The Chicago White Sox have officially announced that they are going to be sellers during the weeks leading up to the trade deadline. Anyone on the White Sox roster not named Chris Sale or Paul Konerko is available. Last week an MLB executive suggested to CBS sportswriter Jon Heyman that the Mets might be a good destination for Chicago White Sox shortstop Alexei Ramirez.

Ramirez would be appealing to the Mets for a lot of reasons. He comes with some controllability, as he’s signed through 2014, and has a club option in 2015. A player like Ramirez, with at least two years of controllability, would make a lot of sense for the Mets considering it’s unlikely that they make a run at the playoffs this year. The only drawback to trading for Ramirez is that it would appear that the Mets are giving up on Ruben Tejada.

Tejada has been struggling lately, and even earned himself a trip to the minor leagues due to injury, however Manager Terry Collins acted as though this was more of a demotion than a rehab assignment. Despite this season’s struggles, Tejada in the past has been able to bring something to the table with his bat. In 2012, he batted a line of .289/.333/.351 with a wRC+ of 92. However, that was supported by a .339 BABIP, and it’s questionable as to whether Tejada can sustain such a high BABIP, considering his BABIP this season is an unlucky .238. It seems like the verdict is in that Tejada is not necessarily going to be the player everyone was expecting him to be.

Unlike Tejada, Ramirez isn’t a shortstop who derives most of his value from his bat, as he is hitting a line .280/.308/.346 with a wRC+ of 72, which is a lot better than Tejada has done this season, but it’s nothing special either. What Ramirez lacks on offense he seems to make up with his glove. This season he has a UZR of 5.4, which is the equivalent of a UZR/150 of 9.4. Ramirez has consistently, throughout his career, been worth one win above replacement before he even steps into a batter’s box. Combine that with his offense and at times in his career he’s been worth up to four wins. Those days are likely gone, but he can still be worth between 1.5-2.5 wins above replacement per season, which can be difficult to find at the shortstop position.

Trading for Ramirez would make sense since it looks as though Tejada is not going to turn in to what we thought he would, and Ramirez will provide above average defense, while providing a decent bat. He would fill just one of the many holes the Mets have, and he would be under team control for at least two years.

12 comments on “The Mets should target Alexei Ramirez

  • Chris F

    Did you watch the Sox series? He was terrible.

  • Chris F

    Id sign Q for that duration before shopping on the South Side.

  • steevy

    The Mets should fire Terry Collins!

  • Metsense

    Trades like this would be a mistake. He has been regressing since 2010. 21 homeruns to 1 this year. No thanks. The object is to get above average offense/defense players at each position. This aquisition doesn’t pass muster although I agree Tejada’s stock has plumetted so much that a jouneyman SS has taken away his job.if the Sox are selling 32 yoa players I would investigate Alex Rios first.

    • Mike

      You make it sound like he’s old. Maybe he can recover some of that power. At worst, he’s a slick fielding shortstop with a decnt average. I’d make a move for him and Rios if the price was right.

    • Jerry Grote

      +1 on Rios over Ram. I’m rolling the dice on Q before taking on a declining Ramirez.

      Q probably isn’t the long term solution but … if I have to give up players, I’d need to see a definitive upgrade. Q is probably just * a little* below league average, Alexei just a little above.

      Thanks to the author … I hadn’t seen this rumor.

  • Chris F

    Id be looking to trade Parnell to Boston for Xander Bogaerts.

  • Metsense

    Or Detroit for Castellanos.

    • peter

      I’ve stated before if Detroit loses Peralta to the Miami Biogenesis scandal they’re going to need someone who can play good defense and hit occasionally since they have enough offense already add Flores, Quintanilla or Tejada to the deal for Jackson?

  • peter

    Maybe we can demote TC to Las Vegas? But seriously I would keep Tejada just in case the Mets trade Daniel Murphy. You could move him over second base and defensively gain there since Reuben did play there when Reyes was here,

  • Brian Joura

    In this case, I don’t think being under team control is a desirable thing. Ryan Howard is under team control but the Phillies have to pay him approximately $100 trillion dollars in the interim. Here, Ramirez is guaranteed $19.5 million over the 2014 and 2015 seasons and while it’s not impossible that he will earn that money, I’d much rather the Mets spend that money (assuming they even have it available) on a non-platoon outfielder.

  • blastingzone

    How quickly you turn WOW the guy has a bad start and you give up on him just like that! Tejada
    is a good SS and he should get a chance to earn back his job! I don’t see everyone ready to
    lynch Ike and even though Satin is playing well you know the mets will bring him back up to
    play first base full time while Satin becomes our new right handed hitter off the bench! Tejada is to young to give up on just yet? Why is TC still the manager? If the hitting coach
    in AAA can fix Davis in a couple of weeks and the mets coach couldn’t in over two months
    maybe the mets should promote the AAA hitting coach and fire the mets coach? Because if he
    can help Davis who couldn’t hit his mother a month ago imagine what he could do with the mets!! Let the AAA hitting coach work with Tejada!

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