Sigh of Relief for Mets Fans – Hanley Ramirez Off the Table
The Boston Red Sox have reunited with Hanley Ramirez, signing the free agent to a 4-year, $88M contract.
No word on what the Mets offered Han-Ram prior to his decision to sign with the Bosox.
What do you mean, the Mets didn’t make any offer? Aren’t they all gung-ho for a playoff push in 2015? Don’t they have a big hole at shortstop? Isn’t their most glaring need offense? And wouldn’t Hanley Ramirez be a great fit based on all those factors?
Ah, but if we read the propaganda put forth in the Mets fan blogosphere, we’d believe that Hanley Ramirez would have been a TERRIBLE signing. He’s lazy, for one. And injury-prone, for another. And too old. And not a really good shortstop any more — a bad one, in fact. And he’s too expensive (remind me why a fan cares about a what a team spends on a player?). And besides all that, the Mets have Wilmer Flores, who, if you listen to one (or several) of those fan blogs, projects to be better than Hanley Ramirez (and every other shortstop on the market) next year.
So, Mets fans should be thrilled that Hanley Ramirez signed with the Red Sox, because now they don’t have to stress about the possibility of a former All-Star, former Rookie of the Year, former batting champion, annual .800+ OPS slugger causing havoc in the Flushing clubhouse and preventing Wilmer Flores from batting .260 in 2015. Instead, Han-Ram will take his iron glove to Boston, where he’s likely to be moved to third base or left field, and prevent the Red Sox from winning. If by chance the Red Sox are crazy enough to leave Ramirez at the shortstop position, there might be a chance that slick-fielding Xander Bogaerts could be made available on the trade market. But that’s of no consequence to Mets fans, because, again, if you’re keeping up in the blogosphere, Wilmer Flores projects to be just as good, if not better, than Bogaerts in 2015. Of course he will be — among other reasons, he’ll be working with Mike Barwis again, while Bogaerts will not.
One less thing to worry about — there will be no Hanley Ramirez drama for Mets fans to stress about in 2015. Whew! Any comment? Post it below.
My understanding is that the Red Sox are moving him to LF.
So a better question, in my humble opinion, is why wasn’t he considered for LF?
Answer: because he was too expensive and where was Nimmo and Conforto going to play in 1 to 2 years when they are ready?
Notice how the Red Sox don’t seem to be worried about their prospects being blocked: they will deal those guys for pitching or to make any other area of weakness stronger.
The Mets could have gone to extremes like this and signed Han Ram to play LF, Sandoval to play 3B, and moved an increasingly fragile Wright to 1B, dealing Duda for (just by way of example) a lights out closer to pair with Mejia, Familia, Black, Edgin, etc.
But unfortunately the Mets are a small market team playing baseball in New York and I read that even guys like Andrew Miller are too expensive for them.
The pros and cons of Ham Ram are well known…basically that he is a big time RH bat that comes with some baggage. Besides the Mets, 28 teams did not find him worth $22 mil a year for his age 31-34 seasons, including his spend-free former employer. The Mets elected to sign another RH batting champ instead, for his age 36 and 37 seasons, and save $67 mil. We shall see, but I think Bat’s final sentence above sums it up best, at least until facts prove otherwise.
Why am I so stuck on Han-Ram? I guess it’s because, to me, it’s mind-blowing that Mets fans seem to be OK with the fact that their club was never even sniffing Ramirez, despite him being the most obvious and perfect answer to their #1 most glaring hole. Credit spin doctor Sandy Alderson and the Mets Kool-Aid-drenched social media machine for convincing a majority of fans to believe that Han-Ram would have been a bad idea — in part because of the financial risk. Really? Financial risk, in NYC? And here I thought with the specter of a 2015 playoff run on the horizon, fans might start saying, “we’re not in Kansas (City) any more…”
Maybe Hanley Ramirez will be a complete bust over the next four years. It doesn’t matter. The point is, he was the Mets’ answer to their problems at shortstop, he could have been acquired without expending any of the Mets’ precious young arms, his presence would instantly turn the Mets into a legitimate Wild Card threat, and signing him would have been the New York Thing To Do — both from a ticket-selling perspective and an improve-the-team perspective. I’m stunned that the MLBPA and/or Scott Boras hasn’t stepped up and publicly berated the Mets and Bud Selig for allowing Ramirez to wander in free agency without so much as a whisper of interest from Flushing.
But that’s just me. The “smart” people, I’m sure, will be thrilled to see the Mets save money and make a more efficient acquisition, such as a trade for Didi Gregorius or Brad Miller / Chris Taylor.
I agree 100% that the Mets should be “in play” for the Ramirezs and the Andrew Millers. Whether that amounts to serious bidding or PR is hard to tell. What is also being seriously overlooked is that the Mets are in BIG need of a #3 hitter. DW is a huge question mark, much bigger than being reported. The combination of potential skill erosion and health make him far from certain, with no plan B (I don’t count a 36 year old oft injured guy as a legit plan B). I can attest first hand that when you incur a shoulder injury that leaves the shoulder “loose”, even with rehab and workouts the tendons do not tighten. Mine had to be repaired surgically, and DW will have that looming when he plays, swings, dives, slides, etc.
I do agree with Argon regarding the pitching and the pen. Yes, the Mets have potential, but frankly they are a ways from being an elite staff. Wheeler, for all the hype, was league average, as were Gee, Niese, and Colon (more or less). The pen has a lot of power arms, but Parnell returning from TJ is a question mark and Black hasn’t proven squat. Leather, for all his Ks, has a very high walk rate and has not dominated AAA bats in any way. Miller would be a perfect fit, and even with an overpay, that contract won’t sink the finances. With all the young power arms supposedly on the way, and only 5 starting spots on the big team, I’m sure a whiz like Alderson should be able to weed out some bullpen arms as they hit the arb years and bring in some lower cost options, while maintaining a Miller and/or Robertson. Yes, they need a SS upgrade, but I want the lockdown pen more if given the choice. I won’t buy this 90 win nonsense without the addition of a legit lefty, not some Lannan/Biemel retread. I would take Argon’s Pennington/Robertson/Miller trifecta over Hanley if given that choice. Since it won’t happen, I’ll two Millers – Brad at SS and Andrew in the pen. I can live with Miller-Murphy-Flores-Tejada manning 2B-SS with a big time pen.
You do realize that Miller was a gopher-prone pitcher that walks the ballpark until this past year. How can you trust him going forward? If you feel that Familia and Mejia may regress, wouldn’t you expect Miller moreso?
And Pennington? What does he bring to the table? Ramirez can do some serious damage while getting better pitches for players in front of him and being on base for players behind him. What would Pennington do? And, how many plays would Pennington make that Ramirez cannot?
Come on guys, players like Pennington won’t start anywhere because they cannot contribute enough offensively to come close to acceptable. And Miller had one year of putting it together, and those guys I just can’t trust.
Brad Miller is a gamble. Neither his offense nor defense are reliable yet, but he’s shown flashes of brilliance in both areas and is young enough to improve. If the Mets are still building, he makes sense. If the priority is winning in 2015, he probably doesn’t.
The question with Andrew is whether he can keep the ball around the plate enough to get swings on close pitches. His stuff is elite, his health has been fine, he should be entering his prime. No, he’s not a complete sure thing, but there are very few relievers who are more of a sure thing than that. By the time someone like Clippard has put together 6 straight solid years, he’s usually beginning his decline.
I knew that dogs do this to choose companions, and now I can’t get rid of the image of the Mets doing this to choose players. Thanks!
A metaphor is a figure of speech that identifies one thing as being the same as some unrelated other thing, thus strongly implying the similarities between the two. It is therefore considered more rhetorically powerful than a simile. While a simile compares two items, a metaphor directly equates them, and so does not apply any words of comparison, such as “like” or “as.” Metaphor is a type of analogy and is closely related to other rhetorical figures of speech that achieve their effects via association, comparison or resemblance including allegory, hyperbole, and simile.
What better way to spend $22M? Well, just off the top of my head, you could pay Cliff Pennington to play SS, Miller for the 8th and Robertson for the 9th. That’d prevent a lot more runs than Hanley’s bat would add.
I was under the impression that the Mets’ holdovers of Mejia, Familia, Black, and Edgin, with the additions of Parnell and The Talented Mr. Leathersich, would make the bullpen as good as any in the NL. But … they’ll need leads to protect, and that means they need to score runs.
Who cares about the cost of Ramirez? This is New York, not Wichita Falls. Ticket prices aren’t going down significantly as a result of all this significant payroll reduction, as far as I can tell.
Hanley’s offense would also be a huge step forward… but then his glove vs Pennington’s is a huge step back. So with Hanley, the Mets win several more games 5-4, but with Pennington/Robertson/Miller, the Mets win MANY more games 3-2.
For a big doubter of the company line, Joe, I’m surprised to hear you echo the AlderSpin that what the Mets need is offense. In truth, in 2014 the Mets’ offense and pitching were nearly identical relative to their peers. It’s not politic for the Mets to admit that their vaunted pitching has yet to actually produce a significant competitive edge, but that’s the reality.
Personally, I just want the Mets to win more games. If I have to watch the same frustrating offense, but the pitching and defense is so good that it works, I’ll take it. If you think adding another bat is a safer bet, then fair enough; I suppose I could be over-rating Miller after one great year.
Agreed on the ticket prices. Fielding a cheap team and charging full price is dumb. The 2015 payroll will definitely be higher than the past two years, for whatever that’s worth…
Being the Chicken Little I am, I do believe that the Mets will lose to injury at least 3-4 or more of the pitchers they’re counting on for 2015. But when numbers-crunchers look at the Mets’ roster and young pitchers, they see depth and strength — and Alderson has made public statements supporting the theory that the Mets won’t focus on pitching this winter, but bats.
I do think they need to deal away Niese, Gee, and Colon before their arms fall off, and they probably should sell high on Wheeler and/or Syndegaard if it means a worthwhile package in return. But pitching is easy to get these days, while offense is much more difficult to obtain, and so it makes sense to focus on bats — especially if the Mets are going to move forward with defensive liabilities such as Granderson, Cuddyer, Duda, Murphy, and d’Arnaud, because they’re going to have to outscore their mistakes. One great-fielding shortstop won’t be enough to overcome the rest of the infield, just like Juan Lagares won’t be enough to overcome the limitations of the corner guys. Mostly, though, I’m not convinced that Han-Ram’s defense nullifies his offense — he’s better at SS than Murphy is at 2B, and he provides MUCH more with the bat, and he’s CAPABLE of being better in the field.
I’m not advocating just spending money, but they didn’t even sniff this player. Nor will they sniff Cuban players, nor will they ever be aggressive in their pursuit of winning. They will be passive, almost glacierly in their attempts to excel.
Of course, if the Mets are just throwing promising hitters out there regardless of whether they can actually play SS, then sure, Hererra should be considered…
The kid is only 20, turning 21 next March, and he doesn’t appear to be ready to take on an everyday MLB job at any position — much less shortstop — for a team that insists it’s gunning for the postseason. Even Derek Jeter was 22 when he started playing everyday for the Yankees, and he was a natural shortstop and a very unique individual.
If a guy like Pennington is the answer, heck, the Mets missed the boat by letting the Orioles sign Paul Janish to a minor-league contract a few days ago. Janish and Pennington are essentially the same player, except Janish is better with the glove, probably worse with the bat, and a heckuva lot cheaper — that last factor, perhaps most important for the Mets. Oh well.
Honestly, with that $22M I think there are a lot of good options. It’s only the not spending it at all that I’d object to.
The Yankees would make big three signings like that, if they felt it was necessary. The Red Sox may very well do it this winter. Why can’t the Mets? Wasn’t that the whole point of creating “payroll flexibility”? So that they could go “all in” when they felt they were ready to make a run?
I think that most if not all of us are saying essentially the same thing, albeit in a slightly different way. Alderson and the Mets to date are still pretending, making them pretenders, until proven otherwise. Giving up the #1 pick on Cuddyer does not remove the tag of pretenders, they need to do way more to improve the team and close the huge gap between them and the Nats. Now, the offseason is still young, and the proof will be in the pudding. I don’t buy a word of what Alderson says, as it can be intended in one or many ways – appeasing the fan base, blowing smoke for other GMs to hear, yada yada yada. What he does and doesn’t do will tell the story. Looks like the Cuban RH power hitter is signing for under $70 mil, and not costing a draft pick. Not saying he is or would be the solution, but from the outside it looks like the Mets dropped out real fast. Ditto on Miller, who as you point out is a gamble, but are the Mets staying in the mix? The “real” contenders manage to hang in there. So, yeah, even with Han Ram off the market, count me in for Shields, Robertson, and then dangling Wheeler and a vet for a SS upgrade. I like that plan.
In general I agree with you. However, putting aside payroll (which is virtually impossible for Mets fans like us), the Mets still have baseball concerns. Primarily, they need another bat in the lineup, they need to sure up their infield defense, and they need to find a leadoff hitter. The two positions that provide the best opportunity to accomplish those goals are 2B and SS, but the task is monumental since everyone wants middle infielders that are good with the glove and the stick. The “easiest” solution is to find a plus-fielding SS that can lead off and get on base at a .350 clip minimally. Not likely. That means Murphy can be on the table for some type of combo move that leaves them stronger defensively at both SS and 2b as the “upgrade”, whereby they consider Flores a defensive upgrade at 2B and able to match Murphy’s offense, while adding a plus defensive SS to hit 8th. I still think it won’t be enough, but t least it will support the pitching.
Let’s not assume Flores is any sort of answer — I’m down to give the kid more looks, but if I had to bet, I’d guess that his defense is Murphy-like and his bat is far worse (might slug as well and walk as much, but won’t reach base nearly as much due to a much lower batting average).
A few years ago, Elvis Andrus looked exactly like the player you’re yearning for. Last year, he looked barely playable. It’d be an interesting buy-low gamble… if we could actually buy low. Think the Rangers are eager enough to get Profar and Odor in there that they’d eat some of Elvis’s contract? If not, think we could get Profar? The media seems to think the Cubs aren’t actually eager to pick one of Castro/Baez/Russell to trade, but I haven’t heard similar reports about the Rangers…
If the Mets have figured out where they went wrong with Kazuo Matsui, then maybe they can evaluate this 38-HR gold glove SS from Korea…