Trade speculation is heating up among Mets fans and reporters as the team faces a crunch in the starting rotation. Steven Matz is knocking on the door from Triple-A while Jon Niese and Dillon Gee struggle in the big leagues. Meanwhile, Rafael Montero is returning from a rotator cuff injury.
With the Mets currently having eight pitchers for five spots, naturally, they are trying to trade some of them. As Andy Martino of the Daily News reported recently, the Mets aren’t just trying to trade Dillon Gee, who is probably the worst of the eight, but also Jon Niese. Getting rid of both would likely open up a spot in the rotation for Matz.
However, in that scenario, Rafael Montero, who has certainly earned a shot at being a starter, is still left out. But as Mike Puma of the New York Post reported this morning, even he is viewed as a trade chip once he returns from the DL.
There is no doubt that trading two or three of Gee, Niese, and Montero would clear up the logjam that has become the Mets’ rotation, but another, more important question remains: How much are they really worth?
Right now, it seems the value of all three of those pitchers is at rock-bottom. Niese has a 4.43 ERA this season and is giving up 11.3 hits per nine innings, both career-worsts. He has also failed to go further than five innings in five of his 11 starts. Dillon Gee has been about the same, posting a 4.46 ERA and a 10.7 H/9 rate. Those are career-worsts as well. In addition, Gee has missed time due to injury, been very vocal about his disapproval of how the Mets are using him, and has even stirred up political controversy.
In the same vein, Montero has hardly pitched this season, missing time due to soreness in his rotator cuff. He hasn’t made an appearance in a game since April, although he may be coming back this week.
If the Mets are really trying to get a big bat to boost the struggling offense, they will definitely need to give up more now than they would have in the offseason. To get one of the biggest bats on the market, they will likely not only have to give up at least two of the pitchers, but also give up top prospects. The way Niese and Gee have been pitching may also limit potential trade partners, at least if the Mets are intent on using them in a deal. How many teams are not only looking to trade a big bat, but also willing to take on slumping, low-ceiling pitchers with sizable salaries?
Trading Niese and Gee makes sense at this point (and perhaps trading Montero does in the right situation), seeing as how well Matz is pitching in the minor leagues and how much the team needs a bat. At the same time, their values are also lower than they have ever been. So while it’s necessary to make a deal in the next few weeks, any deal will probably appear to most Mets fans as unfair.
