NFT - Major League Baseball 2023

[DaveBrown74]

Interesting year for NY baseball.

Disastrous Mets season, but they're doing the right thing in being aggressive sellers. The two kids they got back for D-Rob are years away from MLB, but Acuna is a big time prospect and could be on the team next year. Scherzer is shot in my opinion - he is still capable of putting together solid starts here and there, but he is no longer an ace, and you worry about his ability to be effective in Sep/Oct after pitching all year. So I like what they're doing here, despite being unhappy about the season. BTW I think this is all Steve Cohen and Eppeler is on his way out. He has been a train wreck of a GM. Given the resources he was given, it's hard to be this bad.

The Yankees were reeling but getting Judge back is huge for them. I won't be surprised if his coming back leads other struggling hitters on the team to start hitting better. His presence is huge.

[nb587]

Interesting year for NY baseball.

Disastrous Mets season, but they're doing the right thing in being aggressive sellers. The two kids they got back for D-Rob are years away from MLB, but Acuna is a big time prospect and could be on the team next year. Scherzer is shot in my opinion - he is still capable of putting together solid starts here and there, but he is no longer an ace, and you worry about his ability to be effective in Sep/Oct after pitching all year. So I like what they're doing here, despite being unhappy about the season. BTW I think this is all Steve Cohen and Eppeler is on his way out. He has been a train wreck of a GM. Given the resources he was given, it's hard to be this bad.

The Yankees were reeling but getting Judge back is huge for them. I won't be surprised if his coming back leads other struggling hitters on the team to start hitting better. His presence is huge.

I agree about the Mets.  The season was essentially lost when Diaz went down and the hitting didn't step up consistently.  Scherzer (and deGron) was supposed to win the big games.  As I recall, he (they) didnt step up late last year.  When Marte went down last year, the hitting suffered. He looks shot this year and the hitting went down. Not a fan of Eppler but I agree with the 2 trades and would look to move Verlander and other veterans too.  Once the season is over, I'd look to bring in versions of Schoen and Daboll.  They need to get younger on and off the field

[DaveBrown74]

I agree about the Mets.  The season was essentially lost when Diaz went down and the hitting didn't step up consistently.  Scherzer (and deGron) was supposed to win the big games.  As I recall, he (they) didnt step up late last year.  When Marte went down last year, the hitting suffered. He looks shot this year and the hitting went down. Not a fan of Eppler but I agree with the 2 trades and would look to move Verlander and other veterans too.  Once the season is over, I'd look to bring in versions of Schoen and Daboll.  They need to get younger on and off the field

All agreed.

Scherzer was really good last year until he missed time with his oblique. When he came back, he was kind of mixed for a while, and then come Sepetmber/October he was beyond awful. He looked so done. This year he wasn't even dominant in April/May/June the way he was last year. I think he's shot.

Verlander looks like he still has some gas in the tank, albeit it took some time this year. He's in a groove now. Do you move him if there is interest? I get the point being made by some fans that if you trade Verlander the rotation has literally zero in it, but I don't see this team contending next year anyway, and Verlander will be 40/41 next year. Unless you envision yourself winning a WS with this guy, I don't see the point of passing up on top prospects for him. I would do it myself, especially with an owner who is willing/able/content to eat half his salary or whatever is necessary to make the prospect return very palatable. Why not do it? You're either a WS team and going all-in on the present, or you're trying to become one. You can't be half-pregnant. And I totally agree with Cohen that taking the Mets previously horrible farm system and making it a machine like what Atlanta and LA have is a huge priority. That's worth more than any big money veteran FA signing IMO.

[nb587]

All agreed.

Scherzer was really good last year until he missed time with his oblique. When he came back, he was kind of mixed for a while, and then come Sepetmber/October he was beyond awful. He looked so done. This year he wasn't even dominant in April/May/June the way he was last year. I think he's shot.

Verlander looks like he still has some gas in the tank, albeit it took some time this year. He's in a groove now. Do you move him if there is interest? I get the point being made by some fans that if you trade Verlander the rotation has literally zero in it, but I don't see this team contending next year anyway, and Verlander will be 40/41 next year. Unless you envision yourself winning a WS with this guy, I don't see the point of passing up on top prospects for him. I would do it myself, especially with an owner who is willing/able/content to eat half his salary or whatever is necessary to make the prospect return very palatable. Why not do it? You're either a WS team and going all-in on the present, or you're trying to become one. You can't be half-pregnant. And I totally agree with Cohen that taking the Mets previously horrible farm system and making it a machine like what Atlanta and LA have is a huge priority. That's worth more than any big money veteran FA signing IMO.

I think you should move Verlander now unless you get no interest or totally lowballed by offers.  I don't think that happens given the number of teams interested and the fact that Verlander has something in the tank.  Two thoughts, first, given how quickly the bottom fell out of Scherzer's tank, I can see the same for Verlander.  Second, the Mets have no bullpen.  I can see Verlander giving them 5-6 decent innings and the bullpen blowing it up. 

This is the time to quickly ramp up the farm.  No one expected this season and it sucks but use this time to do something and throwing out a 40 year old star pitcher now does nothing for the franchise if they can bring in some future talent.  I'd trade any veteran than has offers.

[DaveBrown74]

I think you should move Verlander now unless you get no interest or totally lowballed by offers.  I don't think that happens given the number of teams interested and the fact that Verlander has something in the tank.  Two thoughts, first, given how quickly the bottom fell out of Scherzer's tank, I can see the same for Verlander.  Second, the Mets have no bullpen.  I can see Verlander giving them 5-6 decent innings and the bullpen blowing it up. 

This is the time to quickly ramp up the farm.  No one expected this season and it sucks but use this time to do something and throwing out a 40 year old star pitcher now does nothing for the franchise if they can bring in some future talent.  I'd trade any veteran than has offers.

I 100% agree with you and am in exactly the same camp. To me, moving Verlander right now is selling high on him, and hence smart.

Yes, he's been really good, and yes, he'd leave big hole in the rotation they'd have to fill, but given what they managed to get back for Scherzer, who has been sporadic at best, imagine what they could get for Verlander from some contender going for it all. I don't want them to just give him away, but I see a competitive bidding situation for him, plus I have to imagine Verlander doesn't want to be here anymore. He's getting paid either way, so all that I can see mattering to him right now is legacy. He's not going to help that cause by staying on the Mets. I have read that his wife wants to be in NY; fine, that's fair enough, but if they like it so much they can move here in a couple years once he's retired. I have to think his number one agenda right now is maxing out his chances at another ring. Meanwhile we know the Mets have given up on the season, and we know the owner is hell-bent on having a strong farm. It makes all the sense in the world to move Verlander right now while he's hot.