New York Mets Rumors: Are they targeting outfielders?

By Michael Papandrea | Jul 19, 2015

Recent New York Mets rumors are surrounding Brewers’ outfielder, Carlos Gomez, and Padres’ outfielder, Justin Upton, as according to Jon Heyman of CBS, the Mets are interested in both.

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Gomez, a former Met, is hitting .273 with eight home runs in 2015. In 2013 and 14, he hit above the .280 mark with 20 plus home runs and was named to the All-Star team each time. Next season is the final year of his contract where he will earn $9 million and hit the free agent market at the age of 31.

Upton on the other hand, will hit the free agent market at the end of this season at the young age of 28. While the Mets have shown an unwillingness to spend big money on any free agents, he will likely be a one year rental. Upton is hitting .253 with 14 home runs on the year. He is mainly known for his power, but he also has 17 stolen bases on the year. Juan Lagares currently leads the Mets with six stolen bases.

Both guys are two of the biggest names on the trade market among outfielders. The Mets will have to give something substantial away; but how can they do that without trading away Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, and Steven Matz? After those guys, the biggest trade chips the Mets have are Jon Niese, Bartolo Colon, an injured Zack Wheeler, and their top two position player prospects who participated in this years futures game.

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Michael Conforto and Brandon Nimmo have each been hitting well at the Double A level this season. Nimmo has an average of .289 with an on-base percentage of .353. Conforto is hitting .310 with a .390 OBP in about 100 less at-bats than Nimmo.

If the Mets trade for a top outfielder, at least one of these prospects will have to be involved in a deal. But it’s not just about what the Mets can give up, it’s also about what the Brewers and Padres want. Right now the Brewers are out of contention, but the Padres haven’t exactly made it known if they are in sell mode.

At 41-49, they are 7.5 games behind the Cubs for the second Wildcard spot. They have players, along with Upton, who are going to be free agents at the end of the year. Ian Kennedy, Joaquin Benoit and Will Venable are all being shopped, despite the team not showing any signs of completely tearing the team up. If the Padres go down this route, them and the Mets could match up for a deal.

The trade I would make with the Padres is Nimmo and Niese for Upton. In this deal, the Mets are giving up a lot for a one-year rental, but making this trade could result in an offensive boost the team needs for an exciting playoff push. The Padres are not only getting a prospect who could be in the majors by next season, but also a quality rotation arm to keep them competitive in the wildcard hunt.

The Brewers, however, would likely have little interest in a guy like Niese. The top five ranked prospects in their organization include two shortstops and three outfielders. They would prefer a younger arm under contract for much longer. Also, it would appear as if Nimmo and Conforto hold little value to them as well, except that all their top prospects bat from the right hand side. Both Nimmo and Conforto throw with their right hand but bat with their left.

The trade I would make with the Brewers for Gomez would be their choice of Nimmo or Conforto, along with Wheeler. Both players could help the Brewers next season and beyond as the earliest any of them become free agents is Wheeler in 2020.

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