Another guest post today, this time from Al DiFranco. It seems the Mets are a mess and are looking to deal Reyes or Wright or both. Al thinks the Indians should take a chance on David Wright.
Earlier today, ESPNNewYork.com cited sources indicating that Mets 3B David Wright may be on the trade block. Wright is under contract for two more years at around $14-$15 million per year (guaranteed deal in 2012, team option in 2013). Why should we care in Cleveland? While many see Wright as more of a candidate to be traded in the off-season, I think it’s time for the Cleveland Indians to make a phone call to the Mets and explore a trade for Wright right now.
Wright is 28 years old. He has spent his entire major league career in a Mets uniform. In his six-plus seasons with the Mets, he has a batting average of .302, with a .382 on-base percentage, 175 homeruns, and 682 runs batted in. He followed up a disappointing 2009 with a solid campaign last season (.283-29-103). Wright is a solid fielder at the hot corner, which is important in this discussion because Jack Hannahan has played a Gold Glove-caliber third base for the Indians.
Wright is currently on the DL with a back injury. According to SI.com’s Will Carroll, Wright’s time on the DL is winding down and he should be back on the active roster in the next week or so. He was struggling when he went on the DL, batting just .226, but he played through the pain for weeks before going on the DL.
The Indians’ line-up is in desperate need of a good right-handed bat. Look at the line-up Manny Acta will likely run with once Travis Hafner returns from his oblique injury:
LF Brantley (left)
SS A. Cabrera (switch)
RF Choo (left)
DH Hafner (left)
C Santana (switch)
CF Sizemore (left)
2B O. Cabrera (right)
1B LaPorta (right)
3B Hannahan (left)
This lineup is heavy on left-handed bats, especially in the middle. Now, compare this to a lineup with David Wright replacing Jack Hannahan at third base and moving into the cleanup spot:
LF Brantley (left)
SS A. Cabrera (switch)
RF Choo (left)
3B Wright (right)
DH Hafner (left)
C Santana (switch)
CF Sizemore (left)
1B LaPorta (right)
2B O. Cabrera (right)
This is a much more balanced lineup not only in the middle, but even when the lineup is turned over from LaPorta and Orlando Cabrera to Brantley at the top, since the Indians wouldn’t have Hannahan’s unproductive bat to hide at the bottom of the order.
Now, let’s talk about what it would take to acquire David Wright. The Mets currently own a record of 25-29, which has them 8.5 games out of first in the NL East. With the Phillies and Marlins both off to very good starts, and the Braves also playing well, the Mets have to begin the process of looking ahead to next season and beyond.
The Indians can put together a very enticing package of prospects for David Wright. That package would likely have to include their top position player prospect, Lonnie Chisenhall. Chisenhall, who at age 23 has had his ups and downs in his first season at the AAA level (.265-5-26), would provide the Mets with a very good replacement for Wright going into the 2012 season.
In addition to Chisenhall, the Indians would likely need to part with one of their better pitching prospects. I keep looking ahead to a 2013 rotation of Masterson-White-Pomeranz-Tomlin-Carrasco, so anyone outside of these five starters should be looked at as possible trade pieces. The best of the rest is probably Jason Knapp, the 20-year old acquired in the Cliff Lee trade, but his continued injury woes make him an untradeable commodity at this point. A guy really turning heads right now in the Indians farm system is Zach McAllister, who was acquired from the Yankees last season. McAllister has had a phenomenal season so far for Columbus, winning seven of his eight decisions and posting an ERA of 2.42. He has struck out 53 and walked just 13 in 67 innings. McAllister, who was selected in the third round of the 2006 draft, was one of the Yankees’ top prospects until last season, when he struggled at the AAA level. He has regained his command and would be a good candidate for the Mets’ starting rotation in 2012, if not sooner.
A third and final player I would suggest to include would be either Jason Kipnis or Cord Phelps. The Mets need help at second base, and that seems to be the best position for both Kipnis and Phelps at the major league level. Kipnis, the Tribe’s second-round pick in 2009, got off to a slow start this season in Columbus, but has rebounded to post solid numbers (.288-5-30). Phelps, a third-round pick in 2008, has been a stat stuffer (.315-7-38) but is in his second season at the AAA level. Both are 24 years of age. Phelps is a switch-hitter, while Kipnis bats left-handed. Either of these two youngsters would provide the Mets with a very solid infield prospect.
Does this sound too good to be true? It probably is. The Mets would most likely look at the Indians’ prospect pool and covet Alex White or Drew Pomeranz in a package for Wright. Then again, the package of Chisenhall-McAllister-Kipnis/Phelps has the Indians trading three of their top 10-15 prospects for a 28-year old player whom the Mets need to deal to help bring down their payroll. That seems to be a win-win scenario.
The Mets are in a similar position with David Wright that the Indians were in with Victor Martinez two seasons ago. They have a beloved player on their roster who makes more money than the team can afford in their current financial state. They can either keep the player and force themselves to build from within, or they can speed up the rebuilding process by bringing in some good prospects.
From the Tribe’s standpoint, this is the kind of move that many fans have been advocating for years.
It’s time for the Dolans to invest in their roster and add a player like David Wright. This kind of move would give fans who are uncertain about the team’s direction another reason to buy tickets. It’s time to become a buyer and explore a trade like this. It’s Tribe Time…NOW!
