Mets Go To Mayberry
No, they didn’t go to interview Sheriff Andy Griffith for a security position at Citi Field. And Gomer Pyle didn’t change their oil.
Rather, the Mets have signed John Mayberry, Jr. to a one-year, $1.45M Major League contract.
This may not be the signing that pushes you to buy a season-ticket plan. But it is a decent signing, and Mayberry fits what the Mets were looking for: a cheap, ordinary righthanded hitter who won’t embarrass himself in an outfield corner when Michael Cuddyer plays first base against lefthanded pitchers. The way I see it, Mayberry is likely to provide more production than Chris Young did last year, for almost $6M less.
Thoughts?
There’s been a ton of other news in the past day, and I’ll try to get to all of it.
If Sandy can bring himself to do this – and F Wilpon can steer some money away from his son’s legal defense team and to the team’s payroll – it would solve a couple of key weaknesses. One, it gives them a bona fide shortsop. Two it gives them a middle of the bat presence. Third and maybe most importantly for Fred, it gives them a box office draw that will put fannies on seats and generate some Buzz around what everyone describes as a moribound franchise. I mean, does Fred Wilpon really want his legacy to be a foolish investor / tightwad owner / indulgent Daddy who allowed his son to tarnish one of the world’s great sports franchises (look it up, by value the Mets are still “up there”)?
Yes, I know this is ambitious. Fortune still favors the brave.
Of course Fred wants a middle of the order bat, SS, and marquee name. But he won’t trade his best players AND add salary to get it.
Would have been a fine minor league signing, but as is, seems like a waste of a roster spot to me.
I know Cesar Puello is unlikely to pan out, but I’d give him a shot over Mayberry — he’d bring better defense and probably get on base more thanks to all the HBPs.
My understanding is that Puello is out of options but will get a chance to make the big team in the spring, so long as he doesn’t become a casualty of the 40 man roster. It is hard to envision a guy who never played in the bigs coming off a bad AAA year making the team as a 5th OF, but I fear that another team will grab him and he’ll be an all-star 3 years from now.
I don’t see any way the Mets carry both of them, and I don’t see any way they sign a veteran to an MLB deal and then cut him in spring training.
The only way Mayberry doesn’t take Puello’s chance at a spot is if John gets injured.
Yeah, neither can I.