Since the departure of Jose Reyes, the Mets have been looking for that shortstop to take control and become a big piece for them. Ruben Tejada had the best chance to take over the job, and as a 22-year old, he hit .289 when he was named the starting shortstop. This looked like a promising start to his career, but after that, Tejada only hit .202 in 2013, and his hitting .239 this season. If the Mets want to compete, they are going to need a new shortstop that can provide more offensively. There are some options on the table, and some that could be had at the deadline. Let’s take a look at some of the possible targets.
With the acquisition of Addison Russell, the Chicago Cubs have three young shortstops, and this may make them decide to trade one to acquire pitching. According to MLB.com, Javier Baez is expected to join the Cubs this year, and Russell should be called up in 2015. This means Castro could be expendable. However the Chicago Tribune reported that Theo Epstein considers Castro “a centerpiece-type guy for the organization”, therefore it seems unlikely for the Cubs to deal Castro. They may end up holding onto him in order to see how their prospects develop. Castro can be moved to another position, kept at shortstop, or dealt to acquire the pitching that the Cubs are lacking. At this year’s deadline, it would be shocking to see Castro moved, so the Mets may have to look elsewhere.
The Cleveland Indians are in the market for pitching, and they have a shortstop that is in the last year of his contract, which may make him expendable. Former All-Star Asdrubal Cabrera may never have a year like he did in 2011, when he hit 25 homers and drove in 92 runs, but he still is a decent offensive shortstop. The Indians are rumored to be seeking a pitcher, and if they were willing to trade top prospect Fransico Lindor, maybe they could acquire David Price. If they do not like that, they could settle for Bartolo Colon. Colon’s return to Cleveland would help their pitching and provide some experience to the rotation. It makes sense for the Mets, because they show Cabrera what it would be like to play in New York, and possibly sign him to a contract for two or three years. If the Mets wanted to wait until the offseason to sign him in free agency, that would help the Mets add someone without losing talent. Cabrera would be an upgrade over Tejada, and he would not need to be a major contributor in the lineup, so it would make sense for the Mets to acquire him either at this year’s trading deadline, or in the offseason.
Two young shortstops have not panned out in the big leagues yet, but they are blocked from the starting lineup because of the players ahead of them. These players may be moved as we approach the trading deadline. One of those players is 23-year-old Nick Franklin, who can play both second base and shortstop, has hit well enough in AAA Tacoma to earn a promotion, but he has struggled hitting in the majors. He probably will not win a Gold Glove, but his offensive upside could be intriguing for the Mets, as the Seattle Mariners have committed to Brad Miller.
Similar to Franklin, Did Gregorius of the Arizona Diamondbacks has to compete with Chris Owings and is coming off the bench for Arizona. Gregorius had a decent year last year, hitting .252 and having an OBP of .332. While this may not be considered much of an upgrade over Tejada, Gregorius’ slugging percentage (.398) compared to Tejada’s (.294) could help the team out.
With the deadline approaching, the Mets may give Tejada more time to figure it out at the plate, and figure out what to do in free agency come next year. Some of the possible free agents are Asdrubal Cabrera, J.J. Hardy, Jed Lowrie and Hanley Ramirez. If the Mets truly intend on competing for a playoff spot in 2015, they will have to improve at shortstop, and some of these players could help push the Mets into contention.
Like I always say, the Mets’ success will not hinge on Tejada’s performance, unless he’s making errors and/or hitting around .200. He’s not ideal, but the rest of the lineup is as much to blame for their lack of clutch hitting late in games this season
Tejada has played better than Gregorious, Miller, Franklin, and of course Stephen Drew who is also a free agent at years end. Tejada’s OBP of .355 is more than adequate for an 8th place hitter. If they can upgrade with Lowrie, Hardy, or even Baez, I’m all for it.
Thanks for the read Sean! I agree that Tejada can be helpful to the Mets, but I feel they need to improve at first base or left field. One of those spots has to improve for Tejada to be the eighth hitter on this team. Hopefully Tejada keeps improving offensively, and maybe they can go forward with him.
What must Matt Reynolds do at AAA to get a shot for the Mets?
Is his defense that much of a liability to nullify his batting?
I have not seen him play, but have followed his progress via the box score.
How is Reynolds’ defense? They’re going to need another shortstop to backup Tejada, if not replace him, soon.
Thank you for the read Peter! To be completely honest, I haven’t heard or followed Reynolds too much, but it seems that he can contribute to the Mets. Not too sure if he’d be given a starting job, but if they move Tejada, he can become a backup middle infielder. I’ll keep on eye on Reynolds going forward as well.
Since I don’t imagine the Mets will make a trade for a SS this year, that leaves the off-season. Cabrera and Ramirez will look for large dollars, and while Hardy might come back from a disappointing first half, he still has quite a resume to negotiate with. That leaves Lowrie as the only affordable options for the Mets, but chances are other teams will be knocking on his door too. It seems like the Mets will most likely find an answer from within the organization, because it would cost too many arms to get a young stud prospect at the position.
Thanks for the read Patrick! Not too sure if Cabrera will sign for big bucks, and I think the Mets could be able to pick him up. I wouldn’t mind Hardy as well, and Lowrie (I’m guessing) will probably re-sign with Oakland after they got rid of Addison Russell. Their top prospect, Daniel Robertson is a shortstop, but his ETA is 2016, so maybe they sign Lowrie to a three-year deal this offseason. I agree though, Hardy is a good signing, and I think if the Mets want to compete in 2015, they need to acquire a shortstop from outside the organization.
I agree that in order to compete the Mets will need a SS that will contribute more offensively. Tejada, at his best, is a just below average SS offensively and is passable if he was the only weak link in the lineup. The problem is that Lagares has been regressing since his hot start to a more normal and expected result for his offensive abililities which, like Tejada, is just below average. Lagares plays elite defense, and hits enough,so to remove him from the lineup is difficult. Tejada, Lagares and the pitcher are too many outs in an offense so Tejada needs to be upgraded.
I have read some online scouting reports on Reynolds and they indicate he can play SS defensively in MLB and offensively he is a better hitter than Tejada but he has successfully changed his approach to being a spray hitter instead of looking for power. He doesn’t sound like a solution and maybe a slight uptick to Tejada but he has very little AAA time.
I agree that the Mets need an upgrade at SS and LF. They need an established impact bat for the middle of the order. Only Tulo fits that description at SS but there may be more OF options available. In any case, it is going to cost a starting pitcher and more, plus an increase in team budget. It will likely occur this winter, if it ever occurs.
Great point Metsense! I understand that in a park like CitiField, defense is extremely valuable, but Tejada is not neither a gold glover nor a silver slugger. Lagares’ defense is extremely important, and I am fine with him being the center fielder for the next couple of years. I would love Tulo and would trade away some quality starting arms outside of Wheeler, Harvey and Syndergaard, but I’m sure Colorado would want one of them.
I think Reynolds can be a contributor at the big league level, but he may be better suited as a backup middle infielder. It will be interesting to see what he does in AAA and if he plays well, maybe he’s on the team come September.
I think there needs to be a more holistic approach than just position by position. The Mets play in a pitcher friendly park, and are building a team from the mound outward. This team needs to save as many runs as it needs to worry about manufacturing them. That approach requires a defensively strong up the spine collection of players. Where are we? TdA is clearly going to need to learn his position better. The passed balls are maddening, and so is the below average arm. Neither Murph nor Tejada carry the gold glove potential for a “pitching Ubber alles” team. Lagares has the defensive caliber to do this and a bat that might just be good enough. That makes me think this team still has a long way to go. Ultimately I think Murph should be traded, or the club should consider bringing in the fences and go for a more offensive strategy. Right now the Alderson personnel represents a mish of long-ball hopes and small-ball players that fails to meet genuine roster and line up needs to be successful at the game he wishes to play. If you want to go Seaver and Kooz, he better have those arms for real, he should have a guy like Jerry behind the plate, and Buddy, and Tommy. I don’t see that yet. I’d like us to lead the league in turning DPs, and I’d like a catcher that saves runs because guys on first are afraid to go. This pairs with Lagares saving runs every day with his glove…and teams preferring not to challenge his cannon. If you are only gonna score 3, the the opponents can only score 2.
So what real game are we playing Sandy?
Tejada offers above average OBP and defense at SS. He also ran a bit in the minors, though I’m not sure why he doesn’t do so more since joining the Mets. His power is non-existent, and has he never showed power in the minors I don’t think he’ll ever improve much. But overall he was a 2 WAR player in 2011 and 2012, and seems to on pace for the same this year after a lost 2013. And at 24 there’s still time for improvement with the bat.
I dunno, an upgrade would be nice but I don’t think he has to be replaced for the Mets to succeed next year. They need an upgrade at LF, and for Wright/Granderson/d’Arnaud to not struggle so bad early on. Though they should probably have a solid back-up plan at SS just in case, as I don’t think miscasting Flores at SS is good solution.
Tejada’s OBP is due largely to batting 8th, but at least he’s getting on base. Tejada would be fine if we could get a legitimate LF with power, but big bats cost big money. Tejada’s offensive output is so minimal that it wouldn’t take a guy with big power to dislodge him and improve the team. His SLG is just .292, good for 25th out of 26th of qualifying SS. Meaning we could trade/sign nearly anyone and get more offensive production. An upgrade at SS means that LF can platoon, as long as we can get reasonable production from whatever 2-3 guys are manning it. Unfortunately, Tejada’s best play is still not cutting it.
Wow, Tejada has 10 IBBs this year. Remove those and his OBP drops to .330, which is passable for a SS but nothing special. I think you’re right, hitting 8th is making is on-base skills look better than they are.
Shortstop is interesting for the Mets. Tejada is fine if the Mets had more pop out of left field. I don’t see them going for Cabrera, Lowrie or Ramirez, but I could see JJ Hardy (Drew will also be available again, but they aren’t touching him). I think the trade market is where they’ll look first. I could see Castro, but I think outfield bat will be the focus. We shall see.