Supporting Almora, ARod Owning Mets, Mikolas Arm Concerns, Phillies Phinances, and Other Cubs Bullets

The Little Girl and The Littlest Girl will be accompanying me to a Daddy-Daughter Dance tonight – the first time The Littlest Girl has joined us – and I’m already feeling pretty emotional. Typing this sentence of mere facts is already starting the waterworks. I better quickly pivot to some kind of ridiculous Bullet to stem the flow …

This might do the trick:

Alex Rodriguez emerges as potential Mets buyer https://t.co/2bKiVreJfn pic.twitter.com/J7jO94C4mB

— New York Post (@nypost) February 14, 2020

With the Mets having Mets’d up an obvious and easy sale to an existing minority owner in Steve Cohen, it would be perfect for them to now sell to ARod, who would necessarily have to be partly a mere “face” guy for the ownership group (deeper pockets behind the scenes would be required, a la Derek Jeter in Miami) … and then would almost certainly clash publicly with the Wilpons, who are going to want to do their weird “kinda-sorta retain ownership for five years and then still stay involved after that” sale. This would be very sideshow entertaining to watch from the outside.

More Mets Mets’ing, going back and forth with a former player:

Zack Wheeler told @GJoyce9 of The Post he’s not surprised he never heard back from the Mets last December before signing his new contract. Why wasn’t he surprised? “Because it’s them,” he said. “It’s how they roll.”

— Mike Puma (@NYPost_Mets) February 13, 2020

BVW took exception to Wheeler’s rip of #Mets.
“Our health & performance dept, our coaches, all contributed and helped him parlay 2 good half seasons over the last 5 yrs into $118M. So I’m proud of what our group was able to help him accomplish. I’m happy he was rewarded for it”

— David Lennon (@DPLennon) February 14, 2020

Zack Wheeler seemed amused by Brodie Van Wagenen's comments yesterday that he parlayed two good half-seasons into a $118 million deal. "I don't want to make this go on any further. … We're two grown-ups here and we're battling like little kids."

— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) February 15, 2020

Boooooo. Make it go further!

A little more on Albert Almora after his offseason reset, mentally and physically:

More important than any adjustments to his swing, Albert Almora is clearly in a better place mentally than he was by the end of last season. If he has any chance of bouncing back, he knew that had to change. https://t.co/XCLfCQKlbI

— Sahadev Sharma (@sahadevsharma) February 14, 2020

Although what Almora is sharing is obviously personal and idiosyncratic, it is impossible to read these comments and not think about the broader deterioration of accountability and focus in the clubhouse as 2019 went on: “I wasn’t [in a good place mentally]. The team wasn’t going to where it needed to be and obviously that sucks. And my performance wasn’t what I wanted it to be. I didn’t think the way I was going about the day was the correct way, in regards to getting prepared for the game and little things like that. The little things matter in this game. The outcome, good or bad, if you prepare the right way you can turn the page a lot easier …. I think I was just getting caught up in results more than preparation and things that I can get better in. Things I can control. You start to focus on the wrong things. It’s tough. I’m sitting here and it sounds like I have it down pat and perfect. I don’t. It’s something that with experience and time, you keep working at it. That’s what I’m here to do.”

That’s obviously the right attitude to have, especially when you’ve gone through such deep and lengthy struggles after spending your early life as a baseball stud. Staying on the process is the only way to come through it … but I have to say, it also takes a lot of the right support around you. I wonder if Almora simply wasn’t getting that last year. Even in a world where Ian Happ takes over most of the time in center field, and Steven Souza, Jr. is a healthy outfield contributor, Almora can still play an important part on a winning Cubs team if the defensive returns to an elite level and he can at least turn things around at the plate against lefties.

The dreaded early-spring pitcher “slowed by XYZ, but it’s totally fine” bug has hit the Cardinals and Miles Mikolas:

Mikolas had soreness at times last season. At end of playoffs, had PRP injection and was prescribed rest. Threw bullpen, now has a familiar soreness along flexor. Is likely headed for an MRI for greater clarity. #cardinals https://t.co/EKGRv4gxYu

— Derrick S. Goold (@dgoold) February 15, 2020

Just like I would say if it were a Cubs pitcher (and within a week or two, it’s a lock that there will be at least one): it’s so early in the ramp-up process that teams are overly cautious. It’s possible Mikolas will be just fine by the time the regular season rolls around. But you always get nervous when these discomforts pop up when a guy starts throwing more aggressively after the offseason. Sometimes, a guy was pitching through some things late in the year, and was able to handle it for the stretch run … but then the offseason wasn’t quite enough rest to cure what ails ya, and ramping back up takes into “injury” territory.

Tony Kemp, honorable man:

Tony Kemp says when he came up in 2017, he was asked to use “the system” and he said no. Was having a good season at Triple A and didn’t want to change anything up. Kept his head down and didn’t say anything.

— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) February 14, 2020

Note that the fan-collected data about trash can bangs squares with Kemp’s claim – there were never any bangs for him.

Mattresses, water coolers, vacuums, and dutch ovens (actual ones!) are among your Deals of the Day at Amazon today. #ad

Trevor Bauer, who was very early on the public suspicions about the Astros, going off on them with some extreme anger:

Trevor Bauer had no shortage of opinions on the Astros cheating while it was happening, so he certainly has something to say about it now. @ctrent has the #Reds pitcher's comments on the scandal and much more, including candid thoughts on Rob Manfred. https://t.co/hEbcgg5PfX

— The Athletic Cincinnati (@TheAthleticCIN) February 15, 2020

The Phillies front office is not saying they won’t go over the luxury tax this year, but you can add them to the chorus of big market clubs that are flat-out saying they will not stay over the luxury tax for a number of years in a row. So that’s pretty much all major-market clubs.

Big news for the Brewers, as this $2.3 million difference only would have grown to be much larger over the next three years of team control:

Josh Hader has lost his arbitration case against the Brewers, per source. Hader will earn $4.1 million in 2020; he had filed for $6.4 million.

— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) February 14, 2020

It’s mid-February, but Umpshow season is under way:

this kid really got tossed in the 9th inning for …uh, swiping the dirt with his bat after a called strike? pic.twitter.com/n1wRlPp2zt

— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) February 15, 2020

We do VERY light photoshop-type work around here, so I found it really fascinating to watch a time lapse of how MLBTR transformed Mookie Betts’ uniform from Red Sox to Dodgers. You kinda gotta be a big nerd to find it interesting, but I am, so it is: