Adam asks…
What do you think of trading Ike Davis and Lucas Duda and moving Daniel Murphy to first base so we can play Wilmer Flores at second base? The way I see it Murphy is far more productive than Duda or Davis and is a doubles machine who can drive in runs plus throw in his stolen bases, I also have this fear that Wilmer Flores is getting dismissed when it’s obvious he’s our best offensive prospect right now. Shouldn’t we give 400 at-bats to see what we’ve got? Thanks.
Tommy replies…
It sounds like you want to give Flores a shot while making sure Murphy’s bat remains in the lineup. That’s not a bad idea, although it really depends what we can get in return for Davis and Duda. I would be more willing to part with Duda. Davis has had his struggles but hit 32 home runs in 2012, so he is not somebody we should just toss to the curb.
Now for a bit of a tangent… The Mets need a shortstop, a solid starting pitcher (especially with Harvey out), and some bullpen help. They might be able to keep using Davis at first if he can regain his form, but I imagine they will be seeking an upgrade there as well.
It seems like they have committed to Chris Young in the outfield, so a move for a big-time outfielder seems unlikely. To fill their holes, the Mets supposedly have a bit of money (not a lot, but enough to target some useful players) and some trade chips (Davis, Duda, Gee, prospects, and Murphy). From what I’ve heard and read, it seems as if they are interested in trading Murphy for a cheap player, then signing Stephen Drew.
Their willingness to salary-dump Murphy concerns me, because they should already have some money to spend (if the $87 Million estimate is correct). Drew is a worse player than Murphy by a solid margin, and I really don’t see the purpose of filling a hole at short by creating a bigger hole at second, so I’m hoping, as are you, that Murphy is still in the lineup next season. Perhaps they want to dump salary in order to clear the way for somebody like Drew AND another signing? I don’t know.
But anyway, your idea isn’t a bad one, but, for better or worse, it seems far more likely that Murphy will be at second base on another team than at first base in Queens.
