Just in Time for Potential Moves...

....Is when I have to keep it a bit quiet on the Metsian Front. I have one week left of school for the semester, and other than tomorrow's Rising Apple Report, I need to zone out to finals and such. 

Five players were not tendered a contract for the upcoming season, two of which were notable surprises in Jeremy Hefner and Justin Turner. The former is out for the year with Tommy John and Justin Turner is an inexpensive versatile bench-rallyer. Both could be back, though, on smaller deals, especially Justin Turner, who seems to get a bad rap from some fans, though he can play basically all over the infield, hit admirably in the clutch and off the bench, and is always the first to cheer from the dugout and enthusiastically greet a player on their way back in.

Then of course, Ken Rosenthal reported that Sandy Alderson met with Curtis Granderson, which isn't surprising at all. The Winter Meetings are coming, and he has a lot to prepare for. I was initially against the potential signing of Curtis Granderson, but the more I think about it and hear other people's thoughts, he does make a lot of sense. Though I certainly feel his power numbers are inflated by that joke of a stadium called Yankee, he still has a lot of power to be desired, not to mention he is a plus defender. Plus, we know he can play in New York.

Anyway, I'm sure I'll chime in here and there, but there is the possibility the Converted updates trickle in rather slowly.

So, let's hope for there to be a lot for us to discuss next week when school wraps up for me.

For now, enjoy this Random Nothing of the Day.

SIGN. GOOD. PLAYERS.

LET'S. GO. METS.

Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter @convertedmetfan. And for the latest on a Brooklyn Baseball TV Series I am developing, Like the Bedford & Sullivan Facebook page, follow on Twitter here, and listen to the research process here.

Vaughn Gone?

A few years back, in the same draft where Omar Minaya took Matt Harvey, the Mets picked up a kid I got excited about at the time. Whether it was the fact he was coached under San Diego State's Tony Gwynn, or the fact his dad was a rather successful power hitter in the Major Leagues for quite some time, I looked forward to the day Cory Vaughn vaulted himself to the top of the Majors as a New York Met.

He had a solid first season in Brooklyn, where he was coached by Wally Backman in 2010. I very much paid attention to that season, going to a few games and watching the kid hit .307 with 14 HR, 56 RBI, a .396 OBP and a .556 SLG in 313 PAs in the pitcher-friendly league. Yeah, he struck out 63 times as well, but that came with the power-hitting territory, right?

Well, he has not faired well since then, hitting mostly in the .240s, his power run-producing abilities not as prolific and having some injury issues along the way. He split time in 2013 between St. Lucie A+ and Binhamton AA, hitting .267 with 10 HR and 50 RBI in 295 PA. Not terrible but not that exciting for a kid drafted out of college 3 years ago.

Yesterday, the Mets protected Stephen Matz, Erik Goeddel, Jeff Walters and Jacob DeGrom from being drafted in the Rule 5. They did not protect Cory Vaughn.

Now, the rule in the Rule 5 is that the player drafted has to spend the entirety of 2014 on the Major League roster by the team who drafted him, otherwise they have to offer the draftee back to his original ball club. The likelihood that Cory Vaughn will somehow get it together if he gets drafted at the upcoming winter meetings is unlikely, but I can totally see a team taking a flyer and trying the kid out, seeing how he does in Spring Training at least before offering him back us if they cut him.

With the Mets lack of depth of impact-position players who are close, especially the outfield, I wanted Cory Vaughn to finally get it together and propel himself to the top of the pack.

Well, that didn't happen. And the Mets felt that he either wasn't appealing enough to other teams to leave on the 40-man or they just didn't care.

We will soon see what happens.

Here's the Random Nothing of the Day.

LET'S. GO. METS.

Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter @convertedmetfan. And for the latest on a Brooklyn Baseball TV Series I am developing, Like the Bedford & Sullivan Facebook page, follow on Twitter here, and listen to the research process here.

Regarding Jhonny Peralta, I Yield the Floor To Rising Apple

By now, it is well-known amongst the Mets fan base circle...at least the ones who monitor the Hot Stove at obsessive levels...that the Mets met with shortstop free agent Jhonny Peralta at the GM meetings, which is a rare thing to do at the annual November event. Generally speaking, these meetings are exclusively executives, and it helps lay the groundwork for potential deals that could take place either before or during the Winter Meetings in December. When you're coming off a 50-game suspension, however, it makes sense to be as active as early as you can.

Mike Lecolant of Brooklyn Trolley Blogger and a fellow Rising Apple writer says everything perfectly about why that number would be outlandish for the Mets to pay, and also quotes a well-informed Rising Apple reader. I suggest you click on this link and read Mr. Lecolant's opinion of the entire matter.

Over here, however, we have a Random Nothing of the Day. And this one ain't too long so you can press play, then in less than a minute get on with your day.

Enjoy your Friday everyone.

LET'S. GO. METS.

Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter @convertedmetfan. And for the latest on a Brooklyn Baseball TV Series I am developing, Like the Bedford & Sullivan Facebook page, follow on Twitter here, and listen to the research process here.

One Scenario I Can Get Behind

As these winter meetings get under way in Nashville at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel (seen on the right), there is one rumored R.A. Dickey trade destination I can get behind: Texas. The narrative seems right, and if a trade to improve our team arises with the Lone Star State and the trade makes sense from a practical point (which is not my point of view when it comes to my firm stance on keeping R.A.) then for him to kind of "go home" to the place that gave him his first shot and help them win would be a storyline I can get behind. R.A. has found a home here with our Mets family, but if the deal is right, sure, send him back to Texas.

I'm kind of starting to salivate over Wil Myers, though, you guys, and I would LOVE to see Sandy pull off a trade for the young slugger WHILE STILL signing R.A. to an extension. And KC is unlikely to include their prospect in a deal for a 38-year-old journeyman knuckleballer coming off only his 3rd straight great campaign (you and me know R.A. is no fluke and will likely keep his consistency and/or find what he needs to do to adjust to pitching as an older gentlemen, but other teams are appropriately weary to giving up their team-controlled prospects for him.) It is much more likely a deal could form around a coming-into-his-own southpaw with a reasonable 5-year contract. Sorry Jon. I'm sure you don't take offense to myself and many other fans tossing you into a hypothetical trade with Kansas City. I'm sure this very instant you're watching a Wil Myers highlight reel saying you'd trade yourself for this kid...

Anyway, I like the approach Sandy takes in most of the things he does. We fans are supposed to enter all of this with emotions constantly running high. That's ok. Sandy's job is pretty much the opposite. Emotions are supposed to take over very little in his job. Technically, the Mets ARE desperate. Omar would probably be walking in their with that, "Man, I need a catcher, outfielder and bullpen" look on his face as he shakes hands and schmoozes with everybody. Sandy's probably cracking jokes about it with the rest of baseball, but he will not trade his commodity in an act of desperation. He will make a keen baseball observation, and do what he must.

What a week, folks. Let's see what unfolds.

NASHVILLE. SKYLINE.

LET'S. GO. METS.

Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter @convertedmetfan. And for Rising Apple twitter updates, click here.