Morning Briefing: Bichette Signing Begs Questions
Good morning, Mets fans! What is your favorite GKR memory?
MLB.com’s Jared Greenspan posed four questions for the Mets in the wake of the Bo Bichette signing:
- How will Bichette handle third base?
- What happens to Brett Baty?
- What about the outfield?
- What about the rotation?
My best guesses are: Bichette will be fine at third, Baty will find 400 at-bats between the infield, outfield and DH, the Mets will add a veteran not named Cody Bellinger in anticipation of Carson Benge being the long-term answer in left field and a starter not named Framber Valdez in anticipation of Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat joining the rotation. (Note: My track record on predicting things is awful.)
The real answers will come soon enough. The Mets’ spring training opener is Feb. 21 vs. the Marlins. Opening Day is March 26 vs. the Pirates.
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Will Sammon of The Athletic believes the Mets prefer to sign Bellinger to a short-term, high annual salary deal. The outfielder and the Yankees are reportedly at a stalemate, with Bellinger looking for a seven-year contract and the Yanks offering five for as much as $160 million. Brendan Kuty of The Athletic learned from a league source that the Yanks are willing to include opt outs after Years 2 and 3.
Other outfielders the Mets could look at if they don’t sign Bellinger include free agent Harrison Bader, Lars Nootbaar of the Cardinals, Jake Meyers of the Astros and Luis Robert Jr. of the White Sox, league sources told Sammon. Jarren Duran is another trade option, though Sammon said rival execs think Boston may hold on to him.
The Mets, sources told Sammon, are expected to add pitching. Brewers ace Freddy Peralta, the Royals’ Kris Bubic and the Nationals’ MacKenzie Gore are possibilities, though the last two are long shots.
Travis Sawchik of MLB.com went deep on where the best fit for the free agent lefty Valdez would be among the four teams most connected to him: the Mets, Orioles, Giants and Cubs. He looked at infield defense (edge: Cubs), which division had the most left-handed batters (edge: Orioles), ballpark (a push) and who has the weakest rotation projection per FanGraphs (“edge” to the Giants). Sawchik’s conclusion: He would fit best in Baltimore.
Gabe Lacques of USA Today took a look at the winners and losers of the Bichette signing.
The winners: Bichette, the Mets, the A.L. East (Toronto losing Bichette gives more hope to their division rivals) and J.T. Realmuto (re-signed by the Phillies after Bichette came to New York).
The losers: Baty and Mark Vientos (Bichette’s arrival signals reduced playing time for both), the Blue Jays, Bellinger (he may have lost some leverage with the Yankees) and the Braves (a Bichette suitor at the start of the offseason).
Latest MLB News
A tough break for the Braves. Infielder Ha-Seong Kim suffered a hand injury in Korea and underwent surgery to repair a torn tendon in his right middle finger, the team announced. Expected recovery time is four to five months. Atlanta signed Kim to a one-year, $20 million contract last month.
Free agent reliever Jakob Junis and the Rangers agreed to a one-year, $4 million deal, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
The Nationals and right-hander Cade Cavalli avoided arbitration, agreeing on a one-year, $870,000 contract. The deal includes a 2027 team option for $4 million with a $7,500 buyout. The club and Cavalli were $75,000 apart ($900,000 vs. $825,000) when they exchanged proposed salaries on Jan. 8, the smallest difference among the 18 players who couldn’t reach deals with their teams.
Arbitration cases are scheduled to be heard from Jan. 26 to Feb. 13 in Scottsdale, Ariz. The most notable case is Tarik Skubal, who asked for $32 million and was offered $19 million by the Tigers.
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On This Date in Mets History
1972: Yogi Berra, who went 2-for-9 for the 1965 Mets and also played for the Yankees, is elected to the Hall of Fame in his second year of eligibility along with Sandy Koufax and Early Wynn. Berra was on 86% of 396 ballots.
Born on This Date: Anthony Young (1966), Jon Matlack (1950).
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