On Friday, the Mets met with Aroldis Chapman and his agent in New York.
According to David Lennon of Newsday, it was not clear if the two sides discussed financial parameters, but it is believed that Chapman is seeking a contract in the $40 – $60 million range and the Mets are not expected to aggressively pursue Chapman.
…while i think the idea of a 100 mph left handed pitcher is enticing, it goes back to what i have been saying about not taking chances…this is another pitcher with tremendous potential, but even if the investment required is only half of what is being speculated, he is not a known quantity and i feel that the Mets are better suited to acquire players who are not injury prone and have a major league resume, even if they cost more…
What are your thoughts on the Mets and Chapman? Join my Twitter discussion here.
Chapman is expected to visit with the Red Sox, Cardinals, and Yankees before traveling to Miami to pitch in front talent evaluators.
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So the Mets have a totally broken player development system, but as always will pass on the chance to add an impact prospect to the mix because it’s too “risky.”
As a ‘big market’ team here is where the Mets can flex their muscle, but they never do. I am sure they can find a soft-tossing 38-year old Cuban defector and pass him off as a potential contributor instead.
I agree Dave, the Mets need to open up their pockets and get one of the international lefties. I rather have Chapman because hes closer to the big leagues, I just see this guy being a star if he is handled right, which I dont have the most confidence in the Mets doing that but he is definitely worth the risk in my opinion. It would be like getting a top prospect put on the top of your system and that makes your whole system stronger. I watched him play in the WBC against Japan and he had great stuff and hit 99 a couple times but he didnt last long but I came away saying I wish this guy would come to Amerca. At the very worst giving this guy a contract would be like the Ollie contract and were still paying him
I am on the fence with this one.
(i) this is not a Strasburg who at least had a track record in college.
(ii) this is not a Dice-K who had a track record in the japanese leagues.
At least in those cases, you had some measure to look at. What do the Mets have here? Is this kid more than a Sidd Finch hoax? Should the Mets spend 50 million to find out?
On the flip side, does a contract like this (i.e. for a minor league player) hit the payroll that is subject to MLB tax? If yes, that would pressure the Mets to get him to the big leagues very quickly. If it does not, then I agree with the poster above and that the Mets have to use their big market might and secure this rumored “gem”, especially given the lack of talent in our minor league system.
Hmmm i forgot about the wbc and what he did there. But is that the equivalent to full seasons of data? Seems to me that its a far too small sampling.
This may be more about the Wilpons “standards” than anything else. They don’t like to overpay in the draft, and they probably don’t like to spend boatloads of cash on players who have virtually no track record.
The Wilpons are likely shrewd business people (in the industry they are good at). They like deals, bargains, and they don’t want to be over-spending fools. I’m sure that is why this season especially burned them.
The Wilpons probably feel they are part of the more savvy owners that are keeping things in check by not overpaying draft picks and unknown defectors.
Of course, there is risk in taking no risk … but it could also come back to bite you, as you may end up with a farm system of Drew Hensons
That’s true…and the Wilpons do spend money. The problem is they spend too much money on the wrong players (Castillo, Perez) and play these guys just to justify the contract.
I’m sure they’re a little gun-shy because one more big bad contract could really handcuff this team.
As I’ve said…it’s too bad Jeff, Omar and Jerry are making these decisions. I have no confidence they’ll do the right thing. Fred Wilpon should employ the Seinfeld ‘do the opposite’ philosophy. If every instinct they have is wrong…then the opposite would have to be right.
Personally, I’d rather invest that same money into John Lackey. Santana and Lackey at the top wouldn’t be too bad.
Id like to have this guy but i am not going to lose sleep if we don’t get him, it’s a lot of money for a basically unproven commodity.
I think we need to take chances on players like this. Pay up the $50 M and see what happens. We’re a big market team, its about time we start acting like it.
spend some money on someone with a track record…would rathrer gamble on sheets than this guy and it wouldnt cost as much…and why do i feel like if he goes to someone else he will be lights out and if he comes here he will suck…
he could be a $40 million bust. I really like this kid, and have said so, but they’re asking for more than triple what Strasburg got. And like others have said, at least we’ve been able to see Strasburg develop over the last few years. 3 weeks of WBC is not nearly enough time to justify $40-60 mil IMO.
His never heard of agent is looking to land the big one and jump into the big pool with the big boys…..and honestly, I don’t blame him bcuz I’d do the same. But for that much money, which is more or around how much Dice-K ended up for, we need more of a track record. I’d much rather go down to the Dom Rep, Venezuela, or somewhere else and spread that money out on 10 guys with upside, than one guy who frankly is a big question mark, as enticing as he may be.
Sure he hits upper 90’s. But how do we know how often he’s been injured? He could have had the best 3 weeks of his life during the WBC. I don’t trust the stats the Cuban league has given us through his agent and if you do, then I have a bridge in Manhattan I can sell you! I was pretty high on this guy, but there’s zero history and it’s like spending $100 in quarters trying to win one of those stuffed animals with a 3-pronged mechanical arm that is only strong enough to pick up a toothpick. Pass for that much…..half that and I’d reconsider. Plus it’s easy for us to get upset with the Wilpon’s cuz it isn’t OUR money. When do we talk with Kikuchi?
I was originally on board with grabbing this guy, but that’s just an insane amount of money. The Mets might end up regretting it, but I think you have to pass on this guy.
First, who knows if he’s really 21. Given the history of Latin American players’ ages (especially from Cuba), if he’s really 24 or 25, is he that much of a hot shot prospect? I dont care how great his stuff is, but he’s really raw and a 25-year-old in AA isn’t some can’t-miss prospect.
He’s not nearly as seasoned as someone like Dice-K and he’s been a big-time disappointment for Red Sox fans. He had a great W-L last year, but that was a fluke. And the Sox repeatedly phantom DL’d him, Ollie-style, this year.
That money would be far better spent drafting over slot in each of the first 10 rounds of next year’s draft. If you drafted the BEST player regardless of signability in each round, you’re talking maybe an extra 15-20 million, probably closer to 10-15 million. I’d much rather do that, and get a boatload of prospects than take a 50 million dollar gamble on this guy.
I think we are on the same page. Mentioning Dice-K’s contract was right….not mentioning his falling WAY short of the hype was my mistake. And he had a track record over in the Japanese league. Chapman has NADA!! Nothing but a few solid innings in the WBC….which is pretty much spring training for most of the MLB players there anyway!! He could have been in mid season form at that point against guys trying to adjust their swings and timing. PASS.
I think the Mets need to do something about their future pitching staffs.
Look, the Mets are a mess. An absolute mess. If Beltrans injury lingers into the next couple of seasons you are looking at the Nationals passing us. I guarantee it. Even our stars have question marks now with all the injuries. Yes its true if eveyone returns to perfect health and form we could compete with the addition of a Lackey and a bat, but will we be better than the braves, marlins, and phils even then? The AA and AAA teams suck too. Signing Chapman, the japanese lefty, and drafting the best pitcher with our early first round pick combined with Holt and Meija would go a long way towards re-establishing this franchise. Much was made of Omar rescuing this club from irrelevance but the Wilpons have allowed this to come full circle. I would rather pay top dollar to assemble an entire rotation of top young prospects than spend the money on lackluster free agents. Holliday and Lackey only look good cause we are desperate. Holliday for Beltran money would be laughable in any other year. Spend on the kids and cross your fingers that the injuries get better and we’ll have a decent club next year with a bright future. Maybe pick up a bargain type A or 2 (Abreu, Nady)that other teams stay away from because their draft pick isn’t protected and thats it. Holliday and Bay are not Manny or Pujols. Lackey is a better fit but for 5 years? The Mets have an opportunity here to stock the farm with 3 top pitching prospects in a single year without giving up players and with Davis, Havens, Fmart, Thole and Flores still developing we could leapfrog a lot of teams next year in minor league talent.
….and as for the lack of track record everyone is using as an excuse, why doesn’t that ever stop us from signing people with bad track records, like Schneider, Perez and Redding, or guys you know are made of glass and can’t stay on the field like Alou and Floyd?
Have some fans lost their minds? This is a team with few high ceiling prospects. Here is a young, well built lefty who throws hard and has shown flashes of ability to get big leaguers out, and we call him a risk?????? Ok the price tag is hefty, but I guess in some troubled minds Jason Marquis and Randy Wolf are safer bets????? This kind of stupidity is what plagues the Met universe. Go with the known, albeit mediocre, entity rather than shoot for the moon on a high ceiling player. When was the last time the Mets sniffed the musk of a high ceiling player?
Risky? He is HIGH RISK!!! His bb/9 is high and his k/9 is pedestrian given his level of competition. How many real scouts have seen him? How much is known about his competition. How much is known about injuries, mental makeup? How much real vetting has occured?
I know your frustration but this is not a $5M risk here. Look at how Castillo’s contract has handcuffed the Mets. $50+M is slot of money. That is two years of ARod, Santana, Manny, Tex, CC, or Puljols. Give me a break. Draft overslot big time and you are much better off. This type of money for a few good innings is insane
Of course the Mets are not going to bid on this guy. I love how they say he could be a bust. As if half of the guys signed by Minaya haven’t been a bust. Hello, Ollie Perez anyone. Luis Castillo anyone. Moises Alou. What wins? Pitching. What do we need? Pitching. We don’t have to give up any picks. Be bold Mets. Go after this guy and Lackey. Then you really have some chips worth trading such as Pelfrey and Maine for bats. We keep hearing if we sign a type A free agent we give up picks and that is why our minors have been depleted. Guess what, it will only cost $$$ to get him. 100mph sounds good. And even if he turns out to be a decent pitcher, someone will take him in a trade in a year or two.
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