9
2012
If Not In New York, Then Where For David Wright?
An article by 
A few days back, a group of friends and myself spent Labor Day weekend having fun and talking sports, as per the usual. The topic of the Mets came up with the normal insults being thrown around by the Yankee fans and us few Met fans valiantly trying to defend what little the team has, mostly David Wright. Then the topic of what the team will do with Wright reared it’s ugly head, and the general consensus was that Wright would stay a Met, maybe.
It is almost a sin to think about David Wright not playing for the New York Mets, in fact it pains me to write about it. He is without question the face of the team and it’s best player. Yet as we draw closer and closer to the offseason, where Sandy has promised that he would work out an extension for the All-Star third baseman, the what-ifs begin to come up. If they can’t come to a deal, will the Mets pick up Wrights option and go through 2013 with his free agency hanging over the team ala Jose Reyes in 2011?
Or will something that many think is unthinkable happen? Will the Mets deal Wright during the winter? I am inclined to think no seeing as Citi Field is already a ghost town and that may be the final nail in the coffin, but if it were to happen, where would he end up? There aren’t many teams in the league that couldn’t use a player of Wright’s caliber, but here a few that top the list.
San Francisco Giants: If Wright goes on the block, the Giants would certainly be calling. Yes, the have Pablo Sandoval but with his ability to move to first and Brandon Belt to play the outfield, Wright could be the perfect fit for San Fran. Combined with Buster Posey, the Giants would have a middle of the order that could go toe-to-toe with the now loaded Dodgers and the pitching to be one of the best teams in baseball. They also have the prospects and the afore mentioned pitching depth to out together an impressive package that could entice Alderson. Plus the fact that the teams have done business frequently in Alderson’s tenure is always a plus.
Cincinnati Reds: A team with a stellar bullpen, good starting pitching, and a fantastic offense may not have the need for Wright, but I wouldn’t count them out. Scott Rolen’s time is running out as a full time major league third baseman and while Todd Frazier has tremendous power and can play third base, is still a rookie. The possibility of adding Wright to a team with Joey Votto, Bradon Phillips, and Jay Bruce would be a nightmare for the rest of the league. Cincinnati has the prospects to move and could view Wright as the final piece to a World Series. If the Reds offered a package for Wright that includes, say baseballs fastest man Billy Hamilton and other blue-chip prospects, could Alderson say no?
Pittsburgh Pirates: The feel good story in baseball, the Pirates are a team with young talent and a superstar in Andrew McCutchen. They currently have Pedro Alvarez at third base, who has great power but is wildly inconsistent. David Wright would make this team legitimate, and could be the piece that pushes Pittsburgh past the Reds. A team that has a loaded farm system with both pitching and position talent, could put together a great package of prospects, if the Mets were willing to listen.
New York Yankees: Would there be a bigger nightmare for Met fans then to see David Wright playing in the Bronx? Alex Rodriguez is moving towards becoming a full-time DH and signing Wright to any deal is no problem for the Yankees. The question would be, what can the Yankees offer the Mets to make this trade. It would need to be a kings ransom of can’t miss prospects for Alderson to make this highly unlikely trade happen. Yet when it comes to the leagues superstars, it is hard to ever count the Bombers out of the running.
Oakland Athletics: My biggest wild-card team out there due to its GM Billy Beane. Beane could bring Wright in for the beginning of the season to form a great middle of the order with Josh Reddick and Yoenis Cespedes, and come July easily move Wright for even better prospects that he gave up in the deal to acquire him. Option two for Beane would be keep Wright and gather compensation picks, which he also loves to do, when Wright signs somewhere else. Wright would bring a great veteran presence to a young, talented team and could help Beane finally win the last game of the season. Oakland’s deep farm system means they could trade some of it’s young major league level pitching for Wright and then easily replace them from within. Plus, there is the whole Moneyball relationship between Beane and Sandy. Something to keep an open mind about…
Again this is all speculation. I deep down do not think Wright leaves Queens and becomes the first Mets superstar to be drafted a Met and stay a Met. That being said, do you agree with this list? Who else belongs on it? Perhaps Baltimore, who can sell David on coming close to home? Atlanta? They need someone to replace Chipper. Maybe even St. Louis, where David could be reunited with Carlos Beltran. Let the speculation begin.
About the Author: Michael Barrett
A lifelong Met fan literally since birth, most of the greatest moments of my life in sports have come from the Mets. I currently work for MLB.com these days, which has only furthered my passion for the guys in orange and blue.
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I too hope David stays in New York. If he doesn’t, the wiser business heads who run baseball will make sure the next team won’t be the Yankees. Forbidding the Yankees to cannibalize the Mets will be a business decision. It would spell doom on the CitiField franchise. Fans will protest in the initial reaction. Then fans will stay home. The Mets would pay dearly for this clumsy move. Ultimately the Mets are cornered.
It will cost the Mets a kings ransom to keep David. If they sign him at his worth as determined by what other teams are willing to pay, they will get the benefit a terrific player, and as a residual, a lifelong representative for the franchise. If they don’t sign him, baseball heads (are you listening, Bud Selig?) better get him at least as far away as Baltimore. Any place closer is just adding kindling to the explosion that would follow.
and still, even though a segment of the internet world will explode (though how much I am not sure, since much of the vocal minority that posts on sites like this will be happy to see him go!), if they start winning all will be forgotten quickly.
say they get back a young catcher that blossoms right away, and a dynamic young CF. Immediately making us forget Thole and Torres. And, the SP stays strong (wheeler comes up), and a few new guys revitalize the pen.
the team stays in the WC race actually into August, with no July swoon.
well, at that point, people will be watching, and it will be “david who?”. Especially if he goes someplace else and plays like he has in the 2nd half.
fans have shorter memories than often given credit for, and this would not quite be seaver part II.
I have been thinking the Mets should be trading Wright and Dickey for at least two A+ prospects each, but if they could get even more, i wouldn’t give a thought about it and do it. Sorry guys, but i don’t see Wright the kind of player who can carry a team ofensibly, i think he is more of a very good complementary piece.
Could Kieth hernandez carry a team offensively? NOPE!
Could Gary Carter? NOPE!
Could Strawberry? NOPE!
Could Piazza? NOPE!
Bad way to decide on who to keep and who to trade isn’t it?
You can’t build a team based on guys who can carry an offense because there isn’t a player in the MLB who can do that without some good hitters there to help him.
It’s rediculous to expect Wright to carry this team. But it’s not dumb to think that someone else WITH David wright could possibly carry the team together!
The above mentioned had a ring with the Mets and Piazza have a WS appearance. Lets pay Wright and Dikey and have the same team, future looks bright for sure with no run production. Only thing a regret is they didn’t trade Reyes when they could.
putting aside if they should or will, and just looking at teams with pending big holes at 3B, Atlanta with Chipper retiring (though I honestly have no clue if they have an heir apparent or nt) and Philly are the 2 big ones.
Of course, harder to see the FO trading him to one of those teams than to the Yankees. At least they would only see him 3-4 times/year that way!
As terrible the thought is of trading Wright in the first place, an even worse thing would be if Alderson minimized his potential for a maximum return by simply eliminating potentially interested teams like the Yankees, Braves, Phillies or whomever else would hurt fans feelings. If he did that, he’s not as smart as we thought and actually worse than any GM we ever had who did not set boundaries when making trades. The only reason we didn’t have more trades with the Yankees in our history was more a product of egomaniac George Steinbrenner and not some sort of policy by any Mets GM.
I agree, and I don’t think Sandy would let it stop him (pretty sure he does not care that much about getting flak!).
but at least it would be a tie breaker of sorts. If the braves (or yanks) offered a significantly better package, take it. But if the deals on the table were relatively comparable, then expect him to get shipped farther away.
On that we are agreed. All things being equal as far as offers, better to ship him off to tha A’s instead of the Yankees or Braves. I dont what your thoughts are on keeping Wright, but hopefully they work something out and it doesn’t come to that. I cant fathom losing our teams best hitter two seasons in a row.
The dodgers might want him…They suddenly have all this money to spend and their third baseman is Luis Cruz. Santana and Wright might be even better, but it is doubtful they would do that for a player who has a huge contract, but only for one year with the team.
I don’t think the Mets would trade Wright for salary relief. The only chance that Citified isn’t a morgue for the next few years is if the Mets field an exciting young team.
Hi Willis,
Unfortunately, Citi Field is already a morgue.
Somebody I know was at the game yesterday with friends who had two extra tickets and he was unable to sell them, even at two for the price of one. My only guess is that were others even giving them away for less
don’t judge on yesterday. Hell, there was a tornado nearby earlier in the day, and a major storm front predicted to move through. I would have passed if you offered them to me for free most likely!
Hi Stick,
Forgot to mention one important thing – this was at Citi Field shortly before the game and those were two tickets in upper promenade 526. Perhaps they had a child with them who was getting in for free and thus wanted more than just two for the price of one or…., being that it was section 526 they weren’t interested in seats with left field cut off.
My wife and I were out to dinner when the rains came pouring down in Larchmont and my better half expressed concern because our booth had a very large window and all those warnings to stay away from windows…..
Don’t forget after 2013 option he is a FA. He will negotiate during 2013 season. The Yankees would be perfect. A winner to end his career: If he wants 8 years 170 M DW will not be signed by the Mets: This would then a time to part ways. . YES he will get 8years 170 M from the Yankees.
Typo Correction: DW will NOT negotiate during the 2013 season.
don’t bet on it. Especially if the dynamic is changed by trading him.
players always say that (or really their agents do) as a negotiating ploy. And just as often, a deal ends up happening.
not like the player actually negotiates. The agent does, and at the end, player has to say yes or no.
so if it got to be may and the team went to the agent to tell them they expanded the budget and can offer a big deal, but they need to do it now, the agent will listen.
I think it’s a no brainier for the Mets. One young major leaguer and two serious prospects sounds to me like a great haul. But they have to fill positions of need – CF and Catcher. Also, the money saved on Wright should get the Mets another nice piece (Upton?) and allow them to secure Ike Davis and keep Niese (Niese is the Mets only other valuable trade commodity, except for untouchables Harvey and Wheeler).
all true. you do have to look at the impact to the team overall. Yeah, you would be downgrading at 3B and losing some offense, but if you could more than make up for it by replacing thole and torres say with real ML hitters, the team could end up better.
in theory, you could look at it as trading say Wright for BJ upton, a ML ready catcher that can actually catch/hit + a CF prospect to step in. Plus the mets have another 5-6 mill to spend on a SP or more BP help. maybe even get a guy like Flores up early to break him in.
entirely possible that in that scenario, the team is better overall, O and D combined.
something like that.
Spot on.
All I’m going to say here is we need to ADD a RH Power bat not get rid of the ONLY one we have!
Metsie — Your brevity makes the point best!
People just seem to be looking for any reason to trade the guys we have that are NOT problems hoping to fill in and replace all the guys they seemingly want to keep!
Get rid of the guys who Make Wright have to carry the team and replace THEM with someone they think could carry the team!
Baltimore. i could see them moving Machado back to short and Wright playing closer to home. After Hardy is gone. But id rather the Mets bring in David’s childhood friend BJ Upton as the new CF, and trade for his younger brother Justin to play RF
All hypotheticals, but if you could pull of a blockbuster and get Justin Upton (let’s say Niese, Murphy, Mejia and some other piece. Completely ave no clue if that would work, but for this exercise, it will.), wouldn’t you think the odds of signing BJ just went thru the roof? At that point, if you are bound by a firm budget, you’d pretty much have to trade Wright, acquiring a pitcher and a catcher. Probably have to stopgap a 3B, and possibly 2B, but you’d slide Flores back to third for sure. If you aren’t bound by affirm budget, the keep Wright, and talk about one decent lineup. Duda, BJ, Justin in the OF. Wright, Ike, Rueben and someone at 2B. Thole and Shop-Vac at catcher. Depleted SP, but you have to give to get. Dickey, Santana, Harvey, Gee, some 5th starter and Wheeler waiting in the wings. I’d roll with that for 2013 for sure.
Anyway, there certainly are a myriad of possibilities or this offseason. This is the make or break with Alderson, and we’ll know if he passes or fails come the start of next season.
if you trade Wright, you have to be prepared to go in house at 3B next year (murphy, lutz, Flores, etc.).
was reading the philly paper today, and there was a piece on what Amaro has to do in the off season, and a lot of it was about 3B. It was pretty clear that the FA market was crap, so if you don’t have a prospect ready, and don’t have the chips to pull off a major trade, you are going to be playing crap over there.
of course, that makes Wright even more valuable to a team that has a hole at 3B, and is short a good RH bat to complete the offense. too bad the obvious team in that situation is actually the Phils! thought the Braves (almost as bad) are too.
I’m ok with Lutz/Murphy at third until Flores is ready.
I can see even more value for a team with a hole at 3B and in contention for a ticket to the post season.