Reese Kaplan - Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind?

Are the Mets buyers?  Sellers?  Standing pat?  Contrary to what many of the pundits have written about the Mets and their likely trading scenarios during this July non-waiver deadline, I'm beginning to think that there actually may be room for making a change in the rotation. Right now between Jon Niese, Dillon Gee and the Tommy John Club, the pitching situation seems somewhat bleak, but let's look at where we are right now:

Bartolo Colon

The big man is living up to his contract.  He's not pitched at the same level as Jon Niese or Dillon Gee, but he has remained healthy and for someone with his body of work he's more than fairly priced.  For those reasons a lot of folks would have the Mets trade him for likely a prospect as he still has nearly $15 million due for the balance of this year and guaranteed for next year.  For that reason, he's not likely going to net proven talent in return.

Jon Niese

He's hurt again.  That means he's off the table even if the club was foolish enough to consider moving him in the right deal given his stellar performance this year and his very friendly contract.  More importantly, he's leaving a big hole in the rotation that likely will be filled by Gee's return.  However, that merely returns you to the status quo.  If you had bundled off Colon in a trade, you'd have another hole to fill.

Dillon Gee

Just coming back from injury greatly diminishes the value he would have netted in trade had he not just missed about a month.  He and Colon will be asked to lead the rotation as the one and two starters. 

Zack Wheeler

The growing pains are there, of course, but young, hard-throwing and (for this club) cost-controlled pitchers are extremely valuable.  I can't see him going anywhere.

Daisuke Matsuzaka

Now here's an interesting case.  He's probably a tertiary level consideration for other clubs looking for pitching but he's done well enough in that 4/5 role in the rotation that he too could net a prospect (albeit a low level one). 

Jacob de Grom

He's come from out of nowhere to make a pretty strong first impression that he might have a future in the rotation, too.  So next year will be complicated with too many bodies for too few slots but for now he needs to stay in the rotation mix. 

Noah Syndergaard

Wheeler probably has more value since he's pitched in the majors already while Thor has had some struggles in AAA.  Assuming they want to see what he's capable of doing out of the pitching hell of Las Vegas, he'll be in that 2015 mix, too.

Darin Gorski

He's the Wilmer Flores of Mets pitching prospects -- goes out, puts up great numbers but doesn't get a chance.  Since he's not a power arm (and not getting any younger), I don't see that he has much future here.

Rafael Montero

He struggled mightily in his first taste of big league action, though how much was mental and how much was physical is debatable as he went on the DL shortly after his ignominious debut.  His control keeps him in the mix and he's soared through the minor league system, so I would expect once healthy he will again be part of the future. 

John Lannan

Although he failed miserably in his unaccustomed bullpen role, he was a perfectly cromulent starter for the Nationals.  If he's back in pitching condition, he might be the one who gets the call should the Mets trade away a current starter. 

In addition to the rehabbing Matt Harvey and Jeremy Hefner, remember the guy who used to close for the Mets?  It's an interesting scenario evolving in the 2015 bullpen with Jenrry Mejia, Bobby Parnell and Jeurys Familia developing into a three-headed late inning threat.  I can't see them affording to trade any of them until Parnell shows he is healthy.

Now if I was playing GM I would be honest and confirm this season is a lost cause.  Towards that end I'd play seller and see what I could get for Bartolo Colon and/or Dice-K, inserting Darin Gorski or John Lannan in the rotation to fill the vacancy.  When Niese comes back, someone else has to go -- Gorski or Lannan.  Consequently the "risk" is of the 2 week to 1 month variety (depending on how long Niese is out).  It's not the remainder of the season.

I would also trade Daniel Murphy, not because the organization is too cheap to pay him (though that is debatable), but because it simply makes good business sense to do so given his All-Star selection and consistent level of play.  Unlike the pitchers, there's not as much a risk as you have multiple decent options behind him -- Wilmer Flores, Eric Young, Eric Campbell, Matt Reynolds and eventually Dilson Herrera.  The pitching options behind Colon and Dice-K are probably the equivalent of giving ABs to Omar Quintanilla -- they won't embarrass you but they won't help much, either. 

I'd also try to palm off Bobby Abreu, Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Eric Young.  Obviously Chris Young needs to go but you'd likely have to eat nearly all of his salary to get someone to bite. 

Of course, until they solve the problems of left field, shortstop (sorry, but a .240 hitter with no power and no speed isn't what you use as a foundation for the future), and get some of the other underperformers playing up to their capabilities, they're going to tread water or go backwards.  That ought to earn Terry Collins another 2 years since accountability is apparently much less important than toeing the company line.  2017, anyone?