New York Mets: 5 Players That Could Be Traded At The Deadline
Jun 17, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; New York Mets starting pitcher Jon Niese (49) delivers a pitch against Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Niese was a player the Mets were desperately trying to trade for most of the first half. He was outstanding his first six starts, giving up more than one run only once. While his ERA stood at a sterling 1.95 over that span, it wasn’t a true outlier of how Niese was performing. He was getting lucky, as he allowed 53 hits and walks in only 37 innings with a very low strikeout rate, as he punched out only 25 over that span. His luck eventually ran out, as Niese strung together some real clunkers.
He struggled mightily over his next five starts, registering only one quality start and watching his ERA balloon to 4.43. At that point, he was in a pretty tight race with Dillon Gee to see who would lose the fifth rotation spot and be moved to the bullpen/spot sixth starter. Niese would outlast Gee, and he would reward the Mets for their choice.
Niese has regained his form, and right in the knick of time for the Mets. He has turned in seven consecutive quality starts, dropping his ERA on the season back down to 3.61. He has also won his last two decisions, the first time he was in the win column since May 9th when he defeated the Philadelphia Phillies; he gone his previous nine starts without a victory.
Also On Empire Writes Back: Who Took Home The Hardware For The Mets In First Half?
His recent performance more than likely ramped up the trade speculation surrounding him, as a couple of teams, namely the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs, that had shown interest in Niese already. But, Niese will be tough for the Mets to move because of injuries to the rest of the roster. With Steven Matz dealing with a lat injury now, the Mets cannot afford to trade Niese for hitting help despite his value increasing again.
If the Mets can figure things out with Matz over the next two weeks, and find out that he will be healthy and ready to go for the stretch run, expect Niese to be on the move. A strong couple of weeks will not change the Mets’ thinking regarding his standing with the team and rotation spot, and if they can afford to trade him because Matz is healthy, they more than likely will. If Matz hadn’t been hurt, Niese would be the player most likely to be traded at the deadline.
Next: Recovering Youngster