The news may have technically been late Monday, but when the baseball world woke up on day two of Winter Meetings Tuesday, they were treated to yet another example of the Mets being the worst organization in baseball.
There has indeed at least been talk of 3-way where Realmuto goes to Mets, Syndergaard to yanks. Not sure how likely this is. Seems like quite a gamble for mets — though there are more star rotation options out there than star catching options.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 11, 2018
Mets said “very aggressive” on Realmuto. Debate in room now about whether to give up coveted SS Rosario in package or top SP Syndergaard. Mets didn’t want to open SS hole but that hasn’t been ruled out. Plus, while NYY thing is less a hurdle now, 3 way deals are still complicated
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 11, 2018
The Mets seem to be doing the exact opposite of what they should be doing. It started with the Cano deal, a win now move, and they seem to be continuing in that direction seeking Realmuto and bullpen help. Despite that, they’re also willing to move what would be a key part in winning now, Noah Syndergaard. They’re all over the map. Meanwhile, no matter what moves they make, it’s unlikely they’ll be able to compete with the moves the Phillies are making, especially if they land Harper or Machado, which seems likely. And if they did get past the Phillies, there’s an even slimmer chance they can take out the Dodgers and Brewers in the NL, and basically impossible to get through the AL top dogs should the improbable happen.
Even worse, they’re letting the Marlins, of all teams, dick them around on Realmuto.
Seems the #Mets are getting the ultimatum from the #Marlins– send Thor to the #Yankees or we’ll send Realmuto to one of your other rivals. Not MIA’s job to do NYM any favors here.
— Solomon Syed (@SolomonSyed) December 11, 2018
The Mets winning in the next two years is a pipe dream. They should’ve unloaded, acquired new farm talent and waited out or released Bruce to clear up future money for free agents when their young talent was ready to take over in a few years time. Instead they shot themselves in the foot and will again be a sad team back at square one in two years with nothing to show for it.
With that out of the way, let’s get to some real, good, logical moves made on day two of Winter Meetings.
The Phillies came out hot, but it wasn’t Harper or Machado yet.
The Andrew McCutchen deal is for three years — plus a club option — and $50 million, according to sources.
— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) December 11, 2018
McCutchen may have struggled with Yankees last season, but he never seemed to be fully healthy. With this return to Pennsylvania where he spent 9 great years in Pittsburgh, he could be rejuvenated and a valuable piece to what the Phillies are building.
Next was Toronto eating millions upon millions of dollars with the release of veteran shortstop Tulowitzki.
#BlueJays have released Troy Tulowitzki. He is still guaranteed $38 million, according to contract terms via @baseballpro. @MLB @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 11, 2018
The dude is a five-time all star and led the Rockies to a World Series appearance. He’s well respected and can likely play a meaningful role on a competitive team.
Out in the Mid West, Ivan Nova has been dealt to the 100-loss White Sox from Pittsburgh.
The Pirates have acquired RHP Yordi Rosario along with international slot money from the White Sox in exchange for RHP Ivan Nova.
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) December 11, 2018
I don’t see the vision here. Ivan Nova will be 32 with his best years long behind him back in the Bronx. The White Sox aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, seems a bit unnecessary to give up a 19 year old who had an impressive Arizona league. That said, Rosario was undrafted so I guess no harm, no foul.
The rumor mill was of course turning on day two. It looks like the Red Sox are looking to make space, but it seems like they’re all over the place on who might get moved to free up money.
The Boston #Redsox, trying to clear salary space for bullpen help, are openly listening to offers on Rick Porcello, and rivals insist also are willing to talk about Xander Bogaerts and Jackie Bradley Jr.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 11, 2018
That’s a pretty loaded tweet by Nightengale, but to put it shortly, the Red Sox are listening and vetting several possibilities when it comes to freeing up money. Nightengale is name dropping, but in reality there are a lot of guys on the Sox that would be of value to other teams. Regardless of who, it’s clear Dombrowski will be slinging it the rest of this week.
Then there’s Machado and Harper. It seems like everyone and their mothers are in on these guys or at least testing the waters. For more on Harper, check out Ru’s blog here, he’s got him covered. As for Machado…
Yanks, White Sox and Phillies are 3 teams that will meet with Manny Machado. The 3 alleged mystery teams remain so.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 11, 2018
There’s a lot of murky waters surrounding Machado watch. It’s been much more discreet than Harper’s offseason. Yet, the fact remains, it’s not too difficult to argue Machado’s the best option. He may not get as much money, but a good middle infielder, that hits for great average and has the power is invaluable to any team.
Check back in tomorrow for more updates on 2018’s Winter Meetings.
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Feature Image via @WinterMeetings on Twitter
[…] MLB’s Winter Meetings down in Vegas have been electric through the first couple of days. On Tuesday, the Red Sox got into the news feed with trade rumors surrounding key parts of last years World Series run. […]