New York Mets: Should Prospects Be Dealt at Deadline?
By Tj Porreca
The New York Mets may look to make a few moves before the trade deadline, but they reportedly don’t want to trade their top prospects.
Between the injury to Matt Harvey, and the lingering concern of injuries to Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz, the New York Mets could surely use an upgrade to their rotation at the trade deadline.
However, there are a few problems for the Mets. The first is simple economics: Supply and demand. There won’t be an abundance of quality starting pitching available, and the Mets are one of many teams that need starting pitching. Not so much supply, but quite a lot of demand. In a situation like this, teams who will be sellers can sit back and pick from the best farm systems when making a trade. The Mets do not have what would be considered a top farm system to begin with.
The next problem, according to the New York Daily News, is that the Mets may not be willing to trade the valuable prospects that they have. A Mets source told the Daily News that, “There is a lot of gray area right now” in the Mets’ deadline strategy.
Is it worth it to trade a top prospect for what may only be a slight upgrade in the rotation?
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The Mets may ultimately decide the answer is no. Coming into the 2016 season, MLB Pipeline listed 2013 first-round pick Dom Smith, a first baseman, as the Mets’ top prospect. The same ranking listed shortstop Amed Rosario as New York’s No. 2 prospect, although in baseball circles Rosario is held in higher regard.
The New York Daily News deems Rosario “an untouchable” as he will be slated to take over at shortstop for the Mets in the future. Rosario is just 20 years old and began the season in High-A. In 66 games at High-A, Rosario hit .309/.359/.442 and had a fielding percentage of .962 at shortstop. He was promoted to Double-A, where he’s playing currently, and in 16 games he is hitting .424/.462/.610. MLB Pipeline estimates Rosario will debut in the major leagues in 2017.
According to the NYDN, the Mets may be willing to move Smith in the right deal. The Daily News asserts that Smith is “not considered a sure thing” but he does hold value as a prospect.
Smith, a big left-handed hitter, is hitting .277/.340/.436 in 83 games in Double-A this season. He could be a part of a trade for a pitcher, but the Mets may have to include more instead of making a one-for-one trade for an established pitcher. Therein lies the problem. Even if the Mets come to grips with trading Smith, they would likely have to include more, which they are reportedly unwilling to do.
Teams that may look to acquire pitching, such as the Red Sox, Astros, Dodgers and others, have better farm systems with more to offer than the Mets. Interestingly, if the Mets did entertain trading Rosario for a pitcher, their opportunities would likely expand greatly. However, Asdrubal Cabrera is 30, so there will be a path in time for Rosario to take over as the Mets shortstop.
Next: Red Sox Prospects Who Could Be Dealt
It will be interesting to see if the Mets are able to muster up any trades with the deadline just a few weeks away. Entering Monday, the Mets are 47-41 — the same record as the Miami Marlins — trailing the Washington Nationals by six games. If the Mets had a deeper farm system, perhaps they would be quite active. However, expect the Mets to be careful about which prospects they would be willing to part with at the trade deadline.