
00:44:36I talked a lot about on this show, is particularly in the beginning of the season for the Mets,
00:44:41was how top-heavy the lineup was, right?
00:44:43You know, you had the Fantastic Four.
00:44:45They were producing.
00:44:46You felt like you didn't know what they were going to get beyond that,
00:44:49and that was a huge part of the problem.
00:44:51I'm going to say the same thing that I just said with the pitching rotation.
00:44:55If you can just make things a little bit deeper in the lineup, right,
00:44:58where one guy is maybe not hitting higher up in the order,
00:45:02now it takes some pressure off a guy like Francisco Alvarez, right,
00:45:06who now maybe is sitting in the sixth hole and feels a bit better about how he's going to produce.
00:45:11Or Brett Beatty, who could be hitting seventh or wherever he may be hitting.
00:45:15These are guys who now can relax a little bit, younger players who can relax a little bit.
00:45:18So, yeah, I'm here for it.
00:45:20Let's go get a bat.
00:45:21Let's keep that in the shopping cart.
00:45:23Okay.
00:45:23We have one player I want to talk about keeping in the shopping cart.
00:45:27Bo Bichette, a name that had been talked about a lot with the Mets,
00:45:32free agent from the Blue Jays, can't play in the middle of the infield, second or short.
00:45:37Well, here's the thing.
00:45:39We know he's not playing short, right, because of Francisco Lindor,
00:45:44and now second baseman with Marcus Simeon in here.
00:45:46So, Anthony, are we just putting this one back on the shelf and out the cart?
00:45:52Yeah.
00:45:53It's one of those things where you grab everything that you want,
00:45:56and then you're like, I have to really be conscious of my spending here,
00:46:00and do I really need this?
00:46:02It's a want, but is it a need?
00:46:05And I don't think they need Bo Bichette.
00:46:07Obviously, he would be an upgrade.
00:46:09But like we talked about, Marcus Simeon is playing second.
00:46:12You got Francisco Lindor playing shortstop.
00:46:14Those guys ain't moving anywhere.
00:46:16Are you going to put him at third?
00:46:18I mean, I guess you could, but like that's not a need if Brett Beatty is playing the way
00:46:24he played in the second half of the season.
00:46:27And I think that with the confidence that he's gotten, it's time to give him the opportunity,
00:46:32just like we did Mark Vientos.
00:46:33When Mark Vientos had that solid 2024, my thought was,
00:46:37he's my third baseman going into the year because he's earned it.
00:46:40Well, now the time has changed.
00:46:42Now Brett Beatty is that guy, and Brett Beatty to me has earned third base.
00:46:46So I really don't see anywhere to put Bo Bichette at this time.
00:46:50So I'm going to put him back on the shelf, and it was just more of a, yeah,
00:46:54that'd be cool to have him as well, but let's not.
00:46:56Yeah, I don't have to be too deep on this.
00:46:58It's just not a place for him.
00:46:59So, you know, we're just not going to be greedy and just buy everything.
00:47:03Anthony and I, I think we have a budget, right, Anthony?
00:47:05I think we do.
00:47:06I'm not.
00:47:08Again, it's not our money.
00:47:09So there we go.
00:47:10I think we have a bunch.
00:47:11But no, Bo Bichette, got to put him back on the shelf.
00:47:13Like him as a player, think there was a place he could have fit here,
00:47:18but not so more right now.
00:47:20So I'm going to put him back on the shelf.
00:47:21All right, let's move along here.
00:47:24In the shopping cart, we also have this.
00:47:27Trade Kodai Senga.
00:47:28Now, you mentioned this earlier in the program.
00:47:31Kodai Senga came out and informed the Mets that he would like to stay here in New York.
00:47:35Like, I've seen this since last season.
00:47:40Look, and I understood it with some of the Mets fan base.
00:47:44Some of you guys out there wanted to get him out of town last year.
00:47:47You were done with the injuries.
00:47:48You were frustrated.
00:47:50All of that.
00:47:51Do you sell low with Kodai Senga?
00:47:53Or is he a guy that you look as a reset candidate that can bounce back this year?
00:47:57You know, so what do you do?
00:47:58Are you keeping this in the cart to trade him?
00:48:02Or are you putting this back on the shelf?
00:48:06I think I'm – I definitely want to trade him.
00:48:10I know that it's a sell low right now.
00:48:13I know the contract is favorable for the Mets.
00:48:15And I don't know if they can figure out a way.
00:48:17I mean, they found a way to trade Nimmo's contract.
00:48:21So if they could figure out a way to trade and get something back for Kodai Senga,
00:48:25you've got to try to do it.
00:48:27I know he's talented.
00:48:29Super talented.
00:48:30And when he's playing at his best, he's been a good Met.
00:48:33He's got a good record, got a good ERA.
00:48:36But the problem is with Kodai Senga is he's very high maintenance,
00:48:40and everything has to be set in a certain direction, in a certain way.
00:48:46You know, everything has to be perfect for us to get the best out of Kodai Senga.
00:48:51And the Mets don't have a rotation that they can do that with.
00:48:54They don't have, you know, six reliable starters.
00:48:58They barely have two or three reliable starters that can get us five or six innings.
00:49:03So to kind of put this rotation around Kodai Senga, you know, again,
00:49:08and work things around if he could pitch every sixth day or, you know,
00:49:12he's not feeling good, so he's got to go on the IL.
00:49:16I just – his maintenance is too much for me.
00:49:19And if they could figure out a trade partner and to get something back in return,
00:49:23I would highly consider it.
00:49:24And it seems like the Mets are highly considering it too, that they're ready to trade Kodai.
00:49:31This is one of the tougher ones for me.
00:49:36Kodai Senga has been, like you said, when you look at him on the field,
00:49:42when he is on the field, and I'm saying that's a big part of it here, Anthony,
00:49:48he's been one of the better Mets signings in their history in terms of his production
00:49:52when on the field.
00:49:54The problem is he's not always on the field.
00:49:56Let me – Anthony, let me throw a question back at you with this.
00:50:02Because it ties into something we were talking about earlier.
00:50:05If the Mets were to acquire an ace here, does that change how you feel about keeping this
00:50:12in the shopping cart or not?
00:50:14Like if they get an ace, would you be then more inclined to keep Kodai Senga rather than trade him?
00:50:22I don't know.
00:50:24They just have – they have so many people that are vying for those final spots.
00:50:29If it came to keeping him, keeping Peterson, keeping Minaya, that's where the problem comes in
00:50:36because not every one of these guys is going to be in the rotation even if they get an ace, right?
00:50:41Because it'll probably be whoever the ace is.
00:50:44It'll be Nolan McClain, and then I'm pretty sure Clay Holmes is going to be in the rotation.
00:50:49That's three.
00:50:49You got two more spots, maybe David Peterson unless they trade him,
00:50:52and then you're thinking Kodai Senga, Sean Minaya, and figure it out from then.
00:50:56You got the kids too in Sprout and Tong.
00:50:59So it's a really tough decision, but if I can find the taker for Kodai Senga
00:51:04and get something back in return, whether it's more relief pitching
00:51:09instead of having to sign a relief pitcher, maybe go that way.
00:51:12It's just – this is just a really tough situation, especially with – like we've talked about.
00:51:17It's kind of trickled down.
00:51:18We need to know who's going to be the ace of the staff,
00:51:20and if they make a trade for a starting pitcher,
00:51:22and then we can figure out how the rest of the rotation is going to pan out.
00:51:26It's because of that, and that's why I asked you this question.
00:51:28I think that's why I'm leaning to keep putting this on the shelf.
00:51:31Part of me wants to give him another season, but I also understand the trepidation around that.
00:51:39If I'm banking in the fact that we're going to check out and get an ace,
00:51:44that drops him down a little bit, but then you go into this good spot
00:51:49where it really comes down to two pitchers for one spot with him and Sean Minaya.
00:51:55Now, you mentioned this before.
00:51:56Sean Minaya is a little bit more suited to pitch out of the bullpen.
00:52:00He's done this before.
00:52:01That's how he got his career back on track.
00:52:04Kodai Senga, probably not.
00:52:07But I'm going to put this on the shelf.
00:52:11This is probably the first one we disagree on.
00:52:13I'm going to put it on the shelf because I'm going to bank on the Mets getting an ace
00:52:16and maybe doing some other things that takes the pressure off of Senga,
00:52:19and he is now a three or four starter, even though I think he has the upside of two stuff.
00:52:25And they can try with him for one more season.
00:52:31The problem with that, though, is I understand I just said that you'd be selling low if you move him now.
00:52:37The problem is, Anthony, what if it goes wrong?
00:52:40Right?
00:52:40What if it goes wrong and then he is in a situation where he's, I'm knocking on the desk here,
00:52:48but let's say he's injured in May.
00:52:53Not a season-ending injury, but something where he's out for six to eight weeks, right?
00:53:00And you only end up getting 18 starts out of him for the year.
00:53:07Now what do you do?
00:53:08Next holiday season, you and I are the same thing, and we're like, can you even trade Kodai Senga?
00:53:15Right?
00:53:16Because the value is so low.
00:53:18Sometimes you've got to know when to sell.
00:53:20It's tough.
00:53:21I've always liked this stuff.
00:53:24I'm just, maybe I'm being greedy here.
00:53:27Maybe I'm being foolish.
00:53:29Trying to get one more season out of him.
00:53:31I'm going to put this on the shelf.
00:53:33We'll see.
00:53:34I'm probably going to be wrong.
00:53:35Again, it's not my money.
00:53:38It's not my money.
00:53:39All right.
00:53:40Here's an interesting one with a young player that I'm so intrigued to hear what you have to say about this.
00:53:46We're going to get to the young pitchers in a second, people.
00:53:48Don't worry.
00:53:49We have not forgotten about them.
00:53:50But one of the young prospects that David Stearns talked about at the GM meetings and said it is possible this player could be on the Mets opening day roster, that is Carson Bench.
00:54:01And he could start in center field.
00:54:04So we put this here in the shopping cart, starting Carson Bench in center field.
00:54:09And the big question here, is the center field of the future who the Mets think that he is?
00:54:13Is he ready right now?
00:54:15Well, I'm going to say this, Anthony, before you answer.
00:54:16They need him to be the way they have holes in center field.
00:54:20They absolutely need him to be.
00:54:22So what are you saying?
00:54:24Are you keeping starting Carson Bench in center field?
00:54:26Are you keeping that in the cart?
00:54:27Or are you putting that on the shelf and going to get somebody else to start as a center fielder?
00:54:31Up until today, I had put him back on the shelf because I thought maybe he needs a little more seasoning down in AAA.
00:54:41Maybe he's just not ready yet.
00:54:43We've rushed a lot of prospects already before.
00:54:45But then during my show in the chat, John Sapinero, who's been on your show from Till Mets Do His Part, reiterated to me, which you had just mentioned, about how much David Stearns has talked about this guy.
00:54:59And I thought to myself, you know what?
00:55:01I don't remember any GMs really pumping up any players as much as I feel like David Stearns has done with Carson Bench.
00:55:10So I'm going to keep Carson Bench in the cart.
00:55:14And if he can start in center field, that is kind of like Brett Beatty, where you don't have to worry about signing another free agent to play the outfield.
00:55:24Maybe they only need one outfielder then when it comes to free agency.
00:55:30Or maybe they can rely their offense on, like we talked about earlier, bringing in a Kyle Schwarber and allowing Carson Bench to grow in the outfield.
00:55:37So I'm going to keep him in the cart, and that's in hoping and trusting that David Stearns has seen enough from Carson Bench that he has a terrific spring and he comes out the gate ready to be the starting center fielder when opening day comes.
00:55:54Okay.
00:55:54Shout out to John Sapinero, friend of the show, who we love from the Till Mets Do His Part podcast.
00:56:01Because, yeah, Stearns talking about him and when he did at the winter meetings was very eye-opening to me.
00:56:07Very, very eye-opening.
00:56:09That raised my eyebrows, and I was like, hmm, this is interesting.
00:56:13Now, here's the thing, and I don't have to tell you, Anthony, because you've been living your whole life watching this.
00:56:20Mets fans have seen time and time again highly touted prospects, particularly position players, not generally pitchers, position players.
00:56:29Talked up, basically, among the fan base, only to be let down.
00:56:35We can talk about Alex Ochoa.
00:56:38We can talk about Jay Payton.
00:56:41There's a list.
00:56:42We can go all the way down the list, up and down the list, right, of guys that haven't done it.
00:56:47But I'm not quite sure.
00:56:49I think Anthony makes a good point.
00:56:50I'm not quite sure, and so does John, that we've seen a GM or president of baseball operations talk about someone like this.
00:56:56And the fact they think that he could be ready for opening day, I say go for it.
00:57:01You know, one of the things that's good in baseball is if you can hit on young, relatively cheap talent.
00:57:07If you hit on that, that is huge for your development.
00:57:10And then if you can sign them and extend that, that is huge.
00:57:14I say do it, but this is with a caveat.
00:57:17I'm not putting him back on the shelf and keeping this in the cart.
00:57:21But this is all contingent upon the fact you've got to go get somebody else to help him in the outfield, particularly in the corner.
00:57:28You've got to get a corner outfielder, a left fielder that is going to be strong there so he has good support to play good center field between Soto and whoever will play in left.
00:57:36That is imperative to me.
00:57:38Absolutely imperative to me.
00:57:40But I'm here for this.
00:57:40If you think this guy is who you believe it is, believe he is, then go for it.
00:57:45Bring him up.
00:57:45And one of the things I have liked about what Stearns and company have done in the front office is, all right, let's bring up some of these kids.
00:57:52Let's see what they've got.
00:57:53I loved what they did with the pitching last year.
00:57:54So if I love that, why not do this here with Carson Bench?
00:57:57Now, Carson Bench has absolutely got to go and earn this.
00:58:00He's actually got to earn it in swing training.
00:58:04But that's the risk here.
00:58:06If you have him try to earn it and then he doesn't earn it, what do you do?
00:58:13What's your backup plan, right?
00:58:15Because I know a lot of you guys are not trying to see Tyrone Taylor and others out there in center field next year with a limited bat.
00:58:22What's your backup plan?
00:58:23Or are you going to be willing to let him work through some of those problems at the major league level?
00:58:29I think it's an interesting thing to look at, interesting thing to see.
00:58:32I'm inclined to keep this in the shopping cart, though, because the Mets seem to believe in this talent.
00:58:36So why not?
00:58:37Let's just hope he's not the next Jay Payton.
00:58:40That's all.
00:58:41Yeah.
00:58:41Who knows?
00:58:42We may be even being swerved here.
00:58:44Maybe they're just pumping him up to trade him for an ace starting pitcher.
00:58:47So we don't know.
00:58:48That's a great point.
00:58:50I generally like to call the offseason, the trade seasons in all these sports, it's lying season.
00:58:56And a lot of lies are being told out there through the media.
00:58:59We know this, Anthony.
00:59:01That's a fantastic point.
00:59:02He could just be hyped up to be included in a trade.
00:59:05And if so, David Stearns, salute.
00:59:08I see you.
00:59:09That's okay.
00:59:11But for now, I'm going to keep this in the cart.
00:59:14Okay.
00:59:14We've got a couple more things.
00:59:16This is a stocked shopping cart.
00:59:19Anthony and I, we put a lot of things into the cart.
00:59:21We ran into the store, just grabbed a whole bunch of stuff off the shelf, and we've got a couple more to go.
00:59:26Okay.
00:59:27Youth infielder plan.
00:59:29Now, we're talking about these players.
00:59:31We're talking about Brett Beatty.
00:59:32We're talking about Mark Vantos.
00:59:33We're talking about Luis Anahela, Acuna Jr., and we're talking about Ronnie Mauricio, right?
00:59:40That's a lot of young infielders here.
00:59:43The Mets have to sort this future core and figure out what they want to do with these guys.
00:59:49Are these guys part of the future or not?
00:59:51So, are you keeping these guys in the cart as being part of the future core, or are you putting them back on the shelf in terms of they could be involved in trades or whatnot to move on?
01:00:00Do you like this future core of young infielders?
01:00:04Can it be done individually?
01:00:06Absolutely.
01:00:06Can we keep?
01:00:07All right.
01:00:08So, Brett Beatty, I'm keeping in the cart.
01:00:12I think we're going to see what we can get out of him for this season at their base.
01:00:17Because Mark Vantos and Ronnie Mauricio, I think, are contingent on what happens with Pete Alonso.
01:00:25And since I'm keeping Pete Alonso in the cart, I am removing Vantos and Mauricio from the cart and trying to possibly trade them and making them part of a deal for some pitching or some, you know, relievers.
01:00:39Because Luis Angel Acuna, if we can trade Jeff McNeil, I think Luis Angel Acuna is the perfect defensive replacement and backup.
01:00:50I'm not saying that Jeff McNeil was a great defensive player, but there have been some sparks during this season with Luis Angel Acuna getting to some big outs for this team defensively.
01:01:00And I wouldn't mind keeping him on the bench and being one of those players.
01:01:04And he can play the outfield.
01:01:06We've seen him play the outfield, too.
01:01:07So, keeping Beatty, keeping Acuna in the cart, probably selling on Vantos and Mauricio.
01:01:14And, you know, you've even got to throw in Jet Williams.
01:01:16Where does he factor in when it comes to this Mets?
01:01:19Because he's another guy on the rise that could be a part of his infield.
01:01:23And maybe he gets traded as well because we have Simeon now.
01:01:27Yeah.
01:01:27It seems like a couple of these guys will be on the move.
01:01:30You and I have exactly the same players that I would keep in the cart and then move.
01:01:36I think Acuna Jr. is a fourth, fifth infielder on a good team.
01:01:44He's a good defensive player.
01:01:45He's a good utility guy.
01:01:47I think that's probably where he projects.
01:01:49The bat's not as strong.
01:01:51I'm intrigued to hear your reasons.
01:01:53Beatty, I think, has shown he can play defense.
01:01:56I've liked his resiliency.
01:01:58That has been impressive to me.
01:01:59And I still think there's another level for him to go with the bat.
01:02:02They've got to prove it again over a full season.
01:02:05But I do like that with him.
01:02:06As far as Vientos and Mauricio, the reasons I would let both of those guys go,
01:02:10Vientos just has been inconsistent.
01:02:12And unlike Alvarez, who went down last year and the Mets that ran out of options
01:02:19and couldn't send Vientos down, obviously,
01:02:21Alvarez showed me fight coming back to where I felt really good about him.
01:02:25I don't feel the same about Mark Vientos going into 2026.
01:02:30Ronnie Mauricio, and I'm intrigued here to hear about Vientos and Mauricio, Anthony.
01:02:37Ronnie Mauricio has fantastic bat speed.
01:02:42But bat speed is amazing.
01:02:45But the plate discipline is not.
01:02:48Now, I know somebody's going to be watching or listening to this in St. Dex.
01:02:51He is tearing the cover off the ball in a Venezuelan winter league.
01:02:55And I've seen that and I've read all that.
01:02:58But that's the Venezuelan winter league.
01:03:00We've got to see what he does at the major league level.
01:03:04I'm not sure he's got the discipline.
01:03:06I don't know if the Mets have time to wait on that particularly.
01:03:09So I'm out on that too.
01:03:11But why are you putting Mauricio and Vientos back on the shelf, Anthony?
01:03:16I'll also say, you know, Luis Sanjel Acuna, he's tearing it up in the winter league as well.
01:03:22And we're not going to see that offense when he plays for the Mets.
01:03:24You know, it's a totally different league, a totally different situation.
01:03:29For Mauricio, for me, where does he play?
01:03:34Where is he going to play?
01:03:35He's not going to start, right?
01:03:37If Alonzo returns, that's another spot blocked, right?
01:03:41He's not going to play first base.
01:03:42Alonzo, Simeon, Lindor are part of the infield.
01:03:45Is he going to take the job from Brett Beatty?
01:03:48And Brett Beatty right now has proven that he can play multiple positions where he plays a good third base
01:03:55and he can play a good second base as well and probably play the outfield.
01:04:02I think a thing about Mauricio to me as well, and I think we talked about this during the season.
01:04:08There were some times during games, especially when the Mets were struggling, where he kind of, I don't know if the term is zoned out
01:04:18or just wasn't 100% in the game where he gets caught off a third base or he gets caught in a run.
01:04:27Like, he just didn't seem all in in his time playing, even especially when they took time away from him.
01:04:34So, I don't know where his head's at right now, and there's also just not enough space for Mauricio.
01:04:40Vientos, outside of being the DH, what do you do with him?
01:04:46I mean, that's, again, we've kept Alonzo in the cart, so us keeping Alonzo in the cart means that we think that he's going to return.
01:04:53And, outside of being the DH, there's nowhere to put Mark Vientos right now.
01:04:57He's not going to play third, right? He struggled there.
01:04:59You're not going to put him in the outfield.
01:05:01And, you know, maybe he spells some time for Pete Alonzo,
01:05:06but this is a guy that I think needs to play consistently to get on track
01:05:13and to get on a hitting streak and stuff like that.
01:05:16I just, there's probably no room for Vientos either.
01:05:20Yeah.
01:05:21That's just me.
01:05:22No, no, no, I agree.
01:05:23I think we're all saying this, it becomes a, it's not even just like what you like in these players.
01:05:29At some point, we have all these young guys, and you're trying to win and be a win-now team like the Mets are.
01:05:34This becomes a numbers game, and there just isn't enough roster spots, right?
01:05:37And so, some of these young guys are going to have to go.
01:05:40I think David Stearns recognizes this.
01:05:43Are there players, you know, could Vientos be attractive to a team looking for a DH,
01:05:48just particularly if Pete Alonzo comes back?
01:05:50Sure.
01:05:52Is somebody who thinks it could tap into Mauricio's talent offensively?
01:05:56Yes.
01:05:56I think you made a great point about certain times during the season where he had lapses mentally, it seemed like.
01:06:04And also, if you really look at it, he didn't play a lot down the stretch,
01:06:08which I think told you about what Carlos Mendoza and the organization maybe thought about those lapses.
01:06:12He was on the roster, but he did not play a lot down the stretch in September.
01:06:16So, I found that interesting.
01:06:19Yeah, I'm with you.
01:06:20Beatty and Acuna, I'm keeping them in the cart.
01:06:25Vientos and Mauricio, yeah, back on the shelf.
01:06:29Good luck with that.
01:06:30All right, a couple more here.
01:06:31Let's talk about the young arms.
01:06:34And we're talking about Nolan McClain.
01:06:35We're talking about Brandon Sprout.
01:06:37We're talking about Jonah Tong.
01:06:38We talked a lot about them on this show.
01:06:40We have dove into the stats.
01:06:42My producer, Erica Block, was doing a lot of stuff.
01:06:45We talked a lot about those young arms and how we thought they should get a chance to pitch.
01:06:50And we got to see that down the stretch.
01:06:52But here's the thing.
01:06:54Are you keeping them in the cart so you can check out and have them as part of this rotation's future?
01:07:01Or do you see them as trade chips and you're putting them back on the shelf so you can go elsewhere?
01:07:06Now, for this, we're going to do this just like the last one, individually, okay?
01:07:11There might be a pitcher you like and you want to keep in the cart.
01:07:13There might be a pitcher you want to put back on the shelf.
01:07:15What are you doing with developing these young arms?
01:07:18Who stays?
01:07:19Who goes?
01:07:20Yeah, Nolan McClain stays in the cart.
01:07:23I might have to fight someone if they try to grab him out of my cart.
01:07:27He's definitely staying.
01:07:28Violence for Anthony on the holiday show.
01:07:29Yeah, he ain't touching.
01:07:31It's like the TV.
01:07:32He ain't touching Nolan McClain.
01:07:33We ain't moving him around.
01:07:34So we're keeping Nolan McClain here.
01:07:36Not promoting violence, but we're keeping Nolan McClain in the cart.
01:07:40It's obviously we can't move on from him for sure.
01:07:43He's going to be, you know, probably will be our ace at some point in the next couple of years.
01:07:48Brandon Sprout and Jonah Tong in the right move.
01:07:53I would trade them.
01:07:55And that's probably Derek's Tariq Skruble and probably Tariq Skruble only.
01:07:59Outside of that, I would like to hold on to and develop these guys because as we've seen, look at how expensive pitching costs right now.
01:08:10It's very expensive.
01:08:12Dylan Cease, who didn't have a great year, got $210 million.
01:08:16You want to develop as much starting pitching as possible and then get into free agency looking for position players that will play every day.
01:08:24But if I'm to trade one of them, that one would go out of the three, it would probably be Brandon Sprout.
01:08:31I would like to hold on to Jonah Tong a little longer.
01:08:33But like I said, I'm only trading both of them for Tariq Skruble.
01:08:38That's the only answer and nothing else.
01:08:41Not even Freddy Peralta or Sandy Alcantara.
01:08:44That would be like one of those guys in those deals.
01:08:46But like I said, I'd like to hold on to them and develop them for the fact that if you develop homegrown pitching,
01:08:53trying to pay for these guys is going to be a whole lot easier than getting some of these pre-agent pitchers that are not even that good.
01:09:00So let's hold on to this group of pitchers right now.
01:09:05Yeah.
01:09:05In short, I'm keeping all these guys on the shelf.
01:09:08However, I'm with you.
01:09:10If you can – excuse me.
01:09:12I've been on this train.
01:09:13If you can go get Tariq Skruble, you trade two of these three.
01:09:18You try to hold on to McClain.
01:09:20I know this is going to sound crazy.
01:09:22You might even think about trading McClain if you can get Tariq Skruble.
01:09:25He's that good that you might do that.
01:09:27But the rest of everybody, I'd love to keep him on the shelves.
01:09:30Now, I am not personally a prospect hugger.
01:09:33I think sometimes at some point you got to – to get something like an ace, you got to go out and do something.
01:09:39However, and this has been the Mets' philosophy and this has been David Stern's philosophy,
01:09:44he's willing to pay for elite-level talent in terms of pitching in their prime.
01:09:50But the Mets have also talked about, which Anthony was just saying, which is they would like to be sort of the Dodgers East.
01:10:00They want this sustainable success over a long period of time.
01:10:04Well, how do you do that?
01:10:05You need cheap young talent to hit.
01:10:08And when I say hit, I mean hit as hitting on your picks and your draft picks and your development.
01:10:14But you really need that also in terms of pitching because of how expensive pitching is, good pitching is.
01:10:20We're not even talking about elite ace pitching.
01:10:22We're just talking about good pitching.
01:10:25Good pitching costs a lot.
01:10:26Like Dylan Cease just got himself a bag.
01:10:29And he's not Tariq Skruble.
01:10:30Now, do I know if any of these three will be as good as Tariq Skruble?
01:10:36No idea.
01:10:38Don't even know if they'll even be as good as Dylan Cease.
01:10:40We don't know.
01:10:41I think Nolan McClain has a chance, but you got to see.
01:10:44So for right now, I keep these three on the shelf with the caveat of if Tariq Skruble comes available
01:10:50and the Tigers come knocking and they want two out of three or all three, you got to do it.
01:10:55You just have to.
01:10:57So keep them on the shelf, but the right person comes and makes a good offer, yeah, they're coming off that shelf.
01:11:06It's not even that deep for me.
01:11:08Pretty easy here.
01:11:11All right, last thing.
01:11:13And I know some people, we looked in the store, you know, we spent big.
01:11:18We had some high-priced items we grabbed off the shelf, some high-priced items internally we put in the cart.
01:11:24But sometimes you got to go some bargain basement shopping.
01:11:28Sometimes you got to do that.
01:11:29Sometimes you got to go for the cheap buy.
01:11:31Sometimes you got to find a Clay Holmes and get something out of him, right?
01:11:36You want to find it.
01:11:37It's not the sexy names, not the names that everybody is, you know, dying to go about, but, you know, there's some names out here.
01:11:45You and I talked about this a little bit before.
01:11:46You know, you've got Quique Hernandez, you've got Josh Bell, Wilmer Flores is another name.
01:11:54These are names we're talking about that can provide depth, maybe fill some needs for the Mets, low-cost depth.
01:12:01What are you doing this?
01:12:02Are you in for the bargain basement group, or are you keeping them on the shelf?
01:12:06I'm in for the bargain basement group.
01:12:11Obviously, it's that five-below clearance aisle type moves here.
01:12:16And I don't even know if Quique Hernandez is probably going to get some good money here.
01:12:20But Stearns has talked about putting a winning product on this field, doing that with Marcus Simeon, who is a winner, right?
01:12:28He's got a world championship.
01:12:29Why not bring in a guy like Quique Hernandez, who can probably replace a Jeff McNeil when it comes to being that utility guy?
01:12:39And this is a guy that goes to the postseason, is a postseason performer on top of that, and he wins World Series.
01:12:47Why not bring another one of those type of guys in there?
01:12:49He's got a great personality.
01:12:50He'll fit right in.
01:12:52I think that that Quique Hernandez is a guy that the Mets should consider for that bench and to be one of those utility type players.
01:13:00I love Quique Hernandez as a choice for the Mets.
01:13:04I, too, am like you.
01:13:05I almost feel like I'm being a little disrespectful to him and calling him a bargain basement guy.
01:13:10But he's not going to evoke the same emotion.
01:13:17And I think this is why we put him in this category, right?
01:13:19And when you talk about a Kyle Schwarber.
01:13:21He's not a big ticket item.
01:13:22No, he's not a big ticket item.
01:13:24But I think he's a winner.
01:13:25He's a guy who can, you know, really help a team.
01:13:30And he's one.
01:13:30Look, I get it.
01:13:32He's not a spring chicken either.
01:13:33I'm not calling him old.
01:13:34He's in his mid-30s.
01:13:35He's 34 years old.
01:13:36But I think he's a guy that it wouldn't cost a lot for the Mets to get him.
01:13:41And he's a utility guy.
01:13:43But I think he could help fill a lot of needs for the Mets and really fit into what they need in that clubhouse.
01:13:50If you believe in chemistry and leadership, and I think chemistry is huge in terms of sports and it's hard to build, especially in a sport like baseball.
01:14:01You got to get some good clubhouse guys that know how to win to support the stars on this team, whether it's Francisco Lindor, whether it's Juan Soto, whether it's Pete Alonzo, if he's back.
01:14:12You need that kind of support on the team.
01:14:16So I think not just getting bargain basement guys, but the right bargain basement guys, guys that maybe have a fire.
01:14:23And that's why even I threw a guy who's played here before on the list, like a Wilmer Flores, is a guy who can come in and, you know, knows how to play the game.
01:14:31And if you need him in a pinch or somebody's injured or he needs to fill in for a couple of weeks, it's a guy you can trust.
01:14:37So for me, yeah, you got to keep this on the shelf because to win in sports, you got to win on the margins.
01:14:44You got to hit on the bargain basement guys.
01:14:47No disrespect to those guys.
01:14:48You got to hit on the guys that aren't the, you know, superstar names or the sexy star names that don't evoke a lot of emotion because you got to hit on those guys.
01:14:57Because you know what?
01:14:58When those guys come through, that'll bring a lot of emotion.
01:15:01The Mets could have used a couple more of those guys this past year.
01:15:05So we'll see.
01:15:05So, yeah, keep the bargain basement guys in the cart.
01:15:10There's nothing wrong with shopping in the bargain basement aisle.
01:15:12You just don't want to get burned like, I guess, Frankie Montas was a bargain basement guy.
01:15:18And that didn't work out so well.
01:15:20So that's the way.
01:15:22You just don't want to get burned like that.
01:15:24But when you have Steve Cohen's pockets, what's $17 million a year?
01:15:29Again, it's not my money.
01:15:32Yeah, and these guys are not going to be the main moves of this offseason because the Mets have a lot of them to do.
01:15:38But to add a Kike Hernandez, who's a utility guy, you're replacing a Jeff McNeil and the lack of production there.
01:15:46You're putting in a guy like Kike, a winner, a postseason player, a champion.
01:15:52You know, you even talk about, you know, guys like Wilmer Flores who can possibly DH some days, can play first base.
01:15:58Josh Bell, same thing.
01:16:00Ref Snyder in the outfield.
01:16:01You mentioned Ponce as well coming out of relief.
01:16:05That's something that David Stearns loves, right?
01:16:07Like he loves getting these kind of pitchers in relief and bringing them on.
01:16:12So I can see stuff like this happening.
01:16:15That's where David Stearns' wheelhouse is, is getting these kind of – and like when we say bargain, you know, there's something to that.
01:16:25But these are type of moves that, you know, help out the bench, help out the bullpen, stuff that the Mets need because you want to be able to spell a Francisco Lindor, Marcus Simeon when they need a day, or a Pete Alonzo when he needs a day.
01:16:40If there's an injury, you want these type of guys on the roster that can help this team out and even help with the young guys as well.
01:16:47Yeah, and Cody Ponce was another player that I forgot to mention too, you know, pitched well in Korea last year.
01:16:55And so he's going to be looked at.
01:16:56We've seen some guys, some pitchers, bounce back, coming back over from Korea.
01:17:01Can you hit on a guy like that?
01:17:03Look, there's some risk sometimes with the bargain basement guys.
01:17:07We just got to keep it a buck.
01:17:09There's a risk sometimes.
01:17:10But if you hit, it can be really good.
01:17:13And you make a great point.
01:17:14I can't just throw out Frankie Montas and not say that, you know, David Stearns hasn't hit with other guys because he did it with Klay Holmes.
01:17:24He did it with Sean Minaya the year before.
01:17:27So he did it with Luis Severino.
01:17:29Jose Iglesias, right?
01:17:30So we've seen him hit on that.
01:17:33And we saw a guy like a Jose Iglesias.
01:17:35Just his leadership and his energy, what that meant for the team.
01:17:39Is he the most talented player?
01:17:40No.
01:17:41But there was something to his leadership and his energy.
01:17:43And Quique Hernandez kind of is in that realm for me of a guy who can just play multiple positions, can play outfields, can play second, can play short.
01:17:51Like, he's a guy who could do a lot for your team and is very valuable and a proven postseason performer, which is probably the most valuable thing you can say with him.
01:18:01So, yeah, I like it.
01:18:03All right.
01:18:03We've gone through everything in the shopping cart.
01:18:05Everything we've gone through in the shopping cart.
01:18:07So now, Anthony, we've got to make some decisions, man.
01:18:11We've got to make some decisions.
01:18:12Like, you and I, there's a couple we were split on.
01:18:16I was taking notes on our list here.
01:18:18But I guess, let me put it like this.
01:18:21If there's three things that you've got to keep out of what you want to keep in the shopping cart that you're going to take to the checkout, you can only take three.
01:18:28And I can only take three.
01:18:29What are the three that you are taking for sure to the checkout?
01:18:36Oh, boy.
01:18:37That is very, very tough.
01:18:39You know what?
01:18:40Definitely.
01:18:41You know what?
01:18:41I'm going to give you a little bit more.
01:18:43Because I feel like three, we went through 15 things.
01:18:45Three is a little.
01:18:46Like, that makes you feel like you didn't go home with enough.
01:18:49Let's go with five.
01:18:50You get to keep five things you got.
01:18:52Five is a little more fair.
01:18:53Let's go with five.
01:18:54All right.
01:18:55Now we're talking.
01:18:57Definitely Pete Alonzo, Edwin Diaz.
01:18:59Those are the first two.
01:19:01Trading for an ace.
01:19:03We're at three now.
01:19:05Outfield upgrade.
01:19:07That is number four.
01:19:09And then, hmm.
01:19:14I am going to go with a big bat at addition.
01:19:22I knew you were going with that.
01:19:24It's torn because I really wanted to say bullpen.
01:19:27But I feel like with the guys that we have already and Edwin Diaz, that David Stearns
01:19:35can figure out a way to bring in, like, maybe they bring in a Ponce, something like that.
01:19:39I figured they can figure this out without having to make so many bulk moves.
01:19:43But the big bat addition, I think, would help out huge on top of bringing back Pete Alonzo.
01:19:50So I'm going to go big bat addition.
01:19:52I'm going outfield upgrade.
01:19:55Trade for an ace.
01:19:57And then re-signing both Pete Alonzo and Edwin Diaz.
01:20:00I like that.
01:20:00Okay.
01:20:01You checked out nicely.
01:20:02Okay.
01:20:03I'm going to go with re-sign Pete Alonzo, re-sign Edwin Diaz.
01:20:08I think you've got to do those.
01:20:09It'll have the fan base for everybody happy.
01:20:11You've got to get that done.
01:20:12Trade for an ace.
01:20:13This is very high for me.
01:20:14Got to trade for an ace.
01:20:15You have to upgrade this rotation somehow.
01:20:20I'm going to go outfield upgrade, too.
01:20:22So our first four, I have exactly the same.
01:20:24You've got to upgrade the outfield, especially now with Nimmo gone.
01:20:27You've got to take this to the checkout.
01:20:30I'm very confident they're going to figure out a way to rebuild the bullpen.
01:20:34And it wouldn't shock me if they get another bat.
01:20:40So I'm going to go with my fifth one, which might be a surprise to people.
01:20:45But I think it's something that could invigorate, excite the fan base a little bit, especially if this comes to be true.
01:20:54My fifth one is going to be start Carson Bench in center field.
01:20:56Take that to the checkout.
01:20:59Believe in this kid.
01:21:00Empower him.
01:21:01Give him the tools to succeed.
01:21:03Get some young infusion of talent.
01:21:05When have you had this in a while as a Mets fan with a young kid coming in at a position to play and see if he can do it?
01:21:11It's been a while.
01:21:12Let's go with that.
01:21:14I think it would be exciting for the fan base.
01:21:15It's not sexy.
01:21:16It's not splashy.
01:21:17But let's do it.
01:21:19Start Carson Bench in center field.
01:21:20So four out of our five things were the same.
01:21:23Alonzo was the last one to do that, to come out of spring training and be the one to invigorate that team in 2019.
01:21:34I know they missed the playoffs, but he was a huge part of the turnaround that that happened that season.
01:21:39So maybe Carson Bench can provide that.
01:21:41And that would be very helpful if he can, because now that's one less position player and bat that they have to add in the offseason.
01:21:48And I think that could be huge for them, because if that happens, that then helps some of the other things that we're talking about,
01:21:54which is upgrading the bullpen, maybe putting the money, like you said, to get another bat that can help this lineup in another place.
01:22:00Maybe you can use that to go get a Carl Schwarber.
01:22:02If that's part of the plan, I would feel really good.
01:22:05So you can see how Anthony and our choices can still connect together and be really good.
01:22:10Anthony, man, it was fun shopping with you.
01:22:12We didn't have to fight anybody.
01:22:13You know, we didn't have to worry about anything.
01:22:16You know, we made some good choices, I think.
01:22:19We'll see.
01:22:20It's going to be a very interesting offseason.
01:22:22I know you're excited.
01:22:22The winter meetings, they're coming up next week.
01:22:25Let me ask you this.
01:22:26How anxious are you, slash nervous, for the Mets to get some things done soon through the winter meetings
01:22:34so you don't have to wait around as we get closer to, you know, Hanukkah, Christmas holidays?
01:22:38How nervous are you about that, that, look, they need to get something done soon?
01:22:47I'm not as nervous as David Stearns should be.
01:22:50I feel like David Stearns needs to be more nervous than me.
01:22:54But I'll say this, and I think I predicted it this morning on the show,
01:22:57that we will get at least one big signing coming out of the winter meetings.
01:23:02I think, though, I don't know what it is.
01:23:04I'm not going to say that I have sources or anything like that.
01:23:07But I think the Mets will get one big move done, whether it's re-sign Pete, re-sign Edwin,
01:23:13or get an outfielder or a big bat.
01:23:16I think that that gets done at the winter meetings.
01:23:19All right.
01:23:20I hope so.
01:23:21That would be really fun.
01:23:23Anthony will be on top of it.
01:23:24I will be on top of it.
01:23:25Please check Anthony out and his fantastic Mets podcast, the Subway to Shea podcast,
01:23:30one of the best in the game.
01:23:31My guy Anthony Rivera talking on there, bringing you a lot of great Mets content.
01:23:34He's been doing that throughout the offseason.
01:23:36He will be joining me a lot more on Straight Out of Flushing here through the offseason.
01:23:40Ant, always appreciate you, man.
01:23:42This was fun because we didn't get to do a Thanksgiving episode we had planned.
01:23:45So, you know, we had to, with the shopping now and everybody spending now with the holidays here,
01:23:50it was good to do this and make our own shopping cart and talk about some decisions.
01:23:54And we hope the Mets fans out there enjoyed it.
01:23:56But I appreciate you coming on with me, man.
01:23:58Thank you so much.
01:23:58Dexter, it's always fun.
01:24:01And now I have a new friend to go, you know, Black Friday shopping and Cyber Monday shopping.
01:24:05You're not getting me to do Black Friday shopping.
01:24:07I'm telling you that.
01:24:09Cyber Monday, maybe.
01:24:10Black Friday shopping.
01:24:11No, it's not happening.
01:24:12Because, see, this is nice and calm, Anthony.
01:24:15We got to make decisions together.
01:24:18You can't do that in the store.
01:24:19You talked about you got to worry about the threat of violence.
01:24:21People trying to snatch things.
01:24:22No, no, nope.
01:24:24Dexter's not doing that.
01:24:26We're good.
01:24:27But thank you, man.
01:24:27This was so good.
01:24:29Once again, everybody, that is Anthony Rivera.
01:24:31I'm Dexter Henry.
01:24:32We'll catch you next time on Straight Outta Flushing.
01:24:34We'll catch you next time on Straight Outta Flushing.
Be the first to comment
Add your comment

Recommended

Mets have A LOT of work to do this offseason | The Show
New York Post
4 weeks ago
Do the Mets Need More Star POWER? | Straight Outta Flushing
New York Post
4 hours ago
Melania Trump, Usha Vance, and Cheryl Hines make care packages for military families
New York Post
1 hour ago
Mets should be BOLD and trade for a reliever at the top of the market | The Show
New York Post
5 weeks ago
Mets skid is moving from concern to panic | The Show
New York Post
5 weeks ago
Who Stays, Who Goes, What's Next for the Mets? | Straight Outta Flushing
New York Post
5 weeks ago
Pete Alonso's Price Tag: How Far Should The Mets Go? | Straight Outta Flushing
New York Post
5 weeks ago
What changes should the Mets make if they do miss the playoffs? | The Show
New York Post
5 weeks ago
Yankees, Mets showed New Yorkers it's time to focus on football season | NY Sports Minute
New York Post
5 weeks ago
Yankees, Mets don't resemble playoff-caliber clubs | Morning Take
New York Post
5 weeks ago
Why Mets skid is more concerning than Yankees | The Show
New York Post
5 weeks ago
Three BOLD offseason moves the Mets should make! | Straight Outta Flushing
New York Post
3 weeks ago
What's really going wrong for the Yankees right now
New York Post
5 weeks ago
Mets need a Subway Series win more than the Yankees | Morning Take
New York Post
5 weeks ago
Mets just might have championship DNA after all | Morning Take
New York Post
5 weeks ago
Why Tarik Skubal Is the Move the Mets Have to Make | Straight Outta Flushing
New York Post
4 weeks ago
New York Mets Struggle: More Than a Slump? In-Depth Analysis
SportsGrid
5 months ago
OTD: Clemens THROWS BAT at Piazza in World Series chaos
New York Post
5 weeks ago
Yankees & Mets have key decisions to make with free agent relievers | The Show
New York Post
5 weeks ago
Mets' youth may turn their underwhelming season around!
New York Post
5 weeks ago
Mets inch closer to playoffs + Yankees' elite one-two punch
New York Post
5 weeks ago
Mets pay "very heavy price" for Tyler Rogers, the setup man they've been looking for
New York Post
5 weeks ago
Jon Heyman's GM Meetings Report: How will Mets improve their pitching? | The Show
New York Post
3 weeks ago
Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo Discusses What The Mets Need To Do This Offseason | The Show Ep. 178
New York Post
2 weeks ago
Drone Footage Reveals Massive Destruction As Indonesia Flood Death Toll Climbs To 604 | APT
APT
15 hours ago