For Mets fans, the majority of the offseason was spent talking trade rumors. Names were thrown out on the trade block such as Ike Davis, Lucas Duda, Daniel Murphy, and Ruben Tejada. Right now, the Mets seem to be happy with Murphy, and content with the Davis/Duda/Josh Satin platoon. But Ruben Tejada still seems to be the big question mark.
Tejada is struggling this Spring Training, but that may be the result of the New York media looking down upon him. The odds of him turning around are still pretty high, but everyone seems to turn a blind eye to that. Tejada is currently batting .120 and has a .154 on base percentage, which seems to be driving every Mets fan insane. However, David Wright is batting .167 and has an on base percentage of .250, and nobody is making a peep about him.
On March 18, ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin wrote an article describing that the Diamondbacks would be willing to trade a shortstop to the Mets in return for Noah Syndergaard. If the Mets were to proceed with this trade, they would either receive Didi Gregorius, or Chris Owings from the Diamondbacks. However, this seems very unlikely to happen, as the Mets will probably not be willing to give up one of their best minor league prospects.
Another trade opportunity that has been thrown around is the Mets trading for the Mariner’s Nick Franklin. In order for this to go down, the Mets would probably have to give up first baseman Ike Davis. This would satisfy both teams’ needs, as they would both be getting rid of unneeded players. But will it happen? Just like the Syndergaard trade, this trade also seems extremely unlikely to happen, mainly because there are more teams than just the Mets interested in Franklin.
The most likely possibility of the Mets getting a new shortstop would be if they signed free agent Stephen Drew. Drew’s name has been linked to the Mets since the beginning of the offseason. However, the Mets are only offering Drew a one-year deal, and Drew, along with his agent Scott Boras, want a multi-year deal. Boras has recently said that Drew would be willing to wait until June to sign with a ball club, which would give the Mets time to decide if they are happy or not with Tejada.
Finally, an unlikely possibility for the Mets’ shortstop situation is to trade for Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins. On March 18, Bleacher Report’s Joe Giglio wrote about four trade scenarios for Rollins. The first scenario mentioned was Jimmy Rollins to the Mets for Jacob deGrom. Coincidentally, just one day before the article came out, our own Joe Vasile wrote an article; “Jimmy Rollins to the Mets would be insane”, in which he explained his opinion on the topic. Joe wrote, “I’m all for improving, and shortstop is certainly an area of need, but Rollins is not the type of player that would be good for this Mets team.” The biggest thing holding the Mets and Phillies back from making this trade, however, is their long-standing rivalry, and how upset fans would be if the Phillies traded one of their franchise players to the Mets.
So what will happen with the Mets shortstop situation in 2014? Will it go to Tejada, or will it go to somebody else? Perhaps even an already house hold name such as Omar Quintanilla or Wilmer Flores.There is nothing wrong with Ruben Tejada, he just had a bad year in 2013. Of course, he is not exactly whom Mets fans expected to be put in as a replacement for Jose Reyes. However, he is still an above average shortstop, who has a career WAR of 2.9.
Like the article a lot.
Couple things:
I don’t think any team for any of the players you listed would “realistically” think they can get Noah Syndergaard back. They will ask for him and not get him. There sights are probably on Rafael Montero.
I’d probably only give up Montero for Nick Franklin, though his defense isn’t as good, he’s probably the best hitter the Mets could snag. Why would Seattle want Ike Davis? That just didn’t jive with their actual needs.
The better question for Arizona is would they accept Jacob deGrom and a lesser prospect for Chris Owings? I don’t want to trade for Didi at all, and I don’t want to give up too much for Owings who only has one “big” year in the minors.
If I take my fan hat off and review the options of Stephen Drew for multiple millions or Jimmy Rollins as a trade, I have to lean to Rollins. He’s not the player he was, but the Mets can trade for him without giving away anyone big and he makes their lineup better. I would not trade Ike Davis to the Phillies because he’d totally become a 40 home run beast for them. I think the Mets and Phillies could come to terms on a deal that would work. I don’t think they will. Rollins would not be a long-term solution but he’d bridge the gap to another player.
This continues to make Stephen Drew the best option.
Wilmer Flores needs a month of reasonably good play at shortstop in AAA before I’ll sign off on putting him there.
Finally: Ruben Tejada has not seemed to be back to his 2011/2012 ways just yet. So saying “There’s nothing wrong with him” is a little hard to swallow.
Ruben Tejada is an “above average” shortstop? There are 30 teams in MLB. That means there are at least 30 SS in MLB, and more if you count some of the “backups” (Nick Franklin)? I don’t believe Tejada is in the Top 15…. If you take any ranking of the Top 30 SS’s, I don’t believe he’s better than the “mean” shortstop or the “median” SS.
Several Backups are better—start with Gregorius and Franklin. Tejada may be “above average” if we’re counting all of the SS population—that would include Omar Q and many other “sub” players. As a Starter?…against any ranking of the Top 30 guys? I do not believe he’s “above average”.
I’m sorry Dan but Ike Davis to Seattle? Why? The Mariners adding an unproductive injured first base man when they already have Smoak and Hart to handle DH/ first base duties.
I’m on board to trade for Gregorious, and I would be prepared to give up a starting pitcher (Mejia? Gee?) if necessary. Obviously I’d prefer something along the lines of Vic Black and DeGrom but we have to be realistic.
Gregorious makes sense in that he’s the most “experienced” of the 3 trade candidates they’ve been considering, he’s been traded once already, and players who get traded tend to get traded. He has some upside still and can handle the position defensively. Doesn’t need to be a longterm solution but still young enough to consider it. I’ve never been a Drew fan and commend the Mets from holding off considering nobody else has beaten a path to his door.
I wouldn’t be surprised if a trade happens, like, today, since Terry has indicated he’d like to go to war with his “regular guys” beginning tomorrow. I thought for a while that the SS trade would also involve Davis but his being hurt has scuttled that. I still think he goes before opening day (Houston?), maybe though for a prospect.
I met Chris Owings at the Capital One Bowl on New Years Day. This kid has his head screwed on right and I got the impression he knows what he is, but furthermore, he knows what he ain’t. He was PCL MVP last season.
Didi had three weeks last year where he hit like an All-Star and the rest of his season was Tejada-like. There’s nothing in his minor league profile to expect a productive hitter. I just don’t see any reason to trade for an all-glove guy.
Montero and Plawecki for Franklin? That seems like an extreme overpay for a guy who comes with serious questions if he can hack it defensively at SS.
When we tried to trade Ike Davis for a #5 SP, we were turned down. Davis has a 32-HR season in the majors on his resume and teams didn’t view him as being worth a #5 SP. I’m not sure how you ask for Montero (a guy who most view as a #3 SP) and a solid catching prospect for a guy who profiles as a 2B.
If that’s the cost for Didi and Franklin — it’s time to turn to Adsrubal Cabrera.
Cerrone on MetsBlog makes a good point & pretty realistic. He thinks the Mets will start the season with Tejada, sending Flores to Vegas to play SS every day. If Tejada succeeds, they suddenly have a good backup/trade chit in Flores. If Tejada flops, Flores is a similar player to Franklin at a fraction of the salary.
http://metsblog.com/metsblog/ruben-tejada-likely-to-be-starting-shortstop-but-wilmer-flores-will-be-waiting-in-the-wings/
I thought the asking price for Owings was Montero and Plawecki. When did Thor come into the mix?And I thought it was Black or Montero for Franklin in a one-on-one deal.
I’m not happy with Tejada anywhere near short, but I’ll stomach him if it means a 2015 rotation of Harvey, Wheeler, Syndergaard and co. Still don’t understand why they don’t make Drew an offer for 2 years/~$20 million.
Those trade ideas were mere speculation (mostly from Mets fans who value their prospects over the prospects of other teams). The general public does not know the asking price from either side.
I’ll start with the question … “How desperate are the Mets”.
The answer to that question is clearly,”NOT AT ALL”. If Sandy and Terry were “desperate”, they would have done something by now – a la signing Ervin Santana. The Tigers aren’t desperate, and they’ve completely lost their starting SS.
To me, the best point Cerrone made was that the time has come to put together an honest package and get back a for real All-Star, middle of the order bat. Make a deal with Colorado, or with the Orioles, or with the Royals.
That day will happen right around June. The Mets will bring up Noah, trade a starting excess ML pitcher (Gee or Lannan), a pitching prospect (Montero, or JDG), and if DarNo is hitting a catching prospect (Plawecki), and get back the likes of Goldschmidt (obviously, not Goldschmidt).
Tejada sucks. But this team isn’t desperate and it won’t be even if Ruben can’t make a 600 OPS by May. It’s just bad for Lagares, because he’s the one that will suffer.
I like your calm thinking Jerry. The Mets aren’t desperate because they are allowing things to unfold before jumping on the nearest deal. They have the rest of Spring, and a good chunk of the regular season to find a deal that meets their needs. If Tejada fails, then maybe Flores takes over. If they both fail, then we can go buy someone next year. This situation stinks, but it doesn’t have to be solved today. To play devil’s advocate though, sometimes sitting on your hands means you let good opportunities pass you by.
With all due respect to Cerrone, the entire reason we’re having this discussion is that Tejada has already exhausted his opportunities to have the job, and as much as we’d like to see the Flores experiment succeed, that’s not much of a safety net, i.e.: if he’s good enough to “take over” in May, he ought to be good enough to take over now.
I’m certain we’d be better off with a Gregorious making plays back there and if the O really became an issue you could use Flores to spot him vs. LH starters.
I also think if the Mets were prepared to go Montero-Plawecki for Owings it would have happened already. We’re waiting to make the best deal.
disagree with Flores being able to take over now. He hasn’t played the position in several years.
You need to let the muscles re-learn habits … I mean, 12-18 innings of work in spring training isn’t going to be enough.
More likely, it’s an unrealistic option on its face, which is why I suspect they’re about to trade for someone who can do it better than either Tejada or Flores.
I think the real question is “How desperate are the Fans for a new shortshop?” Clearly Sandy is not desperate for one or he would have already made a move.
Sandy doesn’t play well with others (no trades with any GM when opportunities were abound). I think we need someone who isn’t full of himself and willing to actually barter. You can’t give up trash and expect to get gems.
I completely agree with the notion of first considering how desperate are we. And as Ive enjoyed reading the comments, its clear that it depends on what faction of the Mets (owners, FO, players, fans, media) you ask.
It is really clear on a lot of fronts the answer is not very…even though the path to that differs. I think the Mets FO folks arent desperate because they know that it doesnt matter at all who is at short this year, the outcome of this season wont change.
Here’s my personal take. With UCL tears this season the physical equivalent of oblique injuries last year, it is clear that we cant have enough pitching. I am not in favor of shedding our core of arms to acquire a shortstop. (A fully proven middle of the order bat is something to consider though). We will need every arm possible for the next 4 years, and being backed into a situation like in ATL is something we can avoid. Consequently, unless the Mariners or DBax are ready to have SA get Franklin or Didi for less than blue chippers (this may be possible, as both are just dead weight for their teams), the answer is the FA market. I would listen to what the requests are. We dont have an MLB shortstop in the system that is near enough to be an impact in the next few years. Tejada is not the answer.
That said, I have two mindsets right now. Im not in favor of turning this shortstop project into a meal every year or two, especially given we have a first base problem too (among others). I like the idea of going after Asdrubel Cabrera next year, but lets face it, the Yankees will be replacing Jeter and if they want him, we dont stand a chance. This year’s market for shortstop has almost run its course, save the Tigers. Nevertheless, I think the team waits and goes all in on Cabrera, or just fix this now and go 4/44 on Drew right now. Boom. Short is addressed for the foreseeable future (knock on wood). I think he could be persuaded to take that deal. We would get Drew for the age 31-34 seasons, not great but not terrible, and he has won a World Series, so that carries some clubhouse props.
I disagree on your assessment of keeping the pitching. While the saying is that “you can never have enough”, I do think the Mets have enough to make a deal that includes a pitcher. In our current state, there will always be that next hotshot pitcher waiting to come up. 2 years ago it was Harvey, last year Wheeler, this year Montero and Thor. Next year it could be Steven Matz or Fulmer. You gotta keep an open mind and be flexible when it comes to trading, and the lack of this trait is what I consider Sandy’s biggest flaw. He’s like a hitter who can only hit fastballs and can’t touch a curve. Yes he’s crushed some fastball and turned them into HR’s with guys like Beltran, Dickey, Byrd, but now he’s being thrown curveballs with guys like Davis, Duda, Tejada and he’s whiffing.
Not that I want to discuss Drew more, but i think a lot of Met fans are seriously discounting his health concerns. I don’t care that he was rock solid from 07-10, he’s an injury risk now and his price tag needs to be discounted for that fact, something that he and Boras refuse to acknowledge.
The guy got to the plate 500 times last year, about average for a shortstop. A couple of years ago, he averaged 150 games.
He’s already re-established the ability to play a lot of games. It’s not like he faded down the stretch – he actually hit about 25% better in August and September than he did earlier.
I do agree with you on pitching talent. Trade it away, when the opportunity is there. I think teams (er, Sandy) seriously overvalues young arms. You can have all the Trevor Bauers and Dylan Bundys. Give me 150 games from a SS reaching an 850 OPS, or a RF that can hit 30-35 HR for three or four years all day long.
On October 1, 2013 the Mets knew they needed shortstop depth at the major league level. Their were four options 1. Free agent Drew or Peralta who was too expensive for their taste. 2. A trade which is too costly in prospects for them 3. Another low end free agent to compete for the starting spot with Tejada but was better than Quintinilla which left you Punto, Barmes or Ryan 4. Trade for a low rate shortstop to compete with Tejada. Sandy did nothing. I still choose option #1 because it is only money. Save trading the prospects for the deal that makes a difference. Free agency for a shortstop will be unaffordable just like the price for a lead off high OBP player like Choo and Ellsbury was this year.
Two recent tweets from Adam Rubin:
1. In Tuesday’s Mets intrasquad game attended by 3 D-backs scouts, Jeff Walters also threw, along with Syndergaard, Verrett and deGrom.
2. One baseball person unaffiliated with the #Mets or #Dbacks advised me to pay close attention to Didi Gregorius/Mets. Believes it “has legs.”
Didi won’t come cheaply. Towers overpaid for him – gave up a top ten pitching talent and a couple of major league relievers. Not that it’s our problem, but he’s going to want at least JDG and Plawecki.
I don’t see it for Didi; I’d pull that trigger for Owings in a NY second.