According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the Mets, Nationals, Yankees and Cubs are among just some of the teams who have recently contacted the Oakland A’s about acquiring the very versatile Ben Zobrist.
With demand for Zobrist increasing day by day, Billy Beane has the luxury of letting this play out as long as he can while increasing the competition and bidding for his valued asset.
If the Mets do go all out for Zobrist, you can be certain Beane won’t let him go without a prized prospect or two and then some.
June 4
According to Bob Klapisch of the Bergen Record, the Mets are interested in Oakland Athletics utility man Ben Zobrist, however nothing is brewing between the two teams.
Zobrist, 34, is having a down season for Oakland, slashing just .234/.310/.403 (albeit in only 87 plate appearances) compared to his career .263/.353/.428 line. He would only be around for the rest of this season, so the thought is that Zobrist will be a short-term fix for the David Wright situation, possibly with Daniel Murphy sliding over to third with Zobrist playing second.
Zobrist is still a very valuable player overall. Over the last six years, he has posted fWAR totals of 8.6, 3.8, 6.3, 5.8, 5.2, and most recently, 5.6. Over that span, he is second only to Miguel Cabrera in total fWAR. He has been, very quietly, one of baseball’s best players.
Zobrist brings a lot to the table on both offense and defense. He is consistently ten or more runs above league average on defense, and is quite consistently above average on offense as well. In fact, since 2007, he has never had a season with a wRC+ below 100. In a league where second basemen have a combined 93 wRC+ and shortstops have a combined 81 wRC+, his bat is certainly an asset.
He may not be the slugger the Mets need, but he is indeed an interesting option because acquiring him allows the Mets to keep Daniel Murphy’s bat in the lineup while still adding production at another position. Plus, his solid defense would help at a position where the Mets have been dreadful with the glove.
The next question would be Zobrist’s price, and there lies the issue. The A’s are smart and obviously recognize the tremendous production Zobrist can bring to a team. And with the Cubs, who have more to give up than the Mets, reportedly very interested in Zobrist, the Mets already have another team to contend with.
The Mets would likely have to fork over a sizeable package for Zobrist, but it’s hard to argue with Zobrist’s numbers, and the fact that he isn’t owed long-term money makes him an even better fit for the Mets. He is arguably one of the best two or three middle infielders in baseball and is making just $7.5 million this season. Sandy Alderson has never made a deal like this but with the Mets sitting just half a game out of the wild card and NL East races, perhaps it’s time.
