General manager Sandy Alderson won't come out and say it, but it's clear the New York Mets need to do some thinking about how they may eventually have to solve their issue at shortstop. Wilmer Flores and backup Ruben Tejada do not appear to be mainstays, which could force the team to explore the trade market.
Flores is batting .244/.280/.397 with 11 runs scored, three home runs and eight RBIs in 23 games (and seven errors in 22 games at shortstop) while Tejada slashing .167/.259/.509 with one run scored and three RBIs in nine games (27 plate appearances). Rumors have followed the club since last season and they'll likely continue through the deadline.
Alderson said during the offseason he wasn't going to panic if they entered 2015 with Flores as their starting shortstop, but it's just about a month since Opening Day and that stance has likely shifted. As a result, the club has been speculated to be considering trades for other shortstops throughout the MLB and the rumors are bound to continue unless Flores shows significant improvement before the trade deadline.
Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki was long rumored a possible option for New York, but he's still owed over $100 million and the Rockies are going to want a good return for the veteran since he's off to a solid start this season. As for more realistic options, Ken Davidoff of the New York Post provided a list of potential trade candidates for the Mets. Tulowitzki is on that list, but those who seem most attainable are Chicago Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro and Chicago White Sox shortstop Alexei Ramirez.
Castro has been linked to New York in some capacity because Chicago possesses a surplus of middle infielders while the Mets have a surplus of starting pitchers. That has changed a bit since the offseason because Cubs' middle infielder Javier Baez has struggled and the Mets have had Zack Wheeler and Rafael Montero suffer injuries so far this year. But Davidoff still thinks a deal is possible.
"While the Cubs have a wealth of middle infielders in Castro, second baseman Addison Russell (a natural shortstop) and Javier Baez (currently at Triple-A Iowa), Castro is a three-time All-Star who is just 25 and is under team control on a team-friendly contract through 2020. So this would be a matter of the Mets needing to assume the entire contract (about $46 million through 2019, with a $16 million team option for '20) and give the Cubs a terrific package back, starting with [prospects Noah] Syndergaard or [Steven] Matz. And even then, the Cubs would have to feel confident enough that they could use their other studs to fill the considerable void left by Castro."
However, the Mets and Alderson might deem such a deal too costly, if the Cubs were to consider trading Castro, so Ramirez, who is making $10 million this season and has a $10 million team option for 2016, could be a more likely scenario.
"The Chisox's dramatic winter renovation has not taken so far, as new guys Melky Cabrera, Adam LaRoche and Jeff Samardzija all have disappointed en route to an 8-14 record. Ramirez, too, has underwhelmed, with a ghastly .205/.247/.295 slash line. But he's coming off a respectable 2014 campaign (.273/.305/.408) ... If the Mets assume the entire contract for this year plus the [$1 million] buyout, then the price in talent likely wouldn't be prohibitive."
Ramirez would be a good defensive option at a reasonable price and maybe a change of scenery would help him get in a rhythm with his bat.
It was also suggested New York could make a deal for Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Jean Segura because the club is off to an 8-19 start and could begin selling their better players to start a rebuilding period.
Significant trades probably won't start going down until June or July, so the Mets are expected to wait and see if Flores is capable of recovering from his poor start (both offensively and defensively) to the season before they consider candidates outside the organization.
If Alderson doesn't want to trade the team's resources for another shortstop, then prospect Matt Reynolds, who is batting .327/.388/.525 with 22 runs scored, 2 home runs and 25 RBIs in 26 games with Triple-A Las Vegas, could also be an option.
