In today’s Newsday, Steven Marcus reports that tickets sales for the Mets are up by nearly 20% over last year and that season ticket sales are up nearly 13%. (Take that Leigh Castergine). We were told by Sandy Alderson that as soon as the fans started coming to the games, the Mets would start to add to their payroll. Well, the fans have done their part…

Meanwhile, as reported here and elsewhere, Anthony DiComo notified all of us that while the Mets have checked in on Cuban shortstop Yoan Moncada, they have decided that he is an “unrealistic option, given their budget.”

Like most of the rest of you, I have no idea if Moncada can play shortstop at the major league level. Some team may be about to make a multi-million dollar mistake. If that is so, then I will be glad it wasn’t the Mets. But with less than one month before pitchers and catchers, it seems obvious that there are no new additions coming to the 2015 Mets, despite the renewed support of their fans and the need for at least a veteran presence or two to supplement the hope and prayer options at shortstop, the bullpen and the bench.

Instead, like just about everything else that has ever come out of this organization in the past several years, pledges to improve the product if they get support at the gate have turned out to be another load of crap. I am not talking about trading a stud pitching prospect for a questionable middle infielder, but  several good fits for the Mets have been traded to or signed with other teams in just the past few weeks,  while our moribund front office still appears to be on Christmas vacation. They can’t even trade Dillon Gee , just like I called it here.

While I will never root for the Mets to lose, I almost relish the thought of a slow start. It might be fun to watch Alderson and the Wilpons run for cover.

Have you bought tickets yet?

Dana Eveland, who resurrected his MLB career with the Mets last season, has agreed to a minor-league contract with the Boston Red Sox.

After returning from a stint in Korea, Eveland posted a 2.63 ERA, 1.093 WHIP. amd 8.9 K/9 in 30 appearances for the Mets. It seemed possible that he’d return to the orange and blue to compete for a LOOGY role, but the Mets were concerned about his health — he didn’t appear after September 6 due to inflammation in his elbow. Can’t really blame them, particularly when the Mets already have Scott Rice, Sean Gilmartin, Josh Edgin, and a few farmhands going after what will likely be two LOOGY spots. I think Eveland benefited from being somewhat of a mystery and underexposure; if he’s healthy this year, he could be effective in the Adulterated League with the same advantage — at least, for a while.

In other news, former Met Gonzalez Germen, who had been sold to the Yankees, has been sold by the Yankees to the Rangers.

Also, two free-agent outfielders came off the board in the last few days. Nori Aoki signed with the Giants for one year and $4.7M guaranteed, and Colby Rasmus signed with the Houston Astros for one year, $8M. Aoki’s power has dwindled significantly since his first year in the USA, but he’s otherwise been a steady performer with a penchant for getting on base. We’re still waiting for the enigmatic Rasmus to become a superstar; maybe 2015 will be the year.

Finally, the Mets are reportedly out on 19-year-old Cuban shortstop phenom Yoan Moncada, due to budgetary constraints. Hmm … I guess there’s still work to be done in terms of creating “payroll flexibility” — get on it, Mr. Alderson!

The Chicago Cubs have traded Luis Valbuena and Dan Straily to the Houston Astros for Dexter Fowler. Continue reading →

If you haven’t already heard, the best pitching staff in the NL East just got one man stronger — the Nationals have agreed with Max Scherzer on a 7-year, $200M+ contract.
Continue reading →

Color me confused. The Braves traded yet another slugger, and the Nats swapped away their top bullpen arm. Continue reading →

The Mets have once again turned down the opportunity to fill their most gaping lineup hole, choosing instead to hold onto prized pitching prospect Noah Syndergaard rather than trade him for an all-star shortstop. That is at least two and possibly three (or more) chances they have passed up on, all of them apparently due to an unwillingness to part with Syndergaard, who also goes by the nickname Thor. He maybe ought to be dubbed “The Sure Thing.”

But is he really? Continue reading →

My “boss” at ESPN — David Schoenfield — penned (typed?) a piece titled “The Current All-underrated Team.”

Schoenfield chose Juan Lagares as the team’s center fielder, saying, among other things:

“Lagares has certainly received recognition as perhaps the best defensive center fielder in the majors — winning his first Gold Glove in 2014 — but because he’s not a big basher at the plate, he still seems undervalued overall. And he’s not a zero on offense. He hit .281/.321/.382, nothing great, but that makes him about a league average hitter.”

You should read the entire article to see how Schoenfield compares Lagares to Willie Mays.

In case you haven’t already heard, the answer to the Mets’ shortstop problem was nearly solved with Ian Desmond — but the Mets declined. Continue reading →