Jim Bowden of ESPN.com predicts that the Mets and Mariners will eventually get together on a trade this offseason that will send one of infielders Brad Miller or Chris Taylor to New York in exchange for one of their back-end starters – namely Dillon Gee, Jon Niese or Bartolo Colon.
Last week, an MLB executive told Adam Rubin that the two teams matched up well for a trade. And while Sandy Alderson has spoken very positively about Wilmer Flores at shortstop, there’s still a sense that he’d prefer a better defender at the position.
Rubin also noted that the Mets would have no problem sacrificing another draft pick and signing another free agent if the price is right. That would mean waiting the market out through January and seeing which players have been shutout. I don’t see the Mets taking this route, but others do.
November 12
Adam Rubin tweeted that the Mets and Mariners matched up well for a trade, according to a front office person and an agent. These two teams have reportedly been a good match for some time now, and we’ve reportedly scouted them a few times and they’ve scouted us. So this is not entirely new.
But who do they have that we would want?
We can throw away the earlier Michael Saunders rumors from last week now that the Mets opted for Michael Cuddyer. And we can also forget Nick Franklin, who was traded to Tampa Bay at the trade deadline.
Shortstop Brad Miller has often been mentioned, but he regressed in 2014, batting just .228 with a .289 OBP while striking out 95 times in 367 at-bats. One player that is seldom mentioned is the other M’s shortstop Chris Taylor.
Taylor has always been considered a better overall defensive shortstop than Brad Miller and Nick Franklin, and after he was promoted he dazzled in the field showing superior range, soft hands and an above average arm. Scouts initially tabbed Taylor as glove-only utility infielder because he had no plus tools on offense aside from some speed.
However, Taylor confounded the experts and hit his way to a major league debut last July, and eventually he wrestled the everyday shortstop job away from Miller.
A 5th round pick from the 2012 draft, he batted .287/.347/.346 in his first 151 plate appearances in the big leagues. He has no power to speak of, but the 23-year old is a grinder who gets good wood on the ball according to observers.
The latest buzz from the Mariners is that they will make a big push for free agent shortstop Hanley Ramirez and that could make both Taylor and Miller expendable. The Mariners are desperate for a power bat and we can’t help them there, but they could be interested in a Niese or a Gee for the back of their rotation which is also a concern for them. It’s certainly worth looking into it.
