The New York Mets called up prospect Steven Matz to make his MLB debut on Sunday and he was successful both on the mound and in the batter's box, which perhaps made veteran Jon Niese further expendable in the rotation.
New York has been trying to trade Niese as well as right-hander Dillon Gee to (what many believed) make room for Matz. The club is going with a six-man rotation now after designating Gee for assignment (0-3, 5.90 ERA) two weeks ago and giving Matz the call this past weekend. However, it's likely the team will continue to explore trades for Niese.
David Lennon of Newsday reported earlier in June that the Mets were holding off on trading one of their starters until after the draft, but would soon look to deal one of them because they knew they were wasting Matz's starts at Triple-A Las Vegas. Well, at the time, Niese and Gee were pretty much untradeable because of their struggles, but now it looks as if Niese has a market.
"The [Chicago] Cubs, looking for starting pitching depth, have discussed Mets' lefty Jon Niese, but they probably would prefer someone better," FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reported over the weekend. "Niese has been good in his last four starts, but was terrible in his four before that, including one at Wrigley Field. He also is earning $7 million this season and $9 million next season with a $10 million club option for 2017."
If Niese can stay on track through late July and improve his trade stock, perhaps the Mets could benefit from a deal with Chicago.
"Probably the only way the Mets could get the shortstop they need in a deal involving Niese would be if they made him part of a larger offer," added Rosenthal.
However, the trade rumors surrounding the Mets and their need for a shortstop have not been as plentiful as they once were. General manager Sandy Alderson expressed having patience with incumbent shortstop Wilmer Flores, who is tied for second on the team with 10 home runs and 33 RBIs.
But maybe they are exploring potential options at shortstop because Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports the Mets will use Flores at second base once Daniel Murphy returns from the disabled list.
To follow up the report on the Cubs' link to Niese, Rosenthal added on Sunday morning that the Los Angeles Dodgers are also interested in the left-hander. This comes as a bit of a surprise because previous rumors suggested the Dodgers would be chasing a high-profile arm such as Cole Hamels, Johnny Cueto, Jordan Zimmermann and other aces who might be available at the deadline.
Niese would provide nice depth at the back end of the rotation, but the Dodgers have a fairly immediate need for a reliable starter after Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke. Whatever the case, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman further suggested the team would be on the lookout for starters before the trade deadline.
"Friedman said his front office remains focused on bolstering a starting rotation that has lost Hyun-Jin Ryu and Brandon McCarthy to season-ending operations," writes Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.
"Adding an offensive reinforcement is 'a lower priority,' Friedman said."
Chicago has a clear need for depth at the back of the rotation, while the Dodgers perhaps have better options with Brett Anderson, Mike Bolsinger and Carlos Frias. However, Bolsinger and Frias have displayed their weaknesses this month, so it's possible Friedman is looking to do as much work as possible with patching up the rotation.
The Mets will likely do all they can to find a taker for Niese so they can continue moving forward with their younger starters. Look for him to be dealt before July 31.
