The Blue Jays currently sit in last place in the American League East 3.5 games back of the first-place Rays. Of course it is early in the year and 3.5 games is a small margin, but to jump four teams is tough. If things continue to trend downward for the Jays, it’s quite possible that GM Alex Anthopoulos might have to throw in the towel on his attempt to put together a win-now roster.
His attempt centered around a couple big acquisitions over the past few years that included trades for Jose Reyes and R.A. Dickey. However, Anthopoulos’s rosters have proved to be less-than-triumphant against the tough American League East, especially against the surges of the Orioles and Red Sox recently.
The Blue Jays core is on their last legs. Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion and R.A. Dickey all have team options for 2016 which will most likely be picked up before they became free agents. The window is closing quickly for Anthopoulos. Because of this, many in the baseball community believe that once the GM moves past his pride, the logical thing to do would be to have a fire sale and dispatch many of the veterans on the roster for a youth infusion.
While none of these players is a perfect fit for the Mets (is any player really a perfect fit anywhere?), several could have an impact on the Mets. I have always been a fan of Bautista and Encarnacion for the sheer reason that they are both true sluggers. They are consistent, albeit have injury histories, and when they connect, they hit no-doubters.
People will argue that the positions these players can man, first base, third base or a corner outfield spot, are all taken on the Mets roster. However, these are the type of hitters that if you can get them, you go after them. The Mets have longed for true 30 home run power threat since the departure of Beltran and Delgado and even Piazza. If the Mets could pair a slugger like this with Lucas Duda, who is really coming on strong lately, the Mets will have themselves a seriously dangerous middle of the lineup.
Sure, the Mets have money tied to Cuddyer and Granderson in the corners, and Wright at third base. However, Cuddyer and Granderson are signed to deals that could merit a bench role in the right market. Obviously the Mets haven’t shown themselves to be a big-market spender in recent years. However, if this philosophy changes and the Mets find the financial capabilities to acquire another $15-$18 million contract, Bautista or Encarnacion would do wonders in the lineup.
As many Mets fans have argued as well, Jose Reyes at a glance seems to be a candidate to fix the Mets shortstop issues. But the 31-year old has seen the disabled list for an extended time during most of his seasons and is also earning an average of $17.5 million a year through 2018. It seems the Mets front office is satisfied with sticking with Wilmer Flores as he progresses both in the field and at the plate. They see his offensive upside as enough justification to keep his lackluster glove in the field. Personally, I agree with that opinion as well.
The cost for any of these players would be at least one of the Mets young arms, plus a supplement of younger Mets farm hands. An added risk is the Mets not re-signing either player. However, if the Mets can get a window to negotiate an extension before the trade, this could prove to be a worthwhile pursuit for the Mets and greatly enhance their playoff aspirations in 2015.
