New York Mets Rumors: Five potential Queens-bound trade options
The New York Mets finished thirteen games behind the Atlanta Braves in the National League East division last season. Regardless of the 4th place finish, the Mets fully intend to compete for a division title next season. In other words, Mets rumors will be frequent this offseason.
Prior to the start of last season, the New York Mets made six free agent signings that were expected to help the team compete for a division title. These signings involved bringing in Jay Bruce (three-year, $39 million), Todd Frazier (two-year, $17 million), Jason Vargas (two-year, $16 million), Anthony Swarzak (two-year, $14 million), Jose Reyes (one-year, $2 million), and Adrian Gonzalez (one-year, minimum).
Unfortunately for the Mets, these six players did not perform at a high-level as they combined for a -0.8 WAR. Aside from the 1.9 WAR put together by Frazier, each one of the other five signings compiled a negative individual WAR last season.
Although the team got off to a phenomenal start last season with an 11-1 record, they were down to a .500 record by May 28th. After losing their first game in June to fall below .500 for the first time on the season, the Mets were not able to take their record back above .500 at any point.
Even though the MLB level signings from last offseason did not work out, a large part of the team not succeeding also came from Yoenis Cespedes only playing in 38 games. As Cespedes makes up a large portion of the Mets payroll, the team definitely missed his production, especially since they compiled a 20-18 record during the games he played last season.
Nonetheless, as the team received solid performances from Brandon Nimmo, Michael Conforto, Noah Syndergaard, Zack Wheeler, Jeff McNeil, and Seth Lugo as well as an unforgettable Cy Young performance by Jacob deGrom, there is still hope for the team to compete next season. Due to this, the following are five possible trade options for the Mets during the current offseason.
The New York Mets received very little production from their collection of catchers last season. Although this was mainly due to a season ending injury to their expected starting catcher, the team would benefit from a catching upgrade.
The Miami Marlins are still in the midst of a transition period as the new ownership group continues to revamp the franchise. Even though the team has held on to J.T. Realmuto, it is very likely that he would be available with the right offer.
Last season, Realmuto compiled a slash-line of .277/.340/.484 alongside 54 extra-base hits (XBH), 74 runs batted in (RBI), and 74 runs scored (R). During his 5th MLB season, he also earned his first All-Star game appearance.
Travis d’Arnaud is expected to be ready for opening day after missing the bulk of last season following Tommy John surgery. Although he put together a respectable slash-line of .244/.293/.443 alongside 36 XBHs, 57 RBI, and 39 Rs in 2017, it would make sense for the Mets to pursue an upgrade at catcher.
Despite playing 112 games in 2017 and 108 games in 2014, d’Arnaud only played in 67 games in 2015 and 75 games in 2016. During this time, his on-base percentage (OBP) and slugging percentage (SLG) also fluctuated. He held a .302 OBP with a .416 SLG in 2014, a .340 OBP with a .485 SLG in 2015, a .307 OBP with a .323 SLG in 2016, and the aforementioned .293 OBP with a .443 SLG in 2017.
Due to the inconsistency of his games played and his offensive production, the Mets could likely inquire about the availability of Realmuto. The Marlins would require a large return for their star catcher, but it would be worth paying a large price to acquire an All-Star catching upgrade with numerous years of team control remaining.
The New York Mets already have a solid top of the rotation heading into next season. However, as many teams are looking to retool during the current offseason, there are a lot of options that could help the Mets fill out the rest of their rotation.
The Arizona Diamondbacks came up short in their pursuit of winning the NL West division last season. Due to this, they are now one of the many teams looking to retool this offseason. This could be a benefit to the Mets as they look to upgrade their current roster for a potential postseason run next season.
Zack Greinke is widely known to be available due to the large amount of money remaining on his current contract. Even though his contract does not look appealing, he is still a viable option for the top of any rotation.
During 2018, Greinke earned his fifth All-Star appearance as he compiled a 15-11 record with a 3.21 earned run average (ERA), a 3.70 FIP (fielding independent pitching), and a 1.079 WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched). He also compiled 199 strikeouts compared to 43 walks in his 207.2 innings pitched.
Even though deGrom proved that a pitcher should not be judged solely on wins and losses, this past season was the 11th straight season in which Greinke won at least 10 games. This effort shows his ability to give his team a chance to win every time he takes the mound.
Greinke is scheduled to earn $34.5 million in 2019, $35.0 million in 2020, and $35.0 million in 2021 before his current contract expires. Although this is a large amount of money, the Mets currently only have $77.5 million committed for next season and $45.5 committed for 2020.
After arbitration estimates, these numbers increase to $126.0 million in 2019 and $85.0 million in 2020. As the Mets are one of the few teams that could absorb this type of salary, they should definitely pursue the services of Greinke.
If the Mets are unable/unwilling to take on his full remaining salary, they could potentially get the Diamondbacks to take on the remaining salary owed to Jason Vargas and/or Jay Bruce in a Greinke trade. Regardless, acquiring Greinke to pitch alongside Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Zack Wheeler, and Steven Matz would give the Mets one of the best rotations in baseball next season.
If the Arizona Diamondbacks want a team to take on the full remaining salary owed to Greinke, the New York Mets could benefit by acquiring additional talent to fill other holes on the team.
Paul Goldschmidt is a perennial Most Valuable Player candidate that could be acquired alongside Zack Greinke this offseason. Goldschmidt only has one year of team control remaining, but he and Greinke could be the missing pieces to help the Mets reach the postseason next season.
Wilmer Flores and Jay Bruce both have the ability to play first base for the Mets next season, but acquiring Goldschmidt would allow the team to utilize those players in other positions of need. This increased versatility could greatly help the Mets as they will need to make up for Yoenis Cespedes missing significant time once again next season.
Goldschmidt earned his sixth straight All-Star appearance during the 2018 season as he put together 73 XBHs, 95 Rs, and 83 RBI. He also compiled a slash-line of .290/.389/.533 which is right in line with his career slash-line of .297/.398/.532.
Acquiring the All-Star first baseman could also give the Mets a leg-up on the competition in signing him following next season if he enjoys his time in New York. The Mets have recently dealt with injury issues, but Goldschmidt could provide stability to their lineup as he has played at least 155 games in each of the past four seasons.
With the Diamondbacks looking to retool, the Mets should heavily pursue Goldschmidt even if they do not have interest in acquiring Greinke for their rotation. His modest $14.5 million salary for next season would also help the Mets keep payroll flexibility for additional moves.
The New York Mets have a major injury concern in their outfield that will also negatively impact their offense, but there is a player on the Seattle Mariners that could help alleviate this concern.
Mitch Haniger put together an incredible season for the Seattle Mariners last year as he earned his first All-Star appearance. Through 157 games, he compiled 68 XBHs, 90 Rs, and 93 RBI alongside a slash-line of .285/.366/.493.
His .859 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) was 10th in the entire MLB amongst qualifying outfielders. As Brandon Nimmo was sixth on this list with an .886 OPS, acquiring Haniger would give the Mets an incredible pair of outfielders.
Haniger is 27-years-old, but he has four years of team control remaining as he did not make his MLB debut until 2016. Although it may not make sense to move a player with this level of production and this amount of team control remaining, the Mariners have made it clear that they are looking to change course this offseason.
They proved this by moving a top of the rotation arm in James Paxton, despite having two more years of team control remaining. The Mariners could be looking to move Haniger while his value is extremely high as well.
As the Mariners are in a transition period, the Mets should make an aggressive attempt to acquire the right-handed slugger. Even though the Mets have Michael Conforto, Brandon Nimmo, and Jay Bruce already under contract for next season, Bruce can be moved to first base.
Moving Bruce to first base would also allow Wilmer Flores to be available to rotate between first base, second base, third base, and shortstop to give other players a day off. Even though the Mets expect Cespedes to return, Haniger has the ability to play all three outfield positions to further bolster the lineup.
Haniger would also make sense within the Mets payroll as he will not enter his pricey arbitration seasons until the contracts of Cespedes and Bruce expire. Due to this, it would greatly benefit the organization to acquire Haniger from the Mariners this offseason.
Similar to the Seattle Mariners, the Cincinnati Reds are also looking to retool instead of rebuild during the current offseason. As a result, this could benefit the New York Mets as the look to solidify their bullpen ahead of next season.
Following the trade of Jeurys Familia to the Oakland Athletics, Robert Gsellman filled in as the closer for the Mets. Between July 20th and the end of the season, Gsellman compiled 9 saves to help the Mets to a 17-8 record through his remaining 25 appearances.
Although the Mets received positive outcomes following the Familia trade, they are desperately in need of additional bullpen reinforcements. The current free agent class contains a large amount of quality relief pitching, but there are more cost conscious options on the trade market.
Raisel Iglesias is currently under contract for two more season at a very reasonable rate as he will earn $5.7 million in both 2019 and 2020. As Iglesias has put together a 2.47 ERA, a 3.42 FIP, and a 1.105 WHIP through 166 appearances over the last three seasons, his upcoming salaries are extremely reasonable.
During the last three seasons, he has also compiled an impressive 64 saves and 255 strikeouts through 226.1 innings pitched. Last season, Iglesias captured 30 of those saves in only 34 save opportunities. Iglesias has shown the ability to be a very reliable closing option, so he could very well earn his first All-Star appearance next season as well.
The Reds have an impressive group of relievers as Jared Hughes, David Hernandez, and Michael Lorenzen also put together solid seasons. Due to this, the Mets may have a great chance to pry Iglesias away from Cincinnati this offseason.
Next. Five Bronx-bound trade options. dark
Recap of the Five Possible Queens-bound Trade Options:
1. J.T. Realmuto of the Miami Marlins
2. Zack Greinke of the Arizona Diamondbacks
3. Paul Goldschmidt of the Arizona Diamondbacks
4. Mitch Haniger of the Seattle Mariners
5. Raisel Iglesias of the Cincinnati Reds