Sean Manaea is expected to start the season on the injured list after injuring his oblique. Also - Nick Madrigal did not receive good news from his MRI
I'm going to buck the trend a little and say, stand pat. We can start the year with Senga, Peterson, Holmes and Megill, with Canning or Blackburn picking up the tail end as needed.
It's not ideal, but it's good enough for March and April. I suspect we won't really start cooking until May anyway, so we just need to keep our heads above water until then. Even a couple games on the wrong side of .500 will do.
That being said, had we worked a deal for Michael King (I prefer him over Cease), I would have been cool with it, provided we didn't give up Acuna and both Sproat and Tidwell (one of them would have been worth it) to get it done.
But it didn't happen, we're into the Cohen bracket, and I don't think we're in any kind of position to get there now. And when I look at any other possible deal, it smells of panic. We'd almost certainly have to give up too much for too little.
"We can start the year with Senga, Peterson, Holmes and Megill, with Canning or Blackburn picking up the tail end as needed." We can try but the prospect scares me...that's a bundle of question marks. Can I invoke the aphorism, "Hope is not a strategy"?
Absolutely you can invoke it. And I'm absolutely down with it. I'm not one for wishful thinking, believe me.
And I won't lie: if we had either Cease or King, I'd feel a lot better myself. Were the organization to bring Q back, I'd be okay with that too, with the understanding he'd be a short-term solution and likely a .500 pitcher, or slightly worse, anyway.
But when I look at what Megill did his last six starts last year, what we can realistically expect from Senga and Peterson, what I believe Holmes will do -- he's a beast, and he's way ahead of where he should be at this point in the spring -- it looks good to me until we get into May.
If Big Sean isn't back and 100 percent by the end of April, different story.
Quite so. Btw: I'm glad to see Luke Ritter get a mention. I thought it was odd that even though he was good for 93 rbi for Syracuse, he never gets any press and has never gotten a shot in the majors.
During the off season, many of us wanted the Mets to sign one already-established "elite" starting pitcher. Or, if not "elite," top ... or great ... or ... (you get the picture.) One proven starter who isn't returning from an injury ... or known to be very prone to them. A starter who isn't a reclamation/rehabilitation project ... or otherwise, a big question mark. (Holmes was a great signing - but he's being converted from a reliever to a starter. Senga missed all last year due to injury.) One top starter. Just one.
I understand why it didn't happen in this market. Top pitchers wanted long (or longish) contracts for big bucks. Longer than 2 years - despite their age(s). And some were getting essentially what they wanted. As soon as Severino signed a 3 yr contract for $67M, we knew the market price for top pitchers was going to be higher than originally expected. In fact, considering Severino's contract, I'm surprised Manaea didn't get more from the Mets than he did.
That said, what good does Soto do us if our pitching staff is arguably sub par in comparison to our competitors in the NL East - much less everyone else - and our prospects are not ready for the majors?
Ah, well, it is what it is. Our "depth" is already being tested.
Right now, Quintana's definitely the right move.
Just curious ... Are there any other free agent pitchers still on the market?
Are there any good pitchers still being dangled by other teams for trading purposes?
"...what good does Soto do us if our pitching staff is arguably sub par in comparison to our competitors in the NL East - much less everyone else - and our prospects are not ready for the majors?" Exactly! Only issue with Quintana is whether what he's asking for is reasonable.
Canario is out of minor-league options. Does that mean he has to be on the opening day roster or be DFA'd? Just trying to understand this move right after losing their utility infielder. It suggests they're going to go with the kids as backups, as you noted. But, as you also recently noted, sitting on a major league bench instead of getting AAA at bats is not an ideal situation for any of them.
We definitely need another starting pitcher now imo. Whether that’s Quintana or a trade.
I'm going to buck the trend a little and say, stand pat. We can start the year with Senga, Peterson, Holmes and Megill, with Canning or Blackburn picking up the tail end as needed.
It's not ideal, but it's good enough for March and April. I suspect we won't really start cooking until May anyway, so we just need to keep our heads above water until then. Even a couple games on the wrong side of .500 will do.
That being said, had we worked a deal for Michael King (I prefer him over Cease), I would have been cool with it, provided we didn't give up Acuna and both Sproat and Tidwell (one of them would have been worth it) to get it done.
But it didn't happen, we're into the Cohen bracket, and I don't think we're in any kind of position to get there now. And when I look at any other possible deal, it smells of panic. We'd almost certainly have to give up too much for too little.
"We can start the year with Senga, Peterson, Holmes and Megill, with Canning or Blackburn picking up the tail end as needed." We can try but the prospect scares me...that's a bundle of question marks. Can I invoke the aphorism, "Hope is not a strategy"?
Absolutely you can invoke it. And I'm absolutely down with it. I'm not one for wishful thinking, believe me.
And I won't lie: if we had either Cease or King, I'd feel a lot better myself. Were the organization to bring Q back, I'd be okay with that too, with the understanding he'd be a short-term solution and likely a .500 pitcher, or slightly worse, anyway.
But when I look at what Megill did his last six starts last year, what we can realistically expect from Senga and Peterson, what I believe Holmes will do -- he's a beast, and he's way ahead of where he should be at this point in the spring -- it looks good to me until we get into May.
If Big Sean isn't back and 100 percent by the end of April, different story.
Quite so. Btw: I'm glad to see Luke Ritter get a mention. I thought it was odd that even though he was good for 93 rbi for Syracuse, he never gets any press and has never gotten a shot in the majors.
Is Canario on the 40? Where does he fit in?
he was added to the 40 man roster when the transaction was completed.
Michael:
During the off season, many of us wanted the Mets to sign one already-established "elite" starting pitcher. Or, if not "elite," top ... or great ... or ... (you get the picture.) One proven starter who isn't returning from an injury ... or known to be very prone to them. A starter who isn't a reclamation/rehabilitation project ... or otherwise, a big question mark. (Holmes was a great signing - but he's being converted from a reliever to a starter. Senga missed all last year due to injury.) One top starter. Just one.
I understand why it didn't happen in this market. Top pitchers wanted long (or longish) contracts for big bucks. Longer than 2 years - despite their age(s). And some were getting essentially what they wanted. As soon as Severino signed a 3 yr contract for $67M, we knew the market price for top pitchers was going to be higher than originally expected. In fact, considering Severino's contract, I'm surprised Manaea didn't get more from the Mets than he did.
That said, what good does Soto do us if our pitching staff is arguably sub par in comparison to our competitors in the NL East - much less everyone else - and our prospects are not ready for the majors?
Ah, well, it is what it is. Our "depth" is already being tested.
Right now, Quintana's definitely the right move.
Just curious ... Are there any other free agent pitchers still on the market?
Are there any good pitchers still being dangled by other teams for trading purposes?
"...what good does Soto do us if our pitching staff is arguably sub par in comparison to our competitors in the NL East - much less everyone else - and our prospects are not ready for the majors?" Exactly! Only issue with Quintana is whether what he's asking for is reasonable.
Canario is out of minor-league options. Does that mean he has to be on the opening day roster or be DFA'd? Just trying to understand this move right after losing their utility infielder. It suggests they're going to go with the kids as backups, as you noted. But, as you also recently noted, sitting on a major league bench instead of getting AAA at bats is not an ideal situation for any of them.