GM/Winter Meetings Thread

Valbuena fits nicely as a platoon partner for CJ.

Improvements have to be made in CF, 2B and 3B this offseason. The most cost effective way to improve 3B is to bring in someone to take some ABs away from CJ against RHed pitching since he still hits LHers very well.
 
Oh the universe is a funny, funny thing.

1) Colorado offers Cuddyer a QO. A definite headscratcher.

2) Cuddyer rejects QO. Ditto.

3) Mets sign Cuddyer to 2 year deal, sacrificing #15 draft selection. Rinse, Lather, Repeat.

4) Colorado nets additional pick in next year's draft. Either a Jedi mind trick by new GM Jeff Bridich, or an incredibly lucky decision.

How funny that COL's decision in the first instance (in a series of bad decisions) turns out to be the best. And I could add #5 to the list above as Cuddyer's decision to accept a $7M salary for 2016 instead of opting to take a $15.3M QO from Colorado to play the 2014 season in *Coors Field* and then parlaying a decent season (with home field offensive padding) into more than a 1 year $7M offer as a final befuddling moment in the whole series of events. I understand age/certainty do play a role in decision making - especially for someone as injury prone as Cuddyer - but...
 
I don't know why you hate platoons. The only reason to hate it is because you want big name players. I would even say part of why we struggled offensively is a lack of platoons.
 
cajunrevenge said:
I don't know why you hate platoons. The only reason to hate it is because you want big name players. I would even say part of why we struggled offensively is a lack of platoons.
Click to expand...

I don't know if you're referencing my comments. I think platoons are fine. I think you have to have 3 core players in the NL who are out there pretty much every day, but after that, I think platoons are fine.
 
ramadon101 said:
Oh the universe is a funny, funny thing.

1) Colorado offers Cuddyer a QO. A definite headscratcher.

2) Cuddyer rejects QO. Ditto.

3) Mets sign Cuddyer to 2 year deal, sacrificing #15 draft selection. Rinse, Lather, Repeat.

4) Colorado nets additional pick in next year's draft. Either a Jedi mind trick by new GM Jeff Bridich, or an incredibly lucky decision.

How funny that COL's decision in the first instance (in a series of bad decisions) turns out to be the best. And I could add #5 to the list above as Cuddyer's decision to accept a $7M salary for 2016 instead of opting to take a $15.3M QO from Colorado to play the 2014 season in *Coors Field* and then parlaying a decent season (with home field offensive padding) into more than a 1 year $7M offer as a final befuddling moment in the whole series of events. I understand age/certainty do play a role in decision making - especially for someone as injury prone as Cuddyer - but...
Click to expand...

There are conspiracy theorists around here in NY saying that its part of the package that would get Tulo in NY. Handshake agreements about.
 
thethe said:
There are conspiracy theorists around here in NY saying that its part of the package that would get Tulo in NY. Handshake agreements about.
Click to expand...

That makes sense. Smart move by both sides if true imo. I know if I was a rebuilding team I would go after as many picks as I could get now that there are competitive balance (given to small and mid market teams except the Braves as one last FU from Bud) that can be traded.
 
thethe said:
There are conspiracy theorists around here in NY saying that its part of the package that would get Tulo in NY. Handshake agreements about.
Click to expand...

That makes sense. Smart move by both sides if true imo. I know if I was a rebuilding team I would go after as many picks as I could get now that there are competitive balance (given to small and mid market teams except the Braves as one last FU from Bud) that can be traded.
 
cajunrevenge said:
That makes sense. Smart move by both sides if true imo. I know if I was a rebuilding team I would go after as many picks as I could get now that there are competitive balance (given to small and mid market teams except the Braves as one last FU from Bud) that can be traded.
Click to expand...

No it doesn't make sense and no it's not a smart move. It's called collusion and it also violates MLB's rules on trading draft picks, even if done in an non-overt fashion. The comp system would be a lousy - and inefficient - way to back door a trade of a draft pick as a larger package for Tulo.

First off, the swap is completely asymmetrical, with one team losing more than the other gains. If I can give you $100 as part of a deal today, then we're both better off just agreeing to the $100 instead of some secret arrangement whereby I pay you $100 to put back $50 in your pocket. As a threshold matter it's inefficient - which strikes me as something contrary to what a FO as sabemetrically inclined as Alderson's would do - and second, it opens the possibility of MLB tampering/investigation which doesn't make sense when you could simply agree on player X or Y instead of the back door scheme.

Secondly, it would have taken a master orchestration far before Cuddyer filed for FA - in order for this to have worked, the Mets and Rockies would have had to already discussed a package (or gotten very, very comfortable with what it would take in a package with only minimal variability going forward), including Cuddyer in the discussions and had him agree to reject the QO and come to terms with the Mets on an offer. This all seems highly unlikely. Indeed, collusion would be thrown around freely because the other teams would gripe that Cuddyer forewent his competitive marketplace for an under the table deal to continue playing with Tulo in NY. Not to mention that the reason Tulo does not have an express no trade provision in his contract was because Dick Monfort already assured Tulo that he would only trade him to a team that Tulo consents to; he does not want the team's current franchise player badmouthing the team on his way out on a broken handshake deal. That is the underlying reason why Cohen didn't negotiate for same upfront, but DID negotiate for a no-trade provision to be evegreened into his contract should he be traded to ANY other team and also paid out an additional $2M bonus on top of his total salary. So, in short, they would have also have had to have Tulo's assurances that he would accept.

Finally, if this was, in fact, true, if I were in the Rockies shoes, I'd have blocked Alderson's number by now and be laughing all the way to the 18th hole at the GM meetings with an extra draft pick in hand.
 
nsacpi said:
It only makes sense if they plan to sign another free agent with a qualifying offer.
Click to expand...

Agreed; it really makes a lot of strategic sense for teams—once they've popped their draft-pick cherry, in a given off-season, by signing a player who was extented the QO from their previous club—to have a definitive plan to sign two or more top-tier FA. Suddenly you've spread the draft-pick loss over multiple good players, instead of one.
 
I don't think there's any conspiracy. Alderson said in today's conference call that they were taken aback by the QO, but ultimately decided they would rather give up the 15th pick than trade prospect (or 2) for a different OF. He said the fact that Cuddyer wanted to be a Met (apparently his family wanted him to go to the Mets or retire, or something like that) made them more willing to do the deal.

I personally wouldn't have done it, but it's hard to say without knowing their trade targets and their asking prices.

FWIW, I wanted Cuddy before knowing he was being offered a QO. We need a solid RH bat, someone who can play corner OF, and someone who can play 1B for Duda against LHP. He has his warts, but he also checks a lot of boxes.

I'm hoping the Mets sense a window and are willing to do more. I'm a prospect hoarder, but I think it's time to start cashing in chips to win at the ML level. Don't see Tulo happening, but maybe a pitching for SS swap with the Cubs, maybe a smaller cost in arms for Alexei Ramirez. Ironically, Jose Reyes would fill a lot of needs...
 
David O'Brien
@DOBrienAJC
An AL scout told me his team would love to have Gattis. Same scout then asked if I'd ever seen anyone lose it as fast or completely as B.J.
 
Hawk said:
Where would they even begin?

"He has a really cool name."

I guess we should pray for some of that Vernon Wells for Mike Napoli magic.
Click to expand...
We should have hired Kim Ng. I think she'd have a lot more success getting the other GMs interested in an expensive BJ
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top