Fan_since_Boggs

If the Red Sox needed a starting catcher, trading one year of Porcello (and eliminating his 20 mil dollar contract) for a cost-controlled catcher with starting ability would make perfect sense.

While I couldn't find Eric Van's defense of Brian Johnson, he had the following to say about Swihart. He believes the Red Sox will keep Swihart and will move Sandy Leon. I would trade Swihart over Leon, but I want a top prospect back for him. If I can't get that on the trade market, I would trade Leon instead. Due to the fact that Wheeler is signed for only one year, a Swihart and B.Johnson for Wheeler trade would make sense for the Mets. It would make less sense for the Red Sox unless they can extend Wheeler's contract beyond this season.

The weird thing about the Rays is that their TV viewership remains high and so while the market appears to be depressed due to attendance, it isn't a terrible market in terms of TV ratings. It wouldn't make sense for the Rays to move out of the area, not with such high TV ratings. They need to build a new stadium. Although, even with a new stadium, the attendance numbers will probably never be all that great. Too many old people in that area perhaps?

Bad move by Cashman--he has always had problems putting together a championship caliber rotation. He needed to sign Corbin. What a blown opportunity. Yeah I know that Corbin was very expensive but that is the market cost for a #2 starter.

I guess you guys didn't read Eric Van's posts (on soxprospects) in which he argued that B.Johnson was a middle-of-the rotation starter. I went back to look for his posts on this topic, but couldn't find them. I don't remember his arguments, but I do remember his arguments convinced me. LOL. Teams that are looking for rotation depth and a potential starting catcher should have interest in Brian Johnson and B.Swihart. They are cheap, under team control for a few more years, and could develop into useful contributors. The Red Sox don't have room for them. As such, I would like to see Dombrowski trade Johnson and Swihart for something useful like a quality Doiuble A prospect (CF would be nice). I suppose Dombrowski could shop them for a cost-controlled relief pitcher, but there are so many relief pitchers on the market. I would rather spend some money on relief pitching and deal Swihart and Johnson for a prospect. Moreover, Lakins is guy who could make a big contribution to the bullpen in 2019. The Red Sox could hold on to Johnson for another year but with depth like Velazquez and Shawaryn, he isn't needed. And it is pretty clear that the Red Sox prefer defensive catchers over Swihart, a guy with a better bat.

In trading Johnson and Swihart for Wheeler, the Mets would be gaining players with years of control. In contrast, the Mets would be trading away a pitcher with only one year of control. If you think Johnson can perform as a middle of the rotation starter (as some people think) the deal is more than fair for the Mets, not to mention what Swihart could do as an everyday player. At the end of the day Swihart and Johnson's WAR over multiple seasons will likely surpass one year of Wheeler's WAR.

The Mets have talked to the Red Sox about their catchers: https://metsmerizedonline.com/2018/12/mets-speaking-to-red-sox-about-catchers-realmuto-still-top-target.html/ How about B.Swihart and B.Johnson to the Mets for Z.Wheeler. In turn, the Red Sox extend Wheeler and trade Porcello for a top prospect.

Wheeler would be a more reasonable pitcher to include in the deal. You just know this deal will be ugly for the Mets no matter what happens. The Mets aren't moving forward. In the best scenario, the Mets move sideways; and in the worst scenario (the Cano trade), the Mets move backwards.

My proposal: Swihart, B.Johnson, and another player to the Mets for Noah Syndergaard. That "another player" would need to be pretty good, can't seem to find the right match to include in the trade.

That wouldn't be enough for the Mets or Marlins. I would think that Andujar would need to be involved in the trade.

I'm high on Corbin, his peripherals are stunning. He was a bit of a late bloomer but I think he will be a #2 (not quite an ace but better than a middle of the rotation starter) for a few years. By not going all out for Corbin, I'm inclined to think that the Yankees plan to spend big on Machado.

Not sure about that. I read somewhere (was it Jackson on this forum?) that the Yankees looked into Grienke a few years ago and decided he wasn't a good fit for New York, not the right market for his personality.

Big mistake by the Yankees--they need Corbin. I doubt they can sign Eovaldi, not after Cashman dumped him when he needed TJ Surgery. Maybe the Yankees will sign Manny Machado and trade Andujar for a SP. That might be their best strategy now that Corbin is gone.

I wonder where Greinke will end up. I'm glad the Cardinals ended up with Goldschmidt over the Astros.

Crappy job by Fangraphs on this trade: https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/mariners-mets-choose-opposite-paths/ I miss Dave Cameron. He would have taken (and defended) a position on the trade.

They should have been able to complete the Mariners deal without giving up a stud prospect like Kelenic. In turn, they could have used Kelenic to acquire an upgrade to the offense. The Mets are going to be a disaster--it'll be interesting to watch it all crash and burn. The manager will probably be the first to go. Let's see how long Van Wagenen sticks around until he is fired. Maybe 3 years? The organization will be a complete train wreck by then.

I was watching Baseball Night in New York, a nightly show that focuses on the two New York teams. A front office executive told one of the Mets beat writers that there was only one team in MLB who would have made that Cano trade. I think that is a fair and true assessment of things and tells us just how awful (and backwards) the Mets front office is.

I have the Mariners kicking in 54 million: 20 million in cash, plus 34 million for Bruce and Swarzak's contracts. 36 year old Cano is owed 120 million over the next 5 years. Thus, the Mets will pay Cano 66 million over 5 years or around 13 million each year. You might as well sign a closer for less money and keep the prospects. You can sign David Robertson for considerably less than 66 million.

Buster Olney raised this question: The answer, of course, should be no, but the Mets are a lost organization. The Mets would be better off signing David Robertson or Z.Britton, avoid Cano, and keep the prospects. In turn, the Mets could use Kelenic as a piece to upgrade the offense with a hitter who isn't 36 years old and coming off a PED suspension.

Dombrowski is a great evaluator of talent and that is why I'm so optimistic about the future of the Red Sox farm system. I'm predicting the emergence of some high end prospects including Groome, Dalbec, Casas, Houck, Feltman, and Flores.

Mets fans hate this deal, some entertaining reading on a popular Mets forum: http://www.metsrefugees.com/forum/showthread.php?t=134848&page=66 If the Red Sox were run like the Mets, I wouldn't give up on the Red Sox but I would definitely be a less active fan & pay less attention. I paid less attention to the Red Sox in the 1990s, just felt like they were going nowhere that decade and I didn't like how they were being run. Everything changed in the early 2000s when I read an article about Bill James being brought in as an advisor. I also liked Theo. I started to pay close attention to the Red Sox again and have ever since. Red Sox fans are lucky right now--John Henry is a great owner. If you get stuck with lousy ownership (like the Mets) the fans suffer. The Mets front office had a choice here, they could eat more of the money and save the prospects or they could include two prospects (one of which is a stud) and force the Mariners to eat some of the money while taking on the Mets bad contracts. The Red Sox would do the former; the Mets are doing the latter and most Mets fans can see it for what it is.

I think J.Kelenic and Dunn would be a good enough package for Diaz. That would be a high end package IMO. Just thinking about what the Yankees got for A.Miller: Sheffield and Frazier. I think Kelenic and Dunn are a better package of young talent than Sheffield and Frazier. Kelenic has special upside. This deal doesn't make sense for the Mets. If Kelenic and Dunn are worth Diaz, why should the Mets take on a 36 year old Cano with one of the worst contracts in baseball? Sure, J.Bruce pretty much sucks, but the money on Cano's contract is worse, not to mention the PED issue as well. But if I'm the Mets, I wouldn't trade Kelenic and Dunn for Diaz straight up. There are too many closers available in free agency at this juncture. Moreover, while Dunn doesn't profile as a top of the rotation starter, there is a good chance that he could be moved to the bullpen and develop into an excellent bullpen piece. Assuming this deal goes down, it will be so obvious that the Mets hired a GM who isn't qualified for he job.

It sounds like Kelenic and Dunn are included in the trade, the Mets 3rd and 4th best prospects, and Kelenic is a guy who could easily turn into one of the best prospects in the game in a few years. If the reports are true and this deal goes through, the Mets are such a train wreck. Clearly, they hired a guy who was never qualified to be GM. At some point, for the good of Mets baseball, the commissioner should step in and find new owners for the Mets. The Mets had the opportunity to hire the second-in-charge of the Rays and passed on him for former agent Van Wagenen. What kind of miserable organization hires a former agent to be a GM anyway?

According to rumors, Cano might be headed to the Mets. True, the Mets might be able to get E.Diaz out of it, but there is talk the Mets will include Kelenic in the deal. Can they really be that stupid? I hope not.

Bruce Hurst.