Mets Rumors: Interest Shown In Danny Valencia
New York Mets Rumors: The Mets need some help at third base to replace David Wright; could it come in the way of Danny Valencia of the Oakland Athletics?
New York Mets rumors have picked up once again as injuries have decimated their lineup. The most recent injury is a blow in more ways than one, as the Mets will be without starting third baseman and captain David Wright for a while, as he underwent surgery on Thursday to repair the herniated disk in his neck.
As a result, the Mets will have to patch things up over at third base. They knew the time was winding down for Wright to be their everyday third baseman, but still expected Wright to be a part of things this year; in Spring Training they were optimistic that he would play in 130 games. Wright will not come close to playing in 130 games, as he will struggle to hit even 50.
The Mets started to fill the whole when they traded for Kelly Johnson for a second consecutive season from the Atlanta Braves. They also have Wilmer Flores getting some at-bats at third base, as his bat has finally started to wake up with some consistent playing time.
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But, the Mets could, and probably should, still be in the market for some more help at the hot corner. A name to keep an eye on; Danny Valencia of the Oakland Athletics.
According to Ken Davidoff of the New York Post, the Mets have inquired recently about Valencia with the Athletics. They would acquire Johnson to help fill the void, but Davidoff does not think that will deter the Mets’ in their pursuit of Valencia.
Valencia was a top prospect once upon a time with the Minnesota Twins. He had a strong rookie campaign, but fell on tough times in 2011 and 2012. But since 2013, Valencia has been very productive for the Baltimore Orioles, Kansas City Royals, Toronto Blue Jays and Athletics.
Since the beginning of 2013, Valencia has a slash line of .290/.334/.489, including an impressive .327/.370/.550 with 10 home runs and 26 RBI this season. The Mets would love to add that to their lineup, as their offense has been up-and-down throughout the season.
Valencia would also bring some versatility to the Mets, as he has experience playing a number of positions. In addition to third base, Valencia has experience playing first base, second base and corner outfield. He is not regarded as a great defender, but that versatility certainly helps make up for it.
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Valencia has one more year of arbitration, as he earned $3.15 million this past season. He is easily outperforming that number, and would make for a solid replacement for Wright, with the ability to help fill in at other spots around the diamond as well.