SU was encouraged to see that the Mets had a plan B after the Cubs grabbed Ben Zobrist. $56 million for 4 years is too much for Zobrist who is already in his mid-30s, and I was glad that the Yankees also took a pass.
But the Mets moved quickly in response:
- The trade of Jon Niese for Neil Walker takes care of 2nd base with Daniel Murphy moving on. Niese was an extra piece and Walker’s numbers are as good as Murphy’s. He is also seen as a better defender. SU ran into long-time subscriber and big Met fan S. Brett on the train and his reaction to the trade was definitely “meh.” But the Mets have a top prospect in the minors who can inherit this spot in the next couple of years and Walker seems to be a good stop gap move. He’s also cheaper than what it would have cost to re-sign Murphy.
- The Mets then went out and grabbed an everyday shortstop by signing Asdrubal Cabrera in a 2-year deal. Some writers do not like this move as Cabrera is not seen as a good defender. But SU has seen its share of Cabrera over the years with the Indians and he can hit. He was always a guy you worried about in a big situation with RISP. I know you want to have a strong defense given the pitching staff but truth be told, with pitchers that throw 95 mph+, you are going to get more pop-ups than ground balls. SU likes this move.
Over in the Bronx, the Yankees traded one of their 3 trusted relievers, Justin Wilson, for 2 minor league starters. Wilson was pretty one-dimensional with a plus fastball (as Al Leiter likes to say) but he generally got the job done. He was going to be arbitration eligible and Cashman made some remark that they save some money in this trade as well as restock the minor league system with some starters. SU has to believe that Cashman is going to flip at least one of these guys plus Gardner for a starting pitcher. I mean are they the Kansas City Royals now worrying about an extra $5ook? Otherwise, they must have a lot of confidence in the relievers who were shuttling back and forth to Scranton last year – none of whom distinguished themselves.
Surely, there is a bigger move in the works here.
Sports Update Intergalactic 
Yankees getting Castro for basically a decent reliver who might also be a #4 or #5 Starter and a couple of backup players for a potential long term all star or close to it at the ripe age of 26 by Opening day was a great deal for us. He could hit 270, 20-25 dingers and 80-90 rbi’s not to mention a solid defender at 2nd base…. Having the middle of your infield looking quite youthful now is great. Now we need a solid Starter or two as we have too many medical concerns here… past and present.
With the loss of Cespedes (most likely) and Murphy now their pitching staff will have alot of pressure on them to keep their opponents scoring to less than 3 runs/game. You will see alot of 2-1 and 3-2 games and their share of 1-0 games in 2016 from them.
PS Hope the Knicks aren’t starting their tail spin with some very bad losses lately.
Some are starting to wonder if Cespedes will get his money. He is competing with Justin Upton and Heyward who are other corner outfielders out there. I wonder if the dollars come down enough, would the Yankees get in the mix for one of these guys – especially if Gardner is moved? I wouldn’t.
Not loving the moves the Mets made. Walker is an OK replacement for Murph – plus he is only 1 year which gives Herrera time to ripen. Cabrera is a small improvement over Flores. He has a slightly better bat and is slightly better in the field.
BA/OBP/SLG/OPS
Cabrera Career .267/.329/.412/.740
Flores Last Season .263/.295/.408/.703
Flores has improved every number in his slash line from 2013 to 2014, and again from 2014 to 2015. Flores clearly has more upside given that he’s only 24. We could have kept Flores, who isn’t arbitration eligible until 2017, at shortstop and taken the $9 mm that we are paying Cabrera to help pay for a big bat.
I hope they won’t get rid of Flores. Maybe this is a mentor thing where Flores and Cabrera are both from Venezuela?
Evan, I had read that Flores would be seen as a back-up for shortstop, 2nd and 3rd base. So, he should get plenty of at bats in the National League with all the double switches and resting of players not to mention injuries.
Indeed. With David Wright’s finicky back, Flores could have an extended spell at third. Also, although Walker is a switch hitter, he is much better against RHP, and Flores much better against LHP, so they would make a great platoon. But Tejada should be in the mix, too… and there is the rookie Reynolds. I’m a big Flores fan… they almost traded him last year and I really hope they hold on to him.