The Rangers are letting teams know they will consider trading infielders Ian Kinsler, Elvis Andrus and highly regarded shortstop prospect Jurickson Profar, according to major league sources. They have also made it clear to other teams they are not trying to dump salary and are adamantly opposed to picking up any part of a contract in order to facilitate a trade.

They have been in touch with other clubs, and general manager Jon Daniels is looking for offensive help at left field, catcher, and first base.

Profar, who turns 21 in February, is hitting .328 in 16 games in the Dominican Winter League.

Nats Want Another Ace

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that the Washington Nationals want to add an elite starting pitcher via a trade, according to major league sources. While Rays lefthander David Price is one obvious possibility, he says that Tigers righthander Max Scherzer would be an even better fit.

Rosenthal lists several reasons why Scherzer matches up well with the Nats:

• Scherzer and Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo have a history — Scherzer was Rizzo’s last first-round pick as Diamondbacks scouting director, going No. 11 in 2006.

• The Nationals are deep in young power arms and veteran late-inning relievers, both of which surely are on Tigers GM David Dombrowski’s wish list.

• The price in prospects for Scherzer, a free agent at the end of next season, would be lower than it is for Price, who is under club control for two more years.

• And, finally, the Nats maintain a strong relationship with Scherzer’s agent, Scott Boras, and might stand a better chance of signing the pitcher long term than most clubs.

I’m shocked to hear that the Tigers would trade Scherzer in the right deal, but apparently they are desperate for payroll relief and he’s due to make close to $14 million in arbitration before becoming a free agent after the season.

Scherzer, 29, led all of baseball with a 21-3 record with a 2.90 ERA and 0.910 WHIP, and finished second in the majors with 240 strikeouts. He’s expected to with the AL Cy Young Award.

The Nationals’ rotation, meanwhile, is fronted by right-handers Stephen Strasburg and Jordan Zimmermann and left-hander Gio Gonzalez — and Strasburg is coming off surgery to remove bone chips from his surgically repaired right elbow.

Phillies Under Pressure

Rosenthal also reports that Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. is feeling the heat and is encouraging his staff to seek creative, innovative solutions to turn the franchise around, and that they’ve  gone so far as to kick around a trade for David Price, according to major league sources.

Not only do they seem willing to part with top pitching prospect Jesse Biddle but even outfielder Domonic Brown could be part of a package. However, Rosenthal believes that the Phillies would likely get outbid by teams who have better younger players they would move for Price.

That said, Amaro has already made offers on “several” free agent players, according to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. Zolecki believes the Phils have reached out to Nelson Cruz, Carlos Beltran, and Mike Morse.

One thing about the other teams in the NL East… They don’t wait for the market to develop like the Mets always do. In most instances the Nats, Phils and Braves attack the market early and aggressively.

Other Hot Stove News…

The Yankees are making provisions in case second baseman Robinson Cano signs elsewhere, writes Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. According to sources, they have already checked in with the Reds on Brandon Phillips who is said to be available in the right trade. The Reds won’t give away their gold glove, run-producer – who has a very affordable $50 million and four years left on his deal. The Yanks may also check in on Howie Kendrick of the Angels and Dan Uggla of the Braves.

The Rays and outfielder David DeJesus have agreed to a two-year, $10.5 million contract that includes a club option for 2016. The contract replaces the $6.5 million 2014 club option the Rays picked up on Sunday. DeJesus, who turns 34 in December, was acquired from the Nationals on Aug. 23 after beginning the season with the Cubs. He batted .341 at Tropicana Field after joining Tampa Bay and holds a .279 career average with a .353 on-base percentage.

The Colorado Rockies have interest in reliever Joe Smith who is now a free agent. The Rockies look to improve a bullpen that owned the National League’s worst ERA last season. Smith, a sidearm right-hander, fits the Rockies’ profile, inducing groundballs with efficiency while posting a 2.42 ERA over the last three seasons. The former Met reliever held hitters to a .235 average last year.

The post Hot Stove Report: Rangers Will Consider Trading Profar, Nats Looking For Another Ace appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Most of the fan base understood the reasoning behind trading away Carlos Beltran and R.A. Dickey regardless of whether they were in favor of the trades or not. Many fans were frustrated that while prime time free agents and trade candidates were changing home addresses, the Mets were relegated to signing has-beens such as Chris Capuano, Chris Young, Shaun Marcum etc. I also would not doubt that when news of Jose Reyes taking his talents to South Beach made its ways around the Flushing faithful, a quarter of Mets nation temporarily quit their fanhood.

Unpopular as his moves are, I believe there is a positive angle we can all take from this. For the first time in recent memory, the Mets have a clean financial slate to work with. No Bobby Bonilla (sort of), no Mo Vaughn, no Oliver Perez, no Jason Bay. Many fans will point this out as reason enough to make a splash in the free agent waters. There are some intriguing names out there and if they are available for the right price, the Mets should not let past mistakes affect their current judgment.

However, due to a weak free agent class, I am inclined to believe that the price tags for any toys the Mets want this winter will likely not be worth the production they can receive from them. With Hunter Pence setting the market at 5 years/$90 million and Scott Boras representing both Choo and Ellsbury, Boras’ starting point for negotiations will certainly be north of $100 million.

Instead, I see Sandy Alderson continuing his march on the economical route, going after clubhouse veterans and acquiring players that may have fell out of favor with their current squads. I am a strong believer in the buy low theory – when you buy low your return could be significantly larger than your investment. A change in scenery and/or a team’s necessity to move surplus players can lead to some high potential rewards.

Here are some of the free agents Alderson’s assistants may present to him:

Rafael Furcal – SS

Coming off Tommy John surgery, Furcal missed the entire 2013 season. Known for his top tier defense before his injury, Furcal’s ability to perform on the field and at the plate is a huge question mark. Can he get play adequate defense and get on base at a serviceable .325 clip? I have not yet given up on Tejada but I am not sold on him either and Furcal may be the best option to motivate Ruben and serve as insurance for him as well.

David DeJesus – OF

(TBR team option 6.5 mil or 1.5 mil buyout) When the Cubs put Dejesus on waivers in August to shed his salary, the Nationals were the first in line on the waiver list. Figuring that contending AL teams would have interest in his services, the Nats claimed him and promptly traded him to Tampa Bay for Matthew Spann, a C/C+ prospect. Dejesus figures to be a quality 4th outfielder and may have mutual interest with the Mets if Captain Kirk or Matt Den Dekker is traded. Once again, the expectation here would be for Dejesus to provide some veteran leadership and insurance to a young outfield.

Curtis Granderson – OF

Only an injury season removed from back to back 40 HR campaigns, Granderson will hear some interesting sales pitches from just about every team. He will have plenty of offers. The Mets won’t have any advantage bidding for his services but it is not unreasonable to think that he may outperform Choo and Ellsbury next year for half the price.

John Lannan – LHSP

The Long Beach, NY native had mutual interest with the Mets last offseason after being non tendered by the Nationals. He eventually signed a one year deal with the Phillies where he pitched inconsistently throughout an injury riddled year. Before the Nats bought up and bought in their influx of young pitching talent, Lannan was their top starter in 2011. I believe he still has a chip on his shoulder for being left off their opening day rotation just a year later and I would be more than happy to provide Lannan an opportunity to make the Mets team and disperse his rage onto his former teams.

Jason Marquis – RHSP

Another New York product, I believe the Mets were also in discussion with Marquis following the 2011 season. Nothing much has changed since then. He still eats innings and he still pitches as inconsistently as the outcome on a roulette table. Considering the Mets just need to stall till June when two of Montero, Degrom, Mazzoni, Syndergaard, Verrett are ready, Marquis may be the most ideal option as he has experience working as a long man out of the pen as well.

Keep in mind, these should not be the only players that the Mets should seek this offseason, but rather players that could make sense as discount signings.

In my humble opinion, the Mets have too many question marks entering the 2014 season for any acquisitions they make to automatically elevate them to contenders. Other than David Wright, Daniel Murphy and maybe Jon Niese and Dillon Gee, the Mets really have no idea how their players will perform next year. The time to make a splash is when your team has a core that is solid, and when the circumstances allow for it. As of now, I would say neither of those apply. The Mets’ core is far from established and the market conditions are far from friendly. So for the time being, I’m in favor of Alderson being a Scrooge for just another season.

The post Featured Post: Selling High & Buying Low – The Sandy Alderson Philosophy appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

So on this Father’s Day, we are grateful to the many dads out there who taught us how to play America’s pastime.

With the Chicago Cubs in town for this past weekend’s series, a few of the visiting players shared their memories growing up learning the tools of the trade from their fathers.

Scott Hairston (Photo by Jim Mancari)

Following in Dad’s Footsteps

As the son of a Major Leaguer, former Met and current Cubs’ outfielder Scott Hairston recalls always being at the old Comiskey Park to watch his dad, Jerry Sr., play. Jerry Sr. spent 13 of his big-league seasons with the Chicago White Sox, so Scott grew up in Naperville, Ill., and always wanted to play for a Chicago team.

“My dad was a huge influence on me obviously being a baseball player,” Hairston said. “With his direction, the discipline I received from him made me the man I am today. I love my father, and I appreciate all the hard work he’s done to raise us five kids.”

Even though Scott is now a veteran, he finds that he calls his dad often to discuss the game. He said that his father is someone he can turn to in good times and bad times, and that’s important since the game of baseball has many ups and downs.

“My dad is always there for me,” Hairston said. “Everybody needs somebody to talk to. It helped me because my dad played a lot of years. What he’d been through, chances are I’ve been through.”

Teaching Work Ethic

Hairston’s teammate and fellow outfielder David DeJesus – who was born in Brooklyn – also has great memories of learning the game from his father. The family moved to Manalapan, N.J., and the first thing that David’s father, Heryk Sr., did was built an outdoor batting cage for his three sons: David, Michael and Heryk Jr.

David DeJesus (Photo by Jim Mancari)

Heryk Sr. never played organized baseball growing up in Puerto Rico, but he could tell from an early age that his sons had talent. In addition to the batting cage, the kids also took at least 400 swings per day – left-handed of course – in their basement. Heryk Sr. hung a blanket from the ceiling and stacked mattress pads behind it so his sons could get their work in. These sessions were often videotaped so the family could all review the tapes later on in the evening.

Heryk Sr. laid the foundation for David, and for that David is very grateful.

“The most important aspect was the work ethic,” DeJesus said. “Sometimes as a young high schooler, you don’t really want to go and hit. At five o’clock every day when he got home and the garage door went up, that’s when we knew we were going to the baseball field to go practice. It gave me that work ethic to work hard every day.”

Heryk Sr. was in the ballpark for all three games of the series and was able to spend some time with his son. David now has his own son, three-year-old Kingston, who loves baseball. David hopes his son’s interest in baseball continues to grow so he can share the same experiences he had with his father.

Baseball Comes First

Of all the stories these Cubs’ players shared, first baseman Anthony Rizzo has the best one. He spoke of the time his brother, John Jr., was making his first Holy Communion in Florida. However, with Anthony’s dad John Sr. as the ringleader, the family didn’t exactly make it through the whole ceremony.

Anthony Rizzo (Photo by Jim Mancari)

“He (John Sr.) snuck me out of there to go play a game,” Rizzo said. “From the Communion, we went straight to the field.”

John Sr. was able to be with his son at the 2013 World Baseball Classic while Anthony played for Team Italy. Rizzo said he and his father further bonded as he represented his Italian heritage.

Rizzo’s dad coached him all throughout Little League, through travel ball and right up until high school. Rizzo said that John Sr. served as a vital mentor in his path to the big leagues.

“He’s shaped me as a person,” Rizzo said. “Whether I do good or bad, it doesn’t matter as long as he knows I’m happy and as long as our family is happy.”

John Sr. was also at Citi Field the entire series, and the two got to spend some more quality time together.

Happy Father’s Day

It’s great to see that even players who reach the big leagues never forget where they came from. Each one of these players’ dads played a major role in helping their sons achieve their baseball dreams.

They each had some final thoughts to pass along to their dads.

“I love you, that’s it,” DeJesus said.

“Happy Father’s Day,” Rizzo said. “I hope he enjoys it. I hope to have another 50 or 60 Father’s Day’s with him.”

“Thanks Dad for being there for me and directing me during the course of manhood and being a baseball player,” Hairston said. “That appreciation will never die as long as I’m living.”

The post Cubs’ Players Wish Dads ‘Happy Father’s Day’ appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

It would involve the Mets trading Carlos Beltran and some minor leaguers (maybe a pitcher and one of Duda or Evans) to the Kansas City Royals for Zack Greinke and David DeJesus.

This deal would involve many moving parts so here is the rationale I have to support it.

Beltran is due to make $18 million this upcoming season. Naturally, the last thing the Royals want to add is an aging slugger due that much money. The Mets would have to pay for at least half of Beltran’s salary, something they might be willing to do if the right deal comes along.

Beltran would benefit from playing in his old stomping grounds. There would be no pressure on him, he would not have to speak to the media too often and he might even be able to play CF, all things that would sit well with Carlos.

Now let’s look at the Royals players. Mr. Greinke is coming off a pretty brutal year that saw him go 10-14 with a 4.17 ERA. Keep in mind he did play for the Royals, not exactly an offensive powerhouse.

Greinke would certainly benefit from a change of scenery. He is only one year removed from a Cy Young award season where he finished 16-8 with a 2.17 ERA and a whopping 242 strikeouts. There is no question he is an ace in this league.

So why would the Royals want to trade their young stud? Well, Greinke is owed $13.5 million each of the next two years. Royals GM Dayton Moore has already said that if the team cannot sign Zack to an extension beyond 2012, it may be in the Royals best interest to trade him and net some young prospects.

Then there’s DeJesus, who only played in 91 games this year due to injury. I’m not sure what his health status will be leading into next season, but for argument’s sake I’ll assume he’ll be healthy.

To me, DeJesus is a prototypical National League player. He’s a contact hitter with a .289 career average, plays an excellent right field defense, can maybe steal a few bases and has a little bit of pop in his lefty bat.

If the Mets acquired DeJesus while trading Beltran, Angel Pagan would slide into center with DeJesus in right. DeJesus could possibly hit second or maybe even third in the Mets order, but his value is flexible enough so that he could even hit sixth or seventh.

If this trade were to be a possibility, it would hinge on the who the Mets were willing to give up from their farm system. Would they trade a Jenrry Mejia type prospect for Greinke? I can see them pulling the trigger with Nick Evans or even Lucas Duda (though Duda may develop into a big time power hitter), but the real question will be who is the pitching prospect, or even prospects, the Royals would seek. I’m sure Mejia’s name would be brought up. Maybe the Mets would be more willing to part with Dillon Gee?

Once again, I wanted to just present the facts of this trade. You see now how each player would fit in the their new teams and what would be at stake. I’m not going to give my thoughts on this one for awhile. I want to hear what the fans think. Would you make the trade if it involved Mejia? Gee? Another prospect? Not at all?

With Johan Santana’s future uncertain, the Mets need a top of the rotation type starter. Unless they throw the entire kitchen sink at Cliff Lee, there aren’t many affordable options on the free agent market. So a trade may be the only possibility.

Feel free to debate this issue. I look forward to hearing what fans have to say about this.

The post From Left Field: Another Trade Proposal appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

With all the uproar associated with those who even DARE mention Angel Pagan‘s name in a potential Cliff Lee trade, I thought it would be appropriate to explore a certain scenario.  What if, just what if, Angel Pagan was putting up his 2010 numbers…… in another uniform.  In other words, what if Pagan were on the Braves, hitting .302 with 4 HR, 35 RBI, 41 R, 14 SB and exceeding everyone’s expectations in nearly every way.  As a Met fan, would a swap for Cliff Lee make you be happy to just see him off the Braves or would you think Atlanta got a steal of a deal and curse the fact that your team now had to deal with Lee within the division and down the playoff stretch?  Would you think a 29-year old outfielder (as of this coming Friday) who, in 9+ years of professional baseball has never hit more than 10 HR’s at any level and been on the DL 5 times from 2006-2009 (that is not a misprint), was an absolute coup for Seattle or would you think the Braves pulled a heist of Enron like proportions in selling high and securing one of the games 5 best pitchers to head up their rotation.  A guy who has proven throughout his career that he can flat out win against NL East competition (see career stats below) and when playoff tested came up with a performance for the record books (4-0 in 5 starts, 2 of which were against the Yankees in the World Series, with a 1.56 ERA) during Philadelphia’s 2009 World Series run.  Not to mention this is a guy who would undoubtedly have something to prove if he were to ever square off the Phillies after their offseason snub of the 2008 AL Cy Young award winner.

I’m not surprised that fans adore Pagan, Jay wrote a recent article outlining why he deserves all the support he has gotten (click HERE to read), but public opinion is seemingly reaching fanatic proportions.  The talks of dumping Beltran to open up room for Pagan continue to grow as fans label Carlos ‘injury prone’ (a label that I disagree with when you consider he routinely plays hurt in order to avoid trips to the DL).  I’m not sure you can find more than a handful of fans that would be willing to see Pagan traded for Lee.  I can agree that I don’t think Angel should be ousted from the starting line-up upon Beltran’s return.  With Beltran’s health still FAR from being proven, I’m not even sure I would be crazy about a Pagan trade for Lee without an extension involved, but I am in no way opposed to the subject being broached.  How is that topic taboo?

Sometimes, as a die hard Met fan, I have to catch myself when it comes to situations like this.  I have to try and distance myself from the every day play-by-play and emotional investment I have in the team.  I know team chemistry is important and am all for seeing Jose Reyes and Pagan laugh it up, but in the end if a team’s clubhouse nucleus is strong enough players (be they brought up from Triple-A, traded for, or claimed off waivers) will gravitate towards that.  With that being said, I’m in no way concerned with this team losing it’s sense of unity if Pagan were traded.  That’s not to say I want to see the trade happen, but if it did Reyes, Wright, Pelfrey, and even newcomers Barajas, Blanco, and Francoeur have the right attitude and mindset to keep things straight.

While Pagan is very good, he is not yet great, nor is he a 5-tool player.  Will he develop power?  Will he become great?  I would hope so because I am a huge Pagan fan, but his numbers give no indication that we should expect any type of power surge and he is more similar to Brett Gardner and David DeJesus than Carlos Beltran.  The chart below shows the the projected 2010 stats for each player should they continue at their current pace, except for Beltran whose stats are based on projections had he played a full season in 2009:.

I can only imagine the uproar that would ensue if the Yankees ‘robbed’ the Mariners for Lee by trading Brett Gardner and a pitching prospect.  I mean Brett Gardner, he’s solid, but for Cliff Lee…..c’mon.   So the question remains, what if we saw someone who hasn’t won our hearts but whose value may be at it’s pinnacle get traded for Cliff Lee.  What if Angel Pagan were simply not a Met?  Thankfully it’s not a question we have to answer just yet, but it’s worth considering when looking at what is going to give this team the best chance to win this year and down the road.

The Mets front office has done a tremendous job evaluating their high profiled talent over recent years.  Lastings Milledge is gone and nobody can criticize the Mets for the move.  Then there’s the Johan trade:  Carlos Gomez, Philip Humber, Kevin Mulvey and Deolis Guerra for Santana.  Regardless of your opinion of Johan there’s no questioning that the Mets were absolutely spot on in their evaluation of the players they traded (only Guerra remains with the Twins organization at Double-A).  So why not have some faith in a front office that has done right by us in recent years?  A front office that has shown they will go out and pay for the best free agents to hit the market. If I asked you on April 5th, would you trade Angel Pagan in a deal for Cliff Lee, I strongly believe I would have received an emphatic YES!!! I just feel as though the Mets will have a better chance finding someone to take Pagan’s place than they are to find someone like Lee, who has proven he can be a dominant force at the top of a rotation in the regular season and playoffs.   Come to think of it, isn’t David DeJesus available????

For more of my thoughts on the Mets, visit Metszilla.com

Feel free to follow me on twitter at vcMETSFAN28

The post What If Pagan Weren’t a Met? appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Today the Mets continued this trend by picking up pitcher Jack Egbert off of waivers from the Chicago White Sox.

Egbert was a top pitcher for Rutgers University from 2002 to 2004 before being drafted in the 13th round by the White Sox. Egbert joins David DeJesus and Jason Bergmann as byproducts of Rutgers to make it to the big leagues.

Egbert’s career in affiliated baseball started rather promising. In 2006, he was solid with both the White Sox’s Class A and Class AA affiliates, posting a combined ERA of only 2.67 in 161.2 innings.

In 2007, he followed up with another solid season this time exclusively in Class AA. In 28 games started, he pitched to a 12-8 record and an ERA just a hair over 3 (3.06).

Upon being promoted to the Class AAA Charlotte Knights in 2008, Egbert could not find the same success he had in his previous two seasons in the lower levels of the farm system. His earned run average nearly doubled to 4.65 and he had a disappointing record of 4-12.

Not wanting to give up to quickly on their young pitcher, the White Sox opted to give Egbert a second season in Class AAA to work out the kinks. However, he soon found himself in the majors pitching out of the bullpen. Unfortunately for him he gave up eight earned runs in only two appearances before finding himself back in Charlotte.

He did not fare much better throughout the rest of the season and ended up with a 6-11 record and a ERA over 5.

The numbers suggest that Egbert’s chances of becoming a major league caliber pitcher are relatively low. However, it is important to recognize the fact that prior to the 2008 season, he was ranked the #3 prospect in the White Sox farm system.

The Mets have found themselves relying on players like Egbert to sure up their bullpen over the past few seasons. Guys like Pedro Feliciano and Brian Stokes were both acquired in low profile moves and now both players play a large part in the bullpen.

This is an intriguing pickup for the Mets, and it should be interesting to see how Egbert fares in Buffalo next season.

The post Mets Continue To Stockpile Arms For 2010 appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Obviously, they need another starting pitcher. It doesn’t take a creative mind to figure out this team needs to either get Cliff Lee, or somebody of his caliber, or they won’t get another pitcher. My hope is that Minaya, in an effort to save his job realizes that Philadelphia is trying to get Lee cheaper than what they offered for Halladay, and he swoops in and offers them guys who can play next year like Jon Niese and Fernando Martinez etc.

J.J. Putz occupies the setup spot while remaining on the disabled list, and honestly, I know it sounds odd but while he’s injured, I’m still not worried about the Mets bullpen. If anything, I feel more confident about it than I have in a long time. Still, it’d be nice to have that 1 guy you constantly go to. Here’s to hoping that Billy Wagner and or J.J. Putz come back this season to give the Mets a bullpen that can be unmatched in the National League.

Then you have the catcher position. Brian Schneider and Omir Santos give the Mets a decent starting catcher 7 days a week. Schneider is a free agent after this season, and I can’t imagine he will be wearing a Mets uniform in 2010. That doesn’t mean Omir Santos gets the starting job. I’m not sold on Santos being a starting catcher, and who knows if Josh Thole will be ready next year. Still, for this year, I think the Mets will be good enough behind the dish.

That leaves left field. Look, if you think Gary Sheffield is going to come back 100% healthy, then you might as well stop reading. I don’t believe 40 year old players (in a post steroid era) come back 100% after a strained hamstring injury. Plus, part of me still doesn’t like him in the every day lineup. You also need to consider that he will not be the left fielder next year. With Fernando Martinez waiting for an outfield spot next year, a lot of questions need to be answered.

For now, I feel as though there is an outfielder who is not making a lot of money, and also is signed only through next year. That player is Brooklyn, NY native, Rutgers University graduate, David DeJesus of the Kansas City Royals.

DeJesus is not a superstar by any means, but at 29 he has had a quiet yet solid career for the Kansas City Royals. For a while he was rumored to be joining the Yankees club when they were hunting for an outfielder. In 2008, DeJesus hit .307, with 12 HR and 73 RBI for the Royals in 135 games. A big negative is that he is an aggressive player which tends to lead to injury. Great, just what we needed. However, he can field his position pretty well in left field, and started the year very slowly but this month he is hitting .321.

A friend of mine out in the Kansas City area is a true Royals fan, and I asked him about DeJesus last night. He said, “As far as DeJesus goes, I want to say bad things about him, but can’t. Unfortunately, he’s a good player asked to do too much on a bad team. His defense is shaky, but he’s athletic and can hit with RISP. Started out this season rough, but again, he was asked to do too much. Opening day he was the number three batter and I think he pressed. Since he moved to the leadoff spot, he’s back to himself. Bottom line, he’s a good player. I’d hate to see him go.”

Now granted, my friend is no baseball expert, just a fan like all of us, but he is probably more familiar with DeJesus than anybody reading this article right now. DeJesus would give the Mets a true platoon in Left Field when/if Sheffield returns from his injury. He’s a local guy, he’s got the tools to play in New York, and he wouldn’t be as expensive as say an Adam Dunn who only hits homeruns or strikes out.

When making deals to improve a ball club, you don’t always have to get a superstar. Sometimes guys like DeJesus can just fit in with a new team’s dynamic. To me, DeJesus would do that for the Mets, and it would still allow them to go shopping for a starting arm with the bulk of their top prospects.

The post Brooklyn Native a Good Fit for Mets? appeared first on Metsmerized Online.