San Francisco Giants are a match in possible Juan Lagares trade
After dealing away Denard Span in the Evan Longoria trade, the San Francisco Giants are in the market for a center fielder. One name they should consider is New York Mets outfielder Juan Lagares.
Disarray in Queens continues as the New York Mets do little to improve their roster this offseason. They’re not entirely rebuilding nor are they making any serious attempts to become a contender again. On the flipside, teams like the San Francisco Giants are in a spending frenzy.
Naturally, fans are frustrated. Many would prefer the Mets unload salary so they can at least know what to expect in 2018.
One player rumored to have a spot on the trade block is center fielder Juan Lagares. The flashy-fielding outfielder has $15.5 million remaining on his contract over the next two seasons.
Although he isn’t the greatest option out there, a team like the San Francisco Giants could certainly find him innings. More importantly, he could bring them the value they desperately need.
Unlike the Mets, the Giants are trying to improve their roster. The disappointment of 2017 has led to the Giants’ acquisition of Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria. To make room for him though, they dealt veteran outfielder Denard Span. This has left the Giants with an outfield consisting of a fading Hunter Pence and a bunch of guys fighting it out in Spring Training.
Lagares won’t excite too many Giants fans. As a career .257/.297/.366 hitter with only 20 home runs in his first 553 games, Lagares isn’t going to change the game at the plate. He can, however, cover a whole lot of ground in the outfield thus allowing the Giants to survive with Pence in one corner outfield spot and another butcher at the other.
The Giants reportedly have mutual interest with another former Met, Jay Bruce. If they’re so inclined, they can also pursue J.D. Martinez. Lagares’ presence would ease any worries about the outfield becoming a total disaster.
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The downside to Lagares is his inability to stay healthy.
Over the past two seasons, the 28-year-old outfielder has played in only 173 games. This took away his chances at winning any Gold Gloves.
Surely, if he were able to stay on the field, Lagares would have at least one extra in his home. Back in 2013 and 2014, he logged 3.5 and 3.4 WAR seasons on defense.
To show you how impressive these totals are, only Andrelton Simmons topped 3 WAR on defense in 2017.
Cincinnati Reds outfielder Billy Hamilton is another similar choice the Giants could pursue. However, his amazing speed would increase his price tag in any potential trade.
So, if a stellar defensive player is a primary need for the Giants, Lagares is the way to go. All he’ll cost is a mediocre return and the risk of seeing him land on the disabled list for a lengthy stay.
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As for the New York Mets, the San Francisco Giants might be the only team out there willing to roll the dice on Lagares.