Just when I thought all the Aramis Ramirez talk had come to a merciful end, there’s this:
The Mets and Brewers have recently had trade talks in which both third baseman Aramis Ramirez and shortstop Jean Segura were discussed, reports Jon Morosi of FOX Sports.
Ramirez, 37, is owed roughly $7 million for the rest of this season, and is hitting .236 with a .280 OBP, 10 home runs, 39 RBI and a -.03 WAR for the Brewers.
Segura, 25, is under team control for three more years and is hitting .267 with a .299 OBP, three home runs, 24 RBI and a 0.0 WAR for the season.
Both players are hardly the kind of upgrades the team would need to boost the team’s offense, and some might say they are not upgrades at all.
Alderson has said that he will overpay if he has to to get the right player he feels the team needs.
July 9
Mike Puma of the New York Post spoke to Sandy Alderson about how the trade market is evolving and the possibility of trading for a hitter.
The Mets general manager said that the trade market is just beginning to reveal itself and if you haven’t noticed, Sandy is right. In the last 5-6 days, names have begun to emerge and so have some of the buyers and sellers.
Ben Zobrist has been the player most widely connected to the Mets. They’ve made no secret of the fact that they love him as a player and because of the versatility he could afford them. The problem is with the A’s back in the hunt he appears to be off the table now. Apparently Sandy Alderson was willing to overpay for him.
Josh Reddick is another Oakland player who could be available. The word is that the Angels are trying hard to get him but so far the A’s aren’t budging.
Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulis is on the hunt for starting pitching and help in the bullpen. He could move the both Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista. Each of them are signed through the end of this season and have options for 2016. (MLB Trade Rumors)
The San Diego Padres could make outfielder Justin Upton available and some believe Will Venable could be moving as well. Obviously it will take a lot to land Upton, and Venable may not be enough to make a difference for the Mets. But with the Padres falling out of it both could be easy to snag for whoever wants them.
We wrote about Yasiel Puig falling out of favor with the Dodgers on Monday and while he would certainly fit the bill for the Mets, given his extremely high upside and team friendly contract. However, the Mets may not have the stomach to part with the young power arm it would take to land him.
We’ve beaten all the Aramis Ramirez rumors to death on MMO, and it’s quite clear that the Mets are not interested . If they were, he would’ve been in Flushing long ago given how desperate the Brewers are to move him for a song. Another player Milwaukee could move is outfielder Gerardo Parra, whose .840 OPS against RHP might be super appealing to the Mets.
One name that comes up a lot is Brock Holt of the Boston Red Sox. He’s a very versatile player who hits well against righties. I’d say he’s kind of a Ben Zobrist-Lite without the track record.
These are just a few of the players creating some buzz around the league as we get closer to the July 31 trade deadline. You can expect a few more names to emerge over the All-Star break when many general managers will be on their phones texting and calling each other to feel the market out and potentially build foundations for a deal..
