Jon Heyman of CBS Sports provides an extensive assessment of the Mets needs as the trade deadline nears including a lot of the latest buzz.
He lists Ben Zobrist, Justin Upton, Martin Prado, Marlon Byrd, Juan Uribe, Jean Segura, and Aramis Ramirez as players the Mets could be keying in on.
- Padres people were said to be scouting the Mets system, leading to speculation New York could be in on Justin Upton. He’s exactly what they need. “Nothing imminent,” one executive said. “Nothing close,” said another.
- The Mets thought they were making progress on a deal for Ben Zobrist, who would fit them since they aren’t sure what’s happening with David Wright yet. However, while Zobrist is an excellent player, he shouldn’t be seen as an offensive savior.
- The Mets aren’t exactly enamored with Starlin Castro or Jean Segura, whose free-swinging ways don’t necessarily fit their style. And Rollins, who could become available, despite his NL East pedigree, may not work, either. One Mets connected person suggested they probably “wouldn’t go there.”
- While Jon Niese‘s trade value isn’t necessarily high, he recently threw eight shutout innings against the Giants. Says one AL scout: “His arm slot keeps going lower and lower. His stuff isn’t as sharp. But he locates and changes speed”.
Other Mets buzz from the Twitterverse:
- Outfielder Carlos Gomez may end up being the best player traded this summer by the Brewers. However he may be too rich for the Mets in terms of what it would take to land him.
- Citing the Kansas City Royals’ shutdown bullpen in 2014, Andy Martino says the Mets and Yankees should consider adding Athletics closer Tyler Clippard. “The ability to shorten the game is critical in October.”
- There is a good chance the Reds trade OF Jay Bruce, according to Ken Rosenthal. Bruce, 28, his trending incredibly high, posting a .713 OPS in April, .754 in May, .840 in June and .925 in July.
- Mets insiders believe the Cubs will not trade shortstop Addison Russell until the offseason if at all, according to reporter Tim Brown.
That wraps up the last three days of Mets buzz.
Have a great day, everyone…
