The trade deadline came and went, and it was uneventful for the Mets. There had been talk of moving a few pieces. Sandy Alderson even hinted at the possibility of acquiring an outfielder at the deadline a couple of weeks ago when he was on The Mike Francesa Show. However, as the trade deadline rolled around, talk of the Mets attempting to deal somebody died down. There are pluses and minuses to buying and selling, but the Mets did not buy nor sell — they stood pat.

The Mets could have dealt Marlon Byrd, who is having a terrific year and is arguably the best position player second to David Wright. A lot of teams would love to have a useful role player like Byrd, who could add some depth to a playoff contender, and also turn into a useful role player in a playoff situation. Teams usually are willing to pay for a player like Byrd with a prospect who has very raw talent and sometimes can develop into a decent big league player, but this usually does not happen. The move in general would make sense; trade an old player who has a hot bat for a lottery ticket. Lottery tickets sometimes turn into a couple million dollars, but most of the time they’re a waste of ten bucks.

The Mets could always use more prospects, however it seems as though Alderson was looking for more than Byrd was worth because many media outlets were reporting that the Mets would need to be overwhelmed to trade Byrd. Alderson probably didn’t want a player who will likely flame out in return for Byrd because that would be like giving Macbook Airs away for free. Sure there is the possibility that a prospect in return for Byrd can turn into Chris Davis, but the odds of that happening are very low. I think that Alderson realized he might as well keep Byrd, so that the Mets are still watchable this season, and then let some other team pick him up when he hits free agency in the off-season.

Another possibility for Alderson holding onto Byrd is Juan Lagares’s turnaround. Lagares is starting to prove that he’s part of the Mets’ plan next year, therefore the Mets don’t necessarily need to try to turn Byrd in for a raw outfield prospect when they already have Lagares. They can keep Byrd and have him help the Mets look relatively competitive and have Lagares prepare to take over a regular job next year.

Sometimes it seems like a no-brainer to trade away a veteran for a prospect even if he is a raw prospect, however in this case I think that Alderson made the right choice. He’s been hinting that the Mets will try to be contenders in 2014, and the potential return for Byrd would probably not be ready for another two or three years. Keeping Byrd now will help make the Mets relevant for 2014, and help spark the interest of the Mets fanbase.

5 comments on “Mets hope this time that no move is the best move

  • Peter Hyatt

    where is Wilmer??

    Now’s the time to showcase his talent with David down

    • Chris F

      According to DePo as seen at espn:
      Asked if Wilmer Flores remaining in the minors is fielding-related, DePodesta wrote: “Wilmer played some first base largely because of the ankle injury. He had been back at second base the last couple of games now that he’s full strength. He hasn’t come up because the major league infield is full. [David] Wright and [Daniel] Murph[y] have been healthy until last night, and we have three other guys who could use ABs at first base.”

  • Metsense

    The Mets primary needs for 2014 are two corner outfielders that play average defense and put up 2013 Byrd like numbers. Byrd may just be one of those free agents if the Mets want to (or are forced to) go that route. Trading Byrd at the deadline would have been a mistake.
    A sub .500 team in 4th place standing pat is unusual but I will assume that Sandy could not get a blue chip prospect for Parnell from the Tigers or Red Sox. Murphy should have been bringing in some interest but again not enough return in Sandy’s opinion. Sandy did not aggressively shop either player, which I believe he should have.
    I give Sandy a pass and agree with his patience if the facts in the media are accurate.

    • TexasGusCC

      Byrd can be resigned at 2 years, $16MM. Then, one more outfielder. But, even one complicates things because without a leadoff man, keep Young in left to lead off. But, if your first baseman can’t hit and your SS can’t hit and you have rookies at C and 2B (Flores), can you carry Young at leadoff all year? Complicated.

  • Michael von Graevenitz

    Don’t forget the waiver wire deals that can happen leading up to the 31st. Now that the captain is likey out until mid-September, it looks like even I, Mister it’s never over til it’s over, thinks that since the Mets are caught in the mud and not putting a string together, maybe the hierarchy will pick up a better deal than was offered originally for certain players will happen. When teams get close to the playoffs, sometimes sanity goes out the window.

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