Hot Stove

The Cuddyer signing is bad. Not "cripple your franchise" bad, but bad all the same. 21 million for an injury-prone, 36 year-old defensive liability with inflated Coors stats? Already have Duda to play first, and M-Cud is a stone in right field. I'm not as bearish as many are on the Mets short terms chances -- their young pitching really is talented enough to catch lightning in a bottle, maybe -- but that's an awful lot of money to tie up in a mediocrity for a team that still has significant financial limitations.

And giving up a mid first round pick to the Rockies is costly too.

This is what I'm thinking

I wouldn't call it bad. A 2 year 21-million dollar contract doesn't buy much these days--it barely buys Boone Logan--so they're hardly overspending. Relatively; it's not "an awful lot of money." They're getting a decent first baseman and passable right fielder, who can play 3b in a pinch, for a fairly low price and a minimal commitment. Also, Cuddyer had a solid home/away split and was hardly a dud away from Coors. In 2013, he hit .311/.367/.487 with 9 home runs and 39 Rbis; so he wasn't Vinny Castilla.

Also, the Mets have NO substantial hitting prospects ready in the high minors. Their best hitting prospect, Micheal Conforto, is at least a year away, and their best overall prospect, Brandon Nimmo, still needs years of work. So, the Mets needed offensive help now, and they got it in Cuddyer without spending too much. And considering their drafting record, that #15 draft pick also is unlikely to come back to haunt them.

The Cuddyer signing is bad. Not "cripple your franchise" bad, but bad all the same. 21 million for an injury-prone, 36 year-old defensive liability with inflated Coors stats? Already have Duda to play first, and M-Cud is a stone in right field. I'm not as bearish as many are on the Mets short terms chances -- their young pitching really is talented enough to catch lightning in a bottle, maybe -- but that's an awful lot of money to tie up in a mediocrity for a team that still has significant financial limitations.

And giving up a mid first round pick to the Rockies is costly too.

This is what I'm thinking

I'm kind of in a wait and see mode, this has the potential to be a Jason Bay part DEUX signing,with the exception that it's only 2 years. I don't think they could expect much more production, in terms of years, out of him than that anyway, so they didn't overpay in years, (as they usually do) or dollars, as I.strether pointed out. And I don't get everyone's fascination with draft picks, other than the fact they are cheap labor.
Baseball draft picks are a crap shoot, probably more so than any other sport. I prefer known commodities, doesn't mean you don't need them, but once in a while it's okay to give one up for a proven commodity.
Also don't discount the fact that the Mets are bringing the fences in RF in again. I don't know that i agree with it, but if it's to help Wright, as they say, it should also help Cuddyer( though I haven't looked at his spray charts truth be told.)

And man I hate the VMart signing too. 68M for the 36-39 seasons of a DH only guy coming off a career year? Wow.

swinging back to the Braves


Hart announced his intentions to keep Gattis and put him in LF

This means both Uptons and perhaps Heyward are on the market

Or it means he is trying to leverage up Gattis' value among his suitors.

I think Atlanta is trying to package Gattis and BJ Upton to an American league team--if they can unload BJ's contact, or a substantial part of it.

BJ Upton to an American league team

you must be kidding why would anybody take BJ for anything but a favor?

Gattis would be a great DH, and if Atlanta trades him--I think the price is to take BJ too, though I doubt anyone will go for it-.

I do think it is a possible rouse to say they are moving Gattis to LF--as good as he is offensively, he can't make up for his defense, he is the worst defensive OF I have ever seen Atlanta play, (he made Rico Carty look like a gold glover).

Maybe he will improve to a bad OF if they go through with it.

He is a decent defensive catcher, but the team seems to be worried he won't stay healthy if he catches all the time, and with Freeman at 1B--what do you do???

My feeling as an Atlanta fan--with BJ's and Uggla's contracts strangling the team--it will be a rough two or three years.

bad contracts can really hold a team back. Gattis playing out of position you know the ball will find him at the worst time