First off, there is no bigger supporter or optimist when it comes to David Wright than your’s truly. During our projection series, I said Wright would slug .480 with 90 RBI and wouldn’t hit the DL for more than 15 days. I was a touch off. So the news that the team captain was diagnosed with spinal stensois is disheartening. Although team officials and related medical personnel are saying it doesn’t look like a long-term ordeal, anything is possible with the state the Mets injuries have gone this season. Whether they will be without Wright for another month, the rest of the season or possibly more is anyone’s guess. Spinal stenosis, the narrowing of the spine, is something that might be remedied with core strengthening and rest, or it could end a player’s career. So it would behoove General Manager Sandy Alderson, as I’m sure he knows, to find a reliable third baseman to plug in. Just in case the worst-case scenario is realized.
Daniel Murphy is the in-team option, and maybe the best option overall to take over in the increased absence of Wright. He has logged 466 innings at third for the Mets since 2011, and advanced fielding metrics are much kinder to him there then they are at second. Still, he is at very best average defensively, and his offense, particularly his lack of slugging, will not play well as a third baseman. If the team had power elsewhere this wouldn’t be a problem. But the Mets are ranked 22nd in home runs, and were dead last in slugging before Monday’s game. They need a third baseman who can hit for power. Plus, Murphy is a likely trade candidate himself, and if the Mets can find another option for third, and decide Dilson Herrera can take over second, Murphy might be moving anyway.
The Mets have available arms yet to trade, even with a series of injuries to the rotation. So instead of aiming to get a premium position like shortstop via the trade market, the Mets should aim for a more affordable third baseman, with ability to play other positions. They need a guy like Martin Prado, except not Prado as he seems to be on the downside of his career. While still very serviceable, he is not the threat he used to be. He would still be a better option than throwing Eric Campbell‘s .288 slugging percentage up there day after day, but Murphy is still the best option out of those three.
A young guy like Marcus Semien would be a great pickup. He can play third, short and second, and he has a .297/.342/.474 line with six home runs and seven stolen bases for the last place Oakland Athletics. Billy Beane is never one to be sentimental with trading players, and could be persuaded to give him up for a few prospects. Semien has played at least 220 innings at each position in the majors and ranks the best at third. He’s playing well past anything he showed with the Chicago White Sox the previous two years, but he’s seeing regular time now, and sometimes that makes all the difference. Plus his offensive numbers seem to be legitimate for his skill set. Of course it would mean buying high and paying a bigger price, but he might just be worth it.
Are we talking trading away Noah Syndergaard for him, no. But the Mets have plenty of pieces to part with to get this deal done. Beane is shrewd, but Alderson is stingy, and those things mix about as well as oil and vinegar. The likelihood of this happening is remote, of course. But it could be worth investigating. It’s also too bad the Mets don’t have that Justin Turner guy from the Dodgers.
(Blank stare)
There is another utility player on the Red Sox named Brock Holt who plays every position except catcher. He’s improved his defense at third base, his main position, over the past three years and is just about average there. In 29 games this year he’s batting .295/.380/.420, but has very little power, even for Fenway Park. It would seem like Holt could at least be as serviceable at third as Murphy would be, though. He would likely cost more than Semien in a trade, as the Red Sox are still competitive. But they are also desperate for pitching, so Alderson might get away with a bargain easier there. Both Semien and Holt give the Mets options to move around the field and start regularly if Wright were to recuperate faster than expected. As that doesn’t seem likely though, it would be nice to have a starting-level caliber third baseman at the hot corner, instead of Campbell being over-taxed and over-exposed. Hopefully he could then return to being a valuable asset from the bench.
Semien is 24 while Holt is 27, so both should be entering their primes in the next couple of years. Rather than splurging on a Troy Tulowitzki who will cost much more in terms of players and money, these guys are relative steals. And the last thing the Mets need is to go out and make a splashy move for the sake of saving the lineup, and see Tulowitzki go down like everyone else this year. By comparison, Semien or Holt would be much safer and cost-effective transactions. Two things right in Alderson’s wheelhouse.
With Wright, assuming we are told the truth, there should be greater clarity in a few days. It should at least clarify the short-term issues, this current 2015 season.
My conclusion is different. Flores is a 3B. Herrera, when the finger heals, is the 2B.
The club needs — still needs, four years into this now — a true shortstop.
Murphy is a 3B, too, but he’s gone after this season. The easiest solution is to plug Herrera into 2B when he returns, slide Murphy over to 3B, and leave Flores alone for a while longer.
For league minimum, I’d pick up McGahee and stop pretending with guys like Muno & Campbell.
In terms of real solutions, it’s hard to speculate until we have a handle on the real problem. Fortunately, overreacting is not a problem with the Mets GM.
Tulo is the player you trade for to put you over the top and into the playoffs. I think 2015 will go down as one of the most injured plagued seasons in all of MLB in quite some time. I can’t even think of one team that has not had a player undergo TJ surgery or a significant other injury. That being said I am still wondering what Alderson was expecting from this team (realistically). You would think that after so many players being out with major injuries that the Front Office would learn something about securing credible back ups. I know it’s somewhat off topic but wouldn’t it behoove Alderson and the Met’s medical staff to constantly monitor Harvey instead of waiting for him to tell them he has a dead arm? Where is the pro active team of specialist the Met’s have at their disposal? Wright goes down and we’re all thinking it’s only for 15 days. Well guess again. What if he’s out for the remainder of the season? How asinine does the Cuddyer signing look now? Same old Met’s. From a hamstring to a back injury to being out for the season. I keep saying the baseball gods do not look kindly on the Wilpons. And we get to suffer year in and year out. It feels like another Charlie Brown story. Arghh!
I love how everyone wanted Justin out of town and now realize what a useful player he was. Too late now, you too Sandy.
+1
Too bad we Jacob deGrom can’t field, he has the fifth highest BA on the team.
Are you kidding? He came from shortstop. He could be our little league guy. Pitch every 5th day, and play shortstop three days in between with a day for rest!
Juan Uribe anyone? Dodgers have a surplus of IF which would probably make him cheap and he can really pick it at 3b and would be a solid stop gap option and not a long term commitment. His bat is down this year but he had 2 solid previous seasons and i think there’s a reasonable shot that they’ll come up.
They desperately need more SP depth, don’t know if someone like Matt Bowman is enough to pique their interest.
Everyday I check the box scores and see Justin Turner playing well for the dodgers, I make myself sick; especially with our need for him now.
As much as I’m sure Campbell is a hard worker and good guy, he just isn’t a good replacement.
My only solace is that Justin gets to live and work close to his family and is treated well by his employer.
And in this hypothetical where where we’re dealing with Beane, get him to throw in Venditte too.
Did you see SportCenter today? Marcus Semien has 17 (!!!) errors already at third base & they literally showed him playing pepper and talking to his fielding coach before the game…. he’s got Macky Sasseritis — on fielding easily hit ground balls.. He’ll be a DH soon..
Correction — he’s at SS now – perhaps he would be better at 3rd base – played there earlier in his career.
If Wright can’t come back this year then for the year you move Murphy to third and try Herrera, Reynolds etc at second.
If Wright is truly at the end, then Wilmer is the long term answer at third. He has the arm, he is at least average there, and he has the bat and power for the spot.
But at least for this year you have to keep Murphy around in case. And ideally you hope that Wilmer can be passable at SS since then his bat really plays up. It is a short sample size, but he is beginning to make the plays that he didn’t make at the beginning of the year. He is getting rid of the ball quicker and looks more comfortable turning the DP. His range will always be an issue.
If he ends up replacing Wright, then there is still a SS problem but those decisions can be put off till next year.