Good for the Mets. Seriously. No joke. They deserve to act like they’re from a big market, because, here’s the wild thing, they are. How’sever, it is shameful how Cleveland punts every year. Offsetting Browns’ recent success? Baker Mayfield? More like Baker could field anywhere on that team. Also, what’s with all the sweets going from Cleveland? Lindor truffle, Cookie…Lucky it’s Shane Bieber vs. Shane Keebler or he would’ve been traded too. Cleveland’s front office calling up teams, “We got a Double-A middle infielder named Ferrero Rocher, any interest?”
The final trade was Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco for Andres Gimenez, Amed Rosario, Josh Wolf and Isiah Greene. I’ll let Prospect Itch discuss Wolf and Greene, if there’s anything to discuss. Getting back just those two shortstops is a jizzoke. If Andres Gimenez does well, he’s shipped to a big market in three years. If he does poorly, Gimenez and Jake Bauers hit in the heart of the order for the next five years. How bad was this offseason? Teams are struggling to give away superstars. Okay, okay, OKAY! Enough vitriol on the state of MLB teams not being competitive. It’s a bore. I realize it. It just gets me so goosed up! Breathe, Grey, breathe!
So, Francisco Lindor, welcome to the Mets. You may have been born in Puerto Rico and grew up in Florida, but you will now have to accentuate whichever family member lived or worked on Long Island, no matter how distant the relative. It is a Mets narrative staple. If you don’t have anyone from Massapequa or its surrounding areas, you best make someone up. Between Stroman, Lindor, Dom, Conforto, Nimmo, Alonso, deGrom, Thor returning, Wilpons leaving–holy crap, the Mets are a fun team. This is all an elaborate plot to make the Mets’ tragic return to Mets’ing that much more devastating, isn’t it? Prior to this trade in early drafts, y’all were out there throwing away Lindor after years and years of production, due to one two-month span. Those people were giant dopes. Wanna dig into his stats? Fine, his HR/FB% was goofy low for a guy whose HardHit% and Launch Angle went up. He had a 25.6% Line Drive rate, the highest mark of his career, and his walks went up. Lindor just turned 27 years old, and if anyone’s on the verge of having their best season of their already-great career, it’s Lindor. For 2021, I’ll give Francisco Lindor projections of 112/34/87/.283/17 in 608 ABs. Anyway, here’s what else I saw this offseason for 2021 fantasy baseball:
Carlos Carrasco – Also, traded to the Mets. Carrasco was one of the few guys helped by a partial season. Need to get some innings in, but don’t want to go 200 IP? 2020 had exactly what you needed! Now that I’ve seen Carrasco post remarkably similar numbers to every other season in his career minus his fluky bad 2019, when he was obviously dealing with more important things than baseball — MORE IMPORTANT THAN BASEBALL WHAT — and I trust Carrasco completely to be solid again. I already drafted him, and would absolutely again, though his trade might throw some helium in the thought bubbles about him, raising his price. In the NL East and a much better ballpark, he will be the ace we saw every year of his career, except one. Also, since no one (or maybe very few) will be throwing 200 IP this year, his inability to go 200 innings in 2021 won’t hurt him either. For 2021, I’ll give Carlos Carrasco projections of 12-7/3.36/1.14/187 in 164 IP.
Andres Gimenez – Went the other way in the trade. Already gave you my Andres Gimenez fantasy. Since his trade, I upped his projections since he doesn’t have to fight for playing time in an awful lineup, but, yeah, awful lineup. Also, there’s now a real worry that he will hit so much his batting average will bottom out and he won’t have any respite from the everyday duties and do doody after doody. Lots of doodies with duties. Of course, I’m still drafting him as a middle infidel. For 2021, will now give Andres Gimenez projections of 84/13/55/.251/27 in 527 ABs.
Amed Rosario – Also, went to Cleveland. Might be the biggest value change of anyone. Well, except Yu Chang. I said that time may Chang me, but Yu Chang time… Chang had his value obliterated. Rosario went from an afterthought, who shouldn’t have been drafted prior to this trade, to being an interesting late MI. MI crazy? I don’t think so. In two 500+ AB seasons, he was rosterable in 12-team leagues, and moves to a better ballpark. Not saying he will be Lindor lite, but he might be Andres Gimenez drafted later. Call him Andres 300 ADP. For 2021, I’ll give Amed Rosario projections of 61/12/59/.256/21 in 510 ABs.
Hansel Robles – Signed with the Twins. One of my favorite images in recent baseball history is Hansel Robles pointing up to his outfielders as a ball sails out for a home run. Not once, not twice, but nearly every time he gives up a gopher ball, he points up as pitchers do, and the ball just soars away into the night. Hansel, you are an absolute goof.
Jose Alvarado – Traded to the Phils. The best way to clear up a closerfudge of a bullpen is for a team with no great closer trading or signing a great closer. The Phils did the opposite of that. They made it more closerfudgey — Closererfudge? Closerfudgier? A near-full-fledged fudge? Near full-fudged? Cougs, please send for help I can’t stop making bad portmanteaus. Alvarado would likely fit into the set-up role, but with Hector Neris in front of him, it might just become a committee. The only thing a committee ever made better is jerk seasoning, and we’re all out of seasoning! For 2021, I’ll give Jose Alvarado projections of 2-4/4.23/1.37/75, 7 saves in 58 IP.
Ervin Santana – Signed a minor league deal with the Royals. This gives the Royals Carlos and Ervin Santana. If you’re going with the offseason strategy that you don’t want to make a Santana jersey for only one person, Danny Santana is out there as a free agent.
Robbie Grossman – Signed with the Tigers. Woo boy, hot stove, amiright? The first big-money outfielder signing! By those big-market Tigers! I honestly half expect to hear the Tigers accidentally signed Grossman by looking at Robbie, saying, “Gross, man,” and they want their money back. For 2021, I’ll give Robbie Grossman projections of 61/15/66/.238/10 in 464 ABs.
Curt Casali – Signed with the Giants. Curt Casali, Fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-far better, run, run, run, run, run, run, run–Wait a second, Curt Casali sounds like lyrics from Psycho Killer and now he moves to San Fran…Oh my God, Curt Casali is the Zodiac Killer.
