New York Mets third baseman David Wright has been out since mid-April and has yet to make significant progress in his rehab. He was diagnosed with spinal stenosis in May and no timeframe has been set for the All-Star to resume baseball activities. What plan does general manager Sandy Alderson have in mind?
ESPN Insider Buster Olney believes the Mets will "examine all palatable third base options in the trade market" in the coming weeks due to the uncertainty surrounding Wright. He provided a list of potential options, but one particular player stood out the most: Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays.
It might sound a little crazy because the slugger is an integral aspect of the MLB's top offense, but the Blue Jays need pitching and they perhaps can afford to trade Bautista (.242/.378/.471 with 31 runs scored, 7 home runs and 30 RBIs) because their lineup is stacked with talented hitters such as Josh Donaldson, Edwin Encarnacion, Russell Martin, Jose Reyes and Devon Travis.
Reyes has missed half of the season due to injuries, but the likes of Donaldson, Encarnacion, Martin and Travis combine for 126 runs scored, 41 home runs and 121 RBIs this year, which is plentiful offensive production. Bautista would certainly be tough to part ways with because of his consistent production and leadership, but the Blue Jays have the 29th-ranked ERA (4.50) in the MLB and the 27th-ranked starter's ERA (4.86).
And who better to trade with? The Mets have the league's fourth-best ERA (3.37) and the eighth-best starter's ERA (3.68), along with some talented pitching prospects (Steven Matz, Rafael Montero and Marcos Molina). They could use a considerable asset from Toronto's top-ranked offense (275 runs scored) to help their 22nd-ranked unit.
"As of today, the Blue Jays probably will be inclined to keep their offense intact, because it's the best part of a team that continues to hang in the sagging AL East race," writes Olney. "However, if the Jays' need for pitching becomes more acute, the Mets would provide a lot of options for Toronto to consider, and Bautista could play third for New York. The slugger also has a contract option for another season at a rate ($14 million) the notoriously thrifty Mets would probably find acceptable."
Joel Sherman of the New York Post was the first to suggest the Blue Jays consider trading one of their sluggers, notably Bautista or Edwin Encarnacion, due to the loss of Marcus Stroman and the struggles of their rotation. He also mentioned a financial reason to trade one of them.
"The likelihood the Blue Jays would re-up with Bautista, 34, or Encarnacion, 32, at big dollars after 2016 is unlikely. Thus, trading one or the other now would likely bring the greatest long-term value," he wrote.
The two have team options after this season, but if Toronto fails to make the postseason again this year then they'll have to go back to the drawing board. Whether that be declining the options in the offseason or picking them up and shopping the players on the market, who knows. They have a chance to turn it around right now, but there's not much time.
Michael Hobson of the Vancouver Sun thinks the team needs to make something happen ASAP.
"Because of the mediocrity of the division management can take another month to evaluate their team but unless the results miraculously turn around and the team gets hot a trade or two will need to be made-long before the deadline and likely before the all-star game. The team needs at least one powerful bullpen arm and perhaps another starter-moves that should have been made in the off-season. The team certainly needs an ace, but that may be asking for too much."
New York has a plethora of capable starters and relievers, which make these two clubs compatible trade partners. However, each may deem the sacrifices too costly - ones that may significantly compromise an aspect of their team. Again, a deal isn't likely, but it's something worth pondering.
At least we learned one thing after all of this:
The Blue Jays should have never dealt Noah Syndergaard to New York for R.A. Dickey.
