We here at Metsmerized have been following along with Andres Gimenez‘s performance since the beginning of the season. From carving a role for himself in his first MLB start to advocating that his time is now to analyzing whether he should continue getting starts to even garnering ROY attention, we have kept you covered on all things Gimenez.
But with that, we pose the question — what does his emergence mean for Amed Rosario?
There is no set answer for that, yet, but here are some of our thoughts.
Dilip
Andres Gimenez is hitting .254/.290/.339. It’s fair to ask if his bat MLB ready. He’s a great defender, no doubt about that. But he might still need some development before becoming a major league hitter. The Mets can survive a bad hitter if their offense features Davis, McNeil, Smith, Nimmo, Conforto, and Alonso. But it seems less and less likely that all of them will be on a competitive Mets team, especially if the Mets want to get a legit No. 2 for the rotation in the trade market (hello Mike Clevinger). I’m still not willing to give up on Amed Rosario’s physical tools unless some team wants to pay a premium for him. He can easily become the next Justin Turner elsewhere. Until Gimenez shows that he can be a capable MLB hitter, Rosario has a place in the Mets future.
Jack
The question of what to do with Amed Rosario is complex for a handful of reasons. His trade value at the moment is pretty low given how little he’s accomplished to this point in the shortened season, and replacing him right now isn’t as easy as slotting in Andres Gimenez. Even if the defense is a night-and-day difference, pitchers are already adjusting, and it’s shown in the offensive dropoff over the last two weeks – one that culminated in the rookie sitting out the last two games in Miami.
Perhaps you replace Amed in the short-term with the hotter bat of Luis Guillorme and continue preparing Andres for a fuller role in 2021, but at what return?
Even with the pretty shapeless trade market for hitters, I can’t imagine Rosario bringing back more than either a mid-tier starter or one month of a decent starter. It may be in the Mets’ best interests to let Rosario deal with the non-COVID ailments, maybe put in more time with either Rojas or Robinson Cano, and then see if there’s a clearer path to trading him. No one has definitively knocked Amed Rosario off his post, nor has he shown the league who he really is this season. This would be a bad time to move on – in terms of both his trade value and the future of the position.
Ryan
Andres Gimenez looks like an absolute difference-maker at shortstop and should be starting at the position by Opening Day next season. While his bat has cooled down after a hot start, Gimenez continues to impress me with his approach at the plate. And defensively his impact could be that of a Rey Ordonez or Andrelton Simmons.
Meanwhile Amed Rosario has the physical tools to excel in center field. If he can play the position well, Rosario could fill the void of a right-handed center fielder the Mets have made countless foolish trades trying to fill.
Rich
Amed Rosario is a tough case for the Mets. The Mets are deep at the shortstop position, with Andres Gimenez and Ronny Mauricio as heirs apparent. Rosario has shown flashes of what the Mets have hoped he could be-a two-way player with speed and overall athleticism. He progressed in the back half of 2019, but has regressed in 2020, evidenced by his .219 BA and .219 OBP. Yes, he has not drawn a base on balls all year (entering play on August 25th).
Trading Rosario now would be ill-advised, as his value is probably at an all-time low. Even his defense has regressed to a -2 DRS. While the trendy idea is to make him an outfielder, specifically a centerfielder, I’m not in that camp. The Mets need to solve CF, not create another experiment and potential hole in one of the most important spots on the field. I think the best approach is to work with him, play him, and try to drive his value up. Then, when he has re-established some trade value, move him in a deal for a pitcher or CF with some team control. By the time this happens, Gimenez should be even more ready to step into the shortstop role in Flushing.
Marissa
This is a tough but necessary scenario to think about for me. I really want to believe that Amed Rosario will live up to his potential but he has continued to not make much progress this season. On the other hand, Andres Gimenez burst onto the scene and proved his worth, especially defensively at shortstop. While his bat has cooled down significantly, he has shown in such a short period of time that he is more reliable at shortstop than Rosario. Even though Rosario is still really young, not turning 25 until November 20th, his trade value is very minimal right now due to the fact he has not shown much at the plate. Given that fact, I don’t believe the Mets would trade him away. With the new DH and the Mets’ need for a right-handed hitting outfielder, the Mets can see how Rosario would fair at center field and I believe that is of the best interest for both the team and Rosario.
Michelle
Now is not the time to get rid of Amed Rosario. Can he be turned into an outfielder? Probably. We have seen the Mets do that before (though I do agree with Rich in terms of the Mets should actually go after a real centerfielder). No one expected such an immediate emergence from Gimenez, but we are all here for it. He is still young though and learning… and yet he has shown what he can do both at the plate and at shortstop. Gimenez is only going to continue to get better by seeing more time at shortstop, which, as the question poses, is troublesome for Rosario. There is no easy answer to this right now, minus testing Rosario out at other position or trying to increase his trade value when that time comes.
Matt
The Mets find themselves in quite the quandary. They have two top shortstop prospects at the MLB-level, both of whom have showcased their skillset. While Amed Rosario has shown promise with the bat, a .543 OPS is bad. Andres Gimenez’s stick has cooled down after his start, but he still shines with the glove every night. Defense is the key to winning games; the saying is all the more true considering the Mets aren’t deploying strikeout artists every night.
Gimenez is a net positive with the glove and solely for that fact, I think the shortstop position is his to lose. For the bushy-bearded former top prospect, I think a move to the outfield is in the cards. Rosario clearly has value with his legs, which he can use to chase down fly-balls. The Mets’ best defense alignment is Conforto in right and Nimmo in left. Hopefully, Amed can fill the gap in the middle.
