As Jon Lester comes off the free agent market, teams who are seeking pitching become more and more focused on what is available. It is well known that the Mets have made Dillon Gee and to a lesser extent Jonathon Niese and Bartolo Colon available. These names will be intriguing to other clubs out there but not necessarily for a major impact player. There are some names that the Mets might see floated across for some of their second-tier pitching.
Brad Miller, SS Seatle: Miller is a name you know and the Mets are not getting him for just Gee, Niese or Colon. The reality is that they’d need to offer Seattle something more for Miller whose bat could still be considered a “Plus” tool. Despite ho-hum numbers in the majors, Miller boasts tremendous minor league numbers which indicate he could be an elite power threat for the shortstop position. Miller slugged over .500 for his entire minor league career and his major league OPS is not as disappointing as you might think. .691 over 199 at bats is nothing to sneeze at for a middle infielder.
Deven Marrero, SS Boston: Marrero is not a household name. The 24th overall pick from 2012 has been solid (if less-than-spectacular) in his minor league career. That’s hardly a glowing endorsement for a player, but consider that he still projects to be a solid defensive shortstop and still could hit above the league averages for his position. He’s, at the very least, a more appealing alternative to Wilmer Flores than Ruben Tejada.
Luis Sardinas, SS Texas: Sardinas will start 2015 at the age of 21 with a brief major league stint already under his belt. It’s said that the Mets look at Sardinas as a utility player and not as a starting shortstop and it’s not that hard to see why. He lacks a true “Plus” tool in his repertoire with solid (though not spectacular) speed and an ability to put the ball in play. He’d be a good candidate to leadoff on the Mets but would not stack up well against the league’s elite leadoff hitters.
None of those names are definitely being traded but each could certainly be thought about as a trade target should the Mets be unwilling to trade away their top tier talent. Met brass, throughout the trade deadline and offseason, has remained firm. “We will not be trading Noah Syndergaard.” This is good. The Mets should not be looking to trade a Top 10 prospect like Syndergaard. However there are now some names that you might have to consider in the Syndergaard discussion.
Addison Russell, SS Chicago: The Cubs are not willing to trade Starlin Castro, and that makes sense. They are equally unlikely to trade Javier Baez, who they feel could be a major star for their young team. Yet, they cannot deny that with Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant also on the roster, they have little need for Russell. Don’t mistake Russell for some shortstop door prize either. In three minor league seasons and over 1041 plate appearances he’s managed a line of .300/.379/.522 and he’ll be 21 for all of the 2015 season. He might not be 100% ready to start for a team on April 1st but should the Mets acquire him, he’d allow Flores and Daniel Murphy (Dilson Herrera too) to fully audition to be the 2016 second baseman.
Jurickson Profar, SS Texas: If this was the 2012 offseason we’d be mad for tossing Profar’s name out there. Texas was sitting on a 19-yearold shortstop with the chops to be a star in the near future. Thanks to injuries in 2013 and 2014, the emergence of Rougned Odor and the contract of Elvis Andrus, Profar has become the off man out in the Ranger’s infield. The Rangers would still be mad to trade him lightly, but a name like Syndergaard could potentially bring them around to a deal. Profar is a significant injury risk but that is the only reason he might be on the table for a prospect like Syndergaard.
Corey Seager, SS Los Angeles: The truth is that the Dodgers need Seager, but the reality of their ownership vs. that of the Mets is that the Dodgers can afford to go out and sign a shortstop or trade for someone like Troy Tulowitzki. If Miller would be an elite power bat at shortstop, Seager could be the #1 power shortstop in baseball. At 6’ 4” he’d certainly be one of the largest. Seager can hit and hit a lot. Though, he’s only reached as high as a brief 38 game stint in AA. We’ll ignore for a second that two of the targets on this list could have been had by the Mets had they not drafted Gavin Cecchini and focus on the fact that, should they be willing to pay the price, they can acquire an impact bat at the position.
Who do you want starting for the Mets in 2015?
- Wilmer Flores “Give the kid a chance”
- Ruben Tejada “Because he sometimes isn’t terrible”
- Brad Miller “Who may only hit .220”
- Deven Marrero “Who may be a lot like Ruben Tejada”
- Luis Sardinas “A leadoff hitter who never walks”
- Addison Russell “Who would be on his third team since being drafted”
- Jurickson Profar “A man who has spent much of recent memory on the DL”
- Corey Seager “Who, let’s face it, won’t be in Met uniform until 2016”
- Someone else? Name them in the comments.
Editor’s Note – This piece was written before Lester actually signed with a club.
With Lester going to the Cubs the options change a little bit, but the Cubs might still be interested in adding Syndergaard. Frankly, I was hoping the Giants would sign Lester.
It’s fascinating to try to gauge trade value. To me, both Syndergaard and Russell are unproven commodities. The flipside to that is that both of their arbitration clocks have not even begun. I would think 5 plus years of Syndergaard or Russell would be worth more than two years of Samardzja and one year of Jason Hammel. Both Syndergaard and Russell didn’t have their normal elite years last year. Russel especially had both injury plagued and bad overall year. It’s funny that when Mets talk about trading for someone all of a sudden the other player is a lock hall of famer and the Mets player is a question. With Cubs getting Lester I think that a Syndergaard for Russell trade would make sense for both clubs. I think it’s comical that Mets are saying they are in for Japanese shortstop when Sandy Alderson doesn’t even now that there is not a posting fee for him as he has enough service time to be full free agent. Tells me that Mets not really players for either Japanase or Korean shortstop. All talk no action.
Russell would probably be my choice as well.
We are getting coal in our Christmas stockings “Again”
I’ll be giving Met fans a song to sing… that’s something.
I’ll go older and say Yunel Escobar. Shouldn’t cost too much after a down year.
An interesting thought. Not a player I think would be a large upgrade over Flores though.
How about Dee Gordon? I know he was not a shortstop last season, and he may not be the best fielder in baseball, but I think he could fit a couple of the Mets’ needs. He is a threat when on base, and is pretty good at hitting for a batting average. He can lead off for the Mets, and we all know how badly a leadoff hitter is needed going into 2015.
He’s one of the names I wanted last year, but now his value is back up. I’d trade one of the second tier pitchers for him.
If Gee is a salary dump so that the Mets can afford a RH bench outfielder, I would make the Sardinis trade. The scouting reports I have read indicate he is a plus glove.
I would trade Wheeler or Syndergaard for Russell but he probably won’t be ready until mid season like you said. Also it will take another Met prospect or starting pitcher probably to land him.
Niese or Gee or Colon for Miller also works and I would do that over the Sardinis trade.
When we look at free agents, Drew is the best fielder and has hit in the past and he might be the one year Chris Young 2014 deal for 2015 but hopefully with better results. I haven’t dismissed Lowrie but he may be too rich. MLBTR has him est at 3/30.
Bottom line, the Mets need an upgrade for 2015 and they are financially restricted so I would settle for Miller.
I can’t see Seager getting dealt. Especially since they have acquired Rollins, it seems that the Dodgers are going to wait until Rollins is gone and then call him up. Especially with their new ownership in place, they’re going to be more inclined to hold onto young talent. The Mets could get him, but it would cost Syndergaard, and I wouldn’t like dealing Syndergaard for a player who may or may not pan out in the MLB. Nice article though, wouldn’t be surprised to see Alderson go after one of these guys.
No, based on the deals the Dodgers have made they will be keeping Seager.
First, let me preface my opinion by saying that I would give Flores at least half a season of uninterrupted play and maybe a full season. If he can’t handle the position, I would trade Wheeler for Profar or Russell. Wheeler has not mastered control and when he was coming up, the feeling was that his inverted W motion would lead to control difficulties. While he is very good, I have to put him as fourth in the potential category of “The Four Horsemen”.
I would like to give Flores a chance, but if Russell or Seager were available without having to dump the farm, I would have to go for it.
Amen
How about Jose Ramirez from Cleveland, they feel that prospect Lindor could be ready by june (Super Two cut-off line).
Another interesting name
Chris Taylor