The 2021 trade deadline is a little more than a week away and the fans are beyond anxious for the Mets to do SOMETHING. Right now the inaction has been frustrating as injuries have torn apart the roster all year long, yet at the same time no one wants to see the club flush away its future for two months of probable competitiveness.
The key to all of this anxiety appears to be the Chicago Cubs’ Kris Bryant. There’s no denying the talent the man has. He’s capable of playing third base which has been something of a black hole for the Mets all year long. He’s done over 50 games in the outfield which is a position the Mets will lack in 2022 assuming Michael Conforto departs as a free agent. He’s a capable defender and former MVP winner. All of those things are good.
What’s bad is what you’ll have to pay for him both financially and in player resources. To get Bryant here for the months of August and September with no guarantee he’d be here any longer than that will require the final few months of his $19.5 million contract. Granted, Steve Cohen can afford that and even won’t necessarily bypass the line in the sand about luxury tax if the deal takes place, but the dollars spent are only part of the issue.
The bigger part is what will the Mets give up to rent Bryant for the final push to the postseason. Mets fans can remember giving up Carlos Beltran in a typical white flag wave for his last season for the return of oft-injured but certainly talented Zack Wheeler. Granted, Beltran was 34 and Bryant is just 29, Beltran was battling knee problems and Bryant is healthy. The issue is what it would take to land Bryant.
Bear in mind those two variables in the Cubs’ favor and realize it’s not going to be just a single prospect from the system. It’s going to take more. On that very issue people are very much on opposite sides of the fence. Some think you pull out all stops to go for it no matter what. Others believe you need to think long term and not give away the future for many years for a non-guaranteed present of two months.
So suppose the Cubs said the price for Kris Bryant was going to be, for example, Ronny Mauricio and J.T. Ginn. Would you do it?
Giving up Mauricio would hurt, of course. In 2021 as a 20-year-old, Mauricio has 10 HRs and 35 RBIs in less than a half-season’s worth of ABs. Those are nice numbers to watch, but at the same time he’s hitting under .240. As a career .262 hitter he may or may not amount to something in the future. The fact is that unless he changes position, the Mets don’t really have room for him with the long term deal given to Francisco Lindor. Consequently, I could swallow sacrificing Mauricio.
The tougher pill to swallow is the pitching component that would go along in the deal. Ginn is most definitely the flavor-of-the-week having just been promoted to see how he handles the next level of competition. The 22 year old in low A ball has dominated, pitching to a 2.56 ERA with nearly a strikeout per inning pitched, few walks and very few hits allowed. He still needs time to develop but early indications are he has real talent. Given the dearth of pitching in the Mets system, that would be a real gut punch to see flying toward the midwest.
So we come back to the question, would you sacrifice this kind of package to get Bryant on the club for perhaps just two months? Personally, I think that deal would be foolish and it also calls to mind what the Mets are going to do with the mish-mosh of J.D. Davis, Jonathan Villar, Luis Guillorme, Jeff McNeil and next year’s problem child, Robinson Cano.
Instead, the Mets might be better off using what few resources they think they can afford to barter to reinforce the pitching. Remember that both Noah Syndergaard and Marcus Stroman are set to become free agents after 2021. That leaves the team with Jacob deGrom, Carlos Carrasco (who still isn’t recovered from his injury), Taijuan Walker, Tylor Megill and...David Peterson? With Peterson ineffective and deGrom ailing again, starting pitching seems a much higher priority. I’d be less unnerved about the Mets dealing away a J.T. Ginn if the return was someone like Jose Berrios for the Twins who would also be here in 2022 and not just for a two-month run. At age 27 he’s the kind of player with a future who won’t yet cost a mint to retain if you renegotiate a contract.
Some folks are also behind the idea that the Mets should expand the Kris Bryant deal to include former all-world closer Craig Kimbrel. The 33 year old has 21 saves and a 0.53 ERA. That is not a typo. He’s earning $16 million this year and can be retained in 2022 for the same price. While his talent is undeniable and his cost is high but not unreasonable, how well do a pair of closers work whenever it is tried? Someone is definitely pitching out of position and the results are often not good. Look how Jeurys Familia was on his return here in a setup role. This type of deal is fun to think about but not nearly as palatable as addressing the starting rotation.
So as time runs short, what do you do?
4 comments:
Taylor and McGraw, and Orosco and McDowell, worked fine as tandem closers.
Unless Bryant went 5 for 5 last night, his hitting since the start of June has been pathetic. Why get him?
We looked pitching flush this spring, but now we are California drought dry. We need pitching. Keep Ginn, trade someone else to get it.
We need dependable starting pitching more than anything...Need to target Gibson or Grey as moderate cost high yield fill-ins desperately. Would like Berrios or German but they are likely too high of a price. If we can another dependable arm.in the bullpen too, great. Position wise JD has come back strong and we are starting to hit, the difference of replacement of adding Bryant no longer is a primary need, need to focus attention and resources on pitching.
Rob, we don't want to get fleeced, but we need quality - and we'd need a Berrios or someone like a Scherzer if Jake remains problematic. Between Jake, Cookie (terrible last night), and Thor, so much uncertainty. Hitters HAVE to step up - they were carried for the first 50% of the season, now it's their turn for some heavy lifting.
Any trade for Bryant that involves giving up prospects will be a bad move.
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