Jeff McNeil has been a very valuable player on the New York Mets for many years. He is, without a doubt, the most versatile player on the team. For years, he has aptly manned the second base position as a starter, but has also been a go-to option to fill in for any outfield spot that opens up.
So we have guy that can play 2B, 3B, LF, CF, RF, and maybe more. He has a career batting average of .289, and a batting title in 2022 when he hit .326, which was the best in MLB. This year he is slashing .269/333/.462 while playing the aforementioned plethora of positions. Sounds like a guy that you would want on the team for the foreseeable future. Right?
Here is the question that I pose to the readers. If you are working to build a sustainable team with youth and talent and a pipeline full of strong pitching, would you give up a 33 year old position player for a couple of strong prospect pitchers and let the youth movement (e.g. Acuna, Jett Williams, Drew Gilbert) move up a notch and play their way into the lineup?
This is a tough question. As a fan, McNeil has always been one of my favorites. He can hit the ball to all fields, has shown flashes of power, and as mentioned earlier can play multiple positions which expands the roster.
But three seasons removed from his batting title, with a couple of less-than-spectacular seasons in the books (2023: .270 average; 2024: 238 average), do you “sell high” while he has value, or hold on through the decline of age?
What would you ask in return for a two-time all-star, one-time silver slugger, and one-time batting champ that can still perform? Or would you stay the course, retain McNeil, and hold back the prospects?
5 comments:
Time to move on from Jeff. All i would ask for is a couple of highly rated prospects in Low A.
I would keep Jeff. We are allured towards the mirage of the breakout prospect. Reality is Blade Tidwell. Keep what works. Jeff works. Let's rethink this in July, as the trade deadline approaches and perhaps Mauricio is really ready, not "I hope, I hope" ready. We can't blow games and get into the post season.
I think by early next year, McLean, Tong, and Sproat are added to the Mets' rotation - but take a good hard long look at Sproat's career AAA numbers. He is in the "I hope, I hope" category.
Notice I did not have Tidwell in there. I think, just based on gut, that he should be a bullpen arm for the Mets when he is ready.
Jett I believe will be ready next year to play a lot for the Mets. Let's see how that goes.
I think that McNeil is going to be a valuable offensive contributor for us this year, and given the overall lack of defensive flexibility on the roster, is kind of a keystone allowing Mendoza some choices he otherwise wouldn’t have. A year from now, there could be 4-5 prospects ready to come up and contribute, but not yet. McNeil has actually looked pretty good at the plate over his first handful of games back. And given how (very) good he looked in the second half last season, I’m pretty sure that we’re going to look back in late summer and be very happy Jeff was here this year.
Lets look at it a different way. In an age where players normally can only play one position, McNeil can play five and play them at a ML level.
I was surprised when I heard that McNeil was playing CF because to me, It would have been easier to move Nimmo back to CF where McNeil had never played and letting McNeil play LF.
But then he goes and plays it like the pro he is. No, I wouldn't trade him. Just too valuable and do the Mets have any other player who can play five positions at any level?.
I hope he rakes and then trade in the off-season.
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