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Get Noah Syndergaard On The Red Sox

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The Mets are a little off their rocker, the Winter Meetings are coming up, and the Cardinals have stolen some National League thunder with the Paul Goldschmidt trade.  Nathan Eovaldi is back!  Now is the time for the Red Sox to strike.  Bring Noah Syndergaard to Boston.  A quick reminder:

The Mets

The Mets are in win-now mode with their strange reliance on 36 year old, recently PED suspended, Robinson Cano.  They also got Edwin Diaz in the deal.  He’s a young closer who’s only done it in the relative obscurity of the Pacific Northwest.  Those guys are often inconsistent.  They’re also reportedly looking into trading for Corey Kluber, which is kind of nuts.  Kluber has been one of the best pitchers in baseball the last few years.  But the reason he’s available from the Indians is because he is 33 and on the verge of a big payday.  His contract escalates, from $10 million to $17.5 million and beyond, the next few years.

When news of a Syndergaard trade first surfaced, the Mets were said to be looking to upgrade their farm system with a trade.  And why wouldn’t they?  Syndergaard will be the best bargain Ace in the game the next few years.  His injuries are overblown and his September was one to remember.

But something happened on the road to a competitive team and stacked farm system.  Potential trades aren’t bearing the kind of fruit the Mets thought they would get.  Let’s take a deep dive on some rumored deals.

The Padres

The most recent rumor from the MLB Network was a package of Manny Margot, Austin Hedges, and Mackenzie Gore.

Margot, whom the Red Sox gave to the Padres in the Craig Kimbrel trade, has been a classic good defense, no-so-good offense, center fielder.  In 2017 he hit .263 with a .721 OPS.  In 2018, after the league had a look at him, he hit .245 with a .675 OPS.  Think Jackie Bradley Jr without the hot streaks and superior defense.

Austin Hedges is a catcher with slightly above average power, and little else.  In 2017 he hit .214 with a .660 OPS, 2018 it was .231/.711.

Mackenzie Gore is a highly rated young pitcher who gets a lot of strikeouts.  He also walks a lot of people.  Because of this, he had a middling 4.45 ERA in single A ball last year.

The Rockies

The Rockies have a lot of young pitching.  It may be just for show, but Assistant GM Zack Rosenthal told the MLB Network on Tuesday 12/4 that the Rockies are built on that young pitching and defense.  This is a team that hits missile after missile into the glorious Rocky Mountain air.  The team is also about to spend a record amount in arbitration on MVP candidate Nolan Arenado.  Arenado is not making that kind of money for his gold glove defense at third base.  He hit .297 with 36 Home Runs last year.

So what does this mean?  The Rockies may be deluding themselves into thinking their MVP candidates don’t matter and it’s all about the pitching.  More likely, they’re negotiating in the media to reduce their arbitration cases with their hitters.  But because of the money going to their hitters, they’re likely to keep the young starters they have.  The Red Sox don’t have that kind of young pitching.

The Red Sox

Rafael Devers is better than anyone the Padres or Rockies can or will throw at the Mets.

Margot is 24, Hedges is 26.  Devers is still the tender age of 22.  This precious youngster hit .284 with 10 home runs and a .819 OPS in part time play as a 20 year old in 2017, then .240 with 21 home runs and a .731 OPS last year.  Furthermore, Devers  hit .311 in the Postseason over his first 2 years, including 3 home runs and a .884 OPS in 45 at bats.

That’s special.  But he’s no Tony Conigliaro.  The beloved Tony C hit .290 with 24 home runs and an .883 OPS as a 19 year old, then .269 with 32 home runs and an .850 OPS as a 20 year old, then .265 with 28 home runs and an .817 OPS as a 21 year old.

Devers will be worth holding on to, but not transcendent.  That is why he’s worth giving up for the rare young, cost controlled monster, like Noah Syndergaard, who becomes available.

What’s more, the Mets need a catcher.  The Red Sox have a plethora.  Putting Christian Vazquez, whose Postseason success means his value may never be higher, in a trade would be ideal.  But the Sox could throw in Blake Swihart instead.  A combo of either Swihart or Vazquez, with Sandy Leon as backup, would be more than fine for the 2019 Red Sox.

If the Mets wants minor leaguers, give them some.  The Red Sox have a weak system, but Devers is younger than most of the highly touted minor leaguers in the game.  It would take less top young talent than some other teams.

Eovaldi Frees Things Up

And now that Nathan Eovaldi is back, the Sox are freed up to include Eduardo Rodriguez in the deal if they need to.  This gives the Red Sox more options.  They don’t need to give the Mets everything, but widens the possibilities of how a trade could look.

Syndergaard Solves The Contract Crunch

At the end of 2019 the Sox will have some choices to make.  Chris Sale, Rick Porcello, and Xander Bogaerts become free agents at that time.  Nathan Eovaldi’s contract is reported to be in the $17 million a year range.  All three of those other guys will cost more than that.

Then there is JD Martinez’s opt out.  He’s currently being paid $23.75 Million.   With his performance he will definitely be looking for a raise starting in 2020.

Noah Syndergaard is in arbitration.  He made $2.975 Million last year and, his projected earnings in 2019 are $5.9 Million.  If he becomes a top 10 starting pitcher in 2019, watch out.  Thor has three years of control left in arbitration.  He won’t approach $20 million in salary until 2021 at the earliest.

If Syndergaard is in Boston, there’s a lot more money for the rest of the team.

Time To Act

There are reports of the Mets talking with the Marlins about JT Realmuto.  They are itching to trade.  The competition for Syndergaard is falling away.  The Red Sox can solve the Mets catching problems.  Fire up the Knights of Cydonia and let’s rock this trade Dave Dombrowski.

Alex Cora, Right Again

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Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

It’s Alex Cora’s world.  We’re all just living in it.

Cora continues to absolutely dunk on his managerial opponents, including in the 2018 World Series.

This game is a prime example of his managerial domination.  By the time the 7th inning was over, Dave Roberts had used all of his bench players and the game was effectively over.

Dave Roberts Makes Mistakes

Let’s get one thing straight.  I love Dave Roberts.  I was part of the Fenway crowd giving him all kinds of love last night during introductions.

But he seemed befuddled when his team couldn’t quite take the lead.  This caused him to completely empty his bench in the top of the 7th to try and score some runs.

Greg Amsinger of the MLB Network did a piece on how Roberts was too humanized to manage well.   Nonsense arguments like this happen when things don’t work for a team.  Things that used to work just last week in the NLCS.

Those things don’t work anymore because you are facing Alex Cora’s Red Sox.

Alex Cora Is A Clairvoyant Genius

In this game, he started little brother Rafael Devers at third base over Eduardo Nunez.  That’s interesting because Nunez has started all year when the Red Sox face a left handed pitcher like Clayton Kershaw.  It’s match-up based.

But Cora decided to buck the match-up, and Devers rewarded him.  Of course, he did.  He went 1-2 with a walk and RBI.

But then something happened.

Roberts brought in a lefty, Alex Woods, to face Devers.  Instead of going with Devers, Cora brought in Eduardo Nunez.

What?  Devers had already faced on of the most dangerous lefties in the game and done well in that game.  Why Nunez now? Let’s let Nunez tell us:

At the 1:30 mark tells Big Papi that Alex Cora prepped him the night before.  He told him to be ready in the 7th or 8th when a lefty would be in to face Devers.  (By the way, how great is it to see Big Papi living it up in the media this postseason?)

That means Alex Cora foresaw what would happen and then made it happen.  That’s like being Yoda, but only on Yoda’s best day.  No mistake Yoda.  He puts his players in a position to be successful.  Every day.  All the time.

Alex Cora is calm.  Alex Cora is in control.  And Alex Cora will destroy you, inning by inning until he is the winner and you are the loser.

On This Day In Red Sox History: John Valentin’s Cycle

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June 6, 1996, the Boston Red Sox played host to the Chicago White Sox at Fenway Park. The Red Sox had gotten off to a terrible start, starting the season 2-12. At least they had a winning record in May, but they were still just 22-34 on the season. The White Sox, on the other hand, were looking like a playoff team at 36-20. The White Sox had already taken the first two games of the series as Boston tried to avoid the sweep.

Red Sox Squander Opportunities

The two teams took the field for a 7:05 start time that Thursday evening. The Red Sox sent former rule five pick, the left-handed Vaughn Eshelman to the mound. He was opposed by veteran lefty Joe Magrane, who has been seen in recent years on MLB Network. Magrane spent all of 1995 in the minors and had mostly pitched out of the bullpen earlier in the season. This would be his fifth start of the year, and his ERA was nearly 5.00. Eshelman was making his third start of the season and was 0-2 with a 12.71 ERA. A pitcher’s duel was not to be expected.

baseballreference.com

Eshelman walked the leadoff hitter. After a single by Frank Thomas, Lyle Mouton, whose brother James also played in the Major Leagues, singled home Tony Phillips for the game’s first run. In the bottom half of the first, the Red Sox leadoff hitter (Jeff Frye) also walked. John Valentin hit the second pitch he saw just over the monster in left for a two-run homer and the Red Sox had the lead. Magrane then walked each of the next two batters before Tim Naehring hit into an inning ending triple play.

The Red Sox wiped out some more baserunners in the second. After a leadoff single by Mike Stanley, Troy O’leary hit into a double play. This proved to be a killer after Jose Malave singled. Through two innings the Red Sox had three base hits and three walks but had hit into a double play and a triple play. However, they still led 2-1.

Valentin Closes In On Cycle

After the White Sox left two men on base in the top of the third, the Red Sox took the opportunity to enhance their lead. John Valentin batted second in the inning and hit a towering fly to center field. Darren Lewis, an excellent fielder, got back to the wall roughly 400 feet from home plate but couldn’t quite jump high enough to catch the fly ball. Valentin wound up on third base with a triple, giving him the two hardest legs of the cycle to complete. It looked like the Red Sox might strand another runner after Mo Vaughn struck out, but Jose Canseco came through with an RBI double to make it a 3-1 ballgame.

The Red Sox added to the lead again in the fourth. Magrane set down the first two batters in the inning. Dwayne Hosey, a key player for the Sox down the stretch in 1995, hit a two out double to give Boston a man in scoring position. Newcomer Jeff Frye, playing his first game with the Red Sox, then singled home Hosey. John Valentin, already batting for the third time singled to left to leave him just a double shy of the cycle in the fourth inning. It had been only two years since the Red Sox last cycle, when Scott Cooper hit for the cycle in Kansas City. The Red Sox got another run after Mo Vaughn doubled, and the game was 5-1 Red Sox after four.

Darren Lewis just missed John Valentin’s deep fly ball to center in the third.

White Sox Make a Game of It

Vaughn Eshelman put on three of the first four batters in the fifth inning. A single by Danny Tartabull scored a run and put men on the corner with one out. Eshelman was able to induce a double play ball from Chris Snopek though and protected a 5-2 lead after five innings. That would be the day for Eshelman, his best start of the season to that point, as he lowered his ghastly ERA to a still horrifying 9.92.

Jamie Moyer replaced Eshelman for the sixth and promptly gave up a leadoff home run to backup catcher Chad Kreuter. Darren Lewis stole second after getting aboard with a single and was driven home by a Tony Phillips single. Moyer was getting batted around and the lead was down to 5-4. He was replaced after striking out Robin Ventura and the Red Sox escaped the inning with a one run lead.

Red Sox Reaffirm Control

The Red Sox wasted no time in reestablishing their safe lead. Jose Malave led off the bottom half of the sixth inning with his second career home run. After two easy outs, Valentin got another crack at Magrane, having already homered, tripled and singled off the lefty. On the first pitch of the at-bat Valentin rocketed the ball down the left field line where it hit the outcropping of the door. Valentin jogged into second base with the double to complete the cycle. The crowd stood on their feet applauding his accomplishment with a standing ovation. Valentin acted like it was no big deal.

John Valentin after completing the cycle.

A Mo Vaughn single scored Valentin and chased Joe Magrane from the game. Magrane’s ERA was now 5.82, and it would only climb from there. He pitched again five days later against the Red Sox, faring better, but taking the loss. He then would make two more poor starts and never pitch again.

As for the rest of this game, it was rather uneventful. Neither team scored over the final three innings, and with the Red Sox in the lead after the top of the ninth, John Valentin never got another at-bat. He finished the day 4-4, hitting for the cycle and scoring three times. No Red Sox hit for the cycle again for nearly two decades, when Brock Holt finally accomplished the feat on June 16, 2015.