Reese Kaplan - Who On the Mets Would You Want?

 It’s a good way to pass the time during the 4^th consecutive Collins Catastrophic Collapse (C³) to think about what we would do if we had the opportunity to improve the roster to address the shortcomings that were so painfully present during the series with the Nationals.  In case you were out getting a root canal or something equally more pleasant than seeing that debacle, the Mets didn’t score a single run off of the starting pitchers for the Nationals.

Now to be fair, they’re not exactly chopped liver, either.  Gio Gonzalez, Doug Fister and Stephen Strasburg are about as intimidating a pitching trio you’ll find this side of Detroit.  To judge the team by its ability to score runs off some of the game’s finest is unfair.  However, they are not exactly setting the world afire against mere mortal pitchers, either.  They’re currently 24^th of 30 teams in MLB with 463 runs scored in 120 games, an average of 3.83 runs per game.  By contrast, the MLB leading Oakland A’s fare more than a full run better.

It seems obvious to pretty much anyone enduring these games that while the pitching is generally better than average, the offense needs to improve significantly.  Some have decried my criticism of role players who shouldn’t be in the lineup when the real culprits are the two veteran hitters – David Wright and Curtis Granderson – both delivering far less than was envisioned to justify their fat paychecks.  I’m quick to point out that while you’re more-or-less stuck with this less-than-dynamic-duo for the balance of their contracts, you do have flexibility in other areas to experiment with people who might perform at a higher level.  Unfortunately the manager was very slow on the uptake and persisted in trotting out subpar players somehow thinking a switch would magically flip in their heads or bodies to make them perform significantly better.

Around the All-Star break we saw a first gesture (albeit a futile one) by making Chris Young a more-or-less regular in the lineup and returning Eric Young, Jr. and Bobby Abreu to their more appropriate roles on the bench.  Later came the big days when they cut ties with Abreu and Chris Young, bringing up Matt den Dekker to play against righties and reassigning the 2013/2014 below-replacement-level Ruben Tejada to the bench to see whether Wilmer Flores could justify his starting role with his bat.  Thus far the team is getting mixed results, but you see glimpses – the couple of multi-hit games from them and some highlight reel defense from den Dekker.

There’s a prevailing pessimism that a late surge by either or both could curtail any plans to add to the offense during the off season.  While that cynicism is probably justifiable, the offense should improve if Wright and Granderson can get back to some semblance of their former glory.  Further development of Travis d’Arnaud and Juan Lagares might also bolster run production. 

So if you were running the 29 other clubs right now, who on the Mets would you find appealing from a pure talent, projected talent or contractual basis to add to your team?  It’s been the conventional thinking that after building a 9-10 man rotation for 2015, it’s that strength from which Sandy Alderson will trade to improve the team.   What about the ineffectual offense?  Is any of it trade-worthy for other teams?

1B

Wow, if ever there was a sell high opportunity, it would be Lucas Duda’s breakout season with the club.  He’s tallying new highs in HRs, RBIs, OBP and even starting to look a little less lost against lefties.  If he turned in a carbon copy of his production this year again in 2015, most people would likely sign on the dotted line to accept that right now.  The question is whether or not it’s sustainable.  If you think it is, then you’ve got a solution for the 1^st base dilemma for the foreseeable future.  Even if his salary doubles in arbitration, he’s a bargain, making far less than the currently injured Bobby Parnell.  While it’s probably too far-fetched to ponder it, what would he net in return should someone come knocking on your door looking for the big guy?  Unfortunately the Mets do not have a good backup plan for Duda at 1B, so this move is highly unlikely to happen.

2B

There’s nothing much new to say here.  Murphy, for all his flaws, is arguably your best player, yet he’s also one pricing himself out of the comfort range of the necessarily frugal Wilpons.  Seeing him get an open market value of about 4 years/$40 million would not be unreasonable, but with Wilmer Flores, Matt Reynolds, Danny Muño and Dilson Herrera behind him on the depth chart, he’s someone who might be more valuable in trade.  The recipient gets a final year of salary arbitration and can then negotiate their best deal.  Allegedly Alderson’s asking price last time around for Murphy was already considered quite high.  Now it will become even higher given his chance to lead the league in hits.  Still, there are many teams with REAL payroll flexibility who need second basemen (or third basemen) for whom Murphy would be a good fit.

SS

Next!

3B

Immovable contract.

C

Travis d’Arnaud actually ranks at or near the bottom in many defensive catching statistics, but his bat has been sound (to the tune of .270 since his return).  With Kevin Plawecki behind him in the minors it’s not beyond the realm of possibility for one of them to be packaged to another team (more likely Plawecki since d’Arnaud has more power). 

LF

Matt den Dekker may be a late bloomer and capable of being a solid player.  His hold on the position is tenuous at best, but to his good fortune there’s absolutely no one in AAA on his heels.  Next year they may flip-flop he and Granderson if the outfield picture doesn’t change to take advantage of his superior arm vs. what Granderson provides. 

CF

Even more heresy than considering Duda as a trade chip would be to consider Juan Lagares.  If Matt den Dekker shows he’s capable of 10-15 HRs and a .270 or so batting average, he’s not a bad consolation prize to roam CF if someone wants to enjoy the other human highlight reel on a nightly basis.  Of course, this move only makes sense if you’ve already secured the services of a slugger to play the now-vacant corner outfield position.  It’s some outside-the-box thinking but Lagares probably has some high value to a team that already has capable offense in the corners. Right here within the division are examples of both the Nationals and Phillies paying the price to get solid glove men in Denard Span and Ben Revere.

RF

The other immovable contract. 

So there you have it.  Murphy is a possible trade candidate and Juan Lagares would be as well if den Dekker can show six weeks of solid offensive production.  After that, it’s back to the pitching and the minor league offensive prospects whose value is suspect until proven.  Free agency is not the current Mets' style, particularly after recent disasters like Jason Bay, Frank Francisco, Chris Young and Curtis Granderson.  International free agents also need not apply.