Everyone has a price, baseball is a business after all. But there are some prices that do not make sense, and for the Mets this season, that means giving up their super-utility player.
Talks have flown around recently about the Mets being interested in Josh Hader and having to give up J.D. Davis, Dominic Smith, or Jeff McNeil to get him. That’s right, McNeil. Now McNeil being named in the same category as Davis or Smith is laughable (though I do love Davis and Smith, let’s be real, we have all seen McNeil prove his might all the way into the All-Star Game). But especially for this potential trade, McNeil should definitely not be included.
Why? He is our squirrel. He came out strong when he debuted halfway through the 2018 season and just got better, making his way to the All-Star Game in 2019. He is the type of player you can put just about everywhere and he will try his hardest and succeed.
McNeil is the utility player that every team needs that contributes both offensively and defensively. He leads by example both on the field and off the field (let’s not forget about his quest to adopt a puppy after immediately falling in love with her when the North Shore Animal League America held their annual event at Citi Field). He is the type of guy you want on your team.
His bat isn’t too shabby either. McNeil finished the 2019 season hitting .318/.384/.531. This included 162 hits, 23 home runs, 75 RBI, 83 runs, 38 doubles, a triple, 162 hits, and five stolen bases. His 143 wRC+ is tied for 10th in all of Major League Baseball. It also did not really deter throughout the season, as he held a 146 wRC+ during the first half and a 139 wRC+ in the second.
McNeil’s 5.0 bWAR and his 4.5 fWAR, which ranks him in the top 50 for all of baseball during the 2019 season, further prove his worth. What makes all of this even more impressive? He did all of this while posting at least 0 DRS at four different defensive positions. That’s right, FOUR. All in the same season, McNeil played left field, right field, second base, and third base. It was like a guessing game, “where would McNeil end up next?”
The Mets currently don’t have a legitimate centerfielder so maybe we can turn him into that next. That is a joke, by the way, as even though he was not bad in the outfield, he was better in the infield. But, it is good to have him as an option as someone who can play the outfield if needed because, as we have seen the last couple of seasons, it does tend to be needed.
Again, no one is truly untouchable. But, if the Mets were to move McNeil, it needs to be in a deal much bigger than this. Hader is an All-Star and has shown his worth, but he brings with him controversy and a risk.
As we saw with Edwin Diaz, you can never fully be too sure as to what you are getting in the bullpen. Is that risk worth giving up your top-notch super-utility player for?
