Where Have You Gone, Ernie Banks?

While many Mets fans wait with bated breath, expecting Sandy “Nero” Alderson to pull the trigger on a trade to bring a talented outfielder (or three) to Queens, perhaps instead his focus should be on strengthening the infield.  It’s obvious that even without his precipitous offensive crash this year, Ruben Tejada has been in the Mets doghouse ever since his visa issues prevented him from getting to Spring Training on time in 2012.  Still, once he hit the DL, it became painfully clear that the Mets are woefully thin at that position down to the A ball level (and Gavin Cecchini is not exactly setting the world on fire either).

Anyway, the prospect of getting offense from a position that’s been a black hole seems like the smart thing to do.  I’ll never forget when Elliott Maddox played for the Yankees in the mid-1970s.  He had a season in which he hit the softest .303 of any starter I’ve ever seen.  He slugged 3 HRs, drove in 45 and stole 6 bases (while getting caught 5 times!)  That’s what the last couple of years of Ruben Tejada at SS felt like.  Last year in nearly 500 ABs he hit 1 HR, drove in 25 and stole 4 bases (while getting caught 4 times), but he did hit .289.  If he fielded like Mark Belanger I could live with it.  However, this year, like Ike Davis, his defense seemed to abandon him when his bat did.

While no one would certainly throw Carlos Gonzalez or Giancarlo Stanton out of the lineup should the Mets somehow cobble together a package worthy of luring them from their respective employers, but maybe that’s not the right direction to go.   After all, there are a plethora of solid outfielders in major league baseball.  (None of them play in Queens, of course.)

However, there are just a small handful of shortstops that can be considered offensive forces.  One such player who makes a boatload of money and would provide the Rockies with even more salary relief than shipping out CarGo would be the oft-injured Troy Tulowitzki.  The man is under contract through 2020 and set to make $20 million per year for most of the duration of that deal.  However, he’s also just 28 years old and a Gold Glove caliber defender.  While he doesn’t have CarGo’s speed, he probably has more power and they both hit .300.  Would the lineup be better served with CarGo plus Ruben Tejada or Mid-Tier Outfielder+Troy Tulowitzki?  The answer seems rather obvious.

Of course, in Tulowitzki you’re going to have to give up a great many of the pieces of the future that have been assembled during the Omar Minaya and Sandy Alderson eras, so perhaps you don’t want to be counterproductive.  Who are the shortstops on the next tier in the big leagues that might be worth pursuing?

Starlin Castro, Chicago Cubs

After a rookie year in which he hit .300, he followed it up with a 207 hit sophomore campaign that included 10 HRs and 22 SBs.  The following season the average dipped a bit to .283, but he saw highs with 14 HRs, 78 RBIs and 25 SBs.  This year he’s not doing so well, so the “buy low” philosophy might work a bit in terms of what you have to give up to strike a deal.  However, they did lock him up to a long term contract which pays his between $5 and $11 million per year through 2019 with a $16 million option for 2020 with a $1 million buyout.  Those figure seem in line with what the Mets did (for a shorter term) with Jon Niese.  He’s obviously not the same player as Troy Tulowitzki, but a young veteran at age 23 for modest money, he may be a good long term investment.

J.J. Hardy, Baltimore Orioles

While not a glamorous name, he’s still a power threat at the position and earning just $7 million per year while averaging 23 HRs and 77 RBIs per season.  Next year he’ll be 31 and should be a productive hitter worthy of another 3 year deal like the one he signed in 2012 with the Orioles.

Asdrubal Cabrera, Cleveland Indians

Earning $10 million next year for diminished production this year, the Indians might be inclined to move him.  At 27 years old and a year removed from a 16 HR campaign and 2 years removed from a 25/92 campaign, he might be a gamble worth taking.

Hanley Ramirez, Los Angeles Dodgers

Remember him?  Remember when he was the next big thing?  The Dodgers have to be kicking themselves for getting the LA area equivalent of what the Angels received in Josh Hamilton.  He seems to have left all of his hitting prowess in South Florida.  Between he and the mysterious Carl Crawford demise, the free spending Dodgers might look to get something back so they’re not on the hook for next year.  He’ll be 31 and most definitely in need of a change of scenery.  Still, he comes with risks and is known to have a little Gary Sheffield/Jordany Valdespin in him – the game being all about Hanley.  On the other hand, no one minds swagger if you can back it up.  However, is that swagger worth $16 million for next year?  It’s doubtful the Dodgers think so, hence it may be possible to pry him loose for salary relief and not a lot of talent going to the west coast.

Elvis Andrus, Texas Rangers

With uber-prospect Jurickson Profar now playing competently in the big leagues the Rangers have something of a dilemma on their hands.  They issued a surprisingly lucrative long term deal to Andrus and while a solid player he’s not stealing bases at a Rickey Henderson rate to warrant the money.  They could keep both of them and shift one to 2nd base if slugger Ian Kinsler bolts as a free agent at the end of the year.  Still, a team accustomed to the history of long ball suddenly turning into a latter day version of the 1980s St. Louis Cardinals playing small ball might be a tough sell to the fan base.  They’re already playing speed demon Leonys Martin every day, so it may be Andrus who’s the odd man out.  However, few teams are going to want to pony up $15 million per year through 2020 for solid but unspectacular production at shortstop.

Some players are not even worth mentioning like Jean Segura playing for major league minimum or Everth Cabrera earning less than $1.5 million with 31 steals and a .300 average less than halfway through the season.

There are some minor leaguers with interesting potential including defensively challenged speedster Dee Gordon of the Dodgers.  The Dodgers are currently sending 36 year old Mark Ellis and super utilityman Skip Schumaker out to play 2nd base.  Neither seems to spell long term solution for the boys in blue.  Could there be a fit?  Then again, if he’s that good why don’t they promote him to Chavez Ravine?

There are some free agents next year who are solid outfielders like Shin-Soo Choo, Hunter Pence, Curtis Granderson, Corey Hart and Mike Morse.  In the shortstop arena it’s scrap heap pickings at best.