Robles clears waivers, outrighted to Triple-A Las Vegas

Pitcher Hansel Robles has cleared waivers, and he will be outrighted to Triple-A Las Vegas, according to the Mets. Robles was removed from the 40 man roster, and his spot will likely be taken by Chris Young, who was signed to a one year deal yesterday. 

Robles, 22, had a 3.55 ERA in 18 games (17 starts) between the GCL Mets and Single-A St. Lucie last season. He also participated in the Arizona Fall League, where he had a 4.00 ERA in six starts. 

Robles has been known as a mid-tiered pitching prospect for quite some time now. His best season was in 2012 where he had a 1.11 ERA in 12 starts for the Brooklyn Cyclones. The Mets could have afforded to lose him if he was claimed because of their abundance of young pitching, but now that Robles is staying, expect him to start the 2014 season in Double-A Binghamton. 

I feel like it is too early to give up on him, and the Mets are just sneaking him through waivers so they can fill in Young's roster spot. Logically, it would make more sense to cut Jordany Valdespin, who probably doesn't have a future with this team at all. However, the Mets may try to trade Valdespin, so letting him go on waivers wouldn't be too smart. 

Mets sign OF Chris Young

The Mets have signed outfielder Chris Young to a one year, $7.25 million deal. The deal will be officially announced next week after Young takes his physical, meaning that a roster move will be announced sometime next week as well.

Young, 30, hit .200 with 12 homers in 107 games for the Athletics last year. He is a career .235 hitter with 144 home runs in 8 seasons with the Diamondbacks and Athletics. In 2007 (his rookie season) he slugged 32 homers, but hit just .237 with a .295 OBP.  

He made $8.5 million last season. 

Young's role on this team is unclear at this point, but based on his high salary he will likely break camp one of the team's corner outfielders. He has more experience at center field, so the Mets may shift Juan Lagares to right to allow Young to feel more comfortable. 

Either way, Young's career 22.9 K % isn't very promising. Young has been fairly consistent throughout his career, but not in a good way. He has power and speed, but the strikeouts and the inability to work the count have been his biggest problems. 

It is nice to see that the Mets have brought someone on board, however. Young isn't going to change the direction of the franchise, and certainly won't be worth the $7.25 million that he will earn, but he can still present a moderate upgrade over last year's cycle of outfielders.

What I don't understand is, if the Mets are willing to give someone like Young $7.25 million, why did they pass up on Marlon Byrd, who will only make a tiny bit more than him. Byrd has proven that he could do it in New York, and even showed interest in coming back to Queens. 

All in all, the Mets gave up quite a chunk of money to bring Young in. Hopefully he is more than a platoon hitter, but his splits don't seem too promising. In his career, he has a .262/.363/.474 slash line against lefties, but a .225/.295/.415 slash line against righties. 

Met add four to 40-man roster

The Mets have added four pitchers to the 40 man roster to protect them from the upcoming Rule V draft. Those players are: Steven Matz, Jeff Walters, Jacob deGrom, and Erik Goeddel. The roster is now at 40 players. 

The rules go as follows: if a player is left off of the 40 man roster, he is unprotected in the draft, meaning that he can be selected by an opposing team. If he is selected, he must remain with the team that claims him for all of the following season, or he can be offered back to his original team. 

Matz, a former 2nd round pick, was hampered by injuries early on in his minor league career. This went on to delay his development, but at age 22, he still has time to turn it around. He started 21 games for Single-A Savannah in 2013, posting a 2.62 ERA while putting up a solid 10.2 K/9 ratio. 

Walters, 26, has been with the Mets since 2010 when he was selected in the 7th round of the amateur draft. He had by far his best season in 2013. With the Binghamton Mets, he had a 2.09 ERA in 53 relief appearances, and notched 38 saves. He also had 2.6 BB/9 and 9.6 K/9. 

As a 25 year old, Jacob deGrom is considered a lower-grade prospect. However, it was expected that the Mets would add him to the roster. The hard-throwing righty had a 4.52 ERA in 14 Triple-A starts in 2013. 

Erik Goeddel is a name that many are surprised to see. The former 24th round pick had a 4.37 ERA in 25 Double-A starts last season. He also managed to strike out 125 batters in 134.0 innings pitched, which translates to a relatively good 8.4 K/9 ratio.

Mets sign Miguel Socolovich to a minors deal

The Mets have signed pitcher Miguel Socolovich to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training. 

Socolovich, 27, made 11 appearances in Japan last season, posting a 0.79 ERA with a 0.882 WHIP. In 2012, he played in 12 games for the Cubs and Orioles where he had a 6.06 ERA in 16 1/3 innings. The right-hander was originally signed out of Venezuela as an 18 year old back in 2004. He has a combined 3.79 ERA in 7 career minor league seasons. 

This is just another bullpen depth signing. First it was Joel Carreno, now it is Socolovich. Expect quite a bit of these moves throughout the off-season as Alderson is looking to find any diamond in the rough that is out there. Socolovich isn't a bad player to bring in since he has a history of success at the highest minor league levels. For example, in 2012, he had a 1.90 ERA in 28 relief appearances for the Orioles' Triple-A team. Worst comes to worst he is "filler" in the minor leagues, specifically Triple-A Las Vegas.  

Mets sign Brandon Allen

The Mets have signed first baseman/left fielder Brandon Allen to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training. 

Allen, 27, spent the entire 2013 season at Triple-A in the Padres organization, where he hit .267 with 17 home runs and 76 RBI. He is primarily a first baseman, but has seen time in left field too. His last Major League appearance was in 2012 with the Tampa Bay Rays, where he hit .154 in 7 games. 

Not too long ago Allen was being brought up through the White Sox and Diamondback organizations, and thought of a player with a fair amount of upside. He has a good amount of raw power, evident by his solid minor league numbers, and  really hasn't played too much in the Majors, so it would be unfair to judge this signing right now.

Allen's power is intriguing, and since he is young he probably still has some of that pop to his bat still with him. However, I basically just see this as a depth signing. Perhaps this is foreshadowing a trade of Ike Davis, but the Mets do in-fact already have a logjam at first base. I don't really have a problem with depth signings, so to me this is a nice pickup by Alderson and Co. 

Market for Ike Davis

The Mets have a logjam at first-base that includes Ike Davis, Lucas Duda, Josh Satin, and Wilmer Flores. They clearly need to make a trade or two this winter to clear up some space on the roster, and also get rid of some unwanted pieces. Davis and Duda seem to be the most logical players to be dealt, as they haven't lived up to expectations at all. Several reports have indicated that the Mets are getting more calls on Davis than Duda. It is unknown which teams are calling, but here are who I believe would be the best fits to swing a deal with. 

Cleveland Indians:  2013 First-Baseman: Nick Swisher

The Indians have needed a first baseman for years now, as once-hyped up prospect Matt LaPorta has turned out to be a huge flop. They had Nick Swisher playing first last season, which is his natural position. Swisher isn't going anywhere, but he could be moved to the DH role so the Indians could bring in a first-baseman. The Indians could deal away some of their young pitching to get Davis.

Colorado Rockies: 2013 First-Baseman: Todd Helton

The Rockies have many big decisions to make this winter. They'll likely hold onto their main pieces such as Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez, but Michael Cuddyer's status is up in the air. There is talk that he may move from right field to first base next season, now that long-time first baseman Todd Helton has retired. The Mets may also inquire on Cuddyer, so there actually is a possibility that he ends up in Queens and Davis ends up in Colorado. I can see Colorado as a big time bidder for Ike, and it'll be interesting to see how their offseason plays out.

Milwaukee Brewers: 2013 First-Baseman: Juan Francisco

It is unknown whether the Brewers are willing to bring back long-time first baseman/right fielder Corey Hart, but assuming they don't they'll have a huge hole to fill. Juan Francisco is a decent player because of his raw power, but the Brewers would be better off if they gambled on Davis. I expect them to certainly be in the market for Davis if Hart does not return to Milwaukee.

Tampa Bay Rays:  2013 First-Baseman: James Loney

Loney is likely going to leave via free agency, and the Rays will be searching for another inexpensive option that they could roll the dice on. Davis would be perfect for Tampa Bay, as the New York media has seemed to get in his head. Going to a low-key team like the Rays could be exactly what he's looking for, and luckily for the Mets, Tampa Bay has a few prospects that they could dangle in front of the Mets and see if they bite. I truly expect Davis to be traded to the Rays sometime this winter.

Toronto Blue Jays: 2013 First-Baseman: Edwin Encarnacion

I'm going to stick to my word and predict that the Jays are going to trade one of their top hitters this off-season. Whether that is Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Bautista, or even a smaller name like Adam Lind remains to be seen, but if Encarnacion or Lind are dealt, Toronto could bring in someone like Davis, who would give them cheap power, and can be had for a decent price. The Blue Jays would likely just have to cough up a bullpen piece or a low-grade outfield prospect to get Davis. 

Mets have shown interest in Hughes

According to Andy Martino of the Daily News, the Mets have shown interest in free agent pitcher Phil Hughes. Hughes, 27, went 4-14 with a 5.19 ERA for the Yankees in 2013 while earning $7,150,000. 

In his career, the former first round pick is 56-50 with a combined 4.54 ERA in 780.2 innings pitched. He is generally known for being more effective on the road, as he has a 4.96 ERA at home, and a slightly better 4.10 ERA when away from Yankee stadium. 

The Mets should stay away from Hughes, despite the potential. Hughes is known as one of the more inconsistent pitchers in today's game, and while the hitter-friendly dimensions of Yankee stadium may have diminished his worth, he is still a below average player when on the road. His 4.36 FIP in 2013 did indeed show that he may have gotten unlucky, but over the course of his career his ERA and FIP have been relatively similar. 

I've heard Hughes' name being connected with Pittsburgh for quite some time now, so I expect them to pursue him. I don't think the Yankees want him back, as he clearly can't handle the pressure of New York. To me he's just a Mike Pelfrey Part 2, and shouldn't be even considered by the Mets.

If the Mets are looking for pitching, go after bigger targets. I would rather overpay for Josh Johnson than bring in Phil Hughes on an incentive based deal. Hughes may find success if he winds up in the National League, but the Mets shouldn't be the team taking that flier on him.