Reese Kaplan -- An Attractive Asset to Trade

Everyone remembers the iconic video of Wilmer Flores’ tear-streaked face when he learned via social media in the middle of a ballgame that he had apparently been traded on July 30^, 2015 to the Milwaukee Brewers for former Met Carlos Gomez.  You had to feel for the guy who started off with the Mets organization at the tender age of 16 from Venezuela and for 7 years it was the only baseball home he knew.  We also all know the rest of the story – that the deal fell through pending some physical info about Carlos Gomez and the Mets’ consolation prize turned out to be Yoenis Cespedes.  The rest, as they say, is history.

As the Mets dodged multiple injuries over the past several years (most notably from David Wright and Ruben Tejada) it almost seemed as if the club was going out of its way not to play the man.  Granted, he’s never going to win a Gold Glove (or a Silver or a Bronze), but his bat certainly suggested they needed to find the man at-bats.  In his first extended look in the championship year of 2015 he rewarded them with 16 HRs, 59 RBIs and a .263 batting average – number from a shortstop extrapolated for a full season that would put him in pretty heady company with the likes of Francisco Lindor, Corey Seager, Xander Bogaerts or Carlos Correa. 

Of course, his defensive shortcomings limited his usefulness at that position and back to the bench he went when the Mets signed Asdrubal Cabrera to play shortstop for 2016.  Nevermind the fact that Cabrera’s defensive numbers were actually worse than Flores’, but this time the roll of the dice came up sevens for Sandy Alderson.  Cabrera was solid defensively and provide great offensive spark as well last year.

Flores’ role became that of super utility in the mold of a Ben Zobrist (minus the outfield duty).  He played primarily against left handed pitching and mashed them to the tune of a stat line of 16 HRs and 49 RBIs in 180 fewer ABs while hitting .267.  For once perhaps Terry Collins was onto something. 

This year the team started off with no David Wright, so a thinking man would have surmised that a guy with a 20+ HR power and 90+ RBI potential should man the hot corner in his absence.  Nope.  It went to former wunderkind Jose Reyes who has had nearly three months to prove he’s washed up and still looking uphill at the Mendoza line. 

What has Flores done?  Well, playing some combination of 3B, 2B and even 1B he has hit nearly .300 with 6 HRs and 20 RBIs in 162 ABs.  Extrapolate that over a full season and he’s over 20 HRs again with an improved batting average.  Even the most jaded among us would probably now concede the man can hit. 

The problem is what to do with him defensively.  He’s a hold-your-breath 3^rd baseman.  His footwork is arguaby too slow for the athleticism required of either of the middle infield positions.  That pretty much leaves 1B where the incumbent is Lucas Duda and breathing down his neck is near-top prospect Dominic Smith.  So is Flores destined for the utility role purgatory going forward?

Perhaps instead it is time to revisit the trade market with Flores being peddled as a DH to an AL team along with other components to bring back a position of need – centerfield, catcher or middle relief.  He’s fairly inexpensive this year at $2.2 million and isn’t eligible to be a free agent until 2020.  Yes, that’s attractive to the Mets, too, but unless they have a firm plan in place to make him a regular he might be more valuable as a chip.  Other clubs might salivate over a young productive hitter who isn’t expected to provide any defense or baserunning speed whatsoever.  Towards that end they might be willing to part with their excess. 

While the Mets have yet to declare this season a lost cause, might it bring a bigger haul for Flores to peddle him at the trading deadline to a contender than you might otherwise get in the off-season?  If by mid-July the front office acknowledges the reality of 2017 and in addition to posting a “For Sale” sign on the players whose contracts are expiring, shouldn’t they also see if they could net a top prospect or two if you moved Flores sooner rather than later?  There’s risk in trading Flores who calls to mind another misfit infielder by the name of Jeff Kent delivering the 20/80 level of production but was shipped away and put together a borderline HOF career. 

At the major league level the Mets have several assets to trade who are half-season rentals, including Lucas Duda, Curtis Granderson, Neil Walker, Jay Bruce and Addison Reed.  Cabrera is a little more long term as an option exists on his contract.  Ditto Jerry Blevins.  However, for a club interested in the long term, the Mets don’t have much to offer assuming Yoenis Cespedes, Michael Conforto and the starting pitchers are off the table.  Travis d’Arnaud has not proven valuable enough to keep, hence he’s got no value in trade.  Consequently Flores and T.J. Rivera are about it at the major league level.  Since Rivera’s defense is less atrocious than Flores’ he may be the one you want to keep in the NL.