Now that the Mets have acquired Michael Cuddyer to play outfield and first base, Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson will turn his attention to acquiring a shortstop. As of now, it looks like Wilmer Flores will enter the season as the starting shortstop. This is not the worst scenario in the world, but it is an area the Mets need to improve upon.
If the season were to start today, Daniel Murphy would be starting at second base, and Flores at shortstop. With Lucas Duda at first, and David Wright at third, the defense of the infield is not impressive. With Wright battling injuries and Murphy’s lack of range at second makes it apparent that the Mets need to acquire a defensive minded middle infielder.
Adam Rubin, of ESPNNewYork.com, reported that the Mets inquired about Phillies’ shortstop Jimmy Rollins in an effort to trade for him. With Rollins having the right to veto any trade, due to Rollins having 10/5 rights, the talks quickly ended. Andy Martino of the New York Daily News reported that White Sox shortstop Alexei Ramirez may be a possible target for the Mets, which will likely force the Mets to part with young pitching. If Alderson wants to hold onto his pitching prospects, the easy solution is turning towards the free agent market.
Jed Lowrie and Hanley Ramirez are the two big-named shortstops in free agency. Lowrie is an intriguing option, as he has hit over 10 home runs in two seasons. However last season, he managed to hit .249 in 136 games for the Oakland Athletics. Many teams in need of a shortstop will consider Lowrie, as they hope the veteran will provide some much needed offense. Ramirez on the other hand will cost too much, and he may be moved to third base later in his career, therefore the Mets are not likely to sign him.
Asdrubal Cabrera is the player that may make the most sense for the Mets. Offensively, Cabrera struggled last year, hitting .241, although he did drive in 61 runs. Cabrera’s versatility makes him an intriguing option as he has experience playing shortstop and second base. If the Mets are looking for a better defensive second baseman than Daniel Murphy, Cabrera is a solution. His career .994 fielding percentage at the position shows that he can make the plays when the ball is hit to him, while Murphy’s fielding percentage is .975.
If the Mets wanted to put Cabrera at shortstop, this would likely mean that Murphy would get traded, in order to clear cap room, and acquire a defensive minded second basemen, or start Flores or Dilson Herrera. The other option is to move Cabrera to second while trading Murphy, and acquire a shortstop. However, pushing Cabrera to second base could enable the Mets to get away with Flores starting at shortstop, the position he has gained the most experience. This option is basically taking Murphy away from the team and substituting Cabrera at the position to get better defense.
Cabrera’s price tag will make the Mets cautious with their decision. Is Cabrera’s price tag more affordable than Lowrie’s? Can Alderson get Ramirez for a package of players he is willing to trade? Are there any other teams willing to part with their shortstop?
All of these questions will dictate the route the Mets decide to take when approaching the shortstop market. Cabrera may be an overlooked option, and it is important that the Mets consider him, as he has playoff experience, is a switch-hitter, and can play both middle infield positions. If the price is right on Cabrera, the Mets may be wise in acquiring the former All-Star.
Most places are projecting 3 years and between 25 and 40 million for him.
Ima stick with an even more overlooked (and cheaper) player in Stephen Drew.
Ugh. Are we still on stephen drew? How is that an upgrade over flores?
lol. How isn’t it an upgrade? For one, most people think he can actually play the damn position.
17.1 UZR since 09.
Career .747 OPS.
Flores has yet to crack .639 OPS in any month except for this past September.
Get over the fact that he had one terrible season buddy. Players bounce back, and he’s a great buy-low candidate.
Drew is the best defensive SS of the free agent group. He also has a 747 OPS as noted. If Drew’s salary is significantly lower than the other free agent shortstops and the contract is short term then I too would consider him. At the worst, he takes Tejada’s spot on the roster. Flores/Murphy is too weak defensively for a playoff team.
I would prefer them to pass on AC and keep Murph at second.
Is there anyone out there who you would acquire as a shortstop, or do you start Flores? Personally, I hope the Mets keep Murphy, but I would like a defensive shortstop.
Luis Sardinas, Texas SS … The glove and speed is game ready but the bats still developing, he’d fit great in the line up in the 8 hole til the bat comes along and he wouldn’t feel any pressure… He’s still young at 21 so I got no worries he’ll be fine
That’s a good point Upset met, the Rangers do have a surplus of middle infielders, and Sardinas would be a nice fit for an eighth hole hitter. My only concern is what Texas would want in return. Would you be willing to part with Montero for him?
Stick with Murphy at second and Flores at short. They will only get better.
Murphy is making progress defensively at 2nd base. He is much, much better now than when he first manned the position. All this talk of trading him is ridiculous. He has been our only consistent offensive player. Let him play and stop looking at him as our problem.
If Murphy is traded, it won’t be because of his defense, it will be because he’s become too expensive through arbitration.
If it’s just catching the balls hit to him, Floes is fine. Cabrera has become a statue defensively. I wrote yesterday my preferences for SS:
Profar
Castillo
Another Cub prospect
Flores
No thank you on AC, bad defense, declining offense.
Despite GM speak, Mets will not go with Flores-Murphy up the middle due to defensive limitations.
If they can find a SS that can pick it and is not an offensive disaster, they will try to deal Murphy and move Flores to 2nd.
Best fit for that scenario is a left-handed hitting SS that can hit a little. That points to Drew and Miller of Seattle as targets. Getting either and retaining Tejada to hit vs LHP can make some sense.
First, Alderson needs to determine the prices for more elite options and the decide whether it is worth the price. Likely the prices will be too high.
I’m honestly not sure why the Mets cannot just stick Wilmer Flores at shortstop and have defensive wizard Wilfredo Tovar on the bench.
If Flores does not work out, there are literally a ton of internal options in AA or higher (Matt Reynolds, TJ Rivera, Daniel Muno, L.J. Mazzilli, and Tovar)
There is no reason to look outside the organization for aging players who are all coming off of down seasons.
Couldnt agree more. #Letfloresplay
We don’t really have a complete SS in-house, hence the extended Ruben Tejada experiment. Tovar is a punch and judy hitter, Reynolds is more utility and less shortstop, Mazzilli is a second baseman who just found some power in the AFL and Muno is also more of a utility player than shortstop.
If we’re going with offense at second, start Tovar and live with his terrible offense, sign Drew and be prepared for terrible offense, or mortgage the farm for a good overall shortstop (not Tulo). Otherwise start Flores and find a better fielder at second.
Pass. Not an upgrade over flores.
If the Mets upgrade at SS by going the free agent route then I would prefer Lowrie over Cabrera. Lowrie is the better defender who had a down year offensively in 2013. MLBTR estimates 3/30 for Lowrie and 3/27 for Cabrera. That is a little rich for either player. Cabrera does not make sense because of his defense. I would investigate the trade market first. I am not comfortable with Flores/Murphy middle infield defense.
If we can find a good defensive SS at a good price for short term (1 or 2 years)then we sign him. He doesn’t have to be a huge hitter but have the right plate approach to bat 8th, sort of like Tejada during the second half of the year but with a much better glove. Drew fits that description. low risk, low money.. high potential reward and wouldn’t be so bad if we ultimately only used him as a back up late inning defensive replacement.
If that player cant be had.. then my thought is the season will start with Flores at SS and Murph at 2B, but it wont end that way. Murph will hopefully have a monster 1st half because its his walk year and we’ll trade him and half his salary to a desperate team for a prospect or possibly a low 2nd round draft pick to make up the Cuddy signing. Flores moves to 2B which is an immediate upgrade in defense at 2B.. and hopefully Reynolds is ready to step up at SS with Tejada being the middle infield backup.. unless he’s NT’d.