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Pregame Pepper
Did you know ...
The late Sherm Feller, long-time public address announcer at Fenway Park, also ran the balls-and-strikes scoreboard lights for the Red Sox – and co-wrote the baseball-friendly hit song It’s Summertime, Summertime, Sum Sum Summertime . . .
John Kiley played for the Red Sox, Bruins, and Celtics but wasn’t a triathlon athlete – he was the organist for all three Boston teams . . .
When Reggie Jackson retired in 1987, the Red Sox gave him a tape of long-time Fenway Park P.A. announcer Sherm Feller announcing a Reggie at-bat . . .
In five years as Pittsburgh pilot, Billy Meyer compiled a 317-452 mark and finished last twice. So why was his No. 1 retired by the team?
Leading Off
It’s Extension Season For The New York Mets
By Kyle Newman
Baseball is finally back, but before spring training games officially get underway, the New York Mets have more to do. No, they don’t need to go around adding more free agents, though depth always helps. Instead, it’s time to start talking contract extensions.
Over the last few years, extensions have happened almost exclusively during the time between the start of spring training and the first exhibition games. The Mets have a few players to talk to with a number of stars set to hit the free agent market.
Francisco Lindor
Nobody in MLB stands out as a bigger extension candidate than Francisco Lindor. The Mets acquired the young shortstop in a trade just a month ago. Lindor, one of the best players in MLB, is sure to stick around in Queens.
Some media outlets have reported that the Mets made the deal with the assumption Lindor would be a one-year player and they’d get to an extension at a later date. Nobody should buy that for a few reasons.
One, the Mets traded both Andres Gimenez and Amed Rosario for Lindor. If they let Lindor walk, they’ll be without a major-league-caliber shortstop on their roster. Two, they wouldn’t be able to justify trading a top-100 prospect and two other top-10 prospects for Lindor if they let him walk after just one year — unless they win a World Series.
Lindor is going to be pricey, at least 10 years in the $300 million range, but he’s worth it. Lindor is third in fWAR among position players since making his MLB debut. He’s an elite offensive and defensive shortstop. There’s nothing he can’t do on a baseball field.
He’s also made it clear in interviews that he has no interest in negotiating during the season. So, if the Mets want to extend Lindor before he hits the open market, they have little time. It’s now or never for the Amazin’s.
Out of the four players on this list and the most important, Lindor is the most likely to strike a deal in the next few weeks — even though the signing of 23-year-old San Diego shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. to a 14-year, $340 million deal has just raised his price.
Michael Conforto
Conforto has become one of the better outfielders in MLB. He’s a strong offensive player, even if his defense in center field leaves something to be desired. Conforto’s also the unofficial captain of the Mets: the team’s MLBPA representative, a locker-room leader, a middle-of-the-order bat, and the only position player left from the Mets’ 2015 World Series team.
But Conforto is represented by Scott Boras, whose clients rarely sign extensions before hitting the open market. While Conforto has made it known he’s open to extension talks, it’s clear he isn’t the Mets’ top priority.
That doesn’t mean something can’t get done. If the Mets are able to work something out with Lindor, they may have enough time to put their effort into extending Conforto before the season starts April 1.
It’s clear the Mets want to extend him. One of the major reasons they passed on George Springer was because they wanted to have the money to extend Conforto long- term. A team doesn’t make that kind of decision lightly.
Like Lindor, Conforto has also made it known he has no interest in discussing his contract during the season. So, the Mets are short on time if they don’t want to let the lefty-hitting slugger hit the open market. If he does, it won’t matter how much the Mets love him because anything can happen when everyone has a shot.
Noah Syndergaard
Another extension candidate, Noah Syndergaard is a tricky one. When healthy, Syndergaard is one of the top-10 pitchers in MLB. Yes, it’s easy for someone to look at his ERA and turn their nose up at that assertion, but Syndergaard was 10th in fWAR among pitchers from 2015-2019. It’s important to remember that number comes with Syndergaard making just seven starts in 2017. Had he kept up that pace over 30 starts, the blond right-hander would have been eighth over that span.
Health concerns are very real with Syndergaard, who’s now had shoulder and elbow surgery. It’s hard to see why he would want to talk extension now. Any deal would likely undervalue him coming off Tommy John surgery.
Still, that’s exactly why the Mets should try and get something done. If they can get Syndergaard at a reduced price because he prefers certainty over opportunity then it could be a huge win for the organization.
That said, it looks like the Mets are making other plans. Carlos Carrasco, part of the Lindor trade, is under contract for at least two more seasons with a third-year option likely to vest. The Mets also signed Taijuan Walker, another starting pitcher, to a two-year deal with a third-year player option Friday morning.
They seem to be making plans for the future rotation with five MLB-caliber starters under contract for 2022 in Carrasco, Walker, Jacob deGrom, David Peterson, and Joey Lucchesi.
There’s no doubt that Syndergaard would make them a better team. However, it’s up to the Mets to decide if he makes them so much better that he’s going to be worth the price he’ll command.
While it’s worth exploring an extension now, it’s unlikely a deal gets done considering that the team would almost assuredly prioritize Lindor and Conforto given its current starting pitching depth and Syndergaard’s injury history.
Marcus Stroman
This one seems unlikely. The Mets were content letting Stroman walk this past off-season had he not accepted the qualifying offer. He did accept it though, and with another year in New York for the Long Island native, it’s fair to ask if Stroman wants to stay home.
Stroman may not have grown up a Mets fan — he grew up a Yankee fan in a family of Mets fans — but the allure of playing at home is always real. A young Marcus Stroman was actually at Citi Field as a fan when Johan Santana threw his no-hitter, still the only one in Mets history (thanks to an umpire’s bad call on a fair ball he ruled foul).
Now, Stroman is going to want fair value, as he should. It’s worth at least approaching him and asking if he has any interest in staying long-term at a reasonable price. If he says no then the team can let him walk next off-season. If he says yes, then the Mets locked down a top starter long-term.
One other thing to keep in mind is draft-pick compensation. The Mets can’t give Stroman the qualifying offer again next off-season. That means if he left, they’d lose him for nothing. The same isn’t true for Syndergaard, whom the Mets could hit with the QO and reap premium draft picks when he leaves.
If the Mets have a similar value on the two, it wouldn’t be a shock to see them prioritize Stroman as a result. That said, it’s still highly unlikely the Mets get an extension done with Stroman this spring.
Kyle Newman is a lifelong Mets fan turned sportswriter. You can catch him writing baseball for Elite Sports NY, where he’s the head New York Mets writer, or appearing as a podcast guest. His e.mail is knicks1000@gmail.com.
Cleaning Up
Thoughts on the Opening of Spring Training
By Dan Schlossberg
If Fernando Tatis Jr. is worth 14 years and $340 million with a three-year resume, what will it take for the Atlanta Braves to extend National League MVP Freddie Freeman, whose contract expires after this season? . . .
Will the Toronto Blue Jays ever get home again? After spending the virus-shortened 2020 campaign in Buffalo, they’ll play at least their first two “homestands” at their Dunedin, Fla. spring training site . . .
Ex-Mets Jay Bruce and Justin Wilson, a spare outfielder and relief pitcher, respectively, and catcher Robinson Chirinos, who caught Gerrit Cole in Houston, will help the Yankees after jumping from Queens to the Bronx via free agency . . .
After struggling with good-hit, no-glove catcher Wilson Ramos, Mets pitchers should enjoy working with James McCann, who spent three years as battery-mate for future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander in Detroit . . .
Word of warning: projected Yankees starters Corey Kluber, Jameson Taillon, and Domingo German combined in throw one inning last season . . .
Over the last four years, the pitchers with the most starts in the majors are Gerrit Cole (Yankees), Zack Greinke (Astros), and Rick Porcello (unsigned), with 110 each . . .
The key to success for the 2021 Yankees could be better defensive play from catcher Gary Sanchez and shortstop Gleyber Torres . . .
The year-long absence of Justin Verlander (Tommy John surgery) will keep the Astros out of the 2021 playoffs . . .
Playing every day rather than platooning should be a big help to both Joc Pederson (Cubs) and Adam Duvall (Marlins) . . .
Albert Pujols (Angels) will get his 3,000th hit this season but Nick Markakis could get there too if anyone signs him . . .
If retreads Matt Harvey and Felix Hernandez both make the Baltimore rotation, the Orioles could be even worse than anticipated . . .
Believe-it-or-not dept.: the once-proud Cleveland Indians are not only losing their nickname but their title hopes after dropping to dead last in player payroll ($38 million) . . .
Suddenly overshadowed by Trevor Bauer in Los Angeles, three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw is thinking about retiring after this season . . .
Cole Hamels could be having similar thoughts, since no one signed the once-durable southpaw after he lost almost all of last season to multiple injuries . . .
With baseball dying to draw attention from a younger audience, youthful executive Theo Epstein would make a great Commissioner of Baseball . . .
The Hall of Fame was far too quick to consign the 2021 Induction Weekend to a private indoor affair – the first in its 82-year history . . .
After the universal DH was yanked as a perk for NL teams, Edwin Encarnacion can’t find work . . .
Don’t be surprised if the Brewers trade hard-throwing closer Josh Hader to Atlanta for a package of promising starting pitchers headed by Kyle Wright . . .
Closer Craig Kimbrel (Cubs) needs a strong comeback to convince suitors that he’s worth something in the next free-agent market . . .
Willie Mays turns 90 on May 6 but could probably play a decent center field for several major-league clubs . . .
Even though he hit 17 home runs late last season (including the playoffs), Randy Arozarena (Rays) retains his rookie status for 2021 . . .
Allowed to admit just 25 per cent of capacity to Marlins Park, that would mean 9,300 fans for the Fish over 162 games – not a big change from the 10,000 the team averaged in 2019, the last full season . . .
Bartolo Colon, older and fatter, has signed with a Mexican League team in a last bid to return to the majors. He’s 48 and not likely to hit any more home runs.
Former AP sportswriter Dan Schlossberg of Fair Lawn, NJ is weekend editor of Here’s The Pitch, national baseball writer for forbes.com, and contributor to Latino Sports, Ball Nine, Sports Collectors Digest, and USA TODAY Sports Weekly. He is also the author of more than three-dozen baseball books. Contact him at ballauthor@gmail.com or @braves1.
Timeless Trivia
McFarland has published intriguing biographies of Hall of Fame manager Frank Selee, Brooklyn outfielder Zack Wheat, and Black Sox pitcher Eddie Cicotte . . .
The 1931 Homestead Grays featured five future Hall of Famers: Josh Gibson, Oscar Charleston, Jud Wilson, Smokey Joe Williams, and Willie Foster.
Both the “white” major leagues and the Negro Leagues introduced All-Star Games in 1933 . . .
Even with a war on, Negro League baseball drew an estimated three million fans in 1942.
HERE’S THE PITCH is published daily except Sundays and holidays. Brian Harl [bchrom831@gmail.com] handles Monday and Tuesday editions, Elizabeth Muratore [nymfan97@gmail.com] does Wednesday and Thursday, and Dan Schlossberg [ballauthor@gmail.com] edits the weekend editions on Friday and Saturday. Readers are encouraged to contribute comments, articles, and letters to the editor. HTP reserves the right to edit for brevity, clarity, and good taste.