The Mets have been looking to move starter Dillon Gee since the winter meetings in December, but a trade has yet to materialize. Last week Joel Sherman of the NY Post reported that the Mets will likely need top free agent pitcher James Shields to sign first before they can make a deal.
However, an MLB executive recently told Jayson Stark of ESPN that teams are currently “in bottom feeding mode” since the market for Shields has come to a halt. This could mean that the Mets will start receiving more interest in Gee as well as Bartolo Colon and Jon Niese.
The Milwaukee Brewers have emerged as a potential match for the Mets after trading veteran starter Yovani Gallardo to the Texas Rangers. Brewers GM Doug Melvin told MLB Network Radio yesterday that the team could acquire a starting pitcher to replace Gallardo, however they are not interested in a top level starter such as Shields. He also added that they could sign a top reliever instead and reports now have them going hard after Jonathan Papelbon.
On Friday, the Giants agreed to a one year deal with free-agent starting pitcher Ryan Vogelsong, who decided to pass on the Houston Astros and stay put in San Francisco. That means one less suitor for Gee.
Diamondbacks GM Dave Stewart told reporters that his team is out on James Shields which could make them a possible trade partner for the Mets. However, Stewart is also on record as saying he has no interest in Gee, Niese or Colon, and prefers young high upside pitchers with 3-5 years of control or more.
While the Mariners continue to scour the market for a veteran starting pitcher to add some depth to their rotation, they’re only interested in someone who will accept an assignment to the minor leagues if he doesn’t win a job in Spring Training. The team are no longer looking to move Brad Miller or Chris Taylor and some believe they were never serious in moving one of their young infield prospects anyway. They too are a dried up opportunity for a Gee deal.
With pitchers and catchers reporting in less than three weeks, it could be that Gee reports to Spring Training as Sandy Alderson continues to search for an ideal opportunity to strike a deal.
