Oct
30
2011

Could B.J. Upton and Grady Sizemore Be CF Options For Mets

An article by Hojo's Mojo

Buster Olney of ESPN.com reported that the Tampa Bay Rays will “probably” trade B.J. Upton over the offseason. The Rays came close to dealing their center fielder to the Washington Nationals prior to the trade deadline, but weren’t able to agree on the pieces before time ran out.

Upton made $4.825 million in 2011 and is due for a raise in what will be his final year of arbitration. The Rays currently have Desmond Jennings waiting in the wings and they believe he is ready to take over in center field.

At 27 years old, Upton still has loads of potential and he did hit 23 home runs and drove in 81 runs, but also batted .243 and struck out 161 times in the process.

Another option that has emerged is Cleveland Indians’ center fielder Grady Sizemore. Yesterday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reported that the Indians are expected to decline Sizemore’s $8.5 million dollar option for 2012.

Sizemore, 28, had micro-fracture surgery on his left knee in 2010 which required him to miss half of the 2010 and 2011 season, and recently underwent more surgery on the same knee, but is expected to be ready for Spring Training. In 268 at-bats this season he batted .224 with ten home runs and 30 RBIs.

Both players certainly have their own unique issues, but might still prove to be an upgrade over Angel Pagan who could get almost $5 million dollars in arbitration this Winter.

Sizemore will cost the Mets only money, while of course Upton will cost both player and money. Would either of them be worth the risk?

About the Author: Rob Johnson

6 Comments + Add Comment

Barry D October 30, 2011 at 12:01 pm

The only way I can see the Mets getting Upton is in a John Olerud-type deal i.e. just give us something and he’s yours. So, if the price is Chris Schwinden and Reeses Havens or something like that, I can see it, maybe even F-Mart and McHugh. If the Rays think they can get legitimate top quality prospects for Upton, I don’t see the Mets as a logical trading partner.

As for Sizemore, if he’d cost about the same as Pagan, he’s worth a shot, but if he expects $10 million or so, no way.
- Steve S. October 30, 2011 at 2:48 pm
  
  I wouldn’t give up Havens, but I believe that F-Mart is out of options, so dealing him appeals to me.
NJ stuck in TX October 30, 2011 at 1:37 pm

Sizemore is very good & he’ll probably get a 2 year deal. But I’d lean on the cautious side for health. This team has no depth at CF, so when Sizemore goes down, we’re rolling with Pridie. ick.

Probably best to trade for BJ for some of the 40 man spots that we’ll need for the youngins… Fmart + Schwinden + someone? Maybe it would be worth it to package a bunch for both BJ and Shields? And I couldn’t really judge what it would take. Shields will warrant someone good, so maybe Familia + another decent one (Marte? not even sure who to put in this)? Either way, BJ is slightly better than Pagan in my mind. So non-tender pagan and ship off some 40 man roster holders and there you go.
K Maxx October 30, 2011 at 6:07 pm

Is this all we can aspire to now? More crippled players or those on the scrap heap? You know what, why don’t we just lay down and die. The Nationals and Marlins will blow the Mets out of the water in 2012 and without Beltran and Reyes a 100 loss season is in the cards. It will be the eight straight losing season as a GM for the Alderson who has sand-bagged this franchise. Too bad we let Kevin Towers get away or didn’t try harder to get Daniels, a New York guy, who was VERY INTERESTED in leaving the Rangers for the Mets job.
- any October 30, 2011 at 7:51 pm
  
  hyperbole much?
  - metsaddict77 October 31, 2011 at 10:29 am
    
    pipedream,we are not going to do anything this offseason.

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