Mack Ade – The Reverse Bucket List

No one is going to tell you this right now, but the Mets are ‘sellers’.

I talked today to a member of the front office of another baseball team and he confirmed what I just said. Oh, nobody is on the phone, texting other teams the players that are available. In the case of the Mets, it’s much easier to write down the few names of players you can’t talk about.

There are; however, players the Mets would like to deal up for the right deal. This list has changed from the beginning of the season when names like Johan Santana and Frank Francisco had some value. Today’s list is much more realistic and represent talented players that can help a team make the playoffs, even if that talent is one dimension.

It also has changed in the last month. No one is going to pay a penny for what’s left of the John Buck or Shaun Marcum contract, no less give the Mets a killer prospect. It simply isn’t going to happen. These guys will just fade away once the season does, sort of like Mike Pelfrey did.

Today’s chips are:

SP – Carlos Torres – yes, starting pitcher. Torres is currently pitching lights out for the Mets (0.84 through last night) as a reliever, but he’s well known as a seasoned starter. He’s under team control through 2017 and currently is paid less than $500K a year, around $5.5mil less than Marcum. He’s white hot right now and is just what the doctor ordered for many teams out there. In my opinion, here is your trump card for a killer outfield prospect.

CF – Matt den Dekker – Yes, I’m trading an outfielder. IMO, den Dekker has more trade value than a future at CitiField. The Mets (by accident) have found their defensive centerfielder. Thet don’t need two .220 hitters out there. ‘Double D’ has much more pizzazz on the scouting trail and there are more than one major league club that loves the way he plays his game out there. He probably could get you, straight up, either a SS or RP prospect at the same AA/AAA level.

OF-1B – Lucas Duda – Sadly, the Mets don’t need this guy. He simply doesn’t make the difference anymore (or did he ever?). I like what’s going on right now with guys like Eric Young, Marlon Byrd, and Juan Lagares and I’m willing to live with these guys until something better comes along. I would have Ike Davis on this list, but I don’t thik he has enough trade value right now. Duda does, even though he’s injured. Someone will return him fulltime to first base or make him the DH he should be and he’ll have a fine career away from the madhouse they call CitiField.

SP Jake deGrom – The Mets have a plan on paper as to what their ‘dream rotation’ is going to be. Sure, the list is in pencil and the pencil has an eraser on it, but deGrom isn’t on the list. Like Torres, he’s white hot right now, but his is being thrown in the pitcher hell hole called the Pacific Coast League. I think this is a mirage, but I guarantee someone will give the Mets a starting outfielder for this guy.