Brownie19

I get the argument that Belly may not be a sizable upgrade over current starters; however, I think people are undervaluing what he could bring. Without another impact bat, I believe there's a lot more pressure put on Santander to rebound and for Okamoto to hit the ground running. If either or both of those things don't happen, then it will add even more pressure on the secondary pieces like Kirk, Barger, Clement and even Springer to repeat. We have to consider that a lot of things "went right" last year. Is that because of Popkins is some messiah? Some will say yes, and maybe it is to some extent, but my gut says we can't plan on that happening again. Over the past 3 years, Belly's wRC+ has been 123 over 1781 PA's. Just for comparison, over the same span, Bo's is 116. Do I believe Bo will be a better hitter moving forward (based on age and ability)? Yes I do, but Belly isn't some pushover and there's a reasonable probability he remains a 120-125 wRC+ bat, with solid defense and base running (his sprint speed hasn't dropped much at all over the past 4 years) for the next 3-4 years. People have concerns that Belly's stats are inflated by Yankee Stadium - and yes they are to some extent, but he was still very good with the Cubs (his 2023 was better than his 2025 season). Do I think the Jays are f*cked if they don't sign Belly or trade for another impact bat? No, I do not. I like our team Barry and we always have the option to add in-season. But - do I think they should just dismiss Belly altogether - especially if they conclude he can't play a passable CF in 2026 or 2027? I do not. I'd make sure I know what Belly's cost is and would seriously consider if they could find a way to add him to this team. Again, for me - if he's willing to take a short term deal like Bo - I'd be all over that. Belly on a long term deal scares the crap out of me - but we need to adapt to the new MLB. These short term, high AAV contracts remove a ton of the risk. If the Jays and stomach paying the high AAV - it's a great way to add talent without that long term risk.

Because that doesn't suit his narrative.

I'd rather go 3 years $1 10M with an opt out after year 2. Belly certainly wasn't my 1st choice, but I do see the fit and the only reason he wasn't viewed as a really good fit is because just a reflection of how good Tucker and Bo are. If they weren't FA's this year, I suspect Belly would have looked quite attractive. I think it would be a surprise if he signed in Toronto, but I wouldn't be against adding him. That would be an awesome way to rap up the offseason.

Just brutal. Sucks they are essentially f***ed moving forward. Missed opportunity for the Bills.

They are reporting the Jays offered Tucker $350M over 10 years. If you're offering a long term deal - that's about as good as it would get.

Hoping it all goes well brother. Thinking about you. Hopefully baseball is a good distraction for you.

I still can't figure out if you posts are serious or satire...

I'm sorry - in my world a "panic move" suggests something negative. I don't think this is negative for the Mets in any way. Reasonable price and it makes them better. I wish Atkins made this panic move.

He now has Lindor on his left and his replacing Vientos at 3rd. Something tells me they'll be perfectly happy with his defense.

You're buying 3 of Bo's prime years (28-30) without having to overpay him during his declining years. $42M is perfectly acceptable. I don't think this is an overpay at all. I think it's a great deal for the Mets.

I'd have taken Bo on that deal all day long.

You 2 complaining that we really need another all-star level bat - claiming its so important and needed the most predictable thing I've seen this offseason. If we don't sign Bo or Belly and the offense isn't a Top 3 unit this year, the next most predicable thing will be your complaints against Atkins. Never change boys.

This is why we jumped at the opportunity to sign Okamoto. I wonder if these short term, high AAV contracts will become the new norm. Personally, I'd rather pay Tucker 4 years @ $60M AAV than pay him 10 years @ $35M. I'd rather not pay him the extra 6 years at @ $18.3M for his age 33-38 seasons. Give me Bo for 5 years @ $45M AAV and let someone else deal with the declining phase of his career.

Would there be deferrals on a short term deal?

I'm OK with either of those deals for Tucker or Bo.

If that were true, Bo would already be a Philly.

100% I'll never forget 2002 when he came up and dominated in the playoffs after throwing like 5 regular season innings. He was the definition of electric. I know they changed how/where they measure velo from. I suspect that is part of it, but guys just throw harder now than ever before.

It's wild to me that he was saving 44 games in 2016 throwing 90 MPH... Has velo changed that much in 10 years? I guess it has?

It isn't a "must". Remember there was someone constantly insisting we needed 2 power bats last offseason and it turns out we didn't need either of them. Perhaps what you actually mean is "landing Bo or Tucker would be the icing on top" or "I'm a bit worried our offense might come up short without Bo, Tucker or another trade". Please confirm you're not going to freak out and rip Atkins if we don't sign Bo or Tucker...

da fuq?

Bingo. I don't hold a significant grudge against the PED users who were doing it before all the new rules and suspensions were put in place either. Teams were using AI to help decode signs so players could steal them better - it was so rampant we had to allow the ear pieces to curb it.

IMO - the cheating scandal shouldn't hold anyone back from the HOF. I think people still booing Astros and ex. Astros is unnecessary.

5 years $155M for Bregman makes more sense to me. Good for him.

Thata too bad. He was a depth guy with a versatile arm who could soak up innings - not that I'm going to lose sleep. But wish him all best and hope he gets more opportunities in Washington.

We can. It won't be catastrophic. Obviously I want and hope we land Tucker or Bo, but we have a realllllly good team already. It just puts more pressure on Okamoto to contribute with an impact and it makes Santander's rebound more essential. But let's to land someone. I'm good with Bo myself. I like the idea of Clement and Gimenez platooning with Cement also spelling Okamoto later in games and able to play all positions, while Santander, Varsho and Barger play OF with Lukes and DS ready to step up if Santander can't rebound. Tucker would also be great, but he makes Santander a 4th OFer and creates a log jam with Lukes and DS. I guess DS would have to play in the IF more, which I don't think the Jays like.