Author: Luis Tirado Jr.
Date: 4-23-13
E-Mail: NYLuis7@gmail.com
Twitter/Instagram: @Slayerdemise
“Would you pull the trigger? Wheeler for Stanton…….”
In a situation where you were given a simple one hour window to decide not only the fate of two players but the entire destiny of an organization, would you do it? Would you pull the trigger on a trade to send one of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball to the rival Miami Marlins and in-turn bring one of the most all-around talented outfielders to the NY Mets? I’d have a decision made within thirty minutes. I would look at all the pros and cons, similar to when you have to decide what adult beverage to choose when your favorite bartender asks what tickles your fancy that night. Let’s look at the bad before the good since most people like to drink hard and think later most of the time anyway:
CONS
- Wheeler has shown plenty of signs of potentially being our future ace. Trading him to the Marlins would keep him in our NL East and if he does indeed end up being the pitching phenom everyone is predicting him to be, he’ll be a constant reminder of our failure to keep him. This of course as he keeps striking out Mets players all game, every game with a chip on his shoulder that we didn’t believe in him
- Shipping away the main player we got in exchange for Carlos Beltran from the San Francisco Giants makes us look foolish since it shows we can’t commit for the bigger picture but more for the “right-now” state of mind. Especially if we’re in the hunt for a playoff spot
- The NY Mets have never really had a solid “Starting Five” when it comes to our players in the pitching rotation. We lost Johan Santana for the season, Shaun Marcum has yet to debut in the regular season for the NY Mets, and they just sent Aaron Laffey to the minors while bringing up Robert Carson. Jonathan Niese has been pretty good, Dillon Gee had a solid start just the other day, and Matt Harvey has been electrifying Major League Baseball with four straight wins. Trading Wheeler would continue leaving this rotation an incomplete jigsaw puzzle with no steady pieces able to complete it
PROS
- Stanton would finally bring a young superstar to our outfield who will be guaranteed to hit over 20 HR’s, be a RBI machine who will hit at least 50+ a season, and bring a much-needed set of defensive hands
- While he’s mainly a RF he could also play CF which means depending on the other options we have in the outfield, he can be that platoon kind of player to go where it’s needed in case of slumps or injuries. His experience so far and high caliber of play will also help develop others. Stanton will make those around him better and that wins ballgames
- His OBP average in his three seasons so far not including the one we’re currently in, is at a beautiful .349 which means he will bring in runs. Lots of runs. You put him in that lineup next to guys like David Wright, Ike Davis and John Buck and you will see some high scoring productivity. We haven’t had a solid hot bat in the outfield in quite some time that is consistent
Last week the rumor mill went wild with talks about how the NY Mets were entertaining the idea of shipping not just Wheeler but another top prospect in our system C Travis d’Arnaud to the Marlins for Stanton. If you had the gun pointing at my head and told me to decide in 15 minutes to make that deal, you will soon find someone in the faint background screaming HEADSHOT! because I absolutely would never agree to that. I’m glad the NY Mets didn’t entertain this trade since that’s too much to give up for one player. Two for the price of one? I don’t think so. In my eyes though, with the destiny of this organization in the hands of this fan, I would gladly welcome Stanton to the Mets while wishing Wheeler the very best in his career. Pitchers come and go but golden gloves playing outfield win championships…….
4 comments:
It would take more than Wheeler who has not done it at the AAA level, let alone the ML level while Stanton has.
I don't think I'd do d'Arnaud with Wheeler either. Suppose the trade on the table was Wheeler/Plawecki/Flores? I'd do that in a heartbeat.
I like Reese's mind set. Expecially with the speed of Montero's development I'd try to sell them on the Wheeler/Plawecki/Flores core. I think you'll still have to trade a few other quality parts, like Mazoni or maybe even Fulmer or maybe Valdespin, since he'll be played every day and fit in better in Florida.
You need to retain d'Arnaud and Montero though.
I have been painting a picture of the 2014 Mets fir three years now that would be built around a dominant rotation led by Harvey and Wheeler.
I'm not moving...
Also, exactly what is the big deal about the guy with the cute first name. Sure, the homers are longer, but he hits the same as Davis.
Stanton is a much better player then Davis. He has an idea at the plate and doesn't swing at every pitch thrown his way. If I had 6 Ike's, I'd trade them all and throw in Montero for Stanton.
That being said, Stanton is young and is a supreme power bat, but he can certainly be pitched to. He isn't like a Bonds or Pujous who were great hitters as well as power bats.
I'm not in the majority on him, I wouldn't give up four top prospects to get him. I believe in young pitching.
Look, the Mets are 7-1 when Niese and Harvey pitch. That's what good pitching does. The Mets have a lot of good young pitching coming. I wouldnt start trading the pitching prospects until I had a great rotation, and then once I had that, I could see trading pitching prospects to get an outfielder.
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