There is a maxim in sports that it’s best to get rid of a player one season too early than one season too late. The Mets have gotten stuck with some duds in the past and never really got full value for them. But what if the Amazins had the chance to land a great, young player who still has a lot of upside? Today’s proposition: Go for Pirates superstar Andrew McCutchen.
McCutchen is on the market. Pittsburgh actually dangled a very intriguing trade to the NL East rival Washington Nationals. Putting him in the East – on a rival; the defending division champion – would be horrible for the Mets. Facing that formidable bat – in that crazy talented lineup – nineteen times would be almost unthinkable. Luckily Mets-killer Wilson Ramos has left DC for the sunnier skies of Tampa. Ben Revere treated the Mets like his own personal ragdoll.
Here’s the case for McCutchen:
- When the new season starts he will still only be 29.
- He won the 2013 MVP, is a five-time allstar with a Gold Glove and four Silver Sluggers.
- Over his eight-year career he is a .292 hitter with 175 home runs, 637 RBI, 160 stolen bases, and an OBA of .381.
- With the exception of his rookie season when he played 108 games, he AVERAGES 154 games per year. Throw in that first season and still averages 135 games.
- He walks…. A LOT! On average 83 times per year. He also strikes out a lot: 126 times, on average, per year.
- Based on his career and taking the average of the main offensive stats, a season could look like this: .292 24 HR 87 RBI 22 SB.
While his numbers were down this past season consider this. His .256 average would have been sixth best on the Mets. His 24 home runs would have been third best (after Yoenis Cespedes and Curtis Granderson). 79 RBIs, 81 runs scored and 29 doubles would have been second best. His .365 OBA, 153 hits, 153 games played, 675 plate appearances and 598 at-bats would have led the team.
From a contract perspective, he is signed through 2017 at $14 million with a $14.75 million team option (with a $1 million buyout) for 2018.
It boils down to this. Cespedes is in it alone. He is counted on to be the main offensive threat. We have no idea what contributions will come from David Wright or Lucas Duda. The Mets are poised to make some noise and need to capitialize before their vaunted, but very flawed, young pitching staff becomes eligible for free agency. It’s still too soon to decide if Matt Harvey is going to be the ace for which he was projected (Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard have emerged as the most consistent and could be their true aces). But his history of injuries and inconsistency means that his skill may not live up to the hype. He will certainly command upwards of 15-20 million per year. Is he worth it? Frankly, he may no longer be able to lead the Mets to the promised land in the orange and blue. But as trade bait….
With all of that in mind I propose the following trade:
The Mets Recieve:
Andrew McCutchen
1 high level prospect
The Pirates Recieve:
Matt Harvey
Michael Conforto or Juan Lagares
Lucas Duda
Jay Bruce or Curtis Granderson
1 mid level prospect
The Mets have made some very significant trades that added huge bats to their lineup. Mike Piazza (that’s hall of famer Mr. Piazza, if you’re nasty) and Cespedes come to mind. They’ve also signed some duds (Jason Bay) that gave them nothing. So, let’s start the debate. Are the Mets giving up too much? Too little? Is it too soon to give up on Harvey? Can the Mets survive with a starting staff of Syndergaard, deGrom, Steven Matz and (gulp) Zach Wheeler?
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Rookie lefthander, Steven Matz is donating to Angela’s House with every strikeout he throws. Purchases of this shirt will also result in donations to this vital charity. Click here:
http://www.mondomonsterwear.com/products/mets-aces
Jordan Silver has been a journalist and marketing/multimedia consultant for over twenty years. He has produced documentaries and television productions both nationally and internationally. Aside from his own blog which observes politics and modern culture, he has been published in the Miami Herald, ABCNews.com and various other publications. His company Ag Media Solutions, Inc. (www.agmediasolutions.com) represents several boutique firms and religious organizations as their outsourced marketing department. In addition, his apparel line, Mondo Monster Wear (www.mondomonsterwear.com), features designs that parody sports and pop culture.
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