Lucas Duda to the Yankees makes sense

Brace yourself for words you may not be ready to hear: the Mets should make a trade with their cross-town rival, the New York Yankees. The Yankees are currently in position to make the playoffs in a tightly contested A.L East. Much like the Mets though, the Yankees have been plagued by injuries. They currently have eight players on disabled lists, including young first baseman Greg Bird. Within the organization, there is growing concern over whether Bird, who is currently on the 60-day disabled list, will even return this season.

The only solution on the current roster is Chris Carter, who is batting a measly .207 with eight home runs. Paired with an inconsistent Chase Headly, the offensive production from the corners has been mediocre at best. Their best solution may be twenty minutes down the road for them, in Lucas Duda. Duda, who is currently batting .253 with 14 home runs. Duda’s OPS is .926, while Carter’s is a .663. In about 20 less at-bats, Carter has twenty more strike outs than Duda does. Duda’s war is at 1.3, compared to Carter’s -0.5. Any way you slice it, Duda is having a season superior to that of Carter. How would this benefit the Mets?

Realistically, it is going to be hard for the Mets to make the post season this year. While a second-half surge and the impending continuos failure of the Washington Nationals bullpen make a case for the Mets, the fact of the matter is that they are still 8.5 games out of the division, and 9.5 games out of the wildcard. It may be wise of the Mets to do what the Yankees did last season, and sell at the trade deadline. The Mets would need to receive a prospect in return. Possibly catching prospect Donny Sands, who is converted from third base. He was the Yankees eighth round pick in the 2015 draft, and is said to have fine offensive potential.

Besides the fact that the Mets would potentially receive a prospect in a Duda deal, it would also open the door for Dominic Smith. Smith, the first round draft pick of the Mets in 2013, is currently scorching hot in Las Vegas. In 82 games, Smith is slugging .321, with eight home runs and 105 hits overall. While it is his first season at the Triple A level, he is certainly showing that he may be up to task. At this point, it seems like him and fellow prospect Amed Rosario are like boiling water in a pot, just ready to boil over into the big leagues. A deal involving Lucas Duda may be the gust of wind it takes for a well-deserved Smith call up.

At the end of the day, the Yankees will always be the arch nemesis of the Mets and all of their fans. The constant territorial battle to be considered New York’s better team will never end, and that is why every Subway Series match up is must-watch baseball. Trading Duda to the Yankees would make sense though. Duda would be an absolute perfect fit for that short, 327-foot right field fence. The Mets could receive a prospect in return, and would finally be able to call up a top-five prospect in Smith.

On a side note, Happy 241st Birthday to this beautiful country we get to call home. Baseball is the past time of this great nation, so make sure to catch a game and some fireworks today. God Bless America.