With the trade deadline fast approaching let’s talk about our options. Let’s talk about our needs. Let’s talk about availability. Let’s get all of these things out of the way so we can better understand what Sandy Alderson and the Mets are up against.
I’m pretty certain that everyone knows what the main problem is with the 2015 Mets. It’s not a subject that’s up for debate. This team desperately needs some offense, we all know that.
But what I find interesting is that the people screaming the loudest for that one big bat that’s going to suddenly put us over the top, cower into a corner when I asked them:
“Well who do you want to move to get that big bat; Steven Matz, Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey or Noah Syndergaard?”
You see, therein lies the dilemma.
Obviously nobody wants to see us get burned like the San Francisco Giants did when they traded Zack Wheeler for 53 days of Carlos Beltran.
That said, clearly, with the Mets only two games behind the Washington Nationals and just one game out of a wild-card spot we need to do something, but what do we do? And how much are we willing to pay for a rental?
I think it’s pretty clear now that Sandy has no intention of moving any of the young starters – at least not the ones that have already made it to the majors. And add to that list, Michael Conforto, who seems to have become an untouchable as well.
So that leaves position prospects like Brandon Nimmo or Gavin Cecchini or Amed Rosario. On the pitching side that leaves you with Michael Fulmer , Robert Gsellman or Gabriel Ynoa. Well guess what? None of those guys on their own are going to get you a big bat. Now we are talking about packaging 2 or 3 of those guys for a not so big bat.
We are not talking about Yasiel Puig or Justin Upton or Troy Tulowitzki… For second-tier prospects all you’re going to get are players like Gerardo Parra or Ben Zobrist or Martin Prado. And there’s nothing wrong with that… Either one of those players would help this team.
So that’s our dilemma. That’s our conundrum. That’s the big nut we have to crack.
Do you want to give up the 2-3 prospects it would take to get one or more of those lesser available players, even though they probably won’t be a true difference maker?
I’d say yes, and that’s because I think all we need to do is to get our offense from below average to average.
We don’t need a big superstar bat to accomplish that. So my preference is that we keep our elite young pitching and try to make it work for a player like Parra, Prado or Zobrist.
The real question is does Sandy Alderson feel the same way? I guess we’ll all find out in about two weeks.
