New York Mets Should Trade For Ian Desmond As A One-Year Rental
By Bryan Zarpentine
@BZarp
Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports
The New York Mets’ rumor mill has been churning all week with speculation about the possibility of the team trading for Washington Nationals’ shortstop Ian Desmond. General manager Sandy Alderson has refused to give up top pitching prospect Noah Syndergaard in a trade for Desmond, who will be a free agent after the 2015 season, preventing any possible trade from taking place. However, trading for Desmond as a one-year rental would be a great move for the Mets.
Alderson’s intentions are good; you don’t want to sacrifice the future for a short-term rental. But at a certain point, when the opportunity is there to be competitive, you have to go for it. After six straight losing seasons and a world of optimism generated by the Mets’ pitching staff, especially the return of ace Matt Harvey and the emergence of reigning Rookie of the Year Jacob deGrom, the Mets need to go for it in 2015.
It’s understandable that the Mets don’t want to give up Syndergaard, but they have to face the facts that in order to upgrade at shortstop, they will have to trade Syndergaard. Moreover, trading Syndergaard is far from mortgaging the future; the Mets may not need him to reach the postseason in 2015, and without him, they still have a deep rotation, as well as another top-notch pitching prospect in Steven Matz, who appears to be on the fast track to the big leagues.
As for Desmond, he may be the missing piece of the puzzle that the Mets need to be true competitors in 2015. As much as the team likes Wilmer Flores, they can’t rely on him being the answer at shortstop, and Desmond would ensure that the Mets have a quality shortstop in 2015. Flores could still stay in the picture by moving to second base in the event the team trades Daniel Murphy. The Mets would be better off with Flores at second base, where he’s more comfortably defensively. Flores would then have a yearlong audition in the big leagues while the Mets wait for Dilson Herrera, who could end up being their second baseman of the future.
Meanwhile, there would be no need for the Mets to sign Desmond to an extension. After the 2015 season, he may command the kind of contract in money and years that Alderson would like to stay away from, and leaving Desmond in a contract year would ensure he’s motivated to have a big season. Even if the Mets lose Demsond to free agency after one season, he’d likely reject a qualifying offer, allowing New York to collect an extra first round draft pick, which would help them to continue building a strong farm system.
Furthermore, knowing Desmond will be a free agent after the 2015 season will give the Mets another year to gather information about their potential shortstops of the future. They can see if Flores establishes himself as a productive offensive player in the majors, which could make it easier to move him to shortstop. They will also get another year of information on prospects Gavin Cecchini and Amed Rosario to see if either is a potential every day shortstop and when they may be major league ready. They can do the same for prospect Matt Reynolds, and determine if he could be a big league shortstop, or at least a placeholder for either Cecchini or Rosario.
With uncertainty over Flores being the shortstop in 2015, trading for Desmond would undoubtedly be beneficial for the Mets in the short-term. Despite all the time and hard work Alderson has put into building the Mets into a team that can be competitive over the long term, it’s time to make a short-term move. Trading Syndergaard for Desmond is far from mortgaging the Mets’ future, and it’s the kind of move they need to make to solidify themselves as true contenders in 2015.
Bryan Zarpentine is a New York Mets writer at www.RantSports.com. Like him on Facebook, follow him on twitter @BZarp and add him on Google.
Related:
New York Mets Need To Trade Noah Syndergaard To Upgrade At Shortstop
New York Mets Rumors: Ian Desmond Could Be The Missing Piece
Wilmer Flores Can’t Be The Answer At Shortstop For New York Mets
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