Last week during the baseball’s Winter Meeting’s news surfaced that the Mets were guaging interest in Jon Niese. At a time when players like Gio Gonzalez are being heavily sought after in a weak LHP market, Niese could prove valuable.
One of the teams believed to be interested is the Toronto Blue Jays. And why wouldn’t they be? They’ve got ton’s of competition in a strong AL East. A LHP like Niese to fit behind Ricky Romero and Brandon Morrow could be just what the doctor ordered in Toronto.
Who could be coming back to the Mets in trade?
One name that may be tossed around is J.P. Arencibia. He hit .219/23/78/.282(OBP) line in 2011. Strikes out a ton (133 times in 443 AB’s in 11′). But his power cannot be ignored and he seems to be able to handle himself behind the plate. Could be a solid piece for a young rebuilding Mets team.
Why would the Blue Jays trade Arencibia? Because one of there top prospects is a guy named Travis d’Arnaud. He had a .311/21/78/.371 line at AA (New Hampshire) in 2011. He is also 22 years old and was recently added to the Blue Jays 40-Man roster.
The Mets could insist on getting d’Arnaud back in trade of course. Sandy Alderson proved he is about QUALITY and not QUANTITY with the Carlos Beltran trade. I’d bet every dollar in my bank account that Alex Anthopoulos would kindly say “No” though. Arencibia remains a more likely target.
This situation would push Josh Thole into more of a back-up role clearly. This could be good for the young backstop as he has shown he is more of a platoon catcher at best anyways.
Other possibilities the Mets MAY target in a trade with Toronto are – (Adeiny Hechavarria, Anthony Gose, and Jake Marisnick.)
