Mets Interested in bringing back Bartolo Colon, but 'nothing's close,'

NJ.com:

The Mets' quintet of young aces are all expected to be healthy in 2017, but pitching depth will be important following the barrage of injuries that ravaged the club's starting rotation this season. 

With Jacob deGrom, Steven Matz, Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler all coming off surgery next year, the Mets will likely look to re-sign veteran Bartolo Colon in order to retain a degree of durability in their rotation. While the Mets are interested in bringing back Colon, there has been little headway in negotiations thus far, according to a report from FanRag Sports' Jon Heyman.  

"Nothing's close on that, but no one would be surprised to see Colon return to Queens," Heyman writes. 

Colon signed a one-year, $7.25 million deal to stay with the Mets last winter and was expected to move to the bullpen in July once Wheeler returned from Tommy John surgery. But Wheeler hits some bumps in his rehab and didn't return to the majors in 2016, allowing Colon to remain in the rotation for the entire season. 

The 43-year-old Colon ultimately went 15-8 with a 3.43 ERA, earning his fourth career All-Star Game selection and leading the Mets' pitching staff in wins and innings pitched (191 2/3).

I refuse to worry about the Mets re-signing Bartolo Colon because the Mets know damn well that they NEED Bartolo next year.

Curtis Granderson wins 2016 Roberto Clemente Award

CBSSports.com:

Major League Baseball annually hands out the Roberto Clemente Award to a player "who best represents the game of baseball through positive contributions on and off the field, including sportsmanship and community involvement."

That player in 2016 is Curtis Granderson of the Mets. He was given the award on field before Game 3 of the World Series to a rousing ovation from the Wrigley Field faithful.
How did Granderson win this one? Let's listen to MLB commissioner Rob Manfred:

The Grand Kids Foundation does unbelievable work: Gives baseball clinics, provides playing opportunities to kids that otherwise wouldn't have those opportunities, and runs great programs devoted to character development.

Curtis has also partnered with some of the greatest members of the baseball family, through his foundation he's been a supporter of the Jackie Robinson Foundation, an organization that's near and dear to the hearts of everyone in baseball.

He also made a $5 million donation to our MLB academy here in Chicago. This is the single biggest donation that's ever been made by a Major League player in support of this program, and Curtis deserves tremendous credit for that donation.

Finally, Curtis has been instrumental in the building of a stadium at his alma mater, the University of Illinois at Chicago that, I guess not coincidentally, is named Curtis Granderson Stadium.

Mets To Wait Out Yoenis Cespedes?!?

AmazinAvenue.com:

With the timing for his opt-out clause rapidly approaching, the Mets are weighing their options with Yoenis Cespedes. A report from Buster Olney at ESPN seems to suggest that the Mets are choosing to play the long game with Cespedes, which is to say the team would wait for him to opt out and renegotiate with them, as well as any other suitors, this offseason.

"Folks within the Mets' organization fully expect that Cespedes' representation will attempt to parlay that option into more money and explore market alternatives -- and they're willing to wait for his decision, a luxury afforded to them by the strength of the rest of their team and by a market that will be flush with sluggers," says Olney.

The free agent market is strong for power hitters, specifically outfielders, with Cespedes joining the ranks of Mark Trumbo, Edwin Encarnacion, Brandon Moss, Jose Bautista, and others, if he does opt out of his contract. 

Olney mentions that the Mets believe that Cespedes wants to keep playing in New York, but that the team wouldn’t want to offer him a blockbuster deal and would be willing to add in another opt-out clause in a new contract. Olney sites Cespedes’s age and “streaky nature of his production” as reasons for the Mets’ reluctance to sign him to a huge deal. 

While it makes sense that Cespedes would like to stay in New York, it appears that some are writing off the allure of a big-money deal, especially as Cespedes has now, two seasons in a row, put up career-best numbers. The Mets’ strongest bargaining position would likely be to attempt to renegotiate the terms of his contract before the opt-out, which would occur three days after the end of the World Series.

This reeks of stupidity and typical Mets behind-the-scene shenanigans. We've gone to the playoffs two years in a row thanks mostly to this guy and no one had bigger hits this year than him. Plus too we have enough 'streaky' players in Bruce, Granderson and Conforto, Granted, I think Cespedes wants to come back to New York because he loves the limelight here and because he's tired of changing teams. But regardless, why the Met brains would choose to play with fire when it comes to their best everyday player, is beyond me.

On This Date: Mets' Improbable Rally Defeats Red Sox in Game 6

ESPN.com:

The ending

The Red Sox's win probability and chance to win their first World Series since 1918, jumped to 99 percent when Schiraldi retired the first two Mets in the bottom of the 10th. But the last out was an elusive one.

First, Carter singled to left. Then, pinch-hitter Kevin Mitchell, a former roommate of Schiraldi’s, singled to center. Then on 0-2, Knight fought a pitch off the fists and singled to center, scoring Carter.
Red Sox manager John McNamara took Schiraldi out and brought in his other top reliever, Bob Stanley to face Mookie Wilson.

Wilson worked the count to 2-2, including a two-strike foul in which he barely ticked the ball. Stanley then threw an inside pitch and Gedman didn’t slide over to block it. Mitchell scored to tie and Knight moved to second base.

Wilson extended the at-bat with two more foul balls, then hit a ground ball to first base that became forever memorable. Buckner, still in the game, moved for the ball, bent to field it and watch it tick off his glove and roll through his legs. Knight scored the winning run, evening the series, 3-3.

Greatest game in Mets history IMO. I can still remember almost being in tears watching the game in my parents living room with my mom after Henderson hit that home run in the top of the 10th inning...yeah, I too thought the series was over right then and there. Thank goodness I was wrong.

Does Jay Bruce Have A Future With The Mets?

Forbes.com:

When the New York Mets acquired outfielder Jay Bruce from the Cincinnati Reds at the deadline, his $13 million team option for 2017 seemed below market value. Bruce, 29, managed a .265 batting average with 25 home runs in the first half of 2016 for the Reds. Despite his ineptitude in the field and versus left-handed pitching, his first half production would have been a boon for the hampered Mets’ offense.

Bruce struggled mightily upon his arrival in Queens, however, hitting just .219 with eight home runs. To his credit, he showed flashes of brilliance over his final 28 plate appearances, batting .480.

With almost $20 million in arbitration raises, and the likelihood of extending Neil Walker’s $17.2 million qualifying offer, the Mets’ Opening Day payroll could see a $30 million spike (assuming the team makes a run at re-signing Yoenis Cespedes). The presence of Curtis Granderson and Michael Conforto also displaces Bruce, putting his future with the Mets in question.

Still, general manager Sandy Alderson may retain Bruce on his team option, and attempt to spin him off in a trade.

IMO the Mets have to re-sign Jay Bruce. Michael Conforto had his chance to be an everyday outfielder, but blew it. Bruce like Granderson is a streaky hitter, but they're both vets and have proven to be more than capable of providing big hits when you need them.

Mets To Reportedly Exercise Jose Reyes' Club Option

CBSSports.com:

The Mets intend to exercise infielder Jose Reyes's club option for the 2017 season, according to Jon Heyman. If you didn't realize Reyes had a club option, you aren't alone. That nugget was reported at the time of the original signing, however, it was swept aside by the bigger issues at hand -- like remembering why Reyes was suspended for 51 games in the first place:

His wife told responding officers that Reyes grabbed her off the bed and shoved her. Sources say she also told police that he grabbed her throat and shoved her into the sliding glass balcony door.

Once the suspension was over, the Colorado Rockies released Reyes. It's not enough to say his poor play the previous season precipitated that move. We can read between the lines. (We also know that Trevor Story's emergence was probably the one thing stopping Reyes from returning as a regular in the Colorado lineup.) And, because Reyes was released, the Mets had to pay him only the prorated league minimum when they signed him a few days later -- the Rockies were on the hook for his actual salary, and will continue to be, while the Mets pay him the league minimum once again in 2017.

Reyes then appeared in 60 games for the Mets, hitting .267/.326/.443 (a 104 OPS+) while primarily playing third base. From a production standpoint, he was a fine, necessary stand-in for the injured David Wright. From every other standpoint? The entire thing was gross. It's getting grosser, since the Mets will continue to benefit from Reyes's arrest and subsequent suspension by way of the aforementioned option.

Good. Jose Reyes is a huge reason we were able to make it to the wild card game this year, you can have him at the league minimum and so far he's doing everything he's supposed to do as far as his punishment for violating the league's domestic abuse policy goes. This is a no-brainer. Only issue here is whether or not the Mets will choose to save a ton of money by not re-signing Neil Walker, then allow Reyes to be your starting 2nd baseman with Wilmer Flores and T.J. Rivera backing up David Wright at 3rd and in the infield in general. My guess for anyone who has a problem with the Mets re-signing Reyes is that they don't believe in giving people second chances--which is pretty hypocritical for so-called liberal sportswriters.

Mets Need To Resign Kelly Johnson

Small potatoes compared to all the other big decisions the Mets have to make this off-season I know. But Johnson's more than proven himself as a viable pinch-hitter and versatile option off the bench who can play both the infield and outfield. So why risk not getting him again in a mid-season deal? Plus the guy's openly said that he wants to hit like Daniel Murphy....so sign the guy to a 2-year deal already.

What If The Mets Held Onto Daniel Murphy and Justin Turner?

NJ.com:

The Mets weren't long for October, but that doesn't mean there's not a Mets feel to the 2016 MLB postseason. 

Last week, an epic relief appearance by Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw was likely Los Angeles' only chance of retiring Nationals MVP candidate and October monster Daniel Murphy. Now that Washington is out, the spotlight has shifted to an ex-Met in the middle of the Dodgers' bid to upset the World Series favorite Cubs: Justin Turner.

During Tuesday night's Game 2 of the NLCS, Turner delivered with a home run in a 6-0 Dodgers win.

The soon-to-be free agent ended the night with a nice grab to seal the victory.

From 2010-2013, Murphy and Turner were Mets teammates and infielders trying to become consistent players for the franchise. Murphy eventually succeeded and helped the Mets reach the 2015 World Series. Turner—after posting just a .696 OPS in parts of four seasons in New York—was eventually non-tendered and allowed to walk away.

Now? Murphy and Turner are two of the most prolific postseason hitters in the sport. Check out their career postseason slash lines, including the updated stats to include Turner's Game 3 homer run:

Turner: .391/.500/.696/1.196
Murphy: .351/.430/.662/1.092

Honestly, I still don't believe that the Mets had to choose between offering Daniel Murphy a contract or Yoenis Cespedes. I think that if Sandy Alderson really wanted to, he could've convinced the Wilpon's to do both. IMO, despite Murph essentially carrying the Mets to the World Series by his lonesome, Alderson thought about that error in Game 5, Murph's overall defense, Neil Walker's availability, Michael Conforto's potential and yes, even Murph's unabashed Christianity and figured that he could get away with not offering Murph a longterm contract. As for Turner, while he showed flashes at times of potential as a Met, overall he was just an average player for us. And with David Wright ahead of him at 3rd base in '13, barring an unforeseen injury (ironic how that played out) there was no way he would've reached his cap staying in New York.