The NFL’s Post Season got underway this weekend without the Jets and Giants, so as far as the NY fans are concerned, so did baseball season
There was a slew of activity involving both local teams so let’s give you a recap of what moves were made by both the Yankees and Mets.
It all began with my https://www.nysportsday.com/2019/01/05/mets-sign-lefty-hector-santiago-for-bullpen-insurance/ colleague Rich Mancuso breaking the story that the Mets signed left handed reliever Hector Santiago.
The Yankees made their move by signing left handed reliever Zach Britton to a three year contract and then the Mets swung a deal with the Brewers for power hitting and defensive stand out Keon Broxton. New GM Brodie Van Wagenen said he would be aggressive and that came to light this weekend as the Mets made two more deals on Sunday.
First, the Mets acquired highly touted third base prospect J.D. Davis from the Astros. Later on, the Mets sent catcher Kevin Plawecki to the Indians for 6’5″ minor league right hander Walter Lockett and 24 year old infielder Sam Haggerty. Van Wagenen said there was some interest in the catchers they already had on the roster, so he uses one of them to bring back some prospects for their AAA team.
I’ve always like Santiago’s arm and he can make a start every now and then.
The Met fans don’t seem too enamored over the acquisition of Broxton but two things stand out. The first is that Broxton is not a “Sandy Alderson type of player.” What do I mean by that? Broxton is not the on base percentage type. He’s a power hitter who strikes out a bunch, but the 28-year old still has some upside and may be coming into his own. Broxton had a hot streak going last season when he rammed a wall and seemed to derail his production. He is comparable to Juan Lagares, defensively.
As I wrote in a previous column, getting Davis from the Astros is a very smart move by Van Wagenen. Some fans are concerned that the Mets are trading away “all these prospects” in these deals, but they fail to remember that the farm system was not exactly “Top 10” in baseball and BVW is using some of these trades to re-stock the minor leagues.
As the market for relievers stagnated, the Yankees continued to zero in on Britton. That became increasingly apparent after the reports on David Robertson’s part in the voting that took place for the Yankees’ post season shares. Reportedly, Robertson and some other Yankees pushed to not vote, even a half share for the support staff, something that did not sit well with upper management.
Britton was coming off an Achilles injury from December 2017 so he had an up and down season. I’m with the Yankees in the belief that the best is still ahead for the left hander.
The 2019 Baseball season is underway as the Yankees and Mets try and position themselves for an exciting summer.