MLB General Discussion (Official Thread)

[Zem]

The Mets, of course. This was the guy I zeroed in on for the Reds to snag for $20M/year and let Elly play the outfield, in hopes of making a real run at maybe 2nd place in the Central Division. LOL, I am so very naive. Getting real hard to be a fan.

 

[Mike80]

The Mets, of course. This was the guy I zeroed in on for the Reds to snag for $20M and let Elly play the outfield, in hopes of making a real run at maybe 2nd place in the Central Division. LOL, I am so very naive. Getting real hard to be a fan.

Shit Elly is a better shortstop than Bo Bitchtits ever thought about being.

He would have been a nice bat in the order, but he's increasingly becoming a liability at shortstop defensively and it's entirely likely his best season offensively has already happened.

$42 million per year for that is insane. And he's not going to play short with the Mets - Lindor is light years better. So on top of probably already seeing his best offensive year, he's going to have to switch positions too.

Guys like Ripken and ARod would make 60+ million per year in this era

 

[Fungo Squiggly]

$42M for a 27-year for a 4WAR player. Jeesh.

 

[Mike80]

$42M for a 27-year for a 4WAR player. Jeesh.

It's the Mets. They do stupid stuff like this and expect different results every time.

 

[Fungo Squiggly]

It's the Mets. They do stupid stuff like this and expect different results every time.

They sure do!

 

[Zem]

Shit Elly is a better shortstop than Bo Bitchtits ever thought about being.

He would have been a nice bat in the order, but he's increasingly becoming a liability at shortstop defensively and it's entirely likely his best season offensively has already happened.

$42 million per year for that is insane. And he's not going to play short with the Mets - Lindor is light years better. So on top of probably already seeing his best offensive year, he's going to have to switch positions too.

Guys like Ripken and ARod would make 60+ million per year in this era

Idk, Elly committed the most errors of any SS - 26 - four more than the second guy. Bichette committed 12. Some of Elly's errors were both gut-wrenching and mind-boggling. He beat Bo in DP's 69-54, but Bo's fielding % is better. I would concede Elly probably makes more dazzling plays than Bo. But Elly never misses a fly ball. Jeff Brantley commented on that. Ball's in the air, he gets to the spot and gloves it. Every time.

So I was thinking decrease errors, increase outfield coverage with his speed... And Reds need a legit .300 hitter with some power. But the Phils offered him $30M/yr for 7 years and I wouldn't pay that either if were Reds FO.

 

[Mike80]

Idk, Elly committed the most errors of any SS - 26 - four more than the second guy. Bichette committed 12. Some of Elly's errors were both gut-wrenching and mind-boggling. He beat Bo in DP's 69-54, but Bo's fielding % is better. I would concede Elly probably makes more dazzling plays than Bo. But Elly never misses a fly ball. Jeff Brantley commented on that. Ball's in the air, he gets to the spot and gloves it. Every time.

So I was thinking decrease errors, increase outfield coverage with his speed... And Reds need a legit .300 hitter with some power. But the Phils offered him $30M/yr for 7 years and I wouldn't pay that either if were Reds FO.

Bo doesn't have anywhere near the range Elly does - Elly gets to balls that contribute to that error count. Also, remember Elly came up as a 3rd baseman, and while he's not Cal Ripken, he's played the position for 2.5 years. It takes a bit to get it right.

Further - Bo just isn't a good shortstop. His arm is marginal (not an issue with Elly), and he's shown to be somewhat injury prone. I threw a lot of this into the Google AI machine just for formatting purposes:

Elly De La Cruz has a significantly bigger defensive range factor and overall superior defensive range than Bo Bichette.

Since the start of 2024, Elly De La Cruz has demonstrated elite, high-end defensive range as a shortstop. His ability to reach balls is a key factor in his high ranking in Outs Above Average (OAA), where he has been ranked as one of the top defensive shortstops in MLB.

Conversely, Bo Bichette has struggled to maintain an above-average range. While he showed improvement in 2023, he has frequently graded as a below-average defensive shortstop in terms of range and efficiency, with, for example, -13 OAA in 2025 (tied for second-worst in the majors).

Defensive Comparison:

• Elly De La Cruz: Known for high-volume plays, immense speed, and a high-velocity arm that compensates for high error rates.
• Bo Bichette: Has often struggled to match the range of elite shortstops, with his defensive metrics dipping into the negatives for both Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) and OAA in recent seasons.

While both are primarily offensive-focused shortstops, De La Cruz's physical tools provide him with a much larger defensive range.

Now, since the Mets have Lindor, there's no way Bichette is playing shortstop over him (Lindor is one of the elite defenders in MLB history), so not only is he a liability defensively, he'll be learning a whole new position (probably 3rd, since they traded for Marcus Semien to play 2nd). History is pretty mixed when it comes to guys going from short to 3rd, with guys like late-career Ripken, A-Rod and Carlos Correa being the prime examples of guys who made it work - but all 3 were defensively superior shortstops in their primes - something Bichette is not. Bichette hasn't played a single professional inning at 3rd base either and now he'll have to do it at an MLB level. That won't be issue and if he struggles, it'll likely affect him at the plate.

Having his bat is great, but dude is going to end up at DH or in Left Field before the end of this contract. He's far too short to play 1st - they say he's 5'11 and he's 5'9 at best. But for someone who has all these defensive issues AND doesn't steal bases, I don't think a guy who will go for 20 homers (maybe) and 100 RBIs is worth $42 million per year.

 

[SEREbuckeye]