In a followup to Sunday’s Joel Sherman column about the ill-timing of the Mets and trying to unload pitching in a pitching rich market, his colleague Ken Davidoff reports that the Mets are “actively” trying to deal at least one of the “bottom three” in their rotation; Bartolo Colon, Dillon Gee, or Jon Niese.
“None of the three is likely to bring back a particularly robust return. Instead, giving up a veteran arm could help the Mets plug holes elsewhere (lefty reliever, bench player or prospect) and give them some payroll flexibility. If they are to find a shortstop in this market, which will be no easy task, the Mets likely will have to use another resource, be it money or more valuable trade chips.”
The Mets are hoping that the Winter Meetings will help to alleviate the glut of quality starting pitching options that seem to be in ample supply. But if that never happens, then they could begin spring training with all three of their veteran starters, find assignments for them thanks to the split-squad games in the schedule and see if another team’s pitcher (or one of the Mets’ own) goes down with an injury, writes Davidoff.
Among the many clubs reportedly looking for starting pitching are the Red Sox, Cubs, White Sox, Indians, Dodgers, Royals, Twins, Yankees, Pirates, Giants, Rangers and Blue Jays.
Sunday, November 30
As the Mets continue trying to find a team they can flip at least one of Jon Niese, Dillon Gee or Bartolo Colon to, the timing couldn’t be any worse for them writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Given the abundance of quality starting pitching still remaining in the free agent market and also the many solid options available in trade like Johnny Cueto, Cole Hamels, Jordan Zimmermann and Ian Kennedy, the Mets may have a long wait and tedious task ahead of them.
“This might be the worst time in history to be out in the trade market with pitching,” one MLB executive told him. “And every organization now thinks it has pitching. Maybe not as much as the Mets, but more than in the past. No one can find bats. I just think the teams with bats are king right now.”
The Mets have been considered a good match with the Cubs, who seem to have a stable full of young bats. But, as the executive pointed out, the Cubs also have the money to go after Jon Lester or Max Scherzer this offseason and then do it again next offseason when Zimmermann, Cueto, also hit free agency.
The Cubs also have the luxury of time and can just hang onto their young hitters and wait to see how 2015 plays out before deciding which one is more expendable – sort of how the Mets have been doing with their pitching. Imagine, for instance, if the Mets had traded Jacob deGrom last offseason when it was thought he could be a good piece in a trade for an outfielder?
This does not mean the Mets can’t make a trade, only that the historical advantages associated with having as much pitching depth as the Mets do not currently apply.
The Mets have also conceded that teams have shown no interest in Gee, Niese and Colon, preferring one of the younger arms instead if they are moving a young shortstop prospect or all star caliber veteran.
With so many quality pitchers available, teams are not going to fork over a big return for the Mets’ 4th and 5th starter types who each come with varying degrees of injury risk.
The Mets may have already set their sights lower, with some officials conceding that the best use is to deal one for a lefty reliever or a strong right-handed platoon bat.
Sherman speculates that the Mets could deal Colon and his $11 million salary to the Dodgers for lefty reliever J.P. Howell plus Justin Turner who bat right-handed and produced an .897 OPS in 322 plate appearances this season.
Nevertheless, I’m pretty certain that the Mets will move someone before spring training if only because they need to shed some salary. Plus I’d prefer our cadre of young pitching over one of equal young hitting. Historically, it’s the pitching that wins.
