31
2012
From Left Field: Should The Mets Have Made A Run At Mauer?
An article by 
Joe Mauer at Fenway Park (Photo by Jim Mancari)
The Minnesota Twins places All-Star catcher Joe Mauer on revocable trade waivers earlier this week, and, not too surprisingly, no team put a claim in for him.
The 29-year-old is due $23 million per season through 2018, so team’s likely balked at that salary.
I heard some reports that the Mets should have gone after Mauer if the Twins were willing to work out a deal. I know it’s slightly after the fact (at least until the offseason), but let’s dissect this trade possibility.
Yes, Mauer isn’t exactly his former self and projects more as a first baseman than a catcher, but the guy is producing this year at a .312 clip with eight home runs and 68 RBI, which earned him his fifth All-Star selection.
The Mets are desperately seeking offensive production from the catcher’s spot, and Mauer would be an instant upgrade. Kelly Shoppach has looked OK offensively, but Shoppach is not Mauer, end of story.
The problem here is that in order to keep Mauer healthy, he needs to either play first base or DH. Obviously DH is not an option in the NL, so it would have to be first base.
Ike Davis is currently the Mets first baseman. He struggled out of the gate early, but his power numbers have been just as expected. Are we already willing to give up on Ike in favor of a catcher who is more of a first baseman?
Let’s say though the Mets can trade Ike for some outfield help. In fact, let’s say that Ike is included in a deal for Mauer that also nets the Mets Josh Willingham. The “Hammer” is signed for $14 million over the next two seasons, but he’ll also be 34 to begin next season.
However, the whole purpose in trading for Mauer would be to add him to a lineup that includes Ike Davis. So instead the Mets would have to dig into their prospects for a deal.
Think back to winter 2008 when the Mets and Twins made a trade for Johan Santana. The Twins acquired four prospects: Phil Humber, Carlos Gomez, Kevin Mulvey and Deolis Guerra. Humber pitched a perfect game but for the White Sox, Gomez is now on the Brewers, Mulvey is gone from the Twins system and Guerra may have a shot to be a decent pitcher for the Twins.
If the Mets start throwing around names like Wilmer Flores, Jenrry Mejia, Jeurys Familia and Collin McHugh (obviously Zack Wheeler is untouchable), the Twins may get skeptical based on the results of the other trade. But that’s the whole point of rolling the dice on prospects; some don’t pan out.
I’m not a general manger (maybe just an arm-chair GM), but if somehow the Mets could have worked out a deal for Mauer and Willingham, the team would be in good shape maybe just for next year, but beyond that it would be a gamble. Here’s what a lineup would look like, assuming no other big moves were made:
Tejada SS, Murphy 2B, Mauer C, Wright 3B, Davis 1B, Willingham LF, Duda RF, CF (either Hairston, Nieuwenhuis, den Dekker, B.J. Upton perhaps).
This would be a pretty good team, but I just don’t see it happening. Actually to answer the title question, I don’t want it to happen. If the Twins were going to ask for mid-level prospects just to get something back for Mauer, then maybe. But Mauer is locked up for six more years, so the Twins would have to be blown away by an offer for this to work. They aren’t going to trade their only superstar just for the sake of making a deal.
So instead, expect something a little more like this for next season:
Tejads SS, Murphy 2B, Wright 3B, Davis 1B, Hairston/Baxter RF, Duda/Bay LF, Shoppach/Thole C, CF (Nieuwenhuis or den Dekker).
GM Sandy Alderson said the team would be creative in the trade market perhaps. The free agent market will be weak this offseason (except for Josh Hamilton, fat chance Mets fans!), so trades will be the only way to improve this team.
Again, if the Mets and Twins can work out a trade for Mauer and even throw in Willingham in which the Mets assume the contracts (another big if) rather than mortgaging the farm system, I guess it could work. But that’s living in a fantasy world.
The safe bet: Stay away from Mauer and explore other options.
About the Author: Jim Mancari
Jim Mancari hails from Massapequa, N.Y. He recently earned a Master's degree in Journalism at Hofstra University. He is a devout Mets fan and takes pride in his team, despite their lack of success over the last few years. Like all Mets fans, Jim has plenty of hope. He also writes as the sports reporter for the Brooklyn Tablet newspaper and the senior editor of metroBASEBALL Magazine. Click my name to view my personal website.
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NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 24 | 18 | .571 | - |
| Nationals | 23 | 20 | .535 | 1.5 |
| Phillies | 20 | 23 | .465 | 4.5 |
| Mets | 16 | 24 | .400 | 7.0 |
| Marlins | 11 | 32 | .256 | 13.5 |
Last updated: 05/18/2013
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LOL, if the Mets had claimed Mauer the Twins would have said thanks and ran as hard in the other direction as possible. There would be no trade, they would just let him go… go… go…. Thus there is no way in heck the Mets were going to pay 23M a year for 6 more years of Mauer.
From Left Field: Should The Mets Have Made A Run At Mauer?
To answer your question, YES. reality check, with this front office, lowe r(and i’m talking almost below the ground low) your expectations… Aim way lower, guys like shoppach, who cost $1 million are the ones we will be looking at
Alex so you are saying you think the Mets should have claimed a guy that is basically signed to a 6/138M contract to play C part time and replace Ike the rest of the time? OK.
Ya, Ike needs a lefty platoon split.
A left handed hitting first basemen already playing out of position? Don’t we have enough of those? Plus, we’d be paying him $23 million per year until he’s 35. And he had knee surgery already.
Mauer’s value is the fact that he’s a catcher. We know he won’t be there much longer. Before moving him to 1B, remember, he hit over 15 HR once in his career.
“Are we already willing to give up on Ike in favor of a catcher (Joe Mauer) who is more of a first baseman? No.
Mauer is only worth considering if he can catch every day. Other than that I don’t want him.
We can forget thinking about what trades this FO will make to help this team as it’s not happening! The only trades will involve Known Talent going out!
You guys should listen to the Craig Wolff segment from the MMO Radio cast! Some Highlights he said you may have missed:
1 – If Wright gets re-signed it won’t be because Sandy wants him but because the Owners forced Sandy to sign him due to PR ramifications.He said if the FO had their way they would rather move on from Wright!
2 – This FO would like model us to be like the Tampa Bay Organization (FYI Tampa’s current Payrol is 64.1M 25th in the League!)
3 – This FO’s long term plan is a 10 year worth of losing.
Does that sound like any change for the better is forthcoming anytime soon?
Yeah if you plan on going into a 9 year Coma it’s right around the corner!
I did listen to what Craig had to say. I didn’t come away with quite the same take on his comments that you did. Nothing was in absolutes.
‘I feel’, ‘my take’, ‘IMO’, ‘just what I think’, ‘that’s my thought’ are all phrases he used to preface some of the comments he made.
1 – If Wright gets re-signed it won’t be because Sandy wants him but because the Owners forced Sandy to sign him due to PR ramifications.He said if the FO had their way they would rather move on from Wright!
On this above Craig loosely said:
‘I would go so far with Wright, ownership may sort of override all and say he’s staying.
I think the FO would prefer to move on. Not saying they said that though.’
2 – This FO would like model us to be like the Tampa Bay Organization (FYI Tampa’s current Payrol is 64.1M 25th in the League!)
He did say this and went on to say as a matter of fact other GMs feel the model of the Tampa Bay Org is the best in baseball. Not just ours.
3 – This FO’s long term plan is a 10 year worth of losing.
When he asked if Met fans are willing to wait 10 years to contend, his counterpart disputed that saying something like: ’10 years is a little excessive in modern day sports unless you have no money. Nothing close to 10 years for rebuilding. More like 3/4 years away.’
He was annoyed they didn’t field a real OF but conceded they were stuck with some bad contracts that made it difficult to work around. He also cited the BP as a failure, which I think we all agree with.
Nothin was in absoloutes…But it was coming from a guy who has had actual conversations with the people involved!
Tell me is the Tampa Model conducive to keeping Wright?
Is that what they would do?
And if you listened carefully he said the teams think they have the best organization but they don’t say they have the best methodology to get there!
It’s the same model the Braves and Phillies used!
Lost for a decade and when you have drafted at the top of the draft 10 years straight by the end of that decade you should have drafted enough talent to make trades and promote kids to fill all your holes!
You think Sandy’s model of Tampa is going to ever survive here?
You gonna sit and wait 10 years for the plan to complete?
Sandy had better start convincing someone we are going in the right direction by this time next year or he is done!
As I’ve said before, I don’t think SA is here long enough to see a championship team – certainly not any 10 years, that’s for sure. So I don’t think there is any ‘Sandy’s mode of Tampa’ in play here. It’s all about saving the team in the short term for the Wilpons, then pass the torch.
Who/what the next GM does will be very interesting to see.
Right Srtand Im not claiming you ever thought that either…
Just saying does it make sense to let him put into a place a 10 year plan knowing full well it will never get completed and most likely anything gained in it will be ruined because the next guy has to undo 4 or 5 years of organization decline due to the snails pace they expected to grow in?
Maybe a 10 year plan works I have always said before that 10 years of losing can make anyone a winner…
But there is no sense in continuing a plan or letting a GM implement a plan you have no intentions of seeing through till the end.
Your just wasting time and maybe even costing you more!
I would target J.P. Arencibia of the Blue Jays now that Travis d’Arnaud is major league ready and will take over starting catcher beginning tomorrow and staying there for the next seven years.
I have also said we should go after him and Peter Bourjous for CF. RF could platoon at this time with Baxter, Hairston if he re-signs.
No, I like Mauer but he will not be a catcher for much longer and where go you put him. Health is a question along with that 23 mil per. Mets want to dump salary with Bay & Santana already. No thanks.
23 mil a yr- Thats crazy money and it hurts most franchises more than it helps.
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/dodgers–bloated-roster-already-starting-to-show-cracks.html
Look at the crack in the Dodgers after their deals. Bad Karma has a way of evening the score of Money Money Money. mayhbe we can unload FF to them for money like a dollar bill.
I don’t get why Josh Willingham is the flavor of the month for Mets fans. The guy is having a career year at 34. He’s probably on HGH. PASS.