After a horrific start to the season which reminded many of
his 2014 Mets debut, Curtis Granderson has come on strongly over the past
several weeks, raising his home run total to 16 and on a pace to potentially
reach 30 for the season. He’s under
contract for the remainder of this year and next which means the acquiring team
must pay him $16 million for his services and that pro-rated amount for the
remainder of this season.
He’s the ultimate “good citizen” and not just in a baseball
sense. His charitable efforts in both
the New York and Chicago areas have been fantastic and he’s probably got a
career in broadcasting when he decides to close his locker for the last
time.
Why then would it make sense to consider moving him in the
right deal?
Right now the Mets have a logjam in the outfield. Superstar Yoenis Cespedes is likely going to
get his way and play LF for the remainder of the season. Michael Conforto, while no Gold Glover, is
certainly adequate in the outfield and will be pushed to RF where he has a
whopping 4 games of experience. That
leave the true Gold Glover, Juan Lagares, with nowhere to play since Granderson
makes too much money, and, combined with his recent hot streak, he’s going to
be in there nearly every day. Unfortunately
Granderson’s legs and arm make him a liability in the outfield, though he has
more experience out there than the rest of the other options combined.
Now some would say it’s foolishness to consider dealing away
one of the few productive bats on a team that struggles to score runs, but I
would suggest that he’s got decent power but little else. What they need are fewer all-or-nothing types
of players. They’re treading water right
now with the lineup they field every day and in September will likely have a
virtual Granderson clone returning in Lucas Duda.
Everyone knows the club is reeling from the Matt Harvey
injury and the Antonio Bastardo/Erik Goeddel implosions in the bullpen. With very little available on the farm to
offer in trade, you have to start thinking about what the club needs to win and
how they can reshape themselves into thunder and lightning offense with some
decent power complemented by some base running ability. At one point Granderson provided that as
well, but at age 35 he’s slowing down and speed isn’t much a part of his game
anymore.
Of course, any prospective trade of Granderson also opens up
the question of who takes the outfield roster spot? While the quick answer is Brandon Nimmo, it would
mean having two left handed replacements in Nimmo and Alejandro De Aza. Would the payroll savings possibly be the push
needed to part ways with De Aza and let a right handed outfielder such as
Travis Taijeron finally see the big leagues?
With the manager apparently committed to Jose Reyes at 3B,
having Juan Lagares batting in the two hole would give the club two players to
set the table for the thunder that follows from Cespedes, Conforto, Duda (when
he returns), Neil Walker, Asdrubal
Cabrera, Travis d’Arnaud and even the Haley’s Comet frequency of Wilmer Flores
starts. What the club gets right now is
a lot of solo homers. Granderson’s
almost imponderable stats – 16 HRs and only 29 RBIs – is the best evidence of
that phenomenon.
If you assume after his contract ends, he won’t be offered
another one, then you’re really looking at sacrificing the rest of 2016 and his
age 36 season in 2017. Personally, I
could live with that if it meant bringing on board a pitcher or two who could
help, or a high quality AA outfield prospect who might be ready to play towards the end of
next season.
To some extent I know I’m grasping at straws, having
previously entertained the notions of trading Neil Walker and an astute reader
suggested Asdrubal Cabrera. I’d like to
see SOMETHING done in the way of signaling you’re actually trying to improve
the club. Would you offer Granderson
straight up for Tyler Clippard, knowing you’re taking on his $6.12 million
salary for the remainder of this year and next?
I’d certainly have to consider it, knowing you pocket $10 million in
payroll savings next year and the pro-rated amount this year to go towards
addressing other needs.
Thoughts?
8 comments:
Trade Grandy, move Duda to the OF (wait, we already tried that). If they had fallen out of the race, i'd say try 36 double Taijeron, but seems very doubtful now. How has Clippard done this year?
I for one would be fine with trading Grandy, if we could get anything at all for him. At this point, the holes in his game make him a serviceable 4th OF, but not a net positive in the lineup every day. This is compounded by the money they have tied up in him, which ties the club's hands financially (given their obvious constraints) and that Terry (or whomever is making these decisions) seems intent on running him out there for 150 games at 35 years old.
Grandy worth more to an AL team that could DH him.
Send him to the Bronx?😁
Deal!
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