Could Fields Be The Answer To Power Struggles?

Last night, following his demotion to Triple A, Chicago White Sox third baseman Josh Fields revealed that he has requested that White Sox GM Kenny Williams attempt to trade him before Friday’s trade deadline.

Due to such short notice and Fields’ strong desire to be traded it would be a pretty good indication that Williams would have to sell low on his once top prospect.

This could give the Mets an opportunity to snag a player who slugged 23 home runs in 2007 for perhaps a lower level prospect. Granted this season he is hitting a disappointing .220, however his 7 home runs would still be one the team’s leaders.

Even though the Mets as a team have scored 33 runs in their past five games, there offense has been dreadful for the better part of the year. This includes being shut out by the Washington Nationals, Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves in the month of July.

This move would also require Fields to make a position change, most likely to first base. That shouldn’t be too much of an issue though, as he has filled in numerous times for Paul Konerko at first.

Currently, Daniel Murphy is entrenched over on the right side of the infield, however despite his stellar defense he hasn’t exactly set the world on fire with his bat (he is hitting only at a .248 clip with 5 home runs).

I think competition for the position would benefit both players, especially Murphy who seems to thrive on competition. If the deal were to be made, it would ease Mets fans concerns about who would take over first base following Carlos Delgado’s likely departure at the end of the season.

On that token, due to his natural position being third base, Fields could provide some much-needed rest for David Wright, who has played in a whopping 98 games.

Keep in mind that Fields is only 26 years of age, and like current Met Jeff Francoeur could be a reclamation project for hitting coach, Howard Johnson to work with.

If the price were reasonable should the Mets pull the trigger and try to acquire a young hitter, who could help the team not only this year but for years to come?