Versatile Ben Zobrist will be popular at trade deadline
By Tim Haberin
Though some recent signs of life might prevent the Oakland Athletics from going into full-on sell mode just yet, General Manager Billy Beane has never been one to turn down a deal if he can get a good return on a player. And if recent reports are to be believed, Ben Zobrist could be a highly sought-after item leading up to next month’s trade deadline.
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The 34-year-old switch-hitting Zobrist has largely flown under the radar during his ten seasons in Major League Baseball, earning All-Star honors with the Rays in 2009 and 2013 but never quite seeming to get his full due. He has long been valued for his versatility on the field, able to play both infield and outfield positions. In 43 games with Oakland this year he has spent time in left field, right field and second base, and also has extensive experience at shortstop in his career.
Zobrist handles a rather competent bat for being a defensive jack-of-all-trades. His best season came in 2009 (his first full big league campaign) when he posted a .270/.377/.471 slash line with 27 home runs and 91 RBI. That kind of production was good enough to earn Zobrist a top-10 finish in AL MVP voting. Since then he has averaged 14 homers and 77 RBI a year with a .265 batting average.
While he likely won’t reach the heights of his earlier career again, Zobrist is still doing a fair job thus far in 2015, working a .248/.345/.444 line with five home runs and 28 RBI despite a month-long DL stint caused by a knee injury. He has been especially hot over the past couple weeks, hitting .364 with three homers and 12 RBI since June 14. A strong BB/K ratio has also been a hallmark of Zobrist’s throughout his career, and his current 1.64 BB/K would set a personal best by a wide margin. Now might be the time for Beane to sell high on a player he dealt for just last offseason.
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One of the possible suitors could be the offensively-challenged New York Mets. John Harper of the New York Daily News reports that the Mets and A’s have discussed a swap that would send Zobrist to the Big Apple. Losers of seven of their last ten contests, the Mets have watched their one-time lead in the NL East slip away into a 3.5 game deficit. The main culprit has been an inability to score runs, which has squandered some great starting pitching. The squad has averaged 3.6 runs per game; only the hapless Phillies have been worse within the division.
GM Sandy Alderson needs to find a spark, and Zobrist might be a solid option. Not only does he appear to be locked in at the plate right now, but his OPS is also higher on the road (.821), so interested clubs might like the idea of taking him out of Oakland. The Mets infield has been somewhat tumultuous of late and they could slot Zobrist there or into the outfield as needed.
The ability to play multiple positions as well as hit from both sides of the plate makes Zobrist an intriguing asset for teams looking to stay competitive in their respective races. He is set to become a free agent in the offseason, so an acquiring club would be renting him for half the year. The Cubs, Nationals and Royals have also apparently been sniffing around, so this will be a situation to monitor in the coming weeks.