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With the New York Mets‘ offense sputtering and frustration growing, general manager Sandy Alderson has suggested that the team is starting to look outside the organization for a potential solution. Most have assumed all along that the team would be in the market for a shortstop, either to replace Wilmer Flores or push Flores to second in place of Daniel Murphy. However, instead of looking for a shortstop, the Mets should be scouring the trade market for a corner outfield.
Alderson and the Mets spent much of the offseason trying to acquire a shortstop, only to end up with nothing. Trying again may yield similar results, as it’s difficult to find a team that’s willing to part with a shortstop who will be an upgrade over Flores, and dream-scenario targets like Troy Tulowitzki and Starlin Castro will carry a substantial price that the Mets have been previously unwilling to meet. Moreover, Flores has been one of the team’s most productive offensive players, and while his defensive has been an issue at times, finding a substantial offensive upgrade over him will be difficult.
A better idea would be for the Mets to look into acquiring a corner outfielder, as Curtis Granderson and Michael Cuddyer have both failed to live up to their hefty contracts. As Alderson has pointed out, it’s not yet the time of year when teams make trades, but when it is, there should be more viable candidates in the outfield than at shortstop. More importantly, with Granderson and Cuddyer struggling to find consistency, the Mets need more production from their outfield. A full-time corner outfielder would be just what the Mets need, as it would allow Granderson and Cuddyer to platoon in the other spot. This could benefit both players, as Granderson is hitting just .156 against lefties, and both players could use added rest during the dog days of the season.
Obviously, the Mets are hoping that the upcoming return of Travis d’Arnaud and the eventual return of David Wright will help the offense, but there’s still a good chance they will need to make a trade in order to improve their lineup if they’re going to stay in contention. If that ends up being the case, then the outfield is where they should be looking. It will be the easiest position to find someone, and it’s the position, outside of the positions where they’ve been hurt by injury, where they need the most help. In the end, adding more offense to the outfield may be necessary to get the Mets to the postseason.
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.
