Matthew Cerrone of MetsBlog has grown tired of waiting for the Mets to become relevant again and now says that it’s time for Sandy Alderson to be bold and make a trade already for a shortstop.
He believes that Alderson should go ahead and trade the team’s number one prospect Noah Syndergaard plus another prospect for Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond.
“If Desmond over Wilmer Flores can inspire fans and players, if he can make the lineup better, if it gives the Mets a legit shot at a playoff spot, they have to do everything they can to bring him to Queens.”
“What if the future isn’t bright and, in hindsight, this year ends up being their best shot?”
I don’t know where to begin as this is kind of a surprise to me, but I’ll give it my best shot.
Trading Syndergaard plus another prospect like Brandon Nimmo or Dilson Herrera for Desmond, is an insane price to pay for a six month rental.
That would be worse than when the Giants traded top pitching prospect Zack Wheeler to the Mets for two months of Carlos Beltran. Two of our top prospects, or in other words, two consensus MLB Top 100 prospects for Ian Desmond?
Desmond is on record as saying he has no interest in agreeing to an exclusive negotiating window if he’s traded, and has zero interest in signing an extension with any team because he’s committed to testing free agency after the 2015 season.
Desmond has already turned down a seven year, $110 million offer from the Nationals. He is also owed $11 million for 2015, which really isn’t that big of a deal for most teams, but we’re talking about the Mets here.
According to Ken Rosenthal, Desmond likely will command $150 million as a free agent next off-season.
My main concern is this, if you’re going to blow up your minor league system after spending the last five years rebuilding it, is six months of Ian Desmond the player you do this for?
Can you imagine Syndergaard joining what’s already one of the best starting rotations in baseball and seeing him become their ace for the next seven years?
Can you imagine Brandon Nimmo joining Bryce Harper in their outfield and blossoming into the hitter most scouts believe he will be?
Then consider the aftermath when Desmond files for free agency after the season and signs a mega deal with the New York Yankees. Think about that we still may need a shortstop again and we have nothing to show for Syndergaard and Nimmo.
I’m sorry, but I think that would set us back for three or more years.
I can see going all in on a shortstop like Troy Tulowitzki. At least you could make a great argument for that. But Ian Desmond? Really?
Desmond has hit 20-plus home runs and stolen 20 or more bases each of the last three seasons. In 2014, he hit .255/.313/.430 with 24 homers and 24 stolen bases. But how would those numbers translate in Citi Field?
He’s not a high-batting average, high-on-base percentage, high-contact hitter, so he won’t bat leadoff. And to go with his .313 OBP he also struck out a league-leading 183 times. Can you imagine adding all those strikeouts to the ones we have already?
Hey I’m all for making a Mike Piazza or Gary Carter type splash. But my God, Desmond is not that. He’s an upgrade, but certainly not a difference maker. I’m sorry, but I can’t sign off on trading two top prospects for six months of Desmond.
I want this team to spend, but spend wisely. I want this team to make good trades, but not bad trades that are borne out of desperation or because of impatient fans. Or bloggers. We didn’t come all this way to blow it all up.
